Is Barca's cycle done?

Fat Messi, lazy & inefficient forward line, injury prone defense, stubborn Pep, useless Fabregas - just some of the forum cliches going around recently. While I realize that these are exaggerations and troll attempts (mostly bad ones ) the tone of the general populace does seem to indicate that they think less of Barca now than a year ago. In spite of having a better team, we're seeing the weakest Barca in 4 years. So what do you think we are witnessing the end of a cycle?

I'd say it's about over, if we're talking about cycles. I wonder how quick they'll resurge though.

We haven't even reached December, seriously guys. I voted for second option, Barcelona can still win everything.

Barca aren't any worse off than a year ago........teams have begun adapting specific strategies the counter them.....soon enough Barca will adapt to these strategies.

They just struggle to adapt because they have a general philosophY that they can't just abandon in favor of a specific match, like most other teams do, they nned to find ways to manipulate their entire system and adjust.

But it really is what will make them timeless at the end of the day......it's like Sun Tzu said

"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory . Tactics without strategy is the noise before the defeat."

I voted second as well.

I voted for the 2nd one. While still capable of winning any trophy and it being just about December so far they are not as good as they were previous years. I just think teams have finally figured out how to play against their style of play.

Far too soon

Even if they don't win La Liga, they are definitely still favorites for CL

Meh, they'll still destroy 95% of teams out there

APOEL being one of the 5% that could withstand Mehssi and his kebab belly

Barca are still a great team. They could still win the league or the CL. Although they are showing things that they weren't showing a few years ago in terms of their away record this year.

I'm not sure, but what I'm seeing is most certainly reassuring

I know a lot of people want Barca to be done but the ones saying it are in for a rude awakening. Some people forget how young this team is plus they are still integrating some new parts.

I also think people forget that Barca haven't been able to lineup with there full squad once this year and beat Real Madrid and AC Milan and over 4 games against those teams they didn't lose once. I'm sure every team in the world would sign up for that.

I have said this in a lot of other posts that Barca has set the bar so incredibly high that maintaining those standards are impossible and our fans have been spoiled and the trolls think a tie is basically a loss and reason to celebrate.

I also think that instead of arguing who's better between Messi and Ronaldo and comparing them to players from the past and saying there not great unless they win the world cup etc etc. Just sit back and enjoy what your witnessing. Both players are out of this world and on personal streaks that you may never see again for a LONG TIME. They are making 50 goal seasons look routine and instead on enjoying it people feel the need to critisize and knock there accomplishments and I don't know why.

As long as Barca has Messi and Guardiola leading the club, I can't see them stepping down from the amazing potential they're capable of.

That's ignoring the fact that Barca still has Valdes- brilliant goalkeeper, Alves- one of the best RB's, Abidal- defensively one of the best LB's, Pique- one of the best CB's when on form, Xavi- humble and respectful, Iniesta- one of the best midfielders of the modern age, Thiago- up and coming star, Sanchez-Villa-Pedro-all great striker/wingers that can terrorize any defense when on form.

Gosh when I look at it like that I don't realize how good Barca is. I'm probably exaggerating though...I am biased, after all.

Point is. This is an amazing team, what the hell has changed recently? Nothing. Just a dip in form. It happens. Barca will be back

their defence had been covered by the midfield
with fabregas and thiago in there / rotating, the dynamic has changed, its a tad more rigid
the difference between the top teams is incredibly small, its not easy t oget back to what they were
anyway, this is their 4th year, cycles only last 4 years [ on average]

villa is upset, pedro will be behind sanchez with fabregas adding a different focal point to what theyre used to. thy cant just flick a switch and go back to AWESOME BARCA!!!
its near impossible to go from 1 great team to another.. what? is pep going to build the 1st and 2nd bestever teams in the world back to back?

of course not

cyberman wrote:their defence had been covered by the midfield
with fabregas and thiago in there / rotating, the dynamic has changed, its a tad more rigid
the difference between the top teams is incredibly small, its not easy t oget back to what they were
anyway, this is their 4th year, cycles only last 4 years [ on average]

villa is upset, pedro will be behind sanchez with fabregas adding a different focal point to what theyre used to. thy cant just flick a switch and go back to AWESOME BARCA!!!
its near impossible to go from 1 great team to another.. what? is pep going to build the 1st and 2nd bestever teams in the world back to back?

of course not

Our starting xi is the exact same from last season.

As long as Xabi keeps getting hampered by father time and Barca don't produce another Xavi immediately then you can't expect Barca to reach the level they were at in 09-11.

Plus, RM have been better than Barca for pretty much a year now and are still going up.

[quote="Lionel Messi"][quote="cyberman"]their defence had been covered by the midfield
with fabregas and thiago in there / rotating, the dynamic has changed, its a tad more rigid
the difference between the top teams is incredibly small, its not easy t oget back to what they were
anyway, this is their 4th year, cycles only last 4 years [ on average]

villa is upset, pedro will be behind sanchez with fabregas adding a different focal point to what theyre used to. thy cant just flick a switch and go back to AWESOME BARCA!!!
its near impossible to go from 1 great team to another.. what? is pep going to build the 1st and 2nd bestever teams in the world back to back?

of course not[/quote]Our starting xi is the exact same from last season. [/quote]

not if everyone was fit

sanchez and fabregas would be right in there

cyberman wrote:

Lionel Messi wrote:

cyberman wrote:their defence had been covered by the midfield
with fabregas and thiago in there / rotating, the dynamic has changed, its a tad more rigid
the difference between the top teams is incredibly small, its not easy t oget back to what they were
anyway, this is their 4th year, cycles only last 4 years [ on average]

villa is upset, pedro will be behind sanchez with fabregas adding a different focal point to what theyre used to. thy cant just flick a switch and go back to AWESOME BARCA!!!
its near impossible to go from 1 great team to another.. what? is pep going to build the 1st and 2nd bestever teams in the world back to back?

of course not

Our starting xi is the exact same from last season.

not if everyone was fit

sanchez and fabregas would be right in there

The only position in question is Pedro's, it's apparent Guardiola doesn't really seem to care much about rotating Villa regardless of form.

cyberman wrote:their defence had been covered by the midfield
with fabregas and thiago in there / rotating, the dynamic has changed, its a tad more rigid
the difference between the top teams is incredibly small, its not easy t oget back to what they were
anyway, this is their 4th year, cycles only last 4 years [ on average]

villa is upset, pedro will be behind sanchez with fabregas adding a different focal point to what theyre used to. thy cant just flick a switch and go back to AWESOME BARCA!!!
its near impossible to go from 1 great team to another.. what? is pep going to build the 1st and 2nd bestever teams in the world back to back?

of course not

No matter what season your talking about Pep has always tinkered with the team during the La Liga season against smaller teams and even some of the bigger teams in La Liga. The difference is this year he hasn't had the option to put the A team out for important games because we have been hit with injuries. Once there all healthy Sanchez WILL NOT start over Pedro.

When they play Real MAdrid in a couple weeks you will see the A team and when Pep puts that team out there they are pretty much unbeatable.

Valdes

Alves Pique Puyol Abidal

Busquets
Xavi Iniesta

Messi
Pedro Villa



Pedro

Too soon to tell

They are loosing their grip, IMO. Otherwise I agree with the above statement.

europe will be engulfed in white.

we will win the cl and la liga. realgunner, ban me by end of season if im wrong.

it's coming to an end, surely... demotivation is the biggest effect imho, they've won literally everything they can (and the players internationally as well) and it's painfully obvious that they don't care that much anymore... can't blame them though

madrid will definitely win the league next year, maybe this year too, and if they chuck in a cl they'll go down the same way

madrid 11/12 is imho barcelona 08/09... the novelty team that keeps raping everybody and for some reason noone can figure out that you can get points by parking the bus... this will happen eventually and then the butthurt from the madrid fanboys will flow like never before... eventually this two-team crap has to end

che wrote:it's coming to an end, surely... demotivation is the biggest effect imho, they've won literally everything they can (and the players internationally as well) and it's painfully obvious that they don't care that much anymore... can't blame them though

madrid will definitely win the league next year, maybe this year too, and if they chuck in a cl they'll go down the same way

madrid 11/12 is imho barcelona 08/09... the novelty team that keeps raping everybody and for some reason noone can figure out that you can get points by parking the bus... this will happen eventually and then the butthurt from the madrid fanboys will flow like never before... eventually this two-team crap has to end

Amazing!

just mark cr7 and madrid are done, its no big secret to the big teams
theyll be far easier to stop than barca

It's just too early for me to make such a call. I believe in this team enough to think they still have a shot and el clasico will tell us a a lot.