Once Lionel Messi scored his club record-tying 34th goal of the season in the 76th minute to increase the lead to 4–0, the 98,772 Culés at the Camp Nou, save for a few hundred Real Valladolid die-hards, began to chant the song that every team wants to hear at the end of the season, “Campeones, […]
Pep Guardiola
La Liga Jornada 38 Review: Barcelona Defends Their La Liga Crown
by Andy Pineda on May 17, 2010 · 0 comments Tweet
Inter Milan Completes The Italian Job on Barcelona in the Champions League
by Andy Pineda on April 29, 2010 · 4 comments Tweet
The sprinklers rose up from the pitch and sprayed the Inter Milan players and staff. The Barcelona anthem, “Cant del Barça,” blared through the loudspeakers as the Culés did not know whether to clap off their Blaugrana heroes or vehemently whistle at the unwanted visitors from northern Italy. This sense of confusion permeated throughout the […]
Throughout Barcelona’s two-year run of groundbreaking excellence, Josep Guardiola i Sala role as a tactician tended to be undervalued. He reinstituted the “Total Football” concept that Johan Cruyff, Guardiola’s former manager at FC Barcelona, instilled when he was a player and a manager at the club, and he changed the culture inside the dressing room. He […]
La Liga in the Champions League: Sevilla Stumbles While Barcelona Bedazzles
by Andy Pineda on March 18, 2010 · 0 comments Tweet
With the advantage of the away goal, Sevilla looked in prime position to advance to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. Unfortunately, Manolo Jiménez’s team played as though they were already in the next round. A 0–0 score line would have sent Sevilla through, and even though Diego Perotti declared that they could not […]
La Liga Review: Real Madrid Proves To Be A Legitimate Threat to Barcelona
by Andy Pineda on March 8, 2010 · 2 comments Tweet
The Almería — Barcelona match had not concluded when Real Madrid took to the pitch, but a few minutes into their match with Sevilla, they knew that Barça slipped at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos and dropped two points with a 2–2 draw against Almería. Expectations were that Real Madrid would not have the […]
A ridiculous question with what should be a simple answer. First, a cursory investigation. Is Barcelona on top of the standings in La Liga? Yes. Has Barcelona obtained sixty-one points from twenty-four matches, one more point than it had at the same point last season? Check. Does Barcelona have the edge in its UEFA Champions […]
Villarreal Spoils Barcelona’s Party at the Camp Nou
by Andy Pineda on January 4, 2010 · 0 comments Tweet
A festive atmosphere enveloped the Camp Nou on Saturday evening as the boys of the Blaugrana celebrated their unprecedented six-trophy year with their Barça faithful. Villarreal was a mere afterthought as the Barcelona players deservedly received their plaudits for a year of literal perfection. Even Villarreal showed them respect before the match when they created […]
