CL R16 game 1: Newcastle - Barca 1-1

[JamDav1982]

Of course risk has to be taken in league.

Even if drop points then still would be top and against a fairly poor Real currently.

If cant take risks in league at home to Sevilla then you are more or less playing strongest team each game from here and that wont work.

Anything can happen and always danger can drop points but the players are more than good enough to beat likes of Sevilla even if lost last time round.

 

[serghei]

I would be willing to take more risk for CL if this was quarters and playing for a semis or if the lead was bigger than 4pts, but we also need to be careful in the league. Anything goes bad vs Sevilla, and the starters have to be put in to turn the game around.

It's a lot of pressure on the squad to at least prove their worth against a mid table La Liga teams on Camp Nou. I'm speaking about Rashford, Casado, Tuna, Roony, that new kid from La Masia.

 

[JamDav1982]

If Flick doesnt rotate he isnt doing his job.

One of advantages the better La Liga teams have is can rotate more against these type of teams with less risk involved even if still there.

 

[serghei]

Starters atm are Cancelo, Garcia, Cubarsi, Martin, Pedri, Bernal, Fermin, Raphinha, Yamal, Olmo. These should start vs Newcastle. Lewa dropped for Olmo.

This means we should see vs Sevilla Araujo, that new kid from La Masia Xavi Espart, main CB pair, then Casado, Olmo or Fermin, Rashford, Roony, Ferran Torres. Garcia if he feels well.

Might as well use both Torres and Lewandowski vs Sevilla. I wouldn't start either vs Newcastle. Both are comical.

 

[behindbrowneyes]

Good away result for a CL tie and everything to play for in Camp Nou.

Team and especially some key players look tired though so I also would rest players vs Sevilla and let them only play 30min in 2nd half vs a more tired opponent to stay in shape and rhythm.

I think we will see a different Barça at home and the atmosphere will be great.

 

[Porque]

Good result, bad performance.

But you get these in away games in Europe around this stage against lesser clubs. For Newcastle it is a final and the only way to get over the talent gap is with intensity and speed. I don't think they have lost at home in the CL this year either apart from versus us the first time.

We definitely need to weather this fitness dip and injury crisis though as Atleti could smash us all over again in the quarters.

I don't think any big side are playing particularly well right now either way. PSG are in a worse dip than us and could have been out versus Monaco had they not get a sending off in both KO games. Liverpool lost to Gala, Arsenal are Arsenal and far from their early season form, Madrid are shite.

Only side looking decent are Bayern. So yeah, plenty of time to flip this.

 

[Haraldinho]

Sorry guys : we don't know who is going to win it but we know who is not going to.

 

[MagIX]

I watched only the second half (fortunately): awful, physically overpowered/ bullied, completely dominated from start to finish. We were practically unable to build up or play out from the back; all long balls intended to bypass the press were lost. We can't romantically think we'll always win just because we're more elegant and more talented. To put it briefly: we absolutely need to add height and physical presence to our team, and urgently improve athletic conditioning. On the field, it was like watching 11 bulls against 11 lambs.

Credit to Newcastle, they played an excellent match.

 

[Haraldinho]

The pitch is inclined.

 

[Don Juan Laporta Estruch]

Most pragmatic game I've seen from Hansi, maybe in his whole Barca career. Think he may have been scarred a little by what happened at the Wanda. Fans that wanted this pragmatism have to accept that we are going to have much less attacking moments as a result of it.

Bad performance yes, but the UCL is only a bonus for a club with our financial limitations. Domestic football is our bread and butter ... for now.

As a glass half full kind of guy I see it as a good draw away at a financially doped club that has an excellent home record in all competitions.

We vaccinate them at the Camp and this shit performance will be long forgotten.

 

[HeadElastico]

That was a embarrassing.

Firstly, we always struggle away from home in CL, true. But it's one thing struggling to win a game or getting beaten by a bus, and it's another to get outplayed and physically out muscled so badly against a mid table team.

Second, it isn't that we 'were okay with a draw' and hence played conservatively. I find that such an inaccurate representation of what happened last night. If it had been a boring game with no chances for either team, and us just passing the ball sideways, then sure id accept that. But Newcastle had good chances and also, we never had control of the tempo of the game. We tried to play football and we just weren't able to.

Good result but I think it's fairly clear we are nowhere near the top of the tree in the CL. Any half decent team is going to wreck us. That's a fact.

PS: I also find it cringe worthy that the club (players, social media, etc)and the fans here in the city went complete 'beast mode' for a shitty Copa semi final, one which was almost a lost cause and a trophy we've won so often. And yet we constantly put out meek and tame performances both home and away on big European nights, constantly being outplayed by teams and constantly getting thrashes by big teams.

 

[malvolio]

That was a embarrassing.

Firstly, we always struggle away from home in CL, true. But it's one thing struggling to win a game or getting beaten by a bus, and it's another to get outplayed and physically out muscled so badly against a mid table team.

Second, it isn't that we 'were okay with a draw' and hence played conservatively. I find that such an inaccurate representation of what happened last night. If it had been a boring game with no chances for either team, and us just passing the ball sideways, then sure id accept that. But Newcastle had good chances and also, we never had control of the tempo of the game. We tried to play football and we just weren't able to.

Good result but I think it's fairly clear we are nowhere near the top of the tree in the CL. Any half decent team is going to wreck us. That's a fact.

PS: I also find it cringe worthy that the club (players, social media, etc)and the fans here in the city went complete 'beast mode' for a shitty Copa semi final, one which was almost a lost cause and a trophy we've won so often. And yet we constantly put out meek and tame performances both home and away on big European nights, constantly being outplayed by teams and constantly getting thrashes by big teams.

It was the same vs Chelsea. But there we had the red card excuse and Chelsea's far greater status as a CL club.

Truth is we have been poor in almost all big games this season. And even the games we won were against domestic adversaries.

 

[Joan]

Newcastle creating next to nothing last night was largely down to the ineptitude of their frontline. Wouldn't call this a pragmatic performance, at least not in any positive sense. If anything, it's about as far from a template as you can get.

 

[JamDav1982]

It was the same vs Chelsea. But there we had the red card excuse and Chelsea's far greater status as a CL club.

Truth is we have been poor in almost all big games this season. And even the games we won were against domestic adversaries.

When Barca beat Newcastle was this a 'big game'? Or only when struggle?