SirBalon

Good news for Real Madrid has just been released... Karim Benzema has suffered a muscle injury (yet to be stated what type of injury) and he will be out for anything between 2 to 3 weeks.

Just over a month ago I was precribed reading glasses (made sure I bought a pair of nice ones actually) because all of a sudden I’d started to notice reading close up was becoming difficult. Yes, it’s age creeping up on me unfortunately and it has become made self evident today on this board where I’d forgotten who I’d spoken to. It seems it’s more than just my eyesight that’s gone wonky!

The problem is that Rafinha doesn't see himself as a utility player and certainly not his father who is his agent. In the same fashion his brother (Thiago Alcántara) made a move for his career, the same will probably happen in the end with Rafinha. I doubt Rafinha will be a Barcelona player by the time the summer transfer window closes. As for my Spanish sports front pages thread, I've been really really busy mate and I'll get back to it in the new year.

Just heard Celta have asked Barça for permission for a loan deal on Rafinha. It seems Celta have already spoken to the player and he’s keen on the move as he wants guaranteed first team football.

Neither do I and I doubt any Barça fan wants him or various of the players making the headlines these past few days. But I would want Di María even less than Oscar!

It looks as if Barça just want a stop-gap player that will take them to the end of the season where then whatever the real project is can be done in the summer. Obviously buying anyone top of the range in January is mental becauae you overpay massively (i.e. Liverpool) and anyone very good will probably be cup tied. Many (myself included) laughed and complained about Paulinho joining and look at how that turned out!

I know... I’m just hoping to all the gods that this is rubbish but a few things Di María has said in the last few days in the media makes me afraid it might be true. Apart from the fact Di María is a burnt out player, helping PSG sort out their MASSIVE financial issues with the international football authorities is absolutely retarded from Barça’s point of view.

Very interesting appointment and his first words were these; ”I’m extremely excited with this new adventure. I’ve heard that there are players not giving 100% and all I can say is that if I see this is true I want them to know UD Las Palmas is mine and they’re gonna do everything I say”

Interesting but I wouldn’t have had Barça built like that and having Di Stefano up front on the right is hilarious... Puskas? Where is he? What about Gento? Looks like someone’s kid at Marca has been allowed to mess around with the computers at Christmas and this has happend!

Marc-André ter Stegen and Ernesto Valverde’s defensive reconstruction of FCB have left an un-Barcelona like stat at the end of the year... 11 clean sheets in 17 La Liga games!!!

Both Dembélé and Rafinha are recovered from their injuries and will be finally included in match-day teams after a few months out. That will add much needed depth to the squad. Javier Mascherano looks to be finally on his way to experience new adventures after almost 10 years at Can Barça. He is going to China and has begged the club to let him go as he wants first team football guaranteed before the World Cup in Russia this summer. FCB have given in and are going to let him go but that means having to bring in another centre-back which looks to be Mina (most likely) or Iñigo Martínez (less likely due to the price). There are other rumours for the January transfer window but they could be executed in the summer.

I doubt at Tanksie’s house it’s turkey or goose they’re eating... Human ashes with gravy and sprouts all round!

Happy Birthday also to Bluewolf which I just saw.

felicem natalem Christi Happy Birthday Stan mate!!!

Cech is no longer at the top of the tree where keepers are concerned for sure. But he’s still competent to a high level in my view. The problems lie firstly in the tactical side of the game (that’s the coaching part of it) and then the protection from midfield that the backline gets... That protection practically doesn’t exist.

Mignolet is absolute garbage but everyone knew that already years ago. For me Liverpool’s issues don’t just lie in the personel they have in midfield and in the backline. This is also down to Klopp’s style of football... It’s mental and innocent.

Happy Birthday @Any O'Brien mate... Have a grea One!

Barça players love doing their “rondos” in training and this one is quite entertaining with a wonderful Piqué move.

Brilliant! Hahaha. Definitely want to be the one in the green t-shirt dancing.

Well that MEYBA shirt I linked you guys to, I ordered it and it arrived today. It’s an absolute beauty and one thing I noticed straight away by feeling it in my hands is the difference in quality compared to what we get when we buy official tops these days. I love it and all that needs to happen now is for summer to arrive!

Santa’s sack is not what I should be thinking about at this hour of the night.

My browser crashed just with the thread title!

El Clásico is a unique game and previous or current form means nothing. It’s a question of the day of the game and the early minutes with that one because it’s so competitive. But if Real win that game, then it will change absolutely everything about them for the rest of the season which is why I said La Liga isn’t lost yet. As for winning the Club World Cup and that being a marker for a confidence boost... I don’t think it has any bearing mate because that tournament (and that’s the main reason it isn’t taken seriously in Europe) seems to have European based players seeing it as a miss match in terms of competitiveness. If you lose it’s because you weren’t motivated enough for it and your opponents see it as something real, and if you win it’s more for the club press team to laud it... Real have come back (like I said before) having won it comfortably and then gone through a sticky period. There’s something different about this season in La Liga I’m sensing in that the “smaller” clubs aren’t respecting their bigger counterparts. This has been an ongoing debate in Spain’s sports media this season... All the top clubs are finding the games that are usually a lot easier to win a lot more difficult. Look at Valencia’s only error this season, Getafe! Look at Real’s mistakes (except Valencia)... All teams that they usually coast to victory even if it takes time to adjust like you say. Look at the Copa del Rey this season so far... Nor since pre 50s have regional sides been so difficult to get by.

Something to look out for in the Club World Cup is how Real Madrid return from it because in recent years they’ve collapsed for a month or two after that... Remember under Ancelotti where before going to that mini tournament they had broken the club record of the run of victories in a row (22 I think it was) and last season it occured again with a run of three La Liga games without a win. Another issue is the ridiculous one (Zidane spoke out about it today) about any possible bookings incurred in the Club World Cup will be carried forward to La Liga and there are players on the verge of a suspension which could be detrimental in El Clásico which is coming up.

You’re right to be honest... Last season was riddled with these situations with the only difference in many games where a final minute or injury-time goal sorted out the issue. Another thing I want to add is that Real Madrid have been showing a lot of anxiety on the pitch of late and that is one of the worst enemies for a side with lots of big name players. Instead of knowing who you are and playing to your strengths, you end up feeling anxious and attacking like mad leaving yourself open to counter attacks. This has happened a lot this season so far in many many games, even games where like at home to Valencia where Real Madrid didn’t exactly play a bad game, infact for me they were superior and won games where they played worse... What occured that night was anxiety in that Valencia were calculating on how Real would come at them and the players sense this. Similar things occured against Levante and as you pointed out, against Betis.