Lliga | Round 2: FC Barcelona - Real Betis 5-2

[xXKonan]

Guess some of the positives are Borja Iglesias is injured and won't play this match and the fact they don't have Firpo who tormented our right side last season and no Seiten either who won the tactical battle vs us at the Camp Nou last season.

If you ask me their main weakness without a doubt will be the Fullback areas. Pedraza is their starting LB and while he seems good going forward he has a lot of shortcomings at the back as he's naturally a winger who is being converted into an LB so he can be an easy target.

Emerson(Think Rubi may opt for Barragan for experience) But if he does play he's also vulnerable at the back as he is young and raw but like Pedraza will be a threat going forward.

 

[Luftstalag14]

So this is what the composition of the stadium looks like:-

1.) Maybe 5-10% - The grand stand and the ones just above and below it - where you have the board members, VIP's, celebreties etc. seated - not much to be expected from there

2.) About 40% of the stadium - the guys right on the pitch level, near the corner flags, the fans on the rafters all the way up top, etc. - all tourists. When I look around and see their faces, it's pretty clear they couldn't spell Valverde or probably don't know his first name, heck they probably can't even name 11 of our players. Yes, you have a LOT of the stereotypical Asians who don't seem to care or understand much of what's going on, and just want to see Messi touch the ball and get a picture with the "V" pose.

3.) 30-40% of it looks like where I sit - the average socio sprinkled with a few tourists here and there. Old guys, some of whom listen to the Catalan radio commentary, and just about manage to put their hands together when a goal is scored. You have the odd young socio/tourist in the stand try and get the stand fired up, fail, and sit back down

4.) 10-20% - the 'hardcore' fans (not Ultras, they are banned lol) that basically chants and sings and plays instruments all game. Very small portion of the ground, basically all the noise you hear on the television comes from them, and even this stand is very very rarely full. The tourists don't know the songs, and this group of people is the one that's just singing and chanting no matter what (as the core fans are supposed to). They get louder when we do well, a bit softer when we're down, but they aren't going to make objective commentary on the game, that's just not their role.

So when you look at this, you see why you have very little organized dissent thrown at Valverde. The tourists don't know much, the main fans behind the goal are basically cheerleaders, the old socios barely move and are the death of any mexican wave/chants that begin elsewhere. I sit just below the away fans, and it's pretty shameful but on CL nights, it's the tiny away fans that is by far the noisiest and boisterous section in the stadium. That's kind of expected given that only hardcore fans would travel, but seeing Tottenham fans be louder than Barca fans in a fully packed Camp Nou (who btw are quite busy taking videos of the 'crazy' away fans rather than giving it back to them) is....yeah.

We just don't have a young, energetic, local fan base that cares that much - that's really the main problem. You can't blame the tourists because they aren't buying up everyone's tickets, they are just getting the tickets for which the socios don't show up for, and heck, not like the stadium is anywhere close to full for an average game anyway.

I don’t know why Asians are constantly getting singled out as tourists who know nothing and don’t care about anything. You have true tourists from every part of the world who go to Camp Nou just to see Messi, or the biggest football stadium in Europe or just seeing us play because we are one of the big teams (as I have done in many European cities with no special affection and affiliation), Asians included but by no means only Asians.

At the same time you have foreign Barca fans, many of who are die-hard and well-knowledged ones like many on this very forum and many others ( for example, some of the tactical discussions and analysis on a Chinese Barca forum are way deeper and advanced than what we have seen here on this forum for example, with pictures analyzing very detail of the game and each player’s performance etc.), they are part of the tourists as well because they don’t live in Barcelona. Even when I become a soci in 2021 (as scheduled) every time I go to Camp Nou I would be considered a tourist because of my non-Spanish, non-Catalan, non-white face probably. What I am saying is, you can’t judge people like that, just because they are Asian they probably know nothing and could careless, just because so and so are tourists they don’t care. Just because someone is quiet it doesn’t mean he or she doesn’t care.

Yes, Camp Nou is pretty bad when it comes to noise fans make, there is lack of constant chanting and singing compared to many great European venues. I don’t know why the local Barcelona fans and Catalans don’t care that much. Just a couple of hundred miles away in Valencia at the Mestalla it is completely different, so loud, so vibrant. I don’t know what is going on with people in Barcelona. If the young fans don’t show up to carry the batons from the old guards the club will be in big trouble.

 

[Kul_z]

I don’t know why Asians are constantly getting singled out as tourists who know nothing and don’t care about anything. You have true tourists from every part of the world who go to Camp Nou just to see Messi, or the biggest football stadium in Europe or just seeing us play because we are one of the big teams (as I have done in many European cities with no special affection and affiliation), Asians included but by no means only Asians.

At the same time you have foreign Barca fans, many of who are die-hard and well-knowledged ones like many on this very forum and many others ( for example, some of the tactical discussions and analysis on a Chinese Barca forum are way deeper and advanced than what we have seen here on this forum for example, with pictures analyzing very detail of the game and each player’s performance etc.), they are part of the tourists as well because they don’t live in Barcelona. Even when I become a soci in 2021 (as scheduled) every time I go to Camp Nou I would be considered a tourist because of my non-Spanish, non-Catalan, non-white face probably. What I am saying is, you can’t judge people like that, just because they are Asian they probably know nothing and could careless, just because so and so are tourists they don’t care. Just because someone is quiet it doesn’t mean he or she doesn’t care.

Yes, Camp Nou is pretty bad when it comes to noise fans make, there is lack of constant chanting and singing compared to many great European venues. I don’t know why the local Barcelona fans and Catalans don’t care that much. Just a couple of hundred miles away in Valencia at the Mestalla it is completely different, so loud, so vibrant. I don’t know what is going on with people in Barcelona. If the young fans don’t show up to carry the batons from the old guards the club will be in big trouble.

He literally said the truth and you're against accepting it, because its, you mentioned it, skin related. Yes, asians are always like a pack of silent bees wherever they go, they are more civilised, silent but yet annoying with their photo camera clicks in every god damn moment, in every place. Sorry, but dont make it racial thing, football stadium is for primitives like europeans, south americans, africans and lately usa fits perfectly. Hell, we could see and hear the difference from this preseason actually.

 

[Neymessi]

So what happens if we lose ?

Better than winning while playing shit.

 

[Horatio]

So what happens if we lose ?

We won’t lose our spot at the bottom of the table.

 

[Luftstalag14]

He literally said the truth and you're against accepting it, because its, you mentioned it, skin related. Yes, asians are always like a pack of silent bees wherever they go, they are more civilised, silent but yet annoying with their photo camera clicks in every god damn moment, in every place. Sorry, but dont make it racial thing, football stadium is for primitives like europeans, south americans, africans and lately usa fits perfectly. Hell, we could see and hear the difference from this preseason actually.

Yeah right, so the presence of Asians is the reason why Camp Nou is so quiet? Yeah right. Cut the crap.

I mean, if you are not making any noise yourself, why the hell does it bother you that some tourists, Asian or not, are quiet??

Have you been to football stadiums in Asia by the way? I have been to several ones in China and Japan. Much louder than Camp Nou.

 

[Vladinho]

Yeah right, so the presence of Asians is the reason why Camp Nou is so quiet? Yeah right. Cut the crap.

I mean, if you are not making any noise yourself, why the hell does it bother you that some tourists, Asian or not, are quiet??

Have you been to football stadiums in Asia by the way? I have been to several ones in China and Japan. Much louder than Camp Nou.

I agree. I have nothing with the Asian tourists. They go there for entertainment, not to shout against Valverde. The main problem are the local guys, the local fanbase. They should make themselves heard on the mighty Camp Nou.

 

[Vilarrubi]

Guess some of the positives are Borja Iglesias is injured and won't play this match and the fact they don't have Firpo who tormented our right side last season and no Seiten either who won the tactical battle vs us at the Camp Nou last season.

If you ask me their main weakness without a doubt will be the Fullback areas. Pedraza is their starting LB and while he seems good going forward he has a lot of shortcomings at the back as he's naturally a winger who is being converted into an LB so he can be an easy target.

Emerson(Think Rubi may opt for Barragan for experience) But if he does play he's also vulnerable at the back as he is young and raw but like Pedraza will be a threat going forward.

No Robles in goal too after his red card.

 

[Kul_z]

Yeah right, so the presence of Asians is the reason why Camp Nou is so quiet? Yeah right. Cut the crap.

I mean, if you are not making any noise yourself, why the hell does it bother you that some tourists, Asian or not, are quiet??

Have you been to football stadiums in Asia by the way? I have been to several ones in China and Japan. Much louder than Camp Nou.

Nope, dont twist words in your favor, neeraj explained it perfectly and somehow you are triggered by asians.
Camp nou is quiet because of the tourists, there are a lot of tourists in there because tickets are easy to get, and they are pretty cheap for avg tourist that come in barcelona, all year long except classico.

 

[Luftstalag14]

Nope, dont twist words in your favor, neeraj explained it perfectly and somehow you are triggered by asians.
Camp nou is quiet because of the tourists, there are a lot of tourists in there because tickets are easy to get, and they are pretty cheap for avg tourist that come in barcelona, all year long except classico.

No, I was “triggered” by his post because he casted Asians in the stereotypical light (even thought he appeared to avoid it) that Asians are tourists who don’t care and I am saying, not all tourists are Asian and not all Asians are tourists who don’t care. What is not to understand?

However Neeraj didn’t lay the blame on tourists. There are tourists in any major stadium in Europe, we are not that special. The presence of tourists does not prevent club ultras and local fans from being loud, period. If the local fans and ultras don’t want to chant and sing there is not much anyone can do.

 

[JerseyAddict]

So what happens if we lose ?

Absolute... N O T H I N G

Orrrrr....
Fans get upset.
Fans get mocked by other fans.
Players go home to their Xm€ houses.
Players wifes spend their Xm€ annual shopping fee.
Valverde picks a youngster to bully out of the team.

Pick 3 or 4 by your choosing.

 

[Alik]

He literally said the truth and you're against accepting it, because its, you mentioned it, skin related. Yes, asians are always like a pack of silent bees wherever they go, they are more civilised, silent but yet annoying with their photo camera clicks in every god damn moment, in every place. Sorry, but dont make it racial thing, football stadium is for primitives like europeans, south americans, africans and lately usa fits perfectly. Hell, we could see and hear the difference from this preseason actually.

"Don't make it racial thing." Proceeds to making it racist.

 

[Neeraj]

I don’t know why Asians are constantly getting singled out as tourists who know nothing and don’t care about anything. You have true tourists from every part of the world who go to Camp Nou just to see Messi, or the biggest football stadium in Europe or just seeing us play because we are one of the big teams (as I have done in many European cities with no special affection and affiliation), Asians included but by no means only Asians.

....trouble.

Okay everyone calm down. It wasn't my intention to make this a racial thing (just an FYI - I'm Asian, not an East Asian, but still ) - was just spitting out things as it appears on the ground. I'm not blaming the Asians, it's their full right to come and enjoy the game, and their financial contribution is hugely important for Barca as it is for any club. The reason I even mentioned the Asians is because it's a fact that they are by far the biggest group you will see among the tourists, and they tend to be quite timid about being vocal, and it seems to people that they spend a disproportionate amount of time, more so than most of the other people in the stadium, on their phones, taking pictures, etc. (Again this could be wrong, this is just my and some other people's perception, and so if someone were to tell me that is just objectively not correct, that's totally fine haha ).

And hence, I was just explaining that that's one of the big reasons for the lack of atmosphere.

If all the local fans lost their entitlement and showed up, the Camp Nou would be an absolute monstrosity, because it is so massive and there's plenty of room for quiet tourists and for it still to be intimidating as hell. I have SO many Catalan friends who are supposedly "Barca by blood" - many of whom throw snide comments at foreign 'supporters' like me - who just don't care that much. When I ask them why they keep selling their tickets and don't come to the games (other than the big ones), they give me the usual BS of "dude I've been a soci and been going to the game since I was 2 years old, it's not a big deal for me".

It's this sense of entitlement that runs through a lot of the younger fanbase unfortunately.

 

[Neeraj]

Back to the game - I'm just wondering if I've ever looked forward to a game as less as I do for games nowadays. It seems that the worst case scenario is that we play shit and we drop points and the best case scenario is that we play shit and we nick the points.

I understand that Valverde isn't going anywhere and hence I'm actively looking for opposition teams to come out all guns blazing and playing some attractive football, for it to make my watch interesting, win or lose.

 

[ThwiX]

Messi still not training with the team?
Probably won’t waste a second more watching this circus before he is back.