By Tim Stannard

Barca forced to expend energy in meaningful matches while Real Madrid kicks off pre-season preparations 

Now that's forward thinking. 

One of the vibes from Real Madrid's rather peculiar starting line-up against Huesca on Sunday - and soporific performance from the players in a late, late 3-2 win - was that the game had a pre-season vibe. 

It was a chilled starting XI which included the coach's son in goal and a labored display against La Liga's worst team that was suddenly made to look like Manchester City at the Bernabeu. 

The match could have been taking place in the middle of July as an early pre-season tune-up for Real Madrid. And that shows the genius of the ten-steps-ahead club president, Florentino Perez. Why not get a head-start on the new season while the old one is still going on? 

While those suckers down the road at Barcelona are stuck with a title race and also the Champions League, Real Madrid cunningly removed those weights from the club's shoulders by systemically removing themselves from all possible competitions by March to leave the remaining months free for tinkering with Dani Ceballos. 

It's for that reason that Barcelona (currently Leo Messi and ten others) will be laboring away in a La Liga game against Villarreal on Tuesday with Ernesto Valverde forced to balance a one-man squad through two competitions in one week. Real Madrid will return for another gentle runout against Champions League-chasing against Valencia on Wednesday.

The Locker Room cast will look back at the weekends of both these clubs and also the EPL title race on beIN SPORTS at 7:30PM ET / 4:30PM PT. 

Solskjaer declares Paul Pogba to be key part of Manchester United's plans 

Real Madrid might need to scrub Paul Pogba's name of the side's wish list white board for the summer. 

Just days after Coach Zizou purred his enthusiasm for his compatriot, Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer declared on Monday that the footballer was not going anywhere in the upcoming transfer window.

"Paul's happy here, he's going to be a big, big part," said the Norwegian speaking ahead of Tuesday's Premier League clash against Wolves that will be key as to whether the Old Trafford outfit will grab a top-four finish.

Actually, Sports Burst is getting a little ahead of itself as the last round of action in the EPL has not quite finished with Arsenal playing today in a home clash against Newcastle United. A victory will move the Gunners into third - above Spurs and United no less - and have a few wondering just how the heck that happened. 

Catch up with the best of the day's action on the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT and if you need a football fix then there is a game from Ligue 1 live on beIN SPORTS CONNECT. Saint Etienne is looking for a home win against Nimes to move the side into fourth. That gets underway at 2:30PM ET / 11:30AM PT. 

Spalletti not Inter Icardi as Old Lady targets young man 

If Luciano Spalletti is to remain in charge of Inter next season - a little doubtful after a wobble against Lazio on Sunday - then it's quite likely that Mauro Icardi won't be there. 

A blast with an 'over my dead body' vibe from the Inter man on Sunday night on the idea of the rebellious Argentinean playing again for the club suggests that Icardi will need to seek playing time elsewhere next season.

Raphael Varane could be joining Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus with the Italian press reporting that the Real Madrid defender is being targeted by the Old Lady this summer to help freshen up the look of Juve's current back four which still remembers what it was like to have Jimmy Carter as president. 

And here's an interesting one. Juan Mata is out of contract with Manchester United this summer and it looks like Barcelona could be picking up the player on a free. 

Christian Vieri will be the special guest on the live Sports Burst show at 12PM ET / 9AM PT to pour through some of these stories. Just go to our Facebook USA page to join in the fun or watch back at your leisure.