Category Archives: FC Barcelona

Gernika Club, Picasso’s painting and Spain’s flawed reckoning with its traumatic past

“‘Franco burned Gernika… but Franco, for me, was Spain’s saviour from everything.’ Rafael Madariaga is talking about the bombing of the northern Spanish town of Gernika on April 26, 1937, during the country’s Civil War. Carried out by the air forces of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini at the behest of Spain’s dictator, General Francisco Franco, it was one of the first aerial bombings of a civilian population — and it inspired one of the world’s most famous paintings: Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. …”
The Athletic
W – Gernika Club

Slot, Amorim, Lopetegui; Liverpool, Bayern – which managers are going where?

“The transfer window for players will open when the season ends but the movement of managers has no deadline — anyone can switch roles at any point. Jurgen Klopp’s announcement in January that he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of this season after nine years at Anfield kicked off speculation over who would replace him. Soon after, Xavi said he would be stepping down as Barcelona head coach this summer before Bayern Munich joined the party in February by confirming they would be parting ways with Thomas Tuchel, leaving three of the biggest jobs in European football open for applications. However, Xavi has now reversed his decision and will stay on at Barca. A disappointing season for Manchester United, meanwhile, has also led to questions over Erik ten Hag’s future and a potential vacancy at Old Trafford. So who are the managers expected to be on the move in the coming months and who is staying put? …”
The Athletic

The power of Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy – and why for years it was ignored

“The Catalan word ‘masia’ is usually translated as ‘farmhouse’ — and that’s not far wrong. A better catch-all description might be a rural dwelling particular to the east of Spain, including Catalonia. When Camp Nou was being constructed in the late 1950s, architects working on Barcelona’s new ground turned a traditional old cottage close by into a convenient working space. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Liverpool’s failure to keep clean sheets is proving deeply damaging

“Liverpool’s defending was indefensible against Atalanta. Conceding three times left hopes of winning the Europa League dangling by the thinnest of threads and also brought to the forefront bigger problems that could derail their Premier League title challenge too. European comebacks are a Liverpool speciality, including incredible nights under Jurgen Klopp. Yet, if his side have a chance of turning around the 3-0 deficit, they will probably need to keep a clean sheet. After the 3-0 defeat to Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-final first leg, Liverpool famously won the second leg 4-0 to go through. Despite being ridiculed after the game, the Spanish side’s tweet below was valid. …”
The Athletic
Guardian – ‘This must feel bad and it does’: Jürgen Klopp rues Liverpool’s mental fatigue

PSG 2 Barcelona 3: The tactical to-and-fro, a glimpse of Barca’s future and Mbappe quelled

“It turns out the thrills and spills of this week’s Champions League quarter-final first legs were not reserved for the Bernabeu or Emirates stadium. Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona played out another mesmerising tie at Parc des Princes with the visitors, inspired by Raphinha’s first goals in the competition, recovering their poise magnificently after a brutal opening to the second half to claim a lead to take back to Catalonia. …”
The Athletic

Kounde was one of Barcelona’s worst performers this season – but now he’s turning it around

“Jules Kounde left the pitch looking relieved. The defender had played well – again. Things seem to be returning to normal for Barcelona — who beat Las Palmas 1-0 at home on Saturday in their first La Liga game since the international break — and for him. It has not been an easy season for the Frenchman but his performances are returning to the level that he and the club know he is capable of. …”
The Athletic

Ex-La Liga ref Iturralde: ‘Nobody in football really wants justice, they all want benefits’

“Iturralde was a referee for 31 years, working in La Liga from 1995 until his retirement in 2012. Now a regular on Carrusel Deportivo, Spain’s most popular football radio show, he is an outspoken defender of his former colleagues. Match officials here have a challenging role at present, with faith in Spanish refereeing arguably at an all-time low. …”
The Athletic

Champions League quarter-final draw: Predictions, tactics and players to watch

“The Champions League quarter-final draw is complete — and there is no shortage of intrigue. From the winners of the last two seasons (Manchester City and Real Madrid) being paired against each other to Harry Kane returning to north London to face Arsenal, or one-half of the draw opening up for one of the less-fancied teams in the last eight (something unlikely to ever happen again given the format changes from next season), the sub-plots are fascinating. The Athletic assembled an expert panel to cast their eyes over the four ties to explain where they will be decided, who they are tipping to go through and which team they are expecting to lift the trophy at Wembley on June 1. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Cádiz break their long drought to secure a point that means everything

“Cádiz had tried everything. They had changed the coach, changed the players and even changed their shirt. They had tried free transfers and free tickets too. They had hosted Valencia, Athletic, Real Sociedad and Betis, been to Pamplona, Villarreal, Vitoria and Granada, and it didn’t do any good. They had been through all the centre-forwards they have, and that’s a lot, but it wasn’t happening. They hadn’t scored in five matches, soon to be six; they had got just one in eight, and that was a penalty in a pasting. They hadn’t won in 21 league games, nearly six months. They were done. And then someone had a bright idea. Have you tried just hitting it? …”
Guardian

Introducing the 8.5, the hybrid role that is shaping the Premier League title race

“This season’s battle for the Premier League title is now unquestionably a three-horse race. In May, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will become the first side in English football history to win four titles in a row. Or Jurgen Klopp will win his second Premier League title before departing Liverpool. Or Mikel Arteta will lead Arsenal to their first league title in two decades. Whichever outcome transpires, the victorious side will have depended on a player who has fulfilled an unusual role this season. …”
The Athletic – Michael Cox

Napoli and Barcelona both look out of place in the Champions League

“Occasionally, you hear people speaking wistfully about the days when the Champions League was precisely that: a tournament solely for domestic champions. That was how the tournament was conducted until around the turn of the century when it was opened up to include runners-up and, subsequently, third and fourth-placed sides from the major leagues. There were positives to this format: the high barrier to entry created a sense that you were watching a truly select group of teams. …”
The Athletic – Michael Cox

Bayern Munich are… boring. How did Europe’s most thrilling club become so safe?

“… Bayern weren’t bad. No, it was worse than that — they were boring. Watch the Champions League for any length of time and the favourites settle into predictable roles, like a high-school rom-com: Barcelona are the pretty ones, Manchester City the nerds, Paris Saint-Germain the rich kids due a comeuppance, Real Madrid the awkward main characters everyone knows will get a third-act makeover and live happily ever after. …”
The Athletic

Debt-ridden and off the pace, Barça seek Davids Effect to revive season

“First they tried to bring back Lionel Messi, then they did bring back Dani Alves, briefly. Rafa Márquez returned to take over the B team, Xavi Hernández came home, this time as coach, and Deco arrived again, the former midfielder turned sporting director. They attempted to get Carles Puyol to join them. And now Joan Laporta, the president who also came back, re-elected to the post 17 years after he first ran for it and a decade after he had departed, wants Edgar Davids to return to FC Barcelona. …”
Guardian

Athletic Bilbao’s Basque-only ‘philosophy’ – and why some are calling for change

Athletic players celebrate their win over Atletico Madrid on December 16
“For much of their 125-year history, Athletic Bilbao have been recognised for their unique player policy. Known as a philosophy by those connected to the club, it dictates that Athletic only use players who have been born or brought up in what is defined as the Basque Country, a region of northern Spain and across the border in France of three million inhabitants that shares linguistic, historical and cultural ties. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Barcelona review of the year: La Liga triumph – but problems are mounting

“This has been a strange year for Barcelona. They started by winning the Supercopa de Espana in January with a scintillating display against rivals Real Madrid. One month later, the Negreira case emerged — and we are certainly far from the end of that. Xavi’s side were crowned La Liga champions in May, but defeat by Madrid in the Copa del Rey and Manchester Unitedin the Europa League saw them fall short on other fronts. …”
The Athletic

Spain: 2023-24 La Liga – Location-map, with 3 charts

“… The map page shows a location-map for the 20 clubs in the 2023-24 La Liga, with recently-promoted and -relegated teams noted. (Promoted in 2023: Granada, Las Palmas, and Alavés; relegated in 2023: Valladolid, Espanyol, Elche.) The map also shows the 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain, and the 20 largest Spanish metropolitan areas. Those 20 largest Spanish metro-areas, with their 2018 population estimates, are listed at the top-centre of the map-page. …”
billsportsmaps
W – La Liga

Barcelona’s Champions League loss means more damage for Xavi – not just for the result

“Barcelona’s Champions League defeat by Antwerp did not stop them from progressing to the knockout round as group winners, but it can certainly affect Xavi’s position as manager. On Wednesday night in Belgium, Barca went 1-0 down after just 76 seconds to a goal scored by 18-year-old Arthur Vermeeren, the quickest strike the Spanish side have conceded in 12 years in the Champions League. …”
The Athletic (Video)

What happened to Andres Iniesta after Barcelona?

“When Andres Iniesta announced he was leaving Barcelona in 2018 many thought he would announce his retirement from the game. But no, now approaching his 40th birthday he is still playing professional football. But where? What happened to Iniesta after Barcelona? Written by Seb Stafford-Bloor. Illustrated by Alice Devine.”
YouTube

Barcelona’s Ball Progression in El Clasico Should Have Yielded More Results

“Barcelona lost the El Clasico last week to Real Madrid but can definitely vouch for the fact that in the biggest game in Spanish football, they certainly deserved more. The most striking thing about Barcelona was how easy they found it to get the ball from defence into attack yielding many promising chances. The Catalan side did hit the woodwork twice. Strangely Madrid approached the game using a high press, whilst the midfield pivot would cut off the passing lanes to Gavi and Ilkay Gundogan. With Madrid’s front two and Bellingham pressing, Barca were able to find a wide centre-back who could find Fermin Lopez down the line to turn and feed either Joao Felix or Ferran Torres. Even with Gavi and Gundogan unable to receive the ball it didn’t matter, Ronald Araujo was able to find Fermin just in behind Madrid’s press and quickly release their forwards. …”
Breaking the Lines

La Liga’s punch bag Celta Vigo suffer another painful points loss to VAR

“Newton’s Law says force is equal to mass times acceleration. What it doesn’t say is what a penalty is, but perhaps it should. Rafa Benítez reckons so at least after his team ended another weekend in the relegation zone, fans whistling and waving white hankies while he had a quick flick through Principia on his way to meeting the ladies and gentlemen of the press. Never mind the referee, the assistant referees, the fourth official, the video assistant referee, the assistant to the video assistant referee (two of those), the TV technician, the supervisor and whoever lurks in that side-room at Las Rozas, what we really need is a physicist, the Celta coach told them; time to travel to Nasa to find the best. …”
Guardian

Having Jude Bellingham was enough to win a Clasico of many different stages

“Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham-inspired comeback win at Barcelona on Saturday afternoon was shaped by the strategic decisions of the managers, but was very much won and lost by the players. The goals came from a ricochet falling nicely, a long-range thunderbolt out of nothing, and then a deflected cross dropping for Bellingham to turn home a winner. None of the goals could have been planned on the tactics board. …”
The Athletic – Michael Cox

Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid: Bellingham is the big El Clasico hero (it had to be him)

“Jude Bellingham illuminated El Clasico with a long-range stunner and a last-gasp winner as Real Madrid snatched victory at Barcelona. Saturday’s La Liga meeting saw home side Barca take the lead through Ilkay Gundogan’s first goal since leaving Manchester City on a free transfer this summer. Madrid were slow to get going and at times struggled to summon much of a goal threat, but Bellingham — yes, who else again? — stepped up to level the scores with a thunderous shot from range. …”
The Athletic

Lamine Yamal: Barcelona’s young prodigy and the proud neighbourhood that shaped him

“Rocafonda is where Lamine Yamal grew up — if you can say that of a 16-year-old. The Barcelona winger’s football development has progressed at an astonishing pace since his first-team debut, against Real Betis, at the age of 15 years, nine months and 16 days on April 29. That evening, he became the club’s youngest player since La Liga was formed more than 90 years ago and earlier this month, on October 8, he became the competition’s youngest goalscorer after finding the net in the 2-2 draw with Granada. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Barcelona’s latest Champions League suffering shows they have a long way to go

“Ronald Araujo dropped to the ground, visibly relieved, at the referee’s final whistle. In the game’s last few minutes, he had been limping on through cramp in Barcelona’s back line, determined not to leave his side with nine players on the pitch. Barca suffered, but they survived. More than that, they managed to turn a bad game in the Champions League into three vital points. …”
The Athletic

How Football Works: Third-man combinations in the double pivot

“When Xabi Alonso played for Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich, he usually operated as a lone defensive midfielder, presumably because he was so handsome that team-mates were too intimidated to stand next to him. Not many clubs play that way now. A decade of increasingly sophisticated pressing has forced sides that want to build up through the middle (as opposed to going over or around the other team) to put two bodies on their defensive midfield line. … Their secret weapon was third-man combinations in the double pivot. …”
The Athletic (Video)

FC Barcelona: Entertainers again at last

“So that’s what it is all about. Having fun watching football. The crowd at Montjuic stared incredulously up at the scoreboard and down at the pitch. They had practically forgotten this feeling. Barcelona had won La Liga last season, yes. But at Barcelona, it’s not just about winning, you also have to entertain a public with an exquisite palate, who demand excellence incessantly, even at times when they are aware that the club’s current squad doesn’t have it in them. …”
The Athletic

Barcelona’s dramatic end to the transfer window – and how Joao Felix was signed

“On Monday last week, four days before transfer deadline day, Eric Garcia entered Xavi’s offices at Barcelona’s Joan Gamper training ground and told the manager he wanted to leave the club. Garcia had received an offer to go on loan to Girona, with the promise of more regular game time. Xavi tried to talk him out of it, insisting the defender was part of his rotation plans, that he was a valuable asset to the team. …”
The Athletic
W – João Félix

The Business of Football: Rubiales under fire, Haaland celebrations, Saudi sceptics

“The last thing UEFA wanted to talk about at the annual launch of its club competitions this week was the only thing everyone else has been talking about. So, you could argue it was a case of mission accomplished for European football’s governing body in Monaco, as nobody — not with a microphone, anyway — said ‘Luis Rubiales’. But it would equally be true to say that the fate of the Spanish FA chief was the first topic of every conversation. …”
The Athletic

European roundup: Barcelona edge past Osasuna, PSG thrash rock-bottom Lyon

Robert Lewandowski (centre right) celebrates with Ferran Torres after his match-winning penalty.
“Robert Lewandowski’s late penalty earned Barcelona a hard-fought 2-1 La Liga win at Osasuna on Sunday evening. Lewandowski converted from the spot in the 85th minute after Alejandro Catena grabbed the Poland forward’s right arm inside the penalty area. The defender was shown a red card for the last man-foul, before Lewandowski scored with a tidy finish to the goalkeeper’s left. …”
Guardian

Champions League 2023-24: Ten players to keep an eye on in the group stage

“For those longing to hear the melody of the Champions League anthem again, fear not. European football’s top club competition is back for one last season in its current guise. The group-stage draw was made on Thursday and there are some mouthwatering games in store when it all kicks off in just over two weeks. …”
The Athletic

Barcelona fume at ‘disgrace’ after 116 minutes of pure Bordalásball

Fans attempt to get their shots of Xavi.
“It’s back: La Liga, home of the beautiful game. Land of Iago Aspas, Pedri and Antoine Griezmann, of Jude Bellingham too. Of Isinho, Iker Muniain, Gerard Moreno, and Darderismo. Of Papu Gómez, the man who says ‘a dribble opens a new world’ and follows the referee, because there’s no one better positioned, see? Of Youssef En-Nesyri’s leap, the outside of Luka Modric’s boot and Isco’s dancing feet. Feel the quality, the intelligence, the touch, the technique, the fantasy, the … Oh. That. Yep, that’s back too. Bigger than ever before. One hundred and sixteen minutes of pure Bordalásball. …”
Guardian
The Athletic

Barcelona season preview: Two days from La Liga start, uncertainty prevails (again)

“Barcelona’s La Liga season gets started on Sunday with a trip to Getafe, but as is now quite usual at the club, there is already plenty going on. With just two days to go before their title defence begins, manager Xavi has only 12 first-team players eligible in the competition — and one of them, Ousmane Dembele, is about to join Paris Saint-Germain. …”
The Athletic

Lionel Messi: The evolution of the greatest footballer of all time

“The way his first coach tells the story, the kid wasn’t even supposed to be on the pitch. It was his older brother’s game. They were a player short. Salvador Aparicio looked over at the stands and saw a small boy playing by himself, in private communion with the ball. When he asked his mother if he could borrow him, she said he didn’t know how to play football. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Oriol Romeu to Barcelona makes perfect sense – he has all the tools to succeed

“They knew this problem would come one day. Yet, for Barcelona, finding the perfect replacement for the legendary Sergio Busquets at the base of their midfield has quickly become about finding the sum of his parts before the new season begins. With Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi off the table for at least another year, Barcelona manager Xavi’s options to play as the ‘pivote’ have thinned. …”
The Athletic

It’s the Sids 2023! The complete La Liga season review

“It wasn’t quite ‘Camp Nou: available for weddings and barmitzvahs’ but it was close. It was also seriously tempting. For only €300, you too could play in European football’s biggest stadium. Sixty minutes, a ref, coaches and Gatorade; medical attention as well, which was probably a good thing. Some €1bn in debt and with a salary limit of minus €144m, Barcelona had to raise money somehow if they were to start the virtuous cycle their president talked about. Or just the season with the men they had signed. Trouble was, even hundreds of people playing hundreds of games weren’t going to cover Gerard Piqué sitting on the bench for just one. Which is where the palancas came in. …”
Guardian (Video)

Are Barcelona still in financial trouble?

“Barcelona finished the 2020-21 season in deep financial distress. They activated a number of ‘financial levers’, but still had to wave goodbye to Lionel Messi. A couple of seasons have since passed, but have things really changed financially? Explained by Abhishek Raj, illustrated by Marco Bevilacqua.”
YouTube

Explaining La Liga’s Red Card Conundrum

“La Liga have changed their criteria for what merits a red card. That goes some way to explaining the explosion of dismissals we’ve seen this season in Spain. The league’s own corporate account released a video when the media picked up on this phenomenon to explain what’s happening. In the clip, they said La Liga players had not become more aggressive but that the referees had changed their criteria for what a red card is, thus leading to more red cards in La Liga. They stopped short of explaining what the change was. …”
The Analyst

Derby days, Barcelona: El Clasico

Barcelona fans during the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid at Nou Camp in April 2002
March 2023. “It is close to midnight on the Travessera de les Corts and there is a reluctance to let go of the day. Thousands remain under the glow of Camp Nou’s floodlights and opportunists sell cans of Estrella, the local beer, out of rucksacks to meet the demand of those unwilling to head home. There is a hum of happiness. A new working week can wait. The drama of an hour before had seen to that. Franck Kessie’s match-winning goal in the second minute of injury time had triggered a noise to wake the dead at the vast cemetery next door. Not only had Barcelona taken a giant leap towards the title in La Liga, they had done so by leaving Real Madrid, their despised rivals, crestfallen at their feet. …”
The Athletic

A footballing tour of Barcelona – the city of Messi, the Camp Nou and a club celebrating again

“When Barcelona won their first La Liga title in four years earlier this month, it led to an outpouring of joy at the Canaletes fountain, where fans gather to celebrate the team’s successes. Red flares were lit, scarves were waved in the air and thousands of supporters chanted about Barca manager Xavi, the team’s players — and, of course, Lionel Messi. …”
The Athletic

How Barcelona won La Liga: Old-school rules, new hunger and a changing of the guard

“When Xavi was made Barcelona manager in November 2021, he found a squad that was lacking in confidence. Barca had not won the league title in two and half years, and there were few signs they would be truly ready to challenge for one again soon. Tough losses in the Champions League had left their mark on a group whose ambition was to compete among the European elite. There was still a sense of trauma around the comeback defeats suffered against Roma and Liverpool, in 2018 and 2019. …”
The Athletic (Video)

A question of soul: Osasuna’s remarkable story fires belief in Real Madrid upset

“Osasuna president Luis Sabalza wells up as he speaks about the journey he and his team have been on to reach this year’s Copa del Rey final, in which they will face Real Madrid in Seville’s Estadio Cartuja on Saturday evening. … The 75-year-old then pauses to recall a less happy date in his club’s history, June 7, 2015, when an Osasuna side heavily burdened by debt and disgrace were seconds away from relegation to Spain’s third tier, which would likely have sunk the club completely. …”
The Athletic (Video)
Guardian: Real Sociedad are living their best days – with David Silva at the heart

Barcelona, Real Madrid & Franco: How two rivals united in exploiting a painful divide

“It has not been a good last 10 days in Spain for anyone who would like football and politics not to be mixed in alarming ways. The sorry mess began with comments made by Barcelona president Joan Laporta while he was defending his club’s past payments to former referees chief Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. Laporta said he was amazed that Real Madrid had complained, given that: ‘Madrid was historically favoured in refereeing decisions, it was the team of the regime, close to political, economic and sporting power for 70 years.’ Everyone listening knew that the ‘regime’ Laporta was referring to was the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, who ruled Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975. …”
The Athletic (Video)

When can Barcelona win La Liga?

“Barcelona are on the verge of winning La Liga for the first time since 2019. It has been a mixed season for Barca — they were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage and then crashed out of the Europa League against Manchester United — but winning the league for the first time under Xavi would be a huge achievement. With the Catalan side travelling to Rayo Vallecano tonight and defending champions Real Madrid having slipped up against Girona on Tuesday night, when could Barca wrap up the title? …”
The Athletic

Maybe it’s time to welcome back the old fashioned wing-half – in modern guise

Bayern Munich, full-back Philipp Lahm
“One of the easiest and most misleading pieces of footballing received wisdom is that everything is cyclical. Wait long enough, the great drum of history will revolve again and the same ideas will come back round, be that sharp side-partings, the back three, Howard Webb apologising to Brighton or Roy Hodgson managing Crystal Palace. Except time is not a flat circle. Each iteration is different because it comes with knowledge of what went before. …”
Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

European roundup: Barcelona held at Getafe, Union Berlin title dream fades

“Barcelona were held to a second straight 0-0 draw in La Liga after mid-table Getafe managed to take a point off the leaders in a hard-fought game on Sunday. Xavi’s side, who drew 0-0 with Girona last weekend, still have a healthy lead over second-placed Real Madrid at the top of the standings. Madrid’s 2-0 win over Cádiz on Saturday means Barça’s lead is now 11 points with nine games left in the season. …”
Guardian

As Barcelona fail to spark, fans call for Lionel Messi once more

“In Barcelona’s two most recent home games — the loss to Real Madrid last week in the second leg of a Copa del Rey semi-final and the draw in La Liga against Girona on Monday night — fans at Camp Nou have been chanting Lionel Messi’s name in the 10th minute. ‘Messi! Messi!’ Those calls, symbolically timed for the minute matching the shirt number the Argentinian superstar wore for the Catalan club for so many years until that shock departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, echoed like a desperate song reminiscent of better times for Barcelona in the opposition penalty area. In neither of these last two matches have Barca managed to score. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Real Madrid’s gamble may have cost them La Liga — here, it dismantled Barcelona

“The simple concept of risk and reward is a major part of football tactics, and seems to be particularly crucial in contests between Barcelona and Real Madrid. When the two sides met last month in a crucial La Liga encounter, Carlo Ancelotti boldly pushed Dani Carvajal forward from right-back into an advanced position where he caused Barcelona serious problems in the second half. At one point, it appeared he had crossed for Marco Asensio to turn home a winner, but the goal was disallowed by the VAR. …”
The Athletic – Michael Cox
The Athletic: Barcelona will still win La Liga – but 4-0 Clasico defeat is going to hurt

Ansu Fati’s Barcelona future is in doubt like never before – though he is smiling again

“At Elche on Saturday night, Ansu Fati finally found an antidote to the poisonous environment that’s gathered around him of late — one in which even his own father has played a recent role. Fati was still far from his best at Estadio Martinez Valero. He lost possession 16 times, struggled to make an impact in the first half and at times looked too anxious on the ball. …”
The Athletic

El Clasico: What do Real Madrid really think about Barcelona corruption charges?

“On February 15, news emerged that prosecutors were investigating payments made by Barcelona to a man who, at the time, was vice-president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee. Just over a month has passed since and Barca have been charged with corruption over their relationship with Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who received €7.3million (£6.4m; $7.8m) from the club between 2001 and 2018. Both parties have denied wrongdoing. …”
The Athletic

La Liga analysed: A record-breaking weekend but Rodrygo’s wait goes on

“You’ll never guess what score the Barcelona game finished on… For the eighth time in all competitions in 2023 — and the 11th this season — Xavi’s side ground out a 1-0 win as their seemingly inevitable march to the Spanish league title continues. From late, late goals to finishing woes, The Athletic’s Thom Harris takes you through some of the standout stats from another weekend of La Liga action. …”
The Athletic

Can Barcelona’s Alarcon and Torre follow in the footsteps of Gavi and Pedri?

“October 7, 2021. It was the international break, but it was far from a quiet day at La Masia. Barcelona’s renowned academy was still abuzz with the events of the previous night: one of their graduates who still lived in the club’s facilities had become the youngest player to feature for Spain at the age of 17. Gavi had been handed his international debut by then-Spain manager Luis Enrique in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals against Italy, in which La Roja came out 2-1 winners. …”
The Athletic
The Athletic – La Liga analysed: Barcelona’s binary scores and peerless Griezmann
Guardian: Sevilla dragged back into La Liga’s Sarlacc pit after Atlético annihilation

Liverpool, Napoli and the Problem With Systems

Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool has lost its edge.
“There is no such thing as a 4-3-3. The same goes for all those pithy threads of numbers that are hard-wired into soccer’s vernacular, the communal, universal drop-down list of legitimate patterns in which a team might be arrayed: 3-5-2 and 4-2-3-1 and even the fabled, fading 4-4-2. They are familiar, reflexive. But none of them exist. Not really. …”
NY Times

Barcelona and Real Madrid, hated rivals who need each other more than ever

“It’s a frosty December morning in Madrid. But inside its swish Hotel Ritz, there is the warm buzz of money and power. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and Barcelona counterpart Joan Laporta enter together, just as the breakfast event at which they are the star guests is about to begin. … Over recent decades, Perez and Laporta had so often been on opposite sides as Madrid and Barca battled for domination of La Liga — and regularly for control of the Champions League trophy, too. But events have driven them together, and these two historic rivals have become intertwined in a new love story which has huge consequences for the future of Spanish and European football. …”
The Athletic (Video)
The Athletic: Real Madrid 0-1 Barcelona: Xavi’s side edge tight Copa Clasico (part one)
The Athletic – El Clasico: Can’t beat them? Join them. How Barca turned tables on Real Madrid
The Athletic: How Real Madrid’s versatile quartet shows Carlo Ancelotti at his experimental best (Video)
The Athletic – Real Madrid 0-1 Barcelona: A Copa del Rey Clasico defined by ugly moments

Barcelona: The Airbnb-ification of a once-unique style

“Barcelona — the city, like the club — is a victim of its own success. About a decade ago, still reeling from the global recession and high unemployment, Catalonia’s capital threw open its doors and a whole world of tourists poured in. Even if you weren’t there, you probably saw enough of the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell on Instagram to feel like you were. The open doors weren’t just a figure of speech: thanks to the app economy, millions of visitors spilt out of Barcelona’s hotels and into its chamfered apartment blocks, renting rooms and whole homes through companies such as Airbnb. …”
The Athletic (Video)
The Athletic: Barcelona slump again after European defeat. How bad will it be this year?
Guardian: Barcelona crumble ‘with no soul’ to anger Xavi and ‘give Real Madrid life’

European Super League: This week was a glimpse of what that world could look like

“Liverpool vs Everton, Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern Munich, AC Milan vs Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal vs Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund vs Chelsea, Barcelona vs Manchester United. From Monday to Thursday, this week’s football fixtures have offered night after night of glamorous, high-profile match-ups between some of European football’s elite clubs. …”
The Athletic (Video)

How Manchester United’s speed and directness ripped through Barcelona’s defence

“When Pep Guardiola took his Manchester City team to Old Trafford in November 2021, he had one thing on his mind when it came to stopping Manchester United’s threat. … More than a year has passed and United’s prowess on the offensive transitions is still there. The profiles of their attackers give United the upper hand in situations when they have just won the ball back and want to attack quickly. That is also helped by improvements off the ball under Erik ten Hag. …”
The Athletic
The Athletic: Barcelona’s Raphinha changed the game against Man United — so why did Xavi replace him?
The Athletic: Manchester United and Barcelona are on upward arcs — this was a worthy chapter in their rivalry

Inside Barcelona’s day of chaos as new scandal breaks – this one looks really bad

“It was the first thing everyone seemed to be asking as soon as the news broke. Are Barcelona going to be docked points like Juventus? Also, could they even be dropped down the leagues? It sounds really bad: prosecutors are investigating payments totalling €1.4million (£1.2m; $1.3m) the club made to a company owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira who, at the time, was vice-president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee. …”
The Athletic

The best goalkeeping performances in Champions League history – ranked

“There’s been plenty of brilliant individual performances in the UEFA Champions League down the years. Lionel Messi vs. Man Utd, Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Juventus, Ronaldo (R9) vs. Manchester United are some of the standouts from the outfield players, but what about goalkeepers? Well, here’s the five best from the boys between the posts. …”
90min

Barcelona’s ban on opposition colours and their fear of another Camp Nou takeover

“‘I am ashamed of what I’ve seen. We will take action.’ These were the words of Barcelona president Joan Laporta after the second leg of last season’s Europa League quarter-final with Eintracht Frankfurt. In April 2022, his club had just suffered their second European embarrassment of the season. The first was elimination at the Champions League group stage that autumn. The second saw them knocked out of the Europa League at a Camp Nou overflowing with away fans. …”
The Athletic

Spanish third tier on brink of collapse as federation and club fallout continues

“Spanish football’s third tier could face collapse in the next 24 hours. A stand-off with the country’s football federation means the clubs must fall in line or risk funding being removed and the Primera Federación being abandoned just 18 months after it was set up. With at least 18 of the 40 clubs abstaining from voting on proposed economic controls and management of the two-group Primera Federación, a ballot was set up on Tuesday night. …”
The Guardian