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30.10.06

Barça - Chelsea am 31.10.


Barça gegen Chelsea, Rijkaard gegen Mourinho, Ronaldinho gegen Lampard, Spielkunst gegen Athletik, 98.000 Zuschauer gegen 42.000

So schaut das Duell aus. Nichtsdestotrotz stehen wir mit dem Rücken zur Wand und müssen dieses Spiel unbedingt gewinnen. Deswegen wollen wir dieses Spiel gemeinsam verfolgen!!!

Treffpunkt: 31.10.2006 zwischen 19.45 Uhr - 20.00 Uhr im Oscar Wilde

Ihr seid alle herzlichst eingeladen mit der Penya Barcelonista de Berlin mitzufiebern!!!

Adeu Amics und bis Dienstag

29.10.06

Barça - Chelsea -> Part 2

Barça - Chelsea -> Part 1




FC Barcelona - Recreativo de Huelva 3:0 (1:0)

23.10.06

Quo vadis Barça ???

Ein Kommentar von Rusminho



Wenn man die Bilanz sieht, dann fängt man an, sich die Augen zu reiben und zu fragen "Ist das wirklich der FC Barcelona?"

Die Antwort lautet leider JA! Wir haben gegen sechs starke Gegner gespielt (Chelsea, Real, Sevilla im Supercup, Sevilla, Bremen und Valencia) und nüchtern musste man feststellen, dass die Bilanz 1-2-3 aussieht, d.h. ein Sieg, zwei Remis und drei Niederlagen.

Barça ist ambitioniert in die Saison gegangen mit dem Ziel, alle Titels zu gewinnen (Spanischer Meister, CL, Copa del Rey, Weltpokal, span.Supercup und europäischer Supercup). Bislang können wir nur einen Titel vorweisen, während wir einen anderen schon verspielt haben.

Wir sind zwar noch im Rennen um die vier verbliebenen Titels, doch nach dem bisherigem Saisonverlauf ist das Gewinnen von weiteren Trophäen zur Illusion geworden.
Die Frage ist: WIESO ??? Weil wir an Genialität, spielerischer Lockerheit und Eleganz verloren haben. Natürlich hat uns diese Mannschaft in der Vergangenheit verzaubert, denkt man nur an die grossen Spiele gegen Real, Chelsea oder Milan. Ebenfalls kann man nicht erwarten, dass Barça jede Saison Meister und EuropeanChampions wird. Doch wir haben einen so starken Kader, dass man eigentlich davon ausgehen muss, in den nächsten Jahren noch weitere Titels zu sammeln.

Jeder Zyklus hat sein Ende, nur passiert das schon diese Saison?

Ich denke NEIN. Wir sind natürlich nicht in der Form wie letztes Jahr, sondern bei gut geschätzten 70%. Die Gründe für die momentane Formkrise liegen sicherlich an der Verletzung von Eto'o, an der anhaltenen Formkrise von Ronaldinho sowie an unseren beiden Passgebern Xavi und Deco, die zur Zeit auch nicht brillieren.
Doch langsam müssen sich die Spieler auch von der Einstellung (Wir können locker die Spiele gewinnen) trennen, weil wir nicht dort sind, wo wir letzte Saison im Finale aufgehört haben! Wir sind momentan nur bei 70%.
Die Form ist keine Konstante, sondern ein Prozess, der immer wieder bestätigt werden muss. Und das muss in der Geisteshaltung der Spieler verankert werden! Sie müssen nicht bei 0 anfangen, aber wieder bei 70% und von Tag zu Tag, von Spiel zu Spiel sich der 100%-Marke nähern!!!

Auf Rijkaards Truppe wartet viel Arbeit, um die Erfolge zu wiederholen, denn die Mannschaft hat das Potenzial Geschichte zu schreiben.

Ich persönlich finde die momentane Situation gar nicht so schlecht, da jetzt der Prozess eingeleitet wird, wieder mehr Biss zu zeigen und in den kommenden Spielen motivierter zu Werke zu gehen (wie z.B.Messi). Jedem Spieler wird jetzt klar sein, dass die Saison kein Selbstläufer wird. Sie müssen eine höhere Leistungbereitschaft zeigen, damit die Erfolge vom letzten Jahr wiederholt werden können.

Ich bin optimistisch, dass wir weiterhin Geschichte schreiben werden und pünktlich zur Rückrunde und den entscheidenden Spielen im Dezember (Weltpokal) sowie im April und Mai Topfit und in einer guten Verfassung sein werden.

In diesem Sinne VISCA EL BARCA !!!

Real Madrid - FC Barcelona 2:0 (1:0)




21.10.06

Real Madrid - FC Barcelona am 22.10. um 21Uhr


Am Sonntag steht wieder das "EL CLASSIC" an. Wir werden das Spiel im Oscar Wilde verfolgen, WIR ALLE!!! Es wird wieder sehr voll sein, deswegen müssen wir uns auch wieder sehr früh dort treffen.

Treffpunkt: 22.10.2006 zwischen 20.00 Uhr - 20.15 Uhr im Oscar Wilde Irish Pub

Das Spiel beginnt um 21 Uhr

Adeu Amics und bis Sonntag

Das Spiel der Spiele



Es ist der Klassiker schlechthin im spanischen Fußball. Real Madrid gegen den FC Barcelona. Spanier gegen Katalanen, Rekordmeister gegen den aktuellen Titelträger oder - ganz nüchtern betrachtet - Fünfter gegen Erster. Das Bernabeustadion in der Hauptstadt ist am Sonntagabend (21 Uhr) Schauplatz für den "Krieg der Sterne", wie spanische Medien im Vorfeld titelten. Barça ist Favorit, doch die "Königlichen" haben sich viel vorgenommen.

Zu klar war die Überlegenheit der Gäste unter Trainer Frank Rijkaard in den zurückliegenden Spielzeiten, als dass Real sich nicht an der Ehre gepackt fühlen und dem großen Rivalen endlich wieder eine Niederlage beibringen müsste. Und so tönt es aus dem Lager der Madrilenen vollmundig in Richtung "Azulgrana": "Wir sind besser als Barcelona" (Sportdirektor Pedja Mijatovic), "wir haben den besten Kader weltweit" (Klubchef Ramón Calderón), oder: "Wir müssen von Beginn an demonstrieren, dass wir die Besten sind"(Abwehrchef Fabio Cannavaro).

Nur lautes Pfeifen im Walde? Oder sind die Spieler von Trainer Fabio Capello, dermaßen beflügelt vom 4:1 bei Steaua Bukarest, wirklich in der Lage, den Spieß wieder einmal umzudrehen und die Machtverhältnisse in der spanischen Fußball-Beletage zurechtzurücken? Was spräche dafür? Nun, die Katalanen reisen ohne den langzeitverletzten Super-Torjäger Eto'o und mit einem formschwachen Weltfußballer Ronaldinho an. Ihr Spiel offenbarte beim 0:1 in Chelsea am Mittwoch deutlich sichtbare Mängel, sodass selbst Barça-Präsident Joan Laporta dem Kontrahenten - zumindest "auf Grund des Heimvorteils" - die Favoritenrolle zukommen lässt.

48 der 77 Heimspiele gegen Barça gingen an Real (bei 14 Niederlagen). Nimmt man die bisherigen Leistungen in der Liga als Grundlage, droht den "Königlichen" ohne den gesperrten Ronaldo allerdings Schlappe Nummer 15. Bodenlos war zumindest die Leistung in der Vorwoche beim 0:1 gegen den FC Getafe. Und acht Treffer aus sechs Spielen (Barcelona: 16) sprechen nicht gerade für ein Angriffsspiel voller Esprit und Durchschlagskraft.
Frank Rijkaards Schützlinge führen dagegen die Tabelle als einzig ungeschlagenes Team der Liga an. Zuletzt konnte mit dem FC Sevilla der Geheimfavorit auf den Titel mit 3:1 in die Schranken gewiesen werden. "Wir wollen in Madrid da anknüpfen, wo wir zuletzt aufgehört haben", meint Rijkaard und zielt damit keinesfalls auf die Niederlage an der Londoner Stamford Bridge ab.

Quelle: Kicker Online

20.10.06

CL: Chelsea London - FC Barcelona 1:0 (0:0)

Madrilenyos, vosaltres no sou el Chelsea.

A purgar!

17.10.06

Chelsea - Barca am 18.10.

Hallo liebe Barca-Freunde!!!!

Ja, am Mittwoch steht das Supermatch gegen Chelsea an und wir wollen alle zusammen das Spiel im Oscar Wilde verfolgen. Da die Vergangenheit gezeigt hat, dass es immer sehr voll war, sollten wir uns alle schon ein bisschen früher treffen.

Das Spiel beginnt um 20.45h und um gute Plätze zu bekommen, sollten wir zwischen 19.45h-20h dort eintreffen.

Für alle diejenigen, die nicht wissen wo das Oscar Wilde ist, habe ich noch den Link hinzugefügt.
Einfach oben anklicken!

Adeu amics und bis Mittwoch
FC Barcelona 3 - Sevilla FC 1

16.10.06

La PBB saluda els amics de Catalans a Berlín

La representació de la Penya Barcelonista de Berlín present a la

VII trobada de Catalans a Berlín

va poder gaudir d´una vetllada impressionant així com de l´intercanvi de contactes i projectes amb els companys de llengua.

Sigueu benvingudes i benvinguts al nostre bloc blaugrana.

Ens veiem a l´Oscar Wilde aquest dimecres contra el Chelsea i diumenge contra el nostre estimadíssim Reial Madrit. Sigueu puntuals si no voleu veure el partit dem Peus (Amor dixit. Llegeixis "d´empeus", en datiu).

11.10.06

PBB-Treffen am 15.10. aber wo?

Liebe Barca-Freunde, eigentlich wollten wir uns alle am 15.10.2006 wieder einfinden, um das Spiel FC Barcelona - FC Sevilla um 19 Uhr zu sehen. Nur da gibt es zur Zeit ein Problem. Oscar Wilde Irish Pub zeigt dieses Spiel nicht, weil es Skysports nicht zeigt. Desweiteren wird es von Premiere sowieso nicht gezeigt (weil Premiere diese Saison die spanische Liga nicht zeigt) und auch von Arena nicht.

Es kann sein, dass es noch kurzfristig zu Änderungen kommen kann, gerade bei Skysports. Sollte Skysports dieses Spiel zeigen, dann können wir es im Oscar Wilde sehen.

Ansonsten müssen wir das Spiel im Internet verfolgen :-(

Ich bleibe am Ball und sobald sich etwas ändern sollte, werde ich sofort Bescheid geben.

Bis bald
Article extracted from ESPN soccer net

Flying the flag


No league this weekend of course, due to the European qualifiers. Spain lost 2-0 in Sweden, so no surprises there.

The national team seems to be going through some sort of crisis at the moment, brought on by the traumatic 3-2 defeat in Northern Ireland. Luis Aragonés stated firmly before the game that even in the event of defeat, he had no intention of resigning, a conviction later supported by Angel Villar, the President of the FEF (Spanish Football Federation).


Luis Aragones: Safe in his job
despite predictable defeat
in Sweden.

The truth is that the team are still playing some decent football, but seem to be easily undone by sides that lie in wait and counter-attack, exposing a lack of steel and organisation at the heart of the defence.

Puyol is all heart, as ever, but has recently began to look less assured when deprived of the cover of club-mate Marquez, and Juanito has never looked very convincing at centre-half. Add to that the fact that Sergio Ramos (who played well) is wasted at full-back, and you have some strategic problems at the heart of the side. Even Casillas is beginning to look mortal. Nevertheless, it looks like a case of good players in abundance, limited by a creaky system.

Two defeats on the trot have certainly put Spain's qualification in the balance, but it's hardly true to say, as Aragonés' fiercest critics are, that Spain can now wave goodbye to the 2008 finals.

I don't know what the viewing figures on national TVE1 were on Saturday evening, but truth be told, the game was partially eclipsed by a match scheduled for the next day in the Camp Nou, between Catalonia and Euskadi (The Basque Country).

Several of the star turns were missing in action, of course, flying home from Sweden. Xavi, Puyol, Lluis Garcia, Cesc, Reina and Xabi Alonso have all played for their respective 'national' sides before, but always in the traditional Christmas matches, when teams from any of Spain's 17 autonomous communities can invite a national team over for a festive friendly.

Not all the communities do - the most active being Catalonia, Euskadi, Navarre, Galicia and Andalucía. Of the five, the former two have historical traditions connected to their 'selecciones' (national teams) going back as far as 1915. In fact, the first ever Euskadi XI made their competitive debut that year against a Catalan XI, beating them 6-1.

Sunday's game was the 10th time in history that the two sides have met, the last time being in 1971 in Bilbao. But the most significant fact about the game was that it was the first time in 67 years that Euskadi had played outside of the Basque Country.

During the Spanish Civil War a team of exiles (all professionals) toured France, Russia, Poland and Denmark (where it secured its biggest ever win, 11-1), moving on to Cuba and then eventually to Mexico, where it enrolled in the national league and won it, in 1939. There's a good trivia question to put a frown on the face of even the most impressive football nerd.

There were more than a few eyebrows raised, however, when the administrative bodies for these two sides put forward a proposal to the FEF to play this game, on the same weekend as official UEFA fixtures. Surprisingly, the FEF agreed, although there are dark mumblings in right-wing circles about pressure from on high.

For the first time in Spain's history, its Prime Minister is a Barcelona fan, although he is not a Catalan. Had the request been made under the previous incumbent, José María Aznar, paid-up Real Madrid member and not exactly the biggest fan of nationalist regional sentiment, the game may well have never come about.

Whatever the truth, since the official announcement that the game would take place, there has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth behind the scenes.

The Spanish right are furious - perplexed that such a brazen act of political nationalist propaganda could take place the same weekend as Spain were playing for the Euro 2008 lives, whilst the Catalan and Basque nationalists have been rubbing it in mercilessly, given a public platform to push their claims for recognition of their national sides.

And of course, it's not really about football. Let's get the cards out onto the table. There's no point in writing about much else this week. If you read this column regularly and are interested in Spanish football, then you need to know these things. Without them, La Liga would lose its spark overnight. The political tensions that underlie almost every match, almost every official act that takes place in the corridors of Spain's football, are directly related to what happened this weekend.

The presence of the Basque Lehendakari (Prime Minister) at the match, shoulder to shoulder with his Catalan counterpart, Pasqual Maragall, both solemnly standing for the two communities' anthems, must have had General Franco turning in his grave, along with several of his present-day acolytes.

For them, Maragall and Ibarretxe, two of the cuddliest-looking blokes you can imagine, are Satan and Beelzebub incarnate. Maragall has put more than a few noses out of line with his reform of the Catalan constitution, bringing even more autonomous powers to Catalonia and using the word 'nation' on the draft - much to the consternation of the Partido Popular (People's Party), now out of power after its mishandling of the Madrid bombings.

Ibarretxe had been putting noses out of line well before Maragall, by insisting on what has become known as his 'plan'. To keep matters simple, he sees a future Basque Country as a nation state, only pulling back slightly on this by his idea of 'free association with Spain', a phrase that has had the mainstream Spanish press snorting over its keyboards ever since.

The presence of the Basque Lehendakari (Prime Minister) at the match, shoulder to shoulder with his Catalan counterpart, Pasqual Maragall must have had General Franco turning in his grave


Ibarretxe takes it for granted that the Basque Country is a 'nation'. His rather patronising invitation to Madrid to 'keep in touch' has driven the Spanish right wild. What drives Basque nationalists wild (peaceful and less peaceful ones), is that the Spanish constitution forbids them from holding a referendum on the issue. They see this as fundamentally undemocratic, which it probably is.

So, as you can imagine, the game in the Camp Nou had a teeny-weeny bit of symbolism attached to it. Neither Euskadi nor Catalonia are recognised as official national teams, which means that they cannot compete in World Cups or in European tournaments such as the one that Spain played in on Saturday.

They are not the only ones around the globe to be claiming official status, of course, but we suddenly seem to be in the curious position where FIFA has become the granter of nationhood, the arbiter of what can then become (and this is what mainstream Spain fears) the granting of statehood. Give 'em a little, and they'll want more - is the unspoken whisper. Within this framework, there is no distinction between sport and politics - as there never has been, to be truthful.

The 'Balkanisation' of Spain, where the Iberian Peninsula (except Portugal) becomes a collection of small nation-states, was Franco's great nightmare, of course. He may have been right to fear its politico-economic consequences, but he could never deny (or successfully extinguish) its cultural reality.

That's the problem with Spain. It's in a constant state of denial about events such as the Camp Nou on Sunday. 57,000 people went along, making it a major event. Not only that, it was only surpassed by England v Macedonia at the weekend.

But rather than celebrate the plural nature of the communities within its borders, for the entire week before, Spain's sporting and political spokesperson, Marca, utterly ignored the whole thing, steadfastly refusing to mention it. On the Sunday, they at last gave it some column inches, on page 23, hidden away with news about the Second Division and the regional leagues. Of course, the game subsequently went out on the two regional channels involved. TVE1 ignored it - which neatly underlines the essential problem.

Should these two communities be given official recognition for their football teams? Well, even before watching the vibrant 2-2 draw in the Camp Nou, it's difficult to see how the process can be stopped. Any glance at Spanish history will tell you that it is the concept of 'Spain' as a nation that is far more vague and convoluted than the idea of Euskadi and Catalonia. They were both around long before, as were their languages.

As Diego Torres wrote in El Pais: 'Because there is no consensus over the nature of the Spanish state, there is no consensus over the national team.'

Bingo. Spanish international players have complained for decades that the country is not really behind them, as a whole, and that when the squads have been Catalan and Basque heavy, the politically schizophrenic nature of the team has too often come to the surface.

There's nothing like patriotism to stir on a team - but without it, Spain's mysterious under-achievement over the years (given the quality that has stalked its ranks), is difficult to explain away on any other grounds.

Myths abound. 'La Furia Española' (The Spanish Fury) is a legend that implies that its teams have been traditionally tough, full of no-nonsense characters ready to die for the cause. The phrase dates back to 1920 when the team took the silver medal at the Antwerp Olympics, after a bloody battle against the Swedes.

The problem with this phrase, still used by the Spanish press today, is that of the eleven players in the team that day, nine were Basque and the other two were Catalans. Calling this the 'Spanish' fury is, let us say, rather dodgy on cultural grounds, and yet the phrase lies at the heart of Spain's footballing identity.
Because there is no consensus over the nature of the Spanish state, there is no consensus over the national team.

Diego Torres


A parallel would be to imagine that the United Kingdom had never been called as such, and had just been called 'England'. In terms of the constitutional powers traditionally granted to 10 Downing St, it might as well have been.

Imagine them winning the World Cup, with nine of the players from Scotland and two from Wales (for example), and the victory forever referred to as 'English'. That is essentially what has happed in Spain.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Island have been devolved greater powers in the past few years, but they still possess less autonomous legislative powers than the Basque Country and Catalonia. That's a fact. It's just that Spain has continued to call itself 'Spain', instead of calling itself the 'United Kingdom of Iberia' or something - with apologies to Portugal.

The fact that those three countries can play in the World Cup and Euskadi cannot is a conundrum that needs solving. Euskadi's 'free association' with Spain would simply mean that its players could choose who they wanted to play for, and that would be an end to the matter. There's not enough space here to compare other anomalies (The Faroe Islands for example) with the denial of official status to the two communities under the microscope, but there is a twist to this tale.

My friend the barman reckons that the granting of official status to teams like Wales and Scotland (in a variety of sports) has actually given those nations a focus, and given them a conduit for their patriotism - lessening the chances of terrorism and nationalist mayhem. Northern Ireland is a more complex case, but it's an interesting thought.

Because if the barman's right, then the granting of similar footballing status to such traditionally awkward chaps as the Basques and the Catalans might have the same effect - and not only that, it might eventually lead to the strengthening of the concept of what is 'Spain' - with those two funny regions speaking funny languages finally placated and playing each other in the World Cup final (in Madrid?) - having just beaten Tibet and Gibraltar in the semi-finals.

To conclude this tricky issue, it all depends on whether you view Sunday's game as a unifying or a divisive act, and everyone's entitled to their opinions.

Football could eventually save Spain from itself, but only if people are prepared to sit around the table.

That, unfortunately, has never been easy here.

9.10.06

Katalonien 2 - Euskadi 2


8.10.06

Chelsea - Barca at Stamford "Beach" ???

BARCELONA’S stars have slammed Jose Mourinho for Chelsea’s sand pit of a pitch.

SunSport revealed yesterday how the Blues have sparked a turf war ahead of Barca’s visit on October 18.Chelsea claim they are innocently maintaining their playing surface ahead of the Champions League clash.

But angry Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta reckons Mourinho is up to his old tricks again.
Iniesta said: “We know what Mourinho is like. If the game turns out the same as last year then it won’t bother us if he puts sand on the pitch. He can put whatever he wants on the pitch — it’s all the same to us.”

But midfield playmaker Xavi fears the dodgy grass could spell disaster for Barca.
The Spanish giants won 2-1 at sandy Stamford Bridge last year but only after Chelsea had Asier Del Horno sent off.Xavi said: “This seems very bad for us because they play direct football and Barcelona have a passing game. This will benefit them but not us. We won at Stamford Bridge last year on the sand but only just. It wasn’t easy and it helped they were a man down. We prefer to have a good pitch and when they come to the Nou Camp we will water the surface, so we can play a fast passing game on the floor, the way we like.”

Barcelona legend Andoni Zubizarreta insists Chelsea have a responsibility to provide a perfect pitch for such a big game — so the teams do not end up playing beach football.The former keeper added: “I don’t know what to say about this. I don’t know if it’s a question of problems with their pitch, if it’s been done for maintenance. But the biggest games, like this one will be in the Champions League, should be played in the best possible conditions that you can achieve with the pitch. It’s important to have a good pitch so both teams can play. But you have to make sure you perform no matter what the conditions are.”

Anna Revilla, of Barcelona’s hardcore London-based supporters group ‘Pena Blaugrana’, blasted: “I can’t believe they’ve put sand all over the pitch again! They did it last year and, even though it was raining before the game, they watered the pitch. It was really bad last year.
Of course Mourinho is doing this to get at Barcelona. The Barcelona players pass the ball on the floor and if the pitch isn’t smooth it’s not good for us. All the Barca fans will be angry about this. Last year everyone was asking how the Chelsea pitch can be so bad when they have Abramovich and all his millions? Now they have put sand on the pitch again this year just when we are coming to play them again — that’s really bad!”

But a Chelsea spokesman last night insisted the sanding of the pitch was merely routine.
He said: “An 18-day break between home fixtures has allowed our groundstaff to carry out routine maintenance work on the pitch.The drainage system is being improved to ensure the pitch stays in top condition.The international break allows us to carry out this work towards our aim of maintaining our playing surface as one of the best in the league.Recent years have seen much investment going into it.”

Una nació, una selecció

Philadelphia 76ers (99) vs Barça (104)

4.10.06

Remember Samuel Eto'o

Unser Superstürmer wird uns 5 Monate lang fehlen. Er wird aber wieder zurückkommen und uns mit solchen Toren helfen, alle Titels zu gewinnen!


2.10.06

Ath. Bilbao 1 - Barça 3