I'm not a big fan of the "we were better, we had more possession" circlejerk, but Atleti just won 0-1 against Betis with a 27% possession, that's appalling.
La Liga 2017/18
- Thread starter Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87
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Why did Griezmann not play today?
Muscular problems
Sounds like a normal Simeone vs. Setien game to me.
Big goal for Bilbao. 1-0 up at Levante. Aduriz penalty.
Atletico's ability to grind out results is amazing.
Big win for Bilbao.
Just had a look at the Villareal-Barca line ups. There's a D Rabaseda Antolin listed upfront for Villareal. Never seen that name even on their bench before. Youth product? I presume Bacca is injured/suspended.
Just had a look at the Villareal-Barca line ups. There's a D Rabaseda Antolin listed upfront for Villareal. Never seen that name even on their bench before. Youth product? I presume Bacca is injured/suspended.
Ruben Semedo playing aswell (terrible defender).
He's listed as playing central midfielder. This is going to end well.
He's listed as playing central midfielder. This is going to end well.
Rúben Semedo is playing?Ruben Semedo playing aswell (terrible defender).
He's listed as playing central midfielder. This is going to end well.
I don't think this will end well for Villareal. Him playing as DMC isn't something new. Jorge Jesus tried it sometimes but he doesn't have the positional sense and his passing is poor. Less prone to crucial mistakes in that position and useful in setpieces though.Suarez gives Barca the lead.
Lovely finish from Suarez!
Finally, seems like Luis Suarez is back online 
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When it's not going for them, just give the other team a red card. It's relly getting tedious..
Messi puts it to bed.
What's getting really tedious is that after we lost 4 points in the last 2 games due to ref mistakes, now the UEFAlona story is back because a player got rightfully ejected and months ago Savic wasn't vs Real.
Keep going with the conspiracy
That was a VERY stupid tackle, and Barca have been screwed more than any other La Liga team this year costing them FOUR crucial points due to blind refs.Enough with the whining, you're way off here man.
Very happy with that win. Another hard away fixture chalked off, and another win during this run of hard games. If we can avoid a Clasico loss, we'll be in a great position for the title.
It was probably a red.
Rada obviously goes to block the ball but you actually have to get it otherwise you run the risk of getting sent off.
Tight game before that. In fairness Villareal always give tough games to Barca and Real Madrid on home turf (and sometimes away) so sending off made things easier.
Rada obviously goes to block the ball but you actually have to get it otherwise you run the risk of getting sent off.
Tight game before that. In fairness Villareal always give tough games to Barca and Real Madrid on home turf (and sometimes away) so sending off made things easier.
That draw last weekend will frustrate them even more. Could have been going to the Bernebeau with a big lead.
I thought the red card was right on the cusp of what's a red and what's a yellow. Could've went either way. Weird that RM fans would pipe up about decisions given some of the laughable decisions against Barca recently.
Lovely goal from Suarez.
Lovely goal from Suarez.
His overall play was still pretty mediocre from the little I saw.Finally, seems like Luis Suarez is back online
That little slapstick act by the Villarreal defenders at Messi's goal.
That little slapstick act by the Villarreal defenders at Messi's goal.
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So strange to see Barca win ugly. It works for them though.
A typical Barca 17/18-game yesterday. VERY controlled but almost no spark offensively. Apart from the Messi copyrighted pass to Alba over the top, we don't really have that much in our locker. Messi, while still being our only threat going forward, has not looked at his absolute best since that performance vs Ecuador. Hopefully Dembele can get into the groove when the year turns, we desperately need some pace to stretch teams. His dribbling as well is sorely needed, right now it's only Messi who is capable of beating his man.
Espanyol 0-1 Girona at half time.
Won't say much on Girona after I jinxed them last week.
Quique must be close to the sack. He was at a similar point last season and turned it around. Hope he does as I like him, unlucky to be sacked at Watford.
Won't say much on Girona after I jinxed them last week.
Quique must be close to the sack. He was at a similar point last season and turned it around. Hope he does as I like him, unlucky to be sacked at Watford.
We need to go back to 4-3-3 but can't until we get some wingers. Dembele's return should help, but we need some additional creative midfielders in January.
I think we have a ten percent chance of winning the Real Madrid game but I'd be ecstatic with a draw.
How's deulofeu playing? Personally I think he's shite from his time at Everton
4-3-3 is going to be lopsided again because Messi will still spend the majority of the game in the center rather than in the position he is theoretically supposed to be. With Semedo as a right back that flank probably won't be as vulnerable as it was with Sergi Roberto, but it is still a suboptimal solution.
I can only sympathize with Valverde, he is basically tasked with solving a Gordian knot. As far as i can recall, Barcelona looked better in that span of games where Suarez was hurt and Messi was deployed as a false nine flanked by Deulofeu and D. Suarez (or maybe it was Dembele), it seemed much more logical and fluid. But obviously both of them have to play which led to this compromise 4-4-2 formation.
If Madrid finish 8-10 behind Barcelona and get bounced by PSG, would Perez give Zidane the sack?
It's going to be 433 with Messi false 9 and Suarez or another attacker playing a hybrid left wing/striker role. Something like the image below
https://m.imgur.com/r/Barca/vYIKL5h
They're basically going to play a lopsided 3-4-1-2, as they've done for the past 2 years
In that case I'd say yes, although officially will be a mutual agreement,as with Mourinho
That might work fine if Suarez improves his form at some point, he's been woeful this season, and playing in his preferred position mostly. If he doesn't they're probably better off finding a pacey proper wide player. The priority IMO should be to tailor the team around Messi completely and use him to greatest possible extent while he's still great.
Girona with a massive win. 3 points that will surely be needed at the end of the season.
Yup, which is almost basically a 442 diamond formation if you disregard the base notion that they'll try to display it as a 433 with Suarez as a LW, also looks like the "old" 3-4-3 from Cruyff era but adapted to modern times, when you're basically going to need wingers/fullbacks 100% of the games, so you defend with a 4-4-2 with fullbacks, and attack with a makeshift 3-4-3 or even 3-5-2 with Busquets dancing between CB and DM and the two fullbacks acting as extra midfielders/wingers.
The concept in the backbone of the team is going to be basically the same, with Busquets acting as Guardiola, and Messi in a Laudrup-like role, but variations to accommodate for our current players mean that instead of having Guardiola - Bakero - Laudrup as the central backbone, we get a little more pressence with Busquets - Iniesta - Rakitic and Messi, due to the nature of Messi having more impact than Laudrup and having 2 wingers with more pace and ground ahead of them, there's no need to saturate the wings with pseudo-central players cutting inside when you already have pure wing specialists.
The thing I hate is that a lot of people are set on 433 as the seal of identity for Barcelona, that's a modern concept and I think even Cruyff said that in the end is not about how many defenders you put in the field or the formation, is how you instruct your players to move, behave and the final idea to play the game, Mourinho was using a 433 with Chelsea or Real and they usually felt better at the counter than looking to play in the last third of the field like we do, be it a 442, 433, 343, 352 or even a 451 the ultimate goal is to defend with the ball, have a good flow, play the further away from our own goal as we can and try to outscore the enemy team.
Better to play nice football with a 4141 than using a 433 to pass the ball between Busquets and Pique for 30 minutes a game until you gave it to Ney/Messi to create something, like happened at the end of the Luis Enrique era,
From that picture XH6 posted it seems to me that we've already seen very similar setup from 2010/11 season. Messi was playing as a false nine and dropping deep, Villa started from the left and drifted centrally into space vacated by Messi, and Pedro played somewhat wider on the right side.
Who would Real turn to? Are there any standout candidates?
Florentino always liked Löw.Pochettino could be another option.
Anyway I think it only would happen in the worst scenario,with the feeling that the players don't want to play for him anymore and fans and press with many months ahead to think.
If they want to sell Bale and Karim and bring Hazard/Dybala/Kane,etc I think It would be better to stay with Zidane.
Thought Raul might be up for being a manager?