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Showing posts from January, 2017

Is the MSN Attacking Trident Irreplaceable?

The MSN trident have been a great attacking trio for years now. However, are the MSN trident of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar irreplaceable? MSN. The famed trio that strikes pure terror in the minds of the greatest defenders. A forward line which has, arguably, the three best players in the world, at present. Since October 2014 ,when the three first played together, the trio has already racked up 200-plus goals. Lionel Messi had already achieved god-like status when Neymar arrived at Barcelona. He has been there since he was 12 years old and had already reveled in great success during the Guardiola-era. Neymar arrived amidst a transfer fraud scandal and a new managerial appointment. While Barca went trophy-less in the 2013-14 season, Neymar shined and showed the world that he could play alongside Messi and still not be in his shadows. Then came Suarez. He came of the back of scandalous world cup which featured the infamous biting incident. Due to this, he could only ...

3 Things We Learned: SD Eibar vs FC Barcelona

Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 win over the Basque team. Injuries Barcelona suffered another injury to a key midfield player, this time it was Sergio Busquets who was the unfortunate victim. That brings it to a total of three players injured, with Andrés Iniesta and Rafinha out as well. None of the injuries are serious, but it is less than ideal going in to a hectic part of the season. This was the only downside to what was a good performance, and a comfortable win. The importance of Busquets was highlighted in the match against Eibar because it was an open game especially in the second half. Resting Gerard Piqué, and having Jérémy Mathieu in his place, probably didn’t help either. This led to Samuel Umtiti being the only composed centre-back on the pitch for Barça, which is tough for a player as young as him. The lack of Busquets caused Barcelona’s play to be sloppy due to him not being there to organise the play, and set Barcelona’s tempo. However, the team had...

Sergio Busquets Happy About Breaking Anoeta Curse

Sergio Busquets was really after Barcelona defeated Real Sociedad 1-0 to win at the Anoeta stadium ending a decade long drought. Sergio Busquets played his part in a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in the Copa Del Rey quarterfinals first leg. It was Barcelona’s first win at their stadium since 2007. Busquets was excited about the result. However, he noted that work is still to be done against a really talented team like them. In addition, confidence should be instilled into the clubs players and fans. All this and more things were mentioned along with other things at his post match conference. “We’re happy because it’s been a long time since we won here,” he said. “What I liked most was the image of the team, we were solid in defense and in attack and from there we have got a good result. We’ve got an advantage going into the second leg, but it’s far from decided because they’re a really good side. But it’s a good result, especially keeping a clean sheet.” “It was hard for us, the te...

Barcelona Makes Changes in Squad to Face Eibar

A few changes have been made to Barcelona’s team to face Eibar in their next La Liga match. Barcelona take on Eibar on the road in their next La Liga match. The team is coming off of a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad at the Anoeta. A few of the changes expected with the injury situation that Barca has after that match. Javier Mascherano is out due to a La Liga suspension. The biggest injury note is that Andres Iniesta is out with a calf injury. Hopefully, that doesn’t keep Don Andres out for a while. Aleix Vidal returns to the team, after Luis Enrique left him out for the Real Sociedad game. Marc Andre ter Stegen is also back after Lucho rested him for that same match. He replaces the third goalkeeper Jordi Masip who made the trip in his place. French center back Jeremy Mathieu is back in too while Rafinha is still out injured. A few familiar names are still in the squad. As always, the MSN trident when healthy are arguably the best attacking trio in the sport. It’ll be good to see...

FC Barcelona’s midfield overhaul – Maxime Lopez and Mahmoud Dahoud

Barcelona enter battle for signature of young gun Mahmoud Dahoud Dahoud has drawn the attention of many with his performances at Borussia Monchengladbach. This includes the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Txixi Berigistain and now, Robert Fernandez.  Liverpool was the club Dahoud was most likely to go to in the summer. But he turned them down, opting to stay at Gladbach. Klopp has decided against bidding for him in January but will instead pursue a summer transfer. Borussia Monchengladbach may even be forced into selling Dahoud. After snubbing a move to Anfield in the summer, the Syrian-born playmaker is yet to commit his future to his club. His contract has 18 months left to go and his agent has entered talks with Gladbach. But the prospect of pulling on a Barcelona shirt may appeal to him a lot. Apparently, Barcelona are looking to overhaul it’s midfield. The club had already signed two midfielders in the summer in the form of Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez. But the Catalans are i...

FC Barcelona contract renewal update – Iniesta, Messi, Rakitic and ter Stegen

The club is focusing on four contract renewals this season – Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Ivan Rakitic and Marc-Andre ter Stegen After a huge spending spree in the summer of €123 million, Barcelona are not looking to spend big. Instead, sporting director Robert Fernandez is prioritising contract renewals of four key players. The club has already renewed the Luis Suarez and Neymar.  And the others players whose contracts Barca want to extend are Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Xavi Believes Messi Will Re-Sign with Barcelona

In a recent interview, former Barcelona star midfielder Xavi Hernandez expressed his thoughts on the contract situation of Lionel Messi. Barcelona and Lionel Messi’s contract situation hasn’t been resolved yet. However, Lionel Messi’s current deal doesn’t expire until next year. Despite this, the Barca officials, Messi, and his family want the contract resolved. Many different people had shared their points of view on the contract talks. The latest to speak on it is former Barca star midfielder Xavi Hernandez. The current Al-Sadd midfielder thinks that Messi will renew with the team he’s grown up with eventually. While Messi waits for his new contract, he’s been changing matches for Barca. In matches you think Barca should lose, Messi steals a point with a signature free kick. When you think it’s gonna be a draw, Messi dribbles through the defense like traffic cones and steals all three points. This alone should be enough reason to pay Messi what he deserves. Xavi thinks that and ...

Luis Enrique: Villareal A Must Win Match

Luis Enrique believes that Barca’s first league match of 2017 is an important one and rightfully so as they go to El Madrigal. For Barcelona, the margin for error is really slim in 2017 when it comes to league play. Real Madrid, their biggest rivals, have been excellent and lead the way in La Liga going into the new year. On the other hand, Barca have dropped points on many occasions to teams that they should beat. With a tough test coming, Barca must be ready to play their best football. Luis Enrique shares these sentiments as he talked about the upcoming match with Villareal. “There is a margin of error, but we aren’t where we want to be. We must win to put pressure on the league leaders and try to catch up,” he said. The league leaders, Real Madrid, have set a torrid pace in La Liga and are unbeaten in 39 straight matches across all competitions. “We are coming into this game against Villarreal knowing how good they are as a team,” Lucho added. “They are the team who have con...

Luis Enrique Says Barça Needs to Win to Put Pressure on Real Madrid

BARCELONA – FC Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said on Saturday that the only way to put pressure on La Liga leader Real Madrid is to win the remaining matches of the league. The coach made his remarks during a press conference ahead of Sunday’s La Liga clash against Villarreal in the 17th round. “We need to win to put pressure on the league leaders and try and catch up,” the coach said. He admitted that there is “a margin of error,” but the Catalan club is not “where we want to be.” Barcelona will be playing against Villarreal after the Catalan club was defeated 2-1 against Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the Copa del Rey last 16 round last Thursday. He explained that Villarreal plays well and creates “attacking opportunities as well as being solid defensively.” Luis Enrique predicted that both teams will be seeking to snatch the three points on Sunday. Barcelona is runner-up of La Liga, six points behind Real Madrid.