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.
Bracing for the inevitable 30 meters golazo at the bernabeu 
At least we can agree that Paulinho isn't that
Never understood why you and some of the other Madrid fans are so afraid of Barca still. Why are you guys pussies ? You should enjoy the moment and truly be assholes about itBracing for the inevitable 30 meters golazo at the bernabeu
I'm joking man(but also, i know how these things go. He might be shite, but he'll score at the bernabeu because the gods of football have a funny sense of humour. MATHIEU scored against us in a pivotal clasico ffs) Check the supercup thread, i was pissed off at us being scared of them in the first half.Never understood why you and some of the other Madrid fans are so afraid of Barca still. Why are you guys pussies ? You should enjoy the moment and truly be assholes about it
Exactly, when Barca were much better. They didn't hesitate to humiliate Real Madrid (6-2 and 5-0 results) and now that the situations are reversed, I don't understand why Real Madrid shows as much as cautious as they sometimes do. In the end, 1-3 at the Nou Camp is still a cracking result (with some very good goals scored).
Man i don't know either. One thing i miss about Ancelotti, we were never scared of them. We badly outplayed them in the CDR final and at the bernabeu(one of the worst ref jobs ever, fecking screwed us out of the league title too), we blew them off the pitch in fall '14 and we badly outplayed them again until suarez goal at camp nou(the mathieu game) where we suddendly kinda just turned off the switch. 5 games, and we were the better team for the majority of every single one of them
Bartomeu is a joke. He's turning FCB into a laughing stock. Paulinho who's playing in China? Really?
I think they'll additionally sign Dembele and Coutinho and move to some variation of 4-2-3-1 which is more to Valverde's liking.
If they sign both Coutinho and Dembele they should play Messi behind Suarez with Dembele on the right and Coutinho on the left cutting in instead of putting Dembele on the left and using Coutinho as a Iniesta replacement.
They don't have any right back that can do the whole flank by himself, so Messi being in the middle with noone on the right is a big problem
They don't have any right back that can do the whole flank by himself, so Messi being in the middle with noone on the right is a big problem
As big a problem as Neymar leaving is, Suarez being absolute trash is as big a worry. His decline has been on for the last year or so and it's becoming worse. His ball control and passing are woefully inadequate and just his tap ins can't really mask the performances. Neymar was someone on Messi's wavelength in terms of skill and ball control. Iniesta (past it) and Suarez just don't come close and that's what is going to make it really difficult for even Messi to guide this team.
Semedo?
Nah...
I'd say he's better than what they have but he's still not good enough, especially defensively. There's a reason Cedric starts ahead of him for the national team
With Ancelotti, the games were balanced with no team heavily dominating the other team. In 2013-14, we slightly dominated the home game 2-1 (with Neymar and Alexis goals), you slightly dominated the 2nd game and lost 3-4 after a close affair (the ref. was bad for both teams, I remember a penalty to Ronaldo for a foul that was outside the box).
In 2014-15, you dominated and clearly won the first game 3-1, dominated the first half in the second game, but in the 2nd half Barca was better and they won 2-1. Last season, you were slightly dominated on Camp Nou, equalizing in the last minute, and the return leg you were slightly dominated at home (3-2 for Barca). In 2015-16 you were humiliated at home, and in the 2nd game you got a close win.
It's quite even between Barca and Madrid in the last 3-4 years. Barca won 5 games, Madrid won 4 games, and 1 game ended a draw. The only trashing was the 4-0 on Bernabeu for Barca.
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Just shows how badly the board have done when you can possibly name two players from the Barcelona team that would get in the Madrid team. Even then there's arguments against Suarez.
Go back four years if we were combining both squads and putting a starting 11 then it would be filled up of maybe 8 or 9 Barcelona players.
Go back four years if we were combining both squads and putting a starting 11 then it would be filled up of maybe 8 or 9 Barcelona players.
No it wouldn't, Ramos/Pepe were always a better combo than our defenders since Puyol started being injured in 2010, then there's Ronaldo, Marcelo (who always was underrated imho), Modric (always superior to Rakitic, and I love Rakitic but...) and at worst, Alonso was equal to Sergio Busquets, nevermind the difference between a GOAT player like Casillas vs Valdes.
Real and Barcelona squads have been at similar power for almost the last 8 years (Khedira, Di Maria, Ozil and Higuain were no pushovers), what made the difference was we had a clear way of playing and our 3 best players (Messi, Xavi and Iniesta) had a chemistry Madrid always lacked. What happens now is that our midfield and star feel disconnected (like Ronaldo was at times with Mou) and their style has clicked together with a solid backbone of Marcelo, Casemiro, Kroos, Modric and Ronaldo to carry them through anything, surrounded by unreal guest stars like Isco, Carvajal or Kovacic.
Regarding Paulinho, I'll be bold and say that in a market where Matic went for 45M paying 40 for Paulinho doesn't seem tragic at all if he performs close in level, the problem with this signing is another, we already had an overbooked midfield and this turns it for the worse, knowing this board:
Sergi Roberto was promised a lot of time in midfield, with the season already started he finds himself getting less time because of this signing
Allegedly, Andre Gomes was granted another year to prove his worth, yet Paulinho covers his spot better than him (yeah, I don't doubt at 14th October 2017, Paulinho is a better player than Gomes)
Iniesta wanted to see how many minutes he was getting before deciding to renew, it seems clear he's not in form to have the minutes he would like, but bringing another midfielder just makes it harder to give him quantity minutes instead of quality ones.
Rakitic (our best midfielder by far) might lose minutes to rotate the midfielders, that's good if it keeps him fresh, I doubt they're going to achieve that and he will sacrificed like earlier this year
Rafinha and Denis get hurt in the minutes they need to develop too, and by a guy who has what, 3 years of good football at best?
Aleñá is the biggest victim, he's done well in the limited amount of minutes he got with the first team, now his chances are almost 0
This only gets worse if we manage to sign Dembele, Coutinho or even both guys, because it looks changing the 4-3-3 is not an option (if Cruyff was stil around to remind everyone is not about the formation, more about the style) and we have 2 spots (midfielders) for nine players in Rakitic, Iniesta, Sergi Roberto, Arda, Rafinha, Denis, Aleña, Gomes, Paulinho, if we were working towards a 442 or 451 like some people point out, it would be understandable, but right now, signing Paulinho with only weeks left in this transfer window just means pissing Sergi Roberto and announcing everyone they can get Arda, Rafinha or Denis at a discount because we totally need getting rid of some players.
It's not really about the fee or the low profile of this transfer that makes it bad, is everything else that makes it seem way worse than it is
MATS
Semedo - Pique - Umtiti - Alba
Is a fine backline. Pique had a bad game yesterday but he's still class, and partially that was because Vidal left him so exposed (Semedo is better and should be a starter very soon). Jordi and Umtiti were amazing.
We need at least one more CM. I can't believe we've not gone for Seri. I love Iniesta but he's totally past it and the game yesterday exposed that. I would also like to see Roberto get more games over Rakitic in midfield.
We also need a LW replacement for Neymar (Deulogoat doesn't cut it). Hazard would be a dream signing but I can't see that happen. Dortmund don't look like they are going to sell Dembele either.
The replies
Poor guy everyone is shitting on him and I don't know how it would feel to arrive to a team in where you know everyone thinks you're a garbage signing.
I thought Pique was okay in that game. People only judge him based on the own goal & Ronaldo's goal but I thought he dealt Gareth Bale really well.
I think the problem of your midfield are that you got too many average players who can't keep the ball and pass properly with one two touch quick passings especially when under pressure which is not allowed Messi to do his job effectively. And Roberto isn't the type of player.
I never understand why did you even sign Deul though. He struggled to get regular start in Everton and Barcelona signed him about 16m. Crazy!!
Do you see potential of playing with diamond two strikers or something? Messi & Suarez are good enough to score goals though. It's not like you need to sign world class Neymar replacement for goals. And also concern with your manager, you think he's good enough?
Can never see Barca not playing 4-3-3, would be weird.
I remember Pep playing 3-4-3 but never seen Barca 442 or 4231 although I could obviously be extremely wide of the mark.
Just noticed that Barcelona still have Vermaelen and Douglas in their squad
They do love their board, don't they?
Another kid gone. What has happened to La Masia?
http://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2017/08/14/5991d4b9ca4741ca608b45cd.html
http://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2017/08/14/5991d4b9ca4741ca608b45cd.html
They played double pivot last season for a game or two, but you're right. However considering their "values" are non existent at this point and at the end of the day results are all that matters it is possible (imo). Valverde probably prefers it to 4-3-3 and it wouldn't look any less balanced considering the squad they would have. It's also the easiest way to include Messi, Suarez, Dembele and Coutinho in starting 11 without the players compromising too much on the position they would have to play.
The guy was too weak for Polish Ekstraklasa. He played here 22 games and was kicked out. Granted, he was young back then but seriously he wasnt anything special.
Not gonna be a fan favorite
Yep it's a no brainer really, 4-2-3-1 would suit them.
People occasionally get too hung up on formations, didn't Cryff's Dream Team play some sort of a diamond with Laudrup in an attacking midfield role? I would wait and see how Messi looks with a proper fullback behind him, he was very effective from RW during the 2014/15 season but that was with Dani Alves. I can surely understand his frustration, if he has no help from his fullback than he is starved for the ball during large passages of play and tends to drift centrally to rectify that. If he wants to play full time as a no. 10 it would make sense to change the formation which would balance the XI better.
Not gonna be a fan favorite
It seems his real account.Some players should touch the computer.Not gonna be a fan favorite
This has to be fake, no way he did that and they now signed him.
A 343 with diamond midfield iirc.
Thanks. I was still a kid at that time, but seem to remember watching an odd game or two from that period a couple years ago. Guess what i was trying to say is that the style of play isn't intrinsically linked to formation.
This has to be fake, no way he did that and they now signed him.
They wanted Ceballos.
Can't see them transitioning to something like this
I'd actually fancy us to give them a game for the first time in ages. They'd still be favourites obviously, but Barca are not the scary force they were a few years ago.
Suarez
Coutinho - Messi - Dembele
Paulinho - Busquets
Coutinho - Messi - Dembele
Paulinho - Busquets
I'd actually fancy us to give them a game for the first time in ages. They'd still be favourites obviously, but Barca are not the scary force they were a few years ago.
That was as detailed an answer as one could hope to get, thanks Ecstatic. Interesting that all those Cryff teams played with three at the back and yet 4-3-3 is somehow considered the default formation when it comes to Barcelona. This last formation looks crazily offensive, a sweeper, two full backs, three in front with a couple of attacking oriented midfielders, i wonder how it worked in practice? I guess i have some videos lying around, i'll try to look it up, maybe i'll get lucky.
How the mighty have fallen.
After last season they desperately needed to reinforce their team with new key signings, especially in the midfield and instead Neymar left and they got Paulinho (???).
I don't get what they are trying to do but it looks like they are imploding from all the bad business they did in the last few seasons. You take Messi out of that team and I dont even rate them as 1 of the top 5 teams in Europe atm.
After last season they desperately needed to reinforce their team with new key signings, especially in the midfield and instead Neymar left and they got Paulinho (???).
I don't get what they are trying to do but it looks like they are imploding from all the bad business they did in the last few seasons. You take Messi out of that team and I dont even rate them as 1 of the top 5 teams in Europe atm.