La Liga 2017/18 Superthread

GavRedKing

Theres something glorious about watching the demise of Barca unfold before our very eyes.

The much lauded La Masia hasnt produced any player of note in years, they sold arguably their 2nd best player and heit to Messis throne against their will and throw a hissy fit over it and they cant get deals over the line for their prime targets just yet.

Real will win the majority of the next 5 titles in Spain and Europe too, unless in Europe they come up aagainst a side who get a bit of luck and knock them out, no team in Spain is good enough to compete with them over a 38 game season, the strength in depth is just too strong, I've no fondness for Real either, dont get me wrong but watching Barca go down without a whimper while Real stroll to success without their best player was a sight to behold.

pjohnson

Barca's "era" is already dead. Read on sky sports how they have now outspent Real Madrid. They used to scoff at Madrid tryna buy the titles when they were using La Masia. Now they are an aged side spending a sh*tshow of money to try and keep up with Madrid and get the title.

LuckyLloyd

Few tears should be shed for them.

NIMAN

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Few tears should be shed for them.

But they are more than a club.;)

pjohnson

NIMAN wrote: »

But they are more than a club.;)

They are also a comedy

inforfun

So in 19 months you win as many trophees as you have lost matches....

I only counted 6 losses and one of them was for that useless ICC

Andersonisgod

"Dreamers, they never learn, they never learn."

MisterAnarchy

GavRedKing wrote: »

Real will win the majority of the next 5 titles in Spain and Europe too, unless in Europe they come up against a side who get a bit of luck and knock them out, no team in Spain is good enough to compete with them over a 38 game season, the strength in depth is just too strong.

People were saying the same thing about the Guardiola side of 2011 ,that they would dominate Europe for years ,yet it didn't happen and that side was superior to this Real team .

If Bayern had any bit of luck last season in the Champions league they would have knocked Real out ,what happened in the quarter final was an absolute disgrace.

They have eclipsed the Guardiola Barca side imo. Greatest team we've ever seen.

Not a chance they would beat the peak Guardiola side ,they'd have been swamped in midfield and deprived of possession.
Its a good Real team but that Barca side was a different class.

Arghus

Andersonisgod wrote: »

"Dreamers, they never learn, they never learn."

Kudos to you for the reference, but it kind of says it all how you've selectively taken those lines from the song, for a would-be enigmatic comment; all the while leaving out the remaining portions of the same verse, which are so on the nose that the song could be retitled "Barca '17":

Beyond the point of no return...
of no return...
then it's too late...
the damage is done...
the damage is done...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTAU7lLDZYU

NIMAN

Andersonisgod wrote: »

"Dreamers, they never learn, they never learn."

Good to see you again AIG, thought you'd left us there.
Place wouldn't be the same without you.

Andersonisgod

Arghus wrote: »

Kudos to you for the reference, but it kind of says it all how you've selectively taken those lines from the song, for a would-be enigmatic comment; all the while leaving out the remaining portions of the same verse, which are so on the nose that the song could be retitled "Barca '17":

Beyond the point of no return...
of no return...
then it's too late...
the damage is done...
the damage is done...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTAU7lLDZYU

Actually I was kinda hoping anyone who got the original quote, which you did, would understand the overall context of the verse from which it is taken. Thus the quote is a double edged sword, aimed both at those who continuously wish the club harm but fail to recognise that the club always comes back stronger, and also is a pointed criticism from myself at the current state the club finds itself in under this most inept board. Occasionally I do good comments.

Andersonisgod

NIMAN wrote: »

Good to see you again AIG, thought you'd left us there.
Place wouldn't be the same without you.

That's really kind, thanks mate. Shame it's me returning after 2 desperate performances against Madrid and then announcing the signing of Paulinho the next day, but it can only get better.

dfx-

NIMAN wrote: »

Madrid on the other hand seem to have discovered a few young gems, and it looks like they have a bright future ahead of them, even if Ronaldo leaves/retires in the next few years.

Asensio is the only real unknown of that Madrid team and maybe Kovacic that Barcelona haven't faced before and he scored two great goals at key times.

Fair play to him on that, but Barcelona have managed to compete with most of that Madrid squad for years. They outplayed the same players at the Nou Camp who were fortunate to draw barely ten months ago and beat them three months ago from 1-0 down away from home.

NIMAN

Andersonisgod wrote: »

That's really kind, thanks mate. Shame it's me returning after 2 desperate performances against Madrid and then announcing the signing of Paulinho the next day, but it can only get better.

I'm sure the writing off of Barca is just a little premature.

The Neymar transfer has hit them hard I think, no matter how much money they have, there's not another Neymar out there.

They need to spend wisely.

Arghus

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Actually I was kinda hoping anyone who got the original quote, which you did, would understand the overall context of the verse from which it is taken. Thus the quote is a double edged sword, aimed both at those who continuously wish the club harm but fail to recognise that the club always comes back stronger, and also is a pointed criticism from myself at the current state the club finds itself in under this most inept board. Occasionally I do good comments

Comments so good that they require face saving fleshing out afterwards.

Andersonisgod

Arghus wrote: »

Comments so good that they require face saving fleshing out afterwards.

It was an easter egg for any dual fans of La Liga/Radiohead that may frequent the board. Didn't think a fleshing out was required but here we are.

Andersonisgod

NIMAN wrote: »

I'm sure the writing off of Barca is just a little premature.

The Neymar transfer has hit them hard I think, no matter how much money they have, there's not another Neymar out there.

They need to spend wisely.

It's premature in the sense that basically the same squad was unlucky not to win the league last season and, despite the scoreline over 2 legs here, we missed so many clear cut chances. That being said clearly there was a gap in quality which has been built up and furthered over time. The boards mismanagement of the club was there for all to see last night, on the pitch, on the touchline and in the press room afterwards and again today. It's a shambles.

Buying Dembele and Coutinho should really help because they are young and have quality but it's not the answer to our problems long term, the solution is ousting the board.

The Talking Bread

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Actually I was kinda hoping anyone who got the original quote, which you did, would understand the overall context of the verse from which it is taken. Thus the quote is a double edged sword, aimed both at those who continuously wish the club harm but fail to recognise that the club always comes back stronger, and also is a pointed criticism from myself at the current state the club finds itself in under this most inept board. Occasionally I do good comments.

It was always easier to come back stronger if you had a blip period in an era of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Alves, Pique, Busquets, even Neymar;. And then you had Mascherano, Villa, Valdes, Fabregas, Ter Stegen, Suarez, Adriano, Rakitic (who arrived the season of their last CL),



Will you ever have that combined quality of players to turn to again? Obviously there is plenty of mileage left in a few of these, but are they going to get better as players or have they peaked, with some even slowly regressing in ability/influence

Barcelona will never come back stronger to the level they brought football to a different level based on the evidence before us. They are never going to go away and will always remain an elite club but they won't dominate like they have the last decade.

There is something very special and professional going on at Madrid at the minute behind the scenes and they are well prepared for future departures/influence of players like Ronaldo, Ramos, Modric, 3 of their most important players, if not their most NB players since they began to dominate Europe.

As you said their is a mismanagement somewhere at Barca and you know a hell of a lot more than me.


Barcelona golden era is only really incrementally "going away" now. It never dissipated so strongly before that. It had the in depth quality to avoid that.


Then again, You have to look at other clubs in Europe also. Are any big clubs increasingly developing in a manner that Madrid are. Not at all. It is hard to know where Bayern are. They are just a team that will always be there. They are not coming out of the shadows as there was no shadows surrounding them.

PSG could arguably develop a lot more expediently than other clubs and, who knows, City may finally emerge as a European force in a season or two. Juventus have probably peaked for the moment,

Lucas Hood

Suarez out for a month now.

Andersonisgod

And Paulinho botches his keepy uppies in a naff presentation. Couldn't make it up.

rob316

Lucas Hood wrote: »

Suarez out for a month now.

When it rains it pours for Barca. Suarez is never injured, I don't think he ever was at Liverpool anyway.

brevity

There is a big drive to get rid of Bartomeu at the moment. He and a few others seem to have had a big part of ****ing them up.

inforfun

You just have to look how Barcelona B did since he came into the presidency
There were times that team would have won promotion ifit had been allowed.
When he entered the scene, Barca B relegated to Segunda B after a few years of struggling.
They are back now in Segunda but for me that is just another sign that La Masia just didnt matter anymore.

klose

Some pressure of Messi for the next month, pretty much asked to create and score now looking at their squad.

I see pep segura is saying coutinho and dembele are "close". I imagine there will be a huge uproar if neither are signed.

rob316

Messi still hasn't put his signature on his new contract. €250m buy out, go on PSG trigger it.

rob316

rob316 wrote: »

Messi still hasn't put his signature on his new contract. €250m buy out, go on PSG trigger it.

When is his contract up? He's 30 now. Would always wonder does he want to try something new.

rob316

M!Ck^ wrote: »

When is his contract up? He's 30 now. Would always wonder does he want to try something new.

Few years yet I'd say, he renews nearly every year sure. Think I read somewhere 2019

Skylinehead

I'd say Neymar would be delighted with that

Andersonisgod

Don't know if this is the right thread or even forum to post about this but man I'm devastated to hear about the terrorist attack in Barcelona.

All joking aside, it's a beautiful city, vibrant and just full of life and it's somewhere I've enjoyed visiting and look forward to visiting more than any other place on earth. It breaks my heart thinking about the people of that city and the state they must be in after this.

All condolences to the families of the victims of the attack.

irishman86

Andersonisgod wrote: »

And Paulinho botches his keepy uppies in a naff presentation. Couldn't make it up.

I'm secretly hoping he does really well as i felt he was the only player who moved to China that was really trying

MisterAnarchy

irishman86 wrote: »

I'm secretly hoping he does really well as i felt he was the only player who moved to China that was really trying

I still cant get my head around Paulinhos signing and neither can the fans in Barcelona.

A day after his underwhelming unveiling, where just 2,000 fans turned up, it has been revealed that nobody wants his name on the back of their shirts.

The huge Barca club shop is littered with shirts of star names including Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta.

Paulinho’s No.15 jersey remains nowhere to been seen but fans can request his name and number if they want it.

But according to Goal, who spoke to employees at the team store, they are still awaiting their first order.

irishman86

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

I still cant get my head around Paulinhos signing and neither can the fans in Barcelona.

The name/jersey thing doesnt surprise me tbh
Lets say he was Irish, im sure every irish person would buy that jersey, where in reality hes not a big enough name for people from Brazil to buy

ERG89

Girona seem to have imploded as they were 2 up, against 10 man Atletico who had Griezmann send off & it's now 2-2.
Lovely goal by Gaitan & a header by Giminez who got their before a hapless goalie.

Turtwig

Touch of class by Sevilla draping their stadium out in the colours of Catalyuna

This would be a huge scalp for Girona. Deserved too imo.

Edit ah jeez.

StringerBell

I heard something this last week, Zidane has as many trophies in his 18/19 months in charge of Real as he does defeats. 7.

How long till he overtakes Pep in terms of media frenzy?

eagle eye

If he wins the Champion's league again this season that should do it. He is the only coach to win it back to back since it became the ECL but three in a row puts him in the all time greatest discussion.

Gbear

It also helps his cred that he's already a legend.

Has there ever been a manager with this level of success who was also a brilliant player?
The two usually don't go hand in hand.

Maybe Cruijff would be the only other one?
I figured he'd won a few titles. I hadn't realised it was 4 in a row.

While it might seem a formality to win everything with what is obviously the best team in the world, and has been for about 3-4 years, if he shows consistency at a circus of a club like Real where they give managers the boot after winning European cups then that will be an acheivement in itself.

He's now one European Cup off matching Paisley and Ancelotti. I he gets 2 and beats them then that'd have him towards the very top of the pantheon of managers.

irishman86

This has to be one of the weakest Barcelona teams ive ever witnessed today against Betis

dfx-

That depends on when you've witnessed them...

This is nowhere near as bad as Rochemback, Gerard, Kluivert team of 02/03 or 99/00 and probably better than 07/08 where attitude was their problem.

irishman86

dfx- wrote: »

That depends on when you've witnessed them...

This is nowhere near as bad as Rochemback, Gerard, Kluivert team of 02/03 or 99/00 and probably better than 07/08 where attitude was their problem.

You are right, i mentally blocked that team :pac:
They still good enough for 3rd in La Liga either way

dfx-

Magnificent tackle by Mascherano, five seconds later 2-0.

Who needs Coutinho and Neymar:pac:

eagle eye

Barca up 2-0 after struggling to create for most of the first half.

It'll take something special to take the MoM away from Mascherano though, he was left for dead but got back to slide in a take the ball away with the forward one on one with the keeper. Fantastic tackle.

irishguitarlad

I knew when i saw the team that tosca would be a problem. His positioning for the goal was terribe, is durmisi injured? Sergio leon is making great runs but no one can pick him out. Nahuel is terrible and joaquin already looks wrecked,too old.

callaway92

Really enjoyable first half that

ERG89

Semedo looks like a player Barca needed 2 years ago. Very impressed by what I seen of him in this game (in between watching Serie A, admittedly).

eagle eye

Messi a mere mortal tonight, can't put the ball in the net no matter what it seems.

irishguitarlad

A lot of positives to take out of that tonight, i thought feddal was great apart from the second goal, should have just booted it out of play. It's a pity that durmisi wasnt in instead of tosca. We lost but its barca and it was 6-2 there last year so the gap is closing. Hopefully boudebouz and tello start the next day against celta. Thats the one to win. Viva el Betis manque pierda.

MisterAnarchy

Two good chances for Deportivo, should be ahead.

Turtwig

Real frequently play down against lesser skilled opponents. You gotta think, it's gonna cost them sometime. They were really lucky the previous seasons in the UCL but they still win. Still, it's a very dangerous game.

Edit: It definitely helps when your opponents do that. What. A. Gift.

MisterAnarchy

And Real score out of nowhere, a flukey goal after a complete miskick by Benzema