With the apocalyptic feel surrounding Barça this week it is easy to forget that aside from the not-so-classic Clasico Barça played some good football in December. There were valuable victories over Deportivo, Stuttgart and Valencia, and a half-decent draw with Espanyol, which had given Barça fans some cause for optimism before Madrid came along to spoil it all. Keep reading →

Late on Sunday evening a Barça fan was driving home down a remote country lane when he was overtaken by a speeding car with a Real Madrid flag hanging out of the window. The driver tooted his horn victoriously before disappearing around the next bend. When the dejected Barça fan got round the bend he was surprised to see the Madrid fan’s car had crashed into a tree. Keep reading →

With the Christmas break upon us, the press and fans have plenty of time to mull over what went wrong in yesterday’s Clasico. Unfortunately, when it comes to analyzing a Barça defeat the press and fans alike are prone to making knee-jerk conclusions. Calls for the heads of Ronaldinho and Frank Rijkaard are par for the course this season, but would sacking Rijkaard and selling Ronaldinho lead to a better future? Keep reading →

It hurts me to say this, but Madrid were worthy winners. A goal from Julio Baptista after 35 minutes earned them the victory that puts them seven points clear at the top for a white Christmas. Deco and Ronaldinho both started from the beginning, but it seems that any attempt by Frank Rijkaard to confuse the opposition and the press over his team selection only served to confuse his own players. Keep reading →

Frank Rijkaard has named a 19-man squad for tomorrow’s clasico with Real Madrid (kick off 7pm local time). Thierry Henry is on the list but is unlikely to play from the beginning as he has missed the last five games with back problems. The big question is whether Rijkaard will finally pick Ronaldinho or opt for 18-year-old Giovani dos Santos. Keep reading →

Yes folks, there are just 24 hours until kick-off for the big game. All the local press are saying that Ronaldinho will start as a substitute tomorrow, something that I still find hard to believe. The news at lunchtime showed Ronaldinho playing the fool during yesterday’s training session after which Frank Rijkaard took him to one side for a private chat. The press are saying Rijkaard wasn’t happy with Ronaldinho’s attitude, and from this they deduce that Ronnie will start on the bench. Keep reading →

With just under 48 hours to go before the big match I thought I’d take a look at some of the recent games between the two clubs at Camp Nou. Having come to live in Barcelona in 1989 I soon became used to Barça winning this fixture. Apart from a 1-1 draw in the 91/92 season Barça won the game every year until the 99/00 season when Raul scored a late equalizer. Keep reading →

Jose Edmilson who has been sidelined since his knee operation in June, has received the all clear to play again. The Brazilian had suffered problems with his knee ever since he was injured back in October 2004 in a game against Numancia. Edmilson has been training with his teammates for the last couple of weeks to get back to match fitness. Keep reading →

The first balls out of the hat in today’s Champions League draw were Celtic and Barcelona. This will mean another trip to Scotland where Barça started their preseason with games against Hearts and Dundee United, and where they already played in this season’s Champions League against Rangers. Barça will be happy to have avoided the English teams and Roma. Barça will play the first leg in Glasgow on Wednesday 20th February, with the second leg in Camp Nou on Tuesday 4th March. Keep reading →

Guillermo Amor, who suffered a horrific car accident on Saturday night, is improving every day. Yesterday he regained consciousness and was able to recognise members of his family. He also spoke a few words and was able to move his arms and legs. He continues in the intensive care unit of the Verge de la Cinta hospital in Tortosa.