Crisis!

[PhilS]

No, just a lull.

After 15 games, Barca is ahead of pace for another 100 point season. THIS IS SUPERB.

The defence is definitely better than last year. They don't always look secure, but in their scrambling way, they have been wonderfully effective. Despite lots of back line injuries.

The loss to Ajax meant nothing, I've already forgotten it. It is not possible for these players to get up for every single one of the huge number of games they play, this was a very good game to be flat. Playing away in Basque country is very tough. AB looked like they will get in the CL next year, they are a high-skill team. they played very well yesterday. Missing the two first choice fullbacks hurts Barca quite a bit, especially on offense. Adriano can play great at times, but in general he has a lot less impact on games than either Alves or Alba. It's usually hard to identify the worst Barca player on the pitch, but not when Montoya is on the field. He is an OK first division player, but in every respect he is just not good enough to be a Barca regular.

The attack is bound to perk up soon, I'm hopeful this little slump will not persist.

 

[ZenI]

No, just a lull.

After 15 games, Barca is ahead of pace for another 100 point season. THIS IS SUPERB.

The defence is definitely better than last year. They don't always look secure, but in their scrambling way, they have been wonderfully effective. Despite lots of back line injuries.

The loss to Ajax meant nothing, I've already forgotten it. It is not possible for these players to get up for every single one of the huge number of games they play, this was a very good game to be flat. Playing away in Basque country is very tough. AB looked like they will get in the CL next year, they are a high-skill team. they played very well yesterday. Missing the two first choice fullbacks hurts Barca quite a bit, especially on offense. Adriano can play great at times, but in general he has a lot less impact on games than either Alves or Alba. It's usually hard to identify the worst Barca player on the pitch, but not when Montoya is on the field. He is an OK first division player, but in every respect he is just not good enough to be a Barca regular.

The attack is bound to perk up soon, I'm hopeful this little slump will not persist.

"they played very well yesterday"? What? Yesterday we missed Messi and Alves (a player half the forum think is past it, I'm definitively not one of them), a team of our caliber should very well handle missing 2 players - even if one of them is the best player in the history of football. Yesterday's match sucked on so many levels: 1) It looked the players didn't even put in a fight, they were second in almost all duels. 2) We had problems playing ourselves out from our own half, and Athletic didn't even put much press on us. 3) We played without forwards, Cesc was playing in the midfield and Alexis/Neymar hugging the sidelines - we didn't have any players in the box?! - 1 shoot on goal?! 4) In the second half we looked like Stoke, playing long-balls all the time. 5) Masch is unbelievably bad at CB. 6) No creativity, no speed, no pressing, slow passing, no running without the ball - we played like 11 individuals and not like a team

 

[flamenco]

We're really in a semi crisis: we can't finish upfront and our defense's vulnerable -even our ball posession rate's decreasing. Bayern understood this well when they beat us last CL. If we only make the signings that we need to during the January window we will be ok.... We need a few defenders and a true striker, the Romario Eto'o Drogba type to ensure that we concede less often and score @least one goal when it's hard to... and also end our Messi-dependency
If we have no use for Song and Tello, let's sell them