FC Barcelona Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

dor83 · 27-07-2009 09:48PM

eZe^ wrote: »

I'm usually 100% against badge kissing, as it's just a horrible way of trying to win fans over when you move to a new club, but it's interesting to see that he NEVER kissed the badge of Malmo, his childhood club, Ajax, Juve or Inter. It does seem that he truly is in love with Barca, which is nice to see...

In fairness he has been saying all summer that Barca are the team he wants and he always pushed to be sold to them. There was a lot of talk of other clubs willing to pay the money for him(like Real and Chelsea) but he only ever talked about joining Barca.

D.S. wrote: »

A good player but in no way is he worth 43.5m and ETO. Just madness. 43.5m on his own and I would of thought he was expensive. It's a crazy deal. He's 28 in October also...

Inter have done incredibly well out of this deal. They got over 40m in the bank now, plus Eto, a player who will score a rake of goals and is more than an adequate replacement, plus they get to take a punt on Hleb and only have to pay 70% of his wages...best piece of business I have seen done in a long long long time..

I suppose it depends on how you look at it, as an Inter fan I see it as us losing our only creative player and our best player for the last 3 seasons(the 3 seasons we won the Scudetto on the pitch). Imo barca got him cheap because every player is overpriced this year and for the reasons I mentioned in my last post, and I know that most Barca fans won't see it this way but I think in a years time they will all be talking about how great Ibra is.

D.S. · 27-07-2009 09:50PM

eZe^ wrote: »

Barca overspent about 15 million on him max, which isn't that ludicrous tbh...

That is crazy imo...particulary given his age.

If they win the CL and the league this season and next, it will be worth it..but it's an expensive deal for 27 going on 28 year old...he'll have no sell on value either..

Doesn't take away from the fact he is a good player...and obviously a player is worth whatever a club is willing to pay...but I think Barca overvalued the player..

eZe^ · 27-07-2009 09:51PM

I just think this is going to be like Torres to Liverpool, he is going from being the main superstar in a team to a player who has equally skilled team mates all over the pitch. He WILL make the step up. And for all the people saying Inter got the better deal from the two, if they don't use that money on a good midfielder to provide balls for Eto'o, they'll struggle to regain the scudetto.

eZe^ · 27-07-2009 09:53PM

D.S. wrote: »

That is crazy imo...particulary given his age.

If they win the CL and the league this season and next, it will be worth it..but it's an expensive deal for 27 going on 28 year old...he'll have no sell on value either..

Doesn't take away from the fact he is a good player...and obviously a player is worth whatever a club is willing to pay...but I think Barca overvalued the player..

All fair enough points, lets just see how it pans out and judge it at the end of the season. I can see him having trouble adapting for a few weeks, but by Christmas I can see him dominating the sh*t out of everybody and providing Messi with some beautiful assists.

D.S. · 27-07-2009 09:54PM

eZe^ wrote: »

I just think this is going to be like Torres to Liverpool, he is going from being the main superstar in a team to a player who has equally skilled team mates all over the pitch. He WILL make the step up. And for all the people saying Inter got the better deal from the two, if they don't use that money on a good midfielder to provide balls for Eto'o, they'll struggle to regain the scudetto.

Whether Inter make good use of the money or not has nothing to do with the Eto/Ibra deal. Inter struck a brilliant deal, but still could squander their new found cash..

Ibra will do well at Barca...I just think that to justify the price tag, Barca need to win the CL/Liga this season again...

dor83 · 27-07-2009 10:01PM

D.S. wrote: »

Ibra will do well at Barca...I just think that to justify the price tag, Barca need to win the CL/Liga this season again...

With Ibra and Maxwell I honestly think that they will have the best team I have ever seen and can see them as being by far the best team in Europe next year, I don't think Real are close to Barca at the moment. They also have a possibility of getting Mascherano too, which imo would make them even better(no offence to Yaya Toure but I think Mascherano is a better player).

glenjamin · 27-07-2009 10:05PM

This has to be the greatest deal in history. For Inter that is.

eZe^ · 27-07-2009 10:11PM

glenjamin wrote: »

This has to be the greatest deal in history. For Inter that is.

15 euro bet that Eto'o will be useless in Serie A if Inter don't sign a creative midfielder to set him up ALL the time?

dor83 · 27-07-2009 10:17PM

glenjamin wrote: »

This has to be the greatest deal in history. For Inter that is.

Personally I would say that us selling Ronaldo to Real was a better deal, especially when you consider it was 8 years ago.

eZe^ wrote: »

15 euro bet that Eto'o will be useless in Serie A if Inter don't sign a creative midfielder to set him up ALL the time?

100% correct, if we don't get some creativity he will fail miserably at Inter. Ibra was our only creative player and Eto'o is not that type of player, which begs the question who will create the goals next this season?

glenjamin · 27-07-2009 10:22PM

eZe^ wrote: »

15 euro bet that Eto'o will be useless in Serie A if Inter don't sign a creative midfielder to set him up ALL the time?

Define useless.

Still though £40m for a 27yo and Eto'o, 28, and Hleb on a season long loan is some piece of business.

kinaldo · 27-07-2009 10:29PM

He's a quality player but I'm not entirely convinced.

At 28 it just seems unlikely that he's all of a sudden going to start banging them in in Europe.

Anyone know what his 'big-game' record is like in Serie A?

eZe^ · 28-07-2009 01:52AM

I've been getting psyched by watching all his videos and interviews, he is potentially an amazing signing, and seems like he genuinely only wanted Barca ahead of Inter. He said his unveiling at Barca was second only to the birth of his children, and that he was 'the happiest man in the world'.. Some good interviews that kinda explain his character better than when he's taking the piss;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6wDpOxB5BM

Also, some videos to psyche fellow cules up for the coming season!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2q8slUNF64

dor83 · 28-07-2009 02:25AM

Here's some of last seasons goals too

The one against Bolonga was just amazing, one of the best I have ever seen.

gimmick · 31-07-2009 09:42AM

Surprised this was not posted yesterday

Hleb to Stuttgart on loan for a season. Good riddance. He turned down the Inter loan deal. Presumably he felt the standard was too high for him.

Cacares to Juventus on loan for a season. Good move. He should certainly get some more game time if they are willing to take him in. He looks a decet prospect, just a bit rougha round the edges.

eZe^ · 31-07-2009 11:46AM

.

Former Milan and Juventus coach Fabio Capello has always been an admirer of new Barcelona star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He tried to sign him from Ajax during his period as Roma coach, and finally got to work with him at Juve between 2004 and 2006.

The current England boss thinks the former Inter man can become greater than Dutch legend Marco Van Basten, a player he also worked with in the early 1990s when he coached Milan.

"When Zlatan arrived in Italy he was a rough diamond," Capello said to La Repubblica. "But now he is very complete, the best striker in the world and he's impossible to mark inside the area. I know comparing Van Basten to Ibrahimovic is like comparing Picasso to Rothko, but I believe that because of his power and his technique Zlatan will become stronger than Marco.

"Zlatan needed to learn and mature, but he's an intelligent lad. He also has an incredible gift for maintaining his position, freeing himself from defenders and at the same time seeing a pass, a space or a chance to shoot."

The highly respected coach continued to compare the two players, "Marco was born with the ball at his feet, in his case it's something innate. Meanwhile, Zlatan was too in love with the ball, it seemed like he enjoyed more playing tricks with the ball than trying to shoot.

"That changed when I showed him Van Basten's videos. Since then he plays much closer to the penalty box. What Van Basten and Ibra have in common is their natural elegance. We're talking about giants who are like poetry in movement."

Smegball · 31-07-2009 12:13PM

Ibra will change ALOT of peoples opinions this forthcoming season, criminally underrated.

JPA · 31-07-2009 12:16PM

Barca spending may be over
Guardiola happy to start season with existing squad

Coach Pep Guardiola has admitted that Barcelona may have concluded their summer spending.

Although the treble winners have spent over 60million euros on Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Maxwell and Keirrison, that figure has been dwarfed by the 200m euros splashed out by Spanish rivals Real Madrid.

Real's spending spree has inflated the transfer market and Guardiola accepts that Barca may not be able to afford any more high-profile signings.

"The market is open but very complicated," said Guardiola. "All the signings are very expensive and one of the options is that there won't be any more reinforcements.
High prices

"We are rich but not as much as others. Everyone, for whatever player, is asking for a great deal of money.

"That wise man Sir Alex Ferguson was definitely right when he said that this isn't a year to sign."

Young Brazilian striker Keirrison has already been sent out on loan to Benfica so Ibrahimovic and Maxwell are so far the only additions to the Barca squad for next season.

Guardiola is hopeful he can further boost his options via a cut-price deal or a loan signing but is happy to kick off the Primera Liga season on 31st August with his existing squad.

"I'm convinced things will happen," he added. "There is still time to bring in reinforcements, until the end of August, whether on a loan deal or a permanent basis.

Solid base

"In any case, if we can't, we can't. We're going to continue seeing what happens as the days pass but I have no reason to complain.

"The base is very good. I have 16, 17 or 18 very good players and the poorer ones are also coming along nicely.

"If someone comes we will be calmer, but if not, nothing will happen.

"What is certain is that we're not going to bring in someone just for the sake of it."

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11945_5464082,00.html

eZe^ · 31-07-2009 12:43PM

He's dead right too, Ibrahimovic was a massive amount of money, and was the only striker capable of replacing Eto'o, a player Guardiola HAD to replace this transfer window. And considering Pep was looking for Adebayor/ Kanoute last year, it seems he has acquired the best striker in the world out of that mould...

Forwards - Bojan, Messi, Henry, Ibrahimovic, Iniesta, Assulin

Midfielders - Xavi, Keita, Busquets, Iniesta, Toure, Dos Santos

Defenders - Puyol, Pique, Henrique, Marquez, Milito, Alves, Maxwell, Abidal, Muniesa, Fontas

Goalkeepers - Valdes, Pinto, Joq

Plenty of strength and depth there really.

Boggles · 31-07-2009 12:46PM

Gotta Love Pep!!

"That wise man Sir Alex Ferguson was definitely right when he said that this isn't a year to sign."

eZe^ · 31-07-2009 12:50PM

He's a classy version of Jose Mourinho, only more sucessful... :P;)

JPA · 31-07-2009 12:51PM

Boggles wrote: »

Gotta Love Pep!!

"That wise man Sir Alex Ferguson was definitely right when he said that this isn't a year to sign."

How did I know a United fan would find that line like a laser guided missile. :pac:

Boggles · 31-07-2009 12:59PM

JPA wrote: »

How did I know a United fan would find that line like a laser guided missile. :pac:

I'd already read it this morning, was waiting for you to post it so I can could qoute it!!

kinaldo · 02-08-2009 07:43AM

93,000 to see Barca take on LA Galaxy at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena yesterday. That's the highest 'soccer' attendance in the US since the '94 World Cup final (94,000, same stadium). Not bad for a friendly.

Beckham was also on the scoresheet with a brilliant free-kick, very reminiscent of his free-kick against Barcelona at Old Trafford back in 1998.

Mini highlights link - http://forum.rojadirecta.org/viewtopic.php?t=71814&sid=30be1d142d2b4f766402336392088adb

Kirby · 02-08-2009 09:55AM

That free kick was class. Give me Beckham standing over a spot kick over ronaldo any day of the week. Atleast you know he'll get it over the wall.

eZe^ · 02-08-2009 09:58AM

Lovely seeing Pedro and Jeffren both scoring against the Galaxy, we have so many youth players capable of playing key sub roles this season. It'll be nice to see how Dos Santos, Assulin, Pedro, Jeffren, and Muniesa are encorporated into Peps side, and if Lucho will need them for Barca Atletic...

gimmick · 16-08-2009 06:09PM

Messi not in the squad for tonights Super Cup game away to Bilbao. Henry has recovered enough from injury to be in the squad but unlikely to start. Ibrahimovic will not be in the squad either due to a hand injury. He is slated to make his debut Vs Man City during the week.

Likely starting XI

Valdes
Alves.....Puyol....Pique....Abidal
........Toure........
Xavi.........Keita
Pedro.....Bojan......Asulin

Not bothered much about this. As longas there are no injuries i will be happy. Id saying Jeffren and Muniesa might get some game time as well (does Muniesa suspension go into this season, or has his match been served?).

It aint on TV, so must go looking for a stream.

gimmick · 16-08-2009 07:48PM

Confirmed starting XI

Valdés
Alves -- Puyol -- Piqué -- Abidal
Touré
Xavi -- Keita
Pedro -- Bojan -- Henry

Subs:
Pinto, Maxwell, Fontàs, Muniesa, Gudjohnsen, Busquets, Jeffren.

gimmick · 16-08-2009 09:29PM

Stream http://www.atdhe.net/8533/watch-athletic-bilbao-vs-fc-barcelona

Score on 66 minutes

Barca 1-2 up on 66 mins. Xavi and Pedro.

gimmick · 19-08-2009 10:37PM

Man city secured the greatest result in their history tonight by beating 2 Barca teams in the Gamper Trophy. It was 1-0. Barca used 20 players I think. Did not see much of it, but Man City pretty much sat back for what I saw. Great to see ambitious play in friendlies :rolleyes:

Not bothered by the loss. Sometimes you learn more in losing than winning. If i were to choose any match to lose this month, it would have been that one.

In other news Ibra showed up late for training yesterday. Hardly a good start. It was only 2 minutes, but late is late.

http://www.fcbarcelonanews.com/ibrahimovic-late-for-training/

Slash/ED · 19-08-2009 10:42PM

Barca crushed them from what I saw in the second half, very good performance considering how many changes were made

FC Barcelona Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

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