PBP: Copa del Rey Semifinal, Leg 2 | Real Sociedad v FC Barcelona | 12 FEB 2014 [R]

Only a two goal lead and Tata's been playing pretty solid squads in the 2nd CdR legs even with bigger leads so I suspect will see a pretty good team but hopefully still plenty of rotation:

Pinto
Alves - Pique - Masch - Alba (Alves rested and Masch and Alba out of Sevilla game for cards)
Cesc-Sergi B-Sergi R (entirely new starting midfield vs. Sevilla starters)
Alexis-Messi-Tello (ideally get Neymar some PT in the 2nd half if he is cleared)

 

Haha, Viscaelbarca, nice picture of Messi and his nemesis. Gil, I like that lineup but I don't know if Alba will play this match, for the simple reason that it would be 3 matches in about a week for him, with next week's Champions League match in the horizon.

 

Good point, even though Alba rested against Sevilla due to the red card (double yellow) in the prior (Valencia) match, he'll likely start against Rayo and ManCity so that would make it 3 in a row. Same could be said for Masch and Alves and goes doubly for Pique as he played at least the 3 prior games and will certainly play against Man City and very likely against Rayo. Pique last sat out a game against Levante in the CdR return leg (Puyol and Bartra started). So yeah, by all means play Adriano for Alba or Montoya for Alves but it's Pique who needs rest - not sure if Puyol can go (he was taken off the 18 person roster before the Sevilla match) so start Bartra and Masch - but that's a rarely seen combo, Bartra tends to start with Puyol or with Pique.

Or just roll with the starting D, after Feb 22nd they have no mid-week game (CdR all done till end of year final, CL on alternating mid-weeks). So 4 games in 2 weeks is not too much since all but Pique just rested on the weekend. Compromise could be to pull Pique for Bartra after we get an away goal? I'd also like to pull / rest Messi and Alexis, though with Neymar coming back Alexis will get plenty of chances for rest rotating with Pedro and Neymar.

 

Yeah, although there are mid-week international games on 5 March (Spain v Italy; Argentina v Romania, etc) and 2 mid-week La Liga rounds in late March/April (one scheduled + one make-up game for CdR final). But they shouldn't be too tired now and even the Rayo game could include some rotation with 2 much tougher games next week.

 

BocaFan - thanks for the good reminder about those international matches; I'd read a really interesting piece by Graham Hunter about how important that was for Iker (along with CL and CdR) in keeping his first choice keeper role but ignored the date.

Great quotes from Tata (and confirms no Neymar today):
“We are only 90 minutes from qualifying for one of the three finals of the season and I think it’s a good idea that all of us be there. It’s very important to secure a place in the final of the Copa del Rey.”

“We’ll approach the game as if the first leg ended in a 0-0,” he said. Déjà vu?

“It’s a decisive game. It would be a bad idea to give our rival a chance to get back into the tie. It is very important we take control – we can’t allow the match to turn into a back and fourth affair,” Martino said, as he believes that the tie is still wide open.

“We need to own the match, not let our rivals be protagonists,” he said. The boss expects Real Sociedad to change their tactics and attack Barça, unlike during the first leg when they started with five defenders.

“I want the team to be consistent throughout the 90 minutes of play.”

Moving on to Neymar Jr, the Brazilian winger is yet to receive the medical green light, but Martino believes he is almost back to normal. “He completed his second session with the team, he’s doing a good job and he’s not in pain. Physically he’s doing well.”

Nevertheless, Martino said he does not plan to rush the young Brazilian back for the Manchester City game. “It’s a very important match for me but the Manchester City game will not determine Neymar’s progress – it’s about taking the smallest possible risk for the footballer.”



Read more: http://www.totalbarca.com/2014/interviews/martino-we-need-to-own-the-match/#ixzz2tmhrV4Mn

 

Final place not in the bag yet, especially if we concede the first one. But realistically, looks pretty good. Expecting a strong line-up, and kinda open game given Sociedad must attack. 4-1 to us, 6-1 agg. Messi to score from a Cesc pass obv.

 

Hope Messi scores a hat trick to send a message to CR7 to say ''I'm coming that title baby''

 

official:

pedro----------cesc-----------messi
--------iniesta-------xavi------------
alba-----------busi-------------dani
--------masch------pique-----------
----------------pinto------------------

bench:
valdes, bartra, adriano, song, roberto, alexis, tello

 

Oier (who got his medical green light), Montoya, Puyol (not sure if green lighted yet medically, anyone know?, since he's listed here I think he was green lighted unlike Neymar), Afellay and Cuenca (refused to go back to Barca B to get minutes) didn't make the final match squad and will watch the game from the stands. Neymar also traveled with the team and will watch from the stands (no medical green light).

Nice strong lineup leaves little to chance except for those of you who dread Cesc playing false 9 or playing at all or being allowed on the pitch with Xavi.

I think we see Dani providing most of the width on the right wing, with Alba playing slightly less forward (though overlapping at times) and Pedro providing the main left side width. That would allow both Cesc and Messi to play centrally in front of Xaviesta. Xavi may not have quite the rapport with Cesc he has with Iniesta but then again Tata has asked Cesc to reprise more of his old Arsenal role, more free lance attacking and less tika taka scripted triangles pass move. Cesc's understanding with Messi has never been better.

 

Now that's the line up I love. I was asking for Tata to play Messi right behind Pedro/Alexis/Neymar with only one winger. He has used Fabregas instead of those 3 mentioned above, but i am still a happy man right now.

 

looks like they're actually shaping up like this initially:

iniesta---------messi---------pedro
----------cesc--------xavi------------
alba-----------busi-------------dani
--------masch------pique-----------
----------------pinto------------------

 

please say Neymar is on the bench as we need him for Man City next week

 

Masch didn't do anything wrong

 

He's not on the bench, as earlier posts in this short thread make clear. Here's what Tata said, also from this very thread: Moving on to Neymar Jr, the Brazilian winger is yet to receive the medical green light, but Martino believes he is almost back to normal. “He completed his second session with the team, he’s doing a good job and he’s not in pain. Physically he’s doing well.”

Nevertheless, Martino said he does not plan to rush the young Brazilian back for the Manchester City game. “It’s a very important match for me but the Manchester City game will not determine Neymar’s progress – it’s about taking the smallest possible risk for the footballer.”

EDIT:
Nice to see Alves on target with a long distance shot!

 

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

MESSI PAST ALL THOSE 4 PLAYERS, HE IS DA BESTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

 

MESSI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 0-1!!!!!!!!

0-3 aggregate, away goal means no extra time.

 

Messiiiiiiiiiii 1-0 !!! a bit lucky there but we will take it

 

la Real need four to advance.

 

not luck. just messi.