by Tim Stannard

Barcelona looks back at “tough” season for Barcelona ahead of Saturday’s Alaves encounter

Top of table going into the final round of 2019 in LaLiga? Check.

Top scorers in the division with Messi looking in finer form that ever having won a sixth Ballon d’Or? Check.

Still continuing an undefeated streak against Real Madrid in El Clasico? Check.

Top of the Champions League group with a comfortable match-up in the next round? Check.

In theory, everything should be fairly tickety-boo in Barcelona’s world with club going into a short winter slumber after Saturday’s match against Alaves, but the fact that the team are not playing a prettily as fans would like, and failing to beat Real Madrid on Wednesday in El Clasico has some pressure on Valverde, despite the fact that statistically, Barca has delivered on all its requirements for the first part of the season. First World Problems, indeed.

"It's been a tough season, as they all have been," intoned Valverde talking on Friday, adding that “there are things we'd like to improve." Sounds like he is loving every second of his Barcelona existence.

However, the main message to those in the press room who managed to stay focused was the traditional holiday greeting from all football managers around this time of year: Nothing is decided in December.

"We know that everything is decided in spring and we have to be in a good position,” said Valverde who also confirmed that Sergi Busquets will be fit for Saturday’s match after recovering from fever. Barcelona v Alaves is live, live, live on beIN SPORTS at 10AM on Saturday with Real Madrid taking on Athletic Bilbao at 3PM ET on Sunday. But the final round of LaLiga gets underway today with Eibar hosting Granada on beIN SPORTS at 3PM ET.

A near impossible to-do list awaits Mikel Arteta who leaves Manchester City to take over Arsenal job 

Having had the same manager in charge of the club for 234 years, Arsenal have announced the club's fourth coach in just 18 months. 

Following Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and Freddie Ljungberg in the suddenly very hot-seat of the Emirates bench comes Mikel Arteta on Friday. 

After talks with the former Arsenal captain, Manchester City and Pep Guardiola - the Spaniard was Guardiola's assistant - Arteta has a rescue mission on his hands for his first ever solo managerial gig and a very long to-do list to plough through. 

First - build a functioning defense. 

Second - build a functioning midfield. 

Third - stop a functioning forward line from leaving in the winter transfer window. 

Fourth - Move Arsenal away from the team's current 10th spot in the table. Preferably upwards in the table. 

Fifth - try and do all this during the Premier League's insane spell of matches which will see Arsenal playing four games in 10 days starting with Everton away on Saturday morning. 

Good luck with that one. 

Meanwhile, while Mikel Arteta is coming in, there are rumors of a very high-profile departure with Mesut Ozil reportedly heading on loan to Turkish club, Fenerbahce until the rest of the season. 

The Sports Burst live show will be all over this one and everything else. Head to our beIN SPORTS USA Facebook page at 12PM ET. 

Haaland arrives in Manchester...for vacation says Solskjaer 

A 19-year-old, six-foot four Norwegian is the big talk of the town in Europe on Friday. 

Erling Haaland, the very easy-to-spot RB Salzburg striker was seen flying from the Norwegian city of Stavanger to Manchester along with his father, a former Leeds United player. 

This immediately led to the natural assumption that the player was in town to sign for Manchester United in January after a season of scoring 24 goals in the Austrian League and the Champions League. 

Fortunately, Manchester United manager - and fellow Norwegian - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was talking on Friday at around the same time his countryman was due to be landing in the city and denied all knowledge of a move. 

"I don't think he is on route here. Not through me," said the United boss. "He is on a Christmas holiday. You can't fly anywhere from Stavanger." 

To this end, Solskjaer has a point. 

Aside from internal flights, Aberdeen for the oil rig workers, the 9:45AM local flight to Manchester was one of only three for the UK on Friday, the other two being early evening flights to London. Which wouldn't leave much time to do anything let alone sign for Manchester United. Or Chelsea. Or Tottenham. 

Sports Burst is standing down on this deal. For the moment. 

Pogba will "not be sold" to Real Madrid in January

Haaland was not the only topic of conversation for Solskjaer on Friday. 

Another story had whiffled up in the English press claiming that Paul Pogba had played his last game for Manchester United and would be joining Real Madrid in January.

The French midfielder has not played since the end of September due to an 'ankle injury' that has needed recovering time in Doha and Miami along the way and the United manager is still cagey on the date of Pogba's return to the pitch citing maybe the end of the year. However, there was a more definitive response on the notion of leaving Old Trafford for the Santiago Bernabeu in the winter transfer window.  

"He is not being sold in January," declared Ole. 

Well, that's a shame as Pogba will be missing out on the greatest league in the world, LaLiga, whose final matchday before the winter break gets underway on Friday with Eibar hosting Granada, live, live, live on beIN SPORTS. 

Speaking of Real Madrid, the Locker Room has a State of the Union special look at the club at 7PM ET on beIN SPORTS.