Ernesto Goes to Work: The 2018-19 Season Thread [R]

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o6Ztip1Hq0NNGfqyk/giphy.gif

 

Sorry it did not work out Sergi Samper and sorry we cannot get paid while you leave at just 24 years old, but too many injuries, and no path to first team play means we are better off mutually rescinding your contract so you can go join Iniesta and Villa and Podolski and Wellington at Vissel Kobe in the Japan League on a 4 year deal. Best of luck. https://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2019/03/02/5c7ae0e022601da25a8b45dc.html

 

Yeah, it is crazy, but it's also the pull of Iniesta reaching out to him, Villa too, a nice salary, the reassurance that it is a "technical league" from Iniesta where he won't be bullied and is less likely to be injured yet again, reassurance of a place in the starting lineup I assume, a chance to rebuild his name and fame. He may yet come back to Europe, whether before or after his 4 year contract is up.

 

Just 14--17 games left to play, treble still in play, 11 Liga matches to defend a 7 point lead, 1 CdR final at a neutral site, and 2--5 more CL matches (and we will now the path to the Wanda on Friday).

 

Who’s VV?

A month quickly turns into a couple of weeks once you factor in the int’l break.

 

Ok, thought he was EV. VV is saved for Victor Valdes.

4 weeks. There is a midweek La Liga round after the int'l break.

But yeah, it sucks cuz then he will probably be rushed back for the first leg, play 20 minutes and get injured again.

 

In a match with significance for us, Atletico @ Bilbao is on right now and is a good match. 0-0 30 mins in.

 

Hope y'all didn't miss that!

 

Calendario update...

MARCH
Sun 17: J28 (A) Betis 20:45
midweek 18-19:
weekend 21-23: FIFA Calendar
midweek 25-26: FIFA Calendar
Sat 30: J29 (H) Espanyol 16:15
APRIL
Tue 2: J30 (A) Villarreal 21:30
Sat 6: J31 (H) Atlético Madrid 20:45
Wed 10: UCL-Qf1 (A) Manchester United 21:00
Sat 13: J32 (A) Huesca 16:15
Tue 16: UCL-Qf2 (H) Manchester United 21:00
weekend 20-21: J33 (H) Real Sociedad

 

Official release from the team just came out, says 10-15 days for Suarez. Ankle sprain.

 

That’s the international break ...

 

MARCA is trying to jinx us https://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2019/03/18/5c8fbc0eca4741955a8b4612.html
but this is good reading, to re-state what should be more obvious in 1 and 3/4 seasons EV has lost 3 Liga games, let that sink in, and this season (till yesterday) he did it with a 4-3-3:

Barcelona have dominated LaLiga Santander over the last 11 years as they prepare to life their eighth league title in that span at the end of the season.

Beyond the numerical data, the way in which the Catalans have won those titles in the last decade only adds to their sense of dominance.

Last season, in Ernesto Valverde's first year in charge, the Blaugrana almost went the entire season unbeaten, falling at the 37th hurdle as they lost 5-4 to Levante at the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia, whilst they finished 14 points ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid.

This current campaign has seen Barcelona effectively wrap up the title in the middle of March, having beaten Real Madrid home and away, and having not lost since a 4-3 defeat to Real Betis at the Camp Nou on 11 November, 17 matchdays ago.

In 2012/13, with Tito Vilanova in charge, Barcelona finished 15 points ahead of Madrid and lost just two games in the league, scoring a whopping 115 goals. They were an offensive juggernaut that Vilanova had inherited from the Pep Guardiola era.

During Guardiola's four-year reign in charge, three of a possible four league titles were raised as Barcelona inspired the world with their brand of football over that period.

The domestic landscape has been Barcelona's for a long time now, with only Madrid on two occasions and Atletico once being able to break the Catalans' stranglehold.

Barcelona will lift their 26th LaLiga Santander title at the end of the season, six ahead of Madrid, an unthinkable distance at the beginning of the decade.

 

Definitely we should not forget to enjoy it as it rarely lasts. The past 11 seasons have been amazing.

I also really enjoyed and have to give some credit to Rikjaard and his teams too, though in 5 season's this is not such a big trophy haul by the standards set in the past 11 years:

• UEFA Champions League: 2005–06
• La Liga (2): 2004–05, 2005–06
• Supercopa de España (2): 2005, 2006

The CL was huge as just Barca's 2nd European championship but then they turned around and lost the European Super Cup to Dani Alves and Sevilla and the Club Wold Cup to Internacional, so no trophy padding, and not a single CdR.

 

Rijkaard era leaves a bit of a sour taste because of how the 2006-7 season ended. If not for one disastrous month full of painful late goals, we’d probably be talking about a 15-year stretch instead of 11 since it would’ve been 3 Spanish titles in a row with a CL thrown in. Plus we could’ve even tossed-in the 2003-4 season just by how the second half of that season played out - great memories, arguably even more memorable than the following season when Barca finished top.

 

Well it did end so badly but damn, the beginning with that 2003-04 season was really the beginning of the new era, no trophies, but that laid the groundwork for the rich 15 year vein of success we were in, some down to coach, some to the imprisoned (or did he finally get bail) Laporta, lots down to the players Ronaldinho, Marquez, Edgar Davids on the best half season loan ever, youngsters like Xavi, Iniesta, Oleguer, and Valdes, all brand new promotions, Van Bronckhorst, initially on loan, and Quaresma just to show you never get it all right. All joining Cocu, Saviola, Kluivert, Motta, Overmars, Puyol, Reiziger, Lucho, Sergio Garcia, etc.


https://thesefootballtimes.co/2016/...04-the-year-of-faith-that-preceded-greatness/

In a weird way Rijkaard set up the current system of Barca coaches only staying 2-4 seasons, before they get bitter or stale, obviously Pep was the real one to first truly walk away but then Lucho did too and even EV was thinking about it in just his 2nd season.

 

You all know I love an info-packed image (if you click the image it gets much easier to read):

 

Well despite having Valverde as manager and having far too much deadwood ..... I still can’t wait to see FDJ playing with Arthur and Busqs .
Then throw in De Ligt and Jovic ...