Guest Blogger, Mac Akin Akin Ajayi, reviews the otucome of the Uefa Champions League draw and expectations in the group phase.
Uefa Champions League Draw: Old Rivalries Rekindled in Europe Read More »
The second round of matches for the 2019/20 Spanish Primera Liga season saw Sevilla and Atletico Madrid maintain their perfect starts, while Barcelona and Celta Vigo recorded their first wins after suffering losses on the opening day. Barcelona were the big winners on Sunday, coming from behind to post a 5-2 victory over Real Betis. They fell to a goal by visiting new signing Nabil Fekir after 15 minutes, and it looked like the script would be similar to last season’s 4-3 loss. However, Antoine Griezmann wowed the Camp Nou crowd by scoring the equalizer just before the end of the first half, and another spectacular left-foot curler five minutes into the second half. From there, there was no stopping the home team, even with star forwards Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi watching from the stands as they continue their recovery from injury. At the Estadio Butarque, Atletico Madrid defeated Leganes by a solitary goal scored by Vitolo Machin and assisted by prodigious big signing, Joao Felix. The match saw the centre referee Ricardo de Burgos issue nine yellow cards in what was a feisty encounter. Atletico remain second on the table behind Sevilla, who won at Granada by a Joan Jordan goal earlier on Friday and have a superior goal difference. It was a bad result for Granada, who recorded their eighth straight home loss in the top flight. ???? Víctor Machín…. VITOLOOOOO!!! ???????? Nice one, @VitoloMachin! ???? ⚽ #LeganésAtleti????⚪ #AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/PzjyvYmRz2 — Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 25, 2019 Real Madrid were at home on Saturday but failed to win their second consecutive match as they drew 1-1 with Real Valladolid. Karim Benzema seemed to have scored a lone winner with eight minutes left on the clock, but Sergi Guardiola (not related to Pep Guardiola) levelled the scores with a minute of regulation time to go to break the hearts of Madrid fans. The high point of the match was James Rodriguez’s starting appearance for Madrid; he had not played at the Bernabeu since 2017 after spending two seasons on loan at Bayern Munich. Another Madrid-based side in Getafe were held 1-1 at home by Barcelona conquerors last week, Athletic Bilbao, while Celta Vigo also recorded their first win of the season, beating Valencia 1-0 courtesy of a Gabriel Fernandez goal. Elsewhere, Levante ended their hoodoo against visiting Villarreal on Friday when they recorded a 2-1 home victory. They have lost seven of their last 10 league matches against the Yellow Submarines, but went one better in front of the 20,240 spectators at the Ciudad de Valencia, all thanks to two penalty goals by Roger Marti. Real Madrid loanee, Martin Odegaard, was the victor for Real Sociedad away to Real Mallorca on Sunday. The youngster scored with a left-footed shot from the centre of the box to grab all the three points. https://twitter.com/xtinap1/status/1165687447654715397?s=20 Alaves and Espanyol played a goalless draw at the Mendizorroza on Sunday, while it was another gutsy game which produced eight yellow cards in the Basque derby between Osasuna and Eibar, which also ended goalless. In all, 18 goals were scored across the 10 matches played, with the referees showing a total of 40 yellows, no red cards. ???? — The La Liga table after week 2. pic.twitter.com/ko7aTCwjJh — Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) August 25, 2019 The La Liga table thus reveals the top three spots occupied by Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid respectively. Barcelona rose to ninth, but Valencia drop down to 17th. Leganes and Real Betis, the only two teams without points, occupy the last two positions on the log. For the Pichichi, Gerard Moreno (Villarreal) and Roger Marti (Levante) are the early pacesetters with two goals each, with 24 other players having scored a goal after two rounds. Matchday three action will see league leaders Sevilla face Celta Vigo at home. Barcelona will play Osasuna at the Pamplona, while Valencia will welcome Mallorca and Atletico Madrid host Eibar at the Wanda Metropolitano. The biggest test, perhaps, is for Real Madrid, who visit Villarreal Sunday’s late kick-off. Follow Akin on Twitter: @mac_akin_ajayi Photo Credit: Getty Images
La Liga 2019/20 Season: Matchday two review Read More »
A decisive week lies in wait for Barcelona. Still hurting from the late loss at Athletic Bilbao, the Blaugrana find themselves in an unusual position. They have lost on the opening day of a new season for the first time in a decade. They have also lost to an opponent they haven’t lost to in a season opener in seven decades. Barca now find themselves below their eternal rivals, Real Madrid, for the first time in almost 80 matchdays. The team now sits at a despondent 15th position on the log, even if it’s just after one game. Such is the undesirable situation at Barcelona. The loss at San Mames is ruffling feathers at the Camp Nou. First, Barcelona have shown arguably the greatest misfit of the team in Philippe Coutinho, the exit door to Bayern Munich on loan, and it is not certain some unwanted players like Rafinha Alcantara and Juan Miranda, will stay. Welcome home, Philippe ????️????⚪️#ServusCoutinho pic.twitter.com/ZpgrrQIHlu — FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) August 19, 2019 Next, there is a race against time to sign a former player in Neymar, from the reluctant and assertive negotiators, Paris Saint-Germain. The transfer window ends on September 2, and every day and hour counts. With Real Madrid in the race to sign the Brazilian, Barca captain Lionel Messi has insisted the club do everything to get the Brazilian back to the team. The board really has to be up and doing if the team is to seriously compete for trophies on all fronts. Paris Saint-Germain have REJECTED a bid of €100 million plus Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Keylor Navas from Real Madrid for Neymar, according to reports by L'Equipe ????#TransferNews #RMCF #PSG pic.twitter.com/a8JlbAgaa4 — LiveScore (@livescore) August 22, 2019 Public opinion is also being directed towards the big-money signings in the team. So far, Antoine Griezmann has not lived up to expectation. He is not yet the lethal striker he was for Atletico Madrid. Frenkie de Jong has been spectacular in midfield, but, for the most part, he hasn’t enjoyed the fluidity that comes with playing for Barca. Although he has put in some effort, Ousmane Dembele has only shown glimpses of his potential. He cut a lonely figure at Bilbao, and he hasn’t really helped the team in the area that is needed the most – goal scoring. In fact, Rafinha – who’s future is uncertain, was by far a better performer as a substitute than Dembele. The French man is now leading the spate of injuries to key players, having picked up a hamstring injury after the match. Goalkeeper Neto (broken hand) is also injured. Luis Suarez (calf), got injured in the first half of the Bilbao clash, but the positive news is that Messi should be making his first competitive return on the pitch since the Copa America in Brazil, having trained this week. ???? Back in training with the group ???? pic.twitter.com/D2Nk5FFNXm — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 21, 2019 This season is going to be tougher than ever and the big guns will have their work cut out. Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid had to grind out wins on the opening weekend, likewise Sevilla, who needed a late goal at Espanyol to seal victory. Valencia’s hope of a home victory was dashed by a 100th minute penalty by Real Sociedad. Notably, Villarreal were held to an eight-goal thrilling draw at home to newly-promoted Granada. It is expected that Barcelona will win their next league match against Real Betis this weekend, but for any soccer fan with a good memory, this expectation is not set in stone. Los Cules lost to them 3-4 last season, though they have signed Junior Firpo, one of the architects of that Betis victory. The tension is building and Ernesto Valverde’s men will play in front of the Camp Nou crowd competitively for the first time this season. It is high time the team started collecting league points. Anything less than a win this Sunday will surely make Neymar’s return a necessity. Time is ticking out… What are your thoughts about Barcelona’s current predicament? Drop them in the comments box Follow Akin on Twitter: @mac_akin_ajayi Photo Credit: Getty Images
One game in, Barcelona are under pressure Read More »
It always feels good to have a new football season commence. For football enthusiasts, it enlivens the lull of having to go several weekends without cheering to spectacular goals after a previous season has ended. The 2019/20 campaign begins for FC Barcelona with a rare Friday fixture (August 16, 2019) against Athletic Bilbao at the new San Mames, and fans are waiting to see how well Los Cules have recovered from the disappointments of the last two seasons. ???????? Today's winners! ???? Say cheese! #ForçaBarça ???????? pic.twitter.com/fPpsV0g0KL — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 13, 2019 So what should we expect? Speaking just before the Joan Gamper Trophy victory over Arsenal, team captain Lionel Messi succinctly puts it this way: “Barcelona will fight to win everything again.” What a warm welcome into season 19/20 at our Camp Nou. Thank you Culés – you’re great! ???????? pic.twitter.com/vYwaU79qN0 — Marc ter Stegen (@mterstegen1) August 5, 2019 Yes, expectations are always high at Barcelona. Messi has been leading the charge to conquer Europe once again, but that has not materialized after the team surrendered huge first leg advantages against AS Roma and Liverpool, within the space of a year. The club’s management wants to have Messi on a lifetime contract, and only time will tell if the renewal of La Pulga Atomica’s contract will go as planned. There is no gain saying that it would be a fine thing to have Messi at the Camp Nou for the remainder of his active football career. A team with Messi is always better! In addition, there is the matter of the possible return of Neymar Jr., the player who left Barca for PSG two years ago. The talented Brazilian has found himself in a quagmire involving a club that is resigned to letting him leave only at a substantial price and another that won’t pay a hefty sum to have him back. There is no doubt that his chancy return would give Barca the best attacking quartet on the planet. Hopefully the situation is resolved as soon as possible. ???? [Onda Cero] | Barcelona negotiated with PSG today for the first time where names and quantities were placed on the table ???? PSG opened with a demand for €250 million and that was impossible for Barça pic.twitter.com/3zvVUrRYgh — BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) August 13, 2019 While keeping an eye on that development, the fans will expect new signings, Frenkie de Jong (Ajax, midfielder), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid, striker), Neto Murara (Valencia, goalkeeper) and Junior Firpo (Real Betis, defender) to justify their inclusion in the team and help in the pursuit of a treble. Blaugrana fans will expect these new arrivals to help the club lift another Uefa Champions League title, the one trophy they are obsessed about after not winning it in four years. Failure to do this will definitely see the end of coach Ernesto Valverde, who avoided the sack by a hair’s breadth after the throes of last season. The quest for the elusive Champions League title has led to player purchases worth €243 million, and this time, there is no room for errors. Despite the La Liga title being a recurring decimal at Barca (eight titles in the last 11 years), they will want to win it again to prove to critics that it can fend off the challenges of its closest contenders – the two Madrid clubs (Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid), who have also re-stocked their squads adequately to mount a formidable challenge. Another expectation for the new season is the continuation of the Espai Barca project – the construction project that will give the Camp Nou a tremendous facelift and make it “the best sporting complex in the world in the centre of a great city”. This project commenced in the 2017/18 season and will end in the 2021/22 season. By the time its finished, the Camp Nou will have 105,000 seats which will provide a great viewing experience for spectators wherever they are seated. There will be sheltered roofing for all seats, new restaurants, elevators and escalators, underground parking for 3,500 people and perimeter ringing. This project is exciting as it signifies the intention of the board of FC Barcelona to take the club to even greater heights. I want to thank the fans for the warm welcome. It was amazing to play my first minutes in the Camp Nou. Let’s fight together for more trophies this season. ????❤️ #viscabarca pic.twitter.com/Rv5L7pIumf — Frenkie de Jong (@DeJongFrenkie21) August 5, 2019 The Camp Nou is already Spain and Europe’s largest stadium, with only two other stadia having larger capacities than it in the world. With the expansion, the Camp Nou will move to second on the list and will provide excellent, world-class facilities for local and visiting fans. On a lighter note, we should expect some members of the team to become parents for the very first time. Daniela Jehle and Coral Simanovich, the wives of Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Sergi Roberto respectively, are expecting. The feeling of impending fatherhood will affect these men, but we expect their best performances nonetheless. This is wishing them safe deliveries. May the incoming season be another treble-winning one. What do you expect from Barcelona this season? Drop it in the comments section below. Follow Akin on Twitter: @mac_akin_ajayi Photo Credit: Getty Images
FC Barcelona: Expectations of a new season Read More »
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