Mijatovic: We Didn't Think We Could Lose

Real Madrid had won their last eight games in a row, but the phenomenal run came to an end at the hands of Almeria, as Los Blancos went down to a shock 2-0 defeat.

Almeria, though newly promoted, were in such good form that this always looked like a potential banana skin, and it proved to be.

Mijatovic rued his side's luck and the dropping of three points, but is keen to put it all behind him.

"We didn't think we could lose, but the match was difficult because Almeria fought hard and were very motivated after their victory against Valencia last week," he said.

"We weren't very good in the first half save for Raúl's chance on goal. We improved in the second part and had more chances, but we were unlucky and didn't score.

"There are many games left and tonight's was the perfect example of how you may falter when you least expect to. We must remain calm and work hard in order to sentence the League whenever we get a chance.

"The victory is very good for Almeria, but they didn't have many chances. They scored the first goal from a set piece. They've won most of their games with strikes like that.

"They are an uncomfortable rival who is going through a good streak. We tried to score, but the ball just didn't want to go in. I want to congratulate Almeria.

"We also have the right to lose a game every now and again. It's a shame because the three points would have been very important to us, but we have to keep working, correct some mistakes and forget about tonight."

Sulmaan Ahmad, Goal.com

Don't Underestimate Us - Messi

The press were not too kind on the Blaugrana following their 1-1 draw in week 21 of La Liga last week, a result which meant the Camp Nou based side lost further ground to league leaders Real Madrid.

The Argentina star believes his side are well equipped to go on and have a title winning season and he admits that catching Los Blancos won’t be as difficult as many people think.

“No one should count us out,” Messi told Marca.

“Real Madrid have done well but you shouldn’t underestimate Barcelona.”

“We have a great squad who can go on right to the end and win titles.”

“Just think, if we are second without playing well then it will be much easier when we begin playing good.

"I don’t think Real Madrid will win all their games so there will be a chance for us to close the gap.”

Barcelona play host to La Liga strugglers Osasuna in week 22 of the Primera Division and Frank Rijkaard’s side will be hoping to begin closing the gap here with what should be a comfortable win over Los Rojillos.

Salvatore Landolina

Ferguson Hails 'Good Result', Rio Slams Linesman

Dimitar Berbatov knocked in the opening goal to give Spurs a lead which looked like being priceless right up until the end when Carlos Tevez somehow knocked in an equaliser from a corner in the fourth and final minute of added time.

With Arsenal impressing once again, ending Manchester United's local rivals Manchester City's unbeaten run at home this season with a 3-1 victory, this draw, though fortunate on the face of it, still leaves Sir Alex with a job to do, as they will now have to do the chasing once again as Arsenal top the table.

Good Result

Sir Alex, in all his experience, chose not to pay such matters too much attention with so many games still to go, and was actually quite pleased with the result.

"I think it's a good result for us, and it shows we never give in," he declared.

"In the last 25 minutes we battered them really.

"Tottenham played very well in the first half, deserved to be in front, it was a real open game."

Seeing Red

The one moment that did not please the Scotsman wasn't the conceding of the goal, but a foul on Cristiano Ronaldo by Jermaine Jenas in the first half that went unpunished. In general he was not pleased with the performance of the referee, as United were given seven yellow cards through the course of the game, with Ferguson not necessarily feeling all were deserved.

"Ronaldo's hacked down, absolute red card as far as I'm concerned," he bemoaned. "He lets it go, he talks to Jenas for 30 seconds, [the referee] does nothing about it."

Wayne Rooney was also booked for a dive, and Sir Alex believes that Tom Huddlestone got away with a similar offence.

Nip and Tuck

He remained upbeat regarding the title race, insisting there are far too many games to go to start drawing conclusions just yet, and as Arsenal and Manchester United have already swapped positions several times so far this season, one is inclined to believe him.

"It's going to be nip and tuck all the way," he said. "Arsenal are two points in front of us of course, but there's a lot of big games to come.

"You can't say who's gong to win the league, because it's so tight."

Fortunate

While Sir Alex Ferguson had no complaints about Tottenham's goal, goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and defender Rio Ferdinand most certainly did. They were aggrieved that a handball was not spotted by the match officials in the build-up to the goal.

"I think they were a bit fortunate with their goal," declared Ferdinand to MUTV.

"I was behind it and I could see Jenas lying on the floor handling it. That's why I remonstrated with the linesman – how he didn't see it, I'll never know."

Last Chance Saloon

The England defender went on to recall the dying seconds of the game, in which Man United salvaged a priceless equaliser in the nick of time.

"I remember going up for the corner and the referee said to me '30 seconds left', so I knew it was last-chance saloon," he recalled.

"Luckily the ball in was good from Nani and Carlos was there to slot it home.

"We knew we had to come here and work hard. You need spirit if you want to win things and we showed that."

Sulmaan Ahmad, Goal.com

Mourinho Offered Valencia Job

The Portuguese boss was approached by Los Ché before they appointed their current coach, but he turned down the offer as he hoped for a bigger club to make their move. Koeman joined Valencia in early November and has won just one league game and caused major upheaval at the club that has now seen the fans turn against him. According to The Sun, Mourinho has now been approached and if he accepts the role then the Dutchman will be sacked this week in order to make way. While the former Chelsea boss was rumoured to fancy a return to English football and was linked to both Liverpool and Newcastle United, he has yet to say anything publicly. Valencia's offer to help rescue them this season may be tempting, but Mourinho is believed to be holding out for one of Europe's major clubs to offer him a post. AC Milan are the favourites with Carlo Ancelotti expected to step down in the summer, so Valencia may only be able to keep the outspoken trainer until then. In Spain, Valencia have publicly given Koeman their backing, but defeat in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday evening against Atlético de Madrid would see the pressure increase dramatically.
Ian Dixon, Goal.com

Official: Sissoko Signs For Juve

The 23-year-old has signed a five-year-contract and becomes the Bianconeri’s third signing of the week, following yesterday loan capture of Guglielmo Stendardo, and the pre-contract agreement with Olof Mellberg.

Juve were desperate to sign a centre-midfielder this month, following the hugely disappointing form of Tiago Mendes and Sergio Almiron.

Almiron has already departed the club on loan to Monaco, while there is still a chance that Tiago may leave before the end of the transfer window, despite denials by sporting director Alessio Secco.

Sissoko had been close to joining Juve in the summer after Liverpool agreed to sell him to the Italian giants.

The player turned down the move, controversially claiming that the Reds were a “bigger club”, and instead he signed a fresh deal at Anfield.

However Sissoko has now had a change of heart after falling way down the centre-midfield pecking order this season.

He has featured sparingly as Manager Rafa Benitez opted for the likes of Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso and Lucas.

“I am happy to have arrived at such an important club,” Sissoko told Juventus Channel.

“This experience will surely be a step forward for my career. I am emotional at the thought of being able to play with great champions with the calibre of Gigi Buffon and Alessandro Del Piero and the chance to link up with Claudio Ranieri, a top Coach who I worked with at Valencia."

Ranieri is a huge admirer of Sissoko and believes he can make a big impact in Turin. The move however has not gone down well at all with the large majority of Juventus supporters.

Sissoko, who was in Turin on Sunday and Monday, has now returned to the African Cup of Nations ahead of his country Mali’s crucial match tonight against the Ivory Coast. Mali require just a point to qualify for the quarter-finals.

The 23-year-old will begin his Juventus career once the African Cup of Nations is over.

Gianni Wilson

Ronaldo: I Want Ronaldinho At Milan

Ronaldinho is currently having a miserable season on-and-off the pitch in Barcelona, and he seems very likely to leave at the end of the season. There are only a handful of clubs in world football who realistically could afford to sign the 27-year-old, with reports suggesting that it will be a straight fight between Milan, Inter and Premierships-powerhouses Chelsea. The Rossoneri seemed to be the frontrunners before Christmas, with President Silvio Berlusconi, a long-time admirer of the player, hinting on a number of occasions about a possible move. However, following their new multi-million-pound sponsorship deal with Nike, the same sponsor of Ronaldinho, Inter have fast emerged as favourites. Ronaldo however is still holding on to hope that his ex-Selecao team-mate will be hooking up with him at San Siro. "Could he come to Milan? It would be beautiful,” said Ronaldo. “However I know it will be a difficult operation." Even if Ronaldinho does join, there is no guarantee Roanldo will still be at the club, as he has still not signed a new contract with the club, which runs out in June. Roberto Rossi

Pato Overjoyed, Earns Seedorf Praise

Milan had to huff and puff for the first hour of the match, but eventually broke through thanks to a brace from the new kid on the block, Alexandre Pato.

"We are very comfortable with each other because we have a good chemistry within the squad," Seedorf told Milan Channel after the game.

"I'm especially happy for Pato and his brace.

"I've always said he is a young player, he should be protected by the club, by the coach and by us team mates so he can always be serene and do what he does best on the pitch.

"He's an intelligent lad, but I repeat, he's very young. When you are only eighteen, you still need to learn a lot, and I'm not just talking about football but about life.

"Being one of the best players in the world could lead to being surrounded by some wrong people, that's why we need to protect him."

Pato himself was delighted with his showing.

"I'm very happy about these two goals, especially because they helped us win the game," he said.

"I feel very happy and emotional about Milan's victory. In the first half I missed a chance and during the break my team mates calmed me down."

Frank Barrone