Spanish Cup Final ( El Classico ) ,Wed April 16th @8.30pm

NTMK

Mars Bar wrote: »

I'm ignorant to the political history of the club. Would you mind expanding why his post is pathetic and extremely stupid?

Standard **** heads at every club

Reals Ultras are typically fascists hence the usual pro franco and nazi ****.

Boixos Nois (barcas ultras) arent saints either in that regard

real and barca are dealing with it by banning members but it tough to ban all of them

i assume the poster thinks its pathetic because it has little relevance to the game and might come across as a poster being bitter about the result

as for leaving it up, anyone thats been at a game with hardline ultras knows not to **** with them

kryogen

DM360 wrote: »

Surely it's more likely that's a fan wearing a Raul number 7 jersey? It doesn't look much like a players entrance.

Appearances can certainly be deceptive alright and a still frame photo with no other details about it is a fantastic example of that.

Demosthenese

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Sure you could, if you really wanted to. Small margins, big margins, it doesn't matter, you reap what you sow (I do hope that you enjoyed that cliche) it's one of the beauties of football, you will almost always get what you deserve. The mismanagement of this team, and club, has been in motion for quite some time now, it has manifested itself over the course of 90 minutes, it has manifested itself over the course of this week, it has manifested itself in every sub-par Barcelona performance we have seen in the past two seasons. Small margins were the difference tonight, those small margins were created by a series of calamities and widescale mis-handling of the club.

I said I couldn't
You make excuses for Messi cos he is the worlds greatest, but slate guys like Alves. Not that i am any fan of Alves, but on tonights showing he at least showed an appetite to go forward. Fair enough Messi is being played out of his more natural position, but how many years did he terrorize defenders from the wing? His body language is all wrong therefore he becomes the greatest problem for Barca. How to get your best player playing his best - alternatively - regardless of form or feeling - why is Messi not able to turn it on for a Cup final? That's my worry.

Teams have sussed Barca out, Madrid were not exactly brilliant tonight but looked dangerous on the counter - hardly something that Barca were not expecting?

Andersonisgod

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Who would you like to see as Manager next year? Given that Martino will almost definitely walk to the Argentina job. And given that Pep won't be leaving Bayern.

De Boer?
Pochettino?
Luis Enrique?
Ernesto Valverde?

I can't say, managing Barcelona is different to managing any other club, it's akin to the pressure that an international manager must feel but that pressure is felt every week. Of the names being linked I can't say which of them has the gumption to come into the club and stamp their mark on the side, no matter whose toes they step on. I don't know which of the candidates will have the faith of the board and fans to make such dramatic changes to a squad that has been the greatest in the history of the club, but whoever it is must be brave and must bring back the essence of Barcelona because this season it has been sorely lacking too often.

WallyGUFC

Andersonisgod wrote: »

I can't say, managing Barcelona is different to managing any other club, it's akin to the pressure that an international manager must feel but that pressure is felt every week. Of the names being linked I can't say which of them has the gumption to come into the club and stamp their mark on the side, no matter whose toes they step on. I don't know which of the candidates will have the faith of the board and fans to make such dramatic changes to a squad that has been the greatest in the history of the club, but whoever it is must be brave and must bring back the essence of Barcelona because this season it has been sorely lacking too often.

How so? I'd argue that managing any team in the traditional top 6 in England carries more pressure, especially given the complete ruthlessness with which boards act these days (Man United being an exception).

MisterAnarchy

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Iniesta may be nearly 30 but he remains sublime, as does Xavi Hernandez even if he can't play every week. Pique has been a big miss, more so than Puyol this season, Alves is atrocious these days.

Xavi's legs are gone and they have been for some time.
Sadly he is a shadow of the player he used to be.

Busquets hasnt been the same player since his groin injury last season and Iniesta isnt as good either since his injuries.
Its very rare that Xavi or Iniesta score nowadays ,Xavi is playing far too deep.

The team badly needs a good centre back ,you cant expect to spend most of the match on the offensive with a high line and have two slow centre backs ,its suicidal.

I didnt think Real played particularly well tonight,they were functional and used the pace of Bale and Di Maria well.

Ulysses Gaze

Andersonisgod wrote: »

I can't say, managing Barcelona is different to managing any other club, it's akin to the pressure that an international manager must feel but that pressure is felt every week.

..or Real, Man Utd, Chelsea, Bayern...

kryogen

Andersonisgod wrote: »

I can't say, managing Barcelona is different to managing any other club, it's akin to the pressure that an international manager must feel but that pressure is felt every week. Of the names being linked I can't say which of them has the gumption to come into the club and stamp their mark on the side, no matter whose toes they step on. I don't know which of the candidates will have the faith of the board and fans to make such dramatic changes to a squad that has been the greatest in the history of the club, but whoever it is must be brave and must bring back the essence of Barcelona because this season it has been sorely lacking too often.

When did this happen?

Andersonisgod

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

..or Real, Man Utd, Chelsea, Bayern...

I forgot that Man Utd, Chelsea and Bayern, and to a lesser extent Real Madrid, represent a repressed nation. It's a club that practically doubles as a national team for Catalonia, indeed the club is a fantastic ambassador for Catalonia. It's a club with two daily newspapers dedicated to it, a club owned by the fans, a club whose triumphs are celebrated as those of a victory of a whole country. The entorno is unrivaled pressure.

Morzadec

Strange to watch a Classico without Ronaldo and Messi playing but good match all the same.

Was praying for las minute Pinto goal, would've been hilarious!

MD1990

good pic of Messi & Ronaldo.




good to see there is good respect between them

kryogen

Andersonisgod wrote: »

I forgot that Man Utd, Chelsea and Bayern, and to a lesser extent Real Madrid, represent a repressed nation. It's a club that practically doubles as a national team for Catalonia, indeed the club is a fantastic ambassador for Catalonia. It's a club with two daily newspapers dedicated to it, a club owned by the fans, a club whose triumphs are celebrated as those of a victory of a whole country. The entorno is unrivaled pressure.

Catalonia is not a country

A club owned by fans, triumphs and victories celebrated by one and all but anything negative is readily pinned on single individuals.

klose

Barcalonas biggest mistake (aside from failing to adress the defence issue) was letting thiago go due to the games clause he had. They should have played him more in the final half of the season when the league was wrapped up, they instead valued gaining 100 points more over him getting game time and its ultimately reurning to haunt them.

Xavi is tailing off which is more then fair enough given his age, cesc seems a miss match anytime ive watched him in cm. was it just me or did tato have xavi/cec/sergio/iniesta squeezed in centrally with alba left to provide width and cover for the entire left flank? It was a very strange set up, thats before you look at messi out wide at times and the bizzare amount of crosses being made. Anyways, barcas "dominance" taking a but of a hiatus is good in the grand scheme of things imo.

LiamoSail

I think it would be very bad form for DeBour to take the Barca job. Given the circumstances of his departure from Ajax as a player, to repeat similar would be unforgivable

josip

Jesus, Bale really lit the afterburners and went around the long way for that one.
And to think he used to be accused of going down easily..

MisterAnarchy

RasTa wrote: »

Some stadium

Great atmosperic stadium.
And to think it wouldnt be there if Valencia werent in so much debt,the New Mestella is still a building site.

Just read that Messi didnt touch the ball for the first 21 minutes tonight,a startling stat.

Turtwig

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Great atmosperic stadium.
And to think it wouldnt be there if Valencia werent in so much debt,the New Mestella is still a building site.

Just read that Messi didnt touch the ball for the first 21 minutes tonight,a startling stat.

Counted at least four occasions where he didn't track a runner back the whole way and he had initially started running with them but gave up. One occasion let to Masch getting a booking the other lead to the Bale goal. He's an unbelievable player but it does seem that either his ego has gone to his head or he's saving himself for the WC. Either way, Barcalona have been a better team without him in the side.

Also, think it's really stupid to get rid of Martino. They appointed him knowing what style they were going to get and defended him for the first half of the season. Then, when it seems that some players didn't like Martino's pragmaticism they turn on him? Martino's pragmatism had actually made Barca an effective side again. The team didn't have the players (or manager) for the high tempo possession game Pep brought. They did have a bloody effective game all the same. It says a lot when you compare the possession stats to the first and second half of the season. Barcelona with less possession were far more dangerous and defensively solid. Martino definitely deserves a shot at another big club.

NIMAN

Another enjoyable Clasico. Most tend to be good games with really high standard of football on show.

Really happy for Bale that he won the Cup Final with such a great goal. Some change from winning a game for Spurs and getting the congrats from Tim Sherwood, to winning a cup final for Real Madrid v Barca and having the likes of Ronaldo, Ancellotti and Zidane hugging you. He must have been in dreamland last night.

As for Barca, many are talking about an end of an era, and some players are looking past their best, but if that Neymar effort had gone in at the end it might have been a different game. They certainly need to address some weaknesses they have but I wouldn't be writing them off just yet. Since a solid foundation of a really good team. Messi looks unhappy, either he's not fully fit or else saving himself for the WC, but he's not running at players the way he used to.

RasTa

kryogen wrote: »

You will see the Raul jersey eventually

Im surprised if that was today, how do you know it belongs to Madrid fans?

How come it was allowed be put up and stay up? Its clearly out in the open

El Mundo Deportivo reported it. Why are you surprised, it's their ultras.. They were also burning the Catalan flag

MagicIRL

Will an unhappy Messi stay at Barca if they continue down this road that doesn't seem to overly suit him? Could he end up at Bayern with Pep? Or PSG, City or some other Arab-fueled machine?

EuropeanSon

MagicIRL wrote: »

Will an unhappy Messi stay at Barca if they continue down this road that doesn't seem to overly suit him? Could he end up at Bayern with Pep? Or PSG, City or some other Arab-fueled machine?

He's tied down for a very long time, I'm fairly sure, all his friends are presumably there, and it would take a colossal fee to get him, so I don't see him moving, ever.

Turtwig

MagicIRL wrote: »

Will an unhappy Messi stay at Barca if they continue down this road that doesn't seem to overly suit him? Could he end up at Bayern with Pep? Or PSG, City or some other Arab-fueled machine?

Depends. Let's see if they keep Tata first. Messi also has a young sprog now so we can't rule that out either.

sea_monkey

That's the difference between Ronaldo and Messi. Ronaldo would never just give up.

Turtwig

sea_monkey wrote: »

That's the difference between Ronaldo and Messi. Ronaldo would never just give up.

No? Then why does he often start flailing his arms around like someone who has?

sea_monkey

Turtwig wrote: »

No? Then why does he often start flailing his arms around like someone who has?

Thats his passion. Messi goes into a sulk when the world doesnt go his way. Ronaldo makes the world do what he wants. Legend.

KERSPLAT!

Jaysus.

MagicIRL

Well, it was good talkin' to ya while it lasted...