La Liga 2019/20

Gunner89

With lack of football thought i'd get the new thread for the spanish league started.

Interesting summer ahead for the 3 biggest clubs-

Latest new: https://gianlucadimarzio.com/en/barcelona-valverde-on-his-way-out-roberto-martinez-could-replace-him

Roberto Martinez to barca?

Gunner89

lopetegui hired as Sevilla manager.

Surprised as he's done nothing in his career.

Chanced his way to the spain job.

Won nothing at Porto for 3 years which is horrendous.

Bold Tone

Gareth Bale has spoken personally with Real Madrid directors and told them of his intention to fuck up Zidane's plans this season.
https://en.as.com/en/2019/06/08/football/1559984796_020477.html

Claudius

This Athletic vs Barcelona game is shaping up to be a good game. Inaki has started with a real hunger. He had a fierce shot from 25 yards that Ter Stegen just palmed out.
Interesting seeing Barca’s maturity with passing between defense and keeper. When defenders pass to keeper under pressure, they do a good job of moving away from the strikers to crate sufficient space for quick return passes.

Claudius

Barcelona are exceptionally unthreatening without their leprechaun. Lots of passing in midfield that ends up with interceptions or errant passes in the final third

Claudius

Btw, Raktic only came on in 2nd half - perhaps being preserved for a Neymar trade. But his two man pivot with De Jong is one of the finest I’ve seen. Their footballing ability is second to none. They have a sixth sense for what others are going to do around them and De Jong especially already moves into positions in anticipation of balls before moves happen. Passing is crisp, movement is fluid. Together they’re footballing magic.

QuincyAbeyie

Footballing magic in the middle, Dembele and Griezmann up top, but without Messi nothing seems to happen.

Claudius

Omigod! What a winning (I expect) goal.
Bicycle kick from 14 yards by Aduriz!!

Gazza M

Barcelona have been awful. Dembele needs to get out of there, the looks completely out of place and shorn of belief

Aduriz hit them with a high class sucker punch

Claudius

Dembele has that Mkhi air about him. Lots of quality shrouded in misplaced passes and mistimed runs.
I keep thinking he should ask for a straight Neymar trade and go to Paris

lorddulaarsenal

Griezmann isn’t good enough for Barca

Most overrated player I’ve ever seen

QuincyAbeyie

I'd rather have Jovic for 60m than Griezmann for 60m, but Barca went ahead and paid double for Griezmann.

Bryant

Barca should've dumped Valverde, haven't seen a player improve under him. His main tactic is to rely on Messi for everything.

Sicario

Bryant wrote:
Barca should've dumped Valverde, haven't seen a player improve under him. His main tactic is to rely on Messi for everything.

Hasn’t that been Barca’s tactic for the last 15 years?

QuincyAbeyie

Pep's Barca wasn't 15 years ago.

Klaus

Claudius wrote:
Omigod! What a winning (I expect) goal.
Bicycle kick from 14 yards by Aduriz!!

Great goal, but jesus christ that defending was Arsenalesque. Barca have a backline full of Mustafis. Just look at Semedo, the absolute clown.

flobaba

Just getting caught up with highlights. That was a fantastic winner.

deardevil

Barcelona look relatively (relative to their peaks) average without Messi. Much like Real without Ronaldo, they remind me of their sides back in the day. No doubt possessing some top players but you feel like you can beat them on any given day. Don't know how good it will be for us, as it gives our English lot a stronger chance of winning the CL. Messi and co. were the only reason why United don't have another 2 CL's in their cabinet.

deardevil

@lorddulaarsenal wrote:
Griezmann isn’t good enough for Barca

Most overrated player I’ve ever seen

I was going to say the same. He's not good enough for them.

Real and Barcelona simply operate on a level that us mere mortals can't even begin to fathom. There was discussion about Jovic in another thread and I don't believe he is ready to be playing for Real, either. Hazard and Griezmann as the two big money signings is as underwhelming as it's ever been for them. Neymar and Mbappe would have been blockbuster and what they actually need. PSG are going to be a pain in the arse for these two, as in the past, they would have had no competition aside from each other.

QuincyAbeyie

Hazard's last season in PL is so underrated. Anyone else and it would've been an absolutely world class season, but Hazard doing it for a shit poor Chelsea side for some reason isn't enough to catch people's attention.