Tag: Barcelona

23Sep By Silver Emmanuel3 Comments

LALIGA

Barcelona beat Villarreal 5-1 with the help of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha

Forwards Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both scored twice to help Barcelona thrash hosts Villarreal 5-1 on Sunday as the visitors maintained their perfect start in La Liga with a sixth consecutive victory. Lewandowski found the net twice inside 35 minutes before Villarreal pulled a quick one back through Ayoze Perez but Pablo Torre made it 3-1 after the break and Raphinha completed the rout for Barca with two goals late in the second half. On Saturday, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said he was delighted with his side’s play and resiliency in their clash against Espanyol, fighting back to win 4-1 after falling behind due to a rare blunder by their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Ancelotti praised his players’ poise under pressure as they dominated proceedings, earning a win thanks to go...

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21Sep By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

‘It’s a big game for us’ – Marcelino relishing taking on Barca & Yamal

Villarreal boss Marcelino has been talking about Barcelona ahead of Sunday’s La Liga clash between the two sides at La Ceramica. Head coach of Villarreal CF, Marcelino Garcia Toral, during the La Liga match between Valencia CF and Villarreal CF at Mestalla Stadium in Valencia, Spain, on August 31, 2024. (Photo by Jose Miguel Fernandez/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Barca head into the match top of the league and face a Villarreal side who have also enjoyed a start season and are looking forward to the game. “It’s a big game for us. We are playing against a great team, the best in the league at the moment. That’s what the results and the numbers say. We’re going to play a very nice game with great expectation,” he told reporters. “These are the kind of matches that we professi...

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20Sep By Silver Emmanuel3 Comments

Champions League

Champions League: Barca lose to Monaco as Arsenal draw with Atalanta

On matchday 1 of the Champions League Barcelona dropped points, Manchester City and Arsenal failed to win and there were some banner results already. Bayern Munich scored nine goals. French club Monaco upset 10-man Barcelona by grinding out a 2-1 victory on Thursday in the Champions League, while a stunning David Raya double-save ensured Arsenal a goalless draw away to Europa League winners Atalanta. Barca have started the season with a perfect record after five La Liga matches but, hindered by a red card in the 11th minute for Eric Garcia, fell to defeat on the French Riviera. Maghnes Akliouche fired the French side into the lead five minutes after Garcia was dismissed for a last-man challenge on Takumi Minamino. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal equalised in the 28th minute with an arrowed ...

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19Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

LALIGA

Barcelona among Europe’s biggest clubs in pursuit of latest Salzburg revelation

The aim for FC Barcelona moving forward remains to improve their squad in a cost-efficient way. Years of misspending and mismanagement have put them in enough trouble as it is, but the club can only work on avoiding any future mishaps. To do that, however, Barcelona has a plan to mainly pursue certain types of players. One of those types is young players who are seen as market opportunities but are also great sporting prospects. That is the way that the club managed to secure the signings of the likes of Pedri, Ronald Araujo, and other talents in the first place over the last few years. Now, moreover, they continue that trend by following promising youngsters across Europe and even across other continents. From the attack all the way to the back-line, there are no restrictions on what ...

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19Sep By Silver Emmanuel3 Comments

LALIGA

‘I am impressed’… Barcelona coach praises La Masia and the club’s youngsters

FC Barcelona has been quite reliant on the qualities of their youngsters to pull them through in recent years. While it is also true that the same can be said for the club’s golden period, it is now more about survival than thriving at times. Yet, with Hansi Flick’s arrival, Barcelona can dare to dream about reclaiming their place again. Players like Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Fermin Lopez, and many others have already given the club enough evidence to feel hopeful about. As the days and matches go by, that hope only continues to grow and the club aims higher and higher. Even now, ahead of the clash between Barcelona and Monaco in the UEFA Champions League, German coach Hansi Flick has decided to include two young 16-year-old cousins in his squad list for the upc...

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17Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

LALIGA

Ansu Fati continues to impress Hansi Flick

As Barcelona prepare to face Monaco on Thursday in the Champions League, the Blaugrana are taking stock of their current performances in LaLiga and have to love what they are seeing. Although Xavi did indeed do a strong job of setting the foundation for Barcelona, Hansi Flick has, as anticipated, taken the club to new heights from a tactical perspective and has done a significantly better job of working with the attacking players, especially young standouts. This past summer, there was concern that Ansu Fati could leave the club permanently after failing to get on the pitch long enough at Brighton, failing to answer the concerns that led to him temporarily leaving Barcelona in the first place. But instead of giving up on Fati, Flick is backing the 21-year-old, who was once, like Lamine Yam...

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16Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

BUNDESLIGA

Barcelona, PSG Target Shines with Impressive Stat in Bayern Munich’s Win over Holstein Kiel

During the summer transfer window, Paris Saint-Germain showed interest in Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich. However, the experienced midfielder chose to stay with the Bavarian club for the final year of his contract. Kimmich demonstrated precisely why both clubs hold him in such high regard this weekend. If Kimmich doesn’t sign a contract extension this season, he’ll have the freedom to decide his next move and could leave Bayern as a free agent next summer. Mundo Deportivo recently reported that Barcelona has set its sights on Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah and Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich as part of their 2025 plans to bolster both the midfield and defense. WhoScored spotlighted an impressive stat in Bayern Munich’s win this past weekend. According to the stats outlet, Kimmich won possession...

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16Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

LALIGA

Ferran Torres sends message to Barca fans after being sent off

Ferran Torres has sent out a message to Barcelona fans after being sent off in Sunday’s 4-1 La Liga win over Girona. The Shark came on in the second half but lasted just 17 minutes after being hit with a red card after an ugly challenge on Yaser Asprilla. Torres took to social media after the win to apologise for his sending off. He wrote on Instagram: “We won, which is the most important thing, but I want to take this opportunity to apologize to the team, the fans and the rival player. The desire has played a hard game on me. Thursday starts a new challenge.” The referee’s report noted that Torres was handed his marching orders “for making a tackle using excessive force on an opponent in the dispute for the ball.” Torres will now miss Barcelona’s next La Liga game against Villarreal on S...

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14Sep By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

LALIGA

Barcelona lineup vs. Girona: Predicted XI for La Liga clash

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick could select an unchanged lineup for Sunday's Catalan derby against Girona at Estadi Montilivi. BARCELONA CATALONIA, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 11: FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick arrives at the wreath laying at the monument of Rafael Casanova, on the occasion of the Diada, at Ronda de Sant Pere-Ali Bei, on 11 September, 2024 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The Diada day in Catalonia begins with the floral offering to Rafael Casanova, to which a retinue of all institutions and parties, except PP and Vox, is expected. In addition, today is the first September 11 without a pro-independence president at the head of the Generalitat for 12 years and therefore, there will be no representatives of the Executiu in the pro-independence demonstration. (Photo By Lorena Sopena/Eur...

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13Sep By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Yamal: I want to stay at Barca forever & become a legend

Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal has appeared on Spanish television and chatted about a range of topics following his rapid rise to superstardom. The teenager spoke about comparisons with Lionel Messi and how he hopes he can stay at the club for his whole career. “I want to stay at Barça forever, I want to be a legend,” he told El Hormiguero. “I like to be compared to the best player in the history of football, but I want to be myself. Reaching Messi’s level is impossible.” Rather inevitably, Lamine was also asked about his good friend Nico Williams after a summer where Barcelona were regularly linked with the forward. Yet Yamal had a pretty diplomatic answer when asked about the prospect of playing alongside his good mate at Barcelona. “I would like to play with him every week, hopefully,...

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12Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

LALIGA

Gavi returns to Barcelona training after ACL tear

Barcelona midfielder Gavi returned to training on Thursday as he edges closer to a return to action after almost 10 months out with a serious knee injury. Gavi, 20, has not played since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while playing for Spain against Georgia in a qualifying match for the European Championship at the end of last year. BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 12: Pablo Martin 'Gavi' of FC Barcelona looks on prior to the Joan Gamper Trophy match between FC Barcelona and AS Monaco at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on August 12, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images) A source has told Football Flame that no date has been fixed for a possible comeback at this stage, with the next steps dependent on how he responds to a gradual increase ...

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12Sep By Silver Emmanuel3 Comments

LALIGA

Barcelona have the two most experienced teenagers in world football

La Masia is back on top, as Barcelona are easily producing the finest prospects in world football, assembling a star-studded lineup where the majority of the key players are homegrown talents. Gavi and Pedri have been anchoring the midfield for the past couple of seasons, Alejandro Balde was a massive breakout star at left back in 2022/23 when Barcelona last won LaLiga, and both Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi emerged as legitimately two of the best players in LaLiga in their respective positions. Yamal, in particular, was a revelation, dominating the competition at Euro 2024 as a key player for champions Spain. Both Yamal and Cubarsi are just 17 years old, so, in theory, Barcelona have two world-class players on their hands for the next 15 years. Cubarsi and Yamal are so good, i...

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11Sep By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

LALIGA

Deco explains why Barca signed Dani Olmo and not Nico

Barcelona sporting director Deco has revealed why the club decided to buy Dani Olmo rather than Nico Williams in the summer transfer window. The Catalans were linked with Williams all summer. Joan Laporta said the club could afford to sign the Athletic star, but Barca opted to splash out on Olmo instead. Here’s what Deco’s said in an interview with Barca One when asked about the transfers. “A high-level winger was needed. We have Raphinha, Ferran, the return of Ansu who was very good in pre-season but had a foot injury, we have Lamine ... We have players who can play as wingers like Fermín or Dani Olmo . “We were clear that to bring in a player he had to be of a very high level. But in the end, signing Dani Olmo gave you more options. It’s not that we haven’t spoken with clubs and play...

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10Sep By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

LALIGA

Memphis Depay set to join Corinthians in Brazil on a 2-year deal

Corinthians published a picture Monday of Depay holding a club shirt and meeting with a club executive. The 30-year-old Depay, who played for the Netherlands at the European Championship in July, will be the first ever Dutch player to join the popular Brazilian club, which has more than 35 million supporters. Brazilian media reported that Depay has undertaken his medical tests and will arrive in Sao Paulo later this week. Depay started his career at PSV Eindhoven in 2011 and later had spells at Manchester United, Olympique Lyon and Barcelona before joining Atletico Madrid. The Dutch striker played 39 times for Atletico Madrid and scored only nine goals last season. Corinthians is fighting to avoid relegation in the Brazilian league, with 13 rounds remaining. It is also in the quarterf...

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9Sep By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

LALIGA

Flick does more La Masia homework over the international break

Barcelona may not have had a game this weekend due to the international break but that hasn’t stopped new boss Hansi Flick from taking in some action at the club. The German showed up to watch Barcelona’s Juvenil A play on Sunday, showing once again how interested he is in the club’s youngsters. Flick was in attendance in a win for the youngsters too. Juvenil A ran out 2-1 winners over Badalona. Juliano Belletti’s side, who have started the season well, took all three points thanks to goals from Brian Farinas and Mauro. Barcelona’s new boss has already spoken glowingly about the club’s famed La Masia academy and it’s been previously reported that one of the reasons he got the job was his excellent knowledge of the club’s young stars after studying them intensely. It’s certainly been ...

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6Sep By Silver Emmanuel4 Comments

LALIGA

Injured Barcelona forward hopes to be back in time for clash against Girona

The objective of any FC Barcelona player should always be to play their best football for the team. Unfortunately, that becomes impossible to do if a player is constantly suffering from injuries and the inevitable repercussions. Even right now, many key Barcelona players continue to suffer because of this exact reason. As a consequence, even the collective team and club begins to suffer as well. La Blaugrana need their best players available, and if they cannot even be fit for selection their input for the team becomes absolutely nothing. Fortunately, however, some key players are now close to returning as well. One of the players whose return is expected sooner than others is Ansu Fati. The 21-year-old Barcelona forward, who still has ownership of the iconic number ‘10’ at the club,...

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5Sep By Silver Emmanuel3 Comments

NEWS

FC Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen settling into No. 1 gig with Germany

FC Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen was the no-brainer selection to take over for Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with the German national team. For Ter Stegen, the promotion was a long time coming. “My aim has always been to be number one. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to achieve that over the past decade. I had a goalkeeper in front of me in Manu who had an incredible career and always stood up to the pressure. Congratulations to him again on his career,” said Ter Stegen (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). Ter Stegen also touched on the frustration he — sometimes — felt in not being able to usurp the position from Neuer. “There are always moments when you think ‘Phew, that was another blow’. In the end, the decision always went in Manu’s favour, but I dealt with it ...

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4Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

LALIGA

Pique gives his verdict on Hansi Flick’s Barcelona

Former Barcelona star Gerard Pique has offered his verdict on Hansi Flick’s team after a great start to the 2024-25 season. Barcelona remain perfect after enjoying four straight wins under their new boss, including an emphatic 7-0 thrashing of Valladolid last time out.Pique says the team is looking good and he thinks they can fight for silverware this season in a new interview with Mundo Deportivo. “At the moment things are going very well and they are playing well, the new players like Olmo the other day are already giving good performances, as are the youngsters, who have already shown a lot in the pre-season, but also in the first ones I think they have played a lot of games, they have participated a lot and I think they have put up a fight. I think that the team has enough le...

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3Sep By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

FC Barcelona star admits he considered leaving the club

FC Barcelona star Raphinha admitted to RAC1 that he considered leaving the club at one point of his two-year tenure in Catalonia. The Brazilian is the man of the hour with three goals and two assists thus far, which have helped Barca maintain a 100% record across four games in 2024/2025 under Hansi Flick. He appears to be a new player on Flick's watch, who is finally starting to live up to his reported $66 million (€60 million) price tag which Barca met to snatch him away from Leeds United in 2022. Things weren't always so rosy, however, and Raphinha admitted that he once considered calling it a day with the Blaugrana."Did I consider leaving? Yes," Raphinha confessed to RAC1. "The first six months were complicated for me and my family. After the World Cup I improved and I was able...

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1Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

LALIGA

Raphinha hat-trick as Barcelona rout Valladolid 7-0

Brazil winger Raphinha scored a hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed Real Valladolid 7-0 on Saturday to make it four wins from four in La Liga under new coach Hansi Flick. While bitter rivals Real Madrid have stumbled early following the much-trumpeted arrival of Kylian Mbappe, Barcelona are off to a flying start despite their continued financial difficulties. They are also missing Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Ronald Araujo but have a maximum 12 points heading into the international break, leaving them seven clear of Madrid who face Real Betis today. “We’re growing as a team. I think it’s a very good start to the season,” said Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen. “I’m proud of how things are going... hopefully we can continue like that in the next weeks.” Barcelona’s best start to a La Lig...

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