Ladies and gentlemen of BFB welcome to one of those oh so rare Isaiah-less previews. Our dear valiant leader has left us for his annual sabbatical. A trek to a certain altar of insanity called March Madness where he err…watches a lot of basketball. Sixty four teams enter the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, only one leaves happy. In totally arbitrary and false statistical terms that would make Isaiah cry, this means that he has a 1 in 64 chance to come out exuberant and a 63 in 64 chance of ending up in a fetal position wailing in despair, a fate with which, being a University of Michigan alum, I am all too familiar with; having been subjected to it by Isaiah’s Buckeyes for the last six years no less. So, let’s hope our guy comes out happy. Thinking of you, the people, Isaiah wrote one of his literary master pieces i.e. previews with the intention of submitting it today. However, due to a horrible mishap, it got left behind and lost forever [not really] which means you fools now have to suffer the even worse fate of a preview written by me. So, enough basketball, let’s talk about our version of March Madness. The UEFA Champions League is back!

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While we all wait in giddy anticipation of Kevin’s review, I thought a translation of Pep’s press conference after the game would lead to some good talking points. Pep always does a good presser. What separates him from other coaches is that he is not bombastic, generally avoids controversy, and is usually refreshingly honest in his answers while still being entertaining. Here are the goods:

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As many of you know, it’s crunch time for our next generation of La Masia jewels. The contracts of Thiago Alcantara, Jeffren Suarez, Gai Assulin, and Jonathan Dos Santos who happen to be our best prospects at the Barca Athletic level ALL expire this spring. That means they can either resign professional contracts with Barca or leave on a free transfer. As can be expected, the (mostly EPL) vultures are out and circling. With elections being postponed until June, it seems that Guardiola and Txiki will have to force their hands before the new administration takes over. Adding to the tension is the proximity of a free transfer giving our canteranos’ agents a significant upper hand in negotiations. As much as it hurts, we will likely not be able to keep all of our guys. So, let’s have a little discussion about which ones will/should stay and which ones will/should go. Mug shots and profiles of our enfants terrible follow: Continue Reading

It’s been a while, guys.  I apologize for my Thong Boy like work rate over the past few months. Anyways, the Deportivo La Coruna and Club World Cup games have been fascinating from a tactical perspective. Pep employed a few new wrinkles into our usual gameplans that deserved their own post so here it is. Let’s start out in Galicia at one of my favorite Spanish cities: A Coruña.

More after the jump…

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Santa Andres would like to wish all of this blog’s readers a Merry Christmas (and offer a bit of bubbly as well). Thank you guys so much for visiting, participating, and making this place what it is. For those who celebrate it, Christmas is a special time that brings out the little kid inside many of us. Hopefully we can all imitate Pedro in this regard. Caption away on this photo.

Merry Christmas to all of you, your friends, and your families!

Your Friendly La Liga Ref

This is Megia Davila, a La Liga referee… actually, the reigning La Liga referee of the year according to Marca. No, really. I am dead serious. Okay, maybe I exaggerated. This is a now ex-La Liga referee albeit one who only retired at the end of last season. It’s too good to be true right? No. It’s even better. He is the newest Real Madrid “fichaje” or signing, a “Referee Delegate” and he was gracious enough to grant Spain’s premier representative of journalistic integrity (Marca, duh) an exclusive interview. If this not enough vital journalistic information for you then Marca has also awarded what they humbly proclaim to be “La Liga’s Oscars”: the Pichichi, Zamora, Zarra, Miguel Munoz, and Guruceta awards.  Guess who won one? That’s right: the handsome devil in the above photo. It’s amazing. If you want more information vital to your intellectual, moral, and emotional development as human beings then click “Read More” and carry on.

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