After a more-dramatic-than-expected midweek Champions League match, FC Barcelona returned to the Spanish league in hopes of continuing its dominance. Granada CF had the challenge of trying to take down the undefeated Catalans in their home stadium. But sitting in the 18th position of the 20-team table didn’t bode well for the minnows.
Then again, Barcelona’s first half performance didn’t do it any favors either.
When FC Barcelona played Getafe CF for the first time last season, it was the game that marked the beginning of the end. Barcelona suffered various draws leading up to that late November match, but it hadn’t lost a game since April. That all changed when lackluster play lead to 1-0 defeat to the other Madrid-based club.
Well, everyone knows how last season ended. So, this year when the two clubs met again in the equivalent game, there was hope the outcome wouldn’t be the same.
FC Barcelona had already lost its first trophy of the season, the Spanish Super Cup, to rivals Real Madrid CF midweek. Against Valencia CF, the Catalans hoped to maintain their league dominance over the Castilians, who already trailed by five points in the table.
The first La Liga match of the 2012-13 campaign was fantastic. The manita against Real Sociedad quelled many fears about how FC Barcelona would bounce back after a disappointing season with many changes last year. To boot, rivals Real Madrid tied Valencia in its first game, sending Barcelona to an early lead atop the table.
In the summer months without La Liga action, FC Barcelona evolved. A new coach took charge, some players left, others replaced them. All of this change, while possibly unwelcome to some culés, was in an effort to ready the team for a new battle – another nine months of grueling competition.
FC Barcelona and Manchester United have become familiar foes over the years. What fans mostly remember are the important matchups, like the 2011 UEFA Champions League final that Barcelona ultimately won. However, in recent years the teams have been facing each other in the preseason in less intense and certainly less scintillating matches.
Reigning European champions Spain played its second consecutive European Championship final against Italy Sunday. The national team steamrolled over a struggling Italy and solidified its spot in history.
Spain advanced to the final of the European Championships in a dramatic, yet uneventful, game against Iberian rivals Portugal.
Spain was all business in its quarterfinal matchup with France, and thanks to Alonso’s goals, the defending champions will make a semifinal appearance in the European Championships next week.
In the second round of matches, Spain bounced back from its lackluster 1-1 draw with Italy in tantalizing fashion, but the Netherlands continued its group stage struggle at the 2012 European Championships.
The 2012 European Championship has just kicked off, but the Barcelona players failed to make a big impact in their opening games.
Head coach Pep Guardiola spoke at his last pre-match press conference on Thursday before the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao. The soon-to-resign coach emphasized his players need “to be courageous” against their Basque counterparts.
Long after the league season ended, long after the Europeans season ended, the Copa del Rey will finally come to a close.
The derby between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol proved to be a fitting Camp Nou send off for head coach Pep Guardiola. The last home game of the season and of Guardiola’s tenure as coach could have been an underwhelming experience with the league already lost to the rivals in Madrid. However, the players, the opponents, and the crowd refused to let the goodbye be anything short of moving.
It has been a tough week and a half for the football team from Barcelona. FC Barcelona lost La Liga, the Champions League and its coach within days of each other. In the first game against Rayo Vallecano during the aftermath of these events, it was unsure of how the team would respond to all of the disappointment. However, the team managed to put the off-pitch drama aside and focus solely on the game. The players provided a very satisfying result just when the club and fans truly needed it. It was a manita (and then some) to show that while the team may be undergoing changes, it is still capable of greatness.
I don’t handle change well. It’s easier when things stay the same.
Even though the rumors had been circling for days – even though the drama surrounding Guardiola’s renewal reoccurred each year – when I woke up to the official news Friday, I still couldn’t believe it.
After four years where almost every trophy possible for the team and as an individual was won, head coach Pep Guardiola announced he would leave his position at the end of the 2011-2012 season, less than a month away.
Whenever FC Barcelona plays Real Madrid CF, it is always a spectacle that attracts the attention of the entire football world. However, with the almost ludicrous amount of matches played between these two teams over the past two seasons, fans have almost become desensitized to the drama. This El Clásico, though, had much higher stakes than previous ones. With a win in this game, Barcelona would be just one point behind Madrid in La Liga, a salvageable distance to gap in the last few games of the season. While this may not be the last matchup between the two this season, each game should be played with the same sense of urgency. It is not only points and trophies at stake, it is pride. And that is something the blaugrana should never take for granted.
The Barcelona players wore black armbands in their match against Levante UD Saturday. This time, the band was not for remembering a former club legend or a Spanish federation official who died of old age. It was for a young Italian that the players had probably never met, never played against, and maybe, never even heard of before. Piermario Morosini, the 25 year-old midfielder of Livorno, collapsed on the pitch during a Serie B game. Medical personnel pronounced him dead of cardiac arrest by the time he had reached the hospital.
The incident echoed of a similar situation just a few weeks ago involving Bolton Wanderers’ Fabrice Muamba. Although Muamba is recovering successfully, the way the football world rallied around him was inspiring. Just as other teams supported Éric Abidal during his liver transplant earlier this week, Barcelona returned the respect to Muamba and Morosini.
It once again became painfully clear that football is more than just a game. Teams are more than just opponents. And Barcelona, is more than just a club.
Barcelona expected, and hoped for, an easy match against Real Zaragoza – a game where players could stretch their legs and work their technique without too much exertion. Unfortunately for the Catalans, games like that do not occur often in La Liga. Barcelona soon realized that, and luckily not too late to make adjustments and earn those precious three points. Although the end of the season is not far off, now more than ever is the time for the club from Catalunya to keep fighting.
This season’s final league game between FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao functioned as a prelude to the Copa del Rey final in May. When these two teams first met, the exhausting 2-2 draw epitomized Barcelona’s frustrating season so far that cost the team points and possibly even the league title. For this game, both teams came off of successful stints in Europe, but fans expected no lessening of intensity from the Basque and Catalan sides. The players did not disappoint, and there is probably even more anticipation surrounding the Copa del Rey final than ever before.
Barcelona had climbed from 10 to six points behind Real Madrid CF in La Liga when it met RCD Mallorca. In order to accomplish the same winning record as last season, Barcelona would have to win the rest of its ten games in the league, including the one against Mallorca that could see the team go within one three-point win of the Castilians. Although many may believe that Madrid does not deserve to be leading the league, Barcelona’s work ethic over the past few weeks prove that the only thing that can be controlled is its own performance – and its performance has been admirable.
The moment everyone had been waiting for ever since the kid from Argentina stepped on the Camp Nou pitch in a blaugrana kit finally arrived today. Lionel Messi, at just 24-years-old, surpassed César as FC Barcelona’s all-time top scorer with 234 goals. His first goal of the night equalized – the other two just cemented his name in history. The win against Granada CF may soon be forgotten, but the day La Pulga broke the scoring record will not be. It is a record he will continue to best for many years to come.
FC Barcelona’s game against Sevilla FC was not the main focus Saturday. The match, though played well and entertainingly, did not do much to distract fans and players from the shocking news received just days earlier. Defender Éric Abidal will undergo a liver transplant soon, and the footballing world has been absorbed with his recovery. If that were not enough, just moments before kickoff, Bolton Wanderers’ Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch in England, stunning even more athletes and fans alike. Although both Abidal and Muamba are stable for now, incidents like these remind everyone that some things are more important than winning.
FC Barcelona was still coming off the midweek Champions League high of beating Bayer Leverkusen 7-1 when it met Racing Santander in the league. While the team triumphed in Europe, domestically it still struggled behind league leaders Real Madrid CF. While miracles may still happen and the league could still be won, Spanish competition has become more of an exhibition for the blaugrana. A delightful exhibition at that.
Uncertainty still ruled over FC Barcelona before its match against bottom of the table Sporting Gijón. Even though the team enjoyed a solid win last weekend in La Liga and form was returning, the nagging fear of the FIFA curse lingered. Many players relished success with their various national teams midweek, but culés wondered if that success would carry over into their club. Although the game was anything but easy, Barcelona captured three points and continued their recovery to full strength.
Atlético de Madrid hosted FC Barcelona in the league to the chorus of “Que Viva España” and other less friendly chants. Barcelona’s form had been slowly improving from the months of draws and close losses, but culés balanced precariously on the divide between belief and disbelief. After this match, one thing does not have to be questioned any longer — the dedication and strength of this team.
It seems like FC Barcelona and Valencia CF just met a few days ago, and in fact they did. After Barcelona prevailed in the Copa del Rey semifinals, the two teams met again Sunday in the league in a game that could have put Valencia within three points of the Catalans. However, after a promising performance midweek in the Champions League, Barcelona continued its revival of tika-taka passing and winning ways to produce the first big scoring game in months.
On a cold night in Pamplona, when the pitch was frozen and the bitter wind blew violently, FC Barcelona dropped even more points in La Liga away against CA Osasuna. Whether it be the weather, the unfamiliar stadium and fans, or the fairly poor performance by the players, the team’s excuses are piling high. Soon, even those will not be enough to rescue the league title.
Ca Osasuna vs. FC Barcelona in La Liga!
(Saturday, February 11, 2012 @ 20:00 Barcelona time – Convert to local time)
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