Roiling football blather

[Murphy]

That game got funnier and funnier, Bayern virtually walking the ball in at the end. Coutinho was the cherry on top.

Barca will do what Barca always do and go and rob a few key players from elsewhere, but their peak is long gone. Tried outlining to Mrs Wash about their history, the likes of Iniesta and Xavi but she told me to stfu. Football on a Friday isn't popular, apparently.

 

[IdleRich]

Him (Coutinho) getting the goals at the end tonight, that must have hurt, it showed (if it needed showing) very clearly that the problem wasn't that he is not good enough for them but that they didn't use him properly... or worse, they weren't good enough for him.
And Griezman... he's a great player, why isn't he good for them?

 

[IdleRich]

That game got funnier and funnier, Bayern virtually walking the ball in at the end. Coutinho was the cherry on top.

Barca will do what Barca always do and go and rob a few key players from elsewhere, but their peak is long gone. Tried outlining to Mrs Wash about their history, the likes of Iniesta and Xavi but she told me to stfu. Football on a Friday isn't popular, apparently.

Wish I'd watched it myself.
There was a Spanish guy we used to play five-a-side with, he said as a kid he'd played with Iniesta - apparently he was pretty good.

 

[version]

And Griezman... he's a great player, why isn't he good for them?

Because he's at his best through the middle and they play him on the wing.

 

[version]

Barca's problem, imo, is they never replaced Pedro, Xavi and Alves and they've little to no width. They've got Alba on the left and that's about it. There's nobody stretching the play yet they keep signing midfielders and forwards and trying to cram them all in. Why would you sign Griezmann when you've already got Messi and Suarez? There's no room for him.

 

[IdleRich]

Because he's at his best through the middle and they play him on the wing.

But there is a problem isn't there when you're spending 100m on a player but you can't fit him in properly.
I understand paying lots of money for a great striker.
I understand that you can't put him in front of Messi.
But those two things are incompatible.... someone had to spot that didn't they?

 

[IdleRich]

Barca's problem, imo, is they never replaced Pedro, Xavi and Alves and they've little to no width. They've got Alba on the left and that's about it. There's nobody stretching the play yet they keep signing midfielders and forwards and trying to cram them all in. Why would you sign Griezmann when you've already got Messi and Suarez? There's no room for him.

To me... they had a time when (effectively) Messi, Iniesta, Xavi all just appeared for them. Like when Scholes, Beckham etc appeared for United. You can't replace that. It's once in a generation genius.

 

[version]

But there is a problem isn't there when you're spending 100m on a player but you can't fit him in properly.
I understand paying lots of money for a great striker.
I understand that you can't put him in front of Messi.
But those two things are incompatible.... someone had to spot that didn't they?

Yeah, that's why the board has to go. They're hopeless. Anyone with half a brain could see the problem with that signing. You either play Griezmann or you play Suarez. You can't fit the two of them and Messi into a front three. It's ridiculous.

 

[version]

To me... they had a time when (effectively) Messi, Iniesta, Xavi all just appeared for them. Like when Scholes, Beckham etc appeared for United. You can't replace that. It's once in a generation genius.

Right, but you can adequately fill those positions on the pitch and they didn't. They lost one of the best right backs in the history of the game in Alves and tried to replace him with a winger and a converted midfielder...

 

[IdleRich]

You could argue that they let perfect be the enemy of good or whatever the homily is....

 

[version]

I don't think it's even that. The board are just grossly incompetent and more concerned with sponsorship deals and image signings than what goes on on the pitch. Apparently they've completely fucked the academy too. The club's an absolute shambles.

 

[IdleRich]

oh no

 

[IdleRich]

It's a bit worrying for the Spanish league that Real outclassed by city, disguised by Atleti fluking their way past Liverpool but that's gone now.

 

[version]

They had about as good a replacement for Xavi as you could get in Thiago and they lost him to Bayern because they failed to play him as often as agreed in his contract. That also knocked the price right down and Bayern got him for 25m instead of the 90 his release clause was set at. Just monumentally bad management.

 

[version]

It's a bit worrying for the Spanish league that Real outclassed by city, disguised by Atleti fluking their way past Liverpool but that's gone now.

There's lots of "end of an era" talk going on on Reddit,

2019-20 will be the first Champions League season since 2005-06 in which neither Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo will make an appearance in the semi-finals or beyond.

Sid Lowe: No Spanish teams in UCL semi final for first time since 2007.

 

[version]

Semedo looks to have had a 'mare.

😂

 

[jenks]

I think that because there isn’t that same fear of Barca’s potency Bayern decided to take them on. Rather than run a passive counter attack they played a high line, suffocated Barca and bossed the match. It then also allowed the defensive frailties of Bayern to be negated.
I don’t think I’ve seen Vidal look so poor. The whole back 4 were leaden - Pique getting caught on the turn just one of a number of signs that time is not on his side.
As mentioned above, the shocking waste of talented players - Dembele on the bench and seemingly surplus to requirements. If Xavi does become the next manager then there’s got to be serious money spent on that defence and an understanding that other teams aren’t frightened by tiki-taka anymore.

 

[version]

As mentioned above, the shocking waste of talented players - Dembele on the bench and seemingly surplus to requirements. If Xavi does become the next manager then there’s got to be serious money spent on that defence and an understanding that other teams aren’t frightened by tiki-taka anymore.

Yeah, they need to overhaul the back line and sign and actually play a couple of wingers at the very least.

 

[version]

Bayern are so well-run everyone's forgotten Ribery and Robben left at the end of last season and Lahm retired three years ago.

 

[version]

Coutinho is not the first loan player to score against the team that owns him and there is no great shame in that, but if he wins the Champions League with Bayern, Barcelona will reportedly owe Liverpool €5m more. The Champions League victory clause attached to his €120m-plus-€40m move from Anfield – a move that happened six months later than they wanted – did not specify that it had to be for them. If true, they’re effectively paying him to beat them, which would be so very Barcelona somehow; his goals were a suitably pitiful end.

At Barcelona there is no trust left – so how do they move forward? | Sid Lowe

The relationship between players and the boardroom is broken, but do Barça have what it takes to rebuild?

www.theguardian.com