Date: Saturday, 02/16/2013 20:00

Competition: League

Stadium: Los Cármenes

City: Granada

Capacity: 16.500

Television: C+ Liga - GolT - C+ Liga HD

Referee: Del Cerro Grande

Jonathan dos Santos received the medical green light to return to action this week, although as expected, the Mexican has not made the final squad. However, the big piece of injury news this week involves David Villa, who has been sidelined with a nephritic colic infection.

Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdés; Alves, Bartra, Mascherano, Adriano; Busquets, Fàbregas, Thiago; Alexis, Messi, Tello

-------------Valdes---------------
Alves--Barta--Mascherano--Adriano
-------------Busquests------------
-------Fabregas----------Thiago--
---Alexis---------Messi--------Tello

I feel like Barta needs a go and with Milan midweek its a great opportunity to rest both Puyol and Pique and let Barta take in some action. It looks a weak lineup on paper and we're playing away to a team that I think beat Madrid... Roura will probably strengthen it tbh just to be safe.

Knowing Roura, he will play this for 89 mins before a single sub..


-----------Valdes
Alves-Masch-Pique-Alba
---------Busiq
---Xavi-----Fab
Pedro--Messi--Iniesta

and then tuesday vs Milan..

-----------Valdes
Alves-Masch-Pique-Alba
---------Busiq
---Xavi-----Fab
Pedro--Messi--Iniesta

^ Xavi is out injured

--------------------Valdes
-Alves------Pique-----Mascherano------Alba
--------------------Buscuit
-------------Thiago------Cesc
--Pedro-----------Messi-----------Sanchez

really hope Iniesta isn't played on the wings i wouldn't mind him being subbed in for Cesc in the midfield and let tello have more minutes.
also I expect an Adriano sub for whichever wingback seems more tired

Called up players: Valdés, Pinto, Dani Alves, Piqué, Fàbregas, Puyol, Iniesta, Alexis, Messi, Thiago, Mascherano, Bartra, Sergio, Pedro, Jordi Alba, Montoya, Adriano, Song i Tello.

I would rotate a lot with:

VV
montoya bartra mascherano Adriano
thiago song Cesc
Pedro Alexis Tello

If we are not winning, iniesta and messi to come in.

I think Messi wil definitely play as Granada is the only team he did not score against (maybe im wrong), and he will be looking to get his no 300.

I really hope Thiago and Tello starts

Or maybe start Sergi since Thiago is likely to start vs Milan with Xavi out

free_cat wrote:Called up players: Valdés, Pinto, Dani Alves, Piqué, Fàbregas, Puyol, Iniesta, Alexis, Messi, Thiago, Mascherano, Bartra, Sergio, Pedro, Jordi Alba, Montoya, Adriano, Song i Tello.

I would rotate a lot with:

VV
montoya bartra mascherano Adriano
thiago song Cesc
Pedro Alexis Tello

If we are not winning, iniesta and messi to come in.

who's Bartra?

line-up (official): Valdes - Alves Pique Mascherano Adriano - Thiago Busquets Cesc - Pedro Messi Alexis

Very glad with the lineup to be honest. no Iniesta on the wing is a good day.

eelir wrote:I think Messi wil definitely play as Granada is the only team he did not score against (maybe im wrong), and he will be looking to get his no 300.

Sevilla + Granada + Celta de Vigo are the only teams Messi has failed to score against

I like it, decent...I would of liked Free's line up more, but I never expected it.

Bartra im not surpried doesnt get chances, but what happened to Montoya...like Tello, for no real reason we never see him anymore.

To be fair Adriano should also get minutes, though I think he should strickly play LB so whenever Alves is out Montoya gets minutes.

There is no way Barca will win the CL this year.

That defending

Nevermind that defending, but that offence. What are Alexis and Pedro doing?

Messi scored his 300th goal

Alexis has been poor. Messi time after time is feeding him through ball after through ball and its not his finishing that is letting him down but his port first touches.
I can see why we are picking Alba instead of Adriano. Adriano lacks so much pace and he finds it hard to track back when Granada are on the counter. Much too forward and leaving Granada to use that space he creates. Granadas goal came from poor tracking back from Adriano alongside poor marking from Mascherano and pressuring from us. Don't know why he was taken off so early in the first half but I'm assuming its some sort of minor injury.

At least we got a goal back. I'm fine ATM.

Used all our subs before 70 minutes. Not sure if Roura coaching or not

Harmonica wrote:Nevermind that defending, but that offence. What are Alexis and Pedro doing?

Don't know about Alexis but Pedro was doing a legit goal and a great shot that hit the post. good game, pitty ref was blind and we missed so much.

Bad attitude from messi with Tello.

A few points.

1. I dont like how we turn off and on the switch. First half, low low intensity and suffered. Second half, turned it on and were dominant..went 2-1 up and again stop playing. It happens every single season I know but I hate it.

2. Alexis was woeful, *bleep* up everything that was passed to him. He wasnt alone, but we should of had 2, 3 goals before they scored and he is most to blame by wasting great positions.

3. Adriano I think has suffered. He was in blazing form, then we decided to use the same 11 for like a month and the form he picked up seems to have left him. A shame.

4. The score should of been 3-0 despite our play. There goal was offside and we had goals disallowed unfairly. I am quite tired of these low quality linesman and officials.

The Franchise, I think we took our foot off the pedal because of the Milan game
risky strategy but worked out in our favor.

Donuts wrote:The Franchise, I think we took our foot off the pedal because of the Milan game
risky strategy but worked out in our favor.

It almost didnt work in our favour as we looked like crap holding on.

Also, its been shown time and time again..if you do this, sometimes on, sometimes off...one time your going to try and pull it out and it wont be there.

I understand it, but

A. It should of been the other way round, kill the game first and then take it down.

B. At 2-1 I dont think why they assumed Granada would give up.

free_cat wrote:

Harmonica wrote:Nevermind that defending, but that offence. What are Alexis and Pedro doing?

Don't know about Alexis but Pedro was doing a legit goal and a great shot that hit the post. good game, pitty ref was blind and we missed so much.

Bad attitude from messi with Tello.

Besides that post (the goal was offside) Pedro was nowhere to be seen.

Iniesta brought to the wing, and Barca became worse in offence and in defense. His place is in midfield, period. Also what the hell was he thinking when Messi was on hattrick after that performance, not to pass to him?

Also Messi was right to tell Tello to pass when there was so clear scoring opportunity.

Pedro was on line with the ball.

I can take a picture, when my download is complete.

But the referee surely had a regular performance.

1. Their goal possibly offside.
2. No red card from last man foul.
3. Fabregas 2 goals wrongly offside calls, Messi wasn't nor was Sanchez(?).

EDIT: 4. Forgot the Fabregas penalty.

Looked the offside goals again, you are right Pedro's actually was onside, as was the Sanchez-Messi-Fabregas, like a meter onside. The Sanchez-Fabregas was offside though.

The Franchise wrote:

Donuts wrote:The Franchise, I think we took our foot off the pedal because of the Milan game
risky strategy but worked out in our favor.

It almost didnt work in our favour as we looked like crap holding on.

Also, its been shown time and time again..if you do this, sometimes on, sometimes off...one time your going to try and pull it out and it wont be there.

I understand it, but

A. It should of been the other way round, kill the game first and then take it down.

B. At 2-1 I dont think why they assumed Granada would give up.

Normally I would care more, but with a 12 point gap between us and Atletico I don't think we were wrong to prioritize the Milan match, which I think will be a very hard test.

And let's be honest, with decent linesmen we would have been 5-1 instead of 2-1, the strategy would've worked fine.