Dani Alves out 2-3 weeks with injury; Busquets not injured, set to return
Turns out that Sunday's injury scare was nothing but a scare for Barcelona. Full-back Dani Alves and midfielder Sergio Busquets both had to leave the La Liga opener against Athletic Bilbao due to injuries. The Brazilian defender left still in the first half with a groin problem, and the pivote went out in the second half with an ankle issue. The club announced on Monday that none of the injuries are serious, though Dani's problem is a little more concerning. The right-back has a groin strain, and is out for two to three weeks. Busquets only had a minor ankle sprain, but is not expected to miss any time, and will return to training on Tuesday to prepare for the Camp Nou opener against Málaga. While Dani will be out for at least two weeks, he won't miss too much action. After Sunday's league match, there's a two-week international break before the clash with Atlético Madrid at Vicente Calderón on September 12th, and Alves should be fit to play that game. No worries, Blaugranes. Not for now, at least.
Pedro: I chose Chelsea over United, City
Confusion continues to surround the circumstance of the collapse of Pedro's seemingly imminent move to Manchester United this summer, with some - including the club - claiming United ended the interest of their own accord. This conflicts with other reports, which claim Chelsea completed the deal under the noses of United. Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal is adamant that the former is correct, although Pedro's agent claims the club "fell asleep" in their negotiations for the Spain international. The 28-year-old says United, along with bitter city rivals City, were interested, but that he opted to choose Chelsea because they acted the "quickest" and "showed the most interest". "I was very flattered by the interest from some of England's biggest clubs, like United and City," he said in a press conference which was attended by all of Barcelona's first team squad. "But Chelsea were the team that could resolve the situation the quickest and who showed the most interest in me." Pedro revealed that while Barcelona made it clear they wanted to keep hold of him this summer, the lure of playing alongside a number of his countrymen, coupled with the club's "winning mentality", drew him to Stamford Bridge. "There was an option to stay, that is what the club wanted," he continued. "I discussed it with everyone, but the Chelsea offer attracted me, although it felt a little strange wearing the Blue shirt at first! "I'm lucky enough to know some of the players, like Cesc [Fabregas] from Barça, but also from the national team, Diego [Costa]. "I can already see there is a winning mentality at the club - John Terry is a great captain, he has a really strong mentality - and the reception I have had has been incredible. I've felt really comfortable from the first moment." Pedro also discussed the lure of the Premier League - namely the "great atmosphere, full stadiums and end-to-end football" - as well as linking up with Blues manager Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese cuts a controversial figure in Catalonia, with his time as Real Madrid manager a particular sore point with the Barcelona faithful. "Mourinho spoke with me and with the club to speed up [the transfer] and I am really happy," he added. "I know who Jose Mourinho is and about his past here, but he spoke with me and he convinced me. I'm ambitious and I want to play more minutes, the truth is that [at Barça] that was complicated. "But I am not going to Chelsea just for Mou, I'm also attracted to living in London and to sharing a dressing room with friends that I have there."
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