These players remain world champions though. The point Ibra makes here is the reason why he probably never reached his full potential. If you only see value in being the big name, you'll be forever the big fish in a small pond, arguably the same thing Mbappé decided to do as well. It's interesting in this case because those players achieved what he eventually ran away from: coexist with a better player and win with him instead of complain about it. Ibra will too, have to come to terms that he'll be a cult figure in a era dominated by Ronaldo and Messi, where he was but a sideshow.
Be a world champion or be a guy that says the world cup isn't worth watching if you don't play in it after Ronaldo showed he's a level above and nailed you to your sofa in the qualifying match-up. Hm, tough choice.
Gavi should be sent off by now, but he finally got a yellow. 4 yellows through 50 fouls for Gavi. One yellow for every 12.5 fouls this season When you're a baby-faced white teenager and you have that romantic homegrown narrative going for you, the world is your oyster.
Fuc** Girona. 1-0 Barca Very weak Barca with no Lewa nor Dembélé who got injured. As it seems it’s going to be 14 clean sheets from 18 games (just 6 goals). Frustrating
Have Barca registered Gavi though the B team so he can play in La Liga? I thought he couldn’t be registered
Don’t need rigged trophy to see who’s my GOAT. Also, for future references, Saudi league > Uber eats ligue 1, the same league mind you, where Messi has 14 goals in 2 seasons.
The fear I have for Real Madrid is Tebas/FA running the league like this. 2nd rate officiating protecting players like Gavi but allowing the treatment of Vinicius to stand. La Liga needs a complete overhaul but I’m afraid it’s never going to happen and the same old cronies will be replaced with their stooges.
The thing that I’ve noticed is the speed at which Barca moves off ball, can receive passes and move it quick. We have a few players that can do that but Kroos slows the tempo down so much and Mendy is such a liability that it’s playing with 10 men in a counter press. This Barca team is bang average in many ways, but works as a unit defensively and generates offense through it.
Barca press very high and always “with the ball”. It’s like 75 minute of the game, the ball is in their legs. With their pressing, they steal the ball very quick, and therefore hardly let the opponent to get a chances
1 - @Pedri 🇪🇸 has scored the 72.7% of their shots on target in @LaLigaEn since Xavi arrival to @FCBarcelona's 🔵🔴 bench (8/11), the highest ratio among the players with at least six goals scored in this period. Effective. pic.twitter.com/V5BhZGLmwH— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 28, 2023
I don't see them as solid as their clean sheet record might suggest. Ter Stegen is in the best form of his life. According to understat, Barca have an xGA of 14.75 while only conceding 6 goals. That means opponents have created 8.75 more expected goals against them than have actually gone in. That is the second highest discrepancy in the league in terms of goals against vs expected goals against, after Villarreal. At some point, the chances their opponents are creating against them will start going in. For comparison, we are bottom 5 in the league in terms of goals against vs expected goals against. The chances opponents have made against us have been going in.
Last 3 games: 1)Mayoral missing a clear one on one chance Vs stegen. 2)Sorloth missing 100% goal in a clear empty goal chance. 3)today Martínez missing as well clear chance in front of an empty goal