Mr. Snrub Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 6-1 now. Messi with the 5th then Keita completed his hat trick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ketsbaia Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 6-1 now. Messi with the 5th then Keita completed his hat trick. no clean sheet, they must be gutted Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Mediocre. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Snrub Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 6-1 now. Messi with the 5th then Keita completed his hat trick. no clean sheet, they must be gutted Guardiola out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenham Mag Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Love the stats from that game: Barcelona Possession - 79% Pass Success Rate - 93% Mediocre to say the least. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Love tuning in for a Barca match when they're at home to some average team. You just know it's gonna be a fun watch as they tear them apart. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Segun Oluwaniyi Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I feel like these La Liga sides don't even show any resistance to humiliation against Barca. They sit in their own half. yet they don't really pressure or close down to any great degree and they don't break in numbers. They don't really do anything. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Now obviously this is nit-picking and I don't watch every Barca game, but there have been a few times this season (more than last, I feel) where they have actually struggled, and looked, dare I say it, average? Of course, a lot of the time they are awesome, like tonight. Village Idiot will probably have a better idea. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I feel like these La Liga sides don't even show any resistance to humiliation against Barca. They sit in their own half. yet they don't really pressure or close down to any great degree and they don't break in numbers. They don't really do anything. Almeria did the other week. I've never seen a better man marking performance than that of one of Almeria's players against Xavi, just followed him for the whole 90 minutes. The whole ream were very organised and ran all day, closing them down at every occasion, attempting to score on the break and only lost 1-0. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Segun Oluwaniyi Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 The ESPN announcer mentioned that they had gone three or four matches without scoring three or more goals. Which is more than they had ever done last year. I feel like these La Liga sides don't even show any resistance to humiliation against Barca. They sit in their own half. yet they don't really pressure or close down to any great degree and they don't break in numbers. They don't really do anything. Almeria did the other week. I've never seen a better man marking performance than that of one of Almeria's players against Xavi, just followed him for the whole 90 minutes. The whole ream were very organised and ran all day, closing them down at every occasion, attempting to score on the break and only lost 1-0. Tbf, It was unfair to generalise all La Liga sides. I've just noticed that a decent proportion of teams just seem to roll over, to Barca especially. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Now obviously this is nit-picking and I don't watch every Barca game, but there have been a few times this season (more than last, I feel) where they have actually struggled, and looked, dare I say it, average? Of course, a lot of the time they are awesome, like tonight. Village Idiot will probably have a better idea. A bit strong I'd say, considering the fact they've won 7 and drawn 1 of their 8 league games this season. However, I do agree to an extent, it's not the same high paced massacres we saw at times last season. That's the difference with when they had Eto'o, he would apply pressure on the defenders and would run all day forcing errors and opening space for the rest of the team to tear the opposition apart. He effectively played as a 'defensive striker' alot of the time, as ridiculous as that sounds. With Ibra there it's a bit different, he doesn't do that same work as Eto'o so they've changed their style. A bit of a slower pace with the passing because it's easier for teams to block the gaps without having to mark a hyperactive Eto'o all game, this means at times they don't look as exciting but ultimately the same results are being achieved either by going direct towards Ibra or breaking the opposition down more patiently. This is just an observation on my part from the few times I've seen Barca this season, I would like to see Village Idiot's opinions on the tactical change. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Now obviously this is nit-picking and I don't watch every Barca game, but there have been a few times this season (more than last, I feel) where they have actually struggled, and looked, dare I say it, average? Of course, a lot of the time they are awesome, like tonight. Village Idiot will probably have a better idea. A bit strong I'd say, considering the fact they've won 7 and drawn 1 of their 8 league games this season. However, I do agree to an extent, it's not the same high paced massacres we saw at times last season. That's the difference with when they had Eto'o, he would apply pressure on the defenders and would run all day forcing errors and opening space for the rest of the team to tear the opposition apart. He effectively played as a 'defensive striker' alot of the time, as ridiculous as that sounds. With Ibra there it's a bit different, he doesn't do that same work as Eto'o so they've changed their style. A bit of a slower pace with the passing because it's easier for teams to block the gaps without having to mark a hyperactive Eto'o all game, this means at times they don't look as exciting but ultimately the same results are being achieved either by going direct towards Ibra or breaking the opposition down more patiently. This is just an observation on my part from the few times I've seen Barca this season, I would like to see Village Idiot's opinions on the tactical change. Looked back on my post and I probably shouldn't have used that term but fuck it, I couldn't be arsed to change it. Good point, now you mention it, Eto'o's defend-from-the-front mentality often created chances last season. Particularly at home, when they were struggling, a tireless performance from Eto'o often caused a mistake and a simple chance was created, usually a goal. Messi perhaps hasn't been at his electrifying best yet, but is showing his class on a more intermittent basis. Keita continues to impress me full-stop really. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Ibrahimovic is a very different player than Eto'o. As said Eto'o was great in forcing mistakes from the opposition and breaking defences with his pace. Ibrahimovic is a way more deliberate player, which as stopped our tempo a bit upfront. However he is way, way, way more technical than Eto'o ever was, and some of the interplay he manages with Messi and Xavi is absolutely amazing. Also his height allows us to play high balls on the box, opening more options. I must say that I enjoy watching him immensely. It's still early but I don't think there will be a big difference in effectiveness between the two players. Overall we haven't been at our very best yet. With that meaning that all these pastings have been against very poor teams. Determined squads like Almería, Valencia or Kazan have showed us up, and we look truely shaky at the back and very open to counterattacks (although we concede so little since we keep possession so much, but a good counterattacking team could do us harm). However Iniesta hasn't hit form yet (he's been 4 months out) and his interplay with Xavi is sorely missed. Almería succeeded in nullifying Xavi, and the same did Sporting during the first game of the season (we won 3-0, but all where deadball goals). Usually man-marking Xavi gives Iniesta acres of space to rip apart the opposition, but he is clearly out of form yet. He doesn't have the same precision as his last season, and seems a bit overeager in the pitch, wasting possession in a way he would never do. Sergio Busquets is also not playing at the same level. His virtue was in being a DMC with a very good foot, which gave Xavi and Iniesta another footballer to relay the ball to when under pressure. Now he is wasting possession very often. Hopefully it's just a slump. I personally prefer Yaya on that position. We look so much more solid and composed when he is on the pitch, but Guardiola has a lot of belief in Busquets and has tipped him to become one of the most complete midfielders in Spain. Lastly, Henry's also been very poor, and we are missing that incisive presence from the left wing that gifted Eto'o and Messi so much more space last season. However, people are expecting the same Barça that finished last season, and we should compare it to the Barça that started that season. On the league, we are already performing better (point and goal-wise) than last year's side. It really took a couple months for that side to hit gears, and we had some embarassing results (losing away to Numancia or drawing at home against Racing), until the team clicked. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Keita scores again for Barca, they finally break down a stubborn Osasuna team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Keita is shit hot so far this season, good that he has stepped forward and covered for some of our stars having a dip Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 D. Villa 7 Z. Ibrahimovic 7 Seydou Keita 6 L. Messi 6 W. Pandiani 6 Cristiano Ronaldo 5 Keita>Ronaldo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prestonj1989 Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 1-1. Pique own goal. Just cost me £50 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 1-1. Pique own goal. Just cost me £50 It cost me a night of sleep (was so pissed off I couldn't sleep well). Ah well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prestonj1989 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 1-1. Pique own goal. Just cost me £50 It cost me a night of sleep (was so pissed off I couldn't sleep well). Ah well. I had a £5 accumalator on Real Madrid, Sevilla, Leeds, Man U, Barca and Villareal. All went in but Barca Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Mallorca are a footballing miracle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Mallorca are a footballing miracle. I had them down for a relegation scrap, so chuffed they are doing so well (I have lots of good friends from Mallorca that are fans). I still think they will struggle during the season, so any cushion they can get at this point is great. The perennial relegation candidate that I absolutely don't want to see going down is Athletic, though. Great they got 3 points off Atlético today. 9th place with 13 and counting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Didn't they have a net spend of 200k in the summer or something? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Mallorca had lots of financial and ownership issues this summer (and the year before that...). They are a bit like Wigan in the sense that year after year they lose their best performers and are able rebuild and secure top flight status again. They lost half of their first teamers this summer. I remember they were all but relegated by Christmas last year, and then they pulled off a run that would have put them in Champion's League if maintained over a full season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prestonj1989 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 How come Sporting Gijon have such a good following. 8,000 away fans at the Deportivo game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cajun Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 How come Sporting Gijon have such a good following. 8,000 away fans at the Deportivo game. Everybody loves Geijon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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