Barcelona

The Catalans dominated the game and had 21 shots as opposed to Rayo's meagre four. Ansu Fati, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Sergio Busquets came very close ...

The pressure is now on Xavi to work out a solution. After the game, Andoni Iraola revealed that they had a special plan to neutralise Lewandowski’s threat. In 90 minutes, he made four saves to deny the Blaugranas a goal, including two from inside the box. The hosts had a staggering 21 shots on goal, including six on target. They dominated the game with close to 70% possession and had eight corner kicks. The season is long, and this is just the start.

ALL EYES ON: Lewandowski was the man of the moment at Camp Nou but his La Liga debut was ultimately underwhelming. During the first half, he put the ball in the ...

During the first half, he put the ball in the back of the net but was a couple of yards offside. There will be plenty of improved performances when the new signings are allowed time to adjust to the club. ALL EYES ON: Lewandowski was the man of the moment at Camp Nou but his La Liga debut was ultimately underwhelming. It was clear that the new signings are not quite used to playing together as a unit, something they will hope to rectify in the coming weeks and months. Perhaps the right formula will emerge during a tough upcoming trip to face Real Sociedad. WHAT HAPPENED? The new era at Barcelona didn't get off to the start Xavi would have wanted.

Former champions Barcelona were off to a frustrating start to their La Liga 2022-23 campaign as the side remained unable taste the triumph as Rayo Vallecano ...

Things got even more frustrating for the side in the extra time as their captain Sergios Busquets walked off the field after being given a red card. Iago Aspas scored in the final minutes of the first half to give Celta Vigo the lead, and Goncalo Paciencia scored in the 63rd minute to give the side a solid 2-0 lead. SPAIN: Former champions Barcelona were off to a frustrating start to their La Liga 2022-23 campaign as the side remained unable taste the triumph as Rayo Vallecano held their nerves to force a draw.

FRENKIE DE JONG is angry with Barcelona and has made a decision over his future with Manchester United interested.

De Jong has made clear his desire to remain at the Nou Camp this summer. The Spanish outlet claim De Jong, who was initially understood to be unwilling to join United, has now performed a U-turn and is open to the idea of linking up with Erik ten Hag's Red Devils. Manchester United have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong following reports that the Barcelona midfielder has made a U-turn and is now open to joining the Red Devils this summer.

Most of the summer transfer window has involved a steady flow of news about Frenkie de Jong and a potential move to the Premier League.

Barcelona failed to kick off their season as planned with a 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday night, but Frenkie de Jong’s appearance in the final 30 minutes caught the eye. They are now coming round to the idea of keeping de Jong. Seemingly they gave de Jong the option of leaving or reducing his salary, even threatening legal action over his contract.

Barcelona have failed to kick off the 2022/23 LaLiga Santander season as they'd have hoped, picking up just one point against Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou ...

"I'm there for whatever the coach asks of me and to help the team and I'm learning," said Araujo after the game. A number of departures have yet to be finalised. The coach didn't call up Dest and sent on Sergi Roberto in the second half when he moved Araujo to centre-back.

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Robert Lewandowski's Barcelona debut ended in a disappointing 0-0 home draw with Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou in their first LaLiga game ...

Maybe the pressure and expectation got a little under our skin," Xavi told DAZN. He made a couple of crucial stops in the second half, one from a Busquets long-range shot and another from a strike by Raphinha. As the frustration mounted for Barca, their captain Sergio Busquets lost his cool and was sent off for an elbow to the face of Falcao Garcia in stoppage time.

Barcelona's LaLiga campaign got off to a slow start with a goalless draw at Camp Nou against Rayo Vallecano.

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For the better part of the off-season, Frenkie de Jong's name has been dragged through the mud by the Barcelona administration. His contract has been leaked ...

And also, his renewal in 2020 promised him a €30 million salary this season, which the new administration deemed extremely excessive. His contract has been leaked, his renewal deemed illegal, and the club has tried their best to push him out. It had been reported, time and again, that the reason why Barcelona want to sell de Jong was multi-faceted.

Xavi's new signings couldn't make an impact at Camp Nou in their first LaLiga match of the season, with Lewandowski failing to find the net.

It's a shame because we wanted to show the fans that we're on a good path. We will have to analyse the game, improve and keep believing in the model of play. Luis Suarez's goal in 2019 was the Catalan's last against Rayo. That's not down to luck. The pre-game optimism of the 81,000 fans at Camp Nou turned to whistles in the second half as Dimitrievski time wasted at every opportunity. He made six saves in total on a memorable opening day for Rayo. No one deserves too much criticism for Barca dropping points, but left-back Jordi Alba was perhaps the player furthest away from his best. Luckily for Barca, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was in good form to ensure they didn't suffer a third straight defeat to Andoni Iraola's team. Iraola is a fantastic young coach and he has some talented players, despite not having a penny to spend. Busquets was shown a late red card for a second booking. When Lewandowski did beat him early in the first half, the flag went up. Barca do not have enough salary space to register the defender yet. Since losing to Rayo in April, Barca have spent over €150 million on new players.

As the Frenkie De Jong saga stretches on, let us revisit his time at FC Barcelona. Why exactly could De Jong not replace Sergio Busquets at the Camp Nou?

Teams like Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Liverpool are demonstrating interesting variations to adapt to the acute shortage or absence of the “Sergio Busquets” profile in the market. Busquets has also mastered the skill of taking an additional touch to attract pressure, and then find a teammate in space. In 630 games for the Blaugranes, Sergio Busquets has only 15 goals and 35 assists (according to fbref.com). Indeed, goalscoring and creation remains the least important part of the 34-year-old’s game. The Spaniard maintains the optimal distance between his center-backs and midfielders; ready to jump up and commit a challenge higher up, or sit deeper and invite runners as the situation requires. This means, FC Barcelona can continue their expansive search for a Sergio Busquets replacement, but may never find a proper answer. Currently 34, Busquets remains almost indispensable to his manager and the team. For over a decade since Sergio Busquets has been an invaluable asset for FC Barcelona. After Guardiola, the likes of Tito Villanova, Tata Martino, Luis Enrique, Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setien, Ronald Koeman and now, Xavi Hernandez have all structured their midfield around the same catalyst. In particular, links to Chelsea FC and Manchester United have been persistent. In particular, De Jong’s wizardly display at the Santiago Bernabeu convinced the world of his talent and ability. FC Barcelona have rediscovered their reliance on Sergio Busquets. Under Xavi, Sergio Busquets has been reinstituted as the focal point of the team’s system. While this actually brought out the best of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets suffered. Frenkie De Jong signed for Barcelona from an inspirational Ajax side in 2019.

Chelsea have reportedly stepped up their pursuit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and have submitted an offer worth nearly €14 million for the veteran striker.

The Blues are also willing to double Aubameyang’s salary, which has temped the Gabonese international. The journalist also reports that Thomas Tuchel is pushing for the transfer, and wants Chelsea to match Barcelona’s asking price of €25 million. Barcelona are willing to continue negotiations with Chelsea as Memphis Depay’s potential move to Juventus has been halted.

Barcelona's transfer dealings this summer continue to surprise and with just under three weeks remaining in the transfer market, there might be more to come ...

Barcelona have plenty of depth in attack and MD believe that the Azulgrana would consider an exit if it meant being able to bid for Bernardo Silva. Lewandowski’s position is likely the only guaranteed spot in Xavi Hernandez’s front three and Raphinha, Ferran Torres, Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati are fighting it out for the other two, but both Fati and Torres have played through the middle before. Yet Chelsea have shown a strong interest in him and former manager Thomas Tuchel is very keen on a reunion in London. Given Aubameyang will likely play second fiddle to Robert Lewandowski, it might create the conditions necessary for an exit. According to Mundo Deportivo, Aubameyang is happy in Barcelona both in terms of his life and with the team.

SportsBrief.com News ☆ Xavi Hernandez says Barcelona still need to strengthen their squad after opening the season with disappointing goalless draw against ...

Laporta has therefore asked Xavi to prepare his team for the weekend, including the five new signings. Despite not officially registering their new players yet, Barcelona are already trying to sign more players. The report further states that Barcelona to bring in three more signings; Marcos Alonso, Bernardo Silva and a right-back.

Chelsea had further talks regarding a move for Barcelona's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over the weekend. Chelsea were plotting to launch a bid for the Gabon ...

Chelsea held further talks with Barcelona to negotiate a deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Chelsea had further talks regarding a move for Barcelona's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over the weekend. - Chelsea have had further talks with Barcelona over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

The arrival of Robert Lewandowski has pushed the former Arsenal forward down the pecking order.

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Bernardo is a firm fan favourite at the Etihad and received a rousing reception when he emerged from the bench against Bournemouth on Saturday. Fans sang his ...

So we have to keep going, play as a team and especially act." Erik ten Hag, who worked with De Jong at Ajax, was left fuming on the touchline as four quickfire goals saw the Red Devils go into the break 4-0 down. After the game, Ten Hag admitted: "It's a surprise when you start the game like this; in 35 minutes conceding four goals. So, the team has to take responsibility. They give everything to support us and we let them down. It may be a tough sell to convince the 25-year-old to join United after their hammering at the hands of Brentford on Saturday afternoon.

While a move for Chelsea ace Marcos Alonso is well advanced, it seems like Barça's pursuit of Manchester City superstar Bernardo Silva is also gathering serious ...

Silva’s agent, Jorge Mendes, is said to be mediating the deal as he looks to get his client his dream move to Camp Nou before the window slams shut in a little over two weeks. While Man City have been reluctant to sell so far, it seems like they might be rethinking their stance as Silva is said to be leaning towards a move to Barça before the summer window closes. The 28-year-old Portugal international has been at the top of manager Xavi Hernandez’s wishlist this summer.

Barcelona will be hoping to start their 2022-23 La Liga campaign with a win when they host Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou on Saturday.

They have been prudent in the transfer market and have bolstered their squad with mostly free agents and loan deals. Rayo Head coach Iraola has no injury concerns to deal with before the game and has the full squad available to him. Rayo Vallecano squad and team news The Liga fixture will be broadcast in the United Kingdom on Premier Sports 1 and La Liga TV. It will be available to stream live through Premier Player. Meanwhile, Rayo achieved their best league finish in half a decade as they ended their 2021-22 campaign in 13th spot after getting promoted to the top flight last season. Barcelona will be hoping to start their 2022-23 La Liga campaign with a win when they host Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou on Saturday. The Catalans finished second in the league last season, 13 points adrift of champions Real Madrid, and will be aiming to bring back the Liga trophy to Catalunya following several key signings in the summer.