
Javi Garcia feeling settled at Manchester City
Javi Garcia feels Manchester City are set to see the best of him, as he believes he has now fully settled into life at the Etihad.
The Spanish international joined City in 2012 from Benfica in a £16million deal, but he has taken time to adapt to life in English football.
Garcia has been linked with moves back to Portugal and Spain in recent months, but he is now speaking English and feels much more settled.
"For me it is so important to speak with my team-mates, and from the beginning it was so difficult," Garcia admitted.
"At the training ground I like to joke with my team-mates. At the beginning that was difficult, but now I can speak a little bit with my friends.
"When you feel good off the pitch, you feel better on it. Maybe this season after Christmas I have done my job better.
"When you play regularly, you can show your quality, and the most important thing for me is to win three points and keep working for the Premier League title.
"I try to hear nothing from the fans! Maybe six months ago, 10 months ago, people maybe didn't say anything good to me and now I try to do my job.
"Now maybe the fans are happier with me, but I just try to do my job, and I try to do the same things I did six months ago.
"I feel better now in the country, in the team and in the club."
Garcia, who has featured in defence and midfield for Manuel Pellegrini this season, is confident that following the weekend's win over Hull City they can now close on the title.
"If we had lost at Hull it would have been so difficult for us. Chelsea don't lose so many points, and we have to go top of the table again," he said.
"We have played three games less, and if we win the three games we will be top.
"That is so important after losing in the FA Cup and Champions League. Now we have a week to focus on the Premier League.
"All the players here have good experience in England, and here it is always like this with two or three games this week.
"We have a big squad and the boss has a lot of choice to make his eleven."
Mancini: I did a very good job at City
The Galatasaray boss is back in England to take on Chelsea in the Champions League, and believes he can be proud of his record at the Etihad Stadium.
Roberto Mancini has defended his record at City, insisting he did a "very good job" during his time at the club.
The Italian was sacked at the end of last season after overseeing a meek defence of the Blues' Premier League title and an FA Cup final defeat at the hands of Wigan.
Mancini is currently back in the country for the first time since leaving City, with his Galatasaray team set to take on Chelsea in the second leg of the sides' Champions League last-16 tie.
And he has talked up his past record in the Premier League despite the nature of his departure.
"It's a good occasion for me because I have good memories of England," he said.
"I did a very good job with Manchester City and I'm very happy to be back and in London in the Champions League."
Chelsea and Galatasaray are currently locked at 1-1 on aggregate after a first-leg draw in Turkey.
VIDEO – Mission: Championship Sunday – Manchester City
Zip back in time to August, when Yohan Cabaye was holding out on Newcastle and Manchester City responded by smoking them 4-0. Since then it’s been a wild ride for City. And as we approach the stretch run of the Premier League campaign, we’ll have a series of vignettes exploring the highs and lows of the competitors for the PL title.
I’m big on alternate titles, and this one could be: “Yaya Toure is incredible.”
http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2014 ... ity/?guid={guid}
Lionel Messi shoots down Man City move after becoming Barcelona's all-time top scorer
LIONEL MESSI has once again expressed his desire to finish his career at Barcelona after becoming the club's all-time top goalscorer on Sunday.
The Argentina striker went down in the history books after netting a hat-trick in Barca's 7-0 thrashing over Osasuna, surpassing the previous record held by Paulino Alcantara.
The four-time world player of the year has set the new benchmark at 371 goals.
And now Messi, 26, admits he has no intention of leaving the the Spanish giants, despite strong interest from Manchester City.
He said: "I intend to retire here at Barcelona.
"As long as people want me, I will stay, I am happy here."
Messi became Barca's all-time leading goalscorer on Sunday with hat-trick against Osasuna [GETTY]
Barca are currently third in La Liga, four points behind leaders Real Madrid, but are through to the the Champions League quarter-finals.
And Messi hopes to continue securing more silverware after breaking the goalscoring record.
He added: "I am very proud at being in the history of such an important and big club.
"The important thing is that this team keeps on making history, this group has been doing wonderful things, winning everything, and deserves to keep on doing important things."
[spoiler]Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace - Jermain Defoe's former girlfriend.

Napoli are set to rival a host of Premier League clubs for Porto's 20-year-old forward Juan Iturbe - the latest in a long line of players to be compared to Barcelona's Lionel Messi. Daily Express
Dnipro president Igor Kolomoyskyi says he is in talks with Tottenham over a deal for 24-year-old Ukraine winger Yevhen Konoplyanka, who saw a move to Liverpool fall through in January. Daily Star
Sevilla are willing to listen to offers for 21-year-old Spanish full-back Alberto Moreno, who is wanted by Liverpool. Talkshit
Liverpool and Manchester City have lost out to Ajax in the race to sign 17-year-old Richairo Zivkovic. The forward will join the Dutch champions at the end of the season, on a three-year deal. Sky Sports News
Liverpool are planning a £25m summer move for Benfica's 23-year-old striker Rodrigo, the former Spain Under-21 international who had a loan stint at Bolton three seasons ago. Daily Mirror
Manchester United could look to make a double raid on Spanish club Atletico Madrid this summer, targeting 25-year-old striker Diego Costa and manager Diego Simeone.
Spain international Costa has scored 22 goals in 27 league matches for Atletico this season. Football Direct News
Championship promotion chasers Wigan are lining up a loan move for West Ham midfielder Jack Collison, 25. Sky Sports News
Sunderland boss Gus Poyet wants to keep on-loan Liverpool striker Fabio Borini, 22, beyond the end of this season. Daily Star
Manchester United have dismissed reports that manager David Moyes fell out with player-coach Ryan Giggs, 40, after Sunday's 3-0 defeat at home by Liverpool. Manchester Evening News
United's board will give Moyes three games to prove he should remain in the Old Trafford dugout. Sun
And Moyes stayed away as United suffered another defeat on Monday - with the reserves losing on penalties to Bolton in the quarter-finals of the Lancashire Senior Cup. DSSC
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, 33, wants the club's American owners to sort out a new contract for manager Brendan Rodgers straight away. Daily Telegraph
Neutral fans want to see Liverpool win this season's Premier League title as a reward for Gerrard's loyalty, according to their former midfielder Jan Molby. Liverpool Echo
Everton midfielder Ross Barkley, 20, should be in England's World Cup squad despite a dip in form, says his club manager Roberto Martinez. Guardian
Former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba, 25, says football is still not providing enough defibrillators at football grounds, two years after he suffered a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup quarter-final at Tottenham. Guardian
Brazil's sports minister Aldo Rebelo says his country will host "the greatest party in the world" when the World Cup comes to the South American nation this summer. Daily Telegraph
Former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner is alleged to have been paid £1.2m by a company with close ties to the successful 2022 Qatar World Cup bid. Warner resigned his position with Fifa in 2011 amid separate allegations of corruption. Times
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says it is "inevitable" former Blues striker Didier Drogba will work with the club in the future. The 36-year-old Ivorian returns to Stamford Bridge with Turkish club Galatasaray for a Champions League last 16 match on Tuesday. Independent
Tottenham Hotspur defender Danny Rose, 23, says Spurs must improve their "unacceptable" home form if they are to qualify for next season's Champions League. Arsenal were the latest team to take three points at White Hart Lane, winning Sunday's north London derby 1-0. Independent
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher says Sunday's victory over Manchester United was "twice as good as 2009" when the Anfield club triumphed 4-1 at Old Trafford. DSSC
Mexican side Celaya's players came up with an unusual way of protesting after going two months without wages - as they posed for a team photo with paper bags over their heads. Sun
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, 31, warmed up for Tuesday's Champions League match against Galatasaray with a training drill that involved alternately catching footballs and tennis balls. Daily Mirror
A lifelong Middlesbrough fan has honoured a 10-year-old pledge to wear a Sunderland shirt for a whole weekend after losing a bet that they would never reach a Wembley cup final in his lifetime.
Teesside Evening Gazette
MORE BOLLOX SOON!