Regarding UCL Quarter Final Draw

windkick wrote:Hope we get Dortmund, and let Real deal with Bayern

I actually think Dortmunds style plays right in to Barcas favor. Kind of like playing vs Arsenal (of past not of today lol)

Dortmund press better than Arsenal ever did, they are not a possession team they counter attack.... they average around 40% in this CL.

You will not enjoy playing against Dortmund i can guarantee this, the press so high and squeeze the lines so well and spring forward so quickly.

Barca will not enjoy that match what so ever.

I actually think Dortmund is the worst match up for Barca purely due to styles.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:

The Franchise wrote:Bayern dispossess us? BC you cant be serious?

We would dominate possession against them like we do anyone else.

Why not? They're a possession based team, 2nd in average possession in all of europe, and one of the best pressing sides right now. If we press like we did vs PSG I think it's possible we might end with a possession of below or at 50%.

No man, no.....2nd in average possession means nothing, none of those games were vs us. This is the exact same logic which people said would mean Arsenal would outpossess us too...look how that turned out.

They just about got more possession than Madrid last time out....they didnt even outpossess Juve..they got better possession, but not more of it.

Frankly, they dont have the players to outpossess us...the players to beat us yes, but outpossess us..no...they will keep the ball well for sure if we dont press sure, just like other teams have...but no...over 2 legs, at the very least it will be 60-40 and im being generous.

I'd just like to note that a year ago I would've never said this, I'm just very disillusioned with the state of our pressing vs big teams.

We out-possesed them by a pretty big margin. You will too. You have the better midfielders.

But I don't think Bayern cares about possession. They are not based on that, they just naturally have most of the ball(in Bundesliga) because other teams are pretty crap compared to them.

They are as lethal without it as they are with it.

Bayern play a more direct style. They're nowhere near as patient as Barca with the ball, although they are patient by anyone else's standards. That's why Barca will take 60% of the possession from Bayern too... it's not that they can't technically do what Barca does in theory. They just don't play that way.

The Franchise wrote:Bayern dispossess us? BC you cant be serious?

We would dominate possession against them like we do anyone else.

Dani I also beleive we can have more possession against any team. But I rate Real and Bayern the 2 teams that are relaly threathen us now. As mentioned by the others, Real u can say figured us out, and Bayern simply since they are a really strong unit now, with the experience and pressing like crazy, if they do as they did with Juve, we wont have it easy as u sound I think?

BarcaLearning wrote:

The Franchise wrote:Bayern dispossess us? BC you cant be serious?

We would dominate possession against them like we do anyone else.

Dani I also beleive we can have more possession against any team. But I rate Real and Bayern the 2 teams that are relaly threathen us now. As mentioned by the others, Real u can say figured us out, and Bayern simply since they are a really strong unit now, with the experience and pressing like crazy, if they do as they did with Juve, we wont have it easy as u sound I think?

I dont think the game would be easy at in, actually we would probably fail to win it...what I think would be easy, is having more possession.

And BC, yes our pressing is pretty poor but there is no way they arent going attack directly against us.

They have Ribery, Muller, Kroos, Robben...all players who can and prefer to attack directly.

Why wouldnt they want to expose our lack of pressing and high line/adventures fullbacks with direct attacks?

And many teams have matched them or even outdone them in terms of possession, so I dont know why you hold them in such high regards in this thing.

Juventus did no pressing, Bayern did quite alot of it, and Juve still had more of the ball. It was mostly useless possession in the defensive third but the question wasnt quality of possession.

That one possession stat vs other German teams means very little to me, surely what they have done in the CL against the elites is more accurate sample?

I don't think Bayern would want the majority of possession anyway. Not when there are easier, more effective ways to go about winning such a tie.

Very true. Logically, why would they keep the ball and wait for us to get behind it when they can attack our 2-3 defenders with large spaces everywhere?

Even if they could have more possession (they couldnt), why would they want to? We arent like other teams they play, we are going to commit many men to the attack.

You guys are really that scared of Madrid?

As much quality as Bayern?

What?

Is this the same team that went past Man U because of ref decisions, finished second in their group, lost 3-2 vs Gala, and are 13 points behind us in the league?

They're not really that good. In fact I think they suck.

The only thing that scares me about them is that they know how we play and a game against them is always hard.

Its not that Madrid are so good, its just that we are so bad (by our standards).

Against Bayern, maybe that wont matter so much because there is a chance they have some level of fear because they have not played us yet...well they have some time ago and got smashed but most of those players no longer play for them, its a different team.

Madrid obviously will not be scared of us and hold some advantage in that they play us all the time.

So its not really about Madrid, I dont think anyone is scared of their players of something...just the circumstances and how crap we are by our lofty standards.

That being said, if we face Madrid, I wont feel any more fatalism about it. I dont like our chances very much regardless of who we get.

But if we get Madrid, whatever. Our team has a chance to show yet again how great they are and counting us out, is a grave mistake. This team has been doubted many many many times before and most of the time, they prove you wrong and they can do so again.

I would love to be the team to knock them out. If they want their 10th European cup, let them go through us to get it if they can.

Hopefully not the final though, that would do no good for my health. So its either Madrid next or never I hope.

free_cat wrote:

CBarca wrote:
The sheer quality of Bayern as opposed to the lack of quality in Madrid is what scares me...

I don't think Madrid has any lack of quality compared to Bayern. In my opinion they have more quality, but BAyern seems to be the better unit right now.

I obviously want Dortmund. I'm not scared at all of them although Alfred seems they can hurt us. They barely managed to go through vs Malaga, a team that is miles under us.

If we can't get Dortmund, I would prefere Madrid than Bayern, for the simple reason that a final vs. Madrid scares me to no end.

i agree, best case scenario would be us getting dortmund and bayern eliminating madrid and then us playing vs bayern in the finals. i really would want to avoid madrid though at all costs maybe evne rather play bayern in semis than them.

Well yeah we don't look good either but I'm more afraid of a below par Barca facing Bayern and a below par one facing Madrid. Quite frankly because Madrid are as bad as we are right now, if not worse.

But yeah their two legged win vs Gala was sooo impressive...

I don't think we'll win regardless, I have Bayern as heavy favorites, but I don't think Madrid will be harder than Bayern.

I find the "fear" excuse in terms of this Bayern team not playing us a very weak one. I don't think Bayern fear anybody right now. They're not playing like it. Especially THIS Barca. They could and should be afraid of the one that played Milan, but this Barca? No.

The Franchise wrote:Bayern dispossess us? BC you cant be serious?

We would dominate possession against them like we do anyone else.

Exactly and the big truth is out now. It's Bayern we are going to face in the semi final. Whatever others may feel it does not displease me. Having to face Madrid would mean having to tolerate all of Mourinho's shenanigans for days before and after. As for Dortmund, they are my second favourite team and I didn't really want them pitted against us. Now if only they can get their self belief together and conjure up the spirit that made them get the better of Madrid in the group stages. Anyway we need to look ourselves first. In 2008-09 we totally demolished Bayern. In the next few years they have been quoted as saying we are the only team in the world they would like to avoid. How things have changed since then that it's now us who are showing fear of them!!! Anyway I feel this is a clear 50-50 tie that could go either way. Bayern have better balance than us but if we get our act together and if all our key players perform they we can be near unstoppable. A very exciting clash awaits football fans worldwide.

CBarca wrote: They could and should be afraid of the one that played Milan, but this Barca? No.

CB, the Barca that you mention was last seen not two years ago but just a few days back. Hence it could be back any time.