Richard Martin – Football Scout

Gerard Pique 4/10 in dismal defeat for Barcelona at minnows Leganes

Pique’s woeful form extended into the midweek clash at Leganes, with the veteran defender at fault for both goals.

Barcelona fell to a shocking first league defeat of the season at minnows Leganes, with two second-half goals in the space of a minute condemning the Catalans 2-1 on Wednesday.

Philippe Coutinho broke the deadlock but Nabil El Zhar and Oscar Rodriguez struck in the 52nd and 53rd minutes to turn the game on its head, and La Liga leaders Barcelona could not fight their way back in.

Positives

Few, although Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba getting an hour’s rest is a good thing despite it playing a part…

Lionel Messi 9/10, Ousmane Dembele 8/10 as Barcelona turn on the style vs. PSV

ESPN FC’s Paul Mariner gives his plaudits to PSV for their efforts, but says Lionel Messi’s class shone through once again in Barcelona’s UCL opener.

Barcelona’s Ernesto Valverde insists they are focused on winning the Champions League whilst Philippe Coutinho admits he is anxious to play against PSV.
Lionel Messi hit a superb hat trick as Barcelona thumped PSV Eindhoven 4-0 to get their Champions League campaign underway with a bang at Camp Nou on Tuesday.

The Argentine’s free kick opened the scoring and after Ousmane Dembele’s excellent individual strike, Messi added two more as Barcelona ran amok, despite Samuel Umtiti’s dismissal.

Positives
After an anemic performance against Real Sociedad, Barcelona improved here. Messi was back to his usual unstoppable best, adding another hat trick,…

Lionel Messi a no-show in 5/10 performance for Barcelona against Real Sociedad

Luis Suárez and Ousmane Dembélé scored in quick succession to offset Aritz Elustondo’s goal and earn Barcelona a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Real Sociedad.
Barcelona walked away from Anoeta with three points after a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday in La Liga but could quite easily have left with nothing.
Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele scored twice in four minutes to complete a second half smash-and-grab in San Sebastian to preserve Barcelona’s 100 percent start to the league season.
Positives
They say winning when playing badly is the mark of champions. That and Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s superb second half were the only positives Barcelona could…

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez headline Barcelona’s rout of new boys Huesca

Lionel Messi scored twice in a game where Barcelona found the net eight times to remain perfect.

Barcelona are the clear favourites in Group B of the Champions League, but the FC crew think Tottenham could struggle to finish ahead of Inter Milan.
Barcelona thrashed La Liga debutants Huesca 8-2 on Sunday to move top of the table with a sensational display of attacking football that left the Camp Nou purring. Lionel Messi scored two and set two more in a huge win, although Huesca made a valiant attempt in an exciting first half by exposing chinks in Barcelona’s defence.
Positives
Lionel Messi is in stunning shape, Luis Suarez has got off the mark this season and Philippe Coutinho is increasingly at home as the team’s midfield playmaker. Ousmane…

Barcelona’s Gamper Trophy opponents Boca Juniors recall Diego Maradona’s time in Catalonia

Ernesto Valverde praises Ousmane Dembele’s impact in the Spanish Super Cup, amid speculation about the Frenchman’s future at Barcelona.

For someone regarded as one of the best footballers ever, Diego Maradona’s career is littered with regrets and what ifs, and his disappointing and chaotic two-year stay at Barcelona ranks particularly high among them.

Maradona signed for Barcelona in 1982 after a protracted transfer from Boca Juniors, who visit the Camp Nou on Wednesday as Barca’s opponents for the traditional Trofeo Joan Gamper, the team’s final preseason friendly.

A statue of Maradona greets visitors at Boca’s museum and it…

Ousmane Dembele, Marc-Andre ter Stegen lead Barcelona to Spanish Super Cup glory

Ousmane Dembele’s wonder strike delivered the Spanish Super Cup for Barcelona as Lionel Messi broke the record for most trophies won at the club.

Spanish Super Cup: Ousmane Dembele (78′) Sevilla 1-2 Barcelona
Barcelona began the new season with a trophy by lifting the Spanish Super Cup for a 13th time after a hard-fought win against Sevilla in Tangier, Morocco. Barcelona needed to come back from conceding early but snatched a 2-1 win thanks to a thumping strike from Ousmane Dembele and an injury-time penalty save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The Catalans were given a much tougher time from the Andalusians than in the Copa del Rey final and met a narrow, determined team who have quickly been whipped…

Yerry Mina’s future looks bright after World Cup, but not at Barcelona

Episode 22 of Project Russia chronicles ESPN’s Charlie Gibson’s travels all over the country to cover the World Cup round of 16 matches.

Relive England’s triumphant penalty shootout win over Colombia in LEGO style, as they now build momentum heading into the quarterfinals.

With three goals in three games, each one celebrated with an outlandish dance, Colombia’s Yerry Mina has been one of the stars of the World Cup and the adoration he’s received back home has been badly needed after a nightmarish six months at Barcelona.

Mina’s fall from grace in Spain and his resurgence in Russia was clearly on the defender’s mind when he spoke to reporters following Colombia’s penalty shoot-out defeat to England, as his stoppage-time header had temporarily kept his side in the…

Philippe Coutinho 8/10 with hat trick, but Barca’s defence gave the game away

Levante got off to a 5-1 lead against a Barcelona side without Lionel Messi, handing the La Liga champions their first defeat of the season.

The ESPN FC panel discuss the manner in which Barca’s 43-match unbeaten streak in La Liga came to end, without Lionel Messi on the team sheet.
La Liga champions Barcelona lost the chance to go the entire season unbeaten as Levante beat them 5-4 in a thrilling, bizarre match on Sunday night, the 37th game of 38.
The double winners crashed and burned without Lionel Messi in the side as the hosts, in 15th place, secured one of the biggest results in their history, ending Barcelona’s streak at 43 league games without defeat.
Positives
This was a thoroughly disappointing night for Barcelona, but Philippe Coutinho’s hat trick is a sliver of…

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez carry <i>Clasico</i> load for shorthanded Barca

The ESPN FC crew delve into the controversial decisions in El Clasico that saw the derby end in a 2-2 draw.

Barcelona and Real Madrid battled to a 2-2 draw in a Clasico that saw tempers flare and Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale score brilliant goals. Barcelona were denied victory in an ill-tempered but thrilling 2-2 draw with Real Madrid that underlined why this fixture is so beloved around the world and regarded as the best game in European football.
Luis Suarez gave Barca the lead early on before Cristiano Ronaldo quickly cancelled it out, but the Portuguese injured himself in the process and could not play the second half.
A wondrous goal from Lionel Messi restored Barca’s lead after the Catalans had been reduced to 10 men by Sergi Roberto’s…

Andres Iniesta earns 9/10 with incredible display in last Barca final

Barcelona’s relentless attack pummeled Sevilla to become the first team since 1933 to win Copa del Rey four years in a row.

Andres Iniesta is presented the Copa del Rey trophy by King Felipe VI after Barcelona defeated Sevilla to win their 30th Spanish cup.

Andres Iniesta gets emotional as fans of both Barcelona and Sevilla give him a standing ovation as he leaves the pitch.

Barcelona romped to a 5-0 victory over Sevilla on Saturday to win the Copa del Rey for the fourth year running and a record 30th time. A domestic double now appears inevitable.
Luis Suarez struck twice, Lionel Messi and man of the match Andres Iniesta scored once each and Philippe Coutinho fired home the fifth from the penalty spot to seal a special victory that helps to heal the wounds caused by Barcelona’s Champions League quarterfinal defeat to Roma.
Positives
Barcelona effectively sealed the…

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