Spanish SuperCopa: Real Madrid - FC Barcelona (5-1)

[Zincubus]

Well, last night's game was a flop in many ways. It seems that we have no game plan whatsoever, other than that "pass to Messi and wait to see what he does". The first two subs showed our weakest spots - the LW and MF, although I would add the RB position also. Our mid was way too slow, and this is something that needs to change ASAP.

Considering the very high probability of us losing this Supercup, I would like Valverde to try something new in the rematch - transition to a 4-2-3-1 system. Vidal is not a classic RB, he is a winger, a defensively weak one, so I would like to see him up front. This would be the starting lineup:

------------Ter Stegen-----------
Semedo---Pique----Umtiti----Alba
-------Rakitić-----Busquets------
Vidal---------Messi--------Iniesta
-------------Suarez-------------

According to their show, I would later on sub Rakitić with Roberto, and Iniesta with Delofeu or Denis Suarez.

We have to accept that our play style has been read, and that teams know how to defend against it and counter it. The sooner we do that, the sooner we start making innovations which are more than necessary.

Wonder how many of our first eleven would get into their team !

Yikes ?!!!

 

[Cool]

Well, last night's game was a flop in many ways. It seems that we have no game plan whatsoever, other than that "pass to Messi and wait to see what he does". The first two subs showed our weakest spots - the LW and MF, although I would add the RB position also. Our mid was way too slow, and this is something that needs to change ASAP.

Considering the very high probability of us losing this Supercup, I would like Valverde to try something new in the rematch - transition to a 4-2-3-1 system. Vidal is not a classic RB, he is a winger, a defensively weak one, so I would like to see him up front. This would be the starting lineup:

------------Ter Stegen-----------
Semedo---Pique----Umtiti----Alba
-------Rakitić-----Busquets------
Vidal---------Messi--------Iniesta
-------------Suarez-------------

According to their show, I would later on sub Rakitić with Roberto, and Iniesta with Delofeu or Denis Suarez.

We have to accept that our play style has been read, and that teams know how to defend against it and counter it. The sooner we do that, the sooner we start making innovations which are more than necessary.

I like this, I'd just change Rakitic with Roberto and Iniesta with Denis.

 

[Zincubus]

I looked forward to the match with a special impatience, of course. Barcelona was the first official match of the season. Yes, even with a new coach. How was it? Negative. Again played valiantly (Busquets and the next yellow), inefficient (Messi), with a lot of mistakes and wrong decisions (Deulofeu and Vidal) and so on.
Against this background, very cool looked Real Madrid. Not as usual - cowardly. And such a well-coordinated and self-confident machine with excellent dribbling (Marcelo, Isco). But this is not about Real. I would like to mark Umtiti. From match to match, this player of the French national team acts confidently, calmly, reliably and effectively. Look at this small cut of video fragments with his participation and see for yourself again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2z7FN0_3X8
Barcelona also wants to wish successful work on the mistakes before the return meeting, the championship and new titles!

I'd agree , really only Umtiti and Messi really came out if last night with any credit , even Messi was under par .

 

[slk123]

Wonder how many of our first eleven would get into their team !

Yikes ?!!!

not considering current form ter stegen, pique, busquets, messi, suarez, (iniesta), which is half their team. not too shabby

 

[JamDav1982]

not considering current form ter stegen, pique, busquets, messi, suarez, (iniesta), which is half their team. not too shabby

Iniesta would get nowhere near their team.

Really wouldnt even get in their squad if not for who he is/was.

Suarez is more of a match winner but seen less of that the way he has played for past while.

Benzema is one of most selfless CFs out there who undertands how to get bets out of other players. Would pick Benzema as it stands just now.

 

[slk123]

Iniesta would get nowhere near their team.

Really wouldnt even get in their squad if not for who he is/was.

Suarez is more of a match winner but seen less of that the way he has played for past while.

Benzema is one of most selfless CFs out there who undertands how to get bets out of other players. Would pick Benzema as it stands just now.

that might be the reason why I put Iniesta in parentheses and wrote not considering current form

 

[LysyJan]

This isn't that what I waiting for...
I was hoping that the FCB would follow a different path
I love my team always, even when he loses, I would go to exile for her. If it is needed poe, then this is my path of exile
If I have to buy something and buy it, I will support you financially. I have a lot of PoE Orbs for sale, maybe I'll sell all Exalted Orbs and buy some T-shirts. I spend a lot of time at the Path of Exile and buy poe orbs. If anyone wants to buy from me Exalted Orbs and Chaos orbs and all the PoE Currency that is in PoE then I invite you to https://odealo.com

 

[ejuventus]

Mate we are fuked, no two ways about it. Majority of fans on this board know it too.

at Juve, we had gone through in late 80's and late 90's:

when you're the best team of the world for some years, you think you'll be forever, whatever you do
Reality is not like that.
Football is just questione of cycles.

Recent Barça have reached superior level than those Juve's sides, but dynamic seems the same.

NOthing is lost at the beginning, but Barça really need fresh forces in the squad, and it's never sure that the first ones are the right ones

 

[Arkk]

at Juve, we had gone through in late 80's and late 90's:

when you're the best team of the world for some years, you think you'll be forever, whatever you do
Reality is not like that.
Football is just questione of cycles.

Recent Barça have reached superior level than those Juve's sides, but dynamic seems the same.

NOthing is lost at the beginning, but Barça really need fresh forces in the squad, and it's never sure that the first ones are the right ones

I agree its a natural decline which im sure we all expected as nothing lasts forever. the problem for me though is how badly the board neglected the team.. there seemed to be no planning whatsoever. when Xavi left it was paramount we signed a world class proven midfielder. Dani Alves left and we just thought 'fuck it, who needs a RB'

 

[unknowngenius10]

You are trolling right? Everyone makes mistakes that result in Madrid scoring but you were pleased? You were pleased?? How low the bar has been set lately..

I was pleased b.c I don't think 1-3 really reflected what happened on the pitch. I think Barca played a great first half, even though we currently are missing at least 3 possible starters in our 11. Barca dictated the game while madrid dedicated to counter mostly in that first half. We shouldn't pretend like Barca will be able to dominate Europe and la liga overnight after having a new coach for less than 2 months. Barca will struggle a little to get the new players to come and settle. This is a period of TRANSITION . We played against the best team in the world without all our starters and with a coach who just arrived, and we were able to scare the shit out of them until before Pique's own goal. Barca still doesn't have the full team, and yet played Madrid better than most teams have in a long time. There were times in the game where we could have scored the first goal and even score the goal for a tie afterwards, we really missed easy chances, go back and check the game. They were scared. They had doubts. I think Valverde played the game the way he was supposed to play it: very smart. Zidane is a good coach, and Valverde showed him a lot, at least during the first half. Barca played in Madrid's half while preventing counters from madrid, and it worked nice for a while. I think the new players will only make this barca better, it can't get any "worse". The game seems horrible b.c many people have the wrong expectations. Guys, we haven't even built our first eleven and you wanted us to do what against the best team in the world? especially since we just lost the possible 3rd best player in the world?
Yes, it was a bad game, but only if you think Barca should be at the same level as Madrid at this point in our season. Again, the score is a little misleading. I don't even think Cristiano could believe the goal he scored.

 

[slk123]

apart from the cb situation we seemed on track with renewing the squad some years ago, then a lot of unusual stuff happened like Abis and Titos illness, transfer ban. kinda astonishing how we bounced back and got another treble and then how fast everything went downhill with two bad transfer summers (still hoping this one wont be the third)

 

[Ken_rosseneri]

Well, I’ve had many hours to let last night sink in.

It’s difficult to form an opinion on us these days for me because I either highlight the stupidly obvious, or re-iterate the beaten to death. I guess I will undertake both here.

We’re paying for 5+ years of bad signings, poor decisions at board level and poor management. As much as I’ll always dislike RM, they are in a better position than us with regard to player ability (across the squad) and young player development, which is even more surprising considering La Masia’s reputation. They’ve hit the jackpot with the development of Isco, Ascenio, Carvajal and to a lesser extent Vasquez. Our equivalents in Roberto, Samper, D. Suarez, Deulofeu just aren’t a match in terms of quality. Samper may still turn out to be something, but the others for me are now at their ‘level’ which is not Barcelona level. Real have nailed a formula, they are in a good ‘cycle.’ What’s hard to take is the fact we’ve had so much money to spend, so many chances to invest such that we stay with them at the very least, and even with the world’s best player, we’ve continually invested poorly. Does this board understand the logic behind lessons learned? We are paying for it dearly the last few seasons.

We can talk about last night’s game in more detail. Sure, we ‘controlled’ the game for long periods, and looked more compact in defence but are you really controlling a game with 65% possession when you create little, or no chances? I would always argue if you sit back and restrict a team to 1-2 chances in 90 minutes, you’re in pretty good control. We didn’t penetrate enough, we allowed them to reset far too often once we’d dislodged them. Eg. 4-5 very quick one touch passes, which then is destroyed because a player stops the ball, holds it for 2-3 seconds, then passes it backwards. (Neymar’s famous move). We didn’t look like scoring until Busquets demonstrated his finishing abilities once more… We didn’t deserve a penalty, and other than that, we did nothing. I can’t take the positives some of you guys can here for these reasons. We’ve got some big problems that need sorting, and even if we splash the notes on Dembele, Coutinho and Seri, it’ll only mask some big core issues we have. Eg, Iniesta (Age, lack of mobility) Pique (1v1 Abilities), Rakatic (Headless chicken), L. Suarez (Clumsy, poor control, rushes things, extended lack of form.)

Defensive vulnerabilities. I’ve been supporting the club since 2007 and I’ve said it before and will say it again, Pique is good with the ball, good with defending the occasional cross/set piece, but if he is isolated 1v1 against anyone with even an above average agility, acceleration, and dribbling ability we are in big trouble. Last night, we pressed high, especially after the Madrid second goal, and left space in behind for Bale, Ronaldo, Ascenio and Benzema. Gerard’s lack of athleticism was shown up dramatically. One quick turn, jink, drop shoulder and he’s out of the game or giving away penalties. It’s always been a blinding weakness for me, and further support from his fullbacks are needed. Speaking of fullbacks, Aleix Vidal is not Barcelona quality either. A panic buy, a ‘spirited’ Sevilla flag carrier, who quite clearly doesn’t have the intelligence needed to play our system. The guy is constantly caught out of position defensively, and constantly gets into GOOD positions offensively, with zero delivery. It’s incredible how many times he fails to pick out a man when he’s gotten in behind in a wide position, only to drill a cross at the first defender, or pull it back, hoping Leo is arriving. Semedo needs to be brought in ASAP. Umtiti and Alba still get my vote of confidence but what good is half a defence?

Legless midfield. When Raka came, he was instrumental in our treble season, but has since turned into a headless chicken. Decent at keeping the ball moving, but spends most of his time charging at players, and running into nonsensical areas these days, rendering us a midfielder short in many instances. Also, it is incredibly infuriating how many times he tries to nutmeg players lately! Combine this with Andres, who is now closer than ever to the end, and Sergio who has never been able to run anyway, we have serious midfield mobility problems. Get the ball past our 3 guys in midfield on the counter and we’re dead meat. The difference is, a Real Madrid put it in the net, an Alaves don’t.

Indirect attack. Aside from Leo, we have absolutely no more 1v1 ability now. While this may be remedied with Dembele’s arrival, it is still worth noting L. Suarez has completey gone off the boil with this regard. He’s slower, and seemingly easier to read these days. His off the ball movement is still good, but he’s been playing like a hold up ST for the last number of weeks, who waits to finish chances, not create them. He’s been off form for months, and spent a huge part of last season invisible. He needs better competition for his spot, as Alcacer is laughable if we’re being honest. Neymar’s departure is fine, and in the manner he behaved, and how he’s left, he can do one, but he HAS taken a huge 1v1 ability with him, and also the ability to run in behind for Messi to find him with his change of pace. However, Neymar’s horrendous finishing means if we can actually find someone who can do those things and put it in the net, we might be actually more effective.

L is for Leo. I feel terrible for the man every season. Imagine being the best player in the world by a distance every year and constantly compared to a guy who’s favourite meal is narcissism? Oh, by the way, Ronaldo’s pre planned idea to mock Messi’s celebration was an amusing anecdote which further evaluated his inferiority as he was sent off like a proper idiot. Leo is gonna have the world on his shoulders again this year the way we stand currently, and seeing how our board has behaved over the last weeks, he must truly be rubbed the wrong way. We’ve had a prime Messi since 2013, and other than 2015, given him nothing but excuses. It’s a pity because any football fan with two brain cells will know had Leo been surrounded by the right players after Guardiola’s era, we’d have dominated world football for another 5 years. This will always be my biggest qualm with the club.

Bottom line, we need signings. Not tomorrow, not next week, right fucking now. We need them in, embedded in the culture, and we need Valverde to show us if he’s the real deal or not, by re-inventing aspects of our tired old game which has been overcome by far too many opponents since Pep left. We fucked last Summer in the transfer market. We cannot afford to fuck this one, but considering that we have agreed a deal to sign Paulinho,

my optimism as an FC Barcelona fan has never been so low.

I read every word.... the accuracy of this post ===> TOO ACCURATE..... well written too.. i completely agree with every word.. u read my mind...

 

[John Antonio Bilboa]

lol why does 1 loss to Real Madrid put us in crisis mode? We have a shitty board that doesn't know the first thing about transfers ergo our squad has been slowly declining over the past couple of seasons agreed but please don't act like with haven't handing these guys their asses on regular basis. 2 league titles in 9 seasons their saving grace has come in champions league, but we've also won the champions league just as many times as them within the same 9 season period. relaxx

 

[1207]

lol why does 1 loss to Real Madrid put us in crisis mode? We have a shitty board that doesn't know the first thing about transfers ergo our squad has been slowly declining over the past couple of seasons agreed but please don't act like with haven't handing these guys their asses on regular basis. 2 league titles in 9 seasons their saving grace has come in champions league, but we've also won the champions league just as many times as them within the same 9 season period. relaxx

that's the past
now we are losing players to psg, buying players in China, don't have a Rb, refuse to accept that Iniesta is getting older, don't have a bench,...

 

[Adversus]

Wonder how many of our first eleven would get into their team !

Yikes ?!!!

Messi, Busquets, Alba and Ter Stegen.

I still think Iniesta is fantastic but realistically not any more. Suarez looks a shadow of himself.