The Spanish Football Thread

Thiago was attainable but they've blown their cash on attacking players they didnt always need.

Why buy Alex Song and no CB? It's crazy

Yes, but they have got away with it due to the pressing game for the last two years. Where is the pressing tonight?

There are plenty of good defenders out there that are achievable. They may not be Thiago Silva standard......

Thiago was attainable but they've blown their cash on attacking players they didnt always need.

Why buy Alex Song and no CB? It's crazy

Allegedly Wenger convinced the board that Song could play as CB That explains it

Yeah, the whole transfer policy has been extremely stupid for years. Too much spending on unnecessary big names (do Barcelona even have scouts? probably not), too little long-term planning and too much loyalty for homegrown players... (no harm in keeping legends like Puyol but to start into the season without a replacement for him while he can barely play 2 games in a row...)

As far as im aware Barca put on offer on the table for Silva, Milan were willing to negotiate a deal then PSG came in with a massive double offer for Silva and Ibra. Can sort of understand why they didnt get him, but to get no one for the last 2 years is pretty shocking.

The Anoeta is a very tough ground to go to and Barca did just play away at the Etihad on Tuesday, but you'd still expect them to do better.

The Anoeta is a very tough ground to go to and Barca did just play away at the Etihad on Tuesday, but you'd still expect them to do better.

It does seem ridiculous. The board must be royally gullible, buy a PROPER defender.... hell if I keep dreaming about the ideal defender, maybe it will come true!

The transfers they do are seriously flawed; and there is too much stuff on big names - why not buy an up and coming defender? There are a few in Serie A that they could have got.... I understand the homegrown players situation - because if you don't play them, more will probably leave the club, and Barça's best players undoubtably come through the youth system.

Yes, I understand why he rotated coming from the Etihad and a lot of players having been overused, but the Anotea is a strange ground to do it.



As I said, Barcelona's scouting department is not exactly brilliant.

Talking about defenders, Bartra is a bright talent and is likely to have a great future, so I guess he and Piqué will be the new first-choice duo. But still, ideally one should have 4 CBs - Mascherano is not a real CB and Puyol will retire. Ideally hey should sell Song, move Mascherano to DM and buy one good and one lesser known, low-profile CB for rotation and to keep competition healthy. Perhaps Martino will do that, don't really know how he behaves on the transfer market.

Bartomeu announced 4-5 signings, but he has done that last season too.

Yes, I understand why he rotated coming from the Etihad and a lot of players having been overused, but the Anotea is a strange ground to do it.

As I said, Barcelona's scouting department is not exactly brilliant.

Talking about defenders, Bartra is a bright talent and is likely to have a great future, so I guess he and Piqué will be the new first-choice duo. But still, ideally one should have 4 CBs - Mascherano is not a real CB and Puyol will retire. Ideally hey should sell Song, move Mascherano to DM and buy one good and one lesser known, low-profile CB for rotation and to keep competition healthy. Perhaps Martino will do that, don't really know how he behaves on the transfer market.

Bartomeu announced 4-5 signings, but he has done that last season too.

As I've said before, Messi is overrated. These are the games he should be scoring 3 goals in.

Oh well, he had his fame.

Now Ronaldo is back after his 3 game ban, He will catch up with messi in goals scored in 2014, despite playing less games.

Strange time to rotate indeed, especially when we have a weeks break then Almeria at home. Could have easily played a full strength team tonight.

If we could get Luiz or Hummels we'd be sorted tbh. Just please God no more small CB's, I still shudder thinking about when Puyol and Masch were at CB together.

Hummels and Luiz, really? Neither complement Pique well at all. Personally, I think a CB partnership of Luiz/Pique or Hummel/Pique would be disastrous. Barcelona need a defender that is good positionally with organisational qualities.

Strange time to rotate indeed, especially when we have a weeks break then Almeria at home. Could have easily played a full strength team tonight.

If we could get Luiz or Hummels we'd be sorted tbh. Just please God no more small CB's, I still shudder thinking about when Puyol and Masch were at CB together.

Clearly I can see the logic in rotating the squad. But at the same time this is Barcelona, and they should be doing better. It's not like they put Barça B on the pitch - 3-1 is not an acceptable scoreline.

Some of it is due to the positioning of the players - they follow the ball like a magnet, when they should follow the player running into the box - don't turn your back on the forward! That is basic defending, so I have no idea what they are doing in training. You know, if I can see it they should be able to as well. I find it surprising that the whole defense makes the same errors over and over.... do they not review the matches and attempt to fix the problems?

TBH though I think Bartra is one of our best defenders, and they can no longer rely on Puyol. Pique looks distracted, and slow most of the time (although he did decent against City, as did Mascherano). So that would be my priority in the summer transfer window.

Bale scored an absolute beauty.

Tata's decisions are really strange sometimes. At times he looks clueless, but then he comes up with unconventional line-ups for big games and gets them completely right. I like him, overall, but he sometimes seems as if he's not really familiar with la liga or the teams.

Yeah, some heigth is desperately needed... can't be that we concede after every corner or set piece. I've reached a point where I'm happy about anyone coming in, even if it's Luiz (although I don't rate him at all). Hummels would be great but getting him, this summer, is next to impossible.




Are you a Barça fan?

The problem was in midfield today. Song and Busi don't work together. Tata didn't make the crucial changes until after they had scored 3 goals when it was too late and the players lost their concentration. That Song/Busi combo along with RB/WB rotated and the fact that the Anotea is an impossible ground to got to - that explains things tbf.

Yeah, as I said Piqué is a big game performer. Mascherano is dirty and makes a lot of mistakes but he too shows up in big games. A CB (along with ter Stegen) has to be the priority in summer, and I can't imagine they won't go for one - but then again nothing would surprise me with this board.

A few things might change if the board will be reelected in the summer though, which could happen now that the Neymar contract trouble continues.

Except he hasn't scored from open play in a month. His 3 game ban has nothing to do with his bad form.

When ronaldo scores a penalty=penaldo
When Messi scores a penalty=Legend is back.

City game for example.

Messi unable to do anything all game but ends up scoring. How ? A penalty, if it wasn't for that unfair penalty, he would have not scored.