Inter Milan - Fc Barcelona Semi Final: 1st Leg

[pabz]

once again the Ibra talk. Guy scores in 3 games in a row, including vital away goals against Arsenal and he is not Barca material. Utter crap and bullshit. And NO i do not want Villa in Barca, why on earth do we need another short guy in front, we already have Messi, Pedro, Bojan, our attacking lineup is fine as it is. If we get anyone then another creative guy to midfield (we really needed Iniesta yesterday and it does not necessary mean Fabregas), someone who can play both left wing (we missing natural winger there, Pedro and Messi much better at right) as Henry is off and Jeffren is i think still going to be a sub next season. We could also look into possible RB, as we only have Alves and Puyol playing it at the moment and i think we need another option.
But Villa no thanx, Bojan is much like him, just alot younger and with alot more to prove, next season i expect him to be already at another level if we need subbing Ibra.

And stop the fcking shittalk about not improving, Henry was utter crap at his first season as well, im sure majority of you whiners also wanted him off, but without him our last season would have been different. He was also 30+ but still managed to improve, same goes to Ibra, its just a shame he got injured at a bad time as he was getting in form before that like at the beginning of season.

Also how in any way was last game his fault, not like he was presented with many opportunities to score, entire team was off, not just him. I do not understand where you get this, its like some personal envy or something. Our gameplay also did NOT improve once he got subbed. We only started getting possession once Inter started stalling and keeping the score. Football is not about 1 person creating something out of nothing (unless its Messi in top shape), its about team effort and that was the key reason we sucked.

I do agree tho, that against Inters rather slow defense we could try Bojan in return leg, but not Henry, he has probably given up, has been so lazy and clueless in all games he has played in.
And this is why i think Ibra is very important and why he was required in the first place. He just gives another dimension against some teams, but of course not all teams, especially against Inter who know him and his game very well.

Yes Ibra is crap, end of story.

[zappafan]

5 Reasons why we can turn this around at the Camp Nou :


1- Abidal- Maxwell has been a great asset this season, and done very well for our goal last night ,but I think we all agree that Abidal is both A: The better defender and B : a more physical player. His passing has also become exceptional this season. All of these aspects should be helpful against Inter in the second leg.

2- Toure Yaya - Busquets has been a revelation over the last couple of years and performed extremely well in many big games (please, no short term memories here guys, he has been great on many occasions). However, Inter are not the team for him to shine against. Toure on the other hand, reads the game exceptionally well and does an excellent job of tucking in and becoming the "3rd" centre half when our fullbacks are stretched. We missed this tonight, and Yaya's physicality will again, be helpful against Inter.

3- Millito- Puyol is a hero, and it will be a miss having him out of our second leg. That being said, what we have lost, we will gain in other areas. Millito plays the ball much better from the back than Puyol, and this gives us two options for an outball from this source (Pique aswell). Again, if the passing from the back isn't workin so great, with Millito (along with Pique) we can play some deadly longer passes too.

4- Bojan- Ibra is clearly still recovering from a nock, however what we learned from last night reinforces what happened in the second leg against Inter in the group stages. The quicker we move the ball, especially near their goal mouth, the more vulnerable they become. What Ibra provides in other areas, he lacks in pace. Step up Bojan, who has been on good form in recent weeks. With a quicker , more interchangeable front 3, it becomes harder to mark our attackers, and harder to read where the next pass is going to go. Remember the second goal against Inter in the Camp Nou earlier in the year? This is exactly how to beat them.

5- Messi- If we've learned one thing this season, it's that if Messi has a quiet night (not necessarily a bad one, just one where he doesn't do something awesome) then you're almost guaranteed that he wont have one for the next couple of games. (See Arsenal at the Emirates, followed by Arsenal at the Camp Nou, then the Clasico). Leo will step it up, and with our quicker passing at the front, I expect him to be a real thorn in Milan's side.


So guys, chin up. It's all there to play for. Visca el Barça, i visca Catalunya!

[pabz]

I have faith in Barca reaching the finals. All is not lost, Barca boys can do it. I'm not bitter about the loss, just bitter against the shoddy referring. Mourinho is an attention seeking whore, who is he to bring up last years Chelsea v Barca game? He has a short memory also, He has forgotten the incident when he was at Chelsea and he accused the Ref for helping Barca. He's comments about the Ref talking to Frank in the dressing room Blah Blah.
If I'm not mistaken the Ref later retired because of threats?

Next leg I really hope Abidal starts, Bojan to start over Ibra which I very much doubt. Overall I have faith that Barca can turn this around.

Inter will go there to park the bus, and if Barca can attack good for 90 mins then I don't see a problem.

[L-to-the-MESS]

The ref had a shocker to be fair, but Inter really did play well in fairness.

From a Barca POV there are a few concerns.

Ibra shouldn't have started, totally off the pace, and when Maxwell put in a good cross, he should have headed it instead off throwing a leg at it.

Busquets...again dwells too long on the ball, needs to keep the play moving quicker

Messi...love the guy, but he is dropping too deep, and the last two inter goals started with him losing possession. Needs to really up his work-rate in games where the magic is just not happening.

Xavi..played well, but you saw how pissed he was when no one showed for possession.

Looking to the match in the Camp Nou..

Barca can still definitely qualify, 2-0 is definitely acheivable, but there will be nerves. It has to be super intensive from the start, and hopefully a first half blitz will be on the cards.

[Magus]

If Pep's thinking what I'm thinking, then Mourinho will have a big shock! Pabz knows what I'm talking about! I preffer not to say what I'm hoping for so I won't jinx it, but I pretty much have faith in Pep! I really hope he's done with the experiments and use what really works(not Ibra)!

[xenmate]

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/04/20/ ... -mourinho/

[pabz]

If Pep's thinking what I'm thinking, then Mourinho will have a big shock! Pabz knows what I'm talking about! I prefer not to say what I'm hoping for so I won't jinx it, but I pretty much have faith in Pep! I really hope he's done with the experiments and use what really works(not Ibra)!

pep got he's tactisc all wrong. Maxwell is a defender and not an attacker and Pep should of just left Maxwell stay back. Ibra is pure garbage, slows down the game, and that's why I think Messi looks poor when Ibra plays.
Aeriel balls just not Barca's style, Barca like to pass on the ground and then look for space. That big lump Ibra needs to sit on the bench come Wednesday. Maybe Iniesta be fine next week?


Next week I want to see,

------Alves----Pique--------Milito-----Abidal-----
-----------------------Yaya---------------
------Xavi--------------------------Keita----
----------------------Messi-------------
---------Bojan------------------Pedro

[GriffenSA]

Hello

I know I am new to the forum but wanted to give my view on the game tonight. The real Barca just did not turn up, key players for example messi just seemed like his head was somewhere else and you could see the frustration from Xavi when players just weren't moving for him. Dani Alves has to be one of the worst crossing ball players i have seen or he must have been having a of/bad night, also i am the only the one that can see that Busquets just really isnt that good enough to be in that team and its players around him who actually make look good. The whole team just looked dazed and their desire to win wasn't there, i feel Barca have to break the bank and buy Cesc and another forward like Villa, can you imagine if both Xavi and Iniesta are injured, where is the creative play going to come from ?? Busquets, i dont think so.

Cheers

I am not going to comment much on last night because as a team we didnt play to our stds
but. If u compare our midfield last night
Keita Xavi
Busquets
to
Iniesta Xavi
Toure

Yaya fit and polished is a BEAST in midfield
constantly assessing and covering our back four
And even tho not that quick off the mark he is a superb Athlete over 20m+ or from a running start
He is too me the best def mid I have ever seen ok im not that old but still.
Iniesta is immense he presses in midfield drops back when we under pressure (something completely overlooked by some), creates space and links up with Xavi and who ever is playing as striker on his side, he dribbles into the box and creates havoc and in doing so draws defenders.
Xavi - dont need to say anything here he is just an amazing play maker and with Yaya protecting the back 4 he can do what he does best.

Now in general not just last night.
Keita is not anywhere near a Iniesta, for me he cannot read the game as well, he doesnt know when to help out at the back for example when Maxwell was under pressure last night and he isnt as good in attack.
In fact in Iniesta`s role he doesnt fit.
Busquets is a better passer than yaya arguably he can out dribble yaya which i dont believe i think yaya just doesnt take defenders on because its too risky in his role.But lets say Busquets is a better attacking player than yaya, my problem is we dont need our def mid to be attacking i love Pep but I do not understand why he persists in playing busquets as a def mid because against good teams in tight games he is no where near yaya`s level. Its like Pep does not realise that we are better playing yaya which is strange because it was proven over and over last season already.

My question is WHY ON EARTH was yaya on the bench last night and busquets on the pitch.

The other thing in general when Ibra plays somehow we are weaker, than when bojan plays which to me is alarming, now I can hear ppl saying that Bojan is not ready. But in all fairness to Bojan WHAT DID IBRA DO LAST NIGHT????

Pedro, he is a great player but he needs to take a page from Henry and occasionaly use his pace to help out against quicker players when we are under attack, its something that Henry did really well last season sometimes he was like an extra def mid on the wing and he pressed alot harder up front

I cannot say for sure that we will turn this tie around at the Camp Nou
Inter is a great team currenly and we are missing some key players injured and not 100%match fit.

What I do know is whatever happens we will stay true to our style of football and that we will put up one hell of a fight at the Camp Nou. It is far from over

FORÇA BARÇA

[fcbxina]

I really need someone comfort me a little, after this hard morning.......

What about try this?

JEFFEREN/PEDRO MESSI
IBRA
KEITA YAYA
XAVI
ABIDAL MILITO PIQUE ALVES

[GriffenSA]

5 Reasons why we can turn this around at the Camp Nou :


1- Abidal- Maxwell has been a great asset this season, and done very well for our goal last night ,but I think we all agree that Abidal is both A: The better defender and B : a more physical player. His passing has also become exceptional this season. All of these aspects should be helpful against Inter in the second leg.

2- Toure Yaya - Busquets has been a revelation over the last couple of years and performed extremely well in many big games (please, no short term memories here guys, he has been great on many occasions). However, Inter are not the team for him to shine against. Toure on the other hand, reads the game exceptionally well and does an excellent job of tucking in and becoming the "3rd" centre half when our fullbacks are stretched. We missed this tonight, and Yaya's physicality will again, be helpful against Inter.

3- Millito- Puyol is a hero, and it will be a miss having him out of our second leg. That being said, what we have lost, we will gain in other areas. Millito plays the ball much better from the back than Puyol, and this gives us two options for an outball from this source (Pique aswell). Again, if the passing from the back isn't workin so great, with Millito (along with Pique) we can play some deadly longer passes too.

4- Bojan- Ibra is clearly still recovering from a nock, however what we learned from last night reinforces what happened in the second leg against Inter in the group stages. The quicker we move the ball, especially near their goal mouth, the more vulnerable they become. What Ibra provides in other areas, he lacks in pace. Step up Bojan, who has been on good form in recent weeks. With a quicker , more interchangeable front 3, it becomes harder to mark our attackers, and harder to read where the next pass is going to go. Remember the second goal against Inter in the Camp Nou earlier in the year? This is exactly how to beat them.

5- Messi- If we've learned one thing this season, it's that if Messi has a quiet night (not necessarily a bad one, just one where he doesn't do something awesome) then you're almost guaranteed that he wont have one for the next couple of games. (See Arsenal at the Emirates, followed by Arsenal at the Camp Nou, then the Clasico). Leo will step it up, and with our quicker passing at the front, I expect him to be a real thorn in Milan's side.


So guys, chin up. It's all there to play for. Visca el Barça, i visca Catalunya!

Also Abidal is faster than Maxwell and will not be so easily outrun by Eto
toure is awesome I will play him against any team but unless he plays on sat I dont see him being sharp enough
I think Milito and Pique can work well as well

Leo = He looked really static last night dont think he enjoyed not being on the wing

[maniaFCB]

We can feel justified complaining about the refereeing last night, but this is something all teams have to confront at times. The referee is human and will occasionally have a poor night where all the calls seem to favor one side. We benefited against Chelsea last year and it was always going to come full circle.

As much as I dislike Mourniho, he deserves credit for putting together a strategy that worked against our midfield and playmakers. All season long the teams that have had success against us have used high pressure, man-marking of Xavi with a physical midfielder, and "professional" fouls in abundance. Mourniho combined all of the tactics with a hungry veteran lineup (and a little help elsewhere) to grab the tie by the throat. The lingering effect of the physical Espanyol match seemed to play into Mourniho's hands as we were lulled into playing at the hectic end to end pace that he enjoys. Amazing how our form can drop so noticeably in just over a week's time. Hopefully Xerez will play a similar strategy this weekend so that we can get some confidence back against such stifling tactics, even if it is only Xerez.

But anything is still possible. Ibra does not deserve the scape-goating he gets on this board. Yes, he was very static and out of rhythm with the rest of the team, but he has just returned from injury. Remember how he was playing in the weeks leading up to his injury. Pep is not about to put that player on the bench with so much at stake.

[GriffenSA]

I really need someone comfort me a little, after this hard morning.......

What about try this?

JEFFEREN/PEDRO MESSI
IBRA
KEITA YAYA
XAVI
ABIDAL MILITO PIQUE ALVES

I would not recommend that formation
I dont think u can play Pep football with that
Keep in mind yaya is rusty and Keita is not creative at all

I think in midfield this is worth a try

Busquets ------------Xavi
----------Yaya------------
or

Xavi---------Busquets
-----Yaya----

then if busquets loses the ball its less dangerous
also I cant recall which game it was when Busquets played attacking mid
But he wasnt half bad, he played on the right I think

[BarcaFan4eva]

"Complaining is for losers and we’re not losers”. We’ve got 90 minutes ahead of us and we have shown before that we can respond to adversity in the Camp Nou. We have to prove that we’re stronger”. - Dani Alves

"The stadium will be full and we can do it." - Pep


I KNOW WE CAN DO IT

[bamaboy]

i still believe we can win this! scoring 4-0 versus Inter is possible with Barca!

[Blair]

And stop the fcking shittalk about not improving, Henry was utter crap at his first season as well, im sure majority of you whiners also wanted him off, but without him our last season would have been different. He was also 30+ but still managed to improve, same goes to Ibra, its just a shame he got injured at a bad time as he was getting in form before that like at the beginning of season.

I seriously doubt that Pep would have signed Ibrahimovic if he didn't see something in him.