FC Barcelona (Barça or Blaugrana) | Special Thread

[Manda]

Rijkaard one of my favourite midfield players of all time, lakini as a coach I am not yet convinced. Timu zote alizopitia amebahatika kuwa na wachezaji wazuri.....timu ya taifa, Ajax, Barcelona....ngoja tuone next step.

destination Chelsea??

U got it right!!, thats why even other pundits were asking about the potential of Mourinho, coz its like amepewa wachezaji ambao tayari wameshatengenezwa na wenzao......much respect kwa makocha kama SAF wa Manutd, Big Sam, Arsene, West Ham Youth coach among the rests!!

 

[Belo]

Rijkard ni kocha mzuri but kitu kilichomshinda na jinsi ya kuwa manage wachezaji wakubwa
Kuna wachezaji wakubwa wamemuangusha sana.Valdez,Puyol,Zambrota,Henry,Deco,Ronaldinho wamecheza chini ya kiwango
Kuumia kwa ETOO,MESI pia kumesababisha kuboronga kwa BARCA
Ilifikia wakati timu inawategemea BOJAN,INIESTA

Tusubiri timu atakayokwenda but GUARDIOLA bado hajaiva kufundisha BARCA ,nafikiri hana EXPERIENCE

 

[Lambardi]

Tatizoo kweli nami naliona wachezaji ma star sanaa...duu...sasa sijui itakuwaje..hata kwa chelsea mambo ndio hayo wachezaji wanachezaa kwa style yaoo...sio maelekezo ya kocha/......mpira ni balaa sana jamani ukiwa na ma tsr team nzima ,,,kumbuka real mwaka majuzi ...walipokuwa kina zedane,ronaldo..etc.....

 

[BAK]

Eto'o set for Barcelona exit
BBC News Online

Eto'o has talked of playing in England or Italy

Barcelona president Joan Laporta believes an impending shake-up at the Spanish giants is likely to see the departure of Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho.

Laporta said the Cameroon striker and his Brazilian team-mate could leave the club as new coach Pep Guardiola looks to bring stability back to Barcelona next season.

Eto'o has been unhappy after enduring criticism to close the season.

The former African Footballer of the Year has talked of playing in England or Italy.

"Eto'o is a player who is loyal to the club colours, who gives so much and who makes you love him," Laporta said.

"He has also been one of the most emblematic players of this cycle and if he has to go then he deserves to do so with his head held high too, and with honor."

Barcelona finished third in the Spanish league, 18 points adrift of their fierce rivals and champions Real Madrid.

"We've told Ronaldinho that he needs new challenges," Laporta said.

"When you finish an era it's normal that the leading figures should leave.

"Last year, we thought that it might be the year to sell him, but given his enthusiasm and the appreciation that a club like Barcelona needs to have, we decided to let him stay on.

"Things haven't turned out the way he wanted them to."

Ronaldinho played only 11 games for the Catalans this season after rarely missing a match to injury following his arrival from Paris Saint-Germain in 2003.

Questions over his attitude and social habits took its toll over the course of the season.

 

[Belo]

Jamaa ubaguzi unamuondoa SPAIN for me he is a complete STRIKER

 

[Icadon]

The best teams in Europe kick off their UEFA Champions League campaign tonight in the Group stages.

Will English clubs dominate the Champions League again this season?

 

[Ab-Titchaz]

Chelsea 4-0 Bordeaux​

By Phil McNulty

Chelsea opened their Champions League campaign in emphatic fashion with a comfortable win against Bordeaux.

Frank Lampard headed Chelsea in front after only 14 minutes from Jose Bosingwa's perfect right-wing cross.

Joe Cole then glanced in Lampard's corner on the half-hour as Chelsea took complete control.

Florent Malouda added the third with a driven left-foot shot eight minutes from time and Nicolas Anelka tapped in a fourth in injury time.


606: DEBATE
How will Chelsea do in the Champions League this season?

Bordeaux were tame opposition, with Chelsea keeper Petr Cech not forced into serious action at any point, but it was still an impressive show as the Premier League leaders continued the form that has taken them to the summit.

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, predictably, named the same team that outclassed Manchester City on Saturday - and they continued in imperious form.

It took last season's runners-up only 14 minutes to take the lead, Lampard arriving in a central position only six yards out to head Bosingwa's superb cross beyond Ulrich Rame.

Scolari demands improvements

Rame then saved well from Anelka and John Terry headed Lampard's free-kick just wide before Joe Cole deservedly doubled Chelsea's advantage on the half-hour.

Lampard swung a corner into the near post and the England midfield man rose above the Bordeaux defence to glance home a neat header.

Lampard should have piled on the misery for Bordeaux three minutes later, but he uncharacteristically dragged a simple finish wide from close range.

Bordeaux, as they had to, showed greater ambition after the break and Fernando gave Chelsea a moment of anxiety after 50 minutes when he shot just wide.

Scolari, with the game seemingly under control, decided to make a change on the hour when he sent on fit-again Michael Ballack for Deco.

And Anelka should have wrapped things up almost immediately, but he shot into the side-netting from an angle.

Chelsea had taken their foot off the gas after the break and Scolari went through his full range of arm-waving as he became increasingly agitated with his side.

And his theatrics had the desired effect as they scored a beautifully fashioned third with eight minutes left.

Always room for improvement - Ballack

Jon Mikel Obi opened up the Bordeaux defence with a powerful surge, and when Lampard released Malouda with a clever flick, the Frenchman fired an emphatic left-foot finish across Rame.

Ricardo Carvalho then headed against the bar and Anelka drove inches wide as Chelsea ended the game as they begun it, in complete control.

And they rounded off the night in style when Anelka slotted in a simple fourth after substitute Juliano Belletti's long-range shot rebounded into his path off the bar.

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari
"We started very well, we got three points but we made too many mistakes.

"We did not control the game enough, we let them have too much of the ball, especially in the second half, but we did get two late goals. However, the most important thing was the result.

"Frank Lampard loves football, he trains hard every day and when you do this God helps you.

"If you didn't do this in training you would not do well in the match.

"OK, the result was good and it is important to win but we made too many mistakes."

Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc
"We always knew it was going to be tough if Chelsea opened the scoring but it was frustrating they took the lead from a situation - with Frank Lampard getting on the end of a cross - that we knew all about.

"It was also frustrating that a little guy like Joe Cole can get in front of two or three big blokes in defence and head it in.

"We knew we were playing a top side but we should have shown a bit more physical effort and commitment. It's disappointing. We battled so hard to get into this competition and we didn't seem to be aggressive enough or up for it tonight."

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole, Obi, Joe Cole (Belletti 74), Deco (Ballack 61), Lampard, Malouda (Kalou 84), Anelka.
Subs Not Used: Hilario, Di Santo, Ferreira, Alex.

Booked: Deco.

Goals: Lampard 14, Joe Cole 30, Malouda 82, Anelka 90.

Bordeaux: Rame, Jurietti, Diawara, Planus, Placente, Diarra, Menegazzo (Ducasse 74), Gouffran (Obertan 65), Gourcuff, Wendell, Chamakh (Cavenaghi 65).
Subs Not Used: Valverde, Henrique, Bellion, Traore.

Att: 39,635

Ref: Pieter Vink (Holland).

BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match: Chelsea's Frank Lampard 8.03 (on 90 minutes).

 

[Kipanga]

Tena hao Bordeaux walistahili kupigwa bao kama 8 nadhani Anelka, Lampard, Carvalho wangekuwa makini ingekuwa usiku mzuri sana...Keep it up "The Blues"

 

[Ab-Titchaz]

Tena hao Bordeaux walistahili kupigwa bao kama 8 nadhani Anelka, Lampard, Carvalho wangekuwa makini ingekuwa usiku mzuri sana...Keep it up "The Blues"

Scolari mwenyewe kasema he was not impressed with the performance...Duh!
Kama usemavyo weye, alitaka mabao nane sijui????

 

[Kweli]

Scolari mwenyewe kasema he was not impressed with the performance...Duh!
Kama usemavyo weye, alitaka mabao nane sijui????

Kweli nilimsikiliza Hackman akisema hakufurahishwa na baadhi ya wachezaji (midfields) kwa vile hawakufuata maelezo yake!! yeye aliwambia kipindi cha pili wakati wanaongoza 2-0 wamiliki mpira zaidi na kushambulia kwa baadhi ya wakati badala yake wao walikuwa wachoyo kwenda ku -attack all the time na kuwachia gap hapo kati, kama Bordeux wangekuwa wepesi katika counter-attack basi matokeo yangekuwa mengine! Alisema timu ilitulia tena na ku-keep possesion alipomtoa Cole na kumuingiza Belleti. Huyu Joe Cole ni mkaidi sana huwa hafuati maelekezo, kwani Capello na hata Maurinho walikuwa na matatizo hayahaya na Joe Cole.

 

[Manda]

Another disappointment from Manutd......ukiona siku hiyo Manutd wame-dominate mpira sana then they hardly win the Game, it was disappointing somehow!

Even though the very group kila timu imetoka Bilabila, au ndio kundi la 'kifo' nini? i.e. every one is a 'hard nut to crack'...

 

[Icadon]

BRUSSELS, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Dimitar Berbatov's first two goals for Manchester United helped secure a 3-0 win over AaB Aalborg in Champions League Group E on Tuesday, while Juventus had to fight back for a 2-2 draw at BATE Borisov in Group H.

The Bulgarian striker pounced twice in the second half after Wayne Rooney had put the holders ahead in the 22nd minute to give United their first win of the campaign.

Villarreal are level at the top of the group with United on four points after a 1-0 win at home to Celtic with a second half goal from midfielder Marcos Senna. Celtic and Aalborg have a point apiece.

Juventus had to come from two goals down in Minsk with BATE holding on for their first-ever Champions League point. Vincenzo Iaquinta scored both Juve goals after the Belarus side went two up in 23 minutes through Sergei Kryvets and Igor Stasevich.

It was the second time a Serie A side suffered a shock result this season in European soccer's top competition after Romanian debutants CFR Cluj defeated AS Roma in their opening match a fortnight ago. Cluj face Chelsea on Wednesday.

"They surprised us. We couldn't hold them in any area of the field. It was a nightmare first half hour," Juve coach Claudio Ranieri told Sky television.

"We did well not to give up. We have to compliment these lads from Belarus. They ran like there were 22 of them, not 11."

In the other Group H match, Real Madrid kept their 100 percent record intact with a 2-1 win at UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg, Ruud van Nistelrooy netting the 31st-minute winner.

Real, who went ahead with a fourth-minute own goal by Tomas Hubocan before Portugal's Danny equalised, lead the group on six points after two games. Juventus are second with four points, BATE have one and Zenit none.

Arsenal crushed Porto 4-0 in Group G with a double strike from Robin Van Persie and goals in each half from Emmanuel Adebayor, his second a penalty. The other group match between Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kiev ended scoreless.

"I expect us to win the group from here," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told reporters.

"It was what I expected, we could have scored more but we responded in a convincing way," he said referring to Saturday's shock 2-1 home defeat by Hull City in the Premier League.

Arsenal have four points from two games, one point more than Porto. Dynamo have two points and Fenerbahce one.

Bayern Munich top Group F despite being held 1-1 at home by Olympique Lyon. The French side took the lead when Bayern's Martin Demichelis headed into his own net in the 25th minute, but the German champions claimed a crucial point when Ze Roberto headed home after the break.

Bayern have four points with Lyon and Fiorentina, held 0-0 at home by Steaua Bucharest, two points behind. The Romanians have one point.

 

[Icadon]

Juventus moved to the top of Champions League Group H after a fine win against Real Madrid tonight, but the match was overshadowed by events off the field.

A traffic accident in the Italian Alps earlier in the day claimed the lives of two Juventus fans and injured over 20 more, but the match went ahead as planned after both sets of players observed a minute's silence prior to kick-off.

Juventus captain Alessandro del Piero put the hosts ahead in the fifth minute before Amauri doubled the lead shortly after the restart.

Ruud van Nistelrooy reduced the deficit in the 66th minute but despite the Spaniards' desperate attempts, the Italians held on for victory.

Zenit St Petersburg got their first point in Group H as they drew 1-1 at home to BATE Borisov in a thrilling encounter.

BATE took the lead against the run of play in the 52nd minute when substitute Pavel Nekhaychik fired home but Zenit levelled 11 minutes from time through Fatih Tekke.

In Group F Karim Benzema and Fred grabbed braces as Lyon twice came from behind to emerge victorious in an eight-goal thriller against Steaua Bucharest.

Steaua capitalised on some desperate defending to go 2-0 then 3-2 in front before the break but the French side came back to edge the match 5-3.

Abdulkader Keita and Benzema cancelled out goals in the opening 11 minutes by Arthuro and Dorin Goian, but Ovidiu Petre gave the hosts an interval advantage with a header on the stroke of half-time.

Fred equalised within minutes of coming off the bench and Benzema completed the comeback to put Lyon in front 19 minutes from time, his 13th Champions League goal.

Fred's second of the night, in injury time, finally killed Steaua off. The win sees Lyon go clear in second place in the group, which is headed by Bayern Munich, who saw off Fiorentina 3-0.

Miroslav Klose got Bayern off to the perfect start as he fired them into the lead in the fourth minute and Bastian Schweinsteiger doubled the hosts' advantage in the 25th minute. Ze Roberto added a stunning third right at the death.

La Viola are now five points behind Bayern with no victories to their name.

Half-time substitute Joseba Llorente bagged a hat-trick as Villarreal survived a real scare before defeating Aalborg 6-3 in Group E.

Llorente replaced the ineffective Guillermo Franco at the interval and scored twice inside three minutes to give the hosts what proved an unassailable 4-2 lead.

Villarreal had not conceded two goals in a game all season going into the clash, but did so inside the opening 45 minutes here.

Marek Saganowski gave the Danes a deserved lead and Thomas Enevoldsen brought them level after Giuseppe Rossi and Joan Capdevila had struck for the Yellow Submarine.

AaB were eventually overwhelmed after the break, despite a third goal from Andreas Johansson which made it 4-3, as further efforts from Robert Pires and Llorente sealed the win for Villarreal.

Manchester United remain above the Spanish side on goal difference as they dismissed Celtic 3-0 in their all-British encounter at Old Trafford.

Two strikes by Dimitar Berbatov either side of half-time and an effort from Wayne Rooney put the game to bed.

Arsenal are sitting pretty at the top of Group G with seven points after a 5-2 victory over Fenerbahce.

Emmanuel Adebayor and Theo Walcott put the Gunners 2-0 up inside 11 minutes and although Mikael Silvestre's own goal reduced the deficit, Abou Diaby restored the Gunners' cushion.

Four minutes after half-time Alex Song volleyed in a fourth and Aaron Ramsey scored a fifth in injury time, with Daniel Guiza netting Fener's second.

Dynamo Kiev are two points behind after they claimed their first Champions League win in almost four years against Porto.

Oleksandr Aliev's wicked first-half free-kick was all that separated the sides at the Estadio do Dragao as Dynamo enjoyed their first three-point haul in the competition since defeating Roma 2-0 in November 2004.

 

[Icadon]

BELGRADE, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Barcelona put one foot in the Champions League last 16 with a 5-0 away drubbing of Basel on Wednesday which left them as the only team with a 100 percent record in the group stage after three matches.

Chelsea also closed in on the knockout stage after a John Terry header gave them a 1-0 home win over Roma and five-time winners Liverpool are in a good position too following a 1-1 draw at Atletico Madrid.

That result left the two teams joint top in Group D on seven points after Simao Sabrosa steered in a late equaliser to cancel out Robbie Keane's 14th-minute opener for Liverpool.

PSV Eindhoven chalked up their first points in the group with a 2-0 home win over Olympique Marseille, courtesy of a Danny Koevermans brace that left the 1993 European Cup winners rooted to the bottom with three defeats.

An Adriano goal on the stroke of half-time handed Inter Milan a 1-0 home success against Anorthosis Famagusta, leaving them firmly in the driving seat in Group B with seven points ahead of the Cypriots, who have four.

Werder Bremen registered their third straight draw after a 2-2 stalemate at Panathinaikos thanks to Hugo Almeida's 83rd-minute equaliser. The draw gave the Greek side their first point.

Crisp one-touch football from Barcelona tore Basel apart as Lionel Messi, Sergi Busquets and Bojan Krkic gave the 2006 winners a 3-0 lead in the opening 22 minutes.

Bojan added the fourth and Xavi Fernandez completed the rout within three minutes after the interval to give Barcelona an excellent chance of securing their progress to the last 16 in the reverse fixture against the Swiss side next month.

Chelsea dominated for long spells of their clash with Roma but were unable to create a clear-cut chance before Terry broke the deadlock in the 77th minute with a glancing header from Frank Lampard's corner.

Lampard shaved the woodwork with a curling shot in the first half and forced a good save from goalkeeper Cristiano Doni with a freekick in the closing stages as last season's finalists piled on the pressure.

Liverpool seemed to be heading for their third consecutive win after Keane took Steven Gerrard's through ball in his stride and fired past Leo Franco but Simao denied the visitors after good work by Diego Forlan seven minutes from time.

The evening's eight matches produced 17 goals in total, less than a half of Tuesday night's record-equalling tally of 36.

 

[Icadon]

Naona Liverpool kama kawaida yao wamebebwa!!

Inter Milan missed the chance to book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League as they were held to a thrilling 3-3 draw by Anorthosis Famagusta.
Hawar Taher (C) tries to score as Inter Milan's Nicolas Burdisso looks on. (GettyImages)

Anorthosis goalkeeper Arjan Beqaj gifted the Italians the lead in the 13th minute, allowing Mario Balotelli to score, before a defensive calamity saw Inter return the favour with Cedric Bardon profiting on the half-hour mark.

Both sides scored another right at the end of the half through Marco Materazzi and substitute Giorgos Panagi.

Nikolaos Frousos gave the hosts the lead early in the second half but Inter snatched a deserved point thanks to Julio Cruz 10 minutes from time.

Inter remain top of Group B, three points ahead of second-placed Anorthosis.

In Group B's other match, Werder Bremen were stunned 3-0 at home to Panathinaikos, Vangelis Mantzios (58), Giorgos Karagounis (70) and Alexis Tziolis (83) grabbing the goals for the Greek outfit, who move above Bremen into third place.

Two costly errors by John Mikel Obi sent 10-man Chelsea crashing to shock defeat to Serie A strugglers Roma.

The hosts stormed into a three-goal lead inside 58 minutes thanks to Christian Panucci and two goals from Mirko Vucinic.

Chelsea reduced the deficit through captain John Terry in the 75th minute but it was not enough to save them from a humiliating defeat, their worst in Europe since their 5-1 extra-time thrashing by Barcelona in 2000.

Chelsea's Group A opponents Bordeaux defeated CFR Cluj 2-1. Yoann Gourcuff handed the French outfit the lead after six minutes but Dani levelled for the hosts 10 minutes later.

Silva Wendell hit the winner for the visitors seven minutes before the break as Bordeaux moved onto six points, level with Roma and two points clear of rock-bottom Cluj.

Basle substitute Eren Derdiyok struck seven minutes from time as Barcelona forfeited their 100% record in Champions League Group C, although the point was enough to book their place in the knockout stages.

The hosts had been expected to coast past their Swiss visitors after recording a 5-0 triumph in Basle a fortnight ago.

But that was not the case as they endured a frustrating night in front of goal until Lionel Messi stepped off the bench to score after 61 minutes.

Sporting Lisbon also progressed from Group C after a narrow 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, Vanderlei Derlei grabbing the only goal of the game 17 minutes from time.

Steven Gerrard drove home a controversial penalty four minutes into injury time to salvage a dramatic Champions League point for Liverpool.

Atletico will believe they were robbed of a place in the last 16 by referee Martin Hansson's hotly disputed penalty award for a debatable foul on Gerrard by Mariano Pernia.

They had led from the 37th minute following a cleverly constructed Maxi Rodriguez goal and frustrated Liverpool at every turn.

But Gerrard never gave up and his penalty eventually spared Liverpool's blushes and both sides should advance to the last 16.

Mamadou Niang grabbed a second-half brace as Marseille got their Group D campaign up and running with a win over PSV Eindhoven at the Stade Velodrome.

OM needed to win to keep alive their hopes of a top-two finish and they did so in fine style, Bakari Kone opening the scoring after 30 minutes.

Strike partner Niang then marked a fine personal display by scoring twice in the space of eight minutes midway through the second half.

The result leaves both sides five points shy of Liverpool and Atletico with two games to play.

 

[Kang]

That was possibly the worst ever penalty call in the history of football!!!! I seriously considered giving up watching soccer matches, whats the point if in the end its decided by the referee who obviously is blind or something far worse!!

 

[Belo]

Ile penati ya kubebwa kabisa ,nashangaa watu walimlaumu sana Mwandike kwamba kaibeba Yanga
Liverpool wamepewa penati dakika ya 94 baada ya Gerard kujiangusha na baadae wachezaji 4 kupewa yellow card

 

[Icadon]

Naona watani wetu Chelsea wana mushkeli kidogo kwenye kundi lao....

There is still plenty to be decided in the final round of group matches in the Champions League this week even though 13 of the 16 teams through to the knockout phase are already known.

European Cup holders Manchester United and the likes of nine-times champions Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Arsenal and Liverpool have secured their places in the first knockout round -- first legs in February -- but last season's beaten finalists Chelsea cannot afford to relax just yet.

Luiz Felipe Scolari's men should seal their place when they face CFR Cluj of Romania in Group A at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday (1945 GMT) even though the visitors held Chelsea to a 0-0 draw at home in October.

Group A is the only section in which neither qualifier is known but AS Roma should advance along with Chelsea, as long as they do not lose at home to Girondins Bordeaux.

If Bordeaux should win, though, and Cluj were to cause the upset of the season and win or even draw at Chelsea, then the French side would advance with Roma.

The only other last-16 place up for grabs is in Group B where Inter Milan are already through leaving Panathinaikos and Anorthosis Famagusta fighting for the other berth.

Panathinaikos will join Inter if they avoid defeat at home against the Cypriot side, who themselves need a win to qualify.

Inter coach Jose Mourinho has said he will probably rest Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the trip to Werder Bremen, who are bottom but could steal into the UEFA Cup if they finish third by beating the Italian side and Panathinaikos beat Anorthosis.

All the issues have been settled in Group C with Barcelona winning it and Sporting also through, Shakhtar Donetsk heading for the UEFA Cup and Basel eliminated.

Group D finds Atletico Madrid and Liverpool on 11 points and Olympique Marseille and PSV Eindhoven both on three with PSV hosting Liverpool and Atletico visiting Marseille.

The key issues to be settled are who finishes top and who goes into the UEFA Cup. PSV have to have a better result than Marseille to enter the UEFA Cup as the French will advance if they both finish level on points.

Marseille coach Eric Gerets and chairman Pape Diouf called on the fans to stay calm when Atletico visit after supporter Santos Mirasierra was sentenced to three and a half years in prison following clashes with police at the Calderon in October.

The main issues to be decided on Wednesday concern which teams will be consoled for their elimination from the Champions League with a place in the UEFA Cup.

That does not apply to Group E, however, as Manchester United and Villarreal are already through with AaB Alborg in the UEFA Cup and Celtic out. United, at home to Aalborg, and Villarreal, who visit Celtic, are vying for top place.

Either Olympique Lyon or Bayern Munich will win Group F depending on the outcome of their match in France, while Fiorentina will move into the UEFA Cup unless they lose to Steaua in Bucharest.

The situation is similar in Group G where Arsenal and Porto are already through and meet each other to determine the group winners. Fenerbahce, who are bottom of the section, need a win at Dynamo Kiev to go through to the UEFA Cup.

The only issue still to be decided in Group H is whether Juventus or Real Madrid finish top.

Juventus, unbeaten in their last 14 home European ties, should be too strong for BATE Borisov, who will finish fourth and out at the end of their Champions League debut season.

If Juve slip up and Real Madrid beat Zenit St Petersburg, the Spanish team will finish top.

Zenit, who won the UEFA Cup last season, are already assured of the chance of defending the trophy, having secured third spot.

 

[BAK]

Thierry Henry sparkles in Barcelona romp

The Associated Press

Thierry Henry's hat trick led near-perfect Barcelona past Valencia 4-0 to extend its lead in Spain and stretch its unbeaten run to 20 games on Saturday.

An energized Henry opened in the 20th minute with a quick touch to float in Yaya Toure's long pass on the hop.

Henry ran onto a leading pass from Alexandre Hleb eight minutes later and curled a shot past goalkeeper Renan Soares. Henry's last, in the 79th, was the easiest as he pushed in substitute Bojan Krkic's pass for his seventh league goal.

Asked the secret to his improved form, Henry said, "I don't know. Let's hope it can stay like this, we're enjoying it."

Barcelona's high-scoring attack has notched 44 goals from 14 games to lead Villarreal by six points with 35.

"I'm the first one to be surprised," rookie coach Pep Guardiola said of Barcelona's start before praising Henry. "He was bold tonight, he said 'Here I am."'

Earlier, Giuseppe Rossi scored a late equalizer as Villarreal rallied from a three-goal deficit to draw 3-3 with Getafe, and Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan scored twice each as Atletico Madrid defeated Sporting Gijon 5-2 to stretch its unbeaten run to 12 games.

Real Madrid and Sevilla meet on Sunday with the loser in danger of slipping further in the title race. Two-time defending champion Madrid has 26 points and Sevilla 24, the same as Atletico.

Barcelona has hardly missed suspended striker Samuel Eto'o, who leads the league with 14 goals, as Daniel Alves held off Asier del Horno in the 46th minute to reach Xavi Hernandez's precise through ball and score the third of the game.

"We knew before the result of Getafe-Villarreal so we wanted to win this game," Henry said. "We did it and we did it well."

Xavi hit the post after two minutes while Renan denied clear chances from Lionel Messi and Hleb before coming out to poke away Messi, who came in clear on goal in the 68th.

Barcelona's defence, which has allowed only nine goals, cleared nearly every Valencia threat, with Villa coming closest with a wide header just after Henry's opener. The Spain striker also hit over in the 67th.

Valencia, which lost for the first time on the road, has 27 points.

 

[Mbu]

Asked the secret to his improved form, Henry said, "I don't know. Let's hope it can stay like this, we're enjoying it."

...January imekaribia, kila mcheza anapandisha bukta na soksi kujinadi katika dirisha dogo la usajili!