La Liga Superthread 2016/17

Glico Man

enzo roco wrote: »

The players were a disgrace after an hour, on both sides. Most of the cards were correct. Ya cant blame the ref.

Rossi IRL wrote: »

Did he get the 1st yellow for the tackle and then the 2nd for decent?

Yeah, the ref gave it incorrectly for Carriço winning the ball. His foot rolled over the top of the ball and then connected with Messi's ankle.

That was the first incorrect call he made all game.

And then he booked poor Carriço again as he was mouthing off while walking away.

Andersonisgod

Maybe it's now time we start giving Luis Enrique some credit. His decisions tonight were spot on, the work he has done on this squad is considerable. From a side looking like they were at the end of their cycle under Roura and Martino to a team reborn under Enrique with this new brand of football, he's a superb coach and goddammit I'm going all in one Enrique.

Rossi IRL

Andersonisgod wrote: »

they are the best damn team in the world

Yet the 2 Madrid teams battle each other for the most prestigious trophy in club football.

Andersonisgod

Rossi IRL wrote: »

Yet the 2 Madrid teams battle each other for the most prestigious trophy in club football.

Let them enjoy it. Spanish Champions. Spanish cup winners. 5/6 major trophies. There's only Barcelona.

Glico Man

JIdontknow wrote: »

Messi's reaction of rolling about 10 times didn't help. I'm probably just bitter because of the likes of Neymar, Alba etc..

Actually thought the ref had a reasonably good game with exception to that last decision.

Well in fairness to Messi he was caught by Carriço when his foot rolled over the top of the ball after he won the ball.

The ref got every big decision right and all cards were well warranted from both sides until that final call. Which he got wrong imo.

Glico Man

Turtwig wrote: »

Sevilla didn't take advantage of their numerical superiority. Very impressive win by Barca all things considered.

This is very much the harsh truth for Sevilla. They had about 60 odd minutes to find a way past 10 men before Banega's final goodbye contribution in a white and red jersey. They failed.

Andersonisgod

Beautiful presentation, the some of the players bring their kids up the steps to lift the trophy, a magnificent way to cap off another excellent season. El cant del Barça rings out around the Vicente Calderón, what a group of players this is, once in a lifetime group, an incredible era of dominance the likes of which we might never see again. Soak it know, absorb it, enjoy it, this is the greatest club of the century, the team that defines the time you live in. Ter Stegen, Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba, Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta, Messi, Suarez, Neymar, Enrique, these are legends that you will tell tales of. Blaugrana is the color of football.

KERSPLAT!

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Beautiful presentation, the some of the players bring their kids up the steps to lift the trophy, a magnificent way to cap off another excellent season. El cant del Barça rings out around the Vicente Calderón, what a group of players this is, once in a lifetime group, an incredible era of dominance the likes of which we might never see again. Soak it know, absorb it, enjoy it, this is the greatest club of the century, the team that defines the time you live in. Ter Stegen, Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba, Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta, Messi, Suarez, Neymar, Enrique, these are legends that you will tell tales of. Blaugrana is the color of football.

???

dfx-

Excellent gutsy performance from barcelona. Pique switched on is an asset, Busquets sweeping up, but Iniesta was my MOTM. Fantastic second half.

I did quite like that after the presentation and photos, they all went off to the fans and the trophy was left behind. Suarez couldn't carry it and was trying to pawn it off on someone and there were no takers. :pac:

Andersonisgod

KERSPLAT! wrote: »

???

Current Barcelona goalkeeper and prodigious talent.

SlickRic

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Current Barcelona goalkeeper and prodigious talent.

He knows who he is. I think he was questioning him being called a 'legend'.

NIMAN

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Let them enjoy it. Spanish Champions. Spanish cup winners. 5/6 major trophies. There's only Barcelona.

You can try to make a La Liga title or a Kings Cup sound more important, but they are nowhere as important in modern football as a CL trophy.

That's where its at these days for Europes elite clubs. Nothing else.

I am sure Barca would swap the League and Cup for a CL trophy this season.

Andersonisgod

NIMAN wrote: »

You can try to make a La Liga title or a Kings Cup sound more important, but they are nowhere as important in modern football as a CL trophy.

That's where its at these days for Europes elite clubs. Nothing else.

I am sure Barca would swap the League and Cup for a CL trophy this season.

They absolutely wouldn't and neither would I. The league is hotly contested between 3 of the top 4 teams on the planet, it's a true measure if consistency and quality throughout the year. To win it again, making it 6 out of 8 is an incredible achievement. To add the Copa Del Rey to that is tremendous, especially given how that game went. The fight and character in these players is off the scale, they are true champions. It's 5 out of 6 major trophies for Enrique, truly it is a special time to be a Barcelona fan and this has been another excellent season.

NIMAN

My God you can spin!

Andersonisgod

NIMAN wrote: »

My God you can spin!

Haha the world of politics doesn't know what it's missing out on, but no genuinely I'd rather the 2 trophies over the UCL. It's been a great season with just one blip that threatened to derail everything. The players got back on track. It's special too because of how often these players play, there's very little rotation in this squad, the key players play practically every game, as they've done this season and last. It must be extremely draining.

TheNap

Rossi IRL wrote: »

Yet the 2 Madrid teams battle each other for the most prestigious trophy in club football.

I dont think beating Roma Wolfsburg and Man City can make you the best team in the world . I still think Barca are .

ionadnapokot

Barcelona would without a shadow of a doubt gladly sacrifice the league (& CDelR!!!) if it meant they were sure to win The European Cup.
But that is in an ideal world.
They hate the thought of Real M with 10 ECups and Barca still 5 behind.
The EC/CL is the true measure of greatness.

Blatter

Andersonisgod wrote: »

...but no genuinely I'd rather the 2 trophies over the UCL.

Haha! Who do you think you're kidding?

You, I and the rest of the forum know only too well that the complete opposite opinion would be held if Barca managed to win the CL but lose the league and cup!

Barca have won the league 7 of the last 9 seasons. I think they would have given it a miss this season along with the Copa if it was choice between those two and the CL. The CL is a notoriously difficult competition to win, as illustrated by the fact that it's not unusual for elite clubs to go a decade+ without lifting it. You cash in on the big one whenever you get the chance!

cowboyBuilder

Outclassed in the UCL by Athletico ...

Limped over the line on the last day of the season for the league ..

Beat a terrible Sevilla in added time for Copa del Rey - were lucky and shouldn't have won it .

2 cups is deceptive.

Failed season.

MarkY91

cowboyBuilder wrote: »

Outclassed in the UCL by Athletico ...

Limped over the line on the last day of the season for the league ..

Beat a terrible Sevilla in added time for Copa del Rey - were lucky and shouldn't have won it .

2 cups is deceptive.

Failed season.

So basically they're that good that only winning 2 cups is deemed a failure.

gimmick

ionadnapokot wrote: »

The EC/CL is the true measure of greatness.

LOL. No it isnt. Its a cup competition which In the last 15 years, poor sides like Porto, Liverpool and Chelsea have won. Monaco have contested a final.

That said, I think Barca would have traded this season if it meant Real not going to 11 wins.

Brendan Flowers

Blatter wrote: »

Haha! Who do you think you're kidding?

You, I and the rest of the forum know only too well that the complete opposite opinion would be held if Barca managed to win the CL but lose the league and cup!

Barca have won the league 7 of the last 9 seasons. I think they would have given it a miss this season along with the Copa if it was choice between those two and the CL. The CL is a notoriously difficult competition to win, as illustrated by the fact that it's not unusual for elite clubs to go a decade+ without lifting it. You cash in on the big one whenever you get the chance!

I have to disagree with this. While some top clubs may sacrifice the League for the UCL it's far from always the case. I think I mentioned Alex Ferguson here a few weeks back. He always priortised the Premier League. I know he probably would've loved to have won a 3rd UCL but I can't imagine he would've sacrificed any one of his 13 League titles for it.

Blatter

Brendan Flowers wrote: »

...but I can't imagine he would've sacrificed any one of his 13 League titles for it.

He absolutely would have!

Iirc, he was asked which he'd prefer to win a few years ago and he said the CL as United hadn't won it enough times given the size and history of the club.

Andersonisgod

Blatter wrote: »

Haha! Who do you think you're kidding?

You, I and the rest of the forum know only too well that the complete opposite opinion would be held if Barca managed to win the CL but lose the league and cup!

Barca have won the league 7 of the last 9 seasons. I think they would have given it a miss this season along with the Copa if it was choice between those two and the CL. The CL is a notoriously difficult competition to win, as illustrated by the fact that it's not unusual for elite clubs to go a decade+ without lifting it. You cash in on the big one whenever you get the chance!

There's far too much chance in the pursuit of the Champions League. The league shows consistency, it shows quality over an entire season.

I'm sure Enrique and the players before the season would have said they'd want to win everything but if made to choose the situation Barcelona found themselves in is far more favourable to winning only the UCL.

Yes they have, it's an incredible record and one that the club will fight tooth and nail to maintain. It's a sure fire indicator that this club has dominated an entire era. By the way, it's not as though Barcelona haven't won any Champions League's lately, I believe it is 4 in 10 years, including last season.

Andersonisgod

cowboyBuilder wrote: »

Outclassed in the UCL by Athletico ...

Limped over the line on the last day of the season for the league ..

Beat a terrible Sevilla in added time for Copa del Rey - were lucky and shouldn't have won it .

2 cups is deceptive.

Failed season.

This just in: any club that doesn't win a treble has has a failed season. Is that what you are saying?

Mes Que Un Club.

ionadnapokot

gimmick wrote: »

LOL. No it isnt. Its a cup competition which In the last 15 years, poor sides like Porto, Liverpool and Chelsea have won. Monaco have contested a final.

That said, I think Barca would have traded this season if it meant Real not going to 11 wins.

lol? Come on now. That's a bit unnecessary.

I'd argue that the greatest club sides of their day have all won the European Cup.
The Leeds team in 75 were a great side by lost to another great side that year.
And just because you win it, doesn't automatically make you "great".
As I said it is a "true measure of greatness"
If you don't win the EC/CL you can't call yourself a great team.
Btw That Porto team, who beat Monaco, were not great but were an excellent team.

astonaidan

People trying to spin Barca not taking CL over everything else :pac:
These are the same people who screamed Messi should win the Balon D'or when he scored loads of goals but Inter won the treble, then when Ronaldo does the same thing, they belittle his scoring of goals and roll out the more of a team player.
These are blind fanatics, the idiots of football. This expression :rolleyes: is to be widely used around them, they are infact to be pitied

ERG89

cowboyBuilder wrote: »

Outclassed in the UCL by Athletico ...

Limped over the line on the last day of the season for the league ..

Beat a terrible Sevilla in added time for Copa del Rey - were lucky and shouldn't have won it .

2 cups is deceptive.

Failed season.

I wish any team I supported won the league or a cup......

gimmick

ionadnapokot wrote: »

lol? Come on now. That's a bit unnecessary.

I'd argue that the greatest club sides of their day have all won the European Cup.
The Leeds team in 75 were a great side by lost to another great side that year.
And just because you win it, doesn't automatically make you "great".
As I said it is a "true measure of greatness"
If you don't win the EC/CL you can't call yourself a great team.
Btw That Porto team, who beat Monaco, were not great but were an excellent team.

It was I suppose.

If Barca had not won or maybe had 1 CL in the last decade I might see the point a bit more. They have 4 CLs in 10 years on top of a rake of La Ligas.

The likes of Busquets, Iniesta, Pique, Messi, Alves have been a part of almost all of that run (Iniesta for all of it). They will be remembered as being members of one of the greatest club sides ever assembled.

That Barca didnt win back to back trebles should not diminish anything they have done. FFS, the CL has not been retained in almost 30 years. But this side did retain their domestic double. Not bad going. Might even be called great.

CSF

The Champions League is the daddy. It's the hardest one to win as you can't slip up and the competition is fierce. This is exemplified by the fact that pretty much no club with any sort of trophy haul (and probably no club at all) have won more European Cups than they have domestic titles.

That doesn't change the fact that to call a team who win the domestic double as having had a failed season is insane. Nothing makes me happier than to point out that Atletico were the much better side over 2 legs versus Barca but even I wouldn't try to argue that Atletico were the better side over the course of the season.

ionadnapokot

gimmick wrote: »

It was I suppose.

If Barca had not won or maybe had 1 CL in the last decade I might see the point a bit more. They have 4 CLs in 10 years on top of a rake of La Ligas.

The likes of Busquets, Iniesta, Pique, Messi, Alves have been a part of almost all of that run (Iniesta for all of it). They will be remembered as being members of one of the greatest club sides ever assembled.

That Barca didnt win back to back trebles should not diminish anything they have done. FFS, the CL has not been retained in almost 30 years. But this side did retain their domestic double. Not bad going. Might even be called great.

Grand.
I don't disagree with anything you have said in that post
There is no argument about the greatness of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi and what they have achieved by winning the CL.
But they would gladly, and their Catalan supporters, would 100% prefer the CL over the league.
Primarily because Real M have 10 of them.

Brendan Flowers

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Mes Que Un Club.

Exactly. A Football Cub and a Business

Dirty Dingus McGee

gimmick wrote: »

LOL. No it isnt. Its a cup competition which In the last 15 years, poor sides like Porto, Liverpool and Chelsea have won. Monaco have contested a final.

That said, I think Barca would have traded this season if it meant Real not going to 11 wins.

It's a measure of true greatness for teams who already have won their domestic title.

Porto were a quality team a combination of soem really good players and a great manager and Chelsea were a top class team over a long period who should have won it in another year but were unlucky.

For the elite Euopean teams the champions league is probaly the equivalent of 5 league titles these days.Barca,Real,Bayern,Juve,Man City,Chelsea, Man Utd etc know over a decent period of time they will be almost guaranteed to pick up a few league titles, but there are no guantees over the champions league which is a much more difficult competition to win these days.

Rayne Wooney

You can see a bit of butt hurt from the Barca players at the prospect of Madrid winning another CL, the players seemed to be making it clear that they've won 5 from 8 or something which seemed a little forced to be honest

They would trade both cups this season for Madrid to lose the final

Andersonisgod

Rayne Wooney wrote: »

You can see a bit of butt hurt from the Barca players at the prospect of Madrid winning another CL, the players seemed to be making it clear that they've won 5 from 8 or something which seemed a little forced to be honest

They would trade both cups this season for Madrid to lose the final

Are you kidding me? Trade both cups so that Real Madrid don't win a UCL? What planet do some people live on? How far removed from the reality of the situation do you need to be to come out with something like that? Madrid's obsession with Barcelona is far greater than Barcelona's obsession with Real Madrid.

Rayne Wooney

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Are you kidding me? Trade both cups so that Real Madrid don't win a UCL? What planet do some people live on? How far removed from the reality of the situation do you need to be to come out with something like that? Madrid's obsession with Barcelona is far greater than Barcelona's obsession with Real Madrid.

Tell that to Pique, who seemed to have Madrid firmly on his mind at the parade celebrating a league win

Sr. Pirotecnic

CSF wrote: »

pretty much no club with any sort of trophy haul (and probably no club at all) have won more European Cups than they have domestic titles.

Nottingham Forest: one league title and two European Cups.

Andersonisgod

Rayne Wooney wrote: »

Tell that to Pique, who seemed to have Madrid firmly on his mind at the parade celebrating a league win

Just a friendly reminder that they've won 1 league in 8 seasons. FC Barcelona have 6

MarkY91

Question:

Why is ronaldo favourite to win the Balon dor? Simply because he is in a CL final?

Suarez not only outdone him in the scoring charts but he also won two trophies as opposed to ronaldos potential one trophy

I don't understand.

Andersonisgod

MarkY91 wrote: »

Question:

Why is ronaldo favourite to win the Balon dor? Simply because he is in a CL final?

Suarez not only outdone him in the scoring charts but he also won two trophies as opposed to ronaldos potential one trophy

I don't understand.

Suarez has more goals, more assists and did it with fewer penalties. He's won the league and the Copa Del Rey. He's been pivotal in key games. Not much else he can do really.

Rayne Wooney

MarkY91 wrote: »

Question:

Why is ronaldo favourite to win the Balon dor? Simply because he is in a CL final?

Suarez not only outdone him in the scoring charts but he also won two trophies as opposed to ronaldos potential one trophy

I don't understand.

You'd be right all things being level but Real would have won a treble with Messi and Neymar in the team.

If Real win another CL and nobody has a ridiculous Euros I think Ronaldo deserves it, if he doesn't then Suarez does.

Glico Man

Rayne Wooney wrote: »

You'd be right all things being level but Real would have won a treble with Messi and Neymar in the team.

If Real win another CL and nobody has a ridiculous Euros I think Ronaldo deserves it, if he doesn't then Suarez does.

Because Bale, Benzema et al are Segunda level players of course.

Rayne Wooney

Glico Man wrote: »

Because Bale, Benzema et al are Segunda level players of course.

Lazy

If you swap Bale and Benzema with Messi and Neymar do you think Madrid, who finished one point behind, would have done better this season? Of course they would. A top 10 tennis player is good but he's no match for Novak.

Glico Man

Rayne Wooney wrote: »

Lazy

If you swap Bale and Benzema with Messi and Neymar do you think Madrid, who finished one point behind, would have done better this season? Of course they would. A top 10 tennis player is good but he's no match for Novak.

That is a lazy assumption to make.

MarkY91

Rayne Wooney wrote: »

You'd be right all things being level but Real would have won a treble with Messi and Neymar in the team.

If Real win another CL and nobody has a ridiculous Euros I think Ronaldo deserves it, if he doesn't then Suarez does.

Ah u think it's common knowledge that suarez right now is the best player in the world.

There is no things being level. Suarez simply outdone any player on earth this season.

deaddonkey15

Ronaldo probably would have knocked in a few more had Real not been kicked out of the Copa del Rey.

HalloweenJack

Suarez for me, just seems to be more consistent all year.

Ronaldo would be second.

Blatter

Suarez just probably won't get the votes required. For the last Balon d'Or, I really expected Neymar to be close to Ronaldo in 2nd place as he had a phenomenal year but Ronaldo absolutely steamrolled him (27% of votes to Neymar's 8% - Messi had 41%). The Messi/Ronaldo media attention and the fact that they're two authentic greats of the game still playing at a very high level has a huge influence.

To add to that, Ronaldo is participating in a CL final on Saturday and has the Euros to impress in (and a relatively easy group for Portugal). It's quite easy to see why he's a favorite ahead of Suarez.

CSF

If I was a player I wouldn't vote for Suarez anyway. How many people have been elbowed, kicked or bitten by him at this point? Great footballer, terrible professional.

Many of the greats have had their moments. Zidane in the World Cup springs to mind, Ronaldo has lashed out, Beckham and others, but I can't imagine Suarez's regular and continued violence towards his fellow professionals doesn't cost him dearly when it comes to accolades like this.

ionadnapokot

HalloweenJack wrote: »

Suarez for me, just seems to be more consistent all year.

Ronaldo would be second.

Suarez for me also
Kante or Godin for second. Depending on CL final!

Edit it feels wrong not to have Messi in the top 3 at least. But the two lads, at Leicester And Atletico, are the rocks on which their teams are built.