Do testimonies exist about Ten Cate his role (and lack of after 2006)? It's funny you see him as father figure because he has always been regarded as a very direct and therefore sometimes harsh trainer (over here). Direct and sometimes rude, but maybe he knew his role...
Well at least we created tonnes of chances. I think the shots were 18-2 at one point. I can't believe we didn't even score once. I think that's the league right there. Busquets, Messi, Neymar, Iniesta, Montoya....so many chances.
I just want this ********ing week to end. It ain't over til it's over, but Tata is sure trying to end it early.
We beat RM and Man city but we lost to Atletico madrid , Granada, Valencia, etc . I wonder if the team is really fcked up, how come they beat a strong RM team... even Man city possibly would be EPL champion. Its the Spanish team outside RM that really catching up against our style. We can our miss chances but doesnt change the fact our opponet always scored against us. We need new world class defender that could cover Puyol presence (even if not his leadership) and also when Pique's injured. Another striker is also needed, Neymar is still very young and its only his first season in European football but our other forwards arent world class forward and we need at least one ultimate striker like already been suggested, Aguro or Suarez or at least someone close to their level.
I don't think that we should even call this 'tiki-taka'. The formation is somewhat recognisable but there is no structure to anything the players are doing. There is no structure in the way they attack and the way they defend, no intent, no believe. Cruyff's comments were perfect yesterday, he said that the coach has not had influence for the past 4 years.... Major institutional changes are needed this summer from the top of the pyramid (the board) to the bottom (La Masia in terms of fixing all these stupid errors). We need to buy two keepers, two central defenders, a RB and a striker. In the other direction, we need to sell Mascherano (to make the most of his value), Valdes, Pinto and Dani Alves. If we are going to get a striker, it is probably time for one Tello or Sanchez to to leave...
I'd go for selling Alexis and Tello altogether, and then we buy someone in level of Suarez and Aguero. Perhaps its time to sell some of our major players. Alves is nowhere as effective as he used too (combining so well with Messi), that never happen anymore and Masche is good playing in his actual possision with Puyol as central defender behind him, but that's aint happening anymore. I respect La Masia, but players like Puyol,Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Pique, Busquet, Cesc etc they dont come in a few years cycle. For intense, Bojan will never turn into someone like Iniesta unless you give him 10 years to evolve.
before buying and selling, the club should fire Zubi. This guy doesn't have the slightest idea on how to buy and sell players and how to address club's needs.
We beat RM on individual brilliance and their stupidity. Not and overwhelmingly dominating performance. That's what happens when you have some great players but team play that is essentially broken. Man City I guess is a different story.
Wherever he goes he win championship but the season after that he'll have another bust up with the manager. He Like in Corinthian, MU, City. But considering his age, Suarez and Aguero would be a better option for long term plan... or Falcao
It's been quite a while so I don't know if any links still exist (maybe search old threads in this forum because it was talked about at the time). I just remember reading a number players mentioning his name in a positive light before he left and their disappointment when he'd gone. After Paris '06, cliques developed amongst the squad during training, an issue Pep immediately eliminated by requiring everyone to eat together after the morning training sessions.
I was just saying he seems to struggle to score in europe yet has no real problems domestically also how much would Messi's presence influence the scoring exploits of Aguero and Suarez?
by the time our transfer ban is lifted..tevez will be out of the age range we are looking for, and both Suarez and Aguero will have gotten improved deals with their clubs. Plus we dont need more small attacking players (neymar,messi,pedro,alexis,tello,deulofeu) is enough we need height and strength, a classic no.9 to compliment those other guys...for games like those against granada and at. madrid where tiki taka isnt working that we can at least have a threat from corners, crosses and set plays...so a guy like Mandzukic, Dzeko..basically any decent striker over 6 feet who doesnt mind coming off the bench for the better part of the season.
Pizarro would fit in perfectly, good at combinational play and woudln't complain being on the bench. Too bad it's probably never going to happen.
The worst part about all this is that it did not have to come to this. And I put most of the blame entirely on the board. The refusal to purchase decent central defenders when it has been a major requirement over the past 3 seasons is astonishing. Imagine any other 'big' club refusing to re-enforce an area which is obviously under-manned, we would all have a laugh about it. Guardiola leaving...the boards fault in my opinion. We have lost before, and sometimes with even more on the line. P.S. Madrid's campaign against the club using proxy men and machinations is working.
Tevez was MU second top scorer when they won CL 2008. He has won both CL and Libertadores so I'm not sure using only this season European performance is a good example. He didnt play in CL when he was in Westham and didnt play first half of the season in his second season at City.
We didnt have any tall forwards when we won 5 thropies in 2010-2011 season though. Off course our tiki-taka was at it best at the time. We hardly use the same tiki-taka against Atletico madrid this season, where's the short passing one-two that Xavi-Messi-Iniesta or Alves-Messi used to play ? I see none of that. The biggest problem isnt exactly the players upfront but the way we attack, the frontlines isnt gelling as they used to be few seasons ago and remember that during 2006-2011 , we have Puyol at his best commanding the backline and Ronaldo literally couldnt scored against us in 2008 semifinal (Both legs) , in 2009 final and when we killed RM 5-0. Now we're using a DM as CB?
Ive been screaming this for ages.. Just like the stupidity of not reinforcing the defence for the past 3 years or so.. its the same thing about the aerial space.. this season Barcelona was the only team in La Liga that hadent scored from set piece well into what.. 20 games!? and at a point 50% of the goals conceded was from set-pieces. Can it be clearer than that!? 12-1 or os in corners and no threat at all against AM and Granada.. just examples. Any coach/board with common sense would address these issues. In Barcelona's case they have been worried about what/where Messi would be so he can score 90+ goals and win Ballon D´Or and thrown/scraped any plan to evolve the team and also who would accept to sit on the bench!? Its ridiculous. Do whats right for the team not for Messi.. he wont score those 90+ goals again because all the ingredients aren't there anymore so why feck about. Neymar - 185cm+ striker - Messi it wouldn't be the end of the world if you tried it.