Goalkeeping Genius!
Barcelona legend Victor Valdes saw his opportunities limited for the Spanish national team during his professional career due to the preference of Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas and Pepe Reina.
Victor Valdes was restricted to just 20 caps for the Spanish La Furia Roja during his time with the national team. His 20 appearances for Spain came within a four-year period between 2010 and 2014. Continue reading “VALDES: INTERNATIONAL CAREER CAREER EXPOSED”
Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho has refused to rule out a potential return to Liverpool in the future. The 28-year-old made the switch to the Catalan giants from the Reds in January 2018 and he has since experienced mixed set of fortunes. Coutinho won the La Liga title with the Blaugrana during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 campaigns, but he was not overly impressive with his league performances.
As a result, he was loaned out to Bayern Munich last term where he was able to revive his career with a few standout performances. One of them came off the bench against the Blaugrana in the Champions League quarter final where he bagged two goals and an assist in the stunning 8-2 win which contributed to manager Quique Setien’s dismissal. Continue reading “Philippe Coutinho refuses to rule out Liverpool return”
Ajax goalkeeper André Onana has said that former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes is one of the best goalkeepers to have ever played the game. Onana was formerly a youth goalkeeper at Barcelona but was not able to make it to the first-team before leaving the Catalan giants and moved to the Netherlands, joining Ajax in the process.
The Cameroon Ian international shot-stopper revealed this in an interview with Sport as he recalled how much of an influence Valdes was to his career at a really young age. According to Onana, Victor Valdes has been the best goalkeeper with his hands Onana said Valdes had an incredible pair of hands and that after being involved in a lot of training sessions with the former Spain goalkeeper, he learned a lot from him. Continue reading “VALDES IS ONE OF THE BEST GOALKEEPERS EVER – ONANA”
Barcelona legend Victor Valdes has struggled a little bit in his first big test as a football club manager. The Ex-Spanish international shot stopper was appointed the manager of Unio Atleticad’ Hortain the fourth tier of Spanish football earlier this year. Victor Valdes was given a one-year deal until next summer. The 38-year-old turned to management shortly after he retired from football. His last appearance as a professional player came at English Championship team Middlesbrough three years ago (2017). Victor Valdes acquired his coaching licence alongside his ex-Spanish national teammates. The likes of Xabi Alonso, Xavi Hernandez and Raul Gonzalez also did their coaching badges. Victor Valdes and Xavi Hernandez were teammates at Barcelona for several years.
His coaching career started with the youth teams of amateur club ED Moratalaz. During his time at the club from 2018 to 2019, Victor Valdes won two regional titles. He left the club for Barcelona in 2019 and was in charge of the Juvenil A side at the Catalan club before his time at the Nou Camp proved to be brief.Victor Valdes spent less than three months at Barcelona before he was sacked. His first job as the manager of a professional club has not gone according to plan as a lot more was expected from him.
Continue reading “VALDES: HORTA MANAGERIAL PERFORMANCE EXAMINED”
Barcelona legend Rivaldo believes Philippe Coutinho should return to the Premier League in order to find his old form. The Brazil international parted ways with Liverpool to join the Blaugrana in January 2018, but he failed to perform consistently as he was played out of position on the left side of the attack.
Last summer, he made the move to Bayern Munich on loan and his spell has been a mixed one despite contributing nine goals and eight assists for the club. Coutinho make a quick start to the proceedings from the number 10 position, but his performances have faded during the backend of the campaign where Thomas Muller has got the regular nod over him. Continue reading “Rivaldo: Coutinho should return to Premier League”
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has insisted that the Blaugrana are on the right track and their form has been unnecessary criticised by the media. The Spanish giants have not played to the best of their abilities this term but they are still at the top of the La Liga table and on course to qualify for the Champions League knockouts.
Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has admitted that he is frustrated with his current situation at the Catalan giants. The Croatia international has been a regular for the Blaugrana over the past four seasons but he has recently dropped down the pecking order with summer signing Frenkie de Jong preferred in the centre of the park.
Speaking to Croatian outlet 24sata, Rakitic acknowledged that he has experienced a tough beginning to the season where he has regularly featured off the bench. He added he is content to fight for his position at the moment but things may change, should he continue to struggle for starts in the league.
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has said that the players are unlikely to be affected by the ongoing speculation associating Neymar with a return to the club. The Brazil international has played no part for Paris Saint-Germain since the beginning of the season and reports have emerged that he is keen on returning to the Camp Nou before the September 2 transfer deadline.
Amidst this, Valverde has been questioned about the attacker’s potential return on numerous occasions, but the Spaniard has come up with the same response each time around. Speaking in a press conference, Valverde stressed that there is always speculation with the transfer window open and the players have to live with that.
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has said that the players are unlikely to be affected by the ongoing speculation associating Neymar with a return to the club. The Brazil international has played no part for Paris Saint-Germain since the beginning of the season and reports have emerged that he is keen on returning to the Camp Nou before the September 2 transfer deadline.
Amidst this, Valverde has been questioned about the attacker’s potential return on numerous occasions, but the Spaniard has come up with the same response each time around. Speaking in a press conference, Valverde stressed that there is always speculation with the transfer window open and the players have to live with that.
He added that it would be impossible for the Blaugrana players to play the game, should the Neymar speculation affect them in any capacity, he said: “Every time a market window gets open there’s a big expectation and players like Neymar awake a big expectation as well. What is happening is anything but boring, but he is a PSG player and we must focus on the game. We are used to living with these rumours. If they affected us, it would be impossible to play the games. This is a habitual thing here and it doesn’t look extraordinary to me. We are used to it and we must live with that.”
Barcelona started the season in the worst possible fashion as they succumbed to a 1-0 loss at the hands of Athletic Bilbao on the road. The Basque club have proved a bogey outfit for the team over the years and an early season blow was inflicted after veteran marksman Aritz Aduriz scored with a stunning scissor kick with minutes left on the clock. The Blaugrana are scheduled to face Real Betis on their home turf this weekend.
Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde has praised summer signing Frenkie de Jong and believes the midfielder will provide the added energy in the midfield to drive the team to further success. The Netherlands international was pursued from Ajax at the midway stage of the previous campaign but the terms of the agreement meant that he would only join the Blaugrana this summer.
Speaking in a press conference, Valverde hailed the arrivals of De Jong, Antoine Griezmann and Neto in recent weeks and gave special praise to the former, who has been brought to provide young energy in the centre of the park, he said: “These are three major purchases. Each in their own way. We expect a lot from them. They know that the fans are enthusiastic and we hope that they adapt as quickly as possible.
Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde has praised summer signing Frenkie de Jong and believes the midfielder will provide the added energy in the midfield to drive the team to further success. The Netherlands international was pursued from Ajax at the midway stage of the previous campaign but the terms of the agreement meant that he would only join the Blaugrana this summer.
Speaking in a press conference, Valverde hailed the arrivals of De Jong, Antoine Griezmann and Neto in recent weeks and gave special praise to the former, who has been brought to provide young energy in the centre of the park, he said: “These are three major purchases. Each in their own way. We expect a lot from them. They know that the fans are enthusiastic and we hope that they adapt as quickly as possible.
“De Jong has achieved a high level in recent seasons. Especially last year he was great, just like his entire team. We hope he adds new energy to our midfield. That would be good for us. “We are also building for the future and he has many more years ahead of him. He is a player with a lot of quality and our way of playing fits him well.”
With the arrival of De Jong, the Blaugrana find themselves overloaded with options in the midfield and reports indicate that there could be potential departures. Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal have been linked with potential exits and there remains the prospect of one of the duo heading through the exit door before the transfer deadline.
Elsewhere, the Catalans have been touted to re-sign Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain but so far, they have not come up with a suitable offer. As per sources, the Spanish champions could offer Philippe Coutinho as a makeweight to significantly reduce the £200m price tag but it remains to be seen whether Les Parisiens would favour the proposal.
Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde has said that he wanted to keep Lionel Messi to remain active on the field of play during the midweek triumph over Alaves. The manager opted to start Messi on the bench for the game and some supporters were surprised when he was brought on to the pitch in the second half, where the club were cruising at 2-0.
Speaking after the game, Valverde indicated that the move has nothing to go with the Golden Shoe accolade and the focus was more on keeping the Argentine active ahead of the Champions League semi-final tie against Liverpool next month, he said: “The idea was that he’d play because the result wasn’t clear when it was goalless at half time. The suggestion that it was about the Golden Shoe… well, we focus on winning. It was time for him to get some rest today and to come out in the second half. It’s good for players to stay involved and active. You can’t put them away in a case and then just bring them out for one match.”
Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde has said that he wanted to keep Lionel Messi to remain active on the field of play during the midweek triumph over Alaves. The manager opted to start Messi on the bench for the game and some supporters were surprised when he was brought on to the pitch in the second half, where the club were cruising at 2-0.
Speaking after the game, Valverde indicated that the move has nothing to go with the Golden Shoe accolade and the focus was more on keeping the Argentine active ahead of the Champions League semi-final tie against Liverpool next month, he said: “The idea was that he’d play because the result wasn’t clear when it was goalless at half time. The suggestion that it was about the Golden Shoe… well, we focus on winning. It was time for him to get some rest today and to come out in the second half. It’s good for players to stay involved and active. You can’t put them away in a case and then just bring them out for one match.”
The Blaugrana are currently three points away from the league title and they are assured of lifting the crown , provided they beat Leganes over the weekend. As such, they have the courtesy to rest players in between the double-legged Champions League semi-final tie against Liverpool and that could prove a key difference in terms of the fitness levels of both teams.
Messi has notched 45 goals through the ongoing campaign and there are no doubts that his performances would put him up there for the Ballon d’Or award. Nonetheless, the main focus would be on the Blaugrana, who are aiming to secure the Champions League crown after missing out for the past three seasons. Barcelona are scheduled to host Levante this weekend before tackling Jurgen Klopp’s men.