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2020-08-12 00:55#277059 ScottT : An important second-leg ahead. Man City will fancy their chances with an away goal in their possession despite trailing.

It's going to be a really tense build-up and City will fancy their chances

Liverpool ease into another CL Final with their German giant!



It's a clinical performance from the Catalans, who seem just as good away as at home nowadays and they are seemingly unbeatable at the moment!

A Wembley final is huge for Liverpool, especially after losing against the same team last season.



Barcelona on course for another historic season! The La Liga title is wrapped up with 4 games remaining and they are on course to beat the points record set last season (103) and possibly unbeaten.

A great performance from Barcelona. Another exciting final awaits.

Record points and unbeatable! This Barcelona side is the best in Spanish football history and may go alongside the best in European football with a win in the CL final which is just a few days away.

You would have to go back to matchday 8 of the 2021/22 season for Barcelona's last league defeat, a run of 69 games unbeaten

Other Leagues -

Barcelona B win the Segunda for the first time, with a game to go.


City regain their grasp of the PL title after a couple of years of letting it slip away late. Yet again a team is halted on 3 in a row!
Klopp's team have to win the final in order to get CL football again next season. They haven't been the force this season as many before.




Cup football is still exciting. Hands on the trophy for the first time since 1994!


Yey!




First cup win in 10 years!


Not sure why this gets given out before the final, but there wasn't really going to be any other winner.

Quite an astonishing season for Barcelona. To go unbeaten for the duration they have... A feat we are unlikely to see repeated.

The night we have all been waiting for as Liverpool take on Barcelona in the 2022/23 Champions League Final!

Barcelona are the 8th side in the CL/EC history to reach 3 consecutive finals, and 4 of them won all 3 (including Real M 5 in a row).

It's also the first time that the dame teams have met in consecutive years.

A win for Liverpool today with bring Barcelona's record 32 matches unbeaten run to an end. Their last defeat was a 3-0 at Krasnodar (8/12/2020) MD6 of the group stage!

ScottT - It may get even better yet!

Barcelona win their 8th Champions League crown, to leapfrog Milan and move 2nd on the list of all time titles!

Borja Fornas at 37 years and 343 days wins his 3rd title (youngest), along with Paisley (62), Ancelotti (54), Guardiola (49) and Zidane (45), also only 2nd to win 3 in a row.

Liverpool become the 3rd club to lose consecutive finals (Juventus and Valencia)
Klopp becomes the first manager to reach 5 finals and lost 4 of them!

Borja Fornas - It means everything to me and this club to retain this title as the best team in Europe. We have worked so hard over the season to remain at the top of our game and I think we proved it here with another fine display under pressure.

It's a sad day for football with the departure of Messi, but he has brought so much to the sport and this club in particular. It's a fitting end to a magical career and he is a player no one will ever forget, and will go down in history as the greatest player to play the game.

Jürgen Klopp - It's tough to take another defeat in this final but you have to praise the opposition today. We can all see what a magical team they are with Fornas in charge. Maybe with him retired (Messi) we will have better opportunities in the future to claim this back, but now we have to analyse the season and move on to next year.

Lionel Messi Honours

La Liga:
13 – Record (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023)

Copa del Rey:
8 – Joint Record with Sergio Busquets, but most for a non-Spanish player (2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023)

Supercopa de España:

8 – Record (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2022)

UEFA Champions League:

7 – Record (2006, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023)

UEFA Super Cup:
5 – Joint Record with Sergio Busquets, but most for a non-Spanish player (2009, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2022)

FIFA Club World Cup:
3 (2009, 2011, 2015)


FIFA World Cup: 1 (2022)

Copa América: 1 (2020)

FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1 (2005)

Olympics: 1 (2008)


Barcelona – 16th November 2003 until 3rd June 2023
Played - 876 109 more than Xavi (1998 - 2015)
Goals - 702 470 more than César (1942-1955)
Assists - 329

A magical career comes to a glittering close. Whoever has the job of replacing him sure has a tough job on their hands.

9 AM, 5th June 2023

FC Barcelona have confirmed that Borja Fornas has stepped down as head coach exactly 3 years after being appointed!

It comes as a big surprise to many surrounding the club as his contract was extended in December 2021 until 2026.

We will continue to bring the news as it comes in throughout the day.





Fornas is Barcelona's 3rd most successful manager and the stats really do not lie.
When compared with the last 3 managers (in charge for more than 1 season) he comes extremely close to the club's best in Pep Guardiola who remained for a further season.

Guardiola - (4 Seasons)
G - 247
W - 179
D - 47
L - 21
F - 638
A - 181
Win % - 72.5

14 Trophies (Most Successful Manager in FCB History)
La Liga – 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11
Copa del Rey – 2008/09, 2011/12
Supercopa de España – 2009, 2010, 2011
Champions League – 2008/09, 2010/11
UEFA Super Cup – 2009, 2011
FIFA Club World Cup – 2009, 2011

Luis Enrique - (3 Seasons)
G - 181
W - 138
D - 22
L - 21
F -519
A - 147
Win % 76.2

9 Trophies (4th Most Successful Manager)
La Liga – 2014/15, 2015/16
Copa del Rey – 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17
Supercopa de España – 2016
Champions League – 2014/15
UEFA Super Cup – 2015
FIFA Club World Cup - 2015

Ernesto Valverde - (2 1/2 Seasons)
G - 145
W - 97
D - 32
L - 16
F -339
A - 147
Win % 66.9

4 Trophies (JR 8th Most Successful Manager)
La Liga – 2017/18, 2018/19
Copa del Rey – 2017/18
Supercopa de España - 2018

Borja Fornas - (3 Seasons)
G - 178
W -144
D - 24
L - 10
F - 425
A - 101
Win % 80

10 Trophies (3rd Most Successful Manager)
La Liga – 2021/22, 2022/23
Copa del Rey – 2021/22, 2022/23
Champions League – 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 (Record for FCB Manager)
UEFA Super Cup – 2021, 2022
Supercopa de España - 2022

Fewest loses, goals against and highest win percentage! Fornas took this team to new heights.

Reply:
ScottT - It's going to be some transition, and now with this!...

Departing Press Conference

Borja Fornas – Morning everybody.
3 years ago I was given the opportunity of dreams to manage the club I support; with so many ideas of how I wanted to take the team forward and a belief in myself and the staff that we would win all the titles possible. Of course in football it isn’t that simple, and there are so many clubs out there with the ambition to win everything they enter and that’s the challenge we crave as professionals in this sport.

I was playing for Llagostera when Guardiola announced his departure after those historic years, and although I was always interested in the coaching side of the game, I never imagined I would be in this position just as he was. I’m sure I have felt the same emotions as he did at that time, but I know that there is always the right time to move on.

I want to thank everyone who believed in me and has a hand in bringing me in. I also want to thank the players and staff who have always taken on board what I have said and helped me to coach at this level.

The final thank you must go to the assholes (Los Culés), we have been on an incredible journey that has included 3x crowned Kings of Europe. That, we mustn’t take for granted. I hope for them that my successor brings more success to this club of ours.

Iván Álvarez (President) – We are so proud as a club of the achievements in the last few years, Borja has shown a complete understanding of the game that is matched by few people around. We are sad to see him leave as we have gotten to know him as a brilliant man as well as his capabilities on the sideline.

Our mission now is to identify the next person who represents the values and philosophy of this club, somebody who can continue Borja’s work and push us past the challenges we will face.

On behalf of the Board of Directors we would like to thank Borja and his staff for all their hard work, and we wish them the very best in the future.


The likes of recently retired club captains Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets were present for the press conference alongside Marc - André ter Stegen and Matthijs de Ligt.

Pep Guardiola - I had the opportunity to speak with Borja a couple of years ago and we had a good chat about a lot of things. I know that he is a genuine person and that he won't have taken this decision lightly, just like me.
It has been fantastic to see his Barcelona team play and I wish him the best!

THE END

3 seasons of winning was fun, but I couldn't take this team any further.

Hopefully this is what the future holds for Barcelona in real life, but I honestly doubt that with the state they are in.

This club last won the Champions League in 2015 when Messi was 27!
For the board to have allowed the prime of the greatest player in history to be wasted with horrendous decisions year after year is a disgrace.

2-8!
Nobody would have believed you in 2015 if this is what you said would become of Barcelona.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for a great story!

2020-08-16 13:26#277253 ScottT : Thanks for a great story!

Thanks for sticking around