Village Idiot

VDV is Kaká's understudy at Real. Fair play to him, he's got his share of football and done well when he's been on. Madrid have some great depth, would have been even better if they had kept Snejder and Robben. Fortunately, they did not.

Messi's just come out of injury, one of the reasons he didn't play Sunday. But our midfield looked out of place indeed. Still the away leg.

1-2, with that utterly weird lineup we started with, I was fearing something like that, although the referee was a bit wank. Throwing up Gaby Milito at the deep end against Sevilla after more than one year of stoppage was a bit too daring I think. Guardiola has even admitted to tinker too much with the lineup. Good I didn't go to the stadium then, my undefeated record is still on

how manys hes got for them? Two in eleven, but he's only started to feature for them in the last weeks. Barcelona - Sevilla tonight Copa del Rey first leg! I'm not going since it's a big Spanish/Catalan holiday this evening, but it should be a cracking game.

Yeah, that's probably the simplest and best way to put it. One of the things I miss of living in NYC is when I showed up at my office in Barcelona and bragged with the Espanyol fans or our resident Real Madrid fan during lunch time. I really don't think domestic audiences really want this to happen, and despite what people think they are still the bulk of people that keeps clubs afloat.

I don't know... purely thinking as a fan, the good thing about these "ManU vs Barça" etc matches is how rare they are and that they usually happen in the critical stages of Europe's top tier competition, I don't think there would have much of a pull if it happened every year. And even we'd be playing much better teams, I just don't have the same rivalry playing against Inter Milan that I have when playing Espanyol or Valencia (Valencia could make that compo I guess). Also, relating to this, a couple of weeks ago I was reading the bio of Agustí Montal, Barça president during the 1970s, and one of the funniest things are his comments on how the European Superleague was already talked back then and everybody thought it was "impending", and how he tried to raise Barça's profile to make sure we'd get in... yet nothing happened. Sobering thought I think. We certainly need to do something to restore some competiveness to domestic leagues. Is that possible though? It would require a lot of regulation that I don't think will be easy for UEFA to implement (provided they even have the desire to try). Yank leagues like the NFL do a good work of that, but sometimes it feels like they just roll a die every season and select a random winner.

He's a jewel in their crown He's shining today.

Diamanti is truly a very decent player, can't believe he was playing in Serie B in his mid-20s.

I like Bolton, there's something to be said about small clubs that are able to survive so long in the Premiership (and getting the odd Europe qualification) with whatever weapons they can muster. And the much maligned Allardyce Bolton had people like Djorkaeff and Anelka playing for them... I liked how they mixed the physical approach with one or two really classy players on the pitch. Kevin Davies has been so underrated it's criminal, too. Can't believe people like Heskey or Vassell have piled up on England caps before him.

I don't particularly care about West Ham, but I greatly admired Zola as a player, would love to see him do well.

Meh, one of the two live Barça games I'll get to see this year and I get a shoddy home draw. Still, my undefeated run stretches to 2005!

His time at Benfica seemed a waste. I wondered why he never went to a lower La Liga club in the first place like, do you think he could turn out to be more wasted money? The Benfica loan is a bit silly, we had offers from lower clubs that would have guaranteed him more playing time, but it was preferred that he went to a higher profile club that played in Europe. There was a rumor that we were cozying up with Benfica to get an option for De María though, but if we are recalling him I assume that's not true. I'm not going to dismiss the guy before he has hardly kicked a ball, but at this moment, spending €15m on a guy that was always going to be loaned out was utterly stupid given that we still have problem areas in our squad that need addressing.

Seems we are loaning FM legend Keirrison to Zaragoza until the end of the season.

Valdés has improved leaps and bounds over these years. He has cut on the mistakes he did (he has had a couple bloppers this season, but they are now in the "uncharacteristic mistake by Valdés" category now ), and commands his area much better (punches much less) and gives confidence to the defence. Byline crosses aren't his forte, but he defends crosses from deep very well. I think that's because of how La Liga plays, since Casillas also has a similar weakness (there's isn't much touchline crossing in the league). I don't consider him one of the greatest keepers of the planet, but it's probably the best keeper for FC Barcelona at this momen given how he conforms to the way we play and the kind of goal scoring opportunities we give to the opposition (he's great on one-to-ones and with the ball at his feet, for example).

Eden Hazard has done mouthwatering stuff the couple times I have seen him play. If he can cut it in a harder league, he's going to be a treat. I should watch more Ligue 1 I think.

2-1 to the Catalans at the moment (60 mins).......... good goals by Bojan and Pastori (Argies)....decent game Some famaliar faces on the Catalan side.....Valdes, Pique, Puyol, Oleguer, Sergio Garcia, Sergio, Bojan, Xavi, Busquets etc Argies less familiar: Di Maria, Higuin, Demichilis: basically a 3rd choice team 4-2 now to the Catalans (75mins) A full strength Catalonia first XI would look something like: Valdés F.Navarro Puyol Piqué Capdevila Busquets Xavi Cesc Bojan Sergio García Serrano Codina Oleguer Verdú Tamudo Sergio (can't think more decent subs ) Politics aside, do you guys reckon this side could make it to ECs and WCs regularly? I think it would, depending on qualification draws. That's probably the strongest Catalan side in our story, mind. We are a bit like Scotland and Wales though, where we have awful depth and have to play people in second and third divisions to make up the numbers.

Cunt scored -3 for my FF team (I don't play him, he's just pretty cheap and a regular starter so he was in the last spot of my bench but got subbed because of Bolton getting suspended).

Catalonia used to fill the Camp Nou just 4-5 years ago. Interest has waned over the years though. I myself stopped going to these games (I haven't lived in Barcelona for the past half a decade, but I always spend Christmas in here). No lineups yet. Messi is Argentina 100%, he really loves playing for them. Not his fault Maradona is cack.

Casillas is better than Valdés. But I'd have had Julio Cesar in there. Casillas didn't really have the best of seasons last year. Overall I think he's starting to decline (he peaked up quite early). Valdés is quite puzzlingly not rated at all outside of Barcelona. The problem with this yearly awards is how they split seasons. Gerrard has been pure cack so far this season, but very good on the tail end of the last one. Cronaldo has had a great start of this season despite injury, and had a great finish to the last one. I think he deserves that spot. Essien should have secured a spot in that midfield, though, if they attempt to make a viable team. I feel bad for Villa, one of the greatest forwards we have ever produced and it looks he's never going to get the recognition he deserves unless he moves out of Valencia. Torres is great but Villa has been better in 2009 overall.

Messi's down injuried. Funnily, he's elligible for both (would have played with the Argies though). And yes, I haven't gone to watch the game. It's cold and rainy

Tonight? We aren't playing again until the next year. Unless you mean Catalonia - Argentina

It was penciled in the contract what kind of players we were expected to bring, and apparently we abided by it.

I think you're overly harsh though, half that XI played two days before a game in the Spanish third flight. Not really a concern.

Bojan is in a worrying downward spiral. It was quite telling that Guardiola picked Jeffren in front of him for the CWC. But he's still young. Pity though, he was very good at the start of the season until he got injuried. I think he still has it in him if he sorts himself a bit, he's always nervous in the pitch, trying to impress, and that hurts him.

Milito came back to training just a couple weeks ago, this is his first game. @thespence: just one year ago a team with Pedro and Busquets in the lineup would have ellicited the same thoughts. Dos Santos and Jeffrén are decent prospects, and Assulin - who isn't playing - is also a great promise.