Josep Maria Bartomeu

[Hamzah]

I thought the socios wouldn't like his direct style.

 

[DennyCrane]

But they have a clear identity and are very unlucky to be in the relegation zone. Besides they're doing well in the CL which shows they aren't really bad.

People already said this about Lucho but with Klopp I'm very positive that our team would actually start pressing like maniacs again. Possession play is actually more about pressing rather than keeping the ball.

I doubt it. Some of our players don't have the physical requirements to do it, many of our players lack the mandatory mindset to do it. The player material we have at the moment should be playing a dosed midfield pressing, no way we're going back to the 7-second-rule and players hunting like a wolfpack.

Klopp would also have to betray his approach completely if he doesn't want to be murdered by the press here and I don't want that, not for Barca and especially not for him.

 

[hamad138]

Pep is also playing non stop pressure at bayern, didnt he do the same at barcelona?

 

[SeloBarca]

He did, and the pressing without the ball was almost a bigger reason to our dominance then our play with the ball.

 

[DrPepper]

I doubt it. Some of our players don't have the physical requirements to do it, many of our players lack the mandatory mindset to do it. The player material we have at the moment should be playing a dosed midfield pressing, no way we're going back to the 7-second-rule and players hunting like a wolfpack.

Klopp would also have to betray his approach completely if he doesn't want to be murdered by the press here and I don't want that, not for Barca and especially not for him.

Of course our players aren't physically good enough as Dortmund's to press all the time. But the difference is that because we aren't playing nearly as direct as Dortmund we should be able to keep the ball more and thus in turn have to press less, but with the same intensity. Lacking the mindset is also not exactly true since they were doing it a few years ago.

Pressing is also a lot about the structure itself. In order to be able to press effectively, you already have to be in the right positions before you even lose the ball. That means occuping right spaces and also overloading zones. When you lose the ball in that zone you already should have a numerical advantage to win the ball back and you don't have to physically engage that much.

Also what Guardiola and Klopp like to do is installing pressing traps and triggers. Sometimes their players leave a pass open on purpose (for example to the touchline). Opposition plays the pass and the receiver is immediately in a numerical disadvantage. Our pressing at the moment looks bad because we don't have any structure and of course because we leave the middle open with our central midfielders pushing wide.

In his 6 years in Dortmund Klopp has changed his style. The only thing that is constant is the intense pressing. Back then when they won back-to-back Bundesliga titles they were keeping the ball more and actually were creative with it. Nowadays they rely too much on their pressing which is a bit difficult against opponents that sit deep and only hoof the ball away. So from year to year they're getting more direct which is why they seem to do slightly worse every year in the League.

 

[DennyCrane]

Of course our players aren't physically good enough as Dortmund's to press all the time. But the difference is that because we aren't playing nearly as direct as Dortmund we should be able to keep the ball more and thus in turn have to press less, but with the same intensity. Lacking the mindset is also not exactly true since they were doing it a few years ago.

Pressing is also a lot about the structure itself. In order to be able to press effectively, you already have to be in the right positions before you even lose the ball. That means occuping right spaces and also overloading zones. When you lose the ball in that zone you already should have a numerical advantage to win the ball back and you don't have to physically engage that much.

Also what Guardiola and Klopp like to do is installing pressing traps and triggers. Sometimes their players leave a pass open on purpose (for example to the touchline). Opposition plays the pass and the receiver is immediately in a numerical disadvantage. Our pressing at the moment looks bad because we don't have any structure and of course because we leave the middle open with our central midfielders pushing wide.

In his 6 years in Dortmund Klopp has changed his style. The only thing that is constant is the intense pressing. Back then when they won back-to-back Bundesliga titles they were keeping the ball more and actually were creative with it. Nowadays they rely too much on their pressing which is a bit difficult against opponents that sit deep and only hoof the ball away. So from year to year they're getting more direct which is why they seem to do slightly worse every year in the League.

Pressing is a chore, it's dirty work and seldomly reaps a tangible reward. It's physically and mentally draining and every player is guarenteed to put completely useless kilometers in. Players also know that it's them who pay the price for the intensity, like Bielsa's Athletic who completely burned out towards the end of his tenure or the bunch of Dortmund players spending a lot of time in the sick bay, not to mention the elevated injury risk in the long term by the constant overstress.

When players mature and realize that they can get by without the intensity it causes them to tone their efforts down, consciously or not. Our squad, loaded from top to bottom with decorated vets and elite players, knows that they can get by without it and therefore can't be arsed to put the extra effort in, even when they have the physical requirements. Furthermore, coaches, being forrmer players themselves, won't even ask them to do it because they know the psychological constraints.

Putting this quite bluntly: As long as players are in a stage of development and still have a point to prove, they can be asked to press intensely and they will do so. If they don''t, they don't. This is what I mean when I write that many of our players don't have the required mindset. And no coach with whatever motivational approach can change this because it's not a motivational issue at it's core, but a psychological one that can't be fixed. Pep knew it and left. Tata knew it and switched to a pretty docile midfield pressing pretty much from the get go. Lucho knows it as well, yet hasn't found a pressing system that works (yet ?). And I guarentee you that no coach would be able to return to the high intensity pressing approach here with this squad. No Pep, no Bielsa, no Klopp.

 

[linetty]

no one talks about pressing like crazy, the key is to press wisely

plus you don't have to press that much in every game, just agaisnt more requiring opponents

 

[Jägermeister]

no one talks about pressing like crazy, the key is to press wisely

plus you don't have to press that much in every game, just agaisnt more requiring opponents

Most importantly you have to press with the entire team or not at all.
Sometimes you see Neymar, Pedro or Suarez pressing the opponent, but alone. If they are not backed up by the midfielders, and those by the defenders, the whole pressing is just a waste of time and energy.
It even makes it easier for the opponents.

 

[Flavia]

Elections
Bartomeu less popular than Laporta and Benedito

A rough outline as to how people would vote in the club elections has been revealed


Benedito | Foto: J Ferrandiz

Sport EN | 11.11.2014 | 20:55h.

Agusti Benedito, the former candidate for Barcelona's presidency, has released a survey commissioned by club members to forecast their voting intentions in the future elections at the club, initially planned for 2016.

According to his results, 80% expressed dissatisfaction of the overall management of the club, with 33.8% in favour of Joan Laporta, 23.9% in favour of Benedito, and 17.9% backing current president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

In an election with only Laporta and Bartomeu, the results would be 46.6% for the former and 31% for the latter, with 23% odd not answering or not knowing.

In a Benedito-Bartomeu race, it would be 43.9% for the former with 32% backing the current regime. And in Laporta-Benedito, it would be 42.3% for the former, 46.9% for the latter.

Moreover, 76% of respondents said that the elections should be held at the end of this season and not in 2016.

 

[Flavia]

Benedito is trying to shake things up. Interview he gave to elpartidodelas12:

BENEDITO (@agustibenedito): "A la inmensa mayoría de los socios le gusta elegir a sus presidentes". The majority of socios like to elect their presidents

BENEDITO (@agustibenedito): "Cuando Rosell se va deja a su amigo. Bartomeu reconoce a Rosell como una gran aportación". Rosell left but his friend stayed. Bartomeu recognizes Rosell as a great asset.

BENEDITO (@agustibenedito): "FAUS me han dicho en la Tele que mañana me pone una demanda". Faus told me on the phone he'll sue me tomorrow(Benedito told the press faus has ties with Qatar, and this was a reason for them sponsoring Barça.)

BENEDITO (@agustibenedito): "Nosotros entraríamos con un equipo nuevo. ZUBIZARRETA lógicamente no estaría". We would take over with a new group. Zubizarreta surely wouldn't be a part of it

BENEDITO (@agustibenedito): "3 años buscando un central y se ficha a uno que todavía no ha debutado. Y por no hablar del lateral derecho". 3 years searching for a cb, and they sign one who has yet to debut. Not to mention the rb.

BENEDITO (@agustibenedito): "La mayoría de socios están pidiendo las elecciones". Most of the socis are calling for elections.

 

[DonAK]

I think Benedito and Laporta got a good chance of throwing these guys out and forcing early elections if they make the push together.

 

[Sumlit]

Yeah, and bring Monchi as sporting director.

 

[jackraiden15]

Kick off Zubi, this moron makes Txiki look like a god

 

[Devils]

That's great news.

Once the transfer ban appeal (inevitably) gets rejected, hopefully it will be the final nail in the coffin for these skunks.

Hopefully every single crook in this board gets a lifetime ban from the club.

 

[Darko]

Now that would be a dream come true!