La Liga 2018/19

Only 1 goal in the past 3 matches for Madrid, haven’t scored in over 200 minutes. That hasn’t happened in a really long time.

Worst news from today is Bale getting injured, their attack is average without him. Vinicius should get more chances now though
 
How unbelievably infuriating. Barely a fortnight ago, I'd have said Barca were doing well. But now Madrid have passed 3 very difficult fixtures, and Barca have only passed Sociedad, with both teams level. Barca should have opened up a gap after the past 3 games. Annoying.
 
Peyroteo said:
Only 1 goal in the past 3 matches for Madrid, haven’t scored in over 200 minutes. That hasn’t happened in a really long time.

Worst news from today is Bale getting injured, their attack is average without him. Vinicius should get more chances now though
Click to expand...

:rolleyes:
 
This man doesn't understand Bernabéu/fans/club. I can not believe his insistence with Lucas.Mariano not a minute and very little for Vinicius.
Giménez fantastic,a pity his renewal with Atleti.Modric needs some weeks to get his form
 
carvajal said:
This man doesn't understand Bernabéu/fans/club. I can not believe his insistence with Lucas.Mariano not a minute and very little for Vinicius.
Giménez fantastic,a pity his renewal with Atleti.Modric needs some weeks to get his form
Click to expand...

Giving Vinicius his debut with 2 minutes to go against Atleti was definitely the wrong move but other than that the last person to blame for tonight is Lopetegui, Madrid played very well. Just missed too many chances.

Your big problem now is that without Bale you don’t really have any great forwards. Vinicius, Lucas Vasquez, Asensio, Benzema and Mariano as your attacking options doesn’t inspire any confidence. That’s Perez’s fault, not Lopetegui’s.
 
GatoLoco said:
I don't either. In terms of style I very much prefer some of Ancelotti's or Zidane's games but it's also fair to say that Lopetegui has a worse squad and that a proper forward that can score goals would improve his team considerably. That would also make his style prettier to the eye, quite simply because the amount of possibilities in attack would have way more variety.
Click to expand...
Only know the final score, don't know who played better, anyway Barcelona doesn't look great too, probably one of those seasons where the least bad will win, not the better team to watch. From the few moments I have watched for now I really like the way Machin is improving Sevilla so far. Of course they will not win, that is another story. :)
 
Peyroteo said:
Giving Vinicius his debut with 2 minutes to go against Atleti was definitely the wrong move but other than that the last person to blame for tonight is Lopetegui, Madrid played very well. Just missed too many chances.

Your big problem now is that without Bale you don’t really have any great forwards. Vinicius, Lucas Vasquez, Asensio, Benzema and Mariano as your attacking options doesn’t inspire any confidence. That’s Perez’s fault, not Lopetegui’s.
Click to expand...

He has to share at least part of the blame, Real have this squad probably because of Julen's blind faith on isco, Asensio and Ceballos, maybe even Lucas Vazquez who he seemed to rate a lot with Spain.

If you want to keep Asensio, Isco, Ceballos, Lucas, Modric and Kroos in your squad, they all need minutes but they only have 3 spots left in the team starting 11, bringing an extra striker messes with Benzema and Bale who'll also start eating minutes away from the other 6.

They probably could've got rid of Bale, Benzema or Isco and try to get a striker that fits the other midfielders better, instead he has a lot of 2nd line of attack options without a clear referent as the 9, it's our national team post-2010 all over again.

SCP said:
Only know the final score, don't know who played better, anyway Barcelona doesn't look great too, probably one of those seasons where the least bad will win, not the better team to watch. From the few moments I have watched for now I really like the way Machin is improving Sevilla so far. Of course they will not win, that is another story. :)
Click to expand...

Cynical opinion: Now with VAR, Sevilla have a better chance at pushing for the title than ever, some of the last seasons when a 4th horse showed his head, they used to get screwed by not getting some calls and Real/Barça and to some extent Atleti getting plenty of them.

Better refs could give them the extra help to get into April/May within distance to the title.
 
Ishdalar said:
He has to share at least part of the blame, Real have this squad probably because of Julen's blind faith on isco, Asensio and Ceballos, maybe even Lucas Vazquez who he seemed to rate a lot with Spain.

If you want to keep Asensio, Isco, Ceballos, Lucas, Modric and Kroos in your squad, they all need minutes but they only have 3 spots left in the team starting 11, bringing an extra striker messes with Benzema and Bale who'll also start eating minutes away from the other 6.

They probably could've got rid of Bale, Benzema or Isco and try to get a striker that fits the other midfielders better, instead he has a lot of 2nd line of attack options without a clear referent as the 9, it's our national team post-2010 all over again.
Click to expand...

They should have got Hazard and a striker to rotate with Benzema the same way Morata did in 2016/17. Mariano shouldn’t have returned. That’s all they needed.

I don’t believe that those decisions had anything to do with Lopetegui. It’s a trend that’s been going on for years now at Madrid.
 
I can't believe a team with Koke, Saul, Costa and Griezmann brings so little in attack.

And some people would like to see him at United? You'd tear your hair out with him at the helm.

One of the best defenses in Europe though, it has to be said.
 
Ishdalar said:
Cynical opinion: Now with VAR, Sevilla have a better chance at pushing for the title than ever, some of the last seasons when a 4th horse showed his head, they used to get screwed by not getting some calls and Real/Barça and to some extent Atleti getting plenty of them.

Better refs could give them the extra help to get into April/May within distance to the title.
Click to expand...
No, their defensive line isn't good enough to win titles, maybe Europa League or Copa Del Rey, not 38 games during a season with injuries and suspensions.
 
Only saw(well, tried to anyways...dazn is crap :mad:) the second half. And we really, really, really needed to get rid of benzema. When he's not feeling it, and that's far too often, he's completely useless and brings the whole team down. We weren't bad, but as soon as we got into dangerous areas we'd fluff the final ball/shot. Asensio...needs to wake up. And we desperately need midfielders who attack the box

Ceballos was very, very good, i liked him a lot. But on the other hand, Bale....:(
 
When you think about it, it's incredible that Madrid have won 4 of the last 5 CL playing with 10 men.
 
Vato said:
Amen to that.

How many times have you laughed at me for wanting him in the past though?! Now that he's scoring a bit more all of a sudden he's so much better? He has always been class.
Click to expand...

I said you should sign him as soon as Ronaldo was sold, it has nothing to do with him being in form right now. It was the same with Mbappe last season, from the moment it was a possibility I always said here that it would be insane to not make that deal happen.

I think I laughed at wanting to get Hazard and sell Ronaldo in order to improve the team, only to go 3 years in a row winning the Champions League. I didn’t laugh at anyone wanting Hazard, of course any fan would want him in their team.
 
Peyroteo said:
Giving Vinicius his debut with 2 minutes to go against Atleti was definitely the wrong move but other than that the last person to blame for tonight is Lopetegui, Madrid played very well. Just missed too many chances.

Your big problem now is that without Bale you don’t really have any great forwards. Vinicius, Lucas Vasquez, Asensio, Benzema and Mariano as your attacking options doesn’t inspire any confidence. That’s Perez’s fault, not Lopetegui’s.
Click to expand...

We already knew about Bale. It is a risk that the club assumed, for the moment it is going well. Apparently his training has changed and although I would have sold him, I do not think that this injury (maybe it was just a precaution) is going to alter his season.
If the team lacks goals, use Mariano. He has already been a year in France, he is 23 or 24 years old, he is not a child to control his minutes.
It could have been paid 100-140 for an elite striker, but it seems reasonable that they prefer to wait for the jackpot.

We are in the year I A.C. I think the majority is prepared to accept a bad year, but at least try to win over the fans.
The idol of the team has left, the only one that many young people have known, and instead of putting Vinicius he repeats -I think that for the sixth time in a row- with Lucas. I do not want to criminalize Lucas, he is a limited player but he offers alternatives, the problem is that with his insistence he is becoming a nuisance instead of a solution.
Odriozola plays one day and the next day he goes to the stands, and today,65 million in signings, have played two minutes. Personally at this point of the season I think he should focus on giving enthusiasm to the fan and try to be a little more charismatic at a press conference.
I'm simplistic and I would like him to be more a "alineator" . I don´t care if Vinicius is ready or not, and I do not care if he likes Mariano or not.
I want to see for myself how they play
 
carvajal said:
We already knew about Bale. It is a risk that the club assumed, for the moment it is going well. Apparently his training has changed and although I would have sold him, I do not think that this injury (maybe it was just a precaution) is going to alter his season.
If the team lacks goals, use Mariano. He has already been a year in France, he is 23 or 24 years old, he is not a child to control his minutes.
It could have been paid 100-140 for an elite striker, but it seems reasonable that they prefer to wait for the jackpot.

We are in the year I A.C. I think the majority is prepared to accept a bad year, but at least try to win over the fans.
The idol of the team has left, the only one that many young people have known, and instead of putting Vinicius he repeats -I think that for the sixth time in a row- with Lucas. I do not want to criminalize Lucas, he is a limited player but he offers alternatives, the problem is that with his insistence he is becoming a nuisance instead of a solution.
Odriozola plays one day and the next day he goes to the stands, and today,65 million in signings, have played two minutes. Personally at this point of the season I think he should focus on giving enthusiasm to the fan and try to be a little more charismatic at a press conference.
I'm simplistic and I would like him to be more a "alineator" . I don´t care if Vinicius is ready or not, and I do not care if he likes Mariano or not.
I want to see for myself how they play
Click to expand...

What’s missing is what you guys call “ilusión”, right? Losing Ronaldo and Zidane was more than losing a great player and a great manager, the aura around the club has changed too and the Bernabeu needs something more.

I agree that Vinicius should play more but I think that will happen eventually. He should start the next game at the Bernabeu vs a lower league team.

But I also think Lopetegui is right to trust Lucas Vasquez. The 2016/17 season was the best season for Real Madrid in the past 50 years and Lucas Vasquez was the player that played more games. Him and Benzema will lose a bit of their purpose now that Ronaldo is gone but it’s not like they’re keeping proven players on the bench. Mariano and Vinicius have to prove themselves.

I think the missing enthusiasm you’re talking about will only really be fulfilled when you buy a superstar. Either that or if Vinicius really turns out to be as special as the Bernabeu is hoping.
 
Last edited:
Peyroteo said:
I agree that Vinicius should play more but I think that will happen eventually. He should start the next game at the Bernabeu vs a lower league team.

But I also think he’s right to trust Lucas Vasquez. The 2016/17 season was the best season for Real Madrid in the past 50 years and Lucas Vasquez was the player that played more games. Him and Benzema will lose a bit of their purpose now that Ronaldo is gone but it’s not like they’re keeping proven players on the bench. Mariano and Vinicius have to prove themselves.

I think the missing enthusiasm you’re talking about will only really be fulfilled when you buy a superstar. Either that or if Vinicius really turns out to be as special as the Bernabeu is hoping.
Click to expand...

Lucas did very well in certain Champions matches. I remember in one of the important victories there was a video of the dressing room, with Zidane showing a special tune with him. Something like "I knew you were not going to fail me", but to be fair he has not contributed much when he has played (this season)
 
carvajal said:
Lucas did very well in certain Champions matches. I remember in one of the important victories there was a video of the dressing room, with Zidane showing a special tune with him. Something like "I knew you were not going to fail me", but to be fair he has not contributed much when he has played (this season)
Click to expand...

It’s true he’s not been great at all this season but it’s not like much has changed. He’s always been a somewhat limited player that gave you a lot of tactical flexibility. You’ll get plenty of 7/10 performances from him but he’s not the player you want to see coming on when you’re chasing a goal.

I think he’s getting scapegoated a bit just because the fans want to see more of Vinicius and they aren’t happy with no new forward being brought in.

I’ll be very surprised if Lopetegui stops using him as often as he’s done though
 
Julen is a joke and it was a mistake to hire him anyway, this guy just dont have the charisma and the experience to coach a team like Real Madrid..and the fact than we signed a 18 years old kid and some donkey playing in the french league to replace Ronaldo and his 50/60 goals per season is the biggest joke ever.

We should have signed Hazard and a good striker, now we are stuck with Benzema 'til next year...i'm so sick of him. I dont want to criticize Lucas too much but he should be playing for a team like Huesca, this guy was never good enough to play for us imo, I still dont know how/why we signed him.
 
Last edited:
According to an increasingly desperate MARCA, Barça is in deep trouble for a draw against Bilbao and 2 points out of 9 yet they are still leaders :lol:

Valverde needs to accept that Messi is the GOAT and has to play every minute if possible. Suárez, Rakitic and Piqué need to get their act together or bench it is.

The way I see it:

Stegen
Semedo-Lenglet-Umtiti-Alba
Busquets
Arthur-Coutinho
Dembelé-Messi-Malcom

Of course, it won't happen.

I'll be worried if the Spurs defeat us, though.
 
Casanova85 said:
According to an increasingly desperate MARCA, Barça is in deep trouble for a draw against Bilbao and 2 points out of 9 yet they are still leaders :lol:

Valverde needs to accept that Messi is the GOAT and has to play every minute if possible. Suárez, Rakitic and Piqué need to get their act together or bench it is.

The way I see it:

Stegen
Semedo-Lenglet-Umtiti-Alba
Busquets
Arthur-Coutinho
Dembelé-Messi-Malcom

Of course, it won't happen.

I'll be worried if the Spurs defeat us, though.
Click to expand...
Bit optimistic asking Valverde to bench pique. The man has been more or less a fraud as a defender since Puyol left but it looks like he's got too many connections to ever be benched or dropped from the team it really is infuriating how pique is allowed to play year after year when he's so inconsistent
 
Real Madrid and Barca both on course to average about 80 points this season so big decline from recent years as at least one of them usually gets 90 + points.

La Liga finally feels like it's back to the magic of the late 90s again when the top teams would regularly drop points home and away.
 
FootballHQ said:
Real Madrid and Barca both on course to average about 80 points this season so big decline from recent years as at least one of them usually gets 90 + points.

La Liga finally feels like it's back to the magic of the late 90s again when the top teams would regularly drop points home and away.
Click to expand...
Wonder what Wumminator would say about The Most Competitive League in the World™ now, given it was his only criteria to determine league strength
 
Not going to start a thread about since it would be radioactive but, there is a rumor from RAC1 that Barca are considering replacing Valverde with Mourinho.
 
Bale is injured again? No idea what Madrid were thinking not replacing Ronaldo. We get it, you have a great team but at least go into the season with another goalscorer.
 
Keeps It tidy said:
Not going to start a thread about since it would be radioactive but, there is a rumor from RAC1 that Barca are considering replacing Valverde with Mourinho.
Click to expand...
It's RAC1, so it's a pisstake. A dig at both Valverde and Mourinho
 
Betis seem really short on goals this season, I want my hipster 6-4 games back!
 
DavidDeSchmikes said:
Swap deal?;)
Click to expand...

I absolutely detest Mourinho. The lack of respect for everyone, the cowardice, the arrogance, the "football"...

With that said, I'd almost take the swap. Almost. That's what my confidence in Valverde is like. It's difficult to believe the garbage Barça is showing on the pitch.
 
Valverde is a good manager but he’s definitely not suited to Barcelona.

It was obvious that the fans were only going to be behind him as long as the results were fantastic. If the results are just good the fans won’t tolerate the football he’s been serving up, especially with the squad they now have.
 
Soria :lol:

According to this guy from el Chiringuito there are doubts about Valverde and in small circles in Barcelona the name of Henry begins to sound.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.