Spanish Football 2011-2012
- Thread starter Robert1986
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Caporegime
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Barca drop more points and now 5 points behind real madrid. Barca could do the double on RM and still lose the title
Espanyol have equalised!!!!! 85 minutes!
Nothing surprising there. It's the story of their season. When they need 1 they score 4(or 9!) but when they need more than 1 they can't score it. They are just one paced- either they are fired up for a game or they will struggle. Can see them winning back to back CL but little to no chance at winning the league.
Caporegime
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One of the more ridiculous things about Fabregas is, I can't work out stats including tonight but before tonight he had scored 8 goals from only 18 shots in the league, that is utterly mental finishing rate, hell of the 18 shots 12 were on target.
Messi is prolific and accurate but 80 shots and 17 goals. So far we're also talking about Fabregas new to the league, new to the team(though with experience with many of the players) and carrying an off/on injury. he's also out assisting Messi so far, but not by a huge amount. Thing is, I'm not knocking Messi at all, he's phenomenal(well apart from tonight ) but thats just how god damned good Fabregas is that he's scoring stupidly well, assisting well and his actual finishing rate is unbelievable. While he's scored some tap in's he's scored some absolute peaches as well.
Bit unfair to blame the keeper tonight as well, if you look carefully where Cesc heads it both Iniesta and a defender block the view so the ball only comes around the left side of the defender barely 5 metres from the goal line. he did well on several other occasions, only one real mistake in passing it to Messi, no idea why Messi handballed it though.
Barca just looked a bit, meh throughout, Messi had an off night and Sanchez was frankly completely turd. Xavi's passing in the first half was awesome but wasted on the front lot not working, Iniesta seemed to basically only pass to Xavi and they seemed to ignore their usual game which is, 2-3 players running along the back four, Xavi/Fabregas/Iniesta spot the run and put a diagonal ball in between the defence or chip one over the top. Sanchez and Fabregas made so many of those little runs but Ineista/Xavi went sideways instead.
Pique was crap defensively, all over the place and crucially for the goal, their biggest defender was marking the area what, 5-10metres outside the goal post, twit. if he was where he should have been, between the posts with Puyol marking the area he'd likely have won the ball quite easily. Was caught out of position all game long.
EDIT:_ Messi 33 goals from 138 shots, 75 on target. Cesc 15 goals, 36 shots, 19 on target...... also 34 vs 18 starts in all competitions so Cesc isn't a mile away on goals per game either.
Messi is prolific and accurate but 80 shots and 17 goals. So far we're also talking about Fabregas new to the league, new to the team(though with experience with many of the players) and carrying an off/on injury. he's also out assisting Messi so far, but not by a huge amount. Thing is, I'm not knocking Messi at all, he's phenomenal(well apart from tonight ) but thats just how god damned good Fabregas is that he's scoring stupidly well, assisting well and his actual finishing rate is unbelievable. While he's scored some tap in's he's scored some absolute peaches as well.
Bit unfair to blame the keeper tonight as well, if you look carefully where Cesc heads it both Iniesta and a defender block the view so the ball only comes around the left side of the defender barely 5 metres from the goal line. he did well on several other occasions, only one real mistake in passing it to Messi, no idea why Messi handballed it though.
Barca just looked a bit, meh throughout, Messi had an off night and Sanchez was frankly completely turd. Xavi's passing in the first half was awesome but wasted on the front lot not working, Iniesta seemed to basically only pass to Xavi and they seemed to ignore their usual game which is, 2-3 players running along the back four, Xavi/Fabregas/Iniesta spot the run and put a diagonal ball in between the defence or chip one over the top. Sanchez and Fabregas made so many of those little runs but Ineista/Xavi went sideways instead.
Pique was crap defensively, all over the place and crucially for the goal, their biggest defender was marking the area what, 5-10metres outside the goal post, twit. if he was where he should have been, between the posts with Puyol marking the area he'd likely have won the ball quite easily. Was caught out of position all game long.
EDIT:_ Messi 33 goals from 138 shots, 75 on target. Cesc 15 goals, 36 shots, 19 on target...... also 34 vs 18 starts in all competitions so Cesc isn't a mile away on goals per game either.
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He's spent some time in the midfield three, but he's been most effective imo when playing as one of the front trio, especially so when occupying the kinds of spaces Messi usually does.
Caporegime
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Well remember, Messi plays in one of two identical positions, left/right doesn't really matter when you're as good as either of them, remember that Messi is a lefty so Cesc would play on the left more easily, considering Pedro has been all but dropped for him and Villa hasn't done much to make himself a certain start, at least in Guardiola/barca fans eyes, there isn't a problem there.
Realistically he's played just about every position outside of the defence so far this season and he did pretty much the same for Arsenal. He played effectively on the wing several times when asked, he's played DM, attacking central mid and Wenger had a habit of throwing him up as a withdrawn striker in his last 12-18 months.
Partially its how damn good he is, and secondly how damn versatile he is that means when fit he'll start as often as possible.
I do remember some people saying, for a long time, that Cesc would be sitting on the bench all season, while other people far to modest to say it was them, said he would easily be first team at Barca
Realistically he's played just about every position outside of the defence so far this season and he did pretty much the same for Arsenal. He played effectively on the wing several times when asked, he's played DM, attacking central mid and Wenger had a habit of throwing him up as a withdrawn striker in his last 12-18 months.
Partially its how damn good he is, and secondly how damn versatile he is that means when fit he'll start as often as possible.
I do remember some people saying, for a long time, that Cesc would be sitting on the bench all season, while other people far to modest to say it was them, said he would easily be first team at Barca
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5 points and the league is over. City were up 6 points and people were saying Liverpool could still win it.
Difference in leagues is crazy. I don't see anyone taking 3 points from RM. Maybe 2 but not 3 from now on.
Might be a good thing if RM win, that means Jose can come back to England.
Difference in leagues is crazy. I don't see anyone taking 3 points from RM. Maybe 2 but not 3 from now on.
Might be a good thing if RM win, that means Jose can come back to England.
Caporegime
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And thats why la liga is pants compared to PL. even if city where 12 points ahead now, it still doesnt guarantee they would win the PL as our league is far more unpredictable then la liga. People would not be surprised if RM win all there remaining games accept the el classico
Caporegime
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yeah, Real certainly can't lose can they..... Barca vs Real at the nou camp for one. Real and Barca will both drop more points, I'd probably put money on Barca beating Real at home still, and you haven't factored in injuries, if Ronaldo gets injured they are boned.
5 points is nothing in the grande scheme of things. Barca beat real, then Real only have to drop 2 other points in difference between them.
Caporegime
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But thats assuming barca dont drop any points and win all there games
Which is apparently a far-fetched assumption, but to assume Madrid will manage it is perfectly fine?
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RM were so poor last night. Benezema's goal was funny.
RM vs Barca in the next round.
RM vs Barca in the next round.
Caporegime
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Which is apparently a far-fetched assumption, but to assume Madrid will manage it is perfectly fine?
SPot on, even funnier because directly in my post I said, Real AND Barca WILL both drop points. But apparently I'm assuming Barca won't
Seriously, reading comprehension is the biggest problem in this forum
Real were VERY poor last night and they've been poor on and off for the last month at least. Something does seem up with Ronaldo, to be fair he's played in just about every game and usually not substituted, its not entirely surprising to see that catch up to him eventually. Messi isn't disimilar, but they do rest him every now and then and have no problem substituting him. But then without knowing how they train, Mourinho might have Real on a far harder training schedule.
He looks, tired, but maybe just not quite happy. He could just be carrying a bit of an injury who knows.
Real though, couple players were awful and should have been sent off, the stamp on the back of Toulalon(guessing spelling) leg was horrific. You can see just from the angle of the stamp that it wasn't an accident, he turned his foot sideways to come down on the back of his leg, if he was just running he'd have never done that. Then you take Toulalon having an excellent game and being Real's biggest problem, then a player essentially trying to take him out.
Diarra got a stupid yellow, really can't see why he did that, he does cynical fouls like one in the Barca game but that was against a better team and when half the team were caught out on a Barca break, here, it was nothing. Rest of the game he was excellent and set up what should have been a Ronaldo goal, who shouldn't have given the keeper a chance to save it.
Xabi, should have picked up a yellow even earlier than Diarra for a less cynical, but nastier challenge, generally was cack. They just look out of idea's in the final third, and not just because Ozil/Di Maria weren't playing as they've looked the same for a month.
Kaka, lol, just useless.
Soldato
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Going to be intresting what toll it takes on both teams another classico cup tie. 3rd classico of the year its like the spl now