Barcelona
Barcelona Opera House Reopens with Concert for Over 2,000 Houseplants
There’s lots of talk in opera these days about organically growing the audience, and now Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu has found a new and (literally) fresh approach. As CNN reports, the Spanish opera house reopened after months of coronavirus lockdowns with a performance for 2,292 houseplants. Conceptual artist Eugenio Ampudia created the event, featuring music provided by UceLi string quartet. The ensemble played the Puccini elegy, “Crisantemi”, which translates to “chrysanthemums”, a fitting piece for the unique crowd in attendance Monday evening. Hailing from nearby nurseries, the “audience” of plants — verdant trees, ferns, and grasses — carpeted the orchestra section as well as the balconies above. At the conclusion of “Crisantemi”, the gorgeous flora was made to applaud. Th...
Zinedine Zidane unconcerned by Real Madrid’s fixture list complaints
Zinedine Zidane has claimed Real Madrid will accept the congested fixture list for what it is, despite the club complaining to La Liga. Los Blancos issued a complaint to top-flight officials on Monday after the schedule for matchdays 33 and 34 of the season left them with less than 72 hours between fixtures against Getafe and Athletic Bilbao. Madrid felt this left them at a disadvantage compared to title rivals Barcelona, who were given five days of rest between games against Atletico Madrid and Villarreal. However, it has since emerged that Madrid will have accumulated more rest – approximately 26 hours in total – than Barca until matchday 35, and asked if he felt the club’s complaints to La Liga were fair, Zidane insisted he is fully focused on preparing his side for the fixture list as ...
Sergio Ramos becomes LaLiga’s all-time top scoring defender
Sergio Ramos’ goal in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Real Sociedad means the Real Madrid captain has become the highest-scoring defender in all of LaLiga history. Ramos’ seventh goal of the current LaLiga Santander season saw him pass Barcelona legend Ronald Koeman and move to 68 career goals in the most demanding league tournament around. The Andalusian has also scored against all 20 current LaLiga teams and his total includes an impressive range of finishes, from towering headers to long-range pile-drivers, and more recently a dead-eye from the penalty spot. Such a talent for goal-getting has been a constant for the center-back, who often featured further up the field while he was developing through his teenage years at boyhood club Sevilla. His first LaLiga goal came in September 2004, in a 2-1 ...
La Liga: Barcelona boss questions use of VAR
Barcelona boss Quique Setien believes that officials in La Liga are not using the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system correctly. It follows on directly from Real Madrid’s victory at Real Sociedad being marred by controversial officiating decisions surrounding key incidents in the clash. Los Blancos opened the scoring in Anoeta from a penalty decision before an equaliser for La Real was controversially ruled out by handball and Karim Benzema’s strike – Madrid’s second of the game – appearing to have been controlled initially by a handball. It was a result which took Madrid to the top of La Liga for the first time since the resumption of Spanish football as they leapfrogged Setien’s Blaugrana – who were to a scoreless draw at Sevilla on Friday – on goal difference. “There are things that we...
Ederson credits Pep Guardiola with improving his game
Ederson has credited Pep Guardiola with making him a better goalkeeper and says the Manchester City boss “sees football in another way” to others. Brazil international Ederson has spent three seasons working under the Catalan coach, playing a key part in two Premier League title successes and four domestic cup triumphs. The 26-year-old is well known for his ability to command the box and start attacks from deep, but he was at fault for both goals in March’s derby defeat to Manchester United. However, Ederson insists that taking risks is something that is expected of him under Guardiola, who he credits for taking his game to the next level. “The role of a goalkeeper in Pep’s team is like the 11th outfield player on the pitch, in terms of the build-up, the pressing,” he told Sky Sports. “I t...
Duncan Castles: Man Utd ‘offered a transfer fee of €100m’ for Newcastle target last week
Barcelona youngster Ansu Fati is one of the sought-after young talents in world football. The 17-year-old has been in outstanding form for the club’s under-19 side. He had scored 19 goals in 30 starts, including four from six in Barca’s run to the semi-finals in the Uefa Youth League. At 16 years of age he made his first-team debut, and in the process became the youngest footballer in almost eight decades to play a Liga game for Barcelona. The player has a contract at the club till 2022. He doesn’t want to leave the club, but his parents are unhappy with the club’s plan for the coming season. He has clearly outgrown academy football, but Barcelona probably do not want to integrate him into the first-team squad as yet. When he scored the headed goal at Osasuna it made him the...
Report: Agents ‘trying to convince’ Spurs and Chelsea to sign £80m player
Barcelona are desperate to offload Philippe Coutinho in the summer. Despite scoring 21 goals in 76 matches since joining the club from Liverpool for a reported transfer fee of around £142m, Barcelona feel they’ve seen enough of him. The Brazilian joined Bayern Munich on loan where he duly impressed. However, despite scoring nine goals and providing seven assists, Bayern are unwilling to sign him permanently. Barcelona just want to get rid of him, and they are willing to lower their asking price to £80m. Even then, it’s a huge amount, and especially with the global economic situation affecting football finances, no clubs would be willing to pay that amount. And that leaves Barcelona in a spot of bother. Coutinho has attracted interest from the Premier League, with the likes of Che...
Report: West Ham United have asked about Barcelona defender
According to The Daily Star, West Ham United are interested in signing Moussa Wague from Barcelona in the summer transfer window. West Ham are worried that Jeremy Ngakia could leave the club on a free this summer and have identified Wague as a player who could replace him, according to the report. The Hammers reportedly wanted to sign the 21-year-old right-back in the January transfer window before he made the loan move to Nice in France. The Daily Star has claimed that West Ham have asked about the youngster again, with Barcelona open to sending the Senegal international either on loan or selling him for the right price in the summer transfer window. Stats Wague played 90 minutes in La Liga and made two appearances in the Champions League for Barcelona this season before he went out on lo...
Arsenal make transfer decision on Philippe Coutinho after Barcelona offer him on loan: report
Arsenal are unlikely to sign Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona this summer after learning the demands of the Spanish champions, ESPN reports. The Brazil international is presently on a season-long loan at Bayern Munich where he has bagged nine goals and eight assists from 32 appearances in all competitions. In recent months, there has been a debate whether the Bundesliga holders could sign him permanently but club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed last week that the buy option on the player’s contract has already expired. According to ESPN, the Blaugrana have offered the services of Coutinho to a number of Premier League clubs and that includes the Gunners, whose manager Mikel Arteta remains a huge admirer of the playmaker. The La Liga champions are prepared to loan out Couti...
Inter chief confirms Barcelona interest in Lautaro Martinez and states condition for sale: report
Inter Milan sporting director Piero Ausilio has insisted that the club have no intention of selling Lautaro Martinez to Barcelona unless the Spanish champions are willing to trigger the release clause on his contract. The Argentina international has been constantly linked with the Blaugrana over the past few months with suggestions that he has been identified as the long-term successor to Luis Suarez for the centre-forward role. Earlier this month, it was claimed by Sport that the Blaugrana could look into a potential part-exchange agreement with Inter for Martinez as they are unlikely to meet the buy-out clause on the striker’s contract. However, that option has been ruled out by Ausilio, who has clearly stated that Martinez will stay put unless the £99.5m (€111m) release clause...
Arsenal sanction sensational Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang swap deal
Arsenal have been linked with a sensational swap deal involving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while Mikel Arteta is intent on signing Philippe Coutinho, all in the Euro papers. Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo report that Arsenal will let Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona in a swap deal for Ousmane Dembele. Barca are willing to cut their losses on Dembele this summer and sell the forward for €50m, while the LaLiga club’s interest in Aubameyang is well documented. The Gabon striker’s contract expires next summer and Arsenal do not want to lose him for free and so are considering an exchange deal for Dembele. Arsenal have been tracking the injury-hit Dembele for some time and Mikel Arteta wants to get the former Borussia Dortmund man a chance in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Spanish outlet ...
Leicester City to compete with German giants to sign young Barcelona winger: report
Leicester City are prepared to compete with Borussia Dortmund in the race to sign Barcelona’s Kike Saverio, a report from Mundo Deportivo claims. The 20-year-old is currently playing for the Blaugrana’s B team and he has caught the eye with five goals and three assists from 22 appearances in the Spanish third tier. His contract with the club expires at the end of next month and it is reported that the talks over a renewal have practically ‘broken down’. Hence, he is likely to be available as a free-agent from July and both Leicester and Dortmund have expressed an interest in landing his signature. Dortmund are known for their recruitment of young players from foreign leagues and Jadon Sancho is one of them, who has recently made a big mark with the first-team. As such, they should provide ...
