The Decline of FC Barcelona?

[adexkola]

Last year, Milan went to the lockers after a 3-0 deficit to Arsenal, and managed to gain some composure. They'll need to do the same here to go through.

But yeah, you cannot miss against Barcelona.

 

[Arruda]

They did hit the post.

Yeah, people forget how fecked up Barça's defence can be. That was shocking by Mascherano, and unless Barcelona scores 2 goals quickly it will be a close tie until the end.

 

[kouroux]

They did hit the post.

You're right but here were at 2-2, Barca were going to come up with a different face than at San Siro.It's not over though

 

[Castia]

Where's Nahealai at? He's praying for a Milan miracle and googling the shit out of any negative Barcelona stat he can get his hands on.

 

[An Irish Red]

I think their 'problem' has been Fabregas personally. They look a much better team without him.

 

[Ole's_toe_poke]

Declined

 

[adexkola]

I think their 'problem' has been Fabregas personally. They look a much better team without him.

If "they" was any other team, this comment would be ridiculous

 

[rcoobc]

I think their 'problem' has been Fabregas personally. They look a much better team without him.

I agree, but I think they are more interesting with him. Perhaps just because they are more vulnerable.

The first Super-Cups on his transfer year were :sex:

 

[Sixpence]

Told you all.

 

[Gio]

Robinho remains bereft of any football know-how.

 

[askabob]

There are very few teams who could have withstood that Barcelona attack but at the same time, there are quite a few teams who would punish that Barcelona defense. I'd still pick Real to beat them over two legs.

 

[Randall Flagg]

If they come out and smash Milan in 2 weeks, mini crisis is over for them.

...

 

[kouroux]

They can still make a double (La Liga&CL).Some decline I'd love United to be in

 

[Castia]

There wasn't a crisis anyway this thread was made on the back of a couple of poor results no matter what Nahealai says. They have run away with the league all season, breaking 2 or 3 records in the process and are now through and probably favourites to win the champions league, all of this without their manager. If Barcelona are in decline then every other club in world football is in fecking meltdown.

 

[An Irish Red]

If "they" was any other team, this comment would be ridiculous

True.

It's not a slight on Fabregas at all, he's a fantastic midfielder. When you have a midfield trio of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta he should be sitting on the bench though. Shoehorning Fabregas into the team makes them worse.

 

[Shark]

I wonder what Striker10 has to say about Barcelona not being in decline after all. Or did he say that they weren't?

Yeah, a double of the CL and La Liga looks completely on for them now. I don't think that I could stand watching Puyol lift another CL though.

 

[Ainu]

/Thread

They're sleepwalking to another Liga title and all the other CL contenders will probably feel that little bit more uncomfortable after tonight.

 

[Ronnie O'Sullivan]

Revive this thread when Messi retires

 

[Count Orduck]

Absolutely tore Milan a new one.

I'd say something like "they're back", but only reactionary idiots ever thought they'd gone away in the first place.

 

[RDCR07]

/Thread.

 

[Aboutreika18]

They're much more fluid when Fabregas isn't there getting in the way. He's only looked at his best at the tip of a midfield diamond in the 3-4-3.

Other than that, Iniesta ends up being shifted out wide when he's in the side and he often takes up similar positions to Messi in between the lines.

 

[Isotope]

Why we can't be as good as this c*nt? Is it the training? coach? players? 'medicine'?

 

[Amar__]

Their attack and midfield looked excellent tonight, almost at their best, but their defence is still poor IMO, teams like Bayern will easily punish those kind of mistakes(when Mascherano missed the header and Niang hit the post). Their fullbacks still look better defensively than their actuall defenders(Pique, Mascherano and Puyol), and both Alba and Alves are attacking oriented fullbacks.

 

[Kevin]

You're right, their defence is average, as it was when we faced them in Rome where they even had two or three injured/suspended first team defenders out.

The big problem here is, you get to see very little of the ball playing against them and when you do, you have to make it count whilst being under amazing pressure from barca's game off the ball.

 

[Sixpence]

Why we can't be as good as this c*nt? Is it the training? coach? players? 'medicine'?

Having some of the greatest players of all time helps.

 

[::sonny::]

The decline of this thread

 

[Cheesy]

Yeah the thread looks silly now. They only really need to make some adjustments to their defence which looks shaky at times, but as another poster said if this is a decline for them then almost every other club in world football is in meltdown. Clutching at straws as the cliche goes.

 

[Ruud10]

It's easy to have fun at the expense of whoever started this thread. Suffice it to say that a squad of this quality does not go into decline -- it merely suffers an unexpected bump, here and there, on the road to glory.

 

[TheHorse'sMouth]

I honestly wish we could bring Fabregas back from there. He isn't attuned with the fluidity of the team and the movement, they look infinitely better with Iniesta in the middle. It's a system game at Barcelona...Fabregas is made for the English game with the directness of his play. If Wenger could somehow bring him back, I'll be thanking him on bended knee for the rest of my life.

 

[KGBhoy]

The decline of this thread

This gives me hope that maybe we can beat Reading after all.

 

[VoetbalWizard]

I honestly wish we could bring Fabregas back from there. He isn't attuned with the fluidity of the team and the movement, they look infinitely better with Iniesta in the middle. It's a system game at Barcelona...Fabregas is made for the English game with the directness of his play. If Wenger could somehow bring him back, I'll be thanking him on bended knee for the rest of my life.

he's not going to come back if you don't finish in top 4.

 

[Irwinwastheking]

he's not going to come back if you don't finish in top 4.

they will finish in the top 4.

 

[Pexbo]

Without taking too much from Barca, does anyone else think Milan were pretty gash tonight?

I said it in the match thread, they had their tactics way off. They were zonal marking and too scared to lose that shape even when they had the ball. When one of their players won the ball back, his team mates were all terrified of making space for themselves and giving him an option in case they lost the ball and Barca exploited the space they were supposed to be marking.

As a result, all that was happening was the Milan players desperately looking for a pass and more often than not finding a Barca player and off Barca went again. It played into their hands.

 

[Eboue]

Barcelona are not in decline. Madrid are used to playing Barcelona. Obviously they've lost their coach etc and that will effect them. When Sir Alex said he would retired first time round we were shockingly bad for a large period. They're not in decline. They are still the team to beat inspite of Madrids recent form.

 

[Brwned]

If Barcelona are in decline then every other club in world football is in fecking meltdown.

No, that's not how it works. Even if Barcelona are still the best team in Europe they can still be in decline. It's like Henry towards the end of his PL career was still the best player in the league but at the same time was clearly in decline. In decline: to deteriorate gradually. That's all it is. Xavi's still brilliant but he's in decline.

 

[Castia]

No, that's not how it works. Even if Barcelona are still the best team in Europe they can still be in decline. It's like Henry towards the end of his PL career was still the best player in the league but at the same time was clearly in decline. In decline: to deteriorate gradually. That's all it is. Xavi's still brilliant but he's in decline.

They aren't though no matter what stat you look at. They had the league won in December, was breaking all sorts of records along the way. They had a blip that is understandable since they have no manager at the moment, the 2-0 loss to Milan is meaningless now and they have won 23 of 27 league games there's not a single bit of decline. 2 weeks of poor form doesn't equal a decline. Stupid thread and iv said that since the first response on the first page, anybody thinking this team is on the decline needs to watch more football and stop reading the papers. Messi was also having a shit spell, he's only scored 50+ goals this season.

If SAF was absent from United, or Mourinho from Madrid id bet money on either team having a couple of dodgy performances, this thread was made off the back of the Champions league and Madrid result that dont reflect the team or their season one bit. I do get your point Brwned but in this case I dont think they are slipping one bit, infact if Tito would have been with the team I would have backed them to break the points records in La Liga and win the champions league comfortably.

 

[Striker10]

I wonder what Striker10 has to say about Barcelona not being in decline after all. Or did he say that they weren't?

Yeah, a double of the CL and La Liga looks completely on for them now. I don't think that I could stand watching Puyol lift another CL though.

I said they weren't. I'll probably get some cnut changing my tagline to something witty like 'he said they woz'...

We know they lost their coach but they're the best team in world football at keeping the ball while always looking a threat and they have Messi. Anyone that calls it decline is a dreamer. In an ideal world, i'd like them to fall off the face of the Earth but it won't be happening anytime soon and if any club retains the Champions league it'll be them

 

[Sylar]

Funny thing is Niang scores and makes it 1-1 and I dont think they go through. A minute later Messi makes it 2-0.

Fine lines.

 

[VoetbalWizard]

They aren't though no matter what stat you look at. They had the league won in December, was breaking all sorts of records along the way. They had a blip that is understandable since they have no manager at the moment, the 2-0 loss to Milan is meaningless now and they have won 23 of 27 league games there's not a single bit of decline. 2 weeks of poor form doesn't equal a decline. Stupid thread and iv said that since the first response on the first page, anybody thinking this team is on the decline needs to watch more football and stop reading the papers. Messi was also having a shit spell, he's only scored 50+ goals this season.

If SAF was absent from United, or Mourinho from Madrid id bet money on either team having a couple of dodgy performances, this thread was made off the back of the Champions league and Madrid result that dont reflect the team or their season one bit.

we'd be on the quad now if saf was absent. would unshackle phelan to fully express his tactical genius.

 

[Ruud10]

No, that's not how it works. Even if Barcelona are still the best team in Europe they can still be in decline. It's like Henry towards the end of his PL career was still the best player in the league but at the same time was clearly in decline. In decline: to deteriorate gradually. That's all it is. Xavi's still brilliant but he's in decline.

It's a good try but the logic is all off. Yes, if you play the same XI players every year and bring in no reinforcements that XI will inevitably go into decline. But clubs, including Barcelona, do bring in reinforcements. The have brought in reinforcements. Messi is even better now than he was then, which is hard to imagine but absolutely true.

Are Barcelona as good now as they were three seasons ago? I think they are. The two trophies that really matter are La Liga and the CL. They're on track for winning both.

It's fair to say they suffered a dip in form over the last month, but they're far from "decline".