News: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻: The 2020-2021 Season Thread

Yea... Pjanic has looked better than expected. Maybe also because I expected him to do exactly nothing.

My issue with Koeman is not playing Fati every match and playing Griezaster too much.

 

Great. More unproven managers. Anyone here follow the Qatari league?

 

I was thinking that bringing back Xavi , Iniesta and Puyol is a definite positive

 

Araujo expected to miss 2-3 weeks with his right thigh issue, so I guess that means a slight tear? However no CBs called up from Barca B, meaning FdJ is our 3rd CB as Umtiti is doing light training (as is MAtS!) but not medically cleared. Puig not called up despite there being 2 more roster spots (23 allowed this season with the 5 subs). Here's the squad list for the trip to Deportivo:

Konrad makes the list along with 2 Barca B goalies, seems a bit unfair to Barca B that we take their 2 top goalies and leave them with their 3rd string keeper, Lazar Carevic.

 

Didn't Xavi's team, Al-Sadd, plummet in the table when he switched from being a player to their manager? Of course many reasons could explain that which is why I was wondering if anyone followed the Qatari league.

 

guys, we already have a club legend leading the team.
i say we give him a fair chance before before replacing him.
the more important question right now is who should be president?



if Xavi, Iniesta and Puyol are all backing Font, that carries a lot of weight.
but it's early days still, and the candidates haven't had the chance to make their pitches yet.

 

Fati is now 18 in Spain (not yet midnight here). From Reddit:

A list of Ansu's truly astounding collection of records:

1) Second youngest Barça debutant in La Liga 25 August 2019

When he came on as a substitute in a 5-2 defeat of Betis at Camp Nou, Vicente Martínez was the only player to have played his first league game for the club at an even younger age.

2) Barça’s youngest Liga goalscorer 31 August 2019

A week later at the home of Osasuna, Ansu Fati was just 16 years and 304 days when he converted a Carles Pérez cross to score the first goal of a game that ended 2-2.

3) Youngest starter at Camp Nou 14 September 2019

He was in the starting line-up for the 5-2 win against Valencia – the youngest player ever to have the honour…

4) Youngest player to score and assist in a Liga game 14 September 2019

…And what a game he had. The game was just seven minutes old when not only had a scored, but he also set one up. It could be a very long time before an even player comes along who can do that!

5) Youngest goalscorer at Camp Nou 14 September 2019

That goal also made him the youngest player ever to score a competitive goal at Camp Nou, whether for Barça or for the visitors.

6) Barça’s youngest Champions League debutant 17 September 2019

Just three days after that he started against Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park, setting another record as he played the first 55 minutes before being replaced by Leo Messi.

7) Second youngest player for Spain U21 15 October 2019

His exploits for Barça won him a place in the Euro U21 qualifier against Montenegro, making him the second youngest player to do so after another former Barça man, Bojan Krkic.

8) Barça’s youngest Champions League goalscorer 10 December 2019

Ansu Fati scored his first goal in Europe at the Giuseppe Meazza, just one minute after coming on as an 85th minute sub. His goal secured a 2-1 win and set yet another record for youthfulness!

Ansu Fati's goal against Inter makes him the youngest goalscorer in Champions League history

9) Youngest player to score brace in La Liga 2 February 2020

Whatever he did seemed to set a new all-time record. His two goals against Levante meant he was even younger than Malaga’s Juanmi had been when he got two in 2010.

10) Second youngest player for Spain 3 September 2020

In the UEFA Nations League game with Germany, Luis Enrique sent Ansu Fati on in the second half, and the only younger debutant was Zubieta, a Basque footballer from the early 20th century.

He could also have become the youngest player to score for Spain, had his goal not been disallowed for a foul in the build-up by Sergio Ramos.

11) The youngest goal scorer with the Spanish national team September 6, 2020

This Sunday Ansu Fati has become the youngest ever scorer in the Spanish national team, netting the third goal against Ukraine at 17 years and 311 days. The young striker surpassed Errazquin, who scored at 18 years of age in 1925.

12) Youngest player to score two goals in Champions League 20 October 2020

With his goal against Ferencváros added to his earlier one against Inter Milan, Ansu Fati became the youngest player ever to score more than one goal in Europe's premier club competition.

13) With Pedri, the first duo under 18 to score in the same Champions League match October 20, 2020

Against Ferencváros, Ansu and Pedri's goals meant that two players under 18 scored in the same game for the first time in the history of the Champions League.

14) The highest-scoring player under the age of 18 in the history of LaLiga October 24, 2020

His goal against Real Madrid saw him reach another record in the league before he was 18 years old, by equaling the 11 goals that Pombo scored in the 1930s.

 

Well, he can’t say I’m leaving City and joining Barca.

 

I thought he said he'd never coach the Barca first team again, and if he returned to Barca it would be in a La Masia role or even coaching Barca B again. And obviously the latter cannot really happen as it would be a huge pressure on whoever was coaching the first team (to have fans, press, and the board thinking about replacing that coach with Pep whenever things aren't going well), and we couldn't afford his wages anyways.

 

Found this about Pep musing about returning to La Masia:

"The Spaniard said on Universo Valdano that he hopes to go back to the Camp Nou (h/t Owen Fulda of the Daily Star): "I will finish my career where it began. My last steps will be in the youth teams—I hope at Barca. I believe it's—to start, it's the best." https://bleacherreport.com/articles...opes-to-end-coaching-career-back-at-barcelona

 

some serious bad blood between Koeman and Joaquin:

Joaquin: "I wouldn't even hire Koeman as the kit man [for Betis] ... It wasn't the best experience of my career [playing for Koeman]. It wasn't an enjoyable experience."

Koeman: "I understand it's very interesting for you lot [the press], but I won't get involved ... If he wants to speak more, that's his problem. I am focused on the game, not on individual things or stuff that happened many years ago, although we know that Joaquin is a good talker."




the game vs Betis this weekend should be fun!

here's a little background on their grudge

 

good thing his talking got noticed this week, because his playing sure didn't.

 

Unfortunate in a way. But OTOH there is little doubt that he would have scored as nobody knows Barca's flaws in defense better.

 

A relatively soft schedule after this weekend. Time to make up some ground in La Liga!

 

Sergi Roberto has a hamstring tear and will miss two months.

Pique has a grade three sprain in his right knee ligament with a partial ACL injury, likely out for at least 3 months.

 

Messi and DeJong rested for the trip to Kiev.
Pique and Roberto out injured.
Matheus gets called up, i think that's a first (can he play as a CB?)
Mingueza and Konrad called up from the B-team.


GROUP G GP W D L GD P
Barcelona 3 3 0 0 +7 9
Juventus 3 2 0 1 +3 6
Dynamo Kiev 3 0 1 2 -3 1
Ferencvaros 3 0 1 2 -7 1

top of the group, so this might be a good opportunity to rest a few starters?

-----------------Griezmann-----------------
------Pedri------Coutinho-----Trincao--
---------------Alena?----Pjanic-------------
-Junior?--Lenglet----Mingueza?---Dest
------------------TerStegen-----------------

would love to see Puig get a start, but Alena probably gets in ahead of him. maybe he can play instead of Pedri, who has played a lot lately, pushing Coutinho to the wing.