Mid-Season Report Card

How has everyone performed throughout the season? Who's been doing very well and who needs to get on form? What's your take of Martino, 4 months later?

I think we have first of all, been unlucky (if you want to call it that) with injuries so a whole host of players cant be judged too much and you have to take that into consideration when you think about Martino. Perhaps the inconsistency of lineup reflects the inconsistency in our play...at least to some degree.

As a whole, I enjoyed Martino's start. Some energetic high pressing and speed of ball and player movement. Players like Busquets moving more freely, Alexis continuing to show confidence (maybe not much down to Martino but ok), a better Valdes (again, not Martino) and a less error prone Mascherano and Pique.

However, that gave way to strange decisions and even stranger explanations.

First of all, I wont accept any excuse for the Ajax performance nor the Granada (?) one where we had less of the ball. Pitiful games. There are also some other performances sprinkled in which annoyed me but those two stand out because the opponant were superior with the ball for pretty much most of the game. The excuses of them pressing us high or a poor pitch doesnt wash with me and neither do I accept are talk about players not being capable.

If Martino says, privately or otherwise, these guys cant press, dont have the desire, dont have the physical level, then fine. No problem.

But I cant be convinced that this group cant handle passing the ball out of pressure and I cant be convinced there is a better side at stringing consecutive passes together. Zero.

I am also disappointed with his team selection at times. Too much names, not enough performance to be a short as possible. Also nowhere near enough daring or risk taking in his changes.

The point total is very admirable, but we had that last year too...I am not looking at the point total, im looking at the direction the ship is sailing and right now, I am not convinced its going the right direction. Granted, we arent going South when North is required, but we are veering off the path I expected.

Right now, I am failing to see how we are going to do more on a results basis than last season (La Liga win and CL semi knock out) and to be honest, even that you cant be sure of. Atletico are up our ass, Madrid will be around it and if we lost to City...how surprised would I be really?

City I think are a very good barometer for the level of the team. City are a very strong team, but the way they play, their weaknesses...this is a team a really great Barca would take to the cleaners with ease which would surprise people. No question we will struggle, I dont expect prime Barca anymore..but as I said, its a good barometer of our level in my opinion.

In terms of individuals.

We need more for Iniesta, no question. Had a couple of flashes, but nothing like last season. There were games last season he was the most vital player and when others were foddering and failing around, he was all over the place. Granted, not often have we been put in that position yet, but his overall performances obviously have not been there.

Messi been injured, but even when fit, he was not Messi at the top of his game. Important to note, HIS game.

Cesc I have given up getting what I want from, he is what he is clearly. Ill just take some goals and final passes with his usual mixed bag. Some kind of performance in a big game would be nice.

We need more from Mascherano, but he doesnt have more to give. He is what he is. The issue is, someone else should be playing.

Need more from Pique, Xavi, Pedro and Tello in certain situations. But for various reasons, I aint expecting to get more. Xavi and Pedro less so than the others. Xavi even even at his lower level is vital to this team and Pedro is the player he is and has gotten on the score sheet and his Getafe performance really will be something to remember if we win the league but just a few points.

Praise goes to Valdes, Bartra, Alexis, Neymar and for me, Busquets.

Everyone else not played enough or arent super important in all honesty.

I think we're on the right track, we have 2 real test in the next 2 months: first against Atletico on 11 January and then in Feberuay against Man City. The good news that Valdes and Messi will be ready to train with the team on 2 January and hopefully they'll be ready for Atletico game.

Here's the list of the remaining games: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BcR8q2xCUAECOmR.png

*Cup: We should reach the Final and play against Atletico or Real Madrid. [Big game on 19 April].

*UCL: Starting with 2 games against Man City and hopefully we'll qualify to play the rest of the games until the Final [We'll have up to 7 difficult games in UCL this season]

* Key games in the League:
11 Jan: Atletico (away)
9 Feb: Sevilla (away)
23 March: Real Madrid (away)
30 March: Espanyol (away)
27 April: Villareal (away)
18 May: Atletico (home)

We have a very good schedule this season, if Tata rotates well and keep the players fit for the big games, we'll win the major trophies!

The most difficult run of games would be if we reached the UCL Semis, we'll have to play against Villareal away. [even then, if we can reach this game with 5-6 pts lead, we won't be under so much pressure and can rest some players for UCL games].

The Franchise wrote:I think we have first of all, been unlucky (if you want to call it that) with injuries so a whole host of players cant be judged too much and you have to take that into consideration when you think about Martino. Perhaps the inconsistency of lineup reflects the inconsistency in our play...at least to some degree.

As a whole, I enjoyed Martino's start. Some energetic high pressing and speed of ball and player movement. Players like Busquets moving more freely, Alexis continuing to show confidence (maybe not much down to Martino but ok), a better Valdes (again, not Martino) and a less error prone Mascherano and Pique.

However, that gave way to strange decisions and even stranger explanations.

First of all, I wont accept any excuse for the Ajax performance nor the Granada (?) one where we had less of the ball. Pitiful games. There are also some other performances sprinkled in which annoyed me but those two stand out because the opponant were superior with the ball for pretty much most of the game. The excuses of them pressing us high or a poor pitch doesnt wash with me and neither do I accept are talk about players not being capable.

If Martino says, privately or otherwise, these guys cant press, dont have the desire, dont have the physical level, then fine. No problem.

But I cant be convinced that this group cant handle passing the ball out of pressure and I cant be convinced there is a better side at stringing consecutive passes together. Zero.

I am also disappointed with his team selection at times. Too much names, not enough performance to be a short as possible. Also nowhere near enough daring or risk taking in his changes.

The point total is very admirable, but we had that last year too...I am not looking at the point total, im looking at the direction the ship is sailing and right now, I am not convinced its going the right direction. Granted, we arent going South when North is required, but we are veering off the path I expected.

Right now, I am failing to see how we are going to do more on a results basis than last season (La Liga win and CL semi knock out) and to be honest, even that you cant be sure of. Atletico are up our ass, Madrid will be around it and if we lost to City...how surprised would I be really?

City I think are a very good barometer for the level of the team. City are a very strong team, but the way they play, their weaknesses...this is a team a really great Barca would take to the cleaners with ease which would surprise people. No question we will struggle, I dont expect prime Barca anymore..but as I said, its a good barometer of our level in my opinion.

In terms of individuals.

We need more for Iniesta, no question. Had a couple of flashes, but nothing like last season. There were games last season he was the most vital player and when others were foddering and failing around, he was all over the place. Granted, not often have we been put in that position yet, but his overall performances obviously have not been there.

Messi been injured, but even when fit, he was not Messi at the top of his game. Important to note, HIS game.

Cesc I have given up getting what I want from, he is what he is clearly. Ill just take some goals and final passes with his usual mixed bag. Some kind of performance in a big game would be nice.

We need more from Mascherano, but he doesnt have more to give. He is what he is. The issue is, someone else should be playing.

Need more from Pique, Xavi, Pedro and Tello in certain situations. But for various reasons, I aint expecting to get more. Xavi and Pedro less so than the others. Xavi even even at his lower level is vital to this team and Pedro is the player he is and has gotten on the score sheet and his Getafe performance really will be something to remember if we win the league but just a few points.

Praise goes to Valdes, Bartra, Alexis, Neymar and for me, Busquets.

Everyone else not played enough or arent super important in all honesty.

Agree with pretty much all of it except the praise of Busquets.
I think he has had a poor season by his own high standards.Has been uncharacteristically shaky both on the ball and off it.Has lost possession quite a bit in dangerous areas and passing been off.Even last game was at fault for the header goal when he lost his man and got turned for the goal.
Just hasnt looked as solid compared to the last few seasons.

I dont think Busquets was ever even good in the air, but I didnt see the goal anyway to be honest.

I think he has done well though, I havent notice any real significant decline in his passing honestly, perhaps the few games I missed (2nd Milan game, the Celtic 2nd game, a league game about a month ago) this happened, IDK.

I would say I have not seen the telescopic like way he disposses players on a regular basis, but I attribute that down to our lack of consistent pressing game. Much like last year where he had this issue.

I can't say much because I have yet to see Barcelona play against a big team. I can't judge Barcelona against Madrid because despite Barça's superiority, I think Madrid's tactics were very wrong. In Supercopa, Barcelona were pretty much equals against Atlético but Martino barely had any time with the team so I can't judge based on that double game either.

As Franchise said, the City game would be a big test for Martino, and I would add the match against Atlético to that list.

Having said that I trusted Martino to at least be a better coach than the inexperienced and clueless Vilanova and for me he has done that already. His rotation policy has been very welcome but also necessary. A few players have been playing better under him than they did under Guardiola and Vilanova (Alexis and Fàbregas). Busquets has been a little poor for about a year now and I think most of it would be due to fatigue. Iniesta and Messi have been having a dip in form but again, fatigue could be an important factor.

He was not outjumped.He was one of the guys marking on the cotner.He completely lost his man,got turned and the player scored.Nothing to do with being good in the air.
On his passing,sloppiness is what I meant,especially near our box.

Having said that I trusted Martino to at least be a better coach than the inexperienced and clueless Vilanova and for me he has done that already. His rotation policy has been very welcome but also necessary. A few players have been playing better under him than they did under Guardiola and Vilanova (Alexis and Fàbregas). Busquets has been a little poor for about a year now and I think most of it would be due to fatigue. Iniesta and Messi have been having a dip in form but again, fatigue could be an important factor.

Tbf Fabregas has always been impressive in the first half of the season before he buggers off for the second half. He's also been pretty inconsistent...not existing some games and doing very well in others. Even within some games. He was completely invisible for the first 30 against Getafe and then all of a sudden turned it on before being subbed. I don't understand him. Regardless, I'm not so sure Fab has been that much more impressive this season, though I think he has been better (at times).

Alexis was pretty good for most of the games in the 2013 before this season, so I think part of his improvement is due to the fact that he was already naturally improving and gained more confidence. I'm not really trying to discredit Martino, it's just that I'm not so sure these two players have improved because of Martino. I think he's played a part, but not a huge one at all. I do give Martino props for Bartra, even if I'd like to see Bartra even more tbh

Tata receives a C+/B- for me so far. He's doing well in the league and we topped our CL group, but these are both things you would have expected. Still, he's done it and we've done well for the most part, and without Messi too. We've improved defensively I think (how much of that is just Valdes though? and we're still shite at set pieces).

I still remain unsure of what plan Tata has for the team though, and we remain very inconsistent. Sometimes our passing is fantastic (I remember a couple instances vs Villareal that looked like Barca in Pep days, the passing at the back was so good), then at other times we simply hoof it. I'm perplexed. If we were trying to pass it out of the back all the time and failing sometimes and having to hoof it, OK, but we're not. Sometimes we just randomly hoof it...which I don't understand given the personnel of the squad. We started the season pressing decently well and then that went away. Sometimes we do press pretty well, other times it's godawful. I just can't figure out what his plan is.

Still, he's done as well as he should and we've looked really good at times this season. He requires more time as all managers do and I'm willing to give him it. His bigger tests are yet to come, and we'll see how we look then.

Will do players report cards at another time.

CBarca wrote:I'm not really trying to discredit Martino, it's just that I'm not so sure these two players have improved because of Martino. I think he's played a part, but not a huge one at all. I do give Martino props for Bartra, even if I'd like to see Bartra even more tbh

I think this season will be different should Fàbregas stay away from injuries - mainly due to the slight tactical alterations by Martino. He's never going to be what Barcelona want him to be but as long as he keeps the goals and assists coming and have a few big opponent performances, he'll be more than what most of you would expect of him. To be completely honest, last year he was on the bench in most big matches, including the Bayern thrashing where your coach didn't make a sub until you were done and dusted
Also regarding players improving after a year or two, it is a myth

CBarca wrote:I still remain unsure of what plan Tata has for the team though, and we remain very inconsistent. Sometimes our passing is fantastic (I remember a couple instances vs Villareal that looked like Barca in Pep days, the passing at the back was so good), then at other times we simply hoof it. I'm perplexed. If we were trying to pass it out of the back all the time and failing sometimes and having to hoof it, OK, but we're not. Sometimes we just randomly hoof it...which I don't understand given the personnel of the squad. We started the season pressing decently well and then that went away. Sometimes we do press pretty well, other times it's godawful. I just can't figure out what his plan is.

I agree with the above. Quite an inconsistent team from what I've seen so far, drifting in and out within a single match.

I'll try to give my insight too, sorry if the ideas don't come out in a very organized manner.

From the matches I have seen this season (12-15 matches tbh, I haven't had much spare time), we seem to be less in control of the game than in previous years. We have flashes of brilliance but also moments when we play really really poor, often within the same game (e.g.: the Getafe game). Some performances remind me of Guardiola's last year when we couldn't win away in La Liga and were very predictable and failed to create chances.

The style has changed and it affects the players imo, as they are not very sure of what they are supposed to play anymore - I can't tell if it's strictly a tactical element imposed by Martino or it also has to do with laziness and lack of hunger from the players (see the Ajax away match).

As far as Tata is concerned, I am really not buying the "rotation" policy - we have had a clear first eleven for tougher matches until Messi's injury (Valdes - Alves Pique Mascherano Adriano - Xavi Busquets Iniesta - Alexis Messi Neymar). True, it's far better than what Tito and Roura did, but is still far from how Guardiola managed the squad and made every player feel like he is important for the team - you could see how Pedro scored 3 goals in La Liga and then, in the next match against tougher opposition he was benched. Same goes with Bartra after having a great display - I have the feeling that names often count more than performances when Tata decides his first eleven. As a result, I'm not so sure he has that much control of the locker-room.

Neymar was a good transfer, I can only hope he maintains his work rate and modesty as his game continues to progress. Bartra was a surprise for me, I honestly think he can become a first-option for us as CB if he continues his growth as a player. Also pleased with Cesc and Busquets, while Alexis and Pedro have played a lot better than last year.

Overall I am satisfied with the results and with Tata's work (also considering the fact that Messi was unfit or injured the whole season), but expect more from the team in terms of attitude and overall game.

danyjr wrote:

CBarca wrote:I'm not really trying to discredit Martino, it's just that I'm not so sure these two players have improved because of Martino. I think he's played a part, but not a huge one at all. I do give Martino props for Bartra, even if I'd like to see Bartra even more tbh

I think this season will be different should Fàbregas stay away from injuries - mainly due to the slight tactical alterations by Martino. He's never going to be what Barcelona want him to be but as long as he keeps the goals and assists coming and have a few big opponent performances, he'll be more than what most of you would expect of him. To be completely honest, last year he was on the bench in most big matches, including the Bayern thrashing where your coach didn't make a sub until you were done and dusted
Also regarding players improving after a year or two, it is a myth

CBarca wrote:I still remain unsure of what plan Tata has for the team though, and we remain very inconsistent. Sometimes our passing is fantastic (I remember a couple instances vs Villareal that looked like Barca in Pep days, the passing at the back was so good), then at other times we simply hoof it. I'm perplexed. If we were trying to pass it out of the back all the time and failing sometimes and having to hoof it, OK, but we're not. Sometimes we just randomly hoof it...which I don't understand given the personnel of the squad. We started the season pressing decently well and then that went away. Sometimes we do press pretty well, other times it's godawful. I just can't figure out what his plan is.

I agree with the above. Quite an inconsistent team from what I've seen so far, drifting in and out within a single match.

Fair enough, I can't really disagree with that. I just can't say *yet* that it is Tata that has lead to Fabregas playing well. He's always performed well in the first half of the season. I'll agree his season so far has been a bit better than previous ones (despite some completely anonymous performances like against Osasuna), so maybe there is a slight point there. It's really just a waiting game at this point, and we'll see how he does in the second half of the season. I'm inclined to say the approach this year is putting Cesc more in a position to be utilized, so I do agree I think he'll do better in the second half.

Then again, I'm also hardly sure what the hell our approach is.

I have my major complaints about Tata - possession going down, and over use of Mascherano and Cesc as a fasle 9

But over I am impressed with him. He got the whole team scoring. Before under Tito, Roura, and Pep, it seems like it was all about Messi. Here we are, halfway through the season, and we have the highest goal differential and in first place and all with Messi being injured all season. He also got a trophy vs a very, very tough Atletico and also out coached Anclotti in his first ever Clasico.

I give Tata a B+

possession going down? Barcelona's average possession is 68.5% this season

Guardiola's era: 68%
Tito: 66%

We are still having the same number of short passes...

Interesting stat. I wasn't aware of that, thank you. I was under the impression because it seemed that at first we were giving up allot of possession (not allot, but more than our usual) in order to be able to counter more. I do know this past month or so, that we started playing like we used too before. Maybe it was just taking a while for the team to start to play the game the way Tata really wanted us to play. I hope things continue the way they have, because City is starting to really look scary

Those stats don't make sense. Are they right? Because they deceive what I've watched this season

I feel like there were 2 or 3 matches where we had possession in the low 50s or even 49 and the press overreacted, but even then it was pointed out that our average possession was still about the same.

I give Tata an 8/10

I think he has done a very good job fitting into the team and has the right ideas about where to take it. Right from the start we were told that the keys for this season were to bring back rotations, pressure and to diversify the way we play. I'll try to judge him on what he promised us because frankly it's unfair to hold anyone to Pep's standards.

Rotation is is now institutionalized. It is not weird to see a player not even make the list because Martino has deemed him to have played too many minutes for both club and country. I have some complaints about certain players playing too much (Xavi played all CL games for instance) or being chosen ahead of others (Masche & Pique over Barta) but overall this is a huge improvement to last season when Tito would start the same eleven every weekend.

The pressure has been a bit disappointing. I understand that it simply can't be turned on again and that Barca requires to build the conditioning for it, but as has often been noted the pressure is not what it should by this point in the season. Let's hope this improves as the season goes on but it's an aspect of our game that still needs serious work.

The play diversification has been mixed. On the one hand we have seen this team win matches because of the odd counter attack we would not have attempted before. A number of our players have thrived under the new, more direct system (Alexis, Cesc). I think diversifying the play is a great idea against parked buses, it has made us less predictable. The problem is that we now 'hoof' it vs possession teams, teams that never gave us problems before. This could be because our aging team is no longer well equipped to deal with pressure, but I feel like we should not be trying to counter-attack them and rather beat them at their own game - like we have for the past 5 years. Ultimately I think this pragmatism is what has turned some sectors of the fans and press against him, but the pragmatism was exactly the reason we hired him in the first place.

One aspect that I think he has failed on is the promotion of the youth. Barta was only given a chance once Mascherano was injured, made the best of it, and still is only looked at as a distant 3rd choice. Montoya also only seems to play when Alves is injured. Sergi Roberto had a stellar pre-season but has not been rewarded with many minutes at all. JDS was told to stay and is now out for the season. Adama and Dongou barely featured.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:I give Tata an 8/10

I think he has done a very good job fitting into the team and has the right ideas about where to take it. Right from the start we were told that the keys for this season were to bring back rotations, pressure and to diversify the way we play. I'll try to judge him on what he promised us because frankly it's unfair to hold anyone to Pep's standards.

Rotation is is now institutionalized. It is not weird to see a player not even make the list because Martino has deemed him to have played too many minutes for both club and country. I have some complaints about certain players playing too much (Xavi played all CL games for instance) or being chosen ahead of others (Masche & Pique over Barta) but overall this is a huge improvement to last season when Tito would start the same eleven every weekend.

The pressure has been a bit disappointing. I understand that it simply can't be turned on again and that Barca requires to build the conditioning for it, but as has often been noted the pressure is not what it should by this point in the season. Let's hope this improves as the season goes on but it's an aspect of our game that still needs serious work.

The play diversification has been mixed. On the one hand we have seen this team win matches because of the odd counter attack we would not have attempted before. A number of our players have thrived under the new, more direct system (Alexis, Cesc). I think diversifying the play is a great idea against parked buses, it has made us less predictable. The problem is that we now 'hoof' it vs possession teams, teams that never gave us problems before. This could be because our aging team is no longer well equipped to deal with pressure, but I feel like we should not be trying to counter-attack them and rather beat them at their own game - like we have for the past 5 years. Ultimately I think this pragmatism is what has turned some sectors of the fans and press against him, but the pragmatism was exactly the reason we hired him in the first place.

One aspect that I think he has failed on is the promotion of the youth. Barta was only given a chance once Mascherano was injured, made the best of it, and still is only looked at as a distant 3rd choice. Montoya also only seems to play when Alves is injured. Sergi Roberto had a stellar pre-season but has not been rewarded with many minutes at all. JDS was told to stay and is now out for the season. Adama and Dongou barely featured.

Agree every bit of it.....
Also i never knew we could play and win confortably without Messi. Even though we are yet to face big teams in CL without him but atlezast we can win league games confortably. I think this is for playing a lot less predictable what you have mentioned already. our messi centric game plan was way too predictable to other teams.
My biggest complain vs him though of not using Sergi Roberto who seemed very promissing in pre season and i thought we could see him a lot. If he does not get chance in such an injury prone season, i doubt his future here under Tata. And Bartra has proved himself better to everyone but Tata, dont know why.

Love the delusion in this thread, win comfortably without Messi? So Barca "fans" have already forgotten after hammering against nothing to play Celtic with 1,5 weeks rest, that Barcelona couldn't score against 11 man Celtic when it had something to play for, lost against 10 man Ajax, lost to Bilbao and almost drew Villarreal at home without him?

It's not like we've never had tight games with Messi on the pitch. Like for example against Celtic last season home and away. One we won in the last minutes of the game and the other we lost..

This season Barca couldn't score against 11 man Celtic and had 13 shots, when last year Barca had 25 shots with Messi and scored. Celtic had 5 shots in both games. So which was better?

Without Messi Barcelona scored 1 goal from open play, against PSG, Bayern, 10 man Celtic, Bilbao and 10 man Ajax in 6 games. Yeah, Messi is not needed anymore.

So because of 3 games, you will ignore the rest of the games where we have not needed Messi and had no problem winning the games?

What three games? So what though opponents Barca have won without good rest?

I'm actually glad when Messi moves on, hopefully other teams fans are not so blind and proud, and will actually appreciate players if he helps them to win trophies.

Oh yeah, and good luck with having the consistency needed to win the league without Messi.

Harmonica wrote:What three games? So what though opponents Barca have won without good rest?

I'm actually glad when Messi moves on, hopefully other teams fans are not so blind and proud, and will actually appreciate players if he helps them to win trophies.

Oh yeah, and good luck with having the consistency needed to win the league without Messi.

damn.....you missing my points out there......Did i say we don need Messi anymore?? How can i....is there anyone in the world who can say Messi is not needed . Also Messi is my 1st,2nd and 3rd favorite player. Next comes iniesta... I will be watching any team where he goes.
I said we din face big teams in Cl yet and firmly believe a player of his tenure is very much needed in big events like CL. But for not so important matches we were unable to win in previous seasons (even under pep we struggled) this certainly not good.....A team like barca should be able to win some matches comfortably without its key player...This over dependence also helps big teams making tactics to stop us easily.

Harmonica wrote:What three games? So what though opponents Barca have won without good rest?

I'm actually glad when Messi moves on, hopefully other teams fans are not so blind and proud, and will actually appreciate players if he helps them to win trophies.

Oh yeah, and good luck with having the consistency needed to win the league without Messi.

Celtic, bilbao and Ajax. Psg and Bayern were last season, which doesn't count seeing as we admitted that we were dependent on Messi in the CL last season.

I find it funny that you say that we don't appreciate the playerS who have helped us win throphies, when you have done exactly that to everyone who is not named Messi, while we have said that Messi is the biggest reason why we won the titles that we have won.

If anything, you should take your own advice..