The Barca Breakdown reviewed FC Barcelona's victory against former manager, Ernesto Valverde's Athletic Bilbao. Xavi has really grown and chosen to try new lineups/strategies to adjust their play. This included playing 4 midfielders allowing Barca to control the midfield and push players forward. The star players were Dembele, Balde, and Frenkie De Jong. Additionally, Roberto played way more offensively adding to interplay with Demeble. This allowed Dembele to run in open spaces and connect with...
Oct 23, 2022•15 min•Ep. 193
The Barca Breakdown reviewed FC Barcelona's victory against the Yellow Submarines, Villareal. The team that Barca lost to in their final game of last season at the Camp Nou. However, the tables were turned today's game as Barca were able to score 3 goals in the first half. Lewandowski scored a brace and face scored the third. The performance was overwhelmingly positive with Barca maintaining much of the possession and creating many opportunities. It's hard to tell what the reason behind Barca's ...
Oct 21, 2022•14 min•Ep. 192
The Barca Breakdown reviewed FC Barcelona's defeat in El Clasico. As Real Madrid and Barca were tied on points heading into the game, a victory was crucial for either team. Although, it was Madrid who wanted it more. They dominated Barca in the transition and midfield control. However, it wasn't only the intensity that brought Madrid their victory, but Barca's poor defensive structure which left them susceptible to the counter attack. Yes, the ref wasn't great, but Barca did not play with intens...
Oct 17, 2022•17 min•Ep. 191
The Barca Breakdown reviewed FC Barcelona's draw in the second leg against Inter Milan at the Camp Nou. Every fan felt this game was do or die and the Camp Nou fans' energy was exuberant! The Blaugrana energy was also pouring out on the pitch as players pushed their physical limits. Dembele and Lewandowki were able to score 3 goals. However it wasn't enough. Barca were their own worst enemy as blunders from Pique, Busquets, and Eric Garcia resulted in 3 goals for the Italian side. The result is ...
Oct 13, 2022•18 min•Ep. 190
The BarcaBreakdown discuss the 1-0 victory of FC Barcelona against Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou.
Oct 09, 2022•19 min•Ep. 189
The Barca Breakdown discuss the loss in Italy against Inter Milan. In their 3rd Champions League game of the season, Barca find themselves 3rd in the group only able to score against Plzen. There were many problems in the game, but most issues can be isolated to Xavi's decisions and lack of adaptation. While Alonso can be a great asset, his start in this game is on question as he's only played against Bayern Munich and has had no other minutes since acquisition. Balde being the front man as left...
Oct 05, 2022•22 min•Ep. 188
The Barca Breakdown discussed the victory against Mallorca after returning from the international break. With all the injuries that racked up, Xavi had to change the line up. Alba started as the left back with Balde on the right back alongside Pique and Christensen. Appearing in the midfield was Kessie, Busquets, and Gavi with Dembele, Lewandowksi, and Fati on the attack. While this is not Xavi's first choice, considering the return from international break, injuries, and the need to rest player...
Oct 01, 2022•15 min•Ep. 187
The Barca Breakdown discussed the unfortunate news of players injured during the international break. It seems Araujo, Kounde, De Jong, and Bellerin have all picked up injuries. This could not have come at a worse time as Barca are about to have the one of the most important months of the year in October. Barca face Inter Milan two times in the champions league along with the second leg of Bayern. While Barca must beat Inter Milan so that there is no question to move out of the group stages, thi...
Sep 28, 2022•18 min•Ep. 186
The Barca Breakdown discussed Matchday 6 against Elche. Elche has surely struggled this season as they've plummeted to 20th on the table. Barca's form this season has proved to be strong, scoring many goals, many of which coming from Lewandowski. Unfortunately for Elche, they received a red card for a poor foul on Lewandowski in the 15th minute leaving them with 10 men. Barca certainly capitalized on this opportunity, in the 34' when Balde crossed the ball into the box and Lewy slid in and score...
Sep 17, 2022•9 min•Ep. 185
The Barca Breakdown discussed the tough Champions League loss in Munich. With so much history in the recent years between Bayern and Barca, this match was highly anticipated. This is especially true as Barca has seen some wonderful improvement this year under Xavi and after the summer transfer window. Unfortunately, the game did not pan out in Barca's favor and they lost 2-0 to Bayern. Barca's biggest enemy was themselves. This game could have been won with some clinical finishing from Lewandows...
Sep 14, 2022•22 min•Ep. 184
The Barca Breakdown discussed matchday 5 away in Cadiz. A team that is 20th on the table with ZERO points and ZERO goals on the charts. Seeing Barca have their first huge match of the season against Bayern on Tuesday, Xavi chose a lineup that featured less starters. Bellerin started as right back alongside Araujo, Pique, and Balde while the midfield started with Frenkie, giving Pedri a rest. Memphis and Torres were the attacking front with Raphinha. As the lineup is very fresh, it was expected t...
Sep 10, 2022•21 min•Ep. 183
The Barca Breakdown discussed the champions league season opener against Plzen with goals from Lewandowski and Dembele. While Barca fell in the Group of Death (again), Plzen were the least threatening. However, Barca could not afford to lose points in the group as Barca will play Bayern Munich and Inter Milano. The Bayern game is next Tuesday and it's safe to say Xavi wants his most trusted starting XI ready and rested. So in today's game, we saw an interesting line-up which included Alba and Ro...
Sep 08, 2022•19 min•Ep. 182
The Barca Breakdown discussed the away victory against Sevilla. Coming into the game Barca had just come off a 4-0 win against Villadolid and Sevilla only had 1 point in 4 games. Xavi also decided to use the same line up against Villadolid, but started Dembele on the left side and Raphinha on the right. In the first 20 minutes, Barca struggled to move the ball forward as Sevilla dropped their defense into their defensive half. This was also difficult to deal with because our midfields were pushe...
Sep 03, 2022•14 min•Ep. 181
The Barca Breakdown discussed the debate of who should start, Frenkie or Gavi and Barcelona's choices for wingers. Special guest Jaleel, aka ThePurist_ on Twitter, joins us to give his insight. Gavi and Frenkie both have their strengths and weaknesses, but the differential in minutes seems to favor Gavi. We discuss why Xavi prefers Gavi and why haven't we seen more Frenkie. What type of match do each of these players prosper in and has Xavi figured this out? Then there's the discussion of Dembel...
Sep 02, 2022•25 min•Ep. 180
The Barca Breakdown discussed the 4-0 victory against Valladolid. After much anticipation, Xavi started Kounde as the right back alongside Araujo, Garcia, and Balde. Again, Frenkie De Jong lost the starting position to Gavi. And the seemingly standard starting front line of Rahpinha, Dembele, and Lewandowski kicked off at the Camp Nou. The possession was dominated by Barca in the whole 90'. This isn't particularly surprising as Valladolid had recently just returned from regulation and in previou...
Aug 28, 2022•18 min•Ep. 179
The Barca Breakdown discussed victory in Anoeta against Real Sociedad. Barcelona take their first W of the season with a 1-4 scoreline. While the scoreline maybe flattering, Barca certainly struggled to break the tie until the 60'. The game changed when Xavi subbed in Fati and Raphinha, which provided a much stronger threat. Quickly, La Real found themselves at the mercy of Fati of which provided an assit to Dembele and scored a goal for himself. But who was responsible for this victory. Xavi ut...
Aug 24, 2022•16 min•Ep. 178
The BarcaBreakdown discuss FC Barcelona’s 1-4 victory against Real Sociedad at Anoeta. Xavi’s surprising starting eleven clearly did not work, though Pedri, Balde and Lewandowski combined for a fantastic goal in the game’s opening minute. However, Araujo as RB, Frenkie De Jong as pivot, and Ferran Torres working inside with Lewandowski left us open to a counter and early goal to tie the game 1-1 by Isak. Overall, Xavi tried a new 3-4-3 (3-2-3-1?) lineup that did not work for the first 60 minutes...
Aug 21, 2022•17 min•Ep. 177
The BarcaBreakdown discuss the issues FC Barcelona and Xavi are facing after a draw to Rayo Vallecano fell well short of expectations. With the additions of Lewandowski, Raphinha, Christensen (and now Kounde), Xavi needs time to develop Barca. However, some fans are worried about a continuous trend from Xavi’s side, so the BarcaBreakdown tackle the issues he must conquer! First, we discuss how Ronald Araujo playing as a full back against Rayo did not go well, and our believe that Araujo should o...
Aug 18, 2022•22 min•Ep. 176
The Barca Breakdown discuss the first day of the 2022/23 La Liga season against Rayo Vallecano. A team that beat us in both match days last season, was responsible for our third home loss, and was the final game of the Koeman era. Every Barca fan could only imagine the sweet payback Barca would get with a huge summer of signings. However, match day 1 did not deliver exactly as fans would have thought. Xavi's starting line-up did not feature Dest, who was not even called up, nor Frenkie De Jong. ...
Aug 13, 2022•15 min•Ep. 175
Jaleel/ThePurist's Medium Article: https://medium.com/@Jaleel/decoding-barcelonas-centre-backs-7914e994cea1 ThePurist Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThePurist_ The BarcaBreakdown have special guest Jaleel aka the Purist, as he's known by his Twitter handle, to discuss is most recent article "Decoding Barcelona's Centre Backs". We discussed his preferred gala backline as FC Barcelona have more defensive options with the signing of Christensen and Kounde. The other players to choose from are Eric Ga...
Aug 06, 2022•31 min•Ep. 174
The BarcaBreakdown discuss the final preseason game vs. New York Red Bulls, as goals from Ousmane Dembele and Memphis Depay led to a 2-0 victory for Barca. Xavi now leads the squad to the Joan Gamper game before the La Liga season begins. With Gavi, Busquets, and Frenkie de Jong starting in midfield along with Raphinha-Lewandowski-Dembele up front, a clearer picture of Xavi's preferred 11 comes into mind. Up front, with Ansu Fati recovering and Ferran Torres still on the sideline, the trio of Ra...
Jul 31, 2022•17 min•Ep. 173
The Barca Breakdown discussed another landmark transfer in the summer window. Joules Kounde has signed with FC Barcelona, a deal including €50 million transfer fee + €10 million in variables over 4 years. Despite Chelsea offering over €60 million, it was clear the Frenchman didn't want to go to the Premier League. Barca now have a reinforced defense that will help them make it further into the Champions League and stop the comebacks that Barca fell victim to. But it matters no longer, Barcelona ...
Jul 26, 2022•15 min•Ep. 172
The Barca Breakdown discussed FC Barcelona's preseason El Clasico match in Las Vegas. The starting line-up included Lewandowski, Raphinha, Fat, Pedri, Gavi, Busquets, Alba, Christensen, Garcia, Araujo, and Ter Stegen. In his first game joining FC Barcelona, Lewandowski looked like a lethal stud. He was playing on both sides of the pitch working and looking to score. A few shots on goal created some very exciting moments for the Pol. However, he never was able to find the back of the net. Neverth...
Jul 24, 2022•14 min•Ep. 171
The Barca Breakdown discuss the signing of Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich! The Pol comes to Barca on a 4 year deal at €45 million transfer fee + €5 million in variables. In a crazy summer transfer window, Barca are able to sign some big names and Lewandowski is the icing on the cake. For several years now, Barca have been missing an all out striker to score goals, and now they have him for 4 years. There are many postivies the striker will provide, but his proven track record of 50+ goals...
Jul 16, 2022•9 min•Ep. 170
The Barca Breakdown discussed the agreement reached by Leeds United and FC Barcelona for the purchase of Raphinha. The agreement includes 58 Million Euros + 6-9 Million in bonuses until 2027. With the signing of Dembele, Barca have managed two very important signings in the summer transfer window on top of the acquisition of Christensen and Kessie. The board was able to make purchases due to the sale of TV rights that generated them funds. The signing of Raphinha has sparked concern that Barca c...
Jul 13, 2022•12 min•Ep. 169
The Barca Breakdown discussed that reports are, Dembele has signed a contract with FC Barcelona at a reduced salary until 2024. After the chaos of last season, it seems Dembele's agent has only forced a lower salary by not taking the initial contracts. While this may be bad news for Dembele, Barca get a great deal and the player gets to stay where he pleases. Now that Barca have signed Dembele, what does that mean in the quest to acquire Raphinha and Lewandowski? Both players would cost a pretty...
Jul 09, 2022•13 min•Ep. 168
The BarcaBreakdown discuss the recent transfer news, including Laporta saying Frenkie De Jong is staying, Barca officially announcing Kessie and Christensen signings, Lengelet being loaned to Tottenham, Dembele and Raphinha updates, and Luuk De Jong and Adama Traore returning to their teams from loan. Though some of these are rumors, the economic levers being pulled does mean that Kessie and Christensen are officially FC Barcelona players. We are a bit skeptical of Laporta saying that Frenkie De...
Jul 05, 2022•13 min•Ep. 167
The BarcaBreakdown discuss the news that Xavi’s desired front three is Raphina, Lewandowski, and Ansu Fati. After the economic levers were pulled by the socios last week, there is a chance we keep Dembele or get Raphina, get Lewandowski, and other options that will radically affect our starting lineup next season. We discuss the worrying reports that Ansu Fair’s decision to not get surgery may mean he is still not 100%. Some within the club are worried, and Luis Enrique not using Fati for Spain ...
Jun 28, 2022•9 min•Ep. 166
The BarcaBreakdown discuss the possibile winners of the Ballon d’Or for the 2021/2022 season. Karim Benzema is the clear betting favorite after a tremendous season, including a La Liga victory and Champions League victory. Among the other contenders for a top 3 finish are Liverpool’s Mo Salah and Sadie Mane. Both had a wonderful season with better goals/assists from Salah while Mane won the African Cup of Nations with Senegal. As is usual, Robert Lewandowski remains a threat with over 50 goals t...
Jun 23, 2022•5 min•Ep. 165
The Barca Breakdown discussed the extraordinary assembly gathered to vote on motions to inject money through the sale of 25% of TV rights and up to 49.9% stake of BLM. Both motions, or Levers as they called it, were approved by the Socios. This means Barca will get around 700 million euros. It is enough money to bring them out of debt and even allow them to make some important signings I'm the 2022 summer transfer window! It is unfortunate that it is has come down to this, but the board must tak...
Jun 17, 2022•10 min•Ep. 164
