Village Idiot

He's cloned Badstuber? Why wouldn't you clone Lewandowki if you could? That's probably a typo, must be Lahm on the right.

It's weird because he looks shaky most of the time yet he's performed well in big games. He's strong in the air, something we don't have much of. All in all he's a decent backup, but we should have never paid what we did for him (€20m).

Poor form to name the lad. He could have complained about the service without naming names.

There were lots of talk of strengthening a couple months ago, but suddenly we're awesome again and it's all quieted down. Vidal and Arda coming in it's probably all we'll see. Sergi Roberto's form has made another midfield signing unlikely. The lad has definitely stepped up when we needed him (I had given up on him, myself). I'd feel better with a quality defender in myself. We have lots of defenders, but few really good ones. But we are not likely to find that kind of player in January, so probably not worth it.

I haven't seen the game, but looks like Pep has gone full 1930s against Olympiakos http://estaticos04.marca.com/imagenes/2015/11/25/futbol/futbol_internacional/1448444008_extras_noticia_foton_7_2.jpg He played that formation ocasionally at Barça, too.

Yeah. Unless this is dressing room bantz, I think it's poor form from one of the squad's heavyweights to call out a kid like that, though.

Roma can't catch a break. Ter Stegen needed this, too.

What the fuck was than pen from Ney

Tooj's favorite Sergi Samper coming in.

Suárez This is ridiculous, I'm starting to feel guilty.

2-0 Messi

Goal Suárez, it was a matter of time - Roma's defence has looked paper thin all game long.

I know I'm partial here, but I find it really puzzling that he almost never makes any of the end of the year best XIs and award shortlists. I guess he has too much of a bad rap (even though he's toned down the cuntishness massively as he's aged).

Keita back at the Camp Nou

That Garth Crooks clip Becoming a parody now, I'm pretty sure that's half-intended.

The pun power of Isaac Success is so wasted in the Spanish league. The Pozzos should send him to Watford. Good talent, too.

I just swung by the newsagent's down the street, and "La Grada" - which is the regional paper that caters to Espanyol fans - doesn't even carry the Clásico result in today's front page, despite the fact that other La Liga results from yesterday are featured there. So bitter and small time, I love it

Benítez to get the backing of the board tomorrow or tuesday, according to most sources. Obviously they won't sack him so early, it would be Pérez admitting a mistake, and Pérez doesn't do such things.

Yup. I know the environment is incessantly toxic and full to the brim with delusion and egomania, but forcing out one of the very best managers of the past couple of decades was impressive even by their standards. It's seriously one of the worst managerial appointments I've seen. Benitez is just not a Real Madrid manager in any way, shape or form. I have no idea what they were thinking with that one. The narrative when they sacked Ancelotti was that he didn't rotate players and the team wasn't tactically drilled. Enter a manager famous for rotating players and putting tactics at the forefront, who also happens to be a local boy.

Ney scored 39 while playing alongside Messi last season...

Personally I think that Lucho just doesn't like Deulofeu and it would take Messi-esque levels of performance for him to sign on Deulofeu coming back to Barça. We might buy him back just to sell him to another club at a higher price, though. Madrid does that a lot with their players with buyback options.

FIFA ethics committee requests punishment for Platini and Blatter. http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34889324

Casemiro should have played, nonsense benching your only natural DM. We cut through Madrid's midfield like butter.

Interesting to see if Barca buy Deulofeu back There's a clip on Marca today claiming we are planning to do just that, but it's probably just paper talk at this point.

Marca calling for Benítez' sack on the paper today, man I love that lot Real Madrid have such a poisonous and hysterical environment, nothing sustainable will be able to be nurtured there, ever. The way they hounded Ancelotti out last season is testament to that.