El Pivote (The Pivot) is a totalBarça column by Anoop Jethwa, a fully licensed coach in UK, about the trials and tribulations of FC Barcelona. From the positives to the negatives, this piece will dive deep into the living fabric that is blaugrana. We welcome your thoughts and feedback in the comments section.

El Pivote is taking a look at the transfers that may or may not occur this summer, the value of stats and science versus an eye for talent and overall what history can and should tell Zubizarreta about players joining Barcelona.

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Sylvinho, Keita and Deco watch their old team crush Atletico Madrid. All three ex-players were given a warm round of applause by the Camp Nou faithful.

Image: Claudio Chaves

It is a tradition done far too scarcely by football clubs, honouring its former employees for their contributions to its success.  Such a farewell is done often only for local legends but even then a good showing is not guaranteed (see Raúl’s shameful send off from the Bernabeu).  This Sunday, before the exciting match against 2nd place Atlético Madrid, FC Barcelona will give thanks to three football players for their years of service and roles during times of victory.

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After the victory against Cordoba in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey (0-2), Barça returned to training in  Sant Joan Despí on Thursday to begin preparing for Sunday’s match against Atletico Madrid. At today’s training session, the starters on Wednesday evening worked on recovering from their efforts in Andalusia. Dani Alves and Leo Messi spent the session in the gym doing specific work.

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Seydou Keita (32) trained at the Ciutat Esportiva today, preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations, which is set to start in on January 15 in South Africa. Dalian Aerbin, his current club, have given ex-Blaugrana permission to train at the facilities of his former club as the Chinese Super league season is coming to a conclusion. On his first day at training, Keita trained along side the injured Cesc Fabregas.

Image Credit: Cesc Fabregas official twitter

Seydou Keita was one of those players that most culés would not probably consider in their favourite starting XI. But for some reason, most of us are already missing him. I think this is related to his behavior and his influence in the dressing room, but it also has to do with his football.

Portrayed as one of Pep’s favourite members of the squad, Keita’s behavior in Guardiola’s team full of stars was ideal. Every time he was given the chance, he did a good job, and when he didn’t play, he was there supporting his team mates. He never made a single comment, or showed discontent at his place in the team. This might have been mistaken for conformity, but I prefer to see that as respect towards his team mates and the coach.

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Seydou Keita, who Pep Guardiola called his “moral and ethical yardstick” during his four years in charge, is leaving the Club after winning 14 titles. Check our a special picture gallery dedicated to the first signing of the Guardiola era.  Continue reading »

Midfielder Seydou Keita (32) has announced this Saturday evening that he will not be staying at FC Barcelona next season.

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Worldreader and FC Barcelona are teaming up to send one million e-books to the children of Africa. Lionel Messi, Xavi, Eric Abidal and Seydou Keita joined forces with the non-profit organization Worldreader in a campaign to inspire a wave of literacy in sub-Saharan Africa through the use of e-readers.

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Barça continues to prepare for the match against Betis on Saturday, the final game of the 2011-12 Liga season. The main group of players working this morning on pitch no. 1 of the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper included Seydou Keita. The midfielder from Mali began exercising alongside his teammates again after spending two days on the sidelines working to recover from some pain in the calf muscle of his left leg.

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There was good news for Barcelona’s coaching staff today. For the match this Saturday at Levante (22:00), Barça has recovered two members of the squad: Gerard Piqué and Dani Alves. Both have received their medical clearance after overcoming minor muscular injuries. Piqué had missed the last two league games and Alves missed the last match against Getafe.

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After an exhibition this Wednesday at the Camp Nou against Bayer Leverkusen (7-1), FC Barcelona’s first team returned to work with a training session held this Thursday morning on pitch no. 2 of the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. As is typical following a game, the starters against Bayer had a gentler session to help them recover after the match. The rest of the squad, along with Tello, Muniesa, Sergi Roberto, Bartra, Montoya, and Dos Santos of Barça B, held a more intense session. The aim is to have all the players ready to begin preparing for Sunday’s Liga match against Racing Santander (18:00).

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Seydou Keita broke the deadlock in Saturday’s clash against Sporting with an amazing run which culminated in a beautiful goal. His curling shot was only the ninth time that Barcelona have scored this season from outside the area, out of 134 total goals.

Stats: @FCBstats • Image: Lluis Gene [AFP]

With the majority of the FC Barcelona squad away with their national teams for the first international fixtures of 2012, the three first team players who remain in Barcelona have joined Barça B’s training session this Monday morning. Keita, Pedro, and Pinto worked in a session jointly led by Josep Guardiola and Eusebio Sacristán on pitch no. 2 of the Ciutat Esportiva.

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Two footballers have been the focus of attention during Thursday morning’s training session at the Ciutat Esportiva: Seydou Keita and Ibrahim Afellay. The midfielder from Mali has rejoined the blaugrana squad after a brilliant showing at the 2012 African Cup of Nations, where his country secured third place and Keita was included in the best XI of the tournament. Keita, who left for Gabon in the beginning of January, was greeted with applause from his team mates.

Afellay, for his part, has started to work on the grass, almost five months after his knee injury. His colleagues also greeted his arrival on the pitch with applause before he started to exercise on the margins of the pitch.

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Mali claimed third place in the 2012 African Cup of Nations after a 2-0 win over Ghana on Saturday. This was Mali’s best finish at the tournament in over 40 years and also only their second defeat of Ghana. FC Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita played the full 90 minutes with a very motivated Mali side looking to make up for their group stage loss to Ghana (0-1).

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FC Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita (32) became the hero for his country of Mali on Sunday after converting the fifth penalty for his national team against Gabon in the quarterfinals of the 2012 African Cup of Nations. After the draw in normal time (1-1) Mali proceeded to winning the resulting penalty shootout 5-4, booking its spot in the semi-finals alongside the Ivory Coast.

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Mali has qualified for the knock out stages of the 2012 African Cup of Nations, after beating Botswana 1-2 to finish second in Group D with 6 points. All the goals came in the second half, with FC Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita scoring the game winning goal for Mali in the 74th minute. More details of the match and highlights can be found after the jump.

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Seydou Keita’s Mali side failed to take advantage of some early chances, eventually falling to the superiority of Ghana in the second match of Group D play in the African Cup of Nations. The FC Barcelona midfielder played the entire match in Franceville, which ended 2-0 in favour of Ghana through goals by Gyan and Ayew.  Keita was booked with a yellow card in the 40th minute.

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FC Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita had an excellent start to the African Cup of Nations tournament, with Mali earning a hard fought victory against Guinea (1-0) in Franceville. Mali, joint leader of Group D along with Ghana, was able to impose their superiority despite not playing a great game.

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FC Barcelona midfielder and Mali international Seydou Keita celebrates his 32nd birthday on January 16, 2012. Currently away on national duty which will see him participate in the African Cup of Nations, Keita is one of Guardiola’s most trusted players.

Seydou Keita was the main absence from FC Barcelona’s training session this Tuesday. The midfielder has joined up with the Mali national team, as they prepare for the African Cup of Nations, which begins on January 21 and will be held this year in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. His return depends on Mali’s results, starting with their games against Ghana, Botswana and hosts Guinea in Group D.

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On the eve of last Thursday’s CAF’s Footballer of the Year awards gala held in Accra, Ghana, FC Barcelona’s Seydou Keita, one of the finalists, visited one of the country’s Children’s Home and made a donation of assorted foodstuffs.

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Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita has been named in Mali’s initial 27-man squad for the African Cup of Nations, suggesting he has resolved his problems with the national football federation and coach for good.

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FC Barcelona midfielder and Mali international Seydou Keita will battle it out with Ghana international Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew (Marseille) and Ivory Coast international and former FC Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure (Manchester City), for the honour of the 2011 African Player of the Year award. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will announce the winner later today, which will be determined by votes by national team head coaches and technical directors from within CAF.

Source: BBC Sport; Image credit: AP Photo/Koji Sasahara

With the title of World Champions at the Club World Cup in Japan already secured, the footballers of the first team from more distant countries have been granted permission by the Club to start their holiday vacations early and, in this manner, to travel to be with their families.

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In a post-training press conference, FC Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita (31) discussed the 5-0 win over RCD Mallorca and the competitive midfield lineup. “We all feel important,” said the Malian. “I feel great. On this team there are many players and we all have chances to play. The most important thing is that everyone here feels important and helps the team.”

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The first team returned to training this Tuesday morning after a three day break. Seydou Keita, who on Saturday classified for the 2012 African Cup of Nations with Mali, exercised alongside Pinto, Maxwell, Iniesta, Fontàs and 10 footballers from Barça B.

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Pep Guardiola and cules will have to keep their fingers crossed and hope that injuries stay far away from the club in January and February 2012 as the 21-member first team will be a short of another player during the period. Seydou Keita will be busy with the Mali national team, which drew with Liberia (2-2), a result that ensured it qualified for the African Nations Cup, which begins on January 21, 2012. The implication of this is that Keita will miss up to 12 games for Barcelona in the beginning of the new year.

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