Barca Breakdown (fc Barcelona)

The Barca Breakdown discussed the rumors circulating that Xavi has told Pique that his time at FC Barcelona is over. Do these rumors have any foundation? There has been controversy surrounding Pique regarding his split from Shakira, but that cannot be the only reason. It is clear that he has faced some injuries at the end of the last season, however the sports outlets claim it is due to Pique being unfocused at Barca. Furthermore, Barcelona wants him to renounce his 40M Euros that he is owed to him for completing his contract in 2024.  If rumors are true, it could be dark days as the only back ups to Pique are Lengelet, Umtiti, and Mingueza. These players have not shown to be as good alongside Ronald Araujo. Erica Garcia would be the next choice, but his performance last season had too many major mistakes and he is unreliable. This would cause mayhem beginning next season and Barca may find themselves in another hole to dig themselves out of.  Aside from the current roster, the summer transfer window is an

The Barca Breakdown discussed the inching reality of Dembele, clearly one of the best players FC Barcelona has to offer currently, will most likely not come to an agreement with the club. The continued talks over the last year have not seemed to improve. Dembele is receiving interest from Chelsea and PSG for a new contract this summer. As his contract with Barca expires summer 2022, we will not be able to sell him and use the cash injection for future players.... much like the debacle with Messi. It is really tragic that Barca cannot hold on to some of the best talent walking through the Camp Nou. Reports are no further contact discussions will be taking place between the two parties. Interestingly enough, as one winger might be exiting, another winger just leaving PSG could be joining Barcelona. Di Maria made head lines when information suggested that Leo Messi recommended that Di Maria join Barcelona this summer. While there is not much backing the headline, Barca are in need of a bolstered roster. If the A

The BarcaBreakdown discuss the financial struggles for FC Barcelona, and how Laporta and the board may find revenue this summer. Unfortunately, as the season has ended, rumors are all around and many are speaking constantly about FC Barcelona's financial woes. We do indeed need to rebalance our books, which is looking increasingly hard with players like Umtiti, Lengelet, and Braithwaite (among others) who do not want to end their contracts with Barca this summer. The board does have many options to increase our funding through the possible Tebas CVC Deal, selling our streaming/licensing rights, and other loan options. The BarcaBreakdown believe it is too early in the season to be constantly stressing. Laporta and the board have a weeks/months to make the adjustments necessary to get us in a better financial situation.

The BarcaBreakdown discuss the beginning of a wild summer, with rumors swirling that Manchester United want to buy Frenkie De Jong as Frenkie himself reiterates his desire to stay for the club. As Xavi, Laporta, and Frenkie have all come out in the last month reiterating the importance of Frenkie to Barca's new sporting project, it seems clear that the media and journalist are reporting any and every story for clicks. However, there may be some substance here, as Barca are clearly needing money to help sign and fund new players this summer. Though, the season just ended and FC Barcelona's current money situation will improve over the coming month as the Board learns how to best fund the new season.

The Barca Breakdown traveled to Spain to watch the final two games of the season against Getafe and Villareal. Unfortunately, Barca were not able to score in either game and the performances were uninspiring. The environment of the Camp Nou was something you will not be able to feel at home through the TV. It was a beautiful experience and a joy just to be in the presence of the fans and vibe. There was not much to fight for as Barca had solidified their place in second, but it was sad to see so many players being uninspired on the pitch in the final two games. The team needs a lot of work and this seemed like a great opportunity to kick it into high gear and try some beautiful football. In the Getafe game there was at most one high light and the line-up was undesirable. No dembele and a backline of Mingueza and Lenglet. Then in the Villareal game, they just played poorly and let Villareal walk around them scoring two great goals. Hopefully this does not continue on into the next season.   The top highlights

The Barca Breakdown discussed the victory at the 3-1 Camp Nou against Celta Vigo. With Busquets out on a yellow card, Nico and Pedri injured, Xavi decided to not start our only midfielder Puig. Instead he opted for a 4 man attacking front with Ferran, Aubameyang, Dembele, and Depay, leaving Frenkie and Gavi to cover the midfield. The line-up made Adam and Yusef nervous as not having Busquets was bad, but not having 3 midfielders sounded even worse. It is interesting to note even though this was a difficult situation, Xavi still didn't decide to start Puig. This must say something regarding Xavi's trust in the midfielder. Is it time for Puig to make his leave and gain experience elsewhere?    Regardless, Barca started the first half a bit shaky as the team had to adjust with a missing midfielder. For the first 20 minutes Celta made some good attempts at goal, however they couldn't seem to finish. Once Barca adjusted, Dembele put on his jet engine boots and was flying around the pitch. He was able to drive down

The Barca Breakdown discussed the victory in Seville against Real Betis. This was an important game as a victory here was going to solidify Barca's placement in the Champions League.    As the game was highly anticipated due to its importance, it left Barca fans biting their fingertips. The first half seemed totally disconnected and disorganized with Betis running around the Barca midfield. Despite a shaky half, Barca were able to hold betis off from scoring,    The second half was not much different in the first 15-20 minutes. However, Xavi replaced the whole attacking front and placed in Fati, Traore, Aubameyang. Not soon after FATIMANIA struck! Fati receives the ball at the top of the box. Quickly three defenders step in front of him and he fires the ball to the left side and the goalie had no chance. The ball goes in and Barca scores the opening goal.    Unfortunately, Real Betis' Bartra scored a header when he received the ball from a free kick. The game was even and the hopes of winning three points dec

The Barca Breakdown discussed the upcoming match Real Betis in Seville. There is a lot to be won if Barca can defeat Betis. Not only are Betis 3 points behind Atletico Madrid for the 5th spot in the table, but Sevilla are only 2 points behind Barca fighting for the second place spot. With Real Madrid already securing the title, Barca need this win in hopes to maintain their Supercopa chances. However, in the last meeting Barca were defeated at the Camp Nou 0-1 with Juanmi scoring. It is important to remember this game was Xavi's fourth game after becoming the Manager and the team was struggling. That game Barca were playing Abde, Jutgla, and Depay upfront with Busquets, Nico, and Gavi. This was a less than ideal line-up and things really changed when Barca acquired Aubameyang, Traore, and Ferran Torres. There was also the drama of Ousmane Dembele who was not getting play time due to the contract negotiations. Now the Barca team is different and a new story can be written. The recent performances however have

The Barca Breakdown discussed 3 points that were secured in match day 34 against Mallorca at the Camp Nou. With Dembele feeling under the weather, Xavi chose to start Depay on the left and moved Ferran Torres to the right wing. Of course, Pedri is out so Gavi started alongside Frenkie and Busi. In the back line, Pique started with Ronald Araujo, Jordi Alba, and Dani Alves.    The first half was pretty lackluster and disorganized. A few breaks from Mallorca could have easily been scored, but their team was not clinical. It didn't seem too promising until Jordi Alba placed a ball over the top for Memphis Depay. He was able to control the ball and score to take Barca 1-0. The half ended with much improvement to be desired.    In the second half Barca really turned up the tempo, constantly attacking Mallorca. In the 54' Ferran Torres' shot gets blocked and Busquets picks up the ball. He shoots off his left foot into the right corner of the net and Barca are up 2-0. Fati and Dembele are subbed on for Aubameyang an

The Barca Breakdown discussed the atrocious loss at the Camp Nou against Rayo Vallecano. For the first time in history, Rayo has defeated FC Barcelona 2 times in a season. Xavi deployed the usual starters excluding Pedri due to injury. To think the team that defeated Real Madrid at the Bernabeu 0-4, has just lost 3 consecutive games at home. After losing to Frankfurt, Cadiz, and now Rayo, Barcelona find themselves at a strong potential to lose their top four standing.    Heading into the first half Barca were terrible. Passing was slow, off target, and poor in transition. Right at the 6' Rayo's Garcia receives the ball on where there are no players but a distant Dest. He takes a quick shot at Stegen;s near post and scores. Stegen did an awful job and that was Rayo's first and only shot in 90+ minutes. Barca could not recover for 113 minutes and score an equalizer.    The only good players on the pitch were Gavi and Dembele. Who were close to scoring but could not finish. It seems this is the story of Barca in

The Barca Breakdown discussed the defeat at the Camp Nou which ended Xavi's 3 month unbeaten streak. After a tough loss at home against Frankfurt, Barca played Cadiz. Normally, a team fighting relegation in 18th place would not cause such an upset; however it seems things are catching up to Barca. Xavi has not been able to rotate players enough causing tired legs and injuries after returning from the international break. Pique and Pedri were out due to injury and Araujo was suspended due to yellow card accumulation. With these players out, we had Lenglet play alongside Eric Garcia and Gavi in the Midfield. As Aubameyang has yet to return to his goal scoring form (having also played many minutes since coming to Barca), Depay had his first start since returning from his calf injury. This line-up didn't seem out of question, although the results spoke for themselves. Barca were not able to create any effective opportunities on goal and the defense was weak. It only took one counter for Cadiz to score.    It seem

The Barca Breakdown discussed the breakdown of Xavi's squads in the second leg against Frankfurt at the Camp Nou. Another big match in Europe where Barca were knocked out of the Europa League in a terrible performance. First and foremost, we think Xavi deployed a less than ideal starting XI with Minguza as RB and Gavi in for Frenkie De Jong. Even though we consider Aubameyang and Ferran Torres as regular starters, we believe after such poor performances from the duo that Xavi needed to try a different line-up. Despite what we thought, Barca came out in the first few minutes with an absurd foul from Eric Garcia. 3 minutes into the game and Frankfurt had gotten a penalty. Kostic converted to take the game to a 0-1 lead. Frankfurt continued to play aggressively, shutting down Barca's midfield and nurturing the wings. The mayhem did not cease as a screaming shot from Borre slammed into the back of the net taking them 0-2. The half ends and Barca leave the pitch defeated.    The second half begins and Xavi makes 1

The Barca Breakdown discussed Matchday 31 where FC Barcelona faced off against the near relegated Levante.    Notable changes Xavi employed were Nico in for Pedri and Araujo for Pique. The first half began with an awful performance. It seemed Barca had lost the fundamentals with passing off the mark and the lack of an ability to open the pitch. This was also exacerbated with Levantes keen defense and great man marking. While the frustration of the first half was overwhelming, Barca were able to hold on to a 0-0 outcome with the help of Ter Stegen, Eric Garcia, and Araujo.    Coming into the second half, Xavi didn't make any immediate subs and the chaos ensued. A penalty was called against Barca and Levante scored to take the lead. Xavi made a switch to the midfield and put in Pedri and Gavi. Immediately the game changes. Dembele crosses the ball into Aubameyang and the header goes in to equalize! Soon after Levante got a second penalty and Ter Stegen made a huge save.    The young duo strike; Gavi is able to

The Barca Breakdown discussed the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Europa League where FC Barcelona faced off in Germany against Eintracht Frankfurt. With Europa League most likely being Barca's only chance at a trophy this season, Xavi would have to prioritize the win in today's game. However, it seemed Xavi chose to rest some big players in the match. We saw Dembele and Frenkie De Jong on the bench for Traore and Gavi. Additionally, Pedri played on the pitch as a RCM and Gavi played as the LCM. Of course with the unregistered Dani Alves and injured Dest, Araujo slotted in the RB position. Our other two attackers were Aubameyang and Ferran Torres.   Coming into the game Barca seemed to be playing with their foot on the gas. This doesn't mean they were doing it too well. Barca seemed chaotic, disheveled, off key, and did not control the pitch. Frankfurt took advantage and were aggressive. The first half left barca heavily on the defense fighting to prevent Frankfurt from scoring.   The beginning of the s

The Barca Breakdown discussed the return from the international break to face off against Sevilla. While we feared the possibility of Barca falling into the luls of returning from the international break, Xavi's men were ready to fight. The first half had a solid 25 minutes of moving the ball forward to create chances. However, as we saw during the game, Barca's performance went through many peaks and troughs. Dembele was continuously crossing the ball into the middle to create chances for ferran torres and Frenkie De Jong. Although, like Torres has typically played, he couldn't score, missing some big opportunities. Xavi's Barca really held strong in the defense and midfield, snubbing out any Sevilla chances with the help of Pique, Araujo, and Alba and controlling the ball. It is to say Aubameyang was having a quiet game as well.    During the second half Sevilla had a few opportunities but failed to convert. During this time Barca were in a trough of performance, losing the ball and control. All out it chan

The Barca Breakdown discuss the Sevilla La Liga match coming up as the 2nd and 3rd teams face off. Coming off the international break, we hope Xavi is able to recreate the magic we were seeing from the team, culminating in the 0-4 victory against Real Madrid in El Clasico. There are some interesting storylines for FC Barcelona as as the season comes to a close. Firstly, Ousmane Dembele and Barca are reportedly in talks again about signing a contract renewal. Sergino Dest being injured as well as Eric Garcia's string of good performances will place an interesting dynamic on the right back position. Will we see Ronald Araujo continue to play there? Or will Dani Alves get a majority of the playtime? With many games in April, we are hoping to see Xavi utilize rotations well to keep everyone healthy. With Gavi, Nico, Lengelet, Depay, Luuk De Jong, Adama Traore, and more on the bench, we are well-positioned to keep players healthy with the incredible depth FC Barcelona have.

The Barca Breakdown discussed the utter DOMINATION as FC Barcelona won with 4 away goals against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Aubamayeng, Ferran Torres, Araujo all scored, with Ousmane Dembele getting 2 assists.   Though Real Madrid came out with a bit of resistance early, Carlo Ancelloti’s men were thoroughly outclassed by Xavi’s Barca, with free movement and beautiful passing throughout the game. Busquets, Frenkie De Jong, and Pedri were wonderful in the midfield, against a Real Madrid team that seemed to have no passion or interest in competing.   Having Araujo covering for Dest in the right back position completely shut down Vinicius Junior. Additionally, having Osuamne Dembele placed on the right wing to connect with Aubameyang was a recipe for destruction. Dembele’s crosses were on point leading to the first goal which was placed in the back of the net by Aubameyang. Then A corner from Dembele flys in to the head of Araujo making it 0-2.    Typically we expect things to change coming into the seco

The Barca Breakdown discussed the victory in Istanbul against Galatasaray to carry them through to the Quarter Finals. Barca were tied coming into the second leg on a 0-0 aggregate. Xavi decided to deploy Erica Garcia in place of Ronald Araujo alongside Pique, Dest, and Alba. In the midfield we had Frenki, Busquets, and Pedri. Lastly in the front Aubameyang, Torres, and Traore.   The first half found Barca struggling to connect passes as well as they were susceptible to counter attacks. Even though Frenkie De Jong had an early opportunity in the 9' Barca were not looking good. On a set piece, Galatasaray were able to score a flying header past Ter Stegen to take them up 1-0. Barca took some time, but their defense closed down and were able to stop further breakaways. This allowed Barca to control the pitch.    In a fantastic display of skill and patience, Pedri was set in front of goal with defenders and Pena. He faked the defenders and smashed a ball past Pena, scoring the equalizer. This was the spark Barca

The BarcaBreakdown discuss the 4-0 victory of FC Barcelona over Osasuna. Two goals from Ferran Torres, one from Aubamayeng, and one from Riqui Puig helped FC Barcelona dominated Osasuna in La Liga, and gain retribution for the draw vs. Osasuna earlier in the season. Ousmane Dembele turned in an inspiring performance, with two great assists to Torres and Aubamayeng in the first half. The midfield of Pedri, Gavi and Busquets once again provided some magic, helping facilitate and control the game. After a rough game against Galatasaray in the first leg of the Europa League, Barca needed a statement victory to continue their undefeated streak and excite the team ahead of the second Europa leg and Clasico in the week to come. The Camp Nou was enthralled by the brilliant football played by Xavi's men. The team continues to perform and impress in La Liga. The hope is that the team can go to Turkey this Thursday and continue on in the Europa League.

The Barca Breakdown discussed the match of FC Barcelona v. Galatasaray in the Round of 16 of the Europa League. Barca came off a narrow victory against Elche over the weekend and the Breakdown hoped Barca would come back full throttle. Although, with our first impression of Xavi's line-up we were left a little uneasy. We saw Memphis Depay's first start since his injury in front with Ferran Torres and Traore. In the midfield, Nico started since Gavi was suspended with yellow cards alongside PEdri and FDJ. In the backline Alba stood with Eric Garcia, Araujo, and Dest. In the first half, Barca dominated possession and had a few chances on goal. However, Galatasaray created quite a few chances on the counter. Overall the first half was a bag full of mixed feelings and changes were needed. Xavi deployed Dembele, Busquets, and Pique for Torres, Nico, and Araujo which was a hopeful sight at the start of the second half. As the game progressed it seemed evident that Barca were not going to Score. Opportunities were l