Eden Hazard believes he can be as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

EDEN HAZARD believes he can reach the levels of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo - but needs to score more goals to do so.

 The Chelsea ace has been in superb form this season, scoring 12 goals in all competition.

Hazard reckons he can continue to improve and reach the same level as the world's elite players.

 He said: "Last season was very good but this season for me has been on a different level because I’ve been more consistent.

 "I’ve played almost every game, almost every minute of every game, with the same intensity. I’ve created lots of chances and scored goals.

"If I want to reach the next level I have to score more, I know that, but I’ve taken pleasure on the pitch this season and I’m happy with the level I’ve reached.

" Hazard, who has started every league game this season, is happy with his role in the Jose Mourinho's side.

 He continued: "My role is always the same. When I get the ball I have to create something

 "It’s easier when you keep the ball and when you play against a team that defends a lot, especially at home. But it’s also difficult because you have to find space.

 "When we counter-attack it’s a little bit different because I have to defend more but then as soon as I get the ball I immediately attack.

 "You have a bit more space and a bit more freedom going forward."

Neymar to be Enjoyed, not Criticised, Says Barcelona Boss

Neymar scored twice as Barcelona won 3-2 midweek at the Vicente Calderon to progress into the semi-finals 4-2 on aggregate. However, Neymar was targeted by Atletico Madrid players in an ill-tempered affair as the hosts finished the game with just nine men.

                                        

Madrid: Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has leapt to the defence of Brazilian star Neymar after claims from Atletico Madrid players he was showboating as the Catalans knocked the Spanish champions out of the Copa del Rey in midweek. 

Neymar scored twice as Barca won 3-2 on the night at the Vicente Calderon to progress into the semi-finals 4-2 on aggregate. 

However, Neymar was targeted by Atletico players in an ill-tempered affair as the hosts finished the game with just nine men.

Enrique admitted after the match that he had substituted Neymar in the second-half to protect him from further rough treatment.

 And he believes players of Neymar's ability should be afforded more protection rather than being questioned for showing their full repertoire of skills.

 "Brazilians see football as a way of enjoying themselves whilst competing," Enrique said on Saturday.

 "Spain is a strange country where people are more offended by a nutmeg than destroying someone with five fouls.

 "If you take football, samba or other things away then he is no longer Brazilian. They have another way of understanding the game. He should continue to enjoy it and so should we.

 

Neymar's run of seven goals in his last six games has played a major role in Barca's upturn in form since losing their opening game of 2015 away at Real Sociedad. 

However, they face another of the form teams on Sunday night when Villarreal hope to extend their 18-game unbeaten league run at the Camp Nou. The sides will meet three times in just over a month as they also clash in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, and Enrique insisted his side have to disrupt Villarreal's passing game. 

"Both of us are in good form. At home we are very strong and the support of the fans is important, but I have no doubt they will present difficulties. 

"We need to press well. In the first game there we struggled and won late on. We need to be very effective in our pressing." 

Barca's Balogun Hails Lionel Messi After Training With First Team

Boluwatife Balogun is inching closer to making his official debut for the first team of Barcelona.

 He recently trained with the senior squad of the La Liga powerhouse for the first time since arriving the club from Lens.

 Despite manager Luis Enrique voicing his satisfaction with the performance of Balogun, the highly rated starlet is refusing to get carried away, as he's aware that he needs to keep working harder to break into the first team.

 ''I trained with the first team last Friday, that's how it's being done once in a while, '' Boluwatife Balogun said to SL10.ng.

 ''Training with Barcelona first team is a dream come true, but playing with them in an official match will be awesome.

 ''The coach applauded us after the training session. It was my first time of training with the first team, and as footballers we do get nervous at times.''

 The attacking midfielder has nothing but praise for Barcelona poster boy Lionel Messi, after he was mesmerized by the skills of the Argentina international during the practice session.

 ''I have been coming across Barcelona stars, but I was closer to my role model Andrés Iniesta. 

''Lionel Messi...., I have not seen any player that can be compared to him. He is a very good role model for many players out there.

 ''My target with the Juvenil A squad for the rest of this season is to win every title we play for,''

Balogun concluded. Boluwatife Balogun has been at La Masia Academy for the past two years, and he has opted to represent Nigeria at international level, ahead of France and Holland.

Barcelona Locker Room Reportedly Upset at Jérémy Mathieu

After the loss at the Anoeta, the world found out that the relationship between Lionel Messi and Luis Enrique was not the best, which resulted in a crisis that is thankfully part of the past now. But, as always, #TheCrisis returned because of something somebody said. But, surprisingly, the guy putting more gasoline on the fire is an inside source.

 A few days ago, 31-year-old center-back Jérémy Mathieu revealed during a radio interview that Messi and Enrique actually had a heated discussion before the match against Real Sociedad. It happened during a training session, when Leo went after Lucho for a hard tackle from a teammate that wasn't called a foul. Enrique then gave a surly response and they had to be separated before things got even more heated.

 The revelation of an actual beef between the team's best player and the coach was the last thing that needed to happen after the two reportedly forgot the problem and didn't let it affect their professional relationship. Thanks to seven straight wins by the Blaugrana,
Mathieu's remarks didn't cause much problem externally, but they didn't go well internally. Enrique, Messi and the rest of the captains have not talked to Mathieu since the interview, sources told Barça Blaugranes.

 It's unclear to this point whether Enrique will punish Mathieu in some way, but the most discrete way would be to leave him out of the squad for tomorrow's La Liga encounter with Villarreal. He hasn't shown much improvement on his physical condition even though he has received the medical green light, so excluding him from the lineup under the official label of "medical reasons" would be the easiest way for Enrique to show Mathieu he's not happy with the player's actions.

Arsenal Sent David Ospina To Barcelona For Medical Treatment

Arsenal sent David Ospina to Barcelona for treatment after their own doctors failed to find the problem with the keeper themselves.

 The Gunners found Ospina to be a guiding light for the defensive line-up when Wojciech Szczesny fell out of favour with Arsene Wenger, but when he arrived at the Emirates he was not at his best, suffering from a knee injury.

 And according to Metro, the Columbian was unable to have the problem diagnosed correctly at Arsenal, so as a result he was eventually sent to Barcelona for the Catalan team doctors to tend to him there.

 It's another piece of negative news for the Gunners' medical team who have been criticised on many occasions for their handling of players injuries.

 Jack Wilshere has in particular fallen victim to a number of problems in his time at the club and it would appear that over recent years the north London side has had more issues than other big-name clubs and regular Champions League competitors with keeping their players fit.

 When Mesut Ozil succumbed to an injury in October last year, Wenger was forced to defend his club doctors, telling reporters at the time: "We have to consider every injury individually. Most of the injuries we've had are joint problems and accidental problems and there are post-World Cup traumatic injuries.

 "The only muscular problems we have had consistently this year are Arteta and Ramsey. Ramsey is quite surprising because he's young and has good stamina and we haven't really found out why.

 "Let's not forget, we've played eight Champions League games since the start of the season and when your bodies are not really prepared and you go Wednesday night to Besiktas and Saturday to Sunderland, it's demanding.

 "Is that the only explanation? I don't know but I cannot deny that we've had more injuries than planned."

 Arsenal and Barcelona enjoy a particularly friendly relationship and the clubs have been known to help each other out in the past, particularly with transfers.

 But this isn't news that Gunners fans want to hear as they side fight to get back into the top four and will likely finish the season without a title for the 11th year in a row.

Sergio Busquets to Sign Contract Extension with Barcelona

                                        


One of the most consistent pieces of Barcelona's glorious era, Sergio Busquets is set to have a new contract.

 According to a report from Mundo Deportivo, the Blaugrana and the 26-year-old midfielder will sign an extension that will keep him as a Barça player until 2020, with a player option for one extra season. Busquets will also see his bank account get bigger with a significant increase in his wages. Plus, it will get tougher to buy him out of Barça, with his release clause getting raised from €150 million to €175 million. 

Despite his consistency and high level of play year after year, Busquets is always a controversial figure in the eyes of Barça fans. Some point to his lack of defensive skills; others point to his lack of passing skills; others point to his lack of offensive skills; however, the reality is Sergio is one of the more complete players in his position in all of football. Being forced to cover a lot more ground due to Luis Enrique's crazy new tactical system, Busquets took some time to adjust to his expanded defensive role, but has now settled into a rythm and has returned to his usual All-Star form.

 Busquets is getting paid, and few players in the current Barça squad are more deserving than him.

Forget Picasso or Dali, FC Barcelona's museo is the cool place to visit

January 30 – Barcelona, one of the two giants of Spanish club football, are claiming that the FC Barcelona Museum has again won the title of most visited in Catalonia, outpulling museums devoted to the famous painters Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. An item on the www.fcbarcelona.com website says that its museum, which marked its 30th anniversary last September, attracted 1,530,484 visitors in 2014 – up 1.62% on a year earlier. By comparison, it notes, the Dalí Museum in Figueres was visited by just under 1.3 million people, with the Picasso Museum in Barcelona getting just under 920,000 visitors. A tour of the club's famous stadium and the museum, marketed under the label "The Camp Nou Experience", is priced at €23, with concessions for children and over-70s. Assuming an average entry fee of €20, the Experience would have generated more than €30 million in 2014 in ticket sales alone, the cost of a pretty decent squad member. According to the club, visitors have included managers from the Roland Garros tennis museum in Paris who, it says, were on "a fact-finding mission".