What is the best way to play against Barca?

vanDEEZ wrote:

RealGunner wrote:how did they manage 52% ?

90% of that 52% was united stalling the inevitable defeat by holding the ball for extra time before throw-ins.

Cant remember if it was 52%, on some graphics I remember 52%, on others the 48% Danny said.

Anyway, thats not true. They didnt do it by wasting time, I watched the game only recently.

We just didnt dominate possession like you might think we did, its funny what years does to how you remember the game.

Man Utd didnt have much tactical discipline so the space was there to exploit and we were very aggressive in our attack.

Henry wasnt waiting for support, he was going alone, Iniesta and Mdessi went on runs through the middle, our fullbacks (Puyol and Silvinho) where very cautious and not great ball players so they didnt create space.

We just didnt keep the ball as often, Man Utd put up a much better performance than people remember and since that year, we have grown so much. Which is why I laugh so hard when people think the 09 team was the best one, it really wasnt. It was perhaps the best season, but not the best team.

VivaStPauli wrote:
Besides Puyol, Barcas defense is rather shoddy, Valdes hasn't impressed me for like 3 seasons, Pique is vastly overrated due to Barcas possession stats, and Alves is basically a glorified winger, a good one, but he's not impressive defensively.

This is nonesense, sorry but it is.

Also possession-stats don't just measure the time your team is "in control" of the ball, they'ra also about who has more touches etc etc., so albeit that was probably meant as a joke anyway, just holding the ball, or wasting time, won't increase your possession stat.,

The Franchise wrote:

VivaStPauli wrote:
Besides Puyol, Barcas defense is rather shoddy, Valdes hasn't impressed me for like 3 seasons, Pique is vastly overrated due to Barcas possession stats, and Alves is basically a glorified winger, a good one, but he's not impressive defensively.

This is nonesense, sorry but it is.

Nope it's not. Pique has looked shitty when under pressure for both Spain and Barca. Nice with the ball at his feet, and not a catastrophe defensively, but he is no Puyol.

So either your Puyol or your crap. Makes no sense.

If what your saying was true, Pique would be good every season would he not? With our possession apperently protecting him?

And yet, last season he was horrible, but this season and his first season, immense.

And anyone who has watched Dani Alves for 4-5 knows he rarely gets beat on defence in the 1 v 1. He is our best 1 v 1 defender as a matter of fact.

likeastar wrote:

harhar11 wrote:

likeastar wrote:Barca didn't lose to Madrid in the League this season due to luck and didn't loss in the Supercup much worse because of luck. You're talking about them like they are God, many people forget how they won against Chelsea in 09, against Madrid and Arsenal in 2011, against Milan in 2012....

You can also say that Barca didnt beat real madrid in the league because of bad luck, seeing as if montoya's shot would have gone 1 CM lower it would have been a goal

And the supercup? Do you really want to talk about the supercup? The only reason why you even won the supercup was because Valdes wanted to dribble Di Maria. If he didnt try to dribble him, Barca would have won that game 3-1 and lost the 2nd leg 2-1 making Barca the champion.

When did Barca lose to Milan in 2012?

No one would have been sad if we had 4/5-0 before the break in the supercup, and in the League if Benzema would have scored that 1on1 the match would have been over.

First of all this is off-topic but anyway, no one would be sad if we had won the 1st leg 4-1 and, even though you made a brilliant start for the first half of the 2nd leg, in the 2nd half a 2-2 was closer than a 3-1..

And like I said, if Montoya's shot would have gone 1 cm lower, Barca would have won that game. It could have gone either way but that doesnt change the fact that Barca ended that game stronger. And it goes to what I was saying, if you want to beat Barca you need to start the game strong and score the few chances that you get at the start of the game because Barca tend to start the games very shaky..

The Franchise wrote:

vanDEEZ wrote:

RealGunner wrote:how did they manage 52% ?

90% of that 52% was united stalling the inevitable defeat by holding the ball for extra time before throw-ins.

Cant remember if it was 52%, on some graphics I remember 52%, on others the 48% Danny said.

Anyway, thats not true. They didnt do it by wasting time, I watched the game only recently.

ha, i was only joking. i dont really remember the match but i remember it being a battering which is why i was surprised at the 52% possession.

but to address the topic of the best way to play against barca-

the only way to beat barca is to be 100% discipline. defending as a team, finishing the few goal scoring opportunities that you may be given.

and that doesnt necessarily mean to park the bus, there is a difference. what it means to me is to not (necessarily) have 11 behind the ball, but to have every player on the field active in pressing, covering passing lanes, defending etc.

Basically, the way Madrid has played its last 4 games against Barca is the best way to do it... you need wingers to track back and cover the width and you also need the CF to help the central midfield. You also need to pressure them in their own half and bully their midfield. Counter attacks and hoofing are the best attacking options since their air game is poor and the CBs are the team's weakness.

If you can get to their back 4, you will get chances. Valdez is also error-prone.

VivaStPauli wrote:Alves is basically a glorified winger, a good one, but he's not impressive defensively.

You haven't seen him when he defends. In Madrid matches, when he was specifically instructed to defend, he had Marcelo+Cristiano very much limited. And no other right back in the world can contain these two monsters like Alves.

danyjr wrote:

VivaStPauli wrote:Alves is basically a glorified winger, a good one, but he's not impressive defensively.

You haven't seen him when he defends. In Madrid matches, when he was specifically instructed to defend, he had Marcelo+Cristiano very much limited. And no other right back in the world can contain these two monsters like Alves.

Not the last 4 games... before that, absolutely. But CR7 especially has made the adjustment and is scoring in every game now. I think he's scored in 5 or 6 straight classicos. Can't remember.

danyjr wrote:

VivaStPauli wrote:Alves is basically a glorified winger, a good one, but he's not impressive defensively.

You haven't seen him when he defends. In Madrid matches, when he was specifically instructed to defend, he had Marcelo+Cristiano very much limited. And no other right back in the world can contain these two monsters like Alves.

1. Many can if they don't have the ball

2. He's lost Ronaldo on many occasions in recent games- often resulting in relatively simple goals.

On Topic.

There really is no one way to play against them. No universal approach. It depends on the team you have and what you can ask from that team. For examples, the way Mourinhio approached the Copa Del Rey final in 2011 is a clinic for a team clearly over matched from a talent standpoint. Pressing through midfield pushing them back and keeping a compact central defensive shape , with very basic counterattacking football.

However after you outplay them a couple times, and players like Ozil prove that they can hold their own from an attacking standpoint when given that freedom and the complimentary pieces to do so...that approach becomes outdated.

There's specific stuff that can pay dividends. Pressing through midfield, utilizing width to get behind their usually stretched defense and having a target man who can hold the ball up come to mind. But every team is unique and you need to develop an approach that blends these with whatever advantages your team does have.

danyjr wrote:

VivaStPauli wrote:Alves is basically a glorified winger, a good one, but he's not impressive defensively.

You haven't seen him when he defends. In Madrid matches, when he was specifically instructed to defend, he had Marcelo+Cristiano very much limited. And no other right back in the world can contain these two monsters like Alves.

Lahm?
Anyway, the question of this topic couldn't be responded by the most of world's best football managers...
I think the worst when you play with Barca is having to face that pressing for 90 minutes.. That's why trying to play anything else than counter-attacking is useless, perhaps having a very good phisycal team (like Celtic) would help.

barca doesnt press for 90, they cant. they keep the ball long enough so that when they have to actually press, they choke you out. then they can move the ball around and maintain their energy level.

Mr Nick09 wrote:barca doesnt press for 90, they cant. they keep the ball long enough so that when they have to actually press, they choke you out. then they can move the ball around and maintain their energy level.

you're right, what i meant is that, it's unbelivable how they can press anytime when they lose the ball during the all 90 minutes and attack you with so much energy, i see no team capable of doing that.
Real Madrid's victory in Supercup and last year at Camp nou where the only losts of barca when you can't say that they deserved more..

They don't really waste much energy when they are pressing. They just kinda jog and press.

also, the game of position barcelona practices is by far the best in the world.

sportsczy wrote:Not the last 4 games... before that, absolutely. But CR7 especially has made the adjustment and is scoring in every game now. I think he's scored in 5 or 6 straight classicos. Can't remember.

Le Samourai wrote:1. Many can if they don't have the ball

2. He's lost Ronaldo on many occasions in recent games- often resulting in relatively simple goals.

He has been crap recently (in all games, not just Madrid ones) so that invalidates the whole argument. When he was on form he didn't allow Madrid to do anything from their left. And believe me, you can hardly get a team with a better attacking left flank than Marcelo+Cristiano.

The reason Barca can press whenever they like is incredibly simple, they have the ball 70% of the time. You rest when you have the ball, you drive them back, when you lose it you are fresh and you already have 7-8 players in the position to press. Win it back quickly and restart.

Not a difficult concept.

No such a thing as jog and press, thats called shit pressing.

What I meant by jog and press was they don't just rush the other teams players aggressively. They calmly jog and trap the opposition player, making them hoof it/lose it.

Take advantage of the narrow defending and cross towards the opposite flank.

Get Piquet thrown off and play against 10 men.

Additionally you have to bribe goal posts.

Defender sent off, anyone has a chance to win...

be basque

The Basque way

"It makes me very proud to see Mac and SkrtelSwagger acknowledge that the Basque Arts is the best way to triumph vs the worlds best team"