Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona were suffering an unstoppable decline into decadence, the dressing room lacking discipline and spirit. Ronaldinho had lost his status as the most exciting player on the planet, the president Joan Laporta had only just survived in office and Catalan self-esteem was at its lowest ebb for decades. At that point Pep Guardiola […]
Tag Archives: Barcelona
Qatar Airways to appear on Barça shirt
The contract signed by Qatar Sports Investment and FC Barcelona foresaw the possibility of including a new sponsor on the team shirt from the third season of the agreement Sandro Rosell has welcomed Qatar Airways, “an ambitious brand with global aspirations, always commitment to the utmost excellence in its field” The Qatar Foundation now becomes […]
How Argentina finally cracked Barcelona’s Messi code
Past Pele’s record of goals in a calendar year. Ten short of surpassing Gerd Muller’s record of 85 (the all time record), and currently tied with Batistuta for most goals for Argentina in a calendar year. One goal against Saudi Arabia and the Argentinian record will be all his. It would be an understatement to […]
Is Loyalty Barca’s Greatest Strength?
When Lionel Messi declared this week, at the relatively young age of 25, that he wants to spend the rest of his career at Barcelona, it provided an insight as to why the Spanish club has dominated world football in recent years. A hot favorite to be named the world’s best player for an unprecedented fourth […]
Disproportionate – The gap between Europe’s elite and the rest
Celtic’s 2-1 upset win over Barcelona on Wednesday prompted some to describe it as the “second greatest night in the history of the club” after — presumably — that night in 1967 when 11 men born within a few miles of Parkhead went out and became champions of Europe. That generated some interesting discussion, as you would […]
The way we play – An interview with Iniesta
They have seen better nights. Quite a lot of them, in fact. In a village of La Mancha, there is a bar. The village is called Fuentealbilla and has a population of just 1,864; the bar is called the Luján and it is run, as it has been for as long as anyone can remember, […]
The Special One’s point to prove
Jose Mourinho has picked a fight with Madrid B coach Alberto Toril, underscoring the club’s failure to develop and promote young players from within. I’m not going to waste time asking for sympathy, because he doesn’t need it, but I think it was more than somewhat unfair that Jose Mourinho’s achievement in becoming the fastest […]
A New Hope – Barca’s next Pique, Marc Batra
His patience has finally been rewarded. Marc Bartra had been persistently praised by Barcelona boss Tito Vilanova in recent weeks, but largely ignored by the Catalan coach – despite the club’s crisis in central defence. On Tuesday night, however, he came of age with an accomplished appearance against Celtic in the Champions League. And there is plenty more to come. … […]
How Barcelona’s Great Start to the Season Masks Their Defensive Woes
The Blaugrana have suffered this term but have managed to turn it around in all but one game despite defensive problems which have already threatened to derail their campaign. … They looked assured enough against a Hoops side feeding off scraps in the early stages, but breakaway attacks brought moments of discomfort for the Catalans, […]
Building a new City
Since that epic finale to last season’s English Premier League, and having clinched their much famed £1billion title, Manchester City have begun work on a £100 million training complex. It is said to be modeled around the La Masia football academy in Barcelona, which is known to have produced world class talent like Iniesta, Xavi […]
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