Regarding barcelona. It's amazing when team goes back to doing what they are good at and it works. 2nd half, barcelona stopped playing over the top balls and going outside the channel. Passed better between midfield and combination play was far superior. Turned the match around. Great 2nd half performance.

Zidane could only watch. Should have sent for Bale at half time.

Hapless_Hans wrote:RG should not be rewarded for trolling IMO

Serious af for once

RealGunner wrote:Regarding barcelona. It's amazing when team goes back to doing what they are good at and it works. 2nd half, barcelona stopped playing over the top balls and going outside the channel. Passed better between midfield and combination play was far superior. Turned the match around. Great 2nd half performance.

Zidane could only watch. Should have sent for Bale at half time.

I disagree. For me it is only Madrid stopping pressing and playing deeper and letting Barcelona having time on the ball. Really poor decision by the coach.

danyjr wrote:

RealGunner wrote:Regarding barcelona. It's amazing when team goes back to doing what they are good at and it works. 2nd half, barcelona stopped playing over the top balls and going outside the channel. Passed better between midfield and combination play was far superior. Turned the match around. Great 2nd half performance.

Zidane could only watch. Should have sent for Bale at half time.

I disagree. For me it is only Madrid stopping pressing and playing deeper and letting Barcelona having time on the ball. Really poor decision by the coach.

disagree with you, you can see how barca started the2nd half differently, exploiting the middle of the pitch more, rakitic and paulinho rushing down our throats, casemiro had not response, and it was a wrap. we were still willing to press, but you are way better at holding possession than we are at pressing imo

14 points behind and it isn't even mid season yet.. best in history ronaldo and motivational zipep are really a match made in heaven.. btw, love how messi smacked the ball to ronaldos face in the first half

Barcelona buscará su tercera victoria consecutiva en #ElClásicoxESPN en el Santiago Bernabéu por primera vez en su historia en #LaLigaxESPN. pic.twitter.com/f0U8hjU6K4

— Goles de Europa ESPN (@GolesdeEuropa) December 23, 2017

3rd time in a row we beat RM at SB in the league.

Mr Nick09 wrote:

danyjr wrote:

RealGunner wrote:Regarding barcelona. It's amazing when team goes back to doing what they are good at and it works. 2nd half, barcelona stopped playing over the top balls and going outside the channel. Passed better between midfield and combination play was far superior. Turned the match around. Great 2nd half performance.

Zidane could only watch. Should have sent for Bale at half time.

I disagree. For me it is only Madrid stopping pressing and playing deeper and letting Barcelona having time on the ball. Really poor decision by the coach.

disagree with you, you can see how barca started the2nd half differently, exploiting the middle of the pitch more, rakitic and paulinho rushing down our throats, casemiro had not response, and it was a wrap. we were still willing to press, but you are way better at holding possession than we are at pressing imo

They may have started differently but so did Madrid. RG is talking about over the top balls and going outside the channel, but actually it is not the Barcelona wanted to do this. They had no other choice but to play that way as Madrid had suffocated them in their own third.

I think Madrid fans are all emotional but you could have put an end to the game at first half. You missed too many chances, just look at how unable Barcelona were in defending their right flank. The results doesn't do the performance justice imho.

RealGunner wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:RG should not be rewarded for trolling IMO

Serious af for once

If we're serious af, it's typical kneejerk nonsense to play off Busquets and Casemiro off one against the other based on one single game.
Completely different players with different roles as 'DM'.

Are you denying that Casemiro has been an important puzzl piece to make it possible to play unathletic, lethargic Kroos's in CM t use his passing and distribution?

Just as Paulinho and Rakitic are important to protect Busquets' unathletic, lethargic yet immensely strategic interpretation of DM.

Well, Madrid couldn't match the newly added quickness and decisiveness of Barcelona (specially Iniesta and Busquets) and they were only marking with Kroos (moves like a truck) and Modric (legs gone) because someone told Zidane that man marking Messi with Kovacic was a good idea. It was almost like he watched Mourinho's Madrid man mark Messi with Adebayor once lmao.

Look at the first goal

https://imgtc.com/w/OcuxalD

Kroos slow to react to busquets. Modric casually jogging because he thinks someone will stop Rakitic. Kovacic running side by side with Messi (who will not be involved in the goal at all) because that's his 'job'. Meanwhile Casemiro the DM is chilling at RW admiring the view.

This is extremely poor midfield play.

danyjr wrote:

Mr Nick09 wrote:

danyjr wrote:
I disagree. For me it is only Madrid stopping pressing and playing deeper and letting Barcelona having time on the ball. Really poor decision by the coach.

disagree with you, you can see how barca started the2nd half differently, exploiting the middle of the pitch more, rakitic and paulinho rushing down our throats, casemiro had not response, and it was a wrap. we were still willing to press, but you are way better at holding possession than we are at pressing imo

They may have started differently but so did Madrid. RG is talking about over the top balls and going outside the channel, but actually it is not the Barcelona wanted to do this. They had no other choice but to play that way as Madrid had suffocated them in their own third.

I think Madrid fans are all emotional but you could have put an end to the game at first half. You missed too many chances, just look at how unable Barcelona were in defending their right flank. The results doesn't do the performance justice imho.

Because in first half you guys wanted to play too quickly and all due respect, we are not Valencia or some other poverty la liga team. It took you 45 minutes to remember that.

I remember Iniesta in first half shooting at your players to stop playing long and to wait and hold possession.

when you committed to doing that in second half, it was over. I would not be shocked if Iniesta gave the pep talk at half time

Hapless_Hans wrote:

RealGunner wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:RG should not be rewarded for trolling IMO

Serious af for once

If we're serious af, it's typical kneejerk nonsense to play off Busquets and Casemiro off one against the other based on one single game.
Completely different players with different roles as 'DM'.

Are you denying that Casemiro has been an important puzzl piece to make it possible to play unathletic, lethargic Kroos's in CM t use his passing and distribution?

Just as Paulinho and Rakitic are important to protect Busquets' unathletic, lethargic yet immensely strategic interpretation of DM.

I am not denying that a midfielder has immensely helped helped Kroos by being next to him. but Casemiro isn't doing anything Coquelin wouldn't do. Casemiro is an extremely poor version of Gilberto Silva. Rakitic doesn't protect anyone and Paulinho plays as an almost second striker. Busquets has never needed help in protecting himself.

Casemiro was amazing last season in CL. Amazing. Please don't come with Coquelin and then claim you're not trolling.

Hapless_Hans wrote:Casemiro was amazing last season in CL. Amazing. Please don't come with Coquelin and then claim you're not trolling.

The entire Madrid team was amazing last season in the CL.

WOOOOO HOOOOOO~!!!!! Dont think I've seen such a league over Real, or vice versa for that matter for a longggggggg time.

Real played well and didnt have the luck. Although Im impressed with ourselves this season, to be flexible in our play and being effective, and this game shows that exactly. Paulinho really proving EVERYONE to be wrong Our 4-4-2 prove to be effective this season.

Kovavic used to mark Messi but he didnt have the amazing game he did last time. For our first goal Rakitic was at face facing him and he retreated to Messi lol, Rakitic just stroked on. I think Roberto also have a great game and has really improve lately. This game really for me shows our team to be more complete then we give credit for (except for the useless Andre Gomes).

Ronaldo kicking the air completely missing the ball ffs that was funny as with that first chance Then numerous chances, Ballon D'or winner, pls step aside next year, u no longer belong Benzema hitting the post etc. Also without the refs help this game plus no luck. The chance that led to the red card was hilarious too Paulinho with the header again ffs.

So what a big win for us, 3-0 at Real No letting up though like we did after we went 2-0 up though, Real almost got back in it on a couple of occasions. But this is a big cushion now.

RG is straight wilding now lol. Casemiro has had standout performances in CL last season that's pretty clear. But if we have to compare both in the way they interpret what being a DM is, today was as good as any.

As you say Busquets flanked by runners and Casemiro typically protecting kroos who is sliding away from criticism better than anyone ever in madrid.

I think there is a difference in class, but that's not a slight on Casemiro who is still a quality player.

Coquelin would not start at Getafe RG

Had Ronaldo had scored his easy chance or Kariminal had finished his header, we'd all be talking about Madrid's flawless plan. But they didn't and now we're drilling Madrid's performance.

Regarding the video, I think it was a collective mistake. Modrić is jogging because he sees Kovačić can cover Rakitić's run, forgetting that his job is to man-mark Messi not covering the middle (as his job would be 99% of the time) so I can't blame him too much. What would Kovačić do? He makes a split second decision to stay with his coach's orders. Couldn't Suárez not be marked better on this goal? Imho he could. Real culprit for me here is Casemiro who is in no man's land as Barcelona turn defence into attack.

Winter is Coming wrote:

Barcelona buscará su tercera victoria consecutiva en #ElClásicoxESPN en el Santiago Bernabéu por primera vez en su historia en #LaLigaxESPN. pic.twitter.com/f0U8hjU6K4

— Goles de Europa ESPN (@GolesdeEuropa) December 23, 2017

3rd time in a row we beat RM at SB in the league.

They won the supercup match in august there, misleading/fake news

Looks like the Post Mourinho Era / effects are wearing off and Real Madrid are well , back to being Real Madrid.

It wasnt that Barca were a beast team, but rather Madrid being very mediocre.
Messi is like the most efficient player. He's not much on the ball but every touch on the ball turns out to something beautiful and more importantly fruitful.

Bankz wrote:14 points behind and it isn't even mid season yet.. best in history ronaldo and motivational zipep are really a match made in heaven.. btw, love how messi smacked the ball to ronaldos face in the first half

Anyone got the clip where Ronaldo nutmegs
himself? Will be much appreciated.

haven visit madrid section, how bad is it.

Mr Nick09 wrote:

guest7 wrote:"small minded tactics" etc.

Didn't Mou aka THE SPECIAL ONE invent that tactic that EVERY team in recent years has used vs Messi?

Please go a tactic class before you speak against the GOAT of all managers aka Zidane (who has qualifed like three manager classes cuz he is GOAT)

Mourinho is a small minded coach, what are you on about?

This.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:Should be a crime to hold this match so early.

Its for the China market I was surprised to see so many ad signs starting just not that long ago all in Chinese. Best ever in history for us this time 8pm We used to always have to stay up till like 3-4am to watch.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:When has a single player man marking Messi ever worked? You need a couple. And really the best defense against Barca is high pressing and preventing him from getting the ball altogether.

Kovavic had a really good game last time iirc which is what Zidane must of been thinking would work again. Valverde proving himself really so far, really glad with that, someone who can lead us to beat Real. Cambiasso for Inter was probably one good example of when it sort of was like that and worked. there were a couple of games when it did work though more recently although I cant remember which. But overall definitely need to organize more to contain Messi rather than just one man marking.

Messi Christmas Madrid! How do you like our
guard of honor?

RealGunner wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:Casemiro was amazing last season in CL. Amazing. Please don't come with Coquelin and then claim you're not trolling.

The entire Madrid team was amazing last season in the CL.

except benzema....don't talk about the atletico dribble, that was his only thing worthy of note, and maybe 1 goal in the group game

huntsman wrote:Looks like the Post Mourinho Era / effects are wearing off and Real Madrid are well , back to being Real Madrid.

It wasnt that Barca were a beast team, but rather Madrid being very mediocre.
Messi is like the most efficient player. He's not much on the ball but every touch on the ball turns out to something beautiful and more importantly fruitful.

lmao, three coaches have come since mourinho and this guy's still talking about him, you should be talking about the mourinho effect at utd or his last season in chelsea lol. the mourinho effect lol