The Barça Analyst

Barcelona and Messi have been synonymous over the years, but the time has come to part ways. Barcelona are in a dire financial situation and keeping Messi just wasn’t possible. Messi is officially a PSG player and we all wish him the best of luck. This blog post is going to explore the Messi situation in full including the rumors, the implications on the team and also discussing the spectacular legacy Messi has left behind. Rumors Galore The Messi news hit us all hard, we weren’t able to process the enormity of the event that had taken place in the matter of hours. Naturally, people look for targets to start the blame game. People have accused of Laporta partnering with Perez and choosing the ESL over Messi , while Tebas and La Liga have been blamed for not allowing Barcelona to register Messi and quite a lot of blame has inevitably fallen on Josep Bartomeu . Jaume Llopis (Member of the ...

A fixed starting XI is one of the core principles for consistency . And consistency breads continuous brilliance. With Barcelona kicking off La Liga against Real Sociedad, it seems like the right time to draft my ideal XI for the match, the expected lineup and the strongest possible lineup this season. My Ideal Lineup vs Real Sociedad In goal , Neto would be my choice taking the friendlies into consideration. He was monumental against Juventus and should be starting ahead of Inaki Pena.  In defence , Ronald Araujo has to be starting alongside Gerard Pique , with the latter fresh off taking a huge wage cut to help Barcelona register Memphis, Garcia and Rey Manaj. Left back, of course, it will be Jordi Alba and Dest would be my pick for right back spot owing to Emerson’s lack of match fitness.  In midfield , Busquets and De Jong are available and should be starting the game fo...

Pre-Season is often seen as a formality , but it does signify much more . Fans get to see the youngsters who have been at the club for years and deserve a chance, the excitement of the new signings playing with their new teammates is imminent and of course, it’s the return of club football . Barcelona’s Pre-Season has been no different. The likes of Emerson and Depay have made their debuts for Barcelona. Exciting youngsters including Nico, Gavi, Balde and Demir. The Pre-Season for Barcelona has seen some standout players as well as players with relatively unchanged value. This blog post explores all of that and more.     Standout Performers  Gavi There was only one man making the top of this list , and of course, it is young Gavi. The 17 year old had been exciting at Barcelona’s lower youth ranks and his efforts have been well recognized. But it’s the step up he h...

The dark day is upon us, Messi is officially not renewing with Barcelona and will not be a Barcelona player come next season. It’s hard to really take in this news for all of us right now. A player who has been with the club throughout, is leaving when he doesn’t even want to. The club statement does express the fact that Messi and Barcelona did want to renew and had an agreement in place, but the problem is of course the La Liga financial restrictions. The club did post a few tweets and a video compilation. The farewell couldn’t have been worse. Such an important player in the club’s history is leaving without the fans, without a proper farewell. It all seems really weird and it’s also been suggested lately in the media that it could be a power play by La Liga, almost as revenge for the European Super League. There are still many days left in the transfer window, so this does feel a bit e...

Memphis Depay has been on Barcelona’s radar ever since Koeman was appointed as the manager. Getting him on a free transfer is some brilliant piece of business, but can he fit in at Barcelona? He does have the star quality , but his positioning is a slight concern. Koeman is the main reason behind the transfer and his insistence on signing Memphis is important to note. There are positive signs early on , with Memphis scoring 2 goals for Barcelona in his first 2 games. There are many pros and cons for this transfer, and I will be analysing it all. The Pros The Koeman Factor Ever since Ronald Koeman has been at the club as manager, he has been adamant upon the signing of Memphis Depay. He has of course worked with Memphis for the Dutch National team. One of the major reasons why Memphis chose Barcelona is Koeman. Koeman does know him very well . For the Netherlands, he got the best out of Memphis by playing him as the number 9 while making him drop deep to receive the ball. Of...