Tag: Javier Mascherano

  • FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Gets the David Villa Help He Needed

    FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Gets the David Villa Help He Needed

    When Barcelona failed to make it through into the Champions League final last season, everyone talked about how Barcelona needed a real striker to help Lionel Messi against defenses that park the bus. From the first minute in their comeback attempt against AC Milan, it was clear that Barca finally made the right choice up front, and all across the pitch.

  • FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Gets Help From Alexis Sanchez

    FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Gets Help From Alexis Sanchez

    The goal was to steady the ship, after one of the rockiest 10 days Barcelona have been through in quite some time. While Lionel Messi and to most people’s surprise, Alexis Sanchez, set up a much needed league win over an insignificant rival, everyone thoughts are geared towards later on this week.

  • FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Records Mean Nothing Sometimes

    FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Records Mean Nothing Sometimes

    Who cares about breaking records when your team keeps losing in every big match? Lionel Messi now has more goals than anyone else (except for one player) in Clasico matches, ever, but Barcelona keep losing to their biggest rivals and the confidence and belief at least form the outside, seems shattered.

  • FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Needs More of David Villa

    FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Needs More of David Villa

    The matches Barcelona have left until their second leg in the Champions Leg comes up aren’t necessarily about winning and advancing, but more as ways to find how to gain the confidence back on offense against an excellent defense and stop conceding goals. Lionel Messi, hopefully playing next to David Villa, can help take care of one of the two.

  • FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Barely Enough to Cover Up Weaknesses

    FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Barely Enough to Cover Up Weaknesses

    The midweek Clasico took too much out of Barcelona and their rivals, who lost on the previous day. Only one shot on target in the first half, a Lionel Messi penalty kick, was enough to earn them the draw at the Mestalla after going down to an Ever Banega opener.

  • FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Goal Not Enough For Once

    FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Goal Not Enough For Once

    On one of the few times since becoming a Barcelona player, Lionel Messi scoring couldn’t save Barcelona from defeat, only their second loss in all competitions this season and the first in the Champions League. More than that, it exposed the team’s problem handling a British defense for yet another time, adding another headache to the list for Tito Vilanova.

  • FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi the Only one who can Score

    FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi the Only one who can Score

    Only a draw at home against their biggest rivals, and still, Barcelona should be pleased. Still 8 points ahead of Real Madrid, and still one Lionel Messi, there whenever he’s most needed, scoring two goals in a match they probably didn’t deserve to win, a rarity in a Clasico from recent years.

  • FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Can’t Play Central Defender

    Sometimes, it seems that Barcelona build their team each summer thinking – We’ve got Lionel Messi, the best player in the world; we’ve got Xavi and Iniesta, the best midfielders in the world. The rest will work itself out. And then, you find yourself heading into the Clasico, to play against Real Madrid, without a natural centre back.

  • FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi is Great; What About the Rest

    Sometimes, it’s just a matter of luck, and Spartak Moscow, who defended for most of the match with 11 players in their own box, were a tad lucky to score two goals against Barcelona at the Camp Nou. But it would be lying to say that everything is fine in the Barca defense, and that Lionel Messi saving the day with two second half goals is going to work every time.

  • Studs or Duds – 2011 Edition – Did Your Team Spend Big Cash Well?

    Greeting in the new year which means we’re kicking off the second half of the season around the European leagues, we take a look at the more expensive transfers from the 2010 summer and examine who’s been successful and who starts 2011 with a BUST tag on his forehead.