In looking for a summation of the match yesterday, a proceeding that oozed to an inevitable result, it would be: A Europa League side lost to a better Europa League side and its new manager got outfoxed by a better manager. Reactions during and after the match were interesting because a great many of them… Continue reading United 2, Barça 1, aka ‘Farewell Europa League, we hardly knew ye’

The necessity forced by desperation makes philosophical purity malleable. Strand a Michelin-starred chef in the desert for a day or two and he will be feasting on that vending machine cheese sandwich like it was one of his most skillful delicacies. So it is with Barça supporters, who at one time were wallowing in the… Continue reading A meal is a meal, pretty or not

Hey, didn’t we all miss this? After a month’s respite from club football and the task of watching a team seemingly designed to vex and frustrate us, what better way to return to the swing of things than the Catalan derby? And as a bonus, the derby was overseen by Mateu Lahoz. Quite a lot… Continue reading Barça 1, Espanyol 1, aka ‘Dripping with adequacy’

It was weird, the experience of an absolute football junkie deciding that on a personal level, this World Cup was an event that should be skipped. They were the same reasons everyone who skipped it had, of course. And as the tournament moved through its paces, being part of Football Twitter of course made it… Continue reading Messi, joy and a World Cup

On March 8, 2016, a DM popped into my inbox: Hey! I’m interviewing Messi in Barcelona on Thursday. Anything you’d really like to know? It was from Grant Wahl and my first reaction was stupor, because all I could think is “Why would a writer and journalist such as this be asking me anything at… Continue reading Grant Wahl, joy, respect and admiration — mostly joy

We’re addicts, hooked on a game, on thrills. And like any addict, we justify our behavior in search of that next fix. Heroes engage in repulsive acts, and our horror lasts until the next hat trick. Racism permeates the game that we love, and we accept the pablum of t-shirts, banners and armbands. A petrostate… Continue reading The World Cup of blood, money and shame

Wow. Just … wow. Gerard Pique is retiring. Quite abruptly, it might appear. People will grumble that it took too long, etc, etc, but why be churlish? However and whyever he did it, an emblematic player is leaving the club in a way not entirely of his own doing, or choosing. Obituaries are weird in… Continue reading Gracies, Gerard Pique

In all of the talk about whatever this mythical thing labeled “the Barça Way” is, as in “They just have to start playing the Barça Way again,” we have forgotten a great many things, so many of which made themselves evident as Barça wrestled mightily with a Valencia side they should have been able to… Continue reading Valencia 0, Barça 1, aka ‘At the death while dying’

After it was all over, after yet another loss to a Bayern Munich side that didn’t even need to leave third gear, the supporters cheered, urged their players to come out for a curtain call. It was consolation, a “Nice job, we appreciate you” that you see in teams that are inferior, but supporters want… Continue reading Barça 0, Bayern 3, aka ‘Now what?’

To be fully honest, the only surprise of the “do or die” Champions League match against Inter Milan was that Barça managed a draw. This is a team that has been in a downward spiral since the international break. It’s easy to say, and probably accurate, that with Kounde and Araujo, both victims of the… Continue reading Barça 3, Inter 3, aka ‘What did you expect?’