Lliga: (El Clasico) FC Barcelona - Real Madrid 2-1

[PhilS]

Barca will be in fine shape after winning this game, and in good shape after a draw. No, a draw would be no disaster, leading the league is always better than not leading the league. It will be just as hard for RM to win out after this game as it will be for Barca, it is quite unlikely that either will get every single point until the end of the season.

Barca has been getting high level play from almost the entire roster, which is a huge credit to the squad and to Lucho. RM should be a least a bit better now that Modric and Ramos as back, and Bale has had an excellent game. But RM needs more than a little bit of improvement over their recent form to have much chance at all against Barca at Camp Nou. Two goals for Neymar, it's his turn now.

 

[Heisenberg is cooking]

2-0 you say? Neymar 2.

 

[ThwiX]

I will be very disappointed if Barca don't secure the victory. Last time a lot went wrong.

- Suarez starting his first game for Barca with 0 team chemistry and on the right wing
- Mathieu surprise at leftback
- Pique in horrible form at the beginning of the season, ended up gifting a silly penalty
- Lucho pulling out the Xaviesta midfield
- generally the team wasn't yet clicking with the new tactics ("midfielders too wide covering for fullbacks" issue)
- Madrid in the form of their lives
- Bernabeu

Even then Barca could have gone 2-0 up early on. None of those disadvantages will be apparent this time around (well, maybe Lucho will pull out Xaviesta again). Suarez has settled, Mathieu won't play leftback, Pique is in very good form, the team is clicking, Madrid's isn't in any sort of form and it's the Camp Nou. It's a Clasico so anything can happen of course but normally Barca should win this and maybe win quite comfortably.

You forgot the most important one. We had no GOAT back then. Messi in this form makes me almost 100% confident that we'll win this.

 

[linetty]

ThwiX you going to the game?

 

[FC B]

I will be very disappointed if Barca don't secure the victory. Last time a lot went wrong.

- Suarez starting his first game for Barca with 0 team chemistry and on the right wing
- Mathieu surprise at leftback
- Pique in horrible form at the beginning of the season, ended up gifting a silly penalty
- Lucho pulling out the Xaviesta midfield
- generally the team wasn't yet clicking with the new tactics ("midfielders too wide covering for fullbacks" issue)
- Madrid in the form of their lives
- Bernabeu

Even then Barca could have gone 2-0 up early on. None of those disadvantages will be apparent this time around (well, maybe Lucho will pull out Xaviesta again). Suarez has settled, Mathieu won't play leftback, Pique is in very good form, the team is clicking, Madrid's isn't in any sort of form and it's the Camp Nou. It's a Clasico so anything can happen of course but normally Barca should win this and maybe win quite comfortably.

Agreed but as of today there are two important issues for Barca regarding this clasico.

- Busquets cannot play
- Madrid wil rest all week long while Barca will have a tough game vs. BPL champions only 3 days prior to the match and Barca will play if not all pretty much the same field players in those two consecutive matches in a short span of time considering their level of difficulty and how strong our opponents are.

 

[Vlom]

I think a kroos, modric, isco midfield is better Than a raki, busi, iniesta midfield. Is that too far off?

Defense? Ramos, pepe, carvajal, marcelo is better Than alves, mathieu, pique, alba. Too far off. No.

But I also think msn is capable of beating Madrid in their own. And I also think bravo is a better golie Than casillas. Am I wrong? No.

I have to agree with you, to me it'd be like this in term of who's better :

- Goal keeper : Barça
- Defense : RM
- Middfield : RM
- Attack : Barça

 

[Bucky]

I think a kroos, modric, isco midfield is better Than a raki, busi, iniesta midfield. Is that too far off?

Defense? Ramos, pepe, carvajal, marcelo is better Than alves, mathieu, pique, alba. Too far off. No.

But I also think msn is capable of beating Madrid in their own. And I also think bravo is a better golie Than casillas. Am I wrong? No.

Sorry but you are chatting utter, utter bollocks.

In that midfield Kroos & Isco look lost and misplaced. Modric is the only one on paper that would be a threat in that line up. Oh? Is that so far off? *cough* Schalke *cough cough*

Raki > Kroos - the season Raki has been having in comparison? Come on, really.
Iniesta > Isco - LOOOL
Busi - Modric - even split, both have been fairly solid with up & down's.

IF you had Ronaldo, Kroos, Modric, Rodriguez & Bale in midfield, THEN I would be worried and saying their midfield is going to tear us a part.

Whatever you're smoking must be some good stuff, or once again here we go with the FIFA kid syndrome because on paper, on paper yeah that defence looks great. In reality vs our defence of Alves, Piqué, Bartra/Masch & Alba...

Real Madrid have conceded 24 goals, 16 of those goals have been in away games. With a total of 12 clean sheets, 6-6 split home and away.

Barça have conceded 16 goals, in an even 8-8 split in both home & away with 15 clean sheets.

Barça have scored 78 goals and 46 of those have been at home.

Far off? Considering RM have been described as leaking goals and that was evident more so when we were keeping clean sheets whilst they were conceding. Need a bring up their defence as of late?

Messi, Neymar & Suàrez are capable of beating RM on their own... unless they have support from the midfield and to be fair the rest of the team, then they're cut off? But beating them on their own... wtf.

The only thing you got right is Bravo being better. Casillas has fallen from grace for a long time now. You have an opinion as does everyone else but you're coming across as a right egotistic arse with a keen fondness to RM

 

[ZenI]

Since 2-3 months Messi is in the best form of his life. Suarez is starting to bring his awesomeness. Neymar is doing good. Pique is back to being top CB. Alves is rested lol, jokes aside, he's doing more than ok. Raki is a joy to watch lately. Iniesta is startin to do his thang'. Tactics looking more solid than ever before.
I have a good feeling. As long as the boys to their best and we continue with our tactics - I think we're good.

 

[Bucky]

Since 2-3 months Messi is in the best form of his life. Suarez is starting to bring his awesomeness. Neymar is doing good. Pique is back to being top CB. Alves is rested lol, jokes aside, he's doing more than ok. Raki is a joy to watch lately. Iniesta is startin to do his thang'. Tactics looking more solid than ever before.
I have a good feeling. As long as the boys to their best and we continue with our tactics - I think we're good.

+1

 

[DonAK]

Impressive OP by footyfan. Credit to him. Should open more of these match threads(unless we lose then we'll all blame him ofc )

 

[Heisenberg is cooking]

Bucky

I hate real madrid, and I cant see what player "ratings" has to do with being egoistical. Barca or real players for that matter.

My point was - as I emphasized - independent of context, what do you do? You focus on context. I know perfectly well the goals against/for real madrid, our home stats, and so on. I was claiming that an in form real Madrid is a very solid team. Put otherwise: If both teams players were at their best - capacity at the moment, not say xavi 2010 - real would "win" in some positions.

if we take your argument as its stands, its nevertheless flat out wrong. Isco has been brilliant this season, iniesta has definitely not. Kroos is a better player Than raki, and has overall, but not lately performed better Than rakitic. Modric/busi. Dont know. Busi had some off months while modric played good, but then he Get injured and busi gained some momentum.

And I think you understood perfectly well what I meant by "beating on their own". I dont mean literarly that raki,ini,masch, math, pique... can just wander off the field and stop contributing.

 

[xXKonan]

I do Feel like People Way Overrate Real's Midfield out the Ass, like They're going to Prime Xavi-Iniesta us to Oblivion. I mean Yeah Modric,Kroos and Isco are class and it's going to be Tough but we will be Fine. This isn't the Same Team From October, We had a Number of Issues, aka Surprise Mathieu at LB,Pique was Diabolical,Suarez First Game in Months and No Chemistry with Messi and Neymar yet. We started Iniesta,Xavi,and Busi at once and the Midfield Setup was Really awful aka Covering the Full backs. Things Changed since The Real Sociedad Loss and for the Better, Everyone Stepped up. MSN,Rakitic,Pique and everyone has been on Top Form so far in 2015, and it will Pay off.

 

[Bucky]

There's no point in debating with ignorance. Who is on about ratings and ego?? Going off on one by stating "too far off. No.", "Am I wrong? No." Hilarious.

When and where did you emphasize... sorry you were saying a point... no? Forgot to finish off your point there; if you knew "perfectly well" then you'd know statistically their defence is not as good as Barça's.

Truly tedious Heisenberg, truly tedious. If you want to play a paper game fine, but there's no point with you. No it's not flat out wrong, in your opinion I'm wrong but that's it, nothing more nothing less. Been a while since I've seen utter random rubbish on a forum. Good job & thanks for the laughs

 

[pacp_96]

Just realised that Madrid get a week to prepare and rest for this game whereas we have a tough CL game against City to get in the way. Sucks.

 

[Vlom]

Just realised that Madrid get a week to prepare and rest for this game whereas we have a tough CL game against City to get in the way. Sucks.

Not really, they have been shitty even with an entire week to prepare for all of their last 4 or 5 games, I think it gives us good practice and keeps us in the momentum, and as I said before, it's a HUGE plus that both are at the Camp Nou so no fatigue from traveling/flying, really i don't think it should be an issue at all.