Should Pique become Barcelona’s next captain? | The Barcelona Podcast
Join Francesc and Dan as they debate whether Pique is ready to take the responsibility of becoming a Barcelona captain after the departure of Mascherano. Francesc is then joined by the very knowledgeable Navid Molaaghei to talk all things La Masia. The show ends with La Ronda of Quick-Fire Listener Questions. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts iOS App, the Android Google Play App or Spotify to make sure you never miss another episode – and then head over to Patreon for our exclusive episode: ‘Can Barca afford to rest Messi?’
Barça, kings of the European leagues | FCBarcelona.com
Barça are the only side in Europe’s traditional ‘big five’ leagues to remain unbeaten. Manchester City were the last club to fall after their dramatic 4-3 defeat to Liverpool in late January. Bayern Munich (18 points), Man City (13) and Paris Saint Germain (11) all have bigger leads in their leagues than Barça have in La Liga, but they have all lost at least one game along the way. More here.
The competition committee will not act against Gerard Pique | Sport
The controversy over Gerard Pique’s shushing celebration in Cornella continues. The Barcelona defender told Espanyol fans to shut it on Sunday and then explained himself in the mixed zone.
The RFEF Competition Committee think that if they intervene here they will have to do so thousands of times again in similar situations on pitches all over Spain. More here.
FC Barcelona: “Messi The Mentor” has a massive responsibility in front of him | PlayingFor90
Barcelona are in a strong position to capture silverware this campaign. As usual, the mercurial Lionel Messi has been at the heart of this success. The Argentine superstar has scored 20 league goals and recorded ten assists. But the 30-year-old also has a responsibility to prepare the club’s new arrivals for their futures in Catalonia.
Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele each come to the Camp Nou with pressure on their shoulders, and Messi can help to make that pressure easier to deal with. More here.
Espanyol 1-1 Barcelona aka Everything Awful, All at Once | Barcelona Football Blog
Barça went to Espanyol, to Cornella, and got a draw. Conditions were abysmal, errors were made that directly led to the Espanyol goal, which drove their supporters into a frenzy. To say this edition of the Catalan derby was packed with morbo would be an understatement.
A great many things happened during the match, from red card fouls that weren’t treated as such, to a deliberate, cynical attempt to injure Gerard Pique, the scorer of the equalizer, who put a finger to his lips to silence the home supporters. There was rain. So much rain that you could be forgiven for thinking Messi was indeed divine, as he walked on water time and again. More here.
Gerard Deulofeu returned to the Premier League through the front door. The Barcelona player on loan at Watford won the penalty to open the scoring in his side’s 4-1 win against Chelsea and scored a great solo goal. His performance was widely praised in England and he was named ‘Man of the Match’. More here.
Ronald Koeman appointed as Netherlands manager | The Guardian
Koeman has signed a contract until 2022, when the national team will hope to compete at the Qatar World Cup having failed to qualify for Russia 2018. A statement by the Dutch FA on Tuesday read: “The KNVB has reached an agreement with Ronald Koeman over his appointment as the Dutch national team coach. Koeman has just signed a contract that ties him to Oranje with immediate effect up to and including the 2022 World Cup.” More here.
