I know it's silly taking the best players out of your team, but it's just a bit of fun.
On paper, Barca have the better team. The midfield combo of Xavi, Busquets and an overrated Iniesta is just . Upfront they have Villa, who looks as if he has lost none of his finishing ability.
But who else in their squad is a deadly goalscorer? Xavi and Iniesta are average finishers tbh, regardless of some of their other world class abilities. Whenever you see Barca nowadays, it's Messi pulling the strings, scoring individually brilliant goals or free kicks. Don't get me wrong, Barca ar obviously still brilliant, but would they be as consistent?
Madrid have Di Maria, the best winger in the world (after Ronaldo/Messi) for me. Sanchez, who I did rate highly, has not set the world alight like he was supposed to. They also have Ozil, who is a brilliant playmaker. Up front it's Higuain and Benzema, both overrated, but can score great goals and display clinical finishing.
So, who would win?
For me it'd be Madrid, because I believe they have the players to step up and bang the goals in if Ronaldo wasn't there. Barca would obviously still score goals, but Messi is just too magical. He's not just a goalscorer obviously, they would also heavily miss his almost supernatural through balls, laying chances on a plate for other players (incidentally , this is what I believe seperates Ronaldo and Messi, Ronaldo is MUCH less of a creator for others). He (Messi) does drag Barca out of the pit at times, and the media choose to ignore what would happen if his brilliance wasn't on display.
Again, it's just a bit of fun, don't chew my head off. And I don't watch much La Liga, just highlights.
Barca minus Messi, or Madrid minus Ronaldo?
posted on 18/10/12
Eh the 6-2 in Madrid was nothing special, they were crap back then under Pellegrini
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Long post, mainly directed at Batmanu.
Firstly, on Real Madrid:
The 2-6 defeat was under Juande Ramos, the season before Pellegrini took over. Nevertheless, before that game they'd put in an unbeaten streak of over 20 games, with something like 17 straight wins.
Also, by no means was Pellegrini's side rubbish.
With Pellegrini we lost 1-0 in a pretty tight game at the Camp Nou, and 0-2 at home in a game Barça fully dominated.
I've always said Pellegrini should have been afforded a second chance - underperformed in the cups, but his league numbers were outstanding with a completely revamped team built without his input (the first nail in his coffin was in fact speaking out against the sale of Sneijder to Inter). He was actually considered a dead man walking ever since the CL group stage home defeat to Milan, which was around October-November.
And regarding your comments about Barça, you are vastly exaggerating most of your points:
1. Xavi's probably started and played more matches than any player in world football since the summer of 2008.
Since then, he's averaged over 60 starts and 65 games in total per season. It's only normal for a player who's played that many games and hasn't had a proper off-season rest to be fatigued, much more so when he's now 32, and even then he's started all but two of Barça's games so far this season.
2. By no means is Dani Alves past it. He sustained an injury in preseason, added to another late last season, and clearly hadn't found his form yet. His latest injury is another setback, but to conclude he's past it when he provided 16 assists only last season is ludicrous.
3. Perhaps the least disputable of your claims, but imo, a crock's a player who you can't really expect to play consistently because of a specific, recurrent problem (think Ledley King, Marco Van Basten). Puyol's definitely getting on and his last couple of years have been riddled with injuries, but they've been different sorts, some of a rather freak nature. However, his work ethic is incredible and I still think he can get back to form and give the side a couple more quality seasons.
Piqué again has had different sort of injuries, and he's only 25, so I reckon he too will eventually pull out of this unlucky phase and play plenty more games for Barça.
Imo, Pep's and Tito's main mistake has been not to blood Bartra and Fontás (who's now been loaned out), as both - especially Bartra imo - have the potential to be excellent players.
4. Iniesta can't handle extra responsibility? He's only the guy who's most regularly stepped up to the plate for Spain and Barça when the pressure's greatest. Like any player, he's subject to better and worse runs of form, but you can't really say he's underperformed.
In all, I partly agree with wumpatrol, the 08/09 team had much more variety in comparison to today's side, but you have to add other factors - familiarity of opponents, fatigue - to explain why Barça don't look like the unstoppable machine they did not so long ago, but they're still undisputably among the best sides in world football.
With the adequate rotation and proper recovery time for the key players who are suffering recurrent injuries, I can still see them climbing back to the top by the end of the season.
The comfortable lead they hold over Madrid ion La Liga could help them a lot in that sense, the big question imo is whether Vilanova is able to manage the situation appropriately.
posted on 18/10/12
Feck me IOAG
posted on 18/10/12
IOAG
True that was Ramos' team not Pellegrini's. I don't know how I got that mixed up.
posted on 18/10/12
And Ramos picked them up just before the 1st clásico after Schuster was fired. Played ugly football, but did an excellent job results-wise.
posted on 19/10/12
Schuster I liked him for some odd reason.
posted on 19/10/12
Great player and quite a character, never afraid to speak his mind.
At the time, Madrid had a full-flung injury crisis at the time and Barça were flying.
He literally said it was 'impossible' for Madrid to beat them at the Camp Nou.
And got sacked.
posted on 14/2/13
Anyone changed their opinions based on this season?
posted on 14/2/13
Do you want a point-by-point detailed response?
posted on 14/2/13
I wouldn't mind one
posted on 14/2/13
Bear with me, I'm almost half way through my first draft version.