FC Barcelona News
La Liga 2011/2012 – standing after week 21
January 30th, 2012While Barcelona drew in a goalless match against Villarreal, Real Madrid won their match to further open up the lead over Barça at the weekend. Read the rest of this entry »
Barcelona Unable to Sink the Yellow Submarine
January 30th, 2012FC Barcelona slipped a little further behind in the title race on Saturday night after they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against La Liga strugglers Villareal at El Madrigal. It was a match of few opportunities, but on the occasions that Barcelona did manage to get in behind their determined and organised opponents, they found goalkeeper Diego López in good form.
Barça began this game with a back three of Abidal, Piqué and Puyol, but as the half progressed Mascherano slipped in to partner Piqué at centre-half to form a back four. This was because Villareal, desperately in need of points, were proving difficult opponents – quick on the break and resolute in defence. First half opportunities were hard to come by.
Alves, playing high on the right, had a couple of early sights of goal, but Diego López was sharp to push away the first, and Gonzalo nipped in to deny the second. Moments later Messi raced clear, but his delicate lob over the goalkeeper dropped just wide of the far post.
Villareal then began to find their way into the match. First Marco Rubén got in behind Barcelona’s back-line, before firing high and wide. And then Marcos Senna let rip with a signature shot from just outside the area, but Valdés was able to produce an acrobatic save to tip it round the post.
As the half drew to a close Diego López came rushing off his line to intercept a through pass by Messi for Cesc. As it was, Barcelona went into the break needing to find some inspiration after a low-key performance in the first period.
Villareal appeared to have more urgency as the half began, but the game settled again into the former pattern of Barcelona dictating the play but struggling to conjure any real openings.
Adriano was industrious on the left-flank, and Alexis looked lively after coming on for the injured Piqué, but Guardiola’s side was running out of ideas against the team in yellow who by now were happy to retreat to the edge of the area.
Finally, as the 80-minute mark approached, Cesc found some space on the edge of the area and lashed a powerful shot, which took a mean deflection and was then pushed onto the in spectacular fashion by Diego López. By now, Guardiola had introduced the swift Christian Tello and Thiago to see if he could find a way through the stubborn Villareal ranks.
As the minutes ticked down, Messi at last managed to wriggle his way into the area and fired at the bottom corner. Once again López showed quick reactions, getting his left leg in the way – the ball dropped at the feet of Cesc but his shot was completely mistimed. It was the best opportunity of the night, and perhaps the moment that confirmed that Barcelona were going to have to settle for a draw and a deficit of seven points in the race for the title.
La Liga 2011/2012 – standing after week 20
January 23rd, 2012Barcelona remain five points behind Real Madrid in the Spanish League, with both teams winning their respective matches 4-1. Reports in the Spanish press suggest that Jose Mourinho has been dealing with a player “revolt” after rowing with Sergio Ramos and captain Iker Casillas, and he was booed by fans at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Sunday night. On Wednesday the visit the Nou Camp for the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarter final, with Barça the stronmg favourites to go through. Read the rest of this entry »
Fantastic Hat-Trick for Messi the Magician
January 23rd, 2012Messi grabbed three goals to help Barcelona to an impressive 4-1 victory at La Rosaleda against Málaga on Sunday evening. Guardiola’s men put in a smart and efficient display against a potentially dangerous opponent, scoring two goals early in the second half, through Alexis and Messi to effectively close the game 45 minutes early.
Guardiola opted to rest Puyol, Xavi and Cesc, giving a rare start to Adriano, while Thiago joined Busquets and Iniesta in midfield, and Mascherano partnered Piqué in central defence. Pellegrini’s Málaga side offered a mix of youth and international experience, with three veteran stars in Mathijsen, Demichelis and van Nistelrooy, and two creative talents in Cazorla and Isco.
The early exchanges were relatively even, with Thiago coming close with a diving header Messi shooting just wide from the edge of the area. Málaga also posed a threat, not least through young midfielder Isco. His powerful curled effort was bound for the top right corner, but Valdés managed to flick it over on the stretch. From the ensuing corner Valdés had to be sharp to first stop a header by Isco, then block the youngsters follow up attempt.
Despite these chances, Barça were dominating the ball and creating openings with some comfort. Piqué had got on the end of a free-kick, but was off balance and sent it well wide. Málaga replied with a half chance for van Nistelrooy but the striker misconnected and sent it over.
Then, on the half-hour mark, Iniesta bustled forward and laid the ball off for Adriano, whose swirling cross found Messi on the penalty spot. The Argentine rose well and directed a powerful header into the bottom corner, giving Caballero no chance and Barcelona the lead.
Barcelona came out all guns blazing for the second half, and within just two minutes they had extended their lead. Alexis dispatched a low Adriano cross, scoring from close range after Thiago had already forced a save by Caballero. And only seconds had passed before Barça were 3-0 up.
This time it was all about Messi, who collected the ball from Thiago and weaved his way through the Málaga defence, before cooling slotting the ball into the bottom left corner.
With the match wrapped up, Barcelona could afford to take it easy, and some key performers were withdrawn – Dos Santos, Cuenca and Pedro came on for Adriano, Busquets and Alexis, and the game seemed to be petering out.
Messi though was hungry for more goals. He saw a fabulous free-kick cannon off the underside of cross bar and out for a corner via Caballero, but soon had the ball in the net. With ten minutes to go he embarked on a run from his own half, evading Demichelis and Mathijsen and finishing with typical ease to cap a truly memorable performances. In the dying stages Málaga started to press forward, and Rondón was on hand to grab a late consolation, pouncing on a rebound from Valdés.
0-1 Messi (min 32)
0-1 Alexis (min 46)
0-1 Messi (min 49)
0-1 Messi (min 80)
1-1 Salomón (min 84)
La Liga 2011/2012 – standing after week 19
January 16th, 2012Real Madrid remain five points ahead of Barça following the weekend’s fixtures, with Madrid beating Mallorca 2-1 on Saturday and Barcelona winning 4-2 against Betis.
Next stop for both teams is the clasico on Wednesday, when Barça visits the Bernabeu in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter finals.
Read the rest of this entry »
Alexis on form in Tough Win
January 16th, 2012Barcelona struggled at times, but achieved a 4-2 victory a lively Real Betis team at the Camp Nou. After taking a two-goal lead through Xavi and Messi Barça were pegged back before Alexis and Messi got the winners.
Barcelona were caught cold in the first few minutes of the game. Real Betis attacked with verve, and might have taken an early lead when Rubén Castro set Jorge Molina through one-on-one, but Valdés was alert to the danger and snuffled out the chance. He had to be on his toes from the ensuing corner, clawing a flicked header by Dorado out at the near post.
Barcelona then took over, and scored their first goal with just ten minutes gone. The improving Alexis slipped a smart pass between two defenders for Cesc. His left-footed effort hit the post, but Xavi was first to react to the rebound. It was only a matter of seconds before they made it 2-0. Betis continued to throw bodies forward and when Barcelona won possession they had little trouble cutting through Los Béticos’ ranks. For the second Iniesta picked up the ball from deep and burst forward. He chose to release Alexis, whose low cross found Messi free in the centre to score from close range.
Barça then had a comfortable spell, combining neatly, with only last-ditch efforts from the Betis defenders keeping the score down. But despite being two-down, Betis remained smart on the break – they offered a reminder of their attacking threat when Jefferson Montero cut back for Rubén Castro, who misconnected with the ball and watched it fly over the bar.
And they clawed a goal back on the half hour mark – Molina rounded Valdés and laid it on for Sevilla, who spotted striker Castro at the far post, giving him a simple finish to make from six yards. Now looking more confident, the away side was suddenly a real a match for Guardiola’s men, who were struggling to find their customary fluency.
Betis ramped up the pressure at the start of the second half, winning a dangerous free-kick and pegging Barcelona back. The home side was on its heels and conceded the lead on 52 minutes. Rubén Castro broke free on the counter down the left wing – his pass infield found substitute Roque Santa Cruz, who powered a strike inside the right post from the edge of the area.
Barcelona then went on the attack – they should have had a penalty when Iniesta was fouled by Montero, but Villanueva somehow saw fit to book Barcelona’s number 8 for a dive. When Betis had Mario sent off for a second yellow things started to look a little easier, and, after a couple of half-chances, Barcelona regained the lead when Xavi clipped a pass over the top for Alexis, whose shot evaded Casto at the near post. With the clock running down, Barcelona won a penalty for a Dorado hand-ball, and Messi made no mistake from the spot.
1-0 Xavi (min 9)
2-0 Messi (min 11)
2-1 Rubén Castro (min 31)
2-2 Santa Cruz (min 50)
3-2 Alexis (Min 73)
4-2 Messi (min 84)
La Liga 2011/2012 – standing after week 18
January 9th, 2012Real Madrid are again five points ahead of FC Barcelona after they beat Granada 5-1, while Barcelona drew against local rivals Espanyol on Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »
No Luck for Barcelona in Derby
January 9th, 2012Barcelona had to settle for a 1-1 draw away to Espanyol in the derby on Sunday night. Cesc headed Barça into an early lead, but his side was unable to build on it, and was pegged back at the death by Álvaro Vázquez. It was a tense, hard-fought encounter, in which key refereeing decisions went against Guardiola’s men.
The big story at kick-off was Iniesta’s return to the side, recovering from a strain picked up before the winter break. He took his place in a strong team, on the left side of central midfield in a 4-3-3.
Espanyol came flying out the traps in front of a raucous crowd at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, closing down Barcelona’s defenders at a ferocious tempo, and breaking quickly whenever in possession. Their pressure almost paid off in the first ten minutes when Sergio García rushed clear down the left side of the area and crossed for Verdú, whose initial headed effort was miraculously saved by Valdés, and Piqué was ready on the line to clear the follow up.
Barcelona soon woke up though and forced a number of close calls. First Cesc thought he’d scored when Messi intercepted Álvarez’ clearance and squared for him, but replays showed a handball by Messi in the build up. Alexis then went one-on-one with Álvarez, but never looked confident and was hustled wide by the ‘keeper. On their next attack though, Barcelona took the lead. Dani Alves surged forward down the right and picked out Cesc with a perfect cross. Cesc’s header was powerful and aimed at the bottom corner. Álvarez got his fingertips to it, but couldn’t keep it out.
The remainder of the half was relatively even, with both teams forcing slight openings without capitalising. Abidal had to be sharp to block a Thievy shot inside the area. At the other end Barça continued to threaten as Alexis posted Iniesta through, but his left-footed effort was deflected away by Álvarez. Puyol made a crucial block from Verdú, and then just before the half-time whistle Cesc cleverly turned past an Espanyol defender on the byline, but his close-range strike hit the outside of the near post.
The game remained poised at 1-0 after the break, with no clear sight of goal for either side. It wasn’t until half an hour in that some space opened up for Barça – Pedro, on for Alexis, fired a deep low cross that Messi met on the stretch with his right boot, ricocheting off the near-post and into the side-netting.
Espanyol hadn’t created much, but took their opportunity with 86 minutes gone. Raúl Rodríguez was released down the right and his cross was headed on by Thievy for Álvaro Vázquez to score from no more than a couple of yards out. Then in injury time Barcelona had real reason to feel aggrieved – Messi played Piqué in, and after his shot crashed off the cross-bar, Pedro’s follow-up was clearly pushed away by Raul Rodriguez’ arm.
0-1 Cesc (min 15)
1-1 Alvaro (min 85)
La Liga 2011/2012 – standing after week 17
December 19th, 2011While Barça has been in Japan participating – and winning – the Clubs World Cup, its been business as usual for the remainder of the clubs in the Spanish League. With Real Madrid’s 6-2 win against Sevilla on Saturday they have again risen to the top of the table with a three point gap. Read the rest of this entry »
La Liga 2011/2012 – standings after week 16
December 12th, 2011Barcelona made it clear that the league this season is by no means over, with a devistating victory against Real Madrid on Saturday. Once again the Catalans ran rings around Madrid, with stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo seemingly overawed by players such as Leo Messi. The result leaves Barça on top of the table, equal on points with Real Madrid, but having played an extra match thanks to their Club World Cup commitments.
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