Champion League Semi-Final Opponents

Fußball wrote:Anyway, there is no need for deep tactical discussions about underlapping fullbacks and pressing quality. We all know Messi usually chokes when faced with a tall GOAT goalkeeper and as an Argentinian he also is owner of the choking DNA against German teams. So congrats to Hans. Pls beat Mehdrid in the final. Thanks.

So much this^

I don't think anyone outside the devout messi fanboi actually expects him to show up over the two legs. I wonder what excuses will be dished out for his choke this time, given there is no pipita /palacio on the team.

Even his new haircut is an indication of what is to come.

inb4hamonica

À bout de souffle wrote:Even his new haircut is an indication of what is to come.

He went full Kim Jong-Un again.

He takes his role seriously

À bout de souffle wrote:

I don't think anyone outside the devout messi fanboi actually expects him to show up over the two legs. I wonder what excuses will be dished out for his choke this time, given there is no pipita /palacio on the team.

Even his new haircut is an indication of what is to come.

:lol:looks like a german soldier....

This time the excuse will be playing 90 mins vs, Cordoba just 3 days before

Suarez will save him imo

Heared Martinez will be playing . Doesn't have good memories of him playing against barca mids . He killed iniesta last time barca met . Thaigo is going to be a big problem to handle

Last time barca met they totally isolated messi . Messi was walkessi the whole game . Barca have to use neymar and Suarez more

So Bayern lost their match 2-0 today. Not that it means anything as they have already win the league.

Still laughing about their supposed injury crisis. They've Martinez back now as well. They lack firepower without Robben but they have almost everyone else fit in midfield and defense to play a tight game.


I'm guessing that's what Pep will do based on his lineups against Dortmund. And if Lewa can't play it would be Götze. Sure, maybe not much firepower upfront but they can attempt a lowscoring game and try to nick it.

Actually annoying that Madrid trashed them last season. That alone made sure that Pep won't play his usual harakiri highline football anymore in these sort of clashes which I would have liked to see against Messi, Neymar and Suarez. Instead he's playing with a 5 man backline nowadays in big games. Can see them ceeding possession even as they did against Dortmund in the league game.

Oh wow. Martinez back now. 1st game after 9 months, and the semi is in 3 days. That's our injury crisis overcome

Hapless_Hans wrote:Oh wow. Martinez back now. 1st game after 9 months, and the semi is in 3 days. That's our injury crisis overcome

Real man don't need more time to be at their best. We're talking about Martinez here, not Lahm.

Fußball wrote:

À bout de souffle wrote:Even his new haircut is an indication of what is to come.

He went full Kim Jong-Un again.

Where do you get these man?Hilarious.Lets hope Messi doesnt feed his uncle to the dogs.Or in this case Luis Enrique.

Fußball wrote: Can see them ceeding possession even as they did against Dortmund in the league game.

For my feeling that would be the worst idea we could possibly have.

sree999 wrote:Last time barca met they totally isolated messi . Messi was walkessi the whole game . Barca have to use neymar and Suarez more

You do realise Messi was injured right...

alexjanosik wrote:dani,
You should watch the game just for the elastico by Thiago.He did it off a pass he received first time.Unbelievable skill.

That I have seen. Crazy move.

Can someone explain why Thiago was sold. I still don't understand it. Another gaffe by Barcelona management in a history of transfer gaffes. Never have I seen a club at this level be so badly mismanaged.

Rosell + Zubi + Bart. Only explanation. Everyone was against the move here.

When a player wants to go, generally they go.

We are fault for making him want to go in the first place.

Im sorry, but I also have to blame the coaches for not playing him enough. He talent was so obvious and yet he was underused and had to take back seats to Cesc, despite out performing him consistently.

The Franchise wrote:When a player wants to go, generally they go.

We are fault for making him want to go in the first place.

Im sorry, but I also have to blame the coaches for not playing him enough. He talent was so obvious and yet he was underused and had to take back seats to Cesc, despite out performing him consistently.

That is my point. The management did nothing to hold him and I think Tito would have tried had he not been so ill. The Rosel administration almost drove Messi out as well. Some baffling stuff. This is the same clown that wanted Felipe Scolari instead of Rijkaard. Then you remmeber that he has an agenda against Cruijff.

I could have sworn I remember reading it had to do with the Neymar deal.

Because he came out of the B team and his first sentence to announce himself to the world was: "I want to be a success in football, not in Barca." Pep had to calm his father down who was threatening the club about his son's possible playing time before Thiago was even a full first team member (Pep: "I seem to trust Thiago more than his father" or something along those lines). Then Thiago got an ACL injury at the end of Pep's Barca tenure. Under Tito he missed the preseason and got fit around September but had a small relapse again which sidelined him until New Year. At that point Tito had found his gala XI which was steamrolling the league, nor was Thiago particularly impressing when he got chances (gave away a goal against Malaga in the Copa), Iniesta was playing one of his best seasons and Xavi was still going strong. Then Tito got ill and was fighting cancer in New York. At that point no one had time to give a f about keeping Thiago happy with playing time. Who then decided to leave and be a success in football elsewhere as he proclaimed when he broke through. Afterwards he also explained that he wouldn't have a problem joining Real Madrid and that it's normal in football. No idea why Rosell, Zubi etc. would be to blame for that. You can blame Tito for fighting cancer and not having time to keep lil' Thiago happy with playing time if you wish.

Fußball wrote:Because he came out of the B team and his first sentence to announce himself to the world was: "I want to be a success in football, not in Barca." Pep had to calm his father down who was threatening the club about his son's possible playing time before Thiago was even a full first team member (Pep: "I seem to trust Thiago more than his father" or something along those lines). Then Thiago got an ACL injury at the end of Pep's Barca tenure. Under Tito he missed the preseason and got fit around September but had a small relapse again which sidelined him until New Year. At that point Tito had found his gala XI which was steamrolling the league, nor was Thiago particularly impressing when he got chances (gave away a goal against Malaga in the Copa), Iniesta was playing one of his best seasons and Xavi was still going strong. Then Tito got ill and was fighting cancer in New York. At that point no one had time to give a f about keeping Thiago happy with playing time. Who then decided to leave and be a success in football elsewhere as he proclaimed when he broke through. Afterwards he also explained that he wouldn't have a problem joining Real Madrid and that it's normal in football. No idea why Rosell, Zubi etc. would be to blame for that. You can blame Tito for fighting cancer and not having time to keep lil' Thiago happy with playing time if you wish.

Another daft move in a long line of stupid moves by the club. Then again, this is the same club that chose to sign Hughs and Lineker over Rijkaard and van Basten so it is to be expected.

Fußball wrote:Because he came out of the B team and his first sentence to announce himself to the world was: "I want to be a success in football, not in Barca." Pep had to calm his father down who was threatening the club about his son's possible playing time before Thiago was even a full first team member (Pep: "I seem to trust Thiago more than his father" or something along those lines). Then Thiago got an ACL injury at the end of Pep's Barca tenure. Under Tito he missed the preseason and got fit around September but had a small relapse again which sidelined him until New Year. At that point Tito had found his gala XI which was steamrolling the league, nor was Thiago particularly impressing when he got chances (gave away a goal against Malaga in the Copa), Iniesta was playing one of his best seasons and Xavi was still going strong. Then Tito got ill and was fighting cancer in New York. At that point no one had time to give a f about keeping Thiago happy with playing time. Who then decided to leave and be a success in football elsewhere as he proclaimed when he broke through. Afterwards he also explained that he wouldn't have a problem joining Real Madrid and that it's normal in football. No idea why Rosell, Zubi etc. would be to blame for that. You can blame Tito for fighting cancer and not having time to keep lil' Thiago happy with playing time if you wish.

They were to blame for not offering him a better contract and allowing him to leave for just 20m, a very low break-out clause for his level of talent. Tito should have been aware/been made aware of the clause that if he didn't play X amount of minutes he could leave the club.

Just because he is not a Barca fan doesn't mean that he didn't want to stay, there is nothing wrong with his public statements. The club could have seen them as an opportunity to appraoch him and sort out whatever misgivings there were but AFAIK the club was not the least bit concerned.

Tito was made aware of the clause, he even talked about it in a press conference towards the end of the season yet Thiago was kept on the bench in 4 of the last 5 games of the season. Tito also made a comment, which I remember to this day, that the club would rather have players "who want to be here, like Cesc". It appeared like Tito was setting an example to not let himself dictate his lineups by clauses. Yeah, now that he is dead no one wants to speak ill of Tito understandably and the blame is shifted to Rosell and Co. (mind you, personally I fully support Tito's decision). But that's what happened and Rosell doesn't make the lineups and doesn't manage the playing time. At best he is at fault for agreeing to such a clause but who is to say Thiago would have signed a contract without such clause to begin with?

He wasn't made aware of it until it was too late, IIRC. In either case, even if the coach didn't want to play him, the board was definitely aware and should have moved to solve the situation. The fact that the clause did not differentiate between lacking minutes due to no confidence vs lacking minutes due to being injured is in itself a form of incompetence.