Zidane realizes Allegri is about to checkmate him and makes 2 changes at halftime.
What the fuck did Valverde do yesterday ?
What was his response ?
I agree. He should have replaced Semedo with Dembele at the start of the second half. This is how I saw the game.
Roma was all forward trying to score at least three goals and not allow a single goal against them. They counted with the help and aid of a complicitous referee. For heavens sake, they had both central defenders in our goal area. When Barça got the ball back and started a counter atatack, they brought down, by any means possible, our players. The Roma players did not try to play the ball, they just fouled the Barça players, most of the time. In other words, they played the player and not the ball. This is the definition for a yellow card. They only received two yellow cards same as us. He did sanctions the fouls which worked in Roma's advantage. By stopping the play, it gave time for Roma to reorganize their defense.
What was most sinister is that Suarez a Messi were yellow carded. The first one for arguing and the latter by a non-existent foul. The Roma players were arguing constantly and non of them were yellow carded because of it. This referee was getting ready to red card Suarez, Messi, or both. They realized this and were forced to lower their playing intensity.
That was the situation we were facing. Valverde should have replaced Semedo with Dembélé at the start of the second half, for two reasons. Semedo could not defend against anyone. He is too small and thin for the much bigger and taller Roma players. And second, by having such fast player with excellent dribbling ability on the right flank, it would have forced Roma not to play so much forward or they would have been victims of a fulminating counter attack and game over. I spent all second half screaming at Valverde. I just could not believe it. That is why I consider him the architect of our defeat.
Do not get me wrong. I really like Valverde and I consider him to be a great coach. However, he screwed up royally in this game.
Hektor
