Barca Breakdown (fc Barcelona)

The Barca Breakdown discussed the Barca victory against Elche to secure 3 points and 3rd place on the table. Xavi deployed Gavi as the leff wing, Dembele on the right wing, and Dani Alves as right back. We questioned the use of Gavi on the left especially after a lackluster and uninvolved performance. We were excited to see Dembele start but his presence didn't seem to create much.   Unfortunately, Elche took advantage of the slow and old Dani Alves on the right back which resulted in the first goal of the game right before the end of the first half. We were happy to see Xavi make a substitute at the beginning of the second half and place Torres in for Gavi. Several times Torres was in great positions to score but could not capitalize. Finally, Alba kicks it forward and Torres taps in the ball for the equalizer.   Xavi subbed in Traore for Dembele and Memphis for Aubameyang. Later in the ~80' Memphis draws a penalty which is wonderfully scored and takes Barca to lead and win the 3 points.Fortunately, Ter Steg

The Barca Breakdown discussed the possible signing of Erling Haaland for 5 years on a 190M Euro deal. With the possibility of the CVC deal and the need for a great striker at FC Barcelona, Laporta wants to obtain Haaland possibly this summer. Many Barca fans want to see this especially after the inevitable signing of Mbappe to Real Madrid. Barca officially have signed Pablo Torre to Barca as a young midfielder from Real Sporting. A purchase that beat out Real Madrid and continues to bolster the midfield. The Breakdown questioned the focus of Laporta on the midfield of Barcelona. Recently, Ronald has been outspoken on the unfairness he believes he received before departing Barcelona. His comments highlight Laporta's distrust in Koeman, his preference in Xavi, his lack in arsenal, and the questionable leave of Lionel Mesi. Lastly, should FC Barcelona choose to purchase Adama Traore? With the possibility of Dembele leaving this summer, it could be a good move from Barca.

The Barca Breakdown discussed the third victory in a row under the full throttle Xavi ball. Barca met Atheltic Bilbao at the Camp Nou, who knocked us out of the Copa Del Rey. Barca were also 2 games in hand and 4 points behind Betis on the table. Needless to say, this game was extremely important as Barca haven't been able to take advantage of these kinds of situations in recent history. Notable players on the pitch were Dest in place of Alba, Dani Alves as right back, and Gavi in for FDJ with Busquets and Pedri.   Nonetheless, Barca came out dominating possession and pressing high in Bilbao's side of the pitch. Traore was able to win a corner around the 35'. The corner comes in and Pique headers the ball off the post. Luckily, Aubameyang was in a perfect position to put the shot away. Barca take the lead and the half ends 1-0. Barca continued to play a wonderfully defensive game which kept Bilbao at bay.    The game really took off offensively when Ousmane Dembele came onto the pitch with Frenkie De Jong. No

The Barca Breakdown discussed the victory in the second leg of the Europa League against Napoli. In a wonderful performance, Barca seemed to have united in an international game looking for glory. Xavi deployed our January signings Torres, Aubameyang, and Traore in the attack. In the midfield, we had Busquets, Frenkie, and Pedri. Lastly our defensive backline, Alba, Pique, Aurajo, and Dest.    The game began and Barca came out firing. An early counter from Aubameyang to Traore, Traore to Alba, and we had our opener. Barca seemed to have been reawakened. Frenkie placed a Messi-esque and effortless goal to take Barca up 0-2. Unfortunately Stegen made a bad call, and Napoli received and scored a Penalty. El Presidente, Pique wasn't having it. He took the game 1-3 before half time! Before the game's end, Aubameyang scored and Napoli capitalized on making it 2-4. The game ended while joy and Barce were through to the next round.    The game was the beautiful football of Barcelona that we have all missed especially

The Barca Breakdown discussed the upcoming game of FC Barcelona vs. Napoli in the second leg of the Europa League. After a very winnable first leg and the victory against Valencia over the weekend, it leaves the Breakdown feeling very hopeful that Barca can progress. There are a few changes that need to be made to solidify the victory. We discussed the lineup in the first leg and what changes Xavi needs to make. Namely, Dembele needs to start this game in place of Ferran Torres. Furthermore, Dest should start over Mingueza, Araujo over Garcia, and Busquets to not start the game. While Torres gave us many possibilities in the Napoli game, he was not clinical and he has disappeared in many other games. If adjustments need to be made in the game, we suggest that Dembele and Traoré as the wingman and sub off Aubameyang for Luuk De Jong if we need a late winner. The young Barca squad must visualize this game a final and the only hopes in winning a trophy this season!

The Barca Breakdown discussed the wonderful performance against Valencia at the Mestalla. Prior to this game Barce were 6th on the table behind Villareal and Atletico Madrid who both won their games. However, Barca had 2 games in hand in this case. With today's victory, Barca are replaced in 4th tied with Atletico with a game in hand.    First and foremost, Xavi deployed Dembele on the left wing, which we have been saying for weeks now, with Aubameyang and Ferran Torres. We saw Pedri get some rest as Busquets started and Araujo returned with Pique out due to yellow card accumulation.    A wonderful first half saw Barca up 0-3 with two goals from Aubameyang and one from FDJ. The First goal came over the top from Alba to the feet of Aubameyang, who wonderfully put it away. Then Dembele crossed it in to FDJ who slid in for 0-2. Lastly, Dembele cuts it to Gavi and a quick pass to Aubameyang; 0-3!    Coming into the second half, Garcia left the pitch on injury and Mingueza came on. Barca control on the ball starte

The Barca Breakdown discussed the draw between Barcelona and Napoli in the Europa League. Coming into the game, Barca knew this would not be an easy game facing the 3rd place Italians. Although, with the acquisition of Ferran Torres, Adama Traore, Aubamayeng, and the recent performances, we had high hopes. The line up left fans with some surprises as Busquets and Gavi didn't start and we saw Minguza for Dest, Nico in the Midfield, and a trio of Aubamayeng, Torres, and Traore in the front. The game was very pleasing with many chances and beautiful play. However, Barca fell asleep for one instance and Napoli took advantage with a goal in the 29'. Barca didn't quit, or really Torres didn't quit. Shot after shot Torres skied many great opportunities leaving Barca in a race against the clock. Finally in the 59' Traore gets a penalty drawn and Torres takes charge and equalizes. More and more opportunities fell for Torres but he could not convert. Barca ended the game with 20 shots and only 4 on target. Now the re

The Barca Breakdown discussed the chaotic Catalan Derby draw! With Dani Alves out with a red card in the Atletico Madrid game, we saw the same line up but with Dest in the back right. Barca opened the game in the 2' minute with a cross from Alba and Pedri scoring with one touch. As the game progressed, Barca slowly began to allow many opportunities and shots from Espanyol. This resulted in a goal from Darder to end the first half. The second half began with Araujo on the bench due to an injury incurred in the first half which had Eric Garcia make his first appearance in a month. With Busquets not able to uphold a top tier performance through the second half, Barca began on the defense. An extremely awful decision by Erica Garcia kept De Tomas on side, Ter Stegen was left one on one with De Tomas. De Tomas smashed the ball past Stegen Taking Espanyol up, 2-1. Xavi chose to put Dembele, Aubameyang, Traore, and Ferran Torres in the front line late in the game. This was pretty questionable because he took out F

The BarcaBreakdown discusses the huge 4-2 victory for FC Barcelona versus Atletico Madrid, in a huge match for the La Liga top four race. Huge goals by Jordi Alba, Gavi, Araujo, and Dani Alves helped FC Barcelona win against Atletico Madrid for the first time since December 2019. Though Atletico had a second half goal and looked to be in the advantage with Dani Alves’ red card, Barca stood strong and were able to weather the storm. Overall, a very huge performance for Xavi with winter signings Aubameyang, Ferran Torres, and Traore. Barca were able to press the attack constantly in the first half despite going down 0-1 early. They finished the first half 3-1 which Barca couldn’t even score in the entire 90’ in their last meeting. On the flip side, Barca were still susceptible to corners which proved to be lethal from Atletico for their second goal. Xavi was still able to deploy a threatening game, good tactical fluid play, and subs at appropriate times. This leaves Barca in a wonderful position at 4th on the

The Barca Breakdown discussed the closing of the winter transfer window. While Barca could not offload Ousmane Dembele for some quick cash, Laporta and sporting director Alemany were able to accomplish some large feats despite the money issues plaguing the team. Firstly, Barca were able to sign Ferran Torres for about 50 million Euros, offload Coutinho on Loan to Aston Villa, and had Umtiti defer his payments over a longer period. But the biggest news is that Barca were able to acquire, on loan, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Adama Traore from Arsenal and Wolves, respectively. This could help Barca with their hard time of scoring especially in big games. However, Barca needs Xavi to rotate players to really maximize all the potential. The one failure of the window was that we failed to get a right back to back up Jordi Alba or a center back in place of Pique/Garcia/Umtiti. We look forward to the Atletico Madrid game on Sunday! Please like, comment and subscribe to our channel! Twitter: https://twitter.com/

The Barca Breakdown discuss recent news as Dembele's agent's meeting with Chelsea to strike a deal. Reports are that the negotiation did not go particularly well and Dembele is asking to speak to Laporta directly in hopes of staying. While these are rumors, there could be some validity knowing that Dembele's agent would be asking for a large payout. The world also knows that Demebel has had his fair share of injuries. Will Dembele be able to strike a deal with Laporta and stay at Barca or will his agent be successful and strike a deal and make a move to England?    In other important news, Fati, who re-injured his knee against Athletic Bilbao, has opted out of surgery. He has chosen a more conservative approach and will be available at a sooner date. We discuss the pros and cons of each decision and understand how one could make either decision based on the circumstance.   Speaking of players possibly leaving, Ronald Araujo has rejected the first proposal by Barca in regards to a contract extension. It is tho

The Barca Breakdown discussed a narrowly won Barcelona performance against Deportivo Alaves. In the attacking front we saw Abde, Torres, and Luuk De Jong. Xavi started Frenkie De Jong in the midfield in place of Gavi (out due to red card against Granada) alongside Busquets and Pedri. And in the back we finally see the return of Dest with Araujo, Pique, and Jordi Alba.    It's hard to imagine Barca playing in such a lethargic, slow, and utterly uninteresting game against the 19th team on the table. Yet a late goal by Frenkie was the highlight of the 90 minutes. Other than that moment, Barca performed like a bottom tier team against a team facing relegation.   Xavi made incredibly late subs (first in the 71') when clearly his strategies on the pitch in the first 70' were not working whatsoever. The Breakdown questions how Xavi didn't implement changes to boost the energy of Barca (clearly the choice should have been Dembele). Of course Xavi started Alba, Busi, and Pique playing them another 90'.   In two weeks

The Barca Breakdown discussed another tough loss in a big game. In the Round of 16 of the Copa Del Rey Barca were knocked out by Athletic Bilbao who just lost in the Supercopa against Real Madrid. Seeing as the Barca Breakdown have believed Barca were on a small upswing this game has really highlighted the teams deficiencies.    First and foremost, the Barca backline is old and slow. We constantly have Dani Alves, Busquets, and Jordi Alba playing defense against some of the fastest players on the pitch and time and time again they fail to keep up and prevent counters. Of course we can say that these players are old and under performing to the caliber they once had, but who is really to blame? It is clear and obvious these players are old, but we see them time and time again playing a full 90 minutes on the pitch and constantly let us down. Xavi is clearly choosing to start the players and not making tactical decisions to minimize or account for the players deficiencies. Furthemore, it seems we lack the strate

The Barca Breakdown discussed the El Clasico of the Supercopa! While Barcelona could not take a victory here and progress to the final on Sunday, there are many great takeaways from this game. First and foremost, we saw the return of the very anticipated Ansu Fati and Pedri. Fati came in off the bench and was able to secure Barcelona's second goal to force overtime of the game. What was truly wonderful was watching Barcelona operate with such relentless vigor when going down a goal throughout the whole game. Two key players exhibiting our unending fight to win was Ousmane Dembele and Luuk De Jong who both were non-stop creating chances and making attempts on goal. On the defensive side we must highlight the studly performances of Ronald Araujo and Gerard Pique who protect the net on several accounts despite Barca allowing 3 goals. This margin could have been much higher. Although, as the Breakdown saw some great moments in this spectacular game, we must highlight our deficiencies. Overall the Barca defense wa

The Barca Breakdown discussed a tough draw against Granada CF in their first La Liga match of the new year and first match of the second half of the season. This was Barca's opportunity to take 3rd on the table, surpassing Atletico Madrid and Real Betis. Unfortunately, Luuk De Jong's Header was not good enough to secure the victory for Barcelona.   It became increasingly difficult for the Barca defense to lock down Granada's attacking force when a second poor foul by the youngster Gavi resulted in a red card and ejection. This left Barca with 10 men in the 10 minutes, just enough time for Granada to take a corner and find the Barca defense slacking. Puertas in the 89' was able to rocket a shot off the top post and in, scoring the game equalizer. While we discussed many contributing factors to this draw, it is another example where Barca falls short when there are opportunities that they must take advantage of. Xavi, unfortunately put on Memphis Depay who ended up adding nothing to the team in place of LDJ.

The BarcaBreakdown discuss the 1-2 victory for FC Barcelona over Linares Deportivo. Thankfully, substitutions at half time allowed Ousmane Dembele and Ferran Jutgla to score 2 second half goals to allow FC Barcelona to advance to the Round of 16 of the Copa Del Rey. A first half marked by bad defense and ball control was highlighted by a Linares Deportivo goal that quickly put FC Barcelona behind. At half, Xavi made a crucial substitution of Riqui Puig, who had a very poor performance today. Though, Frenkie De Jong and Ronald Araujo both picked up injuries which could hurt an already injury plagued team in Barca. New is coming out that Araujo's hand is fractured and he will miss 3-4 weeks. Dembele again sparked some magic with his performance, which is increasingly bittersweet as he has not signed a contract renewal to stay with FC Barcelona and could be on his way out of the club this winter or summer due to an expiring contract. Ferran Jutgla continued to take the most of his opportunities starting (as Ba

The Barca Breakdown discussed Barca's second away victory of the season against 15th place RCD Mallorca. The win puts barca in 5th place, 1 point behind Atletico Madrid and 2 points behind Real Betis. With so many Barca players out of the roster, Dembele, Gavi, Abde, and more due to Covid, the results are wonderful.    Xavi deployed a 4-3-3 with Araujo, Eric Garcia, Pique, and Mingueza fortifying the back line. In the mid field Puig, Nico and FDJ fed balls forward to Jutgla, LDJ, and Ilias. While this team is not seasoned on the pitch, Minuguza was able to supply a cross to the head of LDJ who put one away as the game winner. This goal came at the end of the first half, which means Barca had a lot of work to do to secure the 3 points. Overall, Barca was able to protect the net until a huge chance came to Mallorca. Barca's German Wall, who has not been living up to this name, finally redeemed himself with a massive save by slapping the attempt away with his forearm.    Barca finally broke the 7th spot on the

The BarcaBreakdown discuss the massive news that Ferran Torres has joined FC Barcelona from Manchester City! Torres is also a Spanish national, so he has plenty of experience playing alongside Jordi Alba, Busquets, Gavi, and Pique, which should help him quickly get used to FC Barcelona. He also previously played for Valencia, so he is well accustomed to La Liga's playstyle. Laporta has signed Torres offering a huge boost to Xavi's side. Torres can play as a winger, striker, or a false nine, all roles he played under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City or under Luis Enrique for Spain. We also discuss the returns from injury of Pedri, Ansu Fati, and Memphis Depay. We also discuss Ousmane Dembele being close to signing a contract extension with FC Barcelona. Please like, comment and subscribe to our channel! Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarcaBreakdown​​​​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barcabreakdown Listen to our podcast on Spotify or Apple/Itunes Podcast. Please support the Barca Breakdown and subscribe to

The BarcaBreakdown the 2-2 Draw vs. Sevilla in La Liga. Facing the #2 team in La Liga, Xavi's Barca played a very impressive game as the team continues to learn Xavi's style he intends to implement in the team. Ronald Araujo scored a wonderful header and the only goal allowed by Barca was an unfortunate corner goal in the first half. Barca really took the first half by storm and showcased some brilliant offensive play with Gavi, Dembele, and Abde showing no fear against a great Sevilla side. The game turned on its head once Kounde received a red card for throwing the ball directly at Jordi Alba's head. Sevilla played a very aggressive game with multiple fouls on Barca players throughout the match. Down to 10-men, Sevilla parked the bus and Barca had very few good scoring opportunities. Again, we still are facing tremendous injuries to our offense with Fati, Pedri, Depay, and Braithwaite all still injured. The team continues to inspire, especially led by young payers like Gavi, Nico, Abde, and Araujo. Our team

The Barca Breakdown discusses the victory and performance of FC Barcelona vs. Elche CF. Xavi's starting 3-4-3 lineup including Araujo as the right back, Erica Garcia starting, and Jutgla. Araujo again started in a position that is unnatural and Erica Garcia who has been slow and lacked strength to snuff out attacking opponents. Jutgla had his first start in a La Liga match for the Barca A team, looked absolutely spectacular. Rolling into the first half, there were wonderful attempts on goal with great passes facilitated by Ousmane Dembele. Magic struck from a Dembele corner, landing on Jutgla's head, who wonderfully placed it past the goalie. Then, only a few moments later Gavi received the ball with a quick turn and rushed to attack, ultimately smashing it to the left in which it bounces off and into the net. Barca up 2-0 before the 20'. As the half closes, Barca allowed a couple chances for Elche to score which were misplaced. Second half had begun and the Barca defense looked weak. Elche received an awful