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Thiago easily. Should have spent Cesc's money on a good defender. And Song's money too.

The Catalan papers saw this coming months ago just as they knew Mourinho's assault will be considered a minor offense because a major offense means a ban of 4-12 games. Calciopoli is kids' stuff, Madrid has the federation in its pocket. What positives were expected? Pepe's stamp on Messi's hand...

Higuain and Benzema are good players and they can certainly score, but we are often forgetting that players like Ronaldo can elevate the team by just being there on the pitch. Most teams mark Ronaldo with two players, leaving space for the others to exploit. When Ronaldo makes a run, on and off...

Word Different players, but Falcao is a player who could really help this Barca. He had made a name in Portugal, but I didn't think he would be that good. Pep said that he's currently probably the best striker in the world and he's right. Another player who could help Barcelona was pre-injury...

Cristiano is twice the player Ibra is. Ibra was in the same league as Cristiano and in a better team. Numbers are not everything, just watch both players play and the difference is quite noticeable. Say what you want about Ronaldo's histrionics, useless stepovers and whatnot, but without him in...

You are right and I don't disagree with you, but it's not like he is making pennies in Barcelona despite that ridiculous tax. Earlier I said that it's his right to leave and choose another club and he was honest about the reason. He's also smart enough to know that he won't be getting that much...

It's still just money. If your family is happy there, you are happy there, you are successful, the people there are nice to you and like you, and you make more in a year than what most of us here make in 10 years or more, why would you want to leave? I know legally it's his right to leave after...

Thanks for the detailed post. Those young players need minutes. That's why Bojan should have played elsewhere sooner. RDM was an emergency replacement last season. This season he may do differently and Oriol may get more playing time. Since he's from Barca, I assume he wouldn't do well in a...

It's no secret that Barca prefers homegrown players, but there's no agenda against people of certain origins. It's simply due to the fact that our style demands technical players, not physical ones. Although one could argue that Yaya was technical, but this was a case of either him or Sergio and...

You're right, we really did overpay for him. My point is that other than the well-established defenders such as T. Silva and Hummels, we can't be certain of the others' full qualities. Good central defenders are hard to come by and their clubs are not willing to let them go, or their demands...

There was a lot of confusion over that deal after AVB said that Barca cannot buy him back, then the Catalan papers stated otherwise and there were conflicting articles on the British websites. I believe we can get him back for 15m this season. I'm of the same opinion too. Problem is, getting a...

I remember AC Milan showing some interest in Keita last year. Several clubs would pay at least 5m for Keita. He was a nice person but an average player in my opinion. Still, he was always hardworking and never created any trouble and apparently he was Pep's moral compass and that's supposed to...

Exactly. This sort of subconscious thinking is not uncommon, but other than very few well-informed Barcelona fans, I'm yet to see someone, whether your typical football enthusiast or the so-called pundits and analysts, acknowledge Xavi's brilliance in that game.

Sorry if this was mentioned before (little time, being gone for a while), and apologies for cyber-shouting in advance. WHO THE F^%$ DECIDED THAT INIESTA WAS MAN OF THE MATCH IN THE FINAL?????!!!!11!?!!! Seriously, everybody's hailing Spain as "teh best team eva". They played one good game. Xavi...

Pit those suggested formations against Germany and you notice the difference in quality. Some good players have been mentioned here, but the truth is that hardly any of them can pose serious danger if Messi is double-/triple-marked except Kun, that's why he should be a starter in every game...

Wasn't that the game that was played entirely in the midfield? And yes, the Vuvuzelas were very annoying. What about the Jabulani ball? I didn't enjoy a single game in that tournament.

This club vs. NT debate is not a very bright idea. A player is judged by his skills, intelligence, workrate, consistency, decisiveness, and other attributes. A player who has these attributes will have them regardless of where he is. The question of a team's achievement can't be boiled down to a...

You are overrating Ronaldo here and this comes from someone who hasn't downplayed Ronaldo's significance. He's good and definitely had an excellent season. His seemingly impressive stats keep him in this competition. Ronaldo scored a goal Barcelona, fair enough, but so did Torres in just a...

The word in bold is unnecessary. :)

Messi wouldn't thrive in a counterattacking team, he would own it. - Best first touch in the history of the game (tied with Iniesta) - check - Explosive speed and pace - check - Best dribbler in the history of the game - check - Unbelievably good passer - check He has 99 in all of those...