Santos blow for Arsenal

Arsenal have confirmed that left-back Andre Santos is set to undergo surgery in Brazil on his ankle, ruling him out for three months.

The Brazil international picked up the injury in the Gunners’ Champions League group-stage defeat against Olympiakos last Tuesday, with the English Premier League club having already qualified for the knockout stages.

There had been hopes that the injury was not too serious, with the former Fenerbahce defender missing out on Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Everton at the Emirates.

But Arsenal have since revealed the 28-year-old will be sidelined until next year.

“Following investigations and subsequent medical opinions by club specialists, Andre Santos will have surgery to repair ligament damange in his right ankle,” a statement on the club’s website read.

It was thought Santos would only miss three weeks, but he now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines alongside fellow full-backs Bacary Sagna and Kieran Gibbs.

RIVEROLA, THE MEANS ALWAYS TRUE

Marti is a wonder Riverola regularly in midfield that continues to distill actions talent. The Catalans jumped into the covers with his witty response before debuting Tuesday in the Champions League. ”I have prepared a lifetime,” he said. And three days later ended his magical week playing the whole game against Almeria and scoring the tying goal to two.

“It was a very special week, Almería shame that tied at the end. The team has been very good and we will follow up. We are a very competitive team and everyone is able to play, but we must learn to secure the win and this is achieved based games, “said the midfielder, born on January 26, 1991 in Barcelona.

The medium is more sure of his chances after playing the second half of last season at Vitesse, the Dutch Eredivisie (played 15 games as a starter with the `Chapi ¿Ferrer on the bench). ”I returned from Holland with confidence. Also gained a lot of competitiveness in a demanding category as Dutch First Division. It was one of the best times of my life as a footballer, which is short yet, “said Marti Riverola.

Indeed, his brief stage in Arnhem not made him forget the studies of Business Administration underway in the IQS and approved three subjects although unable to attend class.

MADNESS IN THE FIRST TRAINING SESSION IN YOKOHAMA

After being received in the early morning at Narita Airport, outside Tokyo, for about a hundred enthusiastic fans Nipponese with the colors of the team, Barca took the morning train to train and attend two official FIFA commitments. 

Early in the 27 players and the coach, Josep Guardiola, attended the event photo session and a technical talk Instructor FIFA referees, Steve Bennett, with whom they talked and discussed videos on the rules of the tournament . 

At noon, Barcelona went to training camp Yokohama Marinos local team, in which he waited nearly a hundred international media and many fans who were at the gates, and onlookers who peered out from the surrounding buildings. 

Guardiola scheduled a very gentle workout for about an hour in which the players performed balloon stretching, rounds, races and a talk with the coaching staff in a warm and sunny winter morning. 

The training served to light the players begin their acclimatization to the time change in Japan (eight hours ahead of Spain) and to recover physically from the long journey and the meeting demanding that played on Saturday against Real Madrid. 

The Training Center Yokohama Marinos, which already has a store of FC Barcelona, ​​Barca offered to issue a quarter hour of training open to media, while the rest of the exercises were performed at door closed. 

Today is the first step in the preparation of the FC Barcelona play in Japan before, on Thursday, one of the Club World Cup semi-final against Qatar’s Al Sadd, who yesterday broke Tunisian Esperance in the quarter-finals 2-1

CRUYFF: “BARCA CONTINUED AWAY FROM MADRID”

Johan Cruyff analyzed his usual classic collaboration in ‘The Journal’ in which he made clear his feeling that the club is still, today, over Real Madrid.

The extécnico welcomed although Barca‘s victory qualified the exhibition game since found that “more time Barca played less well than good.”

“Barca missed more passes than usual. It was an opportunity to increase their advantage Madrid and having to play a game more complicated,” he says.

Cruyff also refers to the failure of Valdes as something transcendental in the course and outcome of the classic. ”The goal after 20 seconds it helped a lot to Barca players had to demonstrate his strength,” he says.

The Dutch concluded that Barca’s victory was founded on his ability to play “20 or 25 minutes to their true level,” although they showed they are still a step above that of whites.

“Barca is over and Madrid is not just for what it does but for all football doubts that Mourinho’s team creates” he says.

Still, the result is not definite classic for the final attainment of the title. According to Cruyff, “This championship is not decided by an outright victory, but the ability to make the smallest possible number of failures in other parties to go to 100% is very complicated.”

While noting that “this victory is important but it is also true that Madrid is as title contender like Barca.”

And finally concludes: “The mother knows that her League is against Barca but with the other teams. For it is still the worst of enemies.

THE SIGNINGS GUARDIOLA MEDIA ALWAYS ‘WET’ IN ITS FIRST DERBY

In the fourth season in front of Pep Guardiola’s first team, has uncovered a singular chance after good game made by the pupils of Santpedor against Real Madrid last Saturday.And in the last three years, Mr. big signings have made against Real Madrid in the first classic they have played in the league. 

In the 2009/10 season, the sign hung around star signing the Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic.Despite the poor outcome that was at Barça, the now Milan striker was involved in an exciting start to the season. 

So much so that in the first game that pitted the two giants of Spanish football, Ibra was erected as the only scorer in that game. Barca won 1-0 at the Nou Camp to Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini. 

The following season, the media was David Villa. The Spaniard, a key to Guardiola, was instrumental in the first derby league last season that ended with him, remembered by all, 5-0. 

Villa’s contribution to the little hand was important, because of his boots came the third and fourth goal against Madrid coached by Jose Mourinho. A superb start in the classics. 

This year there were two, the cracks that Guardiola asked who flock to the club. The desired, Cesc Fabregas, and the least known, Alexis Sanchez. 

Although this time can not say it was the first official classic of both Catalan and Chile since enjoyed Super minutes in Spain. However, at that time were newcomers. 

Once they have enjoyed a little time to adjust to the game Barca have shown an absolute involvement, each getting a goal in the resounding 1-3 victory that ended once again with the absurd rumors about the end culé cycle. 

The only season that Pep can not boast of it is the 2008/09, its first year on the bench in front of the scorers Madrid Juande Ramos (Messi and Eto’o) were already enshrined in the Barcelona players. 

It is recalled that one year’s involvement in the signings Guardiola was much lower, since its goal was to get the most out of what was already in the workforce. Which also managed successfully.