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...

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...

The Blaugrana looked tired in the Villarreal match, which really isn't surprising. These last 2 weeks have been brutal, the battles with Chelsea sandwiching El Clasico, and it's taken its toll as well. Marquez and Henry were injured in the CL matches, while Abidal and Alves will be missing for certain on 27 May due to a red and yellow card, respectively. Iniesta picked up another injury in the La Liga match this last weekend too.

 Well, all I can say is it could've been worse, and one has to reflect on the wisdom of Guardiola's rotation policy throughout the season and be thankful. The first team is a relatively small one and we've been fortunate to have spent the majority of the campaign with a healthy side. It was bound to happen,...

Barça dominated possession, while Chelsea dominated most of the game. This due to an amazing 'Hail Mary' volley from Essien in the 9th minute that nailed Barcelona's goal in the top left corner (which was disturbingly reminiscent of Scholes' shot last tournament). It was launched from outside the box off an arcing deflection from a Lampard kick. Definitely considered an unlucky blow for the Blaugrana, but thankfully it was early in the match.

The Chelsea I saw tonight was more the one I remember as they did come out more often on the counter than last leg. They were extremely organized in defense, keeping Barça away from their goal with great effectiveness. Things didn't really change much after the restart except for the fact that Abidal was sent off with a straight red for a perceived trip of Anelka. I didn't see it and...

We have a big day tomorrow in London. It should go without saying that Chelsea are a bunch of bruisers in a league of bruisers. A place where 'physicality' is given the ol' nudgenudgewinkwink. So, how the hell are we going to respond to that? La Liga is no choir boys' league by any means (and in some ways the fouling is even more cynical), but the difference lies in the interpretation by the officials. In Spain, a borderline tackle can be turned into a foul if the offended player plays it up just right. In England, a borderline infraction will many times be ignored so long as play doesn't appear too disrupted for it. Neither is legitimate, but each is a product of the football culture in each country. The thing is a lot of Europe subscribes to the English game than to the Spanish game. And we are playing in Stamford Bridge. It all comes down to dealing with the physical aspect of the ...

Barça are well and truly pissed after the Champions League match. The Catalan club came to play and the other side decided to stand in front of goal as a group, and limit their movement to their own third of the pitch primarily. Yes, it was a Chelsea supporter's wet dream and one helluva poor football match for most anyone else on planet Earth.

So where does that leave Barcelona? The next encounter at Stamford Bridge isn't until 6 May. Oh wait, there's Real Madrid on Saturday! Perfect. All this Catalan rage has to find an outlet somewhere, so what better place to trash than the Bernabeu and its team?  After that farce of a game on Tuesday, heads will definitely have to roll. Real Madrid may see this as an opportunity to shorten Barça's lead in La Liga, and maybe under normal circumstances it might be reasonable to...

I'm going over the news for Barcelona (and La Liga) and a couple things stand out. First, Real Madrid. Seems Pepe isn't feeling too inclined to play football these days. Well, at least the Portuguese admits he went way over the top in the Getafe match. I know a lot of defenders who are more or less thugs, but most all of them have their limitations. Pepe is definitely a thug on the best of days, but that display on Sunday was unique in the most unflattering terms. Maybe he should consider quitting after all--and get a good therapist while he's at it. I mean, it's a game, right? The Brazilian Marcelo has followed Pepe with apologies for his conduct on Sunday against Los Azulones too. Yeah, whatever.

I know this all probably sounds too harsh, but there is a good reason for it. I'm not talking of just any team. I'm talking about Real...

I'm running out of things to say about Barça, quite frankly. While watching some YouTube videos of Holland from the '74 World Cup, I came to the conclusion that the Blaugrana looked a lot like that legendary team of yore. Except that the Catalan club show more technical finesse in their game. Aside from that there was the same near seamless overlapping and coverage, the constant movement for space, and the relentless drive to attack.

22 games into the campaign and FC Barcelona have only dropped 7 points from a possible 66. Their goal difference is greater than goals scored for any club in La Primera. Not only do Barça lead La Liga, but the next team down at second place, Real Madrid, are 12 points behind.

The last match at Nou Camp,...