Barcelona vs Elche | 8.24.14 | 14:00

Lots of new signings, lots of players gone, some players already injured, and the beginning of an era for us under Luis Enrique.

The season starts at the Camp Nou vs Elche.

Expected line up..

-------------Bravo
-Alves--Pique--Mathieu--Alba--
-----------Busquets
----Rakitic-------Iniesta(c)
Rafinha-----------------Pedro
------------Messi

I've been seeing it a lot and I'd just like to make a statement that it is "Rakitic" not "Rakatic".

Anyway, I'M SO HYPPPPPEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD. I mean if I was hyped just for EPL to start because it's football season again, my hype for Barcelona to start the year is unreal. Despite my woes about defenders, I still have dat preseason optimism. We gonna win the CL outscoring some scrub team 7-5

Will look forward to seeing Mathieu play. Will he start above Masch?

Honestly I think Masch will only play at CB now if we have injuries or if we want to rest some guys at the back. Verm is injured, which means Matheiu will likely start with Pique. Bartra should also be ahead in the pecking order than Masch. I think Masch will come on late for one of our midfielders with the intention of using his hustling and hacking to shut the game down lol

Pique, Matheiu, Verm, Bartra...all of our natural CB's have decent height now. I would much rather any of them than Masch, even though I think Masch will still get the odd start against the lower table teams

It seems Munir will start in place of Pedro tonight.

good I'd like to see the kid in an official game

i may regret saying this but i personally feel we will comfortably win i mean it's just elche.. and were also at home.

Barcelona line-up (official): Bravo - Alves Mascherano Mathieu Alba - Rakitic Busquets Iniesta - Rafinha Messi Munir

I wonder if Pedro is thinking...wtf do I have to do to be a starter lol

btw, that argentinian defender we skipped on last summer looked fantastic today vs Utd

Damn black CAT! Our season is ruined

2 shots on the post???? damn!

If we had one more forward we could be a few goals higher. It's only Elche but I like what I see from almost everyone. The intensity is back, for everyone not named Messi that is, but he's as lively as he gets. Good first half an hour.

Munir's first instinct is pass it to Messi. He has a bright future ahead of him at this club.

well...here we go...

Not sure if that was intentional.

Although knowing Mascherano...

lol just a glimpse of what's comming this season

windkick wrote:I wonder if Pedro is thinking...wtf do I have to do to be a starter lol

Seeing how good Munir is he might think he has to up his game really.

Munir played great, Rafinha was awful.

Jesus. We could of scored like 5 goals that first half. When we finally score, Mascharano immediately turns around and hacks down a runner and gets a red.

Mascherano has always been a red card waiting to happen, I don't get why we didn't just roll with Bartra and Matheiu and had Masch on the bench. It's Elche, we could of afforded to give Bartra a run out there

windkick wrote:Jesus. We could of scored like 5 goals that first half. When we finally score, Mascharano immediately turns around and hacks down a runner and gets a red.

He didn't really hack down the runner though. His feet clipped. Could be accidental although knowing Mascherano I'm sure he meant to do it and hope to get away with it.

Stupid decision all in all. Now you've put the whole team in trouble.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:If we had one more forward we could be a few goals higher. It's only Elche but I like what I see from almost everyone. The intensity is back, for everyone not named Messi that is, but he's as lively as he gets. Good first half an hour.

I think your kinda wrong, Messi many times tracked back to defend for example the corner that we messed up he fouled a player at half line.

if we compare him to munir or rafinha sure he hasn't done as much as them but then again these players are trying their best with the limited minutes they know they'll get.

Munir's first instinct is pass it to Messi. He has a bright future ahead of him at this club.

that pass was to rafinha from the looks of things.

we should sub out rafinha in my opinion
munir messed up but he has hit the post and gotten in the right position

----alves----bartra----mathieu----alba
-----------------buscuit
-----------Rakitic-------Iniesta
----------Messi----------Munir

Maybe sub in Xavi to play it more safe?

btw, is anybody else thankful that Di Maria is out of Real Madrid? I'm sure Atletico feels the same. And with him at Utd, we won't have to potentially deal with facing him again for at least one full year or even longer if they fail to return right away to the UCL.

anyone else find it weird that when Rakitic was in the floor, luis told sergi to warm up??
would of thought it was Xavi..

Donuts wrote:we should sub out rafinha in my opinion
munir messed up but he has hit the post and gotten in the right position

----alves----bartra----mathieu----alba
-----------------buscuit
-----------Rakitic-------Iniesta
----------Messi----------Munir

Maybe sub in Xavi to play it more safe?

Rafinha doesn't look good at all on the wing, not today or in the pre season. Dude's a midfielder. I hope we don't ruin him by trying to play him out of position (Surely Pedro could of started over him on the wing)

Pedro just came back from injury, I feel like Rafinha maybe would do better in the left
that opportunity he had was ruined by trying to switch his feet.

Donuts wrote:anyone else find it weird that when Rakitic was in the floor, luis told sergi to warm up??
would of thought it was Xavi..

Yea, Lucho seems to have a hard on for a certain group of players and it's been pretty obvious since pre season started. Seems like Sergi, Rafinha, Munir all are gonna get allot of playing time and priority under Lucho. Xavi stayed cause he agreed to play back up....but having Sergi warm up ahead of him............just no. I would of rather move Rafinha to replace Rakitic and had Pedro come on to add speed and width. Having Sergi and Rafinha on the right seems like a disaster

Rafinha hauled off for Bartra deservedly.