FC Barcelona Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

Bodhisopha

It's just paper talk at this stage but Barca are rumoured to be interested in Bale. I think he'd be a great signing. Not great defensively, wouldn't have to defend much anyways, but would be a fantastic attacking threat from left back.

That's the type of signing they need to counter what's going at Real. They're looking strong and looking at the ages of their players they're only going to get stronger over the next few years.

Blatter

Bodhisopha wrote: »

It's just paper talk at this stage but Barca are rumoured to be interested in Bale. I think he'd be a great signing. Not great defensively, wouldn't have to defend much anyways, but would be a fantastic attacking threat from left back.

That's the type of signing they need to counter what's going at Real. They're looking strong and looking at the ages of their players they're only going to get stronger over the next few years.

I was saying that in the United thread, Bale would slot in nicely at LB at Barca, would give another dimension to the team and take a bit of pressure from Alves being the main attacking full back the whole time.

I also think Bale is pretty decent defensively, but as you said he wouldn't need to be as Barca have the ball so much.

Would be a difficult deal to pull of though, we all know what Levy is like.

Bodhisopha

Blatter wrote: »

I was saying that in the United thread, Bale would slot in nicely at LB at Barca, would give another dimension to the team and take a bit of pressure from Alves being the main attacking full back the whole time.

I also think Bale is pretty decent defensively, but as you said he wouldn't need to be as Barca have the ball so much.

Would be a difficult deal to pull of though, we all know what Levy is like.

Yeah, very difficult deal to pull off, I think his contract runs out in 2015. The sum mentioned was 35 million, Spurs are obviously going to push for more than that. I don't know how much more than that Barcelona could, should or would be willing to pay for him.

MisterAnarchy

Ibrahimovich threated to beat Pep up

I see Ibrahimovich is mouthing off again this week as his autobiography is released,he seems a fairly odious chap.

Former Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic claimed he would beat up coach Pep Guardiola if he did not get a move to AC Milan, according to the Spanish club's corporate vice-president Carles Vilarrubi.

Ibrahimovic, who has a black belt in tae-kwon-do, had an unhappy year at the Nou Camp after joining from Inter Milan in a swap deal with Samuel Eto'o and, in his recent autobiography, has claimed that he was 'bullied' by Guardiola.

The tension was so great that Vilarrubi claims he threatened physical violence upon his manager as he tried to engineer a move away from the club on loan.

"He threatened to beat Guardiola in public," Vilarrubi told radio station RAC1, "He said 'if you do not let me go I will paste him in front of the press'".

Ibrahimovic's book, 'I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic', has caused a storm with his controversial comments about his former team-mates and employers. And the Swede also took aim at World Player of the Year Lionel Messi for forcing him out of his favoured position.

''It was a childhood dream and I was walking on air,'' wrote Ibrahimovic. ''It started well but then Messi started to talk. He wanted to play in the middle, not on the wing, so the system changed from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1. I was sacrificed and no longer had the freedom on the pitch I need to succeed.

''So I asked for a meeting with Guardiola - for a discussion, not an argument. I said I was being used in the wrong way and that they shouldn't have bought me if they wanted another type of player.

''I told him what a friend had said to me - "you bought a Ferrari but drive it like a Fiat". The chat seemed to go well but then Guardiola started to freeze me out. I would walk into a room; he would leave. He would greet everyone by saying hello, but would ignore me.

''I had done a lot to adapt - the Barca players were like schoolboys, following the coach blindly, whereas I was used to asking "why?" I like guys who run red lights, not pedantic and strict rules. So I tried to be overly nice, didn't dare lose my temper.

''But after this I stopped trying to adapt. For example, at Barca players were banned from driving their sports cars to training. I thought this was ridiculous - it was no one's business what car I drive - so in April, before a match with Almeria, I drove my Ferrari Enzo to work. It caused a scene.''

Ibrahimovic also revealed the moment when he lost his temper with Guardiola, after a game with Villarreal in 2010.

''(Pep) was staring at me and I lost it. I thought "there is my enemy, scratching his bald head". I yelled to him: "You have no balls!" And probably worse things than that. I added: 'You are s****ing yourself because of (then Inter manager Jose Mourinho, whose side beat Barca in the Champions League). You can go to hell!" I was completely mad.

''I threw a box full of training gear across the room, it crashed to the floor and Pep said nothing, just put stuff back in the box. I'm not violent, but if I were Guardiola I would have been frightened.''

Ibrahimovic also discusses his discussions with newly-appointed Barcelona president Sandro Rosell over a move away after his relationship with the coach broke down.

"The president said: 'I understand the situation. Which club do you want to join?' I replied: 'Madrid.' Rosell replied: 'That is not possible. You can go anywhere but there.'"

On his signing for AC Milan - an initial loan with the option to purchase for €24 million - he said: "Rosell, [Milan vice-president Adriano] Galliani, [agent Mino Raiola], my lawyer and [Barcelona vice-president Josep Maria] Bartomeu were all there, and Sandro said: 'I want you to know that this is the worst piece of business I have conducted in my life.' I replied: 'It's the result of bad leadership.'"

Ibrahimovic also told Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview this week that he had been pressured into kissing the badge during his unveiling at the Camp Nou in 2009.

"The kiss... they almost forced me to do it," he said. "They all said: 'Kiss it, kiss it.' Normally I do what I want to do, but I was so moved at having joined such a great club, at being in such a great stadium, that I did what everyone said."

Bodhisopha

The fact that they are clearly better without him makes him look really foolish in all of that.

The Floyd p

Team:Valdes, Puyol, Mascherano, Busquets, Abidal Keita Xavi Thiago Cesc, Messi, Villa

Mad lineup tonight.

dfx-

That looks like Busquets centre-half:(

Or maybe a three man defence with Puyol, Mascherano and Abidal

The Floyd p

3 man defense with Busquets shielding

Blatter

dfx- wrote: »

That looks like Busquets centre-half:(

Or maybe a three man defence with Puyol, Mascherano and Abidal

Looks to me like Busquets and Mascherano centre half with Abidal LB and Puyol at RB.

dfx-

I going to hope it's three and choose to ignore the dreaded four with Busquets.

Bodhisopha

Oh nooo, not Rob Palmer and Gerry Armstrong :mad:

The Floyd p

1-0 woo Xavi

#15

1-1

Great game so far

flahavaj

Peno Barca. Superb game so far.

IvySlayer

Should be red for Aquilani but Nesta is booked!

2-1 Barcelona edit to be retaken and Messi booked!

flahavaj

Re-take!!!

The Floyd p

Sooo close for 3

Crazy Horse 6

Amazing game. How is Aqualini still on the pitch. Referee booked the wrong player? Barca really showing their steel tonight.

JPA

What happened for the peno?

flahavaj

JPA wrote: »

What happened for the peno?

Xavi was through, pulled to the ground.

An Citeog

flahavaj wrote: »

JPA wrote: »

What happened for the peno?

Xavi was through, pulled to the ground.

By Aquilani who'd already been booked. Ref decided to book Nesta for the foul instead.

Turtwig

An Citeog wrote: »

By Aquilani who'd already been booked. Ref decided to book Nesta for the foul instead.

And was he not the last defender? Think Sky were spot on about the Messi penalty rule, such a same that sort of stuff is disallowed. Abiatti was duped. Abiatti has been awesome though.

flahavaj

Malty_T wrote: »

And was he not the last defender?

They couldn't really have argued much with a straight red tbh.

Crazy Horse 6

That was a peno for Barca. Bad call by the ref.

Peyton Manning

What a goal

Turtwig

Great Goal!

Have to say Barca's defence should be really worried about their game against Madrid. Woeful defending at times.

ollie1

Xavi

Turtwig

Lovely stuff.:)

The Floyd p

Xavi gets one!!!!!

Turtwig

Did Aquilani just commit the last man foul again?