Man City 0-2 Barcelona

He is right, Barca didnt create anything until the red card , it was pure anti football to me...just keep possession and run the clock..City being such a clueless side at pressing helped it as well.

P$G is the real and true arab club now      

keeping posession is the most toughest thing in football . it requires very good technique . mancity where too defensive .

Just watched the game...

Pellegrini is a coward

Goodnight

Lets be real here, any team that opens up against a Bayern/Barca like tiki-taka opponent will get trashed. Last team that tried it against us in the CL was Arsenal at our home and that didnt end very well for them. The way to win against us is park the bus and counter hard with 2 strikers and 2/3 midfielders going at full speed. I wish for City to play a super high line and 2/3 strikers against us at home, we will win 5-0

Except City didnt park the bus and with 11 vs 11 i didnt see Barca thrashing any one...dare i say creating any chance. What happened was though, Barca were content not to concede and City sucked at pressing. Game was going for a 0-0, individual mistake and red card won the game nothing to do with tactics.

Barca did create a chance or have you forgotten when Iniestawas clear on goal, but Toure was fast enough to come back and pressure Iniesta, who didnt managw to shoot because of that.

And its not exactly that easy to create anything when a team has a 10 man wall..

The red card didn't happen just out of nowhere. City opened up at the beginning of the second half, Iniesta took advantage of the open space immediately and slit in a throughball which put Messi 1 on 1 with City's goalkeeper. City's defense couldn't deal with that and went full retard. So that Barca didn't create anything vs. 11 is obviously wrong as Messi was put 1 on 1 with Joe Hart vs. 11, not 10. The red card was a result of Barca's superiority.

How many goals did Real Madrid score again in the Etihad under a far worse Mancini side that experimented with a 3 men backline? As if you can just walk there and create chance gallore, especially when they are lining up with a fullback on the wing. At home. They are not Getafe.

Adit wrote:A tie that failed to live upto its expectation. The borefest that was until the red card says it all...did both team create a single chance when it was 11 vs 11 ?

Pointless possession from Barcelona and City with worst pressing game of a top team..

Yes Messi would have been through for a 1v1 if Demechelis didn't foul him.

Excactly, when City opened our their midfield and put a higher line, we won the midfield battle wich resulted in the 1v1 from Messi. Anything thinking they can play a open game versus us, please do so There is a reason why no team does it.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:

eelir wrote:I did not know Pelle can be such a sore loser. I really respected this guy, but after reading those quotes (if true), I don't respect him that much. I mean I agree the penalty was probably a wrong call, but there were similarly damaging calls against Barca so the refereeing in my eyes was balanced.

Pelle made a mistake for not attacking and payed the price. He payed too much respect to Barca and now wants to hide his mistakes.

You make it sound like Pelle parked the bus and that was not at all what happened. His tactics were spot on for the match and until the red City had generated more chances than Barca. He's at fault for bringing Demichelis to the club but not for setting up the game poorly.

His tactics would have been fine if the game was in Barcelona, but not for City's home game. To say that City generated more chances than Barca isn't exactly correct, either, there were hardly any chances in the first-half. When City went down to 10 men and tried to really attack, they looked more dangerous than when it was 11 v 11. That just shows that City could have played their normal game from the start, a game that has netted them the most goals in the Premier League, they could have proactively taken the game to Barca, but instead Pellegrini submitted to Barcelona, "they are the mighty Barca, what else could we hope to do but adjust our game to defend against Barca's tiki-taka the best we can, I'll play three full-backs and tell Demichelis to follow Messi all the way to the halfway line, I hope that's enough to keep the mighty Barcelona at bay". No. That would have been fine if the game was in Spain. But on their home turf Pellegrini needed to play pretty much their usual attacking game if he actually wished to challenge Barcelona in this tie. Now his tactics looked more like a team's who cannot realistically hope to beat Barca over two legs and who just want to keep the score respectful in defeat. The man failed - and his mental post-match comments just put the icing on the cake.

Adit wrote:He is right, Barca didnt create anything until the red card , it was pure anti football to me...just keep possession and run the clock..City being such a clueless side at pressing helped it as well.

It was a red regardless of whether the ref awarded the penalty or not.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:

Adit wrote:He is right, Barca didnt create anything until the red card , it was pure anti football to me...just keep possession and run the clock..City being such a clueless side at pressing helped it as well.

It was a red regardless of whether the ref awarded the penalty or not.

It was definitely red but the game Barca and City played until the red card sure put so many people to sleep.

Ps-did you notice how Messi started pressing after the red card? Until then he was walking.

Art Morte wrote:His tactics would have been fine if the game was in Barcelona, but not for City's home game. To say that City generated more chances than Barca isn't exactly correct, either, there were hardly any chances in the first-half. When City went down to 10 men and tried to really attack, they looked more dangerous than when it was 11 v 11. That just shows that City could have played their normal game from the start, a game that has netted them the most goals in the Premier League, they could have proactively taken the game to Barca, but instead Pellegrini submitted to Barcelona, "they are the mighty Barca, what else could we hope to do but adjust our game to defend against Barca's tiki-taka the best we can, I'll play three full-backs and tell Demichelis to follow Messi all the way to the halfway line, I hope that's enough to keep the mighty Barcelona at bay". No. That would have been fine if the game was in Spain. But on their home turf Pellegrini needed to play pretty much their usual attacking game if he actually wished to challenge Barcelona in this tie. Now his tactics looked more like a team's who cannot realistically hope to beat Barca over two legs and who just want to keep the score respectful in defeat. The man failed - and his mental post-match comments just put the icing on the cake.

And what do you mean by "their game"? Silva on the wing, Jovetic behind Negredo, 442? Clearly the wrong choice. We saw what happened against Bayern when City played with 2 midfielders rather than 3 and they got absolutely slaughtered.

I am so happy Ref City got screwed by the refs, all the refs have been on their side all season long.

Red Alert wrote:Pique's goal should of stood. Cesc was onside, not off.

Penalty was 50/50, stupid tackle anyway.

This is the first time Barcelona has won an away game in England in the last 10 years iirc.

They won at anfield in 2007 (0-1) but we progressed on away goals.

Very disappointed about the interpretation of match by Pellegrini.

If you want to eliminate Barcellona you must win at Eithad, there is no other way , it's useless to think to a double tie if you must play to Nou Camp then ,and the gap in Barcelona is the defense., in the light of all these considerations he chose an attitude enough  defeatist , only 1 forward in pitch when for me Jovetic had to play with Negredo, good partenership and then otherwise what is the reason to have bought him? for the matches against the Norwich? Jovetic when was 20 was amazing against Bayern of Van Gaal in 2010, if you doesn't play even in these conditions what is the sense?

But Pellegrini preferred an attitude of waiting, at times defeatist and at the end he lost 0-2 at Eithad.

Barcellona didn't play an amazing match  and yet it won the match 2-0 at Manchester   deservedly , it's useless to cry aboout the penalty then

Manchester City ​​should only reproach itself for me the City is scaled down after this match, it is not matter to lose, in football its' normal to lose, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do it and it is not  worst  thing to do it  after to have showed a small mentality. Not the mentality of a club built to win this cup. no difference with the European faded copy by Mancini.

Frustrated Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany believes his side missed a massive opportunity to beat a Barcelona side who were “there for the taking” in their Champions League last-16 first-leg clash.

"It’s very tough," he told ITV. "By no means did we feel they were superior to us. When it was 11 vs 11 we showed them too much respect. They were there for the taking. They were not the best team we have played this season, not at all.

"They were incredibly efficient and when you play against them you do realise the individual quality of this team is phenomenal. It just makes it so difficult to close them down.

"It's not the team that's put in the best performance against us but it doesn't mean it's not the best team. If they turn up at Camp Nou in the next game and play like they're capable of playing then it's a very tough game. If the game is the same as today and we manage to keep away from small fouls we've got a chance."

City had competed well with the Spanish champions up until the moment Demichelis brought his compatriot down, marginally outside the penatly area, but once Messi converted from 12 yards the game and indeed the tie adopted a completely different complexion.

Kompany added: "I don't know [if it was a penalty]. I've not seen it. There were a lot of soft fouls today, in the Premier League there would have never any of those fouls given. Normal challenges when you take the ball and it's a foul. I thought that if the tempo had been in this game it would've been to our advantage."

Robespierre wrote:Very disappointed about the interpretation of match by Pellegrini.

If you want to eliminate Barcellona you must win at Eithad, there is no other way , it's useless to think to a double tie if you must play to Nou Camp then ,and the gap in Barcelona is the defense., in the light of all these considerations he chose an attitude enough  defeatist , only 1 forward in pitch when for me Jovetic had to play with Negredo, good partenership and then otherwise what is the reason to have bought him? for the matches against the Norwich? Jovetic when was 20 was amazing against Bayern of Van Gaal in 2010, if you doesn't play even in these conditions what is the sense?

But Pellegrini preferred an attitude of waiting, at times defeatist and at the end he lost 0-2 at Eithad..

Jovetic can't lead the line so playing him means playing a 442, so you have one less midfielder. Jovetic's defensive contribution is much lower than Silva's. So this means that one of Barca's midfielders will always be free. We already saw how this worked out against Bayern, I don't understand why people are criticizing Pelle.

On a sidenote I think the press is being incredibly unfair with Demichelis:



If it had been a free kick rather than a pen he would be lauded for his guile.

Micho is family, and I won't stand for him being disparaged. He took one for the team, after Kompany messed up the offside trap.

for me it's not  only a matter of penalty kick , he would get a red card anyway, for this reason that tackle  had been avoided imo

Raptorgunner wrote:I am so happy Ref City got screwed by the refs, all the refs have been on their side all season long.

The first observation puts the second one really into question.  

Refs have been against Manchester City all season?   

Hapless_Hans wrote:Micho is family, and I won't stand for him being disparaged. He took one for the team, after Kompany messed up the offside trap.

How bout finally inventing the reason why Barca has no right to get penalty from a handball?   

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1/1939578_716588915040042_408596559_n.jpg

Raptorgunner wrote:I am so happy Ref City got screwed by the refs, all the refs have been on their side all season long.

They were in no way screwed by refs. The rules state its a penalty.

Also Barca had a good goal ruled out so dont bore us with this Uefalona crap.

It was painfully obvious that Pellegrino's tactic was to take a 0-0 to Spain and do something there. So glad his plan blew up in his face