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

Who are they? Barca women's team?

 

haha. no. that's Barca's first team photo-shopped to look like women.
Munir is gorgeous

 

Well, that's a bit disturbing. Coutinho's picture in particular needs more work.

 

Calendario update...

SEPTEMBER
Sun 2: J3 (H) Huesca 18:30
midweek 3-5:
weekend 6-8: FIFA Calendar
midweek 10-11: FIFA Calendar
Sat 15: J4 (A) Real Sociedad 16:15
Tue 18: UCL-M1 (H) PSV Eindhoven 18:55
Sun 23: J5 (H) Girona 20:45
Wed 26: J6 (A) Leganés 20:00
Sat 29: J7 (H) Athletic Bilbao 16:15

OCTOBER
Wed 3: UCL-M2 (A) Tottenham Hotspur 21:00
weekend 6-7: J8 (A) Valencia
midweek 8-10:
weekend 11-13: FIFA Calendar
midweek 15-16: FIFA Calendar
Sat 20: J9 (H) Sevilla
Wed 24: UCL-M3 (H) Internazionale 21:00
weekend 27-28: J10 (H) Real Madrid
midweek 30-1:CdR-4R1 (A)

NOVEMBER
Sat 3: J11 (A) Rayo Vallecano
Tue 6: UCL-M4 (A) Internazionale 21:00
weekend 10-11: J12 (H) Betis
midweek 12-13:
weekend 15-17: FIFA Calendar
midweek 19-20: FIFA Calendar
Sat 24: J13 (A) Atlético Madrid
Wed 28: UCL-M5 (A) PSV Eindhoven 21:00

DECEMBER
weekend 1-2: J14 (H) Villarreal /// Euro 2020 Qualification draw
midweek 4-6: CdR-4R2 (H)
Sat 8: J15 (A) Espanyol
Tue 11: UCL-M6 (H) Tottenham Hotspur 21:00
weekend 15-16: J16 (A) Levante
midweek 18-20:
weekend 22-23: J17 (H) Celta
midweek 25-27:
weekend 29-30:

 

So with Pique facing charges and jailtime, who misses Mina?

 

Naturally Barca get Inter on the Wednesday before el clasico, while they get Viktoria Plzen on the Tuesday. They'll probably schedule the clasico for Saturday afternoon too. Watch...

 

what's up with Enrique and Alba?

 

So Samper 16, Rafinah 12, and Alena 26 (weird to me he did not take a lower # like 17, 21, 25). Window still open in Portugal so there's a chance Rafinha could still leave, or even Samper, but both seem unlikely till January at least.

Enrique and Alba clashed in Lucho's last season at Barca, Lucho for awhile experimented with a 3 man defense which excluded Alba. Also Alba found his options to bomb forward limited by Neymar's presence up the wing. Alba was not quiet about praising Valverde, the added defensive solidity, and his enjoyment with also being more free to bomb forward (which had more to do with Neymar leaving late, Dembele getting injured, than a coaching change though Barca playing lots of 4-4-2 under EV certainly helped). At least Roberto is back in the Spain squad and if Lucho wants to win with Spain he'll probably need to come back around to Alba.

 

Nina is so crap he cost us an undefeated season I'm glad to see the back of him.

Club and manager backed Pique saying it's not even an issue as they should.

Your agenda is showing...

 

what about Miranda's number? has he not been officially promoted?

 

No, he has not been promoted officially, he only just joined Barca B and turned 18 in January, but he outperformed Cucurella in preseason and Digne was sold and Cucurella loaned out. So he is seen as Alba's successor and he trains with first team on occasion, and made the 32 man CL squad (see below), but we currently have just Alba as a LB in first team. Cucurella went to Eibar (on loan with option to buy, but under contract till 2021), so Miranda is counted on my Barca B at LB, which will get him valuable experience (he's under contract till 2021 too plus club have a further 2 year option which could keep him till 2023). If Alba is injured, suspended, or needs rest I think we will see Miranda make the squad list. But Barca's first team also has 3 left footed CBs who could fill in as LB, Vermaelen has the most experience there and Umtiti the best speed, or Roberto may be asked to play there again.

He is in the CL squad as #27, our 32 man squad was announced today for CL:
Goalkeepers
1. Marc-Andre ter Stegen
13. Jasper Cillessen
30. Inaki Pena (B)
31. Jokin Ezkieta (B)

Defenders
2. Nelson Semedo
3. Gerard Pique
15. Clement Lenglet
18. Jordi Alba
23. Samuel Umtiti
24. Thomas Vermaelen
27. Juan Miranda (B)
33. Jorge Cuenca (B)

Midfielders
4. Ivan Rakitic
5. Sergio Busquets
6. Denis Suarez
7. Philippe Coutinho
8. Arthur
12. Rafinha
14. Malcom
16. Sergi Samper
20. Sergi Roberto
22. Arturo Vidal
26. Carles Alena
28. Riqui Puig (B)
32. Ramon Monchu (B)
34. Alex Collado (B)
35. Oriol Busquets (B)

Forwards
9. Luis Suarez
10. Lionel Messi
11. Ousmane Dembele
19. Munir El Haddadi
29. Abel Ruiz (B)

 

So word is that Barca will be the first team to play a Liga match in USA, but Liga is of course making it a "Girona hosted" match to get around some of the resistance and cost of denying a club like Barca (with a huge stadium, fan-base, higher ticket prices) as much opportunity to complain. BUT HERE'S THE THING, we don't care if we face Girona in Miami or Girona in terms of their home field advantage, we simply don't want to travel to Miami for a Liga match which, by the way, will take place in that busy time of the season when the CdR elimination matches come frequently, and IIRC CL starts to get going, just the wrong time to make a club travel thousands of miles when they are trying to win Liga, CL, and CdR. Pure BS. Hope it gets shut down, what is funny is that this article only talks about how Girona season ticket holders are being generously accomodated: https://www.sport-english.com/en/ne...o-host-barcelona-in-the-united-states-7017157

 

Recently there's been a UEFA conspiracy against Barcelona.

I'm dead serious, since 2016 we have had nothing go our way in terms of fixtures, officiating, and in the Spain national team.

I can't believe Luis Enrique is chest bumping Ramos while leaving out Alba an a academy player out.

The amount of Barcelona players in the NT team is pathetic.

Also i wonder how much Perez paid Lucho to keep playing Gomes and Turan during the league. He cost us the title with that rubbish.

 

Alba being an academy player should have no bearing on his status with the national team.
With that said he should have been included based on recent performance.

As for the number of Barca players on the team there aren't many to choose from these days. Pique retired after the World Cup and I'm not sure Busquets is deserving anymore.
Denis? Samper? Munir? Nah.
Who else?
If you mean former Barca players perhaps Bartra deserves a call up. But Cesc and Pedro are past it so I have no problem of them missing out.
Then again, what the hell is Albiol doing there?!
Can't stand Sergio Ramos in Madrid white but I'm indifferent with him when it comes to Spain... although that horror against Morocco was truly bad.

 

I'm not saying Alba should be included in the squad because he's from the academy.

If he was poor and wasn't called up then fair enough but he's been in great form, my point about the academy is that Lucho was our coach but is snubbing Alba for no reason but chest bumping Ramos like they're best friends.

Pedro has been playing quite well for Chelsea to be honest. He suits the new system and is their top scorer, Spain lack goal scorers and clinical fast forwards these days.

 

That should have no bearing either.

 

Lucho is a moron for not choosing Alba and apart from his treble winning year he ruined alot for Barca with his tactics, purchases and player choices (Shitmes foremost). He stagnated Barca and hope he's fired as Spain coach before any tournament.

 

Yes it should. Spain won the world cup and Euros with more Barcelona players than Madrid players, the academy has a winning mentality and is the right way to play football.

Look at Spain now with more Madrid players than Barcelona 3 major tournament failures.

 

The Miami match will take place in late-January, so that’s a good 3 weeks before CL resumes.

But yeah, its right between the two QF legs of CdR. It would be difficult to postpone the second leg of the QF because the SF starts the following week. So it will probably be Wed CdR - Sunday in MIA- Thursday CdR - sunday La Liga

 

Because there are fewer Spanish players playing for Barca compared to the 2008-12 era.

By my count there are only 3 non-retired Spaniards in Barca's regular starting XI. And none of the 4 bench players that get subbed-in regularly are Spanish. So only 20% of the players that Barca have actually used this season are non-retired Spaniards.

But yeah... Alba should be included. Though its good that he isn't. Barca have no depth at LB so the rest won't hurt.

 

This is how Spain should line up tbh if they want to return to winning trophies I know Pique is retired but no good CB except him I think he will make a return.

De Gea
Alba Ramos Pique Carvajal
Roberto Busquets Isco
Asensio Diego Costa Pedro

That simple for me tbh instead they waste time with players like Aspas etc

 

I would replace Roberto with Koke or Odriozola because I think the full backs + Isco provide enough going forward, but either way I don't think they are good enough to return to winning any time soon. Pique will be even further off his prime by the time Euro 2020 rolls around, so him leaving the NT makes sense even putting the politics aside.

 

I stopped reading right THERE.

 

Hahahahahah ok mate settle down we all know he had a crap world cup. Mind recommending an alternative? End of the day he's still one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Who would you rather want? Short guy Kepa?