Good news, bad news and so

To start with bad news:


Centre back Gaby Milito left Tuesday training with adductor trouble. The Argentinian was one of just seven first team players working with Pep Guardiola. Get well soon Gabi!

and some better news:
Barça trained today at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper with the same seven first teamers as yesterday, namely Pinto, Abidal, Maxwell, Milito, Keita, Mascherano and Messi.

Barça B bolstered the squad with ten extra players: Planas, Benja, Edu Oriol, Masip, Armando, Ilie, Riverola, Victor Vazquez, Saúl and Rochina. It was a wet and windy day on pitch number 2 at the Ciutat Esportiva in which the players continued preparations for the visit of Valencia on Saturday.

Sports director Andoni Zubizarreta and youth coach Òscar Garcia also watched the session.






Pedro still works apart




On official website there is great article about VV, he selected 5 favourite photos from his career and share some memories:) (click to read)

National teams corner:
The Spanish Under 21 side has qualified for the European Championship finals after beating Croatia in the play-off. Goals from Dominguez, Adrián and Jeffren sealed a win in which Barça’s Thiago and Bojan both started.

Spain 3-2 Scotland, Goals:Villa, Iniesta, Llorente and Pique (own goal)

Together again!

Oh happy day when Barca's boys are together after break! No need to comment, just enjoy photos:









On his twiter Puyol wrote: Hello everyone, every day I feel better and after today's training feelings are very good.


José Manuel Pinto was the focus of attention due to his new hairdo. Speaking to the press shortly before training on Wednesday at the Ciutat Esportiva, he explained that “I had it like this before, I liked it and it’s comfy. That’s why I wanted to do it again.” (read more here-click)


On offcial website there is also article about game Brazil-Barca B with Alves' comments. (click to read)


Also on club's website there is intresting piece about game against Hercules that will take place on Saturday (click to read)

Our hero from Fuentealbilla, Andrés Iniesta is now very popular across Spain and appear in many newspapers and magazines, recently there were interviews in El Pais (click to read English translation) and in Olé (click for English translation) and really nice video in Cuatro (click to watch and read English version). I'm very happy that there is website like 'con la roja' where we can read English translations from Spanish press.


Can you imagine that on Thursday morning the FC Barcelona museum will welcome its 20,000,000th visitor, a historic figure for which there will be different prizes for the lucky visitor? The president of FC Barcelona, Sandro Rosell, will congratulate the visitor in person, who will also get the chance to meet Julià Bretos, who was the first ever visitor to the Barça Museum on September 24, 1984. Visitor 20 million will be presented with a commemorative Barça shirt, will get a free tour of the Museum and first team dressing room, will be able to walk on the Camp Nou turf and take away 300 euros worth of goods from the FC Botiga, which will be opened especially for the winner.
On Monday night the Museum closed with the running total of 19,986,038 visitants. Considering that in September, the Museum welcomes an average of 6,000 visitors a day, the 20 millionth is expected around midday on Thursday.

So let's go to museum!


Our Barca's Grandpa - Joan Casals has accident. I hope that everything will be ok with him.


Avi del Barça (Barça's grandpa) - sometimes called grandpa Barça too, first of all it's a cartoon character (by Valentí Castanys), one of club's symbols, on 29th Oct 1924 it was published for the first time in El Xut magazine. His statue is situated near La Masia


Since 1984, Joan Casals is called 'Avi Del Barça' (it's a man on that photo), he is memeber of Penya Blaugrana de Guardiola de Berguedà. In 1992 socio made promise, that he will shave his beard when FCB would win Championship of Europe again. In June 2006 after Barcelona;s triumph in Champions League he shaved his beard (after 30 years without shaving). Right now he looks like Santa again and participate in many club's events.

Training after break and some other news

I missed our boys so much, so it was pure pleasure to see them again in training this morning.

After a four day break, Maxwell, Abidal, Keita and Pinto were back in training this morning as Guardiola began his preparations for Saturday’s league game against Hercules. With the internationals still away with their national teams, Guardiola again called on the B team to make up the numbers at the training session. Puyol and Jeffren, who returned from their international call ups last week with injuries, both trained apart from the rest of the group as they fight to back to full fitness as soon as possible

Photos from morning training:







One of this morning’s biggest surprises was Jose Manuel Pinto’s new hair cut, which was the subject of much attention when he came out for training.




Scans carried out on Carles Puyol’s injured left leg on Monday have revealed that the muscle is healing well. His progress over the next few days should throw some light on when he will be able to return to action. Puyol has already missed the opening league game of the season as well as two internationals with Spain. Take care Carles!


After training Maxwell spoke to the media and declared himself: “very happy with how things are going”, both for himself and the team, “the more I play the more confidence I have”. (more you will find here- click)



Slightly less high profile friendly took place on Pitch #7 of the Ciudad Esportiva: Barcelona B vs. Brazil. A chance for our youngsters to pit themselves against one of the world’s powerhouse national teams featuring Barça players Dani Alves and Adriano.
Our young boys lost 0-3. Pep Guardiola watched game from stands:)






Club's news:


Club Statutes to be reformed (read more here-click)

Shortly club will announce the new ethics code of FC Barcelona (click here for more deteails)

Sandro Rosell is new vicepresident of ECA (read more here). The European Club Association (ECA) is the sole, independent body directly representing football clubs at European level.



Some news from national teams:

The Spanish World Cup winning team has been awarded the Premio Príncipe de Asturias de los Deportes 2010 it was announced this morning.

Spanish U-21 team won game agains Poland 1-0. Our Barca boys Thiago and Bojan were part of winning team. Great assist by Barcelona’s Thiago led to the winning (and only) goal.

La Roja wasn't so lucky and lost game 1-4 with Argentina. It was entertaining game to watch, friendly with many yellow cards took place at amazing El Monumental de River. There were 10 Barca players! In Spain: Iniesta and Villa played in 1st half, Pedro(wonderful game), Xavi and Valdés in 2nd half, Pique and Busquets played full time. In Argentina Mascherano and Gabi Milito played 90 minutes, Messi who scored frst goal was substituted in '88 and recieved massive applause.

Trainings, official team photo and more

Barça squad trained in the morning at the club’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training complex. Zlatan made his comeback after missing training on Monday after he was diagnosed with pharyngitis. Aliaksandr Hleb continued his own fitness programme in the gym as he tries to recover from a foot injury while goalkeeper José Manuel Pinto worked apart from the squad after returning to action on Monday. Éric Abidal was also not present as he was given permission to travel to Paris to attend a hearing in front of the French Football Federation’s Disciplinary Committee.
FC Barcelona’s training session was overseen by former player and coach Eusebio Sacristán.










It was REALLY hot morning in Barcelona, a lot of water means a lot of fun:









FC Barcelona’s squad have had the first official photograph of the new season taken as all the new signings were present along with eight youth team starlets. The photo was taken for UEFA as the group met at 08:00 on the pitch at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training complex as they came out of the dressing room donning the new look kit. A host of Young hopefuls were also included with Oier Olazábal, Rubén Miño, Sergio Gómez, Jonathan dos Santos, Thiago Alcántara, Oriol Romeu, Víctor Vázquez and Andreu Fontàs all posing and new goalkeeping coach Carles Busquets was also included. Éric Abidal was not able to take part after he was called before the French Football Federation’s Disciplinary Commission and Aliaksandr Hleb did not also not have his photo taken due to his contract situation.






Today it was Bojan who spoke with press. If you want to read what he was saying aboyt new season, new team mates and more click here!


Éric Abidal is is the only of five players not to be punished by the French Football Federation’s Disciplinary Committee.The FC Barcelona defender attended a hearing in Paris on Tuesday into the France squad’s behaviour at the World Cup Finals and several players were castigated. Nicolas Anelka was given an 18-match suspension, while Patrice Evra cannot play for his country for five games, Franck Ribéry for three matches and Jérémy Toulalan one encounter. The Committee chose not to punish Abidal after taking his explanation into account.


Víctor Valdés, David Villa, Sergi Busquets, Pedro, Andrés Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué, Xavi, Lionel Messi, Éric Abidal, Martín Cáceres, Oier Olázabal,Rubén Miño, Andreu Fontàs and Víctor Vázquez participated in extra evening training session. José Manuel Pinto worked on his own once again as he looks to recover from a muscle injury that kept him out of the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup encounter with Sevilla at the weekend.