I don't know if this has been discussed enough after the Gala match, but in the first half, Lamine was visibly frustrated on a few occasions when the ball wasn't played to him.

I felt we were sometimes too eager to force that final-third pass, and most of those attempts were either intercepted or deflected, eventually allowing Gala to hit us on the counter. Rodri, in particular, seemed to deliberately slow things down rather than force the pass.

Even in his post-match comments, Rodri mentioned that the adjustment at half-time was to wait a little longer and take an extra touch or two to open up the opposition's defensive compactness before attempting the final pass.

What do you guys think? Are we becoming too impatient in the final third, trying to force verticality when a bit of pausa would help us create better openings? Or was the issue more about the timing of the passes themselves? Because, especially in the first half, I sometimes felt the ball wasn't played at the right moment either.

Curious to hear your thoughts on the balance between playing vertically and being patient in possession.

1- PSG still the team to beat, obv they had some luck last season but on their best they are still the most complete team in Europe and they get to rest their best players in ligue 1 on top, it's good to face them early on in a relatively low stakes match as to prepare for future knockout big games

2-City was no pushover either, Haaland + Bouaddi and Anderson double pivot showed its worth but admittedly when PSG were relaxed, now ofc I don't worry about a midfield battle with our best players but in a way city game will be a much harder version of Galtasaraay one (Tall strong striker upfront with pacey wingers and double pivot) so interested to see how that goes

3-Real Madrid might be the new set piece FC, I don't have any doubts about beating them in Camp Nou specially if Mourinho insists on the stinky Valverde Tchouameni double pivot but the combination of Arda Guler with all the giants in Espi Huijsen Bellingham and Rudiger could make a comfortable 2-0 lead become a 2-1 out of nowhere from a random corner

Overall everything we have to prepare for in the upcoming 2 weeks was honestly revealed just yesterday, only concerned about the most important game in El Classico being sandwiched between the other two but I trust Hansi Flick and his men to pull through

Lamine is on track to reach Messi's 778 appearance for Barca at about 31 years old!

If he avoids injuries he has a very good chance of overtaking Messi's assist numbers.
But he might need over 1000 matches to reach 672 goals xD

With the collab just releasing. I was wondering if anyone here could give me an idea of what shipping to the US looks like/how long it could take?
When the Travis Scott collab released I bought the retro jersey and that took 4 months to arrive. I'm hoping that's not the case here. Website says shipping by 10/30 but I'm cautious.
Has anyone that bought the last collab more recently remember how long shipping took? Thank you

If Balde has only played 12 mins in 10 matches, and the 12 mins all came against Santander when we were already winning by a large margin, it shows that Hansi Flick does not have faith in Balde anymore.

And some of you might rush to defend him, and rightfully so since he has been plagued with injuries, but I'll say that not wanting to sell him because he is a La Masia player is not a good defense.

Just because he is a La Masia player does not mean he should get special treatment. He has not improved as much as other promoted players since his debut. His crossing and decision making in the final third is iffy. You might also say that Cancelo isn't that great defensively, and that Balde has the pace to help defend, but Cancelo at least offers something going forward.

We should also remember that Hansi Flick sees Balde in training on a day to day basis, so with the reportst that now say Balde is pushing for an exit combined with Flick not playing him, it's proof that he longer has a nailed on starting spot.

Was looking at some interesting data: Lamine has 31 key passes in La Liga so far this season, the most of any player in the big five leagues. Güler's next on 28.

It's 22% of Barça's total, and Barça have made more than anyone in La Liga (140). Next at the club is Pedri on 16.

He's got 7 goals and 5 assists on top, and 11 big chances created.

Eight games is still early. Is this the best start we've seen from him?

(Source: The Prism, a football scouting and analytics tool I'm currently building. Looking for testers, so feel free to sign up to the waitlist if you are interested in this type of data!)

Barcelona travelled to Istanbul on Tuesday without Raphinha, their most in-form player and top scorer with 14 goals in eight games this season, and the match against Galatasaray got as dangerous as it could.

The hosts took the lead with their first chance thanks to Aleksey Batrakov, who slammed home a cross from Rafael Leao in the 28th minute. Barcelona duly went into meltdown. Hansi Flick’s side lost their cohesion, started wasting possession and Galatasaray thought they had added a second from a corner, but VAR disallowed the goal for offside.

Joao Cancelo managed to equalise two minutes before the break, to the relief of Flick on the touchline, but the game was still in a very awkward place for Barca, overwhelmed by a typically intense atmosphere at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium.

It was in that exact moment when Barcelona were reminded that, fortunately, they can always rely on Lamine Yamal.

The teenage prodigy went from having a discreet first half, one in which Galatasaray’s Mario Lemina had words with him after the 19-year-old claimed a foul, to destroying the opposition in the space of 15 minutes, with Barcelona roaring back to win 4-1.

Luis de la Fuente once said something along the lines of:

“The more you win, the closer you are to losing.”

Let’s keep that in mind, but also enjoy every game this team is playing right now.
And when that inevitable loss eventually comes, we might still put in a great performance and simply lose.

Let’s enjoy the ride! I’m sure that we will have a great season with a lot of fun.

Hi everyone.

I'm from morocco and hoping to visit Barcelona in november. I would love to watch the game against villareal but on the official website the prices start from 320e. I'm wondering are these the normal prices or am I missing something. And if that's the case is it possible that prices drop in the few days before the match?

Thanks in advance

I know it's early in the season, but Gordon has elevated this team with his play. He started the season dishing up assists and is now starting to contribute goals. When I've had the chance to watch him play, his work rate and understanding of Flick's system makes it seem like he grew up playing this style. Lastly, the interview he gave recently shows how much he appreciates the opportunity to play for Barca. In my mind, he is the bar by which future signings should be measured.

I know everyone is always shitting on our defense, and yes, we need a top CB to compete at the highest level, but I feel people are overlooking what we already have. Cubarsí is a top defender, Eric García is improving, and so is Gerard Martín. He might not be flashy, but he’s hardworking and has shown he’s willing to improve. Coming from a smaller club and academy like Elche, adapting to an unnatural position and holding his own against top players, including Osimhen, is impressive. I genuinely think he’s yet to reach his potential.

We also need to remember that no defender is going to play in a high line as aggressive as Flick’s without looking shaky at times. That’s partly why Barça signed an experienced DM like Rodri, and we’re already seeing the difference in both midfield and defense. His dominance in duels and recoveries helps protect the backline and limits how exposed our defenders are. The defense needs improvement, but it’s not as hopeless as people make it seem.