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After the ignominy of two Europa Cup campaigns, Barca had the rub of the green with a fairly easy group stage draw this season.

Coupled with a few good performances, Barca avoided a third season in Europa and went on to the Qaurter FInals where there season ended against PSG.

A PSG who did not really play that well.

A PSG against whom they should have won with a 4-2 lead in aggregate and 60 minutes left to play

But they folded mentally under the pressure

This wasn't the first time either. Over the past 9 years Barca have been painfully humbled in the Champions League many times and there is a reason for that.

They simply haven't been good enough.

In this episode we take a realistic view of what the club needs to do and how long it can realistically take to be credible challengers again.

What a week it's going to be for Barca fans. Full of nerves and half chewed nails!!

For a season that has been so topsy turvy with so many narratives, Barca find themselves with the slimmest of margins to make it to the Champions League semi-finals after ages in the wilderness.

On the other side, a win against Madrid in the Clasico will make the league table suddenly very very interesting.

2 massive games in one week. 180 minutes that can completely turn the script on Barca's overall season and even next season.

So in this episode Dom and I start looking at what we can expect from these two games and what Xavi would be mindful of, as he preps for what definitely will be one of the greatest and most challenging weeks of his coaching career.

Madrid and PSG are two intensely fast and physical teams who have plenty of differential players in their ranks to turn the tide at any moment. Barca is mostly counting on their academy to pull them through

Both games are going to be long and hard for Barca. But there are aspects of the game from both teams, which if controlled can give Barca the upper edge in both games.

Can they execute?

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At BarcaFutbol we have predominantly covered the men's team in terms of tactical and statistical analysis.

But football has grown beyond the men's game. Case in point : The Women's Football World Cup had record live attendance in matches earlier last year.

Over it's 100 year history, Barca as a club have had enormous cultural impact on the way the game has evolved and is now played. Their philosophy, way of playing, style of training are technical blueprints that have been exported to every league in the world.

And they have continued to expand on that pioneering work by expanding the same fundamentals of philosophy to Women's football.

Today, Barca Femeni are a winning juggernaut. On pitch they display the same Barca values and orchestrate intricate passing patterns which create beautiful, flowing attacking passages of play.

They are virtually uncontested in the league and have won multiple Champion's Leagues and Ballon d'Or's, contributing to a surging wave of interest in the women's game.

In this episode we invite Football analyst and author Abdullah, who has written a book on Barca Femeni to share his viewpoints on what makes Femeni so special.

As life long Barca fans, we have been categorically critical of Barca this season.

But club football is a tribal sport. Club affiliation amongst fans run deep, and as fans when we produce content, even with our best of intentions, we cannot be completely objective or practical.

Biases appear

So in this episode we decided to do an experiment. We invited a professional coach to hear his interpretation of Barca and Xavi's season.

But we didn't want to stop just there.

We also wanted to embellish it with a radically different nuance. A fan voice whose allegiance lay with a team with whom Barca's rivalry dates back since as far as history can remember

Real Madrid.

Scott Martin is a professional football coach, an author of two football books and a self confessed die hard Madridista.

In this episode we talk to him about all things Barca but from his point of view on the rival seat.

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Alright, Barca purists, you all have been waxing eloquent on Brighton & Hove Albion's fearless Italian manager, Roberto De Zerbi.

This guy isn't just about results, he's about playing football with style and a whole lot of guts.

De Zerbi's philosophy is pure - possession-focused, attack-minded, and with a touch of flair. While he has been compared to the likes of Pep Guardiola and Maurizio Sarri, his style is uniquely his own.

De Zerbi doesn't want his teams just holding the ball, he wants them to dominate with it. Short, sharp passes, movement off the ball, and creating overloads to break down defenses – it's about controlling the game.

Forget sitting back and waiting. De Zerbi's teams press high, forcing mistakes and winning back possession quickly. But, here's the twist, his press is calculated. He isn't just chasing the ball, he's luring the opposition into traps to then play through them.

It's risky, but incredibly effective.

Once that possession is won, it's about moving forward, fast. His players look to play through the lines with clever passes and quick combinations. The goal is to disorientate the defense and strike quickly.

All this is good. But will Barca benefit from DeZerbi ball? Is De Zerbi the right coach that Barca should employ at the Camp Nou dugout? What are the positives of bringing him in ? Where are the challenges?

Dom and I explore in this episode.

Tune in!

Napoli seemed to be a mixed bag. A good performance which probably should have been a win. But that's how the whole season has been for this Barca

Missed expectations. Missed connections. Dysfucntional drip.

We are joined in this episode by La Liga commentator Andy West and we talk about then Napoli game, Barca's realistic expectations from how it can end and what impact Xavi's leaving might have on the team

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