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The Catalans are without the Polish forward for three matches

The Robert Lewandowski soap opera is over and he is banned for three games. Shortly after that was confirmed, we saw a casting session for his spot – aka Barcelona’s Copa del Rey win over Intercity on Wednesday.

Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and Memphis decay are the three players who are in with a chance of being selected in the Pole’s place for the games he is missing – against Atletico Madrid, Getafe and Girona.

The first of those matches is on Sunday night at the Metropolitano. It’s also the toughest, even though Atletico aren’t having a good season. They are fourth in the league, 11 points behind Barcelona and Real Madrid and out of Europe entirely. However they’ve won their three post-World Cup games and Barca have lost away against them twice in a row.

ANSU FATI’S TIME

The youngster was the only one of the three who did not start in the cup and what’s more, he came on and scored the winner in extra-time. The goal against Intercity could serve as a turning point for him. Xavi’s project needs inspiration from the jewel of La Masia. The coach spoke on Barca TV and said that Fati “must be very important from now on”. Ansu has four goals and three assists this season in 22 games – 807 minutes.

VERSATILE FERRAN TORRES 

The forward has played No 9 in the two games this season that Lewandowski has not played in. In Pilsen he responded well and netted twice. Against Intercity he made good movements but was not accurate when he had chances. Xavi values his versatility and his productivity, beyond what statistics offer, but likes him out wide too for his different qualities to Dembele and Raphinha. A year after arriving at Barca, Ferran needs to take a step up. He’s the team’s third top goalscorer on five with one assist in 20 games – 839 minutes.

The Dutchman did not take advantage of his chance at the Rico Perez against Intercity. He will find it hard to get more minutes after a game where he was active but inaccurate. The doubts around his future and his lack of participation in the first half of the season mean he’s unlikely to be tasked with the job now. He’s got one goal in four games this season – 206 minutes.

The former Barcelona man will extend his stay in the French league

Lionel Messi’s contract renewal with Paris Saint-Germain is on the right track. After the two parties shared the idea of continuing to build the ambitious Parisian project at the beginning of December, the negotiations for an extension have picked up a cruising pace in recent days.

This is what ‘RMC Sport’ reports, pointing out that both Messi and PSG have reached an agreement in principle and only a few final economic details are preventing them from confirming what is now an open secret. The Argentine star, 35, will continue with PSG until at least 2024 and, therefore, will extend his presence in France for another year.

His current contract ends in June 2023 and he had expressly asked not to speak or negotiate his future until the World Cup was over, an appointment marked in red on his personal calendar. Once finished and with the euphoria of having lifted the title, Messi has been able to sit down and talk. And it seems that everything is more than clear.

Despite being a free agent in June and, therefore, being able to negotiate with any team now, his future lies in Paris. In Qatar, he showed that he is still at the top of the game and that is why he sees himself with the strength to continue leading PSG in the search for their long-awaited Champions League.

Some economic details still need to be closed, but everything is moving in the right direction and French reports indicate that the renewal could become official even at the end of January. There is no rush in the process since the intention of both parties is to reach an agreement.
Messi back in training

Meanwhile, Messi has returned to training with PSG. The forward, who has enjoyed a few extra days of vacation after winning the World Cup, returned to France on Tuesday and on Wednesday was back at the training ground.

Only one question remains to be answered: when will he be back in a PSG shirt?

PSG face Chateauroux this Friday, January 6, in the French Cup, although everything seems to indicate that he could return to action on January 11 against Angers at the Parc des Princes.

The striker feels he deserves more opportunities with others misfiring

Memphis Depay was quite clear about his desire to continue at Barcelona until the end of the season, but the first game after his return he was on the bench and did not come on against Espanyol despite the attacking problems Xavi’s side had.

The Dutchman does not understand his ostracism despite the fact that he looks fitter than other footballers with more minutes than him. He is starting to get tired because he believes that his lack of minutes does not come down to sporting criteria. He has more than complied when given chances but the club have not bet on him.

The situation therefore, is the same as in summer. Barça would open the doors for him to leave, but now they have made it clear to him that if he wishes to leave, it must be through a transfer and forgiving the six months that remain on his contract. The impossibility of registering signings due to the salary limit has toughened the conditions for players who wish to leave, which is why Memphis would have initially opted to fulfill the contract to go free in June.

Memphis has received interest from several major teams to leave in January. In the Premier League, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are all after a striker, while in Italy there are several teams, such as Juventus or Roma, that would sign him without thinking twice. The problem is that the Dutchman wants to maintain his current salary and that could only happen by leaving as a free agent or on loan until the end of his contract.

His sporting situation is complicated and incomprehensible both for him and for his camp. Memphis has fully recovered from his injury and in the minutes that he has played this season with Barça he has done really well. By being able to play in all three attacking positions, he is a perfect wild card for Xavi, but against Espanyol he was not used again. The Copa del Rey could be small prize for a footballer who also had good performances at the World Cup.

There are weeks left in the January window and it will be necessary to see if a solution is found because he seems to be playing very little at Camp Nou.

The striker is out of contract this summer but could renew in Germany

Decisive days are arriving to define the future of Youssoufa Moukoko and Barcelona are well-positioned to sign the Borussia Dortmund striker in the summer transfer market or in the not-too-distant future.

Barça are aware of Moukoko’s desire to play at Camp Nou and are waiting for his final decision. The club are very clear that the German international is only contemplating renewing with Dortmund or moving for free to Barça in the summer, but if he continues in Germany, the club can keep an ace up its sleeve for a short time.

Barça see in Moukoko a real market opportunity. The team needs more goals and the youngster has become one of the sensations of the Bundesliga. The two parties have been talking for months and the player is aware of Barça’s interest. The proposal appeals to him, although sportingly speaking, he is not clear about signing now for a team with so much competition in attack. At his age, he wants minutes and Dortmund offer him an ideal ecosystem to continue growing.

Barça’s idea is to sign him at zero cost in the summer and they are aware of his negotiations to renew with Dortmund. In any case, Moukoko wants to include an exit clause in his contract if he ends up renewing, as Haaland did, in order to leave without any problem. And Barça could have priority in this matter to sign him in one or two years, just when Lewandowski is coming to the end of his contract.

Moukoko has several offers from the Premier League to sign now in January but this route is practically ruled out. At Barça, they are very clear that if he does not extend his contract, the game is practically won and if he does, they will also have facilities to sign him in the future. Moukoko has never publicly hidden his sympathy for the Blaugrana and he would be excited to join. Of course, he wants a leading role and that may not be possible immediately.

Memphis will leave now or in June for sure, but Lewandowski, Ansu, Raphinha, Ferran Torres and Dembélé remain in the squad. Abde will also return from his loan at Osasuna. It is a lot of players for only three places. At Dortmund, Moukoko is the undisputed starter and if he renews he will practically be the franchise player for a Dortmund team that has a pedigree in developing young talent.

According to ‘Tot Costa’, the RFEF has communicated to Barça that they are not allowed to play the goal as they have a record of the subsidiary and are over 23 years of age
Xavi Hernández will have to look for another goalkeeper for the duel against InterCity tomorrow

Xavi Hernández will not be able to count on Iñaki Peña for the Copa del Rey duel against InterCity. According to ‘Tot Costa’, the Royal Spanish Football Federation has contacted FC Barcelona to inform them that the Alicante goalkeeper will not be able to play tomorrow’s game since the cup competition does not allow the presence of players with a record of the subsidiary over 23 years of age.

Iñaki Peña is still 23, but the year has started where he would already be 24. The player’s agents are finishing closing the renewal with FC Barcelona to seal his future as a Barça player, but an agreement has not yet been reached to make official that the goalkeeper is contractually a first team player.

At the moment, Peña continues to play with the first team but does so with a record from the subsidiary. If there is no renewal and a contractual rise to the first team, Iñaki Peña would not be able to play in the Copa del Rey with Barça. A priori, he was called to be the Cup goalkeeper.

The Catalans drew 1-1 against Espanyol at home on New Years Eve and lost their advantage

Barcelona failed to beat Espanyol at home to end 2022 and are left reflecting on five sins.

LACK OF KILLER TOUCH

Xavi said that Barca had 30 brilliant minutes but lost their edge after that and did not take their chances to put the game to bed.

NO GOAL POWER

If Lewandowski does not score, few other players seem capable of doing so. In 30 minutes the team created over 20 chances and the only goal was netted by a centre-back. Espanyol and four and the game finished in a draw. Neither Raphinha, nor Ansu, nor Ferran, no Dembele were able to score.

LOSING THEIR HEAD

Mateu Lahoz’s refereeing did not help. The ref let the game go out of control, but Xavi and his players must do better. The coach said they cannot use refereeing as an excuse. The team have to learn how to focus on their own game to win matches and not lose their emotional balance – that will be key going forward.

LOSING INTENSITY

It can be hard to keep up a rhythm over 90 minutes but for Barca, beyond 40-50 seems tough at the moment. Against Espanyol they managed 30, and the bubble burst after that. Espanyol grew and managed to equalise. 

LOSING CONCENTRATION

The derby was a test of fire. The team were back from Qatar, and the game required top concentration. However, distracted by Lahoz’s show, the team did not maintain it. It was a chance to stay La Liga leaders with a two-point advantage but instead they took another psychological blow in a January full of games. La Liga is back, the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup start, and the Europa League will begin in February.

The referee stole the show for the wrong reasons as Barça and Espanyol drew 1-1

There was a bit of everything in the Barça-Espanyol derby at Camp Nou on Saturday and much of the blame lies with the match official, Antonio Mateu Lahoz.

Barça and Espanyol had a lot to say throughout the game, a game that seemed under control until the referee decided to take the cards for a walk, already very early in the game.

The first protests came after Lahoz, after deciding not to give Brian Oliván a yellow card, went to the Barça bench and hugged and kissed the Barça coach, Xavi Hernández. Minutes later, he did book Oliván for grabbing Gavi by the neck, in an action in which Gavi was also cautioned.

The festival of cards increased from minute 70, when the game got out of hand, with 10 minutes of madness, in which he awarded a penalty, showed four yellows and three reds, later overturning Cabrera’s.

In minute 74, Mateu booked Jordi Alba and Vini Souza, in minute 76 Ferran Torres and later Pedri, in minute 78 he showed Jordi Alba his second yellow and in minute 81, another yellow to Vini Souza and a straight red to Cabrera. Finally, after consulting the action via VAR, he revoked Cabrera’s because he considered that he did not voluntarily step on Lewandowski.

In time added on, he also booked Raphinha and Xavi, both on the bench at the time.
The yellow cards:

Ansu Fati, M15
Gavi, M30
Brian Oliván, M30
Cabrera, M32
Calero, M55
Jordi Alba, M74
Edu Expósito, M74
Vini Souza, M74
Ferran Torres, M75
Pedri, M76
Jordi Alba, M78 (second yellow)
Vini Souza, M80 (second yellow)
Raphinha, M95
Puado, M96
Xavi Hernández, M96

In total, 15 bookings, two red cards and a third overturned. Lahoz in his purest form.

The young forward was praised by the Barcelona boss on Friday

Barcelona have a raw diamond in their academy in Lamine Yamal, who is 15. The coach has used him in first team training and hailed him ahead of the clash with Espanyol. He believes he has an enormous talent with a big future at Barca.

“We follow all the youngsters and Lamine is a talent, we have a project for him, he can succeed, he has a lot of qualities and I hope he’s here for many years. It’s up to him, but I hope in the future he’s a great player.”

Yamal is playing with Juvenil A and in the UEFA Youth League with Barca. The club are looking to tie him down with a professional deal when he turns 16.

The coach has his squad back bar Jules Kounde and is working on the plan

For some, time has moved too slowly, an eternal wait. For others, who love the magic of the World Cup, it’s flown by. Barcelona are returning this week though, facing Espanyol on Saturday in a Catalan derby. The group is at 100 per cent, with the exception of Jules Kounde who returns on Dec 28.

REPLACE LEWANDOWSKI
Xavi has some puzzles to solve in his starting line up, the first of which is replacing the suspended Robert Lewandowski.

He will miss three games, and it seems like Ansu Fati may be the main man, between Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha or Ferran Torres. Ferran is another option for the central spot, as is Memphis Depay, albeit the least likely.

KOUNDE START

Ousmane Dembele is back two days earlier than expected, as he was due on the 28th like Kounde. Will the French defender be ready to play after just two training sessions? He’s been on holiday in Los Angeles after the World Cup. It seems unlikely he will start at right back, with Xavi having both Bellerin and Sergi Roberto ready. They have been training with the coach for weeks given they did not go to the World Cup.

ARAUJO FITNESS

Ronald Araujo was injured in September. Three months later he is fit, although still without medical clearance to play. Nobody doubts he is key when ready, but with so long out he might not be ready to start. Eric Garcia did not play a minute at the World Cup, but might line up with Andreas Christensen against Espanyol. Although with Araujo, you never know. He’s an animal.

LEFT BACKS APLENTY

Xavi has Balde, Alonso and Jordi Alba fit. The former two have featured more but the latter had a good World Cup and is in form. It’s the position with the most cover and Xavi will have to make a call. Alonso has also featured a lot at centre-back, let’s recall, albeit more to do with circumstance.

The team could be: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Christensen, Garcia, Balde; Busquets, Gavi, Pedri; Dembele, Ansu, Ferran.

The English side are interested in bringing in the midfielder in the summer

Man United are still obsessed with Frenkie de Jong. The English club are convinced they will have the chance to sign him in the summer and that president Joan Laporta’s comments about De Jong being untransferrible were just an act to drive the price up.

Man United think De Jong will have the last word and he might be open to a move next season.

The only certainty for now is that Barca believe in De Jong and aren’t thinking about putting him on the market. The club also say they won’t force him to lower his salary but do expect a gesture from the player in that regard before the season finishes.

The Dutchman and his people have for now ignored any attempts to lower his salary and it seems they aren’t interested in entering that game.

De Jong told Dutch media that he doesn’t have or want to have any relationship with the current board, and that he felt tricked and attacked in the summer.

The Manchester Evening News reports that De Jong has spoken to coach Erik ten Hag to say that he would be open to a move in the summer.

United think that he should cost them less than their offer last summer given he’s got a year less on his deal.