Never a handball.
Bilbao should've won that. Will get a tougher game against Huesca next week which shows how bizarre La Liga is this season.
La Liga 2018/19
- Thread starter jojojo
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Never a handball.
Bilbao should've won that. Will get a tougher game against Huesca next week which shows how bizarre La Liga is this season.
That says a lot about the standard at the bottom half of the PL this year.
Barcelona really need to replace Suárez and sell Coutinho. Both are just absolutely shocking.
Today also just further highlighted just how important Alba is to this Barca attack. That left hand was hopeless without him.
Today also just further highlighted just how important Alba is to this Barca attack. That left hand was hopeless without him.
Fair result overall, as Bilbao bossed the first half, with Barca most of the second. Barca just 6 points above Real now.
Wonder if they will appeal it. Capa will be back next week, he was suspended this week, so will come back in. Good point for them anyway.
Two draws against Barcelona, maybe we are their bogey side. 
I think Barca would have been better off crashing out to Sevilla in the Copa. Two midweek Classicos is the last thing thing they needed at a time they already look exhausted and with Dembélé having been out and Messi looking only half fit.
The gap between the top 6 and the rest in the PL is way bigger than in La Liga.
Also you have Real underperforming and Atletico is usually a low-scoring team.
Passing to Messi and praying can't work every time, even in La Liga.
Barcelona are having their worse league campaign in over a decade, after spending an unbelievable amount of money and having the highest wage bill in football by a long way. Still 6 points above second place though so it's going unnoticed.
What a terrible season for Madrid and Atletico to have meltdowns.
Barcelona are having their worse league campaign in over a decade, after spending an unbelievable amount of money and having the highest wage bill in football by a long way. Still 6 points above second place though so it's going unnoticed.
What a terrible season for Madrid and Atletico to have meltdowns.
Nil nil who'd have thought it. Messi was strolling around all match half fit at best. Surely Barcelona need to learn to win without him.
Loads of quality in the squad, far too reliant on one player, goat or not.
Bilbao are in the same league position as Palace. Technical standard of football throughout la liga far higher than any other league.
Loads of quality in the squad, far too reliant on one player, goat or not.
Bilbao are in the same league position as Palace. Technical standard of football throughout la liga far higher than any other league.
Get in BilbaoTwo draws against Barcelona, maybe we are their bogey side.
Not at all surprised by the goalless draw. With Alba and Dembele not playing, the two only two performing attackers other than Messi were unavailable. Barca need at least two of the three in every game if they're to win matches.
Injury time is never done properly.
I would have usually wanted Barcelona to win a game because I like Messi, but Bilbao are my side so wanted Barcelona to slip up. It seems vital positions on the pitch are ageing together. They really need to hope that Dembele is the answer and maybe need someone else for when Messi finishes because Coutinho is not living up to the price tag.
for all the talk about Messi needing to be managed better this season, the same should have been done with Suarez who is visibly exhausted. his last 4 or 5 games were just brutal yet there's no backup so he just continues to play every game.
Think the problem now is that the league is so competitive from top to bottom, there are no games you can just cruise through.
Valverde just isn't a very good manager.
They have no identity besides passing to Messi and hoping he works it out.
bad timing too with Messi and Dembele being half-fit, so perhaps it would have been too much to play Boateng tonight. he'll probably play against Vallacano on the weekend, but after that it's just brutal: Lyon and Sevilla away and two el classicos in row. Suarez might collapse in one of those games
bad timing too with Messi and Dembele being half-fit, so perhaps it would have been too much to play Boateng tonight. he'll probably play against Vallacano on the weekend, but after that it's just brutal: Lyon and Sevilla away and two el classicos in row. Suarez might collapse in one of those games
Just watch Valverde start Suarez against Rayo now
Even Suarez said this summer that it was about time he started playing less.
We're in February, he's the 6th player with most minutes, we got rid of Alcacer for peanuts, invested on Munir instead who was out of contract in June and when he left we signed a midfielder as a backup striker.
Yet, what irks me more is how no one in the club has talked about resting Suarez fielding a front 3 of Coutinho, Messi and Dembele, even Sampaoli this summer knew that Messi can work as a striker better than any 2nd class option. What the hell is going on with Valverde?.
Valverde is a midtable coach, that's all there is to it. He is completely unsuitable for the position he is currently holding, but he's backed to the hilt by their board for some inexplicable reason.
It seems even they're not noticing. Their recent dominance in the league and current position has kept the criticism at bay. The CL will expose them big time IMO.
Believe me, we are.
Real can still win the league at this point. Missing Alba also didn't help Barca yesterday.
Is your management though? So much money spent and yet everything seems to rely on Messi and sometimes Suarez, and both of their gametime needs to be managed.
https://mobile.twitter.com/samuelmarsden/status/1094722423952470016?s=09
Barça players very clear that recent run of games has taken it's toll physically & mentally. "A week off will do us good," said Rakitic. Next game on Saturday at home vs. Valladolid.
Barça players very clear that recent run of games has taken it's toll physically & mentally. "A week off will do us good," said Rakitic. Next game on Saturday at home vs. Valladolid.
Why did he played Semedo on the left? Who is the backup to Alba?
Will need rest for the 4 brutal away games in a row after Valladolid: Lyon, Sevilla, Real Madrid, Real Madrid.
We don’t have one. We sold Digne to Everton without replacement.
No problem for the best squad in world football.
Of course it's a very good squad but is it the most balanced, I really don't think so. People talk of Malcolm but Barca have been seemingly trying to sell him ever since his debut seemingly just like Yerry Mina.
We had Cucurella and Miranda for that spot, for some reason everyone thought it was ok to let Cucurella leave without giving him a season as a backup, and Miranda has vanished after showing some promise.
No one asks for them to be at the level of even Digne from the get go but they need chances to prove themselves, Lopetegui did the same mistake with his LB problem using Nacho/Carvajal there, Solari with his no nonsense approach has given Reguilon a chance and he has claimed the spot over Marcelo. We used to be the ones doing that, now we don't.
They sound like children.
I was wondering, does anyone else who watches Barcelona regularly remember a game where they created practically nothing for 90 minutes? I checked the xG and it reads Bilbao 1.78 Barcelona 0.19. Absolutely shameful, if I was in Valverde's place my first sentence in post game presser would be a heartfelt apology to fans who had to witness this garbage.
Bale stats compared to some Real legends.
Bale's contribution might be underappreciated, but I don't like the way this comparison is presented.
Balance in club football changed: La Liga was way more competitive and general stats inflation. In addition they don't even played the same roles.
I only speak for Figo. He played as a winger but he was a totally different player than Bale. He never was a goalscorer.
I agree that it is a weird way to show that he's underappreciated, but yeah, he's underappreciated
That's true. Just having a look at the league table in those years one can conclude that league was a nightmare to play in.
Take a look at the 2001/02 season for example.
The top scorers at the end of the season are:
Real Madrid: 69 goals
Barcelona: 65 goals
Deportivo: 65 goals
Celta de Vigo: 64 goals
The team finishing in the last position manages to get at least one point in half of its games: Zaragoza, 9 W, 10 D, 19 L.
Valencia, who finish first, get only 75 points, and score just 51 goals.
All of Madrid, Barcelona, Deportivo and Celta lose 10 league games during the season. Valencia only lose 5 but also get 12 draws.
At Real Madrid Bale has played in teams scoring 104, 118, 110, 106 and 94 in the league his first 5 seasons.
Having said this, Bale's contribution has been very good no matter what, so I agree completely with you there.
Alaves back to the winning way and just 2 points behind the 4th spot
For what it's worth Bilbao is top 3 in least amount of shots allowed in the league, they have been great defensively this season and historically a tough place to play in for Barca over the past decade.
Having said that, an unfit Messi and no Dembele or Alba was always going to make this a tough night. The team looks exhausted and lacked players with quickness (Alba, Dembele) so Bilbao always had time to get back into their defensive shape.
What's frustrating for me is that Malcolm should've started. He has speed and had a hell of a match against Madrid. Absolutely baffling that he didn't get any playing time. While Coutinho is out of sorts and Suarez desperately needs a rest.
Brutal game to watch, I agree. Ter Stegen is the only reason Barca got a point.