A great game it was and since Ronaldo was injured, for once in a long while it was not billed by the media as a Ronaldo vs Messi encounter.
What i learned from the game ;
1) The perils of not having experienced backup defenders. Barcelona had major CB injuries with Puyol only making the bench. Bartra and Mascherano are not exactly the right pair to put your hopes on in a final against a powerful counter attacking team like Real. Due to his inexperience, Bartra probably trusted himself against Bale in a footrace. I believe if it was any experienced CD, not necessarily world class, they would have fouled Bale and taken one for the team.
2) Bale showed a quality in him that i sincerely doubt Ronaldo has. I believe if this had been Ronaldo on full flow and then Bartra shoulder charged him, he would have collapsed and thrown his toys out of the pram asking for a red card. Bale just shrugged off the challenge and put on his afterburners.
3) Martino is so predicatable. Isn't this like the 20 time this season he has substituted Cesc off for Pedro?
4) Pinto is not a goalkeeper. If he is, then we should show Barca a clip of Fabianski FA semi's penalty saves and we'll probably get 50m for him.
*disclaimer = i am neither a barca/messi nor real/ronaldo/bale fan so don't insult me thinking am biased. I am a footbal fan.
Lessons learned from the Copa del Rey
posted on 17/4/14
Cesc should be sold nothing but a hinderance to himself and the team.
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The thing is, a large majority of the Barca fans agree with this point of view!
But the Barca board are a proud, ego-driven bunch. After all the hoo-ha and fuss that it took to take Fabregas 'back home', for them to sell him so soon after his transfer would make everyone (least of all the player himself) look a bit silly!
I'll be surprised if Martino is at the club next season (we'll see), and then it'll be in the lap of the (new) Guvnor to decide what he wants to do with the team.
Ideally a player like Fabregas needs the team to work around him to get the best out of him. The current Barca set-up doesn't cater for that...
posted on 17/4/14
Havent they got a transfer ban? If they do i doubt they'll let fabregas walk without being able to replace him, although this past week has shown they have the ability to do an Arsenal (tougher than you think, finishing a 9 month season season in 1 week!) so im guessing its not totally out of the question!
posted on 17/4/14
Martino should be sacked asap. Thats what happens when you sign a relative nobody at a big club especially if he isnt involved in that club previously. The same thing happened to us and we are now sufferring under Moyes
posted on 17/4/14
he was absoulte crap in the first 2 el classicos
posted on 17/4/14
martino is leaving at the end of the season anyway..
he actually wants to leave, and all but said that not too long ago
i think frank de boer will become the new barca manager..
it depends on what happens this summer with barca's internal politics
posted on 17/4/14
i think frank de boer will become the new barca manager..
it depends on what happens this summer with barca's internal politics
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Really? Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see it out of curiosity, but that'd be a HUGE gamble on Barca's part. I'd have thought that taking punts on a manager after this Martino debacle would be something the'd make a point of not repeating. Don't get burnt by the same flame twice & all that!?
posted on 17/4/14
maybe they'll look at luis enrique ? we'll see
posted on 17/4/14
maybe they'll look at luis enrique ? we'll see
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I think at a fan level that'd excite people (to start with), but to be honest, whilst he conducts himself well and has a good ethos in playing attractive football, his inexperience really shone through at Roma (for example).
It's an interesting one, that's for sure... Off the top of my head, I'd have thought they'd want someone fresh, with a bit of a track record. Klopp for example, although the German has said there's no way he'll leave Dortmund before 2016.
posted on 17/4/14
Tata Martino did a good job till last month or so. Especially in first half, when everyone was playing and the squad was happy. Then he dropped Alexis/Pedro for Neymar alongside putting Iniesta out wide, all which has made them a bit too predictable. Bear in mind this Barca team on paper is still the no 1 in Europe, and with more pressure at Barca than anywhere, I think Tata is doing the right thing by asking to step down.
Barca are trying to be a bit too hippy, they should stick with an experienced manager or a young manager who's proven it at top level such as Brendan Rodgers (he won't leave, but a suggestion).
posted on 17/4/14
comment by Mata's Blog (U19493)
posted 3 hours, 1 minute ago
Martino should be sacked asap. Thats what happens when you sign a relative nobody at a big club especially if he isnt involved in that club previously. The same thing happened to us and we are now sufferring under Moyes
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It seems to me that they were worried about the direction they were heading. I think they thought that everybody already at Barca was too close to the action and a set of fresh eyes was needed to scrutinise the way they were playing.