LL: Real Sociedad - Barca

Agree with eelir

we simply need reinforcements. Our players are tired, over played and the guys we have to come in to rotate with them aren't up to the standards. Song playing instead of Xavi? Montoya in for Alves? Not good; the board has been sitting on it's ass for far too long and the defensive issues we have and then letting Thiago go. Then they spend potentially 100+ on just one player; in the last year of his contract mind you. Utter shit the board is

Tactical brain fart by Martino. The double pivot was a laughable experience that he will never ever try again - I will doubt his credibility if he does. Such was his team selection for a big match like this.

You have to question the attitude of Barça players also. How can Sociedad win so many long balls and 50-50s? There is no steel or grit in this team. I am convinced a lot of it is mental and you need a Mourinho type schedule to get your team back to playing real football not fancy exhibition thinking other teams will spread their legs wide open for you to vandalise them or Messi bailing you out like he has been for many years. I was left amused by how nice Barcelona players were in letting Sociedad toying with them. You need to sweat some blood to win matches.

Now I can't be bothered to name individuals but I can't think of anyone who played well. Wayward passes, awful touches, clumsy and careless. It is mind boggling there difference between Sociedad and Barcelona. It was like watching a top team against a mid table team (the irony).

I'm not a fan of Bartra but with Piqué's performance Bartra should start over him. Del Bosque better be taking note because these performances should make sure Piqué has no space in Brazil. Mascherano is officially Barcelona's best CB now. Argentine pride

Regarding Song, he provided absolutely nothing, zilch. No protection to the back four, no mobility, no physicality. I would let him watch the next matches from the stands after seeing his body language if I were the coach. What a clown.

You have to give credit when it is due and I think Sociedad played a super game and deserved to win by a bigger margin. I can't question Arrasate's game plan at all because it was spot on. The fast pace counters and heroic bravery and intensity from La Real's players should be applauded. And frankly I think every team that plays like this against Barcelona have a good chance against them but most teams are scared of your name.

Referee had some questionable calls against Barcelona consistently but let's not blame him for this sad performance by the so called Champions League challengers (no offence). To be noted, however.

Beautiful Football wrote:If we can't win against RC by trying 12235656 times, how we gonna win against other big boys in CL.   

Didn't Barca just win ManC in their home?   

Real had fresh legs and they looked like it, can't believe how slow some Barca players were even the ones that didn't play in midweek. Why even rotate if the players aren't any more fit?

I've never seen such slow, disinterested and bad defending for Barca, maybe when we gave up against Munich.

Oh and Neymar was embarrassingly bad.

Also one thing to point out is that City never plays against us. so our style to them was brand new and they had to see it and adjust on the spot.

Sociedad has seen allot of us recently and came in with fresher legs and the intimidation factor is gone and to note they also have a pretty young team and hard as hell to beat at home.

Neymar was bad and Montoya should be shipped off in the summer.

Harmonica wrote:

Beautiful Football wrote:If we can't win against RC by trying 12235656 times, how we gonna win against other big boys in CL.   

Didn't Barca just win ManC in their home?   

Real had fresh legs and they looked like it, can't believe how slow some Barca players were even the ones that didn't play in midweek. Why even rotate if the players aren't any more fit?

I've never seen such slow, disinterested and bad defending for Barca in a long time, maybe when they gave up against Munich.

Oh and Neymar was embarrassingly bad.

ManC got wrong tactics against Barcelona, they don't have CL Ko experience either and gave Barca too much respect. I doubt barca will win aganist Chelsea(Same as RC),PSG or current Real madrid let alone Bayern Munich.

Whatever the formation, the players should not play like morons. No formation can justify wrong passing and being late in every duel of players who play for top club and earn millions.

Playing Busi and Song together should've give more defensive character... and this was the less defensive character I've seen.

The most capital conclusion from this game is that we need to buy more energetic players. Now I see that Dani is half team, no matter his incorrect crossings. The others are girls.

I'm on the phone so I can't comment in depth but:

-Montoya was not our worst defender. That's how bad Pique and Barta were.
-Song and Busquets, really? Subbing Cesc instead of Xavi?
-Neymar should have been subbed out a long time ago. No idea how he lasted the match. He drifts to the center way too Much for my liking and doesn't stretch the play at all.
- later on when Alexis came on i feel like we should have played with Alexis as the 9 in a 3313.

you need 3 defenders in the summer. 2 starters and a backup.

Pique: These things happen, its not worrying. Now on to think about the next match.

Rage. It would be nice if losses actually hurt our players. Piqye's attitude is horrible.

Valkyrja wrote:you need 3 defenders in the summer. 2 starters and a backup.

Our Management think Pique is Beckenbauer and Mascherano is Baresi. So we got best defense in the world. why buy new CB, lets try another DM and play him CB.

What a clown management we have got 

BarrileteCosmico wrote:Pique: These things happen, its not worrying. Now on to think about the next match.

Rage. It would be nice if losses actually hurt our players. Piqye's attitude is horrible.

What a clown!!Time to sell both Pique and Mascherano. Pique is just too inconsistent and didn't improve at all in last three years.

Mascherano is not even CB and not the tallest guy around either.

Atleast Tata acknowledges he was wrong..
unlike Pique.

well, people have been calling for the double pivot and this shown us we can't do it (at least with the players that played today)

Nerman doesn't stretch the game out at all, he runs too much in the center. If we played double pivot we should at least tried this at some point to see if it worked

------Song(Xavi)--Busi
Alexis----Messi/Nerman---Perdo
-----------Messi/Nerman

Alexis and Pedro adding width and just let Nerman and Messi run the middle of the pitch up front.

About Xavi: "It's always possible that the footballers understand they must go into the pitch, but due to Cesc's and Alexis' subs, and with the three man defense, we thought Xavi's presence would make more sense if we were equalized and we could maintain the control."

From what I saw, we lacked control the entire game...

I only saw the highlights, which is a good thing, becos we looked terrible!

The defense was clueless. That third goal of Real Soc, I mean wtf, no one tracked that player and the entire defense tried to play offside instead and watched the guy run in to score, LOL? Pique looked to got owned numerous times. Maybe this shows Mascherano perhaps has been doing not too badly?

Not sure about the Song and Busquets thing, it didnt help the defending

But again, lets not say sell everybody etc. But this certainly was bad.

From the highlights we didnt create anything either

It appears though still, our main problem is defending. Or I hope anyway

From the the first moment, i never felt we are going to win this game. The attitude was like a training match where it does not matter to win or to loose.
And what was Tata trying to prove?? he can alter history by playing weak eleven?? Damn of his rotation policy for choosing such a stupid lineup and formation for this important game. i could not imagine he would leave some best starters for this game...
Was he trying to prove himself Saint by saving money and not buying defenders or wanted to please the board that he is the right person who can win without expenses....

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BhGwFNDIMAA-QE7.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Cz48dAC.png

God I love Xavi

As I said his expression says it all.

Even tho Tata admitted his mistake, I mean that doesn't take a genius to figure out we were going to drop points in this game with that line up hell even with our starting XI we could have dropped points, but we would've also stood a chance of winning. For a while now we all screamed for Bartra, but what I don't understand is at times we don't see Bartra start against regulation team, but yet we throw him in a game against a side we haven't beaten for about 6+ years at their home ground? And that too with a line up like today? I'm not going to put the whole blame on Tata, as many of the players look lifeless out there and made it seems as if they were training (hell they probably do more in training).

Pique is another story. I remember Ray Hudson (I think it was him) he made a comment towards Pique saying whenever Pique makes a mistake there was always someone there to bail him out at times, but whenever his partner makes a mistake he was hardly there to bail him out. For a guy who speaks to the press, speaks about Barcelona with so much passion you'd think he'd at least lead the back line and give assistance there when needed.

Anyways the season is still long and both Atleti and RM are due to drop points sooner then later, but whatever happens serious assessment needs to be looked into come this summer. WC is coming up scout some damn defenders there!

i partly disagree there.....Its tata's job to create hunger among players, no?? if the players do not feel urgency, dont know how the coach will avoid the blame.
I agree about bartra that he should have started more in other games. if not, he should have not started in such important game. Mashcherano did well vs city and tata should use him in this game. I thought choosing the starting lineup was easier for this game...
And the season is long but other teams are on improvement and we are on decline. Look madrid was 7 points behind so they keep the continuity and we lost 10 points...They tremndously improved their defense in last 2 months....And dont forget they trashed At. Madrid twice in this period. I can see us loosing more points only....

Well, of course its his job to keep this team on its toe, but if he isn't getting the job done most the players should know, a lot being Spanish/Catalan and coming through the academy, so have that hunger desire to succeed and get the club back up top.

Mascherano, Alba and Xavi's legs are to blame for the defensive collapse. Right?

What the *bleep* did I watch? smh

I am quite tired with a few things.

Let us stick only to football, not imaginary signings we didnt get.

I am already sick of Tata's reactionary attitude. Against City it was in display again, happy to settle for 1-0 when we should of been pushing for the kill.

And again here, Sociedad a team who have given us problems only recently...he starts 2 holding players and a forward line which noone runs in behind.

Then worse still, the game was clearly not in our control..not at any point. He was waiting for what? Because Messi scored, it meant everything was ok? No, clearly not...we never had any control in the game. I wont mention who should of started, you can guess.

In terms of the players and team.

Why was Song so deep? He looked like a third centerback.

Its ok when your building up, thats great, but when the ball goes forward he isnt really part of the midfield. So many times we got countered and he was basically part of the defence.

Busquets playing in that advanced position only tells me what I already know..if we fail to press and have to retreat, he cant get back. Dont have the speed. He is a great defensive player when he gets to read the pass and jump in...but trying to defend in transition and running backwards...he obviously cant do that.

In attack, noone running in behind. I dont know why people are surprised Neymar comes inside..he isnt a winger. If you want to get anything from him, duck taping him to the flank isnt going to work. Pedro is the one im looking at...when you play with Neymar and Messi, surely you have to make runs? Alexis would have been better...then again, Pedro didnt play at vs City so not surprising he got the sympathy start.

The defence...

When Montoya isnt the worst defender, that says it all. I am tired of Pique's bs...turning up vs Atletico's and 10 man City is great and all, but a defender more than any position has to be relied on. Sick of his play and his lax attitude. Bartra isnt getting any help and at his age and inexperience, he obviously needs it.

However, the very worst part were the goals.

Why are we still man marking? Is it like to prove some kind of point? It clearly dont work for us, we dont have enough ball winners in the air..there will always be a weak player defending someone better.

Second goal...how do you let them score from a goalkeeper kick? And more to the point...why isnt the back 4 and midfield at least in position for it? Not even school boy defending, thats in insult to them. I just dont get how you cant get in correct basic 4 defenders, 3 midfielders space.

Third goal..the guy doesnt even sprint...he barely jogs into the box and 5 defenders all there standing and watching the ball.

As CB said, maybe now people will get why there was criticism after Sevilla.

As much as I know die hard Barcelona fans will hate it, sometimes it is better for a kingdom to crumble completely for it to survive.

You say Piqué is complacent but you also have to look at the pathetic management of this club and how complacent they have been. How can a defence that is now clearly not even in par with mid table La Liga teams be left aside for 3 seasons? How did Thiago leave for peanuts other than a mismanagement masterpiece? How does this board get away with signing irrelevant players that have added nothing to the team? I'm not going to dig deep at the Qatar sponsorship but the list can go on and I've said it like a hundred times already.

There was a time since the beginning of the century that Real Madrid were the laughing stock of mismanagement but honestly I think you guys have topped their efforts.

@dermotmcorrigan

Worth pointing out tho that both Guardiola's & Vilanova's Barca sides lost at Real Sociedad and went on to win the title at end of season.

This is why Tata got send off supposedly

Ref's report says Tata dismissed for "approaching [La Real assistant coach] Txema Lumbreras and calling him hairy bollocks, in the tunnel".