A Cule's Words

 Just a quick prediction.  It'll be 3-0 to FC Barcelona against PSG in Barcelona.  RB Leipzig (4) - (1) Liverpool Sevilla (3) - (2) Dortmund Porto (1) - (1) Juventus Atletico Madrid (2) - (0) Chelsea Lazio (1) - (3) Bayern Atalanta (3) - (1) Real Madrid Monchengladbach (0) - (4) Man City   That's it then!

 Yes, I heard it somewhere, but it clicked something. Let's get into it.  Goalkeeper-   Ter Stegen. There really is no question about this. Ter Stegen is by far the better player between him and Keylor Navas.  Right Back-   Sergino Dest. Dest is a great player. Certainly better than Florenzi.  Left Back- Jordi Alba. Still one of the top 5 left-backs in the world, Alba strolls into this lineup ahead of Kurzawa.  Center Backs- Araujo and Marquinhos. Marquinhos is a beast. He could play in the midfield and still be a decent competition to De Jong, but at centre back, he is the best in this tie. Araujo and Kimpembe are very close, and I think I am biased, but I prefer Araujo over Kimpembe.  Midfield- De Jong, Busquets, Verratti. Gueye and Paredes are good players, De Jong and Busquets are much better. Pedri is very talented, but I think he doesn't have the experience compete with Verratti.  Forwards- Messi, Griezmann and Mbappe. If Mess...

 We won, we won emphatically, and we conceded. But it was all great.  And I even got my prediction almost right, apart from the ambitious clean sheet. A 5-1 is always great and I think this was just the match we needed before PSG, as I mentioned in the preview. And we have achieved it!  The match started a bit slow, but we did create a few chances before scoring. Also, we were a bit unlucky and as great a match as Messi had, he did let a few chances go away. Anyways, we got off the mark with Trincao scoring the first goal after Messi missed the chance. Also, the second goal that Messi scored in the dying moments of the first half was the most crucial in the match, and arguably the most difficult too. We did however concede in the first ten minutes of the second half, which really worries me. It is again an individual error and these are the goals that cost us in the champion's league.  We saw it both against Roma and Liverpool and we do not want to repeat those feats...

FC Barcelona face Alaves after disappointing loss to Sevilla.  Although we might find it hard to swallow that we deserved to lose by two goals, we definitely did. Now, we need to focus on this game and make sure we win it emphatically. Because, as we know, for the big games, the mental status matters much more than the rest given to players, at least in my opinion.  So, predicted lineup- Ter Stegen, Mingueza, Umtiti, Lenglet, Alba, De Jong, Puig, Pedri, Dembele, Messi, Trincao.  Busquets and Griezmann get a break and hopefully will be unused substitutes.  Just destroy them. That would be my take and hopefully the team's too. We need a three or more goal difference win.  Prediction- 5-0. A clean sheet, 5 goals and a hattrick from Messi. Trincao and Dembele with the other two goals.  That's it then!

It's a semifinal and we have to win it ! The only realistically achievable trophy that is in our hands. We need to win it ! Sevilla is a great club and are currently fourth, not anything to laugh at. Lopetuigi is doing a great job, they are surely a good side, but, I think Barcelona are much better than them, and Sevilla is an ideal team for Barcelona. They also like to have the ball, but Barcelona does it better. They like to attack all the time, and Barcelona does it better. That's the reason Barcelona is so good against Real Sociedad and teams like that, why Bayern were so dominant against us.  Lineup prediction- Ter Stegen, Mingueza, Umtiti, Lenglet, Alba, De Jong, Busquets, Pedri, Trincao, Messi, Griezmann.  Trincao needs this boost in my opinion. He scored, if he plays well in this one, he'll be fine. Dest, Araujo, Roberto, Pique, Ansu are all injured.  Again, there's not a game plan for this match, we just have to dominate. Both possession and chances. We need to...

 Of Course, I thought the world would be normal again and Paris would've won the title by now, but 2021 has been quite a sequel.  My predictions when I thought Messi was going to Man City- Here My detailed la liga predictions + Messi staying- Here Let's start.   Bundesliga.                 You would think this would be the easiest, given that Bayern have been the best team in Europe for the last year, and you'd be wrong. They are top now, and will win the title, but if they had one competitor who was there to win, they would be far from the top. Alright.  1st- Bayern Munich.  My Top 4- Dortmund, Leipzig and Leverkusen.\ Real Top 4- Leipzig, Wolfsburg, Frankfurt.  My Europa League- Frankfurt. Real Europa League- Leverkusen. My Relegation- Arminia, Augsburg. Real Relegation- Mainz , Schalke Top Scorer- Robert Lewandowski.  Top Assist- Joshua Kimmich.  Killed it. 4/9. Ligue 1.     ...

 Barcelona currently sit third with a game in hand and a possibility to go second today.  Are Barcelona still in the title race ?  What Barcelona can do, is that win every game that comes next. Every game. And hope that Atleti loses ten points. That's hard. Both of these things sound impossible. But, we have got to do this, just to make sure we don't get annihilated in the race.  I think Real is nowhere near the level of either Atleti or us to compete right now, but anything can happen. This is Real Madrid after all. But, if we don't slip up, we'll be alright.  I hope Atleti slip up if Barcelona  go through all the games, and if not, Atleti would be my preference. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. That's it then !

 Like the start of the season, another tough series of games are coming. Starting tomorrow with Real Betis, up until 11th March, second leg against PSG. We play Sevilla thrice, PSG twice, Alaves, Elche, Cadiz and Osasuna once. A really tough month.  But today, let's focus on Real Betis.  They haven't been the same this season, scoring very few goals, and letting many in. But, we know that if a team has a player like Nabil Fekir, they have a chance. A good chance at that.  Lineup Prediction- Ter Stegen, Dest, Araujo, Umtiti, Alba, De Jong, Riqui Puig, Pedri, Dembele, Messi, Griezmann. Not really any changes, but I think sticking to a lineup is better.  How should we play? I think we need to concentrate on defense and make sure this is a clean sheet. This is where we ned to start. We know we can score goals. We need to stop them too.  Score ? It will be 3-0 to Barcelona. One for Messi, Puig and Griezmann.  Let's hope we win ! That's it then !

 F.C. Barcelona is in a debt of more than a billion Euros.  Will they ? I really do not know how it all works, but I know somehow, it will work out.  After the stadiums open up, some more players are sold, a few trophies, and I think we will be out of bankruptcy. I hope they do, and I would say even Real Madrid would want Barca to survive.  What can we do ? Apart from buying some stuff from them, nothing. And that stuff is expensive. So, if you can, buy it.  Photo by Ruth Enyedi on Unsplash That's it then ...

 Ah, a great match at last.  Barcelona come back from two goals behind in the second half, to winning 5-3 ! Doesn't that sound great ? Of course it does.  Now, this wasn't a perfect match by any means. The defense was poor, to say the least. But the attack, it gets me out of my seat. A whopping 36 shots. More than 25 on target. three or four on the bar. Barca should have killed the game long before. A great, great display from all the attackers. Griezmann was by- far the most decisive and Messi was the reason of three of the five goals we scored. Trincao was unfortunate to not score himself. Again, a brilliant display.  The most important thing of them all is the way Barca fought back. Tens of shots on target but none of them went in. And still, we did not give up. Hats off to Griezmann for reaching that first ball from Lionel Messi. That was sheer determination right there. And a minute before the end of time, a very similar ball from Messi over the top to griezmann...

 FC Barcelona take on a great team in Granada for the Copa Del Rey Quarter Finals.  As much as I admire how Granada have improved, I do not think there should be any reason to not go through. Barcelona are still way ahead.  Alright, Barca lost to them an year ago, but I think we should win here comfortably.  Expected Lineup- Ter Stegen, Roberto, Araujo, Umtiti, Alba, De Jong, Busquets, Pedri, Dembele, Griezmann, Messi.  Game Plan- I don't believe we need a 'game plan' for Granada. We just need to find a way to break them down. We did it against Getafe, we need to do it again. A win is necessary primarily because Copa Del Rey may well be the only trophy we win and for that, we must try our hardest.  My Prediction ? I would say a 4-1 to Barcelona, with Messi scoring 2, griezmann and Dembele getting one goal each.  That's it then !

 A recent leak from El Mundo claimed to have a photo of Lionel Messi's contract, which was allegedly worth 555 Million Euros. That is huge.  First of all, let's get this out of the way, leaking a contract is not ethical. Whosoever did it should be ashamed. And of Messi at that ? Real or fake, this should be the last time this happens.  Also, Messi has not received 555 million already. He has received 'only' around 300 million, which is way lesser than 555 million.  Now, Is it worth it ? From Monetary standpoint, a kid would understand that it's not. However, Messi is the best player in football's long history and an undisputed club legend. Would I have paid this amount of money to keep Messi ? In 2017, yes. Right now ? No. Also, the bonuses were much lesser than what Barcelona made from the titles. Not to mention the 200 million euros worth of shirt sales with the name Messi on it. He has more than made up for it. Have you ever met a guy who wants to watch a Bar...

 This is the first post in almost two months, and a lot has changed. Barcelona are finding their stride, Messi has jumped back to form. We have lost a final. We are second in La Liga. And much, much more.                                                  Photo by Daniel Giannone on Unsplash                                                     But, this is a match review, so let's get into it.  The lineup-  Ter Stegen; Mingueza, Araujo, Umtiti, Alba; De Jong, Pjanic, Pedri; Dembélé, Messi, Griezmann (4-3-3).  I thought it was a great lineup. Umtiti is way more responsible with and without the ball than Lenglet. Also, Pjanic deserved a start. Nothing to complain about here.  POTM- Dembele. I know that Messi wa...

 F.C. Barcelona thumped Ferencvaros 3-0 in an impressive display after resting important players like Lionel Messi and Ter Stegen.  I expected us to win, but the performance in the first half was really impressive. Does this run show Barcelona are back, not quite. But it is impressive and helpful nonetheless. The main talking points are-  1. If Kyiv was a swinger, we now know Barcelona can play without Lionel Messi.  2. Martin Braithwaite and Griezmann are gaining confidence, thus guaranteeing goals. That's nice.  3. Trincao, Pedri, Oscar, Neto, Dest and Dembele show that bench is strong. And, future is bright.  4. Lenglet is doing just fine. And Dest too. That is genuinely a positive.  All in all, it was another brilliant performance from the young players and we should feel secured.  Also, get well soon Sergi Roberto.  That's it then !

We won convincingly, playing some good football and finishing our chances (not all, but 4 is pretty darn good.) So, was it impressive ? Yes. Did we deserve to score 4 ? Yes, and more. Was the celebration classy? In my opinion, yes.  I thought the first half was decent, the second half started worse, and then we flew. A few really good goals, good passing, creative plays and brilliant finishing. Defense too, although not rock solid, looked comfortable. Griezmann was fantastic too, with a brilliant volley. Braithwaite adding to his already high self confidence.  And thankfully, Lenglet and Araujo have returned to training, and will hopefully start from the next week, resting for this UCL Matchday.  The tribute though, it was phenomenal. I loved it, along with millions of people and the spooky coincidences are really uncanny. You can find them here . Oh it was beautiful.  That's it then !

Leeds edged Everton 1-0 in an entertaining game.  I think Leeds are one of those sides which I really like watching. Defining a whole another level of relentless pressing and attack-minded football. This match was truly special. Everton were not bad either, and had many chances of their own. It was just that Leeds were a bit better.  Yes, so why is it almost perfect 90 minutes ? It was beautiful, free flowing football played at a pace most can only dream of. I might as well think Bayern would envy the stamina of Leeds players. The only thing that missed the mark was finishing. Not that it was not good, it was, but it certainly could have been better. Add to that the goalkeeping masterclass from Pickford and Meslier, it was a delight. The defenses, surprisingly, were on point too. I would only point to the fact that Everton could not handle possession in the midfield and crowded places well. That was where they lost the game. You need to dominate in tight areas to show the qual...

 On paper, this should be an easy win for Barcelona. But one of the few teams to beat Barcelona at the Camp Nou has been Osasuna.  So, is it possible to lose to Osasuna ? Yes. No team is predictable. Is it justifiable ? Nope. Never should a team like Barcelona lose to a team like Osasuna. This just doesn't make sense. And I hope that Barcelona do not make themselves look like jokers on the night and come back with a resounding win. That is elementary.  Lineup- We cannot rest players for this match because We are sitting comfortably at 12th in the league table. I would not say we deserve it, but we do not deserve to be top of the table either, and that's what needs to change. Thus- Ter Stegen, Alba, Lenglet, Oscar, Konrad Fuente, De Jong, Puig/Alena/Pjanic, Coutinho, Messi, Dembele, Griezmann.  A few things- Reports suggests Dest has muscular discomfort and Oscar is considered as a replacement. Now, We cannot put Umtiti in an important match, so I think Fuente will be...

 A good result for Barcelona, but we lost a great of the game. 2020 is really not going well.  It's almost as bad as it gets. Diego Maradona has died aged 60 and he is going to be remembered throughout the world.  Well, his health did not seem to be on his side for a long time now and it probably did not come as a shock for his health professionals, but it sure did shock the footballing world. He will be an inspiration for millions of Argentinians and aspiring footballers alike, for decades to come. As for the match, team took a bit too long to get going, but then the signs were all positive. I hope it stays that way. Anyways, The man of the match was Sergino Dest and deservedly so. He will be getting many minutes in the coming matches in Roberto's absence, and I am hopeful that he will make the most of them.  That's it then,  Adieu, Diego. 

 Alright, Messi and De Jong are rested, this match is tagged a tester, but we still desperately need a win.  Lineup- I think Riqui and Pjanic should come in, along with Dest and Oscar. And, hopefully, Trincao and Coutinho.  What should we improve on ? Basically everything has a huge room for improvement in this team, and the list is widening for the last few games, so why not have a bit of positivity. Barcelona are good at creating chances ! Target ? To win comfortably. Not by a huge margin of goals, but a gap in quality. That's where you would  want to focus right now.  What if we lose ? I honestly do not expect that to happen, but as we all know, anything can happen, and then we would really have to see if Koeman was the right man, but I do not expect sacking anytime soon, because nobody is in control right now.  Prediction ? 3-0 to Barcelona, with 20 shots.  And yeah, I loved Griezmann's approach and answers in the  interview and I hope he sco...

 We lost, again, and it's not even the finishing this time.  We did not deserve to lose, but not to win either. That's not good. Alright, what's the wrongs of this match ? Trincao did not start. We needed a substitute for Ansu, who is a winger. Pedri is not.  Dest did not start. Why to buy a good player if he is to rot on the bench ? This was by far the most important match for at least a month. Why not start a good player? I do not know if he's injured, or burned out due to the international break, but he better have a reason for it.  Many players were out of life. Lacking energy and creativity, yesterday's Barcelona was stale, I hate to say it, but it was.  And then again, good ol' finishing.  The most disturbing was, defense. Pique, yes, Pique miscontrolled the ball, Ter Stegen came rushing 40-50 yards and that's how Atleti scored. I really feel the lack of confidence, or dare I say competence in this team.  Dembele was impressive though, and that p...

 Suarez is out, but that's not even half of the problems Barca were gonna face.  Barca are having injury crisis at the top of all other problems it's going through. At least Busquets won't start this match. Fati won't, too. Alright. Atleti are in a much better position in La Liga than Barcelona. Although they have played more matches, they have been objectively much more decisive than Barcelona and that is, like every other match, the thing we have to improve.  1. Lineup- Ter Stegen, Dest, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, De Jong, Puig, Pedri, Messi, Trincao, Griezmann.  Now, to choose Puig over Pjanic is only because he needs that trust and confidence from Koeman. We do not want to ruin his career.  2. Approach. I guess attacking is our strength and better team plays to it's strengths. We need to show that on the field.  3. Messi and Griezmann need to pair up for a goal. That will silence the "dark regime" claims for a bit.  4. Take shots with confidence, but on...

 The match was awesome, but arguably the more important news was the resignation of the board.  So, let's not get carried away, and discuss the negatives first.  1. Ansu is injured. For 5 months. A big blow. That's not good. 2. The defense is a joke. We need Araujo to recover, Dest to start, Garcia to come in January and a decent left back(at defending) to get ourselves going.  3. Busquets started, both were mediocre.  Now for the positives.  1. Griezmann is finally having confidence to move around and take shots.  2. Well, it was unavoidable, but Messi scored from open play.  3. Dembele looking good AF.  4. Pedri is getting the chances he deserves.  5. 5 in a match . All in all, I was satisfied, but Griezmann needs to just keep his shots in the goal and Pedri needs to avoid getting burned out.  That's it then. 

 Of Course it's the match review.  Look, we played well. If that calms you down, it should not. We need to win to show for it. No matter how many chances are created, until they are put away. Real Madrid were, by far the second best side today. But, they won. Maybe that's because of the VAR decision, but we need to understand that we should have been at least 3-1 up at that point. There's no excuse for that kind of finishing, in an El Clasico, the PREMIER FOOTBALLING SHOWCASE. At least it used to be. Now, there were some things more alarming, and some good ones, but as has been the case this season, finishing remains to be sharp. So, what are the even more negative things ? 1. Busquets. Yeah. I said it before, I will say it again, De Jong and Busquets can't play together. They do not complement each other. For details, click  here  . 2. The day Koeman was appointed, I had one, singular doubt about him. his passiveness. That is what we saw today. Yes, starting Pedri a...

 Start of the Champion's league, El Clasico, Juventus game, everything's coming hard and fast for Barcelona.  This is probably the hardest week for F.C. Barcelona, even more so because both Juventus and Real Madrid are going through a tough period. Both will be eager to bounce back. While Barcelona can be complacent. This should really not happen. So, what should ? 1. Griezmann will start as a striker, or not at all.  2. Wingers should be Dembele, Fati and Trincao(any 2) 3. Messi should play as false nine (Griezmann on the bench. ) 4. Coutinho or Pedri at the attacking midfielder.  While I was reading a few reviews, many pointed out that Pjanic did not do anything wrong, but he was not remarkable. And that, folks, is the way double pivot works. We do not need the second pivot to be extraordinary.  Pjanic did a good job. The second pivot has to be running up and down the field. That is the reason Koeman wanted Wijnaldum. I guess he has a replacement. Alena or Pui...

 Lionel Messi- 7.5/10 A goal, two wins, pretty decent, not at the peak of his powers though, and that's fine. Got a yellow card and had a spat with Bolivia bench. And believe it or not, that's good from the perspective of some sections of Argentinians. I know, weird.  Martin Braithwaite- 7/10 3 starts, 3 wins. What more do you want ?  Riqui Puig- 6/10 2 starts, good games, but was substituted in both games for the Spain u21s. Miralem Pjanic- 5/10 3 starts, 2 losses, a draw. Could not have been much worse than this.  Pedri- 6/10 1 start, decent performance but deserved more minutes.  Ronald Araujo- 7/10 1 start, played well, but lost 4-2.  Coutinho- 8/10 2 starts, 1 goal, 2 wins, everything is going fairy tale-ish for Coutinho right now ! Ansu Fati- 9/10 Talking of fairy tale, here's Ansu Fati. A great addition to both the Spanish national team and F.C. Barcelona.  De Jong- 6 Not a great time for De Jong, and it was further pressed in the international ...

 Well, time never rolls back. But why this time period specifically ? Because this was the best ever time period of Football history. And I can give many reasons for it. .... And that's what we are gonna do ! 1. Messi was at his peak. 2. Ronaldo was at his peak.  3. F.C. Barcelona was at it's peak.  4. Real Madrid were in a pretty good shape, although not absolutely on the peak.  5. Man United were, well, pretty dominant side.  6. Arsenal had their best time in the premier league.  7. Chelsea were a brilliant side.  8. Man City had their best time. 9. Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets were at the peak.  10. Sir Alex Fergusson was at the Man U helm.  11. Arsene Wenger was at the Emirates.  12. The Special One was at the Stamford Bridge.  13. Pep Guardiola was at Barcelona.  14. Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti were at Real Madrid.  15. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was at his prime.  16. Sergio Aguero was at his prime.  17. Pique and R...

 Two Points dropped, concerning or not ? I don't know, but let's analyse the game.  The start was not convincing (again) but the team really reacted well and scored, kept attacking, but could not grab a goal. Well, there was a scare in sight which was thankfully avoided. This all seems to be negative, but I think that except the fifteen minutes(10 min in start and 5 in the next half) we played good, attacking football, and were in control. Which brings us to the question that why did we not score ? We again lacked the finishing touch. Not a new thing anymore. Play Braithwaite then ! Well, I guess it is as simple as swapping Messi and Griezmann's positions. But, I don't know, maybe Koeman has something in his mind. I mean, Griezmann is so invisible in the games, that there is rarely anything in his heatmap. A point or two. That's all. He needs to act a bit mature if Koeman isn't.  Neto- 7 A nice game overall, but conceded one, ruining his record. That's alrig...

 The Man City V/S Leeds United game was played at a very high level, and don't be bothered, it was much higher than you can imagine.  The match toggled a few questions in my mind and here they are-  #1- The lower leagues in the EPL are much better than in any other league.           The EPL might not be the best first division, but the second and third divisions are really nice. Very intense and hardly fought games are played between a promoted side and the two favorites of the league. That's something of an achievement. While not all teams are as good as leeds, we only need to find the dark horse in the past three seasons- Sheffield United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Newcastle United. What are they? They are all promoted sides. They got into the top flight and all finished in the top half. Exxcept Wolves though, all got the second season syndrome, Sheffield do not look any good this season, and Newcastle barely stayed in the top flight. That's...

 It was an exciting couple of days to be a Barca/ Messi fan, so let's check it out.  Match Review + Player Ratings-  Barcelona was particularly strong against Celta and I finally believe that we can win anything there is if we keep improving. A strong start, and this could very well be the start to Messi's farewell season, so the players better be ready.  Player Ratings- Neto- 8 A good performance, a few great saves and good distribution throughout. A strong performance.  Sergi Roberto- 7.5 He is going to face competition from the next match but he showed just how good and versatile he is. A good performance capped by a brilliant goal. Lenglet- 4.5 No problem in the time he was on the field, but was not on the field for most of the time.  Pique- 7.5 Another solid performance, another regular match for him. A clean sheet and ready for the next match.  Jordi Alba- 6.5 Not as influential as the last match, but performed well nevertheless. Looking for some...

 The second game. It's coming and we have to be ready.  We saw how this team, with all the pace in the world, can rip a fragile team off, and Barca started the end of the hope here. It is really important to win this game to keep the morale up, and we will do it. Let's see how.  Lineup- I want it to change, but I do not think it will happen and so... yeah, let's not waste our time on it.  But, we will need some different tactics. This team is way more defensive than Villareal and we will need to take our chances efficiently. For this reason, I hope we can rely on Griezmann to improve his finishing.  We also need Araujo to play this game, because Lenglet and Pique just are not fast enough. Celta have far too much horse power to race through our defence. I want to see another change, that is, obviously, Busquets. Don't destroy Frenkie for a 33 year old ! That's it, fingers crossed, let's win it !

 Overall- There was nothing consistent throughout the match, but Barca managed to be the better team in every aspect. Barca pressed high, won a lot of balls and played without relying on Messi to produce something. It was, after all, a good win for Barcelona. Player Ratings-  Neto- 7.5 Not really an exhausting match for him, but he did not make mistakes and that's the most important thing.  Roberto- 7 Again, not much to handle and he held the position while Alba made those runs.  Pique- 8 A really composed presence at the back which surely helped. Another good performance from Pique, how are we supposed to replace this man ? Lenglet- 7.5 Another regular performance, handling out the pressure and keeping the clean sheet. Jordi Alba-9 A really energetic performance from Alba. Again, with performances like this, how can we try to kick him out of the team ? Sergio Busquets- 7 He played good. But I won't give him higher than 7 because Frenkie is DYING. A double pivot cons...

 Ronald Koeman. The captain of the first European champions team of Barcelona. The scorer of the winner in the final, this alone would have got him in. As things stand though, he has sent away the third highest goalscorer in the club's history and is up for a challenge. He could climb this ladder real quick.  He is probably the most well poised to change the history right now. He could, though walk outta the door after this season and not write a single extra thing in the history, and that is the reason he is low. So, I just hope Koeman can do something good in this season. I just hope. Lineup Prediction for today's game against Villareal- Neto, Jordi Alba, Roberto, Pique, Araujo, De Jong, Pjanic, Coutinho, Trincao, Dembele, Messi.  There could be changes, there are many players right now. I just want a positive start and statement.  I need a strong performance from three of these players. They are De Jong, Araujo and Dembele. This should go just fine.  That's i...

 It's no secret that Barca are going through a period of "transformation". But, how have they fared until now ? Luis Suarez-  By far the biggest name to go out of the door. Luis Suarez has been released to Atleti for a record shattering 6 million Euros. Yeah, not very good. A player with around 200 goals for the club is sold for a price of a teenager to a major competitor. That's business. But thinking ahead, except money-wise, this was a wise decision. I think Koeman is too stubborn to play him after he decided that he is not in the plans, and it would just add to the uneasiness in the dressing room.  Arturo Vidal- The warrior has officially left guys, and he proved many of us wrong. I took it for granted that he was here to warm the bench and he turned out to be the only lively presence on the field. I still don't prefer the way he plays, but he kept us alive in many matches, with the energy and tackles. That said, we would have to come back to a technically ade...

The fixtures could not have been much worse for Barcelona. But we need to remain optimistic.  Villareal, Celta Vigo, Sevilla, Getafe, Real Madrid, Alaves, Atletico, Osasuna. This is not ideal for a team trying to find their feet again and going through a period of transition. The signs have been positive, but this fixture list is too harsh. But, let's focus on the first match shall we ? We may have dismantled them not long ago, but we need to remember a few things, this is a new season, new manager, new squad and after a disaster for Barcelona, whereas Villareal had a pretty good season. By their standards that is. They will be high in potential, with a GREAT midfield, which, obviously, is their strength. But, against a similar opposition, Barca usually shows their class. They are, still, a class above Villareal in terms of talent, midfield, creativity and forward line. This may be a great chance for Barca to get off a great start to a season. And this season, it's more importa...

 FC Barcelona won the Joan Gamper Trophy yesterday and there were some major take-aways.  1. We have improved.  We could not have predicted the changes that Koeman made with this Barcelona side and I am pretty much on the against side of the debate for most of the things, but, the performance, the intensity, the fluidity, all have improved, and it's really good to see. Although Koeman prefers experienced players, going by his choices, he has brilliantly managed the players, we can obviously see the result on the pitch. The movements are good. The chances are coming and the prospects excite me.  2. I was wrong.  We NEED a good striker. If Griezmann does not improve on his finishing, we seriously need finishing touch to the brilliant moves we create. Whether that's Lautaro or any other good striker. Imagine this- Haaland has a 64 million buyout clause, you could possibly get him for 55 million, if he improves his distribution and link play, he'll be as good as sua...

 Barca won 3-1 (again) against Girona.  Girona played okay, but not enough to stop a great team at three goals. We need to change SOMETHING. I do not know what. I guess I will figure it out in a few days. Koeman, as expected, put his best XI on the field. But, there were some problems in the XI.  1. How can Busquets be on the field ?          See, I love Busquets, but you know what, I am saying it, his time on the field should be much lesser. De Jong and him occupy the same spaces, so De Jong is not getting enough time to develop and his lack of confidence was continuously visible today.   Riqui and Alena were watching from the stands. This is not ideal.  2. Griezmann could not play as a number 9. He did not impress me. I hope this changes or we can deploy Messi or Ansu at that position.  Not everything was bad though, Trincao...... HE WAS SUPERB. Taking on defenders, running from deep positions, giving options, great passing, ...

 Carles Puyol - He had to be on this list, the captain of the greatest Barcelona team to kick a ball. Carles Puyol has been a great servant to the club. Along with being an iconic player in the folklore, Puyol was also technically adept for the grimmest of defensive nightmares. This gained him respect and popularity among the world's finest. He was pivotal to barcelona's success in the three champion's league triumphs he was part of. Since joining la Masia at 17, he has never left the club. Well, he has retired but clearly has a special place for Barcelona and it is reflected. 20 trophies is not a bad haul and he achieved it while being the captain, well almost all of them. He will always be remembered for the warrior-esque challenges and thumping headers.  Matchday 5-  I can't imagine anything, but for the sake of it,  Eibar V/S Real Madrid. That's it !

 F.C. Barcelona is a great club and community, with a huge fanbase and widely regarded as a superclub alongside Real Madrid. Who, then, are the people who carved this club's history and future ? 10. Andoni Zubizarreta The goalkeeper in the famed dream team of early nineties, Andoni Zubizarreta was rock solid at the back and has made many crucial saves in his relatively short career at Barcelona. Along with the 4 consecutive la ligas, he claimed a total of 15 trophies for Barcelona. Not a huge number, but his importance was immense. Cruyff always envisioned him as his ideal goalkeeper. This says a lot about his abilities. Along with his record for most clean sheets in laliga, where the likes of Victor Valdes, Iker Castillas could not reach that milestone in many more matches. HE HAD TO BE HERE. Match Day 4-  Alaves V/S Villareal Alaves aren't that bad, but on paper, Villareal is a beast.... but they'll lose.  That's short... but that's it !

 Koeman has been clear in his plans, he wants to move forward from the traditional 4-3-3, and deploy 4-2-3-1, a more attacking formation. Maybe this works out, maybe it doesn't. Let's see.  The Problem Koeman is trying to fix-  He is soving the problem of stagnant and non-creative midfield. Well, to be fair, the midfield did seem more lively than before in this match. But, at the same time, the finishing drops, because there's only 1 forward, it's much less likely to score goals galore. If the wing- midfielders came a little closer to goal both horizontally and vertically, this could be fixed. Which they did. And that is why, I feel, Koeman is fairly good at his job. However, he must consider that not all players could fit into that dual base in the midfield, the dual socket, which, fortunately, De Jong and Riqui did perfectly. I think it's all going too fine in the first game and we need time to judge this formation. We also need to keep in mind that the lack of cr...

 Overall - The team was, as expected, a little off that match sharpness, and some players really weren't their true selves. We started off brightly, with Dembele pouncing on a loose ball to score the opener. The things got a bit slower, some opportunities came and went, then Pique was fouled in the penalty box and Griezmann tucked away the penalty. The lead was halved though, as Gimnastic pulled one back with a gorgeous strike. The second half was much better, with the new signings showing their worth and Coutinho working well in between. Another penalty was awarded in the early minutes of second half and Coutinho stepped up and scored a soft penalty.  Performance rating- 6.5/ 10  This was nice from a pre season point of view, but we need to improve considerably if we are to compete for the titles. It probably is too early for that, but I think Koeman's main motive was to test the formation that we followed today. Which was 4-2-3-1. To see which players play well in this ...

 Changes will be made to La Liga and EPL only.  So, let's start with EPL and then dive deep into La Liga.  Nothing to change in the teams, I think Man City still have much more horsepower than anybody else.  Top Scorer- Pierre Emerick Aubameyang Top Assist- Kevin De Bryune La Liga-  Still, no change, but.... I am more doubtful of Barcelona with Messi, than without him. The sheer amount of expectations, pressure and hinderance that man can cause is evident from the seasons gone by. I do not know what Koeman is thinking, but he better not consider Messi as a different player than rest (which he is).  Top Scorer- Lionel Messi Top Assist- Lionel Messi Table-  1. FC Barcelona 2. Real Madrid 3. Atletico Madrid 4. Sevilla 5. Villareal 6. Real Sociedad  [ IAMBACKINGAWAY] 7. Valencia 8. Real Betis 9. Granada 10.Getafe 11. Osasuna 12. Valladolid 13. Athletic Club 14. Alaves 15. Cadiz 16. Celta Vigo 17. Eibar 18. Levante 19. Huesca 20. Elche Many interesting...

 The last ten days have been the series for best teams of the decade, and one of them, particularly F.C Barcelona, has been subject to tremendous updates. Let's analyse them all.  1. Lionel Messi stays, but also not.  Technically, Lionel Messi is staying at the club, but he is not happy. Even if he performs, as he always does, this is not ideal for a player who has had this legacy at a club. Now, this was the time to take a brave decision. Bartomeu, as he is most familiar of doing, bottled it. Nothing can separate him from the sack now. The motion of no confidence, I hope, will get passed and he'll be out.  2. Griezmann, Coutinho stay, Depay still in sights. Well, only Koeman knows what he is doing, but I do not think he is doing it right. They are not heeding any interest in their player Emerson. They want Hector Bellerin who has a habit of getting injured. They want Depay which could mean Ansu Fati being very unhappy. They want Wijnaldum while they want Vidal to ge...

 F.C. BARCELONA The best team in Europe this decade, according to me, was F.C Barcelona. The trophies are there, the joy of watching beautiful football is there and the single best club team to ever have been built is there. Nothing left to be asked.... except for the dramatic demise of this club in the last two seasons. And this might be the reason for many people putting their choice as Real Madrid, and I can totally understand that, but just remember that they, too, have been so much below their standards.  Trophies-  7 La Ligas 5 Copa Del Rey 5 Supercopa De Espana 2 UEFA Champions League 2 UEFA Supercup 2 FIFA Club World Cup Runners up- 4 La Ligas (So, top 2 every year of this decade..) 3 Copa Del Reys 3 Supercopa De Espana That is even more ridiculous, like it or not, than Real Madrid's haul. Add to that 2 Continental Trebles, a season with 5 out of possible 6 trophies, 5 Ballon D'ors, 15 appearances on the podium of the Ballon D'or, numerous Fifpro world 11 appearan...

 Real Madrid- This is the single most controversial listing in this list... the dominating European side, scintillating to watch, enough talent to blow up any defense, but this also shows how competitive La Liga has been. This is third mention and you know who's gonna top it all off.  Trophies- * You can get the idea of the gigantism of this club by knowing the fact that it has separate wikipedia page for it's trophies * 3 La Ligas 2 Copa Del Ray 4 Champion's League 3 Supercopa De Espana 3 UEFA Supercup 4 FIFA Club World Cup THAT IS HUGE.  Runners up -  4 La Ligas 1 Copa Del Ray 1 UEFA Supercup 2 Supercopa De Espana Well, they aren't immune to losses too. But, they have been majestic. A bit too good for second ? Maybe. But for me, they are second because of lack of consistency. they were good, but not good enough. That's it then. 

 Bayern Munich- The reigning treble winners come at the last position on the podium, with innumerable trophies won, dismantling team after team, breaking Dortmund's hearts again and again. Bayern have been almost as consistent as Barca and Real Madrid, if not for their 2016-18 slump, and when they have been in good form, they have burst confidence of many teams. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, and the list goes on.  Trophies - 9 Bundesligas 6 DFB Pokals 5 DFB/DFL Supercup 2 UEFA Champions League 1 UEFA Super Cup 1 FIFA Club World Cup 2 European Trebles. Runner ups 2 DFB Pokals 1 Bundesliga 2 UEFA Champions League 1 DFB/DFL Supercup So, A decorated club with a SOLID history. I am always left in awe when I study German teams. They have such great fanbase, with values over money and Bayern Munich are no stranger to that. They are a club of great stature and fully deserve to be here. 4 European finals is not easy. While they haven't spent a lot of money, they have spent it wise...

 Atletico Madrid- Do I even need to say anything? The eternal challengers and the gritty winners. Diego Simeone’s side have been arguably the most consistent side in terms of how they play, even more so than Barcelona. Even the players have been mostly the same, or at least performing the same task. Simeone was appointed in 2011 and they have been as steady as a ship on the road.  Trophies- 1 La Liga 1 Copa Del Rey 1 Supercopa De Espana  3 Uefa Europa League  3 Uefa Super Cup Special awards-  1 Globe Soccer special Award (2014) 2 times Globe Soccer best club of the year (2012, 2018) IFFHS The world’s club team of the year 2018 Runners up- 2 La Liga 2 Uefa Champions League  1 Copa Del Rey 2 Supercopa De Espana That’s a lot of trophies. And runners up.... they’ve been at the nastiest of stages. That Ramos header, and more recently, the Valverde red card... they have been a top, top side for a long time. The team that defeats the defending European champions, ...

 Juventus  Yes, Juventus could only make a fifth place. I would have loved them to be in the top 3 but forget it. They have disappointed on many occasions. And, haven’t really impressed in the league either for the past few seasons. Winning is not everything, although it is what counts.  Trophies- 9 Serie A  Let that sink in. 9/11. 4 Coppa Italia 4 Supercopa Italiana Runner ups- 2 Champions Leagues.  Many trophies, the only difference them and the top 3 is champions league . A club that has not won champions league in a dominant manner don’t deserve to be a top 3 team. However, the mid decade was a very, very dominant period for them. Solid in defence, enough goals to win. Great mentally, great physically. This is the reason they are here. This is the reason they could reach two UCL finals. Great. But not enough.