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

[Icarium]

Man, two full weeks until we get more Barca

I rather see it as 2 weeks enjoyment for winning clasico. But two weeks without barca is equally sad thing.

Suarez who is not getting subbed off will get the deserved rest. At least that is a good thing.

 

[Kohe321]

I rather see it as 2 weeks enjoyment for winning clasico. But two weeks without barca is equally sad thing.

Suarez who is not getting subbed off will get the deserved rest. At least that is a good thing.

Yeah, Suarez getting some very well deserverd rest is a great thing. How many more matches does he have to sit out with Uruguay after this?

I hope all the players can get some rest during their times with the NTs. At least I think it will make them happy and motivated to see eachother again in two weeks, and perhaps more mentally ready for the final part of the season.

 

[KingMessi]

Yeah, Suarez getting some very well deserverd rest is a great thing. How many more matches does he have to sit out with Uruguay after this?

I hope all the players can get some rest during their times with the NTs. At least I think it will make them happy and motivated to see eachother again in two weeks, and perhaps more mentally ready for the final part of the season.

I think the ban is over after the Copa America.

 

[pacp_96]

Suarez isn't going to the Copa America?

 

[kobby]

How do you access the live chat? I use to see it on the home page last year but it's disappeared this year

 

[xXKonan]

A Tale of Two Halves.Real dominated the 1st Half no doubt but the game is Played for 90 mins+Injury time and like what some people said they blew their Load to early and we gotten better over time.

I have to say I'm Proud of Pique,Mathieu, and Bravo they kept us in it in the 1st Half with all around Superb Performances I know Mathieu got Shat on by a lot of us for some Shaky and error prone Performances

but the dude Certainly Stepped up his game for the last couple of Matches and I hope he keeps it going.

 

[PhilS]

This was one of the best teams that Barca has ever beaten. RM was just fantastic for most of this game.

Not every Barca player had his best game, but this team does not need that. What I am optimistic about for the rest of the season:

Lots and lots and lots of scoring chances are being created. Enough to win almost every game, and on the good shooting nights, win big. When you have M + N +S, you really only need one to be at his peak at any time. Sure, Neymar is in a bizarre period right now, but Neymar carried this team many games in the first half.
The defense is consitently resilient. When you hold RM to one, that is damn good D. Among the players Lucho keeping in the mix in the big games, there are no defensive weak links. The team is even getting good defensive work from unlikely sources like Messi and Neymar.
This squad just plays like champions. They don't look for excuses, they don't blame the ref, they thrive on two games a week. Someone rises to the occasion, even in the inevitable games when the team is less inspired.
To have a chance against Barca, you have to put out a stupendous effort. Like RM did in the first half. It is pretty close to impossible to do this for the full game, so Barca will always have the advantage when the opponents tire late in the game.

 

[serghei]

From now on every game is vital. The league is ours to lose.

 

[StarLord]

This was one of the best teams that Barca has ever beaten. RM was just fantastic for most of this game.

Not every Barca player had his best game, but this team does not need that. What I am optimistic about for the rest of the season:

Lots and lots and lots of scoring chances are being created. Enough to win almost every game, and on the good shooting nights, win big. When you have M + N +S, you really only need one to be at his peak at any time. Sure, Neymar is in a bizarre period right now, but Neymar carried this team many games in the first half.
The defense is consitently resilient. When you hold RM to one, that is damn good D. Among the players Lucho keeping in the mix in the big games, there are no defensive weak links. The team is even getting good defensive work from unlikely sources like Messi and Neymar.
This squad just plays like champions. They don't look for excuses, they don't blame the ref, they thrive on two games a week. Someone rises to the occasion, even in the inevitable games when the team is less inspired.
To have a chance against Barca, you have to put out a stupendous effort. Like RM did in the first half. It is pretty close to impossible to do this for the full game, so Barca will always have the advantage when the opponents tire late in the game.

I agree with almost everything you noted there.

I would also add one thing. Lots of people have been writing Real Madrid off in recent weeks due to some really poor performances, but have forgotten what an ass-kicking this team did both us and Bayern only in the recent past. When on song (which they will be for the final and crucial part of the season) I think they are even more formidable than the somewhat overrated Bayern. They are much pacier, dynamic and lethal than Bayern in my mind. Maybe Bayern has the upper hand in other domains of the game, but I think that the weaponry available to Real Madrid is the most dangerous for us, and in Cup competitions in general.

We have also played Atletico, Man City and PSG in recent months, several times over. Atletico were our bane last season and are a very solid team, Man City have been 1 or 2 in EPL for the past 4 years, and PSG are possibly the best team out there, outside of Spain and Bavaria.

Well, none of the above teams can put us on the back foot like Real Madrid did last night (and the Bernabeu game) for such long periods of time and with such intensity. I consider us and them as the favorites for the CL. The only reason Bayern can be seen as more or less equal favorites to the Clasico pair, is that they have gotten a free pass to the semis.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

Johan Cruyff: "I enjoyed the result yesterday, but not the football." [via cope]

I agree, it wasn't pretty game at all. I thought Real played great game, especially first half. Barca deserved one point imo. Great result for Barca though.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

From now on every game is vital. The league is ours to lose.

Absolutely. 4 point lead. No excuse to win it this season. We're in great position!! Just have to keep winning..

 

[linetty]

I agree, it wasn't pretty game at all. I thought Real played great game, especially first half. Barca deserved one point imo. Great result for Barca though.

I don't feel good about the game at all. It looked like Barca and Real switched places in the first half. Feels weird that we scrap away with a win after a long ball and a set piece.

Direct play is effective but we can't forget our identity. We had some aspects not going our way yesterday such as Busquets' absence or the few days of rest less though.

 

[Anti-Pepe]

You know what amazed me about yesterday is that we finished stronger than them. Even though we played in midweek and they didn't. Lucho's brutal training regime starting to pay off? Execrable first half performance, but powerful counter-statement in the second.

 

[raskolnikov]

I don't feel good about the game at all. It looked like Barca and Real switched places in the first half. Feels weird that we scrap away with a win after a long ball and a set piece.

Direct play is effective but we can't forget our identity. We had some aspects not going our way yesterday such as Busquets' absence or the few days of rest less though.

The end justifies the means in this case, especially given how we played without Busquets, who is basically our second most important player.

 

[raskolnikov]

You know what amazed me about yesterday is that we finished stronger than them. Even though we played in midweek and they didn't. Lucho's brutal training regime starting to pay off? Execrable first half performance, but powerful counter-statement in the second.

More like its being exposed why Ancelotti is considered a cup coach, he is like the anti lucho when it comes to rotantions and its hurting Madrid currently, like a quality boxer with bad stamina or Fabregas after the winter break.