This is the moment Harry Kane won the Ballon'Dor. He was seated next to 3 Barca players in Graham Hansen, Lamine and Rodri, who was first congratulate and hug him. Yet Barca are painted as the bitter losers and Lamine is being crucified as being "upset" at the result. This needs to be addressed because Reddit is clearly being astroturfed and facts are being warped by media outlets like ESPN (hosted by a former member of MadridTV btw), to attack the image of Barca and create a hate campaign for a 19 year old player going through one of the worst weeks of his career.

Full quote from Umtiti: "Really good memories. Honestly, beautiful memories too. I think we’ve had some incredible years with Ivan, both on and off the pitch. For me, he has truly been a role model, especially when I first arrived in Barcelona, because of his professionalism and work ethic. And on the pitch, he was incredible, an incredible player."

According to The Paper, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has suspended La Liga broadcasts and Mbappé-related advertisements over what it called his “seriously negative conduct” concerning China. No timeline has been given for lifting the ban.

There is  no clarity yet on whether La Liga faces a blanket ban in China or the ban is only limited to Real Madrid's matches.

In China, satirical portrayals of former leaders and prominent figures associated with the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can be prosecuted under laws prohibiting the “defamation of heroes and martyrs”, amid strict censorship of political content.

The controversy follows other recent incidents involving Spanish soccer clubs in China. In September, state media criticized Real Madrid over a message that mentioned Nepal and Tibet together following flooding, wording that Chinese outlets described as “incorrect.”

In April, FC Barcelona apologized after a Taiwanese flag appeared on a webpage associated with its international academy.

Yesterday, I made one of my dreams come true! I watched El Clasico at Camp Nou.

However, a lot of it did not live up to my expectations - I wanted to write about it here today to see if other attendees and fans have felt the same.

The atmosphere of the Camp Nou was totally and completely absent. I was in Upper Lateral and literally no one was chanting any songs. It was obvious that the stand was filled with tourists, since you could easily tell they were not locals, or even if tourists they were not fans. They did not even sing the chorus of Un Dia De Partit. It was so disappointing.

The only stand in the stadium consistently chanting was of course Gol Nord. The rest of the stadium barely followed in and often the vibe was really dead. This is a huge let-down since I have attended previous games and they were FILLED with fans who chanted throughout the game and made it so special( Mallorca in La Liga and Atleti for CDR)

Yesterday was much less fun. I think it is because El Clasico prices have become absurd recently, making it unaffordable for locals and only for tourists. It used to. be 200-400 earlier apparently, now it starts at 500 and goes up to 800 in 15 minutes and in a few hours is 1k+. I have read other threads about pissed off socis who cannot go anymore and feel that it is completely ruined for them now.

What do you think?

Barcelona's defensive problem is not just the high line. The numbers suggest something deeper.

After the recent defeats against PSG and Real Madrid, I wanted to look into our defensive statistics rather than simply blame the high line again.

I came across some interesting numbers that suggest our defensive issues are more complicated than we think.

1. Fast break goals conceded increased by 71 percent

Comparing the full 2024/25 La Liga season with the first 11 league matches of 2025/26.

• Fast break shots conceded per game: 1.05 to 1.36, an increase of nearly 30 percent
• Fast break goals conceded per game: 0.21 to 0.36, an increase of approximately 71 percent
• Direct attack goals conceded per game: 0.21 to 0.18, a decrease of approximately 14 percent

What stands out is that fast break goals conceded increased much faster than the number of fast break shots faced.

This suggests that the problem was not simply opponents getting more opportunities. Those opportunities were also resulting in goals at a higher rate.

2. Our build up play is creating another defensive problem

Ahead of the October 2026 El Clasico, Barcelona had already conceded 3 La Liga goals following high turnovers.

Only Levante had conceded more, with 5.

This is particularly concerning because these are not traditional counterattacks where opponents exploit space behind our defensive line.

These are situations where opponents win possession close to our goal and immediately create scoring opportunities.

We are vulnerable both when opponents break through our press and when they press us successfully.

3. Madrid exposed the problem further

In the October 25 El Clasico, Madrid recorded 4 direct attacks.

Our previous 9 La Liga opponents had managed just 6 combined.

Madrid also averaged 15.1 metres of progression per passing sequence, the highest recorded by any opponent against Barcelona in La Liga this season.

To put that into perspective, Madrid generated two thirds as many direct attacks in one match as our previous nine opponents combined.

That is a significant difference and raises questions about how effectively we manage defensive transitions against stronger opposition.

4. This problem existed before Flick

During Xavi's 2023/24 season, Barcelona had already faced 40 direct attacks in La Liga at the time of the analysis.

That was the third highest total in the competition.

We conceded 5 goals from those situations.

This suggests that our vulnerability to quick attacking transitions is not something that started under Flick.

It has existed across different managers and tactical approaches.

5. What do these numbers actually tell us?

I don't think abandoning the high line is necessarily the solution.

The more concerning issue is that we appear vulnerable in two completely different situations.

• When opponents bypass our press, they can exploit the space behind our defenders.
• When opponents press us aggressively, they can force turnovers close to our own penalty area.

In both cases, the problem seems to be how effectively we protect ourselves during changes of possession.

One important limitation is that these statistics cover different periods, and the fast break comparison uses a full season against an 11 match sample. They show recurring vulnerabilities but do not establish what percentage of all goals conceded came from transitions.

The bigger question

Are we focusing too much on the high defensive line when the real issue might be our overall defensive structure and positioning during possession?

And if this problem existed under both Xavi and Flick, is it really a managerial issue, or is there something fundamentally missing in the profiles of players we have?

-----

What is a fast break?

A fast break is a rapid attack immediately after a team wins possession, before the opposition can reorganize its defence.

For example, Barcelona lose possession in midfield, Madrid immediately play forward, and a striker gets a shot before Barcelona's defenders recover their positions.

Sources

https://theanalyst.com/articles/barcelona-high-line-offside-trap-stats

https://theanalyst.com/articles/barcelona-vs-real-madrid-el-clasico-five-key-subplots

https://theanalyst.com/articles/jose-mourinho-clasico-win-real-madrid-stats

https://theanalyst.com/articles/why-xavi-barcelona-dynasty-crumbled-before-it-ever-got-going

Barça won the roller hockey Supercopa on Sunday after drawing 2–2 with Igualada and winning 3–2 on penalties. The shoot-out required sixteen attempts to decide a final in which the Blaugranes had to come from behind twice.

Biel Llanes put Igualada ahead and Nico Ojeda levelled with eight and a half minutes remaining in normal time. In extra time, Gerard Riba restored the Igualada lead with a penalty, but Ojeda equalised again. The victory gives Barça their fifth consecutive Supercopa.

https://www.3cat.cat/esport3/el-barca-aixeca-la-supercopa-despres-duna-tanda-de-setze-penals/noticia/3436032/

• Record matchday revenue: €19,105,768, surpassing the previous El Clásico record of €16,465,731 set on May 10, an increase of €2.64M (+16%).
• Lower attendance, higher revenue: 62,055 spectators attended Sunday's match, compared with 62,213 in May, meaning Barcelona generated 16% more revenue with 158 fewer spectators.
• Ticket pricing: The reported average ticket sale price was €984 excluding VAT, approximately 10% higher than during the previous campaign. Barcelona employed dynamic pricing to maximize revenue based on demand.
• VIP and hospitality revenue: Average VIP ticket prices reached €2,727, while hospitality revenue increased by 350%, aided by the expansion of VIP seating to four rows across the second tier.
• Members and season-ticket holders: Approximately 86% of the regular seating capacity was allocated to season-ticket holders and club members. Barcelona has around 42,000 season-ticket holders, while members purchased approximately 10,000 tickets during a 21-day presale before sales opened to the general public.

This guy is phenomenal in this season as well as in last season. He’s the best Rb we have. With his defensive work rate, we won a lot of matches in fact we didn’t lose a single match before he injured.

He doesn’t offer much as an offensive player, but his defensive ability makes our backline a lot safer. With Kounde off form, Eric Garcia is the only reliable Rb we have.

When he plays as Cb, he’s also great. With Lamine not great at pressing on the right flank, Cancelo and Lamine are the worst combo on the right side.

Cancelo offers offensively but when he can’t, we barely see him defensively. I really wish Eric Garcia full recovery.
Espart on the left and Eric on the right are the only suitable answers for us right now.

As said, signing a Cb is mandatory. It can be right-footed or left-footed. 19 years Cubarsi needs rest too.

Before the match (which happened on Oct 22 2006, almost exactly 20 years ago), Xavi said in an interview:

“Nos entendemos con la mirada. Hemos crecido en la misma escuela y se nota. Me siento muy cómodo jugando con ellos.”

Translation:

“We understand each other with a glance. We grew up in the same school, and it shows. I feel very comfortable playing with them.”

After losing the clasico and the world club cup final, the claim was so popular that Xavi and Iniesta had to address it in a joint interview:

Iniesta said:

“Podemos jugar juntos. No se dónde está escrito que no podemos hacerlo.”

Translation:

“We can play together. I don't know where it's written that we can't.”

20 years later, during the World Cup, Pedri said this about Rodri:

“I can tell with just a glance or from the way he moves what he’s about to do, and he can do the same.”

Both Rodri and Pedri said something remarkably similar to what Iniesta and Xavi said after Rodri joined Barcelona.

Pedri:

“People always say we haven't worked well together, but playing with him is very comfortable. We're going to understand each other very well.”

Rodri:

“It's very easy to play alongside Pedri. He makes things easier, not harder. We understand each other wonderfully.”

Pedri went into some details about the reason why in the press conference ahead of PSG:

“When he's on the pitch, he gives me a little more freedom to push forward, because I know he'll always be there.”

Rodri explained earlier about their relationship in another interview:

“I think that’s the best thing you can have alongside you when you’re playing as a number six: someone who gives you an outlet when playing out from the back, someone who links you with the players further forward. With the security he has on the ball, his ability to get past opponents, play first-time passes, and make intelligent decisions, he obviously gives you that solution. I think what I can offer him in return is structure and solidity, so that he doesn’t have to move around so much.”

——

Obviously the two are still developing better synergy and understanding of each other, and the best distribution of responsibilities may not be limited to what they have discovered so far. Mourinho was just very good at finding a tactical solution against them, who had played so well together this season until the defeat. Please have more faith in the partnership to evolve further and don’t be like those fools who said Xavi and Iniesta were incompatible 20 years ago.

Flick needs to realise that some things clearly aren't working and start making adjustments instead of repeating the same mistakes every single game.

Midfield

Our midfield is still one of the few things keeping us alive, but flick needs to get the balance right. For me, frenkie and rodri should be the double pivot, with pedri playing as a hybrid 8/10. We need pedri back at his best without running him into the ground every game.

fermin has become so one dimensional that he barely looks like a midfielder or a proper attacker anymore. I'd rather see olmo in big games because we need players who can actually bring more control and creativity.

Bernal also needs regular minutes, even if they're just 10-15 minutes off the bench, not because he is good, but we need to make him good enough, asap. We need him ready to step up whenever pedri or rodri is unavailable because we can't keep having zero reliable backup options.

We also need to start integrating gavi and farinas into the rotation. There's no point having young talents if we're never going to give them the minutes to develop.

Attack

Our attack is good enough to compete with anyone, but the rotation and consistency need serious work. Yamal needs to find his rhythm again without being overplayed, while gabrbriel and rapha need proper workload management before they burn out.

Gordon also needs to become less predictable. his pace is great, but against elite defences, you need more than just running past people. The quality is already there, but flick needs to use it properly instead of relying on the same players to bail us out every single game.

Defence

This is where things are genuinely looking cooked. With the current injuries, we're down to just four defenders: Balde, Cubarsi, Gerard Martin and Cancelo. FOUR. For a club with our ambitions, that level of depth is actually embarrassing.

Flick needs to fix the high line, even if he needs to kill his ego, sort out the Eric and Cubarsi partnership and preserve Christensen for the important games when he's fit. I'd seriously look at Nobel Mendy as a potential CB signing because his pace, ball playing ability and 1v1 defending fit what we need.

Bastoni was ready last season to get here. We could have also gone for schollterbeck, van de ven or honest anhoor, or romero and so many more if only if flick had decided to move on from gerard martin and kounde.

Balde and Bernal need regular minutes, even if they're just getting a few minutes off the bench. They don't need to be perfect right now; they need game time to actually reach their potential. And we seriously need to stop starting Cancelo over Balde in big games. Balde has the pace and recovery ability this system desperately needs, so why are we not trusting him?

We can't keep waiting for our young players to become finished products before trusting them. That's literally how you end up wasting their development years.

Goalkeeping

Joan Garcia has been one of our biggest positives, and he's genuinely been saving us from some embarrassing scorelines. But even the best goalkeeper can't keep bailing out a defence that switches off every other game.

We need to stop relying on miracle saves and actually give him a backline that knows what it's doing. A goalkeeper can only do so much when the entire defensive structure is falling apart in front of him.

At the end of the day, these last two games should be a wake up call. We have the quality to compete, but Flick needs to stop being stubborn, fix what's clearly broken and start making decisions based on what the team actually needs. Otherwise, we're just going to keep repeating the same mistakes and acting surprised when the results don't go our way.

Visca Barca.