La Liga 2011-2012 (Week #12): FCBarcelona vs Zaragoza

➫ Upcoming Match
League (Week 12):
Sat 19 Nov, 2011
FC Barcelona vs Zaragoza @8:00PM Barcelona Time

` @9PM Beirut time

===========================

`Gallery: Messi & Masche arriving at Ciutat Esportiva by taxi.http://www.fcbarcelona.es/futbol/primer-equipo/detalle/galeria-de-imagenes/sesion-de-recuperacion-para-messi-y-mascherano


`Injured Players:
- Afellay & Pedro.

===========================

~ Barca vs Zaragoza (head to head) ~
- at home 61 matches (45W, 11D, 5L) scored 155 goals & conceded 49.
- overall (all competitions): 124 matches (68W, 28D, 28L) scored 263goals & conceded 144.
- Biggest Win: 1952/1953(Week 22): FC Barcelona 8 - 0 Real Zaragoza.

~ Barca vs Zaragoza (head to head) - [coached by Guardiola] ~
- at home 2 league matches (2W, 0D, 0L) scored 7 goals & conceded 1.
- overall (all competitions): 4 matches (4W, 0D, 0L) scored 13goals & conceded 3.
- Biggest Win: 2009/2010 (Week FC Barcelona 6 - 1 Real Zaragoza.


~Barca STATS:
https://goallegacy.forumotion.com/t6061-barca-stats-2011-2012
https://goallegacy.forumotion.com/t3127p18-stats-thread

~Messi STATS:
https://goallegacy.forumotion.com/t77-leo-lionel-messi

===========================


`General Stats (La Liga 2011-2012 - Week 9):

`Standing Table
1 Real Madrid CF 28pts +32
2 FC Barcelona 25 +28
3 Valencia CF 24 +8
4 Levante UD 23 +8
5 Sevilla FC 18 +3

`Possession

1- Barcelona 72%
2- Real Madrid 62%
3- Atletico Madrid 56%
4- Valencia 56%
5- Espanyol 54%


`Top Scorers:
1- Lionel Messi 14
2- C.Ronaldo 13
3- Higuain 11
.
.
Fabregas 5
Xavi 4
David Villa 3

`Most Assists
1- Di Maria 10
2- Leo Messi 6
3- C.Ronaldo 5
4- Fabregas 4
Ozil 4
Turan 4

`Top Passers in La Liga/average per game:
1- Xavi 115.7 (94.2 %)
2- Xabi Alonso 89.8 (89.5 %)
3- Dani Alves 86.7 (87.4 %)
4- Ever Banega 82.9 (86.6 %)
5- Thiago Alcántara 82.2 (93.9 %)

=====================

What is your Line-up/Formation & Score Predictions?

I expect us to shut them out and score atleast 3.

~ Barca News ~
¤ Rafina Alcantara (18, Midfielder/false 9) renews with Barca until June 2014
¤ Pedro is back, he trained normally today.
¤ Guardiola: " Abidal is unique and unstoppable physically, I believe that he will renew his contract with Barca "
¤ Injured Players: Adriano (1 Week) and Afellay.

IMO, give some rest for Xavi, so he can be 100% fir for ACMilan's clash on wednesday! if Pedro is 100% fit, he should get some playing time in 2nd half. Alves will most probably start like always:) especially that he's suspended from ACMilan's match!!

Valdes
Alves - Pique Puyol - Abidal
Thiago - Busquets - Iniesta
Alexis - Messi - Villa

OR

Valdes
Alves - Puyol - Abidal
Thiago - Busquets - Iniesta
--------Fabregas-----------
Alexis - Messi - Villa

This line-ups are both unrealistic, I think at least one of Keita/Maxwell will start, probably both. Valdes Alves Pique Fontas/Puyol Maxwell/Abidal Thiago Keita Iniesta/Cesc Alexis Messi Villa

I'd like if Messi doesn't start this game and get rest but this is unlikely. Hopefully Xavi will get a rest, he's tired, he played too much in last 3 seasons and he is also overplayed so far in this season. Since Villarreal game (which he started from the bench) he started in 12 or 13 consecutive matches IIRC. That's too much, all this talk about Cesc coming to get Xavi a rest and yet Maestro is starting in too much games. Hopefully now with fully fit Iniesta and Cesc and Thiago stepping up Xavi will get a rest, he needs it.

Either Cesc should play the false nine role or Villa should spear-head the attack. If things get sticky/difficult which I doubt, then Messi should come in around the sixty minute mark.

Iniesta may not start since he played the entire duration of that last friendly.

Don't think Sanchez will start, given how the Paraguayans brutalized him, and how they face Milan mid week.

---------------Valdés
Alves- Piqué- Puyol -Maxwell
----Xavi- - Keita- Cesc
----Cuenca -Messi- Alexis

I think this is official. Not sure if 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 with Maxwell moved to the wing

Kick off?

Nishank wrote:Kick off?

started 20:00 barca are winning 4-0

Cuenca is briliant

Cuenca > Pedro.. he has more trickery and crossing ability.

I am glad Vila scored

4-0 at Full Time. Goals from Pique, Messi, Puyol (though on the barcelona wevbsite it says it was an own goal) and Villa. I was surprised that Villa didn't start. Probably it was because he played the full 90 minutes like Inestia.

Good game from us all around, I'm pleased. Villa scored which is good hopefully he will improve, his positioning was good for the goal but his play was below par, hopefully he will find the form he had at the start of the season.

Cesc was much better today, his best game for us in my opinion. He moved much better, he was more involved in deeper play and he made less errors on the ball all while still getting in goal scoring positions.

He had a good balance today.


Keita had a good game too, he made a super block in the 2nd half too.

Sanchez was bright and did some good things, has great workrate too. Faded at the start of the 2nd half, perhaps tired. He is like Pedro minus the goals and more all around skill.

Glad to see Puyol back and his command of space is still there. Got a goal too, somehow. He hit a cross field ball to Sanchez which shocked me...never seen him do one quite like that.

Maxwell is strange. One game he cant defend but great in attack, in another like today he was wasteful with the ball but defended quite well.

Cuenca was quite for me untill the last 30. Didnt do much of anything other then create width. But then burst into life with a great cross and superb peice of skill.

Puyol better get that goal.

I am quite disappointed in Sanchez tbh.
I didnt see a whole lot of him at Udinese.Couple of games,one or 2 games with Chile and the odd youtube clip.So I didnt know what to expect.
But then everyone on here was going gaga over him.
mole was calling him a potential top 3 player.dani seemed to agree.Others on here were equally pumped.One fellow even claimed he was as good as Messi.Then the whole transfer saga happened.
Almost all the big clubs fought to sign him and eventually we signed him for 37 mil.

I was expecting a pretty special player and from what I have seen so far he looks distincly average(considering the praise he was getting when we signed him)
Granted he has been injured but in the time he has played for us he hasnt impressed.Nowhere close to worldclass.The guy doesnt even dribble.
Right now he is nowhere close to a starting spot.
Pedro starts over him every single time for me.

Dont you think he had a fairly good first half Alex?

I felt considering he hasnt played in 2 months he did quite well.

He used his quickness to get out of a couple situations well, he made at least 3 passes to set up possibilties of a chance and he was in constant movement without the ball.

I mean, everyone seems to be hyping Cuenca but in comparison Sanchez did twice as much in the first half.

I think the main thing for him is getting more comfortable and taking on some players when he can. 1 v 1 he can do that and I think he just needs to figure out when to play the team game and when he can go solo.

The Franchise wrote:Dont you think he had a fairly good first half Alex?

I felt considering he hasnt played in 2 months he did quite well.

He used his quickness to get out of a couple situations well, he made at least 3 passes to set up possibilties of a chance and he was in constant movement without the ball.

I mean, everyone seems to be hyping Cuenca but in comparison Sanchez did twice as much in the first half.

I think the main thing for him is getting more comfortable and taking on some players when he can. 1 v 1 he can do that and I think he just needs to figure out when to play the team game and when he can go solo.

dani
Ofcourse he played fairly well.
But I am judging him by the hype he got on here and not comparing him to Cuenca.
For a player who was touted as a potential top 5 player,I think he has a lot lot more to prove.
Perhaps its just me but I was expecting a hell of a lot more.
You even called him the perfect signing.So I was expecting something special.
Maybe its just a case of exceedingly high expectations.

Well, compared to all the other options out there I did feel and still feel he is the best we could of got for the position.

I dont know about top 5 player, I dont think I ever said that, but I think he is super talented and if given the time he needs will do very well for us.

Time for dani on the spot

Pedro or Sanchez right now?

Can I say neither?

Pedro is in shocking form, Sanchez is recovering and needs time.

alexjanosik wrote:I am quite disappointed in Sanchez tbh.
I didnt see a whole lot of him at Udinese.Couple of games,one or 2 games with Chile and the odd youtube clip.So I didnt know what to expect.
But then everyone on here was going gaga over him.
mole was calling him a potential top 3 player.dani seemed to agree.Others on here were equally pumped.One fellow even claimed he was as good as Messi.Then the whole transfer saga happened.
Almost all the big clubs fought to sign him and eventually we signed him for 37 mil.

I was expecting a pretty special player and from what I have seen so far he looks distincly average(considering the praise he was getting when we signed him)
Granted he has been injured but in the time he has played for us he hasnt impressed.Nowhere close to worldclass.The guy doesnt even dribble.
Right now he is nowhere close to a starting spot.
Pedro starts over him every single time for me.

And I think that its pretty obvious that he still is trying to play safe because he doesn't want to make a mistake.

Sanchez is going to be a key player in the upcoming Clásico