Barca win the Catalan derby 2 - 0 !

Hello everyone,

It is the perfect response that every Cule would have wanted to see from FC Barcelona following the Friday's Champions Leauge Semifinals draw. Barca were drawn to play German giants FC Bayern Munich in the Semifinal stage of the CL in a fortnight's time. And Barca needed to show that they are up for that challenge in today's La Liga fixture against their city rivals Espanyol FC, playing away from home. And boy! Barca did make their statement indeed ahead of the final run-in of games before curtains fall on this 2014-15 season. 

Barca looked to dominate from the word go and maintained all the possession in the opening exchanges. Their attacking front three of Messi, Neymar, Suarez were finding each other with ease, especially Leo Messi playing from the deep managed to play-in delightful balls for his other two strike partners. Barca fired an early warning shot when Neymar managed to disturb the Espanyol goal, albeit from the top, after Leo Messi found him with a delightful ball into space. But the opening goal arrived a little later when Messi again played a wonderful cross field pass to Alba, who squared off the ball to the onrushing Luis Suarez. Suarez could have taken a shot on goal but showed great awareness to back heel the ball to Neymar who was also right in front of the goal with a better chance of scoring. Neymar did slot in the ball from close range to give Barca the lead. 

Messi then doubled the lead on the 27th minute to fire home from a narrow angle after Suarez again laid the ball for him with a pass across the mouth of the goal and Barca were in cruise control for the remainder of the 1st half. Luis Suarez set up Neymar again, this time with a dream of a flick into the air and behind the Espanyol defense. Neymar did manage to get the perfect connection on the volley with his weaker left-foot, but the goal was thwarted by an equally exceptional stop from the rival keeper to deny Barca's 3rd goal of the evening, which might well have killed off the game.

The 2nd half seemed a familiar story for Barca during the initial period. Sergio Busquets robbed the ball in the midfield and played a superb ball into space for Neymar on the left. Neymar had all the time in the world to square it for the unmarked Suarez and return favor for the latter's assist earlier in the game. But Neymar had other ideas and he chose to chip it over the Espanyol keeper, who managed to block the effort much to the dismay of Suarez (and me even more). Nevertheless, Barca had another golden opportunity to score the 3rd goal courtesy of an Iniesta and Suarez link up play, and when the latter unselfishly squared the ball to Neymar, the Brazilian somehow shot it over the bar with no one at the goal post to block his shot. Suarez did not manage to get on the score sheet but he played a superb game today and played his part in both of the Barca goals. 

Then came a point when the Barca left-back Jordi Alba was given a questionable yellow card for dissent and then a totally unwarranted 2nd Yellow to be sent off with about 30 minutes left on the clock. It was a needless 2nd Yellow and a subsequent Red card from the Referee against Alba. But thankfully he remained consistent to give another Espanyol player another rash Red card late in the game. Both those decisions were totally unnecessary given that they were not as a result of a clash between players, but because of the players complaining about the two separate decisions and a caution would have sufficed in both of those situations. The Barca defense, especially macherano and Pique, kept things tight at the back and on a few occasions when the Barca keeper was called into play, Claudio Bravo showed great composure and strength to preserve his clean sheet. 

Gladly, the Referee's decisions did not affect the result which was a great win for Barca ahead of some more crucial, and tough, games lying in wait for them. And after the way they have bounced back in this season at the start of 2015, Barca, and the Cules, definitely would want to end the season with more than one trophy. The treble is still on. Visca Barca! Come on Cules!!

Thanks for reading & cheers! See you soon!!    - yps05

A day of mixed results

Hey everyone,

FC Barcelona added 3 more points to their La Liga tally this season with a hard fought win over Valencia FC. It was always going to be a tough game against Valencia who play attacking football and are sitting 4th in the current La Liga standings, and the game did not disappoint by any stretch of imagination. There were goals in the 1st minute and the 90th minute of the match, and there was end-to-end football throughout the game separating these goals. It was tense throughout and match could have ended with any result until a late 2nd goal confirmed the result just seconds before the final whistle.

The encounter opened with a goal in the opening minute itself. Lionel Messi threading a perfect ball into the path of Luis Suarez to shoot from a tight angle. Suarez made the perfect connection to pierce the ball between the onrushing defenders and the Valencia keeper to give Barca the perfect start. The tempo of the game match remained high on both ends of the field, with clearer chances for Valencia in particular. Valencia had an opportunity to equalize courtesy a penalty awarded to them by the referee, but the Barca shot-stopper Claudio Bravo proved his worth to the side once again with a save to his right. He has been phenomenal with a couple more saves during the remainder of the game. It is very easy to forget that this is his 1st season in a Barca jersey and I must say that I'm mighty impressed with Bravo who took almost no time to settle into the first team this season to replace the great Victor Valdes. He has made his presence felt throughout the La Liga season and has proved to be more than a good signing for Barca. Bravo's consistency has allowed the Barca defense the chance to be more assured during the tough games, which was precisely what was missing last season and cost us titles. But it's all in the past now and Barca look stronger and more motivated than ever to win trophies again this season. It is going to be a tough run of games between now and the end of the season for Barca.

The 2nd half was much of the same and substitutions made by either side had little impact on the game as the level was already very high. Leo Messi seemed to be slightly off his best today despite some typical bursts down the right-flank. It seemed to me that Barca were trying a bit too hard on many occasions to kill the game with another goal and this always invited Valencia to attack. Leo finally managed to get on the score sheet though, a touch of fortune involved, to score Barca's 2nd goal of the game and his 400th overall in the Barca jersey. Congratulations Leo on this landmark and I hope he scores many more which help Barca win matches and trophies. Vamos Leo! Visca Barca!

On another note, Rafael Nadal lost to nemesis Novak Djokovic in the Monte Carlo masters 1000 Semi Finals. The 6-3 6-3 scoreline is deceptive but it was a lot more tighter affair than that suggests, although I admit that I'm disappointed that Rafa didn't manage to take a set off Djokovic despite a good start to the match. All in all, Rafa seems improved after returning to his beloved clay stretch of the season. This should help his confidence after his wins over opponents like John Isner and David Ferrer. That must have helped him a big deal. And Rafa can look to get even better in the upcoming clay tournaments leading up to the French Open. The chances are much more positive now than they were a few weeks ago. Keep fighting Rafa!

Thanks for reading guys & cheers! See you soon   - yps05

Superlative display from Barca and Suarez !

Hello everyone,

What a performance it was by FC Barcelona at the Parc des Princes, Paris. This was the 1st leg of the Quarter Final match up against Paris Saint Germain (PSG). It was always going to be a tough tie for Barca especially since these two sides have played each other quite often in the Champions League for a few seasons now; and given the stakes, boy FCB made it look so easy. And it must be said that it was the perfect response after a bad result the past weekend. 

Barca looked dominant and stamped their authority right from the kick-off. They looked sharp up and down the field. Leo Messi went close to opening the score sheet for Barca on the night, but his well struck effort was denied by the woodwork with the PSG keeper well beaten. But, the 1st goal did not take long to come by when Leo Messi laid the ball for Neymar and with only the keeper to beat, the latter placed the ball perfectly into the bottom corner to get a well deserved lead for Barca. PSG were dealt an early blow when their inspirational skipper Thiago Silva had to make way for David Luiz very early on in the game.

Barca continued to threaten for the remainder of the 1st half, while PSG were merely chasing shadows. Such was the difference in the attitude of the two sides. Then came the 2nd half and Barca started it just as the 1st half. Luis Suarez was everywhere in the attacking third and just like in the 1st half, continued to harass David Luiz with his incisive runs toward the PSG  goal. And it wasn't much before he put his name on the score sheet when he created a goal from almost nothing. Suarez received the ball on the right-flank, cut inside by nutmegging David Luiz, showed great strength to keep the ball away from the tackles of Marquinnhos and Maxwell and then fired a shot low to the keeper's left. The shot had enough power to hit the back of the net despite a block from the PSG keeper and Barca celebrated like wild knowing the importance of that goal in this tie. 

PSG needed to fight back to have any hope of a chance in the reverse leg at Camp Nou, but that they never seemed like it. It seemed like Barca were more desperate to find another goal rather than PSG scoring their 1st of the night. And after a brief period of lull, Javier Mascherano fed Luiz Suarez with a decent ball and Suarez raced to to the PSG goal after nutmegging David Luiz for the 2nd time and with only the keeper to beat after that, he fired a curling shot into the top corner which showed the exact amount of confidence he had in himself right now. Suarez was just sensational for Barca tonight! That goal was pretty much the final nail in the coffin for PSG who were down 3 goals, yes 3 away goals, by then. A word of praise for the Barca defense too especially Mascherano who made several last ditch tackles to deny PSG any kind of a sniff  in this QF tie.  PSG then scored from a late deflection off Jeremy Mathieu which gave them a consolation on this night. Jeremy then atoned for his mistake when he had brilliantly blocked a Cavani effort very late in the game, which if scored might have PSG given some hope again. 

All in all, it was the FC Barcelona who won in Paris with some delightful football from their players just when it was needed. They will have the chance to make it to the Champions League Semi Finals in a weeks time from now. Visca Barca!

Thanks for reading & cheers! See you again!   - yps05

Draws are no good for Barca now !

Hey everyone,

An enthralling game of Soccer between Sevilla FC nd FC Barcelona ended in a draw (2-2). And as a result, Barca have their lead at the top of La Liga cut down to just two points now. This was always going to be tough game given the opposition, which are 5th on the table and pllaying in their home ground. At the end of it, Barca pay the price for some costly misses. What seemed like a commanding position in la Liga some 3 days ago is now very much open with 7 games to go before the season draws to a close.

Barca started the game brightly and looked every bit in command of the proceedings. Messi had a couple of shots blocked just outside the penalty area and Neymar, who has come back into the starting lineup in this game, looked sharp making some really useful runs down the left flank. And Barca did take the lead from one such Neymar play when he set up Messi for the opening goal of the encounter.  Messi took it in style and Barca were off to a great start. A little later in the 1st half, Neymar scored from a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. Messi asked Neymar to have a go at it since the angle was favorable to the right-foot of Neymar and boy did he not score that free kick perfectly. Neymar scored a peach of a free kick with the entire Sevilla defense and their goal keeper not moving an inch. It was just outstanding and had perfection written all over it as it glided smoothly into the back of the post. It is a must watch goal I say and one you'll not get tired of watching, no matter how many times you watch it. 

All seemed to be going well for Barca and soon after the Neymar's goal, Suarez had an opportunity to make it 3-0 for Barca. But he some managed to miss it and Sevilla struck a blow at the other end of the field. Ever Benega pulled one back for Sevilla and it was another peach of a strike giving no chance for the Barca keeper. That goal really did spur the Sevilla players and the crowd alike and it looked a different team from that point onward. One Sevilla attack followed the other and if it was not for that Barca defense, it would have been worse for Barca.  The 2nd half was much of he same as Sevilla never really allowed Barca to stamp their game and authority over it and attacked the Barca goal in a manner few teams have managed this season. 

Barca really should have put the tie to bed but it was Luis Suarez again who somehow forgot how to score in this game and fired a shot well over the bar with the keeper on the ground and only a defender to beat. That was as bad a miss as it can get, and from a player of Suarez's quality, which is unforgivable. He hit the side netting of the Sevilla goal in what was another half chance for Barca and that really was it for the game for us. Sevilla continued to put pressure and eventually managed to find the equalizer with 7 minutes of normal time remaining. And it was the killer blow really. Barca failed to regroup after that despite the presence of Xavi and Messi on the field. They just couldn't build a meaningful attack after that. And soon their misery was ended with the referee's final whistle. 

Barca just seemed ineffective during the 2nd half and deserved this result. Barca can no longer afford such displays anymore for the remainder of the season. This is the beginning of the business end of the season and we need to keep a cool head to bring home the trophies. Visca Barca!

Thanks for reading & cheers! See you soon!    - yps05

Perfect win for Barca !

Hello everyone!

Another game, another win for FC Barcelona today against Almeria. It was a convincing victory after a difficult win against Celta Vigo past weekend. Barca Manager Luis Enrique chose to rest Neymar for this game and gave the energetic Pedro a nod to start this game instead. It was a fair call given that Neymar has been overworked and that has been showing in his performances for more than a month now. Despite being on the field during crunch games, he had little impact and so this decision to drop him is totally justified if you ask me.

The match began on a lively note and was tense until late in the 1st half when Leo Messi provided the much needed opening goal. It was a typical yet stunning strike from the left foot of the magical man and the ball did curl quite a lot into the far corner beyond the diving keeper's reach. That opening goal settled Barca's nerves and allowed them to play more freely. Although the score didn't change for the rest of the 1st half, Barca always looked in control of it.

The 2nd half began and Barca looked to kill off the game every minute of it. They kept creating chances but Almeria somehow held on. But they weren't to be denied for too long when Luis Suarez scored a wonderful left footed curling effort into the top corner. It was equally majestic and was a sort of goal you'd expect from a man in form.  It was followed by a Marc Bartra header from a set-piece to make it 3-0 for Barca. Messi had quite a few free kicks that hit the wall today, but the last one he took in the game today was sweetly hit and was goal bound, though the keeper knocked it wide of his goal. I have been waiting for Leo to score from a free kick for sometime now, hope that happens soon enough. But Leo Messi's play-making skills were still sharp after a full 90 minutes of action and he used all of that to perfectly hit a lobbed pass over the entire Almeria's defence for Pedro, who then squared it for the on-rushing Suarez at the far post who scored with a simple tap-in. Boy! Suarez is something when he's happy and scoring. He's proving to be really vital and we Barca need him to be just that. Touchwood!

Barca now have a temporary 7-point lead over Real Madrid in the race to win La Liga this season which would come back to 4 if Real win their game today. Nevertheless, Barca will fight on for the wins. Visc Barca.

Thanks for reading & cheers! See you again!    - yps05