Noticed that like 10 minutes after my post. Good for him-- he needs 40-50 games to establish himself this year.Vinho Tinto said:
Barcelona 2014-15: Mes Que Un Cleanout
- Thread starter OilCanMDS
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Going to be really conflicted going to the Bidet to watch Xavi, Lampard and Villa play for a team partially owned by the Yankees. I think that NYCFC will be really fun to watch for a couple of years.soxfan121 said:
I feel like this is the best place to post this because it's mostly Barca centric. This was written a month ago, but it's making its rounds now (may be because it's long and takes a month to read?). How Barcelona's Prodigal Son Became Their Most Damaging Signing In A Generation. I'm not going to post quotes because I think that the whole thing is worth reading, like you can tell a lot of work went into writing it. It definitely made me reconsider my stance earlier this Summer that Arsenal could have made Cesc work. It seems like Barca tried and failed with a lot of collateral damage.
That article also really makes me even more skeptical about the idea of him playing in a double pivot with Matic, orchestrating from deep. He hasn't played that kind of role for a long time and Mourinho is the last guy who wants a freelancer there. I bet he ends up competing with Oscar for the #10.sachmoney said:
Eh, that article gave Xavi's precipitous decline two sentences and blamed absolutely everything on Cesc. I think the author sincerely has a hair across his ass about Cesc. I'm a little less convinced that Cesc is the tactical cancer the guy thinks he is, mostly because the guy seems a little too invested in the club to see things with focus and clarity.
I can't say I've watched much Barcelona the last couple of years, but for me, I've always seen Xavi as that slower (both for the game and pace-wise), possession guy. He can pick out the pass, but it's "fuck you you're not going to get the ball off us, you're not going to get the ball off us, you're not going to get the ball off us, and what the hell, I'll pick out Messi or Alexis because fuck you, I can do that and they're making the run." Xavi is not a pacy player. I can see how a more direct, quick passing would be less suitable to him and render him less effective (since he'd have to move more and do it quickly). Furthermore, you have those injury issues with the achilles, which I guess you can count as a part of the decline, but that's not really his game so much as his physical condition (from my stand point, though the two do go hand in hand).
The more direct style that Barca moved to post-PEP should have been more suitable to Cesc. It's weird that it didn't work out. I don't think the author blames Cesc for everything as blame goes around on the managers for their insistence on using him, especially Pep who made him his pet project. I guess, you can shove dirt on whoever is no longer there though.
With him gone and THAT front 3, I'm really intrigued by how Barca will play this year. The midfield and defense seem to still be a question mark for me and I could see there being a lot of high scoring games. I'll probably watch Barcelona the most this year since the year Cesc joined up. I feel like this is a year of reinvention.
The more direct style that Barca moved to post-PEP should have been more suitable to Cesc. It's weird that it didn't work out. I don't think the author blames Cesc for everything as blame goes around on the managers for their insistence on using him, especially Pep who made him his pet project. I guess, you can shove dirt on whoever is no longer there though.
With him gone and THAT front 3, I'm really intrigued by how Barca will play this year. The midfield and defense seem to still be a question mark for me and I could see there being a lot of high scoring games. I'll probably watch Barcelona the most this year since the year Cesc joined up. I feel like this is a year of reinvention.
The decline of Barcelona over the past few seasons has many reasons, and CESC ain't in the top five. That article makes it seem like he was numero uno, which isn't true.
1. The decline and fall of Xavi
He was the best player on the planet for a good five years; a magician and all that. But his play has fallen off a cliff. His health problems have been crucial because there is no other player like him - no one thinks they can swap out Xavi and swap in {Z} and get nearly the same results. He's unique, he's special and he's getting older.
2. The decline of Puyol
Losing their hardest working defender to injury and Father Time left them with a gaping hole in the back. As a team that uses possession as defense, losing Puyol as the steady leader was a problem.
3. Pique's Form
What happened to this guy? Also health related but he should be in his prime and taking a larger role. Unfortunately, he has not been dependable, even when healthy.
4. Pep Leaving / Board Shenanigans
This is tied together. Losing the best club coach in the world is always a problem. Having a shady board doing shady things hasn't helped. And bringing in guys like Alex Song was a major mistake - the club should have aimed higher. Losing Thiago also fits here - as does buying Cesc - but it has been an on-going issue for several years and it all goes back to LaPorta fucking up repeatedly in the transfer market, especially after Puyol's injury/Abidal's relapse.
5. Coaching
Trying to shoehorn in Cesc also probably fits here, but so does trying to shoehorn in Alexis Sanchez and Neymar, two more guys who didn't fit the tiki-taka, Xavi-puppetmaster system. Losing Villanova to cancer was obviously horrible; would any of these problems be as bad had he been healthy? Martino was a mistake, but was handed an aging (but still awesome) roster with health problems and told to finish first. Hard task.
I think the author has a thread of the problem - fitting in Cesc - but has gone too far in making that the WHOLE problem. It is, as I say, not in the top five. It affects some of those top five issues, but Cesc wasn't the driver to any of them specifically. He is a convenient target because of the timing and because the author clearly will not address points 1 and 2 honestly, has basically ignored 3, and has conflated Cesc's role in 4 and 5 into much bigger than it was.
1. The decline and fall of Xavi
He was the best player on the planet for a good five years; a magician and all that. But his play has fallen off a cliff. His health problems have been crucial because there is no other player like him - no one thinks they can swap out Xavi and swap in {Z} and get nearly the same results. He's unique, he's special and he's getting older.
2. The decline of Puyol
Losing their hardest working defender to injury and Father Time left them with a gaping hole in the back. As a team that uses possession as defense, losing Puyol as the steady leader was a problem.
3. Pique's Form
What happened to this guy? Also health related but he should be in his prime and taking a larger role. Unfortunately, he has not been dependable, even when healthy.
4. Pep Leaving / Board Shenanigans
This is tied together. Losing the best club coach in the world is always a problem. Having a shady board doing shady things hasn't helped. And bringing in guys like Alex Song was a major mistake - the club should have aimed higher. Losing Thiago also fits here - as does buying Cesc - but it has been an on-going issue for several years and it all goes back to LaPorta fucking up repeatedly in the transfer market, especially after Puyol's injury/Abidal's relapse.
5. Coaching
Trying to shoehorn in Cesc also probably fits here, but so does trying to shoehorn in Alexis Sanchez and Neymar, two more guys who didn't fit the tiki-taka, Xavi-puppetmaster system. Losing Villanova to cancer was obviously horrible; would any of these problems be as bad had he been healthy? Martino was a mistake, but was handed an aging (but still awesome) roster with health problems and told to finish first. Hard task.
I think the author has a thread of the problem - fitting in Cesc - but has gone too far in making that the WHOLE problem. It is, as I say, not in the top five. It affects some of those top five issues, but Cesc wasn't the driver to any of them specifically. He is a convenient target because of the timing and because the author clearly will not address points 1 and 2 honestly, has basically ignored 3, and has conflated Cesc's role in 4 and 5 into much bigger than it was.
The one good point the article does make is how idiotic they were to allow Thiago to sit on the bench enough to trigger his release clause. They won the league by 15 points that year, they surely could have found more games for him.
IIRC they misread his clause and thought they were fine, only to find out after the season that they were, in fact, not fine.
sf121:
1. I think you answered your own point. You can't replace Xavi. You have to put someone else in there and you're probably going to have to change your playing style as a result. At the same time, Xavi was still there and they were changing the system to accommodate other players. A system in which Xavi was less effective. With Xavi and Cesc gone, I'm fascinated to see how the midfield looks this season.
2. Again, the author says that defense was a big issue for the club at the time they bought Cesc. Rather than buying a defender (Thiago Silva?), they went after Cesc, which was more of a publicity stunt than what that club needed.
3-5 are valid.
For me, it's been hard to understand what happened with Cesc. I watched a little bit of his first season with Barca but it was like watching the love of your life with another guy. I didn't get all of the criticism, so this piece helped me get a better understanding of how things went down. As you said, it's not all on Cesc and Cesc didn't cause all of this. But the post is about Cesc and the blogger is actually making an argument or laying out a view point as he sees it with evidence/events. It reads more like an essay than a book, but I like reading essays. I would probably read a book about Barcelona during this time period because there was so much going on, a few of which you mentioned 1-5.
1. I think you answered your own point. You can't replace Xavi. You have to put someone else in there and you're probably going to have to change your playing style as a result. At the same time, Xavi was still there and they were changing the system to accommodate other players. A system in which Xavi was less effective. With Xavi and Cesc gone, I'm fascinated to see how the midfield looks this season.
2. Again, the author says that defense was a big issue for the club at the time they bought Cesc. Rather than buying a defender (Thiago Silva?), they went after Cesc, which was more of a publicity stunt than what that club needed.
3-5 are valid.
For me, it's been hard to understand what happened with Cesc. I watched a little bit of his first season with Barca but it was like watching the love of your life with another guy. I didn't get all of the criticism, so this piece helped me get a better understanding of how things went down. As you said, it's not all on Cesc and Cesc didn't cause all of this. But the post is about Cesc and the blogger is actually making an argument or laying out a view point as he sees it with evidence/events. It reads more like an essay than a book, but I like reading essays. I would probably read a book about Barcelona during this time period because there was so much going on, a few of which you mentioned 1-5.
This:
2. Again, the author says that defense was a big issue for the club at the time they bought Cesc. Rather than buying a defender (Thiago Silva?), they went after Cesc, which was more of a publicity stunt than what that club needed.
is what they do year after year after year. There were Thierry Henry, Hleb, Ibrahimovic, D.Villa, Afellay, Adriano, Alexis, Cesc and various others before, after and in between.
On the defense, there were guys like Milito or Chygrinskyyyyy and some more. Why not buy big name guys for the defense? Pique was bought for cheap and a lottery ticket find. Nice done, but why not spend some buckets for someone like Thiago Silva, Hummels (he won´t come over, but someone like him, young, experienced, etc.) as a CB.
2. Again, the author says that defense was a big issue for the club at the time they bought Cesc. Rather than buying a defender (Thiago Silva?), they went after Cesc, which was more of a publicity stunt than what that club needed.
is what they do year after year after year. There were Thierry Henry, Hleb, Ibrahimovic, D.Villa, Afellay, Adriano, Alexis, Cesc and various others before, after and in between.
On the defense, there were guys like Milito or Chygrinskyyyyy and some more. Why not buy big name guys for the defense? Pique was bought for cheap and a lottery ticket find. Nice done, but why not spend some buckets for someone like Thiago Silva, Hummels (he won´t come over, but someone like him, young, experienced, etc.) as a CB.
After all of the reports of his imminent departure this summer, it looks like Xavi will be at Barcelona for at least one more season.
http://www.espnfc.us/story/1956549/xavi-hernandez-to-stay-at-barcelona-through-2015reports
I am glad he is staying around for another year, and I hope the report in the article that he will have a reduced role is true. I don't think he is able to be a full time starter at this point in his career. While Suarez is suspended and Neymar is recovering from the broken back, I am guessing that Iniesta will play LW, Messi CF and Pedro RW with a MF of Sergio, Xavi and Rakitic. Iniesta can drop back to MF when Xavi needs a break, and Pedro will start at LW and Deulofeu at RW. When Suarez and Neymar return, I think Xavi goes to the bench and Sergio, Rakitic and Iniesta start in the MF.
http://www.espnfc.us/story/1956549/xavi-hernandez-to-stay-at-barcelona-through-2015reports
I am glad he is staying around for another year, and I hope the report in the article that he will have a reduced role is true. I don't think he is able to be a full time starter at this point in his career. While Suarez is suspended and Neymar is recovering from the broken back, I am guessing that Iniesta will play LW, Messi CF and Pedro RW with a MF of Sergio, Xavi and Rakitic. Iniesta can drop back to MF when Xavi needs a break, and Pedro will start at LW and Deulofeu at RW. When Suarez and Neymar return, I think Xavi goes to the bench and Sergio, Rakitic and Iniesta start in the MF.
OilCanMDS said:
Definitely a positive and unexpected development. With so many big changes upcoming this season, having a calming influence like Xavi around will provide a huge benefit. I think you nail the usage plan Oil Can, but the big question is who will play the big games (i.e. what will be the most effective lineup)? St. Andres as an AMF in front of MSN would be really interesting and I think he can provide a lot of what Xavi does, but with more forward runs like Xavi used to provide in addition to sublime passing, but Xavi is still Xavi and if he's well rested, maybe he can out-Xavi Iniesta. One idea I came up with last night would be to play Masch and Sergio in the MF at the same time. This presupposes that Masch isn't deployed as a CB (gotta reel in Mathieu or another bona fide CB), but pair those 2 in MF with Iniesta (or possibly Rakitic - I don't know HIS game as well), and that's a fearsome 4-3-3.
Zoso, your proposed midfield with Mascherano and Sergio just became much more likely. Barcelona signed Mathieu for 20 mil. It looks like Barca blinked in the negotiations with Valencia and met their asking price. It's weird seeing Barca sign an actual defender.
http://www.espnfc.us/story/1957642/barcelona-announce-20-million-euro-jeremy-mathieu-deal
http://www.espnfc.us/story/1957642/barcelona-announce-20-million-euro-jeremy-mathieu-deal
OilCanMDS said:
That's just terrific news! I think it was Ray Hudson who was saying on BeIn Sports the other night that he thought that Mathieu was the best CB in La Liga. I don't know that I would go that far (Godin's play last season was outstanding for one), but with Barca's support, I could Mathieu playing at a very high level - helping both club and player. Him and Pique should be a formidable CB tandem, with Bartra getting rotated in as well. I expect Jordi Alba will play a ton of RB, but I wonder if Adriano will get more time at LB at the expense of Dani Alves. I think if Barca could sell Dani for a reasonable amount, they probably would at this point. While I love Masch, I expect him to spell Sergio as DMF a bit, and not play them together. I just can't see Enrique keeping Iniesta AND Rakitic on the sideline too often. When healthy, I think Barca's best lineup is:
Ter Stergen
Alba-Mathieu-Pique-Alves/Adriano
Sergio
Rakitic-Iniesta
Neymar-Suarez-Messi
Xavi
Pedro
Mascherano
Bartra
Although, I could see Mascherano replacing Rakitic depending on how defensive Enrique wants to be.
Until Neymar and Suarez get back though? How about:
TS
Alba-Mathieu-Pique-Adriano/Alba
Mascherano
Sergio-Rakitic
Iniesta-Messi-Pedro
Xavi first man off the bench.
I don't know how much others like Delofeu, Montoya, Song, Afellay, Alcantara and Sergio Roberto will play.
Thomas Vermaelen now in the fold:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2156426-barcelona-transfer-news-thomas-vermaelen-deal-reportedly-struck-latest-rumours?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=fc-barcelona
This makes me extremely happy. CB has been Barca's biggest weakness the past couple of years and adding Mathieu and Vermaelen to Pique and Bartra is a solid CB core. This team can now be confident at the back against top flight competition, or at least has the talent to match up. Big moves.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2156426-barcelona-transfer-news-thomas-vermaelen-deal-reportedly-struck-latest-rumours?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=fc-barcelona
This makes me extremely happy. CB has been Barca's biggest weakness the past couple of years and adding Mathieu and Vermaelen to Pique and Bartra is a solid CB core. This team can now be confident at the back against top flight competition, or at least has the talent to match up. Big moves.
Does this mean that Barca will run some 3-5-2 this season? I've seen rumblings about using that formation in some articles. I'm not even sure how that team would look.Zososoxfan said:
Mascherano, Pique, Mathieu, Vermaelen and Bartra will handle the back 3 spots. Assuming Neymar and Suarez play up top with Messi playing in a CAM role, the problem is choosing who of Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic, Xavi, Pedro, Alba, Alves, Rafinha and Roberto plays in the four remaining MF spots. I think Busquets, Iniesta and Rakitic are likely to be playing, maybe with Iniesta on the outside left and Rakitic and Busquets in a central double pivot. Pedro maybe plays on the outside on the right.
Who will be the #1 for Barca?
I read Bravo made a huge mistake in the friendly vs. Napoli.
Is this an open race between him an ter Stegen or was someone picked to be the starter?
Until the WC, everyone in Germany thought that ter Stegen will become the starter, although i personally thought that this may not end well for him and the move may came a season too early. Now, in german media, the mood is more like it is a 50-50 decision between Bravo and ter Stegen...
I read Bravo made a huge mistake in the friendly vs. Napoli.
Is this an open race between him an ter Stegen or was someone picked to be the starter?
Until the WC, everyone in Germany thought that ter Stegen will become the starter, although i personally thought that this may not end well for him and the move may came a season too early. Now, in german media, the mood is more like it is a 50-50 decision between Bravo and ter Stegen...
Suarez's lost his appeal with CAS, but he can train with the club and play in friendlies.
http://www.espnfc.com/blog/name/93/post/1985561/headline
http://www.espnfc.com/blog/name/93/post/1985561/headline
Neymar is in the starting XI in the friendly against Leon today, and Suarez is expected to play. I'm having trouble focusing at work because of the prospect of Neymar, Messi, Suarez and Iniesta being on the field together today. Anybody know if this game is available anywhere on the internet?
How do you guys typically watch Barca matches? Who covers them? I'm hoping to watch some La Liga and I'd love to see Messi, Neymar, Suarez, etc.
Thanks for the link, MMS.
Laser Show, I watch the games on beIN generally, but I think there is a spanish language live stream on youtube of every La Liga game. I can't find anything right now confirming that. The La Liga youtube channel says "Do you to want watch your team every week?" so it looks like they could still be doing it. (https://www.youtube.com/user/laliga)
Laser Show, I watch the games on beIN generally, but I think there is a spanish language live stream on youtube of every La Liga game. I can't find anything right now confirming that. The La Liga youtube channel says "Do you to want watch your team every week?" so it looks like they could still be doing it. (https://www.youtube.com/user/laliga)
Thanks OilCan, I'll keep an eye on that this weekend when games start. That's gonna be my best legal bet I think.OilCanMDS said:
Only saw the first 30 minutes or so, but Barca looked strong. They were pressing high up the pitch, like the Pep squads, had some excellent combos in attack, and looked shaky, but decent at the back. Messi had a nice finish, and so did Neymar. Neymar in particular, finally looked like himself in the blaugrana jersey. Rafinha was the only surprise selection. Mathieu showed some wheels for a CB his age. He also made an excellent run into the box that almost connected for a quality chance. Rakitic played very well and is not a midget like Iniesta and Messi - hopefully that will help Barca defend setpieces. Bravo started in goal, but I read somewhere that Ter Stergen is injured. Alves got the start at RB. Rafinha started at RW and played pretty well. Apparently, Barca ended up with 6 goals, so I'll watch the rest of the match on my DVR this evening.
Ter Stegen hurt his back in practice. I haven't seen a timetable for when he is going to return.Zososoxfan said:
Rakitic looked awesome the entire time he was on the field (I think about 60 minutes). His hard work in the midfield and long distance shooting really complements the rest of the midfield well. His passing was also excellent throughout the game.
In the second half, Barca fielded the kids along with Xavi and Pique. Munir looked really good in front of goal, and Sandro had some flashes of quality, but also seemed to be too selfish at times. Sergi Samper, a defensive mid on Barca B, played very well. His passing was smooth and he seemed to read the game well for positioning and intercepting passes.
Suarez came on for the last ten minutes. He looked rusty and wasn't very involved in the two goals scored while he was on.
Barca lost the appeal of the transfer ban. They are doing a final appeal with CAS.
http://www.espnfc.com/barcelona/story/1994228/fifa-reject-barca-appeal-over-transfer-ban
http://www.espnfc.com/barcelona/story/1994228/fifa-reject-barca-appeal-over-transfer-ban
I imagine that we see one more transfer then (c'mon Cuadrado!), since they wont be able to spend money for another year. Also, help a lazy man out and tell me whether Barca can still sell players during the windows. Obviously, they can't pickup any new guys, but is it a complete transfer ban? Wouldn't that be kinda illegal??
I don't think Barca will sign Cuadrado. It looks like they are going to sign Douglas from Sao Paolo as a replacement for Alves at RB. (http://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3875/transfer-zone/2014/08/19/5044132/barcelona-set-to-sign-48m-douglas-sao-paulo-confirm). He is only 24 and will cost 6 mil euros. I had not heard of him before this rumor started popping up a few days ago, so I'm concerned about whether he is good enough to replace Alves.
My guess would be that Douglas is their last signing of this window, and maybe of the next year.
My guess would be that Douglas is their last signing of this window, and maybe of the next year.
Interesting start to the season. Obviously, got the 3 points, so happy with that. The cat running on the pitch had to be thrown by a fan right? Either way, I was entertained. Bravo didn't get tested and only looked sketchy playing the ball once. Alba was his usual fast self, I'm a bit surprised he doesn't jump into the attack more often though. Mathieu played a terrific game and was a brilliant pickup. Masch had good distribution and tackling, but then made an awful decision on his tackle that led to a red. Dani looked decent on offense, but his defense is still leaky. I don't think Barca have given up on Cuadrado yet, but are waiting to see if his price will come down. Sergio did his thang and ran the MF. Rakitic looks like the perfect compliment to a DMF and AMF. He gets stuck in and has the ability to tackle well, but also facilitates the offense with slick passing. Huge fan already. Iniesta played well with the 3 forwards and combo'd nicely. Messi was magical and looked reinvigorated. The Barca system really gets the most out of his skillset. Munir really impressed. He brought a skillset of using his body to shield defenders away we haven't really seen since Etoo/ZLATAN. I think he will continue to merit PT. Ray Hudson was all over Rafinha, but I thought his play was unremarkable. When he came out for Bartra I was pleased Lucho had the same thought as me.
It's obviously early and Elche is not a strong Liga side, but it's nice to see younger players on the field and Barca press high up. This was always an underratedly important aspect to Pep's squads. They refused to let teams build out of the back, but they also had the speed in defense to recover longballs. I really hope Pique is feeling the heat from Mathieu, Bartra, and Vertonghen (the signing itself, not his play obviously). He has more talent than the rest IMHO, but he lost his confidence or focus or something last season that really hurt when Puyol couldn't be his usual self. Lucho has good options throughout his squad to match opposition. For instance, if Barca is worried about controlling the MF, they could play Masch and Sergio as DMFs, and play 2 forwards instead of 3. If they're playing the Liga drek, I think we see a lot of Masch at CB, because his distribution is so good.
It's obviously early and Elche is not a strong Liga side, but it's nice to see younger players on the field and Barca press high up. This was always an underratedly important aspect to Pep's squads. They refused to let teams build out of the back, but they also had the speed in defense to recover longballs. I really hope Pique is feeling the heat from Mathieu, Bartra, and Vertonghen (the signing itself, not his play obviously). He has more talent than the rest IMHO, but he lost his confidence or focus or something last season that really hurt when Puyol couldn't be his usual self. Lucho has good options throughout his squad to match opposition. For instance, if Barca is worried about controlling the MF, they could play Masch and Sergio as DMFs, and play 2 forwards instead of 3. If they're playing the Liga drek, I think we see a lot of Masch at CB, because his distribution is so good.
Zososoxfan said:
Good summary. Munir looked great IMO. I can't wait to see Suarez and Neymar though especially to see Suarez's relentless off-the-ball press. If Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Iniesta pester opposing defenders off-the-ball, Barca can really regain it's dominance I believe. I think you're right about Rakitic being a mix of attacking and defensive midfielder. Looked like he certainly did a lot of defensive work. Mathieu was really excellent and composed and looked pretty quick out there especially moving from the centre to cover wide.
La Liga should be great this year.
Not sure where to post this, but found this nice article about the smallest club ever in La Liga:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/aug/25/eibar-la-liga-fairytale-introduction
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/aug/25/eibar-la-liga-fairytale-introduction
I thought Barcelona looked great in the opener, and it made me excited about the Enrique era. I was especially happy with the way the team fit together on attack and pressing D with Rakitic instead of Cesc in the 3rd MF spot.
In other news, the transfer for Douglas from Sao Paolo is done: http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/detail/article/initial-agreement-for-douglas-pereira
I think this will probably be Barca's last move in this transfer window. I doubt Douglas sees much time this year, and I suspect he will be groomed to compete for first team action next season.
In other news, the transfer for Douglas from Sao Paolo is done: http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/detail/article/initial-agreement-for-douglas-pereira
I think this will probably be Barca's last move in this transfer window. I doubt Douglas sees much time this year, and I suspect he will be groomed to compete for first team action next season.
Sketchy win yesterday against Villareal. Against a much tougher opponent, Barca did not look as smooth as week 1. I'm puzzled as to why Rafinha is getting so much PT, I imagine it's because he has a high workrate, but I really haven't been impressed with him so far. In any event, the team struggled on offense without Xavi or Iniesta in the MF. I thought Rakitic might come inside a bit more, but they seem to want him to push wide (usually to the right), maybe to keep Alves from attacking nonstop? Xavi made a nice impact on the game when he came on at '70. Also, I imagine Lucho just wanted to rest Andres ahead of the international games coming up. Messi was his usual awesome self. Pedro seems like he's not as effective as other attackers lately. Munir was quiet, but Neymar and Sandro both played well after coming on in the second half. Mathieu showed off serious wheels again, but had some sketchy moments at the back. A couple of dangerous Villareal attacks came down Alves' side, but I didn't watch the second half as closely, so more of the blame may fall on Sergio and/or Pique. I think we will see more rotating at FB as the season goes on, to match the opponent. i.e. I think and hope we see Adriano or other FB instead of Alves against RM and other teams with strong wing players. The space Dani allows behind him is just too dangerous for those games. But, I'm sure we'll also see lots of rotation in the MF and FW to keep everyone fresh. For now though, a tough road win against one of the better Liga sides early on is important and good.
Solid game against Bilbao. The main concern I have heard after the match is that Bilbao didn't look overmatched, but I think that is more of a testament to Bilbao rather than a knock on Barcelona. I continue to be really impressed with the way Rakitic has fit into the midfield. His work off the ball really helps to cover for any runs forward by the RB and his passing has been impressive. Messi looks like he is healthy again and has a nice edge to his game so far. Munir has played well, especially considering his age, but needs to do a better job of finishing or at least making the keeper work if Barca is going to continue to give him playing time in big games.
OilCanMDS said:
I don't think Pedro will be around very long either. I think he would've been shipped out already, but Barca decided to go conservative considering the transfer ban. With Munir and Sandro looking solid in addition to SNM, something has to give. I love me some Pedro and was very sad to see Alexis go too, but there's really just not enough PT for everyone once Suarez gets back.
Edit: Case of the Mondays
Luis Enrique has reinvigorated this Barcelona team. The team's defense, which was often questioned last year, has returned to exceptional form: they've yet to concede a goal this year. I'm usually pretty negative about Alba (small and likely to get too far up the pitch) and Alves (very offensive), but Enrique's system is maximizing talent.
bosox4283 said:
I agree that the team looked very coherent yesterday. Messi playing deeper is paying great dividends, Neymar looks lively, and the team generally looks aggressive on defense which was obviously not the case (nor the plan) last year. Even though he scored, Pedro has another substandard game and I'd be shocked if he gets enough PT to keep him happy when Suarez returns. Rakitic and Mathieu were clearly important and awesome pickups. Rakitic in particular is a tremendous fit next to Sergio because he allows the third MF (usually Iniesta) lots of freedom while also contributing to the attack. I'm surprised with the reasons you're not an Alba fan bosox. I haven't been his biggest supporter in the past, but that was because he was overly defensive for someone of his ability. This year, he's been charging forward more frequently and he's much more effective than Alves at this point. As the season goes on, I expect to see much more rotation at RB than LB. Pique should have a fire under his ass after getting his starting spot taken away by Mathieu/Mascherano. I ultimatately think it will be good for him. Will be very interesting to see the rotation once Vermaelen starts getting PT as well. Against stronger competition, it will be a luxury to have 3 bona fide tall CBs (Mathieu, Vermaelen, Pique) as aerial attacks, especially set pieces, have been Barca's biggest weakness in recent years. While it's nice that Barca looks great and is top of the table, Hudson and Schoen pointed out that Barca was top of the table going into 2014 as well, so it's really about consistency. The rotation of players will certainly help that, just trying to temper my optimism.
I just finished Fear and Loathing in La Liga, Sid Lowe's recently published history of the Barcelona-Real Madrid rivalry and wanted to give it a plug here. For somebody who didn't know a huge amount about the history of the two clubs, this book was both really entertaining and illuminating - it covers topics from their pre-Civil War origins, the complicated politics of Spanish soccer under the Franco regime (and why the idea that Barcelona was anti-Franco and Madrid pro-Franco is far too simplistic), the great teams of the 1950s and early 1960s featuring Kubala and Di Stefano and why the Barcelona has gotten a raw deal in historical remembrance of that time, the resurgence of Barcelona under Cruyff, first as player then as coach, the hugely talented but ultimately disappointing Madrid teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Barcelona "Dream Team" of the early-to-mid 1990s, the Galacticos, and the Mourinho-Guardiola rivalry in recent years. Lowe is extremely well connected - the number of central figures (players, club directors, former coaches) that he interviews from each side is extremely impressive for a book like this, and it gives the book not just credibility but also an unusual amount of color.
Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
Thanks, was thinking about picking this up, I enjoy his writing in the Guardian. Have you read Phil Ball's Morbo? If you have, how does Lowe's book compare?
Lowe is an interesting guy in that in addition to being a football beat writer/columnist he's also a published academic historian on the Spanish Civil War -- Wikipedia tells me that his Ph.D. dissertation was published as a book titled, "Catholicism, War and the Foundation of Francoism: The Juventud de Accion Popular in Spain, 1932-1937." (Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Catholicism-War-Foundation-Francoism-Juventud/dp/1845193733) There aren't too many sportswriters with that sort of academic background.
coremiller said:
I haven't read Morbo (Would you recommend it?) so I can't speak to the comparison but Lowe's book is definitely worth reading.
I didn't know that about his academic background but it makes sense in retrospect. One of the big strengths of the book is his ability to place everything going on at the clubs within the broader social and political context, be that the Civil War, the nature of the Franco regime, the democratization movement, or other key dynamics like Catalan nationalism. I learned a lot from the book, not just about Spanish football but also about Spain.
Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
I liked Morbo but didn't love it. It's a decent overview of the history of the Spanish game, with a focus on sociocultural context and with good coverage of teams outside the RM/Barca axis and a lot of info on the early days. But it can be a bit breezy and anecdote heavy (e.g. using conversations with one's taxi driver as evidence about a club's culture), and I doubt it had anything like the thorough primary-source research that Lowe's book probably has. I didn't like it enough to feel compelled to go out and buy Ball's book on the history of Real Madrid (which would have been more of a direct comp to Lowe's book, I suppose), so that says something -- for example, I loved Inverting the Pyramid enough that I slogged through Wilson's biography of Brian Clough.
I just watched the delayed broadcast of the PSG game, and I'm not really sure what to make of it. Barcelona looked awful on set pieces, including some questionable decisions by ter Stegen. In open play, the teams looked pretty even and Lucas and Pastore were creating a lot of issues for the Barcelona defense. I guess outside of Muniain those two are the first real attackers Barcelona has encountered that can create off the dribble. I'm not really sure if Barcelona's defenders had a bad day or if players that create off the dribble will be an issue going forward, which would be a big issue against Real.
The attack looked pretty solid and there were a lot of chances to equalize. When PSG put 10 or 11 behind the ball, this wasn't like the last couple seasons when Barcelona would be unable to even create chances. The chances were there, but a combination of great defending (especially a ridiculous sliding block by Marquinhos on an Alba shot) and poor finishing (looking at you, Sandro) prevented Barca from evening it up.
The attack looked pretty solid and there were a lot of chances to equalize. When PSG put 10 or 11 behind the ball, this wasn't like the last couple seasons when Barcelona would be unable to even create chances. The chances were there, but a combination of great defending (especially a ridiculous sliding block by Marquinhos on an Alba shot) and poor finishing (looking at you, Sandro) prevented Barca from evening it up.
My stupid DVR decided not to record, so I missed this one. From what I saw in highlights, it seems like Mascherano was in there. Part of getting Mathieu and Vermaelen in the offseason was being able to play 2 bona fide CBs at the same to help on set pieces. So, I think it's time Lucho started playing 2/3 of Pique, Mathieu, and Vermaelen for games like yesterday. Also, it looks like Dani Alves was pretty weak on a couple of the goals. He's really best-suited for playing against the minnows, and playing a more conservative FB against big dogs. However, I also read that Alba and Ter Stergen had bad games, so take that FWIW. Lastly, I also read that Rakitic and the other MF did not help Sergio on D at all. If that's the case, Lucho needs to remind Rakitic that his best attribute is precisely the fact that he contributes offense WHILE ALSO providing defensive support box-to-box.
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