Radamel Falcao's stay in Chelsea will be a short one. Radamel Falcao's stay in Chelsea will be a short one. According to a number of sources, the Colombia striker is not performing up to standards and his loan deal with Chelsea will end once the season is up.
It has not been a great year for Barcelona. Despite winning the treble a season ago, the team has struggled in the early going, already accruing three defeats in all competitions this season; the team has also endured two draws in all competitions and is out of first place in the Spanish League.
The team’s shaky start has only been exacerbated by injuries and none more crucial than the loss of one Lionel Messi. You might of heard of him. He is undeniably, at this moment, the most influential offensive player in the game, capable of coming off the bench and changing a game with one touch (just ask Atletico Madrid).
In his absence, which will linger for over a month, the team has looked somewhat disjointed. The reason? Other teams are more confident playing Barcelona knowing its talisman is nowhere to be seen.
Since losing Messi, teams (all three of them) have looked far more committed to attacking Blaugrana head on. Just witness how Sevilla attacked with wild abandon, allowing for a wide open counter attacking battle that could have gone either way for both teams. Bayer Leverkusen did the same exact thing in its contact, pressuring Barcelona in the midfield and launching quick strikes.
On the other end of the pitch, Barcelona has countered with five goals in three games; shockingly the team had not been that much better with Messi in the lineup to this point though there are some major ingredients that he brings that have been sorely lacking for Blaugrana.
Messi is undeniably the best dribbler in the world. The stats say it. The eye test says it. When he has the ball he forces defenders to take one of two decisions: attack him and risk being dangled about by him or sit back and give him a chance to make a pass or go right at them anyways. Messi can do either and oftentimes he has no trouble dribbling past one player without difficulty. So that requires the team to sit back and have another man waiting to provide reinforcements. Since Messi can take on two or even three men with a dribble (sometimes even five), the entire defense is forced to sit back and wait for him.
Without Messi, Barcelona has no one with that level of skill. Neymar is as close as it comes but he still falls short of Messi (Messi averages 6.5 dribbles per game while Neymar only gets 4.5 this season).
Goalscoring has been a problem for Messi in 2015-16 as he had just six through nine tilts prior to getting injured. Despite missing a number of games thus far, he is tied for the team lead with Luis Suarez who also has six goals, albeit in more matches than the Argentine.
The two superstars have done a decent job of filling in for Messi, combining on four of the five Barcelona goals scored since Messi’s injury. Neymar leads the team in key passes per game, emphasizing a strong pass first mentality from the winger. A three game sample is rather small and the games that follow the international break will surely reveal more about how much this team can play without its superstars.
The reviews thus far are mixed, but there is time to make a statement that this team does not rely on one star to make it go.
Prosecutors in Barcelona have cleared soccer star Lionel Messi of tax fraud charges, but are still seeking an 18-month prison term for his father on claims he failed to pay taxes over consecutive years commencing in 2007.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup won't be underway for another three years, but qualifying time is here. 10 South American nations will be fighting for the right to compete in the biggest soccer tournament in the world.
Karim Benzema's public frustration over reduced playing time under Rafael Benitez is music to the ears of Arsenal management. The Gunners have been adamant in signing the French international since the summer.
Lionel Messi's brother, Matias, was reportedly arrested for possessing an illegal firearm. Lionel Messi's brother, Matias, was reportedly arrested for possessing an illegal firearm.
Cristiano Ronaldo is not having a good season for Real Madrid. You either die a hero or live long enough see yourself become the villain. A quote that has permeated popular culture and in some way defined our modern culture as not just blindly celebrating any heroes.
David Beckham is temporarily coming out of retirement to play in a charity match for UNICEF. "Match for Children" will be held at Old Trafford on November with the participation of Zinedine Zidane, Carlo Ancelotti and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Liverpool FC have sacked Brendan Rodgers and are looking for a new manager. Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti are reportedly two of the strong candidates for the managerial position at Anfield.
A year ago, Bayern Munich looked unbeatable A year ago, Bayern Munich looked unbeatable. With the exception of one loss against Manchester City in the Champions League in November, the team had not been shut down by any squad in any of its competitions.
Latin Post previews Week 7 of the La Liga season. Week 7 of the La Liga season kicks off this Friday with Getafe taking on Celta Vigo. This has been a very balanced season so far.
Manchester United will look to stay on top of the English Premier League standings, but Arsenal and Manchester City are also eyeing to spoil the Red Devil’s bid in Week 8 of the 2015-16 season.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo recently broke the club's all-time goalscoring record held by Raul. With no more challenges in Spain, Ronaldo is open to leaving the Spanish capital with PSG and Manchester United ready to make record bids of £90 million.
Real Madrid picked up a huge 2-0 win at Malmo in the Champions League. Real Madrid picked up a huge 2-0 win at Malmo in the Champions League. The story of the night was Cristiano Ronaldo picking up two goals that had eluded for weeks and finally eclipsing 500 career goals.
John Terry's current woes at Stamford Bridge have ignited transfer talks, suggesting that the Chelsea legend might play for the Chinese league next season.
There was a time when English soccer was considered the best. In fact, many will continue to go out of their ways to claim that the Premier League is the best and most competitive in the world.
Former FIFA vice president Jack Warner has been banned for life after "various acts of misconduct" during the bidding processes of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Will the real Cristiano Ronaldo please stand up?Real Madrid faces a tough test on Wednesday when it visits Swedish club Malmo in its second Champions League tilt of the season.
With Lionel Messi out, Barcelona will have to depend on the South American duo of Neymar and Luis Suarez. Can Barcelona survive, or are they in big trouble?
