The Blaugrana Faithful are enjoying this great start by their beloved Barça. With a new manager, and a young star blossoming in front of our eyes, hopes were high. Barça’s great start to the season has been a wonderful surprise, but the bigger surprise has to be the player leading the charge when most expected him gone; Raphinha.
Barça fans were enthusiastic about the upcoming 2024-2025 season. Hansi Flick was hired to be the man in charge. Lamine Yamal was coming off winning Euro 2024 with Spain where he was voted Young Player of the Tournament, and Barça signed former youth player Dani Olmo, who shined at Euro 2024. Barça fans were also enthusiastic about the possibility of the signing of another key player from that triumphant Spanish side, Nico Williams at the expense of Raphinha being sold to another club.
Fast forward to today, and all the enthusiasm has been rewarded with Barça being league leaders and doing well in the Champions League. The Nico Williams transfer never went through, but thankfully Raphinha has not made us think of Nico once. So far this season, in just 12 matches in La Liga and Champions League, Raphinha has scored 9 goals and has 6 assists.
Raphinha could have easily sulked and complained about his situation and future at the club. Instead, he has been very professional and it had to be noticed by his teammates when they voted him to be one of the captains of the team. Raphinha has been sensational and will be wearing the captain’s armband in El Clasico at Madrid. If Raphinha continues to shine like this, it won’t be long before we start comparing him with other Brazilian Barça legends such as Romario, Ronaldo, Rivado, Ronaldinho and Neymar.
The Netherlands National Team has a rich history of brothers representing the Oranje over the years. With today being Nationale Broer en Zus Dag (Brother and Sisters Day) in the Netherlands, it’s a fitting tribute to remember the incredible bonds of brotherhood that have shaped Dutch football over the years, from the early 20th century to the modern game. Some brothers have even played on the same pitch together at the biggest stage in different decades. The most recent brothers to share that honor are Jurriën and Quinten Timber.
Since the 1970s, the Oranje always had been known for their orange home shirt, Total Football, and the presence of brothers in the squad. It is surprising that such a small footballing nation has provided so many footballing brothers, including twin brothers, to the national team. Some have played together on the same pitch at the big stage, and there has been the rare occasion of both brothers scoring in the same game. However, the history of brothers representing the Oranje dates back to the early 1900s.
The first pair of brothers to ever represent the Netherlands were Tonny and Dé Kessler back in 1913 against an England amateur side. That would be their first and only match together. The next brothers to follow in their steps would be Mannus and Jacques Francken a year later against Belgium. In 1928, Wim and Gerard Tap would be the last brothers to represent the Netherlands against Italy, until 1974.
June 25th, 1978: The only ever twins to play in a @FIFAWorldCup final. 🥈
The next few decades would see more brothers get the honor of being siblings who played for the national team, but not represent the Oranje together. That would change in 1974 when the twin brothers René and Willy van de Kerkhof would be part of the Oranje. Both were called up for the 1974 World Cup, but only René would get to play in that competition. However, they did start all seven matches during the 1978 World Cup where the Netherlands would lose to Argentina in the Final. They also represented the Oranje at the 1976 and 1980 European Championships. They would collect a combined 110 caps, and to this day, no other pair of brothers would feature in four different international tournaments for the Netherlands.
Hans van Breukelen, Berry van Aerle, Frank Rijkaard, Ronald Koeman, Adrie van Tiggelen, Gerald Vanenburg, Jan Wouters, Arnold Muhren, Erwin Koeman, Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten.
The van de Kerkhof era would end in the 1980s, but a new era would begin in 1983 through the Koeman brothers. Erwin and Ronald Koeman amassed a combined 109 caps and would become the only brothers to win a major international trophy for the Netherlands. The Koeman brothers made their debut together in 1983 against Sweden and five years later, they played their part in helping the Oranje win Euro 1988. Erwin did not play in the opening game of that tournament but would go on to play with his brother Ronald in the following four matches that the Oranje won, including the Final. The 1990 World Cup would be the final major competition that the Koeman brothers would play together and their era would end in 1994 against Tunisia in which was their 26th and final match together.
The 1990’s would kick off with the Witschge brothers and the de Boer brothers featuring for the Oranje. Rob and Richard Witschge represented the Oranje throughout the 90s with a combined 61 caps, and would feature in four different tournaments, but never together. In fact, they only played together once, in 1992 against then Yugoslavia. A year later, another set of twin brothers would go on to feature the Netherlands for the next decade.
Frank and Ronald de Boer made their debut against San Marino in a 1994 World Cup Qualifier in 1993 and would go on to feature for the Oranje a combined 179 times. They would also play together a record 56 times, The de Boer twins also have the famous distinction of both scoring a goal, which was against Wales in 1996. Moreover, the de Boer twins got to play with the Koeman brothers on three separate occasions. The set of brothers would start against England in 1993 in a 1994 World Cup Qualifiers and all four brothers would start the next match against Poland. In those matches, the Ronalds would each score for the Oranje. Ronald Koeman scored against England and Ronald de Boer scored against Poland. Ronald Koeman would also score in their final appearance with the de Boer twins in a friendly against Tunisia in 1994.
The de Boer brothers would go on to represent the Oranje into the next decade, with Frank de Boer becoming the first player to gain 100 caps for the Dutch. They would feature together in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups and Euro 2000. Ronald de Boer’s final cap would come in 2003 against Moldova with his brother Frank on the pitch. Frank’s final cap would come in 2004 after picking up an injury in the Euro 2004 Quarter-Final against Sweden. Since then, we would see Collins and Ola John, and then Siem and Luuk de Jong brothers represent the Oranje, but not together at the same time, squad or on the same pitch.
It wasn’t until this month that we would finally see another set of brothers representing the Oranje again. On September 8, 2024, the twin brothers Jurriën and Quinten Timber got to sit together on the team bench and then appear as substitutes against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a UEFA Cup Nations. The Timber brothers became the third set of twins to play for the Netherlands and would repeat that feat two days later against Germany.
Time will tell whether we will continue to see future brothers representing the Oranje for many years to come. The Timber brothers’ presence bridged the past of the Oranje with the present and we hope we will see many brothers perform well for the Oranje in the future. Special recognition goes out to the hard work of Karel Stokkermans for his hard work and research in collecting all the data regarding Oranje brothers, “A Century of Brothers in Oranje”for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
Well, the summer of three international football tournaments is officially over. Football fans were spoiled with Euro 2024, Copa America 2024 and the Paris Olympics taking place this summer. Sadly, our beloved Oranje suffered another painful exit at Euro 2024, and now we look ahead to the 2026 World Cup with questions and concerns.
For Dutch football fans, Euro 2024 will be remembered as another heartbreakingly familiar tale. Once again, the hopes and dreams of the Oranje faithful were dashed, echoing the bitter disappointments of tournaments past. While it didn’t quite shatter hearts like 1992, 2000, or 2008, this loss stung like 2004 and 2020 with doubts and lots of second guessing.
Despite occasional flashes of brilliance in Euro 2024, the Oranje overall were disappointing and also lucky. The Oranje made it all the way to the Semi-Finals for the first time since 2004, even though they finished third in their group, because of the luck of the draw that saw them face Romania and Turkey in the knockout stages. Lady luck decided to stay at home when they faced England in the Semi-Finals where Holland’s exit revealed systemic issues that have been plaguing the team for some time under Ronald Koeman.
Ronald Koeman’s tactics and lineup decisions made it easy to second guess the man in charge. Koeman managed to get this team to the semi-finals while displaying some flaws in his tactical setup and his failure to adapt as matches unfolded. Some of Koeman’s late substitutions often lacked impact, which raised questions about his ability to influence games positively.
One of the glaring issues throughout Euro 2024 was Holland’s defensive vulnerability. One would expect a team consisting of the likes Virgil Van Dijk, Stefan de Vrij, Nathan Aké, Denzel Dumfries, and Micky van de Ven to be solid defensively. Just like under Louis van Gaal in the previous World Cup, the Oranje were leaking goals and one has to ask if it was because of lapses in concentration or was it from poor tactical awareness. Looking ahead, the defenders have to be more reliable and composed. One can hope that Matthijs de Ligt, who did not play a single second in this tournament, finds his mojo again and be part of the backline in the future.
The Oranje also had issues with up front. Even though this team boasts talented players in the attack, they often relied too heavily on moments of individual brilliance rather than organized attacking teamwork. The attack was predictable as the team relied on star players like Memphis Depay or Cody Gakpo making magic happen over well-structured offensive patterns. However, with an uncertain midfield, the lack of fluidity up front was no big surprise.
All these issues were on display in the semi-final against England. The Oranje enjoyed a dream start after just seven minutes from a great opening goal from Xavi Simons, courtesy of a moment of individual brilliance. However, lady luck would disappear when England were awarded a penalty eleven minutes later when Dumfries caught Harry Kane on his ankle, courtesy of a VAR review that did not notice a Bukayo Saka handball. Kane converted from the spot and Oranje’s performance dropped when Memphis Depay had to be replaced after suffering an injury.
The next fifty-five minutes were a display of all the shortcomings of this team under Koeman with the Ollie Watkins goals in added time dashing all hopes of another European final since 1988. After the final whistle, the second-guessing began such as why were the Oranje reluctant to attack a tired England team that had just played 120 minutes in consecutive knock out stages games? Why did they fail to play out of the back while an unfit Harry Kane not pressing? Why didn’t Gakpo take on Saka whenever he the opportunity presented itself on numerous occasions? Why didn’t Koeman bring on players like Jeremie Frimpong and van de Ven? All these decisions only left fans questioning Koeman’s selection criteria and game management.
With the World Cup two years away, it is a moment for introspection and strategic rebuilding by the KNVB and Koeman, regarding the issues in defense, tactical approaches, and nurturing the young talents coming through. As the legendary basketball coach John Wooden once said, “Failing To Prepare Is Preparing To Fail.” As the focus shifts to the future, the Oranje must learn from their mistakes, improve their defensive weaknesses, and foster a more organized and balanced approach to matches.
I won’t be a negative Nelly, thus I will end this on a positive note. Amidst the disappointment, there were some positives from Euro 2024. Bart Verbruggen and Xavi Simons emerged as bright spots for the Oranje. Verbruggen’s performances in goal showed promise and perhaps the 21-year-old will be the starting goalkeeper for the future while Simons showcased his potential as one of the faces of a new generation of talent ready to step up. The backline is still full of talented players, who just need to be better coached. Hopefully, Brian Brobbey and Joshua Zirkzee, or another other up and coming player answers the call as the next established goal scorer since Wout Weghorst isn’t getting any younger. Overall, fans have every reason to be optimistic and hope for brighter days ahead.
With Xavi’s tenure as Barça coming to an unfortunate end,
President Joan Laporta already made his choice on who should be Xavi’s
successor, by hiring Hansi Flick. It was a marriage of convenience between the
club and manager; A damaged club hiring a damaged Hansi Flick.
It was the worst kept secret that Laporta was looking to
hire a German manager to run our beloved Blaugrana. Laporta just missed out on
Hansi Flick in 2021 before hiring Xavi to manage Barça. Lady luck shined on
Laporta when Hansi Flick was now available to take the job following Germany’s disastrous
performance at the 2022 World Cup and subsequent matches. Flick’s stock was absolutely at an all-time low and Barça was in need of a manager to get
them back among the elite clubs in Europe.
This is not uncommon ground for FC Barcelona. Barça has a
storied history of willing to gamble on managers whose philosophies align with
the club's philosophy, even if their previous experiences were not always
successful. One notable example is Frank Rijkaard, who took over as FC Barcelona's
manager in the summer of 2003. Before joining Barça, Rijkaard had been let go at
Sparta Rotterdam after they were relegated in his lone season there in 2002. Even
though his managerial career consisted of being the Netherlands national team
manager from 1998 to 2000 along with his only stint at club level with Sparta
Rotterdam, he guided Barça to resurgence. The Blaugrana won two La Liga titles
and their second UEFA Champions League in 2006.
The man who guided Barça’s Dream Team, Johan Cruyff, to their
first Champions League crown also came to the club with a somewhat damaged reputation as
a manager. Although Ajax won two Dutch cups and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup during
the mid to late 80s, Cruyff was unable to steer Ajax Amsterdam to a Dutch
league title and subsequently resigned in January 1988 as Ajax struggled. A few months later, Barça hired the
football legend and the rest, as they say, is history. Cruyff’s arrival ushered
in a successful era for the Blaugrana where he implemented his groundbreaking
"Total Football" philosophy at Barcelona, which revolutionized the
club's style of play and laid the groundwork for its future success.
Luis Enrique is another prime example of a manager whose
managerial career before Barcelona was not spectacular and somewhat damaged. He
lasted one season coaching Roma without winning any major trophies. However,
after taking over as Barcelona manager in 2014, Luis Enrique led the club to an
unprecedented treble in his first season, capturing La Liga, Copa del Rey,
and the Champions League, and amassed a total of nine trophies in his three seasons at the club.
However, not all damaged managers have been successful after
taking the reins at Barcelona. One noteworthy example would be Louis van Gaal.
When van Gaal was first hired by the club in 1997, he was considered one of the
top managers in the world following his accomplishments with Ajax. His first
stint as Barça manager saw the club win consecutive league titles but failed in
Europe. However, when he was hired by Barça again in 2002, it was fresh from
his unsuccessful stint as the Netherlands manager who failed to qualify for the
World Cup. The second era of van Gaal with the Blaugrana lasted a few months
before he was fired due to the club’s woeful league position. Then there is Quique
Setién, who joined Barcelona midway through the 2019-2020 season without much
of a successful reputation. He had been hired after leaving Real Betis where they regressed from 6th to 10th in the league standings, and he tried his best to showcase his commitment to the Blaugrana's
possession-based style of football. However, Setién only lasted a few months
without winning any major silverware and will forever be remembered as the
manager in charge during that 8-2 defeat to Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich side in the 2020
Champions League Quarter-Finals.
Barça has a history of hiring managers based on their
potential to align with the club's footballing philosophy and their ability to meet
the high expectations of both the club and its fans. Hansi Flick’s hiring is a
slight deviation from Barça’s DNA, where the hope is he will mutate that DNA with the German football DNA to create a new successful formula for success. Hopefully his hiring will usher in a
new successful era for the Blaugrana, and thereby end years of frustration in Europe
while also navigating the club to more success in domestic competitions.
Barça will end this season trophyless and there’s still
uncertainty about where this club is heading. Is there an actual long-term plan
or just more last-minute decisions? Some clarity would be nice so fans can be
ready for either success or more agony for the near future.
FC Barcelona’s 2023-2024 season has been a disappointment.
What began as a season full of hope and promise is now ending with doubt and dissatisfaction
about the club and its direction. Barça and Xavi winning La Liga last season was
a remarkable achievement and many felt that the club was heading in the right
direction. Unfortunately, the club took one step forward by finally advancing
to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, but it also took a few
steps back as they suffered domestically. Madrid won the league title while
defeating the Blaugrana in both league games and the Blaugrana failed to win
either the Copa del Rey or the Supercopa. Perhaps Barça made the mistake of
thinking that success would repeat itself and maybe underestimated how much
better Madrid and other La Liga clubs would be this season.
FC Barcelona is a club in need of stability and a long-term
plan, yet this club still appears to be operating on a day-to-day basis. Xavi
was supposed to leave, and now he’s staying to manage the team again before he leaves
when his contract expires next season. Will players listen to him when they know he
is leaving? How can the club plan for the future when they will be transitioning
from Xavi to another manager? Do you sign the players that Xavi wants or save
that money for the future manager? Do you also get rid of players Xavi doesn’t want,
like Vitor Roque, or does President Joan Laporta let the next manager make those
decisions?
Laporta has to inform the Blaugrana faithful of his plans
going forward. Does he already have Xavi’s replacement in mind, or will it be a
last-minute decision? Can this club sign players and get them registered in
time while they juggle the financial requirements of La Liga? The financial situation
of this club would scare off anyone interested in coaching this team. With the
emergence of Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, perhaps there should be more faith
in the youth and not waste money on expensive signings. For example, Ferran
Torres cost Barça €55 million while Ferran
Jugtla was sold for €5 million. Ferran Torres has scored 25 goals at his time
with the club while the latter has scored 26 goals in Belgium. Was it worth it?
Furthermore, we have seen
different directors and advisors leave the club during the second era of
Laporta. This doesn’t paint a good picture of stability. Until the Super League
becomes a reality, the focus should be on a proper structure and not dreams of
a financial windfall from a nonexistent league. It’s time for the club to adopt
a clear plan going forward and not continue in this path of uncertainty.
2023 is coming to an end and the one word that best
describes FC Barcelona during this calendar year would be inconsistent. The
highs and lows, on the field and off the field, by the Blaugrana was still
rewarding enough to witness the club become league champions again. Will 2024
be any different?
Barça kicked off 2023 with a bang following their
impressive success of capturing the Supercopa de España in Saudi Arabia. From
that moment, the tide had shifted for Xavi and his players as they enjoyed a
memorable second half of the season in La Liga en route to winning their 27th
league crown. Their elimination in the Copa del Rey by Real Madrid did sting
but there were high hopes for the upcoming 2023-2024 season.
The summer was full of uncertainty regarding who was
coming and leaving the club, players and sporting directors. Eventually, the
club did well in the transfer window, but the club’s league form was shaky.
After 18 matches, the Blaugrana find themselves in 4th place, 7
points behind league leaders Real Madrid. However, the club did finally manage
to overcome their past struggles of advancing from the Champions League group
stages.
2023 can be best described as a yo-yo season or a
roller coaster season for the Blaugrana; full of ups and downs. Injuries and
some bad coaching decisions by Xavi have played a role in the club’s
inconsistency, but interference from the board about who plays, and the
manager’s future is not helping either. Certain players not delivering are also
to blame for the inconsistency.
Here’s hoping Barça will usher in the new year with
vast improvement on and off the pitch for the club. Vitor Roque will be a new
face for the Blaugrana faithful, and hopefully they will be patient with the
Brazilian starlet as he adjusts to a new club, a new league and a new
continent. It all kicks off on January 4th, 2024, when Barca travel
to the Canary Islands to face Las Palmas. We shall see if this will be a start
to a beautiful year.
Take care and have a safe New Year celebration and may
2024 brings us lots of happiness, victories and wonderful memories.
The 2022-2023 season just concluded and our beloved Barça managed to recapture the league title for the 27’th time. Barça’s resurgence under Xavi continued when they succeeded in winning the league crown and the Spanish Supercopa; Xavi’s first success as Barça’s manager. The disappointment in Europe and Copa del Rey can’t erase the jubilation of witnessing the Blaugrana become winners again. So, as we enjoy the summer break and get distracted by transfer rumors, it’s time to hand out the awards.
MVP: Ronald Araújo
The 2022-2023 season saw many Blaugrana players shine as Barca captured the league crown again. Marc-André ter Stegen was phenomenal in goal and won the Zamora award and Robert Lewandowski won the Pichichi award for being the league’s top goal scorer. However, the player deserving of the player of the season is none other than Ronald Araújo. With the Blaugrana looking shaky at the back in recent history, it was a pleasant surprise to see their defense shine this season domestically. The additions of Andreas Christensen and Jules Koundé were a welcome addition to the club. Yet, Ronald Araújo excelled as the leader of the back line played a part in the club only conceding twenty goals all season long. His presence benefitted ter Stegen and bailed out the offense during those 1-0 victories when the offense failed to find the insurance goal. Here’s hoping the 24-year-old Uruguayan defender continues to shine and join the ranks of other Barca legends, Puyol and Pique.
Best Goal: Robert Lewandowski against Real Valladolid
It’s never easy to pick the goal of the season and there were some good choices this season. Raphinha’s header goal against Osasuna for the late winner is a solid contender for Best Goal. However, Robert Lewandowski’s backheel goal against Real Valladolid was my pick for the best goal. When Lewandowski scored that goal, many were left dumbfounded by what had just happened. At first, people were confused as to how he scored, and then were curious if it was by accident. But upon further review, Lewandowski knew what he was doing, and he pulled off a memorable goal that will be remembered for many years to come.
Best Assist: Busquets to Raphinha against Real Betis
Although Raphinha didn’t win Best Goal, he was on the receiving end of the Best Assist of the season. It was a close call between his header goal against Valencia or his header goal against Osasuna. Busquets and Frenkie de Jong both delivered exquisite long balls for the Brazilian to nod in with his head. But it was the Busquets assist to Raphinha against Real Betis that sealed it for me. The legendary Busquets provided us with many memorable assists over the years, and his final season with the club provided us the Best Assist of the season.
Best Game: 3-1 vs Real Madrid in Supercopa Final
Although it was marred by conceding two goals and the crowd trouble afterwards, FC Barcelona defeating Espanyol 2-4 on their home turf was one of the best performances by the club during this season. However, the Best Game of this season was Barca’s 3-1 victory over Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa Final. The Blaugrana were just so dominant in that game that changed the team’s fortune. Following that result, the tide had turned, and Barcelona played with confidence in the second half of the season that saw them capture the league crown.
Best Transfer: Andreas Christensen
This season saw new arrivals such as Franck Kessié, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Jules Koundé, Héctor Bellerín, Marcos Alonso and Pablo Torre. Many were great, some were decent and others we hardly saw. An argument can be made that Lewandowski was the best signing after winning the Pichichi in his debut season, but the Best Transfer was the Danish defender, Andreas Christensen. Christensen, and his partner Araújo, played a key role in improving the Blaugrana backline which carried the team at times when the offense struggled to score. Hopefully the 27-year-old will continue to shine for many more years to come with Araújo by his side.
Most Improved Player: Marc-André ter Stegen
Frenkie de Jong had a great season for FC Barcelona, and reminded fans why he was so highly rated when he was signed back in 2019. However, Most Improved Player has to be Marc-André ter Stegen. There were concerns that ter Stegen had lost a step following his injuries and poor performance. Thankfully, Marc-André ter Stegen reminded us of the MAtS of old with his performances this season. He had the highest save percentage in La Liga with 84.7% and ended up winning the Zamora award and tied the record for most clean sheets in La Liga.
Best Youth Player: Alejandro Balde
With Pedri and Gavi shining the last two seasons, it was refreshing to see a new kid on the block. Alejandro Balde was entrusted by Xavi to replace the legendary Jordi Alba as the club’s starting left back. The 19-year-old did not disappoint, and we look forward to seeing him grow and be part of the backline for many years to come.
Most Disappointing Player: Eric García
When Eric García arrived from Manchester City in 2021, many thought he was a steal and fans were reminiscent of Pique’s arrival from the English Premier League. Unfortunately, Eric and Barcelona struggled whenever he started on the team’s backline and it’s no surprise that the team’s performance improved after he was benched. Xavi even tried him out as a defensive midfielder, but he failed to impress. It appears that his time at the club is coming to an end.
Worst Transfer: Héctor Bellerín
Héctor Bellerín came as a free transfer and there was hope he could be the solution to the right back. Instead, we hardly saw him, and he left the club during the winter transfer window.
Here's to a better campaign for 2023-2024. Visca el Barça!
