Gerardo "Tata" Martino

[Mitchell1978]

Very true. Cesc, Neymar, Alexis were doing great. Tata was playing a style which suited them. This put Xavi's nose out of joint and he demanded a change. I am sure the board supported him and after that Martino has been a dead man walking.
ue

Barça was never great this season for more then a couple of matches, yes in the first half of the season the results were good but the same problems existed back then.

 

[Behrox]

Barça was never great this season for more then a couple of matches, yes in the first half of the season the results were good but the same problems existed back then.

Apart from the Sevilla and Valencia match we won the others is quite a dominant fashion during the first half of the season what are you on about?

 

[Maria]

I think Xavi's meeting had a huge negative impact. The team has the weapons to have amazing counter attacks but Xavi forbids it. He'd rather the team lose with 75% possession. Tata did great in the first half of the season even without Messi and then in January we reverted back to Titos system plus crossing.

1. How do you know that this meeting really happend? Do you only believe it only because Sport, a paper that invents something everyday told you so?

2. If this meeting was after the game against Rayo, how come it's only in January when the team started playing poorly(according to you)?

Very true. Cesc, Neymar, Alexis were doing great. Tata was playing a style which suited them. This put Xavi's nose out of joint and he demanded a change. I am sure the board supported him and after that Martino has been a dead man walking.

You're hilarious. For one Cesc always does well in the first half of the season and dissapears in February(I remember in his first season at Barca he had 9 goals in the first 19 rounds in the league and 0 in the last 19 rounds; I wouldn't be surprised if this season his statistics would be similar). In Neymar's case he was doing well until he got that yellow card vs Villareal..when he came back in January he was having fitness problems and then he struggled until recently. As for Alexis, it's hilarious that you even try to blame Xavi for this when Tata benched him in the last 5 games we lost. Unless you believe that Xavi also ordered Tata to do that.

Apart from the Sevilla and Valencia match we won the others is quite a dominant fashion during the first half of the season what are you on about?

Do you think that we were that dominant against Malaga, Celta or Getafe? Or even against poor teams like Rayo and Betis, when Valdes was our best player? Plus the game against Athletic, when we were awfull and we lost for the first time after how many years?

 

[Behrox]

1. How do you know that this meeting really happend? Do you only believe it only because Sport, a paper that invents something everyday? told you so?

2. If this meeting was after the game against Rayo, how come it's only in January when the team started playing poorly?

1. Xavi (after Rayo): Tata we need to talk
Tata: Not now Xavi we'll talk in the Christmas break

2. Xavi (during Christmas): Me don like play possession you coach keep possession or me gonna get to the clown upstaris
Tata (Sad Face): Ok

 

[Poor_Sunyol]

Anyone who doesn't portion any blame to Patata for this season is a complete idiot with another agenda.

 

[Mitchell1978]

Apart from the Sevilla and Valencia match we won the others is quite a dominant fashion during the first half of the season what are you on about?

There were some easy wins shure but also games where we won without having proper controll of the match, like the 4-0 wins against Rayo and Ajax for example.

 

[barcanuck]

Maria. You don't find it fishy that we started the possession formation as of:
- the first CL knockout vs City
- the return leg vs City
- the away classico
- home knockout vs atletico
- away knockout vs atletico
- final copa classico

How is it possible all these matches being our biggest of the season all have the midfield control tactic. Not a single one of them with the classic 433. God forbid we sacrifice one of our amazing possession midfielders right.

 

[Maria]

And against RM at home what formation did we start? Or against Atletico in the league?

How is it possible all these matches being our biggest of the season all have the midfield control tactic.

This is a question at which only Tata knows the answer.

 

[DonAndres]

1. Xavi (after Rayo): Tata we need to talk
Tata: Not now Xavi we'll talk in the Christmas break

2. Xavi (during Christmas): Me don like play possession you coach keep possession or me gonna get to the clown upstaris
Tata (Sad Face): Ok

Seems legit

 

[barcanuck]

And against RM at home what formation did we start? Or against Atletico in the league?



This is a question at which only Tata knows the answer.

that's my point we didn't start that shit formation until the city game which was after the "Xavi" meeting.

 

[Maria]

that's my point we didn't start that shit formation until the city game which was after the "Xavi" meeting.

So Xavi convinced Tata that instead of playing Messi on the RW and Cesc as false 9, it would be better to play Iniesta on the left, Neymar on the right and Messi in the middle?
Or Tata after he saw that the formation worked vs City thought that it would also work vs Atletico and Real Madrid?
Either way, the only one that dissapoints me is Tata.

 

[barcanuck]

Doing some research on our switch to the "midfield"control I found some interesting stuff with the timeline:

After Man City away game - "Obviously it was different from playing with three strikers when we are much faster. With one extra midfielder we have more possession, but I'm happy with the result, we played very good in the first 90 minutes," confirmed Martino.

- Sounds like Tata didn't believe it would work because we run less aka we are slow, offer no counter options and non - penetrating. Doesn't sound like he had full authority there and the BUT I'm happy with the result sounds like he's actually pissed.

Next game at Antoneta vs Sociedad is when Tata rebelled against the old guard and benched Xavi AND Cesc to in favor of a Iniesta - Busi - Song midfield which got ran off the park by Sociedad and we lost 3-1. I now firmly believe he did this to spite Xavi for forcing him to play with a formation he isn't comfortable with by benching his buddy Cesc too. Further proof is Xavi sat the whole game and Tata only used 2 subs! Xavi quotes:

“It’s the Coach who has the final say. I am educated enough to know that I cannot override the Coach’s decisions. At Barca, we all know that none of us are above the Coach,” Xavi said.

“It’s frustrating for me when I don’t get the chance to participate or when I’m not comfortable when I do play but I always respect the Coach.”

Why would Xavi go out of his way to keep saying the coach has the final say, we are not above the coach. Well that's because it leaked out that maybe Tata didn't have full control of the tactics and Xavi was the one making the control possession decision and not Tata.

EDIT : The player who gets benched the most with the midfield control formation is Alexis. Alexis only started the City game due to Neymar not being fully fit and hasn't started a single big game since even though he is our second top scorer and Tata only played him on the right where was has been awesome earlier in the year with the 4-3-3. Now news is that Sanchez insulted Tata and refused to get his runner up medal which means he is pissed at Tata for not having the balls to stop playing with all the BS midfielders and play to the strength of the 4-3-3.

Call me crazy but there is something it.

 

[Chainsaw]

1. Xavi (after Rayo): Tata! On your knees!
Tata: Not now Xavi. In the Christmas break.

2. Xavi (during Christmas): Show time!!
Tata (Sad Face): Ok

fixed

 

[fcbdna]

Get this veterinary doctor looking guy out of here and as far away from the team as possible!

 

[ppxrare]

Press conference on now