I'm already ready to supplant Valdes's legacy with that of ter Stegen's. Maybe it's the Luongo/Canucks quasi ptsd in me, but no matter how well Valdes was performing, I will always remember nearly shitting my pants every single time a pass was dropped to him. MATS is the people's sweeper keeper.
Neuer ain’t giving that up for another cycle or two. Happy that Germany has a probable world class keeper to take over for him when he’s ready to pass the reigns though.
That first half was brilliant from Barca. Turned out looking more like Umtiti Busquets Verm Semedo Rakitic Messi Iniesta Alba Paulinho Suarez Busquets and Paulinho had amazing games. Paulinho was absolutely everywhere and Busquets just did Busquets things. First time I can recall seeing Semedo get thoroughly abused (2nd half). Suarez needs to pull his head out of his ass; he just keeps sliding further and further into miserable play. The connection Messi has with Alba on the field is a thing of beauty. Would have been nice to have Masch or Roberto healthy for the game, but that was the best performance we could have hoped for given the limitations. And it's beyond ridiculous la liga still still doesn't have VR. The assistant ref was way out of position on that goal.
didn't see the game, but from what i'm reading arnaiz should be getting first team minutes in bigger matches
I was only able to tune in for the Pique and Vidal goals. Where are you reading about him? As an aside, this is pretty cool: 5. A solid turn-out Barcelona had a 3-0 lead going into this game but still filled the stands with over 68,775 supporters. Camp Nou can feel quite eerie for games like this when the stadium is far from full, but that wasn’t the case here. Part of the reason so many attended a practically meaningless tie was that the club offered tickets for free to thousands of disadvantaged children across the region. Lots of fans who might not have been able to attend came from far and wide to Camp Nou. Well played, Barca.
just some english speaking spanish football journalists i follow on twitter. his two goals for the first team have both been things of beauty
Saw we were linked to this dude. And to preface: I'm all aboard the sit tight bandwagon and don't break the bank on anyone in the next few windows. Seeing where we're at with some of our youngins, even though it was against an overmatched CDR squad, caught me in the feels. We have talent. They're being suffocated by a lack of opportunity. That said, this kid is and a relatively cheap option.
valencia lost for the first time this season. we're now 5 points ahead of them and 8 points ahead of madrid
He's incredible. I really like what we're able to do with he and Vidal on the field at the same time. Sergi should be playing in the MF, but it's hard to fit him in there. I'll take him bombing forward and Vidal dropping back to cover for him when he does.
It’s amazing. Valverde has this team looking like an organized and tactically disciplined machine. Basically what Tata was unable to do.
Fucking crazy how well this team has rebounded after losing Neymar and the skullfucking in the super copa.
Could never imagine the career path he's taken. Curious to see what happens when dembele gets back. I guess start resting Iniesta at that point? He's been a completely different player this year, though, and the minutes he's eaten up to rejuvenate his play can't be ignored. Rakitic may end up being the odd man out as he's been fairly hit or miss this year. It's going to be a bit weird seeing a logjam at MF after being so accustomed to a set in stone three there. MF choices are going to dictate desired style of play going forward. Not a bad problem to have. I just hope we can figure out how to keep Sergi on the field way more often than not.
Also, in the crazy stats category: Lionel Messi was one of the most decisive players in Saturday's Clasico, but he was able to make an impact despite hardly running. For 83.1 percent of the match the Argentine was walking, while he spent 10.8 percent of the match jogging, 4.95 percent of it running and just 1.15 percent sprinting.
Having watched the game the sprinting seems a little off to me...I actually felt like he was pressing more than I have seen him in years in the first 15-20 minutes of the game. On the opposite end, once it was 2-0 and 11 v 10, I bet his heart rate didn't get above 65 bpm. There is no one who can do the walk into open space, receive the ball, move it 10 yards, hit a killer ball or dribble for a chance (or not) while defense shits pants, something happens, walks to next spot.
This coutinho shit makes no sense right now. Why would we sign him now when we have the league almost locked in and he can’t play UCL?