xavi_the_Boss
New member
We have Levante and Malaga at home next.These are the matches were we can rest the Players.
Luis Enrique
- Thread starter Barcaman
- Start date
It was very importat to go with our stronges lineup against Villareal, who looked very dangerous last time. There are LaLiga games where Neymar and Messi can be rested. Levante is the first one. But it should defintely be at home, not away. I still don't trust our team 100% without Messi in away games.
BBZ8800
Senior Member
Ah, ok.
I didn't look at the fixtures.
Ok, then it is time to rest some players, but not too many of them, and hope that we will win even with a few rotations.
Also, I hope that Lucho will play the strongest midfield if he rests Ney, for example.
I hope we won't see Pedro in attack, Xavi-Masch-Roberto in midfield, Montoya on RB=all in the same time.
We should rotate, but ALWAYS keep the balance, and never go into extremes.
When he rotates Fcs, we should play with the strong midfield etc.
as sub ins I agree
i_bleed_blaugrana
Senior Member
In a first leg at home, you have the disadvantage because of how much damage away goals count for. We recovered nicely after their blast, so starting a strong 11 was the right move.
As previously stated, Levante and Malaga should be rotation games for Lucho. Give Pedro, Bartra, Xavi and Rafinha a run of games so they can gain form and rest Neymar and the others who look fatigued.
He needs to get his selections and substations right in these next few games so game management and preparation off the pitch should be the emphasis.
As previously stated, Levante and Malaga should be rotation games for Lucho. Give Pedro, Bartra, Xavi and Rafinha a run of games so they can gain form and rest Neymar and the others who look fatigued.
He needs to get his selections and substations right in these next few games so game management and preparation off the pitch should be the emphasis.
DonAndres
Wild Man of Borneo
Levante are in a dire relegation spot in the table but are coming off the back of a 4-1 win against Malaga (a big upset considering Malaga are 7th). They have 3rd most goals conceded and are shit away from home. Playing them at Camp Nou will help mitigate any intentions of bus parking and I think this is a time where we could be at least semi-liberal with rotations. Pedro in attack, Rafinha in midfield, and Bartra in defense are all low-risk rotations. There's some merit to thinking that Messi should get a sub or something but he'll probably know how to manage himself and conserve energy if we put the game to bed after the first half. Who else could we sub him for other than a resting Neymar tbh? I don't want Munir or Sandro missing the first week at the B team with Vinyals because the B team need to get results now and they can't have their development disrupted anymore.
Kohe321
New member
It's definitely a little puzzle for Lucho to figure out how to approach the coming weeks in the best way, and it will be very interesting to see how he choses to solve it.
I agree that in the Levante game, Pedro needs to start over Neymar, Rafinha should play and Bartra should start over Pique. Messi should be able to get away with a low-energy performance and still contribute like crazy, and probably bag a couple of goals. Suarez always runs like crazy, and since he's very eager to keep scoring and build on his increasing form, I'm a little worried that he's going to go all-out against Levante, especially if we begin to demolish them and he wants in on the action. We need him as fresh as possible against City, but benching him against Levante could be a mistake. Also, as DonAndres says, we don't want to steal Munir or Sandro from the B-team in Vinyals first match either.
Tough decisions, I really hope Enrique gets them right going forward. We have a big bonus over other teams in that the rotations in the fall have caused our best players to stay relatively fresh, and we need to keep that advantage through smart rotations as long as we can into the spring.
I agree that in the Levante game, Pedro needs to start over Neymar, Rafinha should play and Bartra should start over Pique. Messi should be able to get away with a low-energy performance and still contribute like crazy, and probably bag a couple of goals. Suarez always runs like crazy, and since he's very eager to keep scoring and build on his increasing form, I'm a little worried that he's going to go all-out against Levante, especially if we begin to demolish them and he wants in on the action. We need him as fresh as possible against City, but benching him against Levante could be a mistake. Also, as DonAndres says, we don't want to steal Munir or Sandro from the B-team in Vinyals first match either.
Tough decisions, I really hope Enrique gets them right going forward. We have a big bonus over other teams in that the rotations in the fall have caused our best players to stay relatively fresh, and we need to keep that advantage through smart rotations as long as we can into the spring.
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KingMessi
SiempreBlaugrana
City is in two weeks though. And he could always rest against Malaga (though they have the tougher defensive unit). Suarez also rested against Elche, so he's probably fresher than Neymar and Messi.
raskolnikov
Well-known member
There is always Iniesta on lw, Pedro on the right with Suarez running the attack. Not ideal but definitely enough to beat levante with Rafinha and Raketic behind them and Bartra for Pique.
Bring on Messi in second half if we are not 2 goals up by the 60th minute.
In reality it will most likely be Messi being subbed with Neymar in the third of the game.
Bring on Messi in second half if we are not 2 goals up by the 60th minute.
In reality it will most likely be Messi being subbed with Neymar in the third of the game.
KingMessi
SiempreBlaugrana
Messi subbed off for Iniesta could also work considering that Rafinha-Rakitic or Xavi-Rafinha is probably going to be the CM pairing.
Kohe321
New member
A bit less than two weeks, but you're right. The problem is that I'd rather him play the Malaga game so that he's relatively match-fit going into the game against City. So by that thinking, he should also be among the players rested against Levante. Perhaps only playing the first 45 minutes alongside Messi and then subbing him off at half-time (or early second half) if we're leading comfortably?
Beating Levante at the Camp Nou should be doable without any of the musketeers to be honest, but we need to be careful not to have another Anoeta moment. The League is within our grasp now and we can't slip up.
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raskolnikov
Well-known member
Therefore its best to start with Suarez since it doesnt look like he needs a rest and had it recently anyway along with Pedro and Sandro/Munir/Iniesta, only bring Neymar/Messi when the game isnt going like it should or late just to statpad against a tired opponent.
Malaga should be msn from the start with 1/2 subs during the game considering we face City after that.
i_bleed_blaugrana
Senior Member
No need to rotate Suarez however IMO. He had a quarter of the season off, he can keep playing for a bit. He needs to keep finding himself in this team, and with Neymar and Messi being rested, he can be the main attacking outlet which should see him get more service and chances to score.
I'd go Pedro-Suarez-Messi for these next two games with Messi coming off for either Neymar or Iniesta, flip Pedro to the RW and then Neymar or Iniesta on the left. Xavi-Rafinha as the AM pairing and Bartra subbing for Piqué.
I'd go Pedro-Suarez-Messi for these next two games with Messi coming off for either Neymar or Iniesta, flip Pedro to the RW and then Neymar or Iniesta on the left. Xavi-Rafinha as the AM pairing and Bartra subbing for Piqué.
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