I knew I'd see some smug posts here about how we played alright and were just unlucky, else everything is dandy. I think comments like that are laughable and show a lack of understanding of the game. We were shambolic. I've seen us play worse games than this in the last couple of years, but i must admit, I have never seen such a pathetic midfield performance...I think...since..I'm not even sure when I can go back to.
I often asked people about how good Rafinha actually is, sans hype, and every time I see him, he doesn't show anything. He was ridiculously bad today. Rakitic continued his downward slope after his bright start to the season and the usual suspect Alves was terrible. It seems like we play with 10 men now, what with Biscuits contributing almost nothing, in attack, defense or midfield.
The most worrying part is Lucho. I have refrained from commenting on him till now because I know its early, but so far he hasn't shown anything, and has been very disappointing in all aspects - lineups, strategy, motivation, substitutions, all of it.
I was telling a friend before the game that this is one of those match weeks in the season that you will look back on and mark out for its importance in the end result. Losing the clasico, following which Madrid rip their next opponent a new one, you lose yet another game, this time at home, loseany confidence remaining, lose top spot to Madrid - all of a sudden, it's a mini crisis.
I thought the defense was alright for the most part (apart from the goal of course), and we really should be more clinical in our finishing, the keeper had an insane game, agreed, but some of those chances need to be buried more clinically. With a midfield performance like that though, you really begin to worry about our near future...With a transfer ban, crap defenders, no great depth in the front line post the big 3, and now, literally no midfielder who is world class or performing at a top level, make no mistake, this is the starting of a real tough period for us.