This must be the millionth time I've said this, but I can't say it enough, because this team keeps on giving me reason to. I am so fucking proud of them. I love them so fucking much. This team is just something else. Such pride, such heart, it's unmatchable. After the last Clasico, where we beat them 3-1, I was talking to a fellow Culita about how Barca play these games and win them with their hearts.

This must be the millionth time I've said this, but I can't say it enough, because this team keeps on giving me reason to. I am so fucking proud of them. I love them so fucking much. This team is just something else. Such pride, such heart, it's unmatchable. After the last Clasico, where we beat them 3-1, I was talking to a fellow Culita about how Barca play these games and win them with their hearts.

Ever since Pep said this: "Because of the injury of Villa we're thinking about promoting Soriano. Problem is he then can't go back to the B-team" in his press conference today, I've been getting q lot of questions about Soriano and his possible promotion. I'm going to address hopefully everything here, adapted from the transfer piece I wrote last summer.

... and whinier than ever.
So, Ibrahimovic wrote a book in which he cries about how mean Mr. Pep bullied his existence and shattered his dreams. Because, you know, we can't expect him to be over it over a year later. Well I'm here to pick his whining apart quote by quote... starting from where he begins by pointing fingers at Messi (oh, this is going to be fun):
"Playing at Barca was a childhood dream and I was walking on air.

Every time Thiago scores, Barca fans start to crow "Cesc who, Cesc who!" I don't quite see the relevance, because it's news to me that we're interested in Cesc as a goal scorer.

Thiago is a phenomenal player and he's been having an incredible preseason, relentlessly netting goal after breathtaking goal, and to have a midfielder dominating the team's scoring is something relatively new to Barca.

I thought this was needed, after the endless debates over twitter and repeating the same stuff over and over. This will mostly collect and expand on transfer-related things I have already tweeted; but of course not everyone will have seen it all twitter and this way it's easier. It turned out quite long, but it's very relevant and I hope you'll all read and enjoy.

Prompting me out of months and months of blogging hibernation is the issue in football that bothers me, disappoints me far more than any loss ever can. I'm no brilliant writer and someone else who is would be much better at conveying the ideas that I so strongly feel but struggle to put into words, yet I have to take a stab at this anyway because things have gone too far and I just have to put this out there.

So, it's been like a week or so since I've updated the blog, and it hasn't been the first lull since the relaunch... to be honest, I don't know how I thought I'd be able to keep up with this along with everything else I've got going on, especially what with university just starting. Basically what I'm saying is, I don't see how this blog can really be all I want it to be.

Hey guys... just here to let everyone know that I'm going to take a few days off from the blog, in case you missed my tweet last night (I'll keep tweeting though) and to post the results of the summer poll: The Ibrahimovic Issue: It was close, but most were of the opinion that the club did well to sign him and he'd do better his next season; too bad he didn't see it that way.

Returning in high-spirited triumph from their 5-1 trouncing of Panathanikos in the Champions League, Barca now heads out to the Spanish capital to face Liga contenders Athletico Madrid, in a meet that's set to be anything but easy.
Barca hasn't had the best of luck on the Vicente Calderon in the past, not having been able to win a match there in years.

I suck at updating lately, but bear with me, my beautiful readers, soon enough I'll get things back on track and routine-ness shall resume. Right now, here's another post of randoms:
- The picture you see here is, obviously, Andres Iniesta on the cover of this month's GQ España for their special on "Los Héroes de España", that also featured photos of David Villa and Cesc Fabregas.

Hurried and harried, so I'll leave you with a few quick links:
- Lio Messi spent the past couple of days trotting around London on a PR stunt for Adidas that went horribly wrong. I don't see how they expected it to work out in the first place.
- Here's Gerard Pique 'not knowing what to say' about his status as the number one sizzling Catalan in the eastern or western hemisphere.

It's hard to believe that the Barca of last night is the same team that fell against Hercules on the weekend. Right now, Hercules seems like nothing but a distant, very hazy memory - that's what Barca can do to you with their brilliance.

From Lio Messi with his perky dashes in and around the penalty the box to Pique ambling down the pitch with his bandaged head, every last one of our players was totally there.

Excuse me while I fall in love with Victor Valdes all over again as a result of this picture. Fabulous shot of a fabulous guy - it'd be perfection if he'd only grow his hair back.
The team was all smiles during training yesterday, looking nothing at all like a team that had just fallen at the hands - well, technically feet - of what was considered an inferior side.

How about we all follow Andres Iniesta's example and look ahead instead of behind? Don't let the serious expression fool you, he's not stressing over the loss against Hercules. Though admitting that it was a very odd game, he affirmed the team's desire to win and is still optimistic: "You just want to win again and get the good feelings back.