PBP: Copa del Rey | Semifinal Leg 2 | Real Madrid v FC Barcelona | 27 February 2019 [R]

We struggled the first half and the neutrals (pundits) even agreed over the whole match that they were the best team . Like you just said ... it’s a funny game ,sometimes ..

As to my last point about playing Dembele and Malcom flanking Messi ... why not try it when we are winning 3:0 ?? Seems obvious

 

I missed all of the scoring for this game, but saw all of Lyon.

I don't know how the game looked at all, other than in highlights in which case Vinicius Junior looks like he's going to be a thorn on our side for years, assuming he gets a better team around him. But oh well, we won, and hope to do so again very soon.

Following the ESPN Match Centre, it said that Barca were in a 4-4-2 this game with Dembele and Roberto wider on the flanks than against Lyon, which looked more like 4-3-1-2. Back to what worked with EV started off with in the beginning of his tenure, now with a much more dangerous Dembele capable of causing trouble on either flank (!), and a more established, settled Semedo.

For our left side, in both of the run-of-play goals against RM, Dembele has a step on the RM defenders and laid an inch-perfect pass and a inch-perfect cross which looked like it was on its way to Suarez if not Varane; I don't recall him Lyon letting him or anyone else the ability to run behind them.

In the game thread for Lyon, Roberto was being criticized for 'offering nothing' especially a lack of creativity, as right center midfielder. As a right midfielder on the flanks, how was he? Seems like he's gotten praise, even some mentions as a key player in the match. IIRC, that right midfielder on the flanks was also the position he played when we went all crazy against PSG when we were 3-4-3-ing during the final days of Luis Enrique.

 

I voted him MoM in the other thread lmao. Despite scoring "hat-trick" as you put it, he didn't play that well, which is fair thing to say no? Hopefully this will get his confidence back up, as we'll need it in the cl. You and Celito should learn how to talk to other fans. If you want to debate, debate but leave the personal insults away, that just makes you look weak.

 

Good 24 hours: We win 0-3 at their house advance to reord 6th final, to possibly win record 5th straight Copa. Luis got his scoring boots back again and that Panenka was icing on the cake. Meanwhile ALBA RE-SIGNED till 2024! No one carded to miss final of Copa.

Sadly, Benzema got robbed, and Varane got a knock to his knee. Not really celebrating the last two, but they also happened. In Varanes case probably happened on his own goal by Ramos or Caravajal or Navas (Suarez avoided him it seemed).

Edit, of course they could have still won - Marca headline reads "data cannot explain the 0-3" https://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2019/02/28/5c77baf3468aebd76e8b45bc.html
And their youngsters like Vini and Reguilon looked good. And I really don't cheer injuries or burglaries, more just happy they did not happen to Barca players.

 

Reguilon? hmmm... maybe I have to watch the match again but that second goal was embarrassingly easy. I was actually thinking at the time, how bad must Marcelo have been defensively this season to get replaced by this guy? Granted, I don't watch LPB all that often but on that play if there was no LB at all, it wouldn't have been any easier to score.

It also links to the discussion earlier in this thread about how much better Dembele looks playing on the right. Well, on the right he is guarded by Reguilon and Ramos. Basically 2 white pylons. On the left, there is Carvahal and Varane. hmmm...

 

Thing is LPB have been winning ugly in the CL for years abd years, we win ugly against them in 1 game and you would think a crime had been committed. Well done to Barca for not playing well and winning 3 nil,now on Saturday play well and win 5 nil

 

Well he is not setting the world on fire, more like Marcelo is really done, especially defensively, so they were lucky to have him. But Ray Hudson sure was enamored on BeIn, and the WhoScored folks rate him as the joint 2nd best player on Madrid 6.84, behind Vini, tied with Vazquez when you round to tenths as on this map https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1362458/Live/Spain-Copa-del-Rey-2018-2019-Real-Madrid-Barcelona

Interestingly, transfermarkt rates Reguilon and Cucurella at about the same value 8M and both able to play LB and LW (Miranda is also highly rated but more like 5). Ha, just double checked those and both were updated today, now Cucurella is up to 10M but Reguilon is up to 15M, too funny. Maybe Florentino pays off the Transfermarkt people too.

The WhoScored heat maps which track players are really interesting, they do kind of support calling it a 4-4-2, but look very different when you compare Semedo to Alba and Roberto to Dembele.

 

Yeah, I wasn't really watching the game with him in mind. Though not sure about complimenting him for missing an open header. But guess he's a defender....

 

Wow, Real fired their Juvenal B (U-18) coach after he went on the radio after this game and was critical, esp. of Casemiro and Kroos at least those are the only quotes in this article:
Real Madrid have sacked youth coach Alvaro Benito after he made negative comments about the first team on a radio show during Wednesday's Copa del Rey defeat to Barcelona.

Real lost 3-0 at home to go out of the competition 4-1 on aggregate, and Benito singled out midfielders Toni Kroos and Casemiro for criticism on Cadena Ser radio.
"The problem is there are players that are playing very far from their level," he said. "I'm talking about Casemiro who, at the moment, is not good enough to play even a minute for Real Madrid. Kroos is fantastic when the wind is in his favour -- when it goes against him, he abandons ship."

In a statement on Twitter on Friday, Benito said: "I respect the decision of the club, which I have always defended when appearing in the media. I always felt able to speak freely about the club I love.

"I leave with no resentment and will always be grateful to the club for everything they gave me as a player and in my first steps as a coach."

Real did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to reports in the Spanish media, former Real striker Raul Gonzalez will succeed Benito as under-18s coach. http://www.espn.com/soccer/real-mad...aro-benito-over-radio-criticism-of-first-team