Siempre Positivo

E401: Q&A on Nico Williams, Gündoğan, CB options, preseason worries & more

Sam and Toni take questions on Kroos' Euro 2024 goodbye, football and politics, Nico Williams, Nico Williams, Nico Williams, Toni's Gündoğan 'situation,' the centre-back position, DMs, exits, the Mbappe factor at Real Madrid and much more.

(Note: Audio taken from remote recording due to tech problem -- sorry!)

Have a good weekend.

Questions?

Late notice but drop your questions here or on Discord for Sam and Toni, who will be answering this week. Loads has been going on: Lamine Yamal shining at Euro 2024, Euro 2024 in general, Thiago on Flick's staff, Barça edging closer to 1:1? Nico Williams? A midfielder? Pedri, Araujo injuries, the Olympics... and much more. No holds barred. Drop your Qs below

E400: Lamine Yamal claims Euros glory, plus Nico, Araujo

Sam and Rik talk about Spain's triumph over England to claim Euro 2024, with another strong performance from everybody's favourite Barcelona wonderkid. Plus, discussing the interest in Nico Williams, Araujo's surgery and more.

E399: Spain sail on in Euros, maturing Yamal, injuries strike

Sam and Rik discuss Spain beating Germany to reach the Euro 2024 semi-finals where they will face France. We look forward to that, talk about Yamal's growth (in various ways), Pedri and Araujo's injuries, and hear (or don't hear) from Toni Juanmarti on the goings on in Barcelona.

E398: FC Barcelona SEASONS (08-09)

Sam, Rik and Toni discuss one of, or perhaps THE, best season in the history of FC Barcelona. Pep's at the wheel...

E397: Q&A on Nico Williams, Araujo, money and more

Rik, Sam and Toni get stuck into your questions about signings, outgoings, the finances and more. Plus Toni has a couple of questions of his own.

E396: Guiu-ing, Guiu-ing, gone

The latest on the surprise news that young striker Marc Guiu will leave Barcelona for Chelsea this summer. The Premier League side will pay his €6 million release clause.

Plus: The latest from Euro 2024 as we edge towards the knockout rounds. There has been no better team than Spain so far, led by Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams on the wings.

And: Which Barça players made Spain's Olympic squad?

Q&A to follow on Friday.

Questions por favor

Hello everyone! Hope you're all enjoying your summer and the start of the Euro 2024. We'll get together (virtually) for a Q&A in the coming days... so fire away with any questions, on Barca, or the Euros, or anything else!

E395: Yamal on song in first round of Euro 2024

Sam and Rik look at Spain's 3-0 win over Croatia and chat about the Euros so far, ahead of La Roja's second game against Italy. Can somebody find Sam an apple please?

E394: Can Lamine Yamal and Pedri lead Spain to Euro 24 glory?

Sam and Rik are in Berlin ahead of Spain's opening game at Euro 2024 on Saturday against Croatia. Will it be a night -- and tournament -- to remember for Lamine Yamal and Pedri?

E393: Q&A on Flick thoughts, Merino interest & Rafa Marquez

Rik, Toni and Sam deliver the first post-season Q&A with the focus on incoming coach Hansi Flick, Barcelona's interest in Mikel Merino (and Toni gives another name, ojo), Rafa Marquez's future at the club and more.

E392: Season review/awards - 2023/24

Sam, Rik and Toni look back at this season as a whole and pick out some Barca award winners/losers.

Play along at home...

• Player of the season

• Breakthrough player

• Worst player

• Most disappointing player

• Best moment

• Worst moment

• Goal of the season

Questions... and season review

Hello. First of all an apology for the delay in pods this week. We will have a season review and a Q&A coming out as soon as possible. In the meantime, get those questions in via the usual channels (in the comments here or on Discord) and feel free to post any highs, lows or thoughts on Barça's 23-24 campaign to be used in season review, which will be released Thursday night.

Thank you!

E391: Hansi Flick is the new Barcelona coach

It's official! Hansi Flick has been appointed as the new Barcelona manager, replacing Xavi Hernández on a two-year deal. Sam and Toni take an early look at his appointment, with Germany-based journalist Alex Truica also giving his view on the appointment. Don't miss Toni's story of being camped outside Flick's hotel, either, as well as the first words as Barça boss from the man himself, Mr. Flick.

E390: Champions of Europe, Xavi departs, Spain call-ups

Sam and Rik discuss Barcelona's women's Champions League triumph over Lyon, plus some thoughts on Xavi's reign, Flick, and the Euro 2024 Spain squad list.

E389: Barça sack Xavi with Flick waiting in the wings

At this point of the week, you must be getting bored of us? Sam and Toni convene to chew the fat on Friday's big news: Barcelona have (officially) sacked Xavi Hernández, with Hansi Flick (not yet officially) set to replace him.

E388: Barça-Lyon UWCL final preview & Hansi Flick developments

Sam and Rik preview this weekend's Champions League final between Barcelona and Lyon in Bilbao, with the help of some thoughts from Lucy Bronze (03:50). Barça, appearing in their fourth successive final and as the current holders, are aiming to beat eight-time winner Lyon for the first time ever.

Toni then joins Sam (20:00) to discuss Wednesday's major story involving Deco, a trip to London and the German coach Hansi Flick. Who will be Barça's coach this time next week?

E387: Barça beat Rayo... will we see Xavi at Montjuic again?

Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 3-0 to close the season at Montjuic with a win and wrap up second place in LaLiga (there's one game to go still, away at Sevilla next weekend), but all eyes were on coach Xavi Hernández. Will he stay? Will he go? What's going on?

Sam, Rik and Toni discuss all in the latest podcast.

E386: Siempre as Barca's sporting directors, year three

Sam, Rik and Toni sit down to go through the project for next season as if they were Barcelona's sporting directors. Always one of the most enjoyable eps of the year to put together.

Side note: We recorded this last week, shortly before the almighty kerfuffle over Xavi's future exploded. So the premise is: Xavi is the coach we are buying for.

Side note 2: Publishing this today as Toni only just back from Turin and exhausted so will record the normal Monday pod on Tues when his bat...

E385: Wait, is Xavi Hernández leaving Barcelona again?

Less than a month after he's staying, and five months after he announced he's leaving, Xavi Hernández's Barcelona future is once again in the spotlight. So why is the Barça boss' position under threat just three weeks after he U turned on his own decision to leave in the summer. Why is president Joan Laporta angry and how will this all end?

Sam and Rik discuss the last few days at Can Barça, with a quick nod to Fermín López bringing up 10 goals for the season in the middle of all ...

Where’s the Almería (Xavi!!!) podcast?

We know what you’re thinking: Where the hell is the Almería pod? Not because you particularly care about Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Almería on Thursday, courtesy of two goals from Fermín López (that’s 10 for the season now!), but because of everything that preceded and followed it.

Before the game, it emerged that president Joan Laporta would not travel south because of comments made by Xavi Hernández in his pregame news conference. The Barça boss basically spelled out the re...

E384: Barca beat La Real, go second + Lewandowski, Pedri

Rik and Toni talk about Barcelona's 2-0 win over Real Sociedad on Monday, discuss Lewandowski and Pedri's performances in particular, and do the player ratings.

E383: Positives from Barça's season, Guido, Nico Williams, Araujo's form, the new CL & more

Your questions, answered.

Rik, Toni and Sam dive into questions on positives from Barcelona's season, Deco's performance, selling players, Ronald Araujo's form, Guido Rodríguez, Nico Williams, Moneyball, Joshua Kimmich, the new Champions League format and much more.

Question time...

There is a lot to talk about. Post your questions for this week here...

E382: A bad case of the Gironavirus

Sam, Rik and Toni discuss Barcelona's 4-2 defeat at Girona, the second of the season against Michel Sanchez's top-four-guaranteed Catalan minnows, as well as some Vitor Roque talk and more.

E381: Lewandowski's hat-trick downs Valencia, is Toni entertained?

Barcelona beat Valencia 4-2 on a wet Monday night to remain on track for a second placed finish in LaLiga ahead of Saturday's trip to Girona.

Sam, Rik and Toni discuss Rik's failure to make it to Montjuic, Toni's fading interest in the season, Lewandowski's goals and future, Fermín López, Barça's corners and a discrepancy over Pau Cubarsí's rating...

E380: Barca reach another UCL final

Sam and Rik rustle up a quick bonus pod on Barca Femeni's win over Chelsea to reach yet another Women's Champions League final. Back on Tuesday with the usual Monday pod after Barcelona face Valencia. Apols sound quality a little less fino than usual, using the Zoom audio back up after one of the recordings went wrong!

E379: Q&A on Xavi staying, Barça's finances, next season's defence & more

Rik, Toni and Sam take your questions at the end of a week that saw Xavi reverse his decision to leave Barcelona at the end of the season. They discuss that, Joao Cancelo, next season's defence, Vitor Roque, the defensive midfield situation, Nico Williams, Barça's finances, emotional investment... and hurling.

E378: Xavi se queda

Sound the alarm, it's an emergency pod. We had planned to record the Q&A today but pushing it back a couple of days to instead tackle the news that Xavi Hernandez is staying at Barcelona next season after all. Toni reports from outside Joan Laporta's house as Sam and Rik discuss the story and its implications.

Questions, si us plau!

PSG and Clásico fallout, Xavi's future, the looming summer, six games to go... get your questions in!