THE THINGS YOU DON'T SEE WHEN YOU WATCH FOOTBALL

 

HANSI FLICK EQUALS BARCELONA RECORD LONG HELD BY LEGENDARY JOHAN CRYFF

 

Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Barcelona’s 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano on Monday evening was another statement from Hansi Flick’s side as they continue to set the pace in La Liga.

It was a special victory for Flick as well, as it saw him equal a record that has stood for decades at Camp Nou.

Indeed, Flick has now matched one of the greatest managers in Barcelona’s history.

Flick matches Cruyff’s record

As reported by Mundo Deportivo, Flick has now accumulated 59 league matchdays as the leader of La Liga, equalling the legendary Johan Cruyff’s tally during his time on the Barcelona bench.

Flick’s Barcelona continue their domination. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

What makes the achievement even more remarkable is the speed at which Flick has reached the milestone.

The German has managed just 79 league games in charge to get there, while Cruyff needed 300 matches to reach the same figure during his far longer tenure.

That means 74.7 percent of the league matchdays Flick has overseen as Barcelona coach have ended with the club sitting top of the table.

Among managers who have completed at least one full season in La Liga, nobody comes close. The second on the list is Pep Guardiola, who managed 57.2 percent.

A legendary start

Currently in his third season, Flick has done wonders at Barcelona.

In his first two seasons on the bench, the German has guided Barcelona to back-to-back league titles and built a side that plays with a clear identity and an attacking verve that has captivated supporters.

Now into his third campaign, Flick’s Barcelona show no sign of slowing down. With three wins from their opening three matches this season, the Catalans are once again setting the standard in Spanish football.

Cruyff remains one of the most iconic figures in Barcelona’s history, and being mentioned in the same breath as the Dutchman is a testament to Flick’s impact.

Should the German continue at this rate, surpassing the record entirely is only a matter of time, further cementing his place among the finest coaches to ever grace the Camp Nou touchline.

- Connell Edgar-Jones

'HE BETRAYED ME': BARCELONA LEGEND XAVI REVEALS WHY HE WILL NEVER RETURN TO CLUB AMID EXPLOSIVE ROW WITH PRESIDENT JOAN LAPORTA

Former Barcelona head coach Xavi and Joan Laporta have become locked in a war of words following a controversial interview in which the former Barcelona midfielder claimed the president blocked Lionel Messi from making a hero’s return to the club over fears of a power struggle. 

In a wide-ranging interview with La Vanguardia, Xavi opened up about the breakdown in his relationship with the club’s power brokers and revealed details of a failed plan to bring back club legend and former team-mate Messi in 2023.

'We had the green light from La Liga, but Laporta threw everything out. He told me, verbatim, that if Messi came back, he was going to wage war against him and that he couldn't allow it.

'I tried to talk to Leo and he wouldn't answer the phone. I spoke to his father (Jorge Messi) and told him I didn't understand anything, and he said, "Talk to the president." It was all set, it was going to be his "last dance," like Michael Jordan, everything was ready.

Xavi has claimed that Barca president Joan Laporta blocked the return of Messi due to concerns that the Argentinian would 'be more powerful than him' at the club

'I’m never going back to Barca. I’ve already done my time as a player and coach. Now I just want to tell the truth. Messi didn’t come to Barca because Laporta didn’t want him. It’s a lie that his father asked for more or that La Liga didn't want him. Laporta has all the power at the club and he knew that Messi would manage that power for him.'

Xavi also claimed he had been hamstrung by financial constraints, which he said contributed to his team’s poor performances. A request to bring in Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad was rejected, with the midfielder later joining Arsenal for £55million. 

He also pointed to the departure of Jordi Cruyff as sporting director as a symbol of the deterioration of a club whose values had long been shaped by the footballing philosophy of Jordi’s father, Johan Cruyff.

Xavi's comments come ahead of this week’s presidential election, in which Laporta is aiming to be re-elected. Club members will head to the polls on Sunday to choose between him and Victor Font. 

Laporta has since fired back at Xavi’s comments, claiming the Barcelona legend has been left embittered by the fact that his successor, Hansi Flick, has been more successful.

Laporta has hit back at Xavi's comments, saying that his presidential rival Victor Font is 'using' Xavi as part of a smear campaign ahead of this week's elections

'When I see what Xavi has said, I think about Hansi Flick,' Laporta told RAC1. 'Being Barca president is a tough job and you have to make difficult decisions. I did what I had to do.

'With Xavi, I saw that we were going to lose and that with Flick we were going to win. I understand that he's hurting. With the same players, Flick is winning.

'As for Messi, this is how it was: In 2023, I was told Messi wanted to return and I sent the contract to Jorge Messi, who later came to my house and told me that there would be too much pressure back here and that they would prefer to go to Miami.'

During the interview, Xavi also accused Laporta of being influenced by his former brother-in-law, Alejandro Echevarria, whom he claims holds real power at Barcelona.

'Laporta convinced me to stay when I had said in January I was leaving. He told me: "I don't see the team without you."

'The president got rid of me without telling me the truth, conditioned by a person who is above him, who is Alejandro Echevarría. That's to say, who really got rid of me as coach is Alejandro.

'He (Echevarria) has more power than Laporta, he betrayed me.' 

Laporta addressed those claims by suggesting his opponent in the presidential race, Font, is 'using' Xavi as part of a smear campaign ahead of the vote.

'What hurts me is that he allowed himself to be used,' Laporta added. 'To hurt me, he’s used someone from my inner circle (Alejandro Echevarria). They defended him (Xavi) even when it was indefensible for him to continue, as did Yuste. He’s eager to smear me. Behind Xavi, I understand Victor Font is trying to manipulate this electoral process.' 

- TARA ANSON-WALSH

WALL OF LEGENDS | SOCCER ⚽️ LEGENDS

 

LUIS ENRIQUE WINS JOHAN CRUYFF BEST MANAGER OF THE YEAR

 

JOHAN CRUYFF | 1978 WORLD CUP

 🇳🇱 Johan Cruyff 197️⃣8️⃣ World Cup 🇦🇷

LEGENDS OF HOLLAND

 

JOHAN CRUYFF | ONE OF HIS FAMOUS QUOTES

Guardiola on Cruyff: "At half time we had played badly, we expected to be told to push ourselves to fight more, to run more. When Johan spoke, he told us that we were playing badly because we were running too much. You had to send the ball where you wanted it to go and not to run after it."

It highlights Cruyff's emphasis on intelligent play, possession, and control over physicality. He wanted his team to send the ball where they wanted it to go, instead of chasing it around the pitch. This approach emphasizes the importance of understanding the game, making smart choices, and maintaining possession to dictate the rhythm and flow of the match. Memory serves as a reminder of the core principles that underpin both Cruyff's and Guardiola's football philosophies.

"PRINCIPLES OF THE POSITIONAL PLAY" - Complete guide to understanding and coaching positional play. Tactical theory covers 10 principles used by masters of the positional play like Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola: playing out from the back, control of possession, positioning, movement, compactness, exploiting half-spaces, combination play, counter-pressing, vertical play and overload to isolate. With 40 tactical practices included (4 practices to coach each of the 10 principles.

'I WANT TO PLAY FOR ARSENAL': WHEN DIEGO MARADONA ALMOST MOVED TO HIGHBURY

Diego Maradona has died at the age of 60. Worshipped like a God in Naples, fondly remembered in Barcelona and a hero in his native Argentina, he very nearly lit up Highbury too. Dan Mountney tells the tale of when one of the greatest to ever play the game

The year was 1979, and Arsenal boss Terry Neill was eyeing a teenage Argentine prodigy making waves in his homeland.

Jet black hair, a diminutive stature at just 5ft 5in but with legs built like tree trunks, a 19-year-old Diego Maradona was mesmerising the crowds at Argentinos Juniors with his quick feet, vision, close control and eye for goal.

After making his debut in 1976, the playmaker had netted 19 goals in 1977 Primera Division season, followed by 26 in both 1978 and 1979. Neill very much liked what he saw and made his move.

It would have been a major transfer coup for the Gunners with a number of clubs already monitoring the highly-rated teenager, but the club were clearly being ambitious having also lined up a move for Glenn Hoddle from rivals Tottenham.

Neither transfer would materialise.

"Hoddle rejected the chance to move to Highbury after having reservations about crossing the north London divide, while a move for Maradona fell through.

"When I was 19 they tried to buy me and another player from Argentinos Juniors – around the time Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles signed for Tottenham," said the Argentine in a 2008 interview.

"But it didn’t happen. I sometimes wonder what might have happened."

Neill wasn't done in his pursuit of the mercurial Maradona, and he would try his luck again three years later.

During the intervening years, Arsenal had hit a bump. 1980 saw the Gunners lose two finals in the space of four days as they lost to West Ham in the FA Cup final and then Valencia in the Cup Winners' Cup showpiece.

They also sold and then failed to replace Franck Stapleton and Liam Brady, with results taking a turn for the worst as Highbury attendances often fell below 20,000.

It was clear they needed a spark, so back they went for Maradona in March 1982.

As for the Argentine, he'd left Argentinos Juniors in 1980 after 116 goals in 166 games to join Boca Juniors, rejecting a host of offers in the process. 28 goals in 40 games followed for Buenos Aires-based giants, and so did attention from Europe.

Former Sheffield United boss Harry Haslam helped broker Arsenal's move. During his time as manager at Bramall Lane, Haslam had tried to sign Maradona as a 17-year-old in 1978 after spotting him on a scouting trip, but the Yorkshire club failed to stump up the £200,000 fee.

A £4m deal was agreed between The Gunners and Boca, but then the problems started.

Argentinos Juniors were still owed the first £1m instalment of Maradona's transfer to Boca. They took them to court to get it too, with a judge ruling Boca couldn't sell the player until the money had been paid.

Then the deal ran into problems in the House of Commons. Tom Lorney, Labour MP for Bradford, demanded Sports Minister Neil MacFarlane open an inquiry into the deal to help curb the 'excessive fees' being paid by football clubs.

Arsenal had found a way around this issue though, and planned to pay the transfer fee using sponsorship - much like they had planned to do in the 1970s when heavily linked with a move for Johan Cruyff.

The final blow to Arsenal's hopes of signing Maradona came from the FA who vowed to block any move.

A newspaper report from March 1982 read: "Diego Maradona, the £4million Argentina superstar admitted last night: 'I want to play for Arsenal'.

"Maradona, who is reported to earn a staggering £7,500 a week with Boca Juniors, broke his silence on a possible move to Highbury which had been set up by former Luton and Sheffield United manager Harry Haslam.

"Haslam has been acting as an Arsenal spy in South America but as he travelled back to London with his report the Football Association vowed to block any move by Arsenal to bring Maradona to England.

"League secretary Graham Kelly confirmed that the Management Committee didn't want foreign players from outside the EEC being granted a work permit for two years."

Sadly for Gooners, the move never happened. Vladimir Petrovic was signed from Red Star Belgrade instead and although he became a cult hero amongst the Highbury faithful, supporters can only dream of what Maradona would have done in the famous red and white.

If Arsenal's move had progressed any further it would have hit a further stumbling block, with the UK and Argentina going to war in the Falklands at the beginning of April 1982, just 11 days after the newspaper reports on his possible arrival.

Instead, Maradona would join Barcelona that summer in a world-record £5m deal and the rest is history. He would go onto to become one of the greatest of all-time, representing the likes of Napoli and Sevilla while also winning the 1986 World Cup with Argentina.

What can be said for certain is that for all his controversies and misdemeanours, Maradona was the star of his generation and will forever be remembered as one of football's greats. For some, he is even the greatest.

The thoughts of everyone at the Gooner Fanzine go out to Diego's family and friends at this difficult time.

Rest in peace, Diego Maradona. A true icon.

SAUDI SOCCER.CLUB AL HILAL AIMS FOR WORLD RECORD WINS

AP Photo 

 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabian soccer club Al Hilal will target a 28th straight win in competitive games on Tuesday that could set a world record for a top-tier team.

Fueled by Serbia forward Aleksandar Mitrović’s goals during Neymar’s long-term injury, Al Hilal aims for the record in a second-leg game in the Asian Champions League quarterfinals against domestic rival Al Ittihad.

The recognized wins record of 27 was set by The New Saints in the 2016-17 season. The Welsh team took the mark from the great Ajax side inspired by Johan Cruyff in 1971-72.

Al Hilal’s dominating season follows the club spending about 350 million euros ($380 million) on player transfers after being effectively nationalized by the Saudi sovereign wealth operation, the Public Investment Fund. It is controlled by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The streak includes 16 games in the Saudi league, three in the domestic cup and eight in the Asian Champions League.

“It’s a world record but it’s not a title,” coach Jorge Jesus said. “Titles are the league, the cup and the Asian Champions League.”

The last time the team did not win was on Sept. 21 in a 1-1 draw against league rival Damac. Four weeks later, Neymar suffered a serious knee injury while playing for Brazil.

On Tuesday, the Riyadh club takes a 2-0 lead to Jeddah to face Al Ittihad. The winner advances to the semifinals against Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates.

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