Barça wins Catalan Super Cup

Last wednesday, Barcelona won the Catalan Super Cap played against city rivals Espanyol, the game ended with a draw and finished on penalties with a score of 4-2.

Both teams scored only once during the 90 minutes, with Gerard Piqué scoring the first one for Barcelona and Arbilla making the one for Espanyol.

This was the first Catalan Super Cup played at Estadi Montilivi in Girona, and there, Luis Enrique put on the pitch 9 players from the first team, showing that he took this game very seriously. For Barcelona, Pedro was wearing the captain armband.

Luis Suarez was the indicated to led the attack for Barcelona and he had the first chance to score of the evening after just 8 minutes thanks to a cross from Sergio Roberto. 

Masip showed through out the game that he was worth of the first team with a great not to one when facing Espanyol’s left back Victor Alvarez.

The first half of the game was clearly dominated for the members of Barça team but they were unable to add more goals to the scoreboard. It was in the second half when Arbila was able to draw the match with just five minutes played, after a free kick that stormed into the top corner of the net.

The scary penalty shots arrived after 90 minutes of game and Xavi, Grimaldi, Halilovic and Rakitic were able to score for Barcelona and Sandro missed the show, for Español, Victor Sanchez and Jordan found the net while Arbilla and Abraham missed their respective penalty shots.

This is the first time that the Catalan Super Cup has been resolved in the penalty shots as they used to be a tournament which included smaller times, but now, with the number of matches for both big teams, it ended up being a one-off final between Barça and their neighbors Espanyol.

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El Clasico - goalkeepers

One of the most important and delicate positions in bot teams is the goalkeeper, with a lot of players having defended their club’s net, but only a few of them made an impression. 

This weekend, two players will represent the teams, Bravo in Barcelona side after gaining the battle at Barça and Casillas in Real Madrid having won Ancelotti’s trust.

With both of them facing exception attack lines lead by Messi and Ronaldo this will most likely be the biggest test of them.

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Claudio Bravo

This young player has won Luis Enrique’s trust, even thought he arrived as a support for the promising Ter Stegen. 

His numbers are impressive, without conceding any goal in the first eight matches of the current season. Probably, the ball domination showed by Barcelona has helped in this record, but the numbers are there and are very impressive being the Europe’s top league.

The Chilean goalie has a short career with only two titles in his curriculum; but if he maintains this commitment and numbers during the rest of the season, a lot more will be added. 

The only match played by Ter Stegen was the second of the Champions League against the Paris Saint-Germain, the only defeat for Barcelona.

Probably next Saturday match will be his biggest challenge so far, but he is ready shine in it.

Iker Casillas

The numbers for the Real Madrid goalkeeper are works than those of the Barcelona side, with ten goals conceded in nine games. 

The current captain had to endure two consecutive losses in the start of the current La Liga season. But after some time to adjust, he had kept a clean sheet for the last four matches.

He has been criticized for a number of fans that want him out of the team, but Iker has been able to keep his position.

His weakness is the aerial plays, and most likely will never change because he is not bothered to improve it, so the coach has to organize the defense to prevent this kind of game.

Barcelona 3 - Ajax 1

Barcelona won the 3rd match against Ajax for Champions League Group F on Tuesday night with a final 3-1. 

This win for the Catalans leaves the group with Paris Saint-Germain in the lead with 7 points followed by Barcelona with 6, the last two places are for Ajax with 2 points and APOEL with just 1 point after their match against the group leader.

Luis Enrique, in his last interview, was very happy with the team first half of the game, being this victory very important also for the upcoming La Liga game against Real Madrid.

The game also showed the good connection between Messi and Neymar, ripping the defense apart when they work together and scoring goals with just a difference of minutes. After the end of the first half, the lead was a comfortable 2-0.

The rest of the team played on par of the strikers, very strong, especially Andres Iniesta in the midfield with a lot of assists and key plays.

Ajax struggled after loosing a number of important players during the summer and although the fought, the two goals on the first half and trying to stop the numerous attempts and possession of Barcelona broke them down. 

Ajax coach tried to solve the problems during the second half with a bunch of substitutions, but the continued having problems to maintain possession of the ball.

Also in the second half, Luis Enrique, gave Messi, Iniesta and Neymer a necessary rest prior to the important weekend match and replaced them with Munir, Sandro and Rafinha.

Ajax was able to score thanks to an error from Barça’s defense during the last minutes of the game, this allowed El Ghazi to score. But all hope was lost when at the end of the match, Sandro Ramirez, scored his first Champions League goal.

El Clasico will be played on Saturday at Santiago Bernabeu with a Ronaldo leading the score board with 15 in only 8 games and Barcelona will have a new weapon in Luis Suarez after the four month ban.

Cruyff or Messi

Hours before the next match against Ajax, one of the most storied club in Europe’s history, two Barcelona legends are fighting in terms of their legend and legacy.

One of the two man is important in the history of both teams, former star Johan Cruyff, being a legend in both Camp Nou and Amsterdam Arena, either as a player or as a coach.

Current Barcelona star is without a doubt Lione Messi, who is just two goals away from becoming the record goalscorer in La Liga’s history with just 27 years. Messi’s legacy is a work in progress and his impact is comparable to the club’s greatest figure.

Barcelona signed in 1973 a record breaking fee to sign Johan Cruyff, to attempt to break the 13 years without a title and get out of Real Madrid shadow. The player immediately inspired his team and leading it to the championship after a 5-0 victory against Real Madrid.

During his five years as a player for Barcelona, he picked up two Ballons d’Or and also captured the hearts of every Barcelona fan.

It was Cruyff that started La Masia as a football academy, housing and training youngsters in the club mentality, and it was there where Messi gifts grow under Barcelona supervision and growing as a player.

As a coach, Cruyff and the so called “Dream Team” won for La Liga titles in a row and a European Cup, creating a mystique with his style of play.

As a player there is no discusion, with an endless list of records and trophies with his team or as an individual will probably never be bettered, shadowing all other players.

But Cruyff dreams and visions where the ones that market the history and success of Barcelona and allowed Messi to develop into the force of nature that he is now.

In a simple summary, Cruyff is an icon, and Messi is the idol. 

Barcelona embarking for Champions League

After a disappointing last year, with no major wins and lack of Lionel Messi-Neymar chemistry in the field, Barça fans were disappointed; even when injuries was not a problem, the lethal partnership was not working and were unable of scoring goals.

But after the 2-0 Bilbao win at home, things may be different this year. When Neymar jumped to the field for the final half hour, the chemistry with Messi was there and after a perfect two perfect assists from Messi, the Brazilian scored both Barcelona goals to victory, maintaining the perfect season start with three wins and no goals conceded.

Luis Enrique is expecting the same link with both players for the Champions League Group F first match against Cypriot Apoel Nicosia.

Luis Enrique, former Barça and Spain national team midfielder, took over Gerardo Martino expecting to improve the last year elimination from Champions League by Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals.

Having spent a lot during the transfer window to bring Luis Suarez, midfielder Ivan Rakitic and Jeremy Mathieu.

After this La Liga season perfect start, the defense problems that the team had last year seems to be resolved and hopes are high for the club in all competitions.

Pedro told on on news conference that getting to the Champions League final is this year goal, after the shame last season, he also said to the press that coach told them to have a high pressure in all the pitch, steal balls and to keep it.

Also, there is good news, as injured defenders Dani Alves and Thomas Vermaelen had been training with their teammates. Alves missed Bilbao’s game with a knee problem and Vermaelen, after joining from Arsean, had Hamstring strain. Still there is no world on Javier Mascherano after taking a boot to the head.

Apoel reached in 2011/12 his best Champions League result after reaching quarter-finals, this was also its last appearance in the European competition. This is the first time that both teams face each other and it seems a difficult task for the Cypriots at the Camp Nou, since the Catalonian team has only lost one match at home from the last 27 games.

Luis suarez praises Barcelona La Masia

The new Barcelona forward, Luis Suarez, has been impressed by the international famous training academy La Masia, and he told to the press that he wished that he had been able to learn there and enjoy all the facilities early on his football career.

La Masia is probably one of the most modern football academies and also one of the most productive in Europe and probably in the world. The academy brought the Barcelona players that includes Andres Iniesta, Lionel Mess, Xavi Hernandez and Gerard Pique in recent years and Suarez wished to have had an opportunity to access the facilities and levels of training during the first years in his career.

The Uruguayan was impressed and very surprised by the facilities in the academy, not also about football itsel, but also in certain areas that are now considered vitals in the development of a young footballer such as diet and education, things that he missed during his first years.

He liked the areas build around the players to protect the kids, their studies, schedules and diet. Giving the kids the opportunity to grow in a controlled manner. All of this surprised Luis suarez and he wished to be trained like this.

Luis Suarez, spent mostly all of his teenage in Uruagay and there he emerged as a football talent before been taken to Holand to play with the Groningen. He signed with Ajax when he was 20 and was at that time when he found out the facilities that European teams like Liverpool and Barcelona had for young people.

The Uruguayan is set to return to play with first Barcelona team ahead of the competitive match against his historical rival Real Madrid later this month. But he already showed that he is ready after playing with the national Uruguay team against Oman where he scored twice.

Mathieu essential in new Barcelona

During the past five years, the only centre-back sign from Barcelona was under Pep Guardiola who brought in Dmytro Chygrynskiy. This year, Jeremy Mathieu, joined the squad in late July rising from left-back position to central defensive.

For the first seven matches of the La Liga, Barcelona has kept a clean sheet and haven’t received any goal, most of this feat is goalkeeper Claudio Bravo who made a new record after being 630 minutes without conceding any goal, last holding record was Maria Artola with 560 minutes in 1977-78.

Also, a huge part of this feat is thanks to Mathieu, wondering why has taken Barcelona so long to address the defense problem in its history. 

Chygrynskiy’s addaptation, or rather lack of it, was a big problem, leaving Javier Mascherano, Sergio Busquets and Alex Song trying to fill the gap in recent years.

Mathieu is not far from the last names, he has being playing in centre-back position only for the last 18 months, when Adil Rami and Ricardo Costa where absent due to injuries back in Valencia 2013 season. 

It was an emergency, but the change worked instantly and he remained in the middle for the rest of the season.

His qualities where perfect for a full attacking full-back, culture, poise and speed, and probably one of the most Mathieu’s elegance.

In central position he has changed from useful to essential, and argentinian coach described him as one of the best defenders in current La Liga. Barcelona is lucky to have signed with him, because Bayern Munich was also very interested for the player.

Ironically, in the last game of this season, Mathieu returned to left-back against Rayo. 

And still in his old position, his performance was perfect enough that he could be used by coach Luis Enrique to put pressure on Jordi Alba.

It seems that wherever he plays, hi is really a considerable asset for the team and the guarantee that the team as needed.

La Masia’s stars shielded for 2015 ban

La Masia’s starlets have been raising interest throughout some of the Europe’s top teams, and Barcelona have to block this attempts to keep talents from leaving during the 2015 transfer ban.

Adama Traore, Sergi Samper and Munir El Haddadi are being solicited by some of the finest European teams according to several reports, with Luis Enrique and the players turning them down during the summer.

Arsenal has tempted Samper during the last years, but the midfielder is committed to his hometown club. El Haddadi rose interest in Chelsea and Arsenal, with praises from Fabregas saying that Munir impressed him during training when Fabregas was still a Barcelona player.

Munir been able to play on the wing and in the centre and with great movement and ability to find spaces.

Manchester is interested in Traore and tried to bring the player during summer of 2014.

Munir is already playing for the Barcelona first team since the star of 2014 season and also has made his debut into the Spain’s national team. Samper and Traore playing for the Barcelona B squad with a real opportunity during this year to have some time in the senior’s team.

With Barcelona ban and unable to sign for new players during 2015 season, a number of reinforcements were brought in order to address every possible position and shield young players.

With all this new players, youngsters could be tempted to take their future outside Barcelona due to lack of playing time and an opportunity to shine elsewhere.

The three young players are the future of Barcelona and are eager to show their abilities in the grass, and this or the next year will be their best opportunity.

The promotion of young players from “La Masia” FC Barcelona trainig camp has been one of the Barcelona’s identity, and we have a good example with former manager and player Pep Guardiola.

They have to resist, their time will come if they wait a little longer.