Celtic - FC Barcelona | Champions League Group H | Tues Oct 1st, 2013

Ganso wrote:

The Sanchez wrote:This was something I wrote to my uncle after the Celtic game and thought it would be great to post it here!

Last year, the team was playing tika taka as if by rote. Lots of possession, no real purpose, no player available on the wings to change the match or cause pressure, with predictable results. There was much passing around of the ball in the midfield, few real chances, few opportunities for anything except watching Celtic cheer hard work and work that found them in the right place at the right time. Boom. Loss.
This year, the club had a plan, and you could see it from the outset. It wasn’t just tika taka, it was possession football that probed the opponent for a weakness, happy to be patient until an opportunity presented itself. When Celtic got the ball, almost each and every time, the Celtic attacker was presented by at least three sprites. Closed. There was pressure, and by every member of the team, not just 9 of 10. This meant that last avenue was closed off.
There was purpose and steel, two things that ultimately saw out the match.

The intelligence of this club this season is not to force things. It’s very easy to pass the ball back to the midfield and reset. This is what Martino means by keeping control of a match. Celtic had a few chances, both from dead balls. But from open play? Nothing, because the match was under control. If you lose the ball, get it back and reset. Just one example, Neymar lost the ball to Ambrose, who took off on the break. Neymar tracked back, getting help from Adriano and Busquets. They stole the ball, and resumed the probing. Patience.

What this means is to keep play in front of you, to keep the ball in sight and the play at the defenders’ feel. The few times that things got out of balance resulted in Celtic having a sliver of an opportunity. Turn Pique sideways, or make him run backward and he’s in trouble. When he is bouncing on his toes, anticipating play, he is a hell of a defender. The play of the whole team helps keep the defense in its element.
Bartra roamed forward, Pique stayed home to keep the back locked down. This was the second match we have seen this, with a similar result: not a lot of drama, nor opponent goals. Part of that Barça-style defending was Valdes passing out of the back, instead of hoofing it long. Team attack, team defense.

Martino seems to have given everyone a clearly defined role. Xavi was usually forward, with Iniesta in the traditional Xavi role. Neymar and Alves functioned as wing attackers, and Busquets as a defensive-minded playmaker. The attention, the focus, the orientation was on attack, but patient attack. And when one person was found out or had a lull, there was always a teammate with a key intervention, interception or stop.

Last season, when Bartra was asked to be a traditional defender, something that ALL of our defenders spent too much time doing last season, he looked uncomfortable and clunky. And tentative. Duh. When do our defenders play like traditional defenders? Compare that this this season, with the attacking defense. Bartra owned Samaras today, not allowing him much chance to do anything. Steals, interceptions and runs, Bartra made his second lobbying for MOTM. But again, as with the moving target, it is the next opponent who will find him and our terrible defense out.

Neymar started, and Messi was out. And Neymar was a terror. Yellow card for one player, then another, red for another, movement, passing, faking, constant danger. This unbalanced the Celtic defense, and widened the field for them, because whenever Neymar beat his man, two other defenders were called upon. They then had to run back to defend other players.
To be sure, Neymar made a meal of a couple of challenges, the forehead hooraw, and the Scott Brown “Wait, you aren’t the ball?” moment. But you know what? Even those moments showed that he was capable of getting under the opponent’s (and opposing fans) skin. Boo him all you like, but Neymar is a difference-maker, on and off the ball. People aren’t booing him because he playacts. They’re booing him because he gets fouls called, AND he kicks ass. Get used to it.

The counterattack, some say with a sneer. Barça is becoming a counterattacking team, something that is somehow beneath them. But you know what? During the vaunted Treble season, there were counter goals galore as the defense turned possession, then fired vertically to Henry or Eto’o on the bust-out. If you have an opponent who puts everyone behind the ball, how are you going to generate a real chance on goal? Wait for a sliver of an opportunity, then hit them on the counter. No tika taka, no 45,834 passes, just flying up the pitch and the keeper picking the ball out of the back of the net. Plan B works. Beneath Barça? Maybe. I don’t think so. I rather like it, because now the team has multiple ways of scoring, rather than just passing the ball around and waiting for Messi to make some magic.
And that goal was perfect. The ball was fed to Busquets, who saw Neymar streaking up the pitch. Rather than going for goal himself, taking the opportunity to do something highlight reel that might have failed, he opted for the surer thing, holding up play beautifully until Alexis Sanchez (subbed on for Pedro) came into the picture. A lovely layoff found Sanchez in space with the ball, and time to think.
When Sanchez gets the ball, there are SIX Celtic attackers, all with their attention focused on Sanchez and the ball. Meanwhile, ghosting into the picture on the left side of the box, is Fabregas. Sanchez takes, pauses, and as Fabregas continues his run behind a distracted defense, Sanchez lays the ball in a perfect spot. Fabregas heads across the Celtic goal into the far corner, and that’s that. What a goal.
Counter? Okay, sure. And why not? Meanwhile, your club is still perfect in Champions League and the Liga, until the next test. And I think that’s pretty cool.

good post brah

harhar11 wrote:We are the ones who are biased? FFS, even a madridista said that it was a red! Neymar exaggerated the contact, but brown intentionaly kicked Neymars back. Don't think for a second that the celtic playrrs wouldn't have done the same in Neymar's position. Heck, stokes stepped on fabregas ankle and it was HE who started screaming from "pain".

TenMenWonTheLeague wrote:Technically it's a red, yes. I'm not denying that but with the contact Neymar's reaction was a disgrace. He was reacting like that all night. Having seen the highlights, Busquets was also lucky not to get sent off for his tackle. The ref gave you every 50/50 but in all honesty you were well deserved winners but I don't think Barca would've won had Brown not got sent off.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:

TenMenWonTheLeague wrote:Technically it's a red, yes. I'm not denying that but with the contact Neymar's reaction was a disgrace. He was reacting like that all night. Having seen the highlights, Busquets was also lucky not to get sent off for his tackle. The ref gave you every 50/50 but in all honesty you were well deserved winners but I don't think Barca would've won had Brown not got sent off.

I'm confused. You think it was a red but you don't think the ref should have given it? Or you think that it was a red, that the ref should have given it, but are mad that Neymar play-acted for it? If it was a red and the ref should have given it, what difference does it make if there was play acting involved? It's the same result.

Also the ref have us every 50/50? Did you somehow miss all the posts about Cesc being given a yellow for a Celtic player dive?

TenMenWonTheLeague wrote:

harhar11 wrote:We are the ones who are biased? FFS, even a madridista said that it was a red! Neymar exaggerated the contact, but brown intentionaly kicked Neymars back. Don't think for a second that the celtic playrrs wouldn't have done the same in Neymar's position. Heck, stokes stepped on fabregas ankle and it was HE who started screaming from "pain".

Technically it's a red, yes. I'm not denying that but with the contact Neymar's reaction was a disgrace. He was reacting like that all night. Having seen the highlights, Busquets was also lucky not to get sent off for his tackle. The ref gave you every 50/50 but in all honesty you were well deserved winners but I don't think Barca would've won had Brown not got sent off.

harhar11 wrote:

TenMenWonTheLeague wrote:

harhar11 wrote:We are the ones who are biased? FFS, even a madridista said that it was a red! Neymar exaggerated the contact, but brown intentionaly kicked Neymars back. Don't think for a second that the celtic playrrs wouldn't have done the same in Neymar's position. Heck, stokes stepped on fabregas ankle and it was HE who started screaming from "pain".

Technically it's a red, yes. I'm not denying that but with the contact Neymar's reaction was a disgrace. He was reacting like that all night. Having seen the highlights, Busquets was also lucky not to get sent off for his tackle. The ref gave you every 50/50 but in all honesty you were well deserved winners but I don't think Barca would've won had Brown not got sent off.

We got ALL 50/50?? Seriously? Did you forget Fabregas getting a yellow card for being stepped on(stokes reaction was a bigger disgrace than Neymar's)? Did you forget another brilliant tackle by Busquets, when he only got the ball and not the player and yet, you got a freekick? Did you forget that Samaras used his arm to control a long ball and ended up getting a freekick in his favour? Did you see when one of your defenders(think it was lustig) handled the ball inside his own penalty area and nothing happend?

We getting every 50/50 is a complete lie..

TenMenWonTheLeague wrote:I've never said it wasn't a red. My gripe is with Neymars antics throughout the game. Anyway well done on winning. Was very impressed by Bartra.

harhar11 wrote:

TenMenWonTheLeague wrote:I've never said it wasn't a red. My gripe is with Neymars antics throughout the game. Anyway well done on winning. Was very impressed by Bartra.

If you are so against exaggeration, then why don't you say anything about Stokes disgraceful reaction to stepping on Fabregas ankle? That was even worse. Atleast Neymar was kicked, Stokes wasn't..

And when should busquets have been sent off? You said that not every handball is a foul, true. But it's also true that not every foul is a yellow card.

Oh and the Samaras was a pretty obvious foul. He used his arm to bring down a longball..

harhar11 wrote:How can you say that Neymar's reaction was worse when he was actually kicked in the back and on his arm, while stokes reacted the same way without getting kicked/hit?

windkick wrote:3 pages of the Celtic fan arguing about a blatant red?

come on...

eelir wrote:If he really is better than Pique at this age, it should be good enough. I mean, Pique is our second best defender, so it is an improvement.

free_cat wrote:

alexjanosik wrote:

free_cat wrote:In any case, it was not Cesc who deserved to be subbed before us scoring, but Xavi.

You seem to have an agenda against Xavi,again with the comment about his 100 horizontal and backward passes.I think he has completely busted that myth this season with his passing.Some of his one touch passing near the box has been sublime this season and he has created a lot of chances.I read a stat that he has created the most chances along with Cesc for the team.All along controlling the midfield too.
Lets also not forget that our 2 best performances have come when he has played at his best.Against Levante and Sociedad.It is at once a vindication of his continuing importance to the team and worrying that we can play at our best level only when he is at his best.
At the start of the season you had said that he didnt deserve to start and that all he offered are 2 m passes.He has proved you wrong on both counts.Based on performances this season he starts.

Obviously I don't have an agenda vs. Xavi. But he was never useful vs. park the bus teams, even when he was at his prime (remember Inter or Chelsea games for instances, or those games were Madrid parked the bus... Xavi nowhere to be seen). He has done well vs. Levante and Real Sociedad true, but they didn't park the bus. He should never play vs. a park the bus team, now or when he was at 100% unless you are looking for a tie or a very low scoring game.

Also, surely he deserves to start but only because Iniesta is not at top form and we haven't given a chance to see if Roberto can play as well as he did in pre season. Cesc has been better than him even in midfield, so Cesc + Xavi should be the starters.