Re: Barcelona v AC Milan

by messixaviesta Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 6:11

I think we can call this Massimilano Allegri's finest hour as a tactician to date. His biggest credit in my eyes is that he didn't ask his team to do anything that would make it difficult for them. If they had pressed high up the pitch for example they would have gotten tired soon enough. Due to their age they just didn't have the legs for that. So he employed classic parking the bus with the key being blocking space. For many minutes in the match Milan did not even try to take the ball. The defensive organization was top class - so good that even someone with Xavi's ability could hardly find a gap anywhere to send a telling pass through. What I appreciated was that they showed you don't need to be violent or dirty to be resolute defensively. Alessandro Nesta even at this age remains the text book of central defending. As for their opener I think there is a 50% chance that they had planned it beforehand. They knew we were playing a makeshift defense and wanted to catch us unawares.

by messixaviesta Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 6:13

dostoevsky wrote:Congratulations on a great game guys, good luck in the rest of your group campaign.

Save for one match in particular, of course.

Thanks dost. Same to you. Smile

by The Franchise Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 6:18

messixaviesta wrote:
The Franchise wrote:
Perhaps, but I like Adriano so I wouldnt like to see him 3rd choice leftback. Also, which leftback are we able to get who is better then Abidal there? I struggle to name one.

I dont lack confidence in Adriano, I like him alot. Its just Abidal is better. Aside from Cole at Chelsea, there isnt a leftback in the world I would feel safer playing with then Abidal.

Yes that's very true. I just feel that with age Abidal might start feeling more comfortable at center back.

I dont see that, he looks fine to me at leftback. As I said, other then Cole, nobody I trust as much.

by The Franchise Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 6:18

El Pipita wrote:
The Franchise wrote:
El Pipita wrote:Barca should've bought Mats Hummels instead of Alexis Sanchez. the boy has good ball control, he's smart and reads the game so well. he and Pique would've make a unbreakable wall for Barca.

Why instead? So we can have zero forward depth?

As for Hummels I like him, but I am not convinced he is fast enough.

Considering Barca's budget was limited to 40m i'd buy someone who is top priority. Barca needed a CB more than a wing.

We had money for a centerback. I cant bothered doing the maths with the outgoing players added to the transfer budget minus the transfers fees. Khaled did it before and we had money left over.

Secondly, we needed another forward.

Why woldnt of you said Cesc, seeing as we are more stacked in the midfielder then anywhere else?

by Seth Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 7:28

1 thing that left me wondering. How come none of the Barca players attempted to cut in more often from the wings?

Alves at times were given plenty of space to cut in but he often backed off and gave the ball back to the middle.

Then in one occasion, I note that Messi attempted to go in through the middle, only to have no less than 5 people surrounds him within seconds.

IMO, had Messi attempted to engage Zambrotta more often in a 1v1 situation, Barca would probably get more clear cut chances, instead of continuing to persist to attack from the middle.

by ChollaVille Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 7:44

Pay €40M and thats it Very Happy

for Thiago Silva Smile

by messixaviesta Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 10:22

The Franchise wrote:
I dont see that, he looks fine to me at leftback. As I said, other then Cole, nobody I trust as much.

Agreed. Just wondering whether playing as CB would make him less injury and fatigue prone at this age than playing as LB would.

by messixaviesta Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 10:24

The Franchise wrote:
We had money for a centerback. I cant bothered doing the maths with the outgoing players added to the transfer budget minus the transfers fees. Khaled did it before and we had money left over.

I don't think money was a reason for not buying a CB. The way I understand it, this was Pep's decision made totally of his own free will.

by messixaviesta Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 10:31

Pep Guardiola : "It's never easy to attack when their MFs convert into CBs."

Clark Whitney : "It's never easy to defend when your MFs convert into CBs."

by BarcaKizz Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 14:16

Did anyone else find this game extremely boring or was I just tired... Kept nodding off from about 40 minutes. So f***ing boring...

by harhar11 Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 14:29

BarcaKizz wrote:Did anyone else find this game extremely boring or was I just tired... Kept nodding off from about 40 minutes. So f***ing boring...

That's what happend when a team put 8 players inside their own penalty area :/

Before anyone says that I am criticizing milan tactics, im not. They can play how the hell they want too..

by Arquitecto Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 14:38

harhar11 wrote:
BarcaKizz wrote:Did anyone else find this game extremely boring or was I just tired... Kept nodding off from about 40 minutes. So f***ing boring...

That's what happend when a team put 8 players inside their own penalty area :/

Before anyone says that I am criticizing milan tactics, im not. They can play how the hell they want too..

Were we watching the same game?

I guess you didn't notice KPB and Seedorf ahead of Barca's midfield and set-up for the counter-attack while Abate was spending most of his time positioning himself for a run on the flanks.

5 men behind the ball as the initiative was for Counter-attacking.

Only 3 people in the box.

Don't fabricate stuff.

by harhar11 Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 14:49

Arquitecto wrote:
harhar11 wrote:
BarcaKizz wrote:Did anyone else find this game extremely boring or was I just tired... Kept nodding off from about 40 minutes. So f***ing boring...

That's what happend when a team put 8 players inside their own penalty area :/

Before anyone says that I am criticizing milan tactics, im not. They can play how the hell they want too..

Were we watching the same game?

I guess you didn't notice KPB and Seedorf ahead of Barca's midfield and set-up for the counter-attack while Abate was spending most of his time positioning himself for a run on the flanks.

5 men behind the ball as the initiative was for Counter-attacking.

Only 3 people in the box.

Don't fabricate stuff.

Really? Like seth said, when messi tried to to attack through the middle, he got 5 players on him.

And when I said they put 8 players inside their own penalty area I didn't mean literally. I only meant that they had almost all their players in or around the penalty box, bar pato,casanno and seedorf(iirc). Atleast thats what I saw.

As I said, its not a criticism on the tactics. Yes I don't like that tactic, but milan are free to use whatever tactic they want to use..

by ChollaVille Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 15:18

Milan played very good, they had some luck, Barca did not play so good, they were unlucky, s

Shots:
Barca 23, Milan 6.
Possesion 70-30.

It was clean game from both sides, and that is good. And I can say that atkinson is maybe the best ref ATM. He will book you for to much talking or to much diving, and I like that.

by The Franchise Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 15:25

messixaviesta wrote:
The Franchise wrote:
I dont see that, he looks fine to me at leftback. As I said, other then Cole, nobody I trust as much.

Agreed. Just wondering whether playing as CB would make him less injury and fatigue prone at this age than playing as LB would.

maybe, but thats why you have depth. 2 in every position so Abidal doesnt have to play that more demanding position every game. In Adriano we have that.

by The Franchise Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 15:25

messixaviesta wrote:
The Franchise wrote:
We had money for a centerback. I cant bothered doing the maths with the outgoing players added to the transfer budget minus the transfers fees. Khaled did it before and we had money left over.

I don't think money was a reason for not buying a CB. The way I understand it, this was Pep's decision made totally of his own free will.

Exactly. Money wasnt the reason at all, it was his choice.

by The Franchise Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 15:27

BarcaKizz wrote:Did anyone else find this game extremely boring or was I just tired... Kept nodding off from about 40 minutes. So f***ing boring...

Well after we scored the equaliser, it was basically the same pattern over and over.

We have the ball and try and break them down, they have good numbers back in good positions and they defended expertly.

It because boring because it wasnt wave after wave of attack and chances, but possession and trying to find a way through in a constant stream.

So, I do get what you mean.

by Khaled Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 17:58

The Franchise wrote:Pedro gives the ball away the most out of all our players I think.

First 15 minutes, he gave it away 3 times.

Which is alot when you consider he probably one got the ball passed to him about 5 times in those 15 minutes.

Pedro made 60 Passes (92% accuracy)..

U can find the Stats vs ACMilan in this Link: https://goallegacy.forumotion.com/t6061-barca-stats-2011-2012

by Superpeppe Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 18:37

harhar11 wrote:
Arquitecto wrote:
harhar11 wrote:
BarcaKizz wrote:Did anyone else find this game extremely boring or was I just tired... Kept nodding off from about 40 minutes. So f***ing boring...

That's what happend when a team put 8 players inside their own penalty area :/

Before anyone says that I am criticizing milan tactics, im not. They can play how the hell they want too..

Were we watching the same game?

I guess you didn't notice KPB and Seedorf ahead of Barca's midfield and set-up for the counter-attack while Abate was spending most of his time positioning himself for a run on the flanks.

5 men behind the ball as the initiative was for Counter-attacking.

Only 3 people in the box.

Don't fabricate stuff.

Really? Like seth said, when messi tried to to attack through the middle, he got 5 players on him.

And when I said they put 8 players inside their own penalty area I didn't mean literally. I only meant that they had almost all their players in or around the penalty box, bar pato,casanno and seedorf(iirc). Atleast thats what I saw.

As I said, its not a criticism on the tactics. Yes I don't like that tactic, but milan are free to use whatever tactic they want to use..

Not for nothing but where they supposed to leave Messi do what ever he wanted?
When I first watched the game I thought we stole the point, but when I watched it again it wasn't that bad. We played great defense and planning on counter attack. The problem was that Cassano was a ghost.
TBH Barca got lucky as well, Pato could've score another goal if he wasn't offside by 10 inches.
All and all it was a good game. Shame on Barca that with 70% ball possession wasn't able to put it in.

by harhar11 Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 19:22

Superpeppe wrote:

Not for nothing but where they supposed to leave Messi do what ever he wanted?
When I first watched the game I thought we stole the point, but when I watched it again it wasn't that bad. We played great defense and planning on counter attack. The problem was that Cassano was a ghost.
TBH Barca got lucky as well, Pato could've score another goal if he wasn't offside by 10 inches.
All and all it was a good game. Shame on Barca that with 70% ball possession wasn't able to put it in.

Well for you to have 5 players on messi and still have enough players to mark the other barca proves my point. That you had a awful lot of players in or around the box. And again, its not a criticism.

And if offsides are lucky/unlucky then you were also lucky that messi was offside by around the same distances that pato had, you know when messi rounded abbiati.

You think its easy to create chances when a team has that many player around their own box? ffs, didn't Man Utd get a nil-nil drawn to rangers at home, when rangers park the bus? Didn't real madrid have trouble against sporting gijon did the same and defeated real madrid?

by Khaled Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 19:31

I would love to see a team parking the bus vs Real Madrid lol Smile

by The Franchise Wed 14 Sep 2011 - 19:59

Khaledbarca wrote:
The Franchise wrote:Pedro gives the ball away the most out of all our players I think.

First 15 minutes, he gave it away 3 times.

Which is alot when you consider he probably one got the ball passed to him about 5 times in those 15 minutes.

Pedro made 60 Passes (92% accuracy)..

U can find the Stats vs ACMilan in this Link: https://goallegacy.forumotion.com/t6061-barca-stats-2011-2012

I said givng the ball away Khaled, so not only passing. Poor touches and failed dribbls too.

For sure, in the first 15 minutes he was doing a bad job at this.

by Khaled Thu 15 Sep 2011 - 1:08

The Franchise wrote:
Khaledbarca wrote:
The Franchise wrote:Pedro gives the ball away the most out of all our players I think.

First 15 minutes, he gave it away 3 times.

Which is alot when you consider he probably one got the ball passed to him about 5 times in those 15 minutes.

Pedro made 60 Passes (92% accuracy)..

U can find the Stats vs ACMilan in this Link: https://goallegacy.forumotion.com/t6061-barca-stats-2011-2012

I said givng the ball away Khaled, so not only passing. Poor touches and failed dribbls too.

For sure, in the first 15 minutes he was doing a bad job at this.

true, not just in this match..
Pedro has to improve & its his chance since alexis is injured.. cuz in first couple of match alexis was playing better imO!

by Guest Thu 15 Sep 2011 - 9:28

BarcaKizz wrote:Did anyone else find this game extremely boring or was I just tired... Kept nodding off from about 40 minutes. So f***ing boring...

It was the most fascinating game I have watched in a long time, from a tactical sense if not from any other.

by BarcaKizz Thu 15 Sep 2011 - 9:31

Milanista-1899 wrote:
BarcaKizz wrote:Did anyone else find this game extremely boring or was I just tired... Kept nodding off from about 40 minutes. So f***ing boring...

It was the most fascinating game I have watched in a long time, from a tactical sense if not from any other.

Lol...blimey maybe this is why Serie A makes my eyes sore...

by BiasedMilanFan3 Thu 15 Sep 2011 - 9:52

I know Milan were statistically the inferior side even though we drew 2-2
But this draw was so morale-boosting for us.
I've been shitting my pants about this game for the last 2 weeks and to see us come away from the Camp Nou with your players and your coach and your playing style, with just a point, it just feels like a win for Milan.

So excuse some Milan posters if we come across arrogant, we're just really happy.
Milan-Barca relations are really good. Our two clubs have friendly, competitive and entertaining matches whenever we play and our forum posters should be the same.

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