I know you like to do this angle a lot as a witless satirical play on the pro-Premier League rhetoric. Yet did you think Barcelona were good today? Barca were sh*t, Chelsea were sh*tter.

I don't mean controlled as in dominating the game, but in having it where they want it to be.

Tell me which team wouldn't gladly have opponents committing men forwards knowing that they can hit them on the break at any moment with Messi or Suárez.

Barça have been pretty poor to watch against plenty of Liga teams this season, Alavés, Eibar, Espanyol, Getafe, ... more games than I care to remember ...

I wouldn't be the tiniest bit surrised to learn oppo teams have had more shots on target this season than in the previous two combined .... yet they remain unbeaten. Beats me.

comment by peks (U6618)
posted 23 minutes ago
chelsea for most of that match were probably the better team...but they lacked definition in the final 3rd, whereas Farza have the Enano
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yep have to agree. CFC lack a quality striker

comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted less than a minute ago
I know you like to do this angle a lot as a witless satirical play on the pro-Premier League rhetoric. Yet did you think Barcelona were good today? Barca were sh*t, Chelsea were sh*tter.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I think people that don't really watch el ligo think that Barca just turn up and score 8 a game, and the opposition just sit in the changing room and play Ludo or Articulate which I'm good at. Pictionary is fun. But they actually do have to work hard for victories. Often sitting off and grinding out results on the counter like they did today. People have some sort of romanticised view of the opposition players dying on their feet as Barca blow them away. And any English team even stringing two passes together against them is a similar achievement to defeating the Germans on D-day. It's Chelsea, one of the richest clubs in the world. The likes of Girona put in better more positive performances than Chelsea.

Anyway, the only thing Barca did better than Chelsea tonight and over the tie was being a better team, having better players, using better tactics, being more clinical, scoring more goals, conceding less. Other than that Chelsea were the better side.

Barry's absolutely right though, Chelsea, United or any other side put in a hideously poor performance against Barça or Madrid and winp up 3-0 winners, and the whole of England would greet it as a masterclass regardless of how it had been done.

IOAG, I don't watch them play regularly so don't know how they played in those legs. Yet they had little protection from midfield throughout, and didn't even look to counter - just tried to play possession football (unsuccessfully).

They seemed often bereft of ideas and had little structure in every passing play they attempted. If that is how they play most weeks I am surprised they have gone the league season unbeaten. I was just deeply unimpressed.

That wasn't sitting off and looking to grind off a result on the counter.

comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted less than a minute ago
IOAG, I don't watch them play regularly so don't know how they played in those legs. Yet they had little protection from midfield throughout, and didn't even look to counter - just tried to play possession football (unsuccessfully).

They seemed often bereft of ideas and had little structure in every passing play they attempted. If that is how they play most weeks I am surprised they have gone the league season unbeaten. I was just deeply unimpressed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So they go on the attack from the off, get the goal they need. Then don't need to score after that, so successfully hold on to the ball and limit Chelsea to a few decent chances, score on the counter, score again. They didn't need to score. When they need to score, they do. Like Juventus did against Spurs. But when Juventus went 2-1 up against Spurs, after that Juve were wasteful in possession and looked bereft of ideas?

Barca deserved to go through overall, but certainly the two goals Messi scored, feel Courtouis could have done better

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-8pY-GENwU

Defensively very poor and lack a quality striker

They've been unimpressive all season is what I'm saying.

But when people talk about how Chelsea did themselves proud when they went out 3-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate, when shots on target reads 7-3 to Barça, and when people say just how off-colour the Catalans were, then what it tells me is that the standardsof what's expected from a PL side in the CL have dropped off dramatically.

That said, I still fancy City to win the thing though.

every keeper should've saved them

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

comment by Sideshow (U11809)
posted about a minute ago
We gifted them all of their goals. They didn't have to work particularly hard other than to stop Willian and get past Kante.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I can see how that makes Chelsea the better team then. Barca should have gifted Chelsea some goals if they wanted to perform to Chelsea's level

comment by No current player (U1734)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted less than a minute ago
IOAG, I don't watch them play regularly so don't know how they played in those legs. Yet they had little protection from midfield throughout, and didn't even look to counter - just tried to play possession football (unsuccessfully).

They seemed often bereft of ideas and had little structure in every passing play they attempted. If that is how they play most weeks I am surprised they have gone the league season unbeaten. I was just deeply unimpressed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So they go on the attack from the off, get the goal they need. Then don't need to score after that, so successfully hold on to the ball and limit Chelsea to a few decent chances, score on the counter, score again. They didn't need to score. When they need to score, they do. Like Juventus did against Spurs. But when Juventus went 2-1 up against Spurs, after that Juve were wasteful in possession and looked bereft of ideas?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The differences between Spurs vs Juve & Barca vs Chelsea were extreme.

Juventus defended deep and conceded very few chances, they then punished Spurs with a very clinical two goals. Barcelona conceded a lot of chances, and possession in dangerous areas. They scored 3 severely substandard goals. It is possible for a team to win comfortably and still play badly.

comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 5 minutes ago
They've been unimpressive all season is what I'm saying.

But when people talk about how Chelsea did themselves proud when they went out 3-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate, when shots on target reads 7-3 to Barça, and when people say just how off-colour the Catalans were, then what it tells me is that the standardsof what's expected from a PL side in the CL have dropped off dramatically.

That said, I still fancy City to win the thing though.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I think a little perspective needs to be made to the comments that are being made though. This Chelsea team are in woefully bad form and a 5th place La Liga side putting in a reasonable performance against Man City side I imagine would be reacted to similarly.

I have also heard that Barcelona have looked unimpressive this season, apparently they beat a 10 man Getafe (I think) recently and looked the worse side throughout.

comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted less than a minute ago
comment by No current player (U1734)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted less than a minute ago
IOAG, I don't watch them play regularly so don't know how they played in those legs. Yet they had little protection from midfield throughout, and didn't even look to counter - just tried to play possession football (unsuccessfully).

They seemed often bereft of ideas and had little structure in every passing play they attempted. If that is how they play most weeks I am surprised they have gone the league season unbeaten. I was just deeply unimpressed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So they go on the attack from the off, get the goal they need. Then don't need to score after that, so successfully hold on to the ball and limit Chelsea to a few decent chances, score on the counter, score again. They didn't need to score. When they need to score, they do. Like Juventus did against Spurs. But when Juventus went 2-1 up against Spurs, after that Juve were wasteful in possession and looked bereft of ideas?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The differences between Spurs vs Juve & Barca vs Chelsea were extreme.

Juventus defended deep and conceded very few chances, they then punished Spurs with a very clinical two goals. Barcelona conceded a lot of chances, and possession in dangerous areas. They scored 3 severely substandard goals. It is possible for a team to win comfortably and still play badly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So when Barca NEEDED to score, they scored after 2 minutes? I say needed, they didn't even need to. They then didn't need to score, so dropped a gear. They don't play so well when they have the result they need. They have been masters of pulling out the result by scoring when they need to. They didn't need to score at any point tonight yet scored 3. You are giving Chelsea far too much credit for creating a couple of chances and being poor defensively. They lost 3-0 to a Barca side not even trying to score.

to me farza have seemed v efficient with their chances this season...and the lack of control in games (compared to farza sides of the recent past) actually encourages the opposition to try and attack them more..opening up the game for messi and the others

comment by No current player (U1734)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by Sideshow (U11809)
posted about a minute ago
We gifted them all of their goals. They didn't have to work particularly hard other than to stop Willian and get past Kante.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I can see how that makes Chelsea the better team then. Barca should have gifted Chelsea some goals if they wanted to perform to Chelsea's level
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The overall result 4-1 is proof that Barca the better team

they also get away with murder every match

they never ever get pens awarded against them...even when its clear !

they get every freekick, possible pen going though themselves

comment by peks (U6618)
posted about a minute ago
to me farza have seemed v efficient with their chances this season...and the lack of control in games (compared to farza sides of the recent past) actually encourages the opposition to try and attack them more..opening up the game for messi and the others
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You have made the mistake of watching games in order to form your opinion. So your opinion should not be taken seriously.

comment by peks (U6618)
posted 1 minute ago
to me farza have seemed v efficient with their chances this season...and the lack of control in games (compared to farza sides of the recent past) actually encourages the opposition to try and attack them more..opening up the game for messi and the others
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't think that is sustainable

comment by No current player (U1734)
posted 9 seconds ago
comment by peks (U6618)
posted about a minute ago
to me farza have seemed v efficient with their chances this season...and the lack of control in games (compared to farza sides of the recent past) actually encourages the opposition to try and attack them more..opening up the game for messi and the others
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You have made the mistake of watching games in order to form your opinion. So your opinion should not be taken seriously.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Look how biiitchy you get ffs

i also think valverde is a v good coach...he makes little tactical changes n stuff in matches which tend to work