الاثنين، 29 فبراير 2016

WATCH: All 6 Lionel Messi free kick goals so far this season

Lionel Messi is a magician with as many tricks up as sleeves as Barcelona have trophies in the last ten years. He can score magnificent goals in so many various ways, but it's his free kick prowess that has improved so much over the years. This season has been specifically fruitful from the deadball situations. Here are all six of the free kick goals he's banged in so far this season:

1. vs. Sevilla (UEFA Super Cup - August 11th, 2015)

It's close to goal and in a centralized position. But that's what makes it such a difficult goal to score. He has to take all the pace off the shot and make up for it with curl and deception. To get it over the wall and in the net from this spot is truly special.

2. vs. Sevilla (UEFA Super Cup - August 11th, 2015)

The first two-free-kick-goal game in the astonishing career of Lionel Messi. This will probably become a trivia question one day. It came in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup. Remember this when you're playing Trivial Pursuit with your grandkids in 40 years.

3. vs. Deportivo La Coruna (La Liga - December 12, 2015)

This one required a little finesse but still had some velocity on it. This amazing slow-mo replay is worth watching over and over again.

4. vs. Espanyol (Copa del Rey - January 7, 2016)

This free kick against Espanyol is a strong contender for his best effort of the season but just falls short. The accuracy and power displayed here is breath-taking. Messi places strikes the ball off the underside of the crossbar leaving the keeper no chance at saving it.

5. vs. Celta Vigo (La Liga - February 14, 2016)

This is a textbook Messi free kick. If you gave him the chance to pick a spot of the pitch to take a set piece from he'd probably choose this one. He steps up and strikes a perfect shot that blazes past the keeper and rips the net with anger.

6. vs. Sevilla (La Liga - February 28th, 2016)

Just a day ago Messi pulled out this cracker of a set piece that has to be his best. With the whole world expecting him to curl one delicately over the wall and to the goalkeeper's right, He outwits everyone and strikes a ferocious curling shot to the keeper's left leaving him befuddled. It may have not mattered had the Sevilla keeper guessed correctly as the resulting shot was perfectly placed into the top corner. Unbelievable goal. Poor Sevilla. He's scored three free kicks against them just this season.

Poll
Which of Lionel Messi's six free kick goals this season was the best?

  0 votes | Results



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FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid CF: Second La Liga El Clasico Date Set

An El Clasico is back on the schedule!

The Spanish football federation has announced the date of this season's second La Liga El Clasico. The two teams will meet for the first time since Barcelona's 4-0 hammering of the then Rafael Benitez led Real Madrid. On April 2nd though, Real Madrid will face the Catalans for the first time since Zinedine Zidane has taken over the reigns.

Both teams have four league fixtures to play until then as well as the return leg of the Champions League 1st knockout round. Immediately before the El Clasico on April 2, there is also an international break which could make for a sluggish match, especially in the early going, but arguably the biggest match-up in football will be worth a watch nonetheless. Just days after the big game both teams will return to the Champions League, provided they both hold on to the advantage won in their respective first legs, as the Quarter-Final matches are scheduled for the 5th/6th April.

The way the league table looks now Barcelona have a sizable 12 point advantage over their eternal rivals, but things can turn around quickly and the fact that Atletico Madrid continue to win games in the Spanish League means that Barcelona can't afford to take any games lightly, most certainly not a Clasico.



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FC Barcelona News: 29 February 2016; Barcelona Defeat Sevilla, Barca B Extend Unbeaten Run

FC Barcelona top Sevilla 2–1, extend unbeaten streak to 34 games | FC Barcelona
Almost five months after falling to Sevilla at the Sánchez Pizjuan, FC Barcelona stormed back from an early one-goal deficit to exact revenge on the last team to defeat them, securing a 2–1 victory at Camp Nou and extending their unbeaten streak to a record-tying 34 games.

Barcelona in ideal position win La Liga title Luis Enrique - ESPN FC
The visitors shocked the Camp Nou by going ahead early through winger Vitolo, but Lionel Messi converted a free kick and Gerard Pique added a close-range finish after a corner to ensure the three points for the Catalan outfit.

Five talking points from the defeat of Sevilla | FC Barcelona
Six goals from direct free kicks is a personal record for Leo Messi, who once again appeared when the team needed him most. It was also his backpass to Suárez that led to Piqué’s goal. One thing is for sure, the Argentinian has no problem rising to the big occasion.

Luis Enrique sees great value in win over Sevilla | FC Barcelona
Another day at the office for Luis Enrique and another victory, which stretches his team’s unbeaten run to a record-equalling 34 matches. However, the Barça boss was the first to admit that the win against Sevilla at Camp Nou was far from routine. "I am very happy with the result, you have to be able to suffer in these games and we were up against one of the best teams in the league and in Europe," he said.

Gerard Piqué: Comebacks are never easy | FC Barcelona
So it was little surprise that, after scoring the game-winning goal in FC Barcelona’s 2–1 victory over Sevilla at Camp Nou on Sunday night, the defender took the lead when it came time for the players to field questions from the flock of reporters assembled down the hall from the team’s dressing room.

Clásico at Camp Nou on Sunday 2 April | FC Barcelona
The LFP has announced the latest set of kick-off times in La Liga, and it’s a biggie. Week 31 is the one when Real Madrid are due to visit the Camp Nou, and it goes without saying that the Clásico is always a huge occasion. Zinedine Zidane will be getting his first taste of the famous fixture from the manager’s bench in the last game of the first weekend of April, at 8.30pm CET on April 2.

Barca star Lionel Messi hits 30 goals for 8th season in row - ESPN FC
Lionel Messi's free kick in Barcelona's 2-1 win over Sevilla on Sunday ensured the forward reached the 30-goal mark for an eighth season running. Messi, 28, curled home a fabulous free kick on 31 minutes to make it 1-1 at home to Sevilla, before Gerard Pique completed the turnaround early in the second half.

Schedule for a week with Liga trips to Rayo and Eibar | FC Barcelona
Luis Enrique’s faces yet another week with two matches, but this time they are both Liga fixtures. Midweek they go to Vallecas (Madrid) to play Rayo Vallecano and there’s another away trip at the weekend, to Eibar in the Basque Country.

Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre: Our players would never say what Cristiano Ronaldo said | Football News | Sky Sports
The Real Madrid star is embroiled in an internal row after laying into members of his own squad following defeat in the Madrid derby against Atletico. Ronaldo said several players who replaced injured galacticos Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Pepe were not at his level and he preferred to play with Bale and Karim Benzema, before backtracking on Sunday.

CD Alcoyano - FC Barcelona B: A point in El Collao (3-3) | FC Barcelona
In a difficult away game against a well disciplined side with high hopes this season, Barça B were never going to have it easy in El Collao against Alcoyano. A point from the 3-3 draw is fair reward for Gerard López’s side and maintains his side’s unbeaten run after a series of six wins in a row prior to Sunday’s away game. The home side took the lead in the first half but the blaugranes fought back to take a 3-1 lead and appeared to be heading for their seventh victory in a row.



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La Liga News: 29 February 2016; Valencia's Winning Run Ended, Granada End Losing Streak

Atletico is everything Real Madrid is not – and that's why the fans have had enough of Florentino Perez - Goal.com
Be careful what you wish for. In 2011, Real Madrid fans raised a banner during a game against Atletico which read: "Wanted: worthy rival for decent derby." But over the past two years, it is the Rojiblancos who have emerged on top in the capital clash.

Morata deal leaked | Football Espana
Alvaro Morata’s 2014 transfer from Real Madrid to Juventus has been leaked, confirming buyback clauses for Los Blancos this summer and next. According to Football Leaks, Juve paid €20m for Morata but are obliged to sell the striker back to Madrid, providing his former club pay €30m in July 2016 or July 2017.

RUMOURS: Robert Lewandowski to replace Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid - Goal.com
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to leave Real Madrid this summer after publicly hitting out at his team-mates, according to El Confidencial. The Portugal international claimed not enough of the Blancos squad were playing at the necessary level following their defeat to Atletico Madrid on Saturday, with his claims having hit the dressing room hard.

Atletico eye Inter's Jovetic swoop | Football Italia
Atletico Madrid may relieve Inter of the financial burden of buying Stevan Jovetic from Manchester City, according to reports. In spite of a very strong start to the season, the Montenegrin appears to have fallen out of favour with Coach Roberto Mancini. It now seems doubtful that the Nerazzurri will use their purchase clause of €17m with the Citizens, but that is not to say that Jovetic will return to the Premier League.

Gary Neville Valencia contract talks on hold until April - ESPN FC
Valencia coach Gary Neville has said the time to talk about his contract is later in the season as he concentrates on the club's forthcoming games. Former Manchester United defender Neville, appointed in December on a contract until the end of the season, suffered a tough start to his career at the club but steered them to a 10-0 aggregate win over Rapid Vienna in the Europa League.

Valencia youth appeal rejected | Football Espana
Los Che crashed out of the competition after a 1-1 draw with the Blues descended into farce, when Alberto Gil’s penalty during the subsequent shootout crossed the line but hit the stanchion inside the net and bounced back out, prompting the referee to classify the spot-kick as a miss.

Athletic's quickfire treble ends Gary Neville's winning run - ESPN FC
Gary Neville's four-game winning streak with Valencia came to an abrupt end with a 3-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao following seven frantic minutes late in the second half. Sabin Merino broke the deadlock in a tense and even game on 73 minutes and Iker Muniain and former Valencia striker Aritz Aduriz added to the visitors' lead in quick succession.

Gary Neville blames 'joke' referee for heavy Valencia - ESPN FC
Valencia coach Gary Neville called the referee "a joke" and "embarrassing" after his team were beaten 3-0 by Athletic Bilbao at Mestalla on Sunday afternoon. The game seemed headed for a goalless draw, but Athletic scored three times in just seven minutes during the final quarter, with Sabin Merino, Iker Muniain and Aritz Aduriz on the scoresheet.

Deportivo La Coruña 0-1 Granada - ESPN FC
Jose Gonzalez made an immediate impact as Granada coach as his side lifted themselves off the bottom of the Primera Division table with a 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna. Former Albacete and Cordoba boss Gonzalez took over the reins on Monday night following the sacking of Jose Ramon Sandoval.



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Barcelona 2-1 Sevilla, 2016 La Liga: 3 Things We Learned

Barcelona have picked up a ninth consecutive victory in La Liga after beating Sevilla 2-1 at Camp Nou, extending the overall unbeaten streak this season to 34 games. With another magical goal from Lionel Messi and a comeback win, the Blaugrana are even closer to the Spanish League title. Here's a few takeaways from another triumphant night at Camp Nou.

1. The schedule has finally taken its toll

After Sunday's game, Barça completed a ridiculous marathon of 17 matches in January and February. The team obviously went unbeaten through that run, and while the results weren't affected by the fatigue, the performances clearly have been and Sunday was a prime example. The level of effort and intensity was evidently down from previous outings, and when they needed to give their best in order to come back and get two goals, they just couldn't do anything later.

That's the main reason why the second half was poor after Piqué's goal. They just didn't have legs to play full 90 minutes of great football, especially after the amount of energy and focus spent in the game against Arsenal. After playing 17 games in 57 days, the Blaugrana have a potential 19 games left to play this season. In 90 days. There will be more time to rest and recover in between each game, and that should make the team play well again. After these two grueling months, we should give everyone credit for overcoming exhaustion to keep the streak alive.

2. La Liga is still not over

Had the Madrid Derby ended in a draw on Saturday, then it'd be safe to say the league was pretty much wrapped up with Sunday's win. But since Atleti won at Bernabéu, they're still in the hunt. Yes, Barça are up eight points and there's no reason to think they'll relinquish such a big lead, but the schedule is not the easiest until the end of the season. Seven of the last 12 matches are on the road, and some of those trips are tough: Villarreal, La Coruña and the Annual Trip to Hell against Real Sociedad at the Anoeta. And of course, El Clásico next month. Since Real Madrid can't win the league anymore, they'll try their best to give Atleti the championship, and winning at Camp Nou could help.

Let's wait just a little more. It's too early to say we're champions. Even though we already might be.

3. Andrés Iniesta needs to figure out his hair

On a less serious note, the captain is one of the greatest players in the history of football, but he hasn't done well with his haircuts as of late. It's clear that he's been lacking hair for a while, but he came off the bench on Sunday completely bald, maybe because the world trolled him for his haircut against Arsenal, which is similar to his daughter's favorite doll. Come on, Don Andrés. Stick with one haircut. It's distracting us from your football. If you want to go full bald, then do it. But do it fast. We have titles to win here.



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الأحد، 28 فبراير 2016

Barcelona 2-1 Sevilla, 2016 La Liga: Match Review

A recap of Barcelona's win on Sunday night courtesy of goals from Lionel Messi and Gerard Piqué.

It is well publicised that Barcelona are on this historic run of unbeaten games but what is less talked about is that it was Sevilla who were the last team to best the Catalans. That defeat, which was way back in October, was a turning point for Barça and one which has seen them create an impressive lead at the top of the league table.


Barcelona Sevilla
Possession 68% 32%
Total Shots 17 11
Shots on Target 8 4
Corners 6 7
Fouls 13 10
Offsides 2 0
Yellow Cards 3 2
Red Cards 0 0

Atlético Madrid's victory in the Madrid derby on Saturday meant that if Barça got the win, they would maintain an eight point lead at the summit of La Liga. But it would be no easy game despite Sevilla's inability to win away this season.

After a run of a game every three or four days, Luis Enrique finally elected to rotate his squad. Swapping out Andrés Iniesta, Javier Mascherano, Ivan Rakitić and Dani Alves but it was business as usual in the opening exchanges with Barcelona seeing plenty of the ball. Sergio Busquets was performing exquisitely in the centre of the field but there was a risk of a counterattack through the pace of Kevin Gamiero and it was the visitors who had the first chance. A head down from Steven N'Zonzi allowed Timothée Kolodziejczak a sight at goal but the centre back could only lift the ball over the bar.

At the other end, Luis Suárez got his first sniff of goal after being played in by Aleix Vidal but the Uruguayan, at a tight angle, could only fire the ball at keeper Sergio Rico. However from the resultant corner, Barça again came close. Lionel Messi whipped in a ball close to the goal which forced Coke to get a head on it. The defender's touch saw the ball ricochet onto the post before falling to Suárez. The striker then cannoned a shot off of the bar to continue Barcelona's recent post problems.

It was a chance wasted and meant with twenty minutes gone, Sevilla had a chance to take the lead. Barcelona were playing a high line which allowed Michael Krohn-Dehli to run into space behind. Benoît Trémoulinas cut inside him and as he received the ball he found Vitolo at the far post. The Spaniard calmly placed the ball into the net with a side foot but the marking was poor from Barça's left, leaving Vitolo with all time in the world to finish.

The unbeaten record was under threat but the man who has so often dug Barcelona out of holes, stepped up again. It was a free kick won after Suárez was taken down just outside the area and both Messi and Neymar stood over it. But it looked a little too close to get up and over the wall. Instead Messi elected to fizz the ball over to the goalie's side. Rico could get no where the near the effort as it travelled at pace into the inside netting of the goal.

The hosts were level and the goal was a turning point in the game as Sevilla were unwilling to risk leaving men forward. A brief chance for Messi was all the notable action left in the half as the whistle blew at 1-1.

There has been a trend of Barça starting the second half of games at a lightning pace and this game was no different. Barcelona were immediately on top and with 48 minutes gone, they were ahead. Messi linked well with his strike partner Suárez, receiving the ball before giving it back to them. Suárez then produced a half shot/half cross effort that fell to centre back turned centre forward Gerard Piqué. It was a tap in for the Barça number three as he passed the ball into the net.

Now that Barcelona had the lead, Enrique looked to obtain domination in the game and brought the experienced Iniesta and Alves into the fray. The former, who had a new haircut that made him look surprisingly similar to Javier Mascherano, was quick to get on the ball and boost Barcelona's possession stats. Barça began to take control of the game but with just a single goal lead, there was always the worry of a Sevilla equaliser.

With fifteen minutes to go, it looked as if Barça's congested fixture list was beginning to catch up with them. The away side were looking the brighter and Barcelona were struggling to keep hold of the ball. N'Zonzi required a last ditch Sergio Busquets tackle to prevent him from scoring and a late free kick conceded by Piqué had the potential to hurt Barça.

Despite the scares in the final minutes, Barcelona did manage to hold onto the narrow lead and in doing so, compete a full round of fixtures unbeaten.

Roll Call Info
Total comments 523
Total commenters 49
Commenter list Anders Thomassen, Anirudh_Kul, AzBlaug, BDBarca, Barca4ever, Cule4life, Delano Heerkens, Dick Darlington, ElasticFan, GreyGhostIniesta, JordanBelfort, JordiBalboa, KiwiBarca, Lapulga, MayteeA, Messidependencia!!!, Naman_Mehra, NamesTroyResideInTheDMV, Patty Mills for three.. BANG, Piyush_, R19, Ruy Diaz, ShantanuC, Skand_08, Steven Cordero, TheGodfather21, Tokjee, Trifitology, VarmaFCB, Willis1984, Yuro_Doosh, avyator, clarify7, dewoul, el_uruguayo, feeya7, footballfordoze, godnkls, hacastillot, hdp78, henderick.mitchell, ikool, kuni95, messism, mightyobie, msalmanz, saltylures, syredeathtrooper, waseem10
Story URLs
# Commenter # Comments
1 Trifitology 63
2 Anders Thomassen 38
3 Willis1984 34
4 dewoul 31
5 JordanBelfort 30
6 ShantanuC 26
7 Dick Darlington 25
8 syredeathtrooper 25
9 BDBarca 25
10 footballfordoze 23
11 Delano Heerkens 22
12 NamesTroyResideInTheDMV 21
13 Piyush_ 18
14 mightyobie 11
15 KiwiBarca 10
16 avyator 9
17 MayteeA 9
18 el_uruguayo 9
19 TheGodfather21 8
20 feeya7 7
21 VarmaFCB 7
22 AzBlaug 6
23 hacastillot 6
24 godnkls 6
25 Steven Cordero 6
26 kuni95 5
27 hdp78 4
28 Tokjee 3
29 Ruy Diaz 3
30 Barca4ever 3
31 Anirudh_Kul 3
32 msalmanz 3
33 Yuro_Doosh 3
34 ElasticFan 2
35 R19 2
36 GreyGhostIniesta 2
37 saltylures 2
38 Skand_08 2
39 Cule4life 1
40 henderick.mitchell 1
41 waseem10 1
42 JordiBalboa 1
43 Lapulga 1
44 ikool 1
45 clarify7 1
46 messism 1
47 Messidependencia!!! 1
48 Naman_Mehra 1
49 Patty Mills for three.. BANG 1
# Recs Commenter Comment Link
9 messism LOL
5 feeya7 Cept injuries. Thats not a cost we can afford.
3 Anders Thomassen This fixture was one of the most important last season
3 Lapulga Messi posts a message:
2 dewoul I am actually just seeing the replay of Messi indicating that it wasn't a penalty, such great sportsmanship from the GOAT.
2 Willis1984 Second half promises a lot, hope we do the usual and go into Beast Mode in the next half.
2 syredeathtrooper Messi always accelerates his scoring rate in the 2nd half of the season
2 JordanBelfort messi MOTM so far, could have had 3-4 assists
2 footballfordoze If only his teammates were at his level :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
2 TheGodfather21 Need to score from a free kick when you are 0-1 down?
2 mightyobie I believe if it stays 2-1. Pique's goal will have brought as many points as Ronaldo's goals: 2 points
2 godnkls But let me guess
1 syredeathtrooper I've lost count of how many chances Messi has created for Ney and Suarez this match
1 Anders Thomassen They're starting to piss me off
1 Skand_08 love the luis enrique chants
1 JordanBelfort he deserves it. be breaks records, wins titles, etc. and still people don't like him so much like they like pep
1 msalmanz The guy literally saved us from giving guard of honor to Atletic in 2014.
1 el_uruguayo Really awkward there
1 ShantanuC Woah vitolo was close enough for Suarez to bite him.
1 Trifitology Alves... Three great defensive plays right now.
1 saltylures Iniesta has such a round head....
1 Willis1984 Dafuq!!!!
1 syredeathtrooper He was literally pushed after he beat the defender
1 Piyush_ Rakitic is class
1 dewoul I thought he would run towards Caballero too but he decided to be selfish, glad to see the other city players knew the right thing to do.
1 footballfordoze Mathieu has been perfect alongside Pique this season
1 mightyobie No Real did the same, one more game to go
1 Anders Thomassen Neymar and Suarez were pretty below par
1 msalmanz February is OVERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
1 Trifitology Unless they make their EL final
1 Steven Cordero The Copa del Rey Final is going to be tough. No doubt about that.
1 syredeathtrooper The refereeing in this match was piss poor.
1 JordanBelfort oh ney oh ney, the win is more important than that skill
1 syredeathtrooper Brilliant match by the two CBs
1 BDBarca Is this Refree for real ??
1 feeya7 This ref is an assdick
1 footballfordoze Iniesta looks like Mascherano's twin brother
1 MayteeA Tremoulinas is actually a great player
1 mightyobie 6 i believe
1 Trifitology So.... Like I said, my concern net level is at <0%>
1 Trifitology Poor??? Get your head out of your ass...
1 NamesTroyResideInTheDMV Was hilariously fantastic
1 footballfordoze He is trying too hard to stay unbiased
1 syredeathtrooper 6th freekick goal from Messi this season
1 Trifitology Is anyone else even worried???
1 footballfordoze That was a penalty but Nessi doesn't care
1 Dick Darlington penaldo : if ref was at my level we would have won treble
1 Anders Thomassen We need to play was faster and way more precise
1 syredeathtrooper Messi has been GODLIKE with his freekicks!
1 JordanBelfort messi is on fire
1 hacastillot This has the makings for
1 Anirudh_Kul HIPS DON'T LIE FAMMMMM
1 Trifitology Ahhh dam...
1 Delano Heerkens Eff off
1 BDBarca why do you do that ...why
1 NamesTroyResideInTheDMV Pique was asleep there
1 Piyush_ struck the post twice -_-
1 JordanBelfort i know another player who always complains even if it wasn't a penalty
1 hacastillot They should really have lowered goalposts during training
1 Trifitology We looked WAY more dangerous in that first half
1 Willis1984 The luxuries that we have now
1 feeya7 The "Neymar has taken over for Messi" crowd seems to have all but disappeared too.
1 Delano Heerkens Messi saying "no, not foul"



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Barcelona vs Sevilla, 2015/16 La Liga: Final Score 2-1 as Barça make the comeback

Barcelona have now tied the Spanish record for consecutive unbeaten matches after a 2-1 win against Sevilla at Camp Nou, thanks to goals from Lionel Messi, Gerard Piqué, with Vitolo scoring for the visitors. In a difficult match, the Blaugrana had to come back after a slow start, but ultimately prevailed and reached 34 straight games without a loss, equaling the record previously held by Real Madrid. More importantly, the Catalans remain eight points above Atlético Madrid, getting even closer to the La Liga title.

FIRST HALF

Barça had another slow start, which has become a trend this season. With lack of pace and creativity in possession, they just couldn't find spaces in the opposing defense, and their only chance came when Messi hit the post with a direct corner-kick, and Suárez followed it up with a rocket to the crossbar. Other than that, however, there were no real opportunities created in the initial minutes.

Sevilla, on the other hand, were always dangerous on the counter, mainly through the flanks, and also used set pieces to scare the Catalans. And after a mistake by the right side of the Barça defense, Tremoulinas had space on the left wing to find a perfect cross to Vitolo, who opened the scoring with a nice finish.

After the goal, Barça finally upped the tempo and started to play better in search of the equalizer. We saw better passing and movement from the players, especially the 'MSN' trio, and it showed when Neymar made a great individual play and found Suárez, who was fouled on the edge of the box by Rami. Messi completed the job by taking a spectacular free-kick to the top corner to tie the game.

At halftime, an improved game from Barça in the final minutes, and the promise of more goals in the final period.

SECOND HALF

The goal came. Fast. Just three minutes in, after a sensational combination between Messi and Suárez, the Uruguayan saw Gerard Piqué open in front of the goal and gave him the goal. The center-back didn't disappoint and scored the second for Barça.

Instead of dominating the game after the goal, however, Barça couldn't remain as intense and sharp as before. Sevilla improved a great deal thanks to Unai Emery's smart substitutions, and the visitors went forward, getting into dangerous areas, especially through the right side of the Blaugrana defense. But Barça were good enough to stop the Sevillistas before they could get any real chances, and eventually kept the ball in the final minutes to avoid any more problems.

In the end, a performance far from brilliant, but efficient enough to see off a difficult adversary and stay at the top of the table with a giant advantage over Atlético Madrid. Not too bad.

Barcelona: Bravo; Vidal (Alves), Piqué, Mathieu, Alba; Busquets, Roberto (Rakitic), Arda (Iniesta); Messi, Suárez, Neymar

Goals: Messi (31'), Piqué (48')

Sevilla: Rico; Coke, Rami, Kolodziejczak, Tremoulinas; N'Zonzi, Cristóforo (Konoplyanka); Vitolo, Iborra (Muñoz), Krohn-Dehli; Gameiro

Goal: Vitolo (19')



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Gerard Pique finishes off lovely passing move to give Barcelona the lead

Credit: r/Soccer

Lionel Messi -> Luis Suarez -> Gerard Pique. As easy as you'd like. The central defender wants to be a striker at heart and he constantly proves he probably could be for any other team. What a goal! Barca lead 2-1 over Sevilla just into the second half of play.



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Lionel Messi scores this free kick as routinely as Steph Curry hits 3-pointers

Credit: r/Soccer

It seems like the whole world is talking about Stephen Curry and how he may be the best athlete on the planet right now. Well, Lionel Messi is here to remind everyone who the king still is. Your move, Steph...



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FC Barcelona vs Sevilla FC, 2015/16 La Liga: Confirmed Lineups, Live Game Thread

Live game thread with confirmed lineups for Barcelona's La Liga match against Sevilla

La Liga: Jornada 26
Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
Kickoff: 28 February 2016, 20:30 CET
Referee: Santiago Jaime Latre

Lineups:

Barcelona (4-3-3): 13. Claudio Bravo | 22. Aleix Vidal, 3. Gerard Piqué, 24. Jeremy Mathieu, 18. Jordi Alba | 5. Sergio Busquets, 20. Sergi Roberto, 7. Arda Turna| 10. Lionel Messi, 9. Luis Suárez, 11. Neymar

Substitutes: 1. Marc-André ter Stegen, 6. Dani Alves, 15. Marc Bartra, 14. Javier Mascherano, 8. Andrés Iniesta , 4. Ivan Rakitić, 17. Munir El Haddadi

Coach: Luis Enrique

Sevilla FC (4-2-3-1): 1. Sergio Rico | 23. Coke, 5. Timothée Kolodziejczak, 3. Adil Rami, 2. Benoît Trémoulinas | 15. Steven N'Zonzi, 14. Sebastián Cristóforo | 20. Vitolo, 8. Vicente Iborra, 7. Michael Krohn-Dehli | 9. Kévin Gameiro

Substitutes: 31. David Soria, 6. Daniel Carriço, 17. Diogo Figueiras, 18. Sergio Escudero, 10. José Antonio Reyes, 11. Juan Muñoz, 22. Yevhen Konoplyanka

Coach: Unai Emery



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Barcelona vs Sevilla, 2016 La Liga: Predict the Score

Lionel Messi loves playing against Sevilla.

The Argentine superstar basically scores a lot of goals against every team imaginable, but the Rojiblancos are Leo's favorite opponents. Messi has appeared in 24 matches against Sevilla, scoring 24 goals and giving 5 assists. And in his last three games facing the Sevillistas, the world's best player has been extra special.

In November of 2014, Messi used Sevilla to make history. With a hat-trick, he became the top goalscorer in the history of the Spanish League. In April of 2015, he visited the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán and scored a beautiful goal in a key 2-2 draw away from home. In August, he helped Barça win the UEFA Super Cup with two amazing free-kick goals.

Add all of that together, and you get six goals in the last three games for Messi against Sevilla. He didn't play in the 2-1 loss earlier this season, which was the last Barça defeat before the current 33-game unbeaten streak. Leo will play on Sunday night at Camp Nou, and is certainly aware of how good he is against Sevilla.

So will Messi score? Will Barça win? Use the comment section below and give us your best prediction for the final score of today's match. Good luck!



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Barcelona vs Sevilla, 2016 La Liga: Start time, TV listings, live stream

It is common knowledge that Barcelona are riding a historic 33-game unbeaten streak. We have heard it so many times already that it's impossible to forget. What we might have forgotten is that, back in October of last year, it was Sevilla who last beat Barça.

The Rojiblancos used their home advantage to the full, beating the Blaugrana 2-1 with a complete performance, proving that they have what it takes to defeat the world's best team. There is a few things that might make this Sunday's game a little different, however: the match is at Camp Nou, a place where Barcelona is yet to lose this season; Lionel Messi had just injured his knee and Barça were playing their first full game without the Argentine superstar, still trying to figure out how to win with the best player in the world on the sidelines.

Now Messi is back, regaining his planet-beating form and ready to play well again. Sevilla is Messi's favorite opponent, the team Leo has scored the most goals against in his career. Neymar Jr. and Luis Suárez will also be there, and that October team is not even close to what this one has become. The marathon of matches is over for Barça, who had five days of rest before Sunday's fixture.

So yes, Barça are heavy favorites, as they should be. But Sevilla have proven they can win against the Blaugranes. They were the last one to do it. Will they be the next? Do not miss it so you can find out.

Match Info

Date/Time: Sunday, February 28th, 2016, 8:30pm local time, 7:30 pm BST (UK), 2:30pm ET, 11:30am PT (U.S.), 1:00am IST (India, next day)

Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain

Referee: Santiago Jaime Latre

How to Watch

TV: beIN SPORTS En Español (U.S. & Canada - Spanish), Sky Sports 2 (UK), Canal+, Abono Fútbol (Spain), more

Online: beIN SPORTS CONNECT (U.S. & Canada), FuboTV (U.S. only, free trial + monthly subscription, click here to sign up), SkyGo (UK), more

(Listings via LiveSoccerTV)



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Arsenal full-back Héctor Bellerín linked with return to FC Barcelona

Media outlet Sport have reported that FC Barcelona stepped up their interest in Héctor Bellerín over the past week. With the UEFA Champions League Last-16 matches against Arsenal, the rumors linking Bellerín with a return to the club whose academy he joined as an 8-year-old were bound to resurface.

After the win against Arsenal, Barça first-teamers Gerard Piqué and Andrés Iniesta were reported to have spoken to Bellerín to congratulate him on his impressive performance in the game. The young fullback did largely hold his own against Neymar and certainly did not do a disservice to his chances of a potential return to Camp Nou in the future.

According to Sport, one of the topics of conversation between the La Masia-produced trio was an inquiry into his "personal situation" at Arsenal. Since his breakthrough last season, Bellerín has seen off the competition from French international Mathieu Debuchy, who now finds himself on loan at Bordeaux. His "personal situation" certainly seems to be going as well as it could be, with the 20-year-old Spaniard being one of the best fullbacks in the English Premier League this season.

A return could very well be on the cards in the near future, when Dani Alves does leave Barça. Bellerín and Aleix Vidal competing for the starting spot at right-back would be great to have. What we do know, however, is to be prepared for a drawn-out saga if/when Barça make a move to bring Bellerín back to Camp Nou.



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Barcelona announce squad for La Liga match against Sevilla

The next Barcelona match is upon us! The Blaugrana welcome Sevilla to Camp Nou on Sunday for a key La Liga match against one of the league's toughest teams. And coach Luis Enrique has chosen his squad for the game.

It's a no-surprise selection from the boss. Every player involved in the game against Arsenal in midweek is back. Also returning are Arda Turan and Marc Bartra, who didn't travel to London. It is unclear whether or not Enrique plans to rotate the starting lineup and not select the Gala XI after a marathon of matches prior to this one, but all the superstars are available.

Sandro Ramírez, Jordi Masip, Adriano Correia, Douglas Pereira and Thomas Vermaelen, along with the injured Rafinha Alcântara, sit out of this Sunday's match per coach's decision. These are the eighteen men named by Lucho to be in uniform at Camp Nou:

Goalkeepers: 1. Marc-André ter Stegen, 13. Claudio Bravo

Defenders: 3. Gerard Piqué, 6. Dani Alves, 14. Javier Mascherano, 15. Marc Bartra, 18. Jordi Alba, 22. Aleix Vidal, 24. Jérémy Mathieu

Midfielders: 4. Ivan Rakitic, 5. Sergio Busquets, 7. Arda Turan, 8. Andrés Iniesta, 20. Sergi Roberto

Forwards: 9. Luis Suárez, 10. Lionel Messi, 11. Neymar Jr., 17. Munir El-Haddadi

Projected Starting Lineup (4-3-3):

Bravo; Vidal, Piqué, Mathieu, Alba; Mascherano, Roberto, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez, Neymar

The match starts at 20:30 CET, and you can join us to follow and comment all the action.

VISCA EL BARÇA!



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Barcelona vs Sevilla, 2016 La Liga: Key Battles

On the back of a good Champions League win against Arsenal in midweek, Sevilla could be ideal opponents at Camp Nou this weekend. We'd expect - and also know that - Luis Enrique and the team will be motivated and hungry to go for yet another win. Even so, Sevilla being one of La Liga's better teams gives that extra bit to keeping the players on their toes.

Sevilla's away form - or lack of it

Sevilla currently find themselves 6th in the table, level on points with 5th-placed Celta Vigo. On the surface, it appears that they have had a good season thus far. They've had 5 wins out of 7 matches in La Liga since a 2-1 away loss to Granada in 1st round of matches in 2016. These 5 wins include a 2-0 victory over Athletic. Unai Emery's side have also impressively beaten Celta 4-0 in the Copa del Rey.

However, looking more closely at their away form, they have been well below what would be expected of a team with their quality. Considering only home games, Sevilla would be 3rd, behind only Barça and Real Madrid. Their away form pales in comparison - they would be in 16th, winless in 12 matches and with only 8 points. Before the season, Sevilla would've been expected to be challenging for one of the 4 Champions League spots. Their Jekyll & Hyde form has seemingly ended hopes of that, with 4th-placed Villarreal holding an 8-point lead over Sevilla and Celta.

At the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, the Andalusian outfit have scored 28 of their 36 total goals. With a paltry 8 goals, it is of little wonder that they have flopped away from home. The fluency and attacking verve one would from a side containing the likes of Éver Banega and Yevhen Konoplyanka eludes them when on their travels in La Liga.

Another factor that does not help their case this weekend is their disciplinary record. At home, 29 yellows and 1 red. Away from home, their record reads as 34 yellows and 4 reds. As a side that plays with lots of spirit and aggression, a high yellow card count should not be a surprise. That said, the stark contrast between their disciplinary record at home and away is something to note heading into Camp Nou.

Sevilla's attacking threat

In spite of their woeful away form, Sevilla have some players who could potentially hurt Barça. The wing play of Yevhen Konoplyanka, Vitolo, and Michael Krohn-Dehli is a big part of their attacking arsenal. Emery also has the option of the experience and guile of Jose Antonio Reyes. Éver Banega has replaced Ivan Rakitić as the brains of their set-up, hence the Argentine's suspension for today's game will be the biggest of blows for Unai Emery. Sevilla have other players who could contribute positively in Banega's absence but no one on their squad could truly hope to replace him.

Kévin Gameiro has been an impressive performer this season, notching 13 goals and 3 assists in 23 appearances in La Liga. We all know the aerial threat Fernando Llorente poses. Regardless of whether the Basque targetman starts, Sevilla are a large side, with the likes of Adil Rami, Timothée Kolodziejczak, Steven N'Zonzi, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Vicente Iborra. Set pieces would probably be Sevilla's main threat to Barça, who have improved markedly at defending set pieces since the arrival of Luis Enrique and Juan Carlos Unzué.

Barça rotation

After the midweek exertions against Arsenal, some changes would be expected. Sergi Roberto coming in for Rakitić would be one of them. Roberto has been impressive this season and should deliver another good performance today - adding another string to his bow of staking a claim for heavy involvement in the business end of the season. Aleix Vidal would be highly motivated - more than he usually is, anyway - against the club he left for Barça last summer. Jérémy Mathieu has not been great this season but has enough quality to put in a decent shift if he starts against Sevilla.

Barça should have more than enough to win comfortably today, though the Andalusian side have proven to be one of the toughest opponents any side could face in La Liga. Sevilla's woeful away form should see them not break their duck of still being without a league win away from the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán going into the month of March.



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FC Barcelona News: 28 February 2016; 18 Players in Squad to Take on Sevilla

Match Preview: FC Barcelona v Sevilla FC | FC Barcelona
In contrast Unai Emery has some major absentees for his side’s trip, as Ever Banega misses out through suspension while Grzegorz Krychowiak, Marco Andreolli and Nicolas Pareja are injured. Fernando Llorente, Mariano and Federico Fazio failed to make the cut.

Squad of 18 announced for Sevilla | FC Barcelona
Luis Enrique has announced FC Barcelona’s squad of 18 to take on Sevilla at the Camp Nou this evening (8.30pm CET), and it is as follows: Ter Stegen, Bravo, Piqué, Rakitic, Sergio, Alves, Arda, Iniesta, Suárez, Messi, Neymar Jr, Mascherano, Bartra, Munir, Jordi Alba, Sergi Roberto, Aleix Vidal and Mathieu.

Luis Enrique insists title race is by no means over | FC Barcelona
Sevilla was the last team to beat Barça, and that’s precisely who they’ll be playing on Sunday at the Camp Nou (8.30pm CET). Since October 3, the Catalans have put together a string of 33 games without defeat, and in the league they have put considerable distance between themselves and immediate title rivals Atlético and Real Madrid.

FCB Quiz: Sevilla’s last 10 visits to Camp Nou in La Liga | FC Barcelona
Test your knowledge about Barça’s rivals this Sunday.



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La Liga News: 28 February 2016; Atletico Madrid Win Derby, Nolito Scores in Celta Vigo Victory

Atletico Madrid win at Real Madrid through Antoine Griezmann - ESPN FC
Zinedine Zidane suffered his first defeat as Real Madrid coach as Antoine Griezmann gave local rivals Atletico Madrid a 1-0 victory at the Bernabeu. The Frenchman struck in the 53rd minute to inflict a fourth league derby defeat in six games on the Merengues, who have not managed to beat their local rivals in the Primera Division since 2013.

Real Madrid 0-1 Atletico: Five talking points as Real lose ground in title bid | Sky Sports
Real Madrid's title aspirations were dealt a huge blow as they slipped to a damaging 1-0 home defeat to Atletico in the Madrid derby on Saturday. Los Rojiblancos were their usual resolute selves, as they kept Real at bay and caught them on the counter, with Antoine Griezmann grabbing the winner early in the second half.

Cristiano Ronaldo: 'If everyone was as good as me, maybe we would be first' - Goal.com
Speaking to Marca later, Ronaldo attempted to clarify his comments, saying that he was speaking about his teammates' physical levels and not their levels of performance on the field. "I meant the physical level, I am no better than anyone else," Ronaldo told the Madrid-based newspaper. "When I say that I mean the physical level, not in the game. I am not better than any of my teammates."

Cristiano Ronaldo berates Real Madrid team-mates: 'You're not at my level' | Sky Sports
Third-place Real were without several key first-team players as Antoine Griezmann's goal won the game and extended second-place Atletico's lead over them to four points. Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Pepe all missed out, while Karim Benzema was forced off with a hip injury late on, and Ronaldo insisted it is "not the same" when squad players come in.

Diego Godin responds to arrogant Guti after Atleti beat Real - ESPN FC
A triumphant Diego Godin has hit back at former Real Madrid player Guti after Atletico Madrid's 1-0 win at the Bernabeu on Saturday. The ex-Madrid midfielder pulled no punches earlier in the week, insisting that no player on Atleti's roster had what it takes to break into Los Blancos' starting XI.

Zinedine Zidane laments showing after damaging loss | Sky Sports
Real never really looked like penetrating the formidable Atleti rearguard, as they were caught on the counter-attack by Antoine Griezmann, who netted the winner to secure Diego Simeone's men a third successive league win on their city rivals' turf.

Nolito makes up for lost time with winning goal - ESPN FC
Nolito scored his first goal in almost three months to give Celta Vigo a barely deserved 1-0 victory at Getafe. The Madrid outfit spurned a series of goalscoring chances in either half but the Spain international came off the bench after the break to grab the three points for his side, turning the ball in from close range on 71 minutes.

Back-to-back wins for Espanyol - ESPN FC
Espanyol eased their relegation fears by coming from behind to beat fellow strugglers Sporting Gijon 4-2 and record two consecutive league victories for the first time since September. The Catalans move four points clear of Sporting thanks to the victory while the Asturians still occupy the final relegation spot, missing out on a chance to exit the bottom three.

Manucho inspires Vallecano comeback - ESPN FC
Manucho fired a second-half double as Rayo Vallecano fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Primera Division rivals Real Betis. The Angola international, a half-time substitute, struck twice within six minutes of the second half to cancel out Ruben Castro's first-half brace for Real Betis as Rayo extended their unbeaten league run to seven matches.

Real Sociedad 1-1 Málaga - ESPN FC
Imanol Agirretxe stepped off the bench to rescue Real Sociedad with a late equaliser in a 1-1 home draw against Primera Division rivals Malaga. Striker Agirretxe, a 74th-minute replacement for Bruma, applied a thumping finish to a knockdown following a late free-kick to cancel out Duje Cop's second-half opener for Malaga.



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السبت، 27 فبراير 2016

Barcelona vs Sevilla, 2016 La Liga: Team News, Match Preview

A preview of Barcelona's La Liga clash with Sevilla FC at the Camp Nou

FC Barcelona will be looking to equal the Spanish record of 34 matches unbeaten tomorrow when they welcome Sevilla FC to the Camp Nou. Fittingly, it was the Andalusian side who were the last to inflict defeat upon Luis Enrique’s runaway league leaders when they visited the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, and now the Blaugrana have the chance to take revenge in quite memorable fashion. This streak has been historic, but it’s also been meaningful too.

The undefeated streak has helped us reach the final of the Copa del Rey (which will also be contested against Sevilla in May), put one foot in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, and perhaps most pertinently, establish what could be an insurmountable lead at the top of La Liga. Heck, it also played into the FIFA Club World cup triumph back in December. Unlike Real Madrid’s incredible winning streak last year, this particular stretch looks set to earn Barcelona a few titles at least.

However, the consummate professional that he is, Luis Enrique will be keen to remind his players of the task at hand; yes the record would be good to equal, but don’t get side-tracked or distracted. Just play your usual game, execute the gameplan and the rest logically should follow.

It can be expected that our tense, yet ultimately comfortable victory over Arsenal in midweek has taken something out of the squad and perhaps that is an area of concern, although Sevilla were also on European duty. Unai Emery’s side travelled to Norway on Thursday where they lost to Molde, albeit after securing a 3-0 victory in the first-leg at home. As such, they have progressed to the next round, and like the Blaugrana, will be hoping to retain their crown.

Some may look at that result and suggest that it was purely down to complacency, as the tie was admittedly over but it serves as a timely reminder of Sevilla’s abysmal away form this campaign. If we exclude the Copa del Rey for the lower league opposition, Sevilla haven’t won away from home all season and we’d have to go back to their last away game in the 2014-15 La Liga, when they defeated Malaga CF at La Rosaleda.

That’s 17 games across La Liga and all UEFA competitions. No wonder FC Barcelona are heavy favourites tomorrow.

TEAM NEWS

BARCELONA

The headline news coming out of training this morning was that Rafinha Alcantara took part in a small amount of work with the group for the first time since suffering a knee injury that could have kept him out for the rest of the season. It’s only the first step really in working with the ball, but he has to start somewhere and it’s good to know that his recovery is coming along well – and ahead of schedule.

In terms of the rest of the squad, there’s not much to consider. Arda Turan served his European suspension in midweek, and while Gerard Pique will miss the second leg of that Arsenal clash, that’s not really on the horizon just yet. There are a few players who are just one yellow away from a suspension (looking at you Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano and Neymar), but no-one is impacted tomorrow.

All this raises one question: Gala XI?

Typically, this is the type of match that we would see the strongest line-up – Sevilla are an excellent side after all – but with the Arsenal match taking a lot out of the team in midweek, I think we’ll see a couple of changes

Claudio Bravo will of course return in goal, perhaps unfairly facing renewed calls for Marc-Andre ter Stegen to replace him as Barcelona’s first choice keeper following another impressive performance from the German against Arsenal. And while ter Stegen was excellent, there’s not much to suggest that Bravo has been anything but that in La Liga – so the whole "dropping one or the other" thing that Cules like to do really isn’t going to change anything.

In defense, I suspect that Aleix Vidal may get the start against his former club as Enrique could make just one change to the backline that held firm and kept a valuable clean sheet against Arsenal on Tuesday. That would mean successive starts for Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Javier Mascherano – who is perhaps the only other question mark if Enrique wishes to continue his rotation with Jeremy Mathieu.

In midfield, Sergio Busquets will start at pivote, which these days almost guarantees victory, but to play it on the safe side I'd stick Sergi Roberto and Andres Iniesta in midfield alongside him anyway. The trio function well as a unit and against a Sevilla midfield that will be lacking key lynchpin, Ever Banega, they also possess the creativity to put the visitors to the sword. Which you know, is kind of the end goal for tomorrow's match.

Then of course, we get to the attack. Everyone else is fast running out of words to do them justice -- and so am I. What do I say here for example that hasn't been said before? You know who they are, you know what they do and you know Unai Emery is going to have a restless night as he attempts to formulate a plan to stop them.

SEVILLA

I touched on it earlier, but to recap the biggest piece of Sevilla team news, Ever Banega is suspended. He's arguably their best player as well, or at least one of their most influential, so that's good news for the Blaugrana. Factor in their away form and well, it's not looking all too promising for them tomorrow.

Then again, Sevilla have easily been our toughest opponent this season. Atletico have been tough, but beatable. Real... well you know, lol. Arsenal gave us one heck of a game but we did win and win relatively handily by the end of the night. Sevilla on the other hand have averaged 3 goals per game against us this season, by forcing us to extra time in the UEFA Super Cup and then easily beating us at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

So I'm not prepared to write them off just yet.

FORM GUIDE

Barcelona: WDWWWW

Sevilla:

LAST MEETING

Sevilla FC 2-1 FC Barcelona - 3 October 2015 - La Liga

Inspired by a man of the match performance from Danish midfielder, Michael Krohn-Dehli, Sevilla stunned Luis Enrique's side by securing all three points off the back of a strong start to the second half.

LIKELY LINE-UPS

Barcelona (4-3-3): Bravo; Vidal, Pique, Mathieu, Alba; Busquets, Roberto, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Neymar

Sevilla (4-2-3-1): Rico; Coke, Rami, Kolodziejczak, Tremoulinas; Cristoforo, N'Zonzi; Vitolo, Iborra, Krohn-Dehli; Gameiro

MATCH PREDICTION

Home field takes it; 3-1 Barcelona.



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Book Review: Inverting the Pyramid

Have you ever wondered how the tactics in modern soccer were developed? Why does Barcelona play Total Football and what does Total Football even mean? These answers and so many more are answered in "Inverting the Pyramid" by Jonathan Wilson!

As a brief introduction to the "series" (if you can call an irregular group of articles with a common theme a series, that is), I’d like to start focusing a bit on literary pieces within the football community. Some of these pieces will focus on incredibly common books while some will be pretty unique; some of the books will be pretty analytically-based while some are more tactically minded; and some will focus on the business side of sport while others will focus on the goings on, on the pitch. The goal, through all of this, is to broaden the mindset of myself, both as a fan and (hopefully) a professional, while simultaneously introducing potentially new pieces of literature to the rest of the community.

It should also be noted that these reviews aren’t going to just be subject to my own opinion. I know a fair few of you will have read several of the books that I review, and the criticisms and disagreements are more than welcomed in the comments. The discourse surrounding the literature provides a beautiful context in which productive disagreement is able to take place.

The first book with which I’d like to start is one that’s fairly common. Jonathan Wilson’s "Inverting the Pyramid" walks readers through the progression of tactics within the world of football and describes the societal surroundings in which they took place. Tactics within soccer didn’t just develop through battles on the pitch (though that is largely a driving force). They developed in ways that allowed individual cultures to keep their identities while remaining competitive.

The book starts in England in the 19th century, and quickly progresses through the stylistic disagreements between the Scottish and English over the importance of individual talent and possession. From there, it follows a simple path to Central Europe. The middle of the book is largely spent bouncing back and forth between Europe and South America, as the two continents continued to develop comparable ideas with subtle differences that made the two games differ greatly. The book ends with a return to Europe, and the progressions made from the late-1970s until the early 2010s.

Wilson does a fantastic job of walking readers through the differing terms, describing their origins both tactically and linguistically. He explains the origins of the libero in the Italian defense as well as the subtle differences between the trequartista in Italy and the enganche in Argentina. He goes in depth on the difference between the traditional 4-3-3, the 4-3-3 played in Argentina, the 4-3-3 as played by Michels, Cruyff, and Pep, and the 4-3-3 played by Rijkaard. Wilson outlines phenomenally the tactics that allowed Brazil’s free-flowing attack to tick in the 1970 World Cup, and how it differs from the free-flowing attack of Total Football. He describes why tactics blossomed in central Europe in the 1920s and 1930s, why Italy plays a very physical and defensive style, and how Total Football completely reshaped FC Barcelona.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It moves along very quickly, but it also does a fantastic job of developing a deep understanding of the game. It combines the intellectual side of the sport with the entertainment side, and helps give the reader a better insight into why some teams are better than others – even when the talent isn’t equal. The book isn’t perfect, by any means, and there are certainly pieces of literature that delve deeper into the tactical side of the sport, but this book is an incredibly valuable piece – regardless of where you are in your knowledge of the tactical game. Given the information, the entertainment, and overall quality of the writing itself, I have to give the book four stars out of five.



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Barcelona vs Sevilla, 2016 La Liga: All Updates

Sevilla are unbeaten in 13 games in La Liga, and they've climbed to 5th place. They're sure to cause a problem for Barcelona. But despite that impressive record, there's a caveat: Sevilla are much, much better at home and much, much worse away.

If only home fixtures were taken into account, Barcelona would be first, followed by Real Madrid, and Sevilla would be third. However, if only away fixtures were considered, Atletico would be first, followed by Barcelona, and then Real Madrid.. Sevilla would be FIFTEENTH.

In fact, the Rojiblancos haven't won in the league away from home all season! By contrast, they've won 11 out of 13 at the Sanchez Pizjuan. It seems forever ago, but the last team to defeat Barcelona  before the Cules flew into a record-setting, ongoing 33-game unbeaten streak... was Sevilla at home.

This isn't a new trend. For some reason, Sevilla are much stronger at home - much more than is normal - seemingly every year. But this year it's been almost ridiculous

Luis Enrique might take this as a chance to rotate, given his side has a strong home record. Despite the quality of the opponent, there can be wisdom in rotation given the circumstances.

Oh, also - it will be interesting how this statistic will play out in neutral territory for the two teams when they meet in the Copa del Rey final.



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In-Form Sevilla still have problems on the road ahead of Barcelona visit

The Rojiblancos are good - but mainly at home.

Sevilla are unbeaten in 13 games in La Liga, and they've climbed to 5th place. They're sure to cause a problem for Barcelona. But despite that impressive record, there's a caveat: Sevilla are much, much better at home and much, much worse away.

If only home fixtures were taken into account, Barcelona would be first, followed by Real Madrid, and Sevilla would be third. However, if only away fixtures were considered, Atletico would be first, followed by Barcelona, and then Real Madrid.. Sevilla would be FIFTEENTH.

In fact, the Rojiblancos haven't won in the league away from home all season! By contrast, they've won 11 out of 13 at the Sanchez Pizjuan. It seems forever ago, but the last team to defeat Barcelona  before the Cules flew into a record-setting, ongoing 33-game unbeaten streak... was Sevilla at home.

This isn't a new trend. For some reason, Sevilla are much stronger at home - much more than is normal - seemingly every year. But this year it's been almost ridiculous

Luis Enrique might take this as a chance to rotate, given his side has a strong home record. Despite the quality of the opponent, there can be wisdom in rotation given the circumstances.

Oh, also - it will be interesting how this statistic will play out in neutral territory for the two teams when they meet in the Copa del Rey final.



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Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid, 2016 La Liga: Final Score 0-1 as Atleti win Derby

Atlético Madrid are still alive in the chase for Barcelona's virtual La Liga title after a great 1-0 road win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. Thanks to Antoine Griezmann's goal and a sensational defensive performance, the Colchoneros stopped Real's high-scoring home attack, and killed any remote chances that Los Blancos had to win the trophy. It is now a two-horse race between Barça and Atleti for the league. Goodbye, Real.

FIRST HALF

The game went on exactly as expected in the first half: Real in possession, Atlético defending. Los Blancos tried to show patience to find gaps in the attacking half, but Diego Simeone's men were ready to close all of them. When they had possession close to their own box, Real Madrid players were troubled by a high pressing from Atleti's forwards and midfielders.

When the Colchoneros had possession, they couldn't find any chances mainly because of their lack of offensive creativity. With both teams having issues on the ball, we saw a very lackluster first half, with only two highlights: a Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick, saved by Jan Oblak, and a beautiful outside shot by Antoine Griezmann, also stopped by Real keeper Keylor Navas.

For Atleti, it was a great period, since their game plan was to mainly defend to stop Real and maybe get a few chances on the counter, and that's exactly what happened. For the hosts, it was below their usual standards at home with Zinedine Zidane, and they needed plenty of improvement and ideas to break down the visitors.

At halftime, a somewhat boring game, no goals, and a giant smile on Barça fans' faces everywhere.

SECOND HALF

The final period started in a faster pace, with both teams a little more open and creating chances. Ronaldo had a great one after a fine pass from Modric, but his shot went just wide of the goal. As Real started to improve and dominate, Atlético delivered the blow. Griezmann carried the ball in a counter-attack, passed it to Filipe Luís, and got it back wide open in the box. The Frenchman was unforgiving and beat Navas for the opening goal at the Bernabéu.

Even with the disadvantage in the score, Real continued to show zero creativity and simply did not find ways to get in front of Oblak's goal. Ronaldo's nightmare showing was even worse in the second half, with the Portuguese striker completely out of the match after his great chance at the start. When he was involved, he had a couple of headers with no danger for the keeper.

In the end, a giant away win for Atleti, game over for Madrid, and happiness for Barça fans. What a Saturday.

Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Danilo; Kroos, Modric, Isco (Jesé); James (Vázquez), Benzema (Mayoral), Ronaldo

Atlético Madrid: Oblak; Juanfran, Godín, Giménez, Filipe Luis; Gabi, Augusto (Kranevitter), Koke, Saúl; Griezmann, Torres (Correa)

Goal: Griezmann (53')



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Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid, 2016 La Liga: Confirmed Lineups, Live Thread

La Liga: Jornada 26
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain
Kickoff: 27 February 2016, 16:00 CET
Referee: Carlos Clos Gómez

Lineups:

Real Madrid (4-3-3): 1. Keylor Navas | 23. Danilo, 2. Raphaël Varane, 4. Sergio Ramos, 15. Dani Carvajal | 8. Toni Kross, 19. Luka Modrić, 22. Isco | 10. James Rodríguez, 9. Karim Benzema, 7. Cristiano Ronaldo

Substitutes: 13. Kiko Casilla, 6. Nacho, 14. Casemiro, 16. Mateo Kovačić, 18. Lucas Vázquez, 29. Borja Majoral, 20. Jesé

Coach: Zinedine Zidane

Atletico Madrid  (4-4-2): 13. Jan Oblak | 20. Juanfran, 2. Diego Godín, 24. José Giménez, 3. Filipe Luís | 17. Saúl Ñíguez, 14. Gabi, 12. Augusto Fernández, 6. Koke | 7. Antoine Griezmann, 9. Fernando Torres

Substitutes: 1. Miguel Ángel Moyà, 18. Jesús Gámez, 19. Lucas Hernández, 8. Matías Kranevitter, 10. Óliver Torres, 16. Ángel Correa, 23. Luciano Vietto

Coach: Diego Simeone



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