Champions League draw - Live Blog

Hello and welcome to the live blog of Champions League draw. We will be updating this blog live during the draw. We have never tried this before. Let us see how it goes. I will quote all comments in the live blog
The draw starts at 17:45 CET 11:45 Eastern Tine 8:45 Pacific Time.
See you shortly!


8:50a : Nothing much happening at the moment.
8:55a : Europe's Best Player of the year award to be given by Luís Figo
8:57a : Draw about to start couple of UEFA suits added to the stage
8:59a : Paul Breitner ambassador for the UEFA CL final 2012, never know such a title existed
9:01a : Lots of mumbo jumbo. First they will put the 8 teams in pot-1 in different groups
9:04a : Lets draw guys! i have to go to work :-)
9:05a : Man U in C, Porto in G
9:06a : Real Madrid in D
9:07a : Chelsea in E, Bayern in A, Inter in B
9:09a : Arsenal in F & Barça in H. Pot-1 is done.
9:13a : Sir Bobby Charlton speaking.. will help in the draw the Pot -2 Villarreal is here :D
9:14a : Olympique Lyonnais goes to play Real Madrid again :-)
9:15a : Benfica goes into C with Man U
9:16a : Marseille goes to F, play Arsenal, Valencia goes to E play Chelsea the Mata reunion
9:18a : Shaktar goes to G, with Porto, Milan goes to H and Barcelona
9:20a : Submarine goes to play Bayern! Ufff
9:21a : Villarreal, Valencia and Barça get tough draws so far. Real Madrid get an easy one
9:24a : Pot-3 Lille goes to B. Inter gets a easy draw, Zenit goes to G, another easy group at the outset
9:26a : Ajax goes to D, Real Madrid has an easy draw so far.
9:27a : Olympiakos to F, another group shaping up to be easy
9:28 : Now Man City.. to Bayern and Villarreal !! UFF what a group for the Submarine!
9:29 : Leverkusen goes to E, FC Basel to C
9:32 : wow what a draw for Villarreal, if we come out of this group, it is almost like winning the Cup
9:33 : pot-4 ready to go!
9:34 : Napoli.. dont go into A..Noooooooooo HOLY SMOLLY
9:35 : APOEL goes to G, I still cant believe we are in the Group of Death
9:36 : Paul Breitner is bad luck for us. Galati goes to C
9:37 : D. Zagreb to D
9;39 : Viktoria goes to H, Barça & Madrid have it easy.
9:40 : Valencia get Genk. Decent draw for our neighbours. Very good chances of qualifying
9:41 : Trabzonspor goes to B and Dortmund goes to F
We are done.
Villarreal get the mother of all groups of death. #AUPA submarino

Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
FC Bayern	Inter	Man United	Real Madrid
Villarreal	CSKA Moscow	Benfica	Lyon
Man City	Lille	FC Basel	Ajax
Napoli	Trabzonspor	Galati	D.Zagreb
Group E	Group F	Group G	Group H
Chelsea	Arsenal	FC Porto	FC Barcelona
Valencia	Marseille	Shakhtar	Milan
Leverkusen	Olympiakos	Zenit	BATE Borisov
Genk	B.Dortmund	APOEL	Viktoria Plzen

Here are the 4-pots from which the teams will be picked. The rules are simple.
1. One team from each pot in each group
2. No two teams from the same league in the same group

Pot-1	Pot-2	Pot-3	Pot-4
Barcelona	Shakhtar	Olympiacos	Trabzonspor
Man United	Valencia	BATE	B.Dortmund
Chelsea	Villarreal	Manchester City	Genk
FC Bayern	CSKA Moscow	Lille	Napoli
Real Madrid	Marseille	Zenit	D.Zagreb
Porto	Milan	Ajax	APOEL
Inter	Lyon	Leverkusen	O.Galati
Arsenal	Benfica	Basel	Viktoria Plzen

The Seville Derby podcast with Monchi's Men and Ooh Betis

Hello Forzafutbol podcast listeners!

Welcome back. The main course of our podcast #161 is the Seville derby. We have two excellent gentlemen supporting either side, Adam from Ooh Betis a great blog about Real Betis in english and Aaron from Monchi's Men an excellent blog for all things Sevilla in English.
We recorded this a few days ago with Adam in England doing the show at 6.30am for him and Aaron at 11.30pm for him. We thank them both for their availability at an odd hour.

Download this episode (right click and save)

On iTunes : search for "Forzafutbol podcast"
On smartphones : Forzafutbol Mobile

Segment#1 : La Liga round up

Elisa, Mando and I discuss the current headlines of La Liga

1. Strike - will there be one or not, why are the players justified in striking etc.
2. Latest transfer rumours - Falcao to Atleti; De Guzman to Villarreal; Gio Dos Santos and more
3. Super Cup 1st leg : Reactions and impressions

Segment#2 : Seville Derby

1. Introduce our guests
2. Discuss the past seasons of Sevilla and Betis
3. Transfer status of the two teams

Segment #3: Seville Derby

1. Expectations of the game
2. Adam and Aaron give reasons why their team would win
3. Predictions
4. Wrap up

All this sprinkled in with some special music that Sevilla and Betis fans love.

It is a bummer that this game wont be played this weekend but they podcast is a fun way to have a feel for the game and what it means to the two sets of fans in Seville.

Thanks for listening and please drop us a line of feedback to help us get better.

Los Che Rising

You can’t help but feel that there is a cool breeze and some soothing classical music flowing through the Mestalla going into the new La Liga season. With a terrific 2010/11 campaign, a productive summer, and with another season of lucrative Champions League football to look forward to, it would be hard for there not to be. Despite the menacing cloud of debt that still hangs over the club, Valencia are undoubted on the up.

Last season Unai Emery and company emerged with flying colors when so much could have gone wrong. The expected drop-off with the loss of the two Davids and Carlos Marchena never made an appearance. In fact, you could hardly tell that the loss of these extremely influential players had happened. Valencia did not slip below fifth for the entire season, and finished in third place for a second year running. Coincidentally, the club’s point total and game record matched that of the previous campaign. Compared to the team from the 2009/10 campaign, the last season’s Valencia side scored five less goals, but also conceded four less. It was a extraordinary achievement.

The most important component of this success was the emergence of Juan Mata as Valencia’s new talisman. He led from the front with his poise and creativity on the ball. .

Of course, there were substantial contributions from his supporting cast. From the old guard, Joaquin, Banega, and Mathieu repeatedly put in excellent performances, while the new faces in the squad; Soldado, Aduriz, Topal, and Costa, flourished throughout the season. Of course, the importance of Unai Emery as the head of the bat can not be understated. Regardless of his managerial shortcomings, his tactical nous and ability to get the most of the players at his disposal was brilliant.

Now the new task is consolidate and push on from this position. Valencia are the de facto main challenger to the duopoly that dominates Spanish football. Sadly, overthrowing the establishment is perhaps a little too much to hope for. However, despite this divide, Valencia are primed to get closer to Barça and Real Madrid than last season. Advances in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League are also a goal given the disappointing exits in both competitions last year.

Like last summer, the club has done great business in the transfer market. Alves, Piatti, Parejo, Rami and Canales (on loan from Real Madrid) have all arrived , and will deepen the talent pool considerably. The rise of the canterano Juan Bernat in pre-season was a lovely surprise. He may have a part to play in Emery’s plans. The one position that still remains to be fulfilled is that of an extra center back. Contrastingly to the new arrivals, The group of outgoing players doesn’t look as good. In addition to figures like Fernandes and Vicente, the talent-laden duo of Joaquin and Isco have let for other shores. Most worryingly, it looks like Mata is about to join them in the departure lounge. It is being reported that a deal with Chelsea had been agreed for his services.

Whatever happens in the two weeks left in the mercado, expectations at the Mestalla will be high when the new season of La Liga eventually kicks off. Emery has decided to stick with a 4-2-3-1 after flirting with the idea of using a 4-3-3. With the dangerous army of batmen at his disposal, the Basque coach will try to use the wave of a largely good pre-season to kick-off the campaign on a high note.

Will a revamped Valencia squad be able to live up to their demands of their fickle fans?

Cesc: The right move at the right time

Guest Writer Jamie McGregor from Spanish Football.Info joins us to talk about Cesc.

One of the longest running transfer sagas of recent times has finally come to an end. Like the Cristiano Ronaldo to Madrid saga, the Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona tale has ended with the La Liga club getting their man. However, while few in the world of football questioned Madrid's purchase of Ronaldo, a considerable number of fans in both Spain and England have criticised the deal to bring Fabregas back to Barcelona. From the Barcelona point of view, there are some who ask whether Fabregas was a necessary signing. Sure, he's a great player but Barcelona already have great players, particularly in midfield. Also, with Thiago shining at the European Under 21 Championships, there is a ready made alternative to Cesc waiting in the wings. Basically, there is an argument that the money could have been better spent on other areas of the team. Indeed, in a poll carried out by Barcelona daily El Mundo Deportivo, support amongst Barcelona fans for signing Fabregas was around 33%, not exactly overwhelming. So that begs the question, was Fabregas the right move for Barcelona? For me the answer is an overwhelming yes for 5 main reasons.

1. You can never have too much quality. Firstly and most importantly, in Cesc Fabregas, Barcelona have bought a world class player. Although the transfer fee was high, the club know they are buying the finished article. This is the main difference with Thiago who, although showing sings of great potential, still has some way to go in his development. So while it may be true that Barcelona already have top quality players, particularly in the midfield, you can surely never have too many? What's more, modern football is less of a team game than a squad game and with the Spanish champions competing in six different tournaments next season there'll be no player who plays every match. Guardiola's philosophy since he took over is to have a strong, core group of 16, backed up with promising youngsters and in that sense Fabregas certainly strengthens the system.

2. Easy integration. Whenever a club buys a new player, particularly one costing 30 million euros, it's fundamental that the player can adapt and integrate smoothly with his new club. By this I don't just mean the playing style of the club but also that he can get on with his team mates and manager as well as adapt to a new culture and language. After the fiasco that was the Ibrahimovic deal, Guardiola has been careful to pick players who not only have the footballing ability to play for Barcelona but the mentality too. The signing of David Villa was a good example of this approach and Fabregas is a no brainer in that sense. Everyone knows the Fabregas story, everyone knows his desire to play for Barcelona and live in Catalonia. Through his time in the club's youth system and his involvment with the Spanish national team, Fabregas is already friends with the majority of the Barcelona team. Indeed, his twitter banter with Piqué and Puyol is well documented. His relationship with Guardiola is also very good and there's no doubt that his singing will strengthen rather than divide the dressing room.

3. The importance of identity. As everyone knows, Barcelona define themselves as a more than a club. While this may rile some who see it as self-righteous and arrogant, to those who've lived in and understand Catalonia there is undoubedtly a level of truth in that statement. It was therefore to the Barcelona critics' delight and the traditionalists' displeasure when the club signed a historic, multi-million euro sponsorhsip deal with the Qatar Foundation. To some it was an example of the club's hipocrisy while to others it was a betrayal of the club's principles. It's for that reason that the incorporation of Cesc Fabregas, a Catalan and boyhood supporter is so important. After Valdés, Piqué, Puyol, Xavi, Busquets and of course Guardiola, Fabregas becomes the seventh high profile Catalan to join the side. While it won't make up entirely for the Qatar deal, it will go some way towards appeasing those who feared the club was losing part of its identity.

4. Look to the future. 30 million euros may seem like a lot of money for a player who's not guaranteed a game but at 24 years of age, Fabregas will be part of the Barcelona set up for years to come. Cesc's main problem may be the same as his problem at international level, removing one of Busquets, Iniesta and Xavi. The latter of the three is a player Fabregas has been compared to the most. Xavi is the brain of the Barcelona team but he's 31. While he's not exactly on his last legs, he is carrying a long-term, recurring injury and won't physically be able to play every single week. Resting Xavi is always hard but with a replacement of the quality of Fabregas it's much easier. Interestingly enough, it wasn't until Xavi was around 24 that he started to regularly play 36 league games a season. That was due to the presence of a certain Josep Guardiola. If Xavi was the successor to Guardiola then Fabregas is the heir to Xavi throne.

5. The last big signing before UEFA financial fair play? Like many big clubs, Barcelona is carrying a hefty debt that will have to be brought under control soon, especially with UEFA's proposed financial fair play rules. You might wonder how spending 30 million will achieve that? It won't, but it's a last throw of the dice before they really do need to cut the debt. Vicepresident Javier Faus has already stated the club's plan to be the most financially solvent club in the world in two or three years. That almost certainly means Fabregas will be the last big money signing and for the reasons above, the most logical.

La Liga Preview: 2 giants and 18 dwarfs

<< Will the colours of the ribbons on the trophy change this year?

The Preamble

Seems like the 2010-11 it was yesterday when FC Barcelona drew 1-1 at Levante to seal a 3rd consecutive Spanish league title. Here we are just a few weeks away from the kick-off of a new season, the 81st edition of the Spanish Primera División aka 'La Liga'. This is a very important year for this league. There are a lot of clubs in financial distress. The players union is threatening to go on strike over unpaid wages. There is simmering discontent over the lopsided TV deal heavily loaded in favour of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. It promises to be another roller coaster season full of twists and turns along with some fabulous football.

For a league where only two teams are in the title race from match day 1 (as the title suggests), there is more drama and excitement around the title race than one would expect. It is provided by the encounters between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, the vicious and cynical media machines spewing bile from both sides and the petulant fans from both sides pouring gasoline on a burning stove. And if you thought you had enough of the 'Clasico's last season, the season starts with two more of them, the two legs of the Spanish Super Cup.

With that backdrop, let me set you up for the season with a quick preview.

The Offseason

This offseason has been dominated by three major themes.

1. Protracted transfer sagas of Alexis Sanchez, Kun Aguero, Neymar and Cesc Fabregas.
2. Project Málaga
3. Financial trouble at the majority of the clubs
   

Barcelona has signed Chilean forward/winger Alexis Sanchez from Udinese after almost two months of negotiations. It appeared like Real Madrid would land Kun Aguero after he forced his way out Atlético Madrid but he ended up at Manchester City. Real Madrid pursued Neymar with a lot of determination but the Brazilian phenom looks set to continue at Santos at least until the January transfer window. The Cesc Fabregas saga has been running for three summers now and it might finally be over this summer. Barcelona is using brinkmanship tactics to get the player for as less as possible and Arsenal hasn’t budged so far. But according to various media outlets, the deal might be close.

Málaga have been the most active La Liga team in the transfer market. They have made some intelligent signings in Toulalan, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Mathijsen, Nacho Monreal, Isco Alarcon, and Joaquin and topped their summer by signing Santi Cazorla from Villarreal. They pursued him all summer as their star-signing. They have strengthened their team by spending about 60million euros on 8 players. Coach Manuel Pellegrini has one of the deepest squads in La Liga heading into the season.

While Málaga has been on a spending spree thanks to the financial muscle of their new owner Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani, a lot of the other teams are in deep financial strife. Newly promoted Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis are in administration. So are Racing and Zaragoza. The rest aren’t much better off either. Teams like Villarreal and Atlético have had to sell one of their stars to raise money for new signings. The financial crisis has a debilitating on a lot of teams in La Liga as well as the Liga Adelante (2^nd division). Spain has by far the most clubs in administration (in the top two divisions) than any other league in Europe. However, I do expect teams to make a few more signings using some creative deals involving players, deferred payments etc.

The Season

Approximately two weeks away from the season kick-off on Aug 20/21, the season promises to be a very good one. The two-legged Super Cup between Barcelona and Real Madrid will raise the curtain on the season, rather fittingly. There is little doubt that one of these two giants will be the eventual league champion.

Real Madrid has added the talented midfielder Nuri Sahin and the Portuguese international left-back Fabio Coentrão to a strong squad. They are still in the market for a striker and despite the setbacks of not landing Kun Aguero or Neymar, have the depth to compete in all the three competitions. Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have been in mid-season form in the preseason. Barcelona have signed only Alexis Sanchez so far but with the Cesc deal looming, Pep Guardiola’s side looks set for the season with a very strong squad. They can afford the luxury of dipping into their talent-laden youth system if needed. Moreover, a team with Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa and Co doesn’t need a lot of changes to click.

Málaga is primed for success with a talented side. The expectations are high in the Andalucian city and some experts are even predicting them to finish in the Champions Leagues spots by the end of the season. I expect them to struggle early while they gel as a team. But by about November they could turn it on. They start the season with a bang hosting Barcelona in Week#1. That game promises to be a cracker.

Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal look very solid. Valencia has made some shrewd signings this season in Adil Ramis, Danny Parejo and looks like they might be close to securing a loan for Spanish U20 captain Sergio Canales. Sevilla has a new coach in Marcelino Garcia, the ex-Racing coach. They have been relatively quiet in the transfer market so far, but we are almost a month away from the transfer deadline. Villarreal have made some good signings like Cristian Zapata to shore-up their defence where they were vulnerable last season. They have lost Santi Cazorla to Málaga, a transaction that has angered and saddened the Madrigal faithful at Vila-real. But they managed to retain rest of their stars in Borja Valero, Beppe Rossi and Nilmar.

Athletic club of Bilbao have a new manager, the excellent ‘El Loco’(the crazy) Marcelo Bielsa. The summer saw him linked to Real Sociedad as well as Sevilla. The new president of Athletic, Jose Urrutia had an agreement with Bielsa to make him the coach in case he won the Athletic’s presidential elections. The Basques-only policy means they don’t have a huge talent pool to choose from. They have added the excellent creative midfielder Ander Herrera to a talented squad that includes, Fernando Llorente, Javi Martinez and Iker Munaín. Depth of squad could be an issue for them, especially if they go deep in all three competitions. Everyone that follows La Liga will watch Mr. Bielsa and his team very closely.

Atlético Madrid, where there is never a dull day at office looks weakened with the departure of Kun Aguero. At the moment they haven’t signed a replacement yet. They have signed striker and Golden ball winner at Euro U21 Adrian Lopez. New coach Gregorio Manzano has a huge task at hand to stabilize this inherently unstable team.

Teams like Getafe, Osasuna, Real Sociedad, Zaragoza, the newly promoted Granada, Mallorca, Racing Santander, Sporting Gijon, Espanyol and Levante haven’t done much in the transfer market. The loan deal for Real Madrid’s prospect Pablo Sarabia to Getafe is the most notable of them all.

Predictions

Champion: Real Madrid. The race between Barcelona and Real Madrid will be closer than ever but I think Mourinho’s team will have the last laugh and will edge out the Catalans.

Copa Del Rey: Barcelona

Champions League: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga. Yes, I am very
optimistic about the Málaga revolution and they will edge Villarreal for the 4^th spot.

Europa League: Villarreal, Sevilla, Athletic

Relegation: Rayo Vallecano, Racing Santander and Granada or Levante. Rayo is an absolute mess right now with players striking over unpaid wages. Racing has been left high and dry by Ali Sayeed and there is a vacuum of leadership there. Levante have lost their coach Luis Garcia (to Getafe) and sold their top-scorer Felipe Caicedo and haven’t replaced him.

PS: This article was written before the Super Cup was played.

Wasteful Madrid fails to punish an off-colour Barça

The first 'Clasico' of the season is behind us. Here are my thoughts on the game

1. As the title suggests, Real Madrid missed a golden opportunity to beat an off-colour and off-pace Barcelona playing with a lot of players with either little are no preseason action.
2. Real Madrid started brightly with a very high tempo and pressing Barça asphyxiating them.
3. Barça started without Xavi, Pique, Busquets and Puyol. And surprised everyone with Alexis in the starting lineup. My theory on this is that, Pep started the eleven that he thought had the best chance to last 90 minutes.
   
4. It was only a matter of time before Real Madrid went ahead with the beautiful inter play between Özil and Benzema with the former scoring from assist from the former
5. After taking the lead around the 20th min, Madrid took the foot off the pedal, inexplicably.
6. Barça didnt have a shot on goal until David Villa curled an absolutely unstoppable right footer from the edge of the box on the left side.
7. While the game started without incident, it has gotten nastier as the time passed by with the tackles getting more rough and at times reckless after the equalizer.
8. The ref had a decent game in the first half, although he should have given a yellow or two for both sides.
9. Barça continued having problems in controlling the game and Madrid had various opportunities to go ahead.
10. Until the 45th minute when Messi in his first meaningful contribution to the game left Pepe and a few others in their wake and slotted in the 2nd.
    
11. 1-2 half-time, surprise scoreline because Madrid completely dominated the half with ample chances. Valdes was sharp and Benzema, not as much.
12. Barça started the 2nd half much better than the 1st half but Madrid equalized very soon through a well placed shot by Xabi Alonso
13. From here on the game got worse in terms of discipline. More cheap fouls, exaggerated reactions..the usual nastiness that accompanied the Clasicos of last season.
    
14. Both teams had a good penalty shout denied in the process.
15. Every foul is protested by everyone, even the throw-in decisions were not accepted without a protest.
    
16. The referee Texeira Vitienes lost control of the game at this point. Had he shown the early yellow cards in the first half, it would have been a different story.
    
17. Madrid created numerous chances again but failed to finish them off against a superhero-esque Victor Valdes.
18. Barça looked slightly better with Xavi, Pique and Pedro coming on in the 2nd half but Messi looked rusty.
    
19. Alexis had a great debut considering that he is playing just after two practice sessions with Barcelona.
20. Coentrão looked lively in the 15-20 minutes he played but by then both teams were in chaos as far as formations are concerned, a typical phenomenon in the dying moments of the early season games.
    
21. In the end, Barça will be more happy with the result than Real Madrid.
    
22. Madrid needs to try and win in Camp Nou and Barça can lift the cup with a 0-0 or even 1-1.
23. Mourinho excused himself from the presser and consequently the media is talking about this more than the great game overall from Real Madrid. Unfortunate but somethings dont change.
24. It will be interesting if Madrid can play another full press at Camp Nou where the pitch is wider and Barça will start with more regulars and with more minutes of practice.
    

Man of the Match Real Madrid : Özil
Man of the Match Barcelona : Victor Valdes

2nd leg in Camp Nou on Aug-17 at 2300 CET 1700 Eastern/1400 Pacific

FC Barcelona Preview 2011

Main Storylines: since Sandro Rosell brought his insufferably vacant mug to the Presidential offices at the Camp Nou, the once flush club have entered a period of austerity that speaks either to the mismanagement of his predecessor or to Rosell´s lack of ambition, or rather his ¨tough negotiating stance¨ against clubs that would take advantage of Barça in the Summer transfer window. With that in mind it explains why the Cesc Fabregas deal, one that was essentially done last year with Txiki Begiristain in negotiations with Arsenal, has taken so long to finalize with Zubizarretta at the helm. Arsene Wenger, used to holding out for prime deals where the buyers often get stuck with players past their sell-date, has also been under pressure from management to relieve themselves of the former La Masia stand-out. Look for that to finally end and the Arsenal captain to don the blaugrana colors. The question however is, why Cesc and why now? I know Jonathan Wilson has mentioned the idea recently that Barça like to have players within three years of each other in the pipeline, and with Xavi and Iniesta nearing the virtual end of their careers the club are looking to partner Thiago with someone around three years older than he, schooled at La Masia and with the experience to take some of the pressure off the recently called-up Spanish international. Cesc is not Xavi nor is he Iniesta. He is not a direct replacement. He provides great passing, but much higher up the pitch than either of them, and he is used to dealing with the sort of pressure that José Mourinho´s teams like to inflict on opponents. In that sense also, it explains why Pep was also keen on bringing Alexis Sanchez to Barcelona. While the Chilean can drift centrally looking for space, he is (other than Afellay) the only player that Barcelona have that gives them width on the wings and an ability to make the fullbacks honest. He´ll have to coordinate his runs with Messi, but it should make either player better as teams can´t single either of them out. Who do you sit? I sit Pedro and bring him off the bench in late situations where an extra attacking midfielder/winger is needed.

Forwards: Lionel Messi gets a lot of criticism for his lack of productivity with his national team and his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo brings out the worst in his critics, but in my opinion there is Messi and then there are the rest of us. He´s the best player I´ve seen since Maradona and unfortunately he plays at Barça. Oh well. Carrying on with the rest of his ¨water-carriers.¨ As evidenced by their B-squad´s loss against their opposite numbers at Espanyol during this week´s Copa Catalunya final, Barcelona have had a difficult time with developing classic number 9´s in front of goal which is why they buy them in practically every transfer window. David Villa is still one of the best in the world even though at times last year he looked spent from a very strenuous World Cup in South Africa with the World Champions. He should have an exemplary year for him with some rest and relaxation finally coming to el guaje this Summer. Pedro´s story on the other hand is a remarkable one. He was almost going to be sold before Guardiola took over, and the Barça legend made him into the perfect compliment to the more higher profile players around him in attack. He´s their most valuable attacker, in the right place at the right time of most final passes in front of goal and he is deadly quick in short spurts if not classically swift over distances. His relentless style however sometimes comes with a price. He loses effectiveness late in matches so having Alexis Sanchez to trade minutes with will help. The squad will be greatly served by being more varied in attack  Ones to watch: the forgotten signing. Kiko Femenía; the pearl of Hércules of Alicante´s cantera. I don´t think he´ll get much time in the league or in the Champions League, but watch for him in the Copa del Rey at least early on. Pep will give him minutes if he lets him out of La Masía. Let´s also not forget Ibrahim Afellay. In those last few weeks of the season, the flying Dutchman was one of the few fresh legs storming in attack for a weakened Barça.

Midfielders: what else can be said of these mid-fielders. Xavi Hernandez is one of the great midfield generals, maybe the best of all-time considering his effectiveness in picking out the correct pass and his ability to break-down even the most committed defenses. Andrés Iniesta, who was a forgotten man the year before, called out by Pep to recapture his form, became the World Cup hero for all of Spain by scoring that decisive goal in the final. No one has better ball skills against a man-to-man defender than Iniesta. He is also surprisingly tenacious in recovering the ball as are most Barcelona mid-fielders. It is no wonder that some people in the organization have singled him out as Barcelona´s best player, even ahead of Messi at times. As for Busquets, Mascherano, Keita and the rest? The great thing to say about all of them is that they are versatile and help fill roles that are quite often up for grabs at a team like Barcelona. Busquets, despite his red-rage at Marcelo last year in the Clásicos, is experienced beyond his years and rarely rattled. Ones to watch: Thiago Alcántara. Pep has all the confidence in the player and the kid is just a pleasure to watch. With or without Cesc, I think Thiago plays more than even he thinks he will.

Defenders: I think the most remarkable thing about Barcelona´s success in these times is that they have done it without a great set of defenders. Most clubs are built from the back, but the blaugrana have broken every rule of building championship clubs. Now, I know that their philosophy of ball-control, possession and recovery allows them to get away with not having a group of classically built defenders and their fullbacks (especially Dani Alvez) have offensive responsibilities as well, but to have accomplished what they have with the oft-injured Carles Puyol and the oft-lame-brained Gerard Pique is unbelievable. Now, Eric Abidal is a left-back who can cover centrally if needed, as can midfielder Mascherano, and neither are most comfortable in that position, but I think there´s something else at work here. You have a group of five or six players who at any given time are completely interchangeable and very difficult to break-down because they eliminate space so well. It is almost like watching Dutch Total Football in a microcosm. Most pundits talk of the vulnerability of Barça´s defense on the counter. I think they are actually much stronger at the back than people think. I think this is one of the least talked about innovations tha Pep has brought to the club: their versatility in defense. Ones to watch: Andreu Fontàs. The young defender played admirably while Eric Abidal was out with liver problems. Keepers: Victor Valdez is a rock. His back-up Pinto should crawl under a rock.

Projection: it is easy, almost fashionable, to predict the end of this championship cycle at Barcelona. People who do are maybe giving too much credence to the Mourinho effect at Real Madrid; the fact that his squads (at Chelsea and Inter especially) were generally more devastating in second years. That´s a bit of a reach though. Both Chelsea and Inter were on the rise and their primary opponents (Manchester United & Arsenal or Juventus & AC Milan) were waning, in a rebuilding phase. Knocking Barcelona will be much more difficult. Critics may also be projecting, almost willing a collapse by the blaugrana and having them brought down to size. I understand that. No one likes a bully, everyone roots for the underdog, and people are always trying to knock the top-dog down a peg, but Barcelona are stronger than they were last year. If Pep can bring his new signings into the squad seamlessly and the club can stay healthy, there is no reason to think that they can´t be even better.

Forza Futbol Spain La Liga Tour 2012

Hola chicos y chicas, yours truly, Elisa from Forza Futbol is heading on a dream trip back to España to drink wine, eat pintxos, take in some Picasso and Gaudi, relax on the beach and most importantly see some LIVE football! La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League, Europa League, Segunda, La Roja, La Rojita are all a possibility!

The plan is three weeks, four cities, football, culture, travel, and food. Madrid, Bilbao, Barçelona and Valencia are the targeted cities. Hopefully I can watch at least one game per city, but you never know. I am trying to get press credentials for each game too!!



Draft itinerary: March 7th – 27th


Valencia: Fallas, Valencia game at Mestalla (Valencia v Mallorca) and meet up with friends for coffee. (March 8th – 13th)

Bilbao: Athletic Bilbao game at San Mames (most likely Athletic v Valencia), Stadiurm Tour, visit San Sebastian and Pamplona, pintxos! (March 14th - 19th)

Barçelona: Barçelona game at Camp Nou (Barçelona v Granada), Gaudi, Costa Brava, and Las Ramblas (March 19th – 23rd)

Madrid: Real Madrid game at the Bernabeu (most likely Real Madrid v Real Sociedad), Stadium Tour, meet up with friends for drinks, el Prado, and Bull Fight!! (March 23th – 27th)


What am I missing? It’s been a loooong time since I have been back to Madrid. This will be my first time in Bilbao, Valencia, and Barçelona. The last time I visited Spain, I spent all of my time in Andalusia. Let's meet up!

I most likely will only have 5 days per city, but I want to eat and drink may way through Spain and get the most bang for my buck from a football and travel perspective. I most likely will be traveling from city to city via AVE or fly.

I want to hear from you guys! What are the must dos in Spain? What are your suggestions to make this trip as smooth as logistically possible? What are the best airlines, especially considering intercity jumps? What are the best places to stay, central, safe, but cheap? Is there such a thing? Apartment or BnB? What are the best restaurants and sights? What are the keys to the stadiums, tours, photos, access, contacts and media credentials, you name it! Help me out here! How can I make this the trip of a lifetime?


Please comment below, send me a facebook message (forza futbol page), send me a tweet (eu_forzafutbol) or an email (forza.futbol@yahoo.com). I am counting on you to get the inside scoop!

Monday Morning Papers 8.8

Sport.es: FC Barcelona: The Hour of Alexis and Messi: Two ¨signings¨ for the Supercopa that will start working out today. Alexis: ¨I can´t wait to start playing with Leo.¨ The Chilean arrived yesterday tired but hopeful to début on Sunday at the Bernabeu. Barca, Analysis of the Tour: Now everyone is at home. Lionel Messi: the Argentine wants to be decisive against Madrid. He has all week to put himself right. Cesc Fabregas: Cesc will not begin the Premier League, even Wenger confirms it. Real Madrid: Mourinho will have toconform with Adebayor. He will cost between 8 and 10 euros. Community Shield: City 2-3 Manchester United. De Gea won his first title and Kun did not play.

Marca.com: Real Madrid: 6...5...4...3..2...1... Supercopa!: At less than a week before the Clásico. euphoria at Real Madrid and doubts at Barca. The dressing room of the whites, unanimous: ¨We arrive stronger than they do.¨ Guardiola, preoccupied: ¨We are not at our maximum and we don´t have our tone.¨. The pre-season numbers don´t lie: Messi was missed and Benzema exploded. Without Messi, Real Madrid has scored 9 more goals than Barcelona.  Community Shield: City 2-3 Manchester United. De Gea won his first title and Kun did not premier.

Reaction: Ah, I love the whiff of football. Even with all the craziness in my life, all I have to read is crazy drivel from either dish-rag to get me pumped up. First of all for Sport: it will take more than a week for the best of both Alexis and Leo to take hold for FC Barcelona, so if Real Madrid have a hope to take any title from Barca this year it´s the equivalent of the Spanish Community Shield; a meaningless friendly in a certain sense. As for ¨El Caso Cesc¨, the clubs are posturing. Arsenal don´t really hope to retain the player do they? They had better not. I am sick of this story. Wenger, move on. Alright, on to Marca: Real Madrid do look to have been more impressive in their pre-season approach than Barcelona. They have scored more goals and their attack is sparkling, but don´t make the mistake of assuming that pre-season form necessarily translates into early season form once the whistle blows for the start of the new season. Real Madrid are still behind Barcelona even without Alexis Sanchez and if Cesc leaves Arsenal as expected? It will be a long season for Jose Mourinho´s charges. 

Not All Barca's Transfers Are Good Ones!

Ok, so Los Cules have completed the signing of one of the hottest properties in European, if not World, football. Alexis Sanchez has moved to Catalunya from Italian side Udinese for a fee thought to be upwards of £30million. He should be a great signing, and at the age of 22, he could well become a legend at Camp Nou. This, though, got me thinking: what have been some of Barcelona's worst transfers?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Signed in the summer of 2009 for an incredible £45million and Samuel Eto'o, this was a player that was never really wanted at Camp Nou. Guardiola was just so desperate to get rid of the disruptive Cameroonian, he was willing to do it on any terms. In fact, this deal was the reason that Barca didn't sign David Villa until a year later. Ibra did score goals in his only season in Catalunya, netting 21 times in 41 games, but he never really fit in with the squad or style of play. He is a big target man who slows play down, and he doesn't work hard closing the opposition down, even if it was him who lost the ball. He was loaned to AC Milan in 2010, and the deal was made permanent in June 2011 for a fee in the region of £24million. A loss, then, of around £45million in two years!

Dmytro Chygrynskiy

The Ukrainian centre back was signed in a strange deal in 2009. He arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk for £25million, but there was a clause in the deal that meant he could play for Shakhtar in the UEFA Super Cup against Barca! He made a couple of horrific challenges in that match too, particularly against Lionel Messi. He never settled into the team, and only made fourteen appearances before heading back to Shakhtar the following summer for £15million, representing a loss of £10million in just twelve months. It's a shame, as he looked like just the sort of big, dominant centre back that the club needed. In fact, Guardiola was keen to keep him for another season, but it was not to be.

Henrique & Keirrison

In 2008, Barca signed the first of two Brazilians from Palmeiras, defender Henrique, followed a year later by striker Keirrison. Both players were signed on five year deals. Henrique cost £10million, and Keirrison £16million. Yet neither one of them has played a single game for the club. Henrique has been the more impressive of the two, enjoying fruitful loan spells at first Bayer Leverkusen, and then the last two seasons at Racing Santander in La Liga. He played thirty games in Germany, and more than sixty in Cantabria, so why has he now been loaned back to Palmeiras? It makes absolutely no sense. He has acclimatised himself to La Liga over the past two years, so surely he should have been retained for this season at Camp Nou, especially with the dip in Gabriel Milito's ability, and the fact that players have been playing out of position in central defence over the last couple of seasons?

As for Keirrison, he hasn't enjoyed himself in Europe. He was loaned out to Benfica, but only made five appearances for them, and his loan was cut short after six months. He then moved to Italian side Fiorentina, and fared little better. He scored twice in twelve games before again having his eighteen month loan cut short just six months in. He was loaned to Brazilian side Santos in July 2010, but ten goals in 31 games has not impressed the Copa Libertadores champions, and according to goal.com he has been released back to Barca. Funnily enough, there is no mention of him on the club's official website, so I wouldn't expect him to be making an appearance anytime soon! So that's more than £20million spent on two players who as yet have not even been listed in a match day Barca squad!

So, there you have it. Just a few players I thought of off the top of my head. There will no doubt be plenty more where they came from!

Transfer Business aka Done Deal.com

We are nearly at the halfway mark and it is getting a little bit crazy in the transfer market. More rumors than actual transfers, due to the economy, to be fair. Let's go ahead and recap the official business in La Liga thus far.


ATHLETIC BILBAO:

IN: Ander Herrera (Zaragoza)

OUT: Mikel Balenziaga (Las Palmas), Ion Velez (Girona)

COMMENTS: Not much transfer business for Bilbo due to the elections, and a very strict policy. It will be interesting to see if there are any newcomers this summer. I predict Loco Bielsa will clean house a bit and promote a few more rough gems from Lezama and/or the reserves.


ATLETICO MADRID:

IN: Salvio (Benfica), Asenjo (Malaga), Miranda (Sao Paulo), Silvio (Braga), Adrian (Depor), Gabi (Zaragoza), Courtois (Genk)

OUT: Ufjalusi (Galatasaray), Keko (Catania), De Gea (Manchester United), Pacheco

COMMENTS: Once again, Atleti brings in a lot of South Americans on the cheap. De Gea will be a big miss in the goal department. That said, I really thought that AdM would bring in a goalie with experience to complement injury prone Asenjo and young Joel. It will be interesting to see if Kun even joins the team for the early Europa League qualifiers.


BARCELONA:

IN: Thiago (Cantera), Fontas (Cantera), Kiko (Hercules), Alexis Sanchez (Udinese)

OUT: Victor Sanchez (Neuchatel), Henrique (Palmeiras), Bojan (Roma)

COMMENTS: Barça is selling more cantera players (which is a bit disturbing) and slapping them with a buyback clause a la Real Madrid. They want to make sure that they don't caught short, as in the cases of Pique and Cesc. With such a strong B team and youth program, it will be interesting to see if many more will leave this summer.


REAL BETIS:

IN: Chica (Espanyol), Mario (Getafe), Matilla (Villarreal), J Montero (Villarreal), Fabricio (Valladolid), Amaya (Wigan)

OUT: Belenguer, Odonkor, Israel (Xerez)

COMMENTS: Betis looks to have done a good bit of business, especially considering that the club is in ley concursal. Chica was impressive as a full back at Espanyol last season. While both Matilla and Montero were able to gain a lot of good experience on the bench at Villarreal and Levante respectively. Mario was a constant for Geta, while Amaya helped Rayo get promoted. Not bad by los Pepinos.


ESPANYOL:

IN: Albin (Getafe), Luna (Montevideo), Didac (Milan), Coro (Osasuna), Zeegelaar (Ajax) Moreno (AZ Alkmaar)

OUT: De la Peña (retired), Callejón (Real Madrid), Chica (Betis), David García, Iván Alonso, Duscher, Molina (Huesca), Román Martínez (Tigre)

COMMENTS: I am not really all that impressed with the new signings for los Pericos. No one really impressives, other than Didac back on loan. I wonder if there will be a few more signings or perhaps a couple of cantera promotions to the first team? Right now it looks like a net loss in quality in the transfer department.


GETAFE:

IN: Lopo (Depor), J Rodriguez (Depor), Lacen (Racing), D. Castro (Sporting), Moya (Valencia), Albertazzi (Milan), Sarabia (Castilla)

OUT: Manu del Moral (Sevilla), Albín (Espanyol), Marcano (Villarreal), Víctor Sánchez (Barcelona), Mario (Betis), Parejo (Valencia), Boateng (Dnipro), Kas (Bursaspor)

COMMENTS: A lot of big losses, but I feel that Luis Garcia is bringing in a good blend of players with La Liga experience and potential. Feeling good for Geta this year.


GRANADA

IN: Siqueira (Udinese), J. Romero (Udinese), D. Cortes (Hercules), Pamarot (Hercules)

OUT: Collantes (Cartagena), Rubén, Juande (Betis), Óscar Pérez, Jonathan Granada, Carlos Calvo, Párraga, Mensah (Evian) ,Rubén Párraga (Murcia)

COMMENTS: I hope that sister club, Udinese loans more players to Granada, players of La Liga quality. If not, Granada can join the list of newly promoted teams most likely to go back down.


LEVANTE:

IN: Farinos (Hercules), K Navas (Albacete), Aranda (Osasuna), Pallardo (Getafe), W Silva (Arsenal), Barkero (Numancia), Pedro Lopez (Valladolid), Xavi Torres (Malaga)

OUT: Xisco Nadal, Del Horno (Valencia), Jefferson Montero (Betis), Cerra, Reina (Cartagena), Xisco Muñoz (Dinamo Tbilisi), Stuani (Reggina) and Caicedo (Lokomotiv Moscow)

COMMENTS: I am feeling kind of worried about Levante. This team really doesn't look like a Primera La Liga team. Add to that a new coach (Ignacio) who has never coached in the top flight. Very worrisome.


MALAGA:

IN: Buonanotte (River Plate), Van Nistelrooy (Hamburg), Mathijsen (Hamburg), Toulalan (Lyon), Monreal (Osasuna), Joaquin (Valencia), Sergio Sanchez (Sevilla), Isco (Valencia)

OUT: Arnau (Retired), Mtiliga, Asenjo (Atlético), Gaspar and Manu Torres (Cartagena), Quincy, Javi López (Jaén), Edu Ramos (Villarreal), Sergio Díaz (Hércules), Sandro Silva (Internacion al de Porto Alegre), Xavi Torres (Levante)

COMMENTS: Super Malaga taking the Spanish Football world by storm! Europa League anybody? And they still want Santi Cazorla!


MALLORCA:

IN: Hemed (Maccabi Haifa), Calatayud (Hercules), Pablo Caceres (Tigre), Zuiverloon (WBA), Chico (Genoa)

OUT: Trejo (Sporting), Rubén (Osasuna), Ayoze (Deportivo), Lux, Sergi Enrich (Recreativo), Corrales

COMMENTS: Once again Mallorca starts over on a shoe string budget and limited resources. They managed to keep Michael Laudrup, star striker Pierre Webo is not the happiest camper, Serra Ferrer is spending too much money, but somehow they make it work.


OSASUNA:

IN: Bertran (Tenerife), Ruben (Mallorca), Ibra (Numancia), Andres (Huesca), Nino (Tenerife), Echaide (Huesca)

OUT: Camuñas (Villareal), Pandiani, Josetxo, Coro (Espanyol), Monreal (Málaga), Nacho Zabal (Numancia), Aranda (Levante)

COMMENTS: Osasuna has sold two big ticket players (Camuñas & Monreal) as well as a few steady journeymen. Meanwhile the club has brought in second division players to replace them. Hmmm Let's hope there are three teams worse off.


RACING:

IN: Edu Bedia (Salamanca), Picon (Pontevedra), Brian Sarmiento (Salamanca)

OUT: Coltorti, Munitis, Pinillos, Iván Bolado, Giovani (Tottenham), Lacen (Getafe), Henrique (Barça), Rosenberg (Werder Bremen), Iván Bolado (Cartagena) and Tziolis (Siena)

COMMENTS: A mass exodus due to non payment of player wages, a MIA owner, and ley concursal. I see the Cantabrian team struggling from the first game.


RAYO VALLECANO:

IN: Sueliton (San Jose), Perea (Atletico)

OUT: Coke (Sevilla), Armenteros (Sevilla), Yuma, De la Vega, Bryan Angulo, Trejo (Mallorca), Amaya (Wigan), Susaeta, Rafa García, Salva and Borja García (Córdoba)

COMMENTS: Bad moon rising, most likely to go down. I am not sure if they will even be able to start the league.


REAL MADRID:

IN: Sahin (Dortmund), Altintop (B Munich), Callejon (Espanyol), Coentrao (Benfica), Varane (Lens)

OUT: Mateos (Zaragoza), Dudek and Adebayor, Ezequiel Garay (Benfica)

COMMENTS: Mou is looking for a striker, but the mass exodus of unwanted players like Gago, Lass, Drenthe, Pedro Leon, and Canales are sure to come.


REAL SOCIEDAD:

IN: Viguera (Nastic), Sarasola (Real Union)

OUT: Tamudo and Diego Rivas (Hércules)

COMMENTS: What are they waiting for?


SEVILLA:

IN: De Moral (Getafe), Trochowski (Hamburg), Coke (Rayo), Caceres (Barca), Spahic (Montpellier)

OUT: José Carlos and Cala (AEK), Renato (Botafogo), Zokora (Trabzonspor), Dragutinovic, Sergio Sánchez (Málaga), David Prieto (Córdoba) and Diego Capel (Sporting Lisbon)

COMMENTS: A fire sale with the arrival of Marcellino along with some interesting signings. Monchi of late has kind of lost his touch in the transfer market. However, the Marcellino factor needs to be considered. Is this enough for a return to Champions League? I don't know.


SPORTING:

IN: Oscar Trejo (Mallorca), D Suarez (Defensor), Ricardo (Tenerife)

OUT: Diego Castro (Getafe), José Ángel (Roma), André Castro (Porto) and Sastre

COMMENTS: A very modest team, with some pivotal exits. That said, in Preciado we trust. Sporting somehow finds a way.


VALENCIA:

IN: Rami (Lille), D Alves (Almeria), Piatti (Almeria), Feghouli (Almeria), Parejo (Getafe)

OUT: David Navarro (Neuchatel), Vicente, César (Villarreal), Míchel (Hércules), Isco (Málaga), Aarón Ñíguez (Almería), 'Chori' Domínguez (River Plate), Sunny (Numancia), Nacho González (Standard Liege)

COMMENTS: A slew of exits and a few key signings, if Los Che can keep their pearls (Mata, Pablo, etc), I think this will be another solid year.


VILLARREAL:

IN: Camuñas (Osasuna), Cesar (Valencia), Edu Ramos (Malaga), Zapata (Udinese)

OUT: Oliva, Cicinho (Roma), Juan Carlos (Levante), Marcano (Olympiacos), Juan Carlos (Elche), Capdevila (Benfica)

COMMENTS: More sales than purchases, the fact of the matter is that Villarreal is a selling club. This is very strange, as they have once again qualified for the Champions League. That said, financial times are tough. Thankfully Villarreal B was able to squeak by and continue in Segunda A. This will once again be a pipe line for the Yellow Submarine bench. Will they sell one of their big stars? Only time will tell.


ZARAGOZA:

IN; Goni (Castilla), Mateos (Real Madrid), Abraham (Barca B), Edu Oriol (Barca B), Juan Carlos (Castilla)

OUT: Ander (Athletic), Gabi (Atlético), Edmilson (Ceará), Sinama (Sporting Club), Jorge López, Maco Pérez, Diogo, Jarosik, Bertolo (Palermo), Boutahar AND Ndaw (Saint Etienne)

COMMENTS: What does it say when so many of the teams are populated by Real Madrid and Barcelona cantera? Add to that another fire sale, due to ley concursal and financial disarray. Zaragoza are holding on by the skin of their teeth and going very young. Is this enough to ensure permanence in the first division? It should be an interesting year.