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Barcelona boss Xavi has made no secret of his desire to bring the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner back to Camp Nou, feeling his ‘time at the club is not over’.

The Catalan club’s president, Joan Laporta, also spoke about his dream of re-signing Messi from Paris-Saint Germain in the summer, despite the club’s ongoing financial troubles.

Messi, arguably the greatest football player of all time, scored 672 goals in 778 games for Barcelona but ended his 21-year association with the La Liga giants when he opted to move to PSG in France last year.

During his time with Barcelona, Messi won the Spanish top-flight title 10 times, the Copa del Rey seven times and the Champions League four times.

‘I would like to think that Messi’s time at the club is not over, let alone the way it happened,’ Xavi said in July.

‘I think he deserves a second chance, or another chance, to show that he can leave the club well and that he has been the best player in history.

‘From next year we will talk about it. But the question is whether I would like it, the answer is yes.’

Barcelona president Laporta added: ‘I feel indebted to Leo Messi. I would like him to end his career in a Barca shirt, and be applauded at all the stadiums.

‘I feel partially responsible for how things ended, and I feel that this is a temporary end and that we will make this dream a reality. At least that is the dream.’

Messi’s current deal is due to expire in 2023, but PSG have recently indicated a desire to extend it for at least a further year until 2024.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano provided an update on the 35-year-old’s contract situation on Tuesday.

‘Leo Messi will not make any decision on his future in the next weeks or months,’ Romano said.

‘[He is] focused on Paris Saint-Germain and then World Cup, [and] nothing will be decided or planned before the World Cup [in November].

‘Despite PSG new deal plans and Barca interest, Leo will not proceed before 2023.’

Press reports confirmed that the management of Barcelona, ​​headed by Joan Laporta, is already working in full swing to prepare a plan for the next winter transfer season, through which the Catalan team will be able to prevent a recurrence of the Lionel Messi crisis.

The Argentine star bid farewell to the ranks of the Catalan team in 2021, and the reason for the departure of the Argentine flea is due to the economic crisis that Barcelona experienced, which caused the suspension of the process of renewing his contract, after which he moved to the ranks of the French club Paris Saint-Germain.

To prevent a recurrence of this crisis, which may push Barcelona to get rid of one of the main players in the team, and for fear of the rules of financial fair play, Barcelona is trying to organize its winter schedule, despite the Catalan team’s attempt to stay away from violating the rules, after they excluded both Ricky Puig and Miralem Pjanic and Martin Braithwaite, from the team at the end of the summer season, but the financial crisis is still affecting the club’s ranks.

Therefore, Barcelona will try to reduce the salaries of Frenkie de Jong, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba, and Memphis Depay, in order to get away from the idea of ​​​​violating the rules of financial fair play.

It is worth noting that Barcelona concluded many fiery deals during the last summer Mercato, and these deals are represented in the signing of Pablo Toure, Franck Kissier, Andreas Christensen and Rafinha, as well as the Catalan team’s ability to steal Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich.

Barcelona also included Jules Conde, Hector Bellerin and Marcos Alonso, at the end of the summer season.

Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty Images
Ahead of their game against Bayern Munich tomorrow, Barcelona took on Cadiz on the weekend, with Xavi making a ton of changes to their first-choice starting lineup.

Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele, Pedri, Eric Garcia, and Jules Kounde were all rested, with Hector Bellerin being handed his debut, while Sergio Busquets returned to the XI.

Tomorrow, though, there is no scope to experiment. Xavi has to deploy the strongest possible lineup at the Allianz Arena. Luckily, he has every single player fit in his arsenal, and can choose to make whatever changes he wants according to the opposition.

Barça Universal takes the mantle to predict Barcelona’s starting lineup against Bayern Munich tomorrow.

Defence
With Sergi Roberto injured and Jules Kounde rested, Bellerin was awarded his debut on the weekend. The Spaniard was comfortable for the most part of the evening and did not particularly make any mistakes.

However, there is no scope of him retaining his place tomorrow. Jules Kounde should return to the starting lineup as the right-back. The Frenchman has done exceedingly well in that role this season, but will face his real test tomorrow, pitched against one of Serge Gnabry or Leroy Sane.

There is no argument about who starts, or should start, in central defence. Ronald Araujo is Barcelona’s best defender by far, and is expected to continue as the right centre-back, while the in-form Eric Garcia will likely partner him.

The left-back spot has been up for debate in the media, as Xavi sees all three of Alejandro Balde, Marcos Alonso, and Jordi Alba as capable starters. However, following his exceptional display against Cadiz, Balde is the only correct answer for us.

This back-four will have the responsibility to screen Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal, who has been in exceptional form through the 2022/23 season.

Midfield
Two of the three midfield spots in the team are rather straightforward. One of them is Pedri – fan-favourite, Golden Boy, teenage prodigy. The Spaniard is one of the most essential cogs at Barcelona and should get the nod in midfield.

Sergio Busquets has no backup, alternatives, or replacements in the current setup, and will, barring any surprises, be deployed as the lone pivot in a midfield three.

His recent meetings against Bayern have not fared well, with the likes of Thomas Muller, Leon Goretzka and Robert Lewandowski pressing him to hell and back. Tomorrow, however, he will have the support of a much stronger defence.

According to several reports, Xavi is yet to make a final call on the final piece of the midfield for tomorrow. He could, it’s understood, start Frenkie de Jong in midfield, and Gavi as the left-winger to give the team a composed setup.

Gavi deserves to start tomorrow. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
However, that will be taking away from Gavi‘s strengths in the middle of the park. As such, we expect the Spaniard to start over de Jong tomorrow.

Attack
Bayern have been far from impressive at the back, with the likes of Dayot Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt, and Lucas Hernadez making silly errors. Barcelona must look to capitalise on this as well as they can, even if it means taking a big risk.

Robert Lewandowski will unquestionably be the man of the hour tomorrow, playing against his former team. All eyes will be on him as he prepares to start as the centre-forward in the attacking trident.

Apart from him, Ousmane Dembele‘s impact in the current team cannot be understated. The Frenchman has been one of the best wingers in the world in 2022 and should prove to be a menace for the Bavarians on the wing.

The last attacking spot is where the dilemma creeps back in again. Raphinha is evidently Xavi’s first choice in his strongest starting lineup, but Ansu Fati’s profile could be extremely important at the Allianz Arena.

That said, the teenager has looked a bit tame so far this season, and understandably so. Barcelona fans will have to wait for him to make an impact off the bench.

As mentioned, Frenkie de Jong and Ansu Fati will almost definitely get to grace the Allianz Arena pitch tomorrow. That is, of course, if they don’t start already.

One of Sergi Roberto or Hector Bellerin could get the nod off the bench, too, albeit in slightly varying conditions.

Franck Kessie has barely received any minutes this season, but his profile can be extremely useful in a game like this. The Ivorian adds defensive astuteness, athleticism, and a box threat to the team like no one else.

Marcos Alonso, Jordi Alba, and Ferran Torres, too, will likely be in the pick-and-roll. Their presence will, however, be dictated by the conditions of the game.

Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland have arguably been the two most lethal goalscorers of the 2020s so far – and the numbers bear that out.

There’s 12 years difference between the two strikers, with 34-year-old Lewandowski surely set to start winding down in the coming years while 22-year-old Haaland is well on course for a wildly prolific and successful career ahead.

The pair of goalscorers spent a couple of years as rivals at two of the Bundesliga’s biggest clubs. When Haaland arrived at Borussia Dortmund in January 2020, Lewandowski had already established himself as one of the best strikers in the history of German football – second only, in fact, to Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller.

Haaland was still just a teenager when he signed for Dortmund midway through the 2019-20 campaign but had already proven himself one of the most promising players of his generation. He’d scored 29 goals in 27 appearances for Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg, including an unthinkable eight in his first six appearances in the Champions League.

The Norwegian instantly lived up to the hype in an iconic debut for Dortmund, scoring a hat-trick in the space of 20 minutes after being introduced as a substitute. He turned the game in a 5-3 victory over Augsburg.

But Bayern, powered by the goals of Lewandowski, continued to dominate domestically. They’ve since made it to 10 successive Bundesliga titles, while the Polish striker was their star man during their treble-winning campaign of 2019-20 – Lionel Messi later admitted he deserved the Ballon d’Or for his exploits that season.

Bayern actually attempted to sign Haaland as a long-term successor to Lewandowski, but the rising star chose Manchester City instead.

“If I try to imagine how Lewandowski thinks…” Haaland said in the Haaland: The Big Decision documentary.

“I don’t know how many goals and titles he has for the club. Then I do actually feel a little sorry for him. At the same time it’s a chance for him to take the next step in his career. It feels disrespectful, but at the same time it is an opportunity for him”

Lewandowski has since departed for Barcelona, and the two players have each made ridiculous goalscoring starts for their new clubs – it would be a major shock to see anyone else challenge them for the European Golden Shoe this season.

But how do the two players compare? We’ve gone back to the turn of the decade, January 2020, when Haaland signed for Dortmund, to compare their goalscoring records for their respective clubs.

Erling Haaland

Games: 97
Starts: 87
Sub appearances: 10

Goals: 98
Assists: 24

Penalties scored: 12

Minutes per goal: 80.1
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 91.3
Minutes per goal or assist: 64.4

Double figures 🙌@ErlingHaaland 1️⃣0️⃣ pic.twitter.com/pD4E2f2sfb

— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 3, 2022

Robert Lewandowski
Games: 114
Starts: 111
Sub appearances: 3

Goals: 132
Assists: 26

Penalties scored: 22

Minutes per goal: 74.4
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 89.3
Minutes per goal or assist: 63.01

Speaking in an interview with Tot Costa on Cat Radio, Espanyol striker Martin Braithwaite paid tribute to his former Barcelona teammate, Ousmane Dembele.

The 31-year-old Denmark international left the Blaugrana last summer, opting to join local rivals Espanyol after negotiating the termination of his contract with Xavi Hernandez’s side.

Braithwaite did not leave Barcelona on the fray as he was at odds with the fans as well as the club due to his reluctance to leave after being told he was no longer part of the squad.

While things have soured between player and club, Braithwaite still holds great respect for his former teammates, singing on Ousmane Dembele, even stating that the winger could be a bigger difference-maker for Barcelona than Robert Lewandowski.

“Dembele is very good. I love him so much. He has a great talent. I’ve never seen someone as talented as this boy. Leo Messi is another thing, but after him I haven’t seen any player like Dembele. The boy is special.”

“Dembele’s individual talent has a greater impact than that of a player like Lewandowski, individually. Ousmane is unbelievable. A good player and a good person.”

At the same time, though, Braithwaite also had words of praise for Lewandowski, praising Barcelona’s newcomer nature in front of goals.

“Lewandowski scores a lot of goals, I’m happy for him, he’s a great professional. I wish him all the best to have a very good season, but now I’m looking forward to winning at Espanyol.”

Braithwaite joined Barcelona from Leganes in February 2020 as an emergency signing after a string of injuries at the Camp Nou. He made 58 matches with the Blaugrana, in which he scored ten goals. Since joining Espanyol, he has already scored once on his debut.

Barcelona are renowned for bringing exciting young starlets through the club’s famed La Masia youth academy and look to have yet another very special talent on their hands.

Lamine Yamal, who has already been called up by Xavi for first team training this season, scored a double on his debut for Barcelona’s Under-19 side on Saturday, September 10.

The youngster has opened his account at the age of 15 years, one month and 28 days, beating the previous record held by another special Barcelona talent, Ansu Fati.

Fati went straight from the Under-19 team to the first team at Barcelona, never playing for the reserve side, but only scored his first goal for Juvenil A at the age of 15 years, 10 months and eight days.

https://twitter.com/Nyctophile1_/status/1568652370355142656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1568652370355142656%7Ctwgr%5E15a10c436084a1e6098bad989a8f402e3ad02a0b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fheavy.com%2Fsports%2Ffc-barcelona%2Fwonderkid-beats-ansu-fati-scoring-record%2F

Yamal actually ended the game with two goals. The teenager scored Barca’s third in a 5-0 win over CD Ebro and his performance will undoubtedly add to the excitement surrounding the player at Barcelona.

⌚️ Min 77: GOOOOOL DEL JUVENIL A!! (5-0)

⚽️ Doblet de Lamine Yamal!#FCBMasia 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/oYsTaXUxfY

— FC Barcelona – Masia (@FCBmasia) September 10, 2022

The teenager is already considered one of the most exciting prospects at La Masia, while it has been reported that Xavi is already “in love” with the teenager’s quality and potential.

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Why Is Yamal So Special?
Yamal has already been likened to Fati and Lionel Messi and is a versatile, tricky attacker. The teenager can play at center-forward or out wide and clearly has an eye for goal. He’s currently featuring with players far older which makes his achievements even more impressive.

🎥 Lamine Yamal Highlights

💭 How long till we see him in the first team?

✍️ @Nyctophile1_

pic.twitter.com/ISgTsBamJd

— Barça Spaces (@BarcaSpaces) September 4, 2022

Marca have already dubbed Yamal Barcelona’s ‘mini-Messi’ although comparisons with the club legend are not helpful and will only heap unnecessary pressure on the youngster’s shoulders.

Yet Barcelona will be thrilled if Yamal can follow in the footsteps of Messi and Fati and go on to star for the first team. Fati is still only 19 but already holds a host of records for the Catalan giants.

📊 — Ansu Fati's records:
– The youngest player to score a double in the League.
– The youngest player to score in the Champions League.
– The youngest player to score in the League.
– The youngest player to score with Barcelona in the League. [md]

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) February 4, 2020

Fati’s career has been disrupted by injury in recent seasone but the teenager remains one of the club’s brightest talents and Barca will be hoping he can stay fit and get back on track in 2022-23.

Barcelona certainly don’t lack for quality forwards with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha having arrived in the summer to bolster the attack. Fati has spoken to TUDN about the new signings and feels the competition for places is a positive sign.

“It’s true that we have many forwards, but I think that is a good thing. We all have to be ready to start from the bench in some matches, and be ready to come on at any moment. I know that I can’t relax, and it motivates me,” he said. “We all know how good Lewandowski and Raphinha are. Competition is good. The season is long and we all have to be ready to play.”

There’s no doubt competition for places is fierce but Fati has already proved there’s a path into the first team from the youth set-up at Barcelona which should offer Yamal plenty of motivation.

Paris Saint-Germain was reportedly in the mix this summer transfer window for Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva. However, the 28-year-old remained with the Premier League side.

Along with PSG, Silva was also linked to FC Barcelona and the Portugal international, but they’re hoping to push for the Manchester City star when the January transfer window opens.

On Friday, Sport reported that Barcelona would have made a concerted offer to sign the 28-year-old in the summer were it not for their difficulties in enlisting their other new signings due to financial constraints.

The Spanish giants intend to revive their efforts to bring him to Camp Nou as soon as possible. The report doesn’t mention whether PSG would revisit its interest in Silva.

Nonetheless, with Neymar Jr. performing at a high level to start the 2022-23 season, it’s unlikely that a move is made in the January window for Silva from PSG, considering they have a front three that already includes Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.

Barcelona has an important ally in Deco, who has already facilitated the integration of Rafinha this summer. The former Barcelona player, also from other clubs such as Porto or Chelsea, has become one of Joan Laporta’s trusted men, and an important advisor for the arrival of promising Brazilian talent. Now, he did not think twice before recommending the appointment of another citizen.

His name is Vanderson, and he plays in Monaco. At the Camp Nou they have really good reports about him, and in fact they actually thought about signing him, before Hector Bellerin was closed down. They ruled out his relegation only a few weeks ago, but that doesn’t mean they’re not interested in him, and won’t take their eyes off him. Because he showed huge potential, considering he was able to settle at Stade Louis II at just 21 years old.

He could be a good complement to the right wing, as there is currently only a player from Badalona and Sergi Roberto, which is not guaranteed, although they enjoy the confidence of Xavi Hernandez. And we should not forget about Sergio Dest, who went on loan to Milan, but the plans are to move him, and get a figure of close to 20 million euros. Therefore, if something complicates, in a few months they will study the arrival of another right-back.

Several options have been discussed, such as Thomas Meunier, of Borussia Dortmund, but the one that seems to convince Laporta the most is the one that stands out for Vanderson, which Deco personally recommended. He believes he has what it takes to succeed at Barcelona, ​​and become the new Dani Alves, and his progress since joining LaLiga in January from Gremio de Porto Alegre has been remarkable.

They have invested 11 million euros, an amount that has already been amortized, with a market value of about 20 “million euros”. Roughly, that’s the number they’ll call to let them leave.

Real Madrid are also interested in Vanderson
Another reason for Deco to quickly introduce Vanerson to Barcelona is the pressure that Real Madrid can apply. Because Florentino Perez is also looking for a new right wing rift, Dani Carvajal calls for a collateral replacement, who can discuss ownership.

In Barcelona, ​​they will have to fight with the eternal rival to close the appointment of the footballer from Monaco, which may be one of Tite’s surprises in inviting ‘Brazil’ to the World Cup in Qatar.

Spanish coach Xavi Hernandez praised the newcomer Lewandowski ، After his amazing performance with the Catalan team in the last period

Lewandowski has scored eight times in just five games for the Catalan giants following his transfer from Bayern Munich. Xavi was asked about the Poland international at a news conference and made it clear how much he’s enjoying coaching the attacker, as reported by Diario AS.

“I wouldn’t change him for the world,” he explained. “He helps the young players a lot with his advice and his humility. He does us a lot of good.”

Lewandowski has started all of Barcelona’s matches so far in 2022-23, but Xavi was not ruling out resting the Poland international for the team’s next game against Cadiz in La Liga on Saturday, September 10.

“Tomorrow we will decide. Many things will influence the decision, but he is very important,” the coach added.

Barcelona head to Cadiz and will be expected to beat Sergio Gonzalez’s side. However, Cadiz have a good record against the Catalans and are unbeaten in their last four meetings in La Liga.

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Barcelona Out For Revenge
Xavi did speak about Saturday’s opponents and admitted it will be a tough test, particularly as Cadiz are yet to score or even take a point from their first four matches of the season.

The Barcelona boss thinks the team’s disappointing start to the campaign will add to the hosts’ motivation on Saturday at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla.

“They are a different defensive rival, who have always complicated us with two defeats and two draws. Let’s go for soccer revenge,” he said. “That they have not scored is worse, they will come out more plugged in. A field where leagues are won. They will make it very difficult for us.”

Cadiz head into the game bottom of the table in Spain’s top flight and off the back of a 3-0 defeat at Celta Vigo last time out.

Xavi Talks Improved Defense
Xavi has plenty of firepower he can use against Cadiz with Lewandowski, Raphinha, Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele, and Ferran Torres all fit and in form. However, the coach also pointed to his team’s improved defense as key to Barca’s good start to the season.