FC Barcelona Thread - *Campeones de España y de Europa 2009*

You think he will be happy to go from the bench at Inter to the bench at Barca?

I think if they got a player like Maxwell they would sell Abidal.

we wont know until we try, but i dont think we will be selling abidal.

Pep introduces some strange new device to training, all the players were wearing them, i wonder what it is, it kinda looks like a Ipod, by it is play coldplays greatest hits.

It's basically to measure their fitness levels...usually done in pre-season:
http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/castellano/noticies/futbol/temporada08-09/03/n090318103949.html

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Apparently Pep wants to avoid Arsenal at all costs in the CL draw tomorrow. Surprising that he thinks the team most like us in terms of playing style will be the toughest opponent.

El Barça quiere renovar a Valdés

El Barça confía en Víctor Valdés como portero de presente y de futuro. Por este motivo, el club ha decidido empezar a construir puentes, sin prisa pero sin pausa, de cara a culminar un acuerdo de renovación del contrato del portero canterano. Valdés acaba contrato en 2010 y la intención del club es la de ampliar el mismo hasta el 2014.

Valdés ha sido una figura controvertida en las últimas semanas, especialmente a partir de las críticas que generaron sus actuaciones ante el Espanyol en Liga y ante el Olympique de Lyon en la Champions League. No obstante, si algo tiene el portero de L’Hospitalet es una fortaleza mental fuera de toda duda que le ha hecho recuperarse de esos malos momentos y volver a defender la portería del club blaugrana con total solvencia.

Esta peculiaridad es una de las características que más suman a favor del portero barcelonista para que la directiva blaugrana se plantee su renovación. Consideran desde la secretaría técnica barcelonista que a día de hoy es prácticamente imposible encontrar un portero con garantías que se adapte mejor que Valdés a la portería blaugrana y que sepa soportar la presión que comporta ser portero del Barcelona. Valdés lleva aguantando esta presión desde que tenía once años y eso es un valor añadido que no se encuentra en el mercado.

Basándose en este argumento, los responsables de la planificación de la próxima plantilla del Barcelona han decidido no apostar por ningún portero como fichaje de cara a la próxima temporada.

A pesar de que en estas última semanas se ha hablado mucho de nombres como los de Diego Alves (Almería), Diego López (Villarreal) o Sergio Asenjo (Valladolid), lo cierto es que en el horizonte de futuro de la portería del Barcelona sólo se ciñe a Víctor Valdés.

Cierto es que las negociaciones para mejorar su contrato han seguido un derrotero sinuoso. De entrada, el padre del portero, que ejerce como representante de Víctor con Ginés Carvajal, y el propio jugador, iniciaron la temporada pasada conversaciones con Marc Ingla, que por aquel entonces era vicepresidente deportivo de la entidad.

En esas charlas, se pusieron los cimientos de una futura renovación. No obstante, todo lo hablado cayó en saco roto en cuanto Ingla, junto a otros siete directivos, dimitieron de la junta de Joan Laporta tras el voto de censura del mes de julio.

El Barça llegó a presentar hasta cuatro ofertas diferentes al meta azulgrana, con unas cifras que rondaban los seis millones de euros brutos más dos en concepto de variables según títulos conseguidos. La operación nunca se llegó a efectuar aunque las dos partes estaban a un paso de alcanzar un acuerdo. Desde entonces apenas se han producido contactos.

Tanto fuentes cercanas al club como del entorno del portero desmienten rotundamente que el portero de L’Hospitalet haya situado el contrato del portero madridista Iker Casillas como vara de medir de su nuevo contrato.

A día de hoy, las negociaciones viven un periodo de stand by. En primer motivo porque desde el FC Barcelona se apuesta por mantener la ‘paz contractual’ a lo largo de los dos meses decisivos que restan de competición. Su caso es similar al de Eto’o, Puyol, Márquez o Gudjohnsen, otros que acaban en el 2010 y la postura del club la misma que mantiene con unos que con Valdés. Será a final de temporada cuando se abordará el tema de todos ellos. El Barça está convencido de que no hay otra vía que la renovación de Valdés. Él será el primer portero para la próxima temporada. Y por detrás de Víctor, están José Manuel Pinto y Albert Jorquera.

Pinto firmó un contrato hasta el 2010 que puede ser roto por alguna de las dos partes a final de esta temporada. Ni club ni Pinto tienen intención de denunciarlo por lo que seguirá.
El caso de Albert Jorquera es diferente pues después de la grave lesión sufrida la pasada temporada en la presente ha quedado relegado como tercer portero del equipo y sin opción de jugar. El Barça cuenta con él para la próxima temporada, pero si el meta de Bescanó decidiera pedir una salida, el club recurría al portero del filial para ocupar el puesto que Jorquera dejaría libre.

http://www.sport.es/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=44&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=596406&idseccio_PK=803

Rumour today that we're talking to Atletico's 18 year old backup keeper to ask if he'd be interested in being Barça's backup keeper instead

Wonder what happened to Oier Olazabal. Messiah, does he even play for the B team anymore?

I thought Oier left....

Never mind...I thought I saw an Oier for Osasuna but I think it's a different Oier.

Oier is still at the club, but he a back up to mino in the b team, Luis doesnt rate him as highly as pep did.


On that note, the B team has kept a lot of clean sheets this season and mino has been a one man band in some of the games, especially the 1st few games of the season, where the players couldn't fine that back of the net.

I think he and Botia should be given a chance in pre-season, come the summer, because they have been the back bone of a very good defense.

kas wrote:It's basically to measure their fitness levels...usually done in pre-season:
http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/castellano/noticies/futbol/temporada08-09/03/n090318103949.html

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Apparently Pep wants to avoid Arsenal at all costs in the CL draw tomorrow. Surprising that he thinks the team most like us in terms of playing style will be the toughest opponent.

Im guesing he thinks Arsenal is the only club(apart from Villarreal imo) that can actually keep the ball well and tries to from the clubs left. I suppose that would annoy Barca.

Yeah, that and probably the revenge factor...clubs in the CL that face each other again always tend to have the reverse result.

kas wrote:Yeah, that and probably the revenge factor...clubs in the CL that face each other again always tend to have the reverse result.

If thats the case then you guys should want Utd

TM wrote:

kas wrote:Yeah, that and probably the revenge factor...clubs in the CL that face each other again always tend to have the reverse result.

If thats the case then you guys should want Utd

That's who Laporta wants, according to Sport's "exclusive"

(though in reality he probably wants it for the TV money)

So, I`ve read you guys are thinking about a loan deal for Krkic this summer, probably to Ajax. Is there any truth in this?

If so, please don´t forget your good friends from Bremen. We can offer a guaranteed starting place for him. I´m sure he would do very well together with Pizarro, Diego and Özil. Generally Bremen is a great place for a striker...

Think about it.

That was the rumour last year...this year there has been some talk of Bojan being loaned out, but so far nothing is certain because our season is still active and so transfer speculation is quite muted. If he does go, Bremen would certainly be a decent club - attacking football, competitive league, and like you said, starting spot.

Send him to Arsenal, thats where most of your youth players end up at

kas wrote:If he does go, Bremen would certainly be a decent club - attacking football, competitive league, and like you said, starting spot.

So, like I said, don´t forget us then.

Such a loan deal would be ideal for us this summer, so we could spend the little money we have without the CL elsewhere. And the rest of the league would burst with envy.

Master Yoda is sounding like he wants the kid to go out on loan, saying things like you cant put a 300M euros club on a kids shoulders, so laporta may just do it, and though i never thought of bremen before it would be a lovely place for him to develop.

chrissicross wrote:

kas wrote:If he does go, Bremen would certainly be a decent club - attacking football, competitive league, and like you said, starting spot.

So, like I said, don´t forget us then.

Such a loan deal would be ideal for us this summer, so we could spend the little money we have without the CL elsewhere. And the rest of the league would burst with envy.

Why don't Bremen have any money anyway? You get big crowds + regular CL footy? It's not as if you have a history of overspending on players and need to watch the pennies (a la Valencia, Newcastle)

Was just listening to Graham Hunter on World soccer daily, and he was saying that if Villa left valencia his only options would be barca/Arsenal and that barca would send a few fringe players/youth players in the other direction along with around 30M Euros.

It would be a good deal, because valencia needs the money, but they need some players as well, so we could send someone like perdo and Vasques, to them in order to lower the price.

Barça following Sporting's 19 yr old left back Cote:

http://fcbtransfers.blogspot.com/2009/03/sporting-left-back-cote-closely.html

Our calendar in April and May:

04/05 April - Valladolid (a)
07/08 April - Bayern (h)
11/12 April - Recreativo (h)
14/15 April - Bayern (a)
18/19 April - Getafe (a)
21/22 April - Sevilla (h)
25/26 April - Valencia (a)
28/29 April - Possible CL semifinal (h)
02/03 May - Real Madrid (a)
05/06 May - Possible CL semifinal (a)
09/10 May - Villarreal (h)
13 May - Copa Del Rey final vs. Athletic
16/17 May - Mallorca (a)
23/24 May - Osasuna (h)
27 May - Possible CL Final
30/31 May - Deportivo (a)

Just look at the 3 weeks in bold...we're so fucked

How is the QF schedule looking?

I posed a schedule like that a few weeks a go, confirms that we dont been get pass the SF of the Champions league.

The league will still be tight then, so i say we focus on that and on winning the copa and for get about the CL for this year.

A collapse on all three fronts is in order.

Mino good form since the beginning of the season has been reward with a all up for the U-21's, as well as Botia,Jeffern and Bojan

Bojan are any of the other u-21 stars(Mata&capel) were not called up, but Crosas he being given a chance to shine.

If the Betis story is true, then we should try and sell them some of our dead wood.