FC Barcelona 2016/2017

sizzling sausages

Thinks TBP is a soft tagline whore
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They need Kante to do all the running and defensive work the midfield is missing. Kante, Rakitic, and a creative midfielder to replace Iniesta.
I think Coutinho would be a decent option for an Iniesta replacement. Isco would be perfect imo but that's obviously a no go.
 

3pwood

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I said it months ago on the newbie forum, Barcelona have A LOT of players that shouldn't be nowhere near there. I mean, Sergi Roberto?? Umtiti? Gomes? never liked Alba, a good example of a brainless player.. and there's Digne, Mathieu, Vidal.. recruitment has been poor and their top players are getting old, they're a beatable team now
 

cyberman

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Pogba is not the answer to people walking through their midfield.
A physical speciman who gets about the pitch and can pass the ball forward is exactly what they need. Legs in the centre of the park.
This isn't a terrible Barca team, it's Iniesta and Gomes who are the main culprits tonight. At least with Pogba in there Busquets would have an actual midfield partner.
They're being physically bullied.
 

Skills

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They need a massive overhaul, two new CBs and two world-class CMs. Will take 2-3 years until they have a chance for the CL again, IMO.
If that's the case I'd be tempted to cash in on Suarez to help fund the rebuilt. Probably last chance to get a world record fee for him.
 

padr81

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A physical speciman who gets about the pitch and can pass the ball forward is exactly what they need. Legs in the centre of the park.
This isn't a terrible Barca team, it's Iniesta and Gomes who are the main culprits tonight. At least with Pogba in there Busquets would have an actual midfield partner.
They're being physically bullied.
Spot on here, soft core and too easy harassed and bullied off the ball. They need another physical player to go with Busquets.
 

Cheesy

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They're probably the worst they've been since the start of the Guardiola era, but terms like 'inevitable decline' still seem over the top. As we've seen with Chelsea this season it's perfectly possible for a top team to have a poor season and bounce back the next year. Football changes at a very quick pace, after all. But yeah, dreadful from them tonight.
 

3pwood

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A bitter reflection ? (a certainly true one)...

Tiki Taka is dead. Catalan Academy's Golden Generation is old. Suarez is fat and slow and Neymar is over-hyped by the south-american ar$e-l!ckers. World's Best Player is half the player he once was and meaningless possession without the x-factor is being exploited and punished. The sooner they and their national team realize this, the better. Their problem looks much more worse as we are witnessing the end of their European domination and end of an era. Quite recently, Manchester City taught them a stern lesson.

I am pretty sure the other spanish giant will follow the same fate in a year or two when Ronaldo and Bale start losing their pace.

It'll happen soon
Bayern aren't the same as well
 

Adisa

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Anyone else think that PSG have watched a blueprint of how premier league teams press City to dismantle them tonight. 3 men pushing right up, tenacious and rattle them. Tactically they have done exactly what alot of sides did to City trying to play out from the back and its caught Barca cold. That combined with aging players and no new Xavi could really mean Barca have a couple of seasons transition ahead.
Don't think it's about blueprint. Any decent team would have beaten Barca tonight. They've been that poor.
 

AlecHDR

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A physical speciman who gets about the pitch and can pass the ball forward is exactly what they need. Legs in the centre of the park.
This isn't a terrible Barca team, it's Iniesta and Gomes who are the main culprits tonight. At least with Pogba in there Busquets would have an actual midfield partner.
They're being physically bullied.
I'm not debating that Pogba would improve them but I think someone like Kante is more needed in that midfield. An energetic defending machine who breaks up the opponents attacks and gets them going.
 

Solius

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A fair reflection and all the hate i have towards Uefalona. Couldn't hold it in.
Stop using lame nicknames. Also all three of those players are still just as good as people say.
 

cyberman

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I'm not debating that Pogba would improve them but I think someone like Kante is more needed in that midfield. An energetic defending machine who breaks up the opponents attacks and gets them going.
I don't think Kante carries the ball well enough tbh. Of course this is all hypothetical but it's the failure of Iniesta and Gomes to carry the ball forward that's hurting them. It's too static and it allows the PSG players to encircle the Barca player with the ball.
Im sure Barca would sign them both if they could.
 

Moiraine

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Stop using lame nicknames. Also all three of those players are still just as good as people say.
Please don't ... You shouldn't even notice that because we have had enough since 2004, watching them treated favourably by the referees, getting all the small and big decisions, having red card in their advantage, I am sick and tired of this. Just cannot forget what happened at stamford bridge in 2009.

And these players are no way near the peak they reached between 2009-2013. The era has ended no matter how painful it is to you or any other Barca fan.
 

shaggy

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I was surprised how utterly terrible they looked against Man City at the emptihad so this only confirms that they are indeed finished as one of Europe's best sides for now.
 

Solius

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Please don't ... You shouldn't even notice that because we have had enough since 2004, watching them treated favourably by the referees, getting all the small and big decisions, having red card in their advantage, I am sick and tired of this. Just cannot forget what happened at stamford bridge in 2009.

And these players are no way near the peak they reached between 2009-2013. The era has ended no matter how painful it is to you or any other Barca fan.
Neymar wasn't even at Barcelona til 2013. Suarez even later, and Messi is still easily the BPITW. Players like Iniesta are obviously not as good as they once were though.
 

carvajal

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I think that Messi first condition to renew It will be to have a word about the next coach.
André Gomes is not good enough for Barsa level.
They need to sell/invest a lot this summer,full backs and midfield
 

berbatrick

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They're probably the worst they've been since the start of the Guardiola era, but terms like 'inevitable decline' still seem over the top. As we've seen with Chelsea this season it's perfectly possible for a top team to have a poor season and bounce back the next year. Football changes at a very quick pace, after all. But yeah, dreadful from them tonight.
They were exactly this bad in 2013 (ish), when they suffered the same scoreline in Munich. The difference was that Messi was still under 30 then, and they went and bought Neymar and Suarez after that (to properly replace the quality of Eto'o/Henry/Villa).

In 2015, that front 3 with an in-form Iniesta saw them win the CL, but they had lost Xavi, and his absence was seen as more and more other teams started to dominate their midfield. Now they probably need replacements for Iniesta and Xavi, but they're buying the wrong type of player with Rakitic and Gomes (wtf) ,not to mention class, no-one except Modric or Verrati has the quality.

Edit: Alves also not replaced, Umtiti looks poor, Alba is exposed when the team isn't dominant, Suarez and Messi are ageing and that's a real problem with Suarez.
 

AndyJ1985

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They've made some questionable signings over the last few seasons whilst their squad got older. Inevitably their dominance has faded. It's hardly the end of the world for them. No team can dominate to the level they did for a sustained period of time. I'd still fancy them to absolutely twat us if we had to play them.
 

Vialli_92

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They haven't signed any top players since 2014. Their squad is ageing and the new players haven't really improved them in the last couple of years.
 

alsabi

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If none of the tabloids go for 'BARCELOSERS' as a back page headline tomorrow, I'll be disappointed.
 

berbatrick

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Pep could return
Yup, was going to ask about this...any chances of it happening? They desparately need some tactics, no matter what. Enrique seems to be putting out a 11 in the worst possible formation (442 vs Veratti Rabiot Matuidi!) with no instructions.
 

Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87

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I'd just be very surprised if he wanted to come here. And with Di Maria fresh in memory...
You need to qualify to the Champions League though. Even if you offered him crazy money, but still played in the Europa League, he wouldn't come.
 

Devil81

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Their cycle of being the best team is over, this is how football works. My biggest worry is either Chelsea or City are primed to spend and take over with such fantastic resources and structure.
 

AltiUn

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Replacing a lot of their team with genuine quality will be difficult owing to the wages the front three are on, could be a rough few years for Barca if they don't appoint the right manager after Enrique. I agree that the front three have regressed somewhat, Neymar especially could probably do with moving on, he's stagnated a bit in the last couple of seasons.
 

Fenomeno9

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I think there is an over-exaggeration which is normal after a spanking. The team is having a poor season like every team goes through. A new coach is needed with some reinforcements.
 

Attila

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I think people are overreacting. Get a new manager in and they will be fine