CL quarters: Atletico - Barca (3-2 agg)

[Jamie Cal]

And don't forget last year we had Pedro, lads. And Xavi.

But even ability aside, it's just about the minutes played. The 3 amigos up front are painted as angels but what JamDav says about their fits over being subbed has absolutely killed us.

I'd definitely point the finger at the board too - it was so convenient for them to bring Arda when Lucho wanted him the Summer during the elections when 'it'd be a disgrace to not give him what he wants', but then they can't get their shit together to bring Nolito in January.

A cocktail of naivety and arrogance all round.

 

[slvtn]

does anyone have the statistics of distance covered, i can't find it anywhere

Barca around 175km, Atletico 7km. All around the penalty area.
This was kind of predictable as our last games have been horrible and nothing else. We also wouldn't have won the second leg if Torres would have been smarter and let those rare game finishes with 11 players on the pitch come true.

I place my bets on Bayern, don't wanna any Madrid team win a trophy this year. Not again.

 

[Jamie Cal]

Also, what the fuck was going on with our footwear?! We were slipping all over the place, especially in the first half (see: Neymar's touch in the box, Pique for the goal). It was really noticeable throughout.

 

[jj_101]

Lucho should have asked for Nolito in the summer then before other signings were made.

The front three bitch and moan every time they are dropped or subbed. Nolito would barely have played.

Loads of meaningless minutes this season in games won or second legs that could have gone to Munir, Sandro etc just to rest front three and Lucho never did it.

Either he was too scared to rest big three or making a point about wanting Nolito. Either way it shows a weakness from him.

Messi had two months off. He should be in prime physical condition. Neymar is young and shouldn't be drastically affected. Suarez has just come off a week off due to suspension. I think maybe Neymar's and Messi's off field monetary issues are on their minds more than winning trophies at the moment.

 

[gasgas]

Good job, Rizzoli.

Also good job not giving iniesta his red in which case, he wouldnt have made that cross

 

[jairzinho]

We had the curse of the defending champions on us. We were doomed to be knocked out. Lol. Seriously however, i'm for some reason, not hurt nor surprised by the result. It's as if i expected things to unfold in the manner that it did. Looking at the team in the last few matches, it was clear, the writing was on the wall for quite some time, especially after the Clasico and Sociedad matches. It's not like i wasn't rooting for the team. I hoped we could progress but alas, the curse. Messi seriously needs to sit out the Valencia game. It's clear now, more than ever that something's wrong with him. He needs a rest.

 

[SeloBarca]

Also good job not giving iniesta his red in which case, he wouldnt have made that cross

Iniesta getting red or not doesnt justify not giving a clear penalty.

 

[jairzinho]

Rizzoli didn't have the balls to make that call, in that atmosphere and against those Athleti players. Shame.

 

[JamDav1982]

Rizzoli didn't have the balls to make that call, in that atmosphere and against those Athleti players. Shame.

Nor did he send off Iniesta for a handball that stopped a clear goal scoring opportunity.

 

[mazp]

We had the curse of the defending champions on us. We were doomed to be knocked out. Lol. Seriously however, i'm for some reason, not hurt nor surprised by the result. It's as if i expected things to unfold in the manner that it did. Looking at the team in the last few matches, it was clear, the writing was on the wall for quite some time, especially after the Clasico and Sociedad matches. It's not like i wasn't rooting for the team. I hoped we could progress but alas, the curse. Messi seriously needs to sit out the Valencia game. It's clear now, more than ever that something's wrong with him. He needs a rest.

Yeah same here, not too disappointed either, too many games finally caught up to the team. That Chelsea CL 2012 was the last time I was really, really down. Still can't believe we lost that tie.

 

[Altomonte]

Atletico deserved to win today, we looked slow and tired. I hope we are not completely out of gas and can still rescue the Liga and the CDR. No ballon d'Or for Messi this year. Also, Neymar has lost his game. All Arda can do is collecting YC's.

 

[Catalan Fan]

Congrats to Atleti, deserved to go through.

We were piss poor again and I'm not that surprised we lost after the last few games.

It was always going to be difficult to replicate last seasons achievements, but it's the manner in which we got knocked out that hurts.Whether it's mental/physical fatigue or off field issues I don't honestly know, but it will be an uphill task to regain La Liga as things stand.

Having said that, "if" we can do the domestic Double then it's still a successful season.

Just to add.. people calling for Lucho's head etc have short memories.Remember what they achieved last season and don't expect the same EVERY year, because it's virtually impossible to do.

 

[KyletheMuslim]

Not sad, not angry, just disappointed

 

[gasgas]

Iniesta getting red or not doesnt justify not giving a clear penalty.

Iniesta gets red, no attempted shot/pass
No handball

 

[Mido]

As much as there are thing I don#t like about Pep ( and I will be the first to recognize that he#s a genius tactician), you have to admit that Pep's Barca was a lot more humble.

What does Barca stand for nowadays ? What did it stand for yesterday ?

I still have sweet memories of the gentlemen's team that we used to be, completely outplaying our opponents through amazing passing game... I don't care about counter-attacks being part of our game, if you struggle with teams you used to manoeuve with a B team a few years ago, it means that there has been a major shift in our style.

Barca yesterday was about having role models such as Puyol and Xavi. Can#t remember having heard or read about tax problems, partying and all this nonsense.

I don't want my team to become like Real Madrid and buy superstars every season.

This shouldn't be about MSN. It should be about one of the best team of the world delivering excellence in and out of the pitch.

I wish the best of luck to Lucho at Barcelona, and I hope he will bring out the best of this team for the rest of the season and maybe the upcoming one. But I cannot wait to see a Barcelona close to what it was under Pep Guardiola. We just had an amazing player by the name of Xavi Hernandez who passed by. And we also had a captain who was respected and admired by the name of Puyol. We should do something about it.

Really, it makes me sick to read that Barca would be ready to give Halilovic + 20 M€ for Gameiro.

It makes me sick to see that some players can't humble themselves because they get subbed off.

I could go on and on, but at the end of the day, I might be just a lonely voice speaking out in the desert...