i_bleed_blaugrana
Senior Member
LOL, typical Barcaforum meltdown after we lose.
Key notes for me:
-Its quite simple in offense: shoot more!!!
You take a look at Dortmund and one of the things that makes them such a difficult team to play against is how much they pepper the goal. Any opening, any quick passing combo they create, they instantly look to put it on target. When you put up 23 shots in one game, it dramatically increases the chances you have to score. Now I am not saying that we start mindlessly blasting the ball every chance we get (Dortmund can do that on occasion as well) but I think at times we are way too ponderous on the ball, looking to score the perfect goal every time instead of putting it on target. Our game management strategy is a little wonky at the moment and it mainly stems from the echoes of Pep's style still present in our game. Overall, if we had played the last 20 mins with the same pace we did offensively the entire game, I think we would have been more successful tonight. But we focus a little too much on passing the ball around at 2nd gear and forget that we have to ramp up the pacing as well to penetrate. I can't remember how many times I heard the commentator say "Barcelona need to create more meaningful opportunities" and by just playing slightly more direct and up tempo at first, get a goal or two and then shift more to tiki-taka, wearing teams down physically with possession, and trying to make those perfect goals.
For me the good news is that we responded well, didn't let the game get out of hand and really made PSG sweat at the end. Suarez for sure will dramatically improve our chances in tight games like this.
-For all you doomsdayers out there, realize that if this was a knockout round game, this would be a good result for Barca. We have never been road warriors, even during Pep's glory years, we struggled away from home. There is no reason to make a mountain out of a molehill, yes we lost but we played well, sure made a few mistakes but its early and we can easily still top the group as long as we learn and improve from today
-Personally, I think Lucho might have gotten it wrong a bit with his man selection. Pique should have started this game, Pique-Mathieu would have handled Cavani more efficiently and hopefully he saw why against teams with PSG's firepower, 2 attacking wingbacks won't work. A back line of say Alba-Mathieu-Pique-Bartra could offer that extra stability at the back that allows the midfield and offense to focus more on winning the ball back quicker and starting counter attacks.
-Great game overall, nothing to be worried about yet. Like I said, Suarez will do wonders for this team. I'm reserving full judgement on the direction this teams going until he's in the squad and really match fit. Until then, we are still at a handicap and anything at this point is a bonus. Hopefully Lucho learned some valuable lessons from this loss
Key notes for me:
-Its quite simple in offense: shoot more!!!
You take a look at Dortmund and one of the things that makes them such a difficult team to play against is how much they pepper the goal. Any opening, any quick passing combo they create, they instantly look to put it on target. When you put up 23 shots in one game, it dramatically increases the chances you have to score. Now I am not saying that we start mindlessly blasting the ball every chance we get (Dortmund can do that on occasion as well) but I think at times we are way too ponderous on the ball, looking to score the perfect goal every time instead of putting it on target. Our game management strategy is a little wonky at the moment and it mainly stems from the echoes of Pep's style still present in our game. Overall, if we had played the last 20 mins with the same pace we did offensively the entire game, I think we would have been more successful tonight. But we focus a little too much on passing the ball around at 2nd gear and forget that we have to ramp up the pacing as well to penetrate. I can't remember how many times I heard the commentator say "Barcelona need to create more meaningful opportunities" and by just playing slightly more direct and up tempo at first, get a goal or two and then shift more to tiki-taka, wearing teams down physically with possession, and trying to make those perfect goals.For me the good news is that we responded well, didn't let the game get out of hand and really made PSG sweat at the end. Suarez for sure will dramatically improve our chances in tight games like this.
-For all you doomsdayers out there, realize that if this was a knockout round game, this would be a good result for Barca. We have never been road warriors, even during Pep's glory years, we struggled away from home. There is no reason to make a mountain out of a molehill, yes we lost but we played well, sure made a few mistakes but its early and we can easily still top the group as long as we learn and improve from today
-Personally, I think Lucho might have gotten it wrong a bit with his man selection. Pique should have started this game, Pique-Mathieu would have handled Cavani more efficiently and hopefully he saw why against teams with PSG's firepower, 2 attacking wingbacks won't work. A back line of say Alba-Mathieu-Pique-Bartra could offer that extra stability at the back that allows the midfield and offense to focus more on winning the ball back quicker and starting counter attacks.
-Great game overall, nothing to be worried about yet. Like I said, Suarez will do wonders for this team. I'm reserving full judgement on the direction this teams going until he's in the squad and really match fit. Until then, we are still at a handicap and anything at this point is a bonus. Hopefully Lucho learned some valuable lessons from this loss
