Just Barcelona News

It is becoming clear that the transfer of Neymar to Barcelona is going to be far from simple. Representatives from the Nou Camp are in Brazil to meet with representatives of the striker and his club Santos, but their initial terms have been rejected, according to the Santos vice-president Odilio Rodrigues.

“There is no agreement for Neymar, there are talks. I met Rosell and Raul Snhelli last week,” Rodrigues explained on Radio A Xarxa.

“We had a very frank conversation. Talks need to continue because the offer was not good enough.

“We know Real Madrid will make an offer too.   .....Read more here.......

The party started on the streets of Barcelona and all over Catalunya last night, with isolated pockets of celebration all over Spain and around the world. FC Barcelona were confirmed as winners of La Liga and the Spanish title holders for the fourth time in five years after Real Madrid could only manage a draw at Espanyol.

The troubles between the Real Madrid players and Jose Mourinho continued yesterday, with Cristiano Ronaldo being left on the bench after directing some abuse at Mourinho after scoring in midweek. He did come on in the second half as Madrid were struggling to get any control of the game. They should have been a lot more than one behind, but Espanyol missed a number of chances and an awful decision by the officials ruled out a perfectly good second.   .....Read more here.......

There have been wild speculations in the Spanish press this week around a player who was previously believed to have agreed a deal with Barcelona. The young Brazilian star Neymar is one of the hottest properties in the sport and would interest any club in the world, but it was thought that Barca had sealed the deal. The Catalan club have, reportedly, already made a down payment to Santos and the player although the transfer was not expected to happen.   .....Read more here.......

By beating Real Betis on Sunday, Barcelona went some way to getting over the Champions League disappointment against Bayern Munich. The win also put them on the brink of clinching the Spanish Primera Liga title for the 22nd time and the fourth time in five years. In fact, Barca could win it this week without playing, if Real Madrid fail to beat Malaga at the Bernabeu tomorrow.   .....Read more here.......

After surviving a real scare in the Champions League, the Barcelona players are looking forward to having the coach Tito Vilanova back in charge for the quarter-final stage. There has been speculation that the team have missed the coach and his absence was part of the reason for the poor recent form.

It was bound to have an effect, and the players are relieved as much as happy that they were able to produce a fantastic comeback against AC Milan. In La Liga, Tito’s absence has not really been a big factor, because the players know their opposition well and have been like a runaway train, but the European games are different, as are Clasico encounters with Real Madrid.   .....Read more here.......

It seemed like the football world was waiting to pronounce the last rites on Barcelona. There was talk of the end of an era, and suggestions that opposition teams had worked out how to play against Barcelona and nullify the system. Well that didn’t work last night, as Barcelona ruthlessly battered AC Milan into submission using the same tried and tested system as usual.

The difference last night was that Barcelona played well, whereas against Real Madrid and Milan recently, they had not. So, basically, the way to beat Barcelona is for them to play badly, or to be really lucky like Chelsea last season. People say Barca have no plan B, but the system and the players they use mean that there is lots of flexibility in the team that is on the pitch.   .....Read more here.......

There is no official confirmation of when, or even if, the young Brazilian superstar Neymat will become a Barcelona player. According to the Brazilian media, however, it is merely a matter of when, and the consensus seems to be that the transfer will be completed in the summer.

According to Mundodeportivo, the club have been negotiating the terms of Neymar’s arrival for the last 18 months. The 21-year old was believed to be keen to stay at his club Santos until the summer of 2014, when the World cup will be played in Rio, but the belief now is that the striker feels that the time has come to move to the big time in Europe. Neymar already has 17 goals from his 28 senior international games, and has gained enough experience at club level in Brazil.   .....Read more here.......

Barcelona have been called the best in the world, and some have said that the current team are the best in history. For nearly two years now Barca have also been at the top of the world rankings for football clubs, even when they lost the Primera Liga title of Spain to Real Madrid last season. That run has now come to an end.

Three defeats in the last four games, two to Madrid and one to AC Milan, has seen the team slip to fifth in the rankings compiled by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. Chelsea’s cup double of last season has helped them jump to the top of the list, with Bayern Munich, Athletico Madrid and Corinthians also ahead of Barcelona.   .....Read more here.......