Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has said that manager Guardiola is responsible for making him into one of the best defenders in the world. Javier Mascherano arrived from Liverpool in a £ 25 million deal of the seasons ago. He was initially expected to be the replacement for Yaya Touré, but it turned out that Guardiola used him as a centre back more often than not. This season has been revolutionary in that Barcelona have been able to mould the extremely small player into a very capable centre back, who has been able to keep the 6′4 Gerard Pique out of the team.
Javier Mascherano reckons that it is a sad day for football, as Barcelona manager Guardiola will be part of the final home match as the Barcelona manager. There will be one more match in the league calendar, while the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao will be the last match for Guardiola. The 41-year-old has announced that he will be stepping down from the post in order to take some time away from football. Guardiola said that being the Barcelona manager was incredible pressure and it has taken a toll on him in the last four years.
“There’s a before and after Guardiola in my career. He turned me into a new player, Although he might not be human, it’s good that Messi keeps on thinking he is. Leo is playing another sport,” Mascherano said after the match about Guardiola and Lionel Messi. The 4-0 win over Espanyol broke new reports after Lionel Messi emerged as the player with the most number of goals in one single campaign. He now has 72 goals in all competitions for Barcelona, while the win over Espanyol was the 97th home victory for Guardiola in just 118 matches.
Barcelona manager Guardiola has said that he considers midfielder Javier Mascherano to be the best signing he has made in his three years at the club. The 27-year-old midfielder was signed from Liverpool in 2010. However, he has been largely used as a centre back by the manager.
On the paper, it is a combination that certainly does not work because the midfielder is one of the shortest on the pitch. Yet, it has worked brilliantly for Barcelona since 2010. Now, Mascherano has been part of the Barcelona team that has won 11 straight matches in the Spanish la Liga, while they also look on course to lift the Champions League this season.
Due to the way Barcelona play, Mascherano has not been the traditional defender who has two head a lot of balls. Instead, most of the football is played on the ground. As a result, the Argentine has found playing at the back for Barcelona extremely comfortable. However, it remains to be seen if he can replicate the form against better opponents. Chelsea will be facing Barcelona in the semifinals of the Champions League. The English club are well known for their physicality, and it would be a big test for Mascherano. As of now, though, Guardiola reckons that he would never sell Mascherano at any price.
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Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has said that he is indebted to Barcelona manager Guardiola that he wants him to remain as the manager for Barcelona for a long time. Guardiola has been remarkable ever since being appointed by Barcelona back in 2008 as a replacement for Frank Rijkaard. In the four years he has been the manager of Barcelona, Guardiola has guided the club to 13 trophies out of a maximum possible 16 trophies, beating title rivals Real Madrid for four seasons running.
Javier Mascherano arrived at Barcelona only recently, but he has said that the former Barcelona captain has taught him so much in football that he feels indebted to him.
Even though Javier Mascherano has been a part of the Barcelona successful in the last few seasons, the midfielder has said that it was Guardiola who insisted upon signing him in the first place. The future of Guardiola at the Camp Nou has become under intense speculation of late after it was revealed that the manager has only a few months left on his current contract. The reluctance on his part to sign a new deal coupled with the interest from manager-less Chelsea has made Javier Mascherano extremely concerned about the future of Barcelona over the next few seasons.
“Guardiola is very important to me. He is the coach who trusted me to come to Barcelona and also provided me with the necessary conditions to be able to change my position. Without the help of the coach, that would have been impossible. I owe it to him that I am now playing in the centre of defence,” midfielder Javier Mascherano said in a press conference recently. Even though Barcelona has been spectacular in Europe this season, they have struggled domestically. As a result, it looks highly unlikely that Barcelona will be winning the Spanish league title for the fourth consecutive season.
There have been reports that Italian club AC Milan are looking to sign Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano in the summer. Javier Mascherano arrived from English club Liverpool a few seasons ago for around £ 25 million.
However, it is thought that he has grown extremely frustrated with life at the Camp Nou after not being a first-team regular with Barcelona. Even though Barcelona do not have a large squad at the moment, Javier Mascherano is largely used as a squad player. Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has mostly uses the Barcelona youngster Sergio Busquets in the defensive midfield role, which has left Javier Mascherano extremely frustrated with life on the bench.
Now, AC Milan are thought to have been made aware of his frustration. They are looking to take advantage of this situation by making a bid for the player in the summer. Even though Javier Mascherano has a release clause of around £ 90 million in his contract, it is thought that Barcelona would be willing to let him leave in the summer for around £ 35 million, but it remains to be seen if AC Milan will be willing to stump up that kind of money for a player who is coming to the 30s mark.
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Javier Mascherano has said that there will still be plenty of opportunities for Barcelona to close the gap on Real Madrid. The league leaders Real Madrid have extended their lead at the top of the table to 10 points after this weekend’s results. Barcelona could not win against Osasuna.
They lost the match 3-2, which provided Real Madrid with the opportunity to go 10 points clear at the top of the table. The José Mourinho team duly obliged by taking advantage of the lacklustre play by the Levante team to go 10 points clear at the top of the table. There have been suggestions that this 10 point advantage would be unassailable by Barcelona.
This is due to the fact that over the past few years, only Barcelona and Real Madrid have dominated the division. They have no real contenders to fear. Hence, both teams were losing only a few points during the course of an entire season. In order for Barcelona to win the league title for the fourth consecutive year this season, they must need Real Madrid to drop 10 points from now till the end of the season. Barcelona’s defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano believes that it would be possible.
“A draw for Madrid will put us back in the race if we win our matches. What we have to do is win our matches and wait for a slip-up from Madrid, although this will not be easy because they have a great team. But we have to keep in mind that the most important thing is what we do,” Javier Mascherano said after the weekend’s result. Barcelona have a number of injury problems of late. The likes of Iniesta and David Villa have been sorely missed during many parts of the campaign, while Sergio Busquets is set to return to first-team action.
Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano has said that Barcelona should not underestimate their opponents Brazilian club Santos on the final of the Club World Cup. Barcelona will be playing Brazilian club Santos in this final, which is highly anticipated in the South American regions.
Many see this as the ultimate battle between Lionel Messi and the young sensation at Santos – Neymar. Barcelona will be coming to the match after having lost striker David Villa to a long-term injury. David Villa suffered a fractured tibia in the semifinal match, which rules him out for the rest of the season.
Despite this huge injury concern, Javier Mascherano has said that Barcelona should not underestimate their opponents in this match. Many have already touted Barcelona to be the winners in the match, which would also enable them to lift the trophy twice in three years. However, the Argentine midfielder has said that Santos should not be taken lightly given that they have the similar prestige and history as Barcelona. The talent they possess is also quite remarkable, as they will line up with the most sought-after player in world football – Neymar. The Brazilian has been linked with a move to a number of European clubs like Chelsea, Real Madrid, and to Barcelona themselves. However, Mascherano says that they should not allow any distractions in this match.
“Obviously that this is a final, we want to win it because it is an important trophy to us. We will try to do the right thing to get the trophy. Santos are really good, they have important players up front, like Neymar and Ganso. I know they are experienced, because I played in Brazil, and their coach is very clever. They are in the final, so we have to respect them,” Mascherano said ahead of match with Santos on Sunday.
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May 10, 2012 2:21 am | 
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