UCL: Chelsea v Barcelona

BarrileteCosmico wrote:JD can you enumerate your misgivings with Pep? I only have one or two, and that's playing Iniesta wide instead of Cuenca there and Iniesta in the midfield. I know it was a rant, but you said his entire approach was wrong. I don't really see it that way.

You have a point alfred. However I am angry for more reasons than that. Today I will share something very controversial which some time back I thought it was best I kept to myself.

Remember batman? Most people here didn't like him. He did exaggerate his points. However the crux of what he said has stayed with me and slowly I have started seeing a grain of truth in it.

See there have been many times in the past when Pep has proved us wrong and shown that what we didn't think was possible and worthwhile was actually both possible and worthwhile. First he moved Messi to the center from the right. Then he made him a false number 9. So far so good. However this season he has overdone it. He is often making Messi play like a midfielder - a number 10 that sometimes appears more like a number 8. I ask what for. How can you have the two best midfielders in the world in Xavi and Iniesta and then play them out of position and undermine them just so that everything runs through Messi? This over-indulgence of Messi is now starting to get on my nerves. Messi at Barcelona just doesn't need to be the Messi of Argentina - a Maradona-esque one man show. We are far too good a team for that.

If that already wasn't enough to destroy Xaviesta then Pep brings in Fabregas for very little rhyme or reason, plays him in almost every match in a role that nobody including Pep and Cesc can fully comprehend and makes for one lopsided formation after another with ever changing tactics. When you change formations and tactics that often, you may have heard it does less to confuse your opponents and more to confuse your own players. The last time I think I saw Xaviesta on the pitch was the UCL 2011 final and the memories of that still keep circulating in my head.

Also what is this business of playing without forwards? Not sure how many of you have read Brian Glanville's 'History Of The World Cups'. I would like to discuss one excellent point that he makes. People say the Brazil of 1982 was an extraordinary team that was unlucky not to win the tournament. However what few know is that team had one major weakness - it had no forwards. Now look at us. In 2008-09, we played with 3 proper forwards. In 2010-11, we still played with 2.5 since Messi was a false number 9. Now we play with 0.5 or even zero forwards. Fabregas/Iniesta are played in forward positions and neither are forwards. Messi is played too much as a midfielder. Now about Alexis Sanchez. Is he a winger? Well he hasn't shown those qualities yet. Is he a center forward? No he is not. Then what is he. I guess an inside forward and a very one footed one at that.

Lastly I will say that I think very brilliant coaches who love the game of football a bit too much sometimes become victims of their own eccentricities. Carlo Ancelotti is the best example of that. Pep seems to be going a little bit in that direction though you could say its early days yet.

The Franchise wrote:The big problem I have now is, the Madrid game.

If we lose or even draw it, I dont think we will have the spirit to win the 2nd leg.

If we beat Madrid, who themselves are relying bad (actually if you look at it, we had a better performance than them, but got a worse result, and against a weaker opponant) then spirit will be lifted and on our bigger pitch he surely will create and hopefully score.

But again, you cant win any games if you dont put away easy chances. Before we talk about tactics, positions, individual flaws and such..the basics, taking your chances, doing your job, putting in effort..if you dont do even one of the basics, your going to come unstuck.

The sad part is that Madrid who may have been downcast for 24 hours or so will now be vibrant knowing that we will be under more psychological pressure than them.

Pep's acidic tone was quite likable actually. He said that he wants the team to create 24 chances in the second leg just like they did in the first.

Anyway I am very down mood now. I had thought I would spend Saturday discussing El Cassico with you all. However now I will not bother about the Classico till one hour before it actually starts.

danyjr wrote:

People talk about Alexis and Cesc, both which for me had an okay game. But no one is talking about Messi. Tried to do too much by himself. Also I'm going to say something none of you want to hear. He is becoming lazy. Having seen Ronaldinho go from hero to zero in the same team, If I was Guardiola, I would have acted straight away. I know he is the best player in the world but Pep must bench him for a few matches and the sooner the better. No one, not even Messi should take anything for granted.

Perhaps you missed my post. I did criticize Messi.

No I don't think Messi should be punished. However I wish he is rested from time to time just like anyone else. Most importantly I don't like seeing him being played in a way as to undermine the role, position and importance of Xaviesta. We are not a one man team but people nowadays have started calling us that and my blood boils when I hear that.

alexjanosik wrote:lacked imagination.

Yes I said that because he took far too many shots that had less than 1% chance of going into the net. No matter who the player it is doing that, that is one of the things that most exasperates me when watching football.

alexjanosik wrote:But after that all he did was pass the ball sideways.

Very true. In the second half that's all he did and being his biggest admirer here, I am still baffled why exactly that happened. Did Pep especially instruct him not to move forward in to the box? I wouldn't be shocked if that were actually true since I can hardly find any other explanation.

Friends, I am not half as optimistic as you and there are reasons for that besides me being an incorrigible pessimist. I have been watching UCL on a regular basis since 2004-05. Now I ask all of you to refresh my memory and tell me all the instances since then when a team overturned a 1-0 away score line in the first leg and went through. I can only think of one - Juventus against Real Madrid in UCL 2004-05. However that game also went to extra time. Most importantly that team had Buffon, Cannavaro, Zambrotta and Thuram in their pre WC 2006 primes. I just can't see our defense which is much inferior to that defense being able to keep a clean sheet. So if we don't do that then we need to score 3 goals. Last few months we have been struggling to score 2 goals in a match against half decent opposition barring the odd game here and there. It's such a shame that we have failed to score in two consecutive away legs in this year's UCL. This is definitely not title winning form or sign. Besides if we too gung ho on attack I won't be surprised to see us conceding 2. Frankly I give us only a 10% chance now. As I said before it's very marginally better than the situation we were in against Inter at 2009-10.

Why can't Fabregas play in the middle and Messi play where Fab did in the next game. It is not like Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas cannot provide. They can and they can do it very well too.

Please Pep, play our best finisher closer to the goal.

messixaviesta wrote:

alexjanosik wrote:lacked imagination.

Yes I said that because he took far too many shots that had less than 1% chance of going into the net. No matter who the player it is doing that, that is one of the things that most exasperates me when watching football.

Because he had no other option on.In every single one of those situations a shot was the only option on.

alexjanosik wrote:
Because he had no other option on.In every single one of those situations a shot was the only option on.

If you say so since I rate you very highly as an observer of football. I did however notice that in most of those cases when these shots were taken, they had virtually no hope of going in. So effectively it amounted to needless concession of possession. Once or twice in a match doing this is okay but repeatedly it's not worth it.

Afellay is available for this game!

No sure where this should go, and really the video just made me angry lol

But thought I would share.

Doesn't even make sense...

The amount of missed chances- a 4 minute video? Seriously?

This is why you have to hate football sometimes. I can't believe that Chelsea won. There should be no way in any dimension or world where that happens.

Someone make one for Bayern fans now...I'm sure it could get to 2 ish minutes...in one game.

OMG.... this made me so fkn angry/ sad. How does this happen?!!!



Cesc at 0:30, Alexis at 1:28 and Busi at 2:05 were particular failures... Cesc's effort was poor as piss...

The only positive in this whole thing was Adriano's great run That's why we should keep him.

What to do about a guy like Messi... needs to be rested, but will get manic depressed if he does. I don't think Pep erred in not resting him, but he should grow up.

The Franchise wrote:No sure where this should go, and really the video just made me angry lol

But thought I would share.

Put Pedro in there, no way this would have happened.

Pedro hit the post in that video...

BarrileteCosmico wrote:Pedro hit the post in that video...

Free_cat:

BarrileteCosmico wrote:Pedro hit the post in that video...

I know.Crazy isn't it? He only played 20 minutes from 180 and managed to hit the post 30 metres from goal with little angle and we almost scored from the rebound of his shot.

Put Pedro 160 min more in there and this would have never happened.