BOLA (BOL)

Puyol is the Spanish hero bring Spain to final

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:08:00 +0000

Xavi curled a corner deep into the German box, 32-year-old Puyol showed the German young guns what experience can bring as he rose highest and then powered an unstoppable header beyond Manuel Neuer.

For Germany it was a game too far. But with their impressive victories against England and Argentina, they have signalled a new dawn for their national team.
Spain's prowess has been known for some time. That is why they had the strength to leave out a strangely shot-shy Fernando Torres.

And against Holland at Soccer City on Sunday, they will attempt to confirm their class, as FIFA waits to crown a new champion, no matter what the outcome.

Germany did their best to press for an equaliser but in the end, they lacked enough nous.Indeed, had it not been for the greed of Pedro, who could have presented substitute Torres with a late tap-in, the margin of victory could have been greater.

Yes!! They did it!

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 21:02:00 +0000

David Villa and Casillas is the hero..

JOHANNESBURG, July 3 (Reuters) - Spain striker David Villa fired his team into the World Cup semi-finals with a late goal to sink plucky Paraguay 1-0 at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The game was heading for extra-time after both sides missed a penalty in a dramatic 90 minutes before Villa got his fifth goal of the tournament to set up a last four clash with Germany, who earlier thrashed Argentina 4-0 in Cape Town.
Until the goal, the hard-working South Americans had successfully nullified Spain’s normally dominant midfield and created the clearer chances in a closely-fought first half.
The match burst into life shortly before the hour when the referee ruled that Spain defender Gerard Pique had hauled down Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozo in the penalty area.
Cardozo sent his spot kick low to the left of Iker Casillas but the Spain captain and goalkeeper saved comfortably.
There was more drama at the other end of the pitch minutes later when Spain were awarded a penalty after Villa went down under a challenge.
Xabi Alonso netted high to Justo Villar’s right, sparking celebrations on the Spain bench but the referee made him retake it after players from both sides encroached into the area.
Alonso went low to Villar’s left with his second attempt and after his shot was saved substitute Cesc Fabregas, on for the ineffective Fernando Torres, appeared to be hacked down but the referee awarded only a corner.
As Spain pressed for a winner, midfielder Xavi, who went close with a fizzing volley in the first half, drove narrowly wide and Andres Iniesta drew another fine save from Villar.
Villa, top scorer in the tournament, then grabbed the winner in the 83rd minute from a rebound after substitute Pedro had hit the post following a brilliant run by Andres Iniesta.
(Editing by Ken Ferris)

Source from Reuters

World Cup Preview - Spain

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sun, 30 May 2010 21:21:00 +0000

With eight FC Barcelona players in the national squad, Spain has to be the name on every Barca fans lips. I have to admit that they are just my second choice behind my all time favourites Argentina. Spain will be the most fancied team in this World Cup. Spain always had a wonderful team but somehow managed to fail consistently at the biggest stage. They were never counted as a favourite in any tournament prior to the Euro 2008. The Euro 2008 success has put Spain to where it belongs. That triumph has instilled a sense of self belief in the Spanish National side and most importantly in their fans. Spain comes to the World Cup with an extra ordinary unbeaten run behind them. The only blemish was the defeat to United States of America in the confederation cup. That may be come as a blessing in disguise as no Confederation Cup winners have ever lifted the World Cup. (History has this uncanny habit of repeating itself.)

Many national sides are struggling to put a decent looking starting eleven. In contrast Spain is facing a problem of plenty. I don't think there is any team at the World Cup who has excellent cover for each position like the Spaniards. The abundance of talent is displayed by the sheer fact that the best midfielder in England, Cesc Fabregas will only start from the bench for majority of the games. The final 23 man squad for the World Cup is - Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), José Manuel Reina (Liverpool), Víctor Valdés (Barcelona), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Gerard Piqué (Barcelona), Raúl Albiol (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Álvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Xavi Hernández (Barcelona), Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona), Cesc Fábregas (Arsenal), Javi Martínez (Athletic), Jesús Navas (Sevilla), David Silva (Valencia), Juan Manuel Mata (Valencia), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), David Villa (Barcelona), Pedro Rodríguez (Barcelona), Fernando Llorente (Athletic). The expected starting line-up most probably woul be Iker, Capdevila, Puyol, Pique, Ramos, Xavi, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Silva, Torres and Villa. Now with the signing of Villa half of the starting line-up will feature Barca players.

Spain has been placed in Group H along with Honduras, Chile and Switzerland. Spain is expected to cruise through that Group with ease, but that precisely could be Spain's biggest problem. Spain is destined to face either Brazil, Ivory Coast or Portugal in the round of 32, depending on who emerges from the Group of Death. Which precisely means that from the mediocre challenge posed by Chile, Honduras and Switzerland , it could be a sharp elevation. That means Spain may have to peak early and sustain that throughout the rest of the tournaments. Another problem will be the over dependence of Xavi. Xavi without any doubt is the real heart of the Spanish side. Arsenal fans may argue that Fabregas is quite capable of out-performing Xavi. But I beg to differ. Rewind back a year, back to the USA vs Spain semi final in the Confederation cup. The USA coach kept a man around Xavi all the time cutting his creativity which incidentally Fabregas wasn't able to provide. May be the absence of Iniesta was the biggest problem for Spain that night - Xavi and Iniesta. In that sense Iniesta would be as crucial as Xavi. Another problem for Spain would be something this Barca side has faced many times this season - good teams parking the bus in their box. With Torres and Villa upfront they may already have the firepower to overcome those tactics but this could be a tactic Spain will encounter more than once in this World Cup. The likes of England, Italy or even Brazil may use this tactic against the Spaniards if they are destined to face each other.

On paper Spain has the most complete team to win this World Cup. But the fun of World Cup is that most of the time the best team never managed to win the tournament. Hungary in 54, the dutch in 74 and 98 and the Argentinians in last World cup all stand as the best examples. To win the World Cup you require a bit of luck and lots of grit. There are some major players for Spain who are coming back from injury. The likes of Torres and Fabregas has not yet recovered fully from their injury. But the Spain squad has so much abundance of talent that they could with stand those. But there are some crucial players who cannot get injured if Spain has to keep their hopes alive. The first one is Xavi Hernandez, the second one is David Villa. We all know that Torres has been struggling with injury in the last year and that makes the role of David Villa very much important. Another could be Iniesta, Spain may not miss him against the smaller teams but against the bigger team he is a tremendous weapon. As Torres said recently, this has to be the best chance for Spain to lift the World Cup but we have to wait and see whether they are able to fulfill the same.

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FC Barcelona Wins The LaLiga Title for 2009-10 Spanish Primera Division

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sun, 16 May 2010 21:31:00 +0000

FC Barcelona have ended their season as champions of Spain with a 4-0 win over Valladolid on Sunday, May 16, 2010. The win combined with Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw at Malaga but Barcelona three points clear at the top of the table. It is their second consecutive La Liga title and their 20th in club history. It was a dominating season with a 31-6-1 record and +74 goal difference.

Champion League - Fantastico Messiah

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:21:00 +0000

Lionel Messi/ Foto: Reuters

BARCELONA - Pemain terbaik dunia Lionel Messi menjadi bintang lapangan pada laga kedua babak perempatfinal Liga Champions. Dia mencetak Quattrick ke gawang Arsenal untuk mengantarkan Barcelona meraih kemenangan telak 4-1 sekaligus memastikan satu tempat di semifinal. Rabu (7/4/2010).

Barcelona sebenarnya hanya membutuhkan hasil imbang 0-0 saja untuk bisa melanjutkan kiprah di kompetisi ini. Pada leg awal, keduanya diketahui bermain imbang 2-2.

Baik Barcelona maupun Arsenal sama-sama kehilangan pilarnya pada laga ini. Blaugrana tanpa diperkuat bomber maut Zlatan Ibrahimovic, sedangkan The Gunners ditinggal playmaker tangguh Cesc Fabregas yang masuk kamar perawatan karena dibekap cedera.

Tepat seperti ramalan, pertandingan berlangsung terbuka sejak awal. kedua tim sama-sama mengambil inisiatif menyerang, meskipun kubu tuan rumah nampak lebih banyak menguasai bola.

Kejutan sempat muncul ketika pertandingan memasuki menit 18'. Arsenal berhasil mencuri gol lewat kaki strikernya Nicklas Bendtner. Dia memanfaatkan umpan Theo Walcott yang lolos dari perangkap off-side. 0-1 tuan rumah tertinggal.

Tidak butuh waktu lama bagi Los Azulgranas menyetarakan kedudukan. Hanya berselang tiga menit, Messi menunjukan kelasnya, dia membredel gawang Manuel Almunia dengan sebuah tendangan keras dari luar kotak penalti lawan. Skor menjadi 1-1.

The Messiah kembali menunjukan kecemerlangannya pada menit 37. Dia membawa Barca balik unggul setelah meneruskan umpan Pedro Rodriguez di mulut gawang Arsenal. Kedudukan kini menjadi 2-1.

Tidak cukup sampai disitu, anak-anak asuh Pep Guardiola yang semakin menguasai jalannya pertandingan menambah pundi-pundi gol pada menit 42' dan lagi-lagi yang menjadi lakonnya adalah Messi. Dia mempecundangi Almunia untuk kali ketiga usai menerima umpan sundulan Seydou Keita di kotak penalti. Barcelona memperlebar jarak menjadi 3-1 sekaligus menutup laga paruh pertama.

Babak kedua dibuka, duel langsung berjalan dengan tempo cepat. Untuk mengejar ketertinggalan, Arsenal menggeber serangan lebih awal.

Terlihat jelas lini tengah 'Meriam London' yang ditinggal punggawa utamanya Fabregas kalah kelas dari sang lawan. Walau sudah mengerahkan upaya terbaiknya Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky dan Abou Diaby tetap tidak mampu menandingi determinasi serta dominasi Xavi Hernandez yang disokong Sergio Busquet dan Keita.

Berbeda dengan babak pertama, pada babak kedua ini laga berjalan agak datar. Hanya beberapa peluang yang dihasilkan masing-masing kubu.

Pertandingan nyaris ditutup dengan skor 3-1 saja, seandainya Messi tidak mencetak gol tambahan di menit 88'. Pemain asal Argentina itu menyempurnakan kemenangan Barcelona menjadi 4-1 sekaligus menggenapi torehan delapan golnya di kejuaran ini.

Barcelona melaju ke semifinal dengan agregat 6-3. Mereka sudah ditunggu Inter Milan yang sudah lebih dulu memesan tempat usai mengalahkan wakil Rusia CSKA Moskow 0-1 (aggregat 2-0).

Muchamad Syuhada - Okezone

Hard Worked To Win - FC Barcelona -2 , Malaga - 1

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:57:00 +0000

FC Barcelona needed a late goal from Lionel Messi to see off a very determined Malaga side at the Camp Nou. The scoreline could give an impression of a close encounter, but it never was. Barca was dominating all around the match and Malaga was hell bound not to concede a goal. A sensational strike from Pedro in the 68th minute broke the deadlock. But Valdo equalised in the 80th minute threatening to spoil Barca's night, but an 84th minute Lionel Messi strike gave us a very well deserving victory. Real Madrid earlier moved to the top with a 5-1 thrashing of Tenerife, that should have provided enough motivation for the players to work tirelessly to retain the top spot. Guardiola used a different formation in this match with Iniesta playing in the front left, Pedro on the right and Messi playing behind Ibrahmovic. Xavi and Busquets played in the midfield. The defense saw Alves coming back from injury, Pique and Puyol formed the central defense and Maxwell positioned himself in the left back position.

Barcelona FC dominates from the begining

Even though it was a complete domination of Barca in the first half, the first chance of the match fell to Malaga. Barca conceded a free kick on the left edge of the box but Valdes was alert to deny Duda from the free kick. Barca responded on the other end with Alves sending in a great cross to the left, but Messi could only head the ball wide. In the 14th minute Fernando gave away the ball to Messi in midfield, he ran past one Malaga marker but with Ibrahmovic free to his righ, he chose to go alone giving time and space for Wellington to block the attempt. He should have passed the ball to Ibrahmovic who was clear on goal. In the 25th minute FC Barcelona won a free kick 30 yards out. Ibrahmovic free kick went agonizingly close to the goal. In the 30th minute after a spell of possession, Messi dribbled into the box skipping past one defender but only to shoot over from a very good position. In the 37th minute Iniesta send in an interesting ball to Xavi in the box, Xavi brilliantly flicked the ball with his back to goal, but Malag goal keeper Munua was on hand to tip it over. In the 44th minute FC Barcelona had a great chance to break the deadlock. Messi sets off in another mesmerizing run, he finds Pedro on the right who squares the ball to Ibrahmovic, but the ball was out of reach for Ibra. I thought his slowness caught him there.

Barca Persistence Finally Pays Off

In the second half we saw FC Barcelona moving into their old formation - with Messi on the right and Pedro on left. Barca had their first chance of the half in the 52nd minute with Ibra's header been tipped over by Manua. In the 56th minute Iniesta tried a shot from outside the box, but it was well wide of the post. In the 60th minute Ibra's saw his looping header from a Xavi corner cleared off the line by Welington. Finally in the 68th minute Barca's persistence finally paid off with a sensational strike from Pedro. Ibra laid off the ball to Pedro who skipped in and send in a great strike into the near corner of the goal. In the 76th minute Barca almost extended the lead to 2-0 with Iniesta hitting the bar from a quick taken free kick. That miss proved costly with Valdo equalising for Malaga in the 80th minute. Valdo played a great one two with Obinna which put him ahead of defense and made no mistake with his finish. That equaliser made it feel like another of that day when the Gods conspires against you. But it was not to be the case. In the 84th minute Messi put us ahead. It was a typical Barca goal with Xavi finding Alves after a series of one touch passes, Alves squared the ball to Messi in center and he made no mistake.

With Real Madrid winning spectacularly earlier, it was necessary to have a good match. We did dominate the match with 76% of possession. Our finishing needs to improve. I was impressed by Ibrahmovic's work rate tonight. But I still believe he is tad too slow to take advantage of the quick moves. I am still trying to make sense of the formation Guardiola employed in the first half. It might have worked but it was majorly due to the fact that malaga was reluctant to get out of their half. If he is planning to use it against Stuttgart, the German efficiency would make fun of it. The good thing of this match was the return of Xavi after that poor performance against Stuttgart and Alves's return saw most of the attack happening from the right.

THY, Manchester United reach sponsorship deal, report says

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:54:00 +0000

Turkey’s national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) has reached a sponsorship deal with British premiership soccer club Manchester United.

THY will replace Air Asia as the official carrier of the British club for the next three-and-a-half years. The agreement has been expected since anonymous sources reported last week that “the two parties were close to sealing the deal.” The BBC reported it was a multi-million pound deal but added that the club declined to release further financial details. THY and Manchester United officials are expected to sign the deal shortly. Manchester’s decision comes in the wake of recently unveiled club accounts which showed that the Red Devils, recently announced as the world’s most valuable team by Forbes, are some 716 million pounds in debt.

This is the second sponsorship deal THY has signed in a week, following a 9 million euro deal with Spanish club FC Barcelona. THY will pay some 9 million euros for the three-year Barcelona deal. THY had previously served as the official carrier for the national soccer teams of South Korea and Japan. The company currently has sponsorship deals with the four leading Turkish first-division soccer clubs.

23 January 2010, Saturday

TODAY’S ZAMAN İSTANBUL

Messi Datang, Barca pun Menang

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:43:00 +0000

Selebrasi gol striker Barcelona, Lionel Messi di laga lawan Tenerife yang berlangsung di Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez Stadium, 10 Januari 2010. Barca unggul 5-0. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO

Former director Millet considers being candidate

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:49:00 +0000

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Catalan businessman Fèlix Millet is seriously considering to take part in next year's elections for president of FC Barcelona.

Millet was earlier this year involved in the major 'Palau de la Música' fraud scandal that made him lose most of the positions he held in business and social life and he would therefore now be looking for a new challenge.

The 74-year old Catalan, who believes that he will not end up in jail, would think that although his image has been damaged, he also became more famous over the last months, which would increase his chances if he would run for president.

Fèlix Millet has been a Barcelona board member under presidents Josep Lluís Núñez (from 1993 until 2000) and Joan Gaspart (from 2001 until 2003). He was the vice-president of the foundation of FC Barcelona from 2007 until he had to resign in September of this year because of the corruption scandal.

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El Clasico Preview: Barcelona - Real Madrid

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:17:00 +0000

The stage is set for the most exciting match in the world as the two giants of Spanish football, Barcelona and Real Madrid, face each other in El Clasico.

Barca Back In The Groove

Whether you come from Addis Ababa or Zaragoza, you know just how much this one means. This is the big one. Two historic clubs, blood rivals - in the literal sense of the word - lock horns in a 90-minute battle that has roots that run as deep as the ideological rift of the Spanish Civil War.

While Real Madrid have been sailing smoothly, but not spectacularly, in the few weeks leading up to this clash, Barcelona have had to contend with a topsy-turvy run-in due to the injuries to their two big guns, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahiimovic, as well as claims from their critics that they are struggling to replicate last season’s dominance.

The have, however, only dropped points at Osasuna, Valencia and Athletic Bilbao in what has otherwise been a perfect defense of their Primera Liga crown. And while Madrid are narrow leaders in this year’s title race, Barca are still the team to beat with a perfect home record in the league after five games at the Camp Nou.

The difference between Madrid and Barcelona became evident on Tuesday night against Inter: the champions’ undeniable ability to produce not just wins but impressive performances without their star player and joint-leading scorers, Messi and Ibrahimovic was there for all to witness and admire.

They demolished the best team in Italy midweek without the deadly duo and if you compare that to how Madrid fared against a lackluster Milan last month, Barca’s quality appears to be on a different level entirely.

It’s not that they necessarily have a better squad than Los Merengues but the players that come in when the big names are absent possess the same fierce hunger, collective spirit and ultimately the same flawless understanding of the Barca philosophy that softens the blow of such notable absences and allows them to play the same game. Perhaps they don’t have the delectable cherry on top but the cake and the icing still taste as good as it looks.

Madrid may lead La Liga with Cristiano Ronaldo back in action but Barcelona have shown that even without their stars the can still produce the results with far greater flair than Madrid’s recent hat-trick of successive 1-0 wins.

Manuel Labour For Madrid

For the Neo-Galacticos, El Clasico is the long-awaited examination. Unable to compete with an insuperable Barcelona last season in the title race or over the two La Liga encounters, Los Blancos stole the summer headlines from Barca’s triplete-winning season as newly elected club president Florentino Perez spent a whopping €254 million in signing consecutive Ballon d’Or winners Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, along with a host of other world class stars in Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, Raul Albiol, Alvaro Arbeloa, Esteban Granero and new coach Manuel Pellegrini.

Florentino Perez’s new superstar-ship troopers have, at times, shown their promised potential, exhibiting the kind of football that has made the Bernabeu gasp with glee. However, these moments of magic have been short-lived and infrequent and for the better part of 90-minute spells, Madrid have languished in the enigmatic realm of mediocrity.

At times, Los Blancos have even been dreadfully poor, as evidenced by their humiliatingly historic elimination from the Copa del Rey by Segunda B side Alcorcon and their dip in form has curiously corresponded with an ankle injury to Cristiano Ronaldo that kept the Portuguese winger out of action for over a month.

Now, as Madrid prepare to face their first big test of the season in the well-oiled machine that is Barcelona, they do so with many questions yet unanswered: Cristiano Ronaldo has recovered from injury, but can he recover the red-hot form he enjoyed before being sidelined?

After a grey outing in their midweek Champions League match against FC Zurich, can Madrid put together the attractive football that allows them to compete with Barcelona or will they be thoroughly dominated by the Blaugrana as they were last season (and as Barca toyed with Inter in their midweek match)?

Can Madrid make the Liga pendulum swing away from Catalunya and effectively shift the balance of power back to the Spanish capital?

In the press conference after the match against Zurich, Manuel Pellegrini admitted that he and the coaching staff are worried about Madrid’s play and their lack of a brand of football. Will three days of training be enough for Pellegrini to correct the glaring weaknesses in his team’s play?

Having claimed the lead in La Liga, can Madrid open up a four-point gulf against their eternal enemies by handing Barcelona their first Liga defeat of the season?

On Sunday, these and many more questions will be answered, but the exciting quality of El Clasico is that they could be answered within the first minute of play or in the final seconds of stoppage time. One would be wise to prepare the antacid and the defibrillator for this one; drama knows no stage like El Clasico.

FORM GUIDE

Barcelona

Nov 24 Barcelona 2-0 Inter (UEFA Champions League)

Nov 21 Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Barcelona (La Liga)

Nov 10 Barcelona 5-0 Cultural Leonesa (Copa del Rey)

Nov 7 Barcelona 4-2 Mallorca (La Liga)

Nov 4 Rubin Kazan 0-0 Barcelona (UEFA Champions League)

Real Madrid

Nov 25 Real Madrid 1-0 FC Zurich (Champions League)

Nov 21 Real Madrid 1-0 Racing Santander (La Liga)

Nov 10 Real Madrid 1-0 Alcorcon (Copa del Rey)

Nov 7 Atletico de Madrid 2-3 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Nov 3 AC Milan 1-1 Real Madrid (Champions League)

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

The big news is that Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have shaken off their respective muscular problems and began normal work-out with the rest of the squad, but there’s still no word from the Joan Gamper training ground whether they are fit to start the game, although coach, Guardiola has become well-known for keeping his first XI cards close to his chest.

Dani Alves gave his team-mates a scare when he missed out on Thursday’s session after sustaining an ankle knock against Inter in midweek but he has resumed normal training in Friday’s morning schedule. Yaya Toure is also back having shrugged off his H1N1 viral infection, but he is unlikely to start with Xavi, Busquets and Keita set to pull the strings from midfield again after a dominant midweek Champions League display.

Probable Starting XI (4-3-3): Valdes – Dani Alves, Puyol (c), Pique, Abidal – Xavi, Keita, Busquets – Messi, Ibrahimovic, Iniesta

Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo had his first minutes back on the pitch on Wednesday against FC Zurich and while there has been no reports of recurring problems with respect to his ankle injury, it is believed that he still feels discomfort and is still well short of match fitness. It is also suspected that Pellegrini will relegate both Gonzalo Higuain and Raul to the bench, opting instead for Benzema and Ronaldo up front with Kaka in a slightly withdrawn attacking role behind the strikers.

In defence, Alvaro Arbeloa will likely be used at left-back and be charged with the nightmarish task of marking Messi - assuming the Argentine wizard is fit to play. Sergio Ramos makes his return at right-back after serving out his red card suspension last week against Racing. Raul Albiol, however, is a doubt after suffering a minor knee injury in midweek Champions League action and the stage seems set for Ezequiel Garay to pair with Pepe to complete the back line.

Probable Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Casillas (c) – Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Garay, Arbeloa – Lass, Xabi Alonso, Marcelo – Kaka – Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Barcelona

In this game all eyes will be on the Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo firecracker, but the man that makes it all happen for Leo and his Barcelona team-mates is influential playmaker Xavi. The midfield mastermind showed the world that the Blaugrana did not miss ‘El Mesias’, or Ibrahimovic, at all in midweek against Inter as he single-handedly tore the Italians apart and his performance will be crucial if the champions are to secure a victory. Messi may not be fully fit come kick-off and in the past, it has become evident that he turns into a mere shadow of himself when he’s suffering from fatigue and lack of sharpness, but take your eyes off him for a second and he will punish you.

Real Madrid

With two consecutive Ballon d’Or winners in the squad, it will be difficult to recommend anyone else on which to fixate one’s attention. Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka showcase some of the best football on offer and it will be extraordinarily entertaining to watch how these two exceptional players are able to squeeze through the closing spaces of Barca’s quickly-tightening defensive noose. Watch for both players to try to touch the ball past the last man in defense in an effort to outrace the defender and create a one-on-one opportunity against Victor Valdes. CR9 has boasted that he will score in this match as well so expect him to try his luck from long range and from set pieces.

Barcelona Vice President Joan Franquesa Resigns

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:40:00 +0000

The director has tendered his resignation with immediate effect. It is believed that he would have been forced to leave via a board shake-up next week in any case...

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A stunning aerial view of Barcelona's majestic yet imposing Camp Nou (Marca)

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Barcelona

Barcelona vice president Joan Franquesa i Cabanas has left his position just days before a board meeting was due to be convened.

Franquesa has sent a letter to Joan Laporta, informing the Blaugrana president of his resignation. It is believed that Franquesa had learned of the details of a board meeting due to be held in Perpignan on Friday and has taken pre-emptive action.

Laporta is thought to be planning a restructuring of the board, which would have affected Franquesa if he had not resigned.

Barcelona have since published the letter on their official website, which reveals that Franquesa left the position for "personal reasons".

"I am unable to continue devoting the time to the club that I believe a director of FC Barcelona should," Franquesa wrote. "Changes in my personal and professional circumstances require my complete attention now.

"I appreciate that you have tried to look for ways in which I can continue at the club in recent days. Now my priorities are my family, which has recently grown, and the business.

"I am aware that my resignation could be used and misinterpreted. As a result, I want to reiterate that I fully share in the [management] model that has been used since 2003 [when Laporta became president]."

Franquesa had been in the news recently, as sources revealed that he was one of the directors who had allegedly been spied on by the club towards the end of last season.

Barcelona victorious in Copa del Rey

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:20:00 +0000

Jonathan Roorda - 29 October 2009

Barcelona's Pedro scored twice

FC Barcelona did better than arch rivals Real Madrid in their match with Cultural y Deportivo Leonesa on Wednesday, beating the Segunda B side 0-2 in the first leg.

Both goals at Leon's Municipal Reino de Leon stadium were scored by Pedro. The talented forward first netted in the 41st minute, and added a second in the 63rd.

With this result, the Catalans are with one foot in the next round, in which they were most likely to face Real Madrid. However, this remains to be seen following the latter's 4-0 defeat at Alcorcon on Tuesday.

Valencia visited CD Alcoyano in the neighboring province of Alicante, and left with a 0-1 win in the pocket. The only goal came from Joaquin in the tenth minute.

Manchester United and Chelsea Stay Perfect in Chamipons League

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:46:00 +0000

Manchester United and Chelsea registered their third straight victories in the Champions League to move closer to the knockout phase.

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Manchester United left it late against C.S.K.A. Moscow, with Antonio Valencia scoring in the 86th minute Wednesday night to maintain the English champions’ 100 percent record in Group B at the scene of their triumph in the 2008 final.

Chelsea, which lost that Luzhniki Stadium final, coasted to a 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid after narrow victories in its first two Group D matches.

Atletico’s loss at Stamford Bridge — and Real Madrid’s fall to A.C. Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium — rounded off a dismal 24 hours for Spanish clubs in the Champions League, with Sevilla providing La Liga’s only positive result at Stuttgart on Tuesday when the defending champion, Barcelona, was beaten by Rubin Kazan.

While A.C. Milan and Madrid are level on six points in Group C , Marseilles moved above F.C. Zurich on goal difference by beating the Swiss champions 1-0, with both teams on three points.

A rare goal by the Argentina defender Gabriel Heinze ended Marseille’s run of six straight away losses in the elite European competition.

Zurich rarely threatened, and came closest when Johan Vonlanthen’s 47th-minute shot was tipped over by the goalkeeper, Steve Mandanda, diving at full stretch.

“We haven’t seen a great match,” said the Marseille coach, Didier Deschamps. “We’re capable of doing better than we did tonight. But Zurich had almost no scoring chances.”

Manchester United’s manager, Alex Ferguson, rested key players in Moscow because of concerns about the synthetic pitch and with one eye on a crucial Premier League match at Liverpool on Sunday.

The victory was not clinched until the final minutes, when Dimitar Berbatov flicked on Nani’s deep cross and Valencia fired across goal from a tight angle into the net.

“The situation in the group is now nine points,” Ferguson said. “I have always maintained that you need 10 to qualify. We now have a home game against C.S.K.A. in two or three weeks’ time, which we hope can take us to the next stage.”

United enjoys a five-point lead over Wolfsburg, which held on to draw 0-0 with Besiktas despite having Grafite sent off with some 15 minutes to go.

At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea was able to give its fans plenty to cheer about after recent erratic form in the Premier League.

After a tough opening half hour, Salomon Kalou put Chelsea ahead just before half time after connecting with Ashley Cole’s cross.

Filling in for his suspended Ivory Coast teammate Didier Drogba, Kalou was then quick off the mark after the break, losing his marker to head in Frank Lampard’s corner.

Lampard added the third and Luis Perea headed into his own goal from a curling free kick by the Chelsea substitute Florent Malouda.

“After the first goal from Kalou, we had a good match,” said Chelsea’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti. “Salomon Kalou is an important player for us without Drogba.”

Chelsea has a three-point lead over F.C. Porto, which beat Apoel Nicosia, 2-1, courtesy of the Brazilian striker Hulk’s double to leave the Cypriots and Atletico languishing at the bottom of the group on one point.

“We are now in control of this group but we are aiming to arrive in first place,” Ancelotti said. “It is important for the future to finish in first place.”

Bordeaux moved to the top of Group A with a 2-1 home victory over Bayern Munich despite missing two penalties and conceding an own goal in the sixth minute by Michael Ciani.

But Ciani made up for his mistake by volleying home in the 29th before the Bayern midfielder Thomas Müller was sent off after being shown a second yellow card.

Marc Planus put Bordeaux in front after taking advantage of Hamit Altintop’s poor clearance to shoot into the far corner.

Bayern lost a second player when Daniel Van Buyten was sent off in the closing minutes.

“Obviously it’s easier at 11 players against 10,” said the Bordeaux coach, Laurent Blanc. “But we saw a very good Bordeaux side tonight. I’m very happy with this result because my players stuck to the basics.”

“I don’t want to get too carried away because we are not yet qualified for the knockout stage,” he added.

Bordeaux has seven points from three games, while Juventus is second with five points after inflicting a third straight loss on bottom-placed Maccabi Haifa.

Chiellini scored Juventus’s winner two minutes into the second half and Haifa’s Tiago Dutra was sent off in the 69th for a foul on the Italy defender.

“Obviously we wanted a good display and the three points, but winning was the only thing that counted tonight,” said the Juventus goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon. “The only worry was in injury time when we fell asleep and nearly let them in.”

With seven minutes to go, Dekel Keinan’s came close to equalizing, but his header was held by Buffon. Mauro Camoranesi should have wrapped up the match two minutes later, but his low shot came back off the post.

Buffon again came to Juventus’s rescue in injury time when he saved Mohammad Ghadir’s shot after the home defense had allowed the Israeli striker to break through.

Marquez attempts to buy Mexican club

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:05:00 +0000

Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez is part of a consortium attempting to purchase struggling Mexican Primera Division club Atlas.

The 30-year-old stopper used to play for Los Zurros before moving onto French side Monaco in 1999, and has now joined a group of businessmen trying to buy out the Mexican club.

The consortium is being led by Mexican mogul Guillermo Romo, and Marquez was asked to be part of the deal by native singer Alejandro Fernandez.

A bid has been lodged, according to Mexican newspaper Record, and the club now have reportedly up to a month to discuss whether or not to accept the terms.

Marquez is not the only La Liga based player to have started his career with F.C. Atlas, as Deportivo La Coruna pair Andres Guardado and Diego Colotto both had spells at the Guadalajara club.

Luis Figo: “Messi is number one”

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:49:00 +0000

Portuguese hails Argentine

Former Portugal international Luis Figo has stated his belief that Barcelona star Lionel Messi is the undisputed best player in Europe at the moment.

Figo, who retired at the end of last season, was asked by Italian daily Corriere dello Sport which player he would most like to see his former club Internazionale sign given the choice, and the Portugal legend opted for Argentina’s star man.

“It’s easy, the strongest in Europe at the moment is Lionel Messi, so I would say him,” Figo said. “Messi has amazing qualities, he is the best of all, number one. That is unquestionable. His team is now stronger than last year, but my dream is to see Messi playing for Inter.”

Figo also added his views on the exchange that took place between Inter and Barca during the summer, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto’o switching clubs.

“I like Eto’o; he is an experienced forward who has scored lots of goals. I met him at Real Madrid, where he was a team-mate before going to Mallorca. Even then, it was clear he was very good. When I was at Inter, the team depended on Ibra. Now it’s not the case with Eto’o.”

Madrid loss gives Barça first blood

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:42:00 +0000

Jesús Navas celebrates putting Sevilla in front against Madrid (©Getty Images)Photos/Wallpapers »

FC Barcelona have the early advantage in the Liga title race after Real Madrid CF became the first of the pacesetters to drop points this season courtesy of a 2-1 defeat by third-placed Sevilla FC.

Renato winner
Barça beat UD Almería 1-0 on Saturday to record their sixth successive league victory and open up a three-point gap over their rivals from the capital. Josep Guardiola's champions will now take that cushion into the international break after Sevilla's triumph, which came thanks to headers from Jesús Navas (33) and Renato (66), Pepe initially drawing the visitors level three minutes after half-time.

Missed opportunity
Valencia are fifth, four points behind Madrid following a 1-0 victory at Real Racing Club Santander, Nikola Žigić pouncing on a stray back-pass to score the decisive goal. RCD Mallorca could have deposed RC Deportivo La Coruña of fourth spot but were instead emphatically condemned to their second defeat of the season and drop to sixth. José Martí had given the Islanders the advantage with a 12th-minute penalty but Real Sporting de Gijón found the net four times in the closing 31 minutes, Miguel de las Cuevas scoring twice, to go ninth.

Muniain equaliser
Athletic Club Bilbao are seventh following their 2-2 draw at Real Valladolid CF. Joaquín Caparrós's side surrendered a tenth-minute lead given to them by Markel Susaeta and needed Iker Muniain's intervention 13 minutes from time to salvage a point.

Without a win
The bottom two of Xerez CD and Villarreal CF are both still yet to win in the league this term. Xerez stay rooted to the foot of the table with two points after drawing 1-1 against Málaga CF, while the Yellow Submarine are one point better off following their 0-0 stalemate with RCD Espanyol. Getafe CF are eighth thanks to a 2-1 triumph over CA Osasuna, Pedro León scoring the winner with 14 minutes remaining.

Soccernews - Pedro wonder strike sends Barca top

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:51:00 +0000

A terrific strike from Pedro Rodriguez helped Barcelona equal their best ever start to a league season with a nervy 1-0 home victory over Almeria on Saturday.

Barca’s sixth successive win, matching a club record set in 1991 and 1998, also sees the defending champions replace Real Madrid at the summit of La Liga.

Pedro, the latest Barca youth player to make the breakthrough, turned on a sixpence before rifling home an unstoppable 31st minute shot to follow up his goal against Dinamo Kiev in midweek.

It was a special day for Barca captain Carles Puyol, 31, who celebrated a decade at the club having made his league debut against Valladolid back on October 2, 1999.

Coach Pepe Guardiola handed Andres Iniesta his first league start this season and the Spanish international found Lionel Messi with a fine pass after 10 minutes but the Argentine’s shot did not have enough curl to creep into the net.

Almeria were breaking the game up with a string of fouls and referee Velasco Carballo was jeered by the home fans for failing to dish out yellow cards to the perpetrators.

With 31 minutes gone Pedro scored a goal from nowhere receiving a pass with his left foot before turning swiftly and unleashing a fierce curling shot into the corner with his right foot.

It was a superb strike from the 22-year-old and the home fans sung his name to show their appreciation.

Almeria coach Hugo Sanchez was an exciting striker for Real Madrid but his side packed men behind the ball in the second half as if they were the ones defending a 1-0 lead.

The dominating Barca side were wary of conceding a soft equaliser and could not relax until the final whistle.

Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic, celebrating his 28th birthday, almost continued his record of scoring in every league game but his 80th minute drive was saved by Diego Alves to deny him a sixth goal of the season.

Real Madrid are not in action until Sunday when they have a top-of-the-table clash at third-placed Sevilla.

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, Real’s top-scorer in the league with five goals, has been ruled out after failing to shrug off an ankle injury picked up against Marseille on Wednesday.

“We aren’t denying the importance of Cristiano to our team with his goal threat well known but there are alternatives in this squad such as Raul or (Gonzalo) Higuain,” insisted Real coach Manuel Pellegrini.

Sevilla have won their last four league matches while Real have won all seven of their matches so far this season – five in the league and two in Europe.

In contrast, city neighbours Atletico Madrid have yet to win a single league game and there are suggestions that coach Abel Resino could become the first managerial casualty of the new season if Atletico, third from bottom, fail to beat Real Zaragoza at home on Saturday.

“Results are not going well but I am convinced that we will begin our fight-back against Zaragoza,” said Resino.

Deportivo La Coruna continued their impressive start to the new campaign by climbing up to fourth in the Spanish first division with a 1-0 win at Tenerife earlier on Saturday.

Tenerife had a 100 percent home record following wins over Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna but Deportivo ended that run thanks to a goal from defender Diego Colotto on the hour mark.

Deportivo finished seventh last season and hope to be surprise challengers for a Champions League slot with Atletico Madrid and Villarreal both struggling.

Málaga vs Barcelona – Saturday’s La Liga Game Preview

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:55:00 +0000

Barcelona Fans

Having been able to extend their 100% league record in midweek trough a 4-1 win away to Santander, Barcelona are now aware that their form this season is as good as last year; but maybe, Malaga could make them realize that this is all wrong in terms of consistency, when the two sides meet at the Estadio El Sardinero this Saturday.

Stopping the Invincible

Malaga didn’t get a very good start in their La Liga season; nevertheless, a little bit more hope and composure could help them climb places up the table, as the season is yet to be over.

A win this weekend, without doubt, will be the perfect solution to begin gathering points in the league standings; nonetheless, the task ahead of them seems much tougher as anyone could expect it, as their opponents are none other than the invincible side FC Barcelona.

Yes, this will be a very difficult encounter for Malaga, but they have a slight advantage which could turn out to be of great help, considering the fact that Barcelona will be the away side.

Away sides are usually weaker than home sides, and with the pressure inflicted from home crowds, visitors often tend to be less disciplined and more stressed. Presently, the least Malaga fans could do, would be to hope that their side will be able to take their chances and cause the defending champions and upset.

Barcelona – Chasing more points

Barcelona are currently in the top ranks of the La Liga table, following their four consecutive wins. Many then go on to think that Pep Guardiola’s side are ready to defend their league title – which is fair enough – and regarding their superb style of play, it is even easy to think that the Spanish Champions will do so in an impressive manner.

At the moment, things are just beginning, therefore a strong build-up is required if ever stability is to remain at the club.

In last season’s first part of the league, Barcelona crashed Malaga 4-1 away from home, and race issues concerning Samuel Eto’o then took place when home fans felt hurt by the score line.

This time around, the Cameroonian striker has no chance of featuring in the Barcelona line-up, yet, the result of the game could be as enormous as that of a year ago.

Well, no one knows what will happen… eventually, fans can only wait with impatience for the match to take place in Malaga, so as to continue with their judgments on both sides.

Messi:”We could have won”

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:42:00 +0000

FC Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi was not entirely satisfied with the 0-0 draw against Inter Milan : “I’m leaving with the feeling that we could have won”.

Nevertheless, Messi agreed that the result at San Siro (0-0) is nothing to be ashamed of. “A draw is not a bad result”, he said. FC Barcelona forward was content that his team stood true to their attacking style of play:“I think we played the way we always do, as we do from game to game. And they just waited at the back”.

Ibrahimovic

“I’m happy with the result because Inter is a very strong side. I also think that Barca could have won but in the end a point is good. For me it was a special match, to play at San Siro and against my former team mates”.

Iniesta

“I still need to take my time and keep gaining match fitness slowly but I`m very eager to play. The team looked very well, except we only lacked a bit more of determination when arriving at opposition box. All things considered it is a difficult ground and even if we failed to win a point is still valuable”.

Reigning European Champions, FC Barcelona vs. Inter Milan

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:09:00 +0000

by Nila Amerova

Inter Milan take on reigning European Champions in their UEFA Champions League Group F opener. The dubious honour of welcoming Barcelona to Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan is an opportunity for the Italians to measure themselves against the highest standard in European football today.

The last time Inter won the European club cup was in 1964/65 after successfully defending their cup victory of the prior season. The back-to-back titles was their last trip to the top of European football. Nerazurri would like nothing better than to revive the glory that has eluded them for the last 45 years.

Barcelona enjoyed a dream season last year when they won the UEFA Champions League title, beating defending champions Manchester United 2:0. Now, after savouring the victory over the summer months, the hard work of defending their position at the apex of European football begins.

If it was hard to win the title once, winning it back-to-back is even harder. Only seven clubs have accomplished the feat in the history of the competition. AC Milan (1988/89 and 1989/90), Nottingham Forest FC (1978/79 and 1979/80), Liverpool (1976/77 and 1977/78), Bayern Munich (1973/74, 1974/75 and 1975/76), AFC Ajax (1970/71, 1971/72 and 1972/73), Inter Milan (see above) and Real Madrid (1955/56, 1956/57, 1957/58, 1958/59 and 1959/60). Barcelona hopes to join their illustrious company by capping a successful UEFA Champions League campaign with a cup victory in May.

Soccer Betting Line:

Inter Milan pk +110 +185 21/2 O -120 U Ev 1 O -135 U +105 Draw +220

Barcelona pk -130 +145 21/2 O -120 U Ev 1 O -145 U +115 Draw +220

Match Time: 02:45 P.M. Eastern Time Wednesday September 16 2009

Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza - Milan - Italy

Soccer Betting Verdict: Inter Milan enter this match with encouraging odds, listed at +185 to win outright. Though Barcelona is tipped shorter at +145, the margin is not so big to discourage soccer betting fans looking to back Inter for a home win.

Inter are fourth in the domestic table after three cycles in Serie A. They have gone 2-1-0 and they hope to continue their undefeated run in European competition. Obviously, a match against Barcelona will not be a cakewalk but Inter have a lot of experience at this level and they are more than capable of holding their own.

But as good as the Italian champs are Barcelona are better. They have more depth on the bench and truth be told this is their match to lose. There is pressure in that naturally and Barcelona will aim to answer at the first asking of their title defence campaign.

Soccer Free Picks: Therefore, Barcelona are a real bargain at +145 for the away win. Moreover, the totals at Over 2 ½ goals -120 is a good play.

Lionel Messi Header Goal 2-0 Barcelona vs Manchester United - Champion League 2009

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:03:00 +0000

In the 70th minute that Catalans bagged their second, Xavi picking out an unmarked Lionel Messi in the box and the Argentine rose high to head home.

Laporta on Rijkaard; new deals for Puyol, Messi; Henry speaks (update!)

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:05:00 +0000

Yes, just because it’s a holiday here in the ‘States, doesn’t mean that we stop working. Here’s the news, Labor Day edition:

–Thierry Henry says in effect, “We’re bored and we’re clueless,” in one of the strongest statements yet against the regime of Ruh-Roh Dumbenech. To wit: Speaking to Domenech last Friday at France’s training camp, Henry was quoted by daily Le Parisien as saying to Domenech: “Coach, we have something to tell you. I am speaking in the name of the squad.

“We are getting bored during your training sessions. In 12 years with the French team, I have never been in such a situation.

“We do not know how to play, where to be on the pitch, how to organise. We do not know what to do. We have no style, no guidelines. It is not working,” said Henry, France’s top scorer with 49 goals from 112 caps.

Wow. That’s heavy, because Henry is also squad captain. Imagine Puyol walking up to Guardiola and in effect saying “Dude, you suck.”

I will add, however, that it won’t do anything to threaten DB’s position, however, because we now know that the compromising photos that he has of France Football officials also involve a number of yak.

UPDATE–Henry and Dumbenech are now circling the wagons. Henry has now denied criticizing Les Bleus steward, admitting that “We had a discussion as often happens between a team and their coach but it was a rather constructive discussion.” Further, Ruh-Roh said, in a video update at the FFF site, that the atmosphere on the team and between the players and coaches is “super.” Yeah. Right. Whatever, dude. My view is that in light of the comments, and the FFF decision to keep Dumbenech, a couple of phone calls were made, and all is (in public, anyhow) good in the ‘hood. Because Le Parisien isn’t like Sport or EMD. They don’t make stuff up.

UPDATE–Oh, crap. The Robinho stuff just won’t go away. In his most recent comments to the press, he’s said “It’s not easy to say no to a club like Barcelona….they’re a great club.” He added that any player in his right mind would be giddy about the prospect of playing with Messi, Ibrahimovic, Xavi, Iniesta and Henry.

Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water. I’d still take Willian over Robinho. In two seconds.

UPDATE–Long-gone defender Gaby Milito has returned to Spain to complete his rehab. Surgery over the summer was successful, and he has had no further pain. But, being wary of the previous time, no real date has been set for the mop-topped defender to return to the squad. We have to cheer for his return, only so that just for one match, Guardiola can roll out the “Devil Horn” metal band back line, with Puyol on the right, Chygnasty and Milito in the middle, and Muniesa (the roadie) at left back.

–Joan Laporta in more self-contratuatory back-patting, said to newspaper La Vanguardia that “Frank [Rijkaard] lost his authority in the dressing room,” citing that as one of the principal reasons that he decided to take a shot on some dude named Guardiola. Apparently the reports of locker room dissent, players coming and going as they pleased and other training nonsense, were true. Heavy stuff.

–There is a very thoughtful piece over at Four Four Two about our plans to improve on perfection. Paul Simpson suggests that the wet blanket that Shakhtar tried to put on the proceedings in the UEFA Super Cup, and the way that we dealt with it, suggests that Guardiola is right in seeking to rebuild.

So Ibra comes in to pull defenders out, leaving space for Xavi and Iniesta to exploit, and we move closer to Total Football, and the 3-4-3 of Cruijffian fame.

A very nice read, even if he didn’t have nice things to say about Piquenbauer.

–Sporting director Jaume Ferrer speaks for all of us when he said to Sport, “Txiki Begiristain is now on a well-deserved holiday, but this must be done soon. Carles Puyol is a symbol of Barca. He’s a player who is part of the club and has always shown his commitment. He is a great professional.

“The technical staff should work to make sure Carles Puyol finishes his career at FC Barcelona.” Word.

And with that very thing in mind, club VP Rafael Yuste says, in effect, “Never you mind the natterings of stupid agents. Our talks with Puyol are going just fine, and will be done. We’re going to rock this shit, yo. Word.”

–Remember this name: Gael Etock. The legacy of Samuel Eto’o isn’t just goals scored in staggering numbers. He’s also ensured a flow of young African talent into the club’s youth ranks. Etock, who even wears the number 9, is one of those players. The 16-year-old Cameroonian is kicking ass and taking names, then burning the notepad. He’s even worked out with the first squad.

If you aren’t impressed now, you should be.

–The spectre of Robinho has been staved off, hopefully permanently, as the pouty Brazilian says that he wants glory in the Prem, not a one-way ticket to Barcelona. So shut it.

–$175,000 and a house for a kid’s parents were used as bait to sign French hotshot Paul Pogba, is the most recent allegation being leveled against Manchester United. What this shows, for those wondering what the hell this has to do with us, is that there are many levels of enticement in getting youth players in the ranks. You could, say, move a kid’s parents to Barcelona, and offer to pay for his medical services, in effect outbidding South American suitors for his services. And what if that kid grows into the best player in the world? Every big club has a similar situation. Chelsea’s actions are one thing, but let’s hope that this “young’un nabbing” witch hunt doesn’t get silly.

–El Mundo Deportivo says that Willian is still in the picture for us in January, because the left wing still needs buttressing for league duty (since he is effectively Cup tied). The Shakhtar Brazilian winger looked very good against us, and his price might be right. Don’t forget that Shakhtar Donetsk’s coach hinted that his club and Barca weren’t finished doing business.

–Marc Muniesa is even more one for the future, with the arrival of Chygnasty. But he’s okay with that, preferring to focus on being excellent with the B squad, and earning his way up with the big boys. Those of us who have watched him, know that arrival will be but a matter of time. “The important thing is to play and settle in the Barca ‘B’,” said Muniesa in Sport. Hey, a young player willing to wait his turn and do the work necessary to move up. How ’bout that?

–Quote of the day: “The problem in Argentina is not Messi,” said Johan Cruijff I know. Duh, right?

–And speaking of The Great One, Cruijff also says that Ibrahimovic has dramatically increased the possibilities that the club has as regards scoring and offensive structure.

–”Put me in, coach,” says Leo Messi in anticipation of Saturday’s match against Getafe. It remains to be seen what Guardiola does, but he is undefeated in six matches that come after a break, for Internationals or any other reason, with 4 wins and 2 draws. I’d guess that we might see Argy Bargy in the second half, if the match is in doubt.

UPDATE–In the “Lord, why won’t you make it stop” category, Aleksandr Hleb was talking to Chygnasty about his change of scenery. In particular, says Sport, His Hlebness said that Catalans are very patriotic, and that you would have to learn Catalan before they fully accept you, no matter what you do on the field. “The exploits on the pitch do not guarantee that they will accept him,” nattered Hleb. Perhaps not. But they sure help. And the fact that Chygrynskiy is already learning Spanish, something that you couldn’t be bothered to do, tells me that he won’t have any difficulties working in at our glorious club.

His Hlebness also admits that moving to Stuttgart was a step back in his career, but that sometimes you have to take one step back, to take two forward. Whatever, dude.

FC Barcelona - Real Madrid El Clasico 29 Nov.2009

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:24:00 +0000

FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid - 29 Nov. 2009/2010 & El Clasico HD FC Barcelona History in the Clasico - There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in a national league, and this is particularly the case in La Liga, where the game between Barça and Real Madrid is known as El Clásico. From the start, the clubs were seen as representatives of two rival regions in Spain: Catalonia and Castile, as well as of the two cities themselves.

FC Barcelona: Hypocrisy at It's Finest

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Written on August 29, 2009

(Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)

"We create players, not buy them, unlike Real Madrid." – Joan Laporta, Barcelona President.

It has been three months since Real Madrid embarked upon their second "Galactico" era, and they have been facing ridicule and attacks from all around the globe ever since.

Yet while Florentino Perez has come under heavy criticism for spending "ridiculous" amounts of money in this transfer window, their great Spanish rivals FC Barcelona have somewhat slipped under the radar.

Indeed, everyone seems to have forgotten and "forgiven" Barcelona for spending profusely on a certain striker who goes by the name of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

But the Director General of Real Madrid, Jorge Valdano, didn't:

"The church appears to be above religion. When they signed Ibrahimovic they didn't practice what they preached. It surprised me that they didn't apply the same rules as Cristiano Ronaldo to the Ibrahimovic transfer."—This is an excerpt from Jorge Valdano's interview which he gave two days ago to AS.

Just one day after Valdano's interview, the Catalan club purchased a 22-year-old defender—Dmytro Chyhrynskiy—from Shaktar Donetsk for €25 million, a significant sum for an established, world-class player, let alone a young, almost unheard of defender.

Had Real Madrid made the same signing, newspapers around the world would be condemning their transfer policies and Perez would no doubt come under scrutiny once again.

Barcelona, on the other hand, made the signing with no surrounding fanfare, and the move was barely reported in media outlets.

Fueled by the Chyhrynskiy transfer and Jorge Valdano's interview, I set out to research and found out that Barca isn't any better than Real Madrid when it comes to splashing the cash, yet people continue to turn a blind-eye on their spending.

Many would ask, how is that so?

Firstly, I would like to point at the transfer activities of both the clubs in the 2008-09 season:

Real Madrid purchased Rafael Van der Vaart and Ezequiel Garay in the summer and Lassana Diarra and Klaas Jan Huntelaar in the winter which took their spending to €68 million but the sales of Robinho, Soldado, and Julio Baptista got them €54.7 million. Their net expenditure, therefore, was €13.3 million.

Barcelona, on the other hand, spent €102 million in 2008-09 for Keita, Pique, Hleb, Caceres, Dani Alves, and Henrique, re-couping just €49.5 million of that through sales, leading to a net expenditure of €51.5 million.

Now let’s look at the much talked about transfer window of 2009-10 season.

Real Madrid purchased Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Raul Albiol, Karim Benzema, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Esteban Granero for a whopping total of €249 million.

The recent (stupid) sales of Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, brought Florentino Perez’s sales figures to the magical number of €90.5 million (which he aimed for before starting the project). The net expenditure for this season, then, is €158.5 million.

FC Barcelona quite surprisingly spent over €100 million for the second year running, €129.5 million to be exact for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Dmytro Chyhrynskiy, Keirsson, and Maxwell. Through Samuel Eto’o’s sale, they recovered only €30 million, leading to a net expenditure of €99.5 million.

So in the two seasons combined Real Madrid's net expenditure is €171.8 million and FC Barcelona's net expenditure is €151 million, just a €20.8 million difference between the two.

If the difference had been larger, Barcelona had every right criticise Madrid’s transfer policy, but the fact is they are very similar.

So much for Laporta's, "We create players not buy them, unlike Real Madrid" statement.

That statement also implies Real Madrid do not have enough academy players in their team which, shockingly, is again not true.

Real Madrid now have seven academy players in their squad, namely Iker Casillas, Antonio Adan, Alvaro Arbeloa, Miguel Torres, Esteban Granero, Guti, and Raul.

Barcelona, on the other hand, have just six—Victor Valdes, Gerard Pique, Xavi Hernandez, Iniesta, Lionel Messi, and Bojan.

I have counted out Puyol and Busqets because they joined at the age of 17. However, if you are willing to agree that Cesc Fabregas is an academy product of Arsenal (he joined at the age of 15) then you can count Puyol and Busquets as products of Barca's academy.

I am not that good at math so I used a calculator and found out that Real Madrid now have one player more from their academy than Barcelona. So I guess you are wrong again Joan Laporta.

Real Madrid came into everyone's eyes because they spent truck-loads at once, their spending is indefensible but aren't FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at level planes?

So what should be said about FC Barcelona?

FC Barcelona wins the European Super Cup

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:00:00 +0000

FC Barcelona won their 3rd European Super Cup after a goalless draw match won only in the extra time with a sole goal by Barca youth player Pedro Rodriguez.

Shakhtar players defended well an entire match and earned their team an extra time. With 5 minutes left to go Man of the Match Lionel Messi played a nice action with Pedro on the left side and the youngster scored a winning goal which proved to be decisive for taking the cup.
After winning the Spanish Super Cup last weekend, European Super Cup is the second title for FC Barcelona this season and 5th trophy this year.

BOLA (BOL)

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