EL CLASICO: FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid

Thought I may as well get the ball rolling for discussion here. Let's start talking on who we'd like to see start for Barca and who you think will line up for Madrid.

Khaled or someone, would love to see you do a proper preview.

I wrote this little article on B/R predicting who I think will start for Barca.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1350878-an-early-look-at-barcelonas-potential-starting-xi-in-next-weeks-el-clasico

Please give it a read and comment

We'll monitor the CB situation but for now it looks like Song and Masch. I really would have preferred Bartra to have been tested because I believe he would have done a better job. However, its not like he'll change his mind now.

As for Madrid, their midfield will be interesting.

I expect 433 for Madrid and one of Ozil and Di Maria on bench. I dont know who I prefer. Di Maria bring unlimted energy while Ozil bring final passes and a connection.

Midfield of Alonso, Modric and Khedira/Essien.

This is my guess.

I think the game will probably come down to how we hold off their early charge. Increasing the start of games is where to catch Barca off gaurd. To play our game we need to establish a flow and this usually takes time. Everyone needs touchs of the ball, it need to get circulating, everyone need to lose the early game nerverous energy. This takes time and for a team who relies on pricison it means if you attack and pressure them early you stand the best chance. Its what they did last time.

So we need to ride that out, keep the ball moving well and not be forced into a shoot out early. They cant press forever, no team can press much longer than 25 mins (first half) and maybe 10 (second half) with just 40-30% of the ball. So we need to ride it out and then play our game which will come later.

Obviously our defence is a problem, its been poor and it will be poor. We dont stop them scoring...I have accepted that already. We just have to score more.

Xavi has been amazing to start the season, alongside Ibra I think he has been the best player anywhere in Europe to this point and we require another one of his classico masterpeices...especially with Messi playing how he is.

I dont know who should start with out injuries. I think Iniesta will be on the bench after Cesc's two goals. Up front, Alexis will likely be useless if deployed on the right...I dont understand why he isnt used on the left where is is clearly more effective.

Villa didnt impress in his other start and Tello last time was incredibly predictable vs Arbeloa and it cost us. So there is a bit of a problem about who starts.

Right now I would probably start Tello in the hope he has learnt from last season and have Alexis and Villa as impact subs.

cant imagine song and mash playing CB vs Madrid. Madrid will break their defense in every 5 mins. But Brtra still young and inexperienced will do no good in such a highly tensed game. Probably a one leg pique and puy would be better...lol

I think after the winning goal, tito will start both villa and Cesc. In that case, i am expecting both to be rested in UCL game. So for me the mid will be same as sevilla game(if iniesta is not ready) but front line will be MVP.

I am glad we got 3 points form Sevila game. Honestly, i would be happy with a draw considering our back-line.

let's see if we can score one more goal than we are going to concede

I know its been ridiculed but I would go with 3-4-3.At this moment our defense is horrible and it cant get any worse by going 3 at the back.Plus Busquets has excelled a couple of times playing the sweeper role against Madrid so might be good to try him out once more.
Something like this.
Valdes
Song Busquets Masch
Alves Xavi Thiago Iniesta/Adriano
Pedro Messi Villa

Only unsure about Iniesta/Adriano.Having Adriano might give some cover to Masch but Iniesta is a vital player for us.He might not be match fit.
Probably go with Iniesta if he is fully fit.
I think this fromation can provide defensive stability while also being good in midfield and attack.
Just might be time to try out the 3-4-3 again.

alexjanosik wrote:I know its been ridiculed but I would go with 3-4-3.At this moment our defense is horrible and it cant get any worse by going 3 at the back.Plus Busquets has excelled a couple of times playing the sweeper role against Madrid so might be good to try him out once more.
Something like this.
Valdes
Song Busquets Masch
Alves Xavi Thiago Iniesta/Adriano
Pedro Messi Villa

Only unsure about Iniesta/Adriano.Having Adriano might give some cover to Masch but Iniesta is a vital player for us.He might not be match fit.
Probably go with Iniesta if he is fully fit.
I think this fromation can provide defensive stability while also being good in midfield and attack.
Just might be time to try out the 3-4-3 again.

Alex, Thiago is injured... Could be out for 2 months.

UPDATE: Iniesta, Puyol and Adriano have been declared fit. A huge boost ahead of a big week.

The game will depend on the fitness level of Iniesta. If he plays at his full capacity and we play him alongside Xavi and Busquets I don't think we will lose, even taking the backline into account. If we decide to go for some other sort of midfield then we might suffer.

Looks like Madrid have found form right on time before the clásico while Barça's form has been dipping considerably since last year and plagued with defensive problems and injuries. I expect Madrid to get at least a draw and minimum of one goal. Frankly if Barcelona play like they did in Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán expect them to be handed a pretty humiliating defeat like in Supercopa final's second leg.

No offence.

danyjr wrote:Looks like Madrid have found form right on time before the clásico while Barça's form has been dipping considerably since last year and plagued with defensive problems and injuries. I expect Madrid to get at least a draw and minimum of one goal. Frankly if Barcelona play like they did in Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán expect them to be handed a pretty humiliating defeat like in Supercopa final's second leg.

No offence.

You're kidding right? Madrid on form? Barcelona have been linking up better and better each game. The only problem is our defensive line. An a humiliating defeat in the second leg? Did you even watch it? We almost came back from a 2-0 with 10 men, having Madrid to play defensively the 2nd half.

Kevin245 wrote:

danyjr wrote:Looks like Madrid have found form right on time before the clásico while Barça's form has been dipping considerably since last year and plagued with defensive problems and injuries. I expect Madrid to get at least a draw and minimum of one goal. Frankly if Barcelona play like they did in Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán expect them to be handed a pretty humiliating defeat like in Supercopa final's second leg.

No offence.

You're kidding right? Madrid on form? Barcelona have been linking up better and better each game. The only problem is our defensive line. An a humiliating defeat in the second leg? Did you even watch it? We almost came back from a 2-0 with 10 men, having Madrid to play defensively the 2nd half.

Agreed....

Please please please start Song and Masch at centre-back.

Kevin245 wrote:You're kidding right? Madrid on form? Barcelona have been linking up better and better each game. The only problem is our defensive line. An a humiliating defeat in the second leg? Did you even watch it? We almost came back from a 2-0 with 10 men, having Madrid to play defensively the 2nd half.

I didn't watch the Sevilla game, so maybe I'm not entirely correct, but from where I'm standing we're grinding results without performing near our standards. We've only been comfortable in 1 game so far this season: against Getafe (which is ironic, given that we all feared them). In contrast, since beating City Real have looked fairly dominant and confident. I don't agree with certain points that danyjr made (like that the 2nd leg of the supercup was humiliating), but I agree that they have a decent chance against us.

Honestly, I am not convinced. I think we can pull out a win but it will most likely be for outscoring real rather than a easy shut-out. One thing I don't want to see is how we got rolled over in the first half of the second leg of the supercopa.

On our day, with a proper backline, we can destroy them, but we haven't been able to have our day for many months

Alves-Puyol-Mascherano-Adriano will mean a short backline. We are very vulnerable in the air and a lineup of this will not help. Alba will make it worse both aerial wise and also defensive wise... Iniesta should participate in some part of the Benfica game for a bit of match fitness as should Puyol. I hope Tito picks Puyol over Song as I hope Iniesta is picked over Fab.
I can see Messi being shut down for some peroids of the match and being relatively quiet...
All i hope for is a win and Ronaldo not scoring. His celebration is really getting me annoyed. Brat...

Form means next to nothing in games like this, that much I learned all in all my time watching football.

Games like this create good and bad form down the road, turn around good or bad form...but form isnt often carried into these games and effect it to an great degree.

Glad Puyol is back, get him in there...dont care how rusty.

The Franchise wrote:Form means next to nothing in games like this, that much I learned all in all my time watching football.

Games like this create good and bad form down the road, turn around good or bad form...but form isnt often carried into these games and effect it to an great degree.

I agree with this. Chelsea's form over recent weeks wasn't convincing enough to warrant a victory over Arsenal yet we managed it.

Both teams will be revved up, the best team will win and form will be left at the door.

Pique may be back aswell I hear so ifs its true then this game is ours to lose.

There's little chance that Tito does this, but IMO it would be a great game to surprise everyone and play on the counter. We could set up a team like this:

VV
Montoya Puyol Mascherano Adriano
Xavi Song Busquets
Pedro Messi Villa

Play deeper than usual, defend with 9 men, and press only after turnover or when in our half. Leave more of the ball than usual to Madrid as they need to win this, although we would still have more posession. We would have good defense with Song+Busquets and Pedro+Villa helping on the flanks, and great options on the counter with a rested Messi who wouldn't defend and two bullets on the wings killing Marcelo and Ramos.
With Song, Montoya, Adriano, Busquets and Puyol we should be able to keep aerial balls relatively safe.

In the second half, when the game opens and Madrid is more tired, Iniesta and Tello can come in to kill the game.

free i would do the same. Play a bit more pragmatically, but that is not really Barca's style. With 8 points ahead, and the pressure on RM this could work like a charm. With all the injuries at the back, and our team coming from injuries meaning they are not 100%, i'd be happy even with draw. But i do not see this happening. Tito is gonna go for attack!

Free, I agree. We should play more defensively to start with since Madrid play their best against us in the first half. In the second half make changes, bring on Cesc and Iniesta then go for Madrid's throats. With Pique this would become easier to pull off but we can still do it.

Call me a romantic, call me naive even....but I dont ever want to see us go away from our style, even for one game. Never.

Especially to play defensively....

And on that free...Montoya over Dani Alves...what?

Damn free i did not notice you had Montoya there. No way man.

Montoya is taller and better aerially, and just a bit worse than Alves defending. If you go with a defensive team, you can play Montoya over Alves and it won't be very different. Plus, Alves needs an attention touch, he is sucking a lot lately and his game in Sevilla was very bad.