La Liga 2011-2012 (Week #17): Espanyol vs FCBarcelona

On Sunday, 8 Jan, 2012 @9:30PM Barcelona Time.

Always a tough derby, especially away.. what is your opinion about this match..

All Players are available except for long-term injured players [Villa & Afellay]

What is your opinion, lineup/formation/score predictions ?

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~ #FCBarcelona record vs Espanyol:
- In LaLiga @Home: 77 matches (59W, 9D, 9L) scored 183 conceded 70.
- In LaLiga Away: 77 matches (27W, 25D, 25L) scored 102 conceded 102.
∑ 154 (86W, 34D, 34L) scored 285goals & conceded 172.


~ Barca's Guardiola vs Espanyol:
- Overall: 6 matches ( 4W, 1D, 1L) scored 11 & conceded 4.
- Away: 3matches (2W, 1D, 0L) scored 7 & conceded 2.

~ Biggest Barca win vs Espanyol Away [LaLiga]:
2010/2011 [Week 16]:Espanyol 1 - 5 FC Barcelona

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IMO,

Expect rape

Expect rape

On or off the pitch?

espanol games are always physical... i hope it doesn't end up with any injuries

Immaculate_Mole wrote:

Expect rape

On or off the pitch?

When it comes to rape? Off...

Immaculate_Mole wrote:

Expect rape

On or off the pitch?

Before, After, During

Immaculate_Mole wrote:

Expect rape

Demba Ba>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><

Fixed.

:lol!:

No De la Pena or Raul Tamudo

I've grown to love those guys over the years

Barcelona starting line up: Valdés, Alves, Piqué, Puyol, Abidal, Sergio, Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc, Messi, Alexis

Best 433 line up we can run right now given injury and form. Especially as it can become 343 with ease.

~Leo #Messi played 2 matches on Cornella Stadium [Espanyol's new stadium]: 0goals, 3 assists. #fcblive #fcbarcelona

~Leo #Messi 's record vs Espanyol [#laliga]: 3goals, 4 assists in 10matches [760 minutes]. #fcblive #fcbarcelona #spain

It's a 343, alves as RW

what a scare

Valdes

Espanyol defender blocked pedro's shot with his hand at the end there, we should have had a penalty. We played like crap though, this fixture was never going to be easy.

Great.

We are playing like shit and are in desperate need of another goal since Espanyol were pressing us like animals and what does Guardiola do? Takes off his best attacking players, brings a inform Pedro and his god damn... I dont know what to call him (Keita).

Oh and has Messi ever had a bad game as this?

Why the f was Fabregas subbed? ._.

Messi was heavily marked all game, he couldn't really get into it and Sanchez didn't take advantage of all the space he got either, he had a bad game.

Played like shit...deserved the tie.

Well...if Madrid draw by the end of the season we should be fine seeing as we'll beat them...

*bleep* U REFEREEEEEEEEEEEE

Messi was awful today. He should have played to the whistle when he got that 1 on 1 with the keeper but ended up stopping..

Espanyol forced a draw against us...grrr...they always play good vs us....unlike Athetico when they play Real! They played really well and u gotta say it was a well deserved result...they played so intense and pressed and defended for the entire 90 mins which is very hard to do vs us...and made it very hard for our key players to control the game. I havent seen so many of our players struggle in one game for a long time...

Messi were off today, maybe thinking about the award ceremony

I forgot but I though we were level on points b4 this game 5 points isnt good....but Real will slip eventually...

I think Pep screwed up.
The 3-4-3 was not working and Puyol was getting destroyed time and time again.He should have reverted to a 4-3-3.
Instead he did nothing.
I think he was hoping for a Busquets dual role like he did in the Clasico.
Busquets playing CB and DM at the same time allowing Puyol to shift out wide right.Except there was just one problem.
Busquets was having a shocker of a game and for the first time that I have seen him,he looked clueless on the pitch.
Pep should have switched immediately but he didnt.
On the players,not much to say.Nobody performed well.

Messi for the second time this season showed extremely poor attitude.
Was probably thinking about his Ballon D'Or speech.
I dont care if he is the GOAT or about to win his third consecutive Ballon D'Or.
When the rest of the team is busting there ass off,he busts his ass off too.
Instead he was walking around like he owned the place.Extremely disgraceful attitude from Messi.

alexjanosik wrote:I think Pep screwed up.
The 3-4-3 was not working and Puyol was getting destroyed time and time again.He should have reverted to a 4-3-3.
Instead he did nothing.
I think he was hoping for a Busquets dual role like he did in the Clasico.
Busquets playing CB and DM at the same time allowing Puyol to shift out wide right.Except there was just one problem.
Busquets was having a shocker of a game and for the first time that I have seen him,he looked clueless on the pitch.
Pep should have switched immediately but he didnt.
On the players,not much to say.Nobody performed well.

Messi for the second time this season showed extremely poor attitude.
Was probably thinking about his Ballon D'Or speech.
I dont care if he is the GOAT or about to win his third consecutive Ballon D'Or.
When the rest of the team is busting there ass off,he busts his ass off too.
Instead he was walking around like he owned the place.Extremely disgraceful attitude from Messi.

I gotta agree.... maybe we should watch the match again, but it was also the fact that Espanyol played REALLY well, and hence most of our players struggled in a way I have not seen really in the past few years....not like this when virtually all of them suffered.... Messi rarely plays bad so I forgive him ion this occasion And watching Xavi giving the ball away on a few occasion says it all, Espanyol made it so hard for us...

But the main point is Guardiola's slow reaction to changes and stubornness at times... in a few matches in this season, his back 3 was not working and he didnt really adjust, I think he is someone who believes totally in his style and sticks to it, but I think he shouldbe more flexible at times... and make changes mroe swiftly during games....

alexjanosik wrote:
Messi for the second time this season showed extremely poor attitude.
Was probably thinking about his Ballon D'Or speech.
I dont care if he is the GOAT or about to win his third consecutive Ballon D'Or.
When the rest of the team is busting there ass off,he busts his ass off too.
Instead he was walking around like he owned the place.Extremely disgraceful attitude from Messi.

I agree reluctantly. For the first time ever did I consider the words that I have read here before seriously about Messi acquiring a little bit of the Ronaldinho syndrome. Then yesterday I read cat's comment which reminded me that Messi had been ill at that time. So we could give him the benefit of the doubt that he was not at all fit. However in such a scenario even if he is potentially the greatest player ever seen in football he should still not be on the football pitch. Messi's desire to play all the time may be commendable but there are times when Pep should probably overrule it because after all the team comes first. Maybe having a poorly functioning forward line nowadays is making it even more difficult for both Pep and Messi.