Pre-Match Thread: Real Betis vs Barcelona [La Liga]
Match Information:
Match: Real Betis vs Barcelona Competition: La Liga Date: Sunday, 7th of February 2021 Time: 21:00 CET / 15:00 EST - Convert to local time Venue: Estadio Benito Villamarín, Seville - 60720 capacity Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande
Lineups and Squads:
Barcelona - Official squad confirmed GK: Ter Stegen, Neto, Arnau Tenas DEF: Dest, Piqué, Araujo, Lenglet, Alba, Sergi Roberto, Umtiti, Firpo, Mingueza MID: Busquets, Pjanić, Riqui Puig, Coutinho, Pedri, Matheus, De Jong ATT: Griezmann, Braithwaite, Messi, Dembélé, Trincão, Ansu Fati Unavailable: Piqué, Sergi Roberto, Coutinho, Ansu Fati (injured) Not called:
Real Betis - Official squad to be confirmed GK: Joel Robles, Dani Martín, Claudio Bravo, Dani Rebollo, Carlos Marín DEF: Martín Montoya, Bartra, Víctor Ruíz, Sidnei, Emerson, Aïssa Mandi, Juan Miranda, Francisco Delgado Rojano, Geovanni Barba MID: Paul Akouokou, Canales, Camarasa, William Carvalho, Álex Moreno, Joaquín, Andrés Guardado, Diego Lainez, Guido Rodríguez, José Calderón ATT: Juanmi, Nabil Fekir, Borja Iglesias, Tello, Loren Morón, Aitor Ruibal, Rodri, Yassin Fekir Unavailable: Dani Martín, Camarasa (injured) Claudio Bravo, Bartra, Diego Lainez (doubtful) Not called:
Oof this game was getting out of hand b4 Messi. The next game after Internationals is Atl Madrid. Hope Dembele stays fit cause huge diff he makes. Defense is still bad. Hopefully Dest gets more time.
Disappointed in Griezmann missing the penalty, but I thought he played quite well today. He is getting better and better each game and with some more luck the goals will really pile on
Griezmann had a really good game. He still lacks confidence and will need a string of games like this to become his usual self. But it is encouraging to see him fit into the system.
Messi needs to score an outfield goal= check Griez needs to finish= check Added bonus, Pedri and Dembele score 1 each ( 1st LA Liga goal for each.) Double bonus: Messi seemed to be enjoying the game, with a smile which was more frequent and Messi and Griez celebrating. Also MAtS must be mentioned. Really hope everyone carries this forward. Also I hope this puts an end to my fear of witnessing another Torres at the turn of another decade( though both are vastly different tplayers with different situation) and Griez really builds on this. Overall both teams played an entertaining game. So it was fun. Finally, " It's the year of Faith, that precedes Greatness".
Great win today. -We didn’t play bad without Messi in the first half, we were quicker in our passing, very compact in defence, our finishing was poor though.
Griezmann needs to score more, otherwise games will end up costing us.
Messi made a great impact when he came on. Every big chance went through him, scored a brace and a dummy assist. I think resting more will definitely help him.
Great win today. Busi, Alba, Pedri and De Jong played a really good game. Also, Dembouz with a rocket and a great performance.
We re frustrating as much as enjoyable to watch. We need to finish our chances. Dembele, Pedri and Fati really REALLY good. They all seem to fade at times though, which may be because of their age, so hopefully it gets fixed. MESSI FELT AGAIN LIKE BEFORE. Griexmann rly needs to fix his shit man... we could ve been 5 0 at half time if he buried his chances. STOP TALKIN SHIT ABT ROBERTO AND ALBA. They rr trrmendous for us. The first goal was bcs of the cbs and busi failing to defend properly.
Koeman is solving some of our problems gradually: Team had pressure issue when they conceded first and the lead was slender..that is being taken care of. Wanted the players to shoot...they are doing the same. Just the team needs some luck by their side now. He now has Defence to sort. Imo Lenglet and Pique is still a shaky defence, barca should prefer to sign a CB more than a Striker.
To all those that say that Messi doesn't care Griezmann, shut up. Maybe they had their misunderstandings at the beginning but who wouldn't after Griezmann specifically made a documentary to snub Barça and then joined us. But now I think Messi wants Griezmann to do well since it would be good for the team. Why I am saying this? Messi hasn't scored a goal from open play this entire season and it Iis definitely on his mind. He could have taken the shot off the Alba cross, it was coming right to him. Whether he could have scored with 3 players around him is a different question but we have to believe that players of Messi's quality will trust themselves to be able to finish a low cross like that. But he didn't. Even though he didn't have a goal from open play until that point, he didn't take the shot. His awareness to let it go to Griezmann who had to just put it into an empty net under no pressure was extraordinary. It would have done wonders for Griezmann. Not scoring a goal after that many good chances in this game would have been very bad mentally for Griezmann. He keeps trying and can't seem to score. Messi made sure that Griezmann would have a goal today and went on to score two. That is our captain. He might not have big words but he speaks big through his actions on the pitch. If that wasn't selfless I don't know what is.
While I think these performances are far from great, it is becoming more and more enjoyable and entertaining to watch these matches, which I really missed. The defense needs a lot of work and I think we need faster defenders for the cb position, Araujo could be good for one of the spots but we need one more cb from the market. I think Dest and his speed would be a great help for the defense, and I also would like to see Roberto in place of Busquets. For this system Busquets is too slow and he is becoming more and more inaccurate in the forward play. As for the offense, I think the team should just capitalize on the numerous chances they are creating, Griezmann could have scored a hat trick in the first half alone. Koeman did a good job so far I think things are much better than they were the last few seasons.
I was a little bit scared after their second goal. What i noticed Lenglet keeps himself high up the pitch creating so much room for wingers. Every time he has done this there has been a counter attack. Also what i noticed a moment in which he came near jordi alba and then passed it to him which was unnecessary because he could have gave it to him where ever he was since there was no player over there, just a pass was needed. Remaining was perfect just a little bit angry with griezmann and literally cried after his and how cheerfully Leo made fool of his opponent over there. Also i think the team performed well in attack in 4-3-3, there was depth in the game and of course i think one of their suspension helped us a lot. Goal were just being banged
Messi finally got his goal from open play. Ngl I wanted the salt to keep flowing and him to score a hat-trick of penalties. Happy for Griezmann as well. He really needed that goal. Hopefully that opens the floodgates for him. Besides his finishing, he looked pretty decent too. Our defence still looks shaky as hell though. If we don't sign any defenders this window then we should give Comas a call up. Defensive issues aside, this performance on a whole was just much better. Messi coming on changed the game obviously but we were actually quite impressive going forward without him as well. We only need to fucking finish our chances man. We could've scored 3 in the first half alone.
Quotes:
Koeman: "We have played 12 games since the beginning of the year and 11 have been away from home. We have to help the players. I hope FIFA and UEFA think about the players and reduce the number of games. This schedule kills the players." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "We decided to play with Ter Stegen in Granada, but on Wednesday it may be different. We have to look for the best team to go through. It depends on a lot of things: The state of form, the attitude..." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Araújo? Araújo is feeling like the other players who have played several games in a row. If there would be a risk, we would rest him, but the final decision is mine." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Griezmann is a player who does a lot of self-criticism and works a lot, you can't ask for more from a player who's so committed to the team." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Griezmann? I remember the call I made to him when I signed for Barça. I told him that I had a lot of confidence in him, and I told him by phone that he should feel important. It's true that at first he was not as effective as now, but I have never had doubts about him." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Dembélé? Physically he has improved a lot and I have no doubt about his quality as a player. I don't know how he was in the past. He's great, he has one against one, a lot of depth... I love this player and now he's very happy. It's good." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "For any player his physical condition is very important. The team is very well physically, otherwise it would have been impossible to do this January as we have done." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Lenglet is important to us. We have competition because Umtiti has been fine after his injury. It's not that one is better than the other, sometimes one does the job well and then it's time to wait." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Roberto's injury is a blow to everyone, starting with himself. I asked him at half time: 'Can you hold on?', and he told me: 'Yes, I'm fine!' Then, after 8 minutes, he got injured. We have to give courage and recover him. He won't be there in the first leg against PSG." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Staying in Sevilla because we have two games against them in a short time? It's true that the schedule would allow things like that, but I'm in favor of sleeping at home instead of spending three days there. The players are used to this and also prefer to be at home." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "I can't deny that the other day, after the game, I was very happy and proud of the team's attitude. They have shown a lot of quality, but football is very unique. Today the sun rises and tomorrow it may rain. You have to be prepared for everything and go game by game." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Messi is the one who decides on his future. To me, as a coach, of course I would like him to stay here for many more years. He gives us a lot. He has a lot of energy to help the team." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Piqué's words about the referees? It's a statement from him, it's his responsibility that he felt that way. I wasn't here before, I can't comment. I can only comment on things that happened since I arrived here, and it's true that we've had no fortune with the referees." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "It's never good for a coach to say that one game is more important than another. The next game is always the most important. You have to go game by game. We know that a very strong opponent awaits us in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "It's not me who has to talk about Ansu Fati's recovery, he has to be respected. He has to recover calmly." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "The team is well and recovered to face a difficult game like tomorrow's, but I still haven't decided who will play, we'll see tomorrow." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "It's a difficult moment because we have many games, four of them with extra time, many away from home, traveling, arriving late..." - src @barcacentre
Pre-Match Thread: Sevilla vs Barcelona [Copa Del Rey]
Match Information:
Match: Sevilla vs Barcelona Competition: Copa Del Rey Date: Wednesday, 10th of February 2021 Time: 21:00 CET / 15:00 EST - Convert to local time Venue: Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville - 42714 capacity Referee: Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz
Lineups and Squads:
Barcelona - Official squad confirmed GK: Ter Stegen, Neto, Iñaki Peña DEF: Dest, Piqué, Araujo, Lenglet, Alba, Sergi Roberto, Umtiti, Firpo, Mingueza MID: Busquets, Pjanić, Riqui Puig, Coutinho, Pedri, Matheus, De Jong, Ilaix Moriba ATT: Griezmann, Braithwaite, Messi, Dembélé, Trincão, Ansu Fati, Konrad, Álex Collado Unavailable: Piqué, Araujo, Sergi Roberto, Pjanić, Coutinho, Braithwaite, Ansu Fati (injured) Not called:
Sevilla - Official squad to be confirmed GK: Tomáš Vaclík, Bono, Javi Díaz, Adrián González, Alfonso Pastor DEF: Joris Gnagnon, Sergi Gómez, Karim Rekik, Jules Koundé, Navas, Escudero, Diego Carlos, P. Pérez Rico MID: Lucas Ocampos, Nemanja Gudelj, Suso, Joan Jordán, Ivan Rakitić, Óscar Rodríguez, Aleix Vidal, Marcos Acuña, Óliver Torres, Franco Vázquez, Alejandro Gómez, Fernando, Antonio Zarzana, Kike Ríos, Juanlu ATT: Luuk de Jong, Munir, Youssef En-Nesyri, Carlos Álvarez, Iván Romero Unavailable: Lucas Ocampos, Óscar Rodríguez (injured) Not called:
There are 3 temas we can draw with and we shouldnt be butthurt: Sevilla Atletico and Real. This Sevilla side is really good, and we seemed very tired. Dont overreact.
I’ll take a tie versus this Sevilla team. A lot to improve on but we didn’t look terrible with a new system and some new players as well Edit: also Messi pressing in the 93rd minute?? What has Koeman said to this man
Pointing a great performance by a player today is tough, Araujo was easily the best. Our whole defense was alright, despite the occasional misplaced pass, but holy fuck our midfield was horrible. Coutinho was playing well and the only reason I think Koeman took him out was to maintain aereal prowess in midfield. Busi and De Jong were constantly getting dispossessed and had trouble progressing the ball. Messi created the goal and a couple more chances by the end but it wasn't his night, Ansu was well contained by Sevilla's defense and Griezmann had a terrible game. It's a shame because he had been looking promising and this is a system in which he could fit, but his confidence look really low, he had 2 great chances but couldn't finish. Lopetegui was smart, blocking the left because they knew Griezmann can't create in a 1v1, but even then, Roberto was making some great runs and would get ignored. Trincao was the right sub to make, even if he was average tonight. Pjanic should've come in for De Jong. Pedri and Dest look really promising though, looking forward to watching more of them.
In spite of the draw, I am kinda impressed, we tried hard till the last minute. Had this been under our previous managers we would have given up by the 80th minute and coasted to a draw. Also we need to remember this is just the 3rd match after the apocalypse, and this is a Sevilla team that could have defeated Bayern in the European Super Cup. I think we are in for some more good stuff. #I trust Koman. Well nothing really to say about the referees or VAR. Everybody has a pair of eyes. About Griezmann, this guy needs Pjanic and Dest on his side to regain his confidence. There were a few good signs, Araujo's long ball to him and his run, a couple of good combinations with Couts in 2nd half, that chance in the 1st half. Messi I don't know but I feel like he is playing too deep and his shooting attributes are being wasted. I hope this will get sorted out after international break. Man it felt really bad to watch Puig and Dembele sitting while others were getting a chance to play. Guess u/DakMontana was right about Koeman and the pair. But I really hope Koeman will give these two some chances to prove themselves.
Trincao was the wrong sub imo should've been dembele especially with De Jong, Busquets and Pjanic on pitch. Busquets was better than De Jong but seems to me Busquets out is the cool new thing.. Also, De jong ended up at CF really lol, even Braithwaite is better their. Draw is fine against Sevilla but maybe could've been better.
Dembele should start ahead of Griezmann. Grizzy literally is very very little to this attack. Trincao losses the ball and after first appearance, he seems to be not doing anything amazing. BUT he feels more alive and interesting than Grizzy. Fdj is going to be Koeman's Rakitic, isn't he? Never subbing him of. Also Busi. Puig not even making it as a sub, what a shame. Pjanic coming late, not really having a lot of time and freedom to do his things. Dembele not getting any minutes is worrying me, maybe he's gone. That would be not cool. Messi was today uninterested. Arouja was good, Coutinho was good. Dest didn't have much time, but faired well for his debut.
I see a lot of agendas in the match thread. If you're supporting barca as a team atleast be fair. Calling Busi garbage and saying nothing about Fdj who was worse ghis match etc. A lot of karma whoring.
We did okay, had our moments, more importantly we have something to build off of now, Koeman should have a better idea of what to do against this type of team and better prepare us for adversity in the future Some nice performances, loved what Araujo brought today, great debut by Dest (despite him being on the left which isnt his natural position) and trincao was very active, great hustle by pedri defensively too Poor performance from De Jong today, he seemed out of it, i expect much more from him, Fati and griezmann struggled too but thats more a credit to Sevilla than anything imo On to the next game, a draw against Sevilla is disappointing but certainly not the end of the world
Tough match, Sevilla defended and pressed so well tonight and we looked sluggish and sloppy with the passes and runs. Guess this heavy schedule is gonna take its toll as the season progresses.Good debut by Dest, loved his passes hope we see him more in the upcoming matches. Also fuck these refs for not even checking VAR on those handballs/fouls.
You see how whenever anyone had the ball on the edge of the box, he was immediately crowded by 2 Sevilla players? Get used to this scene, because that's what will keep happening with no one in the box to pull away defenders. We should've went for a striker instead of wasting our time with Garcia, whatever resources was going to go to that deal would've secured Depay for us. Overall we were more than decent, except for that stretch between the beginning of the second half and our first subs. We looked lifeless in those 15-20 minutes but thankfully Pjanic and the wingers who tracked back and covered for our fullbacks restored balance. I thought we deserved a penalty at the end, but it's time we got used to that bullshit by now. Griezmann is completely useless in this setup, Koeman either has to fit him in a different role or bench him, there's no 2 ways about it.
Sevilla are a top team. They frustrated Bayern and I can see why. Their pressing is very good and they block holes very fast. Technically, they are almost perfect. But with that said, we should have done better. This team needs to practise more link ups, they need better positioning and improve their first touches. Some of passes were horrible. Otoh, Motm Araujo, so fucking solid and amazing ball distribution. The lads 21.
Quotes:
Koeman: "Ibrahimović? I worked with him at Ajax when he was 19 years old and he already showed me his quality. He's one of the best forwards, mentally he's a winner, and now he's very decisive in the Serie A. He has won almost everything and I'm not surprised he keeps on going." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "We have to escape from their pressure, because surely they are going to put a lot of pressure on us. We have to have control of the ball and control the game." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Sevilla's great defence? We depend on ourselves. It' true that they have a very physical and well-organized team by their coach, Julen Lopetegui. They have one of the most complete squads in La Liga." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Dest? He has trained, but he continues with discomfort. We have decided to leave him out and he will not return to the list until he's 100%. If he's not with us on Saturday, he will surely be there against PSG." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Araújo against PSG? We aren't ruling anyone out at the moment. We have to see when he recovers from his injury and we do not set a date. We will take the freshest, those who are better to continue going game by game." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Umtiti? Physically he's fine, he has options to play tomorrow. We are always aware of his physical condition due to his history, we have to think about his condition but he has shown in the games that he has his quality as a central defender." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "There is no team that creates as many scoring opportunities as we do, we have creativity, we have one against one, we have the best player in the world..." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "I'm learning a lot this season as a coach. We've changed things for the team and the club. We're on a good path. We help the youngsters play, without forgetting that we have to win." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "We have a quality team, but we lack competition in some positions. Nonetheless, I'm proud." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Mingueza? Óscar is with us and has improved a lot. He has taken the opportunity to be with us and has played many games. Also, in different positions. That's really important. He has grown thanks to the help of his teammates." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Vaccinating centre at the Camp Nou? It's a very important topic. If we can help, we help. I don't know how the new president will think, but I'm in favor of helping in whatever way we can." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "With everything that's happening to us, I give this team a 10 out of then. We have to highlight the team's mentality." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Next Tuesday we will play against PSG in the Champions League, and we'll see what happens." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Messi in Parisian press? I don't know why they do this. If they want to talk about Leo's future, let them talk. The Lyon coach seems to like to be in the press a lot and wants to be a leading player. It's not important to me. We focus on playing." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "If we put De Jong as a centre-back, we will miss someone in midfield, but we have to decide thinking about the tactics of the game. We want someone used to playing there." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "The injuries are there because several players are not well physically. This isn't the time to take more risks. I think there are 8 or 9?players in total not available, but for any problem there is a solution." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "It's a two-game tie and for us it's important to get a good result tomorrow, we know them well and it will be a great game." - src @barcacentre
[OC] What is happening to La Liga? Why are the goals drying up, why are the top clubs struggling so much?
Small edit to make something clear: the thing I'm concerned about is not the end of the era of domination by Barça and Madrid, but rather the generally decreasing attractiveness of the league to neutrals. I don't mind Cádiz and Getafe improving and winning against the big two, but I'd (obviously) prefer them to win 4-3 or 3-1 instead of shithousing a 1-0 win (which is also not me trying to play down their achievement or saying they should rather play attractive football instead of trying to win at all costs). Being a big fan of Spanish football and La Liga myself, I wrote a comment on the Monday Moan thread stating how I'm nearly starting to get jealous of the drama and spectacle in EPL, Ligue 1, etc. Now, instead of spending my Monday moaning, I decided to give it some thought of my own and analyze the situation in La Liga, the league that has been dominated by 2 of football's biggest and most succesful teams for the biggest part of its existence. I will be studying (sports) journalism starting November, so a little bit of extra practice won't hurt. First of all, I'm German, grew up supporting Madrid, but by following La Liga, travelling Spain, visiting various stadiums and speaking the language fluently, I started to become insanely invested in Spanish football, and I now hold sympathies for teams all over Spains first 3 divisions (Espanyol, Málaga, Tenerife, Dépor, Cádiz (and RM Castilla of course)). So I'm trying to get rid of any existing bias for this post.
What is happening to La Liga?
This is (as to be expected, or I wouldn't be writing this) a question that can't be answered easily, but has to be analyzed from various perspectives, on and off the pitch.
The gap between top and bottom is narrowing.
Financially, La Liga has never been closer together. There are various reasons for this.
The inflated market being beneficiary for midtable and lower sides as selling clubs
Mistakes made by Madrid, Barça and Atleti in the inflated market
Most importantly, LFP is obliged by law to redistribute the revenue made through marketing of each club's audiovisual rights, starting with the 2015/16 season in La Liga and Segunda División. I have linked the Spanish version of this law above, but you can see all the changes made to the distribution of TV money (in English) on this offical La Liga page. The main difference is, clubs can no longer negiotate deals with broadcasters for their TV rights themselves, instead, LFP negotiate the deal, and clubs get a share determined by a common distribution key. This, in general, is a very good change that has been eagerly awaited by basically all clubs except for Barça and Madrid. Just to put the situation before the law came into place into perspective, Atlético, who won the league in the season before, only made 42m€ from TV rights in 2014/15, while Barça and Madrid shared 280m€ between the two. To further demonstrate how absurd the distribution before 2015 was, Cardiff City, who were relegated after finishing bottom of the PL in 2013/14, received 74,5m€ (Source: B/R). This change was enforced by the government not because, but despite the efforts of LFP, who wanted ongoing dominance of the two Spanish giants, to not only see them successful in international competition, but also to keep La Liga attractive for fans all over the world, fascinated by monsterous scorelines and goalfests produced by the big two. This table shows the average TV money received by some clubs from 2013-16 and 2016-2019, followed by the percentage of increase from period 1 to period 2. As you can see in the table above, the big two have only marginally increased their average TV income per season, while most "smaller" clubs' average TV income has massively increased, Atleti and Celta even increasing their TV rights revenue by more than a 100%. A second, minor aspect is the inflated market being very beneficiary to selling clubs in La Liga. As visible in this list on transfermarkt focusing on net spend of La Liga clubs in the period between 2015 and now, except for the big 3 clubs, only Valencia, Sevilla, Getafe, Betis, Osasuna and Mallorca have positive net spend. All other 20 clubs featuring in La Liga in that period have negative net spend, therefore having made profit on the transfer market, with Málaga (81.25m€), Athletic (59.6m€) and Las Palmas (32.7m€) topping the list. On the other hand, we have Barça with a net spend of 368.3m€, Madrid with 130m€ and Atleti with 22.65m€. All of this with, as mentioned, stagnating TV revenue. Investment, in general, is to be expected for such massive football clubs. Barça and Atleti have mainly been investing in well-developed players to guarantee them immediate success (Griezmann, Coutinho, Pjanic, Vidal for Barça, Costa, Carrasco, Morata, Gameiro for Atleti). This strategy is not exactly working well for these clubs, especially Barça were surely aiming to further prolong their national dominance and to strive for better results in international competition, yet they missed out on the last two Copa del Reys and one Championship, while massively disappointing in UCL. The investment risked by those two clubs isn't exactly generating the immediate success that people expect after such expenditures. Adding to that, according to Barcelona themselves, they've amassed 488m€ of debt, although presidential candidate Victor Font is stating that "the club's debt is very high. It's much higher than the club explains". Madrid on the other hand are finding themselves in a period of transition with the old guard steadily declining, and president Florentino Pérez decided to approach this transition in a calm way, investing in big talents and having a big network of loan players. Players like Jovic, Vinícius, Rodrygo, Militão are costing them around 40m€ each, and don't seem to be up to the task yet, though. With Hazard, a mistake similar to or even bigger than most of Barcelonas flop signings was made. To some extent still riding on the success of 2016-18, a massive investment is to be expected in the 2021 summer window. If they don't manage to set themselves apart from the rest of the league and regain their status as an undisputed world class team after that, I'd expect the problems Barcelona are facing right now to occur in Madrid as well. While having paid off any debt they previously had, they have now taken on a 500m€ loan to renovate the Bernabéu. Why some of the signings have underperformed, what's going on at Barcelona and if Madrid's period of transition will be successful are all topics often discussed on this sub, so I will not include them in this submission. But, as a matter of fact, due to (failed) investment and the Coronavirus pandemic, the financial prowess of the big three has decreased dramatically. The narrowing of the financial gap in La Liga has seen many midtable clubs make their record signing over the last few years such as Cucurella - Getafe, Luis Suárez - Granada, Alcácer - Villarreal or de Tomás - Espanyol. A few years ago, it wouldn't have been imaginable for Betis to pull off as signing as high profile as Nabil Fekir. So as we can see, the narrowing of the financial gap in La Liga is also leading to the narrowing of the gap in quality. The last time the league was as close together, quality-wise, was probably the small era of Basque dominance from 1980 to 1984.
The football is more defensive-minded
My write-up on the financial aspect may answer the question on why games are now closer than before. The question still remaining is, why do most games seem to not be ending with scores like 3-3 or 5-4 (scores we regularly see in the PL) but more likely scores like 1-0 or 0-0?
Season
Avg. goals scored per match
2011/12
2,7632
2012/13
2,8711
2013/14
2,7500
2014/15
2,6553
2015/16
2,7447
2016/17
2,9421
2017/18
2,6947
2018/19
2,5868
2019/20
2,4789
2020/21 (so far)
2,1509
(source) First of all, it is easy to see the goals have been drying up in La Liga over the last 3-4 years. Out of the last 10 seasons, the three seasons with the least goals scored per match in La Liga are 20/21, 19/20 and 18/19. Is this the result of goalscorers leaving the top teams, or is the league getting increasingly defensive-minded? Let's take a look at the goals scored by Barca and Madrid in this timespan
Season
Combined goals scored by RMA and FCB
2011/12
235
2012/13
218
2013/14
204
2014/15
228
2015/16
222
2016/17
222
2017/18
193
2018/19
153
2019/20
156
2020/21 (normalized to 38 matchdays)
121,6
We're seeing a massive decrease in goals scored by Madrid and Barcelona starting 2017. Before that, both teams normally had a goal tally of 100+ per season, while the last time they achieved this feat was in 2016/17 (Madrid with 106, Barça with 116). It is obvious that the insane goalscoring numbers of the big two massively improved the goals per match ratio in La Liga, but it would be to easy to blame this fact only on them becoming worse or the rest of the league becoming better. There is a lack of reliable goalscorers in La Liga. From 2010 to 2020, the top scoring player in La Liga was 6x Messi, 3x Ronaldo and 1x Suárez. With Ronaldo now having left, Suárez having declined and Messi at least having declined in his numbers, the careers of 3 of the best players of our generation will now come to an end. Who is there to replace them though? Benzema and Messi are probably the only reliable, world class goalscorers that guarantee their team 20+ goals in La Liga at the moment. The likes of Gerard Moreno, José Luis Morales, Iago Aspas and Lucas Ocampos are surely decent players, but La Liga has been known for the sheer amount of world class attacking players. The days of players like Forlán, Costa, Neymar, Suárez, Griezmann, Agüero, Villa, Eto'o, Raúl, Bale, Falcao, Higuaín, Negredo, Soldado etc. scoring 20+ per season, in seasons where CR7 and Leo both scored even more (40+ goals), are over. It is now extremely difficult for La Liga teams to hold their top scoring players. The financial prowess of the Premier League is as strong as ever, and even a newly promoted club like Leeds is able to snatch one of the better attacking La Liga players in Rodrigo Moreno away from Valencia. Championship teams like Watford and Fulham are loaning players out to top 10 La Liga Clubs (Cucho Hernández from Watford to Getafe, Anguissa from Fulham to Villarreal). Ever since the Neymar move to PSG, not even Barcelona and Real Madrid are safe of losing their top players, which is why they put absurd release clauses into the contracts of players (Benzema at 1b€, Messi at 750m€ etc.). And if it wasn't for this, like we all know, Messi would probably be gone as well by now. This isn't the only reason why top teams find it increasingly harder to break down deep-lying defensive lines. More and more clubs are making defending their main footballing philosophy. Seeing that the top clubs are getting weaker and weaker in attack, many midtable and lower league clubs are no longer afraid of playing the big teams. They've realized top clubs are struggling with deep sitting defensive lines. This is a phenomenon that has evolved all around Europe's top leagues, even before but especially since the 2018 World Cup. Possession-based top teams (like Spain and Germany's NTs, Barcelona, City...) are struggling harder and harder with scoring goals. Smaller teams in La Liga have taken advantage of this and simply park the bus, giving possession to the bigger sides. Especially Madrid and Atlético normally don't utilize this possession well and prefer to have less of the ball but more space in attack. Now, this has seemingly always been the case in La Liga, smaller sides always park the bus against the big teams, so what has changed? Clubs like Athletic, Alavés and especially Getafe under Pepe Bordalás have made defending, shithousery and timewasting, a physical style of play, their complete footballing identity. They don't park the bus against Madrid only, most of the times they also do so against opponents like Elche (sorry Elche fans). They play a hybrid defensive style of sitting back and giving possession to their opponent, while also gegenpressing and waiting for their opponents to make mistakes. The main objective is to not take any kind of defensive risk, under any circumstance, while also doing everything the rulebook allows to get a good result over the whole 90 minutes. These teams are taking Atleti as an example, who can now be seen as a near-world class club, having reached this status with few resources and with a very defensive footballing mindset. On the other hand, there are still "smaller" clubs who are trying to play beautiful attacking fooball, most notably Villarreal, Betis, Levante and to some extent La Real and Celta. In my opinion, the "downfall" of Betis and Celta, from teams consistently competing for European spots to teams fighting against relegation, can't be explained with lack of quality of their players, bad signings or bad coaches, but with them failing to adapt to this more defensive play style. Villarreal's and Levante's trajectories have been relatively satisfactory, but are still hardly a full success. Real Sociedad are seemingly on the way up, but that's because they play some sort of hybrid tactics under Alguacil and can do very well defensively against big teams (0-0 against Madrid on matchday 2) but also well offensively against "smaller" oppositions (yesterday's 3-0 win against Betis). Teams like these, but also Barca and especially Madrid, will often have a lot of possession and play extremely slow-paced football, while trying to search for a gap that just isn't there. The defensive playstyle that has developed is obviously only possible through the increasing quality of defensive players in La Liga, which on the other hand is only made possible through the redistribution of TV money, bringing us back to our first point. Clubs not adapting to this style of play and instead trying to push through their own style of play, their own "DNA", will continue having a very hard time. Koeman has realized this, and his team is already starting to give opponents more possession than they did under Setién or Valverde. This will lead to Barcelona having more attacking space, but also having to transition to defence more often. All in all, or as you do on reddit, TLDR: 2015's redistribution of TV money + transfer market inflation + big teams' mistakes on the market have led to the quality gap in La Liga narrowing, lack of reliable goalscorers and clubs making defending their ideology is leading to slow-paced, defensive football It's the first time I'm ever doing something like this and it started out as a long comment in the Monday Moan thread, so obviously this is not a professional analysis, and I've left out a lot of tactical analysis on Getafe & co. and decided not to further analyze the current states of Barcelona and Madrid, but I'd appreciate your thoughts and input. Let me know if you find errors, mistakes or something that just isn't 100% correct in your opinion.
Pre-Match Thread: Barcelona vs Real Betis [La Liga]
Match Information:
Match: Barcelona vs Real Betis Competition: La Liga Date: Saturday, 7th of November 2020 Time: 16:15 CET / 10:15 EST - Convert to local time Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona - 99354 capacity Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández
Lineups and Squads:
Barcelona - Official squad confirmed GK: Ter Stegen, Neto, Arnau Tenas DEF: Dest, Piqué, Araujo, Lenglet, Alba, Sergi Roberto, Umtiti, Firpo, Mingueza MID: Busquets, Aleñá, Pjanić, Riqui Puig, Coutinho, Pedri, Matheus, De Jong ATT: Griezmann, Braithwaite, Messi, Dembélé, Trincão, Ansu Fati, Konrad Unavailable: Araujo, Umtiti, Coutinho (injured) Not called: Matheus
Real Betis - Official squad to be confirmed GK: Joel Robles, Dani Martín, Claudio Bravo, Dani Rebollo, Carlos Marín DEF: Martín Montoya, Bartra, Víctor Ruíz, Sidnei, Emerson, Aïssa Mandi, Francisco Delgado Rojano, Geovanni Barba, Juan Miranda MID: Francis, Canales, William Carvalho, Álex Moreno, Joaquín, Diego Lainez, Guido Rodríguez, Andrés Guardado, Paul Akouokou, Camarasa ATT: Juanmi, Nabil Fekir, Borja Iglesias, Tello, Loren Morón, Antonio Sanabria, Aitor Ruibal Unavailable: Dani Martín, Camarasa (injured) Andrés Guardado, Juanmi (doubtful) Not called:
We are improving, I don't care what anyone says. It is disappointing as fuck to see everyone in threads giving up and the team shit when we just did something we wouldn't have done before Setien: fight back in an away game. 2 goals that Betis scored were lucky bounces, but we earned our fucking goals. I am telling you all, we are getting better. It takes time, and we need to be patient, with a depleted squad to pull this off, I'm proud and excited. Back the fucking squad and Visca el Barca
Shit refereeing aside, that was the most entertaining game I've watched since that Liverpool game at the Camp Nou. End to end action, relentless attacking, high intensity from both sides. Lenglet had by far his best performance ever for us. I don't remember the last time I saw a CB playing so aggressively in his own half. Guy was slicing up the pitch like a Sicilian dragon. Also, it's unbelievable how much better we're playing as a team under Setien in such a short while. It will still take some time to clear our mentality issues but damn are we playing beautifully. Hopefully we can build on this performance and improve our away form. Also mods should ban the mods and replace them with bots.
Is it time for Arthur to finally start a game? His control and technique, combined with FDJs overview, is excellent and really improved the game as soon as he was subbed on.
I like how fluid the team was. You don’t have to be a forward to score or a midfielder to provide assists. However goals were still conceded due to individual mistakes.. I’m not sure how many times Messi can bail the team out.
Wth wrong with Griezmann His today stats: 0 shots 0 assists 1 key pass 38 touchs 9 lost possessions He need to contribute more in the final third, we need someone else to create/score other than Messi.
People who will complain about the team's performance this game are people who like to blow every single negative thing out of proportion (the majority of people on this sub, hence why I don't post here that much) or have not watched Betis this season. This was always going to be a tough game in one of the best atmospheres in Spain. Betis has way too much talent to be 13th in the table and they´ve improved drastically since their defeat in the derby with Sevilla a couple of months ago. Excellent game from the squad - the only two goals came from an unlucky handball (which should've never have happened as the ref missed an obvious foul before) and a mistake from Arturo Vidal. FdJ was my personal MOTMOTM, his passing and dribbling was sublime and he was without a doubt the star of the show. He only made one mistake all night. Lenglet/Umtiti with amazing performances at the back. Semedo and Roberto a little bit quiet, but nothing too worrysome from them. Griezmann is still trying to figure out his role in this offense, one that has changed multiple times due to injuries/tactics. You do expect him to take a greater role in the offense, but I think once Sétien has an offseason to work on his philosophy, Griez will become a vital part of this team. Great showing from the team to come back from a goal down twice - they´ve always stuggled on that end once something unexpected happened, but they did excellently to fight back. Pretty bad game from the ref but from the horrible officiating performances we have seen this season make this game look par for the course.
Just gonna copy what I wrote on /soccer If you wanna know anything about Barca watch the last run by Rakitic. He just got subbed on for Griezmann, which in my opinion made no sense, it should’ve been Roberto. Anyway, Rakitic comes on with fresh legs and is making a solid run against a tired Betis defense. The defender is alone and has to decide who to mark, Rakitic or Messi. He decides to mark Messi and leaves Rakitic completely open and what does Rakitic do? He passes the ball to Messi... 🤦🏻♂️ If this were Madrid, they would’ve found the back of the net because they aren’t relying on just a single player to win the game for them. This team bores me to death even when the score line is 3-2 and both teams are a man down.
Quotes:
Koeman: "I give minutes to those who deserve them in training. It's in the players' hands." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "For the centre-back position we are quite limited, due to injuries, we know that Frenkie can play in that position, but I still think more about Frenkie playing as a pivot." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "With Aleñá I spoke about his future here, as with Riqui. I have seen Aleñá with a lot of desire in training, wanting to improve as a pivot." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Aleñá and Riqui give their all in training and when they deserve it I will give them minutes, they work hard." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "We have talked about finishing. We have many players who are always looking for the pass, even inside the box. But then again, you can't change a player in two months if he's been doing that for his entire life." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "I happily take criticism, but we don't have to be obsessed. The season is very long. A lot of things happen at this club and our job is to be prepared for everything." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Ter Stegen's first game back was splendid. He saved us. I'm very happy with his performance." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Neto has proven to be a very good goalkeeper for the club." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Umtiti is in recovery and if he's okay I'll count on him." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "The 4-2-3-1 formation is new this year, we have to adapt to it." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "The problem with having international players is that we have less preparation time, fatigue, but we hope to be fine when we return to work." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Messi was pictured walking? You can picture any player walking. I'm happy with him, I see him focused. His attitude is good." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Any game is important, it doesn't depend on the situation. Betis are a team that play good football and it's a complicated game. We have to correct Wednesday's mistakes, especially in defense. We are ready." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Joaquín? We know he likes to talk, if he wants to talk more it's his problem. I prefer not to focus on the past anymore." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Leo is a great player. We want to put him in a position where we can hurt the opponent. He's very important, especially in attack. He has played in different positions. He always creates problems for the opponent." - src @barcacentre
Pre-Match Thread: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona [La Liga]
Match Information:
Match: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Competition: La Liga Date: Saturday, 21st of November 2020 Time: 21:00 CET / 15:00 EST - Convert to local time Venue: Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid - 68456 capacity Referee: José Luis Munuera Montero
Lineups and Squads:
Barcelona - Official squad confirmed GK: Ter Stegen, Neto, Arnau Tenas DEF: Dest, Piqué, Araujo, Lenglet, Alba, Sergi Roberto, Umtiti, Firpo, Mingueza MID: Busquets, Aleñá, Pjanić, Riqui Puig, Coutinho, Pedri, Matheus, De Jong ATT: Griezmann, Braithwaite, Messi, Dembélé, Trincão, Ansu Fati Unavailable: Araujo, Umtiti, Busquets, Ansu Fati (injured) Not called: Matheus
Atletico Madrid - Official squad to be confirmed GK: Jan Oblak, Ivo Grbić, Miguel San Roman DEF: José Giménez, Sime Vrsaljko, Kieran Trippier, Stefan Savić, Felipe, Hermoso, Renan Lodi, Manu Sánchez, Ricard Sánchez MID: Koke, Saúl, Thomas Lemar, Llorente, Héctor Herrera, Vitolo, Yannick Carrasco, Lucas Torreira ATT: Ángel Correa, Ivan Šaponjić, Diego Costa, João Félix, Luis Suárez, Sergio Camello Unavailable: Sime Vrsaljko, Héctor Herrera (injured) Stefan Savić, Vitolo, Diego Costa (doubtful) Not called: Lucas Torreira, Luis Suárez
Once again..... Very late and terrible subs, what was the point of bringing on Griezmann for 4 minutes when he should've been subbed on for Suarez much earlier. Vidal had a shocker too and he played most of the match. Switching to 4-3-3 was pointless as well. Setien looks like a beaten man.
The only thing more appalling than the shit refereeing was Suarez's performance today. It felt like we were playing with 10 men with how little he was involved. And all those times he lost possession because he'd wait for the pass to land instead of stepping into it...so frustrating to watch. It's baffling how manager after manager keeps playing him for 90 minutes despite these kinds of performances. Maybe they're gambling on him pulling those occasional rabbits out of his hat but it's just not worth it.
So disappointing. We don’t deserve the title. It’s just a waiting game until barto is gone at this point I genuinely don’t enjoy watching this team play anymore
Quique Setién: "Griezmann? I see him doing well, the problem is that not everyone can play. I didn't bring him on earlier because I thought we were playing well, Riqui did well, and we always try to have Suárez and Messi on the pitch." His fucking vision is to let Suarez and Messi be on the field all the time. What a joke of this guy is.
I’ll say it. If the players pulled a reverse Kepa and started quietly subbing themselves in and out of games, not only I wouldn’t mind, but I’d fucking thank them for sparing me the anguish of YET ANOTHER 85th minute sub. The 90th minute Griezmann sub was disgraceful. Humiliating. Stupid.
Don't even feel like getting into the penalty call, we deserved this result & more. This is worse than the 13/14 trophyless season. How can anyone or even Suarez himself feel like he deserves to start in this club man, this is borderline mercenary behaviour. I feel for Griezmann, no way we should expect any good performance from him this season, this club has shattered his confidence in every possible manner. We always ride on the Messi masterclass but Leo is having a rather subdued season (still very good though), but cannot blame him. I wonder what the professionals behind the dressing room know that we don't, because everything about this club seems so baffling to a fan.
I'm just waiting for our next coach to do the same damn things.. guess it will be just a coincidence again. Club over everyone. Sorry for some of the stuff I said Ernesto, coaches don't fucking run this team anymore. Still damn you for playing that defensively against Roma and Liverpool tho.. you weren't coaching a small team in an away game. Should've let that stuff in Greece lol.
I have a lot to say so this will be a lengthy post, with lots of negativity; beware. I’m sick and tired of making excuses for this team. We are shit. First of all, there are very little, if any, coaches in the world that would get this team to play the football that we want, we simply lack quality across the pitch. That being said, Setien can fuck off for all I care. He simply refuses to use subs when they are needed. The only time he used subs early recently (against Bilbao), Puig and Fati changed the game and we came away with the win. Griezmann has not shown the attacking quality we had hoped, but my god he is being fucked over right now. No way in hell should Suarez have stayed on for the full 90 minutes tonight. Vidal has been shite as well but he was more present in the box than Suarez, and at least he puts in a shift. If all players put in such a shift we would definitely see an improvement. Next point: the board has fucked us over so badly with their squad building, if we are not careful we will work ourselves into a financial mess that we cannot get out off, while not getting any sort of sporting success to show for it. I’m sure AC Milan fans didn’t actually think they would end up how they have, but yet here we are. The worst part is, if Setien is fired and Xavi does take charge, he too will inherit all these problems, which he will not be able to fix within a year, probably resulting in him being fired as well. No world class coach in their right minds would want to coach us right now. The only thing that helps us in this regard is the fact that Messi plays for us, and that some coaches might feel enough sentiment towards us that they choose to ignore the glaring problems. If it would be possible, all but Messi, Ter Stegen, Lenglet, de Jong, Busquets, Puig and Fati could be sold and I couldn’t be bothered anymore. I have progressively started enjoying watching these players less and less over the years. The joy has been sucked out of watching this team play, and sometimes I wonder why i tune in every week. To be completely honest, a 2-2 result against Atleti in the state we are in probably doesn’t warrant a reaction like this, but the frustration has built up to a point where an explosion among the fans and within the club is inevitable. To end with a positive note, Puig has shown that despite his physique, he can hold his own against Atleti and compete at a world class level. He’s not a diamond in the rough, he’s a diamond.
Where do I start? Setien with another disaster-class. How the hell can you sub on Sergi while keeping Semedo on the field and then wait until the 83rd minute to sub on Ansu. And to top it all off, he brings on low-confidence Griezmann on the 90th minute against his former team almost like he’s trying to rub it in. All that while desperately needing the win. I simply cannot fathom why it took him so long to make an offensive sub, it’s almost like he thought the offensive dynamic was working because we scored a penalty and an own goal. After last week’s Setien substitution disaster-class, he decides to follow it up with an even greater disaster-class. Not even going to lie, I was his biggest fan before he came but at some point it started to doom on me — managers who never managed a giant club or never made a name for themselves as players are simply out of their depth 99% of the time. In good news, Puig is stupendously good what the fuck. And props to Semedo for one of his best performances in a Barca shirt if not for that stupid yet unlucky foul.
Quotes:
Koeman: "Messi? In my opinion, his future must go through Barça. Nobody can say what will happen in the future." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Riqui Puig is one of the youngsters who has to work hard to have minutes. These last few days he's been really trying to convince me, I think he deserves to play." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Felix? He's a great player with a great future ahead of him." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "De Jong is an important player for me. In his position we don't have many players, and that is why we cannot give him rest so often. Tomorrow's game is important, and we'll look for the right moment to give him rest." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Tomorrow is an important match and we have to get a good result, it's important for our way of thinking and the points. Atlético Madrid are a competitive team, who fight for the titles every season and we have to be good in order to win." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Yesterday I congratulated Guardiola on his renewal." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Coutinho has trained well and without any problems, he has been training with the group for a week. He can play from the start or he can start on the bench." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Antoine is working really well. He's really trying to improve." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Suárez misses the game? We also have important losses and any coach knows that he can lose players due to national team games or even to COVID-19." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "Playing the games at 9pm doesn't help us, I understand that Atlético Madrid - Barça play at this time because it's a big game, but always playing at 9pm for teams who play every three days is a problem, you get home very late." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "No, I don't see Messi outside of the club. I'm not going to answer any more questions about these things. Once again, I don't answer." - src @barcacentre Koeman: "I can totally understand that Leo is pissed off. You have to respect people like Leo much more. It's disrespectful to ask him about Antoine. It may be intended to create controversy. I have not seen any problem between the two." - src @barcacentre
New Format. This thread is dedicated to all transfer related news. Tier 3+ sources will be listed from now on only, but feel free to list all sources you find in the comments. Four tables are now present - the first two are for transfers today, the second two are for transfers within a two week period. last updated: September 28th Key: ✅ = Source supporting the possibility of transfer. ❌ = Source not supporting the possibility of transfer. Latest Transfer Activity (Linked IN) - Today
Player
Source
Depay
✅Onze - Tier 3+ reports Depay to Barcelona is still a possibility, though as stated previously, Barcelona need to raise money to afford the player. The Lyon president has given Barcelona until Friday to sign the player.
Latest Transfer Activity (Linked OUT) - Today
Player
Source
Latest Transfer Activity (Linked In) - 14th-28nd September
Player
Source
Wijnaldum
❌James Pearce - Tier 2+ says that Wijnaldum has shown no intent on leaving LFC, nor does LFC intend to sell the player despite this being his last season with his current contract. (16th September) ✅Xavi Campos - Tier 1 reports that Koeman still wants Wijnaldum, a last-minute operation for the Liverpool midfielder should not be ruled out if Barcelona have more departures in midfield. (24th September)
Depay
✅Bouhafsi - Tier 3+ says Lyon wants at least 25 million euros for Depay. ✅Romano - Tier 2 Barcelona will pay a final fee of 30 million euros for Depay as per Verweij. Personal terms agreed days ago. (14th September) ✅Verweij - Tier 1 reports Barcelona have had their bid of 30 million euros accepted by Lyon - also reported by Romano. (15th September) ❌Aulas - Official says that Barcelona never made an offer for Depay. (15th September)
Eric Garcia
✅Domench - Tier 2 reports Barcelona have made another bid for Garcia for 10 million euros reports Domenech. (19th September) ✅Romano - Tier 2 reports that 'Barcelona are certain' about signing Eric Garcia. (21st September)
Dest
✅Romano - Tier 2 Barcelona are in talks for him but they can sign players only if they sell, like the Depay deal. So, if Semedo leaves, Barça will try to sign Dest. (18th September) ✅Verweij - Tier 1 reports that Bayern offered 15 million euros for Dest, Ajax turned down the offer. (18th September) ✅TV3 - Tier 2 Barcelona acknowledges its contact with Ajax and Dest. (18th September) ✅MD - Tier 3 reports Barcelona's objective is to finalize the signing of Ajax full-back Sergiño Dest (19) this weekend. There is a lot of optimism. Barça has offered Ajax 20 million euros plus 5 million euros in variables and right now, only the payment formula is pending to be agreed on. (25th September) ✅Tier 3 reports Barça want to present the player at the start of next week, after the game against Villarreal. The next 48 hours are decisive and Dest is waiting for the Catalans to give him permission to travel to Barcelona. (25th September) ✅Romero - Tier 2 reports Dest to Barcelona has said goodbye to his Ajax teammates. He will travel to Barcelona tomorrow. ✅ Romano - Tier reports Sergino Dest will be officially a new Barcelona player at the start of next week, here we go confirmed! Barça and Ajax will sign his contract and paperwork in the next 24 hours. €22/23m with add ons. Dest will sign until June 2025 as a new Barça player. (26th September) ✅Domenech - Tier 2 reports Barça will pay 20 million + 5 in variables for Sergiño Dest. In 2020, Barça will make a symbolic payment and the rest in 2 installments later. (27 September) ✅Romano - Tier 2 reports Barcelona and Ajax are now signing paperwork/contracts for Sergiño Dest. The deal is 100% done and confirmed. Sergiño will be in Barcelona to have medicals and sign his contract until June 2025. Agents also told to Bayern Münich board that Dest will play for Barça. (27 September)
Max Aarons
❌Ornstien - Tier 1 has reported that Barcelona submitted two offers, the first being loan + option to buy and the second being loan + option and financial penalties. Both were turned down. Norwich wants an obligation to buy clause. (19th September) ✅Verweij - Tier 1 reports that Bayern have made a second bid for the player, but Barcelona is still pushing for the player. Koeman wants him. (22nd September) ✅ Campos - Tier 1 reports Dest is closer to Barcelona than to Bayern as Bayern are looking for an alternative. (22nd September) ✅ Martinez - Tier 1 reports Barcelona are close to closing the deal for Dest. 20 million euros plus 5 million euros in variables. (22nd September) ✅Domenech - Tier 2 reports Barcelona have agreed on terms with Dest in principle. (23rd September)
Emerson
❌Betis Director - Official reports that Emerson returning to Barcelona in this window is impossible. (22nd September)
Rudiger
✅Kicker - Tier 2+ reports Barcelona are interested in the Chelsea defender. (23rd September)
Martinez
✅RAC - Tier 2 reports that Barcelona is still in the race to sign the Inter-Milan forward. (24th September) ✅MD - Tier 3 reports Barcelona has reopened negotiations with Inter Milan for Lautaro Martínez (23), but the Argentine striker is not the only option that Barça has to replace Suárez with. (25th September)
Latest Transfer Activity (Linked Out) - 14th-28nd September
Player
Source
Puig
✅Romero - Tier 2 has been informed by Koeman that he's not seen as a key player, he also says its best for the player to look for an exit. (19th September)✅ Javi Miguel - Tier 2 reports that Puig has been informed of the decision (that he does not fit into Koeman's plans) and has been told to search for another club where he can playing time on loan - Koeman confirms this. (19th September) ✅ Martinez - Tier 1 reports that the future of Puig will be decided this afternoon, whether or not he leaves or stays. All options are on the table. (21st September)
Todibo
✅Fernando Polo - Tier 3 reports that Todibo is not counted on as a fourth CB. (22nd September)
Collado
✅Di Marzio - Tier 3+ reports that Sampdoria met with the agents of Alex Collado. (23rd September) ✅Romero - Tier 3 reports that Collado will be loaned to Girona. (25th September)
The point of this isn't to suggest what transfer is going to happen. It's to provide everyone with a lot of sources so you can come to your own conclusion. Also to reduce comments asking if we've been linked to a player and transfer rumor posts.
This isn't an Open Thread, the discussion has to be relevant to transfers. Discussion regarding the way the team can set up is allowed here and is encouraged.
Please link your sources when you post a rumor.
Credit to DakMontana and toskuch for this thread format!
New Format. This thread is dedicated to all transfer related news. Tier 3+ sources will be listed from now on only, but feel free to list all sources you find in the comments. Four tables are now present - the first two are for transfers today, the second two are for transfers within a two week period. last updated: September 21st Key: ✅ = Source supporting the possibility of transfer. ❌ = Source not supporting the possibility of transfer. Latest Transfer Activity (Linked IN) - Today
Player
Source
Eric Garcia
✅Romano - Tier 2 reports that 'Barcelona are certain' about signing Eric Garcia.
Latest Transfer Activity (Linked OUT) - Today
Player
Source
Puig
✅ Martinez - Tier 1 reports that the future of Puig will be decided this afternoon, whether or not he leaves or stays. All options are on the table.
Suarez
✅Martinez - Tier 1 reports that Luis Suarez will be an Atletico Madrid player. Barcelona has paid him half of his yearly salary to terminate his contract. ✅ Romano - Tier 2 reports that Suarez is close to leaving Barcelona as a free agent and move to Atletico Madrid. ✅ CAT Radio - Tier 2 reports that Barcelona and Suarez have agreed to terminate his (Suarez) contract. Barcelona will pay his remaining wages.
Semedo
✅Romano - Tier 2 reports that Semedo has been sold to Wolves for 35 million euros.
Latest Transfer Activity (Linked In) - 7th-22nd September
Player
Source
Lautaro
❌Javier Zanetti - Official says Lautaro will not leave Inter citing he's part of the club's future. (9th September)
Wijnaldum
❌Pearce - Tier 2+ says Wijnaldum is expected to stay at LFC this summer. (13th September)❌James Pearce - Tier 2+ says that Wijnaldum has shown no intent on leaving LFC, nor does LFC intend to sell the player despite this being his last season with his current contract. (16th September)
Depay
✅Bouhafsi - Tier 3+ says Lyon wants at least 25 million euros for Depay. ✅Romano - Tier 2 Barcelona will pay a final fee of 30 million euros for Depay as per Verweij. Personal terms agreed days ago. (14th September) ✅Verweij - Tier 1 reports Barcelona have had their bid of 30 million euros accepted by Lyon - also reported by Romano. (15th September) ❌Aulas - Official says that Barcelona never made an offer for Depay. (15th September)
Thiago
❌Llorens- T2 says Thiago will not be coming to Barcelona (7th September)✅Martinez - T1 says some key figures prefer Thiago over Wijnaldum (7th September)
Eric Garcia
✅Domench - Tier 2 reports Barcelona have made another bid for Garcia for 10 million euros reports Domenech.
Dest
✅Romano - Tier 2 Barcelona are in talks for him but they can sign players only if they sell, like the Depay deal. So, if Semedo leaves, Barça will try to sign Dest. (18th September) ✅Verweij - Tier 1 reports that Bayern offered 15 million euros for Dest, Ajax turned down the offer. (18th September) ✅TV3 - Tier 2 Barcelona acknowledges its contact with Ajax and Dest. (18th September)
Max Aarons
❌Ornstien - Tier 1 has reported that Barcelona submitted two offers, the first being loan + option to buy and the second being loan + option and financial penalties. Both were turned down. Norwich wants an obligation to buy clause. (19th September)
Latest Transfer Activity (Linked Out) - 7th-22nd September
Player
Source
Suarez
✅Agresti - Tier 3+ reports Suarez has done everything with Juventus and Barcelona, now he just needs a passport. Juve is doing everything for him to get the passport. (7th September) ❌Martinez - Tier 1 reports the future of Luis Suárez is not clear. At the moment there is no agreement for the exit, but the Uruguayan is very upset with the club, it does not help to facilitate his exit. (10th September)❌Martinez - Tier 1 Suarez has decided to stay at Barcelona reports Martinez (11th September) ❌COPE - Tier 3 says Suarez, whose departure seemed imminent has stalled. He wants to collect his remaining wages from the club and to sign for another club as a free agent but Barcelona does not want to let him leave for free reports COPE. (15th September) ❌Romero - Tier 2 Suarez has ruled out signing for Juventus on the basis that he cannot dual citizenship before October 6th. Other offers are on the table for him, however. (15th September) ✅Koeman to TV3 says that he (Koeman) talked to Suarez about leaving. He says he's waiting on whether or not Suarez leaves, if not the case, he considers Suarez to be "one more player in the squad." (16th September) ❌Agresti - Tier 2+ reports that Suarez passed his Italian examination, but will not move to Italy. (17th September)
Rafinha
✅Llorente - Tier 3 reports that Rafinha is about to leave for the EPL for a fee of 14 million euros. He has one year left on his contract. (11th September)
Semedo
✅Llorens - Tier 2 has reported that Semedo may be an EPL player this weekend, Barcelona has serious offers on the table. (18th September) ✅Romano - Tier 2 reports with his typical, "Here we go!" Semedo to Wolves is a done deal, the contract will be signed within the next few hours. Personal terms agreed, contract until 2025. (20th September)
Puig
✅Romero - Tier 2 has been informed by Koeman that he's not seen as a key player, he also says its best for the player to look for an exit. (19th September)✅ Javi Miguel - Tier 2 reports that Puig has been informed of the decision (that he does not fit into Koeman's plans) and has been told to search for another club where he can playing time on loan - Koeman confirms this. (19th September)
Monchu
✅Roge - Tier 2 reports that Monchu will be loaned to Girona. Official within the next few days. (19th September)
The point of this isn't to suggest what transfer is going to happen. It's to provide everyone with a lot of sources so you can come to your own conclusion. Also to reduce comments asking if we've been linked to a player and transfer rumor posts.
This isn't an Open Thread, the discussion has to be relevant to transfers. Discussion regarding the way the team can set up is allowed here and is encouraged.
Please link your sources when you post a rumor.
Credit to DakMontana and toskuch for this thread format!
[OC] The "worst" El Clásico in decades? - what to expect from the 245th rendition of football's biggest match-up
soccer's general consensus seems to be that the coming Clásico will be the worst in possibly decades, with both teams going through periods of crisis and/or transition. But El Clásico was, is, and will continue to be the biggest, most renowned matchup in world football, with the two most successful clubs of our generation, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid C.F. facing off for the 245th time (the 181st in La Liga). It's fair to say this match should be on the watchlist of every football fan, so I'm going to give some insights on what to expect for the uninitiated. https://preview.redd.it/nslpljd2cvu51.png?width=1100&format=png&auto=webp&s=f9a964e76ca2a450b4c90980a8249a7b5b1a8956
Statistics and history of El Clásico
Stat
Barcelona
Real Madrid
El Clásico wins
96
96
El Clásico wins in La Liga
72
73
Goals scored in El Clásico
399
405
Top scorer in El Clásico
Lionel Messi (26)
Cristiano Ronaldo and Alfredo Di Stéfano (18)
Most matches played in El Clásico
Lionel Messi (43)
Sergio Ramos (44)
Highest win in El Clásico
7-2 (24/09/1950)
11-1 (19/06/1943)
As you can see, El Clásico is not only a very high-level rivalry, but also an incredibly balanced one, with both teams having the same number of wins in competitive matches (52 draws), with Madrid having a positive goal difference of 6. Whoever is the winner of this Clásico will accordingly be the all-time best team in El Clásico, at least before the two teams meet again in April. Some more fun facts:
The fastest goal in El Clásico was scored by Karim Benzema after 22 seconds in Madrid's 1-3 loss on 10/12/2011
Xavi and Iker Casillas have shared the most matches together on the pitch (36)
The fist Clásico in La Liga was played on February 17, 1929. Madrid won 2-1.
Before last season's 0-0 in Camp Nou, the last Clásico to end in scoreless was on November 23, 2002
This list features every player that has played for both Madrid and Barça at some point.
https://preview.redd.it/v9lkhi2jmvu51.png?width=674&format=png&auto=webp&s=fdef8f71e6ee282fec2f67e69e6720255e416a07 Barcelona vs. Real Madrid is a rivalry that surpasses sporting aspects. In Francoist Spain, Barça was a symbol for local fans to not only express their support for the football club of their city, but also their Catalan identity. The meaning of Barça's club motto, "Més que un club" (= "more than a club"), is likely not what you think it is. To the people of Barcelona and Catalunya, Barça is a symbol of their regional identity, a medium to freely express their beliefs, a safe haven to freely speak their language and to vouch for democracy and the end of Franco's nationalistic regime. To this day, there is overwhelming support by most of Barça's fanbase for the movement of Catalan independence, with their supporters often being left-wing. Madrid on the other hand has always been a symbol of Spanish nationalism, centralism and support for the Spanish monarchy. The club is viewed by its fans as the Spanish King's club, magisterial and full of honour. Most of Madrid's fans are supportive of the Kingdom of Spain and the monarch, some even with right-wing tendencies. They support the idea of a centralist Spain, as opposed to independence of any of the "nacionalidades históricas" (Galicia, Basque country, Catalonia). This stark political contrast has led to clashes in the past. It has also led to last season's Clásico in Camp Nou being postponed. Authorities had to make this decision as they believed the safety of fans (in- and outside the stadium), players and officials wasn't guaranteed at that time due to the wave of protests taking place in Catalonia in October 2019.
Current form, injuries and suspensions, expected lineups
Barcelona's last 5 matches: W (4-0 Villarreal), W (3-0 Celta), D (0-0 Sevilla), L (0-1 Getafe), W (5-1 Ferencváros) Madrid's last 5 matches: W (3-2 Betis), W (1-0 Valladolid), W (2-0 Levante), L (0-1 Cádiz), L (2-3 Shakhtar) Last 5 Clásicos: Barça 1-1 Madrid (Copa 18/19), Madrid 0-3 Barça (Copa 18/19), Madrid 0-1 Barça (La Liga 18/19), Barça 0-0 Madrid (La Liga 19/20), Madrid 2-0 Barça (La Liga 19/20) Players unavailable (Barça): Ter Stegen (injury), Umtiti (fitness), Matheus Fernandes (injury) Players unavailable (Madrid): Carvajal (injury), Odriozola (injury), Ødegaard (injury), Hazard (injury), Mariano (fitness) Expected lineups: Barça: Neto - Alba, Piqué, Lenglet, S. Roberto - De Jong, Busquets - Fati, Coutinho, Dembélé - Messi Neto obviously in goal as MATS is still injured. Alba has been included in the squad after recuperating from an injury, so I expect Koeman to also play him. Alternatives would be Dest and Firpo. I also expect Piqué and Lenglet to be starting, although some Barça fans seem to prefer Araújo over Piqué. Sergi Roberto should make it over Dest. I also don't think either of De Jong or Busquets will be replaced by Pjanić. The biggest uncertainty is whether they start Griezmann as a CF, or Messi, with Coutinho at CAM. I personally think it's best for a player so out of confidence as Griezmann to start the match on the bench. Madrid: Courtois - Mendy, Ramos, Varane, Nacho - Casemiro, Kroos, Valverde, Isco - Vinícius, Benzema With an undisputed defensive line other than him, Nacho might be replaced by Militao or Vázquez, depending on how ZZ wants his team to play. The midfield 3 will most probably look like this, potentially with Modrić instead of Valverde. Playing Isco is something that I fully expect him to do, as Isco and the 4-1-2-1-2/diamond he brings with him are the "secret weapon" Zidane always reserves for big matches such as Clásicos and UCL finals. Vinicíus should be playing over Jović with the form both of them are in.
Zidane's Clásico tactics
Madrid have had some terrible, terrible results in El Clásico throughout the last decade. 1-5, 0-4, 0-5, 2-6... under Zidane though, their record against Barça has been remarkable (4 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses, GD of 14:11). Zidane's Madrid normally play against Barça how they play against every big team: relatively passive. Handing the possession to the opposition, playing zonal marking or man marking high up the pitch instead of actively pressing throughout the whole match, with being effective on the counter through long balls, crosses and fast, line breaking passes, their offensive strategy. Casemiro has been a key piece in not only giving Kroos more playmaking freedom, but also locking down Messi and the half-space between the defensive line and midfield, with Messi "only" scoring 3 non-penalty goals in the last 13 Clásicos since and including Case's iconic performance in 2016's Clásico: https://reddit.com/link/jgt04v/video/ei5n0ciwsvu51/player One of Zidane's essential points of focus is stopping Messi, which can backfire sometimes, like when Kovačić had to man-mark Messi in 2017's 0-3 loss: https://reddit.com/link/jgt04v/video/ro13rio5tvu51/player Zidane loves to use a diamond formation in big matches, and I except him to do so against Barça as well. With Ødegaard out, he will probably try to have Isco draw players on him, creating space for attackers to make runs, ideally looking something like this (excuse my poor MS paint skills): https://preview.redd.it/0nvrwb13vvu51.png?width=1863&format=png&auto=webp&s=5b42a5c468b101abe8eb6726d9b31e8285232e25
Koeman's tactics
We haven't seen much of Koeman's Barça (no Clásico of course) so far, so my tactical analysis will not be very thorough. The formation looks to be permanently switched to a 4-2-3-1, with Messi now having less positional freedom. Having two proper wingers eases the defensive pressure off of the two full backs, while having one central midfielder less will most probably make quickly passing through their midfield easier than before. They still play high-press, possession-based football, but Koeman seems to like giving away some of the possession to the opponent (compared to Valverde and especially Setién), as in 4 of 5 league matches, their possession was only slightly above 50%. Since I lack the material, the tactical knowledge, the dedication and the knowledge about Koeman's Barça to go any further than this, I'm going to link this brilliant and detailed tactical analysis of Barcelona's 3-0 win against Celta posted by u/Andremerlaux in barca for the people that want to dive into a more in-depth analysis of the tactical side of Barça's style of play. Sadly, the only thing I found on realmadrid regarding tactics were memes, so now you have to look at the abomination of a tactical analysis of mine.
5 reasons Barça is going to win
Leo Messi - we've probably all experienced the little magician's otherworldly touch at some point in our life as a football fan. There's little explaining to do, on a good day, Leo Messi can decide matches on his own. The last time this happened was in the 2nd Clásico of 2016/17, where Messi scored 2 and made THAT celebration, so it might be time for another Messi masterclass against Madrid by now. https://preview.redd.it/vsdmucrdzvu51.png?width=761&format=png&auto=webp&s=d80cef34ce6d71a977ca44db2f0e4fe8dd6514b5 Madrid are having trouble scoring - Real Madrid are having massive trouble getting their players into goalscoring positions, and even then, Jović, Vinícius and co. often fail to finish the job. Post-restart, they've only scored 1,65 goals per game on average, extremely sub-par for their standards. If Barça score 1 or 2 goals, chances are high they're also winning. Playing at Camp Nou - Camp Nou has been an absolute fortress over the last decade. In the 2010s, Barça only lost 9 matches at home in La Liga (Source), and since their loss against Betis in November 2018, they went unbeaten for all of 2019 in all competitions at Camp Nou before finally losing again to Osasuna in July 2020. Playing without fans might take this advantage away though. Change of playstyle and formation - Zidane's tactics and his utilization of Casemiro to neutralize Messi have worked relatively well against Barça on most occasions. Barcelona's style might have changed over the years, but it was always possession-heavy. Zidane's Madrid have shown weaknesses when having too much of the ball, so maybe Koeman giving away more possession will hurt Madrid more than it benefits them. Ansu Fati - the rising star has been in amazing form and with just 17 years, he's having essential influence in Barcelona's games this season. Reckless and calm in front of goal, he's already collected 4 goals and 1 assist in all comps this season, more contributions than any of Madrid's players. On the left wing, he'll likely be facing Nacho, Madrid's makeshift RB and possible weak point, since Carvajal and Odriozola are both injured. https://preview.redd.it/vx84kodyzvu51.png?width=1002&format=png&auto=webp&s=0dc8bbab2a563efebbc40a86860f61e085b8af68
5 reasons Madrid is going to win
Defensive stability - Before the two matches against Cádiz and Donezk, Madrid have been extremely stable defensively. As hard as they struggle scoring goals, Madrid have been incredibly consistent in their defending, especially post-restart, only conceding 10 goals in 17matches (before the Cádiz match). If they can return to their usual defensive form and keep a clean sheet, another Ramos penalty might be all they need to collect all 3 points. Zidane's Clásico expertise - out of 8 Clásicos played under Zidane, Madrid have only lost 2 (4 wins, 2 draws). Apart from the Kovačić man marking Messi disaster (0-3, 23/12/2017) and the Messi masterclass with a red for Ramos (2-3, 23/04/17), Zidane's tactics have been working very well against Barça, especially taking Messi out of the match. If there's one man that knows how to get a win or draw against Barça, it's Zizou. Sergio Ramos - while Messi can be extremely decisive for Barça, the same goes for Sergio Ramos and Real Madrid. Madrid's captain is not only their leader and most important presence on and off the field, but also their defensive mastermind, as well as their free kick and penalty taker, with only Benzema (27) topping his goal tally of 13 last season. If there's one man to score a last minute winner in a big match, we all know it's him. https://preview.redd.it/a29vxaa60wu51.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=4d416332137adb09ab6c71b6899eb89792e1f14c They have the better midfielders and defenders - with all due respect to Barça, Madrid's depth and quality in midfield and defense (including GK, since Ter Stegen is injured) is higher than Barça's, on a normal day, that is. A midfield of Casemiro, Kroos and Valverde, with Isco and Modrić being options off the bench, might win the tactical battle for Madrid, while Courtois - Mendy - Ramos - Varane - Nacho with support of Casemiro is a backline that is hard to break down even for Messi, Fati and co. Barça's fear of big matches - Barças latest performances in the most important matches have been underwhelming, we're not only talking about the infamous UCL bottlejobs, but also about them losing the 2019 Copa final against Valencia, the last Clásico, the Supercopa semifinal against Atleti and struggling with Sevilla and Atlético in the league. There seems to be some mental blockade in big matches.
5 reasons for a draw
Attackers out of form - Griezmann, Benzema and Messi have not been racking up the goals so far this season. Combine this with Hazard's injury and Jović + Vinícius and their chronic inabilities to put the ball into the net from the easiest of positions, and placing bets on a player to score first in this match will get really hard. Might want to try Ramos. Both teams not scoring or conceding much - Barça (GF 2, GA 0,5) and Madrid (GF 1,2, GA 0,5) haven't scored much this season per match on average in La Liga, but neither have they conceded much. Smells like a 0-0. Last year's Clásico at Camp Nou - last year's Clásico at Camp Nou ended in a 0-0 draw. Both teams had the same number of points before the match, the risk of letting their rivals wander off with a 3 point lead was too high, so maybe the situation will be the same this year (Madrid at 10pts, Barça at 7 with one match less). The average goals per game in La Liga has never been this low - matches in La Liga are seeing 2,1509 goals on average this season so far. The only season that had less goals per match on average was 1972/73 (2,1438). I'm not saying this match will be a guaranteed 0-0, but seeing goalfests in La Liga is a rarity at the moment. Both teams neutralizing each others weaknesses - Barça's defense isn't the most reliable - we've know this at the very latest since the infamous 2-8. On the other hand, Madrid's attackers are having massive trouble scoring or even creating chances. While Barça still is an offensive powerhouse (at least looking at the teamsheet) with players like Messi, Dembélé, Griezmann and talents like Fati, Trincão and Pedri, the core of Madrid's success last season has been their defense, with the likes of Ramos, Courtois, Mendy and Varane putting up insane performances in La Liga ever since the restart. All in all, both teams seem to be perfectly neutralizing each others weaknesses.
5 reasons for you to tune in
Messi, Benzema, Griezmann, Ramos, Coutinho, Kroos... - even though the teams have surely lost quality in Cristiano, Neymar, Suárez etc. over the last few years, El Clásico still features some of the best and most appealing players in world football. Two world class teams, only meeting each other twice every La Liga season. Polemics of El Clásico - even though the Clásicos are not as heated as they were when Pep and Mou faced off, the likes of Jordi Alba, Piqué, Suárez, Vidal, Ramos and Reguilón have generated heated encounters and situations in El Clásico throughout the last years. Watch the players confront each other, watch two sets of fans creating conspiracies about the ref on soccer and I'm sure Alba will obligatorily wipe his hand through someone's face once again. Not something you'd want to miss. https://preview.redd.it/w7p7kfjc3wu51.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=b12637c3ba46e46d41b57cd314cc5c63dab24296 PL has Fulham-Palace on at the same time - I know this sub is full of PL fans who couldn't care less about the rest of Europe's leagues. But let's be honest, even to you guys Fulham vs Palace is surely not the most interesting white vs blue-and-red matchup taking place at 3pm this Saturday. The losing team will be in massive trouble - both teams have lost points twice already this season, and with some Barcelona fans increasingly unhappy with the club's general situation and some Madrid fans increasingly worried about the way Zidane's team is playing, the losing team and its fans will want to turn their trajectory around as fast as possible. Watch the hot takes coming in - KoemanOut? ZidaneOut? - or think of something more creative. Possibly Messi's last Clásico at Camp Nou - it's no secret the little magician wanted to leave Barça this summer. His contract is running out next summer, and if there is no other tie involving both teams this season, this could very well be his last Clásico at home. With the Messi-Ronaldo era in La Liga coming to an end, form your opinion on the new generation of La Liga's stars - Vinícius, Rodrygo, Valverde, Jović, Militão, Ødegaard for Los Blancos - Fati, De Jong, Dembélé, Pedri, Trincão, Puig for the Blaugranas. Will this be the worst Clásico of our time? We can only speculate, but one thing is for sure: a new era of El Clásico has begun.
Messi saga. This thread is dedicated to all transfer related news. Tier 3+ sources will be listed from now on only, but feel free to list all sources you find in the comments. last updated: September 7th Key: ✅ = Source supporting the possibility of transfer. ❌ = Source not supporting the possibility of transfer.
Most sources are at least related to Barca or the target's club/league/nationality
Most sources have to be around 2 weeks old. To try and stay relevant to what's going on currently.
Sources will be updated per the sources I find as well as sources that are posted in this thread. IMPORTANT:
The point of this isn't to suggest what transfer is going to happen. It's to provide everyone with a lot of sources so you can come to your own conclusion. Also to reduce comments asking if we've been linked to a player and transfer rumor posts.
This isn't an Open Thread, the discussion has to be relevant to transfers. Discussion regarding the way the team can set up is allowed here and is encouraged.
I am open to suggestions on how to improve the table, I appreciate the help. Please link your sources when you post a rumor. Credit to u/DakMontana and u/toskuch for this thread format!
FIRE SALE!!!! This thread is dedicated to all transfer related news. Tier 3+ sources will be listed from now on only, but feel free to list all sources you find in the comments. last updated: 22nd August Key: ✅ = Source supporting the possibility of transfer. ❌ = Source not supporting the possibility of transfer.
Most sources are at least related to Barca or the target's club/league/nationality
Most sources have to be around 2 weeks old. To try and stay relevant to what's going on currently.
Sources will be updated per the sources I find as well as sources that are posted in this thread. IMPORTANT:
The point of this isn't to suggest what transfer is going to happen. It's to provide everyone with a lot of sources so you can come to your own conclusion. Also to reduce comments asking if we've been linked to a player and transfer rumor posts.
This isn't an Open Thread, the discussion has to be relevant to transfers. Discussion regarding the way the team can set up is allowed here and is encouraged.
I am open to suggestions on how to improve the table, I appreciate the help. Please link your sources when you post a rumor. Credit to u/DakMontana and u/toskuch for this thread format!
Official FC Barcelona website. All news about the team, ticket sales, member services, supporters club services and information about Barça and the Club sigue aquÍ en directo el betis vs. barcelona BARCELONA El Barça acumula cinco victorias consecutivas en LaLiga, donde no pierde desde que lo hiciera el pasado 5 de diciembre de 2020 ante el Cádiz. Liveticker FC Barcelona - Betis Sevilla 5:2 (La Liga 2020/2021, 9. Spieltag) Primera División Match Report for Barcelona v Real Betis on 7 November 2020, includes all goals and incidents. Have your say on the game in the comments. Liveticker Betis Sevilla - FC Barcelona 2:3 (La Liga 2020/2021, 22. Spieltag) Emerson està cedit al Betis després d’una operació d’enginyeria fiscal entre els dos clubs i la temporada vinent hauria de tornar al Barça… si l’economia ho permet, perquè és un dels jugadors amb més ofertes. Veurem si el lateral entra a l’ampli grup de futbolistes que han vestit les dues samarretes. Un onze compartit. Hi ha un bon grapat de jugadors que han vestit les Liveticker: Fußball , FC Barcelona - Real Betis, 07.11.2020. 1 : 1. 1 : 1 . 5 : 2 und gewinnt sein Heimspiel gegen Real Betis mit 5:2. In Durchgang eins vergab Barca in Person von Griezmann Watch Barça TV+ videos for Real Betis vs FC Barcelona at Benito Villamarín, Sevilla | Sunday 07 February | 2-3 Das Match beginnt am 7 November 2020 um 16:15h. Welcher Trainer hat nach 90 Minuten die Nase vorn: Ronald Koeman oder Manuel Pellegrini? Verfolgen Sie das Spiel hier im Live-Ticker! Bleiben Sie auf dem Laufenden mit aktuellen Neuigkeiten rund um FC Barcelona und Betis Sevilla, sowie Fußball-Tabellen, Spielplänen, Ergebnissen, Torschützen und Siegerlisten. Fußball-Fans finden hier die Real Betis ist im neuen Jahr in La Liga noch ungeschlagen (drei Siege, zwei Unentschieden). Auch die Defensive macht seit dem Jahreswechsel einen stabileren Eindruck. Nur vier Tore ließen die Verdiblancos in den fünf Ligaspielen des neuen Jahres zu – zum Vergleich: in der letzten Partie im Jahr 2020 kassierte Betis vier Tore bei der Auswärtsniederlage gegen Levante.
Liga : Griezmann et le Barça à la fête ! - YouTube
UTIP → https://utip.io/lesvideosderilesDISCORD → https://discord.gg/6kEa2bgSNAP → SENSEI16INSTA → RILESREDTWITTER → VIDEOS2RILES Betis 2 - 3 Barça. Jornada 22 Lliga 2020-2021Tribut a les retransmissions d'El Barça juga a RAC1. L' àudio de tots els gols DEL BARÇA, I NOMÉS DEL BARÇA, de ... Disfruta en directo del Barça - Coosur Real Betis, partido de semifinales de la Minicopa Endesa 2020Suscríbete a toda la acb: https://bit.ly/2NZi5A6Toda la L... Le FC Barcelone tient sa première victoire en Liga. Pour sa première en championnat au Camp Nou, le Barça a battu le Betis Séville (5-2), ce dimanche lors de... Le Real Betis et Nabil Fekir pensaient bien faire vaciller le Barça mais Lionel Messi a délivré trois passes décisives, dont une ultime à Clément Lenglet, po... LA BÊTE NOIRE DE SÉVILLE - BÉTIS VS. BARÇA - 2020/2021 - J22Ce dimanche 7 Décembre pour la 22ème journée du championnat de Liga en Espagne, le FC Barcelone s... Remontada y victoria del FC Barcelona ante el Real Betis para seguir a tres puntos del liderato gracias a los goles de De Jong, Busquets y Lenglet #RealBetis... Comeback of Barça against Betis with two goals of Griezmann in the second match of the season J02 LaLiga Santander 2019/2020Subscribe to the Official Channel...
