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Barcelona will be looking to win their first real trophy of the year this Sunday in the Supercopa. They will most likely be without Henry, Ibrahimovic, Messi, and Iniesta. I think this is the perfect time for the young players to prove my earlier posted point that Barca does not need to sign anyone else. Bojan has been on fire this preseason and I expect more of this to continue. Along with Bojan, it is time for Jeffren and Pedro to step up and viable options in the case of injury and rest to the three stars. Hopefully these three will see extensive minutes in the game and prove their worth in a meaningful game.

There was a very interesting article on goal.com concerning this very topic. I agree with that article that it is important to continue to giving youth team players the opportunit to become senior regulars. Last year Busquets broke through, and Bojan continued to be relatively impressive. I'll continue to state that Bojan has all the makings of a world-class star and I think if he was on just about any other team in the world he would be.

Cesc Rumors

Rumors continue to swirl around Cesc Faberagas's return to Barcelona and for now it seems to be dead in my eyes. I'm sure there is still a chance but with less then a week until Arsenal begin play in Champions League it would seem there is little time to negotiate. I think this is something to work out for a move next summer. Cesc would be a bit of a luxury this year anyway. It would be interesting to see Pep plans to sue the trio of Iniesta, Xavi, and Cesc.

Other Rumors

This morning (Wednesday) there was a rumore Barca are interested in Vincent Kompany from Man City. I agree another central defender would be nice, especially with the health concerns surroundign Rafa and Milito. This isn't major news though as Komapny would probably be a one year back up, similar to Caceras.

Just a quick update on whats going on. I'm personally looking forward to the start of competition again, should be a great season as Barca are favored by the odds makers to, once again, lift the trophy with the big ears (4 to 1).

Also, I've noticed there is some space for pictures, I will try to start incorporating more items like that, I'm relatively new to this blogging busienss.

Hope you enjoy, please post your comments and let me know what you think.

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Posted By: Noah - Category: FOOTBALL ISSUES

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New Website

August 5th 2009 00:50

Welcome to my new website, for those of you who were already coming to this site, my name is Noah and I would like to welcome you. I am a huge Barcelona fan and will mainly be posting about the Blaugrana, however, since I took over a site that seemed to encompass much more in as many posts as I can.

Barca-Galaxy

Barcelona didn't impress as much as I would have liked against the LA Galaxy. They won the game though and once the season stats thats all that matters. The young players particularly Pedro continue to impress and this could be important going into the season, especially in Copa Del Rey games.

In the end this game was not important. Neither will the match with the Seattle Sounders. In the end these matches are just games where young players can gain experience and regulars can get into game shape. I do believe Barca are not clicking like they did last off season but last season started with a loss so perhaps this season will start with a flurry. Hopefully once Ibra can play the lighting attack will begin to strike. Pep seems excited to get him into the flow and I cannot doubt Pep's excitement.

Xabi-Alanso

This signing will be huge for Real Madrid, it gives them the midfield play maker the will need to set up their talented strike force. This is not good news for Barcelona. It doesn't make Real Madrid more talented though. Barcelona does hold the contracts of 5 of the 6 best players on the planet according to Goal.com

This was just meant to be a quick post. Hopefully you all like what you see, future posts will be more like the ones below, please read on and get a better taste.

Also please post comments! Lets make this a conversation.

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Posted By: Noah - Category: FOOTBALL FUN, FOOTBALL ISSUES

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Wembley Cup - Barca Results

July 27th 2009 22:44

I know I mentioned I would write a follow-up after the first game, however, I was at the beach and have only now had time to analyze what happened.

The Games

Over the weekend, we continued to see how great Bojan Krkic might be. He scored goals in both games and continues to display the skill necessary to play any of the front line positions for Barca. He continues to score goals and be a solid contributor whenever he is on the pitch, the question is...how much will he play this year. I think his continued development could play a big role in keeping the big 3 (Henry, Ibra, and Messi) healthy by giving them extra days rest.

The result against Tottenham Hotspurs is somewhat disappointing as I was hoping for a torrid pace of play in preseason as we saw last year. However, Barca were playing without six key members of the team for the entire game and 11 youth team players. I think the style of play was important as Barca seemed to control the play even with mostly second team or youth players on the pitch.

The second match vs. Egyptian outfit Al-Ahly saw the Barca we fans have grown accustomed to. A 4-1 drubbing in which Bojan, Messi, and Victor Valdes all displayed their rare abilities reminded me of last year's preseason. Again, once Barca claimed control of the game it was reminiscent of last year's glory and all this without 6 key figures.

Alas, Barca did not get to play the "champions" Celtic and therefore missed out on the inaugural Wembley Cup.

Transfer and Injury Happenings

The good news first, Rafa Marquez is close to full fitness and should be ready for the season. His recovery, along with Gabby Milito's, affords Barca with great depth in the back This allows Puyol to play out wide as needed and give Dani Alves a break here and there.

More good news, Ibra is signed, sealed, and delivered. The bad news is Ibrahimovic has a broken hand. Hopefully he will recover quickly, if not, well good news there is Bojan waiting in the wings. The more I think about this “trade” between Barca and Inter the more I like it. Ibrahimovic seems motivated and his ability to finish cannot be questioned. Eto'o was acting like an immature child and need to move on to pastures new.

The next signing (if there is one)

Pep seemed to be confident that Barca would sign another player prior to next season. Hopefully this player will be a defensive midfielder, as it will be difficult to go the month long stretch of the African Cup of Nations with only one defensive midfielder, in Sergie Busquets, and that is assuming no injuries. Rafa Marquez, has displayed the ability to fill this role before, but it would be foolish to rely on a player recovering from major knee surgery. The options that have been discussed the most are Javy Mascherano and Christian Poulsen. I love Mascherano as a player and think he would be an excellent addition on the field, but he does create a bit of a question as to the future of Yaya Toure should Barca bring him on. Poulsen on the other hand, while also a top-class defensive midfielder, is not quite the big name Mascherano is and in my humble opinion would be a little bit less of a personality in the locker room. Perhaps these are just my perceptions, but I just don't envision a team, that plays Barca's formation, that can have two players of Toure and Mascherano's skill level that doesn't have locker room issues.

It seems to me that Barca need to let someone go in order to bring someone in, there is just so much quality depth that can create locker room chemistry issues.

Chemistry is key, hopefully Barca maintains it.

Also a note that Pep said he plans to use Pedro this season. I saw a lot of Pedro last pre-season and we saw a good but last weekend. He seems to be a very talented young player, the question is where will his playing time come from?

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Posted By: Noah - Category: No Category

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Eto'o/Ibrahimovic

July 21st 2009 22:29

I was hoping to wait until the Eto'o/Ibrahimovic deal was finalised or David Villa was signed to write my next post but seeing that his is going to be a drawn out process.

Anyway, I have read many differing viewpoints, most saying Barca is getting the better end of the deal, , especially on goal.com, some saying Inter. To me Inter certainly is when you include over 40 million euros. Inter is receiving a player that scored 34 goals last year in all competitions. This is a huge amount, one that would garner consideration for the Ballon d' Or in most years, however, Eto'o happened to be surrounded by Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta, (three players who will receive consideration). Because of the players Eto’o was surrounded by it makes it easy to claim his brilliance was due to theirs. Perhaps this talent around him was the key to his success; I guess we will find out next year. Either way, Eto'o has been a key component of TWO Champions League championship teams while Ibra has been considered a disappointment in Europe's greatest club competition. The main area of concern I have is defensively. Eto'o was constantly pressuring the ball last year which condensed the field in the opponents half. I'm not saying Ibra can't do the same thing, however, I have never seen him do this. Their skills are quite different and Ibra probably has better ball skills and is a more clinical finisher. Eto'o's speed, hustle, and ability to step up on the biggest of stages are superior. Therefore, let’s just say I wish the Villa deal would have and will go through instead

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Posted By: Noah - Category: No Category

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Barcelona Off Season So Far

July 14th 2009 23:36

For my first post I'd like to discuss the summer happenings of FC. Barcelona, thus far anyway..

I'd like to start off by commenting that Barcelona fielded one of the all-time great teams last year. Not only was it star studded but there was little to no clubhouse quarrels, at least not publicized ones, that had been common in the 2007-08 season. As big of a supporter of Ronaldinho as I am, and as much as I believe he turned the fortunes of this great club around by coming to Barcelona, his time had clearly run its course and it was time for a new start. Pep Guardiola provided that fresh perspective and the energy that was required for the players to remember what the shirts they wore mean. I know this is what most media outlets report, but these ideas are important to remember when discussing off-season maneuvering. So let's get on with it

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Posted By: Noah - Category: No Category

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Welcome

July 14th 2009 22:48

My goal for this blog is to open a discussion about the happenings of F.C. Barcelona. I have played "soccer" my whole life and have been following Barcelona for a number of years now. I have lived in Europe (Milan) and experienced the craziness of a true soccer culture. As a devout Barcelona fan I follow their news daily and have watched over 90% of their games the past 2 years. Thus, I fancy myself knowledgeable about how the team plays and what is happening with the team. However, as I said, I'd like this to be a discussion so please feel free to criticize, disagree, offer insights, etc... Hopefully this will provide some entertainment and good discussion about this wonderful futbol team that truly is "mes que un club". I will follow this with my first post…

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Posted By: Noah - Category: No Category

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STAT ATTACK: England, Spain, Italy & Germany

March 16th 2009 14:03

Vedad Ibisevic has left his mark on the German Bundesliga this season.

[IMAGE="http://www.onsideoffside.com/images/european-league-statistics-march-16th-2009.JPG

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Posted By: Javeer - Category: STAT ATTACK

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PATHETIC!

February 5th 2009 00:39

Jose Bosingwa makes me sick. Referee Mike Riley makes me sicker. The FA? They just make me laugh a lot! They are a joke!
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Posted By: Javeer - Category: FOOTBALL ISSUES

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Fernando's Hair?... Yeah, Yeah!

January 28th 2009 16:40

I'd have thought Fernando Torres was immune to hair commercials unlike our spin king legend Shane Warne... I was so, so wrong... I don't understand Spanish but I do understand cheesy and I think this is a little cheesy. Maybe I just think all hair commercials are... Torres does have great hair though and besides... The girls are cute!
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Posted By: Javeer - Category: FOOTBALL FUN

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Steven Gerrard Arrested.

December 29th 2008 14:19

Gerrard scores the second of his two goals for Liverpool versus Newcastle United.

Steven Gerrard has been arrested on a night that should have been remembered more fondly as a celebration of Liverpool's success in finishing 2008 as Barclays Premier League leaders rather than one which has ended in the captain spending the night in a prison cell.
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Posted By: Javeer - Category: BREAKING FOOTBALL NEWS

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