La Liga Thread

[FORZA_PIRLO]

Come here and talk about Barcelona's results in the Spanish La Liga and CL.

[FORZA_PIRLO]

4-1 win over Zaragoza!! well done Barca

[ItalianBoy]

Hey Forza, as the mods of the Barcelona forum, I suggest we make it clean and cool looking and active. I suggest that we rename this thread: Official Barcelona Liga Thread. And then we make other official threads for the other competitions. Let me know. We also need to close some threads and so forth. :)

Great game over Zaragoza. I feel this will be our year! :D

[RonaldoD08]

However, we are only 7 points behind and you still have to come to Bernabeo. :ronaldo: :evil: :evil:

[ItalianBoy]

You want another 3-0? :D

[RonaldoD08]

You want another 3-0? :D

we will see that... :mad2: :silly:

[RonaldoD08]

Not the best start for Barcs in CL. You shouldn't have given them any goals...
I see trouble coming...

[Ivan7637]

Good News barca fans!!! Chelsea lost to Barca 2-1.. :ronaldo:

it should have been 5-0 because barca had so many chances the game was beauitiful to watch...especially the fact that you guys dominated the whole game and didn't let chelsea get one shot at goal..the one goal they scored was an own goal and i thought the game was over but then barca started dominating and bam bam two goals for the win ;)

I just saw this on the TV...

Barca Shots: 34 :evil:

Chelsea Shots: 2 :dead:

Barca Shots on Goal:13

Chelsea Shots at goal: 0...hahahahahahah wow.. :scream:

I hate Chelsea so this is good news to me and i like barca so good game u guys even though u should have killed them.. :D

[ItalianBoy]

We should have a CL only thread for Barcelona. We totally shut them down. Mourinho that sore loser! MAXI BABY I TOLD YOU! :rolling:

[Nuaro]

Giuly in,Marquez out.I hope Gerard plays in this tie.Albertini so far hasnt convinced me eversince i saw the Numancia-Barca game.Go Barca!

[bollox]

We should have a CL only thread for Barcelona. We totally shut them down. Mourinho that sore loser! MAXI BABY I TOLD YOU! :rolling:


4-2 hahahahahahahahaha


oh

and


hahahahaha

you lost suckers!

[Nuaro]

Great match.But what happened to Puyol-Oleguer? That was a poor performance on their part.And Carvalho is a cheat,he blocked Valdes path!! And to Barca,keep it real.This might be a blessing in disguise for us to win the league title.Forca Barca!!!

PS: Ancelotti,if your AC Milan team were ever to meet chelsea.Please beat the hell out of them!

[RonaldoD08]

Great match.But what happened to Puyol-Oleguer? That was a poor performance on their part.And Carvalho is a cheat,he blocked Valdes path!! And to Barca,keep it real.This might be a blessing in disguise for us to win the league title.Forca Barca!!!

PS: Ancelotti,if your AC Milan team were ever to meet chelsea.Please beat the hell out of them!

Watch these disguised blessings cause nobody said that you will win the league...lol :D
We are right behind you...:evil:

[Nuaro]

Suckers? The Chelsea actually sucked when we controlled most of the possession.We could've wrap up the game when eto'o missed the chance.Mourinho's tactic's is the very anthesis of total football.

[bollox]

Great match.But what happened to Puyol-Oleguer? That was a poor performance on their part.And Carvalho is a cheat,he blocked Valdes path!! And to Barca,keep it real.This might be a blessing in disguise for us to win the league title.Forca Barca!!!

PS: Ancelotti,if your AC Milan team were ever to meet chelsea.Please beat the hell out of them!


jajjajajajajajaajajajjjaajajaja

barcelona = shit

4-2 u suckers!!!!!!!

fcuk barca - catalan twats!!!!

[bollox]

Suckers? The Chelsea actually sucked when we controlled most of the possession.We could've wrap up the game when eto'o missed the chance.Mourinho's tactic's is the very anthesis of total football.


You guys started this shit by calling Chelsea crap. Well if Chelsea are crap what does that make you guys?


LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOL

C YA suckers.

4-2 Chelsea. Barca out. Whinge all you want Cabron

[Nuaro]

Watch these disguised blessings cause nobody said that you will win the league...lol :D
We are right behind you...:evil:

Yeah sure,8 points behinds. Which is equivalent to 2 wins,2 draws.Boy,that's tough.And lastly,Good luck to your real madrid.The last thing we need in here is a classic Barca-Real argument. Peace.

[RonaldoD08]

Yeah sure,8 points behinds. Which is equivalent to 2 wins,2 draws.Boy,that's tough.And lastly,Good luck to your real madrid.The last thing we need in here is a classic Barca-Real argument. Peace.

actually it is only 5 points cause you forget real winning in bernabeo.
also looking at the way you are playing lately I think it will not be that difficult to get past you prety soon.

PS: I think your players need another visit at that stress clinic they went last week...:D :silly:

[Nuaro]

Alright alright.Barca'll do the talking on pitch in the Bernabeu.

[RonaldoD08]

Alright alright.Barca'll do the talking on pitch in the Bernabeu.

they were suppossed to do the talking in stamford bridge too, but the words didn't come out as they were suppossed to.

[Nuaro]

You guys started this shit by calling Chelsea crap. Well if Chelsea are crap what does that make you guys?


LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOL

C YA suckers.

4-2 Chelsea. Barca out. Whinge all you want Cabron
Nope.We never said Chelsea were crap.Rijkaard & co. respected Chelsea but by seeing the first leg Chelsea game.He said Espanyol is better than Chelsea.

[RaulMadrid7]

Listen guys, as much as I hate Barcelona with so much pride I gotta say that they are a better team than Chelsea ONLY because of Ronaldinho. The only reason why Barcelona lost is because the whole suad had been playing non stop in the La Liga campaign to keep infront of Real Madrid who are catching up dangerously. Even though they had most of the ball possesion and almost came back to win it until a goal by Terry, Chelsea had them in the position that they wanted them which was in thier own stadium, had them tired and put them under so much pressure in the first half destroying thier defense by letting in 3 goals and then they just sat back and waited until the goal by Terry which finished it.

All 4 Chelsea goals were by seperate players which shows the immense teamwork that has brought Chelsea so far. Ronaldinho scored both of the Barca goals which once again shows that he is carrying Barca on his back.

Chelsea deserved to win and Ronaldinho had the most magical goal of the game.

ItalianBoy who called Mourinho a sore loser has some thinking to do about who the sore loser is now. :cool: :ronaldo:

[Nuaro]

Listen guys, as much as I hate Barcelona with so much pride I gotta say that they are a better team than Chelsea ONLY because of Ronaldinho. The only reason why Barcelona lost is because the whole suad had been playing non stop in the La Liga campaign to keep infront of Real Madrid who are catching up dangerously. Even though they had most of the ball possesion and almost came back to win it until a goal by Terry, Chelsea had them in the position that they wanted them which was in thier own stadium, had them tired and put them under so much pressure in the first half destroying thier defense by letting in 3 goals and then they just sat back and waited until the goal by Terry which finished it.

All 4 Chelsea goals were by seperate players which shows the immense teamwork that has brought Chelsea so far. Ronaldinho scored both of the Barca goals which once again shows that he is carrying Barca on his back.

Chelsea deserved to win and Ronaldinho had the most magical goal of the game.

ItalianBoy who called Mourinho a sore loser has some thinking to do about who the sore loser is now. :cool: :ronaldo:
A far more reasonable opinion from a Real Marid fan unlike that someone who writes post just to piss people off.But don't get me wrong,I hate still real but yet i respect them.

Although i think we deserved a little bit more when Eto'o missed the golden chance and when iniesta hit the post.But again,fair play to chelsea for putting a great display.Im sure the game is the best so far (in the CL) from a neutral football fan's standpoint.

[RonaldoD08]

A far more reasonable opinion from a Real Marid fan unlike that someone who writes post just to piss people off.But don't get me wrong,I hate still real but yet i respect them.

Although i think we deserved a little bit more when Eto'o missed the golden chance and when iniesta hit the post.But again,fair play to chelsea for putting a great display.Im sure the game is the best so far (in the CL) from a neutral football fan's standpoint.

It was a great game and I really wanted Barcelona to go through, but it didn't happen. Both teams had a bunch of great chances, or better, Ronaldinho and Chelsea had great chances, but it does not always work. Chelsea used their counter attacks at max, unlike Barcelona who slowed the game sometimes.

[lurvthang]

Good News barca fans!!! Chelsea lost to Barca 2-1.. :ronaldo:

it should have been 5-0 because barca had so many chances the game was beauitiful to watch...especially the fact that you guys dominated the whole game and didn't let chelsea get one shot at goal..the one goal they scored was an own goal and i thought the game was over but then barca started dominating and bam bam two goals for the win ;)

I just saw this on the TV...

Barca Shots: 34 :evil:

Chelsea Shots: 2 :dead:

Barca Shots on Goal:13

Chelsea Shots at goal: 0...hahahahahahah wow.. :scream:

I hate Chelsea so this is good news to me and i like barca so good game u guys even though u should have killed them.. :D


Hi you pathetic little creature, you read too much into stats, the 1st leg result was achieved thanks to 10 men Chelsea playing againgst 11 men Barcá + 1 incompetent referee.

ONE FACT
CHELSEA 4 Barcá 2
In English we say: ""HE WHO LAUGHS LAST LAUGHS LOUDEST" HAHAHAHAHAHA

[RonaldoD08]

Hi you pathetic little creature, you read too much into stats, the 1st leg result was achieved thanks to 10 men Chelsea playing againgst 11 men Barcá + 1 incompetent referee.

ONE FACT
CHELSEA 4 Barcá 2
In English we say: ""HE WHO LAUGHS LAST LAUGHS LOUDEST" HAHAHAHAHAHA

You already said this. Stop spaming noiw alright and don't try to pick up a fight. I know CL must be boring now without the spanish teams, but you cannot come here and try to amuse yourself. GO watch Chelsea instead.

[lurvthang]

A far more reasonable opinion from a Real Marid fan unlike that someone who writes post just to piss people off.But don't get me wrong,I hate still real but yet i respect them.

Although i think we deserved a little bit more when Eto'o missed the golden chance and when iniesta hit the post.But again,fair play to chelsea for putting a great display.Im sure the game is the best so far (in the CL) from a neutral football fan's standpoint.


You Barcá fans still miss the point, you remember all your moments but 4get the other teams, did Joe Cole not hit the post too, at end of 1st half?, did Frank Lampard not miss an open chance from 4 meters at still 1-0, come on the only reason it was so close was Chelsea went 3-0 up and took their foot off the accelerator, I would be more worried about what Chelsea exposed about your defence, without even having their best attackers playing on the field.
as to Barcá having a tough La Liga campaign?, oh please The Premership is 10 times harder, they play far more matches and have 2 domestic cups, don't look for excuses.

Read this, to see how you guys are being viewed as true bad losers
http://chelsea.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=884&p=2&stid=8375194

[RonaldoD08]

It was a great game, but Ronaldinho alone played much better than Chelsea as a team.
The same thing happened last night. Ronaldo alone played played much better than Juventus as a team. However, now that the best two teams are out I don't really care what happens in the CL. It's just too boring to watch now...:(

[RonaldoD08]

Chelsea beating Barca and Juve beating Real shows what football has come to. Winning by raw force and referees.
In every Juventus game something has to happen. That's the only way Juventus can win. The thing that sucks is that every game something happens.

[lurvthang]

You already said this. Stop spaming noiw alright and don't try to pick up a fight. I know CL must be boring now without the spanish teams, but you cannot come here and try to amuse yourself. GO watch Chelsea instead.

Hi my friend, I wanna set some records straight, the CL is not gonna be boring, on the contary, it gets more fun, the fact is YOU GUYS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CHELSEA, you believed your own press, saw 10 men Chelsea at Camp Nou and formed an opinion about their overall game, you guys ignored that fact they played 1st leg with a big, big injury list, then had a weak "HOMER" referee to content with.

I like La Liga, but I still maintain you guys dive too much and that will not be missed, you guys are as committed to diving as some nice football you can produce, I think you should concentrate on the latter.

Good luck to Real in La Liga

[lurvthang]

It was a great game, but Ronaldinho alone played much better than Chelsea as a team.
The same thing happened last night. Ronaldo alone played played much better than Juventus as a team. However, now that the best two teams are out I don't really care what happens in the CL. It's just too boring to watch now...:(


My friend come on, I like La Liga over Italian league, but to say Ronaldo was the best player is to insult people like me who play a high level of football, Ronaldo palyed well, but Zlatan was the best player last night, I was rather disappointed that the referee was not harder on some of the fouls from Juve, seemed a bit of a "HOMER REFEREE" Raúl was disappointing, as was Figo.

[RonaldoD08]

My friend come on, I like La Liga over Italian league, but to say Ronaldo was the best player is to insult people like me who play a high level of football, Ronaldo palyed well, but Zlatan was the best player last night, I was rather disappointed that the referee was not harder on some of the fouls from Juve, seemed a bit of a "HOMER REFEREE" Raúl was disappointing, as was Figo.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the guy who missed every shot by 30 m. Even my American friends who saw the game and didn't even know what was going on saw that Zlatan sucks. Actually he was the only one they remembered - for sucking the most. His big nose impressed them too.
I didn't expect you to say that. I am really sure now that you didn't even watch the game. Also I don't see how I can offend you - who plays high level football - by saying that Ronaldo played well, the greatest talent in football history since Pele maybe.

[lurvthang]

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the guy who missed every shot by 30 m. Even my American friends who saw the game and didn't even know what was going on saw that Zlatan sucks. Actually he was the only one they remembered - for sucking the most. His big nose impressed them too.
I didn't expect you to say that. I am really sure now that you didn't even watch the game. Also I don't see how I can offend you - who plays high level football - by saying that Ronaldo played well, the greatest talent in football history since Pele maybe.

Hi Ronaldo08, come on your american friend wouldn't know the difference between an Elephant and a donkey, when talking about football or (soccer) as he would say, I was watching the game as a neutral, but with a slight favour towards Real, as I like Real, but the honest truth was they did not deal with Zlatan properly, he was a constant danger too them sure his shooting would make any airplanes flying over Turin take evasive manevoures, but he set up the equalizer, Ronaldo played well too, he needed some support, Raúl seems low on confidents maybe should have tried Ronaldo and Owen earlier.
The game was lost by Mr Bravo, when the cross came over, he just toed the ball forward to invite an easy shot for Zalayeta instead of thumping the ball upfield what was he doing??? Stop looking at things through :rainbow: glasses my friend.

I really hope you win La Liga, by the way I know you may not believe me I am from England and can tell you Jonathon Woodgate is really good it will be worth he is still young, 24 or 25 very classy, the wait for Real fans don't despair, also I can tell you Gravesen is even better than the role he plays now give him more time

[lurvthang]

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the guy who missed every shot by 30 m. Even my American friends who saw the game and didn't even know what was going on saw that Zlatan sucks. Actually he was the only one they remembered - for sucking the most. His big nose impressed them too.
I didn't expect you to say that. I am really sure now that you didn't even watch the game. Also I don't see how I can offend you - who plays high level football - by saying that Ronaldo played well, the greatest talent in football history since Pele maybe.

for your information I was a professional 14-17 years old at Chelsea then suffered a seriously knee injury, doctors said my knee cannot stand professional football so I dropped to semi-professional, now I live in Sweden and coach a youth team here, include scouting for young talent, I KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT

[RonaldoD08]

for your information I was a professional 14-17 years old at Chelsea then suffered a seriously knee injury, doctors said my knee cannot stand professional football so I dropped to semi-professional, now I live in Sweden and coach a youth team here, include scouting for young talent, I KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT

Being a scout you think that Ronaldo is not talented?

[lurvthang]

Being a scout you think that Ronaldo is not talented?

Being a youth team trainer and a scout if you like I say Ronaldo is a class act, however having watched him closely this season at Real there are many qualities that make up a professional footballer, surely you have known that kid near where you live who was amazing with the ball, but never became a pro, WHY?.... cos he was not mentally right, attitude problem, there has been Ronaldos problem, I think he can play much better, I want him to play better, I LOVE RONALDO. But he always leaves me feeling that he isn't giving his 100%, but only 50-60% just enough, and that small amount is enough to see what a class act he is.
BUT THE FACT REMAINS, I THOUGHT ZLATAN WAS BETTER LAST NIGHT, RONALDO PLAYED VERY WELL TOO, BUT ZLATAN PLAYED BETTER.

[RonaldoD08]

Hi Ronaldo08, come on your american friend wouldn't know the difference between an Elephant and a donkey, when talking about football or (soccer) as he would say

It's very funny because I told my friend about this and he says that he is offended.
He has a perfect understanding of the difference between an elephant (republican) and a donkey (democrat). Look at those parties' emblems and you will understand. LOL,LOL,LOL,LOL...:D :D :D

[RaulMadrid7]

RonaldoD08, the reason why larvthang is saying that Zlatan was a better player is because he assisted the goal to Trezeguet, but Ronaldo was playing very well by crossing defenders and runnign forward one time and missing a very very close shot as you would have seen if u watched the game like me.

I myself am a Stockholm born guy "och" ;) I think that Zlatan is a great player and that he actually was playing very well against Real but the truth still showed that no matter how hard he played against the weak Real defense he only managed a assist which shows that he was actually not a better player than Ronaldo because Ronaldo actually took on the whole STRONG Juve defense but came out unfortunate although he had a much better chance of scoring that Zlatan.

Overall it's a little suspicous that the last game which is obviously known to all people who have alot of knowledge about soccer that is the deciding game, was played in the Juventus stadium and won by Juventus not only because of the advantage but the poor play by Real Madrid themselves which I have to admit.

For a trainer and a scout I thought you would know such a simple fact shown in the game, because seriously if you were scouting a striker from that game and if you would have chosen Zlatan over Ronaldo the only reasonable choice for that would be that Ronaldo costs over 60 million and Zlatan has a price tag of 13 million.

It's not going to be very boring watching the CL anymore because AC Milan and Chelsea are quite entertaining if u ask me.

[lurvthang]

It's very funny because I told my friend about this and he says that he is offended.
He has a perfect understanding of the difference between an elephant (republican) and a donkey (democrat). Look at those parties' emblems and you will understand. LOL,LOL,LOL,LOL...:D :D :D


Sorry mate good point, I understand, your point....but I still say you can't trust anybody coming from the UNITED SNAKES OF AMERICA to have a valid opinion on football, when they have a game called american football BUT NOBODY USES THEIR FEET EXCEPT THE KICKER???!!! :confused:

Try and educate him good luck, but don't be disappointed if you fail, cos YOU CAN TAKE A MAN OUT OF THE BUSH, BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE THE BUSH OUT OF THE MAN.

[lurvthang]

RonaldoD08, the reason why larvthang is saying that Zlatan was a better player is because he assisted the goal to Trezeguet, but Ronaldo was playing very well by crossing defenders and runnign forward one time and missing a very very close shot as you would have seen if u watched the game like me.

I myself am a Stockholm born guy "och" ;) I think that Zlatan is a great player and that he actually was playing very well against Real but the truth still showed that no matter how hard he played against the weak Real defense he only managed a assist which shows that he was actually not a better player than Ronaldo because Ronaldo actually took on the whole STRONG Juve defense but came out unfortunate although he had a much better chance of scoring that Zlatan.

Overall it's a little suspicous that the last game which is obviously known to all people who have alot of knowledge about soccer that is the deciding game, was played in the Juventus stadium and won by Juventus not only because of the advantage but the poor play by Real Madrid themselves which I have to admit.

For a trainer and a scout I thought you would know such a simple fact shown in the game, because seriously if you were scouting a striker from that game and if you would have chosen Zlatan over Ronaldo the only reasonable choice for that would be that Ronaldo costs over 60 million and Zlatan has a price tag of 13 million.

It's not going to be very boring watching the CL anymore because AC Milan and Chelsea are quite entertaining if u ask me.

Hi guys

Look at the weeks CL XI as voted by european viewers, on the www.eurosport.com you will find ZLATAN and RONALDO are the two forwards, so I think I am in a majority, believe me guys, as much as I hate Italian football, I have to give credit were credit is due.

[Nuaro]

Yes,i think Zlatan played an OK game.He controlled those long passes with ease and for a big man like him,he's as skillful as Ronaldo.But his finishes were poor that night.

You Barcá fans still miss the point, you remember all your moments but 4get the other teams, did Joe Cole not hit the post too, at end of 1st half?, did Frank Lampard not miss an open chance from 4 meters at still 1-0, come on the only reason it was so close was Chelsea went 3-0 up and took their foot off the accelerator, I would be more worried about what Chelsea exposed about your defence, without even having their best attackers playing on the field.
as to Barcá having a tough La Liga campaign?, oh please The Premership is 10 times harder, they play far more matches and have 2 domestic cups, don't look for excuses.

Read this, to see how you guys are being viewed as true bad losers
http://chelsea.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=884&p=2&stid=8375194

I disagree when you say the premiership is harder than La liga.After all,when was the last time they won the CL? Apart from the Man u over Bayern which they won luckily.

[ItalianBoy]

I am gonna warn you once luvrthang, you better act cool and not offend or you will be banned.

[nachi88]

hey mr.luvrthang....

since ur a youth scout talent and therefore more knoweldgeable, lemme ask you this...

1) you think barca can be over taken by real madrid this season?
2) what do u predict the outcome of bayern vs chelsea?

[Barça]

Barca Is Already Champion In La Liga.. Real Madrid Has Showed What They can Do This Season So Its Our Chance Now 2 Take The Champ.. Real Is Big Club And Has So So Many Exelent Players.. I Hope Next Year Real Will Be Stronger So :P See Ya

[Nuaro]

Barca Is Already Champion In La Liga.. Real Madrid Has Showed What They can Do This Season So Its Our Chance Now 2 Take The Champ.. Real Is Big Club And Has So So Many Exelent Players.. I Hope Next Year Real Will Be Stronger So :P See Ya
Yes,we will win the La liga.Valdes and Eto'o will win the "Zamora" and "Pichichi" award respectively. Barca will win everything haha..C'mon man,you want Real to be stronger next season? I hope they mess up things as usual especially when Perez is around.

Btw,welcome! and please post more in the Barca forum cos we lack members around here.Forca Barca!

[Barça]

Yes,we will win the La liga.Valdes and Eto'o will win the "Zamora" and "Pichichi" award respectively. Barca will win everything haha..C'mon man,you want Real to be stronger next season? I hope they mess up things as usual especially when Perez is around.

Btw,welcome! and please post more in the Barca forum cos we lack members around here.Forca Barca!
u Didint Get Me I Want Real 2 Be Stroger So We Will have Whith Who 2 fight 4 The title Cuz Like This Its Not Interesting :P They Are 2 far From Us Lol Nuthin Cant Stop Eto'o And Ronaldinho :P All My Respect 2 Catalonian Ppl :cool: http://media.goal.com/200412/4490_big.jpg?ver=2

[Barça]

http://media.goal.com/200412/4490_big.jpg?ver=2

[Nuaro]

Nice pic..but again things are more interesting when we are 11 points leading rather than leading by a small margin..That is from a barca fan's point of view. :D

[Barça]

Nice pic..but again things are more interesting when we are 11 points leading rather than leading by a small margin..That is from a barca fan's point of view. :D
Yeah.. I Want 2 See Toress In Barca Team.. :) i think Real Next Year Will Be In Crisis..

[Nuaro]

Torres admitted he wanted to play for Barca but we already Maxi,Larsson and Saviola (loaned out) . I guess things are unlikely to happen unless Barca sell one of them. :(

[Barça]

Torres admitted he wanted to play for Barca but we already Maxi,Larsson and Saviola (loaned out) . I guess things are unlikely to happen unless Barca sell one of them. :(
If Saviola Returns The Ok But i Dont Think So.. Larsson Is Injured So Hes Form Is Not Good I Think He Will Not Play Anymore Hes Old 2... We Need One Striker And One Good Goalkeeper Also We Need Midfielder :P I Hope We Will Make The Right Transfer

[galatasaray666]

http://www.gs.org/images/haber/forma_100yil.jpg
galatasaray SK

[lurvthang]

hey mr.luvrthang....

since ur a youth scout talent and therefore more knoweldgeable, lemme ask you this...

1) you think barca can be over taken by real madrid this season?
2) what do u predict the outcome of bayern vs chelsea?

well now I am back from a trip 2 England glad to hear from you, I can only say, I don't think Real are strong enough to catch Barcá, they are a very good team not many team have been able to exploit their obvious defensive weaknesses, if I am not incorrect, Villareal and Athletico Madrid have exposed them, but other teams have not had the players or the system to do so.

as for your second part I feel confident Chelsea can beat Bayern over 2 matches, even if they do not get a good result in London, they are just as comfortable away from home at strong teams, I would refer you to 2 big away matches this season,Arsenal 2 Chelsea 2 Chelsea dominated the match or Mn Utd 1 Chelsea 2 Chelsea dominated the match, we were a little shocked by the coaches tactics at the Nou Camp as we felt they could get a better result than they got, but the manager changed tactics, but everybody forgets Chelsea had a lot of injuries at the time so the manager became cautious.

Bayern are strong, but having watch both matches against Arsenal, Bayern are good when in front as they hit a lot of long balls to their forwards who are tall, gave Arsenals weak defence problems but Chelsea can deal with that, Chelsea will play with 2 wingers, unfortunately Chelsea's best attacking player got injured again so he might not play, but they will adapt we will see, I think it will be 3-1 or 3-2 to Chelsea over 2 matches.

Last thing I will add cos I coach football does not make me more knowledable in anyway than yourself or anybody there, my views are as equally valid as yours, so I don't need to be thought of of having more knowledge.

[Maccabi 4ever]

4-2 madrid over barca at berabeu
ooooo yeaaaaaaaa

[Equis5]

Real Sociedad 0, F. C. Barcelona 0

The season is over.

Extractable points of this useless match:

- Etoo didn't score, so he finally won't win the Golden Boot. He is 24 goals, whily Thierry Henry is 25.

-Etoo has possibilities of winning Pichichi (max. scorer trophy of la Liga), he is 1 goal above Diego Forlán and 2 goals above Oliveira, but both of these players could score tomorrow.

- This has been the last official match of Valery Karpin.

[RealMadrilismo]

If Forlan scores 1 goal tomorrow he will be pichichi, since Eto'o has more goals by penalties then Forlan.

[Lance Knight]

yea i say forlan deserves it more, cause eto had a brillant player like ronaldino to help him by setting u most of his goals,

[shado]

Barcelona delay Espanyol move for Saviola


Barcelona are delaying closing an agreement with Espanyol over the sale of striker Javier Saviola.
It's understood Espanyol's terms meet what Barca are seeking for the Argentine, but president Joan Laporta and sports chief Txiki Begiristain are reluctant to allow the striker to move to their city rivals.

Instead, they're hoping a rival offer arrives for Saviola.

Sevilla have expressed interest, which would please Laporta, but as yet only Espanyol have put a concrete bid on the table.

[RealMadrilismo]

barca beat Udinese 0-2 on their last game of group stage.

1. Barcelona 16
2. Werder Bremen 7
3. Udinese 7
4. Panathinaikos 4

Barca pass in first place and werder bremen in second. Udinese and Panathinaikos are out :lol:

[Lance Knight]

good win guys, thanks for keeping Udinese down so Werder Bremen could have pulled through

[Striker123]

http://spanishfootballsports.blogspot.com

Peace!

[Lance Knight]

Gudjohnsen snatches late Barça win

FC Barcelona
Written by: Stephen Sharp
VIGO, Aug 28 (SW) - A goal two minutes from time by Eidur Gudjohnsen gave Barcelona a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Celta de Vigo in their opening La Liga match of the 2006/07 season.

Playing without star playmaker Ronaldinho, Barcelona struggled to break the Celta resistance in the first half, and the Galicians often looked dangerous themselves through Fernando Baiano.

The first big scoring chance of the game didn't come until the 31st minute, but it went to the Catalans as Lionel Messi drew two defenders before laying off to Deco, who forced a fantastic flying save out of José Pinto.

Celta then stunned the Spanish champions in the 42nd minute as they took the lead when Baiano pounced on a spill by Víctor Valdés as he could not handle a shot by Nené.

Shortly after the restart, though, Barcelona were level as Samuel Eto'o fired in a beautiful shot, and then Messi made it 2-1 to the visitors with a wonder goal as he controlled and hit a shot out of the reach of Pinto after completely fooling the Celta defenders.

Celta didn't get their spirits down and equalized through Gustavo López on 65 minutes, but were dealt a blow three minutes from time when Iriney picked up a second yellow card.

That set the stage for substitute Gudjohnsen to hit a brilliant volley after Deco's pass, allowing Barça to escape Balaídos with three points

[eto'o9]

anyone see eto'o's goal...that had to be the best one-two play i have ever seen between him and messi

[valdanito_10]

They simply crashed Sofia today. I must admit that I was pretty upset when I saw that Messi wouldnt start.

[Calif]

Barcelona 3 - 1 Sevilla

2 goals Ronaldinho 1 Messi!!!!!!

[Xizor]

Dam, Barcelona lost today to Real Madrid! It pisses me off man, that's when you know Eto'o is a key player, when your team can't win a dam game without him! :mad:

[snakies]

barca will definetely miss eto´o. they need a goalscorer and the bench strikers just arent cutting it. we´ll see how they do, im pretty sure they´ll get used to not having eto´o and will perform well soon enough

[Xizor]

Man what we need is a bad ass foward because Messi and Saviola suck! I hope Barcelona buys Adriano from Inter, just imagine having Adriano in Barcelona, it would be tight!

[Calif]

Sunday November 19, 2006

Mallorca 1 - 4 Barcelona

[Xizor]

Ok Barcelona seriously has a problem! That defense of their's sucks, Puyol, Marquez all those dudes are screwing up too much. And it's not just the defense it's the whole team. Barca needs to realize that they just can't kick back and relax anymore like they did last year. Eto'o was seriouly the heart of Barca and without him the team sucks!

[Lowrider]

Barcelona will win in the 2nd leg

[Lance Knight]

well to me barca didnt do so bad in the first half, in the second half they seemed to have doubted themselves. they got shaky and didnt have the feeling of dominance that wins thems games.
like xizor said it may have something to do with eto missign but saviola is more than enough , but ronaldinho's poor performance at late seems to be bringing the team down a noch

PS. hope u guys play like that at the next classico

[Xizor]

Sevilla CF, a team in their best moment
03, Mar 07, 16:45

FC Barcelona play second place Sevilla this Saturday; one of the most in form teams in La Liga. A victory for the blaugrana will serve to cement their lead at the top of La Liga.


With 47 points, Sevilla occupy second spot in La Liga; 14 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses. During the whole season, they have proved to be one of the best equipped teams capable of lifting the title. Sevilla have occupied top spot a total of 8 times this season.

First against Second

The game this Saturday at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, will be the duel between first and second. Only two points separate the two, and a victory for the blaugrana will mean they take a significant step in distancing themselves from the chasing pack.

Both Sevilla and Barcelona have proved to be the two most consistent teams in La Liga. The team from Andalusia started the season well with 4 wins in the first five games. Defeat at the Camp Nou (3-1) brought their run to an end. After the 12th round, Sevilla lay in second position, after the 15th, they occupied top spot, however, were unable to carry the accolade and lost twice in a row to Zaragoza and Mallorca, then drew against Betis and Real Sociedad. Now, having beaten Athletico Madrid and drawing against Getafe, find themselves just two points behind Barça.

Monchi

Great planning and intelligent signings have been the secrets behind their success. Thanks to a good eye from the sporting director Ramon Rodriguez, known better as 'Monchi' and with Juande Ramos at the helm, they have formed a formidable line up. All this despite losing three of their most emblematic players over the last few seasons: Jose Antonio Reyes, Sergio Ramos and Julio Baptista.

Starting with the signing in 2002 of Dani Alves and finishing with the Uraguayan Chevanton, every new addition has been studied well in order to achieve their full potential and the resulting success. All this without forgetting the current batch of players key to helping their cause including Jesus Navarro and Antonio Puerta, the latter recently being called up to represent Spain. Another key to their current run of form is Palop; the goalkeeper who has let in the fourth fewest goals in La Liga, and of course, Kanouté; the current Liga leading scorer.

Two European titles

The Sevilla team are currently going through their best moment in history. They won the UEFA cup last season and also beat Barça in this year's European Supercup (0-3).

[Xizor]

Rijkaard with one eye on Liverpool
02, Mar 07, 19:19

The blaugrana coach recognises the importance of the game against Sevilla "it'll be immensely important, but not definitive", and for this, he is not setting aside the game against Liverpool next week.


Frank Rijkaard knows how important the game against Juande Ramos' Sevilla and therefore has decided against resting his top players. His reasons behind not taking Deco, Thuram and Motta are: "I'm resting the Deco and Thuram, wheras Motta has a slight knock". He also wished to highlight that "there is no vengeful thinking in the Barça camp", following Sevilla's victory in the European Supercup.

Immensely strong Sevilla

The Dutch coach made no effort to be sparing in his praise for the opposition team: "They are a great team. Tactically they are well-disciplined. They've played for a while together now and they are one of the strongest teams in the league at the moment". Regarding the battle for the title, Rijkaard said: "There's pressure on both teams to come away with three points".

Sevilla derby

Regarding the last game between Betis and Sevilla, which ended with some ugly scenes, including a bottle hitting coach Juande Ramos and leaving him unconscious, Rijkaard added: "It's such a shame what happened. I feel sorry for him and I hope there's no repeat of this kind of incident towards any coach".

Eto'o

Rijkaard also spoke of the availability of Samuel Eto'o to play in the game this Saturday. The Dutch coach used the word "dosage" to speak of the of the Cameroon player to play in the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium: "Eto'o is ready to play, probably not quite the full 90 minutes yet though. We've spoken with him, the medical and we're going to be intelligent in our decisions".

3-4-3

"We've only played one game using this system and it's worked well" said Rijkaard when he was questioned over his tactical decisions he used at the Romareda in the second leg victory over Zaragoza in the Copa del Rey quarter final.

Kanouté, the danger man

Rijkaard has heaped praise on the team from Sevilla and highlighted the ability of their top scorer and Liga top scorer, Kanouté: "He's a great player. He's important for his team. In order to stop him, we'll have be very alert".

[Xizor]

Rijkaard: "Playing at home is an advantage"
09, Mar 07, 19:29

The Barça coach believes that having the public behind his team will be a big help in defeating Real Madrid on Saturday, Rikjaard also refused to rule out Ronaldinho confirming that "he's OK to play".

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/Rijkaard/090307_Rijkaard_gran.jpg

In the press conference prior to the classic, Frank Rikjaard said that he believes both Barça and Real Madrid have moved on since being eliminated from the 'Champions' and that "this is another game, with two different teams". Rikjaard pointed out "we have home advantage in front of our fans. That gives un a lot of encouragement". Also, the Dutch coach says his team are in good shape and that the word pressure should be converted into motivation".

Ronaldinho, available

Ronaldinho, who missed training with the rest of the group due to muscular problems on his left thigh, took part in Friday's session behind closed doors. Regarding the Brazilian, Rikjaard said "he trained with the group for the first part and then separately, but he's OK to play". The Barça coach also commented that some of the other player returning after long injuries such as Eto'o and Messi are "getting better every day".

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/Ronaldinho/090307_Ronnie_dif.jpg

Respect for the opposition

Even though the coach believes that playing at home is an advantage, Rikjaard was keen to show respect towards Real Madrid: "It's an interesting game, but you can't say who will play better, you must respect the opponent" The Dutchman did not want to make an issue of the supposed superiority of Barça over Madrid (5 points difference in the table), Rikjaard believes that superiority "must be shown on the pitch" and added that "we must train with the idea of giving a good impression to the fans. We must fight for that".

Accepts Gudjonhsen opinion

During the press conference, Frank Rikjaard also spoke about the comments made by Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjonhsen, in which the Icelandic international suggested, "In some games extra sacrifice is necessary". The coach said, "it's been clarified within the dressing room", and pointed out that "the player had also praised his team mates and when he spoke of the group he also includes himself".

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/Gudjohnsen/090307_Guddy_dif.jpg

Motta is rested

Frank Rijkaard announced that he was giving a rest to Thiago Motta for the next few days: "Last night (Thursday) we spoke and decided to give him a few days to come back with more energy". The Brazilian player had missed both training on Thursday and Friday for personal reasons.

The coach, who is not a supporter of suspensions, took this decision "for the sake of the player and the team". It is not the first time Rikjaard has taken such action with members of his squad. The Dutchman praised the footballing aptitude of the Barça number '3' and said that the team was aware of his decision: "I told the captain and he then informed the rest of the players".

[Xizor]

Morale boost for Rijkaard
11, Mar 07, 11:45

Frank Rijkaard has highlighted the importance of the point that FC Barcelona won after playing for a long period with only ten players. "The draw is a morale boost for the team," he said.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/Rijkaard/120107_rijkaard_gran.jpg

The Barça coach announced that he was content with the spirit that the team showed and that they were able to come back from being behind on three occasions. He was also pleased with the performance of the team after Oleguer Presas was sent off before half-time: "Looking at the whole game and seeing that despite playing ten against eleven that we were still capable of earning a draw, we can view it as a success," Rijkaard stated. "The draw is a morale boost for the team because we have all seen what happened and how much the effort the players gave and how much they had to work."

Correcting things

Reflecting on the opening minutes of the game, Rijkaard said that he regretted the manner in which Ruud Van Nistelrooy was twice able to put the visitors in front: "It is a pity that scored two quite easy goals and made life very difficult for us.

"When we did not have the ball we were not well organised, which allowed our opponents to reach our goal quite easily," he continued. "That is an aspect that we have to analyse and to correct so that it does not happen again."

Pleased for Messi

Without any doubt, the main protagonist of el Clásico was young Lionel Messi, who scored a hat-trick to earn his side a share of the spoils: "He saved us from defeat," the Blaugrana boss explained. "When a player scores three goals it shows that he has had a very special game."

Rijkaard then praised the two players that have come back from injury to begin performing so well once again. "I want to congratulate the return of both Messi and Samuel Eto'o," he said, before adding about Ronaldinho that "he worked very hard throughout the game."

Using the 3-4-3

Rijkaard chose to employ the 3-4-3 at the start of the game using the same players that began at Anfield in midweek and he had not doubts about his decision as he explained that "I am convinced that we can play this way" before stating that "it has worked very well in other game". The only slight doubts the Dutchman had were that "the team was slightly disorganised at crucial moments", an area which he repeated that he was keen to work on to eradicate in the future.

Laporta: "Barça are strong candidates to win the title"

FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, said after the 3-3 draw against Real Madrid on Saturday evening that "Barça are strong candidates wo win the league after the adverse circumstances of the game and the fight back that we have seen. For us, it is very important to maintain the distance that is betweemn ourselves and the team that are behind is and this spurs us on to keep adding points to our tally".

The Blaugrana supremo also commended the attitude of the team: "I want to congratulate the players because when drawing a game when you have played for a long time with a man less is good and we also had a chance to win in the final minutes," he continued. "The team gave a very good account of themselves and the points are still being added. We kept going and could have taken all three points. We have to praise their effort."

Looking back at the whole game Laporta said: "The first half was a little strange. I think that we played better football than them. The game as going in our favour. In the second half we knew we would suffer and Madrid have been able to look more comfortable until that stroke of genius from Messi has come right near the end."

Finally, the president wanted to congratulate Víctor Valdés: "He has demonstrated his quality and proved that we have a great goalkeeper here."

[Elicea]

Hey, a tie is better than a lost. And that game just shows people that just because Barca has less men on the field than the other team, they can still beat you or at least tie.

[Xizor]

Great game by Barca hopefully they get that morale boost and transfer it to their next game!

[Xizor]

Eusebio: "We are very keen to win the double"
13, Mar 07, 18:19

Eusebio Sacristán is thrilled by the possibility of winning the League and Cup double. "The aim should be for our sense of identity to help us maintain our regularity though the final stages of the season".

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/Eusebio/020107_Eusebio_gran.jpg

FC Barcelona are back on top of the League, and the third manager, Eusebio Sacristán, has told Barça TV's Zona Mixta programme just how keen the team is to perform well in the two tournaments still at stake. "We want to win the double, and we are in a good position to do so. That would make this a great season", he said. He is aware that winning any titles is a major challenge, but that a third league championship in a row would be an extraordinary achievement.

A very valuable point

Eusebio was very proud of the way his team fought back to take a point out of the Madrid game. "We managed to regain the impetus and fighting spirit that we were missing and were able to overcome the adversities" he said. And now it is time to look ahead and start forgetting some of the difficult moments "with the right mentality and enthusiasm we need to win more titles".

3-4-3, one additional weapon

As a former members of the Dream Team, there are few people with a better idea than Eusebio of what playing a 3-4-3 can achieve. As he said today "at La Romareda that tactic worked to perfection and managed to surprise the opposition". But at Anfield he argued "we didn't find the spaces we needed". Then they tried it again against Madrid, and the conclusion seems to be that "we have a weapon for countering the kinds of difficulties the opposition might create".

Looking for regularity

Looking at the remaining games the main challengers for the league title have, it seems that Barça seem to have the best schedule. But Eusebio does not think it is a good idea to start comparing different fixture lists and says "the aim should be for our sense of identity to help us maintain our regularity though the final stages of the season".

Recreativo in their sights

The next game for Barça will be at the Nuevo Colombino on Saturday (20.00, Barça TV). Eusebio feels Recreativo Huelva are an "orderly, disciplined and hard-working team. Our quality may prove decisive, but it is going to need a good dose of work".

[Elicea]

Heopefully that tie against Madrid has turned things around for Barca

[Xizor]

I think it has, ever since they beat Liverpool 1 zip their attitude has changed!

[Elicea]

well I guess they've finally fixed whatever was causing them to lose those games.

[Xizor]

League and cup double the immediate objective
13, Mar 07, 12:30

After going out of the Champions League, Barças aim this season is to win the league for the third time in the row, and also to capture the league and cup double. But history shows that these are not easy things to do.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/Partidos/Liga-2005-06/FCB-Espanyol/060506_festafesta_gran.jpg

After crashing out of Europe on away goals to Liverpool, Frank Rijkaards side needs to bounce back from that disappointment and win the two trophies they are still in the hunt for the Spanish 'Liga' and 'Copa del Rey'.

Four doubles

League and cup doubles are a rare achievement in Spain. Since the league began in 1928/29, FC Barcelona have only done it four times (1951/52, 1952/53, 1958/59 and 1997/98), the same as Real Madrid, while the champions in this respect are Athletic Bilbao, with five.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/varis/130307_copa9798_dif.jpg

Since both trophies have been on offer, teams winning the league have only been able to also win the cup in the same season on 18% of occasions.

Cup final to end the season

The most immediate objective, however, is the league, as the Copa del Rey final won't take place until June 23, being the final official match of the Spanish season. Barça are still waiting to find out who they will play in the semi finals (it could be any of Sevilla, Betis, Getafe or Deportivo), while they are top of the league and have every intention of still being there when they face Nàstic on the final day.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/Partidos/Copa-2006-07/Saragossa-FCB/280207_deco_dif.jpg

Third league in a row

That would be Barcelona's third league title in as many years, something the club has not managed to do since the days of Johan Cruyff and his Dream Team, who set a club record of four consecutive championships. Apart from that, Barcelona have never managed a run of more than two league titles, which all goes to show just what a difficult challenge it is.

The following are the years when Barcelona have won more than one league in a row:

- 1947/48 and 1948/49
- 1951/52 and 1952/53
- 1958/59 and 1959/60
- 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93 and 1993/94
- 1997/98 and 1998/99
- 2004/05 and 2005/06

European disappointment

Barcelona failed in their attempt to retain the Champions league title, but that is nothing to be ashamed of, given that so few teams have ever managed to do it. It is 17 years since any team secured two European titles in a row and that was, curiously, AC Milan, who had Rijkaard as their star midfielder. They won the European Cup in 88/89 and 89/90, and no team has managed to retain the trophy since.

FC Barcelona went out of this year's edition in the second round, the very same fate that befell the two champions before them, Porto and Liverpool.

[Xizor]

La Liga Preview Week 27
17, Mar 07, 17:00

None of the top five teams in La Liga managed to win last weekend. Leaders Barça had Leo Messi to thank after salvaging a 3-3 draw at the death v Real Madrid last week while Valencia also scored late on to scrape a point against Osasuna.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/Messi/110307_messi_gran.jpg

Worse still befell Sevilla who slumped to defeat against second from bottom Gimnastic Tarragona. The poor results achieved by the chasing pack allowed Barcelona to continue in top spot on goal difference. This weekend Barça face a difficult assignment away to one of this seasons surprise teams Recreativo. The other main title contenders - Sevilla, Valencia and Real Madrid - all have straight forward looking home games and will be expecting to pick up maximum points while hoping for a Barça slip up in Huelva.

Recreativo next up for Barça

Spain's oldest club Recreativo Huelva are enjoying a remarkable season that has seen them climb up to seventh in the table. UEFA cup qualification is now a realistic objective for a club that is more accustomed to fighting for survival in the top flight. This season they have already beaten Real Madrid away from home and will be hoping for a similar outcome against the other giants of Spanish football on Saturday. Barça will be without Oleguer who is suspended following his sending off in the Camp Nou last weekend. However Zambrotta and Giuly return from suspension while Marquez has been omitted from the squad.

Sevilla looking vulnerable

It's been a week of ups and downs for Sevilla. The low point was undoubtedly the shock defeat to lowly Gimnastic Tarragona last Sunday. Most observers had expected Sevilla to return to top spot by earning at least a point from the game however Javier Portillo's strike gave the Catalan side three points and denied Sevilla a return to the top of the table on goal difference. Sevilla were also on the brink of elimination from the UEFA Cup versus Shahktar until an amazing injury time header from goalkeeper Pallop saved the holders from defeat in a game they eventually went on to win in extra-time. Their dramatic progress in Europe however does not hide the fact that Sevilla have been looking vulnerable lately and with relegation threatened Celta in town on Sunday night, the title credentials of Juande Ramos' side will be severely tested once again.

Valencia & Real Madrid still in the hunt

Despite a very poor season by their high standards, Real Madrid are still only five points behind the league leaders. Fabio Capellos team are out of all the other competitions and are left with the League as their only objective for the remainder of the season. Capello will be wary of Sunday's visitors to the Bernabeu - Gimnastic Tarragona. Paco Flores team have been resurgent of late and two fine victories in their last two league outings have lifted 'Nastic' off the bottom. The other team with serious title aspirations is Valencia. Quique Sanchez Flores team are just three points behind the leaders. However Valencia received a major blow this week when UEFA handed out severe punishment following their Champions league brawl with Inter. Valencia get the weekends action underway when the host Racing Santander in an early kick-off on Saturday.

Athletic host Osasuna

Athletic Bilbao have been dropping like a stone in recent weeks. The Basque team are now in real relegation trouble. On Saturday night they face Osasuna in Spain's live TV match. Osasuna enjoyed a well deserved midweek European success against Glasgow Rangers but their league position is far from comfortable, and a loss at the San Mames could drag Javier Aguirre's team into the intriguing relegation battle that has started to unfold in recent weeks.

The weekends other fixtures are Mallorca-Betis, Espanyol-Levante, Villarreal-Real Sociedad, Zaragoza-Athletico Madrid and Deportivo-Getafe.

[Xizor]

The countdown begins
17, Mar 07, 12:34

Barça begin the final run-in of 12 league games when they visit Recreativo Huelva. Rikjaard, who has not called up Marquez for this game, hopes that his team can hold on to top spot for another week.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/Partidos/Liga-2006-07/FCB-Recreativo/281006_jug_sylvinho_gran.jpg

In a weekend of matches that on paper is favourable to Barça's rivals all play at home against sides in the bottom half of the table-, Barcelona will be aiming to consolidate their lead at the top of the table with a win in Huelva (20h00 Barça TV). FC Barcelona with all their stars available once again may revert back to the 4-3-3 formation used up until the match with Zaragoza.

The doubt over 4-3-3: Everything points to the likelihood that, barring any last minute surprises, Frank Rikjaard with revert to the classic 4-3-3 formation used all through the first part of the season and not the 3-4-4 used recently against Zaragoza, Liverpool, Sevilla and Real Madrid. The inclusion of four fullbacks in the squad (Gio, Sylvinho, Belletti and Zambrotta) would suggest that Rikjaard will go with a four-man defence using two fullbacks.

The absence of Marquez: As was the case v Athletic Bilbao, Marquez has been left out of the squad. The absence of the Mexican (who had been a starter in the four games mentioned above) did not prevent Barça from easing to a 3-0 win. On that occasion Edmilson took over the role of defensive pivot and may do so again this evening. In that case either Xavi, Deco or Iniesta would have to start on the bench.

Uche and Pongolle, the dangers: The hosts for their part have the attack as their strong point. Their front two of Nigerian Uche and Frenchman Sinama Pongolle has amassed 15 goals between them this season. The two attackers pose the principal threat for the Barcelona defence. Barça will at least be happy that Cazorla - another key player in the Recreativo attack - will not be playing.

The challenge of winning away: The fact that Barça have been without an away league win since beating Mallorca (1-4) is an added motivation for FC Barcelona. The Barça players have demonstrated in recent weeks their ability to beat top class opposition in their own stadium (Zaragoza in the cup and Liverpool in the Champions League)

A win and a draw

FC Barcelona have visited Recreativo Huelva's stadium on two occasions - both when Recreativo were in the Primera Division. The first meeting was in the season 1978-79 when the result was 0-0. The second meeting just four years ago ended in a 1-3 triumph for Barcelona courtesy of goals from Saviola, Kluivert and Riquelme.

[Xizor]

Thursday training
22, Mar 07, 18:03

Thursday's training session for the twelve players not called away on international duty (plus Eidur Gudjohnsen who will join up with his Iceland collegues later) was held in the Miniestadi next to the Nou Camp.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/Entrenamientos/Entrenaments06-07/220307_motta_gran.jpg

The Barcelona weather was kinder to the players on Thursday and, after several days of freezing winds, the sun made a welcome reappearance.

Frank Rijkaard is now preparing for the next league encounter against Deportivo de la Corunya. The usual warm-up was followed by keep-ball exercises with the players brought together in a single group. The manager watched while the session was directed by the fitness coaches.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/Entrenamientos/Entrenaments06-07/220307_rijkaardguddy_dif.jpg

Circuit training

As always, the ball was present in all the exercises carried out by the players. After the initial warm-up and keep-ball exercises, the players divided up into two groups of six for an exercise using the entire length of the pitch. It consisted of breaking out from defensive positions and building up an attacking move using both long and short passes - thereby practising passing, stamina, accuracy and positioning.

The session was rounded off with a practice match. Wearing the yellow shirts were goalkeeper Víctor Valdés, plus Belletti, Sylvinho, Edmilson, Gudjohnsen and Giuly; and in the blue shirts were Albert Jorquera, Oleguer, Motta, Ezquerro, Messi and Javier Saviola. The match ended 9-8 in favour of the blue shirts.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/imagenes/jugadores/futbol/Entrenamientos/Entrenaments06-07/220307_valdes_dif.jpg

Some unusual guests

Among the people present at training on Thursday were the deputy president of the govenment of New Caledonia togther with two representatives of the New Calendonia Supporters' Club.

[Xizor]

Training match in the Miniestadi
28-03-2007, 12:30

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/thumbnails/199_150/Imatges/2006-2007/futbol/noticies/entrenaments/marc/28-03-07_Web_06.jpg

Eto'o returned from international duty today, while most of the squad was involved in a game played in the Miniestadi between the first team and a combination of Barça B and C players. Valdés and Rubén Martínez, meanwhile, worked out in La Masia.

Frank Rijkaard’s squad, with most of the internationals still away, faced a team made up of Barça B and C players in the Miniestadi this morning. The first team won 2-0 thanks to goals from Motta and Saviola. Valdés and Rubén, however, trained separately in La Masia, while Eto'o and Deco were in the gym.

Specific programmes

Samuel Eto'o was recovering from his appearance for Cameroon last Saturday against Liberia. Deco, who is still taking things easy following an injury to his right hand, also came by the Camp Nou to continue his own particular fitness programme. Víctor Valdés was joined by B team keeper Rubén Martínez at La Masía. The only player, other than the internationals, to be missing today was Santi Ezquerro, who has a small back problem.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/Imatges/2006-2007/futbol/noticies/entrenaments/marc/28-03-07_Web_03.jpg

The teams

The red team in the Miniestadi encounter mainly featured first team players, namely Jorquera, Belletti, Olmo, Oleguer, Sylvinho, Motta, Edmílson, Giuly, Messi, Saviola and Pedro García. The side they faced lined up with Urko, Víctor Besada, Alfred, Fran, Alex, Lluís Sastre, Dimas, Víctor Vázquez, Toni Calvo, Jordi Gómez, Toni Calvo and Thaer. Other reserve team players, including Sito, Crosas, Julio, Jaime, Yago and Busquets got their chances later on in the match.

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The goals

Motta and Saviola scored the only goals of the game. To get the first, the midfielder struck a pinpoint free kick just inside the post, while the second goal came from a delightful pass into space from Edmílson, followed by a clever link-up between fellow Argentinians Messi and Saviola. But the B and C players did not disappoint, and enjoyed a few chances of their own, including a terrific move from Sito Riera that Thaer was unable to finish off.

[Xizor]

Depor have nine of each
28-03-2007, 10:40

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Deportivo La Coruña are the only team in the Spanish league that have won as many games as they have drawn and lost, having tasted each on nine occasions. Now they travel to Barça destined to end that sequence one way or the other.

With the nine victories, nine draws and nine defeats in their opening 27 matches, Joaquín Caparrós' side appear to be extremely inconsistent, but the fact is that, despite this curious statistic, they arrive at Camp Nou this weekend on the back of two consecutive victories.

Inconsistent form

In the first nine matches of the season the Galician side won four games and drew three and ended October in seventh place in the league table. Unfortunately, the following two months were disastrous as they managed to collect only three points from their remaining games in 2006.

The turn of the year saw an improvement in results as they kicked off 2007 with a win against Real Madrid in Riazor. In the last outing before the current international break, Depor defeated Bernd Schuster's Getafe and now sit in 12th place in la Primera.
Away day blues

From the 36 points that were available from their home games this season, Caparrós' side have picked up 25 of them, winning seven games and drawing four. Those figures are an improvement on last season when they won only six games in Riazor all term. Barça were, in fact, the first team to take a point from Depor on their own ground this campaign when they drew on week nine. On the flip side, Depor have managed only two away wins and have collected just 11 points from a possible 39 on their travels.

Looking goalwards

On average, Depor score a goal once every 121 minutes of play, having scored just 20 goals in their 27 league matches. They have failed to score in 13 of their games and have scored three in one outing on just one occasion when they beat Real Zaragoza on the first day of league. The club's top scorer is Javier Arizmendi, who is unavailable for the game against Barça through suspension, with five goals.

Semi finalists

Like FC Barcelona, Depor are still battling on two front this season. Joaquín Caparrós' outfit are still in the Copa del Rey and are to meet Sevilla in the semi finals next month, giving the coach a chance to return to his former club. En route to the semis, Depor have beaten Racing, Mallorca and Valladolid.

[Elicea]

^Go Barca!

[Xizor]

Yes, vamos Barcelona! Whooo!

[Xizor]

Salinas confident of achieving the double
29-03-2007, 12:23

Former FC Barcelona striker, Julio Salinas, is convinced that Frank Rijkaard’s team is on track to do the league and Cup double this season. In fact, he believes that Barça will lift the league title long before the last day of the season.

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Speaking in an interview with Barça TV, Julio Salinas revealed: “I see Barça as Champions. It’s true that they’re not at the top of their form and that it’s difficult to play all the time like last season, or the one before that, but I sincerely believe they haven’t got a rival in La Liga”.

La Liga, before the end of the season

Salinas, who played for Barça and for this weekend’s opponents Deportivo (amongst others) explained in the interview: “Recently, they look better and better; they’re more focussed. If all the players are fit and focussed, it begins to be difficult for Barça to lose a match. Barcelona, without the Champions League and having recovered Samuel Eto'o and, above all, Leo Messi, will win the league quite easily and, what’s more, quite a bit before the end of the championship”.

The Cup is more complicated

However, Salinas believes the Cup will be a trickier proposition: “I’m convinced the final will be between FC Barcelona and Sevilla, and the favourite, for me, is Barça. However, it’s clear that in one match, in a final, Sevilla can beat you. Despite this, I’m optimistic and Barça, in this case, will complete their revenge for last August’s European Super Cup”.

The most dangerous opponents

Julio Salinas also went into detail about Barça’s main rivals in the hunt for the league title, and paid special attention to Sevilla, managed by Juande Ramos: "They’re the only rival for Barça in the league and in the Cup. But it’s clear that they have trouble winning matches if they’re not at 100%. They’re a complicated team when physically they can play full out over the 90 minutes, and that’s difficult to do all year round. In recent matches, they’ve looked a bit stretched to me”.

After Sevilla, Salinas believes Valencia and Real Madrid are the ones to watch, in that order: “Valencia have lost some vital points in their Mestalla stadium, for example against Racing. I believe Valencia will concentrate on securing a place in the Champions League for next season and, above all, on the quarterfinals against Chelsea”.

As for the Real Madrid side managed by Fabio Capello, Salinas believes “Real Madrid will do well to qualify for the Champions League. Zaragoza are coming strongly from behind and so it will be difficult for Madrid to qualify among the top four”.

An enviable record

Julio Salinas has one of the best records of any player in the history of FC Barcelona. In the seven years he spent with Barça, he won 4 league titles, 1 European Cup, 1 European Cup Winners Cup, 1 Spanish Cup and 1 European Super Cup. Apart from Barça, Salinas also played for Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Deportivo, Sporting Gijón and Japanese side Yokohama Marinos. With Spain, he took part in three World Cups.

[Xizor]

Goals for Iniesta and Gio
29-03-2007, 20:50

Both Andres Iniesta and Gio Van Bronkhorst scored decisive goals in their international outings in order to help their respective teams towards qualification of the European Championships in 2008.

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Both players are not normally associated with scoring goals, however, Iniesta for Spain and Gio for Holland made sure their teams took the three points away from Iceland and Slovenia, respectively.

Happy for the goal

Andres Iniesta played a key role in the victory on Wednesday against Eidur Gudjohnsen’s Iceland. The author of the goal recognised the importance of his contribution: “The truth is that we had to work hard fork the victory. A draw would have complicated things a lot, however, we’ve come through these past two games with two important victories. We now have the possibility of being among the top two”.

Questioned over whether he feels like the team’s saviour, the midfielder replied: “the goal was important and I’m very happy”

Objective: Third Consecutive Liga

Regarding Barça’s next opponents, Deportivo, Iniesta thinks it will not be straight forward, however, the whole team wants to keep hold of the title: “Like all games, it will be difficult – we have to face them in this way. The final part of the season is always greatly anticipated and for that reason, we have to get the three points. We have the home advantage, however, against a team like Depor, we cannot let our guard down for a second. If we won the Liga for the third consecutive year, it would be fantastic”.

Gio downs Slovenia

In Gio’s case, his 86th minute goal gave victory to Marco van Basten’s Holland. “It was a difficult game after having drawn against Romania. We needed to win and they are three golden points” said Gio, happy for his team.

Final Destination: Feyenoord

Born in Rotterdam on the 5th February 1975, Gio has announced he will finish his career with Feyenoord; the club with which he played for between 1994 and 1998. “They’re in my heart and I want to finish up with them, however, I have a contract with Barça and I still want to play here”.

In defense of Ronaldinho

Andres Iniesta has also spoken of his wish that Ronaldinho stays at Camp Nou for many years ahead: “I can only say that I want him to stay for many years. He’s said he feels good here therfore I don’t think there’s anything more that needs to be said. He knows we’re happy with him and I believe happiness is priceless”.

For his part, Ronnie’s left sided wing man, Gio van Bronkhorst considers “in a team like Brazil, the number 10 is a magical number, but it doesn’t change the player. For me, Ronnie’s the best player in the world with any number”.

[Xizor]

The 18 for Deportivo
30-03-2007, 12:50

Frank Rijkaard has announced his squad for the game against Deportivo. Márquez, Saviola, Ezquerro and Deco are left out, the latter both through injury and suspension.

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After two weeks without league action, Frank Rijkaard has announced his squad as play resumes this Saturday against Deportivo la Coruña. The full squad was available with the sole exception of Deco, who is still recovering from an injured tendon in a right hand finger. However, as he was shown a fifth yellow card at Recreativo in the last game, he would not have been able to play anyway.

Three other absentees

Also missing from the list are Saviola, Ezquerro and Márquez. The Mexican is dropped because he is considered to have had a tiring week with a long journey to his home country to take part in a friendly against Ecuador. Márquez was excused from training on Friday and worked out in the gym instead. Saviola and Ezquerro, meanwhile, were left out by decision of the manager.

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So, the complete squad of 18 to take on the Galicians will be Valdés, Jorquera, Puyol, Xavi, Belletti, Motta, Zambrotta, Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Messi, Gudjohnsen, Gio, Edmílson, Sylvinho, Eto'o, Thuram, Oleguer and Giuly.

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[Xizor]

El Barça no quiere ceder el liderato
30 de Marzo de 2007

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*Rafael Márquez quedó fuera de la convocatoria

El Barcelona afronta la recta final de la Liga con el propósito de reafirmar su liderato con una victoria ante el Deportivo en el Camp Nou y no abandonarlo hasta final de Temporada.

El vestuario azulgrana, consciente de que sus más inmediatos perseguidores -Sevilla, Real Madrid y Valencia- aún tiene que librar un último duelo entre ellos, se ha conjurado para no volver a "pinchar" en las 11 Jornadas que restan hasta el final del campeonato, amparado en un calendario más favorable que su rivales en la lucha por el título.

La buena imagen que exhibió el equipo ante el Recre, justo antes del parón liguero (0-4), y la total recuperación de dos de sus jugadores más importantes, que además ha recuperado su olfato de gol -Samuel Eto'o y Lionel Messi- deberían servir de punto de inflexión para afrontar esta recta final con el convencimiento de que el Barça es, de nuevo, el favorito para adjudicarse el Torneo de la regularidad.

Para el encuentro ante el conjunto gallego, el técnico del Barcelona no podrá contar con el centrocampista Anderson Luis de Souza "Deco", que además de estar sancionado se recupera de la fractura en el dedo medio de la mano derecha que sufrió ante el Recreativo de Huelva.

Rijkaard también ha dejado fuera de la convocatoria, por decisión técnica, al defensa Rafael Márquez, el último en regresar de la concentración con su Selección, y a los delanteros Javier Saviola y Santi Ezquerro.

Vuelven a la lista el defensa Oleguer Presas, que en el Nuevo Colombino cumplió un partido de sanción, y el centrocampista Thiago Motta, que no entraba en una convocatoria desde el encuentro de Liga ante el Athletic de Bilbao.

El Deportivo intentará dar la sorpresa en el Camp Nou con Iván Sánchez "Riki" como la referencia en ataque.

El jugador de Aranjuez, el fichaje más caro de los deportivistas en la presente Temporada, tendrá la responsabilidad en la parcela ofensiva ante la baja del máximo goleador del equipo, el también madrileño Javier Arizmendi, que se pierde el choque tras ser expulsado en el pasado encuentro ante el Getafe.

Medio año después, el delantero blanquiazul, que se formó en las categorías inferiores del Real Madrid, es la apuesta de Joaquín Caparrós, que en la penúltima sesión de entrenamiento había probado con el asturiano Adrián López en la punta del ataque, con Riki en el banquillo.

El Deportivo tratará de endosarle la primera derrota de la Temporada al Barcelona en su estadio con un cambio de sistema que tiene como principal novedad la vuelta a la alineación de Joan Verdú, un canterano de la Masía.

El equipo gallego, que desde el primer encuentro de 2007 jugó con dos delanteros, regresará al 4-2-3-1, con el centrocampista catalán en la media punta, otro ex barcelonista, Cristian Hidalgo, en el interior izquierdo y el uruguayo Fabián Estoyanoff, alta tras cumplir un partido de sanción, en la banda derecha.

No serán los únicos cambios respecto al equipo que se impuso al Getafe en la última Jornada de Liga, ya que también habrá novedades en el centro del campo, donde el canadiense Julien de Guzmán suplirá a Sergio González, siempre entonado en el Camp Nou, y acompañará al malagueño Juan Rodríguez en el doble pivote.

El resto de la alineación será la misma que logró llegar al parón del campeonato por los partidos de la Selección con una victoria de tranquilidad para un equipo que está en la zona media de la clasificación y ya sin apuros, aunque todavía no tiene la permanencia asegurada.

Alineaciones probables:

Barcelona: Valdés; Zambrotta, Thuram, Puyol, Sylvinho; Edmilson, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi; Ronaldinho y Eto'o.

Deportivo: Aouate; Coloccini, Lopo, Andrade, Capdevila; De Guzmán, Juan Rodríguez; Estoyanoff, Verdú, Cristian; y Riki.

Árbitro: Ayza Gámez (Comité Valenciano)

Campo: Camp Nou

Hora: 14:00 horas tiempo del centro de México.

[Xizor]

Coordination and pressurising at La Masia
13-04-2007, 12:02

The squad of FC Barcelona continue preparations ahead of Sunday’s league match with Mallorca. With the exception of Motta and Ronaldinho, who trained at the gym, Rikjaard’s men worked on pressurising drills again this Friday.

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The first team squad trained on Friday morning under intermittent rain at La Masia pitch. The Barça players once more concentrated on pressurising opponents among other aspects in the build-up to Sunday’s clash with Mallorca.

Return to La Masia

With the exception of Thiago Motta and Ronaldinho - who trained at the gym – the squad underwent the second last training session ahead of the clash with the team for the Balearic Islands. After training on Thursday at the Miniestadi, Rikjaard’s team this time trained at La Masia pitch.

Coordination exercises

After the warm-up and the usual circuits, the players - under the guidance of the physical trainers - carried out a series of coordination style exercises. The aim of which was to try and coordinate movements and synergies.

Pressurising again

Once finalised the coordination exercises the players continued working on one of the basic aspects that has been a priority this week: pressurising. On this occasion the squad was divided into two teams of nine players. During the exercise the goalkeepers continued their own physical preparation separately together with Juan Carlos Unzué.

Eto’o and Thuram, back to normal

The team in blue bibs was made up of Zambrotta, Iniesta, Puyol, Gudjohnsen, Márquez, Ezquerro, Thuram, Saviola and Gio, while the yellow bibs were worn by were Messi, Sylvinho, Oleguer, Belletti, Xavi, Edmílson, Deco, Eto’o and Giuly. For the second consecutive day both Eto’o and Thuram trained normally.

Attacks with numeric superiority

In the exercise involving teams of nine players, the objective was to work on pressurising through a defence-attack drill with numeric superiority. Five players from one team attacked while three from the other team defended. At the end of the exercise the goalkeepers re-joined the rest of their team mates.

Saturday, final session

As is usually the case, the day before a game, the squad will train behind closed doors. Saturday’s session will be al 11h00 at the Camp Nou, after which coach Rikjaard with announce his squad selection.

[Xizor]

The Cup final will be played at the Bernabéu
27-04-2007, 17:08

Representatives of the four clubs involved agreed this Friday that the final of the cup will take place at the Santiago Bernabeú.

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The date will be the 23rd of June and today the venue was officially confirmed. The final will take place at the Santiago Bernabeú in Madrid. Barça will need to hold on to their 5-2 advantage from the first leg of the semi-final if they are to make the trip to Madrid.

Meeting in Las Rozas

The representatives of the four semi-finalists met at the headquarters of the Spanish Federation in Las Rozas. Representing FC Barcelona were Josep Maria Fonclara and Lluís Goyanes. One of the principal topics discussed was the allocation of tickets. In the end the number agreed was 30,000 for each finalist. The prices will be set at a meeting on the 11th of May after the two finalists are known.

According to the Spanish Federation, the Real Madrid president, Ramón Calderón, sent a letter to Ángel María Villar in which he offered the Bernabéu as host venue for the final.

A step away

FC Barcelona are well placed to participate in the final on the 23rd of June at the Santiago Bernabéu. The last hurdle before the final is the return leg against Getafe on the 10th of May. Barça lead 5-2 after the first leg.

Fond memories

If Barcelona manage to reach the final, the venue will bring back plenty of good memories. The last occasion Barça played a final at the Santiago Bernabéu was in 1997 – a game the won 3-2 against Betis. A year later the club retained the cup in Valencia

[Xizor]

No pasa por mi cabeza perder el liderato: Rijkaard
4 de Mayo de 2007

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*"Tengo confianza en mis jugadores"

El entrenador del Barcelona, Frank Rijkaard, destacó hoy la importancia de mantener la primera posición de la tabla hasta final de temporada, lo que pasa por no pinchar mañana en Anoeta ante la Real Sociedad.

"No pasa por mi cabeza perder el liderato. Todos los equipos tiene muchas ganas de cambiarse por nosotros y, ahora mismo, querrían estar en nuestra posición, pero tengo confianza en mis jugadores, veo al equipo mentalmente bien y lo importante es que está todo en nuestra mano", declaró Rijkaard.

El técnico azulgrana es consciente de que sus hombres sólo han ganado un partido como visitantes en los últimos seis meses, "pero eso no debe ser una presión añadida sino una motivación añadida", matizó.

En Anoeta, el Barça no podrá contar por lesión con el centrocampista Anderson Luis de Souza "Deco" -"tiene un papel importante en nuestro equipo y lo echaremos de menos", admitió Rijkaard-, un contratiempo más para un equipo que necesita ganar para dar un golpe de autoridad en la Liga.

Sin embargo, vencer en su feudo a una Real Sociedad en línea ascendente que además lucha por eludir el descenso no será fácil, aunque Rijkaard destacó que esta circunstancia hará el partido más interesante, "porque si ellos necesitan los puntos, lo mismo puede decirse de nosotros".

Aunque, a esta alturas del campeonato, el resultado es lo más importante, el técnico azulgrana se mostró partidario de no cambiar su estilo de juego para lograr el título.

"No se puede separar el resultado del espectáculo. Para nosotros, el juego también es importante, es la filosofía de nuestro club y ambas cosas han de ir de la mano", argumentó Rijkaard, quien dio las claves para ganar los partidos practicando igualmente un fútbol atractivo: "trabajo, compañerismo y rendimiento, tres componentes que, cuando se dan, hacen que la calidad aflore".

De compañerismo volvió a hablar el entrenador del Barcelona cuando se refirió a la cena de hermandad de la que disfrutó la plantilla esta semana y a la que sólo faltaron la de los brasileños Ronaldo de Assís "Ronaldinho" y Silvio Mendes "Sylvinho" y la del francés Lilian Thuram.

"Me parece una buena iniciativa. Es bastante normal que, cuando hay 'buen rollo' y el grupo cree que lo necesita, hagan cosas juntos, como cenar, para hacer piña", comentó.

Una de las bazas con las que contara el Barcelona para ganar en Donosti es el talento del argentino Lionel Messi, que ha estado toda esta semana entre algodones, después de sufrir un severo marcaje en el partido ante el Levante.

"Leo ya está avisado y sabe lo que le puede pasar. Ahora todos saben lo que es capaz de hacer y él tiene que prepararse para eso", indicó Rijkaard, quien también pidió la colaboración de los árbitros para proteger a su pupilo.

Preguntado por el hecho de que algunos jugadores del Real Madrid ya hayan manifestado públicamente que son los favoritos para ganar la Liga, mientras que los del Barça parecen rehuir de la euforia, pese a ir líderes, Frank Rijkaard fue claro.

"Esa ha sido la filosofía de nuestra plantilla los últimos tres años: trabajar en silencio para conseguir los objetivos. Así, cuando consigues ganar algo, la satisfacción es más grande", sentenció.

[Xizor]

El Barcelona derrotó cómodamente 2-0 a la Real Sociedad
5 de Mayo de 2007

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*La Real Sociedad llegó a meter en problemas al Barça

El Barcelona consiguió en Anoeta una victoria cómoda, con un futbol sólido, que le permite mejorar las malas estadísticas de las últimas semanas fuera de su feudo, al tiempo que hunde un poco más a una Real Sociedad voluntariosa y que cada jornada que pasa se acerca más a la Segunda División.

Los donostiarras salieron un tanto acomplejados ante el líder y sus tímidos intentos por llegar a la portería de Valdés morían pasando la raya del centro del campo, en su pretensión de nadar y guardar la ropa que cerca estuvo de quedar en nada a los cinco minutos de juego, si hubiera computado un gol anulado a Xabi por un fuera de juego que lo fue por centímetros.

Miguel Ángel Lotina preparó para la ocasión una alineación revolucionaria para frenar al equipo catalán, con un central como Mikel González convertido en lateral, López Rekarte abandonando la defensa para ser centrocampista después de muchos años y una imagen de desorganización general que se compensó con un espíritu de lucha y seriedad defensiva propia de otras épocas de mayor brillo.

Con ese esquema, la Real al menos creó bastantes apuros al Barcelona en la primera mitad.

El conjunto catalán, sin embargo no tenía excesivos problemas para controlar el ritmo del encuentro, esperaba su momento para romper el partido y, casi siempre con volante de Iniesta conduciendo su fútbol de ataque, estuvo próximo a lograrlo en el minuto 20 en un intencionado remate de Eto'o que no sorprendió a Claudio Bravo.

La mejor oportunidad para el equipo de Frank Rijkaard en el primer tiempo para haber desequilibrado el choque llegó en el minuto 27, gestada por una jugada de fantasía de Ronaldinho con la que rompió la línea defensiva local para asistir de forma preciosista a Xabi pero éste, en el mano a mano con Bravo, no acertó a superar al excelente guardameta chileno.

Iniesta también tendría su opción de marcar en el minuto 33, aunque en esa oportunidad fue Mikel González en el que despejó su chut en el último momento.

No esperaría mucho más el Barcelona para encarrilar el partido porque, a los dos minutos de volver de vestuarios, llegaba el 0-1, obra de Iniesta al recibir una gran asistencia de Ronaldinho con la que éste daba continuidad a una de las escasas aportaciones positivas de Messi, menos activo de lo habitual.

Bravo, unos instantes después, impidió con una gran intervención a disparo de Eto'o que el partido perdiera la poca emoción que le quedaba con esa mínima ventaja culé, dada la diferencia de calidad entre ambos equipos, que reflejaban sobre el terreno de juego sus respectivas posiciones en la tabla clasificatoria.

Lotina se jugó en el último cuarto de hora el todo por el todo, ya que este resultado casi condena a su equipo a Segunda División, y jugó hasta con cuatro delanteros, lo que aprovechó el Barcelona para dejar finiquitado el partido con el gol, a tres minutos para el final, de Eto'o.

Alineaciones:

Real Sociedad: Bravo; Mikel González, Juanito, Víctor López, Garrido; Garitano (Diego Rivas, min.63), Aranburu, Savio, López Rekarte (Díaz de Cerio, min.60), Xabi Prieto (Estrada, min.75); y Kovacevic.

FC Barcelona: Valdés; Gio, Puyol, Thuram, Zambrotta; Edmilson, Iniesta (Gudjohnsen, min.85), Xabi, Ronaldinho, Messi (Oleguer, min.90); y Eto'o.

Goles: 0-1, min. 47: Iniesta. 0-2, min. 87: Et'o.

Arbitro: Teixeira Vitienes (Cantabria). Amonestó a Garitano, Víctor López, Garrido, Mikel González, Edmilson.

Incidencias: 29.777 espectadores en el estadio de Anoeta. Récord de la temporada.

[Xizor]

Rijkaard: “We have to play with pride”Sandra Sarmiento/Anna Segura
15.06.2007, 15:03

The blaugrana coach has appealed to the spirit of the team to take on their final game of the Liga agaibst Nastic. Rijkaard believes “the team must do their job.”

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Two days before the final game of the Liga and Frank Rijkaard has visited Tarragona to do the habitual photo session with the Nastic coach, Paco Flores. “the team must do it’s job and think only in this. We mustn’t think of negativity and we must play with pride,” said Rijkaard in Nastic’s stadium.

Surprises

Asked if he believed in miracles, the Dutch coach assured that “It’s not miracles I believe in but in what can happen. Every game can produce surprises. We have to win points and there’s still a possibility of this happening.” Rijkaard also believes that “there’s still one game left and anything can happen. We have to hope.”

On the other hand, the Barça coach cannot conceive the idea of Madrid losing and Barça not taking advantage of this: “it would be a little strange. It’s not our objective. We must do everything to leave a good image and get a good result”.

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A difficult Nastic

Despite having been relegated a few weeks ago, Nastic de Tarragona will go into Sunday’s game looking for a result. Rijkaard believes “for Nastic it’s an important game for the fans and we must prepare ourselves in the best possible way.”

Rijkaard has not been sparing in his praise towards Paco Flores in the meeting on Friday. The blaugrana coach said “I have a lot of respect for him and we get on well. When you get on well with somebody, it’s not necessary to look at them too much.”

Flores wants to make life difficult for Barça

In the press conference, Paco Flores insists “we will try to do the best we can in the best possible way to make it difficult for our opponents. The best motivation for a coach is to have the chance to beat a team such as Barça.”

Paco Flores has also praised Frank Rijkaard: “he’s an extraordinary coach and is an exemplary role model with regards being correct and educated”.

[Xizor]

Last open training session in the Masia
15.06.2007, 13:03

All the team, less Edmilson, trained this Friday morning in the last open training session before the season finale.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/thumbnails/199_150/Imatges/2006-2007/futbol/noticies/entrenaments/juny/15-06-07_WEB_EQUIPO_02.jpg

The end of the Liga is close and with it the end of the training sessions. Friday’s session was the last before the habitual closed door training the day before the game. It is not known if the team will train next Saturday, before flying to Pretoria to play against South Africa.

In the session, Frank Rijkaard had nearly all his squad fit and ready. Only Edmilson was out due to an injury to his right knee. Deco, who had permission not to train yesterday, and Gudjohnsen, who was resting a knock, both were back in training, although the Icelandic front man is still recovering from his knock to his left knee.

Ball training

The session started off with the habitual warm up and ball skills, which was followed by ball control in pairs. Following this, Rijkaard split the group up to do positional play exercises. The training finished with a game of 10 on 10, in which Giuly did not participate due to doing recovery exercises close to the action.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/Imatges/2006-2007/futbol/noticies/entrenaments/juny/15-06-07_WEB_EQUIPO_01.jpg

Gudjohnsen improving

Icelandic forward has improved significantly since beginning his recovery from injury from last weekend. Gudjohnsen trained normally with the rest of the squad and also took part in the final game.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/Imatges/2006-2007/futbol/noticies/entrenaments/juny/15-06-07_WEB_GUDJHONSEN_01.jpg

[Xizor]

League
1 Real Madrid 73
2 FC Barcelona 73
3 Sevilla CF 71
4 Valencia CF 65
5 Zaragoza 59
6 Villarreal CF 59
7 At.Madrid 57
8 Recreativo 53
9 Getafe CF 52
10 Racing 50
11 RCD Espanyol 49
12 RCD Mallorca 49
13 Osasuna 46
14 Deportivo 44
15 Levante UD 42
16 Real Betis 37
17 Ath.Bilbao 37
18 Celta 36
19 R.Sociedad 34
20 Gimnàstic 28

[Xizor]

Definirán planes del Barça este martes
17 de Junio de 2007

http://www.mediotiempo.com/images/noticias/40353.jpg

*Analizará la temporada de su equipo ante los medios

El Presidente del Barcelona, Joan Laporta, aseguró hoy que el próximo martes anunciará las decisiones que se adoptarán con vistas al futuro y que se han tomado con independencia de lo que suceda en la última jornada liguera.

Poco antes de la comida de hermandad entre las directivas del club azulgrana y el Nástic de Tarragona, Laporta dio a entender que la hoja de ruta del Barça para la Temporada 2007-08 ya está confeccionada y que el próximo martes, tras la reunión de la Junta Directiva, comparecerá ante los medios de comunicación para realizar un análisis de la temporada y hablar sobre los planes de futuro.

[futbolpasion]

Real madrid campione la liga espana:)

[Xizor]

Yup! :sad:

[Xizor]

A dramatic win (3-1)

Barça have beaten Athletic Bilbao in a thrillingly intense encounter. The legality of Touré’s decisive third goal for the home side may have been questionable, but there can be no doubting that the best team won.

In their first league game of the season at the Camp Nou, FC Barcelona displayed the same attacking style that had won so much praise at the Gamper. Rijkaard’s side overcame Bilbao thanks to two goals from the omnipresent Ronaldinho, plus a controversial third from Touré Yaya. But Barça offered plenty of reasons for the fans to feel optimistic for the season ahead after a thoroughly entertaining and effective performance.

Ronaldinho the star

Barça looked good from the start, playing the ball around at speed and with confidence. Ronaldinho, playing in a more central role than normal with Henry taking his place on the left, was in his element, creating constant edge-of-the-area danger. Only eight minutes into the game and an Ustaritz foul on the Brazilian was followed by the same player converting a trademark free kick past former Espanyol stopper Gorka. It was a strikingly similar to goal to the one he scored against Zaragoza last season. But this looks like an altogether more complete Barça team than last season’s incarnation, with the players appearing far more motivated and playing with renewed aggression, and causing all kinds of problems for the Basque back four.

More of the same

Rijkaard’s side had the ball in the opposition’s half almost all the time. A Henry one-two with Ronaldinho led to Gorka bringing down the Frenchman, and the ensuing penalty was converted in confident fashion by Ronaldinho (min 33). Shortly before the break, in a similar move, the Brazilian combined with Messi, but this time the visiting keeper did his job cleanly, and was also called upon to save a Ronaldinho effort in the six-yard box following a pinpoint cross from Abidal.

Moment of uncertainty

Caparrós opted to bring striker Vélez on for Gabilondo after the break, and the youngster almost scored from Bilbao’s first clear-cut opportunity of the night, but Oleguer intervened to clear the danger (min 53). Barça came close to scoring their third with a series of three consecutive efforts from Henry (hitting the post), Deco and Messi. Bilbao replied with a Susaeta free kick that narrowly went wide.

Controversial third

Giovani Dos Santos replaced Henry on 61 minutes, and both the Frenchman and Deco, who would leave shortly after, left the field to rapturous applause. The Mexican had a great chance to score following a Messi move, and just when it looked like Bilbao had no hope of getting back into the game Lusaeta latched onto the end of a Valdés clearance to pull one back for his team (min 71). Within seconds, the talking point of the game came at the other end. Touré Yaya struck a delightful shot onto the underside of the bar, and the ball rebounded off the line and back into play. The referee consulted his linesman, and decided to award the goal, although it is fair to say that action replays suggest that perhaps the goal should not have stood.

Márquez was shown his second yellow card in the 76th minute, to which Rijkaard responded by sending on Gaby Milito for Ronaldinho. But the numerical disadvantage would not last long, for shortly after Bilbao’s own Koikili was dismissed for a reckless tackle on Giovani. Touré’s goal seemed to have knocked the wind out of Bilbao, and the rest of the game brought very little of interest, as the seconds ticked away towards the confirmation of Barcelona’s first win in the league championship.

Goals
1-0 Ronaldinho (min. 8)
2-0 Ronaldinho (min. 33)
2-1 Lusaeta (min. 71)
3-1 Touré Yaya (min.72)

[Raul_Madrid]

Barca shouldn't have won. There was no penalty and Yaya Toure's goal never went in.

[Xizor]

Oh well a win is a win!

[Andygers]

Barcelona vs Sevilla

After mixed fortunes in the CL two of the best teams in la Liga clash tonight at the Nou Camp. Barcelona overwhelmed Lyon 3-0 but Sevilla where thrashed by the same score line by Arsenal.

I say 2-0 Barca....your thoughts???

[B-Town Rovers]

I say tie. With Barca's La Liga lacking of producing anything but a draw, I must say that I don't see them winning against such a quality side as Sevilla. Barca needs to start scoring within the leauge.

[Elicea]

I think Barca will win

[Andygers]

Barcelona 2-1 Sevilla

Rangers Group E opponents Barcelona did their job against Sevilla by getting a victory. In the end the home sides pressure came through with Lionel Messi getting a double before Freddy Kanoute scored a 93 minute constilation goal.

Any thoughts????

[B-Town Rovers]

Messi is god...that's my thought

[B-Town Rovers]

Oh, and it's about time Barca stop tying and win

[Raul_Madrid]

Sevilla shouldn't be too worried they lost, they are still in a better position then barca (1 less game :).

[Elicea]

Did Ronaldinho really sign a 5 year contract with Chelsea?

[Xizor]

Week 7

Sunday October 7, 2007
Barcelona vs. Atlético de Madrid

[Elicea]

Games played today:

Espanyol def. Real Madrid 2-1
Sevilla def. Levante 2-0
Villarreal def. Barcelona 3-1
Valencia def. Deportivo 4-2

Defending champion Real Madrid, which visited Espanyol later Saturday, leads the league with 19 points. Villarreal and Valencia have 18, with Villarreal ahead on goal difference. Barcelona drops to fourth with 17.

[Andygers]

How bad were Barca today???? because I'm telling you if we play as well as we did today we might just sneak a win

[Xizor]

Dam I haven't been following Barca lately, that dam FIFA 08 mest me up!

[Andygers]

What are the barca fans thinking about the upcoming game against my team, rangers??????

Here are the card displays that will be raised before the match at Ibrox, by the Rangers fans:

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/5201/rangersvbarcadisplaymtauf8.jpg

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/1769/rangersvsbarcadisplay19kc5.jpg

Hope its a good game tomorrow guys!!!

[Elicea]

^has the game been played already and if so who won?

[Captain Fury]

yes it has it was a draw 0-0

[Elicea]

^Thanks.

[al1913]

You want another 3-0? :D


nice one lol :D

[Xizor]

Week 13

Saturday November 24, 2007

Barcelona 3-0 Recreativo de Huelva

Sevilla 1-2 Mallorca

Murcia 1-1 Real Madrid

Sunday November 25, 2007

Villarreal 1-1 Almería

Atlético de Madrid 4-3 Valladolid

Levante 4-3 Betis

Osasuna 1-2 Espanyol

Athletic de Bilbao 2-2 Deportivo

Racing Santander 1-0 Valencia

Zaragoza 1-1 Getafe

[Xizor]

League
23-12-07
FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid
Camp Nou

[Elicea]

Barca!

[Xizor]

I herd we lost, can someone give me a recap of the game?

[Elicea]

Yeah, we lost. :sad:

Barça stunned in el Clásico (0-1)

www.fcbarcelona.com

Julio Baptista's first half goal gave Real Madrid victory against Barcelona in el Clásico on Sunday evening despite Frank Rijkaard's side doing everything they could to find an equaliser in the second half.

The game was won thanks to Madrid's defensive ability that did not allow Barça to find a way through during the exciting encounter. Despite not being able to count on Lionel Messi, the Blaugrana enjoyed the better chances in the opening half, but just as they looked set to make the breakthrough, Baptista struck on the counter-attack to put the visitors ahead. The second half was broken up by the referee's whistle and that has not helped Barça's cause as Madrid were able to track back when the play was broken up.

Bright start

After an impressive mosaic from the fans in the stands, the game began with a lot of tension as both teams went full throttle at each other. The initiative was taken by Barça as Ronaldinho and Deco looked to make an early impression, but it was Madrid that came closest to opening the scoring when Pepe met a Wesley Sneijder free-kick o