European Super Cup Winners (2-0) barca

 FC Barcelona lifted the European Super Cup for the fourth time in their history with a 2-0 win over Porto. Goals in each half from Messi and Cesc proved enough for Guardiola’s team to take their 12th title under his stewardship.

Barça and Porto lived up to expectations with a quality game in Monaco tonight, with the European Champions taking their second title of the season as they repeated their 2009 success to take the European Super Cup. The game saw Leo Messi score his first goal in the European Super Cup, which means he’s now scored in every competition, as well as summer signing Cesc Fabregas get his debut goal for the team in just his second appearance. It’s been a great start to the season so far, with two the first two titles on offer both won as the team set out on what could be another legendary campaign.

Porto pressure

Both teams started well, as Barça worked hard to escape the pressure in midfield from the Porto players, which brought about some uncharacteristic loss of possession, as they found it hard to bring the ball out under control. A Hulk free kick and another effort from Moutinho gave Valdes some early work, whilst at the other end, Pedro missed a great chance as he tried to chip the keeper, only for his attempt to go just over.

Messi makes the most of Porto gaffe

Barça gradually began to impose their passing style on the game though, with Xavi directing play and Iniesta and Messi both looking lively and after a good move down the left involving Villa and Adriano, Xavi fired in a rising shot that Helton just tipped over. A minute later, Barça were ahead when a misplaced back pass set up Messi, who shimmied past the keeper to slot home and send Barça in one up at the break .

Control

The rhythm of the game dropped in the second half and Barça found it easier to combine and lift the Portuguese pressure, though it was Porto who had the best chances early on after the break, with Guarin firing in a fierce shot that Valdes did well to stop. For Barça, Villa saw a chance saved by Helton as both keepers showed their class.

Cesc off the mark

Guardiola made two changes on the hour mark, bringing in Alexis for Villa on the left, whilst in the centre of defence Busquets replaced Abidal, who moved out left instead of the limping Adriano. The team took a while to get used to the shift at the back and Porto nearly took advantage to draw level before order was restored and Barça again took control with a number of dangerous counter attacks.

In one of the breaks, Messi brought about a second yellow for Rolando and his sending off proved a body blow for Porto, with Cesc, who’d just come on, almost immediately getting the second after a sublime assist from Messi. Guarin then left his team with nine men after a bad foul and Barça played out the final minutes before claiming yet another title.

Cesc scores for Super Barca

Cesc Fabregas scored a brilliant volley to keep Barcelona's non-stop victory parade going with a 2-0 UEFA Super Cup triumph over Porto.

Barcelona: Lifting the Super Cup

Fabregas, on the bench until the last 10 minutes in Monaco on Friday night, took Lionel Messi's pass on his chest before rifling home to spark scenes of wild celebration from his team-mates.

It means two trophies in 10 days for the former Arsenal man - who won just the FA Cup and a Charity Shield in all his years with the Gunners - with the European and Spanish champions already having the Spanish Super Cup in the bag this season and thanks to Fabregas and Messi's first-half goal, added the UEFA trophy to their cabinet.
The presence of Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez on the bench served to highlight that the best team in the world are now, frighteningly, even stronger than last season.
Yet it had been an uncomfortable start as Barca initially struggled to reach their own high standards. The often-criticised Stade Louis II pitch did not help Barcelona, cutting up almost immediately having been heavily watered and for the first half hour it was Porto who enjoyed the best chances.
A handball by Eric Abidal handed Porto a free-kick in a promising position on the edge of the 'D' but Hulk drifted it over, and Joao Moutinho threatened Barca's goal again with a wicked shot that Victor Valdes turned past the post at full stretch.
Some extravagant step-overs by Hulk took him past Adriano but the Brazilian bent his shot wide.
Barca had only an effort by Pedro lobbed onto the roof of the net to boast of after half an hour, but they slowly started to warm up with Andres Iniesta in particular making light of the pitch with some awesome dribbling.Xavi had seen a 25-yard shot tipped over before Messi's goal came six minutes before half-time when Fredy Guarin ruined all his side's good work with an awful attempted backpass.
Messi had been slow to get back and he could hardly believe his luck when the ball landed at his feet, and he strolled around Porto keeper Helton for a simple finish.
Porto appeared determined not to waste their good work of the first half with two cracking efforts early in the second. First Moutinho brought another good stop from Valdes and then Guarin fired in a 30-yard thunderbolt that the Barcelona keeper tipped aside.
David Villa, earlier denied by a hasty whistle from Dutch ref Bjorn Kuipers when he should have played advantage, was put free on goal by Iniesta but for once he snatched at the shot and it was easy for Helton.
A stunning length-of-the-field run involving Pedro and Messi so nearly led to a second goal but Helton came off his line to prod the ball away.
Villa made way for Alexis Sanchez, the Chilean winger who joined from Udinese this summer, with Sergio Busquets for Adriano leaving Fabregas sweating as to whether he would get a run-out.
Busquets' misguided header over the oncoming Valdes nearly played Barcelona into trouble but Abidal stretched to clear the loose ball ahead of Kleber.
Fabregas was given 10 minutes to shine by Pep Guardiola, coming on for Pedro, almost immediately to be hacked down by Guarin who earned himself a yellow card.
Porto's hopes were all but extinguished when Rolando was given his marching orders for hauling down Messi and earning a second bookable offence.
Then came Fabregas' moment, Messi's clip over the defence, the former Arsenal skipper controlling the ball on his chest and then volleying high into the roof of net.
Guarin ended a miserable night for him personally and Porto with a straight red for a nasty lunge on Javier Mascherano.

Fergie shock at Wenger critics

Sir Alex Ferguson has warned Arsenal's fans to be careful what they wish for after admitting his shock at their wish to see Arsene Wenger axed.

Ferguson: Backing for old nemesis Wenger

Although the Gunners eased some of the immediate pressure on Arsene Wenger by reaching the Champions League group stage this week, the north London giants head to Old Trafford on Sunday having collected just one point from their opening two Premier League games.That meagre return, the loss of star men Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, Wenger's transfer policy which has left many supporters distinctly underwhelmed and six seasons without a trophy have led many to start thinking the previously unthinkable and wonder whether a change at the top is required.Given his record over almost 15 years, it seems a harsh assessment.

And Ferguson wonders exactly who those hard-to-please fans have in mind as a potential replacement.
"I would like to know who is going to replace him," said the United boss."The work he has done in the 15 years he has been at the club is the best in Arsenal's history."Yes, he has not won a trophy for six years but what does that mean? The quality of his side has not been reduced."
Rather, as Ferguson points out, the standard of opposition has improved, first through the vast riches lavished on Chelsea by Roman Abramovich, now the even deeper pockets of Sheikh Mansour at Manchester City.
"Chelsea's involvement has created a lot of the problem in terms of trophies to win because they and ourselves have been dominating the Premier League," said Ferguson.
"Now Manchester City have come on the scene."When Arsenal and ourselves were going head-to-head, it went on for about eight years. The competition is far greater now."Not that Ferguson expects supporters of any club, including his own, to adopt a reasoned view of proceedings.As he is fond of saying, the world is different now compared to the one that existed before Wenger replaced Bruce Rioch at Highbury in the autumn of 1996.
"It is a bit unfair of course. But who understands fairness and unfairness today?" he said.
"It is quite a cynical world. Supporters are far less easy to please than they were 20 years ago. It is disappointing."But (Arsenal) answered everybody back on Wednesday. They got a great result and the game on Sunday will be another stepping stone for them."Ferguson certainly will not be taking Arsenal lightly, even though his own youthful side have started the season with a bang, firing three second-half goals past Tottenham on Monday after an opening weekend win at West Brom.
The question United's manager is faced with is whether to stick with the likes of Tom Cleverley now Darren Fletcher is available to beef up his midfield, or if he should leave out either Jonny Evans or Phil Jones in favour of Rio Ferdinand if the England veteran recovers from a hamstring strain.
Even more eye-catching is the battle between Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez for the right to partner Wayne Rooney in attack.It seems Ferguson is leaning towards his kids.
"I have a tremendous problem when it comes to picking a side but it is the kind of problem I want," he said.
"They (the younger players) have only played a couple of games. We are very enthusiastic about their potential but the name of the game is what they achieve."Maybe some of their form will taper off. That is when the squad comes into play. At the moment they are doing very well. So I have to let it carry on."
The promise of Ferguson's team contrasts sharply with the fortunes of Scottish teams in Europe, which drew a groan of regret from a man not used to being pushed onto the back foot.
Unlike the football powerbrokers in his home land, the United manager merely has to find the right time to use the more experienced members of his squad, knowing they are being challenged constantly by the youngsters Fabio Capello seems set to call upon next month.
"It is not just their enthusiasm and energy. It is their ability. That is why I am picking them," he said.
"The boy Cleverley is an example. We toyed about starting the Community Shield with him but we thought it is a big ask for a young kid to go in against tremendously physical players like Nigel de Jong and Yaya Toure.
"But when he came on, he changed the game. He picked himself after that."

Europa League group stage draw

Tottenham have landed Rubin Kazan, PAOK and Shamrock in the Europa League, while Fulham, Stoke and Birmingham have also learnt their fate.

Europa League: Group stages draw made

Spurs will face Irish giantkillers Shamrock Rovers in the Europa League group stage.

Rovers, the first Irish side to have progressed to this stage of European football, beat Partizan Belgrade 2-1 on Thursday night to secure a place in Friday's draw.
The clubs are in Group A against Rubin Kazan, from Russia, and Greek side PAOK Salonika.
Fulham face FC Twente from Holland, Odense from Denmark and Wisla Krakow from Poland in Group K.
Stoke will play Dynamo Kiev, Besiktas and Hapoel Tel Aviv in Group E, while Birmingham are in Group H with Club Brugge, Braga and Maribor.
If Celtic are successful in replacing Sion, who are alleged to have breached a transfer ban, they would be in Group I with Atletico Madrid, Udinese and Rennes.
The Europa League Group Draw is as follows:
Group A: Tottenham, Rubin Kazan, PAOK, Shamrock Rovers.
Group B: FC Copenhagen, Standard Liege, Hannover 96, Vorskla Poltava.
Group C: PSV Eindhoven, Hapoel Tel-Aviv, Rapid Bucuresti, Legia Warsaw.
Group D: Sporting Lisbon, Lazio, FC Zurich, FC Vaslui.
Group E: Dynamo Kiev, Besiktas, Stoke, Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
Group F: PSG, Athletic Bilbao, SV Red Bull Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava.
Group G: AZ, Metalist Kharkiv, FK Austria Vienna, Malmo FF.
Group H: Braga, Club Brugge, Birmingham, Maribor.
Group I: Atletico Madrid, Udinese, Rennes, Sion.
Group J: Schalke 04, Steaua Bucuresti, Maccabi Haifa, AEK Larnaca.
Group K: FC Twente, Fulham, Odense, Wisla Krakow.
Group L: Anderlecht, AEK Athens, Lokomotiv Moscow, SK Sturm Graz.

Redknapp ready to play Modric

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is ready to strike a big blow to Luka Modric's hopes of joining Chelsea by fielding the Croatian against Hearts.

The wantaway playmaker could now take the field in Thursday night's Europa League play-off clash against the Jambos at White Hart Lane.Modric has not played a competitive match for Spurs since Chelsea launched the first of three bids for the player in the middle of June.

Redknapp: Lets Modric know who's boss The 25-year-old has been diagnosed with minor ankle, groin and hamstring injuries over the last few weeks and also refused to play in Monday's 3-0 defeat at Manchester United as he thought he was not focused enough.Redknapp is growing tired of the speculation surrounding Modric and wants to see him turning out for Spurs soon.Should he overcome his minor hamstring injury, Redknapp would have no qualms in throwing him into an otherwise inexperienced team to play Hearts in the play-off second leg.

That would mean Modric would be ineligible to play in the Champions League until February - a move which could severely diminish Chelsea's desire to land the star given the importance they give the competition.
Redknapp, however, sees Modric as a Spurs player and will select him if he is fit.
"I don't know if he will be fit but if he is okay, I would be looking to give him an hour. If he is fit, he will play," Redknapp said.
When pushed on the effect that could have on Modric's move to Stamford Bridge, Redknapp retorted: "We are not in the Champions League so it won't affect us."I'm not bothered about anyone else. He is here, we love him, he is a great player and I need him back playing."
Redknapp revealed on Wednesday that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy had contacted the Blues to tell them to put an end to their pursuit of Modric.He said: "The chairman made another statement last night that he is definitely not going."He said he spoke to Chelsea and he told them, 'Let's put an end to this because it's not going to happen'."
The Spurs boss has praised Modric's attitude throughout the saga, but admits it may be hard to keep the player's spirits up for the rest of the campaign if his possible move to Stamford Bridge fails to materialise.
"I was chatting with (Spurs coach) Joe Jordan about it and he said to me that Luka is going to find it difficult," Redknapp said."He said he'll be sitting there thinking every week that he could be winning the Champions League or win the Premier League and earning £100,000 more every week."That's the chance you have to take. We can all say he'll be all right, but nobody knows what's in his head."We don't know how he's going to feel but he's here and he has to get on with it now. He has to get on with it and be the great player he is."
Redknapp was also keen to stress that Spurs will bring in at least two more players before the transfer window shuts next week.
Emmanuel Adebayor could complete his loan from Manchester City before the start of next week.
Spurs fans chanted insulting songs at the former Arsenal man when he scored two goals against the White Hart Lane club for Real Madrid last year.Redknapp admits the Spurs faithful must not let Adebayor's former club be an issue if he signs."If he comes here, he is coming here because he wants to," Redknapp said.
"He could sit and take the money at Man City but he is taking a wage drop to come here.
"It takes nerve. Patrick Vieira wanted to come to Tottenham. I thought it was amazing because he was a far bigger legend than Adebayor at Arsenal."He just wants to play football. He hasn't committed a crime. He hasn't murdered anyone. He has played for Arsenal, then Man City and now he wants to come to Tottenham.
"That doesn't make you a bad person. I can't understand it really."

Gunners can be proud - Wenger

A defiant Arsene Wenger hit back at the doom-mongers after Arsenal avoided the unthinkable by qualifying for the Champions League group stages.
The Gunners came from behind to win their their play-off second leg at Udinese 2-1 on Wednesday night to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Wenger and Rice: Celebrating at the Friuli The result eased the pressure on a beleaguered Wenger, who was under immense pressure following what has been one of the most miserable fortnight of his near 15 years in charge.

The Frenchman has been forced to answer questions about his future following six trophyless campaigns at the Emirates and more would have followed had they failed to reach the Champions League for the first time in 14 seasons."We live in a society where everybody has an opinion on everything," Wenger said after watching Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott turn the game on its head.
"I'm like somebody who flies a plane for 30 years and I have to accept that somebody can come into the cockpit and thinks he can fly the plane better than I do."But that's part of our job and we have to accept that.
"I just would like to say that the club is in overall a very strong position because tonight, for 15 years on the trot, we play in the Champions League."We have a new stadium and a fantastic training ground, a very good financial situation and a very strong team."
Wenger was confident this win would lift the gloom that has surrounded the club following the double departure of captain Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, a winless start to the Premier League season and a raft of injuries and suspensions."We have been a little bit under pressure and for us not to play the Champions League and with the players who left, that pressure would've increased, understandably," he added.
"Since the beginning of the season, I feel a very strong, determined attitude within the team."
That determination has so often been lacking in recent seasons but it was in evidence on Wednesday night after Arsenal trailed at half-time to Antonio Di Natale's header.
Admitting his relief, Wenger said: "We responded in a very positive way, even being down 1-0.
"We had a fantastic second half."I'm very happy because we kept composure."We kept dominating, playing the football we want to play."The tie was still in the balance when Wojciech Szczesny produced a brilliant penalty save to deny Di Natale making it 2-1 on the night."That was a turning point of the game," Wenger said."It was at 1-1. I think not only did it keep us of course qualified in a comfortable way."You could see mentally it has an impact on their belief and they were not the same team after they missed the penalty."
Wenger's transfer policy was also vindicated somewhat by an outstanding performance from summer signing Gervinho, who laid on the equaliser."I told you yesterday and many times that he will be a big player for us," Wenger said.
"Sometimes the quality of the player is linked with the transfer amount and it is not always the case."
Wenger also played his part at half-time, having been allowed to perform his usual duties after UEFA deferred his two-match touchline ban."It was important today because we were under pressure and I still have some experience," he said.Udinese boss Francesco Guidolin admitted his side had been beaten by the better team over two legs."First, we need to accept that Arsenal is a stronger team," he said."They came here and showed great personality and I'm happy we kept the result so close over the two matches."If we would've scored the penalty, there would've been 20 minutes of fire on the pitch."But after that, we stopped playing."
Guidolin was hoping this defeat would not derail his side's entire season, as it might have done their opponents.He said: "It's three months we have been thinking about this dream so psychologically, we could be affected."