All 10 Barça players through to Confed Cup semis

FOOTBALL

All 10 players at the Confed Cup – 8 with Spain and 2 with Brazil – came through the group stages with flying colours and are through to the semi finals

Brazil face Uruguay on Wednesday, with Spain taking on Italy on Thursday

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  Iniesta / PHOTO: FIFA

Barça players continue to shine at the Confederations Cup, with all 10 involved coming through the group stages in good stead and set to play in the semi finals. Brazil, with Neymar and Alves, and Spain with Valdés, Piqué, Sergio, Iniesta, Xavi, Jordi Alba, Villa and Pedro are still on course for a final meeting after both topped their groups.
Brazil play the first semi final on Wednesday at 21.00 against Uruguay at Belo Horizonte , whilst Spain face Italy 24 hours later at Fortaleza, with the final set for Sunday in the legendary Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Group stage stats

Neymar and David Villa are the Barça players to score most goals in the group stage, with three each – the Brazilian scored in all three first round games. Against Japan, Mexico and Italy, whilst Villa bagged a hat trick against Tahiti. The tournament’s leading scorer right now is Fernando Torres (5).
Spain have scored more goals than any other team -15 – and conceded least, just the solitary goal against Uruguay. Brazil are the third highest scorers with 9, having conceded 3.
Alves is the Barça player with most passes made -248, followed by Iniesta (218) and Xavi (194). The Brazilian wing back is also the player who has played most minutes, featuring for 90 minutes in each game, whilst Neymar has played 233, Iniesta, 194, and Jordi Alba, 180 minutes

FC Barcelona has won 66 trophies in the last five years

The football, basketball, handball, futsal and hockey teams have won 16 league titles and six European Cups in the last five years

The most successful teams have been the football team with 15 and the basketball team with 14.

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  Photos of the trophies won this season PHOTO: GERMÁN PARGA-FCB

The football team and the other four professional sports sections of FC Barcelona have accumulated a total of 66 trophies over the past five years. The football and basketball teams have won the most titles with 15 and 14 respectively.
They’re closely followed by the handball team (13), the futsal team (13) and the hockey team (11), the hockey team having also won the most European Cups.
More than 3 trophies per season
66 trophies in five years – it’s easy to say but much harder to achieve! That’s an average of more than 13 trophies per season for the Club and an average of more than 3 trophies per section per season. To this astonishing achievement we also have to add the many trophies won by the women’s football team and the many youth sections.
16 League titles and six European Cups
The standard has been exceptionally high. Of the 66 trophies, 16 are league titles and six of them European Cups. The football squad has won four league titles and 2 Champions Leagues while Barça Regal, Barça Intersport and Barça Alusport have won three league titles each together with four European Cups between the four sports sections.
Here is a list of the many trophies won by each of the teams over the last five years:
FOOTBALL – 15 TROPHIES
2008/09: Cup, League and Champions League
2009/10: Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup, World Club Cup and League
2010/11: Spanish Super Cup, League and Champions League
2011/12: Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup, World Club Cup and Cup
2012/13: League
BASKETBALL – 14 TROPHIES
2008/09: League
2009/10: Catalan League, ACB Super Cup, Cup and Euroleague
2010/11: Catalan League, ACB Super Cup, Cup and League
2011/12: Catalan League, ACB Super Cup and League
2012/13: Catalan League and Cup
HANDBALL – 13 TROPHIES
2008/09: Cup
2009/10: Pyrenean League, Cup and Asobal Cup
2010/11: Pyrenean League, League and European Cup
2011/12: Catalan Super Cup of, Asobal Cup and League
2012/13: Catalan Super Cup of, Asobal Cup and League
FUTSAL – 13 TROPHIES
2008/09: Catalan Cup
2009/10: Catalan Cup
2010/11: Catalan Cup, Spanish Cup, Cup and League
2011/12: Spanish Cup, Cup, UEFA Futsal Cup and League
2012/13: Spanish Cup, Cup and League
HOCKEY – 11 TROPHIES
2008/09: Spanish Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup and League
2009/10: Continental Cup, European Cup and League
2010/11: Cup
2011/12: Spanish Super Cup, Cup and League
2012/13: Spanish Super Cup

Stat of the Day: Neymar foul magnet

Latest FC Barcelona signing Neymar is the player who receives and commits the most fouls, according to stats collected in the first round of Confederations Cup according to FIFA. This shows that Neymar has been showing a definite eagerness in helping the team fight back for the ball, and that he is a heavy target for the opposition defenders. In total, he committed 13 fouls in 3 games so far with just one yellow card.


Brazil coach Felipe Scolari offers his view about this unique statistics as reported by MD. “He committed one or two fouls because he is skinny and doesn’t have the positioning skills to stop his opponent like midfielders or defenders“, says Scolari before adding that Neymar’s tackles are still very unpolished because the way he approaches the ball is still “uncoordinated“. The yellow card he received against Italy forced Scolari to substitute Neymar in the 68th minute, as a second yellow would mean missing the semifinals.

Neymar has received 18 fouls in total, 1 more than Mario Balotelli. Despite this, Neymar has three out three “Man of the Match” performance along with three goals in each of the group stage match. Brazil will play again on Wednesday against Uruguay for the semifinal match in the Mineirao Stadium.

Picture of the Day: A meeting of superstars

Kobe Bryant snapped this photo with Neymar after attending the Brazil-Italy FIFA Confederations Cup match yesterday, in which Neymar scored a fantastic free kick and was named “Man of the Match” for the third consecutive game. Kobe has long been friendly with the Barcelona team, and this photo op with Neymar is yet another way the young Brazilian is being welcomed to the team and recognized for his incredible talent. We hope Kobe will come see Neymar score more goals at Camp Nou!

Thiago stars as Spain win the 2013 UEFA U-21 European Championship

Another tournament, another Spain victory. The run since 2008 is truly remarkably, nigh unbelievable. Spain currently holds all the following titles: 2008, 2012 UEFA European Champions, 2010 FIFA World Cup Champions, 2011, 2013 UEFA Under-21 European Champions and 2011, 2012 UEFA Under-19 European Champions. This evening in Jerusalem, team captain Thiago Alcântara scored a hat-trick (the only ever in a one-off sub-21 final) and inspired his team to a 4-2 victory against finalists Italy.
Spain again started with four culés in Martín Montoya, Marc Bartra, Cristian Tello and of course captain Thiago. And in just six minutes Thiago began his rampage with a thundering header from a well played Álvaro Morata cross. Italy equalized four minutes later from Genoa man Ciro Immobile after he latched onto a long ball from the back. This play did not cover Spain center back Iñigo Martínez in glory. He was caught out of position and showed he does not have the pace to recover from such positional lapses. Maybe not the ideal target so many are clamming for.
But Spain were in control of this match from start to finish and if anything that Italy equalizer was against the run of play. Thiago was controlling things in the middle as well as playing some penetrating balls forward, none more special than the outside the foot zinger that put Morata behind the defense. The Real Madrid man’s shot was saved. But just after the half-hour mark Thiago again darted into the box, this time controlling with his chest Koke’s cross into the box and squeezing his shot past Italian keeper Bardi.
It was two Barça friends that combined to set up the winning goal. The referee blew for a foul (not clear though) in the box on Tello and Thiago stepped up for the penalty, smashing it right down the middle. It’s noticeable the sense of purpose and leadership Thiago has when given the job of commanding a side.
Sublime player Isco put in another penalty after 66 minutes and once again Barça was involved in the goal. Montoya this time came storming up the right as he does and no question here when Regini clearly took him down.
Another wonderful day for Spain and, as has been the pattern for some years, subsequently FC Barcelona. Four Barça players in the starting eleven isn’t quite the dominance seen at the senior level, but all four men were crucial to success in the tournament and the final. Marc Bartra was the best center-back in a team that only conceded goals in the final, Montoya dominated the right and won a penalty today, Tello’s pace proved an x-factor weapon throughout and Thiago Alcântara showed just why he is among the most desired recruits in the game.
His performance tonight will only ramp up the rumor mill so expect a bit of a transfer saga to develop going forward.
Congratulations Spain. Visca Barça.

Messi in potential tax trouble

Barcelona publication El Periodico reported today (June 12) that the Spanish tax authority served Lionel Messi and his father a legal complaint claiming non payment of taxes. Taxes are a hot issue in Spain with the economic difficulties and the fact the tax man is owed huge sums and nowhere is that more prevalent than La Liga. More after the jump.
There is very little information currently but the tax complaint is apparently around income earned from image rights between 2007-09. The amount outstanding is a set to be just over 4 million euros.
Taxes can become very complicated with a huge number of rules, limitations, exceptions, subclauses and global tax considerations. Presumably Messi would have a professional firm handle his wealth management and taxes and legal counsel so more than anything it will be them going into the books and debating with the Spanish tax authority.
And as expected he does. Messi came out quickly (via Facebook) following the media reports to say “We have just known through the media about the claim filed by the Spanish tax authorities. We are surprised about the news, because we have never committed any infringement. We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations, following the advice of our tax consultants, who will take care of clarifying this situation“

Piqué unconcerned by possible new competition for places

One of the areas where Barça are likely to be looking for reinforcements this summer is in the centre of defence. But Gerard Piqué insists that new faces are more than welcome.

In an interview with El Mundo Deportivo, he has also spoken frankly about the humiliating 7-0 aggregate to Bayern Munich and the lessons that experience has taught the team.

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  Gerard Piqué. Training session PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ

It’s always disturbing for a player to hear that his club is looking to sign new players in his position, but Gerard Piqué is taking a professional attitude to the situation. “It’s normal for Barça to want to improve each year” he says. “We want to win everything each season and to do that we need the best squad possible. If the club thinks we need knew defenders, so be it. This season we have let in more goals than before and we need to improve.”

New faces

Asked about potential new partners for him in defence, the Catalan mentioned “Thiago Silva, Hummels, Kompany … They are all great players at big clubs. But it’s the managers who have to decide.”
One new player who Piqué already knows will be lining up with Barça next season is Neymar, who he faced in the Clubs World Cup final against Santos. “Although we won that final well, he showed that he’s a good forward and you have to watch him all the time” he said. “He’s skilful, fast, and has plenty of resources to break free from defenders.
But what does Neymar’s arrival mean for Leo Messi? Gerard Piqué thinks it’ll make the Argentinian even better. “Having Neymar in the team will help Messi. Teams often try to mark him out of the game, but with Neymar in our side at least two opponents will have to keep an eye on someone else … And Neymar is the kind of player that the Camp Nou likes and that’s good because it’ll mean the crowd will be livelier.”

Sad farewells

Players come and players go. Eric Abidal’s departure has already been conformed, and David Villa and Victor Valdés might also not be around next season. “It’s always tough when a team-mate has to go, especially when they’re such good players and nice people too” said Piqué. “I don’t know how things will end up with Villa and Valdés, but I wish Abi luck wherever he goes because he deserves it … His farewell was emotional and the club treated him well from the moment it found out about his illness … But we also know that in his case he’ll be back with us in a few years’ time.”

Lessons from Bayern

Generally, Piqué was pleased with the way the 2012/13 season went, but the heavy defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final was a tough one to swallow. A lot of lessons were learned that night. “They came into the game in strong form and we weren’t one hundred per cent with Messi not fully fit in the first leg and not playing at all in the second … But of course there are things to be learned. Barça can’t lose a round 7-0, we know that and we have to improve … We have to run more, we have to make more of an effort on a group and individual level to get back to the top. This team has always fought hard and we have to keep doing that. We need to realise that we’re not the best any more, and our challenge now is to get back to being the best.”