Who is better – Barcelona or Real Madrid? Now we have a website that adds stats to the conversation

The debate has raged for decades. Everybody who loves the game of football has something to say on the matter. But in a game of opinions, what are the stats to back up the argument?

Who is best? Is it Barcelona or is it Real Madrid? What do you think?

Well the debate can go to another level now there is a website that compares the records of the two clubs on all levels. It is time to take a look at http://barcelonavsrealmadrid.com/

Messi v Ronaldo

The fact that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are lining up for these two teams at the moment only makes the debate more intense. There are fans of Messi and fans of Ronaldo and each will tell you that they are the better player. But one player does not make a team. This website gives you access to all the important information about areas such as –

•          How many trophies they have won
•          All-time leading goalscorers
•          The record in El Clasico

Barcelona v Real Madrid is the world game. It is watched by people from every corner of the planet. As the next match approaches the excitement and tension start to rise. It is talked about in the bars, restaurants and schools of the globe. The beautiful game has its feature match – it is Real Madrid against Barcelona - no matter what the competition.

A depth of facts

Many fan sites claim to give you the lowdown on their chosen subject but fall short. http://barcelonavsrealmadrid.com/ has such a depth of information that you can have fun on the site for hours on end. Want to know the results of the El Clasico matches in the 1960’s? Well the website can show you the dates, the results and the scorers. It truly is a paradise for anyone even remotely interested in soccer.

If you are looking for news, statistics or information about FC Barcelona or Real Madrid then this site id your first port of call. The news page provides a feed of all the relevant news items on both clubs so you can stay on top of all the latest developments that affect your favourite team.

There is only one way to end the debate and that is to study the facts. Barcelona v Real Madrid allows you to look at all the details and make your own mind up. Check it out and then cast your vote at the bottom of the home page.

Fusion Group Agency looks after footballers – and wants to connect with you

Young footballers need to be nurtured. If they are going to go on to become the best talent in the world, or even if they want to enjoy the beautiful game then they need someone who knows what they are doing to look after them. The Fusion Group Agency looks after promising footballers and coaches both on and off the pitch. It was founded by former footballers that have a true passion for the game. This passion shines through in everything they do. The future of football agencies is safe in the hands of people like the Fusion Group. They really do cover all angles of a career in football. They understand what is important.

As they are experienced in the pressures that a young football player faces then the Fusion Group Agency is in a unique position to help out players that want to make it further in the game. They have the best interests of the players at heart, whether they are young players or pros. A football player or coach is in a vulnerable position. Their career can be ended by a bad tackle, a run or poor form and they can be exploited by unscrupulous agents or managers. This is where Fusion Group Agency is different. They have an array of experts on hand to help a player with all aspects of their life – not just on the pitch.

The transfer window is a critical time in the life of a footballer and Fusion Group Agency listen to their players concerns. This allows them to understand what the player is thinking and advise a best course of action. Helping young players to understand their choices and make an informed decision is an important part of being an ethical agent. Player welfare is at the top of the priorities of the Fusion Group Agency and they exist to assist a player or coach in growing as a human being rather than being viewed as a money-making machine. They have contacts in the top European Leagues to get their players access to the best opportunities.

The services they provide include-

•          CAREER MANAGEMENT
•          TRANSFER NEGOTIATION
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•          SPONSORSHIP AND MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES
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•          WELFARE ADVICE

Fusion Group Agency wants to connect with you. If you are interested in the game of football either as a player, coach or fan then connect with them today. They have bases in Barcelona, Bucharest, Dubai and Brazil. You can find them on social media too-

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Where will Guardiola go? My conclusion may surprise you!

Now that Pep Guardiola has confirmed that his next management assignment will be in England, it's time to look at the contenders for his signature. You might be surprised at my conclusion.

Manchester City have long been the front runners, if the press is to be believed. The fact that two of his ex-Barcelona cohorts are in powerful positions at the club is more of a sign that City want to emulate Barça than a sign that the deal is done. I'm sure that City don't see Pellegrini as their long-term manager but this also doesn't automatically mean that Pep is a shoo-in. 

Manchester United are looking seriously at the future direction of the club. The style and results of Louis can Gaal are not what they want from a manager. The points and goals tallies are more akin to David Moyes than Sir Alex Ferguson. There's no doubt that, like City with Pellegrini, they will look elsewhere in the long term. But I believe that Ryan Giggs is pencilled-in as a young manager that knows the club - not unlike what Guardiola himself was to Barcelona. And Zidane to Real Madrid, as has happened this week.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is a long-time admirer of Pep. But I can't help feeling that the admiration is one-way only. The repeated impatience with managers and the seemingly all-powerful dressing room is enough to send Guardiola running in the opposite direction. I'm sure that Chelsea would break the bank to secure his service and provide him with transfer riches, but that won't be enough.

Arsenal are my tip as his surprise destination in England. I think that Arsene Wenger will move upstairs at the end of the season and this is more likely if they win the league. London would surely prove a bigger draw than Manchester - especially if he's looking for new restaurants! His style of football is most suited to Arsenal's squad, above the other potential destinations.

He's currently 8/1 at the bookmakers for this, so it may be worth getting on it now!

El Clasico clashes with Manchester City v Liverpool - who will win out?

As El Classico clashes with the Man City v Liverpool match on Sky Sports tonight, I think it's time to ask whether the global game has taken over the Premier League.

What will you watch?

Real Madrid v Barcelona?

Man City v Liverpool?

Or take the option with Sky to watch it split screen? Is like to see a breakdown on the viewing figures.

When I was young, teams from outside of England, Scotland and Wales seemed a million miles away. Players with exotic-sounding names from different pockets of the globe has their own thing going on.

When Steve Archibald went to Barcelona, my world changed a little. He was the first top player in my memory that had made such a switch. It looked like a massive adventure that bordered on madness. Likewise for overseas players coming to the English league. Ossie Ardiles was my first memory of a player coming in the opposite direction.

Now the Premier League is awash with great players from as far and wide as Senegal, New Zealand, USA, Chile and a plethora of Spaniards, French and Dutch. There has been much lament of how this affects the England national team. But it's not the relative lack of success of the England team that worries me in this blog. It's a problem that is typified by the matches I mentioned at the top of the blog. The Premier League bills itself at different times as-

"The best league in the world"

"The most competitive league in the world"

"The most exciting league in the world"

And these have always been selling points as the league sells itself over the world for TV money. And as the Premier League loses it's standing against the big matches from other leagues and potentially losing their 4th Champions League place-

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/10005194/premier-leagues-fourth-champions-league-spot-under-threat-from-serie-a

The Premier League has grown on the back of the massive TV deal after massive TV deal and they don't expect it to stop anytime soon. But if Sky find that more people tune in for El Clasico than a top Premier League clash then they may not pay quite so much in their next deal. Broadcasters from other countries could follow suit and this will mean that the power of the Premier League wanes.

I can see this being more of a big deal for the Premier League power brokers than any loss of status for the England team.

Has the Champions League started to disappear? Read where it's gone to!

The Champions League in England and English football is going through a little bit of an identity crisis at the moment. The relative lack of success of English teams in the last few editions is a major factor. After the successes of the years 2005 to 2009 when we had six finalists (and two winners) in five years, there have only been two finalists since.

Manchester City have really struggled with the competition ever with the money they have spent, the stars at their disposal and their success domestically. Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero have not had an impact.

Last season Liverpool were a huge disappointment and this season has seen some very mixed results in the early group stages. There seems to be a real threat to our fourth place in the competition from Italy.

But it's not just the drop in results that is affectng the competition. It happened with the FA Cup when coverage left the terrestrial channels for a more obscure channel. It was one of the reasons that the competition lost some prestige and excitement.

Now that the Champions League has moved from ITV and Sky completely, the competition has lost some visibility. I feel that the newspapers cover it less, the sports news on the BBC and ITV pay it less attention and it disappears from view a bit more. The little erosion of visibility makes a big difference. I don't always watch the group games with great vigour but I'm not really watching much at all this year. When the knockout starts I might feel differently but the fate of English clubs will have a bearing on that.

The two Manchester clubs is rate about 50-50 before this weeks games, with Chelsea at 60-40 and Arsenal currently at 40-60 after the first three rounds. The problem can be with qualifying second in the group and a horrible Round of 16 draw. I love to see English clubs test themselves against European greats such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. But meeting these teams too early in the competition has been part of out relative failure since the last English winner - Chelsea in 2012.

Let's look forward to a successful and exciting Champions League this season and some good progress for the English clubs.

Champions League Final tonight

It's the Champions League Final tonight and I think that football needs a real boost after the recent (and ongoing) FIFA scandals. I'd love to think that the two teams could think about the image of the game but with the likes of Luis Suarez on the pitch I'm not so sure…

It's not the final I would have chosen at the start of the season but by beating Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the semi-finals, these teams have really earned their place in this final.

Juventus do play in a traditionally Italian way, and have great defensive qualities. They attack sporadically in the Champions League but have real quality when they do. Carlos Tevez seems timeless, Arturo Vidal has great drive and Paul Pogba is being courted by the biggest clubs in the game.

I'd love to see a Juve win as I want to see variety, but I can't see past this Barcelona team as the champions.

The grief that Barcelona have gone to bringing in Neymar and Suarez has paid off. The front three are frighteningly good (with Neymar being clearly the weaker of the three) and attack with real pace, especially at the breakdown. It's what Pep Guardiola calls the transition and being able to attack the opposition before they have set up their formation makes a huge difference to your ability to score goals. As a former central defender I think that modern standards of defending are a long way down from my youth across the game and even with the big teams - particularly in Spain. But with an attack like this, Barcelona don't need to worry about their defence as much.

I think it will be one-sided and I also think that Barça will go all out for an early goal to force Juventus in to the front foot. This will be Juve's downfall.