a blog about fc barcelona with la liga news, transfers and rumours
With an exceptional goal from ex Blaugrana David Villa to put Atletico Madrid in the lead, it needed Neymar to come on in the 67th minute to make the scores even. Javier Mascherano said after the game that it was very equal and he was so right.
Simeone’s men matched Martino’s for pressure and the tie will now be decided at the Nou Camp next week. More on the Supercup draw
FC Barcelona have snapped up young Manchester City starlet Denis Suarez for the fee of 1.5M euros. The 19-year-old attacking midfielder, who is a product of City’s youth program, will now join up with the Barca B team where he will be allowed to sharpen his skills.
Suarez has reportedly signed a four year deal with the Catalan club. More on Barca’s new signing Denis Suarez
In a change of tack, Gerardo Martino is placing all his bets on a young central defender for the Blaugrana club. It’s not actually a change for the coach, as he has insisted all along that the likes of David Luiz or Daniel Agger may not fit in with his project at Barca.
Therefore, the coach will put his trust in Puyol and the young defenders such as Bartra and Bagnack while keeping an eye on a player from a modest team. More on Barca’s defense issues
One of the things that distinguishes this new Barca team under Gerardo Martino is the pressure it puts on rival teams. It’s one of the great changes that the new coach has reintroduced into the Catalan team.
Pressure was one of the things that made Guardiola’s Barcelona stand out from the rest and last year the team lost that facet. More on Martino’s changes
In a crazy turnaround of events, ex Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao, who is now at Monaco, was offered to Real Madrid. Monaco’s billionaire owner Dmitry Rybolovlev paid 45M euros for Falcao who is said to be disappointed with the club’s sports project.
Worse still, the French government has imposed the same tax laws on the players and they now have to pay the same as French citizens. More on Radamel Falcao
Tata Martino began his spell in charge of FC Barcelona in the best possible way with the biggest win in the history of the club in the first game of the season. Levante had no chance against a Barca side that were more like a whirlwind in the first half.
Levante were not allowed to play football and the pressure the Catalans put on the visitors was tremendous. Read the rest of the match report
FC Barcelona are facing a real dilema with the new season kicking off for the Catalan giants this evening at the Nou Camp against Levante. The club has four players for one spot up front with top guns Neymar and Messi.
The wingman will be either Alexis, Cesc, Pedro or Tello, and the four are having to go head to head in order to get the coveted spot up front. More on Barca’s dilema
Valdés surprised that Casillas was left on bench
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes stated that he was surprised that Iker Casillas was left on the bench. The Real Madrid stopper was sidelined on Sunday with new boss Ancelotti fielding number 2 keeper Diego López.
The Catalan keeper was surprised because for him, Iker is “the best”. More on Victor Valdes