Tag: Barcelona

Alejandro Balde on the verge of losing his starting spot at Barcelona
24Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
News

Alejandro Balde on the verge of losing his starting spot at Barcelona

Although Alejandro Balde has been one of the best young left backs in world football, the Barcelona man's performances have slipped in recent seasons, and with Joao Cancelo back in Blaugrana colors, a change could be coming for Hansi Flick. As Gabriel Sans of Mundo Deportivo notes, Flick has now left Balde out of the starting lineup in back-to-back games. Meanwhile, Cancelo was the best player on the pitch in Barca's most recent La Liga encounter, a 3-0 win over Levante. In that game, Cancelo assisted once and registered three key passes with three combined tackles and interceptions and three combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn in a great all-around performance. Cancelo was previously at Barcelona and just joined them again in the winter transfer window, signing on loan fo...
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Ranking the 10 best young La Liga players in 2026
22Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 10 best young La Liga players in 2026

Unfortunately, La Liga is falling behind the other top five European leagues in terms of spending, so talent development on a grassroots level has become more important for Spanish clubs than ever before. Sadly, by the same token, La Liga are falling behind in developing talent, particularly the academies at the smallest clubs in Spain. They are seeing their talents poached and having more difficulty initially bringing bright young talents aboard with the scouting networks of Real Madrid and Barcelona, in particular, only growing stronger. It is no surprise, of course, that Real Madrid and Barcelona dominate the list of the best young players in La Liga today, and, in truth, these two powerhouse clubs have the best collection of young talent in the world out of any clubs around - and...
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2025/26 Champions League Power Rankings after first leg of playoffs
20Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

2025/26 Champions League Power Rankings after first leg of playoffs

The first leg of the playoffs before the Champions League Round of 16 have been completed, and already, clubs like Juventus and Qarabag look to be out of it entirely after suffering blowout losses. Meanwhile, other notable clubs like Atalanta and Inter Milan are very much on the ropes, while Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid remain in tight contests after the first leg. Clubs on bye weeks are sitting pretty right now, but even contenders like Liverpool and PSG will be on high alert amidst disappointing seasons in their respective league campaigns. Following another week of thrilling Champions League action, let's take a look at the latest power rankings, picking the top 10 teams in the competition thus far with the best chance of winning it all. 10. Borussia Dor...
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Ranking the 10 best young left backs in world football in 2026
10Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Ranking the 10 best young left backs in world football in 2026

Because left footers are more rare than right footers and because top fullbacks are hard to find in the modern game, left backs are among the most valuable players in world football and can often be a weak link for the top teams in European football. As 2026 trudges onward, let's take a look at the best young left backs in world football today, ranking the current crop of young talent under the age of 24 from 10th to 1st. 10. Daniel Svensson, Borussia Dortmund If this list were solely about the players' performances in the 2025/26 season, Daniel Svensson would probably rank a couple of slots higher, because he has overperformed this season as a workhorse player on the left flank in that wing back role on a Dortmund team that is otherwise pretty atrocious out wide. While projectin...
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Fantasy La Liga 2026: Ranking the 10 best midfielders to own for maximum points
7Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Fantasy La Liga 2026: Ranking the 10 best midfielders to own for maximum points

Choosing the best midfielders in La Liga Fantasy is a lot more difficult than just going with the best overall players, the stars on the best teams, or even who is actually playing the best because the scoring system favors midfielders who score goals, dribble incisively, and make decisive defensive actions as part of a successful team defense. Negotiating all of these variables is often difficult. Here are the best La Liga midfielders to own in fantasy for the remainder of the 2025/26 season based on their ability to give you maximum points, regardless of their cost. 10. Luis Milla, Getafe With seven assists this season, Luis Milla is one of the best table setters in La Liga, and he is also a quality defender in the middle of the park. But he isn't going to get you many points anyw...
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Ranking the 15 best goalkeepers in world football in 2026
25Jan By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 15 best goalkeepers in world football in 2026

You would think the goalkeeper position would be the easiest to evaluate on the football pitch, because, well, goalkeepers are more stationary than other players and can be largely evaluated on how successful they are at stopping the other team from scoring. But it isn't really that simple. Although goalkeepers are primarily asked to make saves, ask any Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur fan how much having a goalkeeper who does not command the box well or makes basic errors in possession can totally destroy your team's sense of stability. There is also the matter of reputation. Many goalkeepers can skate by on a reputation built up over the years of greatness, whereas some younger goalkeepers find it more difficult to gain a foothold for this reason. Finally, there is the mat...
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Ballon d’Or Power Rankings after Real Madrid trounce Barcelona in El Clasico
28Oct By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ballon d’Or Power Rankings after Real Madrid trounce Barcelona in El Clasico

Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe were the heroes again, as Real Madrid got their revenge on Barcelona for four straight Clasico defeats in 2024/25 to remain top dogs in the 2025/26 La Liga table with a 2-1 win over the Blaugrana. Here are the latest Ballon d'Or power rankings after the narrative-turning El Clasico. 5. Manchester City ST Erling Haaland Erling Haaland has been the biggest star in the Premier League again this season, and you really have to wonder where Manchester City would be at this point in the campaign and in the table without the Norwegian sensation bagging 11 goals in 9 games. 4. Barcelona RW Lamine Yamal While Lamine Yamal was a bit disappointing in El Clasico, we are still talking about the most electrifying winger in the world with a whopping five dribbles c...
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La Liga Player of the Season Rankings after Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler hook up again
19Oct By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

La Liga Player of the Season Rankings after Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler hook up again

Real Madrid watched Barcelona outlast their local rivals Girona on Saturday night in La Liga action, and they were able to find the same late goal in order to edge past a consistently stingy Getafe. And lo and behold, it was, once again, the pairing of Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe to hook up and give Real Madrid the late goal they needed for a 1-0 win, maintaining their slight lead in the table over Barcelona heading into next weekend's Clasico. With all due respect to the Real Betis attacking duo of Abde and Antony, the top five La Liga Player of the Season rankings list thus far is dominated by the Clasico rivals. But who is first? And which team has more candidates in the top five? Let's take a look. 5. Barcelona LW Raphinha Raphinha has been playing just as much on the right...
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Ballon d’Or Rankings after Harry Kane conquers Der Klassiker
18Oct By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ballon d’Or Rankings after Harry Kane conquers Der Klassiker

Harry Kane scored the opener at the near post from a corner kick for Bayern Munich in the first half of Der Klassiker vs. Borussia Dortmund, but he saved his best moment for last with a David Beckham-esque long ball to the left for Luis Diaz, which eventually led to Jobe Bellingham's comedy of an error and Michael Olise's sliding winner. Bayern's 2-1 win over Dortmund came as a result of a team effort, but, once again, Kane was a star performer, drawing six fouls and even making a crunching slide tackle near his own penalty box in the waning minutes of the match. After Kane stepped up again for the Bavarian giants in their biggest home game of the Bundesliga season, let's take stock of where the England international ranks among the Ballon d'Or candidates. 5. Barcelona RW Lamine Yam...
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2025/26 LaLiga Power Rankings after Matchday 7
30Sep By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
Analysis, Rankings

2025/26 LaLiga Power Rankings after Matchday 7

LaLiga Matchday 7 saw Atlético Madrid destroy Real Madrid 5-2 in the Madrid Derby, Barcelona jump to the top of the table, and Elche stay undefeated with a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo. Let’s review these LaLiga Matchday 7 fixtures and rank teams ahead of Matchday 8.   20. Girona Girona managed to scrap out a 1-1 draw with Espanyol on Matchday 7 thanks to a five-save performance from goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. The Argentine was the Blanquivermells man of the match, but the entire defense did their part, holding Espanyol to just 1.08 xG from 20 shots.  Offensively, though, Girona really struggled to convert solid opportunities. Of their seven shots in the box, they only managed to get one on target. They missed their only big chance of the game. Results like this draw are why I think Giron...
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