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

[blaugrana1987]

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...

Lol we were not sweethearts in Peps time, thats nostalgia speaking out of you. People loathed us much more then now.

We also couldn't do much against great defensive teams back then either, losing to Inter and Chelsea in CLs. Funniest thing is that we played like cracked Peps barca today and we didn't have single counter attack. If we played like we played few months back I think we would have beaten them.

 

[Jamie Cal]

I'm sad and angry. Between signings, mismanagement of players, hell, even the unbeaten record had us believing our own hype (I wanted us to beaten by Valencia in the Copa to get it out of the way), all of that has culminated in this poor run of form. Usually we peak at the end of the season and let Madrid believe their own hype but it's the opposite now.

Atleti's conduct was disgraceful at times but cynicism is part of the game, and we benefited plenty from poor calls too. We were far and away the best team in the world, and yet we're out early. Completely self-inflicted.

 

[gasgas]

Zero intensity from us.

 

[Zachary]

But that's Messi's brand. Unless forced to do so for a specific play, Messi never runs and I don't understand why none of the coaches has ever enlighten him in that this game requires running, lots of running. The other thing that Messi never does is to try to get open, as he just stands there right next to an opponent, making it hard for anybody to pass the ball to him. Such basic football stuff and nobody in the club ever addresses this to the guy? Why?

 

[Mido]

Lol we were not sweethearts in Peps time, thats nostalgia speaking out of you. People loathed us much more then now.

We also couldn't do much against great defensive teams back then either, losing to Inter and Chelsea in CLs. Funniest thing is that we played like cracked Peps barca today and we didn't have single counter attack. If we played like we played few months back I think we would have beaten them.

It would take too much time to explain everything I am meaning. But I would rather prefer getting "loathed" about Busquets being a diver than Mascherano insulting the referee, x and x players having tax problems, x and x players travelling to South America during the week etc...

Sorry man, but I will never compare our performances against Las Palmas, Malaga, Villareal, one of the weakest Real Madrid of the last ten years ( under Zidane) with Pep's worst performances in terms of pure football.

2009/2010 against Inter : 13 hours travel by bus to Milan

2011/2012 : Barca was outrageously dominating Di Mateo's Chelsea, just look at the missed chances

I can't remember about Barcelona struggling with the passing game and controlling the pace under Pep Guardiola.

The irony here is that Real is starting to resemble Barcelona in some aspects of their game since Ancelotti and Barcelona, under Lucho, is using tactics that Real was accustomed to.

 

[Jamie Cal]

It would take too much time to explain everything I am meaning. But I would rather prefer getting "loathed" about Busquets being a diver than Mascherano insulting the referee, x and x players having tax problems, x and x players travelling to South America during the week etc...

Sorry man, but I will never compare our performances against Las Palmas, Malaga, Villareal, one of the weakest Real Madrid of the last ten years ( under Zidane) with Pep's worst performances in terms of pure football.

2009/2010 against Inter : 13 hours travel by bus to Milan

2011/2012 : Barca was outrageously dominating Di Mateo's Chelsea, just look at the missed chances

I can't remember about Barcelona struggling with the passing game and controlling the pace under Pep Guardiola.

The irony here is that Real is starting to resemble Barcelona in some aspects of their game since Ancelotti and Barcelona, under Lucho, is using tactics that Real was accustomed to.

Because it's a different team to Pep's? And we were frequently beaten in away legs under Pep before crushing them at home. Even now Pep's away record in Europe is poor. The Chelsea result was a fluke but on the whole the top teams in Europe are much stronger now than they were in Pep's time, and obviously Atleti/Juve/PSG/City are too for the most part.

 

[blaugrana1987]

It would take too much time to explain everything I am meaning. But I would rather prefer getting "loathed" about Busquets being a diver than Mascherano insulting the referee, x and x players having tax problems, x and x players travelling to South America during the week etc...

Sorry man, but I will never compare our performances against Las Palmas, Malaga, Villareal, one of the weakest Real Madrid of the last ten years ( under Zidane) with Pep's worst performances in terms of pure football.

2009/2010 against Inter : 13 hours travel by bus to Milan

2011/2012 : Barca was outrageously dominating Di Mateo's Chelsea, just look at the missed chances

I can't remember about Barcelona struggling with the passing game and controlling the pace under Pep Guardiola.

The irony here is that Real is starting to resemble Barcelona in some aspects of their game since Ancelotti and Barcelona, under Lucho, is using tactics that Real was accustomed to.

Messi's problem have nothing to do with Pep, even then these go to Peps time and are just now unearthed in courtroom.

In pure football we have been awesome last season and for bigger part of this one as well. Again, I seriously think its mostly nostalgia talking through you. Yes, Peps barca was better and more beautiful, but we also had Xavi and Iniesta in their pomp, and Messi who was able to dribble past anyone you put infront of him. That time will never be repeated.

Meh, Real played badly against us and they played pretty average in both games against 9th team from Bundesliga. You are forgetting that playing in CL against Roma and Wolfsburg is much different from playing against Arsenal and Atletico. Real couldn't beat atletico to save their lives for example, they are probably dreading the prospect of playing them.

 

[Mido]

Just imagine a futsal game between these two teams :

Team 1 ( 2010-2012 version apart from Messi )

GK - Pinto

Busquets
Xavi
Iniesta
Thiago
Messi

Team 2 ( 2014-2016 version)

GK Ter Stegen

Busquets
Iniesta
Rakitic
Turan
Messi

* My bad, let's say it#s 4 players + 1 sub
What happens if Messi's completely out of shape and the two teams face each other ? I got Team 1 giving a football lesson to Team 2.

That's, in my opinion, our problem with this Barca. Take out Xavi and bring Rakitic who is more athletic and more solid defensively. Let Messi take on the build-up of our game from the midfield + Neymar and Suarez being upfront and what you have is an amazing team playing intense possession football. But what happens when Messi/Neymar get stuck in the mud ? You lose your construct and struggle dictating the game. It's just my opinion I might be completely wrong.

What we lack this season, in my opinion, are clear ideas, mental toughness and maybe humility.

 

[pasa_eren]

referee has stolen our semi-final! that was absolutely penalty. new ivan bebek !

 

[Devils]

A few hours later and after I've calmed down a bit, all I can say is WOW that was truly an laughable and embarrassingly bad performance.

Like we were really next level terrible.

100% deserved to go out.

 

[blaugrana1987]

A few hours later and after I've calmed down a bit, all I can say is WOW that was truly an laughable and embarrassingly bad performance.

Like we were really next level terrible.

100% deserved to go out.

Agreed. We looked like shit. Clueless and exhausted.

Remember Arsenal? We were saying how team has strolled through the match to save ourselves for later parts. Damn, Ancelloti syndrome happened to us. Lucho ran this team into ground unfortunately. At least now we will have a bit more rest for La Liga.

 

[Vlom]

I'm still in denial guys, been drinking and talking with a promising Tinder prospect

My eyes are starting to tear out a bit though, we really messed up .. with such a passivity and hopelessness.

Feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeck !

 

[Total-Football]

the worst part about these champions league exits is that i loose passion for football .. me the football manic who watches 5 6 games in the week end suddenly dont wanna Watch a thing .. dont know if it happens to you guys or not

 

[HarryPotter]

Where can I watch the game?

 

[Total-Football]

I'm still in denial guys, been drinking and talking with a promising Tinder prospect

My eyes are starting to tear out a bit though, we really messed up .. with such a passivity and hopelessness.

Feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeck !

1. Denial and Isolation
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

long way to go Buddy .. we'll never reach the acceptance til we have won the eared cup again