FC Barcelona Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

redout

Abidal allowed to travel to Caribbean for personal matters so wont be in Madrid.

Thiago comes into the squad.

Valdés, Pinto, Maxwell, Alves, Piqué, Puyol, Milito, Adriano, Sergio, Mascherano, Xavi, Iniesta, Keita, Messi, Pedro, Villa, Bojan, Thiago

krankykitty

Messi just got very nasty looking ankle injury there in injury time..

Great game, very entertaining.

I much much prefer when Iniesta plays in the middle 3 rather than the front 3 as I think he is infinitely more effective there. Problem is I think if Messi is injured he may have to shift further forward to help link the play the way Messi usually would.

eZe^

Messi! Hasn't been properly injured in 3 seasons...

greendom

eZe^ wrote: »

Messi! Hasn't been properly injured in 3 seasons...

Feel sorry for the guy, but that's a pretty decent run

eZe^

greendom wrote: »

Feel sorry for the guy, but that's a pretty decent run

Not if it's a break tbh. I'm hoping it was just really badly tweaked and that why it's so swollen.

redout

Guardiola has said he doesnt think it is broken though wont know for sure until they do exams tomorrow.

redout

Here is a pic the girlfriend took of him been carried away - Get well soon brother

Bodhisopha

They said on Sky it's a sprain. A matter of weeks rather than months.

Fuzzy_Dunlop

'kin hell that's a swollen ankle. I didn't see the tackle, was it a bad one?

eZe^

brayblue24

Full marks to the ref for the red card. Initially I thought it was harsh and only on the 3rd replay did we see roughly the view he had-great call.

Got a good laugh hearing about Pep's fine for taking the 4th official's mouthpiece to abuse the referee in a previous match too:D

bernardo mac

That was one nasty challenge by Ujfalusi[?].The culprit will surely hear from spectators in the coming weeks! Messi doesn't lie down easily.

monkey9

It swelled up badly, so quickly!

http://twitpic.com/2q2obv

redout

bernardo mac wrote: »

That was one nasty challenge by Ujfalusi[?].The culprit will surely hear from spectators in the coming weeks! Messi doesn't lie down easily.

The sad thing is that the Atleti Ultras were giving him torrid abuse when he was being stretchered by.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

That is rotten.
Don't like Messi at all, tbh, but I hope it's not too bad of an injury.

monkey9

baz2009 wrote: »

That is rotten.
Don't like Messi at all, tbh, but I hope it's not too bad of an injury.

Why would any football fan not like Lionel Messi???

3hn2givr7mx1sc

monkey9 wrote: »

Why would any football fan not like Lionel Messi???

Great player and all, but there's something about him that doesn't endear him to me.

dfx-

bernardo mac wrote: »

That was one nasty challenge by Ujfalusi[?].The culprit will surely hear from spectators in the coming weeks! Messi doesn't lie down easily.

Just re-watching the highlights on Sky...Ujfalusi kicked the back of his leg with about 5 minutes to go when Messi missed a one-on-one...

Not the first time he'd be targeted though..

Dolph Starbeam

baz2009 wrote: »

That is rotten.
Don't like Messi at all, tbh, but I hope it's not too bad of an injury.

i know different people like different things but how can a football fan not like Messi? I know if he was playing in the EPL he would get kicked like this every week, i actually a fan of Ujfalusi's, i do like him but it was a cheap tackle on Messi tonight, i am actually really sad about the foul, to see Messi stretchered off in pain like that is not a good sight, lets just hope he will be back soonm fingers crossed.

JPA

"Only" out for 3 weeks according to this http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11827_6387873,00.html


Thought it would be much worse.

bernardo mac

monkey9 wrote: »

Why would any football fan not like Lionel Messi???

Indeed and what is truly admirable is his courage and the fact that when fouled he normally bounces back up and gets on with the game.He's not a self indulgent whinger.He really enjoys playing ,an excellent role model for young and older players

gimmick

Seems the injury is not that bad. Will defo miss the 2 games this week though. Thats good news given how bad it looked yesterday evening.

After an MRI taken this morning at the Hospital de Barcelona, doctors have concluded that Leo Messi has a sprain in the internal and external ligaments of his right ankle, but confirmed that there is no damage to the bones.

Leo Messi will definitely miss the matches against Sporting and Bilbao this week after doctors confirmed their earlier diagnosis following the nasty foul he received from Ujfalusi on Sunday. His availability after these two games will depend on how he recovers from the injury.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/noticies/futbol/temporada10-11/09/20/n100920113021.html

Ush1

Atletico Madrid Defender Tomas Ujfalusi Could Receive Up To 12-Match Ban For Lionel Messi Challenge
Atletico Madrid defender Tomas Ujfalusi could face up to a 12-game suspension in wake of Lionel Messi tackle.

Atletico Madrid defender Tomas Ujfalusi could be hit with up to a 12-match ban for his ill-timed challenge on Lionel Messi during Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Barcelona at the Vicente Calderon.

The Czech stopper stamped on the Argentine’s ankle in injury time and received a straight red card for his actions from match referee Borbalan Fernandez.

The official remarked in his match report: “He [Ujfalusi] came in from a height on the ankle of an opponent without the option to play the ball. The player needed medical assistance and had to be replaced.”

Given the nature of Fernandez’s report coupled with the administering of a straight red card, the Competition Committee have a key decision to make in respect of the length of ban offered to the 32-year-old.

Article 115 allows the disciplinary body to order a suspension of between one and three matches, or utilise Article 97, which allows punishment of four games up to a maximum of 12 games.

Article 97 is referred in cases that “occur in a violent manner with an opponent during the game, resulting in harmful consequences that are considered serious by its very nature”.

Ujfalusi has since apologised for his tackle, but the committee will convene today to decide which course of action to take against the defender

http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2010/09/21/2129243/atletico-madrid-defender-tomas-ujfalusi-could-receive-up-to

Pic is nasty:

eZe^

Thank fcuk he's all right.

Pepe LeFrits

Messi really is very, very lucky to have avoided a break there. It'd be most impressive of La Liga if Ujfalusi got hit with a longer suspension for the tackle. It's a nasty one.

Hell will freeze over before they ever do something like that in the PL.

Bigger image:




Even worse than I thought tbh. And I thought it was awful. Would be great to see a long ban for this type of behaviour.

greendom

Be great to see that kind of ban to be brought in for seriously malicious challenges - do the articles refer just to the game in Spain or are they from FIFA ?

redout

Barca drawn away against Cueta in the Copa - thats in Morocco by the way (depending on who you talk to!).

An Citeog

bernardo mac wrote: »

Indeed and what is truly admirable is his courage and the fact that when fouled he normally bounces back up and gets on with the game.He's not a self indulgent whinger.He really enjoys playing ,an excellent role model for young and older players

Messi isn't exactly a saint. I admire him greatly as a player but there are a number of things he's done that I really don't like, most notably...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPosnvqmrNA

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QfSNFsY18w

Ush1

Love that handball! 2 weeks on the trot he imitates 2 of the most famous goals of all time.

Bodhisopha

The handball was a huge symbolic gesture. I'd have been more disappointed if he didn't take the opportunity to do it.

redout

Just read that Messi has scored 92 goals in his last 110 games for Barca - Just wow for a player who aint an out and out sriker.

Abidal is back but was not included in the squad that travels to San Mamés.

The Japs seemingly threatening to withhold a quarter of a million dollars if Messi does not feature in the upcoming friendly.

eZe^

Busquets was absolutely fcuking brilliant yesterday, definitely my man of the match. You can now see why Guardiola has persevered with him over Toure this whole time. He's turning into an Alonso like passer, with much much better defensive awareness. I reckon he's quickly becoming one of the most complete defensive midfielders in world football.

If he's the future, then he completely negates the need to play someone like Makalele or Mascherano, who are far too one dimensional to warrant replacing him (however the both could play alongside eachother in a 4-2-3-1 if you want a very sturdy defense)

Pique is also fast becoming my favourite player, he's everywhere!

redout

If a Barca fan you cant complain about league position.

As was mentioned by one of the lads on Sky last night Barca have already faced two of the toughest away fixtures of the season at San Mames and the Calderon and come away with 6 points.

Real Madrid in comparison have yet to face any of the bigger sides home nor away and still find themselves behind on points.

Barca face them all in Sept/Oct bar the Clasico itself.

The way the fixture lists worked out actually favours Madrid in my opinion as they dont face any of the top sides until Nov/Dec giving them more time to get things right.

Also when they do face the bigger sides (Atleti, Sevilla, Bilbao and Valencia) they have them all at home in the first part of the season - though obviously reversed in the second part.

As I said above - cant complain about Barca position at all.

Davaeo09

So after the first few rounds of games I have a few questions for you fellow Barca fans.

1. Bojans form. When he's been given the call I find he just doesn't get involved enough, he's allot less active than Villa (experience I know) but it just seems when he touches the ball he loses it soon after.

2. Xavi and Iniesta. Are they tired? They have been very good ofc but I just get the feeling the last 3 seasons are starting to catch up with them. Xavi more so. If Barca start being more clinical and closing down more effectively they'd be able to finish off matches much sooner. Allowing Xavi to rest.

3.Mascherano VS Busquests. Well when we signed Masch i was delighted thought it would make Barca a much more solid team. But for me Busquests is earning the right to start week in week out with stellar performances. I.e The other night. He was immense. Winning every tackle, positionally very alert and his range of passing is steadily growing. Thoughts?

4. Villa. Of course he's world class, and he hasn't really had a chance to prove himself yet, but is he trying to hard? He isn't as clinical as he should be and he's missed a few opportunities he normally would have buried. Is it lack of confidence? Fatigue? Pressure?

5. The line out. Well with Messi and Villa both out for the weekend game. Who will start? I'd like to see Xavi, Keita and Busquests in mid field again. Iniesta out left, Pedro on the right and Bojan up front. Still plenty of class there but Barca will need to play at their peak if they want to close this match up early on as Mallorca are a pretty decent side.

6. Oh and last question, what do fans think of Pique's form? :cool:

Ush1

Davaeo09 wrote: »

So after the first few rounds of games I have a few questions for you fellow Barca fans.

1. Bojans form. When he's been given the call I find he just doesn't get involved enough, he's allot less active than Villa (experience I know) but it just seems when he touches the ball he loses it soon after.

Kinda how I feel about Bojan. He can be decent and has good mobility and movement but is weak on the ball and can be often too easily dispossessed. Ibra ftw.:P

Davaeo09 wrote: »

2. Xavi and Iniesta. Are they tired? They have been very good ofc but I just get the feeling the last 3 seasons are starting to catch up with them. Xavi more so. If Barca start being more clinical and closing down more effectively they'd be able to finish off matches much sooner. Allowing Xavi to rest.

Definitely. Particularly with Xavi constantly playing with injuries etc..

Davaeo09 wrote: »

3.Mascherano VS Busquests. Well when we signed Masch i was delighted thought it would make Barca a much more solid team. But for me Busquests is earning the right to start week in week out with stellar performances. I.e The other night. He was immense. Winning every tackle, positionally very alert and his range of passing is steadily growing. Thoughts?

Busquets is better.

Davaeo09 wrote: »

4. Villa. Of course he's world class, and he hasn't really had a chance to prove himself yet, but is he trying to hard? He isn't as clinical as he should be and he's missed a few opportunities he normally would have buried. Is it lack of confidence? Fatigue? Pressure?

Maybe fatigue. Been unimpressed by him so far. Not nearly as sharp as you'd expect in front or around goal. Then I think frustration got him with his sending off.........Ibra ftw!:pac:

Davaeo09 wrote: »

5. The line out. Well with Messi and Villa both out for the weekend game. Who will start? I'd like to see Xavi, Keita and Busquests in mid field again. Iniesta out left, Pedro on the right and Bojan up front. Still plenty of class there but Barca will need to play at their peak if they want to close this match up early on as Mallorca are a pretty decent side.

Agreed.

Davaeo09 wrote: »

6. Oh and last question, what do fans think of Pique's form? :cool:

He's playing well. Despite what fans of other leagues might think I reckon Barcas defense is not really a problem.

Frisbee

I have man love for Piquenbauer.

James Forde

Totally irrelevant just back from camp nou, what an amazing place

outstanding stadium, I feel very priveledged to have visited it

won't get to a game flying out Sunday

eZe^

Davaeo09 wrote: »

So after the first few rounds of games I have a few questions for you fellow Barca fans.

1. Bojans form. When he's been given the call I find he just doesn't get involved enough, he's allot less active than Villa (experience I know) but it just seems when he touches the ball he loses it soon after.

Bojan needs to be shown faith, whenever he's gotten an extended run in the team he's been a potent goal threat. Remember, he's only frigging just 20, and has shown so much promise. He'll be a star. I'm just afraid that our attack is too filled with tiny tots. (if Masch plays DMF, the only people above 5'8'' are in our defence) Can we sign Llorente please?

2. Xavi and Iniesta. Are they tired? They have been very good ofc but I just get the feeling the last 3 seasons are starting to catch up with them. Xavi more so. If Barca start being more clinical and closing down more effectively they'd be able to finish off matches much sooner. Allowing Xavi to rest.

I don't get the Iniesta criticism at all, infact, I reckon Andres has been playing better this season (including the WC) than he was last. He is looking sharp, and is utilising the ball much more efficiently. Too many times last season he was isolated on the wings, and just tried dribbling past 50 players, now he's actually playing in the Xavi like role, and controlling the game.

Xavi needs a break imo, but he has still been excellent. I don't think his performances warrant criticism, it's just you can tell he needs a week or two off to be honest.

3.Mascherano VS Busquests. Well when we signed Masch i was delighted thought it would make Barca a much more solid team. But for me Busquests is earning the right to start week in week out with stellar performances. I.e The other night. He was immense. Winning every tackle, positionally very alert and his range of passing is steadily growing. Thoughts?

You answered your own question. Busquets has matured so much since he started out. I remember being so frustrated at him starting ahead of Toure a number of times last season. I think the WC has changed him, he got a flavour of the absolute pinnacle, and has really developed himself well. He's becoming such an all around midfielder, fantastic to see. Mascherano will be used for specific scenarios though, as his defensive grit may add an extra dimension to Barca's off the ball pressure game.

4. Villa. Of course he's world class, and he hasn't really had a chance to prove himself yet, but is he trying to hard? He isn't as clinical as he should be and he's missed a few opportunities he normally would have buried. Is it lack of confidence? Fatigue? Pressure?

He's putting himself under too much pressure. But his play has been excellent overall, his link up with Messi is absolutely quality, and eventually when he calms down a little he'll start banging in the goals. He'll definitely score 20+ goals for us this season and set up 10+!

5. The line out. Well with Messi and Villa both out for the weekend game. Who will start? I'd like to see Xavi, Keita and Busquests in mid field again. Iniesta out left, Pedro on the right and Bojan up front. Still plenty of class there but Barca will need to play at their peak if they want to close this match up early on as Mallorca are a pretty decent side.

We've been playing a strange formation at times in games. It's been more of a 3-5-2. Busquets popping back with the CB's, and Alves + Maxwell playing as wing backs with Iniesta/ Keita/ Xavi in CMF. Then there's Villa upfront, with one other winger, and they rotate randomly among the three forward positions (left, centre, right). It's a bit strange, but I'm not going to complain if we can go to San Mames + the Calderon and come back with 6 points.

6. Oh and last question, what do fans think of Pique's form? :cool:

Him and Busquets are becoming my favourite Barca players. Fantastic, I love how skillful he is, despite having the turning radius of the titanic. Don't know how he does it. He's the next Barca/ Spain captain, mark my words!

Dolph Starbeam

Messi back playing already! :eek:

event

well its not like he lost a leg, it was a badly sprained/bruised ankle

and while i love the player, people talking about how much or a role model he is, he did spit at a player before. he has a nasty streak that doesnt come out as much as he is always winning

not a great result tonight, but it was away from home so not too bad. worst case tscenario after tonight would be in second, then two games vs copenhagen which should decide the group really

event

Sid lowe reporting that Xavi is not in the next spain squad!

is he injured?

Frisbee

event wrote: »

Sid lowe reporting that Xavi is not in the next spain squad!

is he injured?

I'd imagine he just needs a few weeks off, he's looked somewhat jaded this season, a two weeks break will do him wonders I'd imagine.

event

ah sure i just realised they dont have competitive gamess, they are only friendlies he's missing.

just thought it was a bit of a gamble leaving him out for qualifiers, but sure they dont have any

gimmick

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/noticies/futbol/temporada10-11/10/01/n101001113229.html

Xavi out of Sundays game Vs Mallorca. Always a big loss.

I wonder will the midfeild have Macherano behind Busquets and Iniesta?

Jesus christ, 2 absentees and the squad is already stretched!!!

gimmick

So, 3 home games played, one draw, one win, one loss and three poor performances. No excuses for that as all 3 games should have been won (deserved nothing against Hercules, but should always beat a promoted side at home).

Have teams just cottoned on to Barcas play, or is it something deeper?

I would love if Llorente was signed next summer. He would add soemthing that really just is not there.

flahavaj

gimmick wrote: »

So, 3 home games played, one draw, one win, one loss and three poor performances. No excuses for that as all 3 games should have been won (deserved nothing against Hercules, but should always beat a promoted side at home).

Have teams just cottoned on to Barcas play, or is it something deeper?

I would love if Llorente was signed next summer. He would add soemthing that really just is not there.

I do think there's a case to be made that teams have gotten better at defending against Barca than they used to. They now seem quite content to let them have as much of the ball as they like and make their challenges and tackles in and around their own box.

I was shouted down at the start of the season when I dared suggest the Barca squad might be a little light on numbers, but I stand by that. Its a problem thats exacerbated by the fact that back up players such as Bojan and Masch have been awful thus far.

fillmore jive

gimmick wrote: »

Have teams just cottoned on to Barcas play, or is it something deeper?

Home form is a bit worrying but you must remember how important and impressive the wins at the Calderon and San Mames are. Injuries, suspensions, world cup hangovers etc. but after the international break I'd say everything will improve.

Warper

Barca are short in numbers alright as can be seen with their 3 subs last night. When the likes of Xavi and Villa are missing they are a different team. They have the best starting XI in World football though and have been lucky the past few seasons with no major injuries to key players apart from Iniesta who has been on/off. Mascherano is a quality signing but Bojan doesn't cut it i'm afraid. He has been on the fringes now for the past few seasons and simply puts in too many average performances for a team like Barca.