Barcelona FC

the supply of drugs have been stopped

Feb 26, 2013 -- 10:01PM, brendanuk1 wrote:

the supply of drugs have been stopped

OK thats one theory...

*FC Barcelona

Feb 26, 2013 -- 10:04PM, CheltenhamRoar wrote:

*FC Barcelona

Indeed but do you really care?

Thought something was up when a squadron of pigs overflew the farm this morning.....

Greater freedom given to the players than under Pep, who seemed hell-bent on making Barca a more controlled/controlling team season on season. Consequently, they have banged in goals this season, but they have conceded a fair few and look shaky against the top sides in some games (not all).

Also, the end of Puyol. He just doesn't seem to have it anymore, he's lost half a yard of speed and isn't the same force. Xavi is also not quite as sharp as he was (though his decline is much milder than that of Puyol.

That's my opinion anyway.

john toshack sending me to sleep here.

Vilanova being missed.

This Jordi Roura is a pu55y and is allowing the Barca players to take it easy in both training and matches.

Barcelona don't work off the ball like they used to.

Feb 26, 2013 -- 10:09PM, spaceship wrote:

Vilanova being missed.This Jordi Roura is a pu55y and is allowing the Barca players to take it easy in both training and matches.

Villanova is watching every training session and picking the team.

He picked the team that was full of players that were terrible against Milan and to an extent Sevilla.

Too much emphasis on being loyal to players that came through the youth system - Fabregas, Pedro, Xavi, Puyol and Pique have been terrible.

Looks like it is time to start building the next team.

no plan b

Feb 26, 2013 -- 10:14PM, mexicano wrote:

no plan b

No plan A seems to be the bigger problem!

^Not quite the same as being there in person day in and day out.

a team in decline. teams have found out how to stifle barca

Feb 26, 2013 -- 10:18PM, henok wrote:

a team in decline. teams have found out how to stifle barca

Teams have been playing like this against Barcelona for three years, there is something not right with the players right now and looks like a few big decisions need to be made.

They need a Fergie-style freshening up.

i think dz is not a million miles off it.

puyol, xavi, and ineista not the force they were.

lately the midfield have not been ad incisive as previously, messi drops deeper and deeper looking for the ball, therefore they lack a focal point high up the pitch.

thought real played the ideal game against them tonight.

What is going wrong?

Anyone who wants to complain about me discussing Barcelona need not reply.

Apart from them not being able to break down decent defences you mean

Seriously when you're as far clear in the league as they are it's very difficult to get back to the mantality needed for high pressure games again. Basically they've been on a extended lap of honour for a couple of months now. Same thing happened in Chelsea's 2nd title year under Jose. We were so far clear in January that sloppiness set in and it was hard to break that.

It also doesn't help that Vilanova isn't around. When you hit a wobble you need the main man around to rag a few out if required. He may be picking the side etc but he's not able to influence players in the same way he would do if he was around them.

Seriously when you're as far clear in the league as they are it's very difficult to get back to the mantality needed for high pressure games again.

That's a good point, but how far clear where they when they were winning all the trophies under Pep? That's not me being a smart-ar5e (for once), I actually don't know the answer!

Feb 26, 2013 -- 10:20PM, Marcce wrote:

What is going wrong?Anyone who wants to complain about me discussing Barcelona need not reply.Apart from them not being able to break down decent defences you mean Seriously when you're as far clear in the league as they are it's very difficult to get back to the mantality needed for high pressure games again. Basically they've been on a extended lap of honour for a couple of months now. Same thing happened in Chelsea's 2nd title year under Jose. We were so far clear in January that sloppiness set in and it was hard to break that.It also doesn't help that Vilanova isn't around. When you hit a wobble you need the main man around to rag a few out if required. He may be picking the side etc but he's not able to influence players in the same way he would do if he was around them.

They were never this far clear under Pep.

In my opinion the shape of the team is all over the place largely caused by two kamikaze full backs who think they are wingers and bomb forward regardless if they are even covered.

That never happened under Guardiola.

Milan and Madrid tonight just won it and almost hit the ball over the defence blindly knowing that they would have a good chance of creating something.

Good point on the full-backs. Abidal is missed, a full-back who is also an excellent centre-half and can provide that extra cover. Alba doesn't add anything that Barca require, but Abidal does.

By the way JamDav, I was rude to you yesterday. No need for that, I apologise.

Feb 26, 2013 -- 10:32PM, the dza wrote:

By the way JamDav, I was rude to you yesterday. No need for that, I apologise.

Ha, no bother.

They need to train with the crystal palace youth and go back to basics.

they don't commit enough players forward, nor work hard enough off the ball like they used to

Feb 26, 2013 -- 10:43PM, Stringer wrote:

they don't commit enough players forward, nor work hard enough off the ball like they used to

To some extent but the fullbacks get forward to much and Pique loves a wander up the pitch.

commentator on BF just said, "There are 4 strikers on the pitch, I assure you of that!" :)

Ii'll tell you what's wrong, when Arsenal played Barca at the Nou Camp, for the whole ninety minutes Arsenal literally didn't string together more than 5 passes together, and that was merely a reflection of what Barca were doing to everybody at home and away, as soon as we got the ball, they pressed like there was no tomorrow, as soon as they got the ball they all pushed together and hunted in packs - the space between the two furthest players apart aside from the keeper was as close as any side in Europe on the attack, tonight lately they don't close down quickly enough, in fact they stood off players and waiting to put a foot in.

Only the manager to blame.

They haven't recovered from the shame of losing to Celtic.

Arbroath offered them their tactical plan free of charge but apparently they knew better.

Are people over reacting?

On course for a record points total in la liga and it's taken 2 superb performances to beat them.

AC Milan played as well as they've done for years last week, and that was a pretty special counter attacking display from Real tonight.

It's only natural a side as good as Barca will eventually have a downturn, these things do tend to go in cycles, Madrid in the 50s, Ajax early 70s, Bayern late 70s, Milan in the late 80s, the Real galacticos and now Barca.

I'm sure they will bounce back, if they turn it round against Milan next week this will all be forgotten.
I do think they need to start Villa though against Milan instead of Cesc. Busquets/Xavi/Iniesta as the midfield 3, Villa/Messi/Pedro the front 3.

Feb 26, 2013 -- 11:41PM, Biscuit1979 wrote:

Are people over reacting?On course for a record points total in la liga and it's taken 2 superb performances to beat them.AC Milan played as well as they've done for years last week, and that was a pretty special counter attacking display from Real tonight.It's only natural a side as good as Barca will eventually have a downturn, these things do tend to go in cycles, Madrid in the 50s, Ajax early 70s, Bayern late 70s, Milan in the late 80s, the Real galacticos and now Barca.I'm sure they will bounce back, if they turn it round against Milan next week this will all be forgotten.I do think they need to start Villa though against Milan instead of Cesc. Busquets/Xavi/Iniesta as the midfield 3, Villa/Messi/Pedro the front 3.

I agree with that Villa has to be in for Cesc, would also put Tello in for Pedro and Mascherano in for Puyol.

Above all get control of those fullbacks and tell them they need to be more intelligent when making forward runs or teams wiill always attack the space they leave out wide. A better shape means teams will have to attack through the middle more exactly where Barcelona want the game to be played.

Might be worth dropping Alves and moving Pique to right-back.

Alba is then the left-sided Alves and Pique is the right-sides Abidal.

abidal--puyol--pique--alves was the original

alba--xxxx--xxxx---pique is the new version

Masc and Song at centre half? Hmm...

Montoya is a good defensive right back and will be there for years for Spain and Barcelona I think.

He is a player they need to start giving more time to and allow him to develop.

Signing players that Arsenal had decided were past it was the start.    And we dont want them back!

i think this question is only being asked now because the form/goals of messi in 2012 helped to hide a lot of it. Up front, messi apart, they have not been playing as well as under pep (villa, pedro) and sanchez is not up to barca level IMO. the younger lads like tello, cuenca and thiago aren't barca first XI level yet either (and may never be) but have still got a lot of game time. Iniesta is not the player he was 2 years ago and he really knitted a lot of the play together. Fabregas hasn't done too much either, isn't even playing as well as he did at arsenal IMO.

And most of all, while their defence has never been watertight, it is significantly weaker than under pep. I read somewhere that they haven't kept a clean sheet in 3 months, could be 4 by now. That didn't happen before and it makes them even more susceptible to being turned over by teams who park the bus.

Some excellent posts on this thread (in between some predictable guff).

I agree with lots of the points made re kamikaze full back leaving them exposed and the lack of direction without the manager.  However they've been very good most of the season until this sticky patch.  They seem to have lost some of their mental focus - too many errors at the back, over playing in attack, less pressing and movement.

They've also got serious problems up front except messi.  Pedro's in and out form, villa has never come back since injury, Sanchez is embarrassing these days etc etc.  This really knocks the balance of the team and means they look impotent I'd teams can somehow shackle messi as Milan and Real managed to do.

I think their league performance is hiding the real form of the team. Most of their league performances (apart for some thrashings) haven't been the usual Barça standard. They concede a lot more, have to come from behind more and in the games with the better teams that shows.

I agree with the theory that some of the older players are past their prime like Puyol and especially Xavi who I think is their most important player.

Manager in hospital undergoing cancer treatment? Centiment? Heads not on the game? Probably a mixture of all.

I think the most important thing missing at the moment is the shape of the team.Very hard break a team down when you play with no striker in the box.Maybe Villa will come back to form and be selected as i think barca are a different side with him in the team.If he doesnt i still think they should play the useless sanchez as it gives them some presence closer to goal.