FC Barcelona Discussion

[Devil-Dick Willie]

Nothing he will ever do to bayern will make up for being a part of the side that lost 7-0

[The Artful Dodger]

Messi was always the archetypal big game player, I've never seen a player dominate a Champions League final like he did in 2011. 

I saw it suggested he may be moved to a central midfield position shortly, which would be an excellent move for Barcelona. 

 

[Cicero]

2 minutes ago, Tanksie said:

Nothing he will ever do to bayern will make up for being a part of the side that lost 7-0

Tbf, he came back from a hamstring injury and was rushed back to play that game 

And I beg to differ. Making a world champion CB and GK look like pub players defies all

[SirBalon]

D10S

(GOD)

 

I've decided to put my thoughts on last night's latest edition of El Clásico here on the FC Barcelona discussion thread because in the match day thread these things get lost in time and something like yesterday deserves to be recorded here where future newcomers or people simply browsing can refer in an easier manner to a moment that in Spain will be recalled and remembered for decades to come as have other great gestures from both respective clubs in this clash throughout history.  There are too many reasons as to why what occurred last night (23/04/2017) is another amazing feat especially considering Barça's more than just sensitive situation before last night's game at the Santiago Bernabéu.

And that's what the papers all over the world reflected this morning in the news stands...

There were other great individual performances in the Barça side last night aside from Messi's messianic show which tends to occur every time the followers of this great sport all over the world start to doubt.  Sergio Busquets was one who was a giant last night...  Without him Barça would never have been able to accomplish the victory because in the sporadic moments Real Madrid pressed Barça like a hound of wolves baying for blood, it was him who was covering for the varying errors that were occurring at the hands of other players like Ivan Rakitić, Sergio Roberto and even Gerard Piqué.  Not only did Busquets have to defend his own patch in midfield by robbing potential third quarter creative moments from the Real Madrid midfield, and then in his own unique manner start off any Barcelona attack.  But he also had to cover for those mistakes and lapses of concentration from those players I mentioned.

It has to be said that Paco Alcácer in his own way completely out of position as he is a pure 9, was also very good although nothing by comparison on who should've been there which was Neymar.  The Brazilian had had his suspension extended for applauding a referee's assistant when he was walking off the pitch two weeks ago after a second yellow.  Thankfully after yesterday's result, that suspension has turned into a rest period for Neymar, who in actual fact gatecrashed the Barcelona dressing room to celebrate with his colleagues at the end of the game.

But last night was all about one man and only one man (if you can call him a man...  He is obviously God's football representation on the planet because God loves football)

He seemed to be playing with anger, with an impetuous mannerism where aggressive runs starting from deep were the common factor.  The Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane caught onto this very quickly indeed and he put Casemiro (Moon Face) on Messi and one of the first actions between the two saw Messi purposefully overuse his technique (I say overuse, as the move he opted for was totally unnecessary, watch it again and you'll see) to make the fat Brazilian look like a Pub Sunday League player.  Casemiro duely scythed him down with also the same venom Messi had used on him for the move...  An over the top physically aggressive move to stop Messi getting away.  That should've been the red card for Casemiro right then and end of.  But the referee was permissible with many things, especially with the manhunt on Messi which Casemiro was a major protagonist in and Gerard Piqué reflected that on a comment he made after the game where he responded to the question on what his thoughts were on the physical aspect of Real Madrid's play foremost on Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos' comments defending his teammates on that for him there wasn't any major physical aspect to the game on their part and that for him his red card should've at most been a yellow.  Piqué responded with; "Of course...  The problem they had tonight is that they've been used to permissible officiating all season"

Ex-Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello for Fox Sports also had a few things to say about what occurred in the game with these being some of the quotes;

On the Sergio Ramos red card tackle on Messi: "You only have to see that particular moment.  Look at the tackle, it's criminal.  He was correctly red carded"

On the difference between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo: "Messi is a genius, Cristiano is a great player.  It's incredible to see what Messi did in the game because he took the team on his shoulders and lifted them.  He's a genius and everything else varies from fantastic players or great players because where Cristiano is something so special in the area and has a nose for the goal opportunity, Messi can diversify his game and play anywhere by dominating and becoming the focal point of the adversary.  How many different things have we seen Messi do over the years?  Well today I saw him play in a way I've never seen him play and it was totally different"

On how La Liga stands now:  "La Liga is very much alive with this result.  Real Madrid look to be in good physical condition, but the two games they have coming up with Atlético Madrid will be like playing 4 games in a week physically."

But some things are just meant to be and sometimes they're designed in that way by a divine being because it means something more special.  Only a few nights ago FC Barcelona were eliminated by a great Juventus side from the Champions League and at that moment Messi stood on 498 official club goals for Barça.  He didn't score a single goal in the two legged tie, but neither did anyone else in the Barcelona side (that's another story).  It's as if destiny took it all to a more meaningful happening, something more registered in the Culé mindset and that's the eternal enemy, the house of everything that's anti-Barça, the Santiago Bernabéu.  It wouldn't have been enough to have just scored one goal there and reach that 500 feat.  No!  It would be two goals there and both beautiful works of art in different ways that describe everything Messi has been about in his career where goalscoring is in question.... Oh, but it doesn't end there...  God works in mysterious ways they always tell us and not only did he score two goals, have a great individual performance, was also the object of a manhunt, but he went and scored the winner in the very last second of the two minutes the referee had awarded for injury-time.  No more time to play because it also gave him time to be inspired with a particularly unusual method of celebrating a goal for him.  A godly mercurial action which is designed to leave a message aside from his magic.

500 were accomplished goals at the Santiago Bernabéu which resulted in a victory for Barcelona and sent them to first place putting all the pressure on their rival.

It couldn't have been written in a more fitting way when doubters were already creeping out of dark corners questioning the whole symphony the supreme being had set for everyone to enjoy in the shape of Lionel Messi.

[Devil-Dick Willie]

 

 

Ps. This game won't be remembered for decades. Does anyone still even give a fuck about the 5-0 game?

Edited April 25, 2017 by Tanksie

[Asura]

16 hours ago, SirBalon said:

 

 Casemiro duely scythed him down with also the same venom Messi had used on him for the move...  An over the top physically aggressive move to stop Messi getting away.  That should've been the red card for Casemiro right then and end of.  

 

No way was the first tackle a straight red if that is what you are referring to here. It was a yellow, but he should have gotten a second yellow (red) for the second tackle on messi.

[SirBalon]

30 minutes ago, Asura said:

No way was the first tackle a straight red if that is what you are referring to here. It was a yellow, but he should have gotten a second yellow (red) for the second tackle on messi.

Indeed he committed various fouls worthy of yellow cards (not just two) on Messi.  But the first one was a straight red for these two reasons;

1. Retribution.
2. Professional foul committed in an aggressive manner.

The first point is a red card always in football mate.

[SirBalon]

First goal for Barça by Macherano, 100 in La Liga for Barcelona this season and 500 in the Luis Enrique era

 

Tonight against Osasuna, Javier Mascherano scored his first ever goal for FC Barcelona entering his 8th year at the club.  At the moment Masch scored the penalty (he was forced by the players to take it as they all said none of them would) it became not only his first goal, but also Barcelona's 100th in La Liga this season and the 500th goal in the Luis Enrique era.

Javier Mascherano had this to say about the penalty and subsequent first goal for the club;

"Under the insistence of all of them, it was too difficult to say no"

"It was more an anecdote than anything else, more a show of affection from my teammates and they made me do it.  The only thing I thought about was hitting it hard because I didn't want to make history for missing the opportunity."

"This is a collective sport, a game made up of a team of players.  Every one of us has his roll and mine isn't to contribute with goals."

"The most important thing was the result and the three points after what the team achieved in the Bernabéu."

On the opportunity to challenge for La Liga;

"It's clear we're competing against a very strong rival and it's difficult that they're going to leave too many points behind.  Our obligation is to put pressure on them."

 

¡Primer gol de Mascherano, 100 del Barça en Liga y 500 con Luis Enrique!

Mascherano sobre el penalti: “Ante la insistencia de todo el mundo, fue difícil decir que no”

Edited April 27, 2017 by SirBalon

[SirBalon]

Piqué hits out at the Madrid based press again

 

Gerard Piqué seems to be on a mission these days with an open war against the Madrid based press.  This week's victim is none other than the editor of AS (Like MARCA, AS proclaim themselves to be the voice of the nation's football) and his weekly column, Alfredo Relaño.

In this case he's criticised the article he wrote dedicated to Lionel Messi's celebration when after scoring the winning goal in 'El Clásico' at the Santiago Bernabéu, he sowed the stadium his shirt holding it up after taking it off.  Alfredo Relaño hits out against Messi saying that his actions could've caused a riot in the stadium (curiously only 400 Barcelona fans travelled and they were situated at the top of the stadium) and that it was a provocative act by the Barcelona player which could've also led to objects being thrown at him.  Alfredo Relaño also compares Raúl's finger to his mouth shushing the Camp Nou as a more educated act than Messi standing with his shirt opened up in his hands.

Piqué Tweeted this with the article in AS highlighted;

 

Piqué's words translated:  

"It seems that Leo has taken them to their limits.  Now they can't even hide it these days from the top.  It seems it's a more provocative act to show a shirt than tell a whole stadium to be quiet."

 

Duro mensaje de Piqué al director de AS

[Spike]

Anybody have that video of the Barcelona players are huddle together and someone throws a waterbottle at them and they all dive except Messi? Even 'hardman Mascherano' drops like a piece of shit.

[Spike]

On 4/25/2017 at 0:17 AM, Tanksie said:

 

 

Ps. This game won't be remembered for decades. Does anyone still even give a fuck about the 5-0 game?

I was scrolling through this thread and I had to legit take a moment to remember what game it was 

[SirBalon]

The Barça 5-0 Real Madrid game isn't remembered as a game by the Barcelona fans, so I understand where Tanksie is coming from.  That game is a piece of art that belongs in 'El Prado' in Madrid.  Or maybe better in the Louvre because as Piqué would say, you don't want to provoke the masses with these kinds of things...  Better to stay hush and put our finger to our lips while in public. 

I say that honestly though...  It's a game to watch in awe and a demonstration of the football you can't even access on amateur mode on EA FIFA.

[SirBalon]

Barça 'B' Champions of Segunda 'B' Group III

 

Barça's youth side FC Barcelona 'B' have a chance to return to La Liga 1|2|3 next season after qualifying for the play-offs by winning their third tier regional division with 8 games to spare.  A magnificent season with record points and goals scored for the Barcelona B Team after two previous seasons that can only be described as a disaster.  There are some real young talents coming through once again and there is talk of another golden generation in the making at Barcelona's professional youth setup.

There's still work to be done as you don't get automatically promoted by winning that division in the third tier and now they will play the eventual winners of the other regional divisions.

 

Triunfo del Barça B, que se proclama campeón de Liga

Edited May 2, 2017 by SirBalon

[SirBalon]

One man is an imposter?

 

A bit of humour here because the guy on the right of that picture above is Lionel Messi's lookalike and you can say fair and square that Riza Parastesh from Iran is as an authentic double as you're gonna get.  Riza is from Tehran and as you can imagine, everywhere he goes he is stopped in the streets where people want to take pictures and get his autograph.

Infact if you watch the video provided, you will see one guy who wants to kiss him and Riza is rather perplexed by the situation!...  Even funnier is the anecdote he has to tell about his father!!! 

You have to say that this proves there's a parallel universe, and that place is in Iran. hahaha

 

Edited May 2, 2017 by SirBalon

[SirBalon]

Iniesta to continue another year?

 

There's been quite a bit of speculation surrounding the future of Andrés Iniesta due to the fact his contract ends on the 30th of June 2018.  He has made comments in recent times that have left journalists thinking that the end could be in the horizon, but yesterday in an interview with a Japanese sports magazine he said that he will definitely be at Barcelona next season and that any contract negotiations he's ever made have always been left for the end of the season.  Iniesta says he wants to concentrate on the final weeks of the season because the team still have things to play for and that then and only then will he sit down with the club and plan the future.

On the 30th of May Iniesta will be 33 years of age and even though that should point to a few more seasons at least at the top level, the fact is that the constant injuries he's getting and the amount of care taken by his coaches in hand picking the games he plays in is becoming more and more prominent.  This season Andrés Iniesta has played only 10 La Liga games as a starter from 20 games he's been available for selection due to the lengthy injuries he's had.  Only last week after El Clásico he got injured in training and could be out for a minimum of two weeks, this with Luis Enrique being extremely careful in the games he picks Iniesta to play in.  The pale Manchego played two games in a row for the first time since November and that seemed to have taken its toll on his body and broke once again.

Be it what it may, there's no doubt he's an insignia of the club just as Lionel Messi is.  One of the most important iconic figures at the club with a career to rival any footballer's anywhere in the history of the game.  He is one of the most loved figures in the game due to his character and one of the game's most graceful players ever.  Because of these things, the club have left it open for him to pick and choose what he wants to do with his new contract and however he wants to have it written.  It's upto him and he will dictate proceedings because his career at the club is one to be respected amongst the greatest that have ever played for the club.

Something the club don't want to happen though and it's the only reason they're uneasy about what Iniesta's decision may be is because if in the unlikely event Iniesta wants to move to a less intense league, then they would want to know well in advance so as he gets the send off a player of his magnitude deserves and that the "socios" will be judging the club board on their every move from now on with one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

 

Iniesta seguirá al menos un año más en el Barça

 

[Spike]

Nah, Iniesta has to go. Old and injured, he is just clogging up the system for his heir.

[SirBalon]

17 hours ago, Spike said:

Nah, Iniesta has to go. Old and injured, he is just clogging up the system for his heir.

I hope you understand this because I haven't got time to translate it this morning.  This is an interview with Marcos Senna held yesterday and there's an interesting bit on Andrés Iniesta.

“A Iniesta le pediría que jugara hasta con solo una pierna”

[SirBalon]

16 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

You've had the Member of the Month crown less than 24 hours and you already ''haven't got time to translate'' your news articles? 

Can we hand the crown over to @Spike now? I'm sick of this diva behaviour !

Hahahaha... Believe me that I wanted to but this is the busiest time of the year for me at work and I literally have to juice myself yo post on here which I love doing. 

[SirBalon]

2 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

Don't worry, I juice myself when you post too.

[Spike]

10 hours ago, SirBalon said:

I hope you understand this because I haven't got time to translate it this morning.  This is an interview with Marcos Senna held yesterday and there's an interesting bit on Andrés Iniesta.

“A Iniesta le pediría que jugara hasta con solo una pierna”

Perhaps I worded my original statement poorly. I didn't mean that he should 'go' from the club but rather as a starter. Just to be blunt; Barcelona cannot come to rely on a 33 year old with injury problems for much longer. He may still be the best midfielder they have but putting all the eggs into Iniesta's basket would be a mistake. Watching Barcelona play it's more than apparent he transcends the other players

[Asura]

3 minutes ago, Spike said:

Perhaps I worded my original statement poorly. I didn't mean that he should 'go' from the club but rather as a starter. Just to be blunt; Barcelona cannot come to rely on a 33 year old with injury problems for much longer. He may still be the best midfielder they have but putting all the eggs into Iniesta's basket would be a mistake. Watching Barcelona play it's more than apparent he transcends the other players

i think next year he will take up a role similar to Xavi in 2014-15 where he was on bench most of the time and came in as a sub to help the team if needed

[Cicero]

9 minutes ago, Asura said:

i think next year he will take up a role similar to Xavi in 2014-15 where he was on bench most of the time and came in as a sub to help the team if needed

Doubt it. Unlike Xavi, Iniesta has a technical ability and elegance that surpasses any midfielder in Europe. Xavi was at a decline and could be replaceable, Iniesta can't. 

[Asura]

1 minute ago, Cicero said:

Doubt it. Unlike Xavi, Iniesta has a technical ability and elegance that surpasses any midfielder in Europe. Xavi was at a decline and could be replaceable, Iniesta can't. 

But it has to come to an end at some point, Iniesta is still good but the age and injuries arent helping him, maybe lowering the game time and grooming Suarez is what Barcelona might do next season. It all depends on who they get as their manager and what direction the club wants to go but I can see either the likes of Suarez from their academy or some high profile transfer like Verratti or someone else taking up more game time and giving the rest to Iniesta. 

[Cicero]

21 minutes ago, Asura said:

But it has to come to an end at some point, Iniesta is still good but the age and injuries arent helping him, maybe lowering the game time and grooming Suarez is what Barcelona might do next season. It all depends on who they get as their manager and what direction the club wants to go but I can see either the likes of Suarez from their academy or some high profile transfer like Verratti or someone else taking up more game time and giving the rest to Iniesta. 

Verratti would be more of a replacement towards Rakitic, considering they play similar roles. What is a true shame is that there are two players in Europe right now I feel could be Iniesta's heir, and they are both playing for Real Madrid. Asensio and Isco. 

[Asura]

17 minutes ago, Cicero said:

Verratti would be more of a replacement towards Rakitic, considering they play similar roles. What is a true shame is that there are two players in Europe right now I feel could be Iniesta's heir, and they are both playing for Real Madrid. Asensio and Isco. 

Asensio? I doubt it mate, that kid is a winger rather than a midfielder, isnt it?