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On Dani Alves Mocking Racism & Barcelona Winning For Tito
On a “normal” night, Barcelona beating Villarreal with a late goal from Lionel Messi would have taken most of the headlines. But not when it comes days after the death of former manager Tito Vilanova, and not when Dani Alves found a unique way to mock racism by eating a banana thrown at him from the disgusting home fans.
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Lionel Messi – The FC Barcelona Injury Blame Game
After denial comes shock, and then comes guilt. At least when it comes to the injuries Lionel Messi has been picking up at an alarming race. At his club, Barcelona, it seems there are three things left to be done: Support him until he returns, talk about how they’ll do well without him, and trying to find a single person who can be used to pin the blame on.
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On Barcelona, Tito Vilanova & Pep Guardiola Airing Out Dirty Laundry
For quite a few years, in a world that seemed to force soccer fans to choose sides in the Barcelona – Real Madrid classico wars, Barca always came out as the squeaky clean club, where everyone are friends, nice and moral. But Pep Guardiola seems to have a lot of feeling harbored against his former club, while Tito Vilanova himself, maybe part of the club’s wishes, attacked the man he used to work under.
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FC Barcelona – David Villa, Eventually, Was a Slight Disappointment
When Barcelona added David Villa from Valencia in 2010, they knew it wasn’t going to be a deal they’ll benefit from for more than a few seasons, and still, his departure to Atletico Madrid is followed by a taste of missing out on something greater with Barca, and eventually, ending up as a slightly disappointing figure.
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FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Put His Health, Body on the Line for a Championship
Would’ve Barcelona won the La Liga trophy this season without Lionel Messi playing in the last few matches? Probably, but it would have taken a little longer to secure it, possibly. It would have given Real Madrid a little bit of encouragement and belief that it is possible to do the impossible. But Messi, who hasn’t been 100% for quite some time, wasn’t going to let something minor (or maybe it was a little bit worse than that) slow him down, and prevent him from winning another league championship.
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Lionel Messi Won’t Be Part of the Barcelona Garbage Time
It’s so rare to have Lionel Messi start and play an entire La Liga match for Barcelona without scoring even once, but at this stage of the season, with the title officially secured, what’s the point? Tito Vilanova didn’t ask too much of his players, who some of them, like Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas, need to show in the final moments that they deserve to be entrusted with his faith for next season, but they delivered three more points anyway, as Messi played his final match before he officially begins his summer vacation.
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FC Barcelona – Gerard Pique Walking a Thin Line With Tito Vilanova
At Barcelona, drastic changes and dramatic signings aren’t usually part of the method. Planning, long term planning, all interwoven with their footballing philosophy seems to be the guiding light, but sometimes, events change the course of action. Losing 4-0 and 3-0 to Bayern Munich might have implications this summer, which one of them might be Tito Vilanova losing his faith in Gerard Pique, resulting in a massive overhaul to the defensive line.
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FC Barcelona – Tito Vilanova Turns Lionel Messi Into a Super Sub
Maybe this is going to be the new thing for Barcelona heading into next season – starting Lionel Messi on the bench, and then throwing him into the match when he’s most needed, just to show his brilliance and scoring ability in a much narrower window of time. Tito Vilanova has used that “trick” more than once this season, and it seems to have worked every time.
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Lionel Messi Scoring 90 Goals a Year Isn’t Good for Barcelona
The one-man team concept blew up in the face of Barcelona and all of its supporters, always sure that any season without them making the Champions League final is just a small bug in the system, instead of a sign that they’re trotting in the same spot of mud for too long a time, and their growing emphasis on Lionel Messi being the only finisher has taken them backwards instead of strengthened their dominance against other European teams.
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FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Can’t Be the Only Plan for Tito Vilanova
The questions of whether or not such a season, with such an exit from the most prestigious tournament, is a failure or not, will soon come. Lionel Messi spent 90 minutes on the bench, next to a helpless Tito Vilanova, as they watched Barcelona crash and burn at the Camp Nou in what has been their most painful and humbling loss at the biggest stage of all.