Josep Guardiola reached 200 games

Josep Guardiola managed the team for the 200th time in Prague last night
his statistics are quite simply stunning ..........

► 72% wins: Of the last 200 matches, Barça have won 143, drawn 39 and only lost 17. That 72% is somewhat better than the achievement of the second man in the list, Helenio Herrera, who managed a 70.6% win rate in 143 games. Next comes Ferdinand Daucik (60.7% wins in 150 games), Frank Rijkaard (58.6% wins in 273 games) and Johan Cruyff (58.1% wins in 430 games).

► Only 17 losses: Of these 200 games, Guardiola and his players have only lost 17, two of which came at the end of the 2008/09 season when the league title was already in the

bag. This season, the team has not lost any of its 17 official matches.

► 500 goals for: There has been plenty of action in these games. The team has almost scored half a thousand goals, 500 to be precise. That’s an average of 2.50 goals a game. Leo Messi, with 160, is the highest goalscorer under Guardiola.

► Nearly 100 goals in Europe: Of these, about a fifth have been in European matches. Barça have scored 99 goals in 44 Champions League matches, the most productive season being 2008/09 (36 goals in 15 matches).

► 143 goals against: The Barça defence has also been fantastic, leaking just 143 goals (0.71 per game), and in the Liga (84 goals conceded), this has been enough to ensure Víctor Valdés won three consecutive Zamora Trophies.

► 306 points in Liga: When it comes to points won in the league, Barça are clearly record breakers under Guardiola. In 124 matches, the side has collected 306 points. Guardiola finished his first three seasons at the club with 87, 99 and 96 points respectively, which was always enough to win the title. This season, they already have 24 points.

► 12 titles out of 15: The 200 games have involved Guardiola’s side winning 12 titles out of the 15 that were at stake. These were 2 Ligas, 3 Spanish Supercups, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 European Supercups, one Clubs World Cup and one Copa del Rey” - Barca have won three ligas.

Wonder boy Messi touched the Double hundred landmark

Lionel Messi netted a hat-trick including his 200th goal for Barcelona in a resounding 4-0 victory at 10-man Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday that put the rampant Champions League holders and their Group H rivals AC Milan through to the last 16.

The World Player of the Year converted a penalty in the 24th minute to claim a double century of goals for Barca after being felled by defender Marian Cisovsky who got a straight red card.

Messi fired home a second from close range in first-half stoppage time and, after Cesc Fabregas got on the scoresheet late on, the Argentine scored his hat-trick, and Barca's fourth goal, in added time at the end of a game they dominated.

"I am happy but more than anything for the result," Messi said in a pitchside interview with Spanish television, adding that he was not thinking about catching the Catalan club's record marksman Cesar Rodriguez, who scored 235.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola added: "Messi is a phenomenal player, what more can I say..."

Valdés breaks Miguel Reina’s record

Víctor Valdés is now the FC Barcelona goalkeeper who has gone the most games without conceding a goal. Following nine clean sheets, he has now gone unbeaten for 877 minutes, more than the 824 minutes established by Miguel Reina in the 1972/73 season. As the game ended 4-0, Valdés can still extend his incredible record.

Di Stefano says Messi should skipper Argentina

Legendary star Alfredo Di Stefano said Monday he believed Argentina would benefit if they made Lionel Messi their skipper.
"The captaincy of the national side is a distinction which Messi deserves as he has all the qualities a captain requires - a combative character and immeasurable talent," Argentina-born naturalised Spaniard Di Stefano told the journal of the Argentina Football Federation published Monday. "He would grow more and I am sure that it (would be) a decision which would bolster the togetherness of the group. His teammates respect him," Di Stefano, nicknamed the Blond Arrow, added. He said he was a huge fan of Messi - save for when Barcelona meet his own former side Real Madrid.
"It is extraordinary to see him play and his goals are a delight - except when he puts one past my team Real Madrid."
Messi has on occasion been criticised by Argentina fans for showing only occasional flashes of his Barcelona form in the national shirt - in particular when the albiceleste flopped at the Copa America in July on home soil.

Barca would not be where it is without Messi: Guardiola

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has showered praise on Lionel Messi, insisting the club’s success during his tenure is down to the Argentina captain’s presence in the squad, reports goal.com.
‘Messi knows very well what we all think, all of the coaching staff, the people that look after him, and the other players,’ Guardiola told the club’s official website. ‘We are all delighted with what he does, has done and will do. And of course nothing that we have done would have been possible without him.
‘He is a different kind of player, his stats make him different and he lets you win games at all levels. There is never a game in which he doesn’t generate chances.’
Messi has not scored in any of Blaugrana’s last three matches, yet he still has 10 goals in nine Liga games this season.
The 24-year-old recently missed a penalty in the 0-0 draw against Sevilla last week, but Guardiola has shielded his star from harsh comments and singled him out for special praise.
‘It’s not debatable as far as we’re concerned,’ said the manager. ‘If there is any debate, then so be it, but it doesn’t weaken him and it won’t weaken him.’
Messi has often been compared with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Brazil legend Pele and Argentina great Diego Maradona. Guardiola was keen to underline why his man stands out from the crowd.
‘I don’t think there has ever been a player in history that can do what he manages to do every three days,’ he said. ‘It’s unthinkable. People buy tickets just to see him play and he is doing something unique. To find a player that has managed to be so consistent for four years, who is so fit, who fights so hard as him, I’ve never seen anything like it.
‘Perhaps I’m too young, but I never played with anybody like him and I have never coached a player like that either. He is a better player than anybody else, he has a gift.

Arsenal face City in League Cup draw

Manchester United were drawn against Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals of the League Cup on Saturday, while Arsenal were handed a daunting home tie against Manchester City.
Arsenal could line up against former player Samir Nasri when they entertain City at the Emirates in the most eye-catching quarter-final.
Nasri joined City this summer following an acrimonious transfer saga and is sure to receive a hostile reception by his former club’s fans.
United, who downed Aldershot this week to reach the last eight, will take on Palace at Old Trafford in a re-match of the two clubs’ famous 1990 FA Cup final meeting at Wembley, which United won in a replay.
In other matches, Chelsea will resume their cup rivalry with Liverpool, the latest in a series of several meetings between the clubs in recent years.
The match also pits Chelsea striker Fernando Torres against his former club in what will be the third encounter between the two teams since the Spaniard headed to Stamford Bridge in a £50 million ($80.6m) deal in January.
Second-tier Cardiff’s reward for reaching the last eight is a home tie with Blackburn Rovers, who advanced to the quarter-finals after a dramatic 4-3 win over Newcastle in mid-week.

Arsenal stun Chelsea

Arsenal captain Robin van Persie scored a brilliant hat-trick as the Gunners stunned third-placed Chelsea 5-3 at Stamford Bridge.
The decisive moment came five minutes from time when van Persie pounced on a slip from Chelsea captain John Terry for a goal that put Arsenal 4-3 up.
It capped a miserable week for Terry, who is being investigated by the FA for allegedly hurling racist abuse at QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
Terry’s blunder came after Chelsea looked to have snatched a share of the points with Juan Mata’s 80th-minute equaliser at 3-3.
Van Persie duly completed his hat-trick with a well-taken finish in injury time as Arsenal struck on the counter-attack.
It was the final act of a mesmerising contest that saw Arsenal twice come from behind before securing their eighth win in nine games—a victory that pushed them up to sixth in the table.
Chelsea took the lead through a Frank Lampard header on 14 minutes before Arsenal levelled through van Persie in the 36th minute.
Arsenal’s effort in hauling themselves back into the contest was undone on the stroke of half-time, however, when Terry restored the Blues’ lead.
Yet the see-saw momentum of the contest continued immediately after half-time, when goals from Andre Santos (49 minutes) and Theo Walcott (55) put Arsenal 3-2 up.
‘It was fantastic to watch, both teams went for it,’ Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. ‘In the second half I felt we were completely dominating the game and created chance after chance.