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Barcelona knocked out their fierce rivals out of Copa Del Rey

It's been an impossible job since he took over and now even his players are admitting it.
Real Madrid were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Barcelona on Wednesday night and Jose Mourinho said the phrase he had heard from his players was: 'It's impossible to win here'.
'You will have to ask them,' he said when asked if they were referring to the referee's performance or Barca's ability to win a clasico, even on the rare occasions they are second best.

Here we go: Pedro is mobbed after scoring the opening goal of the game

Under pressure: Mourinho's disappointing run at the Nou Camp continued despite an improved performance from Real

Sergio Ramos was sent off late in the game and Real had a goal ruled out for a shirt pull.

'I have been here with Inter and with Chelsea, it's nothing new for me,' said Mourinho, but this was not one of his typical referee rants.

He added: 'Sometimes goals are scored from nothing while other teams create chances but then fail to take them.'

Early bath: Sergio Ramos was sent off for a second bookable offence

Madrid had five shots on target in the first half, including one from Mesut Ozil that crashed off Jose Pinto's bar.

Gonzalo Higuain should have scored in the first minute and had chances to complete a hat-trick but somehow Real went in at half-time 2-0 down.

Mourinho, who celebrates his 49th birthday on Thursday, was already heading for the dressing room when Dani Alves blasted in from outside the area.

Sealed with a kiss: Dani Alves scored on the stroke of half-time with an a thunderbolt of a strike

Earlier Pedro had put Barcelona ahead after a fine run from Lionel Messi had drawn four defenders to him,  leaving the winger, who had come on for Andres Iniesta on the half-hour, unmarked to score.

Madrid battled on in the second half and Ramos had the ball in the net from an Esteban Granero free-kick only for the referee to rule it out. Barcelona had looked shaky at the back throughout and with 23 minutes left they conceded twice.
Cristiano Ronaldo ran on to Ozil's pass, rounded Pinto and from a tight angle pulled the tie back to 4-2. He at least has buried his Barca bogey even if Real have not.

Going through: Barcelona have knocked their fierce rivals out of the Copa del Rey

Karim Benzema was now on for Higuain and he equalised with 72 minutes on the clock.
'It's easy to say now,' said Mourinho when asked if he regretted not starting with the France striker.

'Mourinho stay in the job' the Barcelona fans sang at the start of the second half. How long he does so remains to be seen. Home supporters had taunted him with 'Come out of the dugout' as he watched his side struggle from the bench.

He emerged as Ramos had a goal ruled out, headed Ozil's corner just wide and then saw red for an elbow on Sergio Busquets.

Mission impossible goes on.

United in £50m bid for Modric as Spurs playmaker is Fergie's top target

Luka Modric, the brilliant Croatia midfielder who has masterminded Tottenham’s emergence as title contenders, is now Manchester United’s No 1 transfer target for the summer.
But it will take a £50million bid by United to prise away the 26-year-old, who has another chance to grab the limelight today as thirdplaced Spurs take on League leaders Manchester City on the Premier League’s biggest day of the season so far.

Under his hat: Luka Modric will have a big decision to make in the summer

United, who face Arsenal in today’s other clash of the titans, see Modric as their preferred long-term replacement for Paul Scholes, brought out of retirement in the last two weeks to rescue a midfield further depleted by injury to Tom Cleverley and Darren Fletcher’s chronic health problems.
While United tried hard to recruit Wesley Sneijder from Internazionale last summer — and the £30m Dutchman is understood to remain keen on a move to Old Trafford — Modric is at the top of manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s summer shopping list.

Action man: United want Modric to bolster their injury-hit midfield

Sneijder’s wages have always been the sticking point, with the midfielder needing £250,000 a week to match his Inter earnings.

Such a deal would break United’s pay structure and put him on a salary greater even than top-earner Wayne Rooney.

Modric represents better value for money as he could easily double his £60,000-a-week earnings at Spurs by moving to Old Trafford — and still not upset United’s best-paid stars.

Inter you: Wesley Sneijder, left, is still tempted by move to Old Trafford

The downside for United will be the asking price from Spurs, where Modric has a contract until 2016. Spurs will resist any sale, as they did last summer, when chairman Daniel Levy turned down a £40m offer for Modric made by Chelsea on the closing day of the transfer window.

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Gary Cahill Signs for Chelsea

Gary Cahill says the chance of winning regular silverware was the driving force behind his £7million switch to Chelsea.
Cahill completed his move to Stamford Bridge on Monday, signing a five-and-a-half year deal worth around £80,000 a week.
The England defender, 26, who will wear the No 24 shirt, says battling against Europe’s top clubs was key in his decision to quit Bolton.

Done deal: Gary Cahill has completed his move to Chelsea from Bolton

‘Chelsea are a massive club who look to win trophies season in, season out. It is a big opportunity for me to be a part of that,’ Cahill said.

'Opportunities like this, you can't turn down.'
The parties reportedly settled on wages of £80,000-per-week on Friday, £20,000 less than Cahill was said to be demanding.
The player then travelled to London to undergo a medical and watched his new club's 1-0 Barclays Premier League win over Sunderland on Saturday.
Chelsea were once again far from convincing at the back and supporters will be hoping Cahill can provide the much-needed solidity for which they were long renowned.

New boy: Cahill watched Chelsea labour to victory over Sunderland

His new team-mate Petr Cech has underlined the importance of continuing to win trophies.
Success in the Champions League and FA Cup are Chelsea’s only realistic hopes of silverware after a season of inconsistency, but the Czech goalkeeper said: ‘Of course, we are still expected to win something. We set a standard.’
Despite being part of a Bolton defence among the worst in the Premier League this season, Cahill has performed well alongside Chelsea captain John Terry at international level.
There were no shortage of admirers for the defender, with Arsenal seeing a bid rejected last summer and Tottenham also going close to landing him.

For club and country: Cahill could be reunited with John Terry at Chelsea

But Chelsea were the only serious January transfer window bidders, with Bolton opting to cash in on a player in the final six months of his contract.
A fee was agreed at the end of last month but negotiations with the player immediately hit a snag when Villas-Boas revealed club and player were 'miles apart' in terms of Cahill's salary.
Reports suggested that gap was £30,000, with Chelsea determined not to be held to ransom as they seek to slash their overall wage budget in the era of Financial Fair Play.
Villas-Boas last week refused to criticise Cahill or his representatives for the delay, saying: 'It's part of negotiation.'

Farewell: Cahill made his final appearance for Bolton earlier this month

The Chelsea boss has previously said he is looking to sign one more player in the transfer market, probably a striker, although he has since suggested Cahill may be the only arrival.
Speaking about Cahill's impending arrival on Saturday evening, Villas-Boas said: 'He has good technical abilities which is important in the way we want to play and to implement our philosophy.
'Our passing philosophy in building from the back. He has speed of anticipation, is an English international of course.
'Competition will be tight for him but we brought him in to become better as a team.'

Replacement? David Luiz has come in for criticism for his recent performances

Spurs Target Move for Ganso

Tottenham are considering a move for Brazilian star Ganso to beef up their title charge.
Boss Harry Redknapp is keen on Blackburn duo Chris Samba and Junior Hoilett, but has also set his sights on a more ambitious target.
Ganso, who is rated at around £15million, is being chased by a host of top European clubs as he moves closer to leaving Santos.

Wanted: Ganso is set to make his way to Europe from Santos

His agent Teodoro Fonseca arrived in London on Thursday and is expected to meet with Spurs chiefs to discuss a switch to White Hart Lane in the transfer window.
Fonseca also represents Porto striker Hulk, who has been linked with a move to Chelsea but it’s understood that his high buy-out clause precludes a move.
Santos president Luis Oliveira has revealed that Ganso will be sold if 'the offer matches our expectations'.

On the charge: Harry Redknapp's side are in title contention

The 22-year-old midfielder, who has won seven international caps and recently starred in the Club World Cup as they lost to Barcelona in the final, is rated highly in Brazil.
Redknapp, writing in his Sun column on Friday, said: 'The problem we have now when we look for players is that the better you get, the more difficult it is to find someone who will take you even higher.
'Believe me, there aren’t that many out there — but we won’t fall down on that score through a lack of looking.'

Manchester United and Arsenal have been dealt a blow in their hopes to land Mario Goetze after Borussia Dortmund warned the exciting Germany midfielder has committed his future for another year.

Manchester United and Arsenal have been dealt a blow in their hopes to land Mario Goetze after Borussia Dortmund warned the exciting Germany midfielder has committed his future for another year.
The German giant's sporting director Michael Zorc announced the talented teenager will remain with defending Bundesliga champions for at least another season, ruling out the possibility of him leaving during the current transfer window.

Staying power: Dortmund insist Goetze is not leaving during the January transfer window

 

'Goetze has a contract until 2014. We have no reason to sell him,' Zorc told German daily Bild, insisting that the 19-year-old's immediate future is not in question.
Zorc, however, did not rule out selling the young playmaker, adding that Goetze isn't 'a prophet' and that 'if someone offers a billion euros tomorrow, then you should think about it.'

 

 

Interest: Manchester United manager Ferguson and Arsenal boss Wenger   (L-R)

 

Goetze, who won the 2011 Golden Boy award for the best European under-21 player, has scored five goals and set up five more in the Bundesliga this season.
His impressive performance have won admiration from Gunners boss Arsene Wenger and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson who has run a series of checks on the player.

All eyes on me: The talented Germany player has a contract with Dortmund until 2014

Gotze is under contract until the summer of 2014, and Dortmund are determined to keep him beyond this season.
Given his age – he only turns 20 next June – and standing as one of Europe's outstanding prospects, they are convinced the bidding will climb to around £50million when they eventually agree to sell with Real Madrid and a host of Italian clubs also keen.