Busquets has started training. Should he be thrown straight into the fire or should Mascherano reatin the DM position?

Other than this point I expect the same team we fielded against City, with Bravo.

I'd prefer Busquets tbh, but if he's not 100% then I'd go with Masche.

I read on FCB.com we haven't lost to Madrid in 85 years when we've been on top of the league at the Camp Nou.

I would rather see Busquets, not to the surprise of most of you im sure.

Id rather have to take Busquets off if we get into trouble and bring on Mascherano who can run and do some last ditch stuff.

Rather that than start with Mascherano and we get into trouble at 0-0 because he commits a needless foul or something like that.

I think Madrid can cause upset at Camp Nou despite all the odds. Without Busquets your midfield is inferior to Madrid's. I'd personally go for a Kroos, Modrić and Isco midfield with Modrić being makeshift DM. Not ideal and defensively suspect but it gives Madrid superior control against Rakitić Mascherano and Iniesta in the middle of the park and Barcelona will suffer due to lack of possession in the midfield. Unless Ancelotti bottles it and plays Khedira or Illaramendi whom both have been sub standard.

Despite what most pundits concluded a few nights ago I feel the City match was far from a great performance from Barcelona, especially a very different performance than vintage Barcelona. Not to discredit City but they are not an elite team despite all the money they've spent and their consistent failures in Champions League is proof to this. To me this Barcelona team looks very different than previous years. This team refrains from playing combinations, slow tempo build ups, midfield control and penetrating through the middle. Not necessarily a bad thing as teams had found Barcelona out in recent years but I think they actually can't play their old style any more. I observed a completely different midfield play in Camp Nou against City where your midfielders play side strikers during the build up and creativity and penetration comes purely from wide positions.

Suárez is another concern to me. People are raving about him but I'm not so sure. Is this guy really worth a €100 million? Not the way he's playing. He is just not playing to his strengths at all playing second fiddle to Messi. And I feel mentally he is not there either, just don't see the same hunger in him. His one touch play is probably one of the worst in the team, he is consistently caught offside generally finding it difficult to adapt to this system. His acceptable goalscoring record has been hiding the underlying problems.

Rakitić also is not having his best year, his passing especially has been quite sloppy. Although he offers a lot to Barcelona I think you will start finding him exposed during the Madrid match. Great player but not for this team in my opinion.

Also Mathieu...really? He has a very bad touch and zero composure. You don't want to see two players pressing him cause it'll end up in a disaster. I'd replace him with Mascherano any day of the week.

The performance was fine, it's the finishing which was abysmal. If they even took under half their chances it would have been 6 or 7-0.

Also Suarez not worth 100m? Good job he didn't cost that much then.

Barcelona win all day long. Will be a good game as always

As long as he's at least 75% then start Busquets, agreed with Dani that I would rather see him start and have to come off than to see Masch starting. Essential player for us.

I think we'll win. Madrid have been shite, we have been pretty good, we are top and need the space and the players should know how crucial this game is, and more than anything we are at Camp Nou. I'm so excited

Barca 2-1 Madrid

we are going to this match with plenty of advantage...thats the plus....if anything i would be worried with our mid. madrid, at least on paper are far superior than us there. with modric they will be stronger there and will enjoy more scoring chances ... will be a tough battle.

Visca

Let's Win This!

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:The performance was fine, it's the finishing which was abysmal. If they even took under half their chances it would have been 6 or 7-0.

Barcelona created 12 chances? I was watching another game then. Besides City had to come out and score which they never did because they lacked any meaningful pressing. They have 3-4 good players that'd make it to the Barcelona squad and the rest are just abysmal. Navas? Demichelis? Koralov? Old man Sagna and one season wonder Nasri? They can't even dream of warming Barcelona's bench. Let's be realistic even Arsenal won against them away

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:Also Suarez not worth 100m? Good job he didn't cost that much then.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28180600

Definitely you were watching another game...Hart saved 10 shots says it all about the number of chances Barca created....Not only that, reading your long post i assume you did not watch Barca more than 3 or 4 times this season. am i right??

Random question.

i would like to consider us as veterens of watching the sport when you compare to the rest of the world.

but do you guys still get the pre-match nerves?
Every big game / classico etc i always have to change my schedule around it to just have a good 30 minute before the game to settle in, get my favorite meal and drink try to relax the excitement and nerves as a game can be rather stressful when i want the team to win.

just curious do you guys get like this with games still?
or is it just another form of entertainment / you got nothing better to do whatever type of deal

(question for everyone, not just barca fans)

Wtf am I seeing. Real playing possession football and we are sitting back and soaking in the pressure.

This is so bad wtf. Neymar could've ended it but his poor form continues.

HT. 1-1. Ridiculously entertaining match. Liverpool - United was good. Thus is 10x better.

I couldn't have been more right

Neymar misplacing passes, awful dribbling and passes the ball to Casillas about only 5 feet away from goal smh

We need Busq out there asap. Midfield is a mess

Donuts wrote:Random question.

i would like to consider us as veterens of watching the sport when you compare to the rest of the world.

but do you guys still get the pre-match nerves?
Every big game / classico etc i always have to change my schedule around it to just have a good 30 minute before the game to settle in, get my favorite meal and drink try to relax the excitement and nerves as a game can be rather stressful when i want the team to win.

just curious do you guys get like this with games still?
or is it just another form of entertainment / you got nothing better to do whatever type of deal

(question for everyone, not just barca fans)

Nah, I used to get pre game big game nerves, but now the prospect of losing a big game no longer bothers me. Back in the day, my entire week would have been ruined and I wouldn't have been able to sleep if we lost against Madrid, but now I just shrug my shoulders and go do something else.

Big difference when Busquets came on.

We did it!

Great goal from Suarez. Pique and Mathieu were amazing.

Suarez great goal

neymar great second half

messi was meh the whole gome on and off

pique is back

alba should of scored

alves was great the second half

rakitic meh

iniesta was very off today so many misplaced simple passes.

mathieu is a rock.