TheUNInterrupted:A Sports Odyssey

"KEEP YER PANTS ON!" BARCA REBORN  OR  THE  INESCAPABLE  VALVERDE APOCALYPSE?         WHAT THE WIN OVER BVB TELLS US           It was an odd display at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night as both under fire Barcelona and under the pressure Borussia Dortmund battled it out for control of the only UCL Group of Death in 2019.            With Dortmund's manager Lucien Favre unwisely abandoning Jadon Sancho for the first 45 minutes, Barcelona's scattered back line were allowed to grow into the game with each methodical pass from the back (perhaps Rakitic's giveaway is put away in the 1st minute had Sancho started).            Instead of the expected high pre ss from Dortmund, Barca's new look back four were able to pick passes deep into BVB territory with more penetration in possession than if Jenna Jameson guest starred in The Exorcist.             While Dortmund suffered without Sancho and little more than 35% possession for the first 65 minutes, Barca

BARCA'S SILENT MUTINY PT. II HOW WE SHOULD PLAY BEYOND VALVERDE            ...I get it, this all sounds useless writing a piece saying "we should tactically do this or do that" under manager Ernesto Valverde when he's a clueless, soulless, weak-ass manager who won't do the right thing anyway...he's obviously figured out he has more control over his job when he performs horribly...yet the point in doing this in the first place isn't about Valverde and never will be.          Yes, Valverde's selections in the starting XI and his disastrous substitutions ruin nearly any chance for the team to come together and fight, but fight we must.            Valverde is the Michael Scott of Barcelona, minus the whimsical charm and heart: all your left with is ineptitude and drama. And since he refuses to take control over his squad, this is about the players taking it back.          Last season, I called for a "Silent Mutiny" amongst

       BARCELONA'S SILENT MUTINY PT. I: MEET ERIC ABIDAL, BARTOMEU SCAPEGOAT        The international break has been both a  blessing  and  a curse  for FC Barcelona players, coaches and for the people who provide the most but, in the end, always mean the least:  the fans.        On one hand, without Barca matches there hasn't been the awful, head scratching decisions of Ernesto Valverde to haunt our minds and contend with our happiness, there's been no disgusting, lazy performances from our players to feel disappointed by, but we still miss our club.          Our players' form may be shady for the club,  but they've been in a far more productive mood for their national teams.       You may find yourself annoyed by the success many of these players are having on this break:  "Why Can't They Play Like This For Us???"        Or...it may point to just how rejuvenated and energized our players are without Valverde and Bartomeu's menaci