Barcelona needed someone to threaten in behind more regularly since Eto'o wasn't on his game and no-one else looked like a threat.
I wouldn't be as sure that Barcelona would win the game as Striker is, but I think that it seems a reasonable opinion.
Lionel Messi
- Thread starter cesc's_mullet
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Barcelona needed someone to threaten in behind more regularly since Eto'o wasn't on his game and no-one else looked like a threat.
I wouldn't be as sure that Barcelona would win the game as Striker is, but I think that it seems a reasonable opinion.
Ronaldo hasn't been his best this season due to injury at the start. Messi was out for 6 weeks with a hamstring or muscle injury and his first start coming back was against Manchester United.
Yet despite that he was still the most dangerous player in their side having hardly kicked a ball before the match. People on this forum have been saying Ronaldo hasn't been his best due to him still recovering which is fair enough but Messi was in a simelar situation when he faced United.
So if he had been fully fit and 100% match sharp i think Messi would have caused United more problems than he did.
Ronaldo wasn't fully fit either when he faced Barca. He infact was carryingan ankle injury that needed an operation.
With the season he had i wouldn't say he needed any excuses at all.
Dude it's you drumming up excuses for your arguments in favour of a player. Not me. I'm just trying to prove a point to you. If you want to use excuses to favour messi, Ron had an even bigger one. Ronaldo, carried an injury that needed an operation, that resulted in a 2 month lay off, from January that season onwards yet still had the season he had. & a more telling contribution in that tie than Messi
He squandered a penalty while Messi was, in the eyes of almost everyone, the better player over the two legs.
Some deluded people seem to think otherwise.
The Chief's already had a 2 or 3 page long argument about it, I wouldn't bother if I were you.
On another note, how fecking good was Wes Brown in both legs?
Apparently Chief also alleged Ronaldo did a lot more things on the pitch against Barca, like beating Barca players from fun, holding the ball up countless times for other attackers to join, yet our players let him down.
When someone attempted to educate chief by posting Ronaldo's overall clockwatch from youtube that spanner dismissed those clips and asked us to watch the full match again. He's beyond help.
When someone attempted to educate chief by posting Ronaldo's overall clockwatch from youtube that spanner dismissed those clips and asked us to watch the full match again. He's beyond help.
fecking brilliant.
He would've been an outstanding centre back if he had found the right partner like Rio had with Vidic.
As it is he's still a brilliant all round defender.
He would've been an outstanding centre back if he had found the right partner like Rio had with Vidic.
As it is he's still a brilliant all round defender.
He was beating them for fun at times. All our other players were scared shitless that night, except maybe for Paul Scholes, who's performance was hailed beyond reason.
Did he play better than Messi?
Superb. Absolutely immense. Which is great because he is so underrated when you speak to other leagues' fans, they were like "he's that good?". Yes.
No. I don't think he did. I like the flashy stuff which Messi did, and I think if Messi's team mates (the strikers) were on a better day they would have created more. But in truth Ronaldo did create more chances.
The best thing for Messi though, is his midfield players, there's always an easy pass to get you out of trouble. Ronaldo against big teams doesnt always have that luxury.
He did yeah, a lot of them were for himself though, and he messed them up.
I thought they both played well though.
They were alright. Messi's dribbling was fantastic and he was causing havoc until it really mattered. Ronaldo wasnt on his dribbling best, but he managed to create some good chances, was a mature performance by him I thought.
I still haven't the seen the game at the Nou Camp apart from a couple of highlights, I kind of remember watching it in a kebab shop about 50 yards from the Nou Camp though 
Yup, he was a lot more disciplined. Did a lot of defensive work n all and his play for the Park chance was fantastic too.
Nani could have scored a wondergoal from that counter attack when he beat 2/3 men then blazed it over.
God, that was a great game.
Amazing, I invited many people to my house, many Barcelona fans, and it was unbelievably intense.
At times when did it all happen? Whenever he tried to move the ball in the spaces he was dispossesed with in seconds with little or no end product and in the second leg he was well inside Zambrottas back pocket.
We played a tight catennaccio and it required the forward to hold the ball upfront and bring in other players in to attack like Baggio or Bergkamp did in their times and Totti or Del Piero does that often at their respective clubs.
Ronaldo never has had the footballing intelligence to play the role. Ironically it was Zambrotta who did Ronaldo's job - after stripping Ronaldo for the umpteenth time, held the ball up for United and let it in the way of Scholes on his routine well timed late run from deep that eventually decided the tie.
Even Scholes wasn't good either, the really stars of United were Brown and Tevez, keeping the Barca attack and midfield at bay and eventually saving the match.
Yes we did!.
When my Italian mate said the same after the first leg I didnt believe , may be too tensed to jot down the formation during the match but we resorted to a tight catennaccio just like Italian teams.
We also tested the same against Arsenal earlier in the PL before plying it against barca
Italian teams barely ever play Catennaccio anymore, its outdated
And we didn't play it against Barca. We were cagey, and we tried to play on the break
Italian teams usually turn up to catennaccio when ever they comes across Spanish teams. The current catennaccio might not fit the description of the original uber defensive ones when almost all Italian teams played with a sweeper but it fits the system played by Juventus-Capello, Milan-Ancelotti and Inter-Cuper are all about an organzied back four, packing the midfield with underrated players with fullbacks joining the fun doubling up the opposition wingers from moving up and predominantly attacking on breaks.
Whatever be it, a team of Ronaldo, Scholes, Rooney, Tevez can move the ball as good as Messi, Ineista , Xavi or Deco yet we never resorted to open play but choose to play the Italian way.
So we played defensively then
It wasn't 'uber' defensively, when we had the ball we came out and played with it on the break, and there were spells where we had decent position in their half as well as our own. And we always looked to get the ball and attack them. By very defination, if our full backs are joining the attacking play, and ours always do, it isn't all that defensive. I was sat on Messi's flank for the second half, and I shat it a few times that we were leaving him with too much space to run into if they got the ball to him
It wasn't catennaccio though
Ronaldo won the penalty he squandered, was denied another clear one, plus was also directly involved in the move that led to the goal that settled the tie. All while carrying a very bad injury and playing in a team that defended far more than it was willing to attack.
Messi's contribution meanwhile was not much more telling. Apart from simply being more pleasing to the eye, and in better form on the night, in a far more attack minded team during the tie, who provided him a far better platform to display his array of talents. I fail to see how anyone came up with the idea Messi had the more telling contribution over both legs. But that's my opinion. You and others have theirs
Well said.
Agreed
Especially in big games
Definitely - match winning away performances at Roma, Inter and Real spring to mind (as opposed to Fulham, Wigan and Bolton).
Just scored a lovely goal, real strikers effort where the ball is played over the top, you have to take a touch first (awkward ball meant he had to nod it down) and then from about the edge of the area he volleyed past the keeper who didn't move
Talented lad! Just put one on a plate for Eto'o who missed as I type
Talented lad! Just put one on a plate for Eto'o who missed as I type
Why did the keeper not make any effort to save the shot looked well saveable to be honest.
looked well saveable to be honest.he's been too much for the opposition the last 10 minutes.
Also created a great movement but let the ball for bottler to shoot who came up with a lame effort.
Why did the keeper not make any effort to save the shot
Wrong footed him more than anything, think a slight element of suprise too, Messi could have taken another touch if he wanted
Bottler? Who's that?
Great goal by Messi
Why is Puyol playing at left back? Sticks out like a sore thumb in this Barca team playing there.
Why is Puyol playing at left back? Sticks out like a sore thumb in this Barca team playing there.
First time i've watched Barca this season. Interesting shape to them. They seem to verge on playing 3 at the back, with the license to roam Dani Alves is given.
hah!
two more goals for the best player in the world.
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