After game: Mallorca- Barcelona and more news

First of all, news about Pedro: After further tests this morning, club doctors announced that Pedro Rodríguez will be out for up to three weeks with the injury he picked up against Mallorca. The tests showed a torn calf muscle and first impressions are that Pedro could be out for up to three weeks, during which time Barça will play Valencia, Copenhagen and Zaragoza, with Pedro already ruled out of the two Spain games over the next two weeks.

Let's start with quick summary of what happened yesterday, I think players and coach will explain it better:



Manuel Agudo ‘Nolito’: “I’m happy to have made my debut, though it was bitter sweet because we were held to a draw. Mallorca didn’t do much at all and it was a pity that we only drew” .


Javier Mascherano: "We have to close games down earlier and not have to suffer so much”
“I personally am feeling better with every game, more comfortable. I’m prepared to take more risks with my passing and I’m feeling more natural with the team defending too”.

Andrés Iniesta: “I don’t think we have a problem, it’s just that when you make so many chances and can’t put them away, there’s obviously something up”.
“We tried everything we could, but we didn’t find the best way through. We don’t need to get obsessed or go crazy”. “The state of the pitch is not an excuse, but if it was better it would help us”.

Gerard Piqué: “Right now we just have to concentrate on winning the three points against Valencia”. “We had plenty of chances and we need to be sharper to avoid suffering so much” “This is just a slip up”.

Víctor Valdés:
“If we could have taken any of the many chances we created, the game would have been different”. “The pitch is soft and it breaks easily, but that can’t be an excuse for today’s result”.

Andres on his facebook: "We created many opportunities for so little reward. We have to keep working and be confident."

Stats:
► Messi’s 21st minute goal was the first goal the team have scored in the second quarter hour of a La Liga game so far this season.

► As well as Nolito’s debut, Jeffren made his first appearance of the season.

► This was the first game of the season that Barça have finished without picking up a single card.

► Alves and Bojan are the only two players who have featured in all 10 games the teams have played so far this season.

► The Mallorca game was the second of the season in which Maxwell has not figured, having also missed out in the match against Panathinaikos, which was also the last game in which Abidal had started.

► The game was also Thiago’s first at the Nou Camp this season, having played in both the games at the Vicente Calderon and San Mames.

► This was the first time this season that the team recorded two results on the run which were the same, following the 1-1 draw in Kazan on Wednesday.


The Nou Camp paid homage to the team that won Five Cups before the game against Mallorca tonight with special honours paid to Eduardo Manchón, who died this week.


Monday:

The squad were back in training this morning after Sunday evening’s disappointment against Mallorca, without the injured Xavi and Pedro and Jeffren and Bojan who are with the Spanish Under-21 squad. The players involved in last night’s game had a gentle work out, whilst the rest of the squad welcomed five Barça B players - Masip, Ilie, Carles Planas, Edu Oriol and Martí Riverola to the session.






With a large part of the squad away on international duty, Guardiola has decided to hold just two more training sessions this week – on Tuesday at 11.00 and also on Friday . The remains of the squad will thus enjoy a deserved break on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as at the weekend and next Monday, with a training session scheduled for Tuesday October 12th.

After training Eric Abidal met with media:
Éric Abidal admitted that the squad is “angry” with the draw against Mallorca and the Frenchman reckoned “we had plenty of chances to kill the game off. We are a bit out of luck”, compared to other seasons.(more here)

Three players from FCB received today their MARCA awards for the 2009/10 season. Víctor Valdés won the Zamora trophy, the Pichichi was awarded to Leo Messi and the Zarra trophy went to David Villa. The players didn’t participate in the gala that took place in Madrid, so they received the awards at the Ciutat Esportiva in Barcelona.


As you probably noticed Camp Nou pitch is in poor condition..



On totalbarca.com you an read intresting piece about it(click to read)

But wait, there is hope! Look what happened today...


They're replacing grass, it should be ready at weekend.

And one bonus news, it's right from Andres Iniesta! He will give 3 shirts tomorrow!
"Some time ago I gave away a shirt to thank the support you always give me. There are so many of you that I can not do it all. So to have the same opportunities, tomorrow at 22h I will publish a question. Among the first ten who answer I will choose 3 and give away shirts. Good luck and see you tomorrow!"

and one more news (well it's rather about me than Barca): I became member of totalbarca.com team, and I don't have to explain how happy I'm, as it's one of my favourite website about FCB.