With Barcelona publicly announcing the successful signing of Luis Suarez, the constant rumor has become a reality. When Neymar is fit and Suarez’s ban is over, Barcelona will boast a frontline that contains 3 of the best strikers in the world: Messi is the best in the world, Suarez was the best in the EPL last season, and Neymar was arguably the best at the World Cup. Thus, on paper Barcelona’s new attack looks nearly unstoppable. However, just because something looks good and sounds good, doesn’t mean it is. As such, it is worth analyzing the problems Suarez’s arrival could have, as Eric … [Read more...]
Should he stay or should he go? Suarez’s transfer to La Liga
If recent media reports are to be believed, Luis Suarez may soon make the switch from the EPL to La Liga and with details already being talked about in public –Barcelona would pay around 30 million Euros (the number was a high as 85 million before Suarez’s “incident” at the World Cup) to Liverpool and possibly send Pedro and/or Sanchez as well— the possibility of a deal is real. Thus, the question becomes not if Suarez will move from the EPL to La Liga but should he? Eric Duffy explains. The reasons to move from Liverpool to Barcelona are simple. First, Suarez is currently one of the best … [Read more...]
All square in the Champion’s League
It's as you were in the Champions League as Barcelona and Atletico Madrid fought out a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou, as predicted earlier on www.laligablog.com. Diego Simeone's side are full of confidence, and it showed. They took the game to Barcelona, never giving Tata Martino's men a chance to get their passing game going. Diego Costa, a slight doubt before the game, was looking a lively threat, but with just under half an hour gone the gamble seemed to have turned sour. Chelsea target Costa pulled up, with an obvious hamstring injury. Atletico fans will be worriedly waiting for injury updates. It … [Read more...]
Barcelona Progress But Neymar Is Out
Lionel Messi scored twice at the Alfonso Perez stadium, to give Barcelona a 2-0 victory that sends them through to the quarter finals of the Copa Del Rey six nil on aggregate. With Barca already 4-0 up from last week's first leg (in which Messi alsco scored twice after climbing from the substitutes bench), it seemed that victory was a formality. Getafe had some hope, however, in that they previously beat Barcelona by four goals in the Copa in 2007. The fans in the south Madrid suburb didn't seem to expect a repeat – it was a disappointingly sparse crowd. Tata Martino named a strong side with … [Read more...]
La Liga team of the week – match week ten
Barcelona showed class and precision on Round 10 in El Clasico to see off the challenge of eternal rivals Real Madrid as they continue their imperious early season form. As expected, this week’s team has a Blaugrana touch to it with two Barca players included. There are also players from big winners Celta Vigo and Villareal. In goal in our Team of the Round 10, we stick with Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes who was once again in inspired form as he made crucial saves to thwart a Real Madrid side that looked potent and poised to score in the second half of the El Clasico. … [Read more...]
El Clasico Review
El Gran Clasico certainly lived up to it’s name with the star names on show. The likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Bale and Neymar all started the world’s most famous fixture. But what was the fallout after Barcelona’s 2-1 victory at the Camp Nou? With none of the four superstars at their dazzling best, it was the Barca possession coupled with Real’s defensive frailties and tactical naivety that widened the gap between the two global icons to six points. … [Read more...]
Neymar outshines Bale in Clasico
The Brazilian striker cost roughly half of what Real Madrid spent on Gareth Bale in the summer but the difference on the pitch was staggering. Neymar opened the scoring and gave the Real defence a horrid evening at the Nou Camp during Barca's 2-1 win whilst Bale was subbed late on after making a minimal impact. The two have endured contrasting periods since signing for their clubs with Bale yet to properly settle in in Madrid. Bale's battle with injury has been well documented as he awaits his first chance to play for Los Blancos as a fully fit member of the squad - a squad he has yet to … [Read more...]
Galactico-Gate for Bale and Özil on Deadline Day
There had been much hype and headlines this summer over Gareth Bale's protracted move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid. Not many doubted that the deal would actually take place, but the announcement of Gareth Bale's transfer to Real Madrid went tantalisingly down to the last day. The big surprise and story for the UK media on deadline day, however, was the late news that Mesut Özil would be moving in the opposite direction to Spurs great rivals Arsenal, for a club record fee of £42.4 million (interestingly, it is also the highest fee Madrid have ever received for a player). … [Read more...]
Neymar could wear Barcelona jersey for the first time against old club Santos
This week, FC Barcelona confirmed as part of Neymar's high-profile move to Catalonia that they will stage a double header friendly against his old team Santos in the build up to the 2013-2014 season in August. … [Read more...]
Neymar ready for Barcelona challenge
Whilst it has been two years in the making, Brazilian starlet Neymar has finally become a Barcelona player this week and left native club Santos for an undisclosed fee. His new side Barca have been licking their wounds recently after finding themselves caught in the middle of a wave of German footballing dominance but the Catalonian giants will be hoping the 21 year old Samba star can lead their quest to reclaim past glories and take the pressure off the heavily relied upon Leo Messi. … [Read more...]