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FC Barcelona – Cesc Fabregas Takes Over For Messi
One thing that’s hard to admit but easy to notice – Barcelona have been playing better this season with Cesc Fabregas at the central midfielder position instead of Xavi, evne if it means less classic Barca style and a more direct approach. With the team picking up a 3-0 away win in a tough stadium, no one can argue that this approach is the wrong way to about it.
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FC Barcelona – Fabregas Can’t Always Fill in For Messi
Some matches require more than just close to your best, even if the opponents don’t have the most impressive of names. Lionel Messi came on too late to change anything for Barcelona, who failed in their attempts to be led by Cesc Fabregas and Neymar as they failed to win for the first time this season, heading into one of the more difficult weeks they’ve had in quite a while.
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FC Barcelona – Neymar Can Fill in For Lionel Messi
Even if Barcelona aren’t the same team without Lionel Messi, against a certain level of competition, there’s enough quality to back him up. Whether it’s Neymar, who doesn’t mind being the center of attention on the pitch and sacrifice for the team, or Cesc Fabregas, proving time and time again that he’s the best finisher this team has albeit the injured Argentine star.
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FC Barcelona – Neymar Gets The Spotlight Turned at Him
This is what Neymar was brought for. The moment Lionel Messi is either injured or marked too tightly, it should be the Brazilian’s turn to be the man for Barcelona, who have struggled anytime their best player was missing or taken out of them match by an opponent’s defending.
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FC Barcelona – Andres Iniesta is the Future of the Midfield
Preparing for the day that Xavi can no longer do what he’s been doing so well for the past six-seven seasons, Barcelona have two players ready to take his place and “rule” in the middle without him: Andres Iniesta, and to a lesser degree, or simply different, Cesc Fabregas.
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FC Barcelona – Pedro Gives Lionel Messi a Break From Scoring
Hard to tell if the new Barcelona is really less about possession and simply more about being direct and finishing off matches later rather than sooner, but if it gives the chance for Pedro to steal the spotlight from Lionel Messi with an impressive hat trick, you won’t hear too many complaining about it.
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FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Doesn’t Mind the Changing Styles
As Barcelona continues to change under the hands of a coach that hasn’t come out of its own system, there’s one obvious thing that stays the same: Lionel Messi, who might not actually care about all the records he’s breaking or coming very close to setting, but with some huge help from Neymar is getting very close to one of the most prestigious in European soccer.
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FC Barcelona – Cesc Fabregas & The Year He Ends the Doubts
While Cesc Fabregas will never be dominant for Barcelona as he was in the Premier League, he is proving time and time again that at almost any role given to him, including the one Xavi has held on to for the last seven seasons, he’ll do extremely well, and doesn’t deserve the criticism he’s gotten from every corner over the last two years.
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Manchester United – The Players They Failed to Sign
Even though Manchester United did eventually make that central midfielder signing they planned to make, it seemed like they overpaid for Marouane Fellaini, while the transfer window will be mostly remembered for the players they couldn’t get their hands on: Leighton Baines, Cesc Fabregas, Luka Modric, Thiago Alcantara, Ander Herrera, Fabio Coentrao and even Sami Khedira.
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FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Can’t Get Any Better Than This
There’s nothing surprising anymore about Lionel Messi finishing the first half with a hat-trick. Barcelona look like a completely different team with and without their Argentine star, but sometimes it’s shocking to see the difference one player, as talented as he may be, make by actually being fit for a match.