Camp Nou
Ronald Koeman slams VAR after El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman was left frustrated at full time as his side slipped to a 3-1 El Clasico defeat at home to Real Madrid. Ansu Fati cancelled out Federico Valderde’s early goal at the Camp Nou but referee Juan Martinez Munuero’s decision to award a second half penalty turned the game on its head. The experienced official agreed with VAR and awarded a penalty in favour of Sergio Ramos after the Spanish international was pulled down by Clement Lenglet. However the home side were angered by the decision, as Ramos converted to make it 2-1, before substitute Luka Modric added a third goal late on. “We played well and created chances in the game. We did not deserve to lose and some of the referee’s decisions, I did not understand,” he told a post match interview with Marca. “The de...
Champions League: Marcus Rashford’s late strike sinks PSG again as Sevilla draw at Chelsea
Marcus Rashford was once again the hero as he scored a late goal to claim a 2-1 away win for Manchester United over Paris Saint-Germain in Group H, in Tuesday’s Champions League. In the round of 16 of the 2018/2019 Champions League season, Rashford converted a 94th minute penalty, as United overturned a 2-0 home defeat to beat PSG 3-1 and advance into the quarter-finals. This is the first time since 2004, PSG have lost a Champions League group game at home. PSG’s last two home defeats in the Champions League have come against United. Bruno Fernandes opened scoring in the 24th minute for United from the penalty spot. Ten minutes into the second half PSG were back on level terms following an own goal by Anthony Martial. But in the 87th minute Martial grabbed the winner with a superb strike t...
Barcelona prepare final offer to land Lautaro Martinez from Inter
Barcelona are preparing a final offer for Lautaro Martinez, with the beleaguered Blaugrana ready to test Inter’s resolve as they prepare for life without Luis Suarez at the head of their attack. New boss Ronald Koeman recently made it clear to the Uruguayan, despite him being close friends with wantaway Lionel Messi, that he would no longer be a key player for the Catalans and should attempt to find a new club. And although Lyon attacker Memphis Depay has been mooted as a potential successor due to his ties with Koeman, Goal reports that Lautaro remains at the top Barca’s wishlist, with the Argentine seen as a complete centre-forward in the precise mould the club are looking for. There are many complications in the way, however, the most notable of which being the fact that Suarez still ha...
Gary Neville: I hope Lionel Messi doesn’t do very well for Manchester City
Gary Neville cannot see his former employers at Manchester United joining the race for Lionel Messi and hopes the mercurial Argentine “doesn’t do very well” if he ends up leaving Barcelona for Manchester City. A switch to England continues to be mooted for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner. Messi has informed those at Camp Nou of his desire to move on, with further talks set to be held with the Liga club’s board as he mulls over his options during a period of personal frustration. Neville believes a compromise will be reached that keeps the South American in Catalunya, with an all-time great merely “flexing his muscles” and sending warning signals to the Blaugrana. If a stunning switch were to be made, though, then the ex-United defender concedes that the Ethiad Stadium – alongside one-time ...
Atletico Madrid to battle Juventus for Barcelona star
Atletico Madrid are considering a shock move for Barcelona star Luis Suarez, if the Uruguayan international leaves the Camp Nou this summer. Suarez has been linked with an exit from the Camp Nou, as part of a wider reshuffle of the squad by new manager Ronald Koeman ahead of the 2020-21 season. Serie A giants Juventus are rumoured to be monitoring the situation with Suarez’s future in Catalonia, however as per the front page of Saturday’s edition of Diario AS, Atletico are keen. Both clubs will keep an eye on the evolving changes between Suarez and Koeman, with club captain Lionel Messi aslo reportedly unhappy at Suarez’s potential departure as part of his own exit talks. The former Liverpool man is into the final year of his contract with the Catalans, and at 33 years of age, he might not...
Manchester City, Inter Milan favourites to sign Lionel Messi
Manchester City and Inter are considered the favourites to sign Lionel Messi, according to The Independent. The 33-year-old shocked the world of football when he outlined his intention to leave Barcelona after 20 years at the club on Tuesday. There is confidence within Messi’s camp that the clause in his contract that would allow the Argentine to leave Barça for free will be triggered. However, the Catalans believe that clause has expired and will demand a transfer fee of around €700m for Messi. Manchester City are believed to be working on structuring a deal and the report states that a reunion with Pep Guardiola seems to be the most likely option if Messi does end up leaving the Camp Nou. Guardiola is believed to have been in contact with Messi in recent weeks to discuss a potential move...
Barcelona announce Ronald Koeman as new manager
Barcelona have announced Ronald Koeman’s arrival as their new permanent manager. .responsive_adz { width: 300px; height: 600px; } @media(min-width: 768px) { .responsive_adz { width: 468px; height: 60px; } } @media(min-width: 1019px) { .responsive_adz { width: 640px; height: 80px; } } @media(min-width: 1140px) { .responsive_adz { width: 696px; height: 86px; } } The Dutchman has left his post in charge of the Netherlands national team to replace Quique Setien in the Camp Nou hot seat. Get more stories like this on Twitter .responsive_ad { width: 300px; height: 250px; } @media(min-width: 768px) { .responsive_ad { width: 468px; height: 60px; } } @media(min-width: 1019px) { .responsive_ad { width: 640px; height: 80px; } } @media(min-width: 1140px) { .responsive_ad { width: 696px; height: 86px; ...
Ronald Koeman informs KNVB he wants to join Barcelona
Barcelona chiefs are reportedly holding talks with the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) as they seek to appoint Ronald Koeman as their new head coach. Quique Setien was relieved of his duties on Monday evening after a meeting between Barcelona’s board of directors at the Camp Nou. Koeman is currently the coach of the Netherlands, but has previously revealed that there is a special clause in his contract that would allow him to take over at Barcelona. This clause was able to be activated after Euro 2020, but the postponement of that tournament and the uncertainty surrounding international football mean that he should be able to take over at the Camp Nou now. On Sunday, Koeman was spotted at Barcelona airport, where he was flying home to the Netherlands having already held talks with Barcelo...
French World Cup star refuses to quit Barcelona
France and Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti does not want to quit the Camp Nou this summer and will fight for his place to stay at the club. According to Diario Sport, the central defender wants to see through his current deal at the club through to the summer of 2023 and attempt to force his way back into the starting XI. Umtiti has had decreasing prominence at the club in recent seasons, primarily due to injury issues surrounding a recurring knee problem. The Cameroon-born defender has lost his place in the France international side with Clement Lenglet – his Barca teammate – often preferred in both line-ups, while Gerard Pique is still first choice central defender at the Camp Nou. Umtiti’s contract at Barcelona runs through to the summer of 2023 and he is still keen to fight for his fi...
Rivaldo: Philippe Coutinho could be a regular at Arsenal or Spurs
Rivaldo says a return to the Premier League is the “best option” for Philippe Coutinho to take this summer, and that the Barcelona flop “could be a regular starter” at Arsenal or Tottenham next season. Coutinho is due to head back to Barca at the end of the season following a loan spell at Bayern Munich, who have already decided against signing the midfielder on a permanent deal. Quique Setien, who inherited the managerial reins at Camp Nou in January, insisted that the 28-year-old could be a part of his plans for next season when addressing speculation over his future during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown. However, Coutinho’s agent revealed this week that there’s been “a lot of genuine interest” in his client over the past few months, and that he would like to secure a move back to Eng...
Martin Braithwaite ‘likely’ to leave Barcelona
Martin Braithwaite is likely to leave Barcelona in the summer transfer window, according to Mundo Deportivo. The 29-year-old striker joined Blaugrana from Leganes as an emergency signing in February after Barça had suffered long-term injuries to the likes of Luis Suárez and Ousmane Dembélé. However, it now looks like the former-Middlesbrough man is set to leave Camp Nou. The report states that the club have had their use out of the Danish international and are now looking to receive a return on the reported €18m they paid for him. Braithwaite made just 11 appearances for Barça during the second half of the season, starting just four of those games. He was Leganes’ top goalscorer with six goals before his departure, and the club were relegated following the 2-2 draw with Real Madrid on Sund...
Dani Alves: Lionel Messi feeling lack of support inside Barcelona
Former Barcelona star, Dani Alves, believes Lionel Messi is feeling unsupported inside the club. The Argentine’s exasperation came to the fore on Thursday night as he did the post-match interview after Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat at home to Osasuna, which came on a night that Real Madrid became LaLiga Santander champions. “He’s a born winner, he doesn’t like to lose and it’s normal to get angry,” Alves told Catalunya Radio. “He wants to win every time, like me. “He’s been doing it for so long that you can tell when your team is giving [that feeling] and when it’s not. “That’s why he said it, he’s been at Barcelona for many years and he’s aware of what he needs to be able to win and aspire to great things. “He sees, what I feel, and that’s a lack of support. “Messi was the main course, but we we...
