FC Barcelona Blog

Site Move

2007-06-16T17:21:00.000+02:00

This site has now moved to http://fcbnews.com/

There are one or two technical problems, but hopefully it will all be working smoothly very soon.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Squad Announced For Tomorrow

2007-06-16T12:47:00.000+02:00

Frank Rijkaard has named 19 players in the list for tomorrow's game in Tarragona. The only first team players not included are the injured Gudjohnsen, Edmilson and Sylvinho. Saviola is included after missing out for the last three games, and he will be hoping to play his last minutes in a Barça shirt. Rijkaard will probably make only one change to last week's team, with Ronaldinho returning in place of Gudjohnsen. However, you never know with Rijkaard, he may decide to bring back Rafa Marquez, and you can't be sure he won't decide to throw in Motta.

Nástic are expected to be at full strength.

The full list for Barça is:

Valdés, Jorquera, Belletti, Zambrotta, Oleguer, Puyol, Thuram, Gio, Iniesta, Deco, Xavi, Márquez, Motta, Giuly, Messi, Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Saviola and Ezquerro.

New Address

2007-06-16T12:22:00.000+02:00

FC Barcelona Blog will be moving very soon to a new address.

You will find us at:

fcbnews.com

What The Taxi Driver Told Me

2007-06-15T19:16:00.000+02:00

I was coming back from Parc Güell this afternoon and the taxi driver told me that "one of the best kept secrets at Barça is that Leo Messi is going to leave this summer to sign for West Ham."
He reckoned that one of his sister's mates goes to the same dry cleaners as Messi. Apparently this mate coincided with Messi, who was getting some black chinos pressed, and she overheard Messi telling the dry cleaning woman that he was going to West Ham to play with Tevez, supposedly he'd always been a fan of Joe Cole from his early days at West Ham, and he'd fallen in love with Upton Park.
I hope there's no truth in this.

Another Fine Mess

2007-06-15T12:12:00.000+02:00

Fifa continue to bend their own rules in favour of Real Madrid. If yesterday it was Robinho, today it is Diarra who has been given special permission by Fifa to play for Madrid this weekend at the expense of missing his national team Mali's qualifying match for the African Nations Cup. Freddy Kanoute has also been released to play for Sevilla. Mali's coach is said to be considering resigning. Meanwhile in Brazil they are still furious over the Robinho case and are demanding that Fifa rules be complied with.

Since Fifa nearly always rule in favour of the national teams in cases such as these, ruling in favour of Madrid does make the historically paranoid fans of Football Club Barcelona just a little bit suspicious.

Maxi Lopez Takes Aim

2007-06-14T23:41:00.000+02:00

Maxi Lopez, Barça's Argentine forward on loan to Mallorca, will be hoping he can play his part in winning the title for Barça. Mallorca's players are not happy that Madrid president Ramón Calderon celebrated his team's 2-2 draw with Zaragoza on the pitch as if Madrid had already been crowned as champions. Madrid still need to beat Mallorca to be sure of winning the league. "We'll see what face Calderon has after the match," said Maxi, and he added, "You can't underestimate us".

Maxi is especially motivated, not only to do his old team-mates a favour, "I'd love to take part in a victory over Madrid, as a personal challenge. We're going to be playing in a full stadium with everybody against us, and that motivates us. If on top of that I can do a favour to other teams, then all the better. So for us our aim will be to take a point."

It would be brilliant to see Maxi doing his chicken dance after scoring the goal that gives Barça the title. Go Maxi go!

Vitor Baia Hangs Up His Gloves

2007-06-14T18:05:00.000+02:00

At the age of 37, ex-Barça keeper Vitor Baia has decided to retire. Baia's time at Barça was not the happiest period of his career and he will be remembered for a couple of shocking performances against Atletico Madrid and Dinamo Kiev. He signed for Barça from Porto in the summer of 1996 as Bobby Robson's choice to replace Carles Busquets, and returned to Porto in January 1999 as Louis van Gaal preferred Ruud Hesp in goal. In his one season as first choice goalie, Barça won the European Cup Winners Cup, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercopa.

Baia enjoyed tremendous success for Porto, winning a total of ten leagues, five Portuguese Cups, seven Supercopas, one Champions League, one Uefa Cup and one Intercontinental Cup. He appeared in two European Championships and the World Cup in 2002, playing a total of 80 times for Portugal. He maintains a record in Portugal for once going 1191 minutes without conceding a goal. In his career he played a total of 708 first class games. Vitor will continue to work for Porto as a spokesman and in public relations.

Latest Rumours

2007-06-14T17:31:00.001+02:00

Every day, new names appear in the Spanish press of players who are supposedly on Barça's list of possible signings. Some are mentioned once and are then forgotten, others like Thierry Henry appear every day. Here is a list of some of the latest names: David Trezeguet (Juventus), Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Jorge Andrade (Deportivo), Chivu (Roma), Tiago (Olympique Lyonnais), Carlos Eduardo (Gremio), Alberto Zapater (Zaragoza), Diego Forlan (Villarreal), Gerard Pique (Man Utd).

On the other hand, there is also talk of offers coming in for Barça's players. Apart from Eto'o, who is in a different story every day, Giuly has been linked with Olympique Lyonnais, Monaco, Sampdoria and Tottenham. Saviola is said to have various offers including one from Real Madrid, and Eidur Gudjohnsen could be used as part of an exchange deal with Manchester United to bring Gerard Pique back to Barcelona. Edmilson is looking for a move to Italy, and Liverpool's Rafa Benitez is interested in getting Marc Crosas on a loan deal. Meanwhile, Thuram and Marquez have both expressed a desire to stay at Barça.

Next week, of course, will be when we begin to see if there is any truth in any of these stories

Fifa And Robinho

2007-06-14T11:38:00.000+02:00

Another controversy has been caused this week by fixture congestion and the struggle between club and country for the services of a player. Real Madrid star Robinho has been called up by Brazil for the Copa America which begins on 26th June in Venezuela. Real Madrid obviously want Robinho for their game with Mallorca this Sunday. Fifa rules state that before on official tournament players must join their national teams for a preparation period of 14 days. There was even talk earlier this week that Madrid could have points deducted if they did not release their player. Now, however, Fifa have decided to make an exception and allow Robinho to stay with Madrid until Monday. To make things worse, Fifa president Sepp Blatter declared in an interview with Marca at the end of May that his "heart is with Madrid".

While I think the Fifa rule is wrong, it is the rule and should be the same for everyone. On the other hand, it is ridiculous that any club in the situation of playing for the league on the last game of the season, should face the prospect of losing players for international duty. Why does the Spanish league finish so late compared to other European leagues? One thing that needs to be done is to play the Copa del Rey over one leg and not two. It is also the time to call for the head of Ángel Villar, the incompetent president of the Spanish Football Federation.

Gudjohnsen Injured For Sunday

2007-06-13T18:28:00.000+02:00

Eidur Gudjohnsen, who received a knock on his right knee in yesterday's training session, has today been confirmed as a non-starter for Sunday's vital game in Tarragona. The club's medical team has issued a statement saying Guddy has an inflamed cartilage in his knee and will be out for one week.

This brings an end to the Icelander's first season for Barça.

Sunday's Game On Sky Interactive

2007-06-13T14:00:00.001+02:00

Sky Sports have confirmed that this week all 3 games, featuring Barcelona, Sevilla and Real Madrid are available to viewers via the interactive red button on Sky Sports 3. While this is good news for overseas fans, it begs the question - why couldn't they have done the same last Saturday?

Basketball Final

2007-06-13T13:37:00.000+02:00

Don't expect to find much Basketball on this blog, but a quick mention for Winterthur FCB who have reached this year's ACB finals after beating Tau Ceramica three games to two in the semi-final. Barça's basketball team now take on Real Madrid in the final. The first game is on Sunday in Madrid's Palacio Vistalegre and starts at 12.30.

Next Season's Away Shirt

2007-06-13T13:11:00.000+02:00

'El Sport' has exclusively revealed next season's 2nd choice shirt. Amusingly, they don't seem to have found the shorts or socks to go with it, and seem to have laid the shirt out on somebody's bed for the picture. I personally prefer the orange shirt used this season, but anything is better than the electric yellow used the season before.

Reaction To Messi's Goal

2007-06-12T14:25:00.000+02:00

There is certainly a heated debate going on about Messi's handled goal against Espanyol. My article "The Hand Of Messi" was also posted on Soccerlens http://soccerlens.com/the-hand-of-messi/1991/ and has provoked a storm of outrage. Calls for a ban of up to 12 months to teach the little cheat a lesson, claims that what he did was as bad as match-fixing, and even one reply that hoped Messi would end up as "a worthless junkie". Anyone would think he'd knocked England out of the World Cup.

It should be said that football fans are very blinkered in their opinions, you only have to go to a bar where two opposing groups of fans are watching the same game to realise this. I am the first to admit I would not have reacted to Messi's goal in the same way if it had been scored at the other end. However, please note that I did not feel the need to vent any rage on this blog when a deliberate handball from Ruud van Nistlerooy led to a Real Madrid goal a couple of weeks ago. This is because I know it is part of the game; not a good part in any way, but if I was going to get so upset by it, I might as well give up watching football and go and watch an honest sport such as...erm...cycling.

Given the double standards that many of us fans have, let me state here what I see as worse for the game than handling, all of which happen every year in our beautiful game. Violent conduct, this includes swinging punches or elbows, headbutting, two-footed over-the-ball lunges, stamping, etc. Basically anything that could put an opponent out of the game for lengthy periods.
Next up I'd put the ugliness of spitting or racist comments. While they don't physically injure anyone they both go into the catagory of disgusting behaviour. After that would be trying to get an opponent sent off by clutching the face as if Mike Tyson has just hit you (yes, like Messi against Chelsea last season, before you all remind me), this along with appealing to the ref to get the red card out is in my opinion worse than what Messi did. On the same level as handball are a number of things which all deliberately break the rules in order to gain your team an advantage. Time-wasting, not retreating ten yards, deliberate shirt-holding, deliberate obstruction or trips all serve to slow down the game and prevent the fast-flowing game we all like to see. Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion and many would have a different set of standards, but come on, Messi didn't kill anyone or even injure anyone, he broke the rules like so many players do and he was lucky enough to get away with it. For those who can't wait to boo him next time he's playing near you - please do, he always plays better when the crowd are against him.

No Deal For Henry

2007-06-12T14:14:00.000+02:00

France Football announced yesterday that Barça and Thierry Henry had reached an agreement for the Frenchman to play the next three seasons for the Catalans. However, they also said that Arsenal had not yet accepted Barça's reported offer of €25 million. Hours later, Henry's "people" denied the story.

I've stated here before that I don't understand why Barça would want to buy him. Would he be happy sitting on the subs' bench? I doubt it. So unless Barça really do want to offload Samuel Eto'o, something they have denied and I believe would be very foolish, I can't see the point of it.

Madrid's Home Record

2007-06-11T12:46:00.000+02:00

For many people Madrid's home game against Mallorca is a foregone conclusion, however, it might not be so easy. Looking at Madrid's record at the Bernabéu this season may offer a glimmer of hope to culés. Of 18 home games in the league Madrid have only won 11 times, they have drawn 4 times against Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, Betis and Getafe, and they have been defeated by the mighty Celta (1-2), Recreativo (0-3) and Levante (0-1). The bad news for Barça is that Madrid have won their last six at home.

Mallorca's away form has not been great, this season they have lost 10 of their 18 away games, however they are the only team in the league to beat Sevilla in the Sánchez Pizjuán, and they also held Barça at Camp Nou until losing to a last minute own goal. As we all know, football is a funny old game and the most unexpected things often happen.

The Hand Of Messi

2007-06-10T15:59:00.000+02:00

Leo Messi continues to emulate the great Diego Maradona. However, unlike his wondergoal in the cup against Getafe, Messi's effort in scoring his first goal against Espanyol was not so praiseworthy. Messi clearly handled the ball into the net just as Maradona did against England in that memorable World Cup Quarter-Final in Mexico. No doubt many will now label him a cheat, but in today's money-spinning world of football this is a little unfair. At the end of the day, he was only giving his all for his team. Of course he broke the rules, but the same could be said for every case of timewasting, over-acting or every cynical foul which happens in modern football. If Messi is singled out it will be because he is such a fantastic player and also because in 99% of goals scored in this manner the referee will spot it, give a yellow card and the matter will be forgotten in a week. Fortunately for Barça, Messi seems the type of player who responds positively to criticism, so if opposing fans decide to boo him, they will end up spurring him on to greater things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u6cR3cGonw

The Morning After The Night Before

2007-06-10T13:49:00.000+02:00

After one of the most gripping night's in La Liga's history, Barcelona woke up this morning still unable to believe the cruel twist suffered last night in the space of 20 seconds. In the 88th minute the title was all but in Barça's hands, Barça were leading 2-1 in their local derby game with Espanyol while Madrid were losing 2-1 against Zaragoza in La Romareda. Ruud van Nistlerooy then equalised for Madrid and moments later Raúl Tamudo did the same for Espanyol leaving Camp Nou stunned and Barça's title hopes in tatters.

What seems clear is that Barça have lacked a ruthless edge this season; too often they have failed to finish teams off when they were there for the taking, and the lack of tension which has allowed both Betis and Espanyol to nick last minute equalizers is a major cause of concern. Looking at teams that do possess this ruthlessness one thinks of Milan, Chelsea, the Italian World Cup team, and in recent weeks Real Madrid. These are teams that are much more likely to score a last minute goal than to concede one, however, none of them are pretty to watch. In Rijkaard's first three years, Barça managed to combine exciting attacking fast-flowing football with a steeliness and a tremendous desire to win. This season too many players have looked tired, not so much physically as mentally, and they have lacked concentration in vital moments. It is easy to blame the number of games they have to play, the World Cup, the pre-season tours and December's Club World Cup in Japan. While this may be a factor the most important aspect that has been lacking this season is hunger for success. One has to wonder whether Laporta, Txiki and Rijkaard are responsible for not acting sooner to change this.

Having said this, Barça still go into the final week of the league with options to win it. They are level on points with Madrid but are second in the table due to the head-to-head goal difference. If Espanyol can get a draw at Camp Nou, who is to say that Mallorca cannot do the same in the Bernabéu? The players need to pick themselves up and get on with the job of beating Nástic in Tarragona next Sunday. The rest of us will have to pray that Madrid slip up at the finishing post. Stranger things have happened before.

Normal Service Will Be Resumed A.S.A.P

2007-06-10T00:20:00.000+02:00

Apologies to anyone checking the blog for a report of tonight's disaster. I hope there will not be many times I feel too disappointed to write a match report, but tonight is one of them. For all of you culés who followed tonight's cruel turnaround I am sure you will understand. However, Madrid are not mathematical champions yet, tomorrow is another day and next week could still see another dramatic twist. So, chin up people, and Visca el Barça!

Internet Stream For Tonight's Game

2007-06-09T17:16:00.000+02:00

I don't know exactly how this works, I think you have to download some software, but here is a link that is showing the game. I don't know if the quality is any good and these streams are usually a minute or so behind real time, but if you want to give it a try, here is the link:

http://livetv.ru/en/eventinfo/2860/

Barça-Espanyol Zaragoza-Madrid Preview

2007-06-09T13:29:00.000+02:00

A full house is expected at Camp Nou tonight for the most important Derby game in years. Frank Rijkaard's men desperately need a win while at the same time hoping that Zaragoza can do them a favour by preventing Real Madrid from winning in La Romareda. David Beckham is expected to play despite his ankle injury, while Zaragoza defender Juanfran is out after getting injured in training yesterday. Zaragoza have only lost twice at home in the league this season and need the points in their bid for a UEFA Cup place.

There are no late injury problems for either Barça or Espanyol. Thiago Motta is expected to fill in for Edmilson, while Andres Iniesta will come in for suspended Ronaldinho.

It appears that many fans around the world will have to make do with the Zaragoza-Madrid game as the big TV companies have decided that it is the game they will show. So far nobody has found an internet stream, if you know of one please send a comment here. It is going to be a nerve-wracking evening.

Prediction:
Barça 3 Espanyol 1
Zaragoza 2 Madrid 2

Ronaldinho Will Miss Derby

2007-06-08T18:44:00.000+02:00

As expected, the Comité Español de Disciplina Deportiva (CEDD) have turned down Barça's appeal against Ronaldinho's one-match ban, so Barça will definitely take on local rivals Espanyol without their Brazilian star. This probably means a place in the starting eleven for both Andres Iniesta and Thiago Motta.

Rijkaard Names Squad

2007-06-08T14:41:00.000+02:00

Frank Rijkaard has named a squad of 19 players for tomorrow evening's crucial clash with Espanyol. Ronaldinho is in the list as there is still a small possibility that he will have his ban lifted. Rafa Marquez returns after a month out through injury, as does Zambrotta who missed the 1-0 victory over Getafe. There is no place for Javier Saviola who will not have the chance to say goodbye to Camp Nou; it seems certain now that he will not continue next season. Sylvinho is also not included and could leave this summer.

The full list is: Valdés, Jorquera, Belletti, Zambrotta, Thuram, Oleguer, Puyol, Marquez, Gio, Motta, Xavi, Deco, Iniesta, Giuly, Messi, Eto'o, Gudjohnsen, Ezquerro, Ronaldinho.

Espanyol have announced the following players in their squad: Kameni, Iraizoz, Velasco, Chica, Lacruz, Jarque, Torrejón, Moisés Hurtado, Ito, Ángel, Julián, De la Peña, Jonatas, Rufete, Coro, Riera, Luis García, Tamudo.

Xabi Alonso Stays At Liverpool

2007-06-08T13:04:00.000+02:00

One of Barça's possible summer signings will definitely not be coming. Xabi Alonso has put an end to the rumours by signing a new contract with Liverpool until 2012. Of all the rumours, the players most likely to sign this summer are Yaya Touré and Eric Abidal. Both have received offers and have expressed their desire to join. The problem in both cases is that their respective clubs have turned down Barça's offers. Left-back Abidal 27, plays for Olympique Lyonnais, and would be an ideal addition to the squad, he is a regular for the French national team and played in last summer's World Cup Final. Barça have reportedly made an offer of €9 million, but Olympique are said to be asking for 20 million. Real Madrid may also join the race to sign him. Yaya Touré 24, is the brother of Arsenal's Kolo. He has been compared with Patrick Vieira for his style of play. Touré is from the Ivory Coast and plays for Monaco.

Pep Returns

2007-06-08T03:28:00.000+02:00

Pep Guardiola is returning to Barça as next season's coach of Barça B. Guardiola who played 379 games for Barça will be in charge of getting the B team back into the Second Division B after this season's relegation. Sporting director Txiki Begiristain has chosen 36-year-old Guardiola to rejoin his old team-mates Eusebio, Unzue, Amor, Alexanco and Busquets as part of Frank Rijkaard's back-up team at Barça. Guardiola finished his playing career in Qatar and Mexico.

Welcome back Pep.

Saturday's Team

2007-06-08T03:08:00.000+02:00

According to the local press Frank Rijkaard seems to have decided the team to face Espanyol this Saturday. In yesterday's training session Thiago Motta played in the cental midfield role with Andres Iniesta on the right side of the attack and Leo Messi on the left. Depending still on the unlikely possibility of Ronaldinho having his one-match ban suspended the team to face Espanyol will be:
.....................Valdes.........................
..Zambrotta...Thuram...Puyol........Gio
........................Motta........................
.........Xavi...................... Deco...........
..Iniesta.......... Eto'o ..............Messi..

I have to say I'm not happy about Motta who has not played well in the two Catalunya Cup games this week.

Deco: This Weekend Will Be Decisive

2007-06-07T22:29:00.000+02:00

"This weekend will be decisive because neither team will slip up in the last game having the chance to win the league," claimed Deco. "Madrid have a difficult away game with Zaragoza who are fighting for a UEFA Cup place." Deco also expects a tough game with Espanyol. "They will be more motivated than usual."

He also admitted that it will be inevitable that they are thinking about what is happening in La Romareda, "We will be concentrating on our game but if we are winning with five minutes to go, instinctively we will be wanting to know how Madrid are doing"

Let's all hope they are losing.

Break Favours Barça

2007-06-07T17:21:00.000+02:00

The two week break caused by the international matches has probably been more favourable to Barça than to rivals Madrid. David Beckham returned from playing for England with a slight ankle injury which makes him a doubt for Madrid's visit to Zaragoza. While I won't be at all surprised if Goldenballs plays in the end, it doesn't help Madrid's preparation as Beckham will have to rest for the 48 hours before the game. Beckham's form in the last three months has been instrumental in Madrid's recent improvement, losing him for such a big game would be a blow. Another possible predicament for Madrid has been Roberto Carlos' announcement that he has signed for Fenerbahce. It was well known that he would not continue next season, but the timing of his announcement is not exactly ideal.

Barça's players have all reported back without problems, Zambrotta played 90 minutes in Italy's 0-2 win in Lithuania, and Andres Iniesta also played the whole game for Spain who won 0-2 against Liechtenstein. A special mention goes to Lilian Thuram who played his 130th international game for France in the 1-0 victory over Georgia.

Meanwhile, Samuel Eto'o's agent has confirmed that Eto'o has no intention of leaving Barça this summer

Next Season's Liga Begins On 25th August

2007-06-07T00:37:00.000+02:00

The Liga de Fútbol Profesional (LFP) have decreed that next season will begin on the weekend of 25/26th August and due to the Eurocopa in Austria and Switzerland, will finish on 18th May. There will be no league fixtures because of international games on the weekends 8/9th Sept, 13/14th Oct and 17/18th Nov. There will however be midweek league games on the 26th Sept, 31st Oct and 7th May. Teams will also have to play the weekend before Christmas, 22/23rd Dec.
The final of the Copa del Rey has been fixed for 16th April. The Spanish Supercopa will be played between League Champions and Cup Winners over two legs on the 12th and 18th of August.

I feel like a robot.

Penya Union Blaugrana

2007-06-06T23:36:00.000+02:00

The Penya Union Blaugrana is a UK based Penya which was accepted as an official Penya by Barça in March 2007. The purpose of the Penya is to unite and expand the fan base of FC Barcelona within the United Kingdom, encouraging members to attend matches at Camp Nou and elsewhere, and to join FC Barcelona as socis. The Penya is also committed to assisting UK based fans of FC Barcelona in their travel plans and ticketing arrangements wherever possible and also to furthering the knowledge and appreciation of Catalunya and its cultural heritage.

The Penya also run a forum where you can chat about Barça, exchange experiences, and also arrange travel and swap tickets.

This weekend several members of the Penya will be in Barcelona to see Barça first hand. I look forward to meeting them and hope they have a fantastic weekend.

http://www.penyaunionblaugrana.co.uk/

Txiki: We Want Eto'o To Stay

2007-06-06T13:47:00.000+02:00

Stories are appearing every day in the newspapers about the future of Samuel Eto'o, the latest being the interest from AC Milan. When asked about this interest, Barça's sporting director Txiki Begiristain replied "We have absolutely no doubt: we want Eto'o to stay." Eto'o himself has not expressed any desire to leave, however, there is absolutely no doubt that the press will continue to speculate on this throughout the summer.

Messi Shines For Argentina

2007-06-06T13:35:00.000+02:00

Leo Messi was the star of a 4-3 win for Argentina against Algeria last night in a match played at Barcelona's Camp Nou. Messi scored twice, once from the penalty spot, and also hit the post.

Ronaldinho played only the second half in a dull 0-0 draw between Brazil and Turkey played in Dortmund, Edmilson, who was captain for the Brazilians, played 81 minutes. Both players are suspended for Saturday's game with Espanyol.

Meanwhile, 16-year old Bojan Krkic played his first game for Spain's under-21 team, coming on as a sub after 66 minutes against Georgia. This ensures that Bojan's international career will be for Spain and not for Serbia.

Barça 1 Espanyol 1 (Barça win 5-4 on penalties)

2007-06-05T22:38:00.000+02:00

A perfect round of penalties was enough to see Barça take this season's Copa Catalunya. Angel Martinez blasted Espanyol's first spot-kick well over the crossbar and the Barça quintet of Ezquerro, Giovani dos Santos, Belletti, Marc Crosas and Motta all held their nerve to score with their kicks.
The game got off to a promising start. Barça went ahead after 9 minutes when Belletti surged forward on the right and pushed a pass between two defenders for Ezquerro to run on to, the Basque got his second goal in two Copa Catalunya games with a powerful right footer past Gorka from ten yards out. Epanyol soon had some good chances, in the 18th minute first Jorquera saved well from Coro, and as play continued the ball came back to Coro who hit the bar. A minute later Jorquera was called on to make two quick saves from Angel and Pedraza. Giovani almost made it 2-0 after 22 minutes, he latched on to a clearance from Crosas and ran clear of the defence only to see his shot clip the outside of the far post. Espanyol equalised in the 25th minute after the Barça defence allowed ex-blaugrana Moha too much time on the edge of the area, Moha split the defence with a pass to Fede running in on the left, and Fede's cross was comfortably tapped in by Pedraza.
After the equaliser the game became more scrappy. It wasn't until 9 minuted into the second half that there was another decent chance, Giovani running in from the right before shooting with his left to bring a good save from Gorka. Espanyol gave an indication of which of their players may feature in Saturday's league game, when they took off Jarque, Coro and Rufete after 57 minutes. The best chance of the second half was for Espanyol's Moha who headed wide at the far post when it seemed easier to score. Motta almost scored at the other end with a header after a fine run and cross from Giovani, but Gorka produced a good save. In the last few minutes Espanyol had three half chances and also a disallowed goal, the replay showed that Pedraza was marginally offside.
Now we can all concentrate on the real derby at Camp Nou this Saturday.

FC Barcelona:
Jorquera.............7
Belletti.............5.5
Olmo...............5.5
Oleguer.............6
(Valiente, m.65)..6
Sylvinho............6
(Thaer, m.78)....5.5
Motta...............5
Sastre.............5.5
(Busquets, m.71).6
Marc Crosas......6.5
Giovani.............6.5
Ezquerro...........6.5
Orlandi.............5.5
(Calvo, m.58)....6.5

RCD Espanyol: Iraizoz, Chica (Moisés Hurtado, m.73), Toni Lao, Jarque (Lacruz, m.57), Fede, Rufete (De Pablos, m.57), Julián, Ángel, Moha (Ito, m.73), Coro (Palanca, m.57) Marc Pedraza.

Rijkaard's Plan B

2007-06-05T13:58:00.000+02:00

If, as seems highly likely, the Spanish Committee of Sporting Discipline do not suspend Ronaldinho's one-match ban, Frank Rijkaard will have to choose a team for Saturday's big game without both Ronnie and Edmilson who picked up his fifth yellow card against Getafe. Iniesta will almost certainly start the game, but will it be in place of Ronaldinho or of his Brazilian team-mate? If Iniesta is moved forward to accompany Eto'o and Messi, then Thiago Motta will probably play in Edmilson's position. If however, Iniesta starts in midfield, the options for who plays up front are more varied. Perhaps the first choice would be Eidur Gudjohnsen who could play in the middle with Eto'o playing wide on the left. Saviola would be another option, while it remains to be seen whether Giuly will be fit on time. The most exciting possibility would be Giovani dos Santos who scored twice in last Thursday's Catalonya Cup game against Nàstic; it would be a popular choice with a lot of fans, but it is improbable that Rijkaard will hand a debut to a player who has only just turned 18, in such an important game.

Good news for Gianluca Zambrotta who is fit again and will probably feature in Italy's Eurocopa qualifying game in Lithuania tomorrow night.

Can Madrid Bear The Pressure?

2007-06-05T00:20:00.000+02:00

With the smallest advantage to maintain, can this Real Madrid team bear the pressure of knowing only a win will do in the Romareda if they don't want to lose their grip on what would be their first trophy since 2003. There has been a new hunger and determination in the Madrid of recent weeks as coach Fabio Capello seems to be finally installing his personality into the team. Having said that it remains to be seen if the likes of Sergio Ramos, Robinho, Gago or Higuain will hold their nerve in such an important match. Zaragoza have been very good at home in the league this season, winning 12, drawing 4 and only losing twice, the last time being back in December when Valencia won 0-1. Since then, both Sevilla as well as Barça have lost on visits to Zaragoza. The locals are also in need of the points in their push for a UEFA Cup place and will be going all out for victory.

The bookies are calling a close contest for La Liga, with Madrid quoted as favourites at 1.73 while the best odds for Barça are 2.38.

Copa Catalunya Final

2007-06-04T20:54:00.000+02:00

Frank Rijkaard has kept confidence in the same players that got Barça into tomorrow night's final against Espanyol, although Giuly will not feature as a precaution. Sylvinho faces a late fitness test, and with eyes on Saturday's vital league game also against our local rivals, will probably not be risked. Hopefully it will turn out to be as exciting a game as the 3-4 semi final in Tarragona and we'll see some more from budding stars Giovani dos Santos, Marc Crosas and Orlandi.

The full list is:

Goalkeepers: Valdés, Jorquera
Defenders: Oleguer, Olmo, Sylvinho, Marc Valiente, Belletti
Midfielders: Motta, Crosas, Lluís Sastre, Sergio Busquets, Víctor Vázquez
Forwards: Giovani dos Santos, Thaer, Ezquerro, Orlandi, Toni Calvo

The game is taking place at the Nova Creu Alta stadium, Sabadell. Kick Off 9.45pm.

Countdown To Saturday

2007-06-04T14:46:00.000+02:00

While a number of players are still away on international duty, and the remainder have to worry about tomorrow night's Catalunya Cup Final against Espanyol, Culés everywhere have only one thing on their minds - 9pm Saturday. Even with the constant rumours over Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry and the countless other summer moves, fans from every continent are searching to find out where they can see La Liga this weekend and more importantly which games will be showing. It seems some people will have to make do with the Zaragoza-Madrid game which is bound to be a cracker, but Barça fans will undoubtably prefer to see Barça-Espanyol. If you know which channel is showing which game where you are, or better still an internet stream, please send a comment here to help other fans. I understand there may be a technical problem for some with posting comments, if this is the case send me an email and I'll post the information on here.

How Much for Eto'o?

2007-06-01T16:47:00.000+02:00

It is being suggested in some newspapers that Liverpool have offered 60 million euros for Samuel Eto'o. While I don't believe for a minute that Eto'o will leave this summer, it got me pondering as to how much would be necessary for me to begin thinking about taking the money. Eto'o is irreplaceabe, the only player I would put close to him would be David Villa and Valencia would certainly not sell him cheaply. Other classy forwards who might be in the market such as Klose or Berbatov are different types of player and should only be considered as alternatives and not as replacements. So I really wouldn't consider selling Eto'o for anything less than €100 million. I know it's silly money but then I would never really want to sell him. I have a very strong feeling that we will be enjoying Eto'o's goals at Camp Nou again next season.

Nàstic 3 Barça 4

2007-05-31T23:56:00.000+02:00

Two goals in a minute from Giovani Dos Santos brought alive a game which was finally won with a last minute goal by Santi Ezquerro. Nàstic looked certain winners as they dominated the first half and went in 2-0 up through goals from Irurzun and Merino. Giovani had been ineffective in the first half playing wide on the left, but the half time substitution of Orlandi for Vázquez allowed Giovani to move inside while the excellent Orlandi played on the left wing. The move paid off on the hour. Orlandi crossed after a fine run and Giovani scored with a diving header. Within a minute Barça were level, Oleguer set up Giovani who finished cooly sliding the ball left-footed under the advancing keeper. Three minutes later Nàstic were in front again, Motta gave the ball away and the ball came through to Rubén Castro who chipped Jorquera. the Barça keeper got his hand on the ball but couldn't get back in time to stop the ball crossing the line. After 70 minutes Nàstic were down to ten men when Morales got his second yellow for pulling back Giovani. It was 3-3 after 77 minutes, good work again from Orlandi, and then from Thaer set up a chance for Ezquerro, but before he could react Nàstic defender Matellán stuck his foot in to intercept and poked the ball comically past his own keeper. Nàstic had Pinilla sent off with five minutes remaining for saying something to the ref. The nine men couldn't hold on, in the 93rd minute Orlandi sent in the sweetest of crosses which was met at the far post by Ezquerro whose firm header flew into the net.

Barça now face Espanyol in next Tuesday's final.

Jorquera, .....................5

Belletti, .......................5

Oleguer, ......................7

Olmo, .........................6

Sylvinho .....................5.5

(Thaer,min75) .............6

Marc Crosas...............6.5

(Sastre, min. 67) .........6

Motta .......................4.5

(Valiente,min 88)..........-

Víctor Vázquez ............5

(Orlandi, min. 46) .........8

Giuly .........................5.5

(Toni Calvo, min. 60)....5.5

Ezquerro .....................5

Giovani Dos Santos .....6.5

Rumours

2007-05-31T17:44:00.000+02:00

With there being no league games this weekend the media have to fill their papers with rumours of who is going to buy who this summer. The following is a list of some players who have recently been linked to Barça - Defenders: Dani Alves (Sevilla), Gabi Milito (Zaragoza), Eric Abidal (Olympique Lyonnais) Midfielders: Yaya Touré (Monaco), Xabi Alonso (Liverpool), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Forwards: Diego Milito (Zaragoza) Arjen Robben (Chelsea), Rodrigo Palacio (Boca Juniors), Roy Makaay (Bayern Munich), Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen), Diego Forlán (Villarreal) and Thierry Henry (Arsenal).

The one who seems closest to signing is Eric Abidal who has apparently agreed personal terms and Barça are now negotiating a fee with Olympique.

The most ridiculous story seems to have begun on SkySports who claimed that Madrid based paper Marca had run a report saying Barça were prepared to offer Samuel Eto'o plus 17million pounds for Thierry Henry. However, I can't find the story anywhere on Marca's website and it seems the whole thing was invented by Sky, but if anyone has a link to Marca's story, I'd be happy to rectify.

Copa Catalunya

2007-05-31T00:11:00.000+02:00

Barça take the short trip today to Tarragona to play Gimnàstic in the semi-final of the Catalan Cup with only 8 first team squad players. With thirteen players away on international duty, ten youngsters from the B and C team have been brought in to make up the numbers. With so many bigger tournaments in the season this game really has very little importance to fans, and many will just be hoping that none of the first team players get injured. It will however be a chance to see some of the stars of the future, with the promising Giovani Dos Santos being the one that most will be looking out for.

The full list is: Valdés, Jorquera, Belletti, Oleguer, Sylvinho, Motta, Giuly, Ezquerro, Jesús Olmo, Marc Valiente, Marc Crosas, Andrea Orlandi, Víctor Vázquez, Luis Sastre, Thaer Fayed, Toni Calvo, Giovani Dos Santos, Sergi Busquets. (Busquets is the son of our popular ex-goalie)

The game starts at 10pm in the Nou Estadi, Tarragona.

Kick Off Now Confirmed

2007-05-30T13:42:00.000+02:00

It has just been confirmed that Barça-Espanyol will kick off at 9pm Saturday 9th June. As long as the TV companies are happy...

Kick Off Times

2007-05-30T12:20:00.000+02:00

At the time of writing, the kick off times have not been confirmed for week 37 games. It seems likely that the desires of TV companies will override the wishes of the clubs and Barça-Espanyol and Zaragoza-Madrid will both start at 9pm on Saturday 9th June. The clubs prefer Sunday as it would give players an extra day to recover from international duty.

However, the fact that kick off dates and times are generally not confirmed until ten days before games take place is a cause of inconvenience for many fans, especially those who have to organise travel arrangements. In England, kick off times are confirmed a couple of months prior to games. When is the Spanish Football Federation going to get its act together?

Bojan Won't Be Loaned

2007-05-30T10:09:00.000+02:00

According to today's El Sport young star Bojan Krkic will be joining the first team squad next season. It had been rumoured that Krkic, who will be 17 in August, would be loaned out for him to gain more experience. However, the club have decided that he will stay as the first team's third centre-forward behind Samuel Eto'o and a summer signing. The intention is to give him a few appearances in the Copa del Rey, and the fact that Eto'o will be missing for a month due to the African Cup has also been a factor in the decision.

International Games Next Weekend

2007-05-28T23:25:00.000+02:00

With the closest title race in years in its final phase we now have an undesired and untimely interruption next weekend for international games. This breaks the league's rhythm, it is frustrating for fans and clubs are bound to complain if any of their players get injured. Whether the blame for this situation lies with FIFA, UEFA or the Spanish Football Federation I cannot say, but the powers that be should put a bit more effort into avoiding cases such as this.

One obvious solution would be to reduce the number of qualifying games for World Cups and European Championships. This could be done either by having more groups with fewer teams in each group in the qualifying stages or alternatively making the weaker national teams play preliminary games to reduce the number of teams playing in the final qualification groups. These preliminary games could be played in the same weeks as the European Championship or World Cup Finals when Albania or San Marino's finest are normally sunning themselves on some Mediterranean beach.

What Pérez Burrull Said To Messi

2007-05-28T19:46:00.000+02:00

According to today's El Pais Leo Messi has said that before Saturday's game with Getafe the referee Pérez Burrull warned him not to dive! "Before the game the ref told me 'Don't dive, you'll pay for it if I see you' "

I'm all in favour of communication between referees and players but surely this is taking things a bit far. If the ref wants to tell the captain or the team as a whole that he will be tough on one thing or another then fine. However, it is unfair to single out Messi, who despite sometimes overacting once he has been fouled rarely dives compared to plenty of others I could name.

Barça 1 Getafe 0

2007-05-27T00:30:00.000+02:00

A Barça team down to ten men for 51 minutes held on for a heroic victory against a no nonsense Getafe team who seemed intent on kicking Barça into submission. After Madrid's victory it was imperative for Barça to win. From the beginning the referee Perez Burrull seemed to show a difference in criteria for the two teams. Xavi was shown the yellow card after 5 minutes for a tackle from behind, while Casquero went unpunished after three similar fouls in the first 14 minutes. Casquero was eventually booked after 25 minutes, but his team mates continued to hack away at Barça. In the 39th minute Ronaldinho received the ball while tightly marked by Belenguer, the Getafe defender first held Ronaldinho's shirt while aiming a couple of kicks at him and when Ronaldinho finally fell to the floor he gave him another kick. Ronaldinho reacted from the floor by kicking back and seemed to catch Belenguer where it hurts most. Perhaps he deserved the red card but if the ref had not been so lenient with Getafe's excesses, it would not have come to this.
It was a shame because Ronnie was having one of his more inspired games. After only 2 minutes he put Barça ahead after great work from Eto'o. Messi found Eto'o in a bit of space and he ran between the two centre-backs, holding off the challenge of Belenguer before squaring to Ronaldinho as the keeper came out. Ronaldinho who was marginally onside finished comfortably. Barça played some good football in the first half but were missing the final pass. After 32 minutes Puyol went close with a header from Deco's free kick, and two minutes later Eto'o almost curled one over Abbondanzieri's head but the keeper palmed the ball away.
The crowd got behind Barça in the second half, convinced they had been hard done by, and the players responded superbly. It was nearly 2-0 after 57 minutes when Messi made a great run before freeing Deco on the right, his cross was met by the head of Eto'o but a defender just managed to divert the ball wide. From the resulting corner, first Messi had a header cleared off the line and then after a scramble managed another shot which went for another corner.
Getafe brought on Albin and Pachón after an hour and with his first kick Pachón almost equalized forcing Valdés into a fine save low to his left. Deco then nearly surprised Abbondanzieri from a free kick from wide on the left when most expected him to cross. Then on 70 minutes Celestini fluffed a good chance for Getafe, miscueing his volley over the bar.
As time passed, memories of Betis came flooding back: could Barça hold on? Messi and Eto'o were still causing problems up front but Barça were gradually giving up possession with the idea of getting behind the ball and retaining their lead. In the 81st minute Camp Nou breathed a collective sigh of relief, for once Puyol missed his tackle but when the cross came in, Oleguer, on as a sub for Belletti, intervened brilliantly in front of Casquero to save the day. Valdes dealt well with one more long range effort from Celestini and Barça held on. In many ways a better performance than last week's 0-6 drubbing of Atletico.

Valdés.....................7.5

Belletti.....................7
(Oleguer,62).............7.5
Thuram...................6.5
Puyol.......................7
Gio..........................7.5

Edmilson..................7
Xavi........................7
(Iniesta,93).............--
Deco.......................8

Messi.......................8.5
(Motta,90)................--
Eto'o........................7.5
Ronaldinho................6

Barça-Getafe Preview

2007-05-26T12:37:00.000+02:00

As occurred last weekend Barça will begin the game knowing the result of Madrid's game. If Madrid beat Depor in the Bernabéu Barça will need 3 points to stay in with a chance of La Liga, if Madrid drop points then a win will return Barça to the top of the table.
Frank Rijkaard has left out Saviola, Ezquerro and Sylvinho, while Marquez is still injured. The big questions are whether Edmilson will continue in midfield and will there be a place for Iniesta who was surprisingly left on the subs bench last week. Iniesta will probably return if Barça are going to play with the speed that will be necessary to break down the best defence in the league - Getafe have only conceded 29 in 35 games this season. It will also be interesting to see how Samuel Eto'o responds to all the nonsense in the press this week. Eto'o is a player who improves with pressure so expect to see him highly motivated tonight. There is also speculation as to how the Getafe defence will deal with Leo Messi after the criticism they received from their manager Bernd Schuster for not stopping Messi's wondergoal in the cup.
Getafe have four important players out - Güiza, Vivar Dorado, Ruano and Cortés - and already have their UEFA Cup place assured having reached the Spanish Cup Final, however they should be highly motivated if the stories are true that Real Madrid have offered them a bonus payment if they can stop Barça winning. They arrive in great form having beaten Espanyol 1-5 last week in the Olympic Stadium.
So expect another nail-biting evening and a tight game at Camp Nou.

Prediction: Barça 2 (Eto'o 2) Getafe 0

Problems With Eto'o?

2007-05-24T23:30:00.000+02:00

A lot has been said in the Spanish press this week about some comments made by Samuel Eto'o in an interview printed on Tuesday in Madrid based sports paper Marca. "The dressing room needs to be cleaned of those who leak things to the press" was immediately interpreted as a rift between Eto'o and certain team-mates. Some parts of the press have been saying for a while that there are problems between Eto'o and Ronaldinho. However, on Wednesday Eto'o made a point of saying his words had been deliberately twisted and that he was in fact talking about people outside the team. Today, various players including Ronaldinho, Gio, Zambrotta and Messi have all denied any problems with Eto'o. Messi replying to questions on the 'controversy' said that he had to laugh when he read stories of disputes between players.

So, could it just be a question of the press needing to sell their papers?

Injury Time

2007-05-23T23:02:00.000+02:00

Just watched the Champions League final. I know it's not Barça but I have to say I find it extremely irritating that the referee can signal 3 minutes injury time, in which time Milan made a substitution in order to waste time, and then blow for full time after 2 minutes 40 seconds. How can a referee read his watch incorrectly?

Lookie Likies

2007-05-22T19:19:00.000+02:00

Did you ever notice an uncanny resemblance between legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins and Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho?

Atletico Madrid 0 Barça 6

2007-05-21T11:34:00.000+02:00

A fine victory in the Calderon maintains Barça's title hopes alive. However, for the first 30 minutes Barça were as lacklustre as in many of their recent games. The first real goal attempt didn't arrive until the 32nd minute when Ronaldinho smacked a free-kick against the post, but Barça then came alive by capitilizing on an injury to Maniche. Atletico were briefly down to ten men when Messi made his first contribution to the game. picking up the ball 35 yards from goal he set off on a characteristic run, he then played a one-two with Eto'o before crashing in a left-footer. Atletico were forced to change their tactics and come out in search of an equalizer; Barça made the most of the spaces they left at the back. Before half-time, first Zambrotta lobbed Pichu and then Eto'o got on the end of a Deco cross to make it 0-3 at the break. The second half was all one way traffic and it just seemed a matter of how many would Barça score. Ronaldinho made it 0-4 after 56 minutes after another one-two with Eto'o. Eller was sent off with 20 minutes to go and it seemed that his team mates would have liked to go off with him. Messi scored his second of the game with a neat lob over the unfortunate Pichu, and Iniesta finished the job after Eto'o unselfishly set him up. So with three games to go Barça still have a good chance to take their third Liga on the trot, but will have to hope Madrid drop points.

Valdes .......................6.5

Zambrotta ..................6.5
Thuram .......................6
Puyol.......................... 7
Gio ............................6.5

Edmilson...................... 6
(Motta,m77) ................--
Xavi ............................6
(Gudjohnsen,m81) .........--
Deco ..........................6.5
(Iniesta,m67) ...............7

Messi .........................7.5
Eto'o ...........................8
Ronaldinho ...................6.5

Goal Difference

2007-05-14T22:42:00.000+02:00

Just in case anyone is wondering why Madrid who have scored 55 goals and conceded 34 are above Barça (64-30) it is because in La Liga when two teams are level on points only the goals scored in the games between those clubs are counted. So as Madrid beat Barça 2-0 at the Bernabéu and drew 3-3 at Camp Nou if the teams are level on points Madrid will be above Barça.

Is that clear???

As I said, just in case anyone was wondering...

Vergonya

2007-05-13T22:48:00.000+02:00

What possesses some 'fans' to go to the trouble of making a 20 metre long banner such as this?
Vergonya basically means shame or disgrace and after Thursday's 4-0 defeat to Getafe in the Spanish cup I share the feeling of shame. However, I would never in a million years think that in some way this was going to spur the team on to better things. The real 'vergonya' is caused by fans like this. I wish they would b*gger off and 'support' someone else.

Barça 1 Betis 1

2007-05-13T21:17:00.000+02:00

Barça could well pay the price for their lack of ruthlessness. Another game that should have been killed off by half-time was not won because Barça did not take their chances.
Barça led from the fifth minute through a Ronaldinho penalty after Deco was brought down, and in the first half had chances to finish the game off. First, Eto'o missed a header after a cross from Deco, then after half an hour Eto'o tried a spectacular overhead kick from a Ronaldinho cross that was superbly saved by Contreras, easily the best moment of the game. Eto'o had another chance in the 37th minute after dribbling into the area, but he might have done better to pass to Ronaldinho at the far post. Then, Iniesta could only toe poke wide after good work from Messi. Betis had their first chance in the 43rd minute when a mistake from Thuram let in Fernando but Valdes saved well.
The second half saw Barça continue to dominate but with fewer chances. An ineffective Ronaldinho was substituted after 67 minutes for Edmilson which seemed like a clear signal from Rijkaard that Barça were trying to hold onto their lead instead of looking for a second goal. With five minutes remaining Valdes was called on to make his second save of the game, unfortunately it was not to be Betis's last chance. In the 88th minute Betis won a free kick in Barça's half and a horrible lack of concentration from Xavi and Gio allowed Betis to profit from a quickly taken free kick, Valdes could do nothing as Sobis slipped in unmarked to equalise.
So with 4 games to go Madrid are top of La Liga for the first time this season. If Barça fail to win this league, which now seems likely, it will be a massive blow which may lead to some important changes in the squad. Many fans want to get rid of some of the higher rated players such as Deco and Ronaldinho. Personally I would prefer to sell some of the not so highly rated players like Ezquerro, Belletti, Saviola or Edmilson. But before the debate on who should come and who should go there is still a league to be won. Can Barça turn it around?
As a regular feature I will mark each player out of ten for their performance.

Valdes 5.5

Zambrotta 6
(Belletti, 46) 6
Puyol 7.5
Thuram 4.5
Gio 5.5

Iniesta 6
Xavi 5
Deco 5.5

Messi 5.5
(Saviola, 73) 5
Eto'o 6
Ronaldinho 5
(Edmilson, 67) 6

Madrid-Espanyol

2007-05-13T00:15:00.000+02:00

So Madrid heroically came back from 1-3 down to win 4-3. The surprising thing is that they should go 1-3 down to a team who has nothing to play for and has rested their best players (Tamudo, De La Peña) with an eye on next Wednesday's UEFA cup final. It seems no-one wants to win La Liga this year. Now the pressure is on Barça to beat Betis tomorrow night. As a Barça fan I do not feel optimistic, but at least it seems there will be an exciting finish to the league this season. Barça's last 4 Ligas (two with Rijkaard, two with Van Gaal) have all been won comfortably. I think the Culés are missing the nail-biting finishes of the early 90s. The Dream Team's popularity seemed to come from these last day of the season victories. Maybe it is what Rijkaard's team is lacking.

Thierry Henry

2007-05-12T16:55:00.000+02:00

Last summer I would have been happy for Barça to sign Henry. A proven goalscorer who could have been the perfect replacement for Larsson. However, one year on and things are quite different.
First, Henry turned down the chance to come when he had obviously given some indication that he was going to sign. You don't mess around with a club like Barça and then expect another chance. If he preferred Arsenal over Barça last season then he should live with that. I don't understand how Laporta could even consider him.
Second, his comments after last season's champions league final left a lot to be desired. "Maybe I should learn to dive, but I'm not a woman" Thierry must have had a sex change between the game against Barça and the World Cup as he showed by his theatrical skills in the France-Spain quarter final.
Third, I don't think Henry is the player he was. This season he has had all sorts of injuries and would be a huge risk at his age(30 in August).
So I hope it is just newspaper rumours and nothing will come of it. While we are on the subject of summer signings, I don't want the club to sign Frank Lampard either. He's over-rated and not a player in the Barça mould. I predict he'd have the same sort of impact as Mark Van Bommel last season i.e. very little