RedThaiDevils#7
Full Member
Well, another sad day... We lost to the best team in the world, take a bow Barca you totally dominated and were deserved winners. Congrats...
Now I'm sure this isn't the right time, but before our memories fade... We should analyze the main points, the root cause of this loss yet again....
My Points of Observation ( feel free to debate) :
The soul reason that we lost was the tactics, I'm not blaming SAF for not learning, nor am I blaming the players... But it was the tactics at the end of the day that decided the out come.
4-4-1-1, great on paper... Not great against Barca, we tried a similar formation against them 2 years ago and it failed too...
Now observing most of Barca's play... Try to count how many times Messi actually tried to wait for the ball from Xavi/Iniesta to be put in the box for him ?
It was because he caused the damage like most people tried to analyze before the match started... The key reason that we didn't work out was how to deel with a CF, who can be one of the best MF's in the game, yet can also be one of the best CF's ?
Messi, dropped deep, caused havoc, always made our MF out numbered in a way...
Barca are a smart team, they will not put the CF to push the back four as they know that they'll be up against a back four that will be organized and static... Thus, once Messi drops deep, their CM actually had Messi-Iniesta-Xavi... Which the trio can both dribble, shoot long shots, and thread in through balls... It just really works for them...
They shift the play and they just get the defense stretched side ways... If they had Ronaldo for Pedro, who knows what the score may have been... They had way too many one-on-ones, it was ridiculous.... Adding to the fact we gave the ball away easily/cheaply too...
I think this was the main root cause from my analysis of this Barca side... They just have too much quality and were too smart for us...
Also, their give and go passing was never picked up... There were tons of time when the players just did a simple one-two in the middle of the Park and we were left stranded... We can't play zonal against them... Or at least we always had to have a man to stop Messi from starting the play... Getting the ball deep and actually running against our Cb's and making them back peddle...
I'm not sure why SAF didn't see this and persisted with Hernandez up front, it was probably our best 2 players up front... But against a Barca side this talented, I'm with Mourinho... Man Mark Messi out of the game with a Destroyer... Similar to the way Pepe' played ( before getting a red card )...
We needed only one upfront imo... Rooney would have been enough and for me, Valencia and a better LW was needed to stretch their play and counter attack.
I still like the Bayern line up... I think that was one of our best attacking football in Europe while we were comfortable at the back too ( They didn't have no Messi though )...
Come to think of it... That was just one issue...
As we've witnesses... Our best LB in the world was again a defensive hole against Barca... Alves and Villa was over lapping him for fun while the tactic for Park to help secure the LW didn't work... Also, many lapses in defending cost us... I mean, we've been pressured all season... But Barca's pressing is just out of the world. They have a back four ready to gamble and intercept every long ball while ALL of their MF's pressed and were only a few steps away from the ball... This really proved Cryuff's Analysis on Barca spot on when he said that Barca always have at least 4 people near the ball...
I realy think we should learn it from them, not copy them though... We also have our own style of pressing Barca's pressing was just too effective against us...
Also it made Valencia look like Bebe' and his form that destroyed A.Cole was never seen...
Okay, I'm a bit drunk now... Thats probably all I can think of, I'm sure there are many more unique, specific points we need to analyze... But I'm sure that this match proves one thing... Never play a 4-4-1-1/ 4-4-2 against them.
We need to attack and defend like a Unit... We also need more off the ball movement and players who actually create space and are available for the pass more... We don't need too many players trying to make runs because our MF will be pressured and won't have enough time to aim for that sky-high-long pass to our attackers.
Farewell VDS... I wish you all the best, VDS Legend
Now I'm sure this isn't the right time, but before our memories fade... We should analyze the main points, the root cause of this loss yet again....
My Points of Observation ( feel free to debate) :
The soul reason that we lost was the tactics, I'm not blaming SAF for not learning, nor am I blaming the players... But it was the tactics at the end of the day that decided the out come.
4-4-1-1, great on paper... Not great against Barca, we tried a similar formation against them 2 years ago and it failed too...
Now observing most of Barca's play... Try to count how many times Messi actually tried to wait for the ball from Xavi/Iniesta to be put in the box for him ?
It was because he caused the damage like most people tried to analyze before the match started... The key reason that we didn't work out was how to deel with a CF, who can be one of the best MF's in the game, yet can also be one of the best CF's ?
Messi, dropped deep, caused havoc, always made our MF out numbered in a way...
Barca are a smart team, they will not put the CF to push the back four as they know that they'll be up against a back four that will be organized and static... Thus, once Messi drops deep, their CM actually had Messi-Iniesta-Xavi... Which the trio can both dribble, shoot long shots, and thread in through balls... It just really works for them...
They shift the play and they just get the defense stretched side ways... If they had Ronaldo for Pedro, who knows what the score may have been... They had way too many one-on-ones, it was ridiculous.... Adding to the fact we gave the ball away easily/cheaply too...
I think this was the main root cause from my analysis of this Barca side... They just have too much quality and were too smart for us...
Also, their give and go passing was never picked up... There were tons of time when the players just did a simple one-two in the middle of the Park and we were left stranded... We can't play zonal against them... Or at least we always had to have a man to stop Messi from starting the play... Getting the ball deep and actually running against our Cb's and making them back peddle...
I'm not sure why SAF didn't see this and persisted with Hernandez up front, it was probably our best 2 players up front... But against a Barca side this talented, I'm with Mourinho... Man Mark Messi out of the game with a Destroyer... Similar to the way Pepe' played ( before getting a red card )...
We needed only one upfront imo... Rooney would have been enough and for me, Valencia and a better LW was needed to stretch their play and counter attack.
I still like the Bayern line up... I think that was one of our best attacking football in Europe while we were comfortable at the back too ( They didn't have no Messi though )...
Come to think of it... That was just one issue...
As we've witnesses... Our best LB in the world was again a defensive hole against Barca... Alves and Villa was over lapping him for fun while the tactic for Park to help secure the LW didn't work... Also, many lapses in defending cost us... I mean, we've been pressured all season... But Barca's pressing is just out of the world. They have a back four ready to gamble and intercept every long ball while ALL of their MF's pressed and were only a few steps away from the ball... This really proved Cryuff's Analysis on Barca spot on when he said that Barca always have at least 4 people near the ball...
I realy think we should learn it from them, not copy them though... We also have our own style of pressing Barca's pressing was just too effective against us...
Also it made Valencia look like Bebe' and his form that destroyed A.Cole was never seen...
Okay, I'm a bit drunk now... Thats probably all I can think of, I'm sure there are many more unique, specific points we need to analyze... But I'm sure that this match proves one thing... Never play a 4-4-1-1/ 4-4-2 against them.
We need to attack and defend like a Unit... We also need more off the ball movement and players who actually create space and are available for the pass more... We don't need too many players trying to make runs because our MF will be pressured and won't have enough time to aim for that sky-high-long pass to our attackers.
Farewell VDS... I wish you all the best, VDS Legend