most important thing is not to get complacent again and finish off the game when the chance arises like against guanzghou (?)

hope the game is as good as against santos in 2011

Sánchez (River Plate): "I want Messi to play because after we win I don't want them to say because he wasn't there."

OH RLY

I have had a partial re think on the CWC. I read a comment saying that it is not about how big it is now, it is about how big the competition is going to be in the future.
Kind of similar to the European Cup back when Madrid won 5 in a row. Nobody gave a damn about it then and it allowed Madrid to get a head start in the competition. Now it is the pre eminent club competition i the world.
The CWC may become big in the future. The South Americans take it very very seriously. And it seems the European clubs have also begun to take it very seriously.

¥39,000 for a finals ticket? Waaaaay steeper than the ¥17,000 or so my girlfriend and her friends paid to see Barcelona vs Guangzhou.

Will be interested in seeing the crowd for the final.

free_cat wrote:In South America.... maybe.

For me it's just above the Super Cups and below Copa del Rey.

I would happily get to the CWC every season and lose it 5-0.

I don't want us to mortgage our season to win the CWC, as Madrid di last season.

No I do really want to win this trophy and I certainly want it more than the Copa Del Rey. It isn't a major competition but it's the only one that makes you call yourself world champions. Another thing about this competition is that it's like a closure, the icing on the cake of what's been achieved last year. I want that icing. What happens after this competition is like a clean slate for the next year.

linetty wrote:and suarez, what a great striker... insane how much he brings to the table

Even then his hype in the media and among former players is much less than that of Neymar and of course Messi. This is starting to irritate me.

For River this means everything. Hope they won't go full thug mode.

alexjanosik wrote:I have had a partial re think on the CWC. I read a comment saying that it is not about how big it is now, it is about how big the competition is going to be in the future.
Kind of similar to the European Cup back when Madrid won 5 in a row. Nobody gave a damn about it then and it allowed Madrid to get a head start in the competition. Now it is the pre eminent club competition i the world.
The CWC may become big in the future. The South Americans take it very very seriously. And it seems the European clubs have also begun to take it very seriously.

Very interesting thoughts

Barcelona line-up (official): Bravo - Alves Pique Mascherano Alba - Rakitic Busquets Iniesta - Messi Suarez Neymar

futbol wrote:Barcelona line-up (official): Bravo - Alves Pique Mascherano Alba - Rakitic Busquets Iniesta - Messi Suarez Neymar

Isn't Messi injured? Diagnosed with kidney problem?

He felt fine yesterday. Luis Enrique reckoned they'd both start (he and Neymar) which means they have fully recovered

Strongest line-up, nice

Kidney stones. I guess as long as there is no pain it won't limit him from playing.

linetty wrote:Strongest line-up, nice

Would have expected ter Stegen to get at least one game since he played and won the competition which brought Barca here in the first place. Strange.

Thats true. And its not like Lucho doesnt trust Marc aswell he definitely has faith in the kid.

Bizarre decision but whatever he feels is best I back him up on it.

linetty wrote:He felt fine yesterday. Luis Enrique reckoned they'd both start (he and Neymar) which means they have fully recovered

Strongest line-up, nice

In fact this is our strongest possible lineup, something we didn't even field in the UCL final. How come Bravo got in instead of Ter Stegen when this is a cup and directly connected with the UCL?

River Plate is such a physical team, the kind that have been our bane for years.

Messi of course has been the star of the show. Suarez has been surprisingly off color.

What the hell was Jordi Alba thinking?

Anyone watching it live? How are we playing ?

Playing good, river are really nasty so it's not easy to play against them, mainly counterattack is the key to break them down

Pirloisjesus wrote:Anyone watching it live? How are we playing ?

I watched it live and it was a convincing victory, albeit not perfect.

My comment seemed to galvanize Suarez in the second half. I had intentionally written that. Something was telling me he's got to end up as player of the tournament.

Sometimes feel that we should credit our think tank more. Real Madrid could have signed Suarez earlier but they opted for Gareth Bale. Bayern Munich could have gone after Neymar but they chose Mario Gotze. Out think tank has done a few great things recently, not least of all the shrewd purchase of Ivan Rakitic.

Sergio Busquets' assist for the second goal was top quality - one of the most technically sound DMs ever.

Champions of the world.

Good win.The only negative for me was MATS not playing. And his post match reaction was telling. Looked very gloomy and didnt celebrate at all. He also seems cut off from the group.
If we plan on him as our long term GK(and I think he should get a fair shot to decide one way or the other), then Enrique needs to make him the undisputed number 1.
Very poor man management from Enrique so far with regards to MATS.

Surprised Suarez won Golden Ball. Didnt think FIFA would go for it. But I suppose their hands were tied with him scoring 5 goals.
He is a beast of a striker(no pun intended). If I am building an all time 11, he is my number 9.

Reports coming in from Mundo Deportivo saying Messi played on painkillers today

Great effort

Some photos from this great day

Are we the best team in the world or what

The first half was tight with good intensity by River keeping the game interesting, even though Barca had many good chances Barovero made good saves. After the 2nd goal though it was just a walking match, River was demoralized and Barca went on automatic. Very deserved victory. Happy for Neymar and Suarez who never won it before.

Awful decision from Luis Enrique not to give Ter Stegen a single minute in this competition.

Who where you rooting for Barrilete?

Btw, how did River manage to win Livertadores after being relegated just a few years before? What a comeback! What happened?