Should Barça Seek Reinforcements This Transfer Window?

 Barça’s recent struggles against defensive minded teams have reignited concerns about this team’s ability to compete for titles down the stretch. The areas of concern range from not having adequate depth in case of injuries along with the lack of having a Plan B for teams that park the bus. With Champions League clashes against Manchester City on the horizon, perhaps Barça need to look into getting some players through transfers or on loan during this winter transfer period.

Barça‘s scoreless draw against Atlético Madrid and their recent 1-1 draw to Levante saw them drop points against teams willing to sit back and relinquish possession. Sadly, all that possession didn’t result in numerous scoring chances. This has been a common trend that the Blaugrana have encountered over the years without much success.

These matches are even more difficult when key players are missing. Barça were without Dani Alves, Iniesta and Neymar against Levante while Messi and Neymar came off the bench in the second half against Atlético. It is tough to fathom how this team can cope with more injuries and then expect the likes of Tello and Sergi Roberto to be considered adequate replacements. They are not and that’s clearly a drop in quality.

These matches also displayed the team’s lack of a Plan B when they face teams content to sit back and absorb the pressure. Barça control possession without creating many scoring chances and the opponents try to catch Barça off guard and score on a counter attack. The fact that Barça have also conceded six goals from corner kicks also indicates that they have another area of weakness that needs to be resolved.

So perhaps the club needs to address both issues and look into making some moves during this winter transfer period. I grew up watching the club with forwards who were aerial threats such as Julio Salinas and Patrick Kluivert so perhaps they should make a move for someone like Miroslav Klose or Christian Benteke who could make Tata Martino’s tinkering with the long balls more effective. Their presence would attract the attention of defenders who could clear up space for other players much like Fernando Llorente did for Spain against Portugal in their World Cup clash. 

Furthermore, the club needs to add a center back to ensure they have adequate defending down the stretch. Mascherano is no center back and with Puyol still not fully fit, or dependable for that matter, the team is left with only Pique and Bartra as their only valid options. If one of them goes down with an injury, then the team is in a world of hurt. The team might also want to look into signing an actual winger to provide crosses seeing as Tello, Pedro and Alexis are not wingers either. Then again, Afellay is back from injury and he would fit in quite nicely under Tata’s style.

I did not expect the club to make a push for Mata but that would have been interesting to see him come in and share time with one of the midfielders over Sergi Roberto. Winter transfer period is not historically a time Barça signs players but perhaps they can catch lightning in a bottle again like they did when they added Edgar Davids during the 2003-2004 season. Ultimately, Barça cannot keep relying on the same old strategy without changing some ingredients along with bringing in some new faces or else they are going to make their second half of the season more interesting than it should be.

Rosell’s Tarnished Legacy As Barça President.

Thursday was clearly a mixed day for Cules across the world following Sandro Rosell’s resignation. Some were glad to see the man step down after ruling the club in an unpopular manner while others were upset that it had come to this. Rosell’s era at the club was full of success clouded with controversy. Only time will tell how Cules will remember Sandro Rosell but for now, his legacy is pretty much tarnished.

Rosell stepped down after it was revealed that a Spanish court judge agreed to hear a lawsuit brought by Barça club member, Jordi Cases, regarding misappropriation of funds concerning Neymar’s signing. Rosell mentioned threats were made at him, regarding his dealings before and during the club along with personal threats made towards him and his family. As much as I disliked the guy, there is no excuse or justification to threaten the man or his family. It was cowardly and I hope whoever were behind it are apprehended and punished.

The writing was on the wall for some time for Rosell with regards to the discontent amongst the fans in how he was running the club. Rosell’s era saw him make unpopular decisions ranging from restricting club membership to sponsorship deals with Qataris, to alleged ties to the Boixos Nois, proposal of building a new Camp Nou, and pursuing the previous administration in court while stripping club icon Johan Cruyff of his honorary role with the club (and failing to timely pay Cruyff’s foundation) which probably is the reason why successful and popular manager Pep Guardiola left the club.   As I previously mentioned, it is quite disappointing that this club currently has a cold relationship with Cruyff, Frank Rijkaard and Guardiola who are responsible for the club’s four Champions League titles. 

The other negative lasting impact would be the club’s treatment of its players during his time. Abidal was let go rather with many feeling unceremoniously by breaking their word while David Villa was offloaded at a cut rate price. Many also thought the club neglected Thiago and the matter could have been avoided regarding his lack of minutes which triggered a low buyout clause while some believe Victor Valdés will be leaving the club because of this administration. However, themost embarrassing episode occurred recently when one of the Club’s Vice Presidents, Javier Faus, stated that he saw no reason the club should improve Messi’s contract while also referring to Messi as “this gentleman”. Obviously that was an idiotic and a display of lack of respect and affection by the club towards Messi.

Obviously it was not all doom and gloom under Rosell’s helm. The club is also well represented in the social media and the most important element is the success on the pitch. Also, the club’s financial stability seemed to improve albeit some have their doubts as to how bad they inherited financial mess left by the previous regime. The seed of mistrust started from there coupled with reports he was under investigation in Brazil for his ties with former Brazilian Football Confederation president Ricardo Teixeira, his ties with Viagogo which is the only company allowed to resell Barça tickets, allegations of impropriety in the Neymar transfer along with embarrassing sound bites such as no longer making color copies as a way to cut spending all paint a poor image of the president. Rosell promised us transparency as club president and yet nothing was ever transparent when he was in charge.

I could go on and on about Rosell and his presidency but one club member decided that he was done whining and decided to do something about it. Jordi Cases refused to accept how the club was being run and brought legal action against Rosell. There were rumors that the club was going to bring legal action against Cosas but in the end, Rosell bowed out. His legacy will always be a tarnished one full of success and controversy. 

The club’s new president is Josep Maria Bartomeu now and it appears he will be around till 2016. He appeared more composed than his predecessor when he addressed the media and even hinted that ties with Cruyff could be improved. However, the idea that he is allowed to remain president till 2016 does not sit well with me.  After all, it was Rosell who decried Cruyff’s appointment as honorary president without a referendum by the club members. Yet again, Rosell’s final act smacks of hypocrisy. 

The club members decide who should be the president, not the outgoing president. Elections must be held this summer in the same pattern as when former Barça presidents Josep Lluís Núñez and Joan Gaspart both stepped down from the presidency. Barça is a club that belongs to the people. They voted on who should be the president and they should be the ones to decide on who should be the  next president.

Rosell’s Departure Mean New Elections Must Be Held This Summer.

FC Barcelona saw its president Sandro Rosell step down and was replaced by Vice-President Josep Maria Bartomeu. For some, the end of Rosell’s era was welcomed after watching him rule the club in an unpopular fashion. Overall, Rosell’s time as club president had its share of ups and down but the era at the club was full of success shrouded in controversy. However, his final act in appointing Bartomeu his successor is not one for him to make, but one for the club members to make, and as a result, elections need to be brought forward this summer for the election of a new Barça president.

I was one of the many who never was a fan of Sandro Rosell and I am not surprised that the heat finally got to him. I previously mentioned back in September that “the fans cannot accept or tolerate a presidency that is run on broken promises and lack of transparency. Rosell should know, he was allegedly one of the behind the scenes players in Laporta’s Censure Motion. Like the old saying goes, “What goes around, comes around” and it is Rosell’s turn to sit on the hot seat and see who jumps ship.”Well he did in fact jump ship.

Rosell mentioned his final address as club president that he had endured threats directed at him professionally and personally; aimed at himself and his family. That is deplorable and is never ever tolerable and I hope the culprits are found and punished to the extreme letter of the law. Former president Laporta also encountered threats, and even attacks, from the Boixos Nois too during his reign. There are democratic means of protesting objection, and violence or threats of violence is never acceptable nor tolerable.

Nevertheless, Rosell’s era seemed to upset fans and club members which made the club seem distant and out of touch at times. Rosell’s presidency had its share of controversial moments.  I mentioned back in September some of those decisions such changing the rules in becoming a member, “Socio”, the Qatar Foundation sponsorship deal forced upon the club without members voting on it first, outsourcing Barça TV to Madrid based company that turned out to be a bad idea when a video leaked Xavi’s off the record comments about Real Madrid which embarrassed the player.

Another issue of content was Rosell’s interest in exacting petty revenge against Laport and Cruyff, the two men who he never got along with and resulted in him  stepping down as Vice-President after the conclusion of the 2004-2005 season. His beef with Cruyff was an embarrassing moment for the club after the fallout for refusing to acknowledge the honorary president title bestowed upon by Laporta and that the club had neglected to make payments to Cruyff’s foundation that was finally paid this season. Some attribute these factors as part of the reason why the club’s most successful manager, Pep Guardiola, decided to walk away from the club.

There is also the disappointing treatment of its players during his time. Both Abidal and basketball player Pete Mickeal were let go after being told that they would be welcome back after conquering their serious medical problems. Furthermore, David Villa was sold for a low transfer while they dropped the ball with up and coming star Thiago. Rumors have it that the club’s greatest goalkeeper of all time, Victor Valdés, is also leaving because of differences with the club. However, Vice President Javier Faus’s recent comments that he did not believe Messi’s contract should be improved was indeed an embarrassing black eye and painted a poor picture of the club.

For all Rosell’s flaws, the club still continued to be successful on the pitch and did make strides with regards to social media. Furthermore, Rosell did bring financial stability to this club and its coffers but there are doubts since some dispute how badly the club was in debt by the time the time he took over. It wouldn’t surprise me if the next regime also investigates this regime’s finances in the future. Some also wonder if the club’s positive finances is more because the club gutted other sports sections of the club such as the basketball team which is one of the biggest clubs in Spain and Europe but remain sponsor less on their kits.

In the end, Rosell was his own worst enemy with many unpopular decisions and controversy such as being under investigation in Brazil thanks to his ties with Ricardo Teixeira, the former Brazilian Football Confederation president; his ties with Viagogo company which is a company allowed to resell Barça tickets; not allowing free admittance to children in El Clasico this year; his ties with the hooligans Boixos Nois, the ones who attacked Laporta, after the Grada joven project in one of the stands of the Camp Nou fell through amidst police objections, and allegations of impropriety in the Neymar transfer. He also had a knack of not presenting himself well when addressing the media with embarrassing comments such as the elimination of color copies to save money and indicating that the club was struggling to pay wages just painted a poor image of the president.

Rosell promised us transparency as club president and yet nothing was ever transparent when he was in charge. However, his era has ended, or so it seems. Josep Maria Bartomeu is now the acting president and it seems that Rosell’s project will continue to be carried out till the term ends in 2016. I met Mr. Bartomeu once during the dinner hosted by the Penya a few years and he was very friendly and courteous. He sure did receive a lot of praise for his demeanor and style in talking to the media the following day after Rosell’s farewell speech. However, action speaks louder than words and he has the rest of the season to audition for this position.

I said audition because this new president Bartomeu should not be allowed to run the club till 2016. Sandro Rosell was elected by the members as the club’s president. The members should be the ones to choose who should be the next president or Bartomeu will forever be considered a puppet for Rosell and will never be taken seriously. If he believes he is worthy of being Rosell’s successor, then he should run for the position himself in the summer. When former presidents Josep Lluís Núñez and Joan Gaspart resigned, their successor only lasted till the end the season before elections took part. That same protocol should apply here. Lest we forget that, it was Rosell who opposed Joan Laporta’s appointment of Cruyff as honorary club president without the club members voting on it. The club belongs to the members and they should choose who should run it.

Thus, Mr. Bartomeu has till the end of the season to win over voters. He has the upper hand against any would be potential candidate. His actions from here till the end of the season will paint a picture of what type of president he will. However, the members should be the ones who decide who should be Rosell’s successor, not Rosell. Elections have to take place this summer.

Barça need to dip into the transfer market.

Barça’s customary weaknesses reared their ugly heads again following some less than impressive recent performances in the league. Their inability to get the best of their opponents who prefer to sit back and be defensive along with not having a deep enough squad raised some red flags about their chances winning both the league and European crown. Perhaps the solution lies with looking elsewhere for players to provide Tata Martino with a successful Plan B and a deep enough squad to overcome injuries. Barça needs to be proactive and not reactive when it comes to transfer.

Barça’s recent draws against Atlético Madrid and Levante saw them drop points against teams willing to defend while only scoring one goal. With the first leg against Manchester City is less than a month away, these types of performances brought back memories to Barça coming up short in Champions League Semi-Finals against Manchester United, Inter Milan and Chelsea. In those ties, Barça enjoyed a lion’s share of possession but could only generate a few scoring chances which resulted in ever fewer goals.

Watching this team come up short back then and now means the club needs to address this problem.  Part of the problem lies with not having an adequate plan to confront these teams that park the bus. The other problem is also not having adequate squad depth to compensate if they lose players to injuries.  This team struggled to defeat Levante last weekend while missing Dani Alves, Iniesta and Neymar. Those who were asked to fill in failed to adequately replace those missing stars.

Furthermore, just relying on the same style with some tweaks is not enough. Sure, it is great to rely on the long ball at times to catch the opponent off guard, but merely swapping players while using the same system is no adequate backup plan.  Thus, the club’s best option is to pursue players in this transfer window period.

It’s no secret that I have always been a firm believer that this club has lacked a true aerial threat type of player who commanded a physical presence to attract defenders such as Julio Salinas and Patrick Kluivert in the past. Guardiola had his heart in the right place when the club signed Ibrahimovic but the player refused to adapt and was more inclined to score through amazing spin kicks and not by simply heading the ball in.True, Neymar was signed as the X factor to solve these types of problems. However, they can pursue players such as Miroslav Klose to be a weapon off the bench to help in implementing the plan B. He is not cup tied with regards to the Champions League and is at an age where he probably wouldn’t mind being a role player much like Henrik Larsson was.

Moreover, it is clear that the club is lacking adequate depth to compensate players who are injured. With Iniesta out, the club is relying on up and coming Sergi Roberto but he is not at the level to be considered as a sufficient replacement. Thiago’s departure is felt in moments like this where you wish the club handled his situation properly. Afellay has returned from his injury and perhaps can fill in for him but perhaps the club can scout and find someone of caliber, on loan even, to fill in for his absence.

The biggest pressing need though is for the club to sign someone in the hear t of the defense. Puyol still does seem to be fully fit which makes it difficult to rely on him being there down the stretch. That only leaves the club with just Pique and Bartra as the two centerbacks of this club along with Mascherano. If either of them suffers a long term injury, then this club would be handcuffed the rest of the season by relying on a few players to be the centerbacks. Bartra’s injury scare should serve as a warning shot for the club to scout the globe and bring someone in now.

It’s about time the club began to be proactive and not reactive to address the team’s needs. Barça cannot wait till someone goes down to a long term injury to start planning for the future. They need to realize that there are some needs that should be addressed now and not till the summer. Signing players now much like they did with Afellay a few years ago, or Edgar Davids, on loan back, in 2003-2004 season, should be looked into to strengthen this squad for the second half of the season and give this club other means of attack.

Rosell’s Departure Mean New Elections Must Be Held This Summer.

FC Barcelona saw its president Sandro Rosell step down and was replaced by Vice-President Josep Maria Bartomeu. For some, the end of Rosell’s era was welcomed after watching him rule the club in an unpopular fashion. Overall, Rosell’s time as club president had its share of ups and down but the era at the club was full of success shrouded in controversy. However, his final act in appointing Bartomeu his successor is not one for him to make, but one for the club members to make, and as a result, elections need to be brought forward this summer for the election of a new Barça president.

I was one of the many who never was a fan of Sandro Rosell and I am not surprised that the heat finally got to him. I previously mentioned back in September that “the fans cannot accept or tolerate a presidency that is run on broken promises and lack of transparency. Rosell should know, he was allegedly one of the behind the scenes players in Laporta’s Censure Motion. Like the old saying goes, “What goes around, comes around” and it is Rosell’s turn to sit on the hot seat and see who jumps ship.”Well he did in fact jump ship.

Rosell mentioned his final address as club president that he had endured threats directed at him professionally and personally; aimed at himself and his family. That is deplorable and is never ever tolerable and I hope the culprits are found and punished to the extreme letter of the law. Former president Laporta also encountered threats, and even attacks, from the Boixos Nois too during his reign. There are democratic means of protesting objection, and violence or threats of violence is never acceptable nor tolerable.

Nevertheless, Rosell’s era seemed to upset fans and club members which made the club seem distant and out of touch at times. Rosell’s presidency had its share of controversial moments.  I mentioned back in September some of those decisions such changing the rules in becoming a member, “Socio”, the Qatar Foundation sponsorship deal forced upon the club without members voting on it first, outsourcing Barça TV to Madrid based company that turned out to be a bad idea when a video leaked Xavi’s off the record comments about Real Madrid which embarrassed the player.

Another issue of content was Rosell’s interest in exacting petty revenge against Laport and Cruyff, the two men who he never got along with and resulted in him  stepping down as Vice-President after the conclusion of the 2004-2005 season. His beef with Cruyff was an embarrassing moment for the club after the fallout for refusing to acknowledge the honorary president title bestowed upon by Laporta and that the club had neglected to make payments to Cruyff’s foundation that was finally paid this season. Some attribute these factors as part of the reason why the club’s most successful manager, Pep Guardiola, decided to walk away from the club.

There is also the disappointing treatment of its players during his time. Both Abidal and basketball player Pete Mickeal were let go after being told that they would be welcome back after conquering their serious medical problems. Furthermore, David Villa was sold for a low transfer while they dropped the ball with up and coming star Thiago. Rumors have it that the club’s greatest goalkeeper of all time, Victor Valdés, is also leaving because of differences with the club. However, Vice President Javier Faus’s recent comments that he did not believe Messi’s contract should be improved was indeed an embarrassing black eye and painted a poor picture of the club.

For all Rosell’s flaws, the club still continued to be successful on the pitch and did make strides with regards to social media. Furthermore, Rosell did bring financial stability to this club and its coffers but there are doubts since some dispute how badly the club was in debt by the time the time he took over. It wouldn’t surprise me if the next regime also investigates this regime’s finances in the future. Some also wonder if the club’s positive finances is more because the club gutted other sports sections of the club such as the basketball team which is one of the biggest clubs in Spain and Europe but remain sponsor less on their kits.

In the end, Rosell was his own worst enemy with many unpopular decisions and controversy such as being under investigation in Brazil thanks to his ties with Ricardo Teixeira, the former Brazilian Football Confederation president; his ties with Viagogo company which is a company allowed to resell Barça tickets; not allowing free admittance to children in El Clasico this year; his ties with the hooligans Boixos Nois, the ones who attacked Laporta, after the Grada joven project in one of the stands of the Camp Nou fell through amidst police objections, and allegations of impropriety in the Neymar transfer. He also had a knack of not presenting himself well when addressing the media with embarrassing comments such as the elimination of color copies to save money and indicating that the club was struggling to pay wages just painted a poor image of the president.

Rosell promised us transparency as club president and yet nothing was ever transparent when he was in charge. However, his era has ended, or so it seems. Josep Maria Bartomeu is now the acting president and it seems that Rosell’s project will continue to be carried out till the term ends in 2016. I met Mr. Bartomeu once during the dinner hosted by the Penya a few years and he was very friendly and courteous. He sure did receive a lot of praise for his demeanor and style in talking to the media the following day after Rosell’s farewell speech. However, action speaks louder than words and he has the rest of the season to audition for this position.

I said audition because this new president Bartomeu should not be allowed to run the club till 2016. Sandro Rosell was elected by the members as the club’s president. The members should be the ones to choose who should be the next president or Bartomeu will forever be considered a puppet for Rosell and will never be taken seriously. If he believes he is worthy of being Rosell’s successor, then he should run for the position himself in the summer. When former presidents Josep Lluís Núñez and Joan Gaspart resigned, their successor only lasted till the end the season before elections took part. That same protocol should apply here. Lest we forget that, it was Rosell who opposed Joan Laporta’s appointment of Cruyff as honorary club president without the club members voting on it. The club belongs to the members and they should choose who should run it.

Thus, Mr. Bartomeu has till the end of the season to win over voters. He has the upper hand against any would be potential candidate. His actions from here till the end of the season will paint a picture of what type of president he will. However, the members should be the ones who decide who should be Rosell’s successor, not Rosell. Elections have to take place this summer.

Neymar Second Half Challenge Awaits.

 Neymar’s arrival at Barça has been a positive one for the club. He has done a great job in fitting in with the team and has impressed on the pitch. His performance during Messi’s absence even gave the fans a sense of reassurance as the club entered the New Year as league leaders and still in the running for all three competitions. However, Neymar faces a difficult challenge as the second half of the season commences where most recent Barça transfers have sizzled in the first half of the season only to fizzle in the ensuing second half.

 Neymar kicked off his Barça career with the equalizer goal in the first leg of the Supercopa that turned out to be difference in a 1-1 aggregate tie against Atlético Madrid. Neymar didn’t blow us away with his performances early on but then again, it is rather difficult to shine while Messi is around. Nonetheless, Neymar has been superb in fitting in with the team and being a team player.  When Messi went down, Neymar adequately stepped up and his first half stats read as follows – 11 goals and 10 assists in all competitions in 1st half. 

 Neymar will miss this weekend’s match against Elche as her serves a ban for collecting five cautions. His return coincides with Messi’s return following a lengthy spell on the sidelines recovering from an injury. One wonders if Neymar will regress or continue to impress for the second half of the season where the competition will get tougher domestically and in Europe.  Recent history has shown us that those who have a strong start to their Barça debut reach a disappointing finale. 

 Cesc and Zlatan Ibrahimovic come to mind as those who were remarkable in their Barça debuts and then struggled down the stretch. Cesc’s first half of the season saw him mostly come off the bench and help the team. Some of his achievements consisted of scoring a great header goal in San Mames against Bilbao along with insurance goals in the UEFA Super Cup against Porto, against Real Madrid in the Bernabéu in league action and in the FIFA Club World Cup Final against Santos. Unfortunately, his form would dip following the New Year. Although he did score 17 goals in all competitions in his first season, he only managed to score four goals in the second half of the season. Those four goals were scored in January and February and Cesc would go on an absurd dry run until the rest of the season. That dry run meant he could not score for three months and resulted in him becoming an unused substitute or be substituted in the second half if he was to start. 

 Ibrahimovic also endured a similar fate during his lone season with the club. Ibra won three titles as he featured in the Supercopa, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. Unlike Cesc, he did not manage to score in either of those games but he did score the only goal at the Camp Nou against Real Madrid. Ibra’s first half with Barça saw him score 11 goals in all competitions and he and Messi seemed like the dynamic duo upfront. However, the second half was one to forget as Ibra’s form suffered immensely coupled with some injuries as he only managed to score 9 goals, two of them in a memorable encounter against Arsenal in London. His popularity nosedived after poor performances against Inter Milan and his criticism of Guardiola made him persona non-grata and was then sold to AC Milan.

It’s not easy to play for Barça. Over the years, we have seen players struggle to fit in with Barça such as Mark Hughes, Hagi, Zambrotta, and Ibrahimovic. Neymar returns to face Getafe in the cup tie and Atlético Madrid next week. He has from now to May to beat that trend. The competition will be tougher and the backlash will be fierce if Barça stumble along the way. Hopefully Neymar will be the one to buck that trend where his challenge is to continue to do well and even step it up for the second half of the season.

So Far So Good For Barça.

Barça’s first half of the season is nearly over with two league matches left to go, Elche today and Atlético Madrid next weekend, and they have to be happy thus far. After capturing the Supercopa and defeating Real Madrid, Barça are fighting neck and neck with Atlético Madrid for the league crown and are still in contention for the domestic and European cup. However, the second half of the season presents a significant challenge and hopefully Barça will be up for it. 

Tata Martino’s first season as Barça manager has been outstanding so far with the minor hiccups here and there, especially with the lengthy absence of Messi. They already captured the Supercopa and qualified to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. They are also still in contention for the Copa del Rey crown while enjoying being league leaders ahead of Atlético by a better goal differential for the past few weeks.

Barça are still in contention for the treble but if they are not careful, they can find themselves knocked out of the Champions League and Copa del Rey by March. Their opponents in the Champions League are none other than Manchester City. Their opponents in Copa del Rey will consist of Getafe and then the winner of the Levante/Rayo Vallecano tie if they get that far, so they cannot afford any hiccups.

However, challenges await Barça that are reminiscent of the 2006-2007 season. Furthermore, Neymar also has the tough challenge of not joining the ranks of other new Barça signings who have struggled in the second half of their debut season. Barça should hope to learn from their past mistakes or be doomed to repeat history.

The last time Barça was involved in a 3 horse race for the league title was back in 2006-2007. Back then, they battled Real Madrid and Sevilla with Los Blancos capturing the title on the final day of the season. Barça were league leaders halfway through the season through a better goal differential yet finished in second place. Will history repeat itself and Barça succumb towards the end of the finish line and allow Atlético Madrid or Real Madrid to capture the league crown?

Likewise, Barça were eliminated at the first knockout stage of the 2006-2007 Champions League. Back then, they faced an English Premier League team, Liverpool and were eliminated thanks to a careless defensive mistake. Gifting goals has been Barça’s Achilles heel this season and will Manchester City be the first English team to knock them out of this stage since Liverpool did?

Finally, it has been a struggle for players to adapt to Barça upon arrival. History has shown us that some great players struggle to after joining Barça. Notable names such as Mark Hughes, Hagi, Thuram, Baia, Petit, Litmanen, Zambrotta, and Ibrahimovic came with a great resumes and reputations and left the club without much fanfare. Cesc and Ibrahimovic are perfect examples of players who kicked off their careers with Barça with an impressive debut in the first half of the season before disappointing in the second half of the season.

Neymar has impressed many with his 11 goals and 10 assists thus far, but will he be able to duplicate or exceed those numbers in the second half of the season? History does not favor him but he controls his destiny and those pages in the history books are still blank. Tata Martino, Neymar and the club have a difficult second half ahead of them where their pursuit of the treble will be harsher with tougher opponents and less breathing room. Obviously, the backlash will be fierce if Barça stumble along the way. Hopefully everyone will avoid repeating history and rise to the occasion.

Book Review - El Clásico: Barcelona vs Madrid – Football’s Greatest Rivalry.

El Clásico: Barcelona vs Madrid – Football’s Greatest Rivalry was published back in October 2012 and digs into the history between our beloved club, Barça, and Real Madrid by Richard Fitzpatrick. Mr. Fitzpatrick presents a well-researched book with interesting stories and interviews with famous players and managers from both teams along with interviews with media figures who cover La Liga in Spain and the UK.  Only 224 pages long, this book will keep you thoroughly entertained and would a great addition to your library.

Richard Fitzpatrick is a Liverpool fan from Ireland and has worked in Ireland, Canada and the US as a journalist. Thus, he has no side in this debate; just a simple pleasurable book that examines the history of this rivalry which became near lunacy during Mourinho’s era which finally came to an end this past summer. Mr. Fitzpatrick also delves into the history of Spain and the mentality of the public from the Franco era to the current time with regards to both Cules and Madridistas.

The history of Cules suffering during the Franco regime is a story that has been told many times but is one that just never seems to get old. Furthermore, the author does not retell the history of the rivalry by rehashing history and match reports. Quite the contrary, he actually traveled to Spain and stayed in both Barcelona and Madrid were he witnessed actual matches, such as the history “Manita” 5-0 drubbing at the Camp Nou to give the book a more unique personal feel as if you were there too.

Mr. Fitzpatrick does a great job in capturing the mood and feeling of both sets of fans with regards to the league and also about the Spanish national team. He discusses the sentiment Cules have regarding La Roja during and after winning the World Cup especially with so many Blaugrana players representing Spain.

However, the biggest highlights for me were his interviews with numerous individuals for this book. He was able to talk to Sanchís, Fernando Hierro and Vicente Del Bosque to get their views about national team setup and the history of this rivalry. The biggest coup though was managing to talk to Luis Figo which for some of us still represents one of the nasty moments of this rivalry. I was also delighted that he also got to speak with one of my all-time favorite Barça players, Hristo Stoichkhov, and also former Barça president Joan Laporta.

Mr. Fitzpatrick also took the time to speak with those in the media who cover La Liga such as Alfredo Relaño, Tomas Roncero, Santiago Segurola, Roberto Palomar, Michael Robinson and Sid Lowe just to name a few. One aspect of the book that I thoroughly enjoyed was the time the author spent with Penyas in other parts of the region to explain this rivalry more; did you know there are several Real Madrid Penyas in Barcelona and his exploration of both team’s hooligans; the Ultra Sur and Boixos Bois.

Although this book was published back in 2012, it just had a recent reprint back in September 2013 with additional information to keep it current. Overall, this book exceeded my expectations and is a fine addition for all Cules to include in their library. It covered the good, the bad, and the ugly regarding the Clásico rivals. The book is available in both paperback and Kindle formats which can be bought on Amazon and from the publishers, Bloomsbury Publishing. Mr. Fitzpatrick can be reached on twitter - @Richard_Fitz