I'm glad some people have finally came around on Alves. He's been on the decline since last season. This year, the decline has been faster. It's time to ship him out of here in the summer.
Tito already started that process, and Tata has finished it in terms of pressing. Barca has been an entirely different team as this has been removed. Also, Barca trained to be VERY precise in the attacking half with its passing to prevent counter-attacks, and this is the most damning element of FCB's play of the last few seasons. Attacking half giveaways. Before, you had a team playing collectively attacking and defending. Now, you have three or four players using energy at one time while the rest just stand there. Physical decline is part of the equation, but you do not need to be extraordinarily physical to play the way this team played under Pep. The best defense against counter attacking is not trying to match athletic ability, it is by not giving the ball away in the attacking half under any circumstances. Pep made it non-negotiable to give the ball away in the attacking half. Forced directness in the final third at the wrong time is what is killing this FCB team collectively. We are not thinking in terms of patterns and strategy any more in the final third. FCB must get back to a collective brand of football if it wishes to remain among the elite in Europe. That is the only way to survive in today's game with technical players.
I'd be curious to see Barca utilize something they haven't had in a long time -- a real #9. Playing the false 9 is going to start taking a physical toll on Messi.
Messi isn't functioning as a false 9. He should be the central focus of attacking play touch wise, but it appears he has been given instructions to drift wide and out of play entirely. I understand conservation, but I do not understand moving him off the ball entirely. There's no logic in the move. Even if he doesn't have the energy on a certain night, he can still be decisive in the role just acting as a traditional trequartista and moving the ball around. The false 9 role was meant to prolong his career just as it has done for Francesco Totti. A combination of wing forwards should always flank Messi in attack, and make the diagonal runs to take the pressure off his back. This is what I envisioned Neymar would bring on the left, but Neymar is really a classic outside left unless given specific instructions to play centrally (as we have seen at times with Brazil when he and Oscar interchange) and does not often make diagonal runs. Leo would benefit from playing off of a nine (in more of a 4-2-3-1/4-3-1-2 shape), but can very much function in a "strikerless" formation if done correctly.
i am not really upset that you guys are trophy-less this season, i am mad at the no effort and no give a shit altitude/mentality from the players ... really disappointing to see.
I'm still puzzled how Tata always opted to have Cesc on the team even when he also started with Xavi and Iniesta. You have this extra attacking player that has no acceleration and in the first Classico it was obvious how he killed our counter attack at one point and yesterday he did the same when had a good chance inside the box was literally outpaced by his marker who tracked back and stole it from him easily.
The team seems to find their good form at one point when they beat City twice and Real madrid within few weeks but all these transfer/outside the field controversy seems to affect the players mind. This particular game and the 2 games against AM in quarterfinal shows the team are lacking fighting spirit (Messi in particular and I have to say it), plus bad tactical decision for sure.
ironically it seems to me that Thiago would thrive more in the place they are playing Cesc to me Cesc was brought to replace/rotate with Xavi and Iniesta not to be starting together
I agree with your entire post but this especially. I don't know the full statistics but at halftime Real had 40 interceptions. 40. That means most of those are misplaced passes from Barca. Over 30 misplaced passes! In the past 30 mispalced were 3 games worth
Can someone post stats of some of the players? so we can see how misplaced passes were made by the players
Yes, I have criticized his lack of accuracy on crosses into the box, but was met with some resistance. That's also saying nothing about his "defensive" skills
Again.. after christmas things have changed.. what happened really!? Who talked and expressed his opinions!? Xavi!? Messi!? Rossell? I had a feelin Like my hat!? I got it from Bieber!!
I hope Bartra gets more chance nest season. He has shown enough this season to be counted as a very good defender, honestly I would have used him instead of Mascherano in many games this season alone. He will learn from the mistake yesterday, and hope the teammates don't blame him for the 2nd goal yesterday (which I think they did judging by Xavi's and Alves's comments, but I could be wrong). Cheer up Bartra you did great yesterday
To add, what the f**k is wrong with our attackers (Specially Xavi and Iniesta). When we are up against parked bus we should try to shoot from outside the box given an opportunity. But yesterday we would still pass the ball around if the gap appeared and there was a chance to shoot. Bartra was the first person to shoot from outside the box yesterday and it almost went in.
I'm not sure if the false 9 really prolongs careers and I can't say that's why Roma opted to play Totti as one. Totti's style is different from Messi's anyways. Playing Messi wide gives him much more space and allows him to utilize his pace than the false 9 role, where the marking is rougher and tighter. What he does is attract the CBs on him as a false 9 and with some quick passes to and from the supporting players, can create opportunities. The trequarista role would also work since there's a 9 to occupy the CBs. In this role, Messi can find the pockets of space between the DMs and CBs and attack.
The idea behind increasing longevity by playing centrally is that eventually athletic ability goes away, and this happens earlier for poachers and wingers than anyone else on the pitch. Messi's late career evolution in a tactical sense was always going to be as a playmaker, and playing centrally as a false 9 was geared to enhance Messi's development. Tactically, the idea was very clear from Pep on moving Messi centrally. It is easy to assign a fullback to follow a winger wherever he goes and mark him out of a game. Playing centrally, the idea was that he would always be able to influence the match and create tactical questions. Center backs learned that tracking Messi was a bad idea, and that is why teams started playing with two and often three defensive minded players in their midfields (Mourinho's infamous "trivote"). It was this defensive approach that led to the "boring Barca" reputation as Leo was forced into deeper positions to pick up the ball, and Barca basically sat on the ball daring the opposition to come out from hiding. If they did, Messi would make a dangerous run or slice them with a through ball almost instantly. Playing Messi as a winger is about as unimaginative as it gets tactically, and a huge waste of his ability. He may as well not be on the pitch when given that sort of assignment.
In reading supporter's group messages, there is going to be a huge display of discontent towards the club versus Athletic. I was hoping I wouldn't see another pañolada after Rijkaard/Ronaldinho were treated to it, but this is on the FCB board. I can't say I blame the supporters. The Camp Nou will be giving two thumbs down.
I will never understand why tata starts fabregas...he's such a liability. Pedro in the wings would've helped us defensively and offensively. IMO real have two quick counter attackers, probably some of the fastest of the league with bale and ronaldo. We will always have problems with the counters since the way we play is push push. I like alba, he has great catch up speed and is the only person who was at least close to bale. We need to obviously get a few defenders and I'm starting to think we need a proper #9. Tiki taka is being deciphered so something needs to change in order to stay ahead of the curb. Don't get me wrong, our players are great but we need to add some new elements to style of play.