Lliga | Round 01: FC Barcelona - Deportivo Alavés S.A.D 3-0
- Thread starter DonAK
- Start date
KingMessi
SiempreBlaugrana
... really? Entertaining football and defense are not exclusive.
I can think of a few others who have done it in the not so distant past. Tito Vilanova, Luis enrique and zidane come to mind
Stoichkov1
New member
No they aren't but it's very difficult to play entertaining football and and at the same time having a good defense.
To play entertaining football generally a team has to press and play with a high defensive line, which means they're open to counter attacks and leave space behind them.
The only team that at the moment plays like that is City, and they don't concede goals because basically they don't let the opposition have the ball.
Our players are too old/not good enough, especially the midfield, to play like that for 90 mins and they will lose control after a while.
BusiTheKing
Senior Member
I really don't think the type of football we're playing is doing us any favors defensively. First, let's face one thing: when we have players like Rakitic and Busquets in the midfield, we're never going to be a solid defensive unit. Even if our workrate was acceptable, we're simply too ponderous in covering empty spaces in the middle.
Obviously our best shot at minimizing chances against us is to avoid losing the ball. To do that against teams that go all out in pressing, we have to seriously run for each other. Under Valverde, we've failed pretty miserably in that aspect.
Multiple times, we've been outplayed and exposed by ordinary teams in terms of talent. Something that absolutely never happened under Guardiola.
Obviously our best shot at minimizing chances against us is to avoid losing the ball. To do that against teams that go all out in pressing, we have to seriously run for each other. Under Valverde, we've failed pretty miserably in that aspect.
Multiple times, we've been outplayed and exposed by ordinary teams in terms of talent. Something that absolutely never happened under Guardiola.
unknowngenius10
Member
did u already forget that during Pep's last year we won nothing?
other teams had already figured us out, so we also played crap.
Except for Liverpool, and Maybe City, most teams don't have the players to play such attractive football.
I do believe that a coach like Klopp would get barca back to playing great football though.
whether we would win something under him, well that's another story.
Icarium
Lifestealer
Lol. Do you think Real won 3 CL's in a row by playing defensively? Far from it. They looked weak in defense it is their attack that thrashed the opponents.
unknowngenius10
Member
It was actually their bench.
Real Madrid could afford to bring in Isco or Asensio or even Morata as subs.
Barca's bench was crap for the longest time.
When borth Madrid nad Barca mainly relied on their first team, Barca won a lot.
When both tried to reply on their bench, Perez did a great job with having a large, good quality bench.
Now most top teams are starting to have a good bench as well.
I called it a few years ago, but I still don't get why Barca didn't pursue something similar
Also, Madrid was only playing for 1 tournament most of the time
Icarium
Lifestealer
I was talking about the style of football as a reply to outrageous claim. Real also won a league in between. The fatigue killed them last season and got of to a horrible start, after that kind of start there is no coming back. Zidane team was the best in last three years without doubt. He isn't a tactical genius he just created a system where all their attacking players flourish. Yes good bench helps but a system is more important. Valverde is the opposite of Zidane always playing conservative and limiting our players.
LeeRomeno
Active member
Posts like this are like breath of fresh air.
Raketa10
Senior Member
You can’t have a decent pressing when you have 2 players in our starting line up who don’t defend at all. With one it’s posssible but with 2 no way it can be done. Also for a faster football you need a faster CF who makes the runs trough the lines and when was the last time Suarez played like that? I am not saying Suarez is the sole problem, I am not even saying he should be benched because we don’t have a substitute for him, I am just saying how things stand right now.
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I think people should lay off valverde for now. He played an attacking formation last night. We just don't have the players anymore. Remember pep had xavi, iniesta, eto'o henry and alves. Then villa and Pedro. Until semedo and dembele improve we won't improve. Again Messi carried us last night and I'm sure valverde knows that and isn't very satisfied. Ye can start having a go again if he switches to 442. Also the football last night was not very slow and ponderous. It was close enough to peps style bar the chances created which was down to the players
Joan
Well-known member
Thanks.
I just watch the first half and some of the second... it's not the most entertaining stuff ever, but it's not like we're passing not creating.
JerseyAddict
Well-known member
Thanks.
I just watch the first half and some of the second... it's not the most entertaining stuff ever, but it's not like we're passing not creating.
Exactly. Barça should have scored like 3g in 1st half. So it is not that it was BAAAAAD GAME like people are whinning. It is just that Suarez abf Dembele were not clinical.
Was it slow? Yes. Was it so bad. No. People overreacted again.
LeeRomeno
Active member
First game of the season after difficult summer with some players returning only couple of weeks ago and having no real pre-season vs Alaves, who had like 10 preseason games and no WC players.
3-0 scoreline
Dembele, Semedo both started
No Gomes, no Paulinho, no Denis, no Aleix in lineup
Shots 25-3, majority of them coming from penalty area
Possession 77-23
Complete dominated game and comfortable win compared to barely scraping it last season.
Barcaforum response - whine and cry, season is doomed etc.
I seriously do not understand what kind of standards have some people set for the squad.
3-0 scoreline
Dembele, Semedo both started
No Gomes, no Paulinho, no Denis, no Aleix in lineup
Shots 25-3, majority of them coming from penalty area
Possession 77-23
Complete dominated game and comfortable win compared to barely scraping it last season.
Barcaforum response - whine and cry, season is doomed etc.
I seriously do not understand what kind of standards have some people set for the squad.
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