I wouldn't bank on that.
Barcelona 2017/18
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
I wouldn't bank on that.
why?
For obvious reasons. You said he has at least 3 and a half more seasons as Barcelona's main striker.
There's no chance of that imo.
He turned 31 last month by the end of the 3 and a half seasons would be 34. I don´t see why not
Horrifically unbalanced lineup today. Paulinho, Coutinho, Iniesta, Messi... basically everyone was playing a free role today and getting in everyone else’s way.
We need to have more structure in our team, Busquets instead of Paulinho (who is basically a second striker) would have helped a lot.
Thankfully the Champions League is still a month away and we have a healthy lead in La Liga. Enough time for Valverde to experiment.
We need to have more structure in our team, Busquets instead of Paulinho (who is basically a second striker) would have helped a lot.
Thankfully the Champions League is still a month away and we have a healthy lead in La Liga. Enough time for Valverde to experiment.
Your team is a forward light even after spending all that money. For all the talent that's been bought, the hole that Neymar left still exists.
As Messi said, Neymar leaving made the team more balanced. More league points, more goals, less egos. Don´t see us crying over the brazilian so far
It wasn't Neymar leaving, it was Dembele's injury and Barça being "forced" to play 4-4-2. If Dembele plays, the team has the same problems with 1 less midfielder.. That's why I thought Messi's quote was weird.
You'll find out the hard way in the CL. The league's a cakewalk for the big two on a season on season basis normally, lord knows what's gone on at Madrid this season.
Barca have as good of a chance as anyone this year to win the CL. Considering how many teams are waking their respective leagues this year (outside of Serie A) Barca will be just fine. Valverde is fantastic at adjusting on the fly during a match.
Neymar leaving allows Alba to boss that entire left side, and you don’t have Neymar holding the ball for too long which he was guilty of doing a lot in his final season at Barca. Rakitic, Messi, Alba all of them have said the team as a whole is much more balanced without Neymar. I’d take this year’s team easily over last years. Last years Barca squad was an abomination especially without a true RB. This season the squad actually has depth and Valverde is able to try all kinds of lineups because the team is so versatile this season.
The league's a cakewalk for great teams. We've not been great. Pretty simple really
Great snapshot of what makes Ter Stegen great for Barcelona
Dembélé returned to full training today but was not called up for the match tomorrow as Valverde intends to bring him along gradually due to successive injuries
Why do teams like Barcelona always make good decisions? Good manager/tactics, good signings etc. Why is it so damn difficult for us?
They look so good tonight
They look very good tonight.
I think they would beat city if they drew each other. Even though minus Messi they are on par talent wise the experience of the Barcelona players is unmeasurable.
I think they would beat city if they drew each other. Even though minus Messi they are on par talent wise the experience of the Barcelona players is unmeasurable.
Barca were ridiculed for all their bad signings just till a few seasons ago.
The people in charge of the football decisions at Barca know about football, and they have long term plans.
Cause they're not idiots and fall in love with any and every manager?
If Luis Enrique had won a treble with us, he would have a free license to relegate the club and most people would've lapped it up. Moyes got an entire season when he'd done feck all for us or in his career.
Having Messi makes life a lot easier.
True, they are more ruthless than our board that’s for sure.
True, but one player alone does not make a team, see Argentina.
Not just the board, the fans in Spain tend to care more about the bigger picture and whats best for the club. United fans seem to care more about the well being of the individual rather than the club as a whole.
It’s not all down to Messi. Umtiti, Rakitic, Alba, Dembele, Suarez, all proved to be great signings that were successful. Just look at Pogba and Sanchez (and others before them), it’s depressing, absolutely depressing.
Hell they got laughed at for the Paulinho signing over the summer. Not to mention signings like Arda Turan, Vermaleen, Vidal, Andre Gomes, Paco, bringing back Delofeou
I expected a little more from Chelsea. They should press more instead of waiting. It´s Barça at Camp Nou but they seem too scared. They would play the same with 2-0 or 4-0.
They don't make all the right signings or appoint the right managers. Having Messi, Suarez and Neymar like they had though makes shit incredibly easy though. Obviously the manager still has to be decent, and they've had a few flop seasons, but when you have Messi, a flop season is when you aren't the best team in the world. No matter who is manager at Barca, they can't change so much that they wouldn't have Messi tearing shit up, basically. And they'll still play a possession style where they always attack. Those are a few things that won't ever change for them, no matter the manager.
Their cheaper signing in recent years are mostly average or really awful.
Congratulations to Rosell and Bartomeu. They were thorough in ridding Barcelona of Johan Cruijff's ideology.
This Barcelona team play like an Italian team. defending in a low block 442, inability to play out of the back, terrible positional play, 3-5 players occupying one vertical column so they can't effectively sustain cohesive attacks, using the side backs in the build up and a non existent central axis. This team has more similarities with Juventus than Manchester City.
They depend almost exclusively on Messi providing indiviudual brilliance.
This Barcelona team play like an Italian team. defending in a low block 442, inability to play out of the back, terrible positional play, 3-5 players occupying one vertical column so they can't effectively sustain cohesive attacks, using the side backs in the build up and a non existent central axis. This team has more similarities with Juventus than Manchester City.
They depend almost exclusively on Messi providing indiviudual brilliance.
Also similar to Atletico's setup. So Griezzmann will fit right in.
I know, I really like them. And it's not purely individual brilliance when they defend as a team. On the other hand, hated that crap from a few years ago where they would pass the ball forever. Each to his own, I guess.
The sad thing is you are right. They have a similar style to Atletico in terms of their strategy.
I'm hardly a great fan of Valverde's approach, but i understand his reasoning to an extent. There is just no way to fit Messi and Suarez into a viable 4-3-3 formation these days IMO, that's all there is to it. Also gearing the team to provide the optimal platform for your best player to perform is hardly the worst idea in the world.
He can be brave but he has never shown he is capable of coaching positional play throughout his career. His philosphy is more 'la furia roja', the old way.
I do agree that there is a Messi/Suarez dilemna but there are some basics that can be ironed out.
Why are 5 players occupying a vertical column?
Why are the centre backs so far apart in the build up?
Why aren't the players positioned optimally when they receive passes?
These are just basics things that can be corrected in training.
TBH, I don't feel anywhere near knowledgeable enough to even attempt to provide answers to those questions you've asked. To my untrained eye he deployed Messi centrally and solved the problem of his erratic work rate which was very risky when he played on the right, made them compact and improved their "traditional" defending so to say...Nowadays they look pretty comfortable absorbing pressure. This more conventional approach might serve them well in the latter stages of the CL, we'll have to wait and see.
Corrected? Why?
They're on their way to winning a treble by going the league and the CL undefeated ffs
You do realise you are slating a guy whose record this season is Played 46, Won 35, Drawn 10, Lost 1!
I don't think there is much that needs correcting there... even if it's not pretty Cruyff football. There is more than 1 way to play football.
5 players are occupying a vertical column because they are more than likely instructed to do so.
Centre back are so far apart because they are probably instructed to do so.
They need to be corrected because anything other than the Cruyff way is a crime against football
something alot of the people who want us to play the Cruyff way of football are forgeting is that we don't have peak Iniesta and Xavi anymore and looking at the market I'd say no player comes close, we use what we have at our disposal. Valverde did exceptionally well at the start of the season with what we had available so he deserves huge credit. not a fan of the football or 442 formation but numbers don't lie, we already have a large amount of cules calling him a mini-Mourinho
You'd get the feeling from his post they've been bloody terrible this season.They need to be corrected because anything other than the Cruyff way is a crime against football