[MENTION=16942]BBZ8800[/MENTION], you think we could of avoided that Manolas goal if Yerry Mina was playing?
To be honest, the height of that cross is PERFECT for Puig to head clear.
Well, Roma had 7-8 players with height 185-195.
We had Pique and Busquets iirc and Busquets jumps like a granny.
So, one player wouldn't help.
That doesn't mean that we should play with 190cm tall players because then we won't have technique and off the ball movement.
So, you can't have everything.
But the point is that the opponents and their coaches and staff are not dumb.
If a team has tall and slow CBs, you will try to overrun them with pacey wingers.
If a team has short CBs, you will try to outsmart them with crosses and corners.
If a team is weak in midfield, you will try to keep the ball and kill them that way.
If a team is too good in midfield, you will try to foul them, don't let them play too much and kill them on counters.
But as I have said a lot of times, in La Liga, majority of teams are similar to Barca, but weaker: Latino-technical based teams, usually with shorter and technical midfielders and attackers from Spain and South America.
In that sense, when Barca needs to defend in La Liga, we need to defend usually on the ground and against pacey, technical, shorter wingers, attackers and attacking midfielders like Coutinho, Isco, Griezmann and similar.
Our team is built for those circumstances and against those type of opponents.
These teams don't cross THAT much and are not THAT dangerous in the air or after corners.
But then, when we come to a CL and meet teams like Bayern, Roma, Juventus or English teams, those teams have a way higher average height than us and La Liga.
And those teams usually play both possession and crossing type of football, unlike us and La Liga teams.
And then, since those teams and their coaches are not dumb, they ALL KNOW that the easiest way to neutralize Barca is:
1. play dirty and physical against their midfielders and don't let them play their game
2. try to play counters against their high line and whenever their team is your half of a field
3. try to cross as much as possible due to their short defenders (or tall players like Busi who are a shit in the air)
4. try to get as many corners as possible and then cross into a box (and DON'T play short corners) since Barca's team is one of the shortest among top teams in Europe and you have the highest chance to score against them after corners and crosses
In that sense, the only Barca's options in CL knockout matches are:
1. Play with 11 Puigs and DON'T lose the ball, and don't allow any counters and corners
2. or play a mixture of Barca's shorter players and some taller/stronger players to stop corners, crosses and counters from European teams who are ALL always playing in exactly the same way against us, and that is NEVER through a possession game, but through counters, crosses and set pieces
Now, after all that, one more time, now watch a highlights video from a match Roma:Barcelona from last season.
And check how Roma is trying to:
1. play counters
2. play crosses into our box
3. play corners with crosses into our box
= WHENEVER posssible
They don't bother too much with trying to break us through the middle like majority of La Liga teams.
These European teams don't play Spanish-Brasilian type of football with technique, possession, playing through the middle and playing mostly on the ground.
This is why, imo, for us to win a CL ever again, we will need a slightly different approach than for LA Liga matches, because European teams play, defend and attack in different patterns than La Liga teams.
Now, watch a video and check how Roma is crossing into our box WHENEVER possible. They are not dumb. They know why are they doing it. Because a lack of height in our defense is their biggest chance for a win: