2011–12 FC Barcelona season
Encyclopedia
The 2011–12 season is Futbol Club Barcelona's
112th in existence and the club's 81st consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football. Barcelona will be debuting their new and first paid shirt sponsor Qatar Foundation
after an agreement was reached in 2010 with the non-profit organization
for a 5½ years, €170 million deal. The agreement with UNICEF will continue and their name has been moved to the lower back portion of the shirt.
This year also introduces a new away kit in black while the third jersey is from last year.
This season Barcelona has a chance of winning the Sextuple which consists of six trophies in a season as they'll be appearing in La Liga
, Copa del Rey
, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup
, Supercopa de España
and the FIFA Club World Cup
.
Barcelona's U-19 squad will play in the inaugural tournament of the NextGen series
.
Martín Cáceres
, who spent the 2010–11 season
on loan with the club from Barcelona. Barcelona received €4.5 million in compensation after making the loan a permanent move.
Víctor Sánchez
after both parties agreed to rescind the player's contract. Sánchez made 14 appearances with the first team in the 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 seasons. He was on-loan at Xerez
for the 2009–10 season and at Getafe
for the 2010–11 season
.
On 4 July, defender Andreu Fontàs
was promoted to the first team after spending the previous season
filling in for an injured Éric Abidal
, who had been diagnosed with a liver tumour.
On 21 July, Barcelona completed the transfer of Chilean
winger Alexis Sánchez
from Italian
club Udinese
. The deal is for 5 years and the cost of the transfer is €26 million with variable cost of €11.5 million.
On 22 July, Barcelona transferred La Masia
graduate Bojan Krkić
to Italian outfit Roma for €12 million and the agreement includes an obligatory re-purchase clause to be exercised by Barcelona at the end of the 2012–13 season, for a cost of €13 million. Roma may override this re-purchase at this time by paying the club an additional €28 million.
club Sporting Lisbon made official the signing of another Barcelona's La Masia graduate, winger Jeffrén Suárez
on a 5 year deal. The transfer deal was worth €3.7 million and includes a €30 million buyout clause.
On 4 August, Barcelona and Argentine
centre-back Gabriel Milito
reached an agreement to terminate his contract after four years with the team.
On 14 August, both Barcelona and English
club Arsenal announced on their official websites respectively, an agreement for the transfer of Spanish international
midfielder Cesc Fàbregas
. The deal will cost Barcelona €29 million with €11 million in variables and end one of the longest transfer sagas in football. On the same day, Barcelona and Real Madrid
kicked off the 2011–12 season with a 2–2 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu
in the first leg
of the 2011 Supercopa de España in front of a full house.
On 17 August, Barcelona won the Supercopa de España with a thrilling 3–2 win and a 5–4 aggregate over rivals Real Madrid. The match ended with several sending offs for a brawl started after Barcelona players deemed a tackle by Marcelo on Fàbregas to be dangerous play. David Villa
, Mesut Özil
and Marcelo all received their marching orders after calm was restored. Goals from Andrés Iniesta
and a brace, including the game winner, by Lionel Messi
assured Barça started their season with a trophy by claiming their tenth Supercopa all time.
On 19 August, the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) went on strike due to unpaid wages for players in the top two divisions of Spanish football by clubs who have gone into financial administration. The AFE and Liga de Fútbol Profesional
(LFP) have yet to agreed on a guaranteed fund to protect players' wages in the event of their clubs being declared insolvent. The strike forced Spanish league games scheduled for the weekend of August 20 and 21, including Barcelona's season opener against Málaga
, to be postponed.
On 25 August, Lionel Messi was voted the winner of the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe Award
for the 2010–11 season over team-mate Xavi Hernández and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo
.
On 26 August, Barcelona won the UEFA Super Cup with a 2–0 victory over Portuguese outfit Porto in Monaco
. The victory gave Barça their fourth UEFA Super Cup trophy all time and saw Fàbregas score his first goal with a Barcelona shirt in the 88th minute.
international break, Barcelona could only draw 2–2 with Real Sociedad
at Anoeta
. Barça also lost Alexis Sánchez for approximately 6–8 weeks after the player tore his hamstring
in his right leg after a tackle by Sociedad's Dani Estrada
.
On 13 September, Barcelona opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 2–2 draw against Milan at the Camp Nou
. Midfielder Andrés Iniesta left in the 38th minute with a tore femoral biceps
on his left leg and will miss approximately a month.
On 17 September, after two consecutive draws Barcelona trashed Osasuna
8–0 at Camp Nou. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick and lead Barça to their biggest win of the season. Osasuna coach José Luis Mendilibar
stated, "we've caught them very angry due to their so called mini-crisis", while Barça's coach Pep Guardiola stated in regards to the mini-crisis, "the day I see them not running, that their bellies are full, I'll sit here to tell you all [media]. When we play bad, believe me I'll come here and tell you all. But I did not have that sensation".
On 28 September, Barcelona defeated BATE Borisov 0–5 at the Dynama Stadium in their first meeting in Group H of the Champions League. Lionel Messi scored a brace and tied László Kubala for 2nd place on the all-time goals scoring list for Barcelona with 194 goals.
0–1 at El Molinón
to take over 1st place in La Liga's standings for the first time this season. A lone goal by Adriano was enough to see the team go top by goal difference over Levante
.
On 19 October, Barcelona notched its second Champions League victory of the season by defeating Czech
side Viktoria Plzeň
2–0 at the Camp Nou.
On 22 October, Barça were held scoreless for the first time in the young season by a heroic performance from Sevilla's
GK Javi Varas
. The match ended with a scoreless draw after Lionel Messi's penalty kick was saved by Varas in injury time. The match towards the end was marred by a small brawl between Frédéric Kanouté
and Cesc Fàbregas as the latter took offense to Kanouté kicking the ball from the penalty spot after Messi had placed it to take the spot kick. After he match, Fàbregas was accused of racially abusing Kanouté, which the player vehemently denied and at the end both players apologized over the incident by telephone.
On 25 October, Barcelona traveled to Los Cármenes
to take on Granada
where they escaped with a 0–1 victory after a 33rd minute goal from a free-kick by Xavi
. Barça also lost FW Pedro
for approximately three weeks due to an strained tendons in his left ankle.
was released with 8 Barcelona players. They include Éric Abidal, Dani Alves, Cesc Fàbregas, Andrés Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Gerard Piqué
, David Villa
and Xavi. Later that night, Barcelona defeated Viktoria Plzeň 0–4 in Prague at the Synot Tip Arena with a hat-trick by Messi and assured their progress into the knock-out stage
. With the three goals, he surpassed the 200 goal mark as a Barcelona player in Pep Guardiola's 200th game as first team manager. Goalkeeper Víctor Valdés
broke the team record for most minutes without conceding a goal at 877 consecutive minutes. He surpasses Miguel Reina
record of 824 minutes set in the 1972–73 season.
On 9 November, the first leg of the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey was moved up due to Barcelona's involvement in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup
in December. Barça won the match 0–1 with a strike outside the area by Andrés Iniesta in the 42nd minute.
On 22 November, assistant coach Tito Vilanova
was successfully operated for problem in his parotid gland
. The club did not release anymore information on the matter due to the coaches wishes to have everything remain private. The next day, Barcelona defeated Milan at the San Siro
2–3 in a thrilling European encounter to win Group H.
On 26 November, Barça lost its first official match of the season with a 1–0 defeat at Getafe with a goal by Juan Valera
in the 67th minute. The defeat leaves Barcelona 6 points back of Real Madrid with 2 matches before el Clásico
.
Expenditure: €12.25 million
|-
!
!League
!Europe
!Cup
!Total Stats
|-
|align=left|Games played || 14 || 5 || 1 || 20
|-
|align=left|Games won || 9 || 4 || 1 || 14
|-
|align=left|Games drawn || 4 || 1 || 0 || 5
|-
|align=left|Games lost || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1
|-
|align=left|Goals for || 42 || 16 || 1 || 59
|-
|align=left|Goals against || 7 || 4 || 0 || 12
|-
|align=left|Shots || 239 || 96 || 23 || 358
|-
|align=left|Corners for || 103 || 38 || 11 || 152
|-
|align=left|Corners against || 34 || 6 || 2 || 42
|-
|align=left|Players used || 23 || 20 || 13 || 56
|-
|align=left|Offsides || 58 || 14 || 3 || 75
|-
|align=left|Fouls received || 217 || 74 || 10 || 301
|-
|align=left|Fouls committed || 148 || 55 || 8 || 211
|-
|align=left|Yellow cards || 26 || 9 || 0 || 35
|-
|align=left|Red cards || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
|-
| style="width:50%;"|
|}
4–3–3
.
|-
!Key to colours in group tables
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|Group winner and runner-up advance to the round of 16
|- bgcolor="#ccccff"
|Third-placed team enter the UEFA Europa League
at the round of 32
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
|+Group H standings
|-
!width="175"|Team
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align=left|
Barcelona
|5||4||1||0||16||4||+12||13
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align=left|
Milan
|5||2||2||1||9||6||+3||8
|- bgcolor=
|align=left|
Viktoria Plzeň
|5||1||1||3||2||9||-7||4
|- bgcolor=
|align=left|
BATE Borisov
|5||0||2||3||2||10||-8||2
|-
|}
Kickoff times are in CET
.
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
112th in existence and the club's 81st consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football. Barcelona will be debuting their new and first paid shirt sponsor Qatar Foundation
Qatar Foundation
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is a government-funded, chartered, non-profit organization in the state of Qatar, founded in 1995 by decree of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar and chaired by Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned...
after an agreement was reached in 2010 with the non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
for a 5½ years, €170 million deal. The agreement with UNICEF will continue and their name has been moved to the lower back portion of the shirt.
This year also introduces a new away kit in black while the third jersey is from last year.
This season Barcelona has a chance of winning the Sextuple which consists of six trophies in a season as they'll be appearing in La Liga
2011–12 La Liga
The 2011–12 La Liga season is the 81st since its establishment. Barcelona are the defending champions, having won their 21st La Liga title in the previous season for the third time in a row. The campaign began on 27 August 2011, and will end on 13 May 2012...
, Copa del Rey
2011–12 Copa del Rey
The 2011–12 Copa del Rey is the 108th staging of the Copa del Rey. The competition began on August 31, 2011 and will end on May 20 or 25, 2012 with the final, depending on whether any of the finalists qualify for the UEFA Champions League final on May 19, 2012. The winners will qualify for the...
, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup
2011 UEFA Super Cup
-External links:*, UEFA.com...
, Supercopa de España
2011 Supercopa de España
The 2011 Supercopa de España was a two-legged Spanish football match-up that was played on 14 and 17 August 2011. It was contested by Real Madrid, the 2010–11 Copa del Rey winners, and Barcelona, the 2010–11 La Liga winners....
and the FIFA Club World Cup
2011 FIFA Club World Cup
-Play-off for Quarter-finals:-Quarter-finals:-Match for fifth place:-Semi-finals:-Match for third place:-Final:-External links:...
.
Barcelona's U-19 squad will play in the inaugural tournament of the NextGen series
2011–12 NextGen series
The 2011–12 NextGen series is the inaugural season of the NextGen series, an association football tournament which will involve the under-19 teams from 16 different clubs from across Europe.-Group stage:...
.
May/June
On 31 May, Sevilla confirmed they exercised their right to purchase defenderDefender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
Martín Cáceres
Martín Cáceres
José Martín Cáceres Silva is an Uruguayan professional footballer who plays for Sevilla FC in La Liga.His primary position is central defender, but he can also operate at right or left back.-Early years:...
, who spent the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Sevilla FC season
The 2010–11 Spanish football season is Sevilla Fútbol Clubs tenth consecutive season in La Liga. The team manager in the previous season, Antonio Álvarez, continued with the team until the 2–0 defeat against Hércules on September 26 2010...
on loan with the club from Barcelona. Barcelona received €4.5 million in compensation after making the loan a permanent move.
July
On 2 July, Barcelona parted ways with midfielderMidfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
Víctor Sánchez
Víctor Sánchez Mata
Víctor Sánchez Mata is a Spanish footballer who plays for Neuchâtel Xamax in Switzerland....
after both parties agreed to rescind the player's contract. Sánchez made 14 appearances with the first team in the 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 seasons. He was on-loan at Xerez
Xerez CD
Xerez Club Deportivo, S.A.D., usually just Xerez, is a Spanish football team based in Jerez de la Frontera, Province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia...
for the 2009–10 season and at Getafe
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....
for the 2010–11 season
2010–11 FC Barcelona season
The 2010–11 season is Futbol Club Barcelona's 117th in existence and the club's 79th consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football...
.
On 4 July, defender Andreu Fontàs
Andreu Fontàs
Andreu Fontàs i Prat is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona, mainly as a central defender.-Early career:Born in Banyoles, Girona, Catalonia, Fontàs is a product of FC Barcelona's youth system - he did play for two other teams, including hometown's CD Banyoles...
was promoted to the first team after spending the previous season
2010–11 FC Barcelona season
The 2010–11 season is Futbol Club Barcelona's 117th in existence and the club's 79th consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football...
filling in for an injured Éric Abidal
Éric Abidal
Éric Sylvain Abidal is a French footballer who plays as a left or central defender for FC Barcelona and the France national team.-Club career:...
, who had been diagnosed with a liver tumour.
On 21 July, Barcelona completed the transfer of Chilean
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
winger Alexis Sánchez
Alexis Sánchez
Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez , is a Chilean footballer who plays as a forward for FC Barcelona and for the Chilean national team. He is well known for his excellent dribbling ability, great speed and his unusual strength for a fast winger....
from Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
club Udinese
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....
. The deal is for 5 years and the cost of the transfer is €26 million with variable cost of €11.5 million.
On 22 July, Barcelona transferred La Masia
La Masia
La Masia de Can Planes, usually shortened to La Masia, , is the name given to FC Barcelona's training facilities located near the Camp Nou in the Les Corts district of Barcelona, and is often used to generically describe the youth academy of Barcelona....
graduate Bojan Krkić
Bojan Krkic
Bojan Krkić Pérez known as just Bojan, is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a forward or winger for Italian Serie A club Roma.- Early years :...
to Italian outfit Roma for €12 million and the agreement includes an obligatory re-purchase clause to be exercised by Barcelona at the end of the 2012–13 season, for a cost of €13 million. Roma may override this re-purchase at this time by paying the club an additional €28 million.
August
On 3 August, PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
club Sporting Lisbon made official the signing of another Barcelona's La Masia graduate, winger Jeffrén Suárez
Jeffrén Suárez
Jeffrén Isaac Suárez Bermúdez , simply Jeffrén, is a Spanish footballer who plays Sporting Clube de Portugal as a forward or winger....
on a 5 year deal. The transfer deal was worth €3.7 million and includes a €30 million buyout clause.
On 4 August, Barcelona and Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
centre-back Gabriel Milito
Gabriel Milito
Gabriel Alejandro Milito is an Argentine footballer who plays for Club Atlético Independiente as a central defender.He spent most of his professional career in Spain, representing two different teams – Real Zaragoza and FC Barcelona – also appearing with the Argentine national team in three major...
reached an agreement to terminate his contract after four years with the team.
On 14 August, both Barcelona and English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
club Arsenal announced on their official websites respectively, an agreement for the transfer of Spanish international
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
midfielder Cesc Fàbregas
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
. The deal will cost Barcelona €29 million with €11 million in variables and end one of the longest transfer sagas in football. On the same day, Barcelona and Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
kicked off the 2011–12 season with a 2–2 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It has a current capacity of 85,454 spectators....
in the first leg
2011 Supercopa de España
The 2011 Supercopa de España was a two-legged Spanish football match-up that was played on 14 and 17 August 2011. It was contested by Real Madrid, the 2010–11 Copa del Rey winners, and Barcelona, the 2010–11 La Liga winners....
of the 2011 Supercopa de España in front of a full house.
On 17 August, Barcelona won the Supercopa de España with a thrilling 3–2 win and a 5–4 aggregate over rivals Real Madrid. The match ended with several sending offs for a brawl started after Barcelona players deemed a tackle by Marcelo on Fàbregas to be dangerous play. David Villa
David Villa
David Villa Sánchez , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as a winger....
, Mesut Özil
Mesut Özil
Mesut Özil is a footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and for the German national team. Özil has been a youth national team member since 2006, and a member of the German national team since 2009. He gained international attention during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was nominated...
and Marcelo all received their marching orders after calm was restored. Goals from Andrés Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta Luján is a Spanish football player. He currently plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team....
and a brace, including the game winner, by Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...
assured Barça started their season with a trophy by claiming their tenth Supercopa all time.
On 19 August, the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) went on strike due to unpaid wages for players in the top two divisions of Spanish football by clubs who have gone into financial administration. The AFE and Liga de Fútbol Profesional
Liga de Fútbol Profesional
The Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , more commonly known as the Liga de Fútbol Profesional is a national sports association responsible for administering the two professional football leagues in Spain - the Primera and Segunda División...
(LFP) have yet to agreed on a guaranteed fund to protect players' wages in the event of their clubs being declared insolvent. The strike forced Spanish league games scheduled for the weekend of August 20 and 21, including Barcelona's season opener against Málaga
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
, to be postponed.
On 25 August, Lionel Messi was voted the winner of the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe Award
UEFA Best Player in Europe Award
The UEFA Best Player in Europe Award is an association football award given to the footballer playing for a football club in Europe that is considered the best in the previous season...
for the 2010–11 season over team-mate Xavi Hernández and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
.
On 26 August, Barcelona won the UEFA Super Cup with a 2–0 victory over Portuguese outfit Porto in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
. The victory gave Barça their fourth UEFA Super Cup trophy all time and saw Fàbregas score his first goal with a Barcelona shirt in the 88th minute.
September
On 10 September, back from the FIFAFIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
international break, Barcelona could only draw 2–2 with Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
at Anoeta
Anoeta
Anoeta is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country, in northern Spain.-External links:* Information available in Spanish and Basque.* Information available in Spanish...
. Barça also lost Alexis Sánchez for approximately 6–8 weeks after the player tore his hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
in his right leg after a tackle by Sociedad's Dani Estrada
Daniel Estrada Agirrezabalaga
Daniel Estrada Agirrezabalaga is a Spanish footballer who plays for Real Sociedad in La Liga, mainly as a right midfielder.-Football career:...
.
On 13 September, Barcelona opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 2–2 draw against Milan at the Camp Nou
Camp Nou
Camp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
. Midfielder Andrés Iniesta left in the 38th minute with a tore femoral biceps
Biceps femoris muscle
The biceps femoris is a muscle of the posterior thigh. As its name implies, it has two parts, one of which forms part of the hamstrings muscle group.-Origin and insertion:It has two heads of origin;...
on his left leg and will miss approximately a month.
On 17 September, after two consecutive draws Barcelona trashed Osasuna
CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna, known as Osasuna, is a Spanish football team based in Iruñea-Pamplona, in the autonomous community of Navarre.Founded in 1920, it currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at the 19,553-capacity Estadio Reyno de Navarra...
8–0 at Camp Nou. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick and lead Barça to their biggest win of the season. Osasuna coach José Luis Mendilibar
José Luis Mendilibar
José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder, and a current coach.-Playing career:...
stated, "we've caught them very angry due to their so called mini-crisis", while Barça's coach Pep Guardiola stated in regards to the mini-crisis, "the day I see them not running, that their bellies are full, I'll sit here to tell you all [media]. When we play bad, believe me I'll come here and tell you all. But I did not have that sensation".
On 28 September, Barcelona defeated BATE Borisov 0–5 at the Dynama Stadium in their first meeting in Group H of the Champions League. Lionel Messi scored a brace and tied László Kubala for 2nd place on the all-time goals scoring list for Barcelona with 194 goals.
October
On 2 October, Barcelona defeated Sporting GijónSporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
0–1 at El Molinón
El Molinón
Estadio El Molinón is an association football stadium in Gijón, Asturias-Spain. The stadium is the home ground of Sporting de Gijón.The stadium's address is Parque de Isabel la Católica, 33390 Gijón.-History:...
to take over 1st place in La Liga's standings for the first time this season. A lone goal by Adriano was enough to see the team go top by goal difference over Levante
Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, in the namesake community.Founded in 1909, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadi Ciutat de València.-Early years:...
.
On 19 October, Barcelona notched its second Champions League victory of the season by defeating Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
side Viktoria Plzeň
FC Viktoria Plzen
FC Viktoria Plzeň is a Czech professional football club based in Plzeň. They currently play in the Gambrinus liga, the top division of football in the country....
2–0 at the Camp Nou.
On 22 October, Barça were held scoreless for the first time in the young season by a heroic performance from Sevilla's
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
GK Javi Varas
Javi Varas
Javier 'Javi' Varas Herrera is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Sevilla FC as a goalkeeper.-Football career:...
. The match ended with a scoreless draw after Lionel Messi's penalty kick was saved by Varas in injury time. The match towards the end was marred by a small brawl between Frédéric Kanouté
Frédéric Kanouté
Frédéric Oumar Kanouté is a French-born Malian footballer who currently plays for Sevilla FC in the Spanish La Liga. On 2 February 2008, Kanouté was named the 2007 African Footballer of the Year and is the first foreign-born player to win it.-Lyon:Born in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, Rhône, Kanouté's...
and Cesc Fàbregas as the latter took offense to Kanouté kicking the ball from the penalty spot after Messi had placed it to take the spot kick. After he match, Fàbregas was accused of racially abusing Kanouté, which the player vehemently denied and at the end both players apologized over the incident by telephone.
On 25 October, Barcelona traveled to Los Cármenes
Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes
-External links:*...
to take on Granada
Granada CF
Granada Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 14 April 1931, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home matches at Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes....
where they escaped with a 0–1 victory after a 33rd minute goal from a free-kick by Xavi
Xavi
Xavier Hernández i Creus , commonly known as Xavi Hernández or simply Xavi , is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, where he has spent his entire 14-year career....
. Barça also lost FW Pedro
Pedro Rodríguez Ledesma
Pedro Eliezer Rodríguez Ledesma , commonly known as Pedro or Pedrito, is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team, as a forward or winger....
for approximately three weeks due to an strained tendons in his left ankle.
November
On 1 November, the 23-men shortlist for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’OrFIFA Ballon d'Or
The FIFA Ballon d'Or is an association football award given annually to the player who is considered to have performed the best in the previous season...
was released with 8 Barcelona players. They include Éric Abidal, Dani Alves, Cesc Fàbregas, Andrés Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Gerard Piqué
Gerard Piqué
Gerard Piqué i Bernabeu is a Spanish footballer, currently playing as a central defender for FC Barcelona.A product of Barça's cantera, he initially left the club for Manchester United in 2004, where he remained for four years, before returning to Barça under Josep Guardiola's leadership, helping...
, David Villa
David Villa
David Villa Sánchez , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as a winger....
and Xavi. Later that night, Barcelona defeated Viktoria Plzeň 0–4 in Prague at the Synot Tip Arena with a hat-trick by Messi and assured their progress into the knock-out stage
2011–12 UEFA Champions League knockout phase
The knockout phase of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League will begin on 14 February 2012 with the round of 16, and conclude on 19 May 2012 with the final at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany....
. With the three goals, he surpassed the 200 goal mark as a Barcelona player in Pep Guardiola's 200th game as first team manager. Goalkeeper Víctor Valdés
Víctor Valdés
Víctor Valdés i Arribas is a Spanish football goalkeeper who currently plays for FC Barcelona in the Spanish La Liga.He is the most successful goalkeeper in Barcelona's history and is widely considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, having won a total of 17 titles including five...
broke the team record for most minutes without conceding a goal at 877 consecutive minutes. He surpasses Miguel Reina
Miguel Reina
Miguel Reina Santos is a retired Spanish footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.-Club career:During his playing years, he played for Córdoba CF, FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, and earned 5 caps for the Spain national football team...
record of 824 minutes set in the 1972–73 season.
On 9 November, the first leg of the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey was moved up due to Barcelona's involvement in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup
2011 FIFA Club World Cup
-Play-off for Quarter-finals:-Quarter-finals:-Match for fifth place:-Semi-finals:-Match for third place:-Final:-External links:...
in December. Barça won the match 0–1 with a strike outside the area by Andrés Iniesta in the 42nd minute.
On 22 November, assistant coach Tito Vilanova
Francesc Vilanova
Francesc "Tito" Vilanova i Bayó is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a central midfielder....
was successfully operated for problem in his parotid gland
Parotid gland
The paired parotid glands are the largest of the salivary glands. They are each found wrapped around the mandibular ramus, and secrete saliva through Stensen's ducts into the oral cavity, to facilitate mastication and swallowing and to begin the digestion of starches.-Location:The parotid glands...
. The club did not release anymore information on the matter due to the coaches wishes to have everything remain private. The next day, Barcelona defeated Milan at the San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
2–3 in a thrilling European encounter to win Group H.
On 26 November, Barça lost its first official match of the season with a 1–0 defeat at Getafe with a goal by Juan Valera
Juan Valera Espín
Juan Valera Espín is a Spanish footballer who plays for Getafe CF in the Spanish first division. He operates as a midfielder or defender, on the right side of the pitch.-Club career:...
in the 67th minute. The defeat leaves Barcelona 6 points back of Real Madrid with 2 matches before el Clásico
El Clásico
El Clásico , also known as El derbi Español, is the name given in football to a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. It is contested twice a year in the Spanish La Liga competition, and more often if the clubs meet in other competitions...
.
Squad information
Total squad cost: €209.5MFrom the youth system
As of 13 August 2011Transfers in
Total spending: €55 millionTransfers out
Total income: €42.75 million.Expenditure: €12.25 million
Current technical staff
Squad stats
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"|-
!
!League
!Europe
!Cup
2011–12 Copa del Rey
The 2011–12 Copa del Rey is the 108th staging of the Copa del Rey. The competition began on August 31, 2011 and will end on May 20 or 25, 2012 with the final, depending on whether any of the finalists qualify for the UEFA Champions League final on May 19, 2012. The winners will qualify for the...
!Total Stats
2011–12 FC Barcelona season
The 2011–12 season is Futbol Club Barcelona's 112th in existence and the club's 81st consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football. Barcelona will be debuting their new and first paid shirt sponsor Qatar Foundation after an agreement was reached in 2010 with the non-profit organization...
|-
|align=left|Games played || 14 || 5 || 1 || 20
|-
|align=left|Games won || 9 || 4 || 1 || 14
|-
|align=left|Games drawn || 4 || 1 || 0 || 5
|-
|align=left|Games lost || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1
|-
|align=left|Goals for || 42 || 16 || 1 || 59
|-
|align=left|Goals against || 7 || 4 || 0 || 12
|-
|align=left|Shots || 239 || 96 || 23 || 358
|-
|align=left|Corners for || 103 || 38 || 11 || 152
|-
|align=left|Corners against || 34 || 6 || 2 || 42
|-
|align=left|Players used || 23 || 20 || 13 || 56
|-
|align=left|Offsides || 58 || 14 || 3 || 75
|-
|align=left|Fouls received || 217 || 74 || 10 || 301
|-
|align=left|Fouls committed || 148 || 55 || 8 || 211
|-
|align=left|Yellow cards || 26 || 9 || 0 || 35
|-
|align=left|Red cards || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
Player Stats
Starting XI
{|style="width:100%;"|-
| style="width:50%;"|
|}
4–3–3
V. Valdés Víctor Valdés Víctor Valdés i Arribas is a Spanish football goalkeeper who currently plays for FC Barcelona in the Spanish La Liga.He is the most successful goalkeeper in Barcelona's history and is widely considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, having won a total of 17 titles including five... }} |
| . |
Disciplinary record
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by position, and then shirt number.Pre-season
Overall
Supercopa de España
UEFA Super Cup
League table
Results Summary
Results by Round
Matches
Kickoff times are in CETCentral European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
.
Round of 32
Group stage
{| class="wikitable"|-
!Key to colours in group tables
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|Group winner and runner-up advance to the round of 16
2011–12 UEFA Champions League knockout phase
The knockout phase of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League will begin on 14 February 2012 with the round of 16, and conclude on 19 May 2012 with the final at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany....
|- bgcolor="#ccccff"
|Third-placed team enter the UEFA Europa League
2011–12 UEFA Europa League
The 2011–12 UEFA Europa League is the third season of the competition since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup. It began on 30 June 2011 with the first legs of the first qualifying round, and will end on 9 May 2012 with the final to be held at Stadionul Național in Bucharest, Romania...
at the round of 32
2011–12 UEFA Europa League knockout phase
The knockout phase of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League will begin on 16 February 2012 with the round of 32, and conclude on 9 May 2012 with the final at Stadionul Național in Bucharest, Romania....
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
|+Group H standings
|-
!width="175"|Team
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
!width="20"|
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align=left|
BarcelonaFC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
|5||4||1||0||16||4||+12||13
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align=left|
MilanA.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
|5||2||2||1||9||6||+3||8
|- bgcolor=
|align=left|
Viktoria PlzeňFC Viktoria Plzen
FC Viktoria Plzeň is a Czech professional football club based in Plzeň. They currently play in the Gambrinus liga, the top division of football in the country....
|5||1||1||3||2||9||-7||4
|- bgcolor=
|align=left|
BATE Borisov|5||0||2||3||2||10||-8||2
|-
|}
Kickoff times are in CET
Central European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
.