Barcelona got destroyed in the Supercopa de España, falling, 5-1, to Real Madrid on aggregate. The Blaugrana fell, 3-1, at home, then conceded within the first five minutes of the second leg. Real Madrid was kind to their rivals after that, mostly passing the ball in circles when they got it after that. This happened with Luis Suárez playing fairly well ... so how will Barca look without him?
Luis Suárez will miss a month with a knee injury
Lionel Messi is now tasked with keeping a mediocre supporting cast in the title race.
Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images
On Thursday, Barcelona confirmed that Suárez will miss at least a month with a knee injury. The team was already struggling without Neymar or a replacement, and will now depend on Paco Alcácer to return to top goal-scoring form.
Barca is also currently without Rafinha Alcantara due to injury, while the chairmen of Liverpool and Dortmund remain defiant in negotiations over the transfers of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele. Barca was short on talent relative to Madrid before Suárez’s injury, and they’re now miles behind their rivals.
Lionel Messi is now under some of the most pressure he’s dealt with during his career — he’ll have to drag an average supporting cast to victories, or Madrid might have an insurmountable lead in La Liga before the first Clásico.
Goal of the day
Marco Asensio’s stunner to bury Barca. (r/soccer)
In the news
Turner has announced its plans for Champions League coverage starting next season, featuring a subscription service for non-televised games. (Turner PR)
Everton has paid a club record fee of £45 million to sign Gylfi Sigurdsson.
FIFA has announced the list of candidates for all of The Best awards. (FIFA)
Philippe Coutinho is sitting out another game with a minor injury. (BBC)
The English FA is in some hot water after paying a player a settlement with a condition that she not speak out against coach Mark Sampson, who is accused of making inappropriate comments to players. (Guardian)
MLS will allow a fourth sub in extra time in playoff games this year. (MLS)
Marco Fabian will undergo back surgery and miss at least three months. (Frankfurt)
You should be reading
Ryan O’Hanlon asks why soccer stars don’t sign short-term contracts to keep freedom and leverage. (The Ringer)
Josh Law on FC Iranduba, the women’s team in Manaus that’s making use of the World Cup stadium and establishing Amazonian football. (The Set Pieces)
Sam McGuire on Jordan Henderson’s early struggles for Liverpool. (ESDF)
Fun with transfer rumors
Tottenham will not negotiate with Chelsea for Danny Rose. (Standard)
But Spurs appear to have lost out on a transfer target to Lyon. (Mail)
Barcelona’s latest bid for Coutinho is reportedly £118 million. (Goal)
Diego Costa is determined to return to Atlético Madrid. (Guardian)
Kylian Mbappe is still said to be considering three clubs. (ESPN FC)
Milan is set to sign Nikola Kalinic from Fiorentina, but the deal has been delayed over payment issues. (Football Italia)
What happened on Wednesday
Napoli is in good shape after a 2-0 win over Nice, but should have done better. (The Siren’s Song)
Celtic is all but in the Champions League after a 5-0 win over Astana. (TJDS)
See More:
