Ernesto Valverde - V1

[Aryagorn]

Losing against us was because of us having a better set of players, granted. But losing to Real was only like 40% because of Real having a better set of players. The moment he decided to get his oldies to run like headless chickens was when he lost he lost the battle against them!

 

[-_- RandomUser -_-]

An interesting video i found on reddit about counter-pressing vs Juve. It was just the first game though, the question is if we can maintain this tempo throughout the season.


[tw]889108511170408449[/tw]

 

[Barcaman]

An interesting video i found on reddit about counter-pressing vs Juve. It was just the first game though, the question is if we can maintain this tempo throughout the season.


[tw]889108511170408449[/tw]

No chance mate. Players played only one half. Samper was like terrier but he won't be in first eleven (if here at all).

 

[Gnidrologist]

I noticed this too, but it could be because of the eagerness to show the right attitude right from the start of the season. I think pressing was great in first Lucho games too. What i found more promising was that midfield play, which was a lot more mobile and indeed had glimpses of Pep's era. Rotating and running into spaces, much more play through the center and avoiding endless passes to flanks that only result on passing back to defenders. The lack of smart movement from players was what made Lucho's midplay so frustrating to watch.

 

[Cool]

How did we do tactically, did Valvarde experience with 4-2-3-1?

 

[BBZ8800]

A partybreaker post:

I watched only yesterday's match (and we played against Juve B either way in the first match), but yesterday's match seemed like a good old, the most horrible version of Barca from Lucho's period.

Semedo can't do shit.
Alba is always lacking an IQ.
Midfield in the first half couldn't make 3 passes in a row, and the only duty for a midfield was: make yourself available, receive a pass from CBs or fullback and pass the ball to Neymar or Messi AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, and then Messi and Neymar will try to dribble past 4 players and score a goal.
Lol.
Bigger CL teams will close Messi and Neymar, we won't be able to make 3 passes, and we'll lose 0:4 against Psgs and Juves again and again.

I know it is early, but I haven't seen absolutely any difference compared to last 2 Lucho's seasons.
Fullbacks are sterile, midfield is nonexistent, Suarez plays like a 40 years old fat granny.
Basically, we have 9 no name players without any idea in our team, plus Messi+Neymar.
And the only tactical idea of our team is to pass the ball to Messi+Neymar and hope for some individual moment of magic.
And when you remove Messi and Neymar from our team, we play on a level of Betis.

Also, one more remark:
I wrote 100s of times how Neymar was going to deep to get the ball in Lucho's era.
And people replied: it is NOT because of Neymar. It is because of Lucho and our poor midfield.
Well, yesterday Neymar dropped back even deeper than in Lucho's era (holy shit!). A few times he dropped almost close to our box and then started counterattacks 70-80 meters far away from an opponent's goal. And of course that he will lose pace, energy and concentration once he finally comes into an opponent's box.

All in all, my prediction before a season is that there is no way that we will win anything this year because we have the same old team which is sinking deeper and deeper for years, and our only signings for now are (a new ghost?) Semedo and Deulofeu.
All other starters are the same, and we seem to play equally as bad (or like grannies) as under Lucho.

I think that people who thought that Lucho is guilty for everything, will experience a bad surprise in the next season when they'll realize that it wasn't Lucho, but that just our current team suck so bad.

More or less, we are expecting a team which is dead for years, to suddenly start playing well, only because we subbed Valverde and Lucho, and bought an experienced and unproven Semedo.

People are worrying whether Neymar will stay or go.
Irrelevant. It is highly likely that we won't win anything either way.

We'll need at least 2 world class midfielders to improve our team.
And 1-2 out of MSN (not Messi) out of a team.
And turn the page and forget this MSN&no midfield crap.

 

[Messi983]

I would be worried if [MENTION=16942]BBZ8800[/MENTION] would be optimistic about our season after two preseason games.

 

[BBZ8800]

I would be worried if [MENTION=16942]BBZ8800[/MENTION] would be optimistic about our season after two preseason games.

It is simplyfied to say "2 preseason games".

It is:
1. the current team, the same one which lost 2 La ligas and 2 CLs to Real in the last 18 Months (since Zidane came, Real was actually better in last 2 La ligas)
2. our transfer activity this summer
3. ongoing midfield problems for years
4. old team
5. lack of motivation
6. MSN
7. Neymar's saga
8. and, first 2 preseason games

If you are expecting some major improvements for our team out of thin air, then Valverde would need to be the best coach in a football history, to make something out of this dying team.

 

[Luftstalag14]

A partybreaker post:

I watched only yesterday's match (and we played against Juve B either way in the first match), but yesterday's match seemed like a good old, the most horrible version of Barca from Lucho's period.

Semedo can't do shit.
Alba is always lacking an IQ.
Midfield in the first half couldn't make 3 passes in a row, and the only duty for a midfield was: make yourself available, receive a pass from CBs or fullback and pass the ball to Neymar or Messi AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, and then Messi and Neymar will try to dribble past 4 players and score a goal.
Lol.
Bigger CL teams will close Messi and Neymar, we won't be able to make 3 passes, and we'll lose 0:4 against Psgs and Juves again and again.

I know it is early, but I haven't seen absolutely any difference compared to last 2 Lucho's seasons.
Fullbacks are sterile, midfield is nonexistent, Suarez plays like a 40 years old fat granny.
Basically, we have 9 no name players without any idea in our team, plus Messi+Neymar.
And the only tactical idea of our team is to pass the ball to Messi+Neymar and hope for some individual moment of magic.
And when you remove Messi and Neymar from our team, we play on a level of Betis.

Also, one more remark:
I wrote 100s of times how Neymar was going to deep to get the ball in Lucho's era.
And people replied: it is NOT because of Neymar. It is because of Lucho and our poor midfield.
Well, yesterday Neymar dropped back even deeper than in Lucho's era (holy shit!). A few times he dropped almost close to our box and then started counterattacks 70-80 meters far away from an opponent's goal. And of course that he will lose pace, energy and concentration once he finally comes into an opponent's box.

All in all, my prediction before a season is that there is no way that we will win anything this year because we have the same old team which is sinking deeper and deeper for years, and our only signings for now are (a new ghost?) Semedo and Deulofeu.
All other starters are the same, and we seem to play equally as bad (or like grannies) as under Lucho.

I think that people who thought that Lucho is guilty for everything, will experience a bad surprise in the next season when they'll realize that it wasn't Lucho, but that just our current team suck so bad.

More or less, we are expecting a team which is dead for years, to suddenly start playing well, only because we subbed Valverde and Lucho, and bought an experienced and unproven Semedo.

People are worrying whether Neymar will stay or go.
Irrelevant. It is highly likely that we won't win anything either way.

We'll need at least 2 world class midfielders to improve our team.
And 1-2 out of MSN (not Messi) out of a team.
And turn the page and forget this MSN&no midfield crap.

Spot on.

 

[Luftstalag14]

To me one of our biggest problems has been we are extremely limited in terms of ways to approach our attack and score goals:

- We almost can't score headers these days so our direct corners and indirect FKs have been mostly useless
- We hardly have long shots
- Our wing plays are negligible
- We are down to Messi dribbling through opponent's defense or relying on playing some 1-2 play by MSN in the middle to create threats and score
- Off-the-ball is poor so we when have possession/when the opponent is parking the bus we have very little space and we have very little ideas, therefore we rely more and more on counters to create that space

 

[manuel blassi]

Some of you mentioned how was Neymar going too deep to get the ball. Messi is doing the same. Here is the reason why i would like to have Coutinho. He is very mobile, he can create something from deep position and also break knees with his amazing dribling ability. So Coutinho would be our CM on paper, but everytime when one of messi/neymar goes in the middle for the ball, Coutinho takes his place. Magic tactics for me.

 

[serghei]

The team's setup is very different from Lucho. Everybody can see that if they pay attention. Did you guys see the game? We bossed the midfield. United fans on redcafe were even saying it's like a game between a Premiership team and a Championship one.

And yet you come here and people are posting how we are going to lose 4-0 this or 3-0 that. FFS if that performance as the 2nd game in the preseason is not to your standard, you won't enjoy football at all.

 

[jamrock]

Anyone who watched the game and know football will see we have way more emphasis on midfield interplay so far than we did under loco.

That being said stop playing Messi on the wing for Jesus sake, especially with all that pressing, we will end up with the same problem as we had last season, only this time we have 2 Wingbacks so it maybe a little better.

Also it doesn't take 36 games to see what a player will be, and I'm saying it now Semedo is average at best. I'll say it again Vidal is better and Vidal will & should start most games even if he can't defend, he adds way more to the attack which we will need since Messi will always come on the inside.

 

[serghei]

Anyone who watched the game and know football will see we have way more emphasis on midfield interplay so far than we did under loco.

That being said stop playing Messi on the wing for Jesus sake, especially with all that pressing, we will end up with the same problem as we had last season, only this time we have 2 Wingbacks so it maybe a little better.

Also it doesn't take 36 games to see what a player will be, and I'm saying it now Semedo is average at best. I'll say it again Vidal is better and Vidal will & should start most games even if he can't defend, he adds way more to the attack which we will need since Messi will always come on the inside.

I think you're wrong on this one. He is quality and I'm hoping he will show it soon.

 

[xXKonan]