The Portuguese forward was unheard of when Sir Alex Ferguson brought him to the Premier League in August 2010, and he went on to make just seven appearances for the Old Trafford club.
He joined Benfica in 2014 after various loan spells away from England before signing for La Liga outfit Rayo Vallecano on loan in July 2015.
Fast-forward to Monday, and Bebe may just have shown what it was Ferguson saw in him all those years ago.
Playing for Rayo against Espanyol, the Portuguese received the ball on the left side of the opposition box before driving past one defender and unleashing a ferocious drive into the far corner.
Bebe's goal made it 1-1 at the Cornella-El Prat, but Espanyol took the points when Hernan Perez volleyed home a brilliant late winner.
The win moves Espanyol up to 14th, while Rayo Vallecano remain one place outside the relegation zone in 17th.
[Twitter]
Rayo Vallecano Boss Paco Jemez: 'I Bet My Balls' on Good Performance vs. Madrid
Dec 15, 2015
Rayo Vallecano's coach Paco Jemez reacts during the Spanish league football match Sevilla FC vs Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Sevilla on April 26, 2015. AFP PHOTO/ CRISTINA QUICLER (Photo credit should read CRIST
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker's high-stakes gamble has been promptly and comprehensively outdone.
While it would, of course, be a mistake to take the words of a football coach literally, Rayo Vallecano boss Paco Jemez has placed a tonne of faith in his struggling side ahead of a trip to Real Madrid on Sunday.
Rayo sit 18th in La Liga with just four wins from 15 games, some 16 points behind Los Blancos, who lost 1-0 to Villarreal on the weekend.
But speaking on the Al Primer Toque radio show (via AS), Jemez gambled something rather precious on a good performance.
"I bet my balls that my players will play well at the Bernabeu next Sunday," he said.
MADRID, SPAIN - AUGUST 19: head coach Paco Jemez of Rayo Vallecano de Madrid sitted on the bench with his technical staff prior to start the La Liga match between Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and Elche FC at Estadio Teresa Rivero on August 19, 2013 in Madrid
The stakes have never been higher.
But he didn't stop there: "On the day they were handing out brains, I ended up with a small one, but when they handed out balls, I got the biggest."
Well, then. Rafa Benitez has come a long way from Jose Mourinho mind games.
On first glance, the new Rayo Vallecano away kit seems pretty wild.
But you will fall in love with it when you learn the story behind it.
The shirt is black with a rainbow stripe across the shirt, and the club point out that each colour on that rainbow represents a social injustice or problem that somebody is facing in their life.
The red is for those fighting cancer.
The orange is for people with disabilities.
The yellow is for people who have lost hope/suicide prevention
The green is for people trying to protect the environment.
The blue is for mistreated children.
The pink is for the victims of domestic violence.
And then the overall rainbow effect is for those who have been discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.
Paco Jemez Interview: 'Rayo Coach Is a Tougher Job Than Barca or Real Madrid'
Apr 7, 2015
MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 05: Head coach Paco Jemez of Rayo Vallecano de Madrid gives instructions during the La Liga match between Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and Real Sociedad de Futbol at Estadio Teresa Rivero on October 5, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Paco Jemez has won admirers around Europe for turning humble Rayo Vallecano into one of the most attractive teams in the Liga, yet his most impressive decision came away from the world of football.
When 85-year-old widow Carmen Martinez Ayuso was evicted from her home of 50 years by police last November, it was her local football club, lead by Jemez, who rode to her rescue. Although posting the second-lowest budget in the Liga, Rayo’s squad, coaching staff and fans raised €26,000 to pay for the rent and furniture in a new flat nearby.
Jemez recounts the story in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report at the club’s training ground in Vallecas, south-east Madrid, just around the corner from the house where Carmen was evicted.
“A friend of mine called me up to see if we could make a statement to the media but when I saw the pictures I thought we had to do something, simply saying ‘this is unjust’ would have been no use,” he said.
“So we met up with Carmen, talked to her and discussed how we could solve the problem. I’ve been to visit her at the new flat—she is living where she should live, near her family and in her neighbourhood.”
This is 85-year-old Carmen Martínez Ayuso - recently evicted from her long-term home in Vallecas district of Madrid. pic.twitter.com/aDXYqeFIMt
Carmen remains eternally grateful. She posed for a photo for Marca in the new flat wearing a Rayo shirt, and in January donated part of the money the club had bestowed to her to the family of former goalkeeper Wilfred Agbonavbare, who passed away from cancer in February.
“This is a beautiful gesture that they did not need to make,” she told Marca. “The next time I see Paco, I will give him 40 kisses.”
Carmen is not the only one besotted with the balding 44-year-old.
Pep Guardiola admires Jemez’s brand of attacking, positional play, likening Rayo’s style to that of Bayern Munich and Barcelona. And the current Barca boss Luis Enrique has been effusive in his praise of the coach, remarking in a press conference: “I never imagined that behind that tough centre-half there was a coach with such an attacking mentality.”
Jemez’s commitment to attacking football is the hallmark of his identity—he is on a one-man mission to convince the world it is not only the footballing elite who can excite fans with adventurous play. The son of a flamenco singer, entertainment is in his blood.
MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Paco Jemez of Rayo Vallecano looks on during the La Liga match between Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and FC Barcelona at Estadio Teresa Rivero on September 21, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
“There was always a spectacle going on in my house, and perhaps the fact that I grew up surrounded by flamenco, that happiness, has something to do with the football I try to play,” he said.
Of course, Jemez’s loyalty to his attacking philosophy sometimes has disastrous consequences: This season Rayo have lost 4-0 at Malaga, 4-2 at Villarreal, 5-1 to Real Madrid and 6-1 to Barcelona, while Rayo’s defence has been among the three leakiest back lines in the league in Jemez’s three years in charge.
However, he has never considered changing the way his team play: he sends his players out to try to dominate possession, to take the initiative, whether they are playing at home to Levante or at the Bernabeu or the Camp Nou.
On Wednesday (April 8), Real Madrid visit the Estadio de Vallecas. Los Blancos have beaten Rayo in each of their seven meetings since Rayo returned to the top flight, and although teams such as Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao have managed to beat Carlo Ancelotti’s side this season by ceding them the ball and looking to hit them on the break and from set pieces, Jemez is not about to employ any such tactics.
“I don’t think that that would benefit us in any way,” he insisted.
“Perhaps it works with other teams but I am talking about what I have at my disposal.
“There is a cliche that the small teams have to play defensively, but not us,” he added, with a tone of defiance.
MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 05: Head coach Paco Jemez of Rayo Vallecano de Madrid gives instructions during the La Liga match between Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and Real Sociedad de Futbol at Estadio Teresa Rivero on October 5, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo b
“Sometimes it goes wrong but the fact we’re a small team doesn’t mean we have to play like one. We try to play like a big, important team, and it’s going very well for us.”
It certainly is. Despite having the second-lowest budget in the Liga—only behind Eibar—Rayo are on course to clinch survival for a third successive year under Jemez.
In 2012/13 his team broke the club’s own points record for a Liga season, and only missed out on a European spot due to the league’s financial regulations. Last season they finished 12th and currently sit 11th in the Liga table table on 35 points ahead of the visit of Madrid, having won their last four home games.
Working on a shoe-string budget is nothing new for Jemez, who has worked his way up the Spanish football ladder since taking charge of Alcala in 2007. He went on to coach Cartagena, Las Palmas and Cordoba before getting the job at Rayo, the club where he hung his boots up.
Working within Rayo’s financial constraints tests his capabilities as a coach throughout the season and especially each summer, when he is forced to radically reconstruct his squad when faced with players leaving en masse.
He has signed 63 players in his three seasons at the club and waved goodbye to 60, including losing his top scorer each year, with Michu departing for Swansea in 2012, Piti joining Granada in 2013 and Joaquin Larrivey moving to Celta Vigo last year.
“It happens a lot unfortunately—we encourage players to play our way and do important things for our team that they had never done before, and then they leave us,” Jemez said with regret.
MADRID, SPAIN - MAY 18: Head coach Paco Jemez (R) of Rayo Vallecano de Madrid embraces head coach Cosmin Contra (L) of Getafe CF during the La Liga match between Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and Getafe CF at Estadio de Vallecas on May 18, 2014 in Madrid, Spai
Rayo’s slender finances oblige them to use the loan system efficiently, and fortunately for them, Jemez and sporting director Felipe Minambres are experts in this field. Their most astute signing last summer was Gael Kakuta, who is finally starting to realise his potential in his sixth loan spell since joining Chelsea in 2009.
“We are probably seeing his best ever season—we have managed to revitalise these types of players,” said Jemez.
“That’s why lots of clubs send their players to us on loan, because we know that we’re going to look after them.”
But does he ever wonder what he could do with a bigger budget at a bigger club?
“Yes, but who knows, it could turn out to be a disaster. The normal situation for a club like ours is to be in the Segunda Division for a very long time but we are still in the Primera Division. No one in football has the magic formula. Big teams also have their problems, their unique situations.”
Nonetheless, Jemez believes the pressure on coaches of smaller clubs such as Rayo is grossly underestimated.
“These are teams with huge financial problems, a lack of players, teams always living with the threat of being relegated,” he said. “Real Madrid and Barcelona are under pressure to win but if one year they don’t win the league, nothing happens. They get a bunch of angry newspaper headlines but they remain huge clubs and they can win the league the following year. But if one year Rayo go down, the club disappears. Finito. That is the worst type of pressure to be under.”
MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 08: Francisco Roman Alarcon alias Isco (L) of Real Madrid CF competes for the ball with Gael Kakuta (R) of Rayo Vallecano de Madrid during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Estadio Santiago B
He is not exaggerating: Xerez were in the Liga as recently as 2009/10 but have since tumbled four divisions down the ladder; and Salamanca, who were last in the top flight in 1999, were dissolved in 2013.
Jemez has excelled under that pressure, and other clubs have taken note. Like most of his players, the coach’s contract with Rayo runs out on 30 June and he is unlikely to remain at the club beyond the summer.
Championship side Brentford have spoken to his agent about hiring him in the summer, while Bleacher Report understands other English clubs have also spoken to Jemez’s agent about hiring him next season. However, no agreement has been signed and no decision will be made until Rayo mathematically secure top-flight status.
Jemez is careful not to comment on any speculation but does not hide his admiration for English football.
“I love the mentality of the football in England, the way they live football there,” he said. “I love the way the fans conduct themselves inside the stadium and deal with the results, and the stadiums are stunning. I love watching English football and of course I’d like to work there. I have spoken with [Mauricio] Pochettino about it and he has told me spectacular things.
“But I know nothing. My preoccupation is here with Rayo. When I finish my contract here and my agent tells me there’s a team that’s interested then we’ll see, but right now I don’t have any agreement with any team. After 30 June I’m a free man.”
Wherever Jemez ends up, entertainment will be guaranteed.
All quotes were gathered firsthand, unless otherwise stated.
How Atletico's Emiliano Insua Can Get His Career Back on Track at Rayo Vallecano
Nov 20, 2014
MADRID, SPAIN - DECEMBER 18: Emiliano Insua (R) of Atletico de Madrid competes for the ball with Xapi Arnau (L) of UE Sant Andreu during the Copa del Rey Round of 32 second leg match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Sant Andreu at Vivente Calderon Stadium on December 18, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Many players, despite displaying an obvious talent, inexplicably fail to make their mark on professional football. While Emiliano Insua is still young at 25, the full-back has already bounced around Europe and needs to follow through on his obvious potential.
Part of the problem for the player's stilted development arguably comes from his early arrival in England. Insua was just 18 when Liverpool persuaded Boca Juniors to let go of their defensive prospect, who had yet to play a single game for the Argentine giants' first team. This robbed him of several formative years, as has been the case for many South American teenagers.
Instead of gaining experience in the Boca starting line-up, perhaps breaking into the side that Juan Roman Riquelme led to the Copa Libertadores in 2007, Insua had a different introduction to professional football. The left-back was forced to slog it out in the reserves, and only in his fourth and final season at Anfield was he able to find regular senior football.
That pattern of irregular football and fleeting contributions has dogged the defender even after leaving Merseyside. Despite having represented four clubs in three nations since saying goodbye to Liverpool in 2010, Insua has only once since that time played more than 40 games in a season. He still shows promise, but after falling flat with Galatasaray, Sporting and Atletico Madrid, a current loan move at Rayo Vallecano could be the last throw of the dice in Europe.
First signs have been encouraging. A 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Real Madrid was hardly the ideal way to go into an international break, but that defeat aside Rayo have held their own so far. Insua has appeared in eight of 11 matches in La Liga and contributed one assist as the side from the Spanish capital's outer suburbs have carved out a spot in mid-table.
But as so often, there is a sting in the tail for the Argentine. That last match was doubly painful as Insua limped off after just 25 minutes. Medical tests later showed that he would face at least four weeks on the sidelines, as Marca reports (in Spanish), practically bringing to a close his season for 2014.
Insua's mission is clear. Only by establishing himself at a top-class European club will he finally develop into the defender Liverpool saw back in 2006 before taking him over the Atlantic. A good season with Rayo would leave him perfectly placed to go back to Atletico and take the left-back spot definitively once compatriot Cristian Ansaldi's loan comes to an end.
It will not be easy, and avoiding knocks like that which has currently ruled him out will be key, but Insua has the talent to make it happen with a little bit of luck.
Is Porto's Rayo Vallecano Loanee Abdoulaye Ba the Next Eliaquim Mangala?
Sep 10, 2014
Rayo's Abdoulaye Ba, looks at the keeper during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Atletico Madrid at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Aug. 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Manchester City generated headlines buying Eliaquim Mangala for £32 million from Porto, so can prospective centre-back Abdoulaye Ba emulate Mangala?
Arriving at Porto dreaming of eminence, a flurry of bookings, defensive miscues and poor football IQ ensured Ba's consignment to ingloriousness.
If he could not play cleanly on loan in less pressurised situations, management projected that he would not cope sufficiently as a regular starter at Porto.
When Ba returned to Porto last January, he competed with Diego Reyes not for a starting job, but to see which backup was more morose with a bit-part role.
Ba is now entering his fourth loan and with Bruno Martins Indi tipped to be Porto's next defensive cash cow after Mangala, there is added incentive to succeed on loan at Rayo Vallecano.
Ba cleared the ball 11 times, intercepted five passes, made two tackles, blocked a shot and completed 90 percent of his passes while leading the game in attempted passes (71).
Paco, one of the best young coaches in Europe, sees the silver lining to Ba.
A lean and lofty centre-back who ardently attacks the ball and has a forte for cutting off passes.
Despite Rayo having the worst defensive record in La Liga last season, Alejandro Galvez was Rayo's rock at the back, making 83 tackles and intercepting 82 passes in 26 games.
Galvez leaving for Werder Bremen means Ba needs to step up.
It will be a Herculean effort for Ba and the Rayo defenders to cover defensive breakdowns, wide-open shooters and swift counter-attacks, all consequences of Paco's "all-or-nothing approach," per Sid Lowe at The Guardian.
Starting as a left-sided centre-back in a 0-0 draw against La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, Ba was solid registering four clearances and blocking a shot.
Atleti centre-forwards Mario Mandzukic and Raul Jimenez did not bother Ba, who also acted as a passing outlet from the back, attempting the second most passes for Rayo (77).
Not committing an error leading to a goal conceded in such a big-game represented a sizeable step-forward for Ba.
The next game, a 2-2 draw against Deportivo de La Coruna, Ba slipped back into the nonchalant, walking liability and an accident-waiting-to-happen type of centre-back, which has curbed his progress in making it at Porto.
He left Rayo goalkeeper Cristian Alvarez in no man's land with an under-weighted back-pass, which led to Deportivo central midfielder Jose Rodriguez scoring.
While grounded, Ba ridiculously moved his arm to deflect Deportivo central midfielder Haris Medunjanin's shot.
Here was the context of the game:
Rayo were leading Deportivo 2-1 in stoppage time.
Referee Jose Luis Gonzalez Gonzalez spots Ba's moment of idiocy and points to the spot.
Deportivo right attacking midfielder Isaac Cuenca converts the penalty to make it 2-2.
Marca gave Ba a 3/10, the worst rating of all starters.
It was an error-riddled performance, something you would say about Mangala for parts of his Porto career.
Though, Mangala compensates a 3/10 performance with a string of 9/10 displays.
Whereas, Ba has yet to show such dominance.
But Ba has upside as a 23-year-old, his transfer stock is low, he is rangy and he is aggressive.
These factors are why clubs in Europe's elite leagues have monitored Ba's progress:
Ba may not have a long-term future at Porto, so he needs to take inspiration from Thiago Silva, whose failed spells at Porto and Dynamo Moscow were frustrating, traumatic and shaped his mental fortitude.
Highlights today include: how Thiago Silva went from having tuberculosis to captain Brazil - via Dynamo Moscow: http://t.co/w6eWGwbYbx#psg
— Marcus Christenson (@m_christenson) May 31, 2014
Ba playing for his top-flight future may lead him to show glimpses of Mangala-like superiority which could secure a contract at another noteworthy European club.
Scouting Report: Can Joaquin Larrivey Be the Next Michu in the Premier League?
Mar 12, 2014
MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 24: Joaquin Larrivey of Rayo Vallecano de Madrid reacts after his team lost 4-1 against RCD Espanyol during the La Liga match between Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and RCD Espanyol at Estadio Teresa Rivero on November 24, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Could Rayo Vallecano centre-forward Joaquin Larrivey emulate Swansea City deep-lying forward Michu's success in the Premier League? Here is a scouting report on Larrivey, a 29-year-old Argentine No. 9.
Another Michu?
Height
Weight
Michu
6'1"
176 lbs
Larrivey
6'1"
179 lbs
Larrivey's physical tangibles are similar to Michu.
They have comparable traits: Hardworking, physical, opportunistic and wily late-bloomers.
Also, they share the same simplistic playing style: Capitalising on sloppy positioning from opposing defenders to poach goals.
Larrivey's off-the-ball running is exemplary, so it tells you his positional awareness is excellent.
That skill is perfectly complemented by his exceptional heading—he once scored a hat-trick of headers for Cagliari in a 6-3 defeat to Napoli in 2012—as he is aggressive in the air and throws himself at crosses. Here are a few examples of his heading ability:
Larrivey jumped high to forcefully head a Roberto Trashorras cross past Levante goalkeeper Keylor Navas during Rayo's 2-1 loss.
In Rayo's 2-0 win over Celta Vigo, Larrivey was the benefactor of a cross from Rayo substitute Adrian Embarba.
Larrivey took advantage of an Atletico Madrid defensive breakdown to net a header in Rayo's 4-2 defeat.
Another headed goal occurred when none of the Valencia players picked up Larrivey and he nodded home a cross from Rayo left-back Razvan Rat during the club's 1-0 win.
In Rayo's 3-2 win over Real Sociedad, Larrivey won a penalty (which he converted) after being tripped by Sociedad left-back Jose Angel as he got in front of the defender.
Larrivey has also shown signs he can contribute in the team's build-up play, but his passing is still a work in progress:
In this instance he dropped deep, received the ball and made an effortless cross-field pass to Embarba during Rayo's 2-0 win over Celta.
Larrivey is not just a cumbersome centre-forward given that he backheeled Rayo left-back Nacho's pass into the path of Iago Falque.
Larrivey held up the ball against Atleti centre-back Miranda, played the ball to Trashorras, who teed Jonathan Viera up for a goal in Rayo's 4-2 defeat to Atleti.
Negatives
Larrivey is a one-dimensional player, who is a passenger when crosses are not put into the box, as he has yet to score a league goal from open-play.
Here is a split up of his six goals in La Liga, per Squawka: Four headers and two right-footed penalties (Rayo's 3-2 win over Sociedad and 4-1 win over Malaga).
He does not take on players (0.1 dribbles per game) and he is a liability with a 67.6 pass completion percentage in Rayo manager Paco Jemez's pass-orientated philosophy (Rayo have the third highest possession per game average; 59.3).
This is why Larrivey has been in and out of Paco's starting XI: Larrivey has started 54.2 percent of La Liga games this season.
Bottom Line
It remains to be seen if Larrivey's recent hot form is a blip or a trend.
CAGLIARI, ITALY - JANUARY 08: Joaquin Larrivey of Cagliari celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and Genoa CFC at Stadio Sant'Elia on January 8, 2012 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)
Two years ago while playing for Cagliari, he scored the hat-trick against Napoli and then disappeared off the European radar by signing with Mexican Liga MX club Atlante.
Now back in one of Europe's elite leagues, Larrivey is demonstrating that he is La Liga-standard, however his playing style is more suited to the Premier League or the Championship.
If Michu can score 22 goals in his debut season for Swansea (18 in the Premier League), modest English clubs with a cross-centric modus operandi should consider signing Larrivey in the summer transfer window.
The Only Goal You Need to See This Weekend (Video)
Feb 24, 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbluQwTn6Cw
For a first professional goal, a footballer could hardly do any better.
Rayo Vallecano fell to Real Valladolid on Sunday, losing 2-1 at home in Spain's Primera Division. The loss hurts Rayo's hopes of qualifying for next season's UEFA Europa League, but on the bright side, central defender Jordi Amat scored a lovely debut goal.
First, though, he was involved in a goal at his own end.
Valladolid took the lead in the 71st minute when Rayo keeper Ruben misjudged a free kick and the ball bounced off Amat's head into the net. Seconds after the restart, Amat made up for it with a long, long, long-distance goal.
As Rayo passed the ball around the midfield, Amat collected the ball just to the left of the center circle, looked up at the goal and decided to take a shot. With Valladolid keeper Daniel Hernandez off his line, the ball sailed all the way from the middle of the field and into the net.
The goal evened up the score at 1-1 briefly before Valladolid's Manucho scored the 80th-minute winner.
But the 20-year-old Amat will be pleased with his contribution, and for more than one reason: The goal was his first as a professional footballer (per ESPN FC).
For its combination of cheekiness, spectacle and personal importance, Amat's goal serves as our Set Piece Goal of the Weekend. Video of the goal appears in the clip above. Enjoy.
This competition was fierce this week, as always. In England, the Premier League played host to golazo after golazo. On Saturday, Dimitar Berbatov and Rafael had their turns. Then, on Sunday, Papiss Cisse might have outdone both of them.
In Portugal, Estoril Praia's Jefferson demonstrated how to score from a short corner. And in Italy, AS Roma's Miralem Pjanic scoffed in the face of a driving snowstorm with a sweet free kick.
Rayo Vallecano: Brutal Loss to Barcelona Once Again Proves Class of the Catalans
Oct 28, 2012
Rayo Vallecano opened the first 20 minutes by staying on the front foot against Barcelona, buzzing around the field, pressuring the Catalans at every turn and looking the part of a team that believed it could earn a point or three despite long odds.
A road trip to Rayo's home digs is never easy, and in the first 20 minutes Barcelona was reminded of that fact.
So what did Rayo get for its efforts?
Oh, just a 5-0 loss and a reminder that waking the sleeping giants of Barca normally doesn't end well for opponents.
The goal-scorers for the Catalans could make up a "who's who?" list of European footballers.
David Villa opened the scoring after Rayo strong start. Lionel Messi tallied twice, taking his total for the calendar year up to an astonishing 73 goals. Xavi scored in the 79th minute off a Jordi Alba assist, and Cesc Fabregas scored just a little over a minute after off a Pedro pass.
Barcelona has now outscored Rayo 16-0 in the last three matches between the two teams. Yikes.
Of course, Barcelona should dominate the likes of Rayo; the Catalans have enough talent to beat most national teams. Barcelona has yet to lose in league play this year (eight wins, one tie), while Rayo has three wins and a tie thus far.
At least Rayo tested Barcelona's injury-depleted back line, with 18 shots (three on goal) and seven corner kicks. And give Rayo credit for playing aggressively at all—most teams sit back in a defensive shell, hope to counter and pretend like a Barca goal isn't imminent.
After a disappointing 2011-12 season (at least by their standards), Barcelona appears to be back on track for world domination. After nine league games, the Catalans have a whopping goal differential of plus-18.
The only loss the team has suffered in any competition came in a 2-1 defeat to arch rivals Real Madrid in the Super Cup.
And they've done so despite battling through injuries to Carlos Puyol, Gerard Pique and Daniel Alves. Against Rayo, they also were without suspended Javier Mascherano, while against Celtic they played without the suspended Sergio Busquets.
Most teams would seriously miss such players. But Barcelona's all-star squad just plucks another stud from the bench and barely misses a beat. It must be nice, huh?
Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets are clutch like Romo. Sergio Romo, that is.
