Barca Thread

(From: soccerage.com)
RealMadrid-Barcelona preview
Having turned their season around with a 15 match unbeaten run, Barcelona travel to the Bernabeu on Sunday with real hope of gaining a first win over Real Madrid in enemy territory since 1997. With just five games remaining, the Catalans lie third seven points behind Sunday's opponents, and leaders Valencia who are tied on 70 points at the top of the table. Champions Real may have turned the corner, however, with a 2-1 win at Atletico in the local derby bringing them back level on points with Valencia who had yet another refereeing decision go against them in a feisty 2-2 draw at home to Real Sociedad.

The Gran Classico is always the biggest game in the Spanish calendar, regardless of league position. However, it has to be said, both sides are usually at the top of the table when they collide, and for a while this season it seemed as if this particular edition of the series would simply be about Real Madrid and their quest for the title. However, Frank Rijkaard seems to have settled in to his new role in Catalunya, and has Barca pressing for at least third position in the table and a Champions League place. The signing of Edgar Davids in the transfer window has proved an inspired move, and the form of Ronaldinho has given Barcelona an exciting glamour that was seemingly lacking previously.

RECENT FORM

Hosts Real won the corresponding fixture 2-1 earlier in the season, and made that particular victory harder for themselves than it needed to be. Rijkaard was accused of tactical naivety in his approach to the game, and will hardly make the same mistake twice. Barcelona only attacked the champions when they went two goals down, and the whirlwind unleashed on Real in the last 15 minutes showed just how poor a decision that was. However, 15 unbeaten matches speak for themselves, and Barcelona travel full of confidence.

Real, by contrast, will be hoping the victory over Atletico, which was considered fortunate by many, will be the catalyst to a successful run to the title. With Deportivo at Riazor next weekend, the champions know they must keep pace with Valencia through this series of major confrontations. Having clawed two points back from Valencia after the derby, Real may yet see last weekend's victory as the final positive turning point in their discredited season. Zinedine Zidane has been complaining of tiredness, and David Beckham is ineffective in his current role, while Raul has had his most subdued season in memory. Perhaps he is missing his erstwhile partner in crime Fernando Morientes?

TEAM NEWS

The build up to the big game has been overshadowed by the will he, won't he saga of a certain Brazilian striker's fitness. Doubts persist over the return of Ronaldo who had seemed set to start until a minor recurrence of his thigh injury during training on Friday sent Madrid hacks into a tizzy, and their Barca counterparts into froths of joy. Ronaldo, should he play, is one of two Real stars confronting their former club on Sunday, the other being Luis Figo. Ivan Helguera is likely to plug the defensive gap left by the suspended Francisco Pavon as Alvar Mejia is struggling with a leg injury.

Barcelona are likely to be at full strength and welcome back Luis Enrique to the squad. The former Spanish international is a talisman in such games against his former club, and scored in Barca's last win here, a 3-2 success seven years ago.

PROBABLE TEAMS

Real Madrid: Casillas; Salgado, Roberto Carlos, Helguera, Raul Bravo; Guti, Beckham, Figo, Zidane, Raul; Ronaldo.

Barcelona: Victor Valdes; Reiziger, Puyol, Oleguer, van Bronckhurst; Davids, Cocu, Luis Garcia, Ronaldinho, Xavi; Saviola.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

David Beckham (Real Madrid)

The contrast between Barcelona's supposed first-choice transfer target of last summer, David Beckham, and his replacement Ronaldinho will be one of the many irrestisible sub-texts of Sunday's game. While Beckham started well at the Bernabeu, he has struggled since Christmas once the novelty of his arrival had worn off. Personal issues hang over his head now, and he has found the going tough in an unbalanced Real midfield lacking a naturally combative defensive lynchpin.

Ronaldinho (Barcelona)

Along with Edgar Davids, Ronaldinho's form has proved to be the catalyst in resucitating Barcelona's comatose season. Now, the Brazilian World Cup winner faces the ultimate test of his celebrity in Spanish football: performing in the biggest match of all and delivering the goods. With no defensive midfielders to hinder his trickery, the stage is set for Ronaldinho to upstage the man who he would have replaced at Old Trafford and who he did replace at Camp Nou.

Alfonso Pérez Burrull (The Referee)

Well, given the hugely contentious decisions we have seen in the title race this season, the eyes of Spain will be on the man in the middle. Every decision will be scrutinised, every interpretation viewed with scepticism. Senor Pérez Burrull is entrusted with the biggest clash of the season – and his career. Valencia will watch his performance with interest…

Brian O'Driscoll

I think this will be the usual Real-Barca match. Agressive (often violent), passionate and entertaining.

Barca seem to have the advantage as Real aren't playing well and don't have Ronaldo available.

Either way, should be a good match.

Well, Barca won 2-1 and Valencia is winning, so yea...a good day!

I saw the 2nd half and yes it was passionate, agressive and entertaining. A real great goal from Xavi from a superb assist from Ronaldinho. Those things make football so beautifull. I'm glad Barcelona won. 'Galacticos'

Figo got red carded and Scolari should have been too. Where is the time that a (nasty) tackle from behind was emidiately rewarded with a red card??

Real Madrid had most of the play, but in the end Barcelona took the 3 points.

Oh my goodness, what a crazy match! There were at least five goalline saves form defenders, Real was just shoving it in!!!

Originally posted by Yuri
I saw the 2nd half and yes it was passionate, agressive and entertaining. A real great goal from Xavi from a superb assist from Ronaldinho. Those things make football so beautifull. I'm glad Barcelona won. 'Galacticos'

Figo got red carded and Scolari should have been too. Where is the time that a (nasty) tackle from behind was emidiately rewarded with a red card??

Real Madrid had most of the play, but in the end Barcelona took the 3 points.

yeah, I got surprised by the referee descision to that nasty tackle to Puyol by Scolari !That's the same tackle which sidelined Robert Pires of Arsenal for 7 months in 2002 and motivates him to be a diver !
It's seems that a good player like Puyol is a victim to every fouls.... I'm in fear that he will suffered injuries like Pires and have to rest for months. He'd contributed a lot to Barca on their good run this season. I hope he'll get well soon.
real was slipped from the top finally .....

Man of the match : Ronaldinho ( for superb assists on attacks )

oh my god, if you only saw the second half, then you didn't see the shot that hit to post, then shot back in and blocked by Valdez, then shot again and headed out by puyol!!! THREE SAVES!! AMAZING!!

I heard this news from one of a friend ( Barca Fan ) :now he's ( Puyol )out for 3 weeks, almost the rest of the season. I hope he doesn't miss the euro 2004. oh no

i have seen the match live and nothing to say except that Barcelona were fighting like lions in this game........ real was pushing hard all the game and Barca were defending with one of teh best defender PUYOL...... he did such a great game........ he even stood facing a clear shot of carlos that was going inside the net by his face............. wowwwwwwww he took out by his face...

and he did some very good tackles....... but one major setback is that he acted much..... Figo tackle was dangerous much but he did not touch him and then RED Card...

I beleive Barca are making their ideal symbols these Days.... with Puyol and Ronaldinho (Amazing Player)..........

One thing i found that let barca win the game was the substitution made in which Luis Enrique entered the game at 1-0 result and all what he was doing was helping his players by clapping .....as if telling them ..great guys you can get it.....

I respect such players who can motivate their players....

one word........... awesome game......... LOS MERENGUES (so called Galacticos) are now ....... stupidos...........

Great match! I was like when I saw Ronaldinho play. I mean he's already great but today he was like greater

Bwahahahhaaha Madrid lost.. oops

Well 'tis a fairly good ending to a bad day for me. Bloody Juve defence.

Originally posted by Goirre
Well, Barca won 2-1 and Valencia is winning, so yea...a good day!

just the second good news from football pitches this weekend...

Here're some post-game comments made by ppl on Barca's Message Board at Soccerage.com.... I pick up their messages which shared the same way I put the rating for Barca Players....... I respect their board becuz they're intelligently talking abt football......No censor ( but sorry some of the posts I censored becuz there're irrelevant things included ) ! Enjoy it !
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1st post :
What a win~! Great game!! Loved it~!!! I was all excited about posting then I saw bacha's trash again, oh well. just for record **** split I even liked Xavi’s goal!!!! Here are the Barca guys that made the biggest impression on me. Although I know everyone played well. 1) Puyol!!! Stops a Roberto Carlos rocket,,,,with his face! (to save a certain goal), callously cut down by Figo where he was sent flying. Hit again by Solari, when trying to get forward (in the same leg) and he still gets up and plays. WTF!!! The guy is a warrior! He was carrying injuries into the game and for him to show such heart in a winning display, it was awesome. I won’t forget “Puyol at the Bernabeau in 2004”. The site of him trying to ‘run it off’ on the sidelines when I thought for sure he was already subbed was something to remember. ++++++ 2) Ronaldinho. He was relatively ineffective in the first half, because Madrid was so dominant (keeping possession). They kept him locked on the left and going to his wing from every goal kick didn’t see us win the possession that I’m sure Rijkaard had hoped. However the second half was a different story. Kluivert gave him some space by being the new initial point of reference in the attack and with Figo sent off. It was Ronaldinho’s show. He had the ball on a string and the lob to Xavi for the ninja kick volley was sublime. The Brazilian should have made it 3-1 when he got a clear run at goal, but the finish let him down. In any case our superstar made his point clear that his one of the best and had Perez saying “we should have signed you” at the end of it all. +++++++ 3) Valdes. He had a dramatic game! And did everything from stopping a one-on-on from Zidane, then saving at Raul’s feet, parrying a Calos bullet from distance, deflecting a Figo drive and even ***** slapping the ball for a goal line clearance from a header that looked in~. Solari’s (he played well) goal couldn’t be helped. Something was bound to go in from the amount of Real chances. However Valdes showed his talent, and in a way introduced himself to Europe with some show stopping saves. How many times did you cringe watching the fist-half? It could have been 10-0 at the brake if it wasn’t for Valdes! +++++++ 4) GVB. I thought he was ice cool through out. A smart lob pass to set up an on rushing Kluivert. He looked poised (as you could be) marking Figo and he didn’t make a fuss about Beckham’s disgusting display of ‘gamesmenship’ which could have equaled that of Rivaldo against Turkey. GVB was solid. Again.+++++++ 5) David’s. His presence demands respect. His aggressive and vocal, get’s in your face whether it be the ref or the opposition. He made some crucial clearances and ran all day. David’s is the ****! +++++++ 6) LE21 came on when we were a goal down, clapping his hands saying “****’em! ****’em, I’m not going out like this.” Puyol could be seen in the background chiming in as well and 10 minutes later we were even at 1-1. Nuff said. 7) Laporta. Looked so stiff and stern. The ultimate display of humility, but after Xavi’s goal, in his mind he was doing a lap of the Bernabue running around in his Maroon and blue boxers, with one middle finger in the air yelling great ****ing game!
2nd post :
first chance I have had on the net since last night ... so forst things first ... WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ... all in all a match where being gutsy was what counted in the end ... Puyol and Valdez had the games of their lives ... while Solari's performance (scored against Athletico too) showed just how stupid Real's policies are ... a real big-hearted display ... but to hell with that ... Cocu shut down Zidane for mmost of the game ... Davids had Beckham in his pocket and Oleguer did well with Raul ... GVB did decent defencive work (I wouldnt agree on great in defence JAMAIN ... but made up with that lob for Kluivert) ... Reiziger was the only one who seemed outplayed ... but you have to feel for him with Solari in great form and Carlos charging down as well ... and Overmars not quite dominant enough to help him ... My ratings for the match Valdez,Puyol-8.5 Davids-8 Cocu,Oleguer-7.5 Kluivert,R10(2nd half),Xavi(2nd half),GVB-7 LuieEnrique-6.5, Reiziger-5.5, Saviola,Overmars - 5, Motta-- ... nice to see Luis motivate us on .. would have meant a lot to him ...
3rd post ( censored for good reason )
BARCA KNIGHTS VS real madrid p****s 25/04/04: VV-9, Reitziger-6, Puyol-10 (I can not imagine what more one can do), Oleguer-7, GVB-7, Cocu-8 (too solid), Davids-7, Xavi-8 (less effective but what a goal!), R10-8, Overmars-5, Saviola-5, LE21-7 (moral booster), Kluivert-8 (he scored very important goal) and ......... Rijkaard- 9. It was his first Bernabeu and he guessed right with his substitutions. He ordered warm-up to Klui and LE21 much before Solari's goal. Also sending GVB up front was also crutial and winning. Many thanks for him, I am so glad that he made progress and I was wrong about him. ++++++ Now what I did: There is one sport-cafe in the city and I invited my 3 close friends who support R.Madrid (sorry, but this is business) to have a big screen watch of Classico. I was so sure that we would win. And on the 86th minute I jumped on the chair and began brazilian-like- screaming-goooooooooooal!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!!!
4th post
The last time Barcelona won at the Bernabéu, Rivaldo was still in his prime, Luis Enrique scored against his old mates and Giovanni, if my memory serves me well, scored the late winner and ran off down the pitch making the famous 'up yours' gesture that earned him a docking of his wages. Mr Grumpy gets marching orders (FiroFoto/GettyImages) Beckham was still single, Ronaldo had just gone to Italy and nobody had heard of Ronaldinho. It's difficult to know which is the more surprising news now - the fact that Rivaldo is going to Bolton or the fact that Madrid have as good as blown it, but as they're saying here now, Arde la liga! (The league's on fire). 'El clásico' was one of the better ones in recent seasons, with the football generally fast and furious, and the play open-ended. Either side could have won it, but after Mr Grumpy (Luis Figo) got himself sent off for an X-rated lunge at his old sparring partner Carles Puyol, the Catalans sensed blood and went for the throat - mixing their metaphors along the way but still managing to score a nifty goal through the vastly improved Xavi, after Ronaldinho had looped a pass over the gawping Madrid defence. Indeed, it's shaping up to be a classic finish, and like last season could easily go down to the wire. Valencia's draw at Bilbao puts them a point ahead of Madrid, with Barça now a mere five points off the top, but those five points would surely prove too many to make up if Real Madrid were in a happier state than they are at present. The interesting thing is that Barça have two things to aim for now. One is the title, but Valencia are unlikely to lie down and die. The second is the deliciously motivating desire to nick the second spot from their friends in the Bernabéu and bring about a major crisis in the royal house. After the June tournament in Portugal, all eyes will be on the presidential elections at Real Madrid. At the beginning of the season, Florentino Pérez appeared to be in an unassailable position of strength. Everything he touched turned to gold, journalists far and wide were hailing the club as a new concept, as a shiny new marriage between marketing and sport. Never mind the all-round frailty of the squad, because the feel-good factor was so much in the ascendancy. Barcelona were also down in the dumps, and nothing seemed to be going right, despite the changes at presidential and managerial level. As mentioned before in this column, the history of the Spanish league has been characterised by this dualism, so that it is has always seemed to be a logical impossibility that these two sides can both be happy simultaneously. Up to the King's Cup Final against Zaragoza, however, everything was within Real's grasp. Now there is the unthinkable threat of them finishing with nothing, and worse, finishing below Barça. It's not the fixture list that you need to look at but rather the differing morale of the two clubs. The Catalans have gone 16 games undefeated, and despite the Celtic blip in the UEFA Cup, are playing some great stuff. Madrid are hanging in there, but the cupboard is looking strangely bare. If they blow the league, Pérez may suddenly find himself back in the business of full-time property dealing. The candidate coming up fast on the outside railings is one Enrique Sobrino, a less wealthy man but one who has already begun to outline his strategy from the unofficial hustings of the national football press. He has so far been generous enough to acknowledge Pérez's good work since the year 2000, but claims he would reverse the galactic policy and get rid of Beckham and Figo, just for starters. Puyol (right) was grimacing again later - he's out of the Spain squad (FiroFoto/GettyImages) This is a high-risk venture, since there is no guarantee that the Madrid faithful will necessarily see this season's failure as one that can be solely attributed to the presence of too many world-class players. All the evidence at the moment points to the likelihood of Carlos Quieroz being made the scapegoat, so that Pérez and Valdano can continue to smell of roses, albeit less scented ones than before. Quieroz is innocent of all charges, of course. He has generally gone about his work in a quiet and dignified manner, and whereas some would point to a lack of inspirational leadership, others would point to a lack of a balanced squad - which is hardly his fault. If Madrid fail to win the league, then surely they will look back upon the events of late summer when the flashbulb glare of Beckham's arrival obscured the fact that the club's bid for Valencia's excellent centre-back, Roberto Ayala, was about to fall through. heheheheh

Can't help but say, Madrid was a bit unlucky, no? How many times do you cross a team with those opportunities and that kind of defence of Barca's ?

Well, great lob from Ronaldinho and great finishing from Xavi.. Madrid only 1 pt ahead now I think

I'm rooting for Valencia to win the La Liga, how unfortunate they drew

Originally posted by sehnsucht79
Can't help but say, Madrid was a bit unlucky, no? How many times do you cross a team with those opportunities and that kind of defence of Barca's ?

Well, great lob from Ronaldinho and great finishing from Xavi.. Madrid only 1 pt ahead now I think

I'm rooting for Valencia to win the La Liga, how unfortunate they drew

What do you mean by unlucky eh Sally ? And of course Puyol is the heart of defence... He's the best non-Italian defender I ever seen and he got that skills, attitude and spirit needed for a player to play in Milan ( I'll be glad to see him in Milan but the quota is fully occupied and Puyol is a devoted Catalan). So sad that he was the targeted victim of the white thugs, alors !
Yeah, Ronaldinho is gr8 and we can see that on the game of Brasil-Hungary. Were you watched that game ( Brasil-Hungary)eh sally ? I was mad that TV3 aired Belgium-Turkey match instaed of Brasil-Hungary!