Pep Guardiola

[Code]

So why didn't he have a suitable replacement in his squad?

 

They have though, they have the best player in the world who can play up front, but unfortunatly he missed a penalty and hit the post today instead of scoring.

 

Cech had a superb game for Chelsea tonight, Barca created enough chances during tohose two games to win at least 8 games against Chelsea but it did not happen for them.

 

Chelsea were lucky, Braca were not, these things happen and I dont think it has got anything to do with either plan A, B or C.

 

He could have put Puyol up front as a plan B like many managers do, but he went with the attacking players he had instead.

[Coro]

I see nothing to suggest he could do that.

 

Because he hasn't needed to mix it up because he's made the very most of the players at his disposal!

[Newport]

Barca has to strengthen their defensive part of the squad. Having Mascherano as your only real alternative at centre back, at least as long as Abidal is out, says it all about how much they lack in that area.

 

Plus it obviously hurt them quite a lot not having one of the best strikers in the world available for half of the season.

[WaltonRed]

Pep will stay next season and they'll be back

 

Its the boards fault for not backing him properly in the windows, whilst Mourinho got given loads to spend and has much more depth than Barca's

[lifetime fan]

You have to wonder why they didn't get a goal scorer knowing Villa was out and they'd probably be moving him on soon too.

[WaltonRed]

Cos the boards fucking tight

[Coro]

Villa was a peripheral figure before he was injured.

 

They signed Sanchez to play as part of a front 3 to go with Messi, Iniesta, Pedro and youngsters like Tello and Cuenca. They've continued to score a ridiculous amount of goals, Messi being the figurehead.

 

They've suffered injuries in defence and were hit on the counter, twice. Throughout the game they looked vulnerable to being hit on the break, especially once Pique went off. On another night Messi would have had a hat trick.

[dirk grout]

Villa was a peripheral figure before he was injured.

 

They signed Sanchez to play as part of a front 3 to go with Messi, Iniesta, Pedro and youngsters like Tello and Cuenca. They've continued to score a ridiculous amount of goals, Messi being the figurehead.

 

They've suffered injuries in defence and were hit on the counter, twice. Throughout the game they looked vulnerable to being hit on the break, especially once Pique went off. On another night Messi would have had a hat trick.

 

No team, no matter how good they are, can win everything, every year. This team will win many more leagues and many more european cups. They have been unfortunate with injuries this year.

[lifetime fan]

My point was they knew they had lost a natural goal scorer and did nothing to replace him.

 

As great as those players mentioned are, or could be they are not natural goal scorers.*

 

 

*Before anyone starts Messi scores an obscene amount of goals but that isn't naturally his best attribute.

[dirk grout]

My point was they knew they had lost a natural goal scorer and did nothing to replace him.

 

As great as those players mentioned are, or could be they are not natural goal scorers.*

 

 

*Before anyone starts Messi scores an obscene amount of goals but that isn't naturally his best attribute.

 

It obviously is.

[lifetime fan]

I'd say dribbling with the ball is.

 

Seeing as how many times he'll beat a player with the ball compared to actually scoring.

[dirk grout]

I'd say dribbling with the ball is.

 

Seeing as how many times he'll beat a player with the ball compared to actually scoring.

 

Fair enough, certainly a good dribbler. But he does score about a million goals a season.

[lifetime fan]

Fair enough, certainly a good dribbler. But he does score about a million goals a season.

 

As I said he scores an obscene amount.

 

What Barca need is a young Fowler, if only to play 20-30 minutes at a time for them in crucial games.

 

Without the option of Villa thay are lacking.

[dirk grout]

As I said he scores an obscene amount.

 

What Barca need is a young Fowler, if only to play 20-30 minutes at a time for them in crucial games.

 

Without the option of Villa thay are lacking.

 

They have definitely missed Villa this season. If not for his injury they probably would've won the lot again.

[redheart]

Sorry but in both legs they looked quite pedestrian. If you keep it tight and frustrate them they seem to run out of ideas. They have few real scrappers in the team.

 

I think we are seeing the veneer of invulnerability being take off them.

 

This side has clearly peaked. But what a peak it was

[Neil G]

This is ridiculous. You can be as astute as you like but when players are mentally beaten then it's out of the coaches hands.

 

Guardiola has developed an attacking philosophy that's near to perfection, i could bring up all the stats and the records that his side have broken to confirm this but i don't really need to, do I?

 

 

Mentally beaten? Fuck me! How can a team be mentally beaten when they need to score one goal, at home, against a team with 10 men with a makeshift back line, to reach the final of a competition in which they're the reigning champions? If Barca were mentally beaten then serious questions need to be asked of Guardiola's motivational abilities as well as his tactical nous.

 

 

They spent 35m on Sanchez.

 

 

Sanchez is not an out and out centre forward.

 

 

They have though, they have the best player in the world who can play up front, but unfortunatly he missed a penalty and hit the post today instead of scoring.

 

Cech had a superb game for Chelsea tonight, Barca created enough chances during tohose two games to win at least 8 games against Chelsea but it did not happen for them.

 

Chelsea were lucky, Braca were not, these things happen and I dont think it has got anything to do with either plan A, B or C.

 

He could have put Puyol up front as a plan B like many managers do, but he went with the attacking players he had instead.

 

 

And neither is Messi. He's most dangerous running at the opposition from a deeper position. A proper number 9 with some physical presence and good at finishing (a Higuain / Benzema / Llorente type) would have made life a lot more difficult for the Chelsea defence last night.

 

 

Because he hasn't needed to mix it up because he's made the very most of the players at his disposal!

 

 

I know, I was talking about his ability to succeed in the Premier League.

[MikeC]

What Barca need is a young Fowler, if only to play 20-30 minutes at a time for them in crucial games.

 

 

What we wouldn't do for one of them too.

[Bjornebye]

freak result last night. chelsea parked the bus and it worked. had mongo stayed on they would have been knocked out. they were falling apart. couldn't believe the shit the commentators were coming out with about it being a great performance. we got slated for doing the same in 2001 there. and fucking little mention of when we beat them a few years back eh! media chelsea/utd/arsenal shagging cunts. bayern or real will fucking destroy these and as much as i cant stand madrid, i hope its them and mourinho that beat chelsea just to fuck them up even more. alonso to score the winner after skinning lampard.

[VladimirIlyich]

I think Barca look a bit like Real did before Maureen got there.

They seem to be reluctant to strengthen in the place they really need it,at the back and think they can steamroller everybody as they have been for the last few seasons,which they can do in most cases but over the last few weeks their defensive frailties have come to the fore.

Puyol is like Carra,vulnerable and in need of quality support to do a good job with his best days far behind him.

[Jairzinho]

Puyol is a far better player than Carragher. Its not even close, in all honesty.

 

People going well overboard about a couple of losses. They have a thinner squad than Real Madrid, and its showing, a bit.

[lifetime fan]

What we wouldn't do for one of them too.

 

We'd be top 4.

[VladimirIlyich]

Puyol is a far better player than Carragher. Its not even close, in all honesty.

 

People going well overboard about a couple of losses. They have a thinner squad than Real Madrid, and its showing, a bit.

 

I wasnt comparing ability,just the level of performance and influence compared to previous seasons.

Barca have been poor,results wise recently and its always difficult to tinker with or change a highly successful team and even think about resting your best players.

 

Its also important to remember that Barca also won that World Club Cup back in December in grand style and maybe this is catching up on them now?

Its a shame their inevitable blip has come at the worst possible time.

[Jairzinho]

I wasnt comparing ability,just the level of performance and influence compared to previous seasons.

Barca have been poor,results wise recently and its always difficult to tinker with or change a highly successful team and even think about resting your best players.

 

Its also important to remember that Barca also won that World Club Cup back in December in grand style and maybe this is catching up on them now?

Its a shame their inevitable blip has come at the worst possible time.

 

Yeah, I kind of figured. I'm not sure his loss of ability/form is quite as marked as Carragher's. Another centre back in the squad for Barcelona would have helped lighten the load perhaps, with Carragher, I simply don't think he's good enough to play Premier League football.

 

As I posted previously, I think Guardiola has tinkered a little too much. In an attempt to stay ahead of the game he's lost a few aspects of what made/makes Barcelona so great.

 

The amount of games they've played was always going to catch up with them at some point. Whether its being hundreds of millions in debt, or a want to continue the club's philosophy of bringing through players, probably a mixture of the two, their squad just isn't as deep as it probably needs to be.

 

I still think they could have won the tie 6-0 on aggregate and you couldn't have argued they didn't warrant it. They missed a penalty, hit the post three times, and probably had about 40/45 shots in the two legs. You could play that tie 100 times and Chelsea might win three.

[Rising_Phoenix]

Guardiola is that architect of his own downfall. He antagonised Ibra, mostly because of personality than ability. Before that he had disposed of Eto although he may have had a couple of more seasons in him. Villa just before being injured was already unsettled by the same Guardiola. If Guardiola had a striker of Drogba's mould the tie would have been over in the first leg. Barca's lack of a finisher is glaring for all to see. This philosophy of anyone on the pitch can score can work, but if you get 11 men, behind the ball, then that intricate one-two passing becomes obsolete. Sometimes you need to battery ram your opponents. Against Madrid they were already found out. Sanchez cannot lead the frontline. A triad strike force, especially of Ceunca/Tello-Sanchez-Messi is also a liability as essentially all you need to do is mark the runs of the players into the box. They really need to reassess their strategy or else every opponent that goes against them will employ the same strategy.

[Bobby Hundreds]

They still dominated Chelsea, Chelsea are a decent side and they were fucking terrified, through good fortune, being very defensive and disciplined they got through. Barca can be accused of failing a bit and being far too patient I mean for fucks sake dont try intricate passes every fucking time in the box but Barca still looked like men v boys, sometimes this shit just happens in football.