Barcelona
| Messi | |
| Full Name: | Lionel Andrés Messi |
| Nickname: | Lio |
| Date of Birth: | 24 Jun 1987 |
| Place of Birth: | Santa Fe |
| Nationality: | Argentina |
| Height: | 169 cm. |
| Weight: | 67 Kg. |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 10 |
| National Team: | Argentina |
They might have won every trophy on offer last season but all the talk in Spain this summer has not been about Barcelona, but rather Real Madrid. Whilst the Catalans have been basking in their glory, Madrid have wasted no time in reinforcing their squad, spending over €150 million so far on the likes of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
European Champions Barcelona have made just one signing at the time of writing, that of left-back Maxwell, who is expected to be a direct replacement for the outgoing Sylvinho. It seems that this is unlikely to be the only bit of business they do with Italian champions Inter this summer though, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto’o seemingly close to trading places, and Aliaksandr Hleb rumoured to be going on loan to the San Siro.
What does all this mean to Barcelona? Well the lack of movement in the market suggests that Pep Guardiola is largely content with the squad he has, and why wouldn’t he be? Undoubtedly the best team in Spain and Europe last season, they don’t seem to have too many weaknesses and, with Victor Valdes extending his contract in goal, only need to strengthen a few areas.
Should Eto’o depart then they will clearly need to bring a new striker in, whilst most of the other transfer talk has been about defenders like Dmytro Chygrynsky, but those deals do not appear to be close, nor essential. Indeed, should they go into their first match of the summer against Tottenham Hotspur in the Wembley Cup with the squad they have now, it should still be more than strong enough to see off the London club.
The clash on July 24 will be the first chance to see the Catalans in action since their Champions League triumph in Rome and it should give some indication of just how they will line up next season. Whether or not Ibra will be in the squad for the match in London is not yet clear but certainly Barca’s second opponents, Al-Ahly, will fear the worst if he has arrived by the time they meet on July 26.
After the two matches in England, Barcelona have just seven days before they take on David Beckham and the LA Galaxy in the United States. With the American side half-way through their season and already having drawn against AC Milan, they should prove to be a decent test for Guardiola’s team and the match will be a good way for Barca to start their tour of North America.
Following the game in California, Barcelona travel north up the coast to Seattle, where they take on the Seattle Sounders on August 6. Like the Galaxy, Seattle have already played decent opposition in the form of Chelsea and whilst they didn’t manage to take anything from the English club, they will be keen to pick up a positive result against Barca.
The final match of the pre-season tour sees Guardiola and his side return to California, where they take on Chivas Guadalajara, before they then head back to Spain. By that time not only should Barcelona’s plans for the following season be clear, but they should have nearly finalised any changes in the squad, with the first competitive match of the year taking place on August 16 in the Super Cup against Athletic Bilbao.
After the first-leg of that encounter they will still have a few more matches before the domestic league season gets underway, with the Joan Gamper Trophy beginning on August 18 and the European Super Cup against Shakhtar Donestk taking place on the 28th. When they meet Sporting Gijon on August 31 in their first match of the domestic campaign, Real Madrid might well have made more signings, but Barcelona might already have two trophies in the cabinet.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Whilst the Samuel Eto’o situation is certainly worth keeping an eye on this summer, there are other stars in the Barcelona team who will impress with or without the Cameroonian. The likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Thierry Henry are likely to be the big attractions in the United States, whilst Andres Iniesta will be hoping to recover from injury and play some part in pre-season.
Elsewhere, Maxwell should get his debut during the Wembley Cup, and some of the youngsters could get valuable minutes and experience as Barcelona prepare for a hectic season.
James Walker-Roberts, Goal.com
European Champions Barcelona have made just one signing at the time of writing, that of left-back Maxwell, who is expected to be a direct replacement for the outgoing Sylvinho. It seems that this is unlikely to be the only bit of business they do with Italian champions Inter this summer though, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto’o seemingly close to trading places, and Aliaksandr Hleb rumoured to be going on loan to the San Siro.
What does all this mean to Barcelona? Well the lack of movement in the market suggests that Pep Guardiola is largely content with the squad he has, and why wouldn’t he be? Undoubtedly the best team in Spain and Europe last season, they don’t seem to have too many weaknesses and, with Victor Valdes extending his contract in goal, only need to strengthen a few areas.
Should Eto’o depart then they will clearly need to bring a new striker in, whilst most of the other transfer talk has been about defenders like Dmytro Chygrynsky, but those deals do not appear to be close, nor essential. Indeed, should they go into their first match of the summer against Tottenham Hotspur in the Wembley Cup with the squad they have now, it should still be more than strong enough to see off the London club.
The clash on July 24 will be the first chance to see the Catalans in action since their Champions League triumph in Rome and it should give some indication of just how they will line up next season. Whether or not Ibra will be in the squad for the match in London is not yet clear but certainly Barca’s second opponents, Al-Ahly, will fear the worst if he has arrived by the time they meet on July 26.
After the two matches in England, Barcelona have just seven days before they take on David Beckham and the LA Galaxy in the United States. With the American side half-way through their season and already having drawn against AC Milan, they should prove to be a decent test for Guardiola’s team and the match will be a good way for Barca to start their tour of North America.
Following the game in California, Barcelona travel north up the coast to Seattle, where they take on the Seattle Sounders on August 6. Like the Galaxy, Seattle have already played decent opposition in the form of Chelsea and whilst they didn’t manage to take anything from the English club, they will be keen to pick up a positive result against Barca.
The final match of the pre-season tour sees Guardiola and his side return to California, where they take on Chivas Guadalajara, before they then head back to Spain. By that time not only should Barcelona’s plans for the following season be clear, but they should have nearly finalised any changes in the squad, with the first competitive match of the year taking place on August 16 in the Super Cup against Athletic Bilbao.
After the first-leg of that encounter they will still have a few more matches before the domestic league season gets underway, with the Joan Gamper Trophy beginning on August 18 and the European Super Cup against Shakhtar Donestk taking place on the 28th. When they meet Sporting Gijon on August 31 in their first match of the domestic campaign, Real Madrid might well have made more signings, but Barcelona might already have two trophies in the cabinet.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Whilst the Samuel Eto’o situation is certainly worth keeping an eye on this summer, there are other stars in the Barcelona team who will impress with or without the Cameroonian. The likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Thierry Henry are likely to be the big attractions in the United States, whilst Andres Iniesta will be hoping to recover from injury and play some part in pre-season.
Elsewhere, Maxwell should get his debut during the Wembley Cup, and some of the youngsters could get valuable minutes and experience as Barcelona prepare for a hectic season.
James Walker-Roberts, Goal.com
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