Matchday 34: Barcelona - Real Madrid | Sat Apr 21st | 20:00 CET/14:00 ET

Discuss the upcoming match here

Unlike previous seasons, pressure is this time on Barcelona as they will have to win this match in order to keep any hopes of retaining their La Liga title alive.
The match is in Camp Nou so Barcelona will be slight favourites.
However, Real Madrid will have an extra day to prepare for clásico as well as an extra day to prepare for the second leg in Champions League.
The outcome of the Champions League matches in midweek can potentially have a psychological effect on the clásico.

Meh, Madrid have big pressure too. Indeed they dont have to win, but they know losing will give them literally ZERO room for error.

If Barca win, Madrid will be rocked.

I hope we win and win BIG, however unlikely that may be. I just want to shut Madrid up, even if we don't win the league in the end. If we completely destroy them(I'm talking Manita-type performance) then I will revel in their butthurt

BC the Vibe of Barca section

In any case its all or nothing, win this and i reckon Barca will go on to win the league, draw or lose it and its over.

I just hope Pep dont come up with any retarded choices lol.

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:BC the Vibe of Barca section

In any case its all or nothing, win this and i reckon Barca will go on to win the league, draw or lose it and its over.

I just hope Pep dont come up with any retarded choices lol.

*cough* playing Fab *cough*

Hey what do people think here about playing Pedro?

He's no where near top form but the kid always shows up in big games and has scored against Madrid a couple times. On his day he can definitely give Madrid problems.

Is it worth starting him, despite his poor form?

Yes I would start Pedro. Our other options are Cesc or Cuenca and I don't want them to start. We need width so I don't really want Cesc, and Cuenca isn't a goal threat and I think we could do with another player who can run in behind or offer shots (*crosses fingers*). Cuenca might have offered plenty of width and won us a penalty last game but he frustrated me with how he tried to do the same move every single time. In my opinion we were lucky to get anything out of him. against Madrid I don't think he'll be that effective, though he could be against Chelsea.

Biggest question for me is defence?

3 men? No thanks but it wouldn't totally surprise me... If its 4, who starts at Lb, and who pairs centrally? Each player offers positives and negatives.
Masch: best defender this year.
Piqué: tall, big game performer. Tested combo with puyol. However, has been injured and hasnt had a great season.
Puyol: experienced and pivotal performer and leader in clasicos. Tested combo with Piqué. A combo with Masch likes height though. Slow if used on the flanks.
Adriano: Offers width and security with pace.

Options?
Alves- puyol- pique- adriano
Alves -masch-piqué-puyol
Alves-puyol-masch-adriano
Alves-piqué-masch-adriano
Masch-piqué-puyol

If Madrid didnt start Di Maria/Ozil on the right, I would play Puyol. If its Benz with Higuain in the middle it would play into our hands for us to use the 3.5 at the back like the last Classico.

However, Adriano offers quickness and ability to defend in isolation which Puyol I fear might struggle with in a leftback role.

I think its a tough choice which has its positives and negatives.

No idea where the Cuenca hatred is coming from. If you watched the match you'd have realised he didn't have any other choice other than "the same move every single time". Let me break it for you:

Scenario 1:



This is the 3-4-3 formation against Levante. Cuenca was surrounded by 3 opposition defenders. None of the midfielders (Fábregas or Thiago) nor Messi were in close proximity of him to help him out. Passing back to his team-mate down the left is risky as he is not close and if your pass is intercepted your team will be caught on a counter attack. Against Levante, that's the last thing you want to do. The only way out is go down the right and whip a cross in.

Scenario 2:



In 4-3-3, with Xavi and Iniesta running the midfield, Xavi is helping out the RW and Iniesta is helping LW. You also have fullbacks making overlapping runs or they are roaming behind you in case you get into trouble. You make a triangle. This gives the RW plenty of options. In 3-4-3 you don't have the RB helping you out and against Levante Cesc and Thiago were often far too close to the centre or far behind.

Nah, your over doing it and over simplifying it.

Firstly, he ran into cul-de-sacs at least twice and forced himself to by isolated from the nearest teammate. This is one thing Alexis didnt do, which has its positives and negatives mind you, but Cuenca forced himself in those positions at least on 2 occassions.

Second, the "same thing over and over again" points to his lack of diversity. There is nothing at all wrong taking on the defender, but he didnt have any move to offer other than go around the outside and cross.

It was like Man Utd Valencia without the power to make the obvious such an unstoppable move. Valencia is able to shrug off any leftback, whereas Cuenca got dumPed on his ass by a relative weakling, Valdo.

Cuenca, has the dribbling skills to come inside, be more diverse, use a trick, ala Nani.

No*

*This is how much your post deserves

Thats nice, but your still wrong.

Agree with Franchise.

I give you the benefit of the doubt. Hell, I say you two know galaxies more about football than this humble servant. But please, for the love of god, don't act like a couple of internet nerds whom the closest thing they have interacted to a football has been playing FIFA on their consoles know more than a professional footballer. Have you considered tweeting Cuenca and tell him what to do next time?

I think you both have points lol

I think Cuenca could have used a bit more support, but still, playing a 3-4-3 with him being told to stretch the play out as much as he usually does, to some point he was a bit isolated.

However I don't think that justified him losing the ball as many times as he did (3-4 times), and after a while they caught on and he was exposed, and was near useless for the rest of the match till he got a soft penalty.

I think I'd have to agree with the Franchise more though. He had enough support to justify playing it back or cutting inside rather than keep trying to go around the outside.

EDIT: You don't have to be as good as a footballer or as good as Cuenca to know when someone is doing something wrong. Even I can pinpoint things people aren't doing correctly, even though I'm a 15 year old who only started watching professional football like 5 years ago and has only played high school football (at my highest level). The best can screw up and we can see that, don't need to be as good as them.

Dude why are you overreacting??? All I said was Cuenca wasn't as f***ing amazing as some people said against Levante. He played pretty well but I was a bit frustrated with him at times. Youve never watched a game and been frustrated at a player? Please...

No need to go off your rock and abuse us. Who ever claimed we knew more about football? We're discussing the game like you're supposed to do on a football forum...

Had bad day or something? Fuuuuu....

No need to overreact and get up-tight about it.

I dissagree with you and said why. You didnt. I dont care much you dont care to explain, it is what is is, dont be so sensitive.

And for the record, im a qualified youth coach with experience who spent years learning about the sport I love so, so please stop the assumptions and either argue the point or shut up

Sorry if my words deem harsh by some. I don't mean it.

• Movements for both goals were started by Cuenca. That's enough for me to justify he had a good game.
  
• The one time someone came to help him out (I think it was Sánchez), he did a one-two that lead to the penalty. Other than that occasion, he was isolated for the rest of the match.
  
• No, you don't necessarily need to be a professional footballer to know when a player makes a mistake. But Cuenca is actually a smart player. If you criticise Walcott, if you criticise Lennon, I agree. These players are one-trick ponies, but Cuenca isn't. He simply didn't have viable options.
  
• How are you going to cut in, surround yourself with more defenders than before, risk losing possession in a more dangerous place, or at best retain possession. I really want to see those of you who criticise Cuenca osilated with 3 defenders surrounding you and see what the heck you would try to do.
  
• Don't know where the Valencia vs Cuenca comparison coming from. When has Valencia been in a situation with 3 defenders surrounding him down the touchline with the opposition parking the bus? Never. Here are his goals and assists this season. Not even remotely similar situations.

I'm highly hoping for B.M to hold the draw or win this Tuesday so it adds more pressure to Madrid to not overplay the star players.
Hopefully we win against Madrid, and they get a yellow card on Pepe AND Ramos so they both cannot play the next La Liga game, if god is on our side CR7.. As bad as it sounds, just because we win this match doesn't mean were winning by points, we need them to drop after this game!

I don't think any of us are saying he had a bad game. I thought he was pretty decent, leading up into the first goal and getting the penalty for the second.

But I understand the frustrations regarding Cuenca in this game as while Cuenca is not a one trick pony (none of us think that...we all love him here), I can see, and I'm guessing Kizz and Dani, that he was kind of acting like one in this game. He was doing his best Lennon impression tbf, continually trying to go around the outside and crossing in, and because of that, lost the ball 3-4 times.

The times he got 3 defenders around him was because he held the ball too long. Not because Levante were that worried about Cuenca, they had more people worried about Messi tbh, but when Cuenca has the ball that long, of course 3-4 defenders will eventually press him off the ball. And in Barca, you ALWAYS have a passing lane, back-sideways-forward, doesn't matter. So that is not really the problem. Cuenca simply held it too long 1 or 2 times.

Again- I think Cuenca had a decent game and did have an impact on the match, which is great. That's what subs do! Cuenca did exactly what was needed of him, but his overall play could have been better. He held the ball a bit too long and tried the same trick too many times.

THAT is what we're frustrated about. We (and I'm speaking for Kizz and Dani here even though I'm not 100% they agree, they can totally call me out on it if I'm wrong) are frustrated because of those things- those couple things in his general play that weren't so good.

Same frustrations I have with Fab. Can score goals and assist sure, but his overall play is worse than Thiago's, easily (in my opinion).

Cuenca is young and is learning. I expect these mistakes- and I respect how well he's done this season (fantastically, I love the kid) but I was frustrated with his general play last game like I was with just about everyone. Ran himself into cul-de-sacs and tried the same trick a couple times too many and paid the price (lost the ball).

Those aren't criticisms of Cuenca as a player either, just this particular game.

Going to bed though, night!

Im guessing we are discussing the match here not about Ceunca... I really just want Fabregas to start on the bench and make the immediate impact off it like all those games he has (aka World Cup final, Euro 08, SuperCopa, 3-2loss to Getafe etc.) Please Pep just place him on the bench and let the magic happen. With the way how El Clasico have played with Mourniho as coach we see many yellow cards and especially last season, a red card every time. Culprits Pepe and Ramos though Ricardo (who is injuried still), Marcelo, Di Maria, Alonso and Casillas have all shown that they can also get the ticking and as Gomez said its not what happens this match but after and if we close the gap to 1 point that still isn't enough. A loss of draw will secure oursleves possible of winning the title and by red and yellows shown to players from Madrid will cause more pressure for the next game.

So if we could get back on topic...

Fab, Cuenca, Cesc or Adriano up front?

Adri, Puyol, Pique or Masch at the back?

Keita? haha

Funny, I'm with the non-Barça fan Danyjr here. I think Cuenca was more than fine considering the lack of suport and he played a role in the two goals. Much more than what Alexis or Pedro did out wide (Pedro very little, Alexis nothing).

For me, it is obvious that if Pep wants his wide players to act as real wingers, not as wing forwards, Cuenca has to start. Is the only one that is a real winger. Pedro and Alexis don't work good sticking to the line: their strength is making runs in behind and scoring, and in Pedro's case making one-twos with Messi in the midfield. While Cuenca can create from his side, either by getting to the byline and crossing, coming to the center or passing.

I would go with our best XI available:

Alves Masche Puyol Adriano
-----------Busquets
-------Xavi-------------Iniesta
Pedro---------Messi-------------Alexis

If they play, very, very, very defensive, Pique should go into the box to head crosses from Alves/Pedro/Alexis, and we could consider subbing in Cesc for Xavi to give more header ability and sub in Cuenca for Pedro/Alexis to give more crossing.