Everton are set to rival Liverpool to capture Barcelona's wantaway defender Martin Montonya, with the youngster expected to be sold in the upcoming transfer window. Montoya only signed a 5-year contract in the summer, but Spanish media are reporting that the 23-year-old will be sold, having failed to make an impression under Luis Enrique. The right-back has played just once this season, which was a start against Athletic Bilbao in early September, and has reportedly been told he can leave the Nou Camp. Liverpool had been seen as favourites to capture Montoya, but Everton have come into the … [Read more...]
Suarez: his Barca career so far
Seeing Luis Suarez sitting on the bench for Barcelona on Saturday would have made any Liverpool - or indeed Almeria fan - want to weep. That the Reds' best player of last season couldn't even make Barca's starting 11 was surely a worrying prospect for their opposition. … [Read more...]
Pep Guardiola and the Criticism of Luis Enrique
Panic is starting to set in around FC Barcelona. After the last two lost seasons—which were epitomized by the death of Tito Vilanova and the death of Barcelona’s trademark style—Barcelona fans were excited about the hiring of Luis Enrique. A former Barca man himself, the hope was that Enrique would be able to restore Barcelona’s style and recent success. Their faith was well placed early on as a fast start saw the club get 22 points out of 24 and earn sole possession of first place. … [Read more...]
Almeria v Barca preview
Barcelona hit the road on Saturday looking to build on their midweek Champions League win when they take on Almeria in the league. The Blaugrana’s league form has dipped since the humilitation of defeat in El Clasico and they’ve slipped from the summit of La Liga down to fourth. Luis Enrique’s men will see this fixture as a guaranteed three points however, as their weekend opposition currently occupy a lowly 14th place in the league, with just two wins and nine points to their name. … [Read more...]
How Barcelona built Real Madrid
To understand the rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid you must travel back to the Spanish Civil War and the dictatorship of Francesco Franco that followed the war. In July of 1936 Franco led a coup against The Second Spanish Republic that had been in power since 1931. During the following Spanish Civil War, Catalonia became the center of Socialist thought and Barcelona became the capitol of the Spanish Republican (People’s) Army that opposed Franco’s Spanish Nationalist Army. … [Read more...]
El Clasico Preview
Barcelona's trip to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday needs little introduction. The La Liga leaders travel to Real Madrid with a four-point lead over their fiercest rivals, and boasting an unbeaten record in the league so far this season. Adding to the intensity of this already fraught fixture is the prospect that Luis Suarez could make his debut for the Catalan club, following a lengthy ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay's World Cup win over Italy way back in June. … [Read more...]
10 of the best Messi moments from his Barca decade
Lionel Messi celebrates 10 years since making his full Barcelona debut this week, having broken all sorts of records in the decade in between. His career has been littered with trophies, goals, scintillating play and the occasional bit of heartbreak. However, here are 10 of the moments that stand out most of all. Debut vs Espanyol The world was shown its first glimpse of Messi on this day ten years ago, when the 17-year-old was sent on by Frank Rijkaard in the La Liga game against Espanyol. Messi had come a long way to make his debut, despite becoming the youngest Barca player to appear in La … [Read more...]
FC Barcelona v Malaga – a brief history
As far as bogey teams go, this fixture takes some beating. Barcelona face Malaga tonight looking to continue their good start to the season, and will be confident of victory having won their last 12 games against them in the league. Malaga have beaten Barcelona just twice in their history, but not for over 10 years, failing to win a point against them since. Here is a brief history of the fixture. 3/12/03 Malaga 5-1 Barcelona Perhaps the result is overstated as Barca were waiting to welcome Real Madrid in the Clasico, but Juande Ramos' Malaga tore a fragile defence apart on an unforgettable … [Read more...]
All the goals from La Liga Matchday 2
A round-up of the weekend action as Real Madrid lost in spectacular fashion in Sociedad, and both Barca and Atletico struggled past stubborn opposition. There were also wins for Valencia, Sevilla and Getafe in the final week of La Liga before the international break. Friday 29th August Getafe 1 (Vazquez) Almeria 0 http://youtu.be/6mcOqbJISWQ?list=UUTv-XvfzLX3i4IGWAm4sbmA Valencia 3 (Alcacer, Piatti, Parejo) Malaga 0 http://youtu.be/CyG7uTqowEU?list=UUTv-XvfzLX3i4IGWAm4sbmA Saturday 30th August Athletic Bilbao 3 (Aduriz, Iturraspe, Muniain) Levante … [Read more...]
Villareal v Barcelona preview
This Sunday sees Villareal welcome Barcelona to El Madrigal, in what is undoubtedly the game of the weekend. Despite the absence of several key men, Barca have enjoyed a straightforward start to their La Liga campaign, with a 3-0 win over Elche last week thanks to the reliable shooting boots of Lionel Messi. Villarreal, by contrast, were less convincing in their 2-0 victory over Levante. … [Read more...]