Champions League Semi Final: Liverpool - FC Barcelona 4-3 agg.

[xXKonan]

There is no RB situation. We're doing rather fine in that position. Which team can give you 2 options at the moment at RB like Sergi Roberto and Semedo?

The situation of having Two RBs who have different strengths and weaknesses.

I'm actually surprised how both seem to actually Co-exist with each other without any rumors of them being mad about play time.

 

[serghei]

The situation of having Two RBs who have different strengths and weaknesses.

I'm actually surprised how both seem to actually Co-exist with each other without any rumors of them being mad about play time.

They are managed well. Both are easily top 10 in Europe atm. The RB situation is mostly caused by Messi and his chaotic movement. If he played more in the right, keeping the 4-3-3 shape we would be much better. I hope he plays more in the right vs Liverpool.

The right wing problem is the price we pay for allowing Messi too much freedom. It is a trade-off which has backfired in CL since 2015, when he played a lot more in the right.

To win vs Liverpool we need Messi to come back and play like he did in 2014-15 vs Bayern. Same area of action, same pressing, same involvement.

 

[Neymessi]

If you see nothing to stay optimistic about a team that is 90% certain to do a double double with the GOAT playing in it against a team that last won a elite trophy 14 years ago, then, with respect, that is not being realistic, but pessimistic. Why would you be so negative about something your emotionally invested in? Can't be very rewarding. I could even argue that being a 'fan' requires some level of optimism as a default, otherwise what's the point of being a 'fan' - but that's another matter.

So many weird things in this post. I keep hearing this same shit that again and again and again all the time. That how come the best or the 2nd best club of the modern era be afraid of liverpool who have had a long trophy drought? Well ffs what matters is not the past and fans should ignore their ego here and only the current form matters. And liverpool are better than us there. By your logic current RM have better chances to win against liverpool? Bayern also?

Also them not winning the league and us doing so is nothing but misleading which I have explained multiple times before. Just so everyone knows we are at 83 points right now and they are at 91 so...

Also it's better to stay slightly pessimistic than slightly optimistic (I am neither but if you have to choose) as you do not stay deluded and you are never let down but that's all subjective

So you were complaining for 2 years straight and think your complaining was justified and you are vindicated based on 1 result in 2 years which you predict to happen again. Well done to you. Keep complaining. The good old "I'll predict negativity so if it happens I'm Nostradamus and told you so and if doesn't happen my team won and I'm still happy" tactics seems to work nicely for some people's psychology.

This is the worst we play in a decade because this is also the worst Barca team in 2 decades. Or do you still see Neymar dribbling and running on the left flank, Iniesta gliding past players, Alves marauding down the flanks and a younger, more agile Suarez bullying defenders with Xavi spreading balls left and right?

Hilarious how people still can't get to grip with the fact that this isn't a dream team anymore and all the key players are 30+ years old. Just because we got a 22 year old from Brazil who is somewhat promising and a winger who is injured 50 % of the time and the other 50 % of the time trying to regain form, doesn't mean we are the shit.

We have huge holes in the squad, biggest of them being Messi's positioning and the lack of elite rightback, which amplifies the problem even more. Our complete right side is a BIG issue since Lucho's 2nd season when Messi stopped playing on the right. It's impossible to structure the team like this other than 4-4-2-ish which isn't the traditional Barca way of course. We have no right winger, our rightback can't do shit without a winger to combine with and our right midfielder, Rakitic, has to do all the dirt work that the right winger should be doing normally. What's Barcaforum's opinion on this? "Herp derp, Valverde doesn't play dream football and Rakitic should be sold and Roberto is a desaster."

Not even worth discussing. People here actually deserve Sarri or Setien or Sampaoli or Tuchel "how to lose French Cup with 3 trillion Eure PSG" tactical masterclass flavour of the month coaches that they were worshipping in the past 2 years. Real shame Valverde extended.

Ugh.

We have been mostly grinding results for 2 years thanks to Messi and the fact that domestic competition was pretty bad for the last 2 years and don't even say that RM won the CL last time. We all know how bad they were in the league.

Also, you can give Messi to average teams like Arsenal and Manu and even they will start winning a lot compared to the rest, and usually you do not win after so many bad team performances but Messi has given us the liberty of thinking we have a good team and we perform well. Your nostra crap is bullshit also. No one would have cared if we went out to PSG or Manc or Bayern with a 1 goal margin but going away to a shitty Roma means that maybe we were right after all? So it's not like as soon as we lost we got the "we told you" card out. Apart from spurs 4-2, I don't recall any promising big win for us. How many times has it happened that we start without Messi to rest players and finally we have to sub him on to save the day and he does? I have lost count. So yes with consistent shitty plays week in week out I do think things are wrong here.

Now let us come to the "our team isn't good enough" crap. Do you think you can fool anyone if you compare our current team to the old one and then say "dude see they were gods its obvious we aren't that good anymore on paper"? Everyone and their dog knows we aren't like before but this is a pretty WC squad regardless and good enough to not make me give sleep attacks during our matches. How come other teams way worse than us on paper play so much better than us? Does Liverpool have a better team than us? Spurs? Ajax? Don't give me this players aren't good enough shit.

And it's funny how you started off by calling me out for being so negative and ended up saying that we aren't good enough anyway

 

[sickstar]

We lost 4 times this season.

The enemy, leganes, levante, betis, and sevilla!

Big teams ?? Besides sevilla, the other three are domestic survivors (and we beat them the next time we met).

And the only defeat in home? Against betis back in november (we lost twice in november i think).

I think if we're at full concentration and have no injury problem, we could win liverpool at home. And hope for the best result at their home (maybe draw). I mean has liverpool get beaten at their home this season?

Honestly, iget the shiver of the roma game, but let's hope and keep thinking positive.

 

[gregorrin10]

I'm leaning towards a classic 2-1 win for us at home, leaving everything wide open before Anfield. Maybe 3-1, which would be great. Then we need to shut them out at Anfield and get a goal or two to kill off the tie. If Valverde is good at anything, it's grinding out results, even when we don't dominate, I'll give him that. So i'm thinking we're gonna get overrun as far as gameplay goes, especially on Anfield, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're gonna lose there.

Obviously I'd love a 2 or 3-0 victory at home, if possible. Hell I'd even take 1-0, if it meant not conceding, but I just don't see such a closed game, neither at Camp Nou, nor at Anfield. I actually would bet more on the return leg being more closed, especially if we go there with a lead from the 1st leg, Valverde would for sure start more carefully and rather rely on our, must say, great defense this year, to do the job and stand the pressure. In any case. if we win at home, Dembele MUST play the return leg, actually I'm hoping he starts both legs obviously, but I think we're gonna see Coutinho (and Roberto) as starters in the 1st, then hopefully Dembele and Semedo to start at Anfield at least. But if we do win at home, especially if it's for more than one goal, their full backs TAA and Robertson are gonna have to push so hard right from the start at Anfield, and Dembele can absolutely murder them for it, exploiting all that space behind them on either side.

 

[Givenchy]

first time in a long while as a Barca fan i feel this really is 50/50

a clean sheet win will be crucial, for once I don't mind EV playing a more defensive style.. if you get caught with your pants down, this Liverpool side are rampant. Semedo is crucial vs Mane, play Bob and things will get ugly. Dembele should also start as Coutinho is fine the first 20mins or so then its like playing with 10 men

 

[Obiaseti]

Yeah, we really should avoid giving an away goal.

 

[Barcaman]

Liverpool won't just go after our necks or sit back. Klopp will employ both pressing and defending deep. I feel he is on a way different level than Valverde who also likes to mix it up and "defend" when we're in a lead.

 

[clemente]

first time in a long while as a Barca fan i feel this really is 50/50

a clean sheet win will be crucial, for once I don't mind EV playing a more defensive style.. if you get caught with your pants down, this Liverpool side are rampant. Semedo is crucial vs Mane, play Bob and things will get ugly. Dembele should also start as Coutinho is fine the first 20mins or so then its like playing with 10 men

You weren't a barca fan when we played Juve? We created 0 chances in 2 legs, and noone was surprised.

 

[Howlgrana]

If Barca get through the home match with a good result there is a noticeable advantage going into the Anfield encounter: Liverpool have a do or die match away to Newcastle three days later whilst Barca will rest their entire 1st team. EV must use this physical advantage as a factor in the way we press them at Anfield.

 

[kollegah]

You weren't a barca fan when we played Juve? We created 0 chances in 2 legs, and noone was surprised.

zero chances? I remember 3 big chances without even thinking.
Iniesta after a GOD pass from Messi
Suarez in the penalty box, dont know from who the pass came

at camp nou: Messi missing the target closely after a nice shot.

So get out with your nonsense

 

[LMTR14]

tonight! (insert gif of Carl from ATHF)

 

[Barcilliant]

Alot of confidence from the Liverpool camp and their fans. I would think a team that hasn't won its domestic title in nearly 30 years would show some humility.

 

[kollegah]

Liverpool lost all CL away games in their group stage:

0-1 Napoli
1-2 PSG
0-2 Belgrad

They only kept a clean sheet against a narrow win at home vs. napoli and against belgrad at home.

 

[clemente]

zero chances? I remember 3 big chances without even thinking.
Iniesta after a GOD pass from Messi
Suarez in the penalty box, dont know from who the pass came

at camp nou: Messi missing the target closely after a nice shot.

So get out with your nonsense

Godly pass? Someone literally let the ball go through their legs midway the pass, that shit gets intercepted and we are outnumbered on a counterattack 99/100 of the time.
Other 2 don't even know what you're talking about, probably some bad angle desperate attempts that looked "dangerous", I'm talking about actual chances that were anything even somewhat worthy.