2012-2013 : What is needed ?

[Wouterinho]

When a winger plays the ball, ALL the time, on the ground back inside, then you narrow down what the oppositions' defence has to cope with. Barca's way of playing IS brilliant, all im saying is that we do not play an all-round game of football.
We dont score headers from corners.
We dont get to the by-line, cross and score from headers.
We dont have a target man hold up the ball, back to goal, and lay the ball off.
We dont have a target man flick on the ball for runners to get behind the defence.
We dont score breakaway goals as we have the majority of the ball.

We get the ball back, teams get in position and they will allow us all day to play in front of them and try to pass through them in a narrow part of the field. Barca had problems last year because more and more teams HAVE to park the bus, they're well drilled, and if Messi has a day off and we miss chances, we struggle. A lack off height in the team and we give up a headed corner or cross ourselves and we're beat 1-0.

Perhaps a change in the Barca way is needed. We may need to allow teams to have more of the ball - press when they get into our half, not in their box - stretch the pitch. Get a big striker who can get headed goals. We stretch the pitch lengthways and by width, THEN passing and Tiki taka REALLY will hurt teams.
And we certainly need more height and power in our defence.

Just an opinion.

Let's agree to disagree.
Going with this tall target-man would also reduce certain other possibilities and I'm just more of a Barca-fan the way they're playing now.
I've seen English teams cross balls to one or more tall strikers all game long at times, and it's terrible imo, I hope we never play that way.

 

[0n0mat0p0eia]

Let's agree to disagree.
Going with this tall target-man would also reduce certain other possibilities and I'm just more of a Barca-fan the way they're playing now.
I've seen English teams cross balls to one or more tall strikers all game long at times, and it's terrible imo, I hope we never play that way.

Gosh we can agree to disagree Im not suggesting Barca play like an English team...Hell thats almost sacriligious to say. All im saying is that we DON'T have that option as a get-out-of-jail if necessary. We throw away avenues for scoring more goals by not having the OPTION - thats all i mean - of a tall striker who's good in the air, AND plays the Barca way.
Just an opinion.

 

[Wouterinho]

Gosh we can agree to disagree Im not suggesting Barca play like an English team...Hell thats almost sacriligious to say. All im saying is that we DON'T have that option as a get-out-of-jail if necessary. We throw away avenues for scoring more goals by not having the OPTION - thats all i mean - of a tall striker who's good in the air, AND plays the Barca way.
Just an opinion.

Yes, I get what you're thinking and I've given it a lot of thought myself (before this conversation).
But I also think that, IF we buy a tall striker who's a good header and a good target man, he'd have to be world class.
World class means he'll cost a lot. Yet I think that (in the ideal situation) he wouldn't start a lot of games, he'll be subbed in when we're in trouble.
So this means we'll spend a lot for someone who doens't play that much, get the problem?

In the currect financial situation, we can't do that.
But yes, in a perfect team, maybe...

 

[SeloBarca]

Last thing i want is a tall static targetplayer that takes down the ball and pass it backwards. It will just be another Zlatan failure.
Barcelona are about the speed, standing still is just dead weight.

 

[Puyol the wall]

Last thing i want is a tall static targetplayer that takes down the ball and pass it backwards. It will just be another Zlatan failure.
Barcelona are about the speed, standing still is just dead weight.

Just because Zlatan failed that doesnt mean it will always be a failure.

 

[Barcilliant]

After todays game with Betis it shows that defence is TOP priority. We have alot in midfield and attack. Its the defence which needs to be shored up. Maschcerano has been the best defender this season and he's not a natural defender. We need a CB and a left back.

Bale is a smokescreen. He would fit in great at RM not here. We are not going to pay $40 million or even 30 million for him. I think we will sell at least 3 players and loan out another 2. Your guess is as good as mine.

 

[Barcilliant]

What we need is a settled first 11 and we rotate on occasion-not every game. Our 4-3-3 is good for 90% of the games. In the 10 % of the games we need to bring something different besides tiki taka. We still do not have the answer to the parked bus. Sadly that will always be a blemish on Pep's CV.

 

[0n0mat0p0eia]

Our 4-3-3 is good for 90% of the games. In the 10 % of the games we need to bring something different besides tiki taka. We still do not have the answer to the parked bus.

There IS an answer to the parked bus. We have to stretch the pitch lengthways and widthways.

Lengthways, we have to allow teams to get out of their own half. We press the ball so high, and win it back, we force teams to play in the last third of the pitch. When that happens you have 20 players or so in a very narrow length of pitch. If a team has the ball we need to fall back and allow them to cross the half way line. That way players are stretched in the whole pitch. We will then perhaps get a breakaway goal - when was the last time that happened? Our passing and movement, tiki taka, will then be devastating because we're not having to thread pin-point accurate passes through a mass of players.

Widthways. Teams can play a narrow back 4 against us because our wide players dribble into a congested box, or pass the ball back into the middle. We NEED an option for Cuenca/tello/Alves/Messi/whoever to get to the byline and stretch the back 4 outside the width of the box. To do that we need a speedy/mobile/fast/big/good header of the ball to get on the end of crosses. Yeah, yeah, Ibra was tried. He wasnt a Barca player who ran himself into the ground, he didnt get on the end of crosses. He slowed the play up allowing the oppositions defence to get back into position. He behaved like a prima donna. But does that mean, a big man is wrong. Shouldnt this avenue be tried again and we get the RIGHT man.

Yes, we should be in the CL final and we would beat Munich on their own pitch. We are not, because 10 man Chelsea were EXTREMELY lucky. BUT, in the last 15 mins or so, we passed the ball backwards and forwards to infinity with no end product - no shots on goal as such, and no player to bring on to change things.
Barca's Plan 'A' IS ENOUGH to beat most teams, most of the time. It will not win every time. Time for Plan 'B'
Just a thought.

 

[Barcilliant]

This season has been really anti-climatic. I mean if we lose in the CDR we will end 2012 without a trophy. I think the team is lacking direction at the moment. I hope Tito is strong enough to take the team forward and have some new, original ideas. Defence, defence.....defence. It needs 2 reinforcements.

Whats with Alves & Pique playing shit this season???

 

[0n0mat0p0eia]

This may be a sacrilege to some, but here it is:

What about a new goalkeeper for next year? VV is good one-on-one; he is a good shot-stopper. One of my problems with him is his height; based on a good big one is better that a good little one, i would rather we had a 'keeper of 1.90 or more; and his decision making is questionable at times.
Thinking back to the 2 biggest games of the season. Against Real, when Ronaldo runs through, he goes a little wide, AND defenders were getting to him. Valdez made his job easier by coming too far off his line and allowing Ronaldo to shift the ball a little right then EASILY find the net, allowing them to win at the Nou Camp.
Against Chelsea in our home leg, when Ramirez was through, again a little wide, again with defenders getting to him, VV came off his line and allowed Ramirez to scoop the ball over him. If VV had not made such a poor decision to come off his line, or IF he was 6 inches or so bigger he may have reached the running lob.

I, myself, cringe whenever an opposing team get near the goal. VV does not give me confidence that he has the physical capabilities nor the decision-making skills to be a v v good 'keeper.

I like the look of Samir HANDANOVIC. A very tall (1.94m) agile keeper, very good at one on ones and penalties. He is only 27 years old and could play for us for 6/7 years at least. He has just signed a new contract, but Udinese may be persuaded, perhaps with player swaps?
Just an idea. Look at him on youtube.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quRjpoGqOTc

 

[Deco 20]

I'd rather see us get a young goalkeeper

 

[mixer]

Sell Alves, buy a young GK, Vertonghen, and maybe Adrian Lopez

 

[Deco 20]

If we sell Alves and don't buy a RB we'd be left with only Montoya...
And if we want to buy one, there's no better option than Alves in either case

 

[BROZ]

i love German GK's like M.Neuer .. maybe we can buy Marc-Andre ter Stegen from Gladbach .. he is 20 but not tall .. only 1.85m ..maybe Hugo lloris from lyon but i just do not see us paying big money for a GK.

 

[0n0mat0p0eia]

IF we buy a tall striker who's a good header and a good target man, he'd have to be world class.
World class means he'll cost a lot. Yet I think that (in the ideal situation) he wouldn't start a lot of games, he'll be subbed in when we're in trouble.
So this means we'll spend a lot for someone who doens't play that much, get the problem?
In the currect financial situation, we can't do that..

3 good points: he'd have to be world class; wouldnt play a lot; and would cost more than should be payed.

Now that Villa will be back, perhaps with Pedro fit again and back to his best, then the Villa..Messi..Pedro/Sanchez front 3 will be enough, certainly when, IMO, we need a LB and a CB a lot more than a striker i spose.
I just thought that we might be able to get Edin DZEKO from Man City on loan with us paying only his wages, he might want to come to Barca and be on the bench/be used only some of the time, BUT more than at City, as City are looking at other strikers and keeping Tevez.
Just a thought.