Carnivore Chris

@Teso dos Bichos

People always speak about Guardiola(justifiable of course) and what he did for Barcelona when he was promoted to coach of the first team, but not everyone speak about his number 2 and closest mate, Tito Vilanova, who was equally as important as without a great playing staff, a manager can only do so much. Guardiola had a fantastic group surrounding him and Tito was his right hand man. What happened was tragic and just shows that even the more wealthy people aren't prone to nasty illnesses and life problems. R.I.P Tito, a figure who will always be remembered fondly among anybody associated with Barcelona, in fact Spanish football in general.

I've been a fan of Garbrandt for a while now myself. He's a brilliant fighter and I'm looking forward to his come back later this year in November against T.J Dillashaw, which was supposed to happen earlier this year before Garbrandt's injury. In fact that is set to be a cracking event in general if all the fights happen as planned. Bisping vs St-Pierre will go down that night itself. Mickey Gall will also be expected to fight that night. He's another who looks set to have a big future.

After his goal yesterday, Joaquin has now scored in each one of the 15 seasons he has played in top flight Spanish football. He's playing well this season as well. He's not the same speedy winger he once was but his tremendous technical ability and footballing intelligence has been very useful for Betis this season so far. On another note, Messi has scored in 14 seasons now and Pique(interestingly) has scored in each of the 11 seasons he has played in Spain, 10 for Barcelona and one for Real Zaragoza. (I've just realised now, this is Pique's 10th season? What the fuck? Where has the last decade gone?) As for other players, Aduriz has scored in 13 of the 14, Sergio Garica in 10 of 12, Prieto in 11 of 12 and Ramos in 13 of 15.

Yeah mate but after just coming back from a long fishing trip and not sleeping too much, I'm knackered, so I will probably watch it tomorrow(without knowing who wins beforehand) rather than staying up to watch it live. It should be a good fight.

@Teso dos Bichos I remember the last time United were in a group with Basel and Benfica

@CannabisRakitic bossed it. When he plays like that, he's one of the best midfielders in the world. It's about him maintaining that level as him playing like that will be vital. He was excellent in his first season and half, so there is no reason why he can't be again for the club. A lot of positive signs have come from him as of late.

One of the problems last season was the full backs, Sergi Roberto can fill in there but isn't made for the role full time and Alba wasn't as consistent as he can be. If the full backs(or rather wing backs) aren't functioning then it can have a big affect on the team and this hasn't been the case this season thus far, as Semedo is doing a great job and Alba is in top form. 3 assists for Alba so far in la liga in fact.

It would be hilarious if Messi/Ronaldo won the next 4 or so Ballon d'ors and then after them, it was Dembele and Mbappe who ended up fighting for the award.

Imagine how many goals Messi would score there? I genuinely think he'd get 80 at his best.

Yeah, all this attention and hype before he has even signed a professional contract could end up being detrimental for him and he just needs to be left to get on with his football as it stands. Too much attention and fame at such a young age isn't ideal for a player's progression. Unrelated, but as for young players in the current squad(players under 25), I've heard people ask who there is, but there is actually plenty of players there who are under 25. Ter Stegen - Already one of the best keepers in the world and still 25. Semedo - I can see him being class and has the talent there to be one of the best full backs around. Only 23 years of age. Umtiti - One of the best young centre backs in the world and has already proven what he's about. First team regular for both club and country and at 23, he has many years left. Sergi Roberto - He's finally playing in his proper position now and looks comfortable. At 25, it's the perfect age for him to now kick on given that he still has age on his side, but also a lot of experience now. Denis Suarez - If he gets more chances(which you'd expect under Valverde given that there were no more signings in the window), then I have no doubt he'll offer a lot to the team as he's one of the most talented Spanish players of his age group, he just needs to be given more opportunities. He was brilliant for Villarreal and it's not like he hasn't shown plenty of signs when actually given chances at Barcelona either. He's 23 now and had a season to settle into the club, so he could surprise us this year if Valverde does the right thing. Ousmane Dembele - One of the hottest young players around and only 20 years old. Deulofeu(23), Paco Alcacer(24) and Digne(24) will probably never be "stars" or regular starters, but are all good enough to provide depth as far as I'm concerned. We are also forgetting Rafinha. He's still only 23/24 and before his injury a month into last season, he was playing very well and getting minutes. He was also one of the top scorers in the side around this (short, but promising) period. Unfortunately, he's probably fallen behind the pecking order a bit now after an array of injuries, although you never know if he can still become a valuable player under Valverde, with a fresh start. Carles Aleña(19) has also recently signed a new contract, he's a real talent, although still unproven of course and he's not ready for the first team yet. But I'd expect to see him feature in cup games again and he may even make the bench if injuries occur. He's certainly one to watch out for in the future, as is Samper(22), who is now on loan at Las Palmas. If he does well there, then he will likely be recalled to Barcelona and we will hopefully see a future from the lad.

Tebas: "Hemos pillado al PSG meando en la piscina y a Neymar desde el trampolín"

While wearing Atletico Madrid shirts

Followers on istagram as a 14 year old player. Crazy.

What about the (potential) best signings this season? To make it simple, I'll pick a handful off the top of my head. Maxi Gomes to Celta Vigo - The young Uruguayan will become a top striker in Spain, that I'm sure of already. Kondogbia to Valencia - I'm not sure what happened with him in Italy, but he was class for Sevilla when he played in Spain. He's still young and looked quality on his debut against Real Madrid. Semedo to Barcelona - I think Dembele was the right signing himself, but the fee was questionable(although understandable given the inflated market), whereas with Semedo, he cost 25 million euros which is (scarily) nothing in the current transfer market. He looks the real deal and could well be a steal there when you consider how much Arsenal wanted for Bellerin, who I don't believe is even a superior player. Vitolo to Atletico Madrid - 33 Million sounds like a great price now for a player who has been one of the stand outs in la liga over the past few seasons and is now is in his prime. He can't join up with Atletico until January(he will play on loan at Las Palmas until then) but once he can join up with them, he's going to benefit them a lot.

I didn't realise City loaned that many players to Girona, jesus

Who are these players from the Premier League? I'm guessing a lot of them are Spanish themselves , although not all. From the top of my head:- Deulofeu(Barcelona), Navas(Sevilla), Nolito(Sevilla), Lucas Perez(Deportivo), Remy(Las Palmas), Calleri(Las Palmas), Paulista(Valencia), Andreas Pereira(Valencia), Pau Lopez(Espanyol), Borja Baston(Malaga), Joel Campbell(Real Betis), Bojan Krkić(Deportivo Alaves), Muniesa(Deportivo Alaves), Amrabat(Leganes). Who else? I can't think.

The problems in midfield(that have been present for 2 years) have still not been addressed for me. A reinforcement in this area was vital this summer as far as I'm concerned. Sergi Roberto will get chances now in midfield, that is one plus sign, but Iniesta isn't the man he once was, he can't perform at his best every week anymore and Rakitic is hit and miss, although if the Croatian can reach his best level again consistently, then that will greatly improve the team. It's time to start giving proper chances to Denis Suarez as it's evident that he is a talent, who could improve the starting 11 and has even shown glimpses when he has come off the bench this season. He is always moving forward and looking to make things happen, which is just what the team need. It's now or never for him really, but the problem is, I can see Andre Gomes getting more minutes than he should be getting again and the fact is, he offers absolutely nothing and can't even pass the ball forwards. He is literally useless. Luckily the Dembele deal was pulled off as I believe he could be a real star at the club. The fee was questionable, but with the market how it is, it was going to take something ridiculous to prize him away from Dortmund. The negative is, that he's still only 20 and while he can offer a lot in the present, he still has a lot to learn and too much weight can't be placed in his shoulders too soon. Getting Suarez back to his best will also be important as his goals will be vital this season. Messi will still score plenty but given the lack of creativity in the midfield area(unless Denis Suarez plays of course!), the Argentine's playmaking abilities will be more vital than ever. One positive is the right back position. Semedo looks absolute class and I don't see why he won't continue to perform this way. He's hungry, suits the style of play and has many years ahead of him. Vidal is also good back-up, so it's an area that is definitely stronger now than it was last season. As for Digne, he can be a handy squad player to be honest. Alba is the first choice left-back, but Digne can fill in whenever he needs resting/Valverde decides to rotate. He offers depth, as does Paco Alcacer, who scored goals and linked up well with the the attack when he was given chances in his correct position towards the end of last season. Playing Paco on the right(like against Betis) is obviously not going to get the best of him, but he can do a job through the centre and could be a handy squad player. With this said, I don't see why you'd let Sandro leave on a free and pay 30 million for Paco when Sandro would offer as much(if not more) as he does. Talking of depth, Deulofeu will offer that and I see his signing as being a positive one. He didn't play well against Real Madrid, but had a cracking debut in la liga. Dembele will obviously go on to become first choice, but Deulofeu will be a very useful player to bring off the bench to change games and be used during rotation. This is something Barcelona didn't have last season. The centre of defence could have done with another reinforcement, especially with Marlon being loaned out. If Umtiti is injured tomorrow then the only other option after Mascherano, is Vermaelen and you can't rely on him when he has legs made of glass and isn't anything special anyway. Yerry Mina will join up with the squad in January and could well be a success in Europe, but January is a while away yet and there are a lot of games to play before then. Depth is looking stronger in a few areas, but weaker in others. If everyone is fit, then there is still enough there to challenge for trophies, but if there are injuries in key areas then it could end up being a long season.

Vedran has also gone there from Valencia on loan. Joel Campbell has returned on loan to Betis(why don't Arsenal finally just sell the lad?) and Sergi Darder has gone to Espanyol on loan with an option to buy for 8 million euros.

It looks like Bojan could be off to Las Palmas. I think that would be a beneficial move allround. Las Palmas could do with a striker and Bojan needs a new leash of life. Since leaving Barcelona, he had never played in Spain, although I believe it's where he'd be most likely to settle down at. He's played in England, Germany and Italy and while he's done alright, he has never truly settled down and played his best football. A move to Las Palmas could really be what he needs. He's still only about 26 so he still has plenty left. Speaking of Las Palmas. I will be looking out for Halilovic this season. He seems to have gone under the radar recently and people are no looking speaking about the potential he had, although he's still young with plenty of time to develop as a player and it'll be interesting to see if Las Palmas is that club where he can finally show what he's about. Samper is there now as well. These are all players that at some time, we all thought were going to make it big at Barcelona. Then again, in Samper's case, this is still a real possibility given that he's only just breaking onto the scene. He will have learnt a lot at Granada last season, although he will be playing around a much more talented group at Las Palmas and it will be ideal for his development.

I'm already signed up to a Barcelona forum Ricardo, but it's in Spanish. I haven't been on for a while, but whenever I used to go on there, I admittedly just used to spend my time messaging women on it(even got one's number in fact who lived in Bilbao ), although I haven't been on it for a while. I'd rather come on here personally. It's the only forum I really bother with nowadays and I doubt I'll ever really bother with another forum again. Other than the Spanish speaking Barcelona forum and this one/TFF, I've never really stuck around on many forums. Well apart from the Blackburn Rovers one back in the day, which is where I originally know @JOSHBRFC from, before the TFF days.