worms wrote:

Harmonica wrote:I love it when the whole team fails, Messi thread gets the most comments. But when Messi carries Barca on his back, there's hardly anyone in here.

How can you justify Messi only running 7.3 KM in our most important game of the season so far?

It wouldn't have made any difference if he would have ran 20km, if his team mates can't provide quality themselves.

We played a 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 against Osasuna for the last 20 minutes after we were been dominated at the start of the season and it worked,Iniesta was took of for Sanchez.Sanchez played as a striker and Messi moved behind him,as a number 10 he got more space because the defenders had to concentrate on Sanchez and he created havoc.And we won directly because of this tactic,if you watch the goals again you will see.



Something like this:
----------------------Sanchez/New Striker

----Villa----------------Messi---------------Iniesta


--------------Busquets ----------Xavi

Iniesta can play there,much more firepower in that team while maintaining high work rate as players like Iniesta and Villa track back.Obviously not all games to be played using this,but some games were we need to mix it up a little.

The Franchise wrote:

Harmonica wrote:I love it when the whole team fails, Messi thread gets the most comments. But when Messi carries Barca on his back, there's hardly anyone in here.

Becasuse we expect greatness out of him...and Messi rarely carries us on his back, dont be silly.

That's why this section is pretty much dead to my ears, you don't applaud greatness, you just try to hate every single chance.

Harmonica wrote:

worms wrote:

Harmonica wrote:I love it when the whole team fails, Messi thread gets the most comments. But when Messi carries Barca on his back, there's hardly anyone in here.

How can you justify Messi only running 7.3 KM in our most important game of the season so far?

It wouldn't have made any difference if he would have ran 20km, if his team mates can't provide quality themselves.

It could have made a big difference,we could press higher up the pitch and more effectively.Especially in the 2nd half when Milan started playing football.This is Barcelona FC not Messi FC.Please look at this objectively.

worms wrote:

Harmonica wrote:

worms wrote:

How can you justify Messi only running 7.3 KM in our most important game of the season so far?

It wouldn't have made any difference if he would have ran 20km, if his team mates can't provide quality themselves.

It could have made a big difference,we could press higher up the pitch and more effectively.Especially in the 2nd half when Milan started playing football.This is Barcelona FC not Messi FC.Please look at this objectively.

Yeah, that's why you spew nonsense only this thread.

I dont think position has anything to do with it. You name any position and I can name you a player who has done the same thing.

He just thinks he doesnt have to run anymore and I would guess we have not curbed this poor thinking by allowing it and making excuses for it.

If we change his position, Messi wont be challanged..he will be offended.

I think your speaking about something which makes sense in thoery, but every player is different and you cant treat them the same. Someone else might come alive by what your suggesting...but knowing Messi, the opposite is much more likely

And thats just on a personal level, on a tactical level it presents knock on problems in other areas of the pitch.

Either we play lobsided (meaning our pressing will be even worse than it is now) or we take out a midfielder..all of whom are too great to do so.

I see what you're saying,one things for sure we have to buy in the summer.A top center back instead of Alex Song,what a useless signing that was.

And another striker/inside forward.If we stick with Messi were he is now in the false 9 position then we should buy Neymar unless Villa becomes a starter.And maybe upgrade on Pedro,this relying almost solely on Messi for goals is killing us.

Do you know what I also believe we lack....Pep's innovation.

Many put it down as crazy experimentation...but it was more than that, it gave us options.

Earlier in the season, let alone under Pep, we changed to 2 different formations when we were in trouble.

So where have they gone?

What happened to 3331? We had Alexis up front making those runs you speak of, Messi behind with Pedro and Tello, then the usual 3 midfielders and 3 backs.

What happened to that against Milan? We changed almost nothing...we stuck Pique up front for 5 minutes which looked desperate rather than planned..if anything, I think Pique on his own free will under no real instruction did it himself.

But our subs were poor...Tello never got on the pitch, we never put another man in front of the ball..

Agree about the transfers, even if we beat Milan 5-0 I would say the same thing.

The amount of money we have wasted in recent years on players who are not suited to this team is mind blowing.Zlatan,Song,Cesc,Crhyssky(can't spell it).If we had spent the same money more wisely we would be nearly unstoppable now.

Edit: How could I forget Sanchez

That's about £150 million wasted right there.

No team is unstoppable. Even if you did make all the "right" moves you wouldn't win em all. That's not how football or life works. Just be grateful that you've been as successful as you have been.

As for your Messi issue, well I'm of the belief that you cater to your best player. I believe that Messi is just that so you're going to have to live with his faults and work around them. Putting him out wide would be a disaster. He'd get less space, less passing options and more defensive responsibility, he'd also score less goals because considering how you play he wouldn't be getting as many chances.

I'm sure it's frustrating for some of you, because the guy some where down the line probably traded something that improves the team (work rate) for something that arguably only improves himself (goals, but perhaps not in crucial times).

I said nearly unstoppable.

You're already kind of nearly unstoppable lol

How many games have Barca lost this season? I'd wager not many, don't lose perspective. Barca have weaknesses that can be exploited by the top teams but that goes for everyone.

[quote="futbol"]

worms wrote:He only ran 7.3 km last night,that is poor.

[quote="danyjr"]

futbol wrote:

worms wrote:He only ran 7.3 km last night,that is poor.

You're not even a Barcelona fan and you're an Argentine,hence why you only care about Messi and fail to acknowledge his short comings.Laugh all you want but you look like a fool and a Messi fanboy if you can't tell me why running 7.3 km in the most important match of the season is acceptable.

Messi is definitely the reason we lost, what a disgrace put him in Barca B never let him touch the pitch in first team, give his spot to Alexis the great or Cesc clearly the team will be much better without Messi.
Barca fans logic :
Barcelona lose : Messi's fault
Barcelona win : team played well.

[quote="worms"]

danyjr wrote:

futbol wrote:

You're not even a Barcelona fan and you're an Argentine,hence why you only care about Messi and fail to acknowledge his short comings.Laugh all you want but you look like a fool and a Messi fanboy if you can't tell me why running 7.3 km in the most important match of the season is acceptable.

lol chill out maggot, did you not see the unhappy sign? I'm sad that he's not putting the workrate he should put into the matches, especially in a match as big as vs Milan at San Siro.

Donuts wrote:
Barca fans logic :
Barcelona lose : Messi's fault
Barcelona win : team played well.

It's not logic really, but sad to see nevertheless.

Messi always performs if u give him the space,. When was the last time messi wasted chance after chance in an open game and barca lost the match.

Give him options and space, he'll deliver. If messi was afforded space like cristina =

The problem is when teams PTB, we cant seem to utilise messi's other skills and continue to expect him to go past 9 players and score a goal.

On a diff note, I hope he breaks Cristina's little record

Only Celta left.

Cristiano barely gets any space at all nowadays lol

Zealous wrote:Cristiano barely gets any space at all nowadays lol

thats still hectares, compared to messi.

Cristina gets 1-on-1 with a defender plenty of times in a game, usually on the wings and he usually just passes back or cross.

UPDATE:
In the 25 La Liga games Messi has
Scored : 38 goals
Brace :12
Hat trick : 1
4+ : 1
Free kicks : 2? (correct me if I'm wrong please, counting only La Liga)
Penalties : 4

Celta de Vigo is the only team to escape Messi's wrath
But he will meet them again in :
March 31st (Estadio Balaídos)

This season is one of Messi's worst in terms of scoring hat tricks but he is well on his way of breaking his 50 goal record in La Liga being very consistent rather then scoring hat tricks and not scoring at all in the next game (like last season in away games)

The team should take advantage of the man marking put on messi. No blame for him here.. the wide forwards take 100% blame for the poor performances as well as the defense.

[quote="danyjr"]

worms wrote:

danyjr wrote:

You're not even a Barcelona fan and you're an Argentine,hence why you only care about Messi and fail to acknowledge his short comings.Laugh all you want but you look like a fool and a Messi fanboy if you can't tell me why running 7.3 km in the most important match of the season is acceptable.

lol chill out maggot, did you not see the unhappy sign? I'm sad that he's not putting the workrate he should put into the matches, especially in a match as big as vs Milan at San Siro.

Ok I thought you were been sarcastic

Sorry for talking to you like that.I take it back.

Giggity5313 wrote:The team should take advantage of the man marking put on messi. No blame for him here.. the wide forwards take 100% blame for the poor performances as well as the defense.

Dudeeeeeeeeeee. If the wide forwards were players like Villa and Agüero, they would do that. The wide forwards are Sanchez and Pedro or Iniesta and Pedro however. None of them are consistent goalscorers. You are a Real Madrid fan. Imagine your team playing like this:

Di Maria Ronaldo Özil
Modric Xabi Khedira

With Ronaldo being sandwiched by the opponent's centrebacks and its double pivot. Would you expect Özil and Di Maria to ship in with goals then? The coaching staff has its heads in their asses. They think they are revolutionizing football by playing with 0 strikers and making 1000 passes per game instead, despite the fact that they are regularly getting their asses handed to them against joke teams like last year's Chelsea, this current Milan team (they even WUMed Barca by bringing on Bakaye TROLOLOLOL) or even Celtic. I wish Madrid's players would stop being so retarded and start showing the same professionalism as the Barca players. In that case they'd annihilate this Barca on the pitch like in the first 30 minutes of the Supercopa return leg. Mourinho's system is absolutely suited for that. Ramos, Di Maria, Benzema, Özil, Casillas etc. just need to get their heads out of their asses. You would do us all a favour and we could finally see a vintage Barca without Mascherano lumbering around in defense and Fabregas lumbering around all over the place. Fss.

Woeful, awful performance.

Gave the ball away constantly under no pressure and horrible final passing.

Nice pass for Iniesta early and a nice pass for Tello, that and his goal aside..woeful.

Nothing to do with anyone else but himself.