Lord Hispano wrote:I like how you guys Counter.

Not starting to like how you guys (or Valencia) play though.

Our style is still evolving, but we will never play the boring tiki taka garb consistently.

We are certainly getting better at retaining possession, more confident about it as well.

We press very high in the first minutes to get a decisive lead, and then we open up a little bit to counter.

Possession is important because you cant play Counter all the time, your players will tire out quickly.

I think Valencia lacks a bit of directness

Valencia's problem I'd say is Inconsistancy.

Too many players going on and off.

Soldado, Banega, and Jonas to be percise.

Valencia always concede on counters and its not due to player quality its up to tactics.

As Ray Hudson put it out:

"Tic-Tac-Toe" and BAM we've scored a goal. Only a handful of seconds yes but such perfection is a joy to watch :shisha:

it would be more attractive if there was a thousand square passes a match.

no

LOL @ parking the bus vs Barca. After we pawned them in the Super Cup.

Cruyff is probably touching himself while watching tapes of our last few matches

This is the way football should be played.

I am sure you Madrid fanboys will be criticizing Mou after the Classico.

Poor Barca fans don't know they are in for a trip to the cleaners :study:

Not the most attractive (well done Nick) but certainly a lot more eye pleasing than last season. As for Barcelona fans, they have their right as fans not to take on our own circle jerk but I reckon Pep would be well prepared for the Clasico.

I also would be looking forward to the trip to Valencia, that should be a really nice match...

How do you differentiate eye pleasing and attractive?

I honestly can't as it does seem to be the same thing but I'm just stating we aren't the most attractive team in Europe but we are playing attractive football if you understand where I'm coming from...

Who is playing the most attractive football?

That depends solely on the watcher. As Sport gladly writes, you have your own eyes as I have mine.

City

I think it is between City and Real imo.

I'm sorry but to all the people taking shots at how Barca plays I just don't get it. Between them and Spain it is the most effective system of the last decade and maybe ever as Spain set records for games won in a row not to mention there youth and senior team wining tournament after tournament.

I know it's a personal choice as to what people find attractive but I think people forget how effective this system is especially on the defensive end as people always want to talk about Barca's offense but they forget there defense has been utterly dominant the last few years.

I can see how some could say Spain is boring from time to time but I just don't see how you could watch a bunch of Barca games and say they are boring to watch especially with Messi in the side.

I think part of the problem is the bar is set so high that if they win a game 1 or 2 to 0 people are dissapointed.

For me I don't like Madrid or Mourinho but I can appreciate the football they are playing this year but I think people tend to forget how technically great of a side you have to be to play like Barca but if you like kick and run football I can see how you wouldn't appreciate it.

As for posters saying Mourinho has been judged unfairly or anything like that, that is utter nonsense. Mou has earned his reputation at playing some of the most effective yet hideous football in Europe. And for people to sit here and say what a joy his team is to watch after a half a season playing like this and slam Barca for playing some of the most attractive free flowing and goal scoring football for the last 3-4 years just blows my mind.

Of course he does, but come the big games he will still play with 9 men in the box. So what difference does it make if he beats the Rayos and the Dinamos with gorgeous football if come the CL semi-finals or games against Barca he won't?

St_Nick09_of_Goal wrote:How do you differentiate eye pleasing and attractive?

He's obviously talking about how Madrid football is eye pleasing, while the team is not the most attractive. Looks wise, and all.

I don't understand his point though. I thought they were rich, handsome, and good footballers, but maybe that's just Ronaldo.

halamadrid2 wrote:@dnmac4

to each their own

Mou hasnt ONLY been playing like this for half a season though thats the thing, he has improved our play/chemistry, building on the base he put up last season

Mou has been accused of playing boring hoof the ball football

i rememeber when he was coaching chelsea and everybody used to say:

"same shit different day, cech to terry, terry to drogba....Goal or miss" i mean he has showed that he isnt that defensively minded coaching us, donno about inter as i didnt use to watch them that much, but you have to recognise the beautiful direct free-flowing football he has made our team play, not to mention making this team A TEAM for a chance, and not a bunch of individuals scoring goals to win us games

besides that, he has made us play that high-pressure game in the first half and cruise-control in the second(thats when people call us boring, but what we are doing then is just square passes between our midfield and defence which is what barca have been described of doing i.e. boring football)

now, i am not saying you play solely boring football by any means as i am sure all big teams score some nice beautiful team goals once in a while, but predominantly you play that pass the ball between defence and midfield and bang all of a sudden xavi has chipped it over the defence while the oppositions have been a sleep and messi scores(i mean thats mostly the story isnt it??)

which is why you always struggle vs espanyol as they never leave xavi alone

anyways, i am sure we all have our own styles that we like but to just call Mou boring and Pep entertaining is just a myth

See that's the thing it's not a myth. I totally agree with you that Mou has played way better since he's been at Madrid and it has been more then a half a season playing an attractive brand of football, but that doesn't make up for the YEARS of bad football he played not to mention some of the rugby games he played with Barca last year using a defender as a midfielder. I wish he and us (not much diving) would play like we did in 2 games this season as IMO they were the best games of the year to date.

Pep has always played an attacking brand of football and you cannot say that about Mourinho. It's also a myth that Barca pass it sideways and chip over the top for a goal. If you watch the games for almost the whole game barca has 3 defenders at midfield and 7 players around the opponents area creating chance after chance. It's not uncoomon and actually normal for Barca to have like 20 attempts on goal with 8-10 on target so again if creating chances and putting a ton of shots on goal while never playing a defensive system and always attacking is boring then wow, I don't know wht attractive would be.