Valverde is a pragmatic coach, not a big fan of that style but a huge respect to him to offer viable playing style considering how we lacked defensive nous. First time in a big European game were I was confident in Barcelona keeping a clean sheet, defensively this Barcelona is on a different level compared to even Pep's team when under pressure.
It does for Barca .
They haven’t always impressed me footballing-wise compared to previous Barca sides but I find it bizarre that anyone would be shocked by them winning it when it’s March and they’ve literally not lost a league or CL game yet. They’re going to be extraordinarily hard to stop and I reckon there’s only two or three teams left capable of doing so.
It's harsh to say, but I think if they won it, they'd have "fluked it". And that seems crazy to say I know.
Well maybe.. but not really in football?!
With how fluid Football is it not always clear who is "attacking" and who is "defending".
Wrong again, Dembele has been injured most of this season, without him they lacked a winger hence the 4-4-2.
Oh I'd certainly agree with that. It's just that in the quoted post it sounded much like the team that concedes the least goals is more likely to win the league than the team that scores the most goals.
Dembele played today and their structure is still poor.
He played in the first half and Barca scored twice in the opening twenty minutes. His width on the wing was what made Barca far more formidable than they were in the first leg.
They did score twice, but their attacking structure still isn't great.
I don't think you need some strange devotion to a specific ideology to hold the opinion that this Barcelona team has some flaws which will may possibly be exposed by the best teams. They can clearly win the CL as they are an excellent team with excellent players. But I see them going out to a Bayern or City in the QFs or semis because I think they're too reliant on their defence which often relies on great defending rather than being conservative. So they give you a chance rather than shutting you out. And messi in attack of course.Ah yes, the Cruyff-ites crawl out of the woodwork, waiting in anticipation for their own team to fail so they can say told you so.
Where were you weirdos when Rijkaard won your team a league + CL double with Edmilson and van Bommel in midfield?
You'd think Guardiola invented football or something. Time's change, teams adapt.
That baffles me. If you've watched more than a game of theirs this season you would understand. They defend with a block similar to a Mourinho style discipline. It is elevated to a much higher level due to their individual talents and obviously, Messi. This is why they look so deceiving in most games. They don't overwhelm in attack, but they're godly efficient. Again, due to Messi.
I watch plenty of their matches and still don't see it. There's nothing about their defending that resembles Mourinho, not sure where that notion comes from. If Chelsea had a coherent attack they'd have scored a fair number during the tie.
If Avram feckin Grant could get to a Champions League final.....
Three defenders who are great in 1vs1 and have great recovery thanks to their pace and timing(pique, umtiti and alba), an excellent DM giving them extra protection(busquets), flanked by an industrious partner(rakitic), a physical dynamo(paulinho), excellent preventive positioning all around, timing in challenges/tackles from virtually every player, a great high pressing line, the speed to defend counters with numerical superiority and the best goalkeeper in the world
Blasphemy, you shouldn't say that in a united board. :P
How are City stronger in every department? Barcelona have better players in pretty much every single position.
Against average or just good sides, sure. Against the best teams in Europe though? It's far from clear. Your main rival in the league this season is Atleti and they crashed out of the CL. Real have been a mess for big parts of the season. Maybe not anymore though. If you don't improve, the 1/4 finals could be curtains for you (unless you draw Sevilla/Roma, that is). Last night was a very uninspiring performance and the resut is hugely misleading. You didn't do much better in the first leg either when you barely bothered Courtuis who is badly out form now. You can win the thing, of course, but you must show well more to do it.
City are a better team, they do everything Barca do only better
Last night was a bit of an eye opening for me in the sense of while this isn't a great Barcelona side in an attacking sense they're now resolute defensively and if Messi is at it they're still more than capable to beating anyone
He wasn't adventurous at all in that game, he set up to play for 0-0. Bayern were missing half their starting XI and the other half were unfit or playing with a broken face(lewandowski)
Ultimately, I agree with everything you said and can see the viewpoints of these posters.
I can see them going all the way, Madrid was just as dependent on Cristiano the last couple of wins they had. If Dembele and Coutinho progress and get more involved with the rest of the team, I don't see why they couldn't win it all with an inspired Messi.
Coutinho progressing won't help their CL chances this season though.
