How far off Barcelona are we?

[Somud]

Barca are an incredible team but they aren't invincible, it's been shown how they can be beaten but it requires a defense of incredible discipline, something Mourinho puts as key, he got it spot on at Inter. Real lack a proper defensive midfielder of the quality of Cambiasso, Alonso for me although brilliant but he is no ball winning Cambiasso. Mourinho has yet to really put his mark on Madrid. Most of the team he inherited especially defensively is of the Pellegrini era and beyond. Madrid also aren't a team ready to win everything but were lacking a manager to take them there, they are a group of individuals of great skill but just lack any form of cohesion. They were soundly beaten last year by Lyon at home with a similar team that played Barcelona tonight.

Your right in that Xavi and Iniesta control games, the statistics show they are the core of that team, they provide all the playmaking, Busquets basically is their anchor distributing the ball where space can be exploited. Everything is basically clicked for them, Messi can be unstoppable a lot of the time but he can be nullified when restricted of space, Inter did it amazingly well. Mourinho once said that 5 disciplined and organized players can beat 10 disorganized one's and its completely right. Not saying Barca are disorganized but their weakness will always ironically be their attacking play. So that means to beat the best attacking side in the world, you funnily enough need the best defence..

A side like Spurs I think could give them problems with their direct play but at the Nou Camp they'd honestly get slaughtered, no-one setup like them can cope with the movement, their isn't enough players literally to track runs. The only way to really stop Barcelona is to get men behind the ball, soak up everything they throw at you and hit them on the break, Chelsea did it 2 years ago at the Nou Camp and got a 0-0 which was unheard of! They almost won the tie albeit a last minute Iniesta away goal at Stamford Bridge.

Spurs beat Inter this season but Inter lack a manager now who can get them going. Mourinho is a brilliant motivator and he got them fired up completely to win the Champions League, just look at the emotion at the end of last year's final, it meant a lot to them. To be honest i can't see any team that can stop Barcelona this year, the only man who knows how to effectively stop them got beat 5-0 tonight so.. hmm

Just because it worked last year, doesn't mean it will work that way next time around. You'd think Guardiola might have learned something about two legged ties. They played with complete abandon in the first half of the away leg, which is a cardinal sin, doubly so when it's the first leg. It was almost disrespectful. Would they do that next time? I'm not so sure. I think they have the potential to be a bit more flexible without Ibra, and in any case, the closing down starts with all three attackers now.

Good point that last one. They really work their asses off. Especially that Pedro, he's like a Tevez on crack. And let's not forget how close they were at beating Inter 2-0 in the return leg.

 

[mcfc_nick]

Surely this is a joke? no team is on the same level as Barcelona least of all us right now, ridiculous comparison, lets win our own league before we start comparing ourselves to Europes best shall we, we Haven't got a single player who'd get in their team.

carlos tevez would get in their side, other than that i agree completely

 

[TheWire]

How about comparing the RM side

Hart/Casillas

Richards/Sergio Ramos
Toure/Pepe
Kompany/Ricardo Carvalho
Kolarov/Marcelo

De Jong/Xabi Alonso
Silva/Mesut Özil
Barry/Sami Khedira

Johnson/Cristiano Ronaldo
Tevez/Karim Benzema
Milner/Ángel Di María

 

[Bazzmand Show]

Yaya Toure, Tevez, De Jong, AK, Kompany, and possibly Silva would all make there side on a regular/semi - regular basis imo.

 

[Akira]

We are far, far away from Barca. Barca is a team that has played together for years, knowing each others play so well, we want to accomplish that, we muz have a consistent team for a decade.

 

[Northern3]

I have been watching football for over 40 years,and I have seen some great teams and players.But in my view Barcelona are the greatest club side I have ever seen.And I make no apology when I say that City and everybody else are a long way behind them.Of course they are beatable,there's never been a team who haven't.

I think there secret of success if it is a secret,is this mentality that they are unbeatable,sorry to have to say it but United seem to have that same mentality,they go on the pitch thinking "we are the best we can't possibly get beat"that is not an arrogant attitude its the attitude of a successful team.

Of course you need the players to go with that attitude,which obviously Barcelona have,but when you combine the two you will be successful.In away its a bit unfair to compare everyone else with Barcelona because teams like them come along once in a generation.But I think it shows the level we have to go to win the Champions League.

-- Tue Nov 30, 2010 7:02 am --

I'm sorry to say Bazzmand Show,but I do disagree with the City players who would get in the Barcelona team on a REGULAR basis.If my memory serves me right Ya Ya Toure couldn't get into there team when he was there.And as highly as I rate David Silva,he's world class in my opinion,but when you have Iniesta and Xavi in your side it's no embarassment not be able to replace them.I agree that maybe Vincent Kompany could make the team.Sorry but even though I rate him as a very good player Nigel De Jong is not a Barcelona type player.And possibly Tevez may make it,but regulary I'm not so sure.But it t doesn't really matter,because they are all City players and I will always support City first,never been another team for me and never will be.

 

[Skashion]

Apologies for interrupting the wankfest here. Granted, the football they played tonight was as good as I've ever seen but the Champions League has shown they can be beaten despite no other team being close to them apparently. If you allow Barcelona to play, they will murder you. However, if you don't, there's always a chance you'll win. For now, let's concentrate on being as good as we can in the Premier League and the Champions League will take care of itself. Top English sides are clearly good enough to keep progressing to the latter stages year after year.

 

[Pigeonho]

Love the naivety of this thread! There shouldn't even be a thread about how far we are away from Barcelona, it should be obvious. Not even talking about on the pitch stuff here either, i'm talking about the club as a whole. We are still, and will be for some time yet, just a football club. Barcelona are like an institution, bigger than a club and have been for decades. We may one day have the players to beat them, because like any game of football any team can win on their day. Until we are regarded as a world club though, no matter how much money we spend or who we bring in, we will just be regarded as a big club from England. We need titles, CL's, FA Cups on a regular basis before anyone can even think of asking how far behind Barca we are.

 

[Bill]

as close as the rags are to humility.

does this help?

 

[Fourinarow]

If people think we are anywhere near Barcelona then a visit to the doctor for some medication or a slap in the face from reality is what you need.

Let's win the League a few times, get as far as the semi's in the Champions League on a regular basis, and start developing world class talent from the youth set up, then maybe we may be compared. Oh, and these players win the world cup for England too...

Right now, we're closer to relegated teams.