When Cristian Tello broke into the Barcelona first team during the 2011/12 season it looked like the man who was part of Spain’s under-21 squad that won the 2013 European Championships would carry the Blaugrana forward line for the next decade. Everything certainly started well after scoring a brace in the 9-0 hammering of CE L'Hospitalet in the Copa Del Rey and then later scoring in his first league start against Real Sociedad in early February 2012. This begs the question, why (with so much positivity surrounding the Spaniard's early career) are we not raving about Tello’s achievements … [Read more...]
Copa del Rey Special: Pique Out as Valencia Eye the Title
The 2017/18 Copa Del Rey semi-finals second legs complete this week with a place in the final just 90 minutes away (barring extra time of course). Across the two semi-finals it is all to play for with Leganes and Sevilla entering their second leg finely poised at 1-1 with Barcelona holding a slender 1-0 lead over a resurgent Valencia. However, with Barcelona soon set to resume their Champions League campaign, the Valencianistes are eyeing a chance to take the crown away from the three-time defending champions with chinks in the seemingly unbreakable Barcelona armour starting to … [Read more...]
Leganes Dancing in the Streets as Cup Exit Leaves Zidane on the Brink
It was only the other week we reported that Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane was signing a contract extension until 2020. But just a matter of days later, Zidane is facing a very uncertain future. Football is a fickle business where one week you are king and the next in line for the boot, but the signs have been poor for awhile despite the man at the helm guiding Los Blancos to a successful defence of their Champions League title and a 33rd La Liga title just eight months ago. However, eight months in football is an eternity and now Zidane has found himself in the arduous … [Read more...]
Zidane Signs Until 2020
Despite many suggesting the Real Madrid hierarchy have been a little unsettled of late with Los Blancos trailing arch rivals Barcelona by sixteen points at the half way stage in the league, head coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed to press last night after his sides 2-2 Copa Del Rey draw that he has signed a contract extension until 2020. "It's signed, I'm enjoying what I do every day, because that's the way it is. I can't imagine myself as a coach in two, three years, because things are not like that. I know how it goes, nothing more, even with this contract it does not change anything." … [Read more...]
La Liga Self Destructs as Barcelona Wrap up the Title
As Dani Carvajal saw red and Lionel Messi slammed in the resulting penalty to put Barce 2-0 up at the Bernabeu, you could see the whole of Spain outside of Catalonia’s shoulders slump and raise the white flag. Aleix Vidal added a third in injury-time to leave Zinedine Zidane’s men to face the baying home support as his side slipped to fourteen points behind their great rivals with the season not even at the half way stage. Catastrophe This week has been a catastrophe for Barcelona’s rivals but a triumph for the Blaugrana as the quartet of Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Real Madrid and … [Read more...]
Liverpool stars witness Barcelona masterclass
A host of notable Liverpool figures were present at the Nou Camp during Barcelona’s Champions League encounter against Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday and they certainly enjoyed a visual feast on the night. Manager Jurgen Klopp has taken his Liverpool side to the city of Barcelona for warm weather training this week and the German boss as well as a host of the Reds’ key figures attended Barcelona’s Champions League encounter against Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday night. The match would surely have been an enjoyable experience for the Liverpool stars as Barcelona put in a superb … [Read more...]
Celtic star not apologetic regarding his rough treatment of Barcelona star Neymar
Celtic defender Mikael Lustig has defended his tough treatment of Barcelona star Neymar in a Champions League duel between the two players last month. Celtic and Barcelona squared off against each other in the Champions League at Parkhead last week and unsurprisingly, it was the Catalan giants who emerged victorious by claiming a 2-0 victory. However, it has to be said that Celtic put up a good fight during the encounter and the battle between Barcelona superstar Neymar and Hoops’ defender Mikael Lustig in particular, was one of the highlights of the game. Neymar was subjected to … [Read more...]
Barcelona reportedly keen on 21-year-old German international
Barcelona are plotting a move for Borussia Dortmund youngster Julian Weigl, according to reports emerging from Calcio Mercato. Barcelona were widely tipped to defend their Spanish La Liga crown this season but things have not been going so smoothly for the Catalan giants in recent times. Following the 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad, Barcelona currently find themselves six points off of leaders Real Madrid and with the El Clasico coming up, the Catalan giants could potentially fall further behind in the title race. It does seem clear that Barcelona’s current squad requires … [Read more...]
Real Sociedad v FC Barcleona – Match Preview
FC Barcelona travel away on Sunday night to play the definition of a bogey team: Real Sociedad. The fixture has been rather unique in La Liga and history certainly favours the home side. Barcelona haven’t won at Anoeta since 2007 with Sociedad coming out victorious in five of the eight meetings. This time around, it’s difficult to bet against Sociedad again. Eusebio Sacristán’s men have won four in a row and would go just one point behind Barcelona with a win and the goals are now coming for strikers Carlos Vela and Willian Jose. Further subplot is added to the match with the fact that … [Read more...]
Jose Mourinho speaks about prospective move for Lionel Messi
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has dismissed any possibility of the Red Devils signing of Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. Due to the fact that Lionel Messi has not yet signed an extension to his current deal at Barcelona, there has been a lot of speculation that the Argentine international could potentially be leaving the Nou Camp and Premier League giants Manchester United have been linked with a sensational swoop recently. It has been claimed that United are working with German sports manufacture giants Adidas in order to broker a deal for Messi and such a speculation has … [Read more...]