Barca Breakdown (FC Barcelona)

A New Hope: Barca Win First Game under Setien

We have a new coach! After the draw against Espanyol and failure in the SuperCopa semifinal, the board finally realized it was time for Ernesto Valverde to leave the club. We are appreciative of everything he offered and the 2 league and 1 Copa Del Rey titles he brought us. But clearly we needed a new coach. Setien seems to have really increased training intensity, while also deploying a much more cohesive offensive style than we had under Valverde. As a huge Cruyff fan, we all hope he can match a tiki-taka style we mastered under Pep. The game against Granada was a good start, with Messi ultimately scoring the game winner. It was only one game, but it does feel like we can see a positive change so far! Lets hope the team continues to grow and learn under new leadership.

Watershed Moment? SuperCopa Failure Leaves Valverde's Job in Limbo

This week we discuss another semifinal loss in the SuperCopa against Atletico Madrid. Though Var did take away two goals and the team played very well for most of the first 75 minutes of the game, the continuing trend of Barca's defense failing showed itself again. Unfortunately, Atletico scored two goals after the 80th minute, costing us a chance at the final. The new element of this loss was the reports that the board had finally lost confidence in Valverde and that Xavi may be in line to take over as manager immediately.

Barca A-Team Fail To Overcome Espanyol In Derby

Happy 2020! Hopefully this will be a great year for FC Barcelona. Unfortunately, we began the year on a rocky start with a 2-2 draw at Espanyol. Frenkie De Jong had his worst game as a Barca player, getting the red card that dropped us to 10 men and helped Espanyol tie the game. Our defense continues to allow too many goals and unfortunately it has not gotten better as the season has progressed.

Barca Back on Top: El Clasico and Victory Against Alaves

This week we discuss the Clasico and win over Alaves. Unfortunately, technical difficulties caused us to miss the post-Clasico discussion, but we are back! We lacked a midfield in the 0-0 draw versus Madrid but were back to decent form in the 4-1 win against Alaves. With Madrid dropping points to Bilbao today, Barca are back to top of the table.

FC Barcelona Relapse at Anoeta: Midfield Issues Persist

We discuss the 2-2 draw at Anoeta versus Real Sociedad. Though it was certainly unfair that the referee called the penalty for La Real and not FC Barcelona, it is also true the FCB played poorly today. An uncharacteristically bad performance by Messi and a poor midfield lineup by Valverde helped La Real win the posession battle and look more dangerous than Barca today. Though we couldn't get the win, we hope the team can get back together and show up in El Clasico on Wednesday against Real Madrid. 

Ballon de Messi

Messi lifted the Ballon Dor in front of the Camp Nou as he won his 6th golden ball. Barcelona then won 5-2 against Mallorca in a highlight reel game. Suarez scored what he called his greatest goal ever with a delicious backheel. Messi capped off the beautiful night with a hat trick with an outstanding out of the box goal. Overall, it looks like the Griezmann Suarez Messi connection is heating up like we all hoped! We need to take this energy into the Clasico on Dec. 18th!

Barca Prevail Away at Atletico!

Barca take 3 huge points at the Wanda Metropolitano against Atletico Madrid! Leo Messi scored another huge goal to keep FC Barcelona as La Liga leaders (tied with Real Madrid). Though this wasn't our best offensive performance, these are the type of games that win leagues. Hopefully, we can continue to improve offensively so that we are able to score more goals from open play as the season goes on.

Messi Griezmann Connection: Barca win Group of Death

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving we are thankful for the 50 minutes of beautiful football played against Dortmunt at the Camp Nou. Though the last 20 minutes of the game were poor, Barcelona are now through to the knockout rounds with the top spot in the Group of Death! Messi looked fabulous and his connections with Suarez and Griezmann leave us hopeful for the game against Atletico this Sunday.

Barca Win, Fans Lose: Another Boring Performance at Leganes

FC Barcelona won away at Leganes this week 2-1. The team continues to look uninspired as we are currently struggling to score any goals from open play. With Dortmund coming to the Camp Nou on Wednesday, Barca and Valverde will need to wake up as an embarrassing Champion League group stage exit is looming.

Messi Hat Trick Covers Valverde's Poor Tactics

Another uninspiring victory by FC Barcelona. The trend of Messi saving Valverde's Barca continues, as the GOAT scored two free kicks and a penalty. It was nice to see Dembele have a good game as he came on as a sub for Fati in the second half. Busquets also scored to join Messi's hat trick in the 4-1 victory at the Camp Nou.