BS, they’re missing the best player in the world and have done very well during a very tough stretch of the schedule
They could be playing much better but I definitely see them as an elite top 4 team in the world
La Liga 2018/19
- Thread starter jojojo
- Start date
BS, they’re missing the best player in the world and have done very well during a very tough stretch of the schedule
They could be playing much better but I definitely see them as an elite top 4 team in the world
It's funny, isn't it that how the landscape of perspective changes so suddenly. Given, Barcelona has a very strong, albeit aging squad, they won zilch in 16-17 season under Enrique. In comes Valverde, does the basic things right, Barcelona wins La Liga on a canter, but still he is being vilified as if Barcelona is near relegation. Just based on one bad game in UCL. Same this season. Of course Valverde is pragmatic and stylistically do not match Barca, but he is doing his job as asked.
And this Barcelona style, in my opinion, is far over-hyped. Barcelona gained world recognition during Cruyff, then spent another 10 years into oblivion (although winning La Liga under LVG), and then had substantial success under Rijkaard and especially Pep. Pep's reign has clouded people's perception that Barcelona's identity is Tiki-Taka. Even Luis Enrique played a different style.
Ultimately, winning silverware matters. United supporters would stop complaining about Mourinho if he wins them the PL with his boring style. And that is the same reason they and others use when dissing Klopp, as his Liverpool has failed to win trophies.
I didn't want to start a thread on this but WTF happened to Malcom ? The guy they hijacked from Roma ? I haven't seen one single mention about him, is he not getting a game im assuming ?
United has won three trophies in Mourinho's first two seasons and had also achieved their highest league position ever since Fergie retired, and yet you still see fans complaining about it. It's largely to do with the type of football.
Also the comparison with United and Barcelona doesn't make sense, considering the disparity of squads and the fact that Barcelona has the greatest player in the history in their squad.
They're not doing that well, have you seen their results?
They'll still fall in CL because they have the same Messi dependant flaws and don't seem to have that consistency in La Liga anymore.
What do their Messi less front 3 cost? Must be over 400m Euros surely?
It'll only get worse as Messi ages.
Valverde is alright, his main flaw is that he seems unable to properly motivate the players and control the flow of the game (the famous 15-20 horrible minutes of every Barça match this season, when they usually concede goals).
PS: Messi is supposed to be back in 2 more weeks.
Was back in training late last week so might see him v Inter (can see them beating Barca at San Siro which would pretty much finish Spurs off in CL).
Keep in mind you all that Umtiti is also out of the picture for now. Crisis my ass.
Eibar beat Alaves 2-1, two players were sent off (1 from each team). Alaves miss out on the chance to go second and a point behind Barcelona
Valencia are starting to remind me of Koeman's side that were looking like it'd get relegated before he was fired.
Rodrigo has gone from a forward scoring plenty of goals last season and getting himself starting for Spain, to a player who has 1 goal in 8 starts and 2 sub appearances. It should be a chance for Gameiro, Batshuayi or Mina to score some of the goals they were getting in the past few seasons but none of them are stepping up either.
Not a single player has more than 1 goal for them in the league. Thats quite remarkable.
Rodrigo has gone from a forward scoring plenty of goals last season and getting himself starting for Spain, to a player who has 1 goal in 8 starts and 2 sub appearances. It should be a chance for Gameiro, Batshuayi or Mina to score some of the goals they were getting in the past few seasons but none of them are stepping up either.
Not a single player has more than 1 goal for them in the league. Thats quite remarkable.
Did you miss the part where we're 7th with Pogba, whereas Barcelona are 1st without him and would only be doing better with him there?
Nobody seems to want to win La Liga though, its significantly weaker at the top.
Im not saying Barca are a weak side but even their own fans are seeing problems with how they play.
Pogba to Barca wouldn't be the fast way to Balon Dor and stress free CL success that its made out to be.
I think its the opposite.
La Liga has more teams with good technical players who can show up on the day against the bigger teams and take points off them. Thats why nobody is undefeated in La Liga and Liverpool, City and Chelsea are all undefeated in the premier league.
Its really not. Their own fans are referencing the same problems as we have in relation to not turning up for 25 minutes per game.
Problems with Pique / Suarez to still being over reliant on Messi to Dembele not living up to the hype and the space Coutinho leaves behind him.
These are real problems forged by poor forward planning and a panic to spend money.
I 'll bet any money they go out of the CL as they do every year. Over ran away from home with a shackled Messi unable to influence the game at home.
They have a stupidly soft centre.
It really is. And its not new. Its about how teams are set up in different leagues.
The top couple of Premier League teams create more chances than the top La Liga teams.
But the mid point of La Liga teams, all the way down to the lowest placed teams create more chances than the Premier League teams. They have players creating more than the premier league teams are in general and the top La Liga teams are creating less than the top of the Premier League, so its less of an upset when the lesser La Liga sides are able to convert one of their chances and take points off the big teams.
The lower teams in the Premier League dont create as many chances so they are less likely to get the goals needed for an upset. Plus the top teams are creating more chances in general so the smaller teams are more likely to need more goals to secure those points.
For me it comes down to the fact that more La Liga teams will look to bring in and play with more technical players who, on their day, can create openings for chances. While in the Premier League more often than not the managers are looking to bring in and play with pace and power. Technical clever players will generally be harder to deal with because they will do different things and require different gameplans to keep them quiet depending on their positions and what they like to do. But if you train as a footballer to deal with pace and power its generally the same each time. Either you're very good at winning those duels and keeping up with speed or you arent. Thats not to say there arent technical players at weaker premier league teams, but there are certainly less of them than in La Liga where the neat and tidy technical players will make up the majority of teams and its the physical players who are sprinkled into a couple of spots in the team. In the premier league its the other way around with the majority of teams. A bunch of athletic players with a couple of technical players sprinkled in.
I love how the narrative shifted in a few years. When it was obvious that the top sides in La Liga are better, the PL fans said that the mid table sides in PL are much stronger than your usual La Liga mid table side. Now City and Liverpool are better than Barca and Real and La Liga fans are using the same kind of argument which PL fans have used for years.
Im not even comparing league v league?
How can we ever get a clear picture of Spanish sides if its always followed by ...but the EPL?
Barca have obvious flaws in their squad that isn't a shining example of how great La Liga is.
How can we ever get a clear picture of Spanish sides if its always followed by ...but the EPL?
Barca have obvious flaws in their squad that isn't a shining example of how great La Liga is.
Barca are basically the best team in the world at their best, but have issues of mentality and consistency. When they push the pace they're unplayable, but they have a tendency to play in second gear in "easy" games, and are prone to taking 10-20 minutes pauses during games. Give them to Guardiola and they win the treble. As it is, they might not.
Btw, i do think this season the middle and bottom of the table in Spain is better than everywhere else. Quite clearly so. Top in England is better though. Barca aside, City, Liverpool and probably Chelsea are all better than us and Atletico and Sevilla
Btw, i do think this season the middle and bottom of the table in Spain is better than everywhere else. Quite clearly so. Top in England is better though. Barca aside, City, Liverpool and probably Chelsea are all better than us and Atletico and Sevilla
La Liga is far more enjoyable to watch than premier league this season imo.
I prefer watching leagues where smaller teams can regularly take points off the top ones. Hate it when one or two teams are scoring 90 + points and there's a massive gulf to even 3rd place which has been a real problem for La Liga in last 10 years and now the premier league has it again.
I prefer watching leagues where smaller teams can regularly take points off the top ones. Hate it when one or two teams are scoring 90 + points and there's a massive gulf to even 3rd place which has been a real problem for La Liga in last 10 years and now the premier league has it again.
I love how the narrative shifted in a few years. When it was obvious that the top sides in La Liga are better, the PL fans said that the mid table sides in PL are much stronger than your usual La Liga mid table side. Now City and Liverpool are better than Barca and Real and La Liga fans are using the same kind of argument which PL fans have used for years.
They said that and I still said La Liga were better. My posts are on here.
Nothing shifted. You were just listening to the majority of premier league fans then, and now you're reading my post. The majority of premier league fans will probably say once again that the premier league is stronger.
Do you know why?
Because its pretty much all they watch. They dont want to change that or feel like another league is better. That would mean that they would want to watch the other league. So with that agenda, its far easier to just assume that what they are doing is obviously the best.
I watch more of the premier league but I try to be as objective and informed about la liga as well. I dont care if La Liga or the Premier League are stronger. I'll watch more of the PL because United play there and for no other reason. It could be the worst league in the world but if my team are playing there, it'll be the league I watch the most of.
But I'm not going to just say whatever, or lie if I know that its not true, to make out its better than the rest just because I'm watching it.
It's not like we lost our identity when we were piss poor in the early 00's, just that is harder to play how we're supposed to when you field Rochemback, Geovanni, Mendieta, Saviola, Motta and Gabri for example.
If you look at our squad in 2003, managers still had to emulate Cruyff style with a bunch of players that were either past it or not good enough.
Next time Valverde in his wisdom decides to start Rafinha, if it was up to me, I'd literally sack him during the HT break. His last two games were painful to watch.
Was watching Betis-Celta for first hour and not much were happening (Betis were 1 up).
Turn back just to see end result and it's now 3-3.
Good to see the 17/18 Betis are up and running after this season's dour version so far. Maxi Gomez also getting himself back on the score sheet. Aspas hit the bar with long range fk in stoppage time aswell.
Turn back just to see end result and it's now 3-3.
Good to see the 17/18 Betis are up and running after this season's dour version so far. Maxi Gomez also getting himself back on the score sheet. Aspas hit the bar with long range fk in stoppage time aswell.The old Betis are back. Just a crazy game! Gonna be a fun game against Milan in the Europa League.
When was the last time the 2 Barcelona teams were topping the table?
Last edited:
1 win in 11 for Bilbao
Probably Berizzo will be sacked in the next days.
2004/05
Barcelone is lucky to have an unexpectedly good Suarez lately, because with a Suarez playing at the level he had for the past 2 seasons, they wouldn't have been able to achieve much.
I have the feeling that they could have a very hard time against a team with a strong and rough midfield though, it's not very common in LaLiga and that's clearly their soft spot even if Arthur shows very good skills.
I have the feeling that they could have a very hard time against a team with a strong and rough midfield though, it's not very common in LaLiga and that's clearly their soft spot even if Arthur shows very good skills.
I do feel sorry for Bilbao. They have gone shit after Valverde left.
They created more chances than Espanyol and had more possession and a better passing %. If you do not score from any of those chances and it is likely you are going to concede at least one, then that is a problem. I really do not see how you can put that right, they cannot magic a prolific scorer from nowhere. Only the players can sort that problem.
Oh and they have Atletico Madrid away at the weekend and have Yeray injured and not sure about Raul Garcia also Dani Garcia picked up his fifth booking. The international break might be a blessing for them. They have also had three very hard away games gone by then, Barca, Espanyol and Atletico.
Yeray has a groin injury and Raul Garcia has a sprained ankle. Dani Garcia is suspended for one game.
Don't think they are getting relegated, but i can't see them finishing higher than the 10/11th spot.
I can't either. Maybe losing Laporte and Kepa in that defence is having more effect that people thought, but not scoring is the big thing. The president is having a press conference tomorrow, it was planned before this result, which was a narrow result to be fair, but you wonder if someone is going to bring the league position up. They must do.
Think a lot of their planning revolves round being in Europe as well, so not good.
Espanyol and their best season in decades.
I like the fact most of their players come from the youth, but they should starting looking outside.
They can't. Their entire ethos is to be the flag-bearers of basque football. They will never break that. The fans wouldn't accept it either. They're the only truly local big football club in the world and will never change that for anything. If there's no Urzaiz, Llorente or Aduriz around, they're fecked. And they're ok with that
Have to say it's always amazed me Bilbao have never been relegated with that policy. Similar record to Everton over here but then Everton use the international market like everyone else and don't limit themselves to just picking Scousers.
Maybe Bilbao stretch the Basque definition a little bit at times but it's still incredible when likes of Celta, Depor, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad have all gone down in last 20 years.
Maybe this is the year it will catch up with them but I hope not and I imagine a new manager will give them a results boost which will move them away from the bottom 3.
Maybe Bilbao stretch the Basque definition a little bit at times but it's still incredible when likes of Celta, Depor, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad have all gone down in last 20 years.
Maybe this is the year it will catch up with them but I hope not and I imagine a new manager will give them a results boost which will move them away from the bottom 3.
When their youth is not gonna be good anymore they are gonna be in troubles. They need to change a bit, but i know it's basically impossible.
TBH even if their youth academy has a dry spell they just click their fingers and Basques playing all around the world come running back to play for them.
Yuri was a regular at PSG last season. Used the Laporte money to get Inigo Martinez from Sociedad in January and Raul Garcia was still a regular at Atletico when he signed for them.
If they stay up they'll probably re-sign Ander Herrera in near future.
They desperately need a new striker in January as Aduriz is too old now and Inaki Williams has gone downhill in last year.
I think if Herrera's going to leave in the summer Atletico would be all over him. He's their type of player and would fit in really well. I do expect him to play for Athletic again at some point though but I still hope he stays with us for some time yet.