2002/2003 FC Barcelona Squad

[funky6]

These scores don't mean a thing to me if i don't know how many ppl voted.

Riquelme has so many votes because he is Juan Roman Riquelme and ppl that have seen him play know why.You haven't seen a thing yet.

I'd really like to meet these ppl who voted for Kluivert.Are they madridistas?And where is FDB anyway?:D

[soccer fanatic]

Originally posted by funky6

I'd really like to meet these ppl who voted for Kluivert.Are they madridistas?And where is FDB anyway?:D

Are you applying for another long, long, long discussion? :D:D:D

You still don`t see FDB is the best defender in the world? :rolleyes:

[funky6]

I was actually about to edit my post,feeling the same way.The worst is i can't get out of these arguments once i'm in.

You know i always did and still respect FDB's royal style(with the ball),left foot,vision,attacking talent but that's all.

How much i'd like to see a Crespo or Nesta(even Stam)on that list..

[soccer fanatic]

I was kidding, FDB isn`t as good as he was anymore. :(

[J R R]

Originally posted by funky6
These scores don't mean a thing to me if i don't know how many ppl voted.

Riquelme has so many votes because he is Juan Roman Riquelme and ppl that have seen him play know why.You haven't seen a thing yet.


that is true barca havnt seen a thing yet
which is why it surprises me too that he is so high but as a boca fan i dont need convincing:D


as for the new maradona thing- every talented kid in argentina
is called that just like everyone in brasil is a new pele
all the hype around roman hasnt helped him people expect
so much and so when he hes trouble settling they say hes not
really any good:rolleyes:

btw did FDB get any votes???:D

[soccer fanatic]

Originally posted by J R R

btw did FDB get any votes???:D

I admit it, it was me. :D:D

Together with Van Gaal I voted for him a few times. :smoking:

[rshepherd1000]

poor FDB, i actually quite like him as he continues to give his all for the club. barca could do with more players with his attitude right now

[soccer fanatic]

He still is unrivaled captain and player of the Dutch NT, how bad can he really be?
Even considering our lack of options.

[barça]

Originally posted by soccer fanatic
He still is unrivaled captain and player of the Dutch NT, how bad can he really be?
Even considering our lack of options.

How bad can he be? Well, he is having a nightmare of a season. One of the worst of a central defender that comes to mind. Is as if bad luck was following him around.

Captain or not, history or not, whatever you want, his season has been awful.

[BLAUGRANA]

Originally posted by barça


Captain or not, history or not, whatever you want, his season has been awful.

As has the rest of the teams, apart from Puyol. He's not as bad as he gets credit for being.

[barça]

I would agree with that. Unfortunately Sports writers and fans are always judging players with the "what have you done for the team as of late"

FDB had a decent year last year and before that, great years with Barcelona. The bad press started with the Novelda game, he played terrible as did Enke and they both started to blame each other. He has not been up to par since. Another thing that has hurt him is that he does not do well in a three man defense, he doesn't have the speed for that.

A bad personal year combined with a bad team year, gets you all kinds of critics.

[funky6]

Which is natural and healthy for FCB.He deserves it 101%.Unless you forget what Konstantinou did to him in last year's C.L for example or other strikers in La Liga.I don't believe he would be Nesta in a four man defense,and i think that Barça's biggest problem these years apart from financial problems and Gaspart is the tolerance of the crowd.Everyone must underastand that he plays for FCB and die in the field for Barça otherwise no place in the squad for him.The players' commitment AND NOT MORAL as i finally realized after being dumb all this time is less than zero and this sucks.Some ppl there are worse than permanent public officers.

[Atalla]

well, i am not so sure that commitment in today's soccer even exists, but i agree with you, funky 6. the team has shown a lack of hunger on all aspects of the field. and some of our players have been playing in positions that go against their "natural instincts". which is not entirely a good thing. I would disagree that the ENTIRE team has been having a bad season, i wouldn't say Kluivert has been all that bad, he has scored plenty, but unfortunately, they have all been goals concentrated in single matches, as opposed to throughout the season.

mendietta and riquelme impressed me soooooo much against Real Madrid in the Nou camp. and Motta has had some brilliant runs from midfield.

i think the main problem has been with the defense. Atletico Madrid's first goal against us last weekend, for example, Torres should not have gotten by Frank De Boer. it was a massive slip up from a defender of his class...
and i would defenitely agree that our defence seems stronger now, especially with a four man system.

Antic has been qouted on soccerage as saying that he wants to utilize our wingers, which would mean that mendietta and overmars would be used extensively.. i think that is a good idea.

[haythamx]

As the subject suggests, I believe that Barca's problems lie in too much reliance on foreign players. At first you'll have a mouth-watering line up and kick ass left and right just like Chelea's two FA Cups + Cup Winners Cup, as well as top 5 finishes. Same applies to Barca, two Liga titles and what have you (I'm sure u know better than me, I don't remember if Barca took the Coppa del Rey).
However, on the long run this is bad. Each player has a different mentality and all. Chelsea lost to both title contenders Man Utd + Arsenal, basically they're doomed to 3-5th spot.

Now you may contradict me by saying, 'well look at Wenger's Arsenal'. True Wenger relies on 8 (?) Frenchmen, a couple dutchmen, cameroonian etc...and is simply kicking ass! But the difference is, these players weren't brought in ALL AT ONCE such as Van Gaal's "Spanish Ajax". I think Barca's solution should be a whole new shock therapy: Structural Adjustment. Bring on the changes. Promote more Xavi's and Sergi's. Look at Real Madrid, true they also rely on foreign players, but look at home grown players like Raul, Casillas, and Morientes(?). And now this new wonder kid in Javier Portillo. They also bought (now loaned out) Raul Bravo from Espanyol. Relying on foreigners isn't a BAD thing, it's just if the coach knows what he's doing: It takes more than a fast car to win the race.

In Italy it's the same story. We're allowed (I'm a Juve + Italy fan, so I tend to refer to them in the 1st person ) unlimited foreigners on the pitch, yet we don't exploit that- because that rule was imposed in order to decrease the fake passports scandal (Recoba et al.)
Anyways, best of luck for Barca in the future.

[haythamx]

As the subject suggests, I believe that Barca's problems lie in too much reliance on foreign players. At first you'll have a mouth-watering line up and kick ass left and right just like Chelea's two FA Cups + Cup Winners Cup, as well as top 5 finishes. Same applies to Barca, two Liga titles and what have you (I'm sure u know better than me, I don't remember if Barca took the Coppa del Rey).
However, on the long run this is bad. Each player has a different mentality and all. Chelsea lost to both title contenders Man Utd + Arsenal, basically they're doomed to 3-5th spot.

Now you may contradict me by saying, 'well look at Wenger's Arsenal'. True Wenger relies on 8 (?) Frenchmen, a couple dutchmen, cameroonian etc...and is simply kicking ass! But the difference is, these players weren't brought in ALL AT ONCE such as Van Gaal's "Spanish Ajax". I think Barca's solution should be a whole new shock therapy: Structural Adjustment. Bring on the changes. Promote more Xavi's and Sergi's. Look at Real Madrid, true they also rely on foreign players, but look at home grown players like Raul, Casillas, and Morientes(?). And now this new wonder kid in Javier Portillo. They also bought (now loaned out) Raul Bravo from Espanyol. Relying on foreigners isn't a BAD thing, it's just if the coach knows what he's doing: It takes more than a fast car to win the race.

In Italy it's the same story. We're allowed (I'm a Juve + Italy fan, so I tend to refer to them in the 1st person ) unlimited foreigners on the pitch, yet we don't exploit that- because that rule was imposed in order to decrease the fake passports scandal (Recoba et al.)
Anyways, best of luck for Barca in the future.
PS. ATALLA: CHIRP BRU!!!!!!!!!

[Juan]

Small correction: Morientes is not home grown, while Raul Bravo is.

Besides that, I´m all for the players that feel the more love for the shirt. However, they have to be the ones that are good enough to wear that shirt.

[VivaBarcaInter]

Why are you people sticking up for Frank De Boer? Of the large list of players that aren't performing at all, he tops it for sheer regularity. You could count ALL of his good games for Barca on your fingers. What makes the situation worse is the managers we've had insisting in playing him as the only real centre back in the formation, when he has neither the pace to defend on the Nou Camp pitch, nor the modesty to accept he isn't Cruyff. Every time he gets the ball, he's trying to play like Zidane, when with his record he hould be sending the ball into space as hard as he can.

I'm glad though, both that Oleguer looked like he could handle the basics with a partner, and that Andersson played 30 mins of a friendly.

Back to the few posts above, we do have a lack of hunger. I think that too many players are simply comfortable in thier jobs. Guys like De Boer, Cocu, Xavi, Mendieta and Dani (for differing reasons) simply don't play like they can. Antic, after dishing out confidence boosters of course, hopefully will get more of some players.

[barça]

I think that what we are saying is that FDB is having a terrible season and that he has been a good player for Barcelona (except for this year and maybe some of last year)

[soccer fanatic]

FDB is getting too old... ...he can`t cut it anymore... ..still one of the better defenders of Barca.

That says it all. :(

[Atalla]

agreed....... Haythamx really does bring up a great point!
but you must see that players such as Valdes, Navarro and Iniesta, as well as Olguer have all been played at one point or another during the season, which basically indicates that we are trying..... but as i said on the Antic thread, the lack of experience in a team of youngsters can be a serious problem to the main squad.. yeah, LVG managed to notch up a few victories with a bunch of teenagers in ajax, but it's different, the ajax players in that team made up the contingency of the dutch NT and had such raw, unbelievable talent that it was seriously difficult to stand in their way...... plus, almost all of those players are now among the most expensive players in the world, unfortunately, all the underachievers came to barca............
:(

but our reliance on foreigners is a serious problem...... we now have four argentinian players in our squad, and there are a few more who will undoubtedly come to barca, such as Milito and D'allesandro...........
as for the dutchmen, we have: Reizeger, Frank De Boer, Overmars, Cocu, and kluivert, five starters for a spanish team........ so let's analyze this:

Bonano (argentine)
reizeger(dutch) FDB (dutch) Puyol (Spanish)
Xavi (spanish)
Overmars (dutch) Cocu (dutch) JRR(Argenitne) Mendi(spain)

Saviola (argentine) Kluivert (Dutch)

that's three spainiards....... out of XI
this is a Catalunian club, and not a dutch one........or an Argentine one for that matter, so if one was to say that barca relied on foreigners, it would be the understatement of the century!!!!!!!!!!

[VivaBarcaInter]

Barcelona have always been a cosmipolitan club, we've had tons of non- Catalans since the very beginning. I personally don't have a problem with that. I can see why Catalans want locals in the team, but surely the symbolism of the club is more important than a couple of token local boys. No-one seems willing to go down the Bilbao "Locals only" plan, so they can't be that broken up about it.

Plus, we should move heaven and earth to get D'alessandro!!!

[funky6]

Barcelona have always been a cosmipolitan club, we've had tons of non- Catalans since the very beginning. I personally don't have a problem with that. I can see why Catalans want locals in the team, but surely the symbolism of the club is more important than a couple of token local boys. No-one seems willing to go down the Bilbao "Locals only" plan, so they can't be that broken up about it.

Nothing to add here.

[BLAUGRANA]

Originally posted by Atalla
I would disagree that the ENTIRE team has been having a bad season, i wouldn't say Kluivert has been all that bad, he has scored plenty,

...and missed plenty more. Kluivert is not having a good season and really needs to pick up his game. He needs to score more goals, bottom line. As for the rest of the team, they all need to pick up their game. Puyol has been consistent, but that's about it IMO.

[BLAUGRANA]

As for Barca having too many foreigners, I have to disagree. While I think we could have a few less, I don't think we need to go instituting a Catalan only policy. We have always had a pretty productive youth system and the likes of Iniesta, Gerard, Xavi, Puyol, Gabri, Fernando, Valdes, Motta, etc. have all come up from the B team or played in the youth ranks at some point. The thing we need from the youth ranks is more diversity. We have a tendency to produce playmaker/engine room type midfielders more than anything else. Xavi, Arteta and Iniesta being the recent examples.

[haythamx]

Just a thing I'd like to clear up for a minute, I wasn't saying that Barca should take up the Athletic Bilbao Basque-only policy (I think I speak for Atalla, likewise), I just meant that Barca should increase the locals to foreigners ratio- and by locals I mean anyone from Spain be it a Catalan, Basque, Galician or what have you...
Having foreigners, or non-locals, is MUST in every team, but they shouldn't have a drastic effect to such an extent that there's almost no competition for young local kids to make a name for themselves. Home grown from Barca B, or bought from other clubs.

For example, Juventus have very few home grown players that end up making the 1st team, and are usually loaned out between ages 17-22, and are eventually sold by 23. However, I notice Juve tend to purchase youngsters from elsewhere (Miccoli from Perugia, Maresca from W.B.A, Del Piero from Padova, Ferrara from Napoli, Conte from Lecce) All these players joined Juve from their early 20s and were in the 1st team by 24 (with the exception of Brighi who's 22 loaned out to Parma, Maresca who's turning 23 in a couple days loaned out to Piacenza, and Miccoli loaned out to Perugia).

The only problem is that we often don't hang on to these youngsters that they eventually get sold off as 'rejects'- thanks to Moggi's unlogical/inconsisten transfer policies! You'll find many Juve-'rejects' here and there in the Serie A...but probably the most famous ones are Thierry Henry, and Juan Pablo Sorin!!!

Anyways, I'm just trying to portray how Juve are putting effort into maintaining Italian contingency in their team, and the same goes for Inter and Milan. Who'd ever thought that by August 2002 Inter would provide 6-7 players to the azzurri: Toldo, Cannavaro, Adani, Di Biagio, C. Zanetti, Bobo Vieri...soon - Pasquale.

Likewise Roma from 1998- onwards: Totti, Delvecchio, Montella, Tomassi. Next up: Cassano.

Now AC Milan have some Azzurri 1st teamers as well in the re-emerging Pirlo, Gatusso, Ambrosini, Pippo...

Inter Milan suffered alot in the recent years of post-Bosman, as their squad grew MASSIVELY during the mid 90s filled with young Frenchmen, and Africans- and this was reflected in their Serie A performances. Look at them now, however.

[Atalla]

Originally posted by AZULGRANA
As for Barca having too many foreigners, I have to disagree. While I think we could have a few less, I don't think we need to go instituting a Catalan only policy. We have always had a pretty productive youth system and the likes of Iniesta, Gerard, Xavi, Puyol, Gabri, Fernando, Valdes, Motta, etc. have all come up from the B team or played in the youth ranks at some point. The thing we need from the youth ranks is more diversity. We have a tendency to produce playmaker/engine room type midfielders more than anything else. Xavi, Arteta and Iniesta being the recent examples.

no
notice that of the names you mentioned, only 3 have been regular starters... and some of them have played only 3 or four matches TOPS......
no one is saying that we need to adopt Bibao's policy, but at the same time, 3/11 starters who are domestic? and you still think that we don't have too many foreigners? we have 12 or more in a team oh 11 plus 7 on the bench during matches...
are you kidding?

[Atalla]

Originally posted by VivaBarcaInter
Barcelona have always been a cosmipolitan club, we've had tons of non- Catalans since the very beginning. I personally don't have a problem with that. I can see why Catalans want locals in the team, but surely the symbolism of the club is more important than a couple of token local boys. No-one seems willing to go down the Bilbao "Locals only" plan, so they can't be that broken up about it.

Plus, we should move heaven and earth to get D'alessandro!!!


yeah, that is very true, but never at a point in barca's history was the squad composed of forigners as a majority......
by the way, Bilbao is the only team other than Barca and Real Madrid to have never been relegated from the primera division.
so i wouldn't exactly say that they are "broken up"
i'm not saying we should adopt their methods, but there are too many foreign players for my liking.......

[VivaBarcaInter]

Going to respond to several people in one post!

Firstly, I was trying to speak from the Catalan fans perspective. I was talking about them wanting more locals in the team, but not wanting a team like Bilbao. The Catalans don't consider Spaniards to be local, they are obviously talking about Catalans only. And Simply put, there aren't enough Catalan players that have the talent to fill a team like Barcelona.

Perhaps there has been more Spanish players than non Spanish players in the team throughout it's history. That is debatable, but it's not my main concern. What IS a fact is that the HEART of the team has always been foreign. Look through any list of Barca legends, and you'll find that the non locals are what have given us our successes. Hell, the same is even true for Managers.

Perhaps some of you are Catalan, but most here are not. Therefore we have even less reason than the Catalans for wanting more locals/less foreigners in the squad. Both groups should count their blessings that we have Puyol and Xavi, two locals that are actually good enough to wear the shirt in the first team. A small amount of deserving Catalans in the team, with a mix of talented foreigners is all I want, that's the way Barca have won most of their trophies.

I don't think we buy too many foreigners, just that over the past 6 or 7 years we have bought badly. Like buying players like Dehu, when similar players like Nesta, Ferdinand or Gallas could have been better. This signing was supposedly important for "opening up larger European markets to Barca". If that's the motivation behind a signing, why didn't we buy Beckham, or Nakata, or Ronaldinho, or Fowler, or Campbell, or anyone from the larger TV markets who could also actually play a bit?

Or buying a guy like Christinval, who has since been either ignored totally or shifted in and out of the squad. We seem to have spent a ton of money on a HUGE amount of players who "might" have the potential to be great, or that will be useful squad players. THIS is what the locals are for, to be blunt. the hard workers, the tacklers, the captains of the team. It's probably this that bothers Catalans, we shouyld be buying huge names and backing them up with decent locals, as opposed to buying tons of average players so we get neither the local presence or the star names everyone demands.

[barça]

Originally posted by Atalla
no
notice that of the names you mentioned, only 3 have been regular starters... and some of them have played only 3 or four matches TOPS......
no one is saying that we need to adopt Bibao's policy, but at the same time, 3/11 starters who are domestic? and you still think that we don't have too many foreigners? we have 12 or more in a team oh 11 plus 7 on the bench during matches...
are you kidding?

I don't totally agree with your post, if you look at the big teams today you see almost the same mix. Before they got hurt, we also had Fernando Navarro and Luis Enrique, plus Mendieta was a consistent starter and I expect him to be starting again under Antic. Remember that before he angered Van Gaal, we also had Victor Valdes at goal.

Look at Real Madrid and you see, Casillas, Raul, Helguera, Hierro and Salgado and of those, only two came from their lower division teams

Look at Valencia and you see the same, look at Depor and you see the same.

Where I agree, is the importance of catalans and FC Barcelona to catalans. Never under estimate this. Never. This is why they say "Son mes que un club" and it is. Is life, is religion, is pride. Barcelona teaches all its players catalan, so that they begin to understand the culture.

I tell you, is one of the reasons why I fell in love with their "country" and will always be. I am catalan in my heart.

[funky6]

We most are.

Vésca Catalynia

[BLAUGRANA]

Originally posted by VivaBarcaInter




Perhaps some of you are Catalan, but most here are not.

I'm not Catalan, but I'd prefer as many Catalans in the squad as possible. HOWEVER, I wouldn't want it to affect the quality of our side and restrict us from getting any foreigners. I think in terms of Catalans in the side, we always have and always will have some. They keep coming up from the youth ranks and will continue to do so. I'm cool with the situation as it is.

[Olesen10]

I'm not Catalan, but I'd prefer as many Catalans in the squad as possible. HOWEVER, I wouldn't want it to affect the quality of our side and restrict us from getting any foreigners. I think in terms of Catalans in the side, we always have and always will have some. They keep coming up from the youth ranks and will continue to do so. I'm cool with the situation as it is.
Agreed.
We've got about 5 Catalans, and a good mix of foreigners so we should be able to also get reinforcements from the youth teams which I think is very good!

[Atalla]

you all got what you demanded, Joan Gespart's head......
he resigns as of march 1

[Atalla]

Azul, i did say that the likes of valdes and navarro have started for the club at one time or another......
so yes, i did acknowledge that

but i don't insist on only catalans, we need more spainiards.....

madrid also have guti, and morientes, who were key players in the squad...

Valencia are loaded up on spainiards.... they have very few foreign players in the squad, killy gonzales, Ayala, and Aimar come to mind, but baraja, canizares, et al, are all spainiards.....

similary with dep. with the likes of scaloni, Naybet, and so on and so forth, the foreign squad is not exhaustive.. not to the extent that exists in Barca...... tristan, luque, molina, valeron, etc.. etc..

and let's not neglect several other teams, even in Europe, juve are stacked up on italians, they have a midfield on foriegners, but di vaio, del peiro and their entire defensive lineup is composed of italian players.........
so it is always healthy to utilize players of the nation for which you represet!

i guess i came to my senses when i was drafting a dream team for barca, and when i showed it to a few people, they all asked me the same thing..... where are the spanish players.....
it could be argued that Cruyff's success was dependent on the number of spainiards he had in the squad, mixed with the small amount of foreign talent.....

and yes, the club has always been symbolized by foriegn players, Romario, Stoichkov, Laudrup, Maradona, Cruyff, Koeman, Shuster, and so on and so forth, but it's always had a heart, or an engine that was a spainiard.....: pep, Zubizareta, Amor, etc.. etc..

[barça]

Atalla:

You made me do some homework, because your post is not accurate and you have perception that Barcelona is all foreingners. First you say that most of the Spanish players in our team are on bench players, I gave you a line up of 7/11 Spanish/total. You also say, look at Madrid, they also have Guti and Moro, well I did and I can't rememeber that last time they were not on the bench.

Valencia on their last game they had: 7 non Spanish on the starting line up.

Deportivo last game: 6 non Spanish on their starting line up.

Inter: I took a look at their games, their average is 6 to 7 non Italians.

After looking at that I stopped the homework.

You have the wrong perception.

[Atalla]

ok, wait, you are basing your assumption on their last matches!

but you have to consider the fact that you are not considering all season long.

but i will hang on to your argument:

Valencia utilized all 6 of their non- Spainiards in their last match
a comparison:
barca has 4 argentinians......
5 dutchmen
that's already 9..... on most matchdays, if Rochemback and motta are playing that's a total of 11

compare that to 6 non spainiards, IN THE entire valencia squad

Inter Milan, i'll give you credit for them, defenitely more foriegners than Italians, but then again, they haven't won the Scuddetto in 13? years.....

A.C. Milan also have been full of non italians, but the core of their defence, and some of their most prominent players are: Maldidi, Nesta, Pipo, Pirlo, gattuso, etc.. etc..
so i think there is a sort of difference

Deportivo similarly may have several non spainiards, and they do rely on them quite a lot..... but not to the extent that barca does....

I AM NOT, i REPEAT, NOT saying that barca need to export foriegners and not rely on them... what i am saying is that barca have broken the limit in terms of how many starting players are from the same nationality as the team itself...

i am sorry, but 9 players of 11 on the pitch, on a regular basis who are foriegn, is too much.

let's face it, to a dutchman or an argentine, lifting the spanish trophy is not as important as it is to a spainiard (relatively speaking)

and as for guti and moro i did say that they WERE prominent members of the squad.

[barça]

Originally posted by Atalla
ok, wait, you are basing your assumption on their last matches!

When would I have to base it on???? Years ago?? I am basing in on their last games and their squad.

Originally posted by Atalla
but you have to consider the fact that you are not considering all season long.

but i will hang on to your argument:

Valencia utilized all 6 of their non- Spainiards in their last match
a comparison:
barca has 4 argentinians......
5 dutchmen
that's already 9..... on most matchdays, if Rochemback and motta are playing that's a total of 11 compare that to 6 non spainiards, IN THE entire valencia squad

Valencia has 11 non-Spaniards on their squad. Not 6, and they start 6 or 7

Originally posted by Atalla
Inter Milan, i'll give you credit for them, defenitely more foriegners than Italians, but then again, they haven't won the Scuddetto in 13? years.....

A.C. Milan also have been full of non italians, but the core of their defence, and some of their most prominent players are: Maldidi, Nesta, Pipo, Pirlo, gattuso, etc.. etc..
so i think there is a sort of difference

Their core defense is Nesta (recently aquired and Maldini, but the outside is Roque Junior and Kaladze. Milan is also Rui Costa, Rivaldo, Scheve, Dida, Seedorf. Last week saw a retunr o Redondo and you will see a lot more of him.

Originally posted by Atalla
Deportivo similarly may have several non spainiards, and they do rely on them quite a lot..... but not to the extent that barca does....

No?, Mauro Silva, McKaay, Naybet, Duscher, Acuna, Scaloni, Donato.

Originally posted by Atalla
I AM NOT, i REPEAT, NOT saying that barca need to export foriegners and not rely on them... what i am saying is that barca have broken the limit in terms of how many starting players are from the same nationality as the team itself...

i am sorry, but 9 players of 11 on the pitch, on a regular basis who are foriegn, is too much.

Regular basis? I went back and counted their lat games and they have never had 9 non-Spaniards on their starting line-up.

Originally posted by Atalla
Let's face it, to a dutchman or an argentine, lifting the spanish trophy is not as important as it is to a spainiard (relatively speaking)

If Barcelona lifts the Cup, it will be lifted by Puyol or Luis Enrique. I am sure that Aimar enjoyed the Cup more than Salva Ballesta.

Originally posted by Atalla
and as for guti and moro i did say that they WERE prominent members of the squad.

Indeed they were, not longer so, replaced by Foreing players.

Get the facts right, you have the wrong perception about other teams. They depend on foreign players just as much.

[Atalla]

i am going to asses the sqaud in detail, according to the players and nationalities, maybe when i put it in print, you guys will see what i am trying to say clearly:

this is the barcelona roster

GOALKEEPERS
Roberto Bonano (argentinian)
Robert Enke (German)
Victor valdes (Spanish) demoted, but i will include him

DEFENDERS
Patrik Andersson (Swedish)
Phillipe Christanval (French)
Frank De Boer (dutch)
Carles Puyol (spanish)
Micheal Reizeger (dutch)
Fernando (spanish)
Sorin (argentinian)
(i will not include Olguer due to the fact that he has played once and was only included due to backup purposes)

MIDFIELDERS
Philip Cocu (Dutch)
Gabri (spanish)
Gerrard (spanish)
Iniesta (spanish)
luis Erique (spanish)
Gaizka Mendieta (spanish)
Thiago motta (brazilian/Italian)
Riquelme (argentinian)
Fabio Rochemback (Brazilian)
Xavi (spanish)

FORWARDS
Dani (spanish)
Geovanni (Brazilian)
Kluivert (Dutch)
Overmars (dutch)
Saviola (argentinian)

that sums it up in a nutshel
breakdown:
1/3 goalkeepers is Spanish (33 %)
2/7 Defenders are Spanish (28.6 %)
6/10 midfielders are Spanish (60 %)
1/5 forwards is Spanish (20 %)

the only area where there is a large amount of spainiards in the squad are spanish is the midfield... and unfortunately, 3 are considered to be starters......
40 % of our squad is composed of Spainiards, in a spanish team.......

compare that ratio to Valencia
3/3 goalkeepers are spanish (100 %)
4/9 defenders are spanish (44 %)
5/7 midfielders are spanish (71.5 %)
3/5 forwards are spanish (60 %)

62.5 % of the valencia squad is composed of spainiards.......

compare that to deportivo
3/3 goalkeepers are spanish (100 %)
7/11 Defenders are spanish (63.4 %)
8/12 midfielders are spanish (66.7 %)
3/6 forwards are spanish (50 %)
notice that all the ratios are equal to or above 50 %

Deportivo la Coruna boasts 65.6 % of it's sqaud to be Spainiards.

and finally, Real Madrid
2/2 Goalkeepers are spanish (100 %)
5/7 defenders are Spainiards (71.5 %)
3/11 midfielders are spanish (27.7 %)
5/6 forwards are spanish (83.3 %)

in total, 58 percent of the real Madrid Squad are Spainiards

so even when you consider the ratio of players, barca have the lowest percentage of spainiards in it's main sqaud... 40 %, compared to the other teams, i think it sums up my point quite nicely
if you want me to list the players of the other teams, i shall do so, post me a message and i will.....
this is doing you homework, mate.......
:)

[barça]

Man, I said my peace.

You continue to post wrong information and change it on the next post or I and other have shown you otherwise and you still continue.

Examples:

"Valencia has 6 non-Spaniards" then you post a roster of 9, well they actually have 11, get an updated roster.

"Barcelona plays a regular basis with 9 non-Spaniards" I showed you that is not true.

"Inter and Milan are full of Italians on their core" Again, proven otherwise.

"I am talking about starters" Then you change it to full roster and bench players.

Is the same crap.

I have added to this enough. You have the wrong perception, use the wrong facts and this topic has gone long enough.

See you in other topics.

[Atalla]

ok, ok, just don't quote me to suit your purposes, in one post, i was discussing starters, in another, i was discussing how many players start for barca, and in those posts, i quoted an approximation of how many Valencia or Depor players i thought are on the team.....

the rosters i posted are as of Feb 2. 2003
so i don't think much has changed since then

i don't see how you have disproven inter and milan have no italian players in their core

and i changed it to full roster to prove a point on how many spainiards exist in our beloved team.

so say what you want, but don't misquote me....
thanks

[BLAUGRANA]

I think barca's summed things up for me pretty nicely, thanks. HOWEVER, in terms of Inter not having enough of a core of Italians, i'd have to disagree. When the entire Inter squad is healthy, Toldo, Cannavaro, C Zanetti, Coco and Vieri are all starters. Then, if you consider Materazzi and Di Biagio have a pretty good chance of starting as well, you have a majority of Italians. Either way, the backbone of Inter is Italian (Toldo, Cannavaro, C Zanetti, Vieiri).

[Atalla]

oh well........ i tried to make my point, :)
either way, i'm gonna get off this issue now......
so on a lighter note, WHOSE WITH GESPART LEAVINg?

to tell you the truth, i dunno..... i was sorta upset at LVG leaving, cause it represented the fact that the club is in a hole.
but now that gespart is resigning, it seems to me as though the club is sending out a clear message: WE ARE SCreWED....

we have lost a manager, and a president in 2 months...
this must be the lowest point in Barcelona's history

[barça]

It is the lowest point in the history, no doubt. And that is why LVG and Gaspart needed to go. Fact is that Barcelona has never been this low this far into the season. The sooner Gaspart left, the sooner it can get better. Not the other way around, Gaspart was not making the team better, but worse.

Plus, he was an embarrasing President to all of us cules at heart.

His comments and his decisions, will not be missed.

Barcelona needed healing, it is now officially starting.

[Atalla]

while you are 100 % correct, the healing process will only begin if barca gets the right people in the right places........
we need a strong president who has had expeirence with the club, and has to have the ability to make good judgements and a good scout for that matter........
he also must come without a player wish list, and has to understand that he is above the manager, and not vice versa, and us such, veto any deals that he believes will harm the club as opposed to strengthen it.......

[funky6]

Atalla i don't understand your mixed feelings at all.

It's like knowing someone is sick but don't want the therapy to begin cause it officially means he's sick.The sooner the better ofcourse.

[funky6]

barça
Barcelona needed healing, it is now officially starting.

Excactly! and it wasn't an illness it was heart disease atleast.

the Burning Phoenix comes on mind
the Barcelona phoenix :D

lol

[Atalla]

Originally posted by funky6
Atalla i don't understand your mixed feelings at all.

It's like knowing someone is sick but don't want the therapy to begin cause it officially means he's sick.The sooner the better ofcourse.

lol, sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
me being overyly depressed over barca, try not to make it happen again.......

i really do have mixed feelings, but i was hoping that this wouldn't happen.......
barca deserves better.........
lol

[barça]

I heard a nice interview with Luis Enrique today, where he lamented the situation of the club, but mentioned that the team was feeling better after the game this weekend.

He also practiced today with the team for the first time in a while. He should be back soon.

[Atalla]

he'd be of great help to the team.......

i don't think that it's just a coincidence, that our season started going to hell as soon as he was injured........

[zephys]

Originally posted by Atalla


i don't think that it's just a coincidence, that our season started going to hell as soon as he was injured........

so you're saying you're a 1 man team then?

[soccer fanatic]

Originally posted by zephys
so you're saying you're a 1 man team then?

He is a key player. Every team has one and should have atleast one.

[rshepherd1000]

FDB could leave at end of the season (http://www.planetfootball.com/article.asp?id=132033&Title=De+Boer+fancies+Dutch+return)

[BLAUGRANA]

Originally posted by Atalla
while you are 100 % correct, the healing process will only begin if barca gets the right people in the right places........
we need a strong president who has had expeirence with the club, and has to have the ability to make good judgements and a good scout for that matter........
he also must come without a player wish list, and has to understand that he is above the manager, and not vice versa, and us such, veto any deals that he believes will harm the club as opposed to strengthen it.......

I agree, we do need the right people. One of you mentioned in another thread that it should be someone who loves the club. Well, Gaspart loved the club. He was a ticket holder since the age of 8. He was a huge Barca fan. I met some guys from Spain a year ago through my job, and when I told them I didn't like Gaspart, they told me that he was a huge Barca fan. Maybe we need someone who isn't ruled by their heart though. Someone who will make the best decisions for the club regardless of the past.

As for the president being above the manager Atalla, you're right. Were referring to any situation/manager in particular? HOWEVER, I disagree with the president vetoing any deals that he thinks will harm the club. I don't like the idea of the president deciding who to bring and then the manager having to deal with the players that he didn't necessarily ask for or want. The manager's list for players to bring in should be considered over anyone else's at the club.

[Atalla]

Originally posted by AZULGRANA
I agree, we do need the right people. One of you mentioned in another thread that it should be someone who loves the club. Well, Gaspart loved the club. He was a ticket holder since the age of 8. He was a huge Barca fan. I met some guys from Spain a year ago through my job, and when I told them I didn't like Gaspart, they told me that he was a huge Barca fan. Maybe we need someone who isn't ruled by their heart though. Someone who will make the best decisions for the club regardless of the past.

As for the president being above the manager Atalla, you're right. Were referring to any situation/manager in particular? HOWEVER, I disagree with the president vetoing any deals that he thinks will harm the club. I don't like the idea of the president deciding who to bring and then the manager having to deal with the players that he didn't necessarily ask for or want. The manager's list for players to bring in should be considered over anyone else's at the club.


i did not fully understand your disagreement on the president vetoing any deals, but my point is that the pres. should be able to tell the manager that enough is enough, when the manager wants to get rid of the entire squad.... (I.e LVG) lol

the squad must remain intact for the purposes of morale, and barca has made a big mistake in selling some players to abraod, such as Anderson, Simao, and several others whose names we all know, (rivaldo comes to mind) LOL

the pres. should be strong enough to say NO, when a valuable player may be sold to ease the whims of a manager....

[BLAUGRANA]

Originally posted by Atalla
i did not fully understand your disagreement on the president vetoing any deals, but my point is that the pres. should be able to tell the manager that enough is enough, when the manager wants to get rid of the entire squad.... (I.e LVG) lol

the squad must remain intact for the purposes of morale, and barca has made a big mistake in selling some players to abraod, such as Anderson, Simao, and several others whose names we all know, (rivaldo comes to mind) LOL

the pres. should be strong enough to say NO, when a valuable player may be sold to ease the whims of a manager....

I thought you meant more in terms of buying players. I think some of our sales have been mistakes. I never really thought about the Anderson sale, but I guess I would consider that one a mistake considering our strikers after he left. At the time though, he was a bit surplus to requirements. We got good money for him, but then Lyon made a wise investment consider their return. For me, selling Simao was a huge mistake. Also, it was LVG who brought him in, yet he was sold after LVG left. Can't blame LVG for that one. Rivaldo for me wasn't a mistake. We've save $6 million + on his salary for this year and he was going to leave this coming summer when his contract expired. As for LVG wanting to get rid of the entire squad, I don't think he wanted to do that. I was hoping he'd do a major overhaul this past summer, but he didn't.

Yes the president should step in the case you mention, but I think that the case would have to be pretty plainly obvious. If that were so, then the manager probably wouldn't be selling him in the first place.

[Atalla]

Originally posted by AZULGRANA
I thought you meant more in terms of buying players. I think some of our sales have been mistakes. I never really thought about the Anderson sale, but I guess I would consider that one a mistake considering our strikers after he left. At the time though, he was a bit surplus to requirements. We got good money for him, but then Lyon made a wise investment consider their return. For me, selling Simao was a huge mistake. Also, it was LVG who brought him in, yet he was sold after LVG left. Can't blame LVG for that one. Rivaldo for me wasn't a mistake. We've save $6 million + on his salary for this year and he was going to leave this coming summer when his contract expired. As for LVG wanting to get rid of the entire squad, I don't think he wanted to do that. I was hoping he'd do a major overhaul this past summer, but he didn't.

Yes the president should step in the case you mention, but I think that the case would have to be pretty plainly obvious. If that were so, then the manager probably wouldn't be selling him in the first place.

if that was your case, then i agree,

but i still feel that rivaldo could have been sold, as opposed to given away.......

i really feel that we could have made 15 million euros from his sale, to the benefit of purchasing someone new, as opposed to let him go.....

anyway, rivaldo is a sensetive issue, and a lot of people would disagree with me, and some would agree.....
i dunno.... but i agree with you on the terms of the presidnet's role.....

sometimes, though, some sales are not really obvious.....
and some players bare fruit only after they are gone........

[Juan]

Originally posted by Atalla
if that was your case, then i agree,

but i still feel that rivaldo could have been sold, as opposed to given away.......

i really feel that we could have made 15 million euros from his sale, to the benefit of purchasing someone new, as opposed to let him go.....

anyway, rivaldo is a sensetive issue, and a lot of people would disagree with me, and some would agree.....
i dunno.... but i agree with you on the terms of the presidnet's role.....

sometimes, though, some sales are not really obvious.....
and some players bare fruit only after they are gone........

With Rivo´s ridiculously high wages at Barça, and the transfer fee involved which would also be astronomical, few were willing to take him in.

[BLAUGRANA]

Rivaldo had already gone public about not wanting to stay with Barca, so I doubt anyone would have been willing to pay anywhere near 15 million euros. That coupled with the fact he wouldn't agree to any transfers. Hell, he refused to even meet with Lazio's representatives.

[barça]

Cocu is out for two months, he suffered a ligament tear in his knee and is out.

So the questions is what would you do?

I think that Antic will play Gabri in his place in La Liga and possibly Rochemback in the CL. I am not sure about the CL, I have to think about a little more.

For now, I am going to cry.:(

[FC Barca11]

Originally posted by barça
Cocu is out for two months, he suffered a ligament tear in his knee and is out.

So the questions is what would you do?

I think that Antic will play Gabri in his place in La Liga and possibly Rochemback in the CL. I am not sure about the CL, I have to think about a little more.

For now, I am going to cry.:(

Why is it that anytime we ever get anything right or start something going, bad things always hamper our progress???? :sad: :sad:

[BLAUGRANA]

Cocu's loss is lamentable, but I think it could be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps JRR will got more games and show us what he's got. Or, Rochemback could step in and perhaps do the same. We've got depth in midfield and we should be able to bare this one.

[Shady]

Originally posted by BLAUGRANA
Cocu's loss is lamtable, but I think it could be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps JRR will got more games and show us what he's got. Or, Rochemback could step in and perhaps do the same. We've got depth in midfield and we should be able to bare this one.

i agree with you Zul. i think it will be a good rehersal for the next season. we will be able to evaluate if there is someone in our squad who can fill Cocu's place. if not then we will have to get someone to replace him through a transfer. also it will be easier to convince Cocu to take a salary cut. however i am so sad to loose a player like Cocu when we needed him most.

[VivaBarcaInter]

We have Rochemback, who can do just as good a job. And perhaps Mendieta can move into the middle, it would help him influence the attack more.

The bigger problem is that Puyol is supposed to be out for a few weeks.

[J R R]

i heard puyol could be out for a month:eek:

[Olesen10]

i heard puyol could be out for a month
He is :(
He broke a bone in his face, and with Cocu out too, we're probably going to try some new defenses.

[FC Barca11]

Originally posted by Olesen10
He is :(
He broke a bone in his face, and with Cocu out too, we're probably going to try some new defenses.


Whats the status of Andersson? Has he made a full recovery and is he back to match fitness?

[Olesen10]

Whats the status of Andersson? Has he made a full recovery and is he back to match fitness?
Andersson is back from his injury, but he's got a cold, so he's out for the match against Osasuna...

[Olesen10]

Oh, and so are Lucho and Kluivert.

[Shady]

i havent seen the osasuna game. can someone kindly analise how our squad were as a team and as players? how did Antic solve the injuries problem and did it work good for him?

[barça]

Shady, I just posted a little on the La Liga thread, I will add the line ups and the tactics there as well.

[BLAUGRANA]

Just so none of us forget, we're going to lose a lot of players from this season's current squad this coming summer. The options to buy Mendieta and Sorin will most likely not be taken, especially Mendigol's. Also, Cocu and FDB can leave on Bosman's. We could get them to renew, but I've not heard anything about this. With our lack of funds, I wonder if some of the B team will graduate.

[Olesen10]

Just so none of us forget, we're going to lose a lot of players from this season's current squad this coming summer. The options to buy Mendieta and Sorin will most likely not be taken, especially Mendigol's. Also, Cocu and FDB can leave on Bosman's. We could get them to renew, but I've not heard anything about this. With our lack of funds, I wonder if some of the B team will graduate.
I wouldn't let neither Mendigol or Sorin go. Mendieta has shown that he can play well after all, and Sorin seemed to be the man to make our defense that bit better.
I'd also hate to see Cocu and FDB go, as the two Dutches has been just fine 2003. FDB was not that good in 2002, but he's made a comeback in 03, and that's nice! Cocu always works hard and he also scores sometimes. I like him. But in the end, it would also be nice to have some of the B players join the A team, so we could have more Catalans to wear the shirt.

[BLAUGRANA]

Originally posted by Olesen10
I wouldn't let neither Mendigol or Sorin go. Mendieta has shown that he can play well after all, and Sorin seemed to be the man to make our defense that bit better.
I'd also hate to see Cocu and FDB go, as the two Dutches has been just fine 2003. FDB was not that good in 2002, but he's made a comeback in 03, and that's nice! Cocu always works hard and he also scores sometimes. I like him. But in the end, it would also be nice to have some of the B players join the A team, so we could have more Catalans to wear the shirt.

Keeping Cocu and FDB will be much easier than the other two. Barca don't have money and Mendieta will be expensive, as will Sorin.

[Veritas]

Originally posted by BLAUGRANA
Keeping Cocu and FDB will be much easier than the other two. Barca don't have money and Mendieta will be expensive, as will Sorin.

I don't think that Sorin would that much expensive, but Mendi definitely will.

As for keeping Cocu and FDB, you're right, it'll be much easier to keep them in, but shall we do it?? I don't know.... FDB is playing fantastic now, but just 1 month ago he has been playing awfull.
Cocu is good enough and in case we won't have enough financial resources in summer, we should keep him. But it's obvious that there are better defensive midfilders on the market, who could replace Cocu if we have enough money.
Anyway that is something we have to think about.

[Shady]

i think we have to sign sorin. we shouldnt sign medieta at this high price. he didnt prove that he deserves the money lazio requested. we should renew for cocu and FDB only if they accepted a salary cut.

[soccer fanatic]

I would let FDB go, and keep Cocu, and use funds available too first get in a good defender. first make stronger what is the weakest.

[Veritas]

Originally posted by soccer fanatic
I would let FDB go, and keep Cocu, and use funds available too first get in a good defender. first make stronger what is the weakest.

Well again if FDB keep playing the way he played recent matches then he is the one we need, but.... he is soooooooo unstable that I'm not sure we should keep him.
As for Sorin, he seems to be the one we need and I'm 100% sure that we should sign him.

[BLAUGRANA]

Originally posted by Veritas
I don't think that Sorin would that much expensive, but Mendi definitely will.



Yeah, Sorin probably would be pretty reasonably priced. Anyone have any idea of his current valuation?

[Shady]

Originally posted by BLAUGRANA
Yeah, Sorin probably would be pretty reasonably priced. Anyone have any idea of his current valuation?

his price is so reasonable. barca has an option to sign him on a four-year contract for 8 million euros.

[Veritas]

Originally posted by Shady
his price is so reasonable. barca has an option to sign him on a four-year contract for 8 million euros.

Nice price :)
Btw does anyone know how old is he?
But again 2 million per year neither cheap nor expensive, it's quite normal.

[BLAUGRANA]

That sounds like his wages to me. I was asking what his transfer fee would be.

[J R R]

sorin is 26

barca should definatly keep him
id keep cocu but let FDB go i know hes playing well right now but it wont last;) as for mendieta he is too expensive

[J R R]

Originally posted by BLAUGRANA
That sounds like his wages to me. I was asking what his transfer fee would be.

cruziero wanted about $9m for him when he originally went to
lazio

but he will be cheaper than mendieta

[barça]

I would be shocked if Barcelona doesn't keep Sorin. He has been great.

[BLAUGRANA]

I'd guess we could get Sorin for less than $9 million. Any idea if there was a price tied to the loan deal?

[Veritas]

Price is reasonable. We should buy him ;)
Barca I would also be shocked if we don't keep him :mad:

[barça]

From the teams web site, the press conference with JRR:

Midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme, who started the last two games against Osasuna and Lorca, is convinced that an extended run in the first team is what he needs to improve his game.

Making a plea for continuity in the team he said, "I'll get better and better".

Asked about Radomir Antic's disciplinary code, the Argentine international assured reporters that his relationship with the manager was the same as the other players. He also emphasized that Barca had grown in confidence under the new manager. "Any team gets a boost when you win two matches on the trot".

The manager has gone on record as saying that he expected more from Riquelme. The player told reporters that far from intimidating him, these declarations had encouraged him. "I'm very happy that he expects so much of me".

Riquelme repeated that he will only know if he has adapted or not when he has had an extended run in the team. As for the criticism he has received from some people he said, "I know I'm not going to please everyone. Only one player has had universal acclaim, and that was Diego Armando Maradona, and fortunately for us he is Argentinean. But if I can help Barca win matches, I'll be happy".

[hollowi]

It's true that Riquelme hasn't had very much time on the field and the time given is practically never in starting XI. Surely Motta and Rochemback do not hold even half the quality that Riquelme does. Especially playing Rochemback has been waste of the quality squad like Romy and Mendieta. Rochemback doesn't have the talent he needs to play in a team like Barça, so why don't they sell him?

And for Mendieta, his £6M wages a year are pretty high (6M a year = 500k a month, that's €750k per month... I admire Mendieta and he'd be great addition to the squad but he's not that good! The wage should be halved, he'll never get that much anywhere.)

Sorin for £5M is a perfect deal, it'd be foolish not to keep him. He's not as delusional as Mendigol about his wage. £1.5M a season is good wage - quarter of that of Mendieta's!

Outside the squad, Tristan should be available at around £10M (~€15M). Buy him and sell Kluivert. Kluivert is surely worth £15M to £20M if we'd sell him to England (ie ManU). I think that he'd play quite well with RVN.

Only thing we need is to have the best of our squad actually playing - not on the bench while (imo) b-teamer Rochemback and Motta, who's at best a sub. These guys do not score, they don't create great chances for our attackers and the worst, Rochemback can't run to the opponent's end - he breaks down in the halfway. Rochemback to Barca B so he can play his own level and Motta to the bench. Bring out Mendieta, Xavi, Lucho, Riquelme and Overmars! Prolly Mendieta or Riquelme starting on the bench, hopefully Mendieta because Riquelme is our future star, Mendieta will be long gone before next season unless he is willing to cut his wage into half.

[BLAUGRANA]

This from the club's official website:


29, MAR 03 13:00

Saviola, more than just a footballer


Javier Saviola has made a great impact since his arrival at the club, not just for his abilities as a player, but also on a purely human level.

In this exclusive interview the young Argentinean talks to fcbarcelona.com about his family, fitting in in Catalonia and what it's like to be a star.

How do you and your fellow Argentineans view the economic crisis in your country from a European perspective?

It's a very difficult thing. We all have family and friends back home and they are going through a tough time. We are living the situation as Argentineans who love our country and its people.

Do you all get together outside of football?

Sometimes we do, but it's also true that we all have our own families here. Bonano , for example, spends as much time as he possibly can with his wife and kids. We all have different ways of life, but we do get together as Argentineans occasionally.

Have you found it easy to make friends in Barcelona?

Yes, I've made quite a few, there are a lot of good people in the city. I have to say that I divide my free time between my mother, my friends from here and my Argentinean friends.

How do you keep in contact with your mates in Argentina?

It depends. I talk to some of them on the phone and others on the computer. I like to be able to maintain contact with people I've known all my life and I try to ring them a couple of times a week. I have to admit I do miss them at times.

Apart from your friends, what else do you miss about Argentina?

More than anything the family and the people at River Plate, who've been like a second family for me. I also miss my neighbours my barrio there's a lot of things that seem strange to me here. That said, I've always stressed that I'm very happy here and the people here have really helped me feel at home.

So what do you think of Catalonia?

When people ask me this question I never seem able to find the right words to express how well I've been treated here. When you come from another culture and find that everyone here treats you so well, it's easy to fit in. I really couldn't ask for more. I'm not sure why it is, but I feel right at home here. I sometimes find that I hit it off so well with somebody and I'd like to think it's because I always try to be myself.

And how is your Catalan? (Laughs).

Well, I'm having a slight problem at the moment. I'm trying to talk in Catalan with my mates rather than go to class. I find it although language to learn.

Does it help you to fit in having your family with you?

Yes, it's a real plus. Since I came here, I've been living with my mum and I always knew I wanted her here with me. It's important for us both because we were both in a difficult moment. Being together is the best thing for us.

How do you deal with being famous?

Okay. I can walk in the street in most places without people bothering me. There are times when it gets a bit difficult because people her are real fanatics about Barca and they really suffer with the team. You have to know where you can go with confidence but I always try and behave like anybody else and do what I enjoy.

Finally, what's your opinion about the war against Irak?

Like many people, I think it's absurd. The saddest thing is that so many innocent people have to die, when they could have their whole lives ahead of them.

[Atalla]

a lot of news: but not enough opinion!!!!!!!!

i guess Mendi leaving the squad will be for the best, unless he can step up his performances. everybody is doing exceptionally well except for him, he's a lost soul on the pitch...

it has now been guaranteed that he will not remain in Barca. and will be offloaded

[BLAUGRANA]

Originally posted by Atalla
a lot of news: but not enough opinion!!!!!!!!

i guess Mendi leaving the squad will be for the best, unless he can step up his performances. everybody is doing exceptionally well except for him, he's a lost soul on the pitch...

it has now been guaranteed that he will not remain in Barca. and will be offloaded

You're free to express your opinion and get the discussion started. I know you're capable of that. ;)

I hope we let Mendigol go. He isn't anywhere near being worth what he'd cost. Even if we got him on a free, there'd be his wage which I'm sure is pretty high since moving to Lazio.

[Olesen10]

You're free to express your opinion and get the discussion started. I know you're capable of that. ;)

I hope we let Mendigol go. He isn't anywhere near being worth what he'd cost. Even if we got him on a free, there'd be his wage which I'm sure is pretty high since moving to Lazio.
Well, hello guys!
Long time, no see! Boy am I glad to be back.

Sorry, I didn't have the time to read all the posts in this thread, but here are some of my opinions:

Sad thing de Boer is leaving us IMO. Even though he's been less than good this season, I still think he's been one of the best defenders, along with Puyol of course.

Regarding our new Dutch (not really any surprise;)) coach Frank Rijkaard, he seems to be one of the more attacking managers, and that's good I think. I think assistent-coach will be Marco van Basten, the Dutch (okay, are we in love with Holland? :silly: ) legend who played along side with Rijkaard back in the old Milan-days. That also sounds fine of you ask me, as van Basten also stands for attacking football.

Oh, and back when the WSB still was running in the old blue look, I remember a lot of you guys wanting Rüstu Recber. Well there you have him! :) Finally we can solve our keeper problem. The only sad thing is, that young Victor´ Valdes may not get as much experience as we might wish.

That was my post! It's good to be back.