Barcelona vs City - pre-match thread

[Father Paul]

Joe has saved us from a couple of nasty hidings against this lot and although we have closed the gap a bit I fear we will come up short. Let Messi and Navas switch sides and then we would be rockin!!!

 

[super_city_si]

we have a better chance than we've ever had at getting something out of this game.

 

[IWasHere]

I wonder if he's going to play Otamendi-Stones-Kompany as the 3. Clichy is clearly not ideal, Kolarov is too slow for a back 3 but Kompany has only played a few minutes.

Big risk for a big game? Sounds like the kind of thing Pep would do - like when he had 3 at the back man marking Messi, Suarez, Neymar in the Champions League game. It went terribly admittedly, but I don't think that would put him off a similarly out there idea.

I think we would do a better job than they did if we play with 3 at the back imo

 

[SWP's back]

The advantage for City is Pep and being a better tactical coach than Lucho, even during the match. The advantage for Barcelona is MSN but particularly Leo

Pep had a better team and a team who were more attuned to playing his style with Munich and managed fuck all so I'm not counting my chickens.

 

[FCBarca]

Pep had a better team and a team who were more attuned to playing his style with Munich and managed fuck all so I'm not counting my chickens.

Perhaps but that Bayern team also marched to the beat of their own drummer as evidenced by their insistence to play their own way against RM

 

[Odvan]

The advantage for City is Pep and being a better tactical coach than Lucho, even during the match. The advantage for Barcelona is MSN but particularly Leo

But the bottleneck is players.

All looking smart.

What brand of the shoes? Looks nice.

I think we would do a better job than they did if we play with 3 at the back imo

In my opinion Pep gave rest to Zaba and Kola deliberately, so I would be really surprised if City going to play 3 center backs. But maybe Oto-Stones-Kola and then transforms if needed.

What I expect at least one surprise from Pep. It's almost a given thing.

 

[kaz7]

ZABA: "We've got a new manager with a new style of play. It is true that we couldn't beat them but there is a new chance.
"We will try to have control of the game and keep the ball. Barcelona like to play in a similar way so it will be an attractive game."
"It's different in the group stage. We're looking for the three points and we need wins to go through."
"When you have a new style of play it takes time to learn. Always the idea is the same to control and score when we have the chance."ZABA: "Barcelona have experience and 4/5 of the best players in the world. We're not going to change our style depending on who we play."
ZABA: "No team comes to the Camp Nou and wins easily. We will have to play the perfect game with no mistakes if we are to win."

 

[razman]

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...ws/barcelona-man-city-guardiola-live-12037955

you can watch the press conference live on the page

 

[starsandstripes]

I'd love to see a 3-5-1-1 formation tomorrow:

Bravo

Stones
Kompany
Otamendi

Fernandinho
Gundogan
Silva
Nolito
Sterling

De Bruyne

Aguero

It'd be a big risk, of course, but it's the best way of getting all of our "big guns" on the pitch and outnumbering them in midfield.

more importantly, it keeps our fullbacks off the pitch.

 

[kaz7]

PEP: "I would like to defend and attack well. To change the way you think about football just for one game is not possible." #FCBCity "We will have to adjust because of the quality they have but we will still try to be ourselves."