Sorry that I didn't post anything for few days, but I will try to post everything tonight;)
So here we go: Sunday was last day of Asia trip for Barca players, here are some intresting facts:
It was second time for Messi to play on Bird’s Nest Stadium, it’s nearly two years since Leo last stepped out onto the pitch at the Bird’s Nest Stadium. On that occasion he came away with an Olympic gold medal with his national team.
I think that this stadium is just beautifull:
Maybe it looks wonderful outside, but inside, hmm, Pep Guardiola explained: “it’s hardly been used for three years and the Stadium’s virtually been closed. All we ask is that the pitches are usable. There was a risk of injury out there and I’m happy that no one actually did pick up anything. Nowadays, you have to balance sporting and commercial interests." The Bird’s Nest has not been used too often for sporting activities since the Olympics: the Italian Super Cup between Lazio and Inter Milan was played there in 2009 and the last game before Barça’s appearance saw Birmingham City beat Gouan 0-1 on July 21st this year.
Juan Antonio Samaranch was honoured before the game in the Bird’s Nest Stadium as Beijing celebrated the second anniversary of the 2008 Olympic Games. The game had a strong Olympic symbolism and the figure of Juan Antonio Samaranch, Honarary President of the International Olympic Committee and Barça club member was to the fore before the game as he received homage from the Chinese public. Samaranch's granddaughter Anna Eugènia Gras Samaranch, travelled to the game from India to kick off the game. The fans gave her a warm welcome in a city where Samaranch is held in very high esteem.
Some intresting facts about game:
- 44.000 fans turned up at the Bird’s Nest Stadium for the game.
- Of the 12 pre-season goals, seven have been scored in the first half and 5 in the second.
- Messi, Ibrahimovic and Víctor Sánchez finish the Tour as leading scorers.
- Pinto, who made a series of good saves, played the whole game, whereas in the previous two games Guardiola had made changes. With Valdes in the Spanish squad for Wednesday’s friendly on Mexico, Pinto looks a safe bet to start the Super Cup game against Seville.
- Víctor Vázquez made his debut, playing a total of 45 minutes.
- Abidal played at centre half in the first half, a position he may well be forced into next weekend with Puyol and Pique still to train with Barca this pre-season.
-Each of Barca’s goals was accompanied by the Barca hymn booming out over the stadium P.A. A large section of the crowd accompanied the song with chants of ‘Barça!’ ‘Barça!’, whilst others replied shouting: ‘Madrid!’ ‘Madrid!’
Barca finished off their Asia Tour with a 0-3 win over Guoan at the Bird’s Nest Stadium, thanks to first half strikes from Sergi Roberto and Nolito and a late strike from Ibra.
Some great pictures:
Speaking after the 0-3 win over Guoan, Guardiola declared: “I know the B team youngsters well and all in all the Tour has been very positive. It’s a pity that Cristian Tello picked up an injury in training yesterday. We have trained hard and worked well. We have a good group of young players and I really can have no complaints. Now we are off home to prepare for next week”
The FC Barcelona squad arrived back in the Catalan capital on Monday morning after completing their pre-season trip to Asia.
And short video:
Best memories from tour: - Coach Pep Guardiola took 17 players from the club's B team and ensured that they were all given a chance to show what they could do alongside the first-team stars that also travelled to South Korea and then China.
- Barça fans across the South Korea and China were desperate to see Messi up close and the Argentinian did not disappoint as he showed what he is capable of in both matches.
- After three pre-season games and three victories the Blaugrana have Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Víctor Sánchez as top scorers with two goals each.
- There was good atmosphere in team, lot of great moments during trainings and games.
As I wrote before, players had free morning on Friday. They met together on training session in the afternoon.
Keita spoke with press and revealed: "I spoke with the coach and I said I’d be staying in Barcelona when we return from China, because going to play in Marseilles next week would be too much”. (read more-click)
Players participated also in event organised by Herbalife
The players and technical staff spent a relaxed Saturday morning in Beijing, taking advantage of the cancelled training session to do some sightseeing and take part in a promotional activity with team sponsor Audi. Guardiola and the rest of his staff were picked up at 9.30 from their hotel for a visit to the Forbidden City in Beijing, whilst most of the younger players went shopping in the city.
There was also training on Saturday, it was open to public and many fans came to see players on the pitch. Here are some great photos This is my favourite:
On Saturday also, Maxwell an experienced pro who knows that the pre-season is vital: “ it’s a time when we know we have to work hard and we are all very happy with the way things are going so far”, he told reporters at Saturday’s press conference in Beijing. (read more-click)
Very good news:the Mexican Football Federation has accepted the request made by FC Barcelona midfielder Jonathan Dos Santos to not be included on the list of players to face Spain in the friendly on August 11th, therefore making him available for the Super Copa match against Sevilla.
Official website of the club reports: "Barça players have had far more training days than Messi(who trained today) and were able to don t-shirts and long shorts for a trip to the shops. After having breakfast at their Beijing Shunjing Spa Hotel base most of the squad went out into the city to see what bargains were on offer. Several members of the coaching staff headed to the centre of the city for a look around, but boss Pep Guardiola preferred to stay in the hotel."
So let's take a closer look how they spent day off:
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