La Liga Discussion Thread 2014/15 Season.

Donnielighto

Same number of shots on target in that half, that doenst include the goal.

Barca doing nathin with the ball

Ulysses Gaze

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Penalty! Penalty! Handball! It's way more a penalty than the one Madrid got earlier yet the team in Blaugrana doesn't get it, it's no coincidence.

Never a penalty. Absolutely no intent on the Sociedad defenders part.

Not a penalty at the other end either.

Andersonisgod

Amidst the disorganized chaos, Lionel Messi is the shining light.

Ulysses Gaze

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Amidst the disorganized chaos, Lionel Messi is the shining light.

I don't think Enrique is up to the job.

I know you mentioned that Rijkaard had a poor start and he did. But at least you could see what he was trying to get his team to do.

I still cannot see what Enrique's game plan is

Johner

Delighted for Moyes.

Rayne Wooney

Sociedad have been faultless

klose

Mad this, only real sociedads 4th win and 3 of them were against real, atleti and barca. Huge grilling imminent for enrique.

Hank Scorpio

The flame haired Scot having moved to Real Sociedad 30 days previous has shown his tactical genius tonight. The crowd shout and scream in a language alien to him, the atmosphere electric.

kingtiger

great result

Ulysses Gaze

Estacionar el Autobús - but it worked!

Delighted for Moyes.

Luis Enrique has been found out. And not for the first time this season.

Blatter

The commentator clearly doesn't know the rule there. The ball was still under the keeper's 'control', it's not about whether it leaves his hands or not.

MisterAnarchy

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Luis Enrique has been found out. And not for the first time this season.

Barcelona wont win anything under Enrique this year .
His Barcelona team cant win the big games .
Rubbish manager.

miralize

Good win for Moyes.

Lucho on the other hand. People have been fired for less incompetence.

ThunbergsAreGo

Glad to see Moyes do well

Ulysses Gaze

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Barcelona wont win anything under Enrique this year .
His Barcelona team cant win the big games .
Rubbish manager.

He'll be gone in the summer.

The lads in the Sky Studio summed it up.

There is no fluidity to their attack - no team game plan.

They are relying on individuals for flashes of genius to dig them out of trouble.

klose

nuxxx wrote: »

The flame haired Scot having moved to Real Sociedad 30 days previous has shown his tactical genius tonight. The crowd shout and scream in a language alien to him, the atmosphere electric.

The hero of basque country

kingtiger

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Amidst the disorganized chaos, Lionel Messi is the shining light.

maybe if he actually came back to Barca when he was told, he would shone even brighter

miralize

kingtiger wrote: »

maybe if he actually came back to Barca when he was told, he would shone even brighter

He was given the option because of Copa America this year.

Montroseee

Moyes the Barca slayer. Happy for the gent.

Talib Fiasco

Why United ever got rid of him I will never know. Genius.

MD1990

I think Real are going to drop more points next few months beacuse of very little rotation of there squad.
Atletico could well win La Liga again.

MisterAnarchy

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

He'll be gone in the summer.

The lads in the Sky Studio summed it up.

There is no fluidity to their attack - no team game plan.

They are relying on individuals for flashes of genius to dig them out of trouble.

Yip ,for a team with 3 of the most prized forwards in the world they are toothless.

Why is he resting players away to Sociedad ,a notoriously difficult fixture for Barcelona ?
Is it because of the cup game on Thursday vs Elche because he could put the B team out against those guys and win .
Andersenisgod could fill in for Messi against Elche ,it would make no difference

Andersonisgod

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

I don't think Enrique is up to the job.

I know you mentioned that Rijkaard had a poor start and he did. But at least you could see what he was trying to get his team to do.

I still cannot see what Enrique's game plan is

Unfortunately it is looking that way. There's been some good performances and I think Messi's return to top form has helped him out big time but too often he's been found lacking.

Tonight is unforgivable. Real Madrid lose, a golden chance to go top of the table and Enrique practically concedes the game before kick off. How can you go to the Anoeta, where our recent record is woeful, and start such a weakened side just after the Christmas break.

It's a team without direction, a team without purpose, a team with such glaring weaknesses that a 10 year old could point them out. Just as they say The Simpsons morphed into a cold, shell of its former self and became known as zombie-Simpsons, Barcelona have become a soulless parody of what it was, zombie-Barcelona plays in the proud blaugrana, occasionally they produce moments reminiscent of their glory days, they still have Messi but even he is hindered by the disgustingly incompetent board and the conditions they have placed him in. Zombie-Barcelona go from game to game diminishing the great name of the club and the legend of the team it once was.

Rosell, Bartomeu his board and Zubizarreta are the chief perpetrators and the conditions they've placed Luis Enrique in have been tough for the young manager but Enrique it does seem is woefully out of his depth. Everyone has gotten behind him, myself included, but the club must now go out and get a proven manager and back that manager, believe that the new manager can bring the good times back to the club. For that to happen the board must go.

Ulysses Gaze

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Unfortunately it is looking that way. There's been some good performances and I think Messi's return to top form has helped him out big time but too often he's been found lacking.

Tonight is unforgivable. Real Madrid lose, a golden chance to go top of the table and Enrique practically concedes the game before kick off. How can you go to the Anoeta, where our recent record is woeful, and start such a weakened side just after the Christmas break.

It's a team without direction, a team without purpose, a team with such glaring weaknesses that a 10 year old could point them out. Just as they say The Simpsons morphed into a cold, shell of its former self and became known as zombie-Simpsons, Barcelona have become a soulless parody of what it was, zombie-Barcelona plays in the proud blaugrana, occasionally they produce moments reminiscent of their glory days, they still have Messi but even he is hindered by the disgustingly incompetent board and the conditions they have placed him in. Zombie-Barcelona go from game to game diminishing the great name of the club and the legend of the team it once was.

Rosell, Bartomeu his board and Zubizarreta are the chief perpetrators and the conditions they've placed Luis Enrique in have been tough for the young manager but Enrique it does seem is woefully out of his depth. Everyone has gotten behind him, myself included, but the club must now go out and get a proven manager and back that manager, believe that the new manager can bring the good times back to the club. For that to happen the board must go.

Well the club need Laporta back. Or at least someone like him. He had his flaws, but the man had a vision for the club that was all encompassing.

Then a new manager. That will be more difficult. Who would suit Barca that is out there at the moment?

Andersonisgod

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Well the club need Laporta back. Or at least someone like him. He had his flaws, but the man had a vision for the club that was all encompassing.

Then a new manager. That will be more difficult. Who would suit Barca that is out there at the moment?

Laporta would be my choice too. Even if it wasn't Laporta, a competent president who respects the traditions of the club and who has a clear, long term plan. Cleaning up the mess this board has left will take a lot of time I fear.

Without meaning to sound big-headed, this is Barcelona and that alone should be a big enough draw to attract big names. Obviously people will say Klopp and I think he has the strength of personality to enter a big club like Barcelona and make big decisions. Frank De Boer, Lucien Favre and Oscar Garcia are other names I've seen mentioned on Twitter tonight. All would be fantastic additions.

HalloweenJack

elefant wrote: »

How has that affected the scoreline?
On the other hand, Real have scored another dubious penalty.

Marca will find some way to complain if they do lose though.

Tbh, didn't catch the first half so dunno about the Madrid peno, wouldn't surprise me if it was dodgy.

It seemed to me like that ref was just making some bizarre calls (most in favour of Valencia) in the second half.

The yellow for Carvajal was for a Valencia player who tried to knock the ball past him and slipped. The free was fizzed across, went out for a corner and Otamendi scored from it. Wasn't a free, let alone a yellow.

Then there were some very inconsistent decisions and a lot seemed to go Valencia's way, though the ref was just a bit clueless as opposed to being biased.

miralize

Following the rumours from last night. Zubizaretta has been fired, probably due to his comments blaming Bartomeu for the transfer ban, but also to divert the attention (and blame) away from Lucho. Everyone behind the scenes there should be without jobs tbh..

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/detail/article/fc-barcelona-terminate-the-contract-of-andoni-zubizarreta-as-director-of-football

Andersonisgod

miralize wrote: »

Following the rumours from last night. Zubizaretta has been fired, probably due to his comments blaming Bartomeu for the transfer ban, but also to divert the attention (and blame) away from Lucho. Everyone behind the scenes there should be without jobs tbh..

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/detail/article/fc-barcelona-terminate-the-contract-of-andoni-zubizarreta-as-director-of-football

As you say, it's an attempt by the board to deflect blame but Zubi certainly must shoulder a fair portion of the blame. As sporting director, the club have steadily gone backwards. If anything, he's been a bit of an embarrassment to the club, he had to go, he was as inept at this board.

However the next step is the dismantling of, arguably, the worst board the club have had in modern times. It's become clear that Enrique isn't up to the job. Zubi is gone, that's one down, two to go.

Turtwig

Enrique deserves a full season at least. His celta team started poorly but grew as the season went on.

miralize

I'm not a fan of changing manager season after season (I would have kept Tata for instance). But Enrique needs to go. He did grow into the Celta job, but you have to admit there was much less pressure on him there.

Here are some of the reasons I want Enrique gone :

He's isolated Montoya & now we are looking to enter next season with just Adriano & Douglas (who is sh1te) as first choice RB's next season.
He got Rakatic and Suarez to add some verticality and directness to our system but we still have the issue of being up against 7 defenders in the final third of the pitch.
He hasn't played the same team twice in a row. He started in May and still doesn't have a system in place.
Record spending spree and we got Mathieu, Vermaelen and Douglas... not at our level.
He maintains nothing is wrong.
Continues to play Xavi week after week when hes clearly out of ideas.
Messi & Neymar on the bench when it was a chance to capitalise on Real's loss.

Andersonisgod

Turtwig wrote: »

Enrique deserves a full season at least. His celta team started poorly but grew as the season went on.

There have been moments. His decision to go with 3 at the back and Pedro as a right wing back against PSG at the Camp Nou worked. He's certainly not afraid to make daring decisions (last night, Mathieu at left back at the Bernabeu) but it's all well and good making daring decisions but if they don't work then inevitably the blame falls on you.

More than that though, the real concern is that the side seems to have no direction, no purpose. We keep the ball but for no apparent reason. Sometimes the forward play is scintillating, other times it's completely flat. We still look likely to concede from a set piece any time we are asked to defend one. Our goals conceded column looks better this season but when we've played against high quality opposition we've conceded far too many. It's a team without a philosophy, under a manager who has 3 of the finest attackers on the planet yet he can't fit them all into the side. The reliance on Messi or Neymar to produce a moment of individual brilliance is too heavy, Messi has been playing out of his skin this season, he's the chief playmaker with Iniesta's lack of form and he's the chief goalscorer, he is everything, he is Barcelona right now, it's simply not sustainable. That's what is unforgivable, he is managing a club famous for it's football philosophy and yet the side are a pale imitation of that philosophy.

The talk this morning that Messi hasn't shown up for training and apparently is furious with Enrique must be the death-knell for the manager. Messi, a perfect professional, whose only desire is, and always has been, to play football for Barcelona, is being made to feel distant. Apparently Enrique treats him as just another player in the squad, that simply cannot be, you must take into account the player you are managing and this is Messi, this is the finest footballer to ever playin the blaugrana jersey, a player who has rescued Enrique more than a few times, he deserves far more respect. When you've lost the dressing room, when you've lost Messi, there is no future as Barcelona coach.

Andersonisgod

miralize wrote: »

I'm not a fan of changing manager season after season (I would have kept Tata for instance). But Enrique needs to go. He did grow into the Celta job, but you have to admit there was much less pressure on him there.

Here are some of the reasons I want Enrique gone :

He's isolated Montoya & now we are looking to enter next season with just Adriano & Douglas (who is sh1te) as first choice RB's next season.
He got Rakatic and Suarez to add some verticality and directness to our system but we still have the issue of being up against 7 defenders in the final third of the pitch.
He hasn't played the same team twice in a row. He started in May and still doesn't have a system in place.
Record spending spree and we got Mathieu, Vermaelen and Douglas... not at our level.
He maintains nothing is wrong.
Continues to play Xavi week after week when hes clearly out of ideas.
Messi & Neymar on the bench when it was a chance to capitalise on Real's loss.

I definitely don't think Tata was the man for the job and quotes from him since he left Barcelona basically show that even he doesn't think he was the man for the job.

I absolutely agree with the rest of the points though. The Douglas deal is perhaps one of the shadiest deals in history. How a club like Barcelona can be stuck with a past it Dani Alves, a past it Adriano and the woeful Douglas is inexcusable.
Suarez, as wonderfully gifted as he is, hasn't settled yet and I do think it's worth questioning just how essential he was. Messi is having to operate from a wide position to accommodate him and Messi should not have to accommodate anyone. Had we used that manager to bring in a world class wide player who would have added some penetration from the flanks and been able to join in with the build up play (Hazard or Reus) and perhaps used the remainder of the Suarez money to sign a top class center back I think we would have been better off.
Exactly in terms of formation and player choice he hasn't settled on one, in terms of style and philosophy he doesn't seem to have one.
Iniesta, Xavi an Busquets last night was a disaster and shouldn't happen anymore.
Unforgivable.

Turtwig

Getting rid of Tata was wild imo. He brought a solidity to Barca, he was very badly treated though. Letting bothand cesc thiago go was criminal.

I think Enrique's problem is messi. He's too big an ego now and does feck all grafting. He's too static and against the more organised sides that 's costing Barca dearly. Enrique's celta pressed intensely. Barca don't. If anything they look a incredibly conditioned team that makes no use of their conditioning.

Playing xavi is ok imo. He's got busquets and Mascherano supporting him. And he doesn't really have a choice. Xavi is the only player capable of controlling the tempo. His almost rescued the game last night with his trademark slide rule pass to Suarez

Andersonisgod

Turtwig wrote: »

Getting rid of Tata was wild imo. He brought a solidity to Barca, he was very badly treated though. Letting bothand cesc thiago go was criminal.

I think Enrique's problem is messi. He's too big an ego now and does feck all grafting. He's too static and against the more organised sides that 's costing Barca dearly. Enrique's celta pressed intensely. Barca don't. If anything they look a incredibly conditioned team that makes no use of their conditioning.

Playing xavi is ok imo. He's got busquets and Mascherano supporting him. And he doesn't really have a choice. Xavi is the only player capable of controlling the tempo. His almost rescued the game last night with his trademark slide rule pass to Suarez

Like I said above, I genuinely don't think Tata was the right man at all, at times his version of Barcelona was like a midget version of Stoke, it was puke-inducing. However your point on Thiago is absolutely correct. His release is the harshest indictment of the board as you can possibly get. I've read "Herr Pep" and according to the author of that book (whose access to Guardiola was unprecedented and thus there is little reason to doubt him) Barcelona had been attempting to sell Thiago Alcantara since 2011, described by those at the club as "the pearl of La Masia" he was the most talented youngster to emerge from the youth ranks since Messi, an extraordinary player, with the temperament and control of Xavi Hernandez and the sublime talents of an Iniesta. Rosell and Zubi didn't fancy him and basically wh**ed him around Europe without justification. The club never had any intention of giving him the playing time required to bring up his release clause, the handling of that is a disgrace and still stings as a Barcelona fan. Once Guardiola took over at Bayern he knew the situation with Thiago and pounced on it instantly. For this episode alone the board and Zubi deserve to go.

I couldn't disagree more. Granted he doesn't work as hard as he used to as he now tries to conserve energy and is wary of injuring those delicate hamstrings but he has worked harder this season than the last couple of seasons. You have to allow for that, if Madrid can allow for Ronaldo to contribute a minimum amount to defence then Barcelona can allow the same for Messi. He's been the saving grace this season. In a system so vague that nobody seems to understand it, Messi has become the key playmaker and the key goalscorer, I shudder to think what this team would be without Messi, the first half against Sociedad was a rather horrifying look at that.

MD1990

Very poor from Messi not showing up to training. Did the same when Pep didn't start him once. Its childish behaviour & not helping the club at all.

Andersonisgod

MD1990 wrote: »

Very poor from Messi not showing up to training. Did the same when Pep didn't start him once. Its childish behaviour & not helping the club at all.

Again I disagree. If the things we are reading are true then he has every right to be annoyed, infact I think he should be commended for his loyalty for sticking with Barcelona when he could have his pick of any club in the world. See it from his point of view, he's the greatest footballer that ever lived, certainly the greatest ever Barcelona player and yet since the Rosell administration took over he's been treated like the red headed 3rd cousin at a wedding.

When the tax thing came up the club should have backed him to the hilt, they hung him out to dry. When Madrid started their anti Messi campaigns through their media outlets, the club should have backed him to the hilt, they hung him out to dry. When he was having fitness issues the club should have done what's best for the player, they hung him out to dry, basically calling him injury prone. Too many snide comments in Barcelona papers, too much back-biting. They have the Messi in his prime and this is what they give him? Douglas? A side under the direction of a directionless manager?

Now, when things seem to be coming to a head, now they should back Messi. Enrique says he can have two days off, Messi had no clue that if he took up that offer that he wouldn't start the game, if he'd known that I'd bet all of my worldly possessions that Messi wouldn't have taken the break. They say there's virtually no relationship between Enrique and Messi, they say Enrique treats him like just another squad member, he isn't just another squad member, he's Lionel Messi. He didn't show up to training today, then there's the stuff with him following Chelsea and Chelsea players on Instagram, yes it's a bit ridiculous but it's an indication of how he is feeling. He has been let down at every turn by this board, he has been let down by the manager, he lives in Spain under constantly scrutiny and unfair pressure, much of which comes from what is supposed to be friendly Catalan media. Apparently today at the Mini Estadi fans jeered Zubizarreta, Enrique and Messi(!), it's a manipulation of the truth to make Messi out to be the bad guy, he is anything but. However there is only so long he can remain loyal, this is it, this is the first time he has ever had an open altercation with such a high ranking official, you must ask how in the world has Luis Enrique managed to provoke the quiet, humble Lionel Messi to such outrage, that in itself is an achievement.

Capajoma

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Like I said above, I genuinely don't think Tata was the right man at all, at times his version of Barcelona was like a midget version of Stoke, it was puke-inducing.

You've changed your tune.

Andersonisgod wrote: »

A goal that justifies what Tata Martino has brought back to Barcelona. Instant, aggressive pressing, winning the ball back near Levante's box, Fabregas does well and Alves has no problem putting the ball in the net. 3-0

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Excellent performance overall for Barcelona,a massive improvement on the performances against Madrid last season, the addition of the phenomenal Neymar proved decisive, Xavi Hernandez produced the kind of performance that few, if any, other midfielder can replicate, the controlling force in the game, a towering figure in the centre of the park despite his small stature. 6 point gap between the two clubs, Tata's rejuvenated Barcelona side continue their match back to the top of world football.

Turtwig

Messi and Pep had multiple disagreements. It's widely believed that Messi afforded Pep such respect in the first place because of Pep's decision to overrule the club's own board and legal team and allow him to take part in the Olympics.

I think if there's one thing that annoys me more than anything it's the notion that Lionel Messi is the humble quiet guy and Ronaldo the arrogant wild one.
Messi, let's not forget, confronted Arbeola in front of his family once. Now, I'm not saying either of them are egoists or have ego problems -everyoen has their moments. I am however saying that Messi is by no means the saint the media often like to portray him as. That isn't to say he's a closet villian either. The fact is we simply don't know who Messi, the person, is.

the_monkey

Great to see the football genius Moyes get a win over barcelona , when do Madrid play their game in hand ?

Andersonisgod

Capajoma wrote: »

You've changed your tune.

They could put Tony Pulis (actually not that far off Tata Martino) in charge of Barcelona and I'd back him. I backed Tata, I backed Enrique, I'd back whoever sits in that Barcelona dugout but what's happening at the club can no longer be justified no matter how much I adore the club.

Corholio

Did Messi really not show up for training?

Bar an actual ban or action from a manager towards a player, not showing up for training in professional football is quite a mistake on Messi's part. No matter how supposedly 'poor' Enrique has treated him tactic wise or otherwise, it's a little disgraceful for him to do that. Amazing how some can claim to know what type of person he actually is and how hard done by he supposedly is. The Arbeloa incident was quite an interesting one in that regard. He seems like a decent guy but the amount of hyperbole about how innocent and mistreated he is, is incredibly mini violin-like.

But I'm sure someone will try and justify it. It really is an ill advised move on Messi's part though, if true.

Turtwig

I suppose there is always the possibility that he didn't show up for genuine reasons. As others have said, if it is was purely because he didn't start then that's really poor form. Even he needs to be rotated.

Turtwig

Think Sid Lowe summed things up briliantly

In fairness to Luis Enrique, once they had come back two days later than the rest, perhaps leaving them on the bench was logical, but he had insisted before the game that they were all “fresh and fit.” And anyway, here’s an idea: if it is a risk to play someone who has got back late, don’t decide to let your best players come back late in the first place. Equally, letting Messi come back late and not starting him in the first game in January is nothing new: Pep Guardiola did it four years in a row and Tata Martino did the same.

But it’s a little different when you’re going away to Anoeta, where you have not won for five years; when Real Madrid have just unexpectedly handed you a rare chance to close the gap; and when leaving them out is just another indication of a much deeper problem; when for much of the season only Messi and Neymar have hidden how poorly your team is playing; when Barcelona have no identity and when know one knows what the system is except that the system is Messi. This was Barcelona’s 17th league game and their 17th different lineup.

Apparently, Messi had gastroenteritis. If true, that's a pretty legit excuse.

Andersonisgod

Sid Lowe has hit the nail on the head there, spot on really.

callaway92

Ya, Sid Lowe on-the-ball as usual.

Always enjoy his interviews on the Football Weekly Podcast and Off The Ball too. Clearly has a high level of football intelligence, especially on La Liga.

CSF

Whether Enrique is in the wrong or not, it's not ok to just not show up for training.

Hopefully it's a false story where he has a reason for being out, brcause otherwise Enrique is finished, and not for the right reasons.

Andersonisgod

CSF wrote: »

Whether Enrique is in the wrong or not, it's not ok to just not show up for training.

Hopefully it's a false story where he has a reason for being out, brcause otherwise Enrique is finished, and not for the right reasons.

Just imagine how bad Enrique must be if he has driven Messi to open warfare. Enrique can't go on, he must go.

Andersonisgod

Just to update everyone on some news I've read there a second ago. Lots of stuff coming out of Barcelona today, it seems the Sociedad defeat and the manner in which it happened was the final straw that broke an already strained camels back.

We start with Barcelona legend and avid free-speaker Stoichkov who has said the following: "For me Bartomeu isn't a president, he is just an employee. He comes from a rebound because a coward (Rosell) left. I blame everyone (the board members). I'm also to blame for voting for them. Messi wants to play, win and we have to take care of him. If we don't take care of the best in the world , what should we do? They criticise Iniesta and Xavi, but what signings were made? I don't understand why Isco and Kroos weren't signed" Stoichkov clearly is not impressed.

Bartomeu is apparently quoted as saying during a visit to a hospital in Barcelona todat "I don't know what Luis Enrique is doing. He's gone mad" Inspiring stuff from the president who is plucking scapegoats out of the air left right and center.

Cadena COPE reporting that Enrique has received an ultimatum from the board, he has two matches to save his job.

Eduardo Macia, currently of Fiorentina, is the favourite to be appointed new sporting director, they say it's close to being completed.

Former Barcelona presidential candidate Agusti Benedito has not so long ago gone public with his criticism of the Barcelona board. He says they lack legitimacy to make key decisions.

Paco Aguillar (renowned Spanish journalist) confirms there's no dialogue between Luis Enrique and his players. It seems only a matter of time now until the inevitable happens and he is removed from his post.

And finally I'll end on a lighter note. MARCA and AS apparently plan on running tomorrow with the lead story that this is all Messi's fault, go blame Messi. Of course anyone even semi-informed knows that's a total nonsense but because so many people are unaware of the intricacies of the situation those kind of hate-mongering stories do actually fool people. The reality is that Messi is a victim. He's been one of the biggest victims since Rosell took over. They say the Rosell administration wanted rid of Messi. Their treatment towards Messi, which I've posted already tonight in this thread, has been despicable. Any real fan of Barcelona knows that he should have been treated far better than he has been, they also know of his enduring desire to remain at the club. Messi has taken hit after hit, this joke manager was a step too far, finally Messi takes a stand in his own way, I applaud him.

By the way, I have to reference and give credit to the journalist Rafael Hernandez for all of that news, very well informed and always spot on with his views.

miralize

#CryuffIn

I'm deadly serious.

K4t

Andersonisgod wrote: »

They criticise Iniesta and Xavi, but what signings were made? I don't understand why Isco and Kroos weren't signed"

Just on this and to satisfy my own interest, what is the verdict on Rakitic? Surely there was no need for Kroos with his signing?