Lliga | Round 31: FC Barcelona - Real Madrid 1-2

[serghei]

Well, if we look past our performance, we should expect Atletico to play the same way. Real didn't look to fight for the initiative. Instead, Zidane looked to immitate Mourinho's approach, or Simeone's for that matter, without the dirty part (except from Ramos).

I would've been more worried had they had the initiative. But the danger in their play was mostly due to our mistakes. Good performance from Real, but still a very reactive approach. If we are at our best, I feel we will control the game.

They didn't even put that much pressure on us when we tried to build from the back. They let us play until we got to 30m from their goal. That could be a dangerous tactic against an in form MSN, as Atletico found out.

 

[Jaguar]

This is why I say anything can happen in a clasico, and to never underestimate Real Madrid. Lots of people were hoping for them in the quarter finals of the CL and I was the only one that wanted to avoid them and let Bayern or some other handle them. Would we be favorites if we faced them? Yes but we were favorites today and look what happened, they're a dangerous team capable of beating us, we weren't at our best today but that's not really an excuse. If we draw them in the semis (if we get through that is), we will have to be at our best to get past them.

 

[serghei]

If we draw them in the semis (if we get through that is), we will have to be at our best to get past them.

That applies for any SF opponent really. Real, Bayern, PSG and Atletico can knock us out if we don't play at or at least near our best.

 

[Jaguar]

I'm actually sorta glad we got this wake up call. We needed it. Some fellow cules were hyping us up before the game that we were unstoppable and that this would be a walk over, we are the best team in the world but not because we have the best players in each position, besides our front three (and even they had a terrible day at the office) our team has weaknesses that can be exploited, more so if we aren't at our best. We can be beaten and it will be some feat if we manage to retain the Champions League, heck if we aren't careful the league might even slip away, god forbid. Hope our players learn from this and keep working hard.

 

[Blaugrana Bull]

Very frustrating result. I understand the team is tired but you can not expect to win games against teams like Villarreal or Real when you shift from 4th to 1st gear in the last 30 minutes. Not going into highest gear at all in such a game when fighting for all trophies and having a huge lead in the league is understandable too but then you have to adapt to the game if a win or even draw is in danger.
Now moral is low and the team unfortunately took a small step back before the Atletico game.

Considering tactics: Messi playing deep in central midfield was the wrong decision. Put him on the right wing and let him choose his spots between the last two lines. But not that bullshit today.

Apart from that my impression was that we are way above Madrid if everything is going right. At the start of the game you saw how a current game, no matter if there will be another in CL, would look. Us dominating in possession and with superb counterpressing and a passive RM that leaves way too much space between the lines. I still think a made tap in by Suarez decides the game right there in the 10th minute. We would have went for the kill in the 1st half.

But in the end of the day there is a loss vs our damn rivals. I hate it more than anything else. Congrats to Madrid and now it is our guys' time to show Atletico that was just a slip. No more wins for teams from the capital.

 

[Jaguar]

That applies for any SF opponent really. Real, Bayern, PSG and Atletico can knock us out if we don't play at or at least near our best.

Obviously true but like I said too many people think Real Madrid are so inferior to us after one surprise scoreline, which is unfortunately far from the truth.

 

[Lelouch vi Britannia]

To everyone saying "this is a good wake-up call", Villarreal should have been the wake-up call.

I still think we need a heavyish, but not insurmountable, loss against Atletico on Tuesday if we want a wake-up call.

 

[Sorin]

I would easily have wished to lose at villareal or at any prior match after we broke the record, than to lose to these scum, especially on a day when we commemorate Johan. But the scum fully deserved the win. We were shocking after the 60th minute.

But was it that surprising? We were almost second best to 9 men Atletico, we barely won against Levante, Malaga and Las Palmas, we got complacent and lost 2 wins that were in the bag (Deportivo and Villareal). And this match followed the same script. Good for a half/60 minutes then we completely lose the plot. Happens way too much. Don't know, maybe it's the fatigue catching up, maybe Lucho doesn't know how to manage the last 30 minutes, but it's worrisome af and we need to sort it out really fast.

Arda is good for rotations against weaker sides but he's not what we need against stronger sides.
Bravo, while a solid keeper, he has showed his limits. I reckon a better keeper should have saved at least 1 of the 3 goals(Bale's was legit so yeah). Maybe this is MAtS's chance to clinch that starter place in our team.
Jordi Alba has been MIA from the beginning of the season.

MSN were poor, but they each had games in SA prior to this and it's somewhat understandable that they were tired. Still...

Pique, Mascherano and at times Dani Alves and Rakitic were the standout performers imo.

 

[Lelouch vi Britannia]

We didn't even try to capitalize on Bale's disallowed goal and Ramos' red card. Especially Ramos' red card; any other team would have smelled blood.

 

[Zachary]

Barca is a very unbalanced team. Great forwards and decent midfielders, but the defense is not at par with the rest. Danny Alves is a big flaw back there and today, as usual, he was beaten on their first goal's header assist. Mascherano is limited as a defender and too short to compete with most tall offensive lines. Pique excels only at clearing the ball out with headers (albeit, once in a while scoring) but he's useless on the opposition counter attacks. He, Masch and Alves form a Swiss cheese defensive line full of holes. Madrid's players had no problem getting by them; it's really pitiful that they still keep using Alves, he's does not belong in a team of Barca's stature at all. Alba is the only better player back there. You imagine what this defense would do against MSN if that match was possible? I've always been worried of the moment when Barca would be facing reality because I see the potential problems that are there waiting to happen and Heavens know why they haven't happened earlier.

 

[barcafan161]

Real deserved to win...they were better, looked up for it and played with energy

why were we so damn slow with the ball? they acted like it was a training session? were they thinking of tuesday in the champions league? it seemed that way. Non of MSN were very good and looked way off the pace.

 

[vlad]

Barca is a very unbalanced team. Great forwards and decent midfielders, but the defense is not at par with the rest. Danny Alves is a big flaw back there and today, as usual, he was beaten on their first goal's header assist. Mascherano is limited as a defender and too short to compete with most tall offensive lines. Pique excels only at clearing the ball out with headers (albeit, once in a while scoring) but he's useless on the opposition counter attacks. He, Masch and Alves form a Swiss cheese defensive line full of holes. Madrid's players had no problem getting by them; it's really pitiful that they still keep using Alves, he's does not belong in a team of Barca's stature at all. Alba is the only better player back there. You imagine what this defense would do against MSN if that match was possible? I've always been worried of the moment when Barca would be facing reality because I see the potential problems that are there waiting to happen and Heavens know why they haven't happened earlier.

thats a lot of non sense, decent midfield? really? with best DM in the world by far, busi, iniesta who is still in top3 AM at this moment, and raketic massively underrated player, poor defence? that same defence was best last year in europe.

Barca played better 1st half, not at their best still good enough that real did not have the ball, and when they got it, they lost it because of barca pressing, suarez missed empty goal. 2nd half, barca scored and they did not look like they want to win this match, why? i dont know, maybe with heads on atletico, still it should not be happened. But barca has best balanced team in the world and when they play their football at best, hardly can anyone do something against them. This season they had no time for resting, because of injuries in first half of season and international breaks and though schedule, and still, they are +6 from strong atletico, +7 from real with 7 games left, and in copa del rey final, no needs for meltdown, season is successful with la liga trophy, everything other, CL and spanish cup is a bonus.

 

[Sorin]

How the hell do you think they would look against Marcelo/Ronaldo/Benzema/Bale when 3 or 4 players don't defend for shit?

The number of times they were left on an island all alone against them was criminal. No protection from the mid/attack whatsoever. Only Rakitic and Busquets put on shifts until their legs fell of for having to cover so much ground because neither Neymar, nor Messi, nor Suarez tracked back. This was exactly like the game at Bernabeu only in reverse.

Pique stopped 3 or 4 chances of Madrid's chances. Have you even watched the game? Can only clear the ball out with headers? Haven't seen so much nonsense in a good while.

Edit: [MENTION=7762]Zachary[/MENTION]

 

[Truthist]

It was bound to happen, we have been flat for weeks if not months and sooner or later some team was going to capitalise.

The worrying trend is the last 25 minutes in every game we lose control of the game and our team is not set up to defend. You just know the opposition is going to have MANY chances to score.

We need to find a fix pretty quickly.

 

[Truthist]

If Messi doesn't want to put a shift then he has to rest him and play Roberto on the right. You can't just walk around in a classico, it's asking for trouble.

He'll do the same against Athletico but will have moments of brilliance as usual but it's not enough. I think Lucho needs to man up and have a quiet word with him.