I don't think we should be making a fuss here about who doesn't pass to who. These are the kind of problems the media and fans cause. Has dembele or vidal complained yet? Personally, i think it's normal if a player makes some certain decisions at certain times that includes not passing to someone or not shooting. Don't tell me you don't make those type of decisions when playing.
I don't think there is a strained relationship anywhere or too much friendship. You should take a look at who each of messi assists has been made for.

I don't think the board would want to buy either of mbappe and rashford. I personally dislike the idea. Miranda is joining the first team by january and that should end the talk about an alba replacement. Wague would be coming in too. Coutinho is going nowhere in the next 2 - 3 seasons and i'm 75% sure about that

As for suarez, he isn't relaxed because he doesn't have competition. He works a lot on the pitch and vents frustration when he isn't getting the goals. 11 goals and 5 assists isn't bad anyway.
Rakitic is and will always remain an essential part of d team. He had a good performance yesterday and i didn't notice any sign of fatigue and moreover, we don't have any match until january 6 and i think that's enough rest. If we're not clamouring for busquets to be rested, we shouldn't be so bent on resting rakitic.

Coutinho's problem now isn't whether is playing on the wing or in midfield. He is off form and is poor in his decision making. He dribbles when he is to pass and vice versa. He is so pragmatic with his technique; takes some touches, dribbles across the defence and takes the customary shot into the top right corner. Everybody is familiar with that. He is more like a puppet that has one trick and would keep trying it till he gets a treat. What we get now is that he dribbles too much, stop plays and take silly shots. And mind you, he doesn't need to play so up field to take crosses. Alba has been much of a left back/left winger in recent times and does a lot of work on the left wing.
It's a healthy competition btw arthur, vidal, dembele and coutinho. When vidal and dembele are on the pitch, d team is better defensively. You can see the in the second half when coutinho, messi, suarez and arthur were on d pitch at d same time, we ceded more possession and could have leaked goals if we were against a better team.

Did anyone hear notice e.v's comments on the B team and the winter transfer window?
He said Miranda and Moussa Wague are going to be part of the first team from January.
He also said he's not expecting any player in January.
If this happens, it would be a total of 3 promotions this season...Not bad afterall

And the club has officially signed murillo on loan until june 30, 2019. There is an purchase option for £25m. He would be officially presented on December 27

Excallibur:
Abeg where i fit get 'take the ball , pass the ball'

I have actually been looking for where to get it too. For almost a month now

Now, the news isn't rabiot anymore. Who heard that the club has agreed to bring in murillo from valencia?

kodded:
its so funny how you guys always overhype all this average English clubs







....so you think Bayern and Dortmund came here to drink Heineken ?

I personally despise english teams but in reality, liverpool and tottenham is much more than what bayern and dortmund can handle presently.
In any case, let's just wait and see. I would really like dortmund to progress tho.

My version of ucl quarterfinalists: Man City Juventus PSG Tottenham Liverpool Ajax Barcelona Porto

philfearon:

He didn't alter his play to match up to Messi... He did it to focus on scoring alone...
Nonetheless, foil or no foil, there is nothing stopping Suarez from scoring the numerous chances and sitters he has been missing... That's the point!
If Suarez gets 10 scoring opportunities and scores them all, will he die? Is it not his job? Does he have any other business?
Players have their off days, which is normal... You can't possibly be telling me this is the case with Suarez... He's been on a downward spiral since last season, and it's not getting better...

Yeah, suarez misses sitters but he still has 11 goals; just about 2 goals less than ronaldo's tally. He has a couple of assists and that's in just 19 apps. Though, seeing him miss so much chances is very annoying, he makes up for that in his overall play. I keep reminiscing that build up play to messi's 3rd goal. Very few players can do what he did. We should be lenient with him.

philfearon:

Suarez should have had a hat trick today... Most of the sitters Suarez misses all of the time are always just forgotten about because we usually end up winning most of the time... But, the truth still remains that Suarez plays Jack shít this days!!!

He doesn't play shít, he just wastes shots at goal. He made very good plays today. The pass to alba before the dummy he made for the 3rd goal. The nutmeg and cross he made for messi's 3rd was pure class. We wouldn't have scored those goals without him.

Suarez was excellent today. Has a total of 11 goals in Laliga now. Bottled some chances though but nobody was perfect. Messi blazed a freekick over the past, lost possesion a couple of times and fired some shots just wide.
people criticising suarez are the same people that criticise roberto even though he has the second highest number of assists in Laliga this season: 6. Suarez has 11 goals, very few have more than that tally this season.
And finally, i must say. Pique is a cheat. I bet that the so-called best player; Modric can't score that goal not to talk of any other CB in the world.
It was a vital victory and our third consecutive clean sheet in laliga. Not bad.
and more importantly, kudos to ev. And thanks for giving denis some minutes, he was quite impressive apart from the chance he bottled.
Arthur brought the much needed calm in the midfield and we looked deadlier when he came in. Vidal was great and Pique was a rock in the defence. Alba got an assist and busi got a rare one too.
8/10 for d team

It was a great game especially for messi. He now has most goals and assists in europe's top 5 leagues. His hattrick made it 50 goals in 2018 and he has contributed a total of 900 goals in his career; 637 goals and 263 assists. He has surpassed Xavi as the player with the most Laliga victories: 323, xavi: 322. This is the fourth time in his career to contribute 5 goals in a match. And this is the second time in a decade that he is scored 3 goals and made 2. The last time was on sept. 17, 2011. He has scored 50+ goals in eight of the last 9 years. He has contributed a total of 32 goals in all competitions and we're just in December. So much for the 5th best player in the world.

Now, look at d nutmeg and pass from suarez again

Debroslink:
The GOAT strikes again.
Alba, Suarez dummy, Messi strikes.
Reminds me of Tottenham massacre.

That dummy again. To suarez critics, he has given u something to think about

Semedo has been left out of the squad cos he has a problem with his left knee. He has been replaced by vermalean in the starting lineup. Our defence for today is alba - pique - lenglet - vermalean. Arthur and coutinho are on the bench while Vidal and dembele are starting

Munir and Denis Suarez are also included in the squad

Guys, i am getting the feeling that the club wouldn't get an alternative for Alba since Miranda has been playing so well. He was included in the squad going to Levante. I'm quite sure that he's gonna be an official first team player very soon

The freekick maestro

Nobody should even talk about buying Kane o. And i assure u, the Barca board wouldn't even think of it.
Against barca's worst defence of d season, he couldn't score. That's enough for me to counter his fan-implied move. He is nothing of an upgrade on suarez, no striker presently is.

He b like say our E.V fanbase don day expand small small. A nice development. Apart from Adiwana's pointless complaints, i guess everyone is contented with yesterday's game.
The only thing that hurts me is why we had to lose the battle of ball possession.

Barca's XI vs Tottenham: Cillessen;

Semedo, Vermalaen, Lenglet, Miranda;
Arthur, Rakitic, Alena;
Dembele, Munir, Coutinho
ForçaBarça

Iniesta: "It would be ugly to say that it is unfair for Luka Modric. For me, Leo is the best. I always say not only currently but he is the best throughout history."

7 Barca players have been nominated for UEFA Team of the Year. Messi, Suarez, Rakitic, Pique, Umtiti, Alba and Ter stegen were all nominated but there is 1 major exclusion: Busquets. Why was he excluded?

ayoalani:

There is something I believe in; work on ur strengths. Messi has been phenomenal using this curve technique and consistent too in recent times.

It takes a lot to be so consistent. And yeah...it's one of the skill that he has largely built one. He might not be the best in taking freekicks but he has his standards. And i doubt there is anybody here that didn't think the ball was going in immediately he stood up to take the first freekick against espanyol.

Evangkatsoulis:


Nah, messi is not even close to beckham. Beckham hits with power with generates more spin and thus a more pronounced curve. Check his goal vs Everton and that vs Greeece in 2001. Also juninho mastered the curl techniques in vasco dagama. He only began to use knuckle ball/dipping freekick in Lyon.
Also, one can master different technique. Like Pirlo who used curls before he learn the Knuckle freekick from Juninho. Ronaldo always has the same pose but he utilizes differenct techniques. check his goal vs spain and his first freekick goal portugal or his freekick vs Apoel in 2012, also his goal vs atletico in 2012/13 where he utilized the curl technique. Or his goal vs Denmark in 2011 or his goal vs athletico in 2011/12 where his utilized the dipping technique. Or his reverse curl/bend vs European XI in 2007.

There is something I believe in; work on ur strengths. Messi has been phenomenal using this curve technique and consistent too in recent times.

I need someone to answer me. In modern football, who has scored the highest number of direct freekicks? What's the record for the highest number of direct freekicks scored in a year? In reference to direct freekicks, how is messi ranked in order of number of freekicks scored?

Evangkatsoulis:


Errr, pele scored more than 60 freekicks in his career.

I'm quite sure mepi would score more freekicks in the long run than what pele managed

IKON360:

not yet, Juninho has scored more, even Ronaldinho and Beckham have scored more. Messi will soon pass Roberto Carlos sha or might have. Carlos had 25 freekick goals.

I am actually talking about the way he plays the freekicks and not the amount of freekicks he has scored.
And i want to ask, how many players have scored 9+ freekicks in a year apart from messi?

MJBOLT:

goals scored from direct free kicks since 2014

Messi 19

Juventus 18

Lyon,Roma,Real madrid 14

Bayern 13

Sampdoria,monaco and PSG 12

chelsea,liverpool and milan 11

Best freekick taker of all time