Joan Laporta, the Barcelona president, is currently staring down a no-confidence vote, and it’s a reasonable reflection of his club’s predicament. The registration fiasco around Dani Olmo is humiliating; the mismanagement of their stadium situation could be about to become catastrophic; and they can’t seem to win without their boy wonder. Here’s where they’re at as they prepare to take on Athletic Club in Saudi Arabia tonight.

There’s simply no club like Athletic Club. The self-imposed limit they place on recruitment should rule them out of contention, but they rise above it. Their stadium is a cathedral of football. And they appear to be Kryptonite to Barcelona in cup competitions. Here’s why you should tune in to their semi-final tomorrow.

Have these video reports sent to your email inbox by clicking here. Vinicius Junior might be the footballer I have written most about in the past 12 months. His combination of sublime skill and a hair-trigger temper, and the tell-tale way he is covered by some parts of the media here in Spain, is hard to ignore.

On Friday he was sent off for the second time in his Madrid career. I believe everything about this incident reveals something about the snarl and the fury of one of my favourite footballers, and his club.

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One of the best No.10s in the world is effectively a free agent right now. Here’s how it happened, how Barcelona will try to keep him, and the most likely endgame - which may well see him move to another Champions League contender.

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Now, as the final round of La Liga fixtures before the break play out, let’s focus on the biggest shows in town. Barcelona continue to find interesting ways to lose. Atleti prove that they have the best pound-for-pound squad in the country. And Real Madrid? They’ve stopped training and started banging them in from everywhere.

What do you make of the title contenders? I’d love to know. Comments are open.

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An in-form Atletico Madrid face Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium. Atleti are emerging as one of the stories of the season - and their charismatic manager is at the heart of it all. He has full buy-in from his players, but does he scent blood against a bruised Barcelona?

Let me know what you think.

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I’m on my way home after Barcelona beat Man City 3-0 to win their group in the Champions League, thanks to goals from both of their Ballons d’Or. I caught up with one of them, afterwards - and either side of that, put together this for you. Let me know what you think.

Before we begin, please grant me one Christmas wish. If you are enjoying these posts, please share them with one football fan in your life who might also enjoy them. I thank you. At this time of the season, the Champions League group stages were done and dusted and we went into the break with the Round of 16 locked down. Not any more.

In today’s post, Pete Jenson and I tell you what we think about the new-look tournament structure as some big clubs face peril and some smaller participants are shell-shocked after a run of fixtures they would have NEVER have faced in the old format.

Now it’s over to you. Please let me know in the comments what YOU think of the changes.