I haven't watched Barca in a while, is this their current style? Give the ball to Messi centrally and ask him to dribble through 4 or 5 opposition players. It's kind of boring to watch.( At least until Messi actually manages to score from driblling past half the opposition team.)

Fabregas usually plays so I guess dropping him means they've changed their style to some extent?

Barca look as poor as I've seen them in a big game for a while. Although I did miss the first 15 minutes.

Captain wrote:

Can't stand these Ray Winstone adverts.

I don't get them. Why does his head pop up out of thin air?

Yeah, Milan have pressed well, they are obviously taking a chance but looking dangerous on the counter themselves.

The pitch is poor yet again, but i don't remember the last time i saw Barcelona running out of options to pass to from the back.

Gomez does nuffin but always scores. Crap keeping mind.

The Sanchez thing was probably a penalty going by what's usually given, but I absolutely detest that rule. If the ball is going out of play, or worse, is long gone when the foul is made, then it shouldn't be a penalty.

Like Rooney's at Old Trafford when Almunia brought him down. The rules should not say that's a penalty.

Scoring is better than nuffin

Klaus wrote:

Captain wrote:

Can't stand these Ray Winstone adverts.

I don't get them. Why does his head pop up out of thin air?

I don't know.

Ricky1985 wrote:

The Sanchez thing was probably a penalty going by what's usually given, but I absolutely detest that rule. If the ball is going out of play, or worse, is long gone when the foul is made, then it shouldn't be a penalty.

Like Rooney's at Old Trafford when Almunia brought him down. The rules should not say that's a penalty.

Why? :hmm:

Nela wrote:

I haven't watched Barca in a while, is this their current style? Give the ball to Messi centrally and ask him to dribble through 4 or 5 opposition players. It's kind of boring to watch.( At least until Messi actually manages to score from driblling past half the opposition team.)

Said a few weeks ago that they have two plans
1) pass the ball around in the upper section of the opposition half until the opponents lose focus and then send a through ball to Messi/ Fabregas/ Sanchez/ Villa for the goal. If that fails,
2) give the ball to Messi and let him run through 4 players and score.

I don't see anything else. Awful team to watch at times. I miss Gaucho and Eto'o

I see what you're saying Ricky, but if the keeper isn't running out like a mad man the player probably doesn't boot the ball wide.

Tim TJ Mackey wrote:

Ricky1985 wrote:

The Sanchez thing was probably a penalty going by what's usually given, but I absolutely detest that rule. If the ball is going out of play, or worse, is long gone when the foul is made, then it shouldn't be a penalty.

Like Rooney's at Old Trafford when Almunia brought him down. The rules should not say that's a penalty.

Why? :hmm:

Because all they do is kick the ball 10 yards away and throw themselves into the keeper. It's cheating. If the player's good enough to accelerate to the ball, take a great touch that gives him control of the ball, then fair enough, it's a penalty if the keeper catches them. But to run, smash the ball out of play and then dive - is a load of rubbish.

This is how Barcelona ALWAYS play in the first leg of a Champions League tie. It's their version of a 10 man behind the ball, playing on the break away from home performance. Just keep ball for 90 minutes, make sure they dont concede and try and nick one.

Captain wrote:

I see what you're saying Ricky, but if the keeper isn't running out like a mad man the player probably doesn't boot the ball wide.

True, they'd try to score, but the fact is they don't. They take their massively heavy touch that sends the ball miles away, usually out of play, and then collapse into the keeper.

Ricky1985 wrote:

Tim TJ Mackey wrote:

Why? :hmm:

Because all they do is kick the ball 10 yards away and throw themselves into the keeper. It's cheating. If the players good enough to accelerate to the ball, take a great touch that gives him control of the ball, then fair enough, it's a penalty if the keeper catches them. But to run, smash the ball out of play and then dive - is a load of rubbish.

Well if the ball is out of play then legally it shouldn't be given as a penalty. But otherwise you're being impeded, so it has to be given, doesn't matter where the ball is.

I know what the rule is, I just don't like it. It encourages the players to cheat because they know it's much easier - as in, it takes far less skill - to get there first, whack the ball away and throw yourself down, than it does to try and take a good touch away from the keeper that still gives you a chance of scoring.

Robinho's injury required his sock be sprayed.
He's a very irritating player. Always get the feeling he's never truly committed to the team effort.

Absolute idiotic there from Nocerino, why not shoot?