For the La Liga giants Barcelona, the past few seasons have been plagued by financial difficulties. After Laporta's return to Barcelona, he set about addressing the club's financial crisis. Last season, Barcelona failed to win any titles, and Xavi was unable to continue his tenure. Flick took over the reins of the team, becoming the helmsman of the Blaugrana. At the start of this season, Barcelona's form was exceptionally hot, securing a stunning seven consecutive victories in La Liga, and sweeping Real Madrid and Bayern Munich with big wins in the first half of the season. For a time, Barcelona became the most eye-catching team in European football. After Flick took office, he boldly promoted young players from the La Masia academy, such as Ilaix Moriba, Gavi, Pedri, Ferran Torres, Nico Gonzalez, and Eric Garcia, who began to make their mark in La Liga. At the same time, forwards like Memphis Depay and Antoine Griezmann were inspired to perform at their best, leading Barcelona to successive victories on all fronts. However, as time went on, injuries within the Barcelona squad began to mount, with several key stars sidelined due to injury, causing the team's performance to become inconsistent. Before the winter break, Barcelona suffered three consecutive home defeats, having already lost five matches in La Liga this season against smaller teams like Real Sociedad, Las Palmas, Leganes, and Osasuna. In the most recent round of La Liga, Barcelona suffered a 1-2 home defeat to Atletico Madrid, with their poor form eroding the advantage they had built at the start of…

Real Madrid is a team that always manages to surprise when things get tough. This was evident in their match against Valencia, where they managed to turn the score around despite being behind and down a player. All credit goes to Ancelotti's timely tactical changes and Bellingham's outstanding performance. Bellingham's performance since joining Real Madrid has taken everyone by surprise. The young player not only organizes attacks in midfield but also steps up in crucial moments. The match against Valencia is a clear example. Although he missed a penalty in the first half, he did not let this setback defeat him; instead, he scored the decisive goal in the final moments of the game. Looking at the statistics, Bellingham was fouled six times during the match and won 13 out of 20 duels, indicating his strong presence on the field. After Ancelotti switched to a 4231 formation, Bellingham was placed in the attacking midfielder position, which maximized his strengths. In the past six games, Bellingham has scored four goals and provided two assists, an efficiency rare among midfielders. Compared to Vinicius' impulsiveness and Mbappe's individual heroism, Bellingham appears more mature and stable, knowing when to pass and when to take matters into his own hands. Real Madrid now relies heavily on Bellingham, who functions like the team's engine, contributing both offensively and defensively. Following the loss to Athletic Bilbao, Ancelotti made tactical adjustments that significantly improved the team's performance. The new 4231 formation makes the team more flexible in attack and strengthens midfield control, making it difficult for opponents to…

On January 5th, Beijing time, Beijing Guoan has officially assembled in Haikou to start the second phase of winter training preparations for the new season. Since the end of the first phase of physical fitness reserve stage of winter training on December 28 last year, the main task of this Haikou winter training will shift to team lineup integration and tactical drills. At the same time, the foreign coaching team led by the newly appointed Spanish head coach Quique Setién will join the team, and Setién will officially begin his coaching career at Guoan Club. Setién completed his signing with Guoan in December last year before returning to Spain to deal with personal affairs. He arranged for his chief assistant coach Ramio to stay behind to lead Guoan through the first phase of winter training. As a coach who has coached La Liga giants Barcelona, Setién is undoubtedly the most prominent coach in the current Chinese Super League (CSL). In recent seasons, Beijing Guoan has experienced frequent changes in foreign coaches, but the team's performance has not improved. After finishing only fourth in the CSL last season, this forced the Guoan management to make another coaching change decision. The controversial former Portuguese head coach, Suárez, left, and was replaced by the more famous former Barcelona coach Quique Setién. The opinions on Guoan's new coach selection are mixed. The 66-year-old Setién is a professional coach trained by the Spanish football system, with a rich coaching resume. His coaching style is typical of the possession and control technical flow route favored by…

After winning the third round of the King's Cup, Atlético de Madrid has achieved a 13-game winning streak in all competitions, equaling their best record in team history. Ever since the arrival of "Little Spider," Atlético's games have become increasingly exciting to watch. He truly is a master of the mystical arts, always reaping championships whether at Manchester City, Argentina, or Atlético. This season, Atlético has had other unexpected joys. The Argentine contingent has shone brightly, making it hard not to suspect that Simeone is nurturing talent for the nation. De Paul has welcomed another peak season in his career, repeatedly saving Atlético from dire straits. And Molina is no longer the leaky full-back he once was, transforming into a speedy winger during the World Cup. The most pleasant surprise has been Little Simeone. Initially thought to be just another nepotism player, he has performed so strongly at Atlético. If Simeone can train his own son to success, then the issue of Argentina's wingers could be resolved. So far, we can consider Simeone to be patriotic; these Argentine players are performing exceptionally well, all thanks to Simeone's coaching. Unknowingly, Atlético has reached a 13-game winning streak, just one win away from creating a new team record. Records are not as important as victories, and the team's chemistry is even more crucial. Seeing players like Griezmann reach the pinnacle of their careers, it's clear that Atlético is set to make big moves this season. It remains to be seen if they can bring back the coveted Champions League trophy.

This season, although Barcelona started off very well and maintained an absolute dominance in La Liga, the team has experienced significant fluctuations as the season progressed, resulting in a drop in the standings. The main reason for Barcelona's decline in performance is due to internal turmoil within the team and the lack of experience among the young players. In this regard, La Liga officials have announced a message that directly caused Barcelona to lose 120 million euros. Among them, because Olmo's transfer fee reached 55 million euros, Barcelona needs to pay all of it to Leipzig. Additionally, there is the issue of Olmo's salary; if Olmo were to leave the team, Barcelona would also need to pay the remaining salary in full. Due to Olmo's inability to register, he will be unable to participate in matches for the Spanish national team and the Champions League. Therefore, it is unlikely that the player would give up his future career for Barcelona. Regarding Olmo's potential new team, the current frontrunner is joining the Premier League powerhouse Manchester City. Originally, Manchester City had a strong interest in Olmo during the summer and extended an invitation to him, but due to financial issues, they were ultimately unable to sign him. However, now faced with the opportunity to acquire Olmo for free, Manchester City remains very interested in signing him. This time, Coach Guardiola and Manchester City can be considered to have gotten a bargain, obtaining a central midfielder who can help build a new lineup system. Olmo also thoroughly proved himself during the summer…

Now Barca is still struggling with Olmo's registration. For Laporta, he has not done anything beneficial for Barca since he took office. It was originally thought that Laporta could revive the miracle of the six-time champion, but now it may be realized that the six-time champion was something that could only be encountered by chance, in other words, this was not Laporta's achievement, but a period when Barca's players were bursting with talent, which created an unparalleled six-time champion. Barca is still busy with registration, which means that after four years of Laporta's tenure, he still cannot turn around the mess at Barca. Bartomeu exhausted all of Barca's assets, and Laporta added to the mess by trying to fix it. If Laporta had the courage to drive away Messi, he could save Barca by selling two key players now. Some fans may think that this approach is inappropriate. For Barca now, the best method is to keep Barca running smoothly. Laporta, in order to have his way regardless of everyone's opposition, drove away Messi, which shows what kind of courage it takes, but this courage only reflects his own selfish desires. De Jong Now, the question is whether Laporta dares to take that kind of courage to save Barca. De Jong is currently a dispensable player for Barca, but it takes two to clap. There has been a long-standing dispute between De Jong and Barca over salary issues. Now De Jong does not leave, but Barca still wants to withhold salary. In theory, De Jong's salary space of tens of…

Over the past decade, Real Madrid has experienced an incredibly successful period in its history, winning six UEFA Champions League titles and solidifying its status as the "King of Europe." The team has been blessed with a plethora of talented players, including superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, who were unable to end their careers at the club. Midfield talents such as James Rodriguez and Isco, despite their immense potential, were unable to dislodge the dominant midfield trio, leading them to leave with regrets. Let's take a look at the current situations of five talented players who struggled at Real Madrid but found different paths in their careers after leaving. Isco At 32 years old, Isco's career is a testament to resilience, transitioning from a highly-regarded young player to a top midfielder at Real Madrid, and then experiencing a resurgence at Betis after nearly being without a club. In July 2013, Isco, then a Malaga prodigy with the European Golden Boy award, joined Real Madrid for a transfer fee of 30 million euros. He developed into a world-class attacking midfielder, making 250 appearances and helping the team win 19 titles, including five UEFA Champions League trophies, with his market value once nearing 100 million euros. Despite his exceptional dribbling and ball control skills, Isco's tendency to hold onto the ball too long, weak physicality, and slow speed put him at a disadvantage in Real Madrid's midfield competition. He was let go by the club in August 2022 and faced a career low point at Sevilla, where he was on the brink of…

In the blink of an eye, we have arrived at the first month of 2025. Everything is renewed, and the changes and developments of the new year are eagerly anticipated. This is also true for European football, as the second half of the 24/25 season has begun, and all the suspense of this season will gradually be revealed. The second half of the season is not only about league and European competitions, but also about the cup matches in various countries, which become more intense as the schedule progresses. Recently, the third round of the 24/25 season Spanish King's Cup was held. After the second match day of this round, many top teams including Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Real Betis, and Sevilla have completed their matches, but their performances were mixed with both joy and concern. Barcelona, which is currently facing multiple challenges, has dropped from the top of the league to third place. New signings Olmo and Victor will have to leave due to registration issues. However, Barcelona managed to sweep away recent gloom by defeating lower-tier team Bawastro 4-0 in the King's Cup. Meanwhile, Real Betis, Athletic Bilbao, and Atletico Madrid also defeated their opponents to advance to the next round. In contrast, Sevilla's performance was somewhat disappointing. At 0:30 AM Beijing time on January 5th, the third round of the 24/25 season Spanish King's Cup continued. One of the matches featured La Liga powerhouse Sevilla traveling to face Almeria, the current top team in the second division. Sevilla took a dream start with a goal from…

With the arrival of 2025, the football world has entered a new stage of competition. Just recently, FIFA officially reviewed several records that may be broken this year. First, in the Premier League, Haaland is very close to breaking the record for the fewest games needed to score 100 goals in the league. Currently, the record holder is legendary star Alan Shearer, who scored 100 Premier League goals in just 124 games. Haaland has scored 77 goals in 85 Premier League games, so he has a good chance of breaking this record. The second record is for 125 appearances in the UEFA Women's Champions League, which will belong to Lyon women's football star Renard. Since Lyon has always been dominant in the women's Champions League, her appearance record can be achieved. The third record is Celtic's 55 league titles in the Scottish Premiership. Currently, the record holder is Glasgow Rangers, Celtic's arch-rival. They have won 55 Scottish league titles, and Celtic has a good momentum in the league this season. If they win the title, they will equal this record. The fourth record is about the World Cup qualifiers. Currently, the record holder is Guatemalan star Carlos Ruiz, who scored a total of 39 goals in the qualifiers. Very close to this number are Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, who scored 36 and 34 goals respectively in the European and South American qualifiers. If things go well in 2025, they both have a chance to break this record. The fifth record is representing the national team 25 times before the age…

This weekend, the flames of European football reignited as several top teams took to the field. In the Premier League, Manchester City, who have been in a slump, finally secured a resounding victory with a 4-1 thrashing of West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium. Meanwhile, Chelsea, who had taken an early lead away from home, were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Crystal Palace, extending their winless streak in the league to four matches. Arsenal also faced resistance, drawing 1-1 away against Brighton & Hove Albion, halting their three-match winning streak. In the Spanish Copa del Rey third round, both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid advanced after defeating their respective opponents 4-0 and 1-0. Manchester City 4-1 West Ham United As reigning champions of the Premier League, Manchester City found themselves in a slump this season, managing only two wins in their last 14 games and falling out of contention for the title early on. To secure a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League, they needed to return to winning ways. Facing West Ham United, who had lost all five previous encounters, City unleashed their firepower. Savigny opened the scoring with an own goal early on, followed by a brace from Haaland and a goal from Foden, leading to a 4-1 victory over the Hammers. Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea After Berli took over Stamford Bridge, he provided Chelsea with ample transfer funds to strengthen the squad. However, the significant investment did not translate into enhanced fighting power or competitiveness, making the Blues a laughingstock in Europe's top five…