Copa | Quarter Final: FC Barcelona - Sevilla 6-3 agg.

[Leo_Messi]

The team's intensity was a joke. Piqué was totally absent and committed one elementary mistake after the other. Lenglet was not much better. The formation made no sense whatsoever. Either you are selling this game from the beginning completely or you decide to use a somewhat sensible lineup. The formation was strange as well even for Valverde. It made zero sense to use Boateng for the first time upfront against Sevilla away, a Malcom without any confidence or match rhythm whatsoever and Aleñá in that position on the pitch although he was overall one of our better players.

Now we are going to lineup with the strongest lineup in the return leg and waste energy. This is on Valverde.

Coutinho? What to say. I am lost for words HOW bad he is. I predicated many of his problems almost 2 years ago in this very forum but despite never being a fan, I never expected such laughable performances as this season. The attitude is unforgiving as well. Looks like a player who does not want to be here. Alba had a very poor attitude as well.

I can tolerate a bad day, the other team being superior, the manager committing tactical mistakes but I cannot tolerate the lack of effort, bad attitude on the pitch etc.

Having said that the team should have scored 1 goal. They had enough of chances for doing just that.

I think that we will have chances of advancing but it all depends whether Valverde will go all in. Sevilla lost both Sarabia and Navas. Two very important players and basically their entire right flank.

Anyway what disappoints me is that we made a struggling Sevilla (they had not scored a single goal in 3 games and they looked appealing against RM in the second half especially) look much, much better than they currently are, irrespective of them being a hard nut to crack away from home.

Not too bothered though given our dominance in CdR in the past decade, should we make an exit in the return leg.

 

[D10S_JC]

Today his rotation is quite radical and Sevilla is always dangerous at home. A loss is not hard to be predicted.

I would wonder whether EV will play the gala 11 at Camp Nou. It's obvious we must play 100% for the potential comeback which could make the rotation at this game become pointless.

 

[Flavius]

Today his rotation is quite radical and Sevilla is always dangerous at home. A loss is not hard to be predicted.

I would wonder whether EV will play the gala 11 at Camp Nou. It's obvious we must play 100% for the potential comeback which could make the rotation at this game become pointless.

That.s exactly what I wanted to say. Someone illuminate me if we play the gala 11 in the second leg, what was the point to have this 11? I understand to rest some key players, but not like this. Again, Valverde strike when it matters. If we win UCL then it is his merit because he concentrated on UCL, but that will mean that second leg should look like this 11 from today... at least this is how I see things right now.

 

[eaman]

We've beaten Sevilla badly at home several times.

The last time was early 2017 and we were more than likely at our best but before that it was 2014 with xavi alves and iniesta. Yes we used to consistently beat them by a few goals when we had all those players and Messi but this team really does have to be at its very best to score 3 and not concede. If not Messi would have to do most of the work which is he is more than capable of like no other player. But ya I am confident we can do it because when some of the less consistent performers put their minds to it anything is possible

 

[Arizona Scott]

We just have to get to 2-0 by the 90 min mark, and I like our chances. Still a 50/50 tie IMO (instead of 75-25 with one away goal).

It was a really bad looking match from the Barca side in the 2nd half however, lacked direction and coherence attacking, and focus without the ball. I could see things looking bad at 55 minutes, shame Valverde didn't sub earlier because Sevilla got more aggressive with out someone like Suarez threatening them and by the time he got in we were chasing.

 

[Leo_Messi]

We just have to get to 2-0 by the 90 min mark, and I like our chances. Still a 50/50 tie IMO (instead of 75-25 with one away goal).

It was a really bad looking match from the Barca side in the 2nd half however, lacked direction and coherence attacking, and focus without the ball. I could see things looking bad at 55 minutes, shame Valverde didn't sub earlier because Sevilla got more aggressive with out someone like Suarez threatening them and by the time he got in we were chasing.

Valverde set himself up for failure from the very beginning with that lineup. It was bound to fail even against a struggling Sevilla of late. I don't like such half-arsed solutions. Either you capitulate the CdR or use a somewhat sensible lineup. Using KPD alone up front for the first time ever away from home against Sevilla with a struggling, out of confidence and barely active (in the sense of playing very rarely) Malcom and Aleñá is asking for trouble. Not to mention the formation as well. One of Suárez or Coutinho should have started and KBP should have come in from the bench as a surprise in the last 20 minutes if it would have been needed to chase a goal.

Strange stuff overall.

Now Valverde will likely be forced to go all in in the return leg without being very sure of advancing. 1 goal to Sevilla and the team would need to score at least 4 without conceding any to advance. Will be very difficult even at the Camp Nou in particular if Valverde is not going all in on the CDR or the players. Unconsciously they will know whether that will be the case. The players that is.

 

[Arizona Scott]

The strategy almost worked. 0-0 in 1st half with barca having the best look. Half two was woeful from just about all. I really believe if EV does the suarez and coutinho switch right away when they were warming up they would absolutely steal this match.

One other way to look at it is both malcom and coutinho were a few millimeters off in their ball-foot connection from making great plays. Hero to goat (the animal) is so fragile.

I think barca can toast them in leg 2, but if not bigger fish to fry. In all honestly if we would not practically hand madrid the cdr i would care less than i do. But id rather not give them an easy road to anything or something they can build on.

 

[viper76]

I don't care aboit thIs cup however nobody wants to see his team losing .

Our defense was a disaster specially pique and Roberto .

 

[Barcaman]

Last time we overturned 2-0 in cup was 1966 against Mallorca.

 

[Ritchie]

Valverde either rests everybody or nobody, he doesn't know how to rotate.

Problem is it'll be the first team next week going full throttle and wasting a lot of energy trying to turn the tie.

 

[MagIX]

I don't give a fuck about the copa.
we don't have to waste time on these matches, let's play B team players, or players who normally are on the banch,.....
For me this year we must think and prioritize the CL.

 

[shadows]

Considering the objective was to rest players, its mission accomplished...I wouldn't read too much into the results. Now all we can hope is that Valverde doesn't go Remontada next week at the Camp Nou and plays a full strong 11 to overturn this deficit...

About the match itself, again shows how much of an imbalance in defence Pique and Roberto are..Everyone except EV can see that and would start Semedo who is much better.. Also Malcolm and Coutinho!

 

[Vilarrubi]

99% sure we’ll see full strength 11 in 2nd leg.

 

[JerseyAddict]

Most disappointing is the fact that without Messi there is nothing to be happy about.

 

[Leo_Messi]

The strategy almost worked. 0-0 in 1st half with barca having the best look. Half two was woeful from just about all. I really believe if EV does the suarez and coutinho switch right away when they were warming up they would absolutely steal this match.

One other way to look at it is both malcom and coutinho were a few millimeters off in their ball-foot connection from making great plays. Hero to goat (the animal) is so fragile.

I think barca can toast them in leg 2, but if not bigger fish to fry. In all honestly if we would not practically hand madrid the cdr i would care less than i do. But id rather not give them an easy road to anything or something they can build on.

It did not work and there is nothing called "almost" in football or elite sport.

It was a half-arsed job.

I have no problem with Valverde and the team not prioritizing the CdR this season (been saying that for years) but then I don't understand why Suárez, Coutinho and Alba were put into action?

If you want to capitulate in the CdR from the beginning, as it looked like given the lineup, do it the right way and rest ALL of the starters or almost every single one of them.

On the other side, if you don't want to capitulate in the CdR, use a much more sensible lineup where the likes of Suárez and Coutinho are playing from the start.

Now we are in a bad place not being sure whether to go all in on trying to accomplish a remontada or use a similar lineup in the return leg at home. Not sure if that is a good thing or tactic. I would have used a stronger lineup yesterday and tried to obtain a favorable result in order to rest players in the return leg at home.

All that I am asking for with the return leg in mind is that Valverde won't do a half-arsed job again. Either go all in or make it clear that the CdR is not a priority this season at all by using a similar lineup like yesterday night but without introducing any starters at all from the bench. Should be pretty straightforward.