That was a great strike by Pedro in the match against Almeria, and Barça certainly deserved the win against a side more concerned with man-to-man defense than actually playing. It's saying a lot when other sides (even ones like Chelsea and Inter) are reduced to defensive platforms when pitted against FC Barcelona. They cannot hope to match the attacking prowess of the Catalan club. It's not even given serious consideration. 

Some might argue that money has played a role in seeing the Blaugrana become the team to beat in European football, and there is some truth to that, but let's not go overboard with the idea, okay? For starters, count how many players are on the squad who come from their youth academy, La Masía. Let's see, there's Xavi, Messi, Iniesta, Piqúe, Valdés, Puyol, Busquets, Pedro and Jeffrens. Oh, and...

Okay, it's a slow start into the 2009/2010 La Liga season for me here on OleOle, but that doesn't mean I haven't been watching matches. Far from it. In fact, I got to attend the Seattle Sounders - Barcelona match way back when, it seems now. That was an enlightening experience on a couple levels.

First off, the fans in Seattle are hard core, both in terms of loyalty to the Sounders and their level of support. I was surprised to see all the green & blue jerseys out in the stadium, easily outnumbering the blaugrana cules. Seattle supporters had their songs ready and belted them out with an organization and intensity that at times matched English football supporters. The immersion factor was most definitely there. I'm pondering getting season tickets for the Sounders next season.

It's been a wild summer of fancy free and foot loose transfer negotiations, but finally--finally!--we have a winner. One Zlatan Ibrahimovic, aka Ibracadabra, the Other Special One, or just plain Ibra. It cost FCB €43.25 million, Eto'o, and the loan of Hleb, but it's a done deal now. Don't ask me what I think of the financial logic of that deal. Seriously. However, I am willing to move on. So, let's do that.

Eto'o is gone. A strange feeling to realize that, but I do agree with Pep that it was for the best of the team. The Cameroon was key for Barça's success last season, but it always felt as if he had something to prove. Every goal Eto'o scored had that feeling about it. Like he was saying, 'See! I told you. Dammit.' That sort of mentality gets old after awhile, and I'm sure it w...

If the Spanish media has their story right--and that's always a big if--it looks like we could get David Villa. But only if we loan Krkic, along with Caceres, for a year to Los Che. Sounds good to me. The Uruguayan will likely get some quality time on the field as will Bojan, and that can only be a good thing. One year's time and both will be back in the blaugrana fold with some respectable experience under their belts. Seems to me a case of having your cake and eating it too. Win-win. Yet, rumor has it Barcelona don't want to loan out Krkic. What? Why?

I just don't get that. Pep used Bojan very sparingly last season, a likely indication the coach wasn't quite convinced of the young man's 'qualities'. And, now they don't want to loan him out for next season? Very strange. Assuming Eto'o and Henry both leave and Villa...

It's just a nut house in the transfer market right now. Then again this is nothing new really, because it's always like this after a season. Perez of Los Merengues, however, is doing nothing new either. Absolutely nothing. In fact, as he burns the Madrid club's funds away in the search of his galacticos nuevos one is assured that history will likely repeat itself. If that's how the Madridistas want it, fine. Let them travail the circle of suffering once more. I thought better of Florentino when he stepped down as president of Real Madrid in late February of 2006. He appeared a man willing to take the fall for a road of ruin that was his legacy. But this ... this is just unbelievable.

As a culé it's somewhat unsettling to see that the Nemesis has already secured the services of Pellegrini as coach, as well as Kaka and...

I know I should just let it go, but this sort of rubbish irritates. What am I talking about?

• CL Victory Doesn't Make Barcelona Coach Guardiola The World's Best - Marcello Lippi

• Barcelona Did Not Deserve To Beat Chelsea - Cristiano Ronaldo

I've gone over some of the recent articles on the match, and in the other room can be heard Sky Sports as they repeatedly dissect tonight's game. Considering all the hype this past week or so one would've thought that the Catalan club had their work cut out for them, and that it was Man Utd's to lose. What people should've been paying attention to though were the odds being given by the betting sites. That suggested a far more level impression of how this Champions League Final might go. In the end even their assessment may have been generous to the Premiership club, because except for those first ten minutes of the match, FC Barcelona owned the pitch.

Hell, it went even better than I expected. At the whistle, as I sat nervously, stuffing my mouth with popcorn at breakneck pace, it looked like the guys in white were...

As tensions rise worldwide with the approach of the Champions League Final, inquiring minds want to know: what's up with Yaya Toure? In a recent article he was quoted as stating that CR7 was better than LM10:

“For now, Ronaldo is No 1.

“He has so much power - just look at the goal he scored against Arsenal from 50m.

“And he is quick with the ball at his feet and strong in the air.”

I don't know about you, but I take umbrage to that assessment. Ronaldo better than Messi? I don't think so. Messi might not be better than R...

Two trophies under the belt and one more to go. A tough one at that. If the Blaugrana can bring home the Champions League trophy again, man, that would complete this season. But, whichever way it goes, something has to be said about one man: Josep Guardiola. Or just plain Pep. Because if not for him, I doubt that Barça could've pulled itself out of that festering pit of despair that was 2007/2008.

To be honest, I was even in doubt of Guardiola's credentials when it was decided that he would take Rijkaard's place as coach for FCB. Certainly, he was a great player, but that's never been a convincing quality for a good coach. In fact it may very well be the other way around (though I'm not certain of that). My pick, I admit shamefully, was Mourinho. Yes, yes, I was prepared to forsake the attacking game in favor of a more...