24/09 Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid (Matchday 5)

Villa was class, he should score one more goal, but it is ok

lol its really not funny lol!
Messi & Cristiano both scores a Hattrick, but when u watch the goals WTF!!
its unfair... Messi scores WONDER Goals.. while Cristina score penalties & tap ins!!

How can someone compare these players!!??

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Great game from Barca, Thiago is CLASSS Xavi played a great game (maestro)!

Visca el Barca <3

No Keita in starting line-up = WIN

Very good game, Abidal was beast tonight, Maschete as always reliable. Xavi was outstanding, Villa was clinical and Messi was simply Messi. Only Pedro flopped.

Anyone surprised at how well Dani Alves played on the right of a back 3? Excellent. I didn't know he'd have the discipline. It just shows that people forget he's a good defender because of how good he is going forward. He added more to the game when he began to play his normal role late on, but that he was able to play in a back 3 was very impressive for me.

Villa's back in form.
Thiago was excellent and deserves his spot.
Fabregas wasn't amazing tonight.
Xavi was godly again.
Pedro was pretty ordinary and I can't see him holding off Sanchez with that sort of performance.

...and Messi

Messi is just out of this world. The amazing part is that it doesn't even look like he's working hard or anything. Looks like he's just strolling around and once in a while he decides it's time to score, so he takes the ball and scores, just like that. As if there's no defenders or anything. What can we say that hasn't already been said.

As for Thiago, he was again invisible for most of the game. Shown a couple glimpses of brilliance without being able to finish the efforts though. One of these days he should give an actual full 90 mins performance if he wants to be taken seriously.

@Stejo - I'd have to disagree about Thiago. He really was playing quite well.

Especially that one dribble where he beat his man and cut in from the left. Quite exquisite.

That thing Thiago did reminded me a bit on Ronaldinho. I hope he gets better at those

Thiago is not player for starting 11, but he deservs at least half hour per game.

He pulled off a couple impressive moves indeed but that's all he did. He wasn't participating in the buildup nor helping the attack during the rest 89 mins of the game from what I could see on TV of course.

I just don't see him getting involved in recycling possession as you'd expect from a Barca midfielder. In pretty much every game he played so far this season he was consistently not in position to receive when someone else had the ball on his side or if he had the ball he was too prone to giving it away.

There are glimpses of magic indisputably but as of yet I haven't seen him contributing in a sensible manner and I'm sure glad we got Cesc. Thiago has a very long way to go.

Stejo wrote:
As for Thiago, he was again invisible for most of the game. Shown a couple glimpses of brilliance without being able to finish the efforts though. One of these days he should give an actual full 90 mins performance if he wants to be taken seriously.

That's harsh. Couldn't watch the whole game, only the secnd half, but Thiago was definitely doing many little things well, aside from those "moments of brilliance" you mention. He distributed the ball, he pressed hard, he was in his position. Xavi does that in a match and we call him god. Let's be unbiased with the guy here.

He reminds me of young Iniesta, sometimes briliant, sometimes meh... but on the end... well, top 3 on the World.

Thiago was better than Cesc tonight and Thiago has been generally playing the midfield role as well as Cesc in my opinion. Cesc has been playing well in the hole, his assisting and finishing is brilliant, but as a pure midfielder Thiago's been just as good.

Personally I'd like to see Thiago tested as a winger while Sanchez and Afellay are both out. I don't think the 3-4-3 should be taken as the norm and I'd like to see him try other things, particularly with the proven system.

He's shown he can play on the right and left flank effectively while Fab clearly prefers to come from central deep onto the box.

Wouldn't mind seeing this:

Alves' natural tendency to 'bomb down the flank' will cover for Thiago's natural tendency to move into more central areas. Much the way Messi and Alves used to play in 08-09 or Ronaldinho and Gio used to play on the left flank.

Stejo wrote:He pulled off a couple impressive moves indeed but that's all he did. He wasn't participating in the buildup nor helping the attack during the rest 89 mins of the game from what I could see on TV of course.

I just don't see him getting involved in recycling possession as you'd expect from a Barca midfielder. In pretty much every game he played so far this season he was consistently not in position to receive when someone else had the ball on his side or if he had the ball he was too prone to giving it away.

There are glimpses of magic indisputably but as of yet I haven't seen him contributing in a sensible manner and I'm sure glad we got Cesc. Thiago has a very long way to go.

I dont know what match you were watching but you just described Fabregas in his short career with us so far.
Everything you have said is true but just about the wrong player.
I said in another thread after the Milan game that Fab's movement was atrocious. That he was moving around like a headless chicken and that was true to a degree in this game too.
His movement is just not whats expected from a Barca midfielder.
Also I dont get the Thiago not good enough for a starting spot comment from cholla.
Bar the Super Copa first leg he has been very good in every single game.
Right now I would start him over Fabregas.

Khaledbarca wrote:
5 succesful tackles + 1 interception (only Alves with 7 tackles & 2 interceptions better than Thiago in this match)!

Fantastic stat, Keita who?

How Thiago is getting any negative is insane to me.

In nearly every game he has played, he has been better then Cesc.

Cesc aside from goals isnt doing that great to be honest, his passing to me has been slightly dissapointing (giving away cheap balls), he doesnt give other midfield consistent options because he is running all over the pitch and he has a annoying habit of appearing with his back to the goal and having his hands out clearly calling for passes. No other player in our team asks for the ball often at all, because everyone knows when and where they will be getting it. I expect he will improve in this area though.


Anyway, Thiago has done very well generally speaking. Against Valencia he came on and gave Xavi a short passing option he never hard the entire game.

Before that, Cesc was nowhere and Keita was behind the play. Xavi could only make difficult passes to Messi and side ones to Alves. He missed Iniesta who constantly links with him, Cesc and Keita failed to provide it but Thiago did not.