If not Valverde, who?

Winter is Coming wrote:we have a much better squad here then what the result and performance are showing us right now

That sounds awfully familiar. Tell me when you find a coach that's able to disguise your weak links and convert talent into and equal amount of performance on a consistent basis, and I'll... introduce him to a really hot woman with big boobs

Got booed last night subbing Vidal who was great, and keeping Busquets and Rakitic who were atrocious the whole match. I think he might be an idiot.

I'm ready to finally admit this: Messi is the problem.

The only 2 games I've enjoyed this season were when Messi was injured and I don't think that's a coincidence.

Team won and messi saved his energy. what is the problem? two games you watched were training matches. Amount of space Madrid gave to Barcelona was the record in the last decade. No way they would give Messi so much space

Just look at this defending, everyone is free, Arthur has 5 possible choices to assist someone. Have you seen Madrid like this in El Clasicos?

Yes, I've seen that in many Clasicos. It makes no sense to cut one frame out and present it as an argument, though.

Messi just walks around and it hurts the team. It will get us eliminated again against some poverty team like Roma.

Ok two more frames. Show me 3 frames from any el clasico with so careless defending

This is how i used to see Madrid defense when Messi is there

I believe that opponents park the bus when messi plays. This can hurt the team yes. But with time they will do the same defending against barca without messi too.

Also running like a horse in unimportant matches is a dumb way of winning titles. If Messi does it in important CL match then i will stop arguing. Did you watch Tottenham match where Messi made more tackles than Pique?
I think you jumped in wrong bandwagon too early

You talk of space. How does space get created? Why did we create so much space against Madrid? Take yesterday's game for example. How many times did Dembele break on a transition? Where was our false 9 to be found on these transitions? Most moves fizzled because Dembele would have no options but to check back or get crowded out inevitably. Meanwhile, our false 9 who gets paid 100 mil a year (twice what CR makes despite the latter sweeping the most recent Ballon D'Ors and leading his team to a CL 3 peat) was busy taking a stroll in the middle of the park.

And please stop with the unimportant game BS. I can recollect countless important games over the past 6 years; including CL games where we got knocked out where Messi went on walkabouts throughout the game.
There is a reason, CR despite being half as talented has been far more influential in the CL knockouts than Messi. There is a reason CR has made it 5-5 from 4-1. Might have a lot to do with the fact that one is a monster off the ball and the other averages 5km a game (even in CL knockouts) and that too at walking pace.

I think everyone admitted that Madrid were shit in the last clasico. No need to argue about that match

If Messi was walking in last 6 years, this year its different. He puts maximum effort in important CL games. He gets more depression than you and other barca fans because of CL disasters in the last years. He probably didnt sleep for 1 month after Roma game. Nobody pays 1 penny for free, if he gets 100 million it means he pays it back. His name is legendary and you should be proud that he plays for your team. Perez can buy legendary players every year and its no big deal when their fans bash them. But Barca has no Perez, they get a legendary player once in a decade and you should respect that

CR was flop in the first half of the season last year, actually until bicycle kick Madrid fans bashed him more than you bash Messi. So most probably Messi saves his energy for a CL knock out match after witnessing that playing great in every match doesnt worth it. One moment in a big match and you take all the Ballon Dors

You don't have Perez, yet you've spent far more money than us on "Galacticos" during Real Madrid's most successful period in recent history. I don't know what point you're trying to prove with that statement.

Yes, people criticized Ronaldo a lot during the first few months of last season. He's getting older, and like with Messi, seeing him conserve stamina in the lesser important matches was frustrating to fans. He also looked rusty after he returned from suspension, and was firing blanks when we expected his usual clinicality in front of goal. It's not as if his bicycle kick lead to a kneejerk reaction that spontaneously made people forgive him for that underwhelming start. I think it just took some time for people to accept that he was already firmly into his 30s, and the 5 match ban made matters even worse, as it seemed to disrupt his momentum.

In Messi's case, my guess would be that he's simply not as motivated to win the league, as he was in the past. He's also getting older, and you've won the league a lot in recent years, so that's completely understandable.

Kebab wrote:I think everyone admitted that Madrid were shit in the last clasico. No need to argue about that match

If Messi was walking in last 6 years, this year its different. He puts maximum effort in important CL games. He gets more depression than you and other barca fans because of CL disasters in the last years. He probably didnt sleep for 1 month after Roma game. Nobody pays 1 penny for free, if he gets 100 million it means he pays it back. His name is legendary and you should be proud that he plays for your team. Perez can buy legendary players every year and its no big deal when their fans bash them. But Barca has no Perez, they get a legendary player once in a decade and you should respect that

CR was flop in the first half of the season last year, actually until bicycle kick Madrid fans bashed him more than you bash Messi. So most probably Messi saves his energy for a CL knock out match after witnessing that playing great in every match doesnt worth it. One moment in a big match and you take all the Ballon Dors

I do agree that he appears motivated in the CL this year. He is running a lot more than he has done over the past 6 years in the CL this year. Even against PSV, I thought he moved a fair bit.

Once more, your last point(that he saves energy for few CL knockouts) would be valid if he was running lights out in important CL matches over the past 6 years. Reality is otherwise. His effort has been found wanting a lot over the past few years in important CL matches.

Barcelona is studying the idea of Ronald Koeman as a substitute for Valverde, who, as of today, does not want to continue next season. [@_AdrianSnchz]



yeeessss

Myesyats wrote:Barcelona is studying the idea of Ronald Koeman as a substitute for Valverde, who, as of today, does not want to continue next season. [@_AdrianSnchz]



yeeessss

That's the worst idea ever

Koeman might be a style-defining Barca legend as a player, but he ultimately is a negative, just above average manager nowhere near good enough for Barca

I'm just happy Valverde doesnt want to continue

And a complete beta like every Barça coach since Pep apart from Luis Enrique.

Unexpected. The shoes are too big for him to fill and he seems to know it.

Let's make a real push for Allegri. His brand of football is no worse than what we have had to endure in recent years.

Koeman would be a terrible idea.
I dont agree with everything Valverde does. I hate that he defends and counters, especially at home. But that doesnt change the fact that he has done an outstanding job so far. He has lost 1 important game in his Barca tenure so far (the Roma loss). Other than that, from a results perspective, he has been flawless.
He is tactically brilliant and has shown that he can play good football.

The problem is not Valverde. The problem is our no.10. As long as he plays, doesnt matter who we get. Doesnt matter if we get Pep or Cruyff reincarnate himself. We will still play boring, one dimensional football and crash out of the CL.

So glad one recognizes that Txingurri in the end is an intrinsically outstanding coach and one of Alex's deep footballing acumen.

He was exactly a brilliant manager in Athletic and of course Barcelona had to pry him away right at a very crucial transitory period in which has left the club in the dust even till now, but its been a pleasure to see him win titles within the club by his own name even if he has missed out on the the grandest one of all.

Ultimately I feel he needs a break to regenerate his mind as Txingurri is not one to take consistent pressures yearly and it has taken a toll on him, and I say would need distance.

Allegri happens to be very similar to him but beyond that replacing him would be no easy task at all. Koeman is a nobody coach and will remain that way.

alexjanosik wrote:He is tactically brilliant and has shown that he can play good football.

His tactics consist of Messi, Dembele, Luisito and ter Stegen saving his ass over and over again. He's a pathetic coach who is unable to motivate the players and, if you watch his press conferences, he's absolutely colorless on all levels.

I don't think Koeman is what we need (never said he is), I'm just happy we won't be stuck with EV for one more year. He's just so bland.

We don't play good football and the only thing to look forward in our games is Dembele's explosiveness because others are a reflection of the senile Valverde himself.

It's absolutely all his fault that other players stand around like lamp posts and expect Messi to do everything. That's what happens when you actually are not a great tactician.

To the ones against Valverde: you guys are gonna miss him eventually. Enjoy it while you can i.e a solid, stable manager.

Hapless_Hans wrote:

Myesyats wrote:Barcelona is studying the idea of Ronald Koeman as a substitute for Valverde, who, as of today, does not want to continue next season. [@_AdrianSnchz]



yeeessss

That's the worst idea ever

Koeman might be a style-defining Barca legend as a player, but he ultimately is a negative, just above average manager nowhere near good enough for Barca

He's not even average, he sucked at multiple clubs severely below the level of what Barca is.

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:

Myesyats wrote:Barcelona is studying the idea of Ronald Koeman as a substitute for Valverde, who, as of today, does not want to continue next season. [@_AdrianSnchz]



yeeessss

That's the worst idea ever

Koeman might be a style-defining Barca legend as a player, but he ultimately is a negative, just above average manager nowhere near good enough for Barca

He's not even average, he sucked at multiple clubs severely below the level of what Barca is.

Disagree. Don't think he 'sucked severely' at Southampton, and not really at Everton eithrt.
His team always looked organized, sometime quite strong. But uncreative and negative

No idea how his previous stations were tho

I just remember Ronald's stint at Valencia where he tried to kick out players and they carried Valencia to court. He also said watching matches from home provided him with better insight.