FC Barcelona Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

MisterAnarchy

kmart6 wrote: »

Imagine that, obsessed with the football of our next door neighbour, when it just happens to be one of the best leagues in the world...disgraceful!:rolleyes:

The two best and biggest teams in the world were playing matches and it hardly got a mention ,yet there are loads of posts about trivial EPL matches .
Just a comment ,not a criticism mind you.

dfx-

Eight years before he left..Summer of 2003? If Messi had been old enough, I'd say he'd have left the Barcelona of that age...comparatively dark days.

Pepe LeFrits

Would have left too had it not been for a work permit, if you believe the rumours!

Which I choose not to. It'd make you crazy.

Warper

Blatter wrote: »

I remember him saying a few years ago in an interview that he left Barca because he thought he'd get more opportunities at Arsenal.

Anyway, whether he left for money or first team football, it was Cesc himself that left of his own accord so Warper saying he was robbed by Arsenal strikes of bitterness tbh.

Bitterness - Lol. Im delighted he is back home with Barca, after all he has the DNA. World-class player back where he belongs. Fabs has fitted right back in again and looks a totally different player already compared to last season with Arsenal. Only certain players could make this Barca team better but he has.

Blatter

Warper wrote: »

Bitterness - Lol. Im delighted he is back home with Barca, after all he has the DNA. World-class player back where he belongs. Fabs has fitted right back in again and looks a totally different player already compared to last season with Arsenal. Only certain players could make this Barca team better but he has.

Obviously you're not bitter about him actually playing for Barca now, but you come across as bitter regarding the circumstances surrounding the way in which he left Barca in the first place and particularly bitter about Arsenal's stance of wanting as much money as they could get for him, when Barca wanted him back.

Warper

Blatter wrote: »

Obviously you're not bitter about him actually playing for Barca now, but you come across as bitter regarding the circumstances surrounding the way in which he left Barca in the first place and particularly bitter about Arsenal's stance of wanting as much money as they could get for him, when Barca wanted him back.

Pure bullsh1t tbh. You are the one coming across bitter with all your bitterness malarky

Paparazzo

Talking of Fabregas, he's won more medals in 4 months at Barca than he has in 8 years at Arsenal!

Wolf Club

Paparazzo wrote: »

Talking of Fabregas, he's won more medals in 4 months at Barca than he has in 8 years at Arsenal!

That's an amazing achievement alright. I'm sure it was always his dream to win the Spanish equivalent of the Community Shield :rolleyes:

Paparazzo

Wolf Club wrote: »

That's an amazing achievement alright. I'm sure it was always his dream to win the Spanish equivalent of the Community Shield :rolleyes:

Not sure why you're being sarcastic. The guy hasn't even been there for the end of season where trophies are usually won and he already has more winners medals than his entire arsenal career.
And out of his 2 arsenal medals, one is the Community Shield that you're laughing at.

Davaeo09

Can every body leave the handbags out of here please. Go back to which ever threads you came from and continue your back and forth there please..


Classy win the other night for Barca. Where Madrid were slow and sluggish at times the other night, the break seems to be exactly what some of our players like Xavi, Puyol and Messi needed.

Espanyol away at the weekend, the all Catalan derby!
These games are generally very heated with both teams going hell for leather for the win! But.. Espanyols form has been very shaky lately and they've lost some of their edge and steel. I expect Barca will go there and dominate possession as they do but the score line won't be any thing high.

For those of you who didn't see the 4-0 win over Osasuna here is totalbarca's motm video, as voted by Barca fans worldwide... none other than Xavi..
3 assists and heavily involved in the 4th

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nrqfrgjRy0

I really wish that Xavi would win the Ballon D'or this year because with Messi and Ronaldo being so much younger than him I reckon this may be his last chance to win it.

OH and am rumour has it Sir Alex Ferguson had his brother scout Cuenca the other night in search of another "Made in La Massia" star..
Honestly I actually think he will leave at the end of the season, perhaps on loan. I know Pep thinks highly of him but I think the fame might get to Cuenca. Apparently he was demanding Thiago equivalent wages and this is only his first season making full team appearances. Barca generally don't take kindly to such demanding players, one only has to look at the recent departures of Eto'o and Ibra..

Oh and as for Cesc all i'm going to say he is where he wanted to be.. and it is showing with his astonishing form, the second goal the other night was absolutely class. His first touch and finish were superb.

Blatter

Warper wrote: »

Pure bullsh1t tbh. You are the one coming across bitter with all your bitterness malarky

Now you're not even making sense. Well done.

CongoPowers

Don't see Cuenca leaving. Agree that Guardiola has been strict with agent nonsense, but there are examples like Valdés that have blown over. He seems like an honest, hardworking lad, have nothing to complain about him other than his dive against Hospitalet.

also to be fair, you have to win titles to compete for Spanish and European supercups and the CWC. Fàbregas looked the happiest to win these titles, so they're obviously important to him.

His second against Osasuna was too nice.

Davaeo09

Espanyol tonight! Going to be a good game I reckon. Nothing but a win will do for Barca who need to keep on Madrids heels.

dfx-

The game at the Prat was arguably Barcelona's toughest test last season, certainly in the league, very difficult game tonight.

The Getafe defeat has kicked the players into gear though it seems,every game played at pace since.

Bodhisopha

I think Barca will breeze it, they look to be back on top form.

0-4

Messi MOTM

MisterAnarchy

Davaeo09 wrote: »

For those of you who didn't see the 4-0 win over Osasuna here is totalbarca's motm video, as voted by Barca fans worldwide... none other than Xavi..
3 assists and heavily involved in the 4th

The man just oozes class.
Look at the corner at 3:27 in that video,insane control.
The 1-2 with Messi @ 6.25 is special too.
He just makes the game look so easy.

gimmick

dfx- wrote: »

The game at the Prat was arguably Barcelona's toughest test last season, certainly in the league, very difficult game tonight.

The Getafe defeat has kicked the players into gear though it seems,every game played at pace since.

Barca won 1-5 iirc. It was a stroll.

dfx-

gimmick wrote: »

Barca won 1-5 iirc. It was a stroll.

I know the scoreline, but it didn't reflect the game imo.

Bodhisopha

Is it 8:30 kick off?

gimmick

Yes it did. Barca were 0-3 up inside 30 mins and the game was over.

Semantics aside, this is usually a tough one, but Barca have certainly turned the corner from Los Perichos being a bogey side.

MisterAnarchy

Bodhisopha wrote: »

Is it 8:30 kick off?

Seems so,odd time ,I would have missed the first 30 minutes but for you mentioning it.

gimmick

Valdés, Alves, Piqué, Puyol, Abidal, Sergio, Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc, Alexis and Messi

Probably the strongest XI at the moment

kmart6

That line up just isn't fair!

MisterAnarchy

SKy Sports News were saying Abidal could be going to Arsenal in the transfer window.
Load of nonsense I'd say.

kmart6

Can't imagine that after everything he went through last year and what the lib has done for him!

Also, he's an important member of the team!

Jax Teller

Off the line twice

dfx-

Cracking game

miralize

Sanchez looks a bit nervous at times, but i dont think he's had time to settle yet though with injury at the start and intermittent starts

Mars Bar

Freaky how much MEssi looks like his father. Gives him a good clatter...

JPA

1-1. PP had a draw at 8/1 at HT.

Put a 5er on it.

Ridiculous odds.

kingshankly

miralize wrote: »

Sanchez looks a bit nervous at times, but i dont think he's had time to settle yet though with injury at the start and intermittent starts

Sanchez gave the ball away every time he got it a shocking display from him
Barcelona got what they deserved trying to see out a one nil.
Madrids to loose now

dfx-

Same old story from la Real to Granada to Sporting to Getafe to Espanyol. No urgency.

CongoPowers

kingshankly wrote: »

Sanchez gave the ball away every time he got it a shocking display from him
Barcelona got what they deserved trying to see out a one nil.

lol?

Can't really complain about how their goal was defended, happens. Pity about the blatant peno at the end. Oh well.

MD1990

There too reliant on Messi
they need more from Pedro
Sanchez has done well but was off form tonight

MisterAnarchy

kingshankly wrote: »

Madrids to loose now

Barcelona would want to improve there away form rapidly or the league will be over by the end of March.
Real have relatively straightforward matches until April ,then they play Valencia,Barcelona,Athletico,Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla all within one month .
Barcelona have some tough fixtures between now and April but they have an easy run in.

CongoPowers

Don't Barça have the Clásico, derbi barceloni, and betis away in the last four games? Not easy at all if so.

Also a thing about tonight, really terrible hearing the racial abuse Alves was subjected to for 90 minutes. Considering the trouble in this area in England atm, it's really shocking to see the passive attitude towards racism in Spain. Espanyol's president says they don't like it, but can't do anything. The referee makes no report of racial abuse from the supporters in his notes. I know pretty much every club in the league has supporters guilty of this, but Espanyol seem to be openly racist to the extreme (constant issue in this fixture). Shocking stuff.

SharpshooterTom

Barca's trump card in this title race is that they have the better head to head record than Real, so that home game is massive.

But they're making it hard for themeselves. IMO, if they had won all the games up until Villareal away on the 29th, I would have said they could have afford to draw that. Now they need to win at Villareal, a lot of pressure, and so if they could win the rest of their league games in january, they'd be ok still.

Not out of it because Real Madrid are going to have to drop points at some point you'd think. As long Barca are within 3 points of Real, with that home el classico, they've got every chance. Remember they only need to get the same points as Real to win the league.

Davaeo09

Gnobe wrote: »

Barca's trump card in this title race is that they have the better head to head record than Real, so that home game is massive.

But they're making it hard for themeselves. IMO, if they had won all the games up until Villareal away on the 29th, I would have said they could have afford to draw that. Now they need to win at Villareal, a lot of pressure, and so if they could win the rest of their league games in january, they'd be ok still.

Not out of it because Real Madrid are going to have to drop points at some point you'd think. As long Barca are within 3 points of Real, with that home el classico, they've got every chance. Remember they only need to get the same points as Real to win the league.

Thing is though mate Barca look the more likely to drop more points than Madrid. If we can get back within 3 points before the classico at the nou camp well and good but if the gap is ANYTHING more, even 4 points I think Madrid will win the league.

Was a little bit disappointed with how we didn't take the game to them more at 1-0, I know they looked dangerous on the counter but a belief that another goal would kill the game seemed to be missing last night. Would have liked to see Thiago and Cuenca brought on instead of Keita and Pedro.

CongoPowers

Two more Clásicos confirmed, 18th and 25th of this month.

Grrreat.

miralize

Sick of the stress more than anything

kmart6

Happy in one sense for two more of these...but beginning to think we're getting too many each season and they could start to lose there appeal if performances drop!

dfx-

Not yet...given Barcelona's away form and that CdR tie against Getafe, blowing 5-2 lead...

CongoPowers

10 Clásicos in 284 days.

tbh, it just cheapens the fixture for me.

looks like Madrid will be without Khedira, di María and maybe Arbeloa(?) for the first leg.

Casillas
Coentrão Pepe Ramos Marcelo
Lass Alonso
Ronaldo Özil Benzema
Higuaín

maybe? Callejón also an option obviously.

I think they will be even less pleased with the tie possibly being a bit too soon after the 1-3, another loss would be yet another blow for team morale.

also, as for Barça, looks like Maxwell is off to PSG.

HovaBaby

Real have won 20 of their past 21 games. Fair enough, the only blip was to Barca, but I think Barca look much more likely to drop points in La Liga.

CongoPowers

^ probably.

but Barça will probably come out on top when the two teams play. it would be a much needed title for Madrid for sure, but somewhat cheapened by being seen to be still the second best team in the country.

anyway, tonight Barça start with: Pinto, Montoya, Piqué, Fontàs, Adriano, Thiago, Mascherano, Sergi Roberto, Pedro, Alexis, Cuenca.

so Montoya starting at RB and Adriano on the left immediately after Maxwell is sold. suppose that's been Guardiola's idea to being with.

bench of Valdés, Abidal, Puyol, Busquets, Cesc, Xavi and Messi is pretty amazing!

gimmick

Guardiola has given 25 debuts from the system in his time in charge. Can we name all of them without cheating? Off the top of my head

Muniesa
Bartra
Montoya
Fontas
Romeu
Thiago
Rafinha
Delofeu
Busquets
Pedro
Sergio Roberto
Pique (?)
Fabregas (?)
Cuenca
Victor Sanchez
Jonathan Dos santos
Riverola

Thats 17, with 2 dodgy ones. There is another full back whose name escapes me now. Not sure did he give a keeper or two a start as well? Im probably missing some very obvious ones as well.

The Floyd p

Oier?
Tello
Victor Vasquez

MD1990

^^
Christian Tello

gimmick

Oier is the keeper who I could not think of anyway. The other 2 I have not heard of tbh. But thats 20 anyway.

dfx-

Poor stuff away from home again...should be at least 2-0 if not possibly 3-0 at half time.