Category Archives: FC Barcelona

What is a ‘smash and grab’ win in soccer – and which ones did our writers most enjoy?

“The ‘smash and grab’ win. It is one of soccer’s most exhilarating — and agonising — results, a point underlined by Liverpool’s improbable 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last night. But what precisely is a ‘smash and grab’ and which ones rank as their most memorable? Here, The Athletic‘s Adam Hurrey offers his definition, and our writers choose their favourites — please add your own in the comments below. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Liverpool drawing PSG highlights major flaw in the revamped Champions League

“If Liverpool’s loosely-defined ‘luck’ in the Premier League is a real thing then consider the not-so-compelling narrative in the Champions League. Domestically, Arne Slot’s side have certainly benefited from Manchester City’s collapse since losing the Ballon d’Or winner, Rodri, while Arsenal have struggled amid a crippling injury crisis. The absence of key players for opposing clubs in fixtures against Liverpool — City’s Erling Haaland and Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, for example — have also been cited as proof that this was the season the stars aligned at Anfield. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Neymar back to Barcelona: Is that a good idea?

“No, you’re not dreaming, it is the year 2025. You might be wondering how on earth, then, we are sitting here discussing the possibility of Neymar returning to Barcelona this summer. After all, the Brazilian has just turned 33 years old and has only played 13 games of football in the past two seasons. I’m not going to blame you for scratching your head. However, this is the world of football transfers — and the world of Barcelona football club — which means: don’t rule anything out. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Champions League last-16 draw analysed: Liverpool-PSG tops bill alongside Madrid derby and Bayern-Leverkusen

“The Champions League’s new format may have given every team only two possible opponents in the round-of-16 draw but that has done little to dampen the excitement now that we know the eight ties. Liverpool’s prize for topping the league-phase table is a humdinger of a showdown with French giants Paris Saint-Germain. Other high-profile ties include a Madrid derby, with Real and Atletico meeting over two legs, and a heavyweight clash between Germany’s leading lights Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Barcelona are brilliant in attack but shaky at the back. How far can it take them?

“Barcelona are one of the favourites for the Champions League, having qualified from the first phase in second place, and are a joy to watch again, but Hansi Flick has problems to solve. Goals from Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo in the 2-2 draw with Atalantatook them to 28 goals from their eight matches, six more than any other team, but 20 sides in the league conceded fewer than their 13 goals against. That is the problem for this young Barca side: their attacking three of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Yamal are a constant threat — the issue comes at the other end and came into focus against Atalanta. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Champions League Briefing: Playoffs take shape; Bellingham’s backheel; Wembanyama sees City’s collapse

A mural of Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke on the approach to the Emirates Stadium
“There was plenty of drama and some stunning goals as the penultimate matchday of the Champions League’s league phase drew to a close on Wednesday. Real Madrid and Arsenal barely broke a sweat, putting themselves in strong positions to qualify for the knockout stages. Manchester City, however, are in danger of suffering elimination after collapsing and letting a two-goal lead go to lose 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes inspired by the brilliance of Ousmane Dembele. With so much still to play for, here are the main talking points with just one matchday remaining of the league phase. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Real Madrid 2 Barcelona 5: Lamine Yamal and Co inflict a historic humiliation

“Barcelona put four goals past Real Madrid in consecutive matches for the first time in Clasico history, lifting the Supercopa de Espana with a 5-2 rout of their arch-rivals. Madrid took the lead through a fine Kylian Mbappe goal in the fifth minute — the Frenchman banishing memories of his eight offsides in that 4-0 defeat by Barca in October — before Lamine Yamal drew the sides level with a brilliant solo effort in the 22nd minute. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
>NY Times/The Athletic: The six moments of madness that sum up a Clasico defined by disarray

La Liga Gets Younger, Spain Gets Stronger: Spanish Football’s Homegrown Youth Revolution Explained

“… Twelve years may be a long time by its basic definition, but in international football? Try telling England fans that constitutes a long wait. For Spain, there would be no prolonged drought, no pining for an unrepeatable generation, and no arduous, decades-long reinvention of both style and type of footballers. Though the likes of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta might never come along again, nobody was spending much time looking to the sky with their palms out. … Of the 715 minutes of football they played across the tournament, very few of which were against lower-ranked nations, they were behind for just over 33 of them. Spain were rarely hit, never mind knocked down. …”
The Analyst

What a Clasico Supercopa in Jeddah tells us about the relationship between Spain and Saudi Arabia

“Today’s Spanish Supercopa final between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah is the most visible symbol of a fast-developing link between Spanish football and Saudi Arabia. Now in its fifth year, the ‘Saudi Supercopa’ is considered by some as the cherry on top of a mutually beneficial relationship. As well as hosting one of Spain’s major knockout competitions, nine Spanish players are currently registered with Saudi Pro League (SPL) sides. The highest profile is La Roja’s Euro 2024-winning centre-back Aymeric Laporte at Al Nassr, and former Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez at Al Qadsiah. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Best of 2024 from The Athletic UK: Our staff pick their favourite pieces (by their colleagues)

“We didn’t expect to write about flowery wallpapers in 2024, that’s for sure. Or Taylor Swift. We did expect to write about Jurgen Klopp, Erik ten Hag, and Lamine Yamal, and Andy Murray retiring. It was a wild old year in the world of sport and we wanted to take a moment to look back at — and celebrate — the excellent work of our writers over the past 12 months, covering not just football (soccer), but tennis, the Olympics, the Paralympics, and athletics, too. We wanted to know what they liked, too, so we asked them to nominate articles, podcasts or videos produced by their colleagues and tell us why. So here are all the pieces of work selected by writers, editors and producers on The Athletic UK and North American soccer staff (the editors in the U.S. did their own version of this, too). Enjoy! …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Johan Cruyff and the incredible wallpaper drawings that explain modern football

The art of scanning in football

“Earlier in the season, Frank Lampard spent some time with Rodri at Manchester City, breaking down the Ballon d’Or winner’s game as part of a ‘midfield masterclass’ that he was filming. ‘I did about a 50-second run of him against Aston Villa where he was scanning through the pitch,’ former Chelsea and England midfielder Lampard tells The Athletic. ‘He kind of went deep, got the ball, checked his shoulder five times, did it again and ended up putting (Ilkay) Gundogan through on goal. So he’s a scanner.’ Lampard was a scanner too. When Geir Jordet, a professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, carried out a study a decade or so ago, after getting his hands on a pile of Premier League ‘Player Cam’ DVDs, he discovered that Lampard scanned more frequently than any of the other 117 footballers he watched. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Spain: 2024-25 La Liga – Location-map, with 3 charts: Attendance etc.

“… The map. The map page shows a location-map for the 20 clubs in the 2024-25 La Liga, with recently-promoted and -relegated teams noted. (Promoted in 2024: Valladolid, Leganés, Espanyol. Relegated in 2024: Cádiz, Almería, Granada.) 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 – 2024–25 La Liga
Guardian: Sid Lowe is Spanish football correspondent based in Madrid

How Diego Simeone toppled Barcelona with the oldest trick in the book: Fresh legs

“Was it a winning goal that never seemed on the cards or a winning goal that felt inevitable. Either way, Alexander Sorloth’s 96th-minute strike to give Atletico Madrid a 2-1 victory at Barcelona on Saturday night is the most significant goal scored in European football so far this season. Barca, at one point runaway leaders of La Liga, have been reeled in and now overtaken. Atletico are Spain’s Christmas No 1. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Barcelona are stumbling after a flying start – have teams worked them out?

“Barcelona have been prepared to play with fine margins under Hansi Flick this season, but the gap at the top of La Liga — just goal difference before the visit of in-form Atletico Madrid this weekend — is starting to feel uncomfortably slim. They took 33 points from a possible 36 to start the campaign but have since won just one of their last six games in the Spanish top flight. Their offside trap had been faultlessly precise until the end of November when they lost 2-1 at home to Las Palmas, and then against Leganes on Sunday they conceded their first goal from a set piece all season. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Champions League projections 2024-25: Each team’s probability of qualifying for knockouts

“The Champions League has a new format for 2024-25. Forget group tables, we now have a 36-team league stage before we get to the knockout stages in February. But who has the best chance of qualifying for the knockout stages, either directly or via the playoff round? Throughout the season, we will publish projections — powered by Opta data — to show how teams are expected to perform. These will update after each gameweek. When the league stage is over, there will be probabilities for reaching the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. The competition’s expanded format might take a little time to get used to, but these projections can show you how it might all unfold. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Borussia Dortmund 2 Barcelona 3: Roaming Raphinha, Reyna’s first start, Guirassy’s strange night

“Barcelona beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in a chaotic game at the Westfalenstadion on Wednesday night. Raphinha put Hansi Flick’s side ahead in the 52nd minute with a nerveless finish, before Serhou Guirassy equalised from the penalty spot in the 60th minute after a push from Pau Cubarsi. There was then a frantic end to the game as substitute Ferran Torres put Barca 2-1 up in the 75th minute, Guirassy broke Barca’s offside trap to draw the sides level and then Torres struck again in the 85th minute to earn a hard-fought win for the Catalans. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Brest’s Cinderella story continues against Barcelona despite domestic slide

“While they were humbled by an attack-minded Monaco on Friday evening at the Stade Louis II, as Brest prepare to take on Barcelona in the first ‘big test’ of their maiden Champions League campaign (Bayer Leverkusen notwithstanding), it’s worth reflecting on the Bretons’ progress to date and a look at how Tuesday’s match may shape up given some unfortunate injury news for Éric Roy’s side. Despite playing gamely against a Monaco side who have been mightily impressive this season, Brest lost 3-2 but, more importantly, lost Pierre Lees-Melou. The veteran midfielder had only recently returned from an injury and his positive influence on the team was palpable in the draw against Leverkusen. …”
Guardian

Barcelona 125: An A to Z of the club, from Alcantara to Zamora

“… A — Paulino Alcantara Not Thiago, not Rafinha — the best player named Alcantara to ever grace Barcelona was Paulino. The Philippines-born striker was the main face of the ‘Golden Barcelona’ side of the 1920s, when the Catalan club won five out of 10 national championships and eight Catalan cups. Alcantara is Barca’s second-highest goalscorer — with 369, behind only Lionel Messi’s 672 (though this includes goals in non-competitive matches) — and was called “El Romperedes” (the net-breaker) for his powerful shot. He also worked as a doctor after graduating in his home country and did so while starring for Barca. He died in 1964 and was named the best Asian footballer of all time by FIFA in 2007. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Champions League projections: All the talking points after matchday five

“Five games into the new-look Champions League and the 36-team table is finally starting to take shape. Sort of. Strong favourites to progress have emerged, with Arne Slot’s Liverpool sat top of the pile after an impressive 2-0 victory over Real Madrid made it five wins from five. Inter are yet to concede a goal, while Barcelona and Arsenal— with convincing results this week — have increased their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages, via the play-offs or otherwise, to at least 90 per cent. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Man City loss feels seismic, Salah’s contract claim, is Mascherano right coach for Messi?

“… Hello! Manchester City have won fewer games than San Marino in the past month and Mohamed Salah could leave Liverpool. It’s all happening. City show weakness again. Another friend to coach Messi?. Galaxy shining bright. ’Keeper howler of the season? Every once in a while, the Premier League throws up a genuinely seismic result that feels like it symbolises the end of an era. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Barça’s Lamine Yamal bares teeth and turns Bernabéu into his playground

The 17-year-old became the youngest scorer in the clásico as Hansi Flick’s side ran riot in second half
“A young boy with train-track braces in blue and red like Barça defeated the giant that couldn’t be defeated, he and his friends standing tall in the place where everyone else falls. There were 13 minutes left in the opening clásico of the season, the first of a new era that wasn’t supposed to be theirs, when Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana bared his teeth. Bared his teeth, pointed at the name on his shirt and danced with Alejandro Balde for a bit, four celebrations in one starting with a calm down, I’m here: down in the south-west corner of the Santiago Bernabéu smiling, the ball in the net for the third time, victory secured and history written. Maybe a new future too. …”
Guardian

Real Madrid 0 Barcelona 4 – Mbappe’s Clasico to forget as Flick’s team stun European champions

“Barcelona demolished Real Madrid at the Bernabeu to take a six-point lead in La Liga. Hansi Flick’s side were rampant at the home of their fierce rivals, frustrating Kylian Mbappe with their well-organised offside trap in the first half and then striking four times after the break. Robert Lewandowski scored in the 54th and 56th minutes, his 13th and 14th goals in La Liga this season, to put Barcelona in control. Then Lamine Yamal scored his first Clasico goal in the 77th minute before the in-form Raphinha added a fourth with six minutes left to play. The result takes Barcelona to 30 points at the top of the table, six clear of Madrid. Here, our writers analyse the key talking points. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic: The three passes that can unlock El Clasico and the two Barcelona players who can make them
NY Times/The Athletic: So… Barcelona are good again?

Barcelona 4 Bayern Munich 1: Raphinha hat-trick gives Hansi Flick a triumphant night against his former club

“It was Robert Lewandowski against Harry Kane. It was Hansi Flick taking on his former side. It was Barcelona against Bayern Munich, two of the continent’s most decorated clubs going head-to-head in a gripping, frantic clash in the Champions League. Barcelona were ahead inside the opening minute, Raphinha taking advantage of Bayern’s muddled defensive line to round Manuel Neuer and score. Then it was the turn of the big-name strikers to make their mark. Harry Kane headed past Inaki Pena but was judged, semi-automatically, to be offside. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Reach Barcelona – or die trying: The hope and abandon behind a famous rallying cry

“Walking through the streets of Barcelona, there’s a common slogan you are bound to spot among the graffiti around the city: ‘Barca o mort’ (Barca or death, in Catalan). For some of Barca’s most fervent fans there is an almost religious bond with the club. Almost 5,000 kilometres away on the west coast of Africa, a similar expression reflects a very different reality. In Senegal, it is ‘Barca ou Barzakh’. Barzakh is an Arabic word that literally means ‘isthmus’. In Islam, it describes a stage of the afterlife where souls rest until judgement day. The phrase is like a rallying cry. It is an expression of solidarity, of shared hope before a voyage towards peril, leaving peril behind. Reach Barcelona, or die trying. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

The Transfer DealSheet: Latest on Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona and more

“Welcome to the latest edition of the Transfer DealSheet, your weekly guide to what is happening in the summer window. Our team of dedicated writers, including Adam Leventhal and David Ornstein, will take you inside the market to explain the deals being worked on, the players who could arrive and the ones who are on their way out across the Premier League and beyond. In last week’s edition, we looked at Liverpool’s pursuit of a No 6 and the situation with Chelsea’s Englandmidfielder Conor Gallagher. The information found within this article has been gathered according to The Athletic’s sourcing guidelines. Unless stated, our reporters have spoken to more than one person briefed on each deal before offering the clubs involved the opportunity to comment. Those responses, where they were given, have been included in the Transfer DealSheet. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Barcelona on tour: How Hansi Flick has looked to calm the chaos

“Following Barcelona, you get used to the constant chaos that surrounds them at an institutional level. For years, they have seemed to improvise in getting key decisions done only at the last minute, and this has led to a lot of uncertainty. But on a football level at least, the team’s trip to the United States this summer has been a time to try to bring calm to the club. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

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