A Great Step Forward - Més Que un Club

At Last.....finally at Last Barcelona were able to overcome the Zaragoza hurdle in Copa Del Rey. The team looks like slowly getting out of the slump and regrouping. The tactical switch to 3-4-3 formation was the key for Barcelona's victory yesterday. The tactical switch provided Barca with an option of using the three midfield masterminds in the starting eleven- Xavi, Deco, Iniesta.
The option of using Messi as a lone striker does have its merits and demerits. Merits are he will create many opportunity but his problem is his finishing. One good thing about barca yesterday was they looked like the Barcelona we knew last season. There was number of opportunities created yesterday and that was the major factor which turned the match in our favor. But still the worrying factor is the way Barca takes foot off pedal after getting two goal lead and had to pay dearly for that too. Barcelona always looks more organized in attack than defence. This season Barcelona tend to carry form to coming matches. We always loses in pair and wins in pair. Example : Chelsea, Madrid and Valencia, Liverpool. This makes it very much essential to win against Sevilla, cause that could set the Tempo for coming season as far as CL and League is concerned.

The major question now is whether Rijkaard will employ the same 3-4-3 combination for upcoming matches. With Peter Crouch in the team 3-4-3 against Liverpool will be dangerous ploy - it will give more option in attack but defense? Sevilla match should be a good test for Eto'o also to prove that he is fully fit to travel to Anfield. When Eto'o comes back who will be employed in the right is the major question now - Messi or Guily? Messi has the skill whereas Guily has the pace. To win at Anfield all these questions has to have the right answer.

Whatever be the result of the next two matches, the team needs to get inspired and play well so that all their fans can hold their heads high. The players has to understand well that the Motto "More Than A Club" is not an advertisement campaign but a commitment to the society. As Oleguer Presas said

"When Barcelona win the league, we become the Army of joy finally able to face up to [Franco's troops]. We imagine ourselves halting that pack of tanks, responding to their bullets with song, laughing in the face of the fascist ire."

The Franco's troops are long gone but not the forces that oppress the helpless people of the world. Never in the history of any sports has one club become the symbol of the struggle for the oppressed.

Found this article about Oleguer Presas in Guardian :
Barcelona's right-back philosopher out to make world a better place

End Of Barca's European Dreams

Last night 2-1 defeat to Liverpool drops curtain on Barcelona's Champions League dream of this year. The most embarrassing and worrying factor for Frank Rijkaard about the defeat is the ease with which it came searching for Liverpool. Liverpool did not have to play anywhere near their ability to win this game, as Barca played perfect host by delivering the match in a palette to them. This does not come as a surprise as the Catalans recent performance should have warn this coming. Like against Valencia they have their Defence(yesterday Valdes also) to take the full responsibility of the defeat. But Does putting the blame entirely on the defence solves the mystery? No, I absolutely disagree. The blatant Truth is that its their offence's failures which is putting them in precarious position like this.

Last night Liverpool was anything but spectacular. They might have sticked to their task well, but then Barcelona's players attitude helped them well. Every one of the English commentator were praising their defence for the win, but I cannot agree completely over here. Whenever Barcelona upped the tempo Liverpool's defence was found wanting. If it was not for Sissoko or Carragher it would have been a different story. After the initial exchange of play when Barcelona upped the tempo, it looked like Liverpool is going to have lots of trouble. That phase of the match lasted till Deco's first Goal, in which we saw Barcelona's attacking force raiding the Liverpool territory ball after another. But that lasted only till that Goal came and after that Barcelona decided to sit back and enjoy. I don't find the rationale for such a decision, when you know that Anfield is not such an easy Ground. The tactic should have been to score at least 3 Goals and make the Tie safe.

But if we look deeper we can find that this laid back attitude is causing team more matches this season than players injury or players out of form. There was no explanation for team losing yesterday than this attitude, as Liverpool only had an average Game. Nobody ever saw Gerrard or Alonso on the field. But still they managed to Get two away Goals tell the way Barcelona played. When everyone was expecting the team to come and fire in all cylinders after the break, they were content with holding possession. They very well deserve to lose this match. But they could have tried a little harder so that the fans could walk home with some satisfaction.

It didn't came as a surprise that whenever Barca was able to make some impression in the Liverpool D it came from the right of the field through Messi. He might have seemed a little disillusioned in the second half, but he was the only Barca player along with Puyol who played at least well in the match. Last season Barca's strength were the one touch passing football and the pace they showed. It was the pace that combined along with the one touch football and skill which made them so dangerous. This season if we look carefully they are showing some glimpses of one touch football but they miss the pace completely. It cannot be attributed to the absence of Eto, as when Eto was there the same problem existed. Rijkaard has to address this as early as possible or change the 4-3-3 system to some conventional system. The 4-3-3 system needs the two above mentioned quality to be effective and Barca seems to miss at least one of them this season.

It will be honest to say that Barca's chances in the La Liga also will be diminished in the coming weeks. We have to expect Sevilla moving well ahead of them and may be Valencia will slowly overtake Barca for second spot. This could be a good time to see how good is the young talents we are having in our youth systems - Bojan Krkic, Dos santos, Marc Crosas, Olma etc. Rijkaard should start preparing for the next season from now onwards(forget about this season) and see wherever Barca need reinforcements. Certainly Zaragoza will kick them out of Copa del Rey coming 28th and Liverpool will complete formality by humiliating them with mostly a 2-0 defeat in Anfield.

Still as a Barcelona fan I will stay up late night to watch 2nd leg at Anfield hoping Barca beat them at least with a two goal margin. I will also hope we will win at Zaragoza by two goals(We last time lost their 4-1). You might think I am crazy, then without Hope this world will be a difficult place to live in.

Find more interesting articles at http://vkr-fcbarcelona.blogspot.com/

Barca´s Deco: "FC Barcelona the ideal Club for Cristiano ronaldo!"

Barca´s Deco: "FC Barcelona the ideal Club for Cristiano ronaldo!"

FC Barcelona´s Portuguese midfield star Deco is convinced that FC Barcelona is the ideal club and Barcelona the best place for international team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the future. Deco believes that 22-year-old Ronaldo should choose Barca over rival´s real Madrid if he should ever decide to leave Manschester United. Deco explained on Radio Marca: I would love it, if he came to play at Barca. I believe it is the ideal club for him. There are big clubs interested in Cristiano Ronaldo, but I personally believe that Barca would be better than Madrid, because of the team's form, the city is an ideal place to live, etc.

Barca´s Ronaldinho: "We have to be at our best to beat Liverpool"

Barca´s Ronaldinho: "We have to be at our best to beat Liverpool"

FC Barcelona's "El Magico" Ronaldinho told English tabloid "SUN" that he and his teammates have to be at their best to beat liverpool to progress to the quarter finals. Despite being branded as favourites ronaldinho insists that the UEFA Champions League clash is anything other than easy.

European champions of 2006 Barca host Liverpool, who won the title one year before, on wednesday night. An exciting tie over two legs is on the agenda and Ronaldinho believes that liverpool has a team able to win the European trophy again. Ronnie explained to the "SUN":

Liverpool won the European Cup two years ago, so we know it could go either way. I think we'll have to be at our very best to make it through to the last eight. Liverpool's incredible win in 2005 was amazing and an achievement we must be aware of. We have to learn from what happened to Milan. It would be a mistake not to consider Liverpool as one of the favourites to win this season's Champions League. Not only have they already won it, they have a team capable of doing it again. But we are a force in this competition and have an obligation to show them our quality too.
We know all about Liverpool. Steven Gerrard is a brilliant midfield player with a lot of force and Xabi Alonso complements him perfectly. They have a good passing range and we have to be very careful they don't release their strikers too much. The likes of Dirk Kuyt and Peter Crouch are dangerous. The core of Liverpool's side is of a very high standard. They can hurt us on the break, so we must not neglect that threat. The hour of truth has arrived and we fully expect to reach the heights we are capable of reaching. Winning the first leg is important to us. We must make home advantage count because we are going to suffer at Anfield, if we are not in front. I think, we are good enough to win both legs. We have confidence in ourselves and believe we can repeat last season and end the year as Champions League winners again.

Tougher Task Ahead For Catalans

If the performance against Racing is anything to go by, then Barcelona might be slowly awaking. They seems to do well in the midfield and defense, but still the forward lineups inability to create chances are becoming a big problem. Last season they had a problem of converting goals from numerous chances they usually creates. But this season, it seems its going other way. They are converting most of their chances, but the chances are very less from a very highly Talented Barcelona side.
The last match against Racing was a decent performance, basic analysis of the game is as follows:

1) Ronaldinho - Got two great goals, first one was pure class and the second one due to poor marking. He didn't tried to do spectacular things and concentrated on his job basically.
2) Saviola - Had a bad day, cannot blame him for that. He is an out and out CF and midfield has to supply balls to him(Which was very less). Most of the time he has to drop back to touch the ball says plenty of Barca's problem this season. It seems he is trying too hard to retain his place in the wake of Eto's coming back from injury. Should be given a start against Valencia.
3) Iniesta - Had a bad day. He is being played out of position. He fits brilliantly in the midfield, where his creativity will gel beautifully with Deco's. Right Forward position is either Guily's or Messi's.
4) Deco - Great as usual.
5) Xavi - Good player. Sometimes seems to getting lost.
6) Marquez - Until we find a good DM its better to have him as DM.
7) Defensive line was really great. There were some problems which should be sorted out.
8) Messi - Looked really good, will be back in may be days.
9) Guily - He was excellent with his pace.

Now concentrating on the Games on hand in the recent future, it is important to have a regular line up and stop shuffling at least until the match against zaragoza is over. So lets identify the line up for these matches.

---------------------------------------------Valdes---------------------------------------------

-------------------------Thuram-------------------------------Puyol---------------------------

----Oleguer/Belleti-------------------------------------------------------------Zambrotta-----

--------------------------------------------Marquez--------------------------------------------

---Xavi/Iniesta-----------------------------------------------------------------Deco-----------

---Messi/Guily--------------------------------------------------------------Ronaldinho--------

-------------------------------------------Saviola/Eto------------------------------------------

In the matches against Valencia and Liverpool its very necessary to have a tall DM to complement the defense, so I will prefer marques always. But against Zaragosa I will have Xavi there which will give more attacking option. The match against Valencia is the most crucial of all as it will set the tone for all the other matches. Barcelona has to win this one at any cost. This will give the necessary confidence to proceed further in Champions League and Copa del Rey and increasing the lead in La Liga.
With so much tension looming over the last weeks incidents involving Eto, it is very necessary for the team to have a confident boosting win against Valencia. If that doesn't happen we might see the team losing out of CL and Spanish Cup pretty soon. Its very much essential to the team to gel together. With Messi and Eto back they should be able to perform well and torment their opponents. Messi is the key as his pace will dictate terms. Deco and Ronnie's combination should be complemented by Xavi or Iniesta properly. Hoping for brighter days ahead.

- An Ardent Fan Of F C Barcelona.

Barça have the look of champions again

They may have scraped through their group, but it won't be easy to take the Champions League trophy away from Barcelona.
On the brink of making unwanted history as the first holders of the Champions League not to emerge unscathed from the group stages, the challenge Barcelona faced this evening should not be underestimated. Up against them were the free-scoring Bundesliga leaders, who were so unlucky to be eliminated by Juventus last season, were denied victory by a last-minute Barça goal earlier in this campaign, and showed in the second half tonight - albeit when it was too late - why they'll now be difficult to beat in the Uefa Cup. Yet in the first half Barça made the team in green and white look more like Yeovil than Werder Bremen, and in the process installed themselves as Champions League favourites once more.

What makes this achievement even more impressive is that Barça were missing two of their first-choice forwards, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o. Consider that loss of penetration and firepower for a second. How would Manchester United cope without Cristiano Ronaldo and Louis Saha? Or Chelsea without Andriy Shevchenko and Didier Drogba? Or Werder without Diego and Miroslav Klose, for that matter?

But Barça have world-class replacements for this pair in Ludovic Giuly and Eidur Gudjohnsen. In England, Gudjohnsen was known as an inside-forward, a guy who could either play off the striker or as a central midfielder. But at the Nou Camp, in Eto'o's absence, Frank Rijkaard has made him the pinnacle of the attack, as he is for Iceland, and with nine goals already this season he's proven his versatility. Giuly, meanwhile, was excellent, providing constant width as an outlet for Ronaldinho's left-to-right passes all night. It was just a shame he somehow missed from six yards after Gudjohnsen had almost scored the goal of the tournament with his jinking run through four defenders.


Barça's start to this game was similar to the relentlessness that the Australian cricket team showed against England in the early hours of this morning. Like the Aussies, Barça exerted such a stranglehold on the opposition that their thoughts were fully occupied with defending, rather than on how they could attack. Werder's mindset, usually so positive, became like England's: how to save the game, rather than how to impose themselves on it. It's partly because of their brilliance going forward that Barça are so miserly at the back - they've conceded less than a goal a game in La Liga this season - and so, where England scored just 28 runs in the morning session, Werder didn't manage their first shot until the 37th minute tonight. And Naldo's strike was off target.

Of course, just as the catalyst for Australia's success was Shane Warne, it was Barça's go-to man, Ronaldinho, who set them on their way with a moment of pure genius.

Ronaldinho - video powered by Metacafe
For those who think his free-kick - which was impudently slid under the wall as the Bremen blockade jumped en masse - was a fluke, think back to how the same player embarrassed David Seaman in the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals with an equally unusual set-piece. Barça fans will have recognised tonight's trick - Rivaldo used to perform it frequently during his spell at the club.

And yet as happy as the Catalans will feel when they awaken to triumphant headlines, they're a long way from repeating tonight's celebrations in Athens in May. The very nature of the knockout stages dictates this, with little to choose between the top dozen or so teams. Last year there was such a paucity of goals - 19 in 13 games from the quarter-finals onwards - that any side could beat any other in a two-legged tie.

For now though, Barça are happy just to have such concerns. The only history they can now make is as the first holders to retain the Champions League crown, rather than as the first holders to lose it at the first hurdle. And the tournament itself is the richer for that.
Highlights of First Half

Barcelona 2 - 0 Berdem Bremen - video powered by Metacafe

To Be Or Not To Be

"To Be Or Not To Be, That is the question"

The famous dialogue from 'Hamlet' might be the best way to describe Barcelona's situation in the Champions league. For all their artistry and talent of this great bunch of entertainers this will be their moment of truth. Bremen might not be an easy task but Barca have no other choice.

Emboldened Bremen face champions teetering on the brink

Defending champions Barcelona take on Werder Bremen for a place in the Champions League last 16 tonight.


The knock-out phase of the Champions League is meant to start in mid-February but at Camp Nou this evening the European Cup holders Barcelona have to win just to make it into the hat next week. Werder Bremen have arrived in Catalonia two points ahead of Barça in Group A and a draw will see the German side through alongside Chelsea. For Barcelona that scenario is unthinkable, but it is all many can think of.

"We don't want to think about that," was Frank Rijkaard response to the proposition yesterday afternoon. "We are preparing to win the game. It doesn't help to think about losing, it doesn't cross our minds. We have to go out there and do our jobs and beat Bremen, who are a very strong team. We are only thinking about completing our job and we don't want to think negatively. We've had a lot of success, they are a good team. It will be an interesting game."

Rijkaard's choice of adjective was interesting in itself. The agenda can change with a home win, of course, but at this juncture, seven months on from overcoming 10-man Arsenal in Paris, the thought of Barcelona being the first club to retain the European Cup since Milan in 1990 against Benfica is not dominating the Catalan mind.

A different statistic is rather more conspicuous: that if Barça do not win they will become the first reigning champions not to make it past the group stage since the advent of the Champions League group system in season 1992-93. In such circumstances qualification for the last 32 of the Uefa Cup could not be considered an achievement.

A repeat of last season's meeting at Camp Nou, when Werder were beaten 3-1 - adding to a 2-0 Barcelona triumph in Bremen - would make the current bout of tension look unjustified. Ronaldinho scored in both of those matches and, having been rested for the 1-1 away draw with Levante at the weekend, returns to spearhead an attack that will be missing not only Samuel Eto'o but also Lionel Messi.

Messi scored an 89th-minute equaliser in Bremen in September, otherwise Barça would already be eliminated, but is now another long-term injury. "I'm going to play the same way I always do," said Ronaldinho yesterday, "putting more pressure on my shoulders won't help my game. Only a win will do, so the responsibility is squarely on us."

In what Werder may call mind games, Rijkaard spoke of an "added motivation - that Bremen have said they are better than last year. They have pressured themselves."

Bremen are leaders of the Bundesliga, and observers have noted the height advantage the German team will have again and they know all about the pressure of close encounters. Last season they were two minutes away from dismissing Juventus to reach the last eight when their keeper, Tim Wiese, spilled a straightforward shot that Emerson then tapped into the empty net. That made it 4-4 on aggregate and it was Juve, on away goals, who went on to meet Arsenal.

Wiese remains in the Werder goal and the 24-year-old partly redeemed his reputation in the 1-0 win over Chelsea that has teed up this evening's intriguing meeting. Routinely described as "self-assured", Wiese said: "I'm certain we'll win 1-0 and reach the last 16. Of course the pundits and fans have labelled us outsiders, but we see ourselves on a par with Barça and believe we have a good chance."

It will be of no consolation to the participating teams but whoever fails to progress, at least the Uefa Cup will be enhanced.

Video :First Leg at Bremen


Bremen 1 - Barcelona 1 (Leo Messi) - video powered by Metacafe

Levante vs Barcelona

It has to be the worst performance by this talented Barcelona side to date. Even in the pre Ronaldinho season, I cannot see a match being played like this. It seems none of the players realized that Football is played for winning. The usual excuse has to be "they might not had Ronaldinho in the match neither they had Messi, Eto or saviola", but then this is not Chelsea or Real Madrid you are playing. The worse thing from yesterday's match is the attitude shown by players. I always believed that the match against Levante shud have been a trailer for the fans ahead of Bremen clash. But seeing their performance its plain clear that 99% chance are there to see this side go out of Champions League.

Barcelona vs Villareal

Pheeeewwwwwwwwww.... What a match..... First half looked like we were watching the best match in the season after the interval Barca just blewed Villareal away. Villareal might have been without their masterclass midfielder Riquelme, but they made Barca sweat very prolifically in first half. The second half was a clear contrast to its former. And its sad to see the real hero of the match(Deco) being sink in the Ronaldinho overhead kick. Deco seems to understand his responsibility very well. He is doing what Ronnie did last season without much fans and media glare. Iniesta will be the key in match agnst Bremen.

What a difference a day makes. Twenty-four little hours that brought rain
where there was sunshine and flowers, 24 little hours to witness two contrasting
faces of Spanish football - one George Clooney, the other David Mellor licking
piss off a stinging nettle - 24 little hours to swing from the life-affirming
beauty of Barcelona's wonder goal to the awful knot-up-that-noose ugliness of
Real Madrid in Valencia. Two faces, two identities, two approaches, one result.
Twelve weeks into the season and the Big Two(TM) are just three points apart.
Three points and a world.
The same world that adorns the cover of the Catalan
daily Sport: a huge satellite photo of the earth, swirling with clouds and
embossed with a cut-out-and-stick Ronaldinho, bottom in the air, legs over his
head, gnashers popping out at angles like Flakes from a cone, the ball flying
from his foot and into the net as he scores what the paper declares, "the most
beautiful goal in the world". Which might be pushing it a teensy bit - after
all, it was Pascal Cygan marking him - but it certainly was pretty special. Just
ask the man who conceded it. "I dived for the sake of diving; I had no idea
where the ball was," admitted goalkeeper Mariano Barbosa. "Still, at least I'm in the photo, eh?"
Well, quite. And what a photo. Saturday night, FC Barcelona vs Villarreal. Barça lead 3-0 with three minutes to go, Eidur Gudjohnsen has, as Marca puts it, "proven that he's no longer Icelandic but a fully-fledged Spaniard, a veritable Sammy Swimming Pool" by "winning" the penalty which Ronaldinho scores to make it 1-0; he has added a second himself with a header, and translucent playmaker Andres Iniesta has scored an acrobatic third to cap another brilliant display. Then Xavi Hernández collects the ball on the right, looks up and clips a cross into the area. Edmílson sees it drop towards Ronaldinho, and whispers to himself: "Go on, Ronnie - head it
in."
But rather than head it, Ronaldinho controls the ball on his chest, turns his back to goal, leaps into the air and hits a Chilean, as they say in Spain. Not punching Pinochet - although God knows he'd deserve it - but overhead kicking it past Barbosa. "It was a historic goal," beamed president Joan Laporta. "Priceless! It was like a computer game," screamed Marca, conjuring up deeply unpleasant images of big-bellied geeks with perspiration pouring through their pants, "somewhere a programmer starts to sweat; he has to turn this into a video game." AS, meanwhile, lauded it as the act of "a genius who is impossible not to love," and a million commentators shouted gol a billion times. As for the Camp Nou fans, they went bonkers and so did Dinho. Out came the hankies, off came the shirt and out, inevitably, came the yellow card - an act of pointless pettiness to sully a brilliant goal.
And yet referee Pérez Lasa's jobsworth behaviour as Dinho ran round the pitch doing a Giggs was not the only cloud, nor the weekend's worst, most mean-spirited moment. Hell, even the ref who broke the world record by showing five red cards in 12 minutes, culminating with the sending off of Almería goalkeeper Sander Westerveld, was not the worst. Because worse still was Real Madrid in Valencia on Sunday night. If Barcelona reminded why you fell in love with football, 24 little hours later Madrid showed you why you could be forgiven for shacking up with someone else instead.

It was Madrid vs Valencia
at Mestalla. It was a big, big game, the biggest of the weekend. It was a clash
of the titans and it was set up to be a beauty. Instead, Valencia blew it again
(and again) and, once Madrid had scored the game's only goal through Raúl on 51
minutes, it was pretty awful.
"Real Madrid played on the counter-attack,"
wrote Marca's Roberto Palomar. "And I mean the counter-attack: there was only
one of them and they scored from it. Capello has managed to turn Real Madrid
into a gang of brickies, heavy industry, a mine, a ministry, the inland revenue
- not jobs you can fall in love with, jobs where the only thing that matters is
the result. If you like it, good luck to you, but what horror!" El País,
likewise, described Madrid's display as "pure Capello-ism", while TVE's Juan
Carlos Rivero, following that well-worn path of Spanish anti-Italianism,
bemoaned the culture of a country obsessed with beauty when it comes to fashion
and food but irredeemably ugly and plain boring when it comes to
football.
All of which is sort of true, but it's not quite the point. Not
yesterday, anyway. After all, victory in Mestalla is an excellent result - even
if Valencia did have two more key injuries (both strikers) to add to a list
already as long as Mr Tickle's arm - and Madrid are perfectly entitled to play
defensively. They are entitled to play on the break, they are entitled to win
1-0, and they are entitled to be dull if that leads to them winning something at
last. But yesterday was different - however much some claimed it was typical
Madrid.
The problem yesterday wasn't the way Madrid played football, it was
that they didn't play football. It wasn't that they defended well, it was that
they got away with not defending well - Miguel Ángel Angulo missing two absolute
sitters from a combined distance of four yards. It wasn't that Raul, as one
report put it, deserved an Oscar for Madrid's goal, it was that half the Madrid
team deserved Oscars for their acting. If Madrid had defended well, kept the
ball and/or protected their lead by controlling the match, then fine. Instead,
they killed the game by, well, killing the game - with fouls, dives, constant
stoppages and aimless hoofs out of play. It was that two players got stretchered
off due to life-threatening injuries that kept them out of action for 30
seconds. The day after Ronaldinho brought sunshine and flowers, it wasn't Madrid
robbing Valencia of victory that blew away the rainbow, it was that they robbed
us all of half the game.

Ronaldinho Vs Villareal 2006 - video powered by Metacafe
Goals From the match

35' [1 - 0] Ronaldinho (pen.) http://www.toofiles.com/en/oip/videos/avi/ron-pen-v-vil.html

55' [2 - 0] E. Gudjohnsen http://www.toofiles.com/en/oip/videos/avi/gudj-v-vila.html

70' [3 - 0] A. Iniesta http://www.toofiles.com/en/oip/videos/avi/inies-v-vila.html

88' [4 - 0] Ronaldinho - Fantastico overhead kick http://www7.spread-it.com/dl.php?id=0ef92765b29cbd58bb07fc2f4e10442c3ee94407

Levski Sofia vs Barcelona Match preview

Its not only the struggle by the giant to stay in the league, its also the struggle by a minnow to make their mark. Its for this precise reason Frank Rijkaard has to be worried of the challenge he is facing at Levski. Failure is not an option for him with such a talented side. So Barca has to overcome the stiff chilly climate, a hostile crowd, a one hour shift and a determined Levski Sofia team to keep their Champions League hopes alive. There are many positive signs for them with Ronnie slowly finding his touch, Deco becoming a silent executor and Iniesta doing well inthe middle. But all their problems in this season has came when they travel away from Nou Camp. So the team has to show determination shown like the 2nd leg match against Chelsea.

European Slump

Barcelona have not won in the Champions League since their 5-0 mauling of
Levski Sofia on the first matchday. The Catalans have picked up two out of the
available nine points since, and are down in third place, two points behind
Werder Bremen. What is surprising is that it could have been worse. They might
have already been on the way out had Messi not grabbed a late late equalizer in
Bremen on the second matchday. That was the game Eto'o was injured in, and Messi
has also since been sidelined. To add to that, the chill in Sofia on Wednesday
evening is unlikely to help their game either. Positives It was Levski Sofia
that they out-classed to pick up their only win of the competition so far, and
the 5-0 hammering of the Bulgarians is sure to fill them with confidence. The
4-1 win in Mallorca on Sunday, when the likes of Gudjohnsen, Ezquerro and
Iniesta chipped in with reassuring goals, will also help them prepare without
anxiety. There are also no niggling injuries to worry about, with the three
forwards - Messi, Saviola and Eto'o - the only ones missing.

Levski's Hope

For the record, Levski Sofia can still snatch third place from Barcelona,
provided they win their two remaining games and Barca lose theirs. While that
might be nothing more than a statistic, the fact remains that this is the game
of their lives, and the Bulgarians are treating it as a chance to make a point
after four consecutive losses in the competition. Given the situation Barcelona
are in, even a draw for Levski could make headlines across Europe, making for a
real thriller.

TEAM NEWS

Levski Sofia Levski have been hit with a thigh injury to striker Emil
Angelov, who has been a regular under Stoilov. However, Bulgarian U-21
international Valeri Domovchiyski, and the experienced Georgi Ivanov have both
been declared fit. Ivanov should spearhead Stoilov's attacking 4-3-3, with
Telkiysky and the versatile Yoyov for support, as Levski have a go at Barcelona.
Probable Starting XI: Mihaylov - Milanov, Topukazov, Tomasic, Lucio - Boromirov,
Angelov, Eromoigbe - Telkiysky, Yoyov, Bardon

Barcelona But for Saviola, Eto'o
and Messi, Rijkaard has his entire squad available for the game, and the
motivation has never been higher, suggest those who saw the team train on
Monday. There are doubts as to who out of Iniesta and Xavi will start, but the
rest of the team pretty much picks itself, with Giuly and Gudjohnsen partnering
Ronaldinho up front.

Squad: Valdés, Jorquera, Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Edmílson, Puyol, Sylvinho, Gudjohnsen, Márquez, Ezquerro, Giuly, Oleguer, Xavi, Thuram, Motta, Zambrotta, Gio and Deco. Probable Starting XI: Valdes - Zambrotta, Puyol, Marquez, Gio - Iniesta, Edmilson, Deco - Giuly, Gudjohnsen, Ronaldinho.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Levski Sofia: Yoyov The versatile forward should start in a roaming role, and
his combination of pace and vision will be crucial to the Bulgarians making any
impression on the Barcelona defense.

Barcelona: Gudjohnsen Goals are what Barca
will need to pick up full points, which is why the former Chelsea man will be
under the microscope again.

Not as Easy as it Looks

Barcelona exploded into life after a slow start, and ran out convincing winnners against a Mallorca side who put up more than a fight.
First Half
Rijkaard started with Oleguer ahead of Zambrotta on the right, and Motta and Iniesta ahead of Edmilson and Xavi, clearly with one eye on the midweek clash against Levski Sofia.
Manzano also dished out a surprise, going with just Maxi Lopez up front, packing five across midfield with Arango in a roaming role. It worked, for it was the hosts who settled well into the game, denying Barcelona time or space.
However, they lacked bite in the final third, and could not find the goal to show for all their efforts, even as Basinas came close with a long range drive, and Arango headed just over from a corner.
Barcelona were struggling to settle in, and half an hour into the game, there were still no shots on target for either side. Just as it was beginning to look like Barcelona were not up for this one, came the kind of move that few teams other than them can put together.
Ronaldinho received a ball from Motta on the edge of the box, superbly turned his marker, slid it wide to Deco, who slipped it superbly to Gudjohnsen, and the Iceland international calmly touched it around the Prats, and slotted it into the empty net to break Mallorca's spirit on the stroke of half time.
Second Half
Manzano's half-time talk must have been inspirational, for Mallorca refused to throw in the towel after the break. Maxi Lopez had a fabulous chance ten minutes into the half, but failed to keep his composure, allowing Valdes to save easily.
They were made to pay minutes later, as a peach of a pass from Iniesta found Gudjohnsen, who touched and turned in one swift move, and calmly slotted it past Prats to make it 2-0 in the 58th minute.
Victor Casadesus came on for a clearly frustrated Maxi Lopez, and Jordi for a tiring Basinas, as Manzano looked towards fresh legs. Rijkaard's mind was already on Wednesday's trip to Levski Sofia, and he brought Zambrotta on for Puyol, with Oleguer slotting into the centre alongside Marquez.
The Mexican took it a little too easy, though, as Victor managed to win the ball from him in the Barcelona penalty area, and coolly slide it through the legs of Valdes to bring Mallorca back into the game with 20 minutes left on the clock.
That woke Barcelona up, though. Ezquerro came on for Gudjohnsen, who had done his job for the night. Mallorca tried to get the equalizer, but failed, even as Diego Tristan was thrown into the mix.
Barcelona were beginning to find spaces, and look really menacing on the break as Mallorca threw the kitchen sink at them. With ten minutes left on the clock, a pass from Gio sent Deco free up the left, but he was brought down by Varela, who picked up his second yellow of the game for his efforts.
That was the end of Mallorca's challenge, and time for Barcelona to rub it in. Rijkaard took the opportunity to bring Xavi on for Giuly.
Iniesta move to the right, with the freedom to go forward, and made it 3-1 with five minutes left on the clock after some superb work from Ronaldinho, and Ezquerro grabbed one for himself in injury time to make it a dominating 4-1 win.
Barcelona go back to the top of the table, one point ahead of Sevilla, and three ahead of Real Madrid.
Mallorca: Prats - Pereyra, Ballesteros, Nunes, Navarro - Jankovic, Ibagaza (Tristan, 80'), Basinas (Jordi, 61'), Varela - Arango - Maxi Lopez (Victor Casadesus, 61').
Barcelona: Valdes - Oleguer, Marquez, Puyol (Zambrotta, 63'), Gio - Iniesta, Motta, Deco - Giuly (Xavi, 82'), Gidjohnsen (Ezquerro, 71'), Ronaldinho.
Goals: 0-1, Gudjohnsen (42'); 0-2, Gudjohnsen (58'); 1-2, Victor (70'); 1-3, Iniesta (86'); 1-4: Ezquerro (91'+)

Goals:

http://www.zshare.net/download/41-gudjohnsen-0-1-barcelona-zip.html

http://www.zshare.net/download/58-gudjohnsen-0-2-barcelona-zip.html

http://www.zshare.net/download/85-iniesta-1-3-barcelona-zip.html

http://www.zshare.net/download/91-ezquerro-1-4-barcelona-zip.html

Time For Damage Control

Barcelona Injuries to Eto'o, Messi and Saviola have left Barcelona's season in the balance. It will take something special from the rest to limit the damage before they can recover, or reinforce.

Rewind to August, and the talk of Barcelona was whether Saviola would be surplus to the club's needs - a luxury. The Catalans were desperate to offload the Argentine, to the point that they even offered him a letter of freedom.
Barely three months later, injuries to Messi and Eto'o have left their attack crippled. Just as it started to look like Saviola would turn saviour, even he was sidelined.
There have been injuries previously too - Larsson, Motta, Edmilson two years ago, Xavi, and Messi last year - but it was spread over the pitch, allowing them to recover. Its three forwards this time, and with a wafer-thin forward line remaining, it looks very slippery.
Nobody was willing to consider reinforcements when Eto'o was injured - maybe rightly so, maybe not. They were still just as dismissive when Messi was ruled out. But within hours of that, Saviola's muscle problems came to the fore, and the tone started to change.
From a 'we don't know', it turned into a 'maybe', and now, Luque, Larsson and Palacio are firmly placed on the Catalans' radar.
Yet there is little they can do until January, as an emergency signing requires a five-month injury layoff. Barcelona's only chance was when Eto'o was injured, but they had no way of knowing that it could go so wrong.
That said, they were guilty of underestimating the Cameroon international's importance. You have to ask yourself if Chelsea would have signed a Drogba replacement, or if Real would have covered a hypothetical Ruud absence. The answer, unfortunately, puts Barca on the wrong side of the fence.
The Catalans now have four players - Ronaldinho, Gudjohnsen, Giuly, Ezquerro - for three positions, and must make do with that at least until January.
They still lead La Liga, but it's so close at the top that a couple of bad weeks could see them drop outside the top four. The problem, however, lies elsewhere. They must win both their remaining Champions League games to qualify for the knock-out stages, and it is not clear that they have an edge over a very dangerous Werder Bremen with the attack that remains.
It is surprising that even now - at a time when the club need to put their hands up and say: 'yes, we need to reinforce,' with no strings attached - sporting director Txiki Begiristain indignantly argues that Iniesta and Deco can also play in more advanced positions, conveniently forgetting that it is bite up front that is the real problem.
One understands that success has made them confident, and that has its positives, but there is a fine line between that and arrogance. Txiki continues to insist that Giovanni Dos Santos - arguably a natural replacement for Messi - should not be called up from the junior team, as it is more important he remains available for Barca B.
One more injury or suspension could leave them with absolutely no options on the bench, making two games a week almost impossible to cope with. Even if they are lucky hereon, the impact on the players still available will be felt come April, when thin squads start to burn out.
Ronaldinho and Giuly look set to play two games a week for the next two months, and one has to wonder whether Barca can even afford to compete in four remaining competitions - including the Intercontinental Cup.
There is only one way forward - damage control, followed by Larsson's arrival on January 1.
Barcelona have to put everything into the two Champions League games, even if that means dropping points in La Liga. The away clash against Levski Sofia isn't going to be a cake-walk, and Werder Bremen at Camp Nou on the final matchday will be even tougher. Not qualifying is not an option!


Once they have secured qualification, they can throw everything into the League, and hope that the Intercontinental Cup doesn't take a lot out of them. They must use their reserve team shrewdly in that competition, rather than allow their marketable stars to burn out for the sake of some extra publicity.
The only silver lining is that there are a few relatively easy League fixtures coming up, with the Real Madrid, Valencia, Deportivo, Zaragoza and Sevilla games all behind them, but they will only make the most of that if they set themselves up for it.
As for new arrivals, Palacio or Luque are both good players, but if they take two months to settle in, the very purpose is defeated. The Argentine can wait for the summer. Larsson, and only Larsson, can solve their problems.
But even before that, it is going to take something special, along with a lot of luck, for four players to fill three spots, and carry the team through to January without slip-ups. It could be Rijkaard's biggest test since the torrid four months at the start of his tenure three years ago!

Bojan Krkic

Bojan Krkic, born on August 28, 1990, in Linyola (Serbian: Lleida)is a 16 year-old Serbian-Spanish footballer who plays for Barcelona FC in Spain. His father, who holds the same name was a well known footballer in Serbia, where he played for Crvena zvezda. Bojan Krkic Jr. shot to prominence at the UEFA European Under 17 Championships in Luxembourg in May 2006 when he was joint top-scorer. He achieved this despite only playing 45 minutes in the four out of five of Spain Under-17s matches. He scored a hat-trick against Luxembourg before inspiring his side to a 3-0 victory over the eventual champions Russia, with all of the goal being scored when he came on to the pitch as a second half sub. In the third match of the tournament, he scored a penalty after once again being introduced at half time. He started the semi-final against the Czech Republic but after his team mate Roberto Garcia was sent off, Spain struggled and lost 2-0 in a shock result. In the third-place play-off Krkic was once again a second half sub and wreaked havoc in Germany's defence as he scored the opener on 53 minutes. When the match went to spot-kicks, Krkic cooly slotted his into the top-right corner of the net and his side won the match 5-4 on penalties to finish third.

Krkic is also reported to have scored over 800 goals in the lower divisions of Barcelona.
He is expected to become a full Barcelona player very shortly. Once 17 (and able to sign professionally) it will not be long before he is in the first team.

Giovanni Dos Santos

Giovanni dos Santos Ramírez (born May 11, 1989 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico) is a Mexican football midfielder who plays for FC Barcelona B and was part of the under-17 Mexican football team that won the FIFA U-17 World Championship 2005 held in Peru. He assisted in the first goal in the final game which the Mexican team won 3-0. With the number 8 on the back, Dos Santos, also known as "Gio", helped Mexico to defeat Brazil.

A great playmaker, he is often compared to Ronaldinho both for his physical appearance and his skills with the ball. He is the son of the former Brazilian football player Gerardo Dos Santos, but better known as "Zizinho", who played on the Mexican soccer teams América and Monterrey in the early 1990s. Has two brothers; an older brother, Eder and a younger brother, Jonathan who also plays for FC Barcelona, but in the Juvenil B category.Together with his brother Jonathan dos Santos he is one of the most promising FC Barcelona players and also one of several highly-rated Mexican youngsters already playing in Europe.

Gio Dos Santos scored in his debut game for FC Barcelona senior team against Aarhus in a friendly match on July 29th 2006.[1] Still, his debut on an official match is pending, but it's expected that it would happen at some point during the year 2007; on that same year it's expected his participation with the Mexican U-20 National Team.

More Headaches for Frank Rijkaard

Javier Saviola has been ruled out for between four and six weeks after straining his thigh. The injury, together with Leo Messi's, leaves Barça with attacking problems.

After losing Eto'o and then Messi, Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard must now contend with the absence of another forward in Saviola. The Argentinian striker has suffered "a small tear in his left thigh muscle," said a club medical bulletin. "The injury is in a risky area and it will take four to six weeks to recover from."

The former River goalscorer netted Barça's third of the night against Zaragoza, but incurred the injury in virtually the last action of the match. In the absence of Saviola, Rijkaard now has four forwards, Ronaldinho, Ludovic Giuly, Santi Ezquerro and Eidur Gudjohnsen, to choose from for the last few weeks of 2006.

Messi set for Tuesday surgery

The club's medical team have also said that Messi, who will be out for around threemonths, will undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair his broken metatarsal bone in his left foot. Antoni Dalmau will be the doctor performing the surgery, which will take place at 9am in the Hospital Asepeyo in Sant Cugat.

Doctor Dalmau and Doctor Ricard Pruna, will then hold a press conference at 1pm in the Camp Nou.

These all players will be available for selection from January 2007, If they recover within the schedule. Barcelona has tough times ahead with Chamion League Qualification and World Club Championship lying ahead in the schedule.. The Three key members in the squad has to start firing in all cylinders - Ronnie, Deco, Xavi

A Night Of Mixed Feelings

FC Barcelona beat Zaragoza 3-1 tonight at the Nou Camp and are back at the top of the Spanish League table, as prior leaders Sevilla dropped two points after drawing at Racing Santander. In a close and entertaining match, Gabriel Milito opened the score for Zaragoza and Ronaldinho (2) and Saviola made the goals that sealed Barcelona's comeback.

However, there was also bad news tonight as Lionel Messi got injured and had to leave the pitch in the 23rd minute, being substituted by Ludovic Giuly. Medical tests performed on the Argentinian player after the match have confirmed that Messi suffered a fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone of his left foot, will need to undergo surgery and may be out for three months.

Barcelona are now the alone Liga leaders with 23 points. Sevilla, Real Madrid and Zaragoza come behind them.

The Plus point as far as Barca are concerned form the match are:

1) They are back to where they belong Top of the League...
2) Ronnie is showing every sign of recovering back to his usual form....
3) Barca came back well from a goal down...........
4) ronnie might have scored the Goal of La Liga....

I am adding the Links to 2nd and 3rd Goal here... Its posted by Richie... So sincerely using this oppurtuinity to thank him...

http://www.uploading.com/files/KRTFQ2H2/ronaldinho2.avi.html

http://s1.upload.sc/request/4c5ddd71dc3b9b4c5aa640681c432685

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Welcom friends and all Barcelona fans.... I will try to make all the reports available about FC Barcelona in here...

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