Barcelona defender Pique believes that match officials are being put under an unfair amount of pressure, as the spotlight again fell on the referee following the Copa del Rey draw with Valencia.

Barcelona's Gerard Pique: Focus on match officials is turning football 'into a circus'

The Blaugrana defender is looking ahead on Saturday's La Liga clash after commending his side's performance in their stalemate at Mestalla.

Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique looked to sway attetention away from the officials following his side's 1-1 draw in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Valencia.

Los Che were left outraged at Mestalla against Barcelona in their Copa del Rey semi-final clash after the Catalans' keeper, Jose Manuel Pinto, escaped a first-half sending off.

Speaking to AS.com the Spanish international said: "We are putting more importance on the referees than we are on the player. We're turning this into a circus."

Roberto Soldado had latched onto a terrific through ball before reaching it ahead of Pinto. Valencia's striker was then halted when Barcelona's second-choice goalkeeper appeared to handle outside the penalty area only for referee to deny Los Che's appeals for a spot kick.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola had admitted that Pinto was fortunate to stay on the pitch but Pique analysed the team's performance.

"We dominated the match, they were strong in defence but it is always difficult to win here. We had our chances, but it is a good result to take back [to Camp Nou]."

The former Manchester United player concluded by turning his attention to the weekend match against Real Sociedad: "It is a late kick-off, so we will suffer because of the cold."

 

Wolfsburg have announced their tenth new arrival of the winter, with Switzerland defender Ricardo Rodriguez signing a four-and-a-half-year contract.





The 19-year-old arrives for an undisclosed fee from Swiss side FC Zurich, where he had caught the eye in their UEFA Champions League qualifiers and UEFA Europa League matches.
“Ricardo has a great talent,” said Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath. “He has become a great player in the Zurich side.

“He played his part in European competitions and he has even recently been called up to the national team. He is a player of international level, which means he has a lot of quality.
He has become a great player in the Zurich side. He played his part in European competitions and he has even recently been called up to the national team.
Felix Magath on Ricardo Rodriguez
“This quality now needs stabilising and developed further and if that is achieved, then I am convinced that he can become one of the foundations of our team.”
Rodriguez has already linked up with his new team-mates in their training camp in Dubai in preparation for the second half of the season. And he is looking forward to making his debut after being made to feel so wanted.
“When a club and a manager try so hard to get you, then that is a clear sign that they really plan with you and that was important for me as I take this big step into the Bundesliga,” he said.
Rodriguez made his senior Switzerland debut last October having come through the ranks with the U-17s and U-19s.