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Thread: ►★ FC BARCELONA THREAD ★✿◄ Club with the Most Fifa Acknowledged Titiles ★◄

  1. #511

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    Quote Originally Posted by Devarajan Master View Post
    Thanks Hitman. Let's salute this priceless jewel of FC Barcelona.
    Iniesta is nothing short of a phenomenon.
    Welcome Mashe..
    He recently broke into the club’s all time top 10 and is just one short of Jose Ramon Alexanco and three behind Joan Segarra, who lie ninth and eight, respectively.
    Iniesta is one of four current first team players in Barca’s top 10, alongside Xavi (who has played more than anybody with 621), Carles Puyol (second on 552) and Victor Valdes (fourth on 452).

  2. #512
    mampilly
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    Quote Originally Posted by Devarajan Master View Post
    Thanks Hitman. Let's salute this priceless jewel of FC Barcelona.
    Iniesta is nothing short of a phenomenon.
    Actually ee varsham xaviyelum nannayi enikku thoniyathu iniesta anu

  3. #513

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    Inn 1:30 kkille kali?

    Ee kollathela liga yum CL um okke nalla interesting aanu..

    Real um Barca yum kattakk katta thanne..

    Athinte koode Messi - Ronaldo malsaravum..

    Heading for a foto finish..

  4. #514

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    Levante vs FC Barcelona: Confidence boosting fightback (1-2)
    Roger Bogunyà


    València (FCB).- The Spanish League title race is still on as Barça chalked up yet another win to stay in touch with the leaders, Real Madrid, who had earlier beaten Sporting 3-1. However it was hard work for Guardiola’s men, who had to come back from one down after Barkero had scored a first half penalty to give the hosts the lead. FC Barcelona were unable to pull level until the hour mark, when Messi took over, firing a left footed drive from the edge of the box and then hammering home a brilliant penalty after Cuenca had been bundled over in the box.




    Attention now switches to Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final against Chelsea, with the big one against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou next weekend on the horizon.
    Early control
    Barça began the game seven points adrift at the top, but they showed no nerves as they set about overcoming fifth placed Levante (called 'Llevant' in Catalan). With Alexis and Pedro both playing wide, there might not have been a natural target man up front, but Guardiola’s team were soon carving out chances, as both Pedro and Messi tested Munúa and Thiago had a couple of good headed chances. The visitors were in charge, but Levante’s massed defence was always going to limit the clear chances on offer.
    Barkero penalty
    Levante were always going to be a danger on the break though and when once such speedy break resulted in a corner, the ref blew for a penalty after Busquets handled in the box and Barkero strode up to fire past Valdes and give his team the lead. In truth, FC Barcelona then found it hard to settle into their rhythm and looked a little slow as they tried to find their way throughLevante’s defence for the equaliser and found it hard to create too many chances before the break.
    Messi leads the fightback
    At the start of the second half, Guardiola brought on Cuenca for Xavi and soon after replaced Pedro with Iniesta as he looked to dominate in the middle and open up the flanks, particularly through Cuenca, who started the move that ended in Messi’s equaliser on the hour mark. The Argentinean played a quick one-two on the edge of the box and curled in a great shot to set up an exciting last half hour.
    Messi seals the win
    Cuenca was also key to the winning goal when he was bundled over by Bothelo as he ran on to a clever return pass fromCesc Fàbregas. Despite the home players’ protestations, the ref pointed to the spot and Messi hammered the penalty home high to the keeper’s left for the winner. There was no way that Barça were going to let such a hard won lead slip and they controlled the game as the clock ran down to take the three point.

  5. #515

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    La Liga: Levante UD 1-2 FC Barcelona: Match Review


    David Ramos - Getty ImagesMore photos »
    1 day ago: VALENCIA, SPAIN - APRIL 14: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona (R) celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the La Liga match between Levante UD and FC Barcelona at Ciutat de Valencia on April 14, 2012 in Valencia, Spain. FC Barcelona won 1-2. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)




    FC Barcelona kept their title dreams alive with a thrilling 2-1 win over Levante at the Ciutat de València. Considering that Real Madrid had emerged victorious at the Bernabeu earlier in the evening, Barcelona kicked off seven points behind their eternal rivals, meaning the pressure was on to keep the gap at four points heading into El Clasico. Levante took the lead through Jose Barkero’s penalty after Sergio Busquets was adjudged to have handled in the area and even took that lead into the half-time break as the Blaugrana looked lacklustre and uninspired over the first 45 minutes. Even after the break, Barcelona took a while to improve, and Lionel Messi’s equaliser came out of effectively no-where. The Argentine genius exchanged a one-two with Alexis Sanchez and smashed the ball into the corner; just like that, Barcelona were level, perhaps undeservedly so. If the equaliser was surprising, the winner was even more so, as Lionel Messi dispatched a penalty to secure all three points, after a supposedly contentious decision by the linesman to award the penalty. No matter the reaction, what’s done is done, and Barcelona may well look back on this fixture as the most important three points of the season. They dug deep to claim all three points, dare I say it, like Champions? There’s a long way to go in this La Liga title race, but the bottom line is this: Barcelona cannot stop winning.
    Pep Guardiola again surprised us with his team selection, nailing his colours to the mast so to speak with a very attacking line-up. There was another start for Adriano in a 3-4-3 with Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Alcantara, Xavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets playing behind the frontline of Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez and Pedro. Considering that Sanchez was just a yellow away from a suspension, it was bold move, one that could have easily backfired on Pep.
    Barcelona started brightly, with Pedro forcing a save out of Gustavo Munua as early as the fourth minute, although his left-footed shot was never going to really test the Levante keeper. Some suggested that a more confident Pedro would have opened up his body and tried to curl the ball into the far corner with his right foot, but I think that is easier said than done, and Pedro did well to get his shot on target.
    Thiago was causing havoc as well, heading the ball wide from a little over six yards out when he should have really hit the target, before he connected with a low cross from the right-wing, but his effort was blocked instantaneously by the resolute Levante defense. The next chance fell to Thiago as well, as Messi swung in a free-kick and Thiago sprung the offside trap to find the space for a free header, but the Spaniard (who just turned 21 this week) headed straight at Munua. It was a quality chance, and Barca were made to regret it just minutes later, as Levante took the lead in dubious circumstances.
    Much like in the Real Madrid – Sporting Gijon game, the underdog took the lead via a penalty kick and both were given for handball. However, that’s where the similarities end. While Sergio Ramos clearly handled the ball in the area, there are question marks about the decision against Sergio Busquets. After all, if Busquets did not have any hands, or arms for that matter, the ball would have still been blocked by his body. The hands started out in an unusual position, but by the time the ball made contact, his entire torso and face were behind his hands. Busquets was merely acting on instinct, the same as any human being would when an object is travelling towards their face at a high speed. In my opinion, that was a ball-to-hand, rather than a handball. There was no intent, other than to shield his face, and isn’t that what handball is judged on: intent?
    Jose Barkero stepped up and scored the resulting penalty, but even then, I didn’t feel panic was necessary, as up until that point, Barcelona had been the better side. On the other hand, when Cesc Fabregas’ header straight at the keeper was the closest Barca got to a response before the half-time interval, I started to worry. Barcelona looked shell-shocked, lethargic and most worryingly of all: human.
    Isaac Cuenca replaced Xavi at the break as Barcelona piled forward in search of that equaliser, but for some time in that second period, they looked sterile. In fact, Levante posed more threat in a single attack through Kone and Barkero (which was defending expertly by Carles Puyol) than Barca did for the half hour after the Levante goal. Was the title race about to be ended before El Clasico? Were Barcelona on the brink of a collapse? Would little Levante claim the biggest scalp of them all?
    Who else would step forward with the answers but one Lionel Messi? That answer? An emphatic no.
    Adriano have given a hint that a storm was coming with his decent long-range shot, and just five minutes after that, Barcelona were level. Isaac Cuenca deserves a heap of credit for stretching the play on the right-hand side and his pass into Messi will not win any awards, but it was vital nonetheless. Messi was in space, he had time, and he found Alexis Sanchez to his left. Sanchez supplied Messi with the return pass and with a swing of his left boot; Messi thundered the ball into the corner of the net. It was too hot to handle, too quick to stop; it was pure Lionel Messi.
    Was it deserved? Perhaps not, but football is a funny old game, although for Levante, and for the Madridistas watching at home, that joke turned sour. Just eight minutes after Messi had equalised for the Blaugrana, he put them ahead from the penalty spot, and if I could get away with it, I would leave it at that. However, for those who didn’t/couldn’t watch, this is what happened.
    Isaac Cuenca was surging into the box to receive a pass from Alexis Sanchez, and before he could cross or shoot after making his first touch, Pedro Botelho extended his forearm into the winger, which sent him sprawling to the turf. Did he go down easily? Well, think about it this way: if I pushed you in the side while you were sprinting, would you fall over? Just like in the AC Milan game and the Nesta incident, a foul occurred in the area that isn’t usually given, and the linesman in this case had the cojones to make the call. It just happened that it was Barcelona benefitting again, so it receives more attention.
    After Messi fired home from the spot, Barcelona fans across the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. For Messi, it was a record equalling 41st La Liga goal for the season, and his 63rd (!!!!) in all competitions. For Barcelona it ensured an eleventh straight La Liga victory and the first come-from behind win against Levante this season. While El Clasico dominates the headlines, Barcelona must first travel to England and Stamford Bridge where the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg with Chelsea awaits. Until then, Visca el Barca!

  6. #516

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    Mascherano: "Chelsea first"

    VANESSA FORNS
    04/15/2012 14:52


    Mascherano stressed that it would a mistake to focus on the Real Madrid game instead of Wednesday’s match at Stamford Bridge: “We’re in a Champions league semi-final”.

    "We want to put the league out of our minds a bit and focus on Chelsea, because we have the chance of reaching the final of Europe’s top competition”. Speaking at Sunday’s press conference, Javier Mascheranoleft no-on in any doubt as to the players’ attitude in a week that will be key to the Club’s aspirations both in Europe and in La Liga.
    Not surprisingly, he emphasised that the result of Wednesday’s match atStamford Bridge will be vital in the outcome of the tie: “It’ll be a really difficult tie that will depend a lot on getting a good result in the first leg against a team that has always been characterised by their tremendous physical strength, and which has some really experienced players”.
    Wednesday’s match first
    "The main thing right now is Wednesday’s match. Afterwards, we’ll think about the league and Real Madrid. We’re in a Champions League semi-final and we have a great opportunity to reach the final. It would be a really big mistake to focus on Real Madrid first, because Wednesday’s match is very difficult and will go a long way to deciding the tie”.
    The Argentine international believes there’s “no room for error” in any of the competitions at this stage of the season and is proud of the spirit shown by the players game after game, as demonstrated by the comeback against Levante: “Faith is the last thing you lose and we have faith in what we can do. Then it depends, because you never know in football, but it’s important we have the right dynamic. Obviously the victory [against Levante] in the Ciutat de Valencia strengthens us, above all because we maintained the team spirit. It’s alive and well and won’t be beaten and keeps fighting against the odds”.
    However, by his own admission, Mascherano is not too keen to talk about the ‘what ifs’ and so doesn’t want to go into whether a win against Real Madrid on Saturday would bring the league title a little closer: “We are all aware that even if we win all our matches in the league we still depend on other results. Real Madrid have a four-point lead and we’ll have to see if we’re capable of beating them next weekend. It’s not in our hands. But what’s real right now is Wednesday, Stamford Bridge, Chelsea".
    The will to improve
    Finally, Mascherano confirmed that he’s happy about his current form: “When you have a run in the side and you see that things are going well for the team then you improve individually as well. I’m in a team that demands individual improvement. The fact is that each and every one of us has to give that little bit extra, the best we can, especially at this stage of the season”.

  7. #517

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    Despite the great memory of Iniesta’s goal agains the London side in 2009, FC Barcelona have not been able to beat Chelsea in their last five match-ups. The last Catalan victory over Chelsea was in 2006









    • Xavi during the match at Stamford Bridge on October 18th, 2006 / PHOTO: ARXIU FCB


    Memory can be selective. Barça’s record against Chelsea isn’t as successful as it would seem seeing that most recent memory in the Culé subconscious features Andrés Iniesta’s stoppage-time goal that gave FC Barcelona a ticket to the final of the Champions League in 2009. However, FC Barcelona haven’t beat the London side in their last five times attempts. The last Catalan victory over Chelsea was in the 2005/06 season, when FC Barcelona won their second ever Champions League title in Paris.

    Here's a snapshot of Barça’s last six matches against Chelsea:

    VICTORY. Chelsea-FC Barcelona (1-2, February 21st, 2006). Terry, who scored an own goal, and Eto’o overturned Motta’s own goal. Chelsea finished with 10 players, Del Horno was sent off, and Barça came away with a vital victory.

    DRAW. FC Barcelona-Chelsea (1-1, March 8th, 2006). Ronaldinho, close to the end of the match, secured passage for FC Barcelona to the next round of the tournament. Frank Lampard equalised in stoppage time through a penalty. The team would go on to claim the title against Arsenal in Paris.

    DEFEAT. Chelsea-FC Barcelona (1-0, October 18th, 2006). Both teams met in the group stages of the Champions League. In London, Drogba won the three points for Chelsea.

    DRAW. FC Barcelona-Chelsea (2-2, October 31st, 2006). It was a back-and-forth match at the Camp Nou. Lampard scored the equaliser in stoppage time. Both teams divvied up the points; Chelsea finished first in the group, FC Barcelona finished second.

    DRAW. FC Barcelona-Chelsea (0-0, April 28th, 2009). In the away leg of the semifinals of the Champions League at the Camp Nou, FC Barcelona and Chelsea finished the match with a goalless draw. The Catalans deserved a bit more from the game.

    DRAW. Chelsea-FC Barcelona (1-1, May 6th, 2009). Essien opened up the scoring in the first half with a sublime goal. The London side had Barça outnumbered on pitch for most of the game after Éric Abidal was sent off. Andrés Iniesta, with a fantastic goal in stoppage time, earned his team a spot in the Champions League final in Rome.

  8. #518

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    Barca call press conference
    Barcelona have confirmed boss Pep Guardiola is to hold a press conference at 1330 local time (1230 BST) today

  9. #519
    FK Addict messi's Avatar
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    Guardiola set to leave Barcelona

    Barcelona have called a press conference at which Pep Guardiola is expected to announce he will leave the club at the end of the season.
    Guardiola spoke to the players before training this morning with reports in Catalonia suggesting he has decided not to renew his contract which expires in the summer and will quit the Nou Camp after four hugely successful years as coach.
    He is set to announce his decision at 1330 local time (1230BST) alongside Barca president Sandro Rosell and sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta.

  10. #520

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    Sandro Rosell has CONFIRMED THAT PEP GUARDIOLA WILL NO LONGER BE THE COACH OF FC BARCELONA FOLLOWING THE END OF THE SEASON

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