Gerardo "Tata" Martino

[big_man]

No, at a club like Barcelona no one scouts the opponents. We just appear on the pitch and see how it goes.

As ridiculous as it sounds under normal circumstances. I actually think last season during Tito's relapse, between say Feb and April when Roura was in charge, It wouldn't have been far off to say we probably spent little time on tactics and studying the opponents, at least not what you'd expect under someone like Tata or Pep or when Tito was healthy. It really showed in those ties against Milan/PSG/Bayern, don't you think?

 

[coura]

As ridiculous as it sounds under normal circumstances. I actually think last season during Tito's relapse, between say Feb and April when Roura was in charge, It wouldn't have been far off to say we probably spent little time on tactics and studying the opponents, at least not what you'd expect under someone like Tata or Pep or when Tito was healthy. It really showed in those ties against Milan/PSG/Bayern, don't you think?

And Madrid. Mou outplayed us shamefully.

 

[The Observer]

As ridiculous as it sounds under normal circumstances. I actually think last season during Tito's relapse, between say Feb and April when Roura was in charge, It wouldn't have been far off to say we probably spent little time on tactics and studying the opponents, at least not what you'd expect under someone like Tata or Pep or when Tito was healthy. It really showed in those ties against Milan/PSG/Bayern, don't you think?

Barca didn't train any tactics when Tito was in New York. Fabregas actually confirmed this a few months ago. That the headcoach of a team is absent for cancer treatment for many months isn't the norm though and that should be clear. No idea why people keep on WUMing with those 2 results over and over again. Sometimes you win, sometimes you get thrashed. Deal with it (not you in particular, big_man).

 

[coura]

"Sometimes you win, sometimes you get thrashed"

What a great strategy

 

[big_man]

Barca didn't train any tactics when Tito was in New York. Fabregas actually confirmed this a few months ago. That the headcoach of a team is absent for cancer treatment for many months isn't the norm though and that should be clear. No idea why people keep on WUMing with those 2 results over and over again. Sometimes you win, sometimes you get raped. Deal with it (not you in particular, big_man).

Agreed. Those games are a reminder than Tactics mean everything at the highest of levels. It's almost as important as the quality of the players, maybe even more. Owing to my curiosity as a football fan, I'd like us to play Bayern again actually with both teams at their best. It'll be fascinating from so many angles.

It will be perhaps the first time in history where two teams that actually play extreme possession football play each other(correct me if im wrong?). The two other times it was supposedly meant to happen were false dawns, the first was Arsenal in 09/10, when it turned out they actually were pretenders. Last season was the second one, but Bayern were willing to cede possession.

This time though, Bayern are under Pep, and we all know Pep's beliefs with regards to holding the ball and as such I think its fair to say they won't compromise their possession tactics. I'd imagine it would be one heck of a spectacle with both at their best. Who do you think will (A) win the possession battle (B) create the most chances and (C) Win the match?

 

[Poor_Sunyol]

Well done Tata, or perhaps I should more accurately say; well done the Captains and senior players. Xavi and co must have spoken to Tata and said that enough with trying to make us a counter attacking team and enough of all these long diagonal passes. We are more comfortable and more effective playing high up the pitch and concentrating on quick passes and player movement. That way we are not so exposed at the back and we can control the game.

To be fair to Tata he must have agreed because (although Rayo are absolutely terrible!) we finally for the first time this season, started to look like the real Barca. Iniesta looked comfortable and like he knew what his role was, like everybody else. Hopefully Tata will now realise, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

[Gooch]

Of the half a dozen or so key improvements Tata had to make this season, finishing was near the top of the list, and the major lesson of the Rayo match for me was how improved finishing is so important for Barca. Barca took their chances at a much higher rate than usual, and that killed the match for Rayo.

As for possession vs counter, it's not black and white, there are subtleties. In the Rayo match, at least three of the goals - Sanchez, Messi chip, Neymar - came of quick attacks. Last year, they might have held the ball instead of attacking quickly. In fact, if you add Adriano's goal, four of the goals were long range shots or quick counters, something you hardly saw from Barca last year.

This is the variety that was needed to unsettle both parked buses and physical presses, and I give credit to Tata for this. But finishing, finishing is the key.

 

[jamrock]

"After the defeat against Valencia at the start of February there were talks between the players and the manager about where the team was going and they decided they had to go back to their principles.

They brought Andres Iniesta back into the team, they applied pressure high up, there were no more long balls but more build-up from the back, the full-backs and wingers pushed out very wide and there was a lot more running behind the defence"

Balague.

dont really trust Balague, but i wonder if this is true.

 

[Chainsaw]

It's Balague so it's jackshit jamrock.

 

[JamDav1982]

"After the defeat against Valencia at the start of February there were talks between the players and the manager about where the team was going and they decided they had to go back to their principles.

They brought Andres Iniesta back into the team, they applied pressure high up, there were no more long balls but more build-up from the back, the full-backs and wingers pushed out very wide and there was a lot more running behind the defence"

Balague.

dont really trust Balague, but i wonder if this is true.

It is Balague back tracking as he was slagging off the way Barca play before and now they are playing well he doesnt want to look a fool.

He makes out they are back to playing the old style when in reality 4 of the 6 goals against Rayo came from breaks from midfield. While there was more running in behind the defence as Rayo played a high line.

 

[Trickykid]

Balague is such a horrible windbag. The less he talks, the better.

 

[Kerrybai]

Balague is such a horrible windbag. The less he talks, the better.

Guillem Ballbag as I like to call him.

 

[Behrox]

Of the half a dozen or so key improvements Tata had to make this season, finishing was near the top of the list, and the major lesson of the Rayo match for me was how improved finishing is so important for Barca. Barca took their chances at a much higher rate than usual, and that killed the match for Rayo.

As for possession vs counter, it's not black and white, there are subtleties. In the Rayo match, at least three of the goals - Sanchez, Messi chip, Neymar - came of quick attacks. Last year, they might have held the ball instead of attacking quickly. In fact, if you add Adriano's goal, four of the goals were long range shots or quick counters, something you hardly saw from Barca last year.

This is the variety that was needed to unsettle both parked buses and physical presses, and I give credit to Tata for this. But finishing, finishing is the key.

Tata made the whole team play counter attacking footy with long balls so much that they would grow sick of it and again fall in love with tiki-taka and play with the passion they used to have plus the occasional quick counter

 

[Alik]

Tata made the whole team play counter attacking footy with long balls so much that they would grow sick of it and again fall in love with tiki-taka and play with the passion they used to have plus the occasional quick counter

Brilliant XD

 

[Irish_Cules]

My brother wrote an article on Barca's evloution from the end of Pep's era up to Tata's current incarnation.

http://santapelota.wordpress.com/20...lity-and-ball-retention-in-a-post-xavi-world/