How To Beat Barcelona

i know there is "an official thread" about the barcelona thing, but this one can get put together into the other one if nessccary.

ive been talking about why cant we play like jose's inter did, and why some of his moves in transfer window go in a way to make us play like INTER did

im gonna go ahead and quote an article plus im going to add some of my own to make a quick analysis of what i mean, making real madrid play like inter and even better.

when inter played barcelona you could really see that inter managed to take control of barcelona's passing ability and counter them using through balls and high powered attacks.

now as we all know, the current barcelona engine is so strong that any team that tries to go play "football" with them is gonna get eternally raped... only way to counter their game is by doing just that.. counter attack.

here come some quotes.. and big piece from the article.. my words will be in black, the article's which i will post in its entirety in red.

"And thus, we indulge ourselves in the ever-engaging discussion on how to stop Barca.

To conduct this study, three games were studied.

1. Internazionale vs Barcelona - 1st leg of UCL, Semi Finals, San Siro, 2010

2. Barcelona vs Real Madrid - 1st Clasico, La Liga, Camp Nou, 2010

3. Real Madrid vs Barcelona - 2nd Clasico, La Liga, Santiago Bernabeu, 2011


From the above, we have categorized our research into two further categories:

1. How the present Barca are better from the one in San Siro game?

2. What Jose did at the San Siro but has kept concealed over the next two fixtures against Barca?


1. How the present Barca are better from the one in the San Siro game?

It sounds bizarre… each year when you hear that a Barcelona team has improved over its predecessors. But Pep manages it.

a. Iniesta
He was injured during the crucial stages of the last campaign. Jose dint have the problem of stopping Iniesta while at Inter.

b. Being open for the pass
Barca dint do this as well last year. When a team mate has the ball, they make sure this year that at least 2 if not 3 of them are at a suitable angle to receive a pass. They move together in cohesion during build up play. You’ll never find a Barca player lose possession for lack of options to pass to. You might have…a year ago.

c. End-to-End game
This is something they did well at the first Clasico. When the opponent team pushes up in search of a goal, instead of getting sucked into the flow of a stretched, end to end game, Barca occupy and populate a zone in the middle of the park ( with Messi dropping deep ), hold on to the ball for a while, appearing complacent and content to keep possession, and then suddenly change tempo before releasing their forward runners like Villa and Pedro who are waiting to pounce on a through ball. This has proved lethal on more than a few occasions.

d. Messi – the complete footballer
If someone asked you what was Messi’s best trait a couple of years ago, you would have shrugged and said Dribbling… But today, you can’t be sure if it is passing or finishing or dribbling. His game improves each year. With his passing ability shown by the number of assists he has this season, opponents have yet another problem to deal with.

e. David Villa
His predecessor in Zlatan was much less mobile and much less generous with his contributions to the team in tracking back, defending, playing second fiddle to Messi and the likes. He is the most likely scorer tonight following the beating of Madrid’s offside trap.

f. Intensity
As if it were possible, Barca plays at much higher intensity this season. This includes both the speed of their passing & movement as well as their pressing. It’s literally like they are possessive of the ball and won’t let you have it.

g. Playing through the middle
This was always Barca’s favourite way of scoring. But it was also the hardest way of scoring. Teams used this against Barca and defended deep and narrow. Most unbelievably, Barca have mastered the 1-2 game through the middle and teams now fear defending too deep and too narrow against them.


2. What Jose did at the San Siro but has kept concealed over the next two fixtures against Barca?

Firstly…open to debate is the question as to which game Jose will choose to show is trump card(s). The Copa finals or the UCL 1st leg? My guess is a bit in both. But from what I know of Jose…if you see him dressed sharp with the tie et al, then that game is the one. There are more than a few things he can do differently to the last two Clasicos.

a. The long through ball to Ronaldo, the lone striker?
Here is an interesting statistic for you:

Number of times a Madrid player was caught offside in the first classic: 2
Number of times a Madrid player was caught offside in the second clasico: 1

Number of times an Inter player was caught offside in the SF 1st leg: 9

Need I say more? When you have Ronaldo’s pace and the high line of Barca to run against, one can expect Jose to use Alonso in the “ Sneijder “ role to launch through balls to beat the offside trap rather than loft the long ball for Adebayor to hold till his team mates join him.

Note however that Ronaldo needs to get even with Puyol who has dominated him almost every time the two have come up against each other. Milito had a successful game against Barca because he not only made good runs, but he also withstood the bullying of Puyol.

b. Kaka
One of the best counter attacker s in the game today, Jose has kept him tucked under his sleeve. He was Madrid’s best player in attack at the Camp Nou last year. He has good chemistry with Ronaldo. The two can combine to torment Barca on their day.

c. Pressing or Covering Spaces?
This is another thing I think Jose has been saving for the coming two games. Jose so successfully employed the strategy of sitting back, covering spaces ( pressing only occasionally ) and not losing organization with Inter against Barca. It’s beyond me as to why he has been deploying the pressing tactic with Real. It is just plain and simple impossible to press the ball with Barca in full flow. They are too quick with their feet and if anything, thrive on playing monkey in the middle with the pressers.

And if you do press Barca, you need to do it the way Pepe did it in the last game. Impose your physicality, jockey them, nudge them around, commit soft fouls, break up the rhythm, and put in the tough tackle at the right times. But the Madrid players just run at them, as if to try to scare them into losing possession. With their limited tackling ability, they come out with little success even on the odd occasion when they commit to a tackle.

Pepe’s success may suggest that he might use Lassana Diarra to do the same. But on any given day, it is safer to close the spaces and maintain the organization against this Barca side.

d. Drawing the foul
Jose Mourinho sides infamously draw soft fouls to slow down the game, break up play and keep control of it. Madrid have seldom done this thus far against Barcelona. One could maybe expect more of this in the upcoming fixtures.

e. Using the Right flanks
All three of Inters goals at the San Siro were created via the right flank. Madrid have hardly showed off their knowledge of this up till now.

f. Using the sideline to cut short the pressing
If Madrid are not going long, then this is a relatively safer way to build up play. With only half a side to press from for Barca, Madrid can use the wings to take the ball forward without being pressed off the ball from all sides.

g. Tempo Change
Inter dint play the full game at the same tempo. There were stages when their defence sat the edge of the box and let Barca have the ball, and there were stages when they suddenly pushed up, showed extra aggression, took risks and put pressure on the Barca defence. Jose knows these high tempo stages require extra energy and concentration against Barca. He might have even studied Barca’s intensity peaks and troughs. He will therefore execute these tempo changes suitably. Maybe at the beginning of the second half…or something like that?


3. Other relevant points of importance ahead of tonight’s game

a. As good as Barca are going forward, their defence has always remained suspect. They tend to panic when their backs are against the wall. A composed attack can always take advantage of their lack of confidence in their defending abilities

b. Valdes is one of the best keepers at one on one situations. With Pinto getting his “cup” turn in goal, Barca might not be insured against such situations

c. Barca have a recent history of becoming complacent with a 1 goal lead resulting in the concession of a goal or two. If they repeat the same mistake that they even recently did at the Bernabeu, Madrid will jump at the generosity most willingly

d. Momentum will be a huge factor in tonight’s game. It will determine which team has more morale. The crowd support will be crucial in lieu with the same.

e. Needless to say, luck ( hopefully not ) always plays its part in Jose vs Barca games. Jose needs it more tonight than do Barca. Let’s wait and see.

f. The most glaring problem that Madrid failed to deal with but were lucky to go unpunished for was the Villa runs past the offside trap. The makeshift defence towards the end with Arbeloa and Ramos covering the right half of defence , which is where Villa will be hovering, looked very suspect. If Jose fails to close this hole, then everything else we are discussing will be redundant

g. Comparing X1 against X1, this Barca side has more experience on the big stage. Tonight being a finals might just show up the side with lesser experience.

h. Barca… because of how good they are…almost never get tested for their reaction to adversity. It will be interesting to see their reaction if either Jose comes up with a shock tactic or take the lead in the game.

i. Barca have not been at their best fitness wise, and intensity wise over the past month or so. They conserved their energies on Saturday, and will still have the upcoming clasicos in mind. How much intensity they can/want to turn on tonight will be an important factor in determining the outcome tonight.

j. Madrids best chances came from set pieces in the first game. But the quality in delivery was more often left wanting than not. They need to be more efficient if they are to use these opportunities to their advantage.


Having said all of the above, this Barca is probably the best team in the history of the game. Therefore, it is only appropriate that they get put through the best test possible…a combination of Jose + Madrid. What must follow, what their fate has in store, we will know soon enough…but a second treble in three years is not far from deserved. The only pity is it would mean that all the effort of Jose and his team would go unrewarded.

Can’t Wait!




that is the whole article in its entirety. now it shows many important factors, like pressurizing barcelona, why didnt mourinho try to sit back and wait for them while putting enough pressure to counter attack? instead we had to go for a very tiring pressuring game, which is NOT gonna beat barcelona, in many occasions it might stop it but eventually they will get through, so again why did mourinho decide not to make his team play the way inter did, because he doesnt have the right players?


he doesnt have sneidjer to give his team mates the through balls?

alonso cant do that under pressure

ozil cant do that

SAHIN MIGHT.

he doesnt have maicon to defend well and attack like a beast, (enough so to score a goal himself)

I have bigger chances of doing that than arbeloa

ramos? please ahahaha

COENTRAO MIGHT AT RB.

we need to be able not only to stop them but to kill them, we havnt come close to doing that.. what steps do you think we can get.

id also like to add, luck played an important part in this.

barcelona have been very lucky, they are not unstoppable

barcelona in chelsea semi final

barcelona in real madrid semi

they are lucky through lucky goals and wrong decisions from referees.


barcelona's defense can indeed shaky, and we have to take advantage of it, it would be ideal to try to sit back,pressurize. and attack in a vaeriety and change the rhythm of the games. people still think mourinho is the wrong coach? ffs this man even measures the tempos of the game enough so to have possibily have scored 5 goals against them at the san siro...

before i go, this is a funny comic demonstrating how the nil-nil @ the bernabeu was the intended result but barcelona's acting fcked it up.


WE WOULD BE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE BOYS.

*sigh* that bull crap sell ronaldo thread gets 5 pages, this genius of a post makes 1...

1.. post

fudge u bashtards!

U mad bro?

Press how Espanyol do?

so it worked.... 2 in the pocket.

@mt u didnt read jack shit did u

because you stated the obvious in a lengthy post...

u didnt even read it, say the obvious in a short post please...

sure isnt obvious when most of the posters here wouldnt even have a clue.

I read it last night before going to bed actually lol

go ahead say it in a short post...

You talked about pressing or covering spaces so I said we should press like Espanyol.

i say read the whole thing and give me a better response, than press like espanyol.

press like inter did lol not espanyol.

The Madrid One wrote:go ahead say it in a short post...

lol, what is this? school?

the article in itself is just going over a lot of interesting points. Lengthy and well done analysis.

how do we beat them? your theory is that we have are trying to become Inter, or at least buy the pieces that will help us match what it is made them successful against barca. that's it? that's what i got

no its not only that, the article explains way more than that, but hey if thats the best opinion you can give me fine...


next..

lol, not it's not. how about you summarize it, because i told you what i got. unless there is nothing else?

i'm not seeing the super insight about how to beat them, would you mind enlighting us?

you were wondering why you had no response? i thought it wasnt very ensightful.

ya thats ur opinion, id like to hear others.

i dont need to summarize it if when you read it you will get more out of it.

if you didnt thats your thing, but ill just wait till i get responses, if i get none its their problem.


btw why didnt it get responses? because most people dont care.. instead they go talk about crap like selling ronaldo to man city, and higuain vs benz, but thats another thing...

hmmm i thought so as well...

This is unfair, you obviously got this from huntsman

Build a better chemistry will be a good start

Get in their face with Diamond formation Most important part, Alonso, Sahin and Khedira have to play in midfield. The rest will come together...

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/04/20/inter-3-1-barcelona-tactics-guardiola-mourinho/

Read this.

Simple to say it: We can't play like Inter unless Zlatan is there. He was taking all the space from Messi and that made it easier becouse you didn't need to handle Messi.

"As for Messi – Inter didn’t do anything special to counter his threat. One player – generally Cambiasso – stuck to him tightly when the ball was in and around the penalty area, but there was no specific man-marking duty and he wasn’t much of a danger throughout. Ibrahimovic taking up Messi’s space did a better job for Inter than a man-marking brief ever could."