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Barcelona B player Rafinha (20) will be promoted to the first team this summer, but he could leave on loan to have more playing time. [as] He's a great player and with hard work I believe he can make it on the first team someday. Thiago+Rafinha being a successful midfield pair would be a dream...

It's nice to see a league rise up but not necessarily on the basis of rich owners making the sport more financial based. Teams that are rising up in a more noble way would be Atletico, Dortmund, etc. but moving to a team solely because they can pay the big buck isn't the most respectable thing.

Dante?

The Rodriguez+Moutinho thing is disappointing. It's like Hulk moving to Zenit for money after being a transfer target for clubs with ambition. It's a shame what a big influence a paycheck can have on some players.

Hope the new coach can actually develop him there and he doesn't end up with the likes of Sahin or Canales. If he succeeds at Madrid he will grow very well and be a great star for the next generation of the NT as well. It'll be cool to see all the young Spanish rivalries team up on the...

Marquinhos should be all the personnel we need if we were to fix the tactical problem. And keep in mind that I doubt the tactical problem will be fixed under Tito, it's just what I'd say is the best solution. If our players press, teams will only get 2-3 decent chances to score per game and our...

The only true personnel problem I see is depth. With a pressing game our defense will have far less problems in quick counterattacks and will have to deal with less. Bayern's defenders had absolutely nothing to do, except for when Messi was the one sparking the attack (which was rare considering...

It's like they don't even consider the fact that all that could be solved by giving him more playing time

Never said it completely proves it or disproves it, just provides insight to a situation without Dani (which we've hardly seen for a while now). That's what I observed from the game and it's what I'll be looking to observe every time we play without Alves. The more consistent the observations...

I doubt injury issues will be a huge problem for Puyol if we save him for only the most important games. He's slower but his leadership organizes the entire defense which is better than anything speed could provide. I'd argue that our team problems are 75% tactical. It's not always about the...

Ah, thanks for the reply. I recently heard Liverpool are trying to secure his signature to replace Carragher, and last I remember he seemed like a good player.

Without Messi, Iniesta was the only one making things happen vs PSG. Bayern have been the better team all season and will be for the considerable future in terms of squad depth, tactics, hunger, and team play.

Varane needed a season and a half because coming from a 2nd division team in France, he was relatively unknown. He impressed Mourinho consistently and got more trust but ultimately exploded in his performance vs Barca. Ever since then the only problem he's had has been playing alongside Pepe...

To anyone who watches Schalke, how is Kriakos Papadopoulous developing?

I'm tired of this "just a prospect" stuff. All season he's thrived under horrible conditions and faced counterattacking situations with ice-cold nerves and extreme composure. Where does this idea come from that if a player is young he is too inexperienced to play and not nurtured enough? Not...

With Thiago Silva and Vincent Kompany not for sale, Roma centre back Marquinhos (18) would now be Barcelona's main centre back option. [md]

Alves missing the previous game gave insight to many theories I had. His absence balanced the play out much better. -Pedro was very involved in attack all night unlike usual when he's chained down by having to cover Alves. Although his finishing was dismal so he couldn't capitalize on all the...

To be fair you can't judge Cesc by his ability to play like Iniesta, it's apples and oranges. The thing with Cesc is that he goes off form quite a bit along with the fact that in our current system, the management hasn't found a role or good partners for him. Xavi+Cesc lacks fluidity and...

Funnily both Cesc and Alexis played against Cordoba too, yet Thiago was the one shining.