Gerardo "Tata" Martino

[Kerrybai]

Points per game in Europe's top 5 league:
1 Bayern
2 Juventus
3 Atletico
4 Barca/Madrid

Goals per game:
1 Man City 2.83
2 Madrid 2.78
3 Bayern 2.68
4 Barca 2.68
5 Atletico 2.55
6 Juventus 2.45
7 Liverpool 2.42
8 PSG 2.35

Goals conceded per game:
1 Bayern 0.47
2 Roma 0.5
3 Lille 0.61
4 Atletico 0.64
4 PSG 0.65
6 Monaco 0.69
7 Barca/Juventus 0.73
9 Chelsea 0.83
10 Arsenal 0.88
11 Madrid 1

Most people like to dismiss statistics but as of right now we are having a good season. Some of the talk on here suggests that we are battling for CL spots while having crashed out of Europe before christmas. There are things that need to be addressed and we need a kick up the backside to motivate everyone but selling playings and firing mangers is not called for yet. Let Tata and the players get to May before we chop their heads off.

 

[evilhita666]

I'm also very supportive of Tata, but then again the winter transfer window passed without even a rumor of a signing... Sure, this could be due to our board ineptitude, but the fact remains that the team is unbalanced...

Intensity is what worries me, anyone who has seen Tata's teams know they are intense as all hell, but for some reason that is not present in this team... It could be because our players have won absolutely everything there is to win, so that's when the whole renovation thing gains momentum...

As I said, I'm not saying sell X or Y player, but bring people eager to win even at the expense of some of the sacred cows...

We just have to look at our own history, we've had massive breakdowns after becoming the best team... It happened to the Dream Team, to Frank's team and the future could bring the same to this team unless some changes are made... We can't make the same mistakes all over again...

 

[big_man]

is it like a fashion statement to say pep struggled against parked business in his last season, because as i recalled it, we struggled because pep being pep, he tried to revolutionize the team when a simple evolution was what was probably needed, with his changing of formations which weaken the defense and is other tactical changes, which saw us lose points against the lower teams, but we always always out played every single team and created numerous chances every game, including against chelsea in the return leg.

That's the rose tinted specs I'm afraid. We still create plenty of chances against teams. We just beat a team 9-2 on aggregate last week for christ sakes. Despite Soceidad playing with 5 defenders we missed 2 sitters that could have saw the game dead and buried before they got their red card. If you think we didn't create chances yesterday then by the same token we didn't create many chances in PLENTY of games in the first half of Pep's last season where we didn't play well, defensively AND offensively.
Valencia away, Gijon away, Granada away,Getafe away, Sevilla at home and Soceidad away being good examples, all before December.

 

[big_man]

Points per game in Europe's top 5 league:
1 Bayern
2 Juventus
3 Atletico
4 Barca/Madrid

Goals per game:
1 Man City 2.83
2 Madrid 2.78
3 Bayern 2.68
4 Barca 2.68
5 Atletico 2.55
6 Juventus 2.45
7 Liverpool 2.42
8 PSG 2.35

Goals conceded per game:
1 Bayern 0.47
2 Roma 0.5
3 Lille 0.61
4 Atletico 0.64
4 PSG 0.65
6 Monaco 0.69
7 Barca/Juventus 0.73
9 Chelsea 0.83
10 Arsenal 0.88
11 Madrid 1

Most people like to dismiss statistics but as of right now we are having a good season. Some of the talk on here suggests that we are battling for CL spots while having crashed out of Europe before christmas. There are things that need to be addressed and we need a kick up the backside to motivate everyone but selling playings and firing mangers is not called for yet. Let Tata and the players get to May before we chop their heads off.

Yup, and when you add CL results it gets even better.
The bit in bold, that's my only gripe. I'm one of the most pessimistic people I know, yet even I can see that cries for managerial and player selling is absolutely ridiculous its actually laughable at this point. I just tried to give some perspective, which is SERIOUSLY lacking here.

 

[big_man]

I'm also very supportive of Tata, but then again the winter transfer window passed without even a rumor of a signing... Sure, this could be due to our board ineptitude, but the fact remains that the team is unbalanced...

Intensity is what worries me, anyone who has seen Tata's teams know they are intense as all hell, but for some reason that is not present in this team... It could be because our players have won absolutely everything there is to win, so that's when the whole renovation thing gains momentum...

As I said, I'm not saying sell X or Y player, but bring people eager to win even at the expense of some of the sacred cows...

We just have to look at our own history, we've had massive breakdowns after becoming the best team... It happened to the Dream Team, to Frank's team and the future could bring the same to this team unless some changes are made... We can't make the same mistakes all over again...

Fair enough. I said before this teams flat performances this season has came in the "easier games". Tata and the team's preparation against the very best teams we faced (The Madrids) have been very good in contrast. This is perhaps a good thing in the CL but I worry about Tata not motivating the team enough for the smaller games in the League. I hope the issue of intensity is due to an overall plan of pacing the team into the business end of the season. That period starts now and we need to get everything together quick and fast.

 

[footyfan]

I said before this teams flat performances this season has came in the "easier games".

I'm not too sure about that. Bilbao away is not easy, Levante away is not easy, Osasuna away is not easy, Valencia home is not easy. The first half against Valencia was great though.

We were excellent until the winter break, but things have changed since then. It's still too soon to make a judgment on Tata, wait for the end of the season to see what the results look like. Aesthetics wise, it's not looking great, it's nice being more varied in attack as long as it gets results.

 

[big_man]

I'm not too sure about that. Bilbao away is not easy, Levante away is not easy, Osasuna away is not easy, Valencia home is not easy. The first half against Valencia was great though.

We were excellent until the winter break, but things have changed since then. It's still too soon to make a judgment on Tata, wait for the end of the season to see what the results look like. Aesthetics wise, it's not looking great, it's nice being more varied in attack as long as it gets results.

I don't think you understood my point.

Bilbao (or Ajax) away weren't games you'd mark down on the calendar as THE game. The perception of those teams was never on the level of playing an Atletico or Real and so we never gave it the same amount of preparation, at least that's my understanding of it as a fan.
Here is the crux of it for me, I'm just a fan, the players should never see it this way as every game matters, but it seems that way to me. Just an observation I made over the season.

You say this is a recent occurrence but even in that fantastic first start to the season, we saw this complacency against Valencia away, Sevilla at home, Getafe away (and then Levante away more recently). We let the former two back into the game and almost dropped points.

The latter two is more evidence for me because we had another opportunity to play them again AFTER underestimating them (IMO) leading to going two behind in Getafe and only salvaging a point in Levante. Once we adjusted our preparation we trashed both teams 6-0 and 9-2 on aggregate consequently.

I feel this season, we haven't approached those games with the same intensity as we have in our very hardest fixtures (as perceived BEFORE the match). In the games against the Madrid teams, there was an incredible amount of organization I hadn't seen in this team since 2011 and I believe if we can provide that against everyone we have a great season awaiting us. Whether that will happen is another story.

 

[Maria]

Valencia home is not easy.

Valencia in the away games this season:

Espanyol 3 : 1 Valencia
Real Betis 3 : 1 Valencia
Granada 0 : 1 Valencia
Athletic 1 : 1 Valencia
Villarreal 4 : 1 Valencia
Getafe 0 : 1 Valencia
Elche 2 : 1 Valencia
Atletico 3 : 0 Valencia
Celta Vigo 2 : 1 Valencia
Malaga 0 : 0 Valencia

-8 goals scored, 8 pts won
-in not a single game they managed to score more than one goal

If that was a difficult game, I can't wait until we play against Athletic or Atletico again.

 

[Kerrybai]

Valencia in the away games this season:

Espanyol 3 : 1 Valencia
Real Betis 3 : 1 Valencia
Granada 0 : 1 Valencia
Athletic 1 : 1 Valencia
Villarreal 4 : 1 Valencia
Getafe 0 : 1 Valencia
Elche 2 : 1 Valencia
Atletico 3 : 0 Valencia
Celta Vigo 2 : 1 Valencia
Malaga 0 : 0 Valencia

-8 goals scored, 8 pts won
-in not a single game they managed to score more than one goal

If that was a difficult game, I can't wait until we play against Athletic or Atletico again.

Picking on one poor game is an unfair way to judge a team or how we might do in the future.

 

[Maria]

Picking on one poor game is an unfair way to judge a team or how we might do in the future.

I judged footyfan's statement, not the team. Don't know how you came to this conclusion.

 

[UberNjufer]

I think we need something like this:

I'd sell Iniesta. Even Cesc. Alves, Mascherano must go too.

Łukasz Piszczek as RB anyone?

sell iniesta this made my awfull day a bit better

 

[coura]

stats can deceive

 

[DinhoR10]

stats can deceive

I have to admit that is a bit mindblowing. The only thing they have better is shots conceded.

 

[jamrock]

stats can deceive

OMG even though we all know pep's stat were over his four years

those stats tell us why we should always take stats with a giant grain of salt

 

[Puyol the wall]

Xavi should retire
Iniesta should be sold


kill me now

no wonder why I don't spend as much time as I used to here