M.C.F.C V Barcelona

[Tricky_Trev]

If we re-sign Petrov and Sinclair, i fancy our chances.

 

[whothefisAlice]

Without messi barca are still quality. However with messi they are capable of anything.

Without Messi Barca would still beat anyone. Without Iniesta Barca are a completely different side. I'm not saying Iniesta is the best player in the world, but he has so much influence over how Barca play that when he's not there Xavi is half the player and Messi looks like he does for Argentina (great, but not at his best!).

-- Wed Aug 17, 2011 11:12 pm --

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

-- Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:03 am --

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

I heard that in the first 15 minutes on Monday night Swansea had 70% possession. It would be like that for 180 minutes against Barca.

quite right mate, at times Swansea were making us run around like headless chickens. Our class showed as they tired, and as the 2nd half went on. Barcelona would run rings round us at the moment. We'd hardly touch the ball, but then there's no shame in that because Barca regularly have 70% of possession.

When they are on they are almost unbeatable. But sod it, BRING EM ON!

 

[Bill]

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

-- Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:03 am --

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

both legs then:)<br /><br />-- Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:18 am --<br /><br />

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

-- Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:03 am --

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

both legs then:)

 

[ZabbaFC]

Barcelona have a great attack but i feel their defence lets them down, i honestly feel after watching them playing against Madrid i think City would be in for a shout if we get them in the champs league

 

[MikeF]

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

-- Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:03 am --

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

both legs then:)

-- Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:18 am --

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

-- Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:03 am --

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

both legs then:)

Lot of repetition on here tonight, I say, there's a lot of repetition on here tonight ;)

 

[Bill]

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

-- Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:03 am --

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

both legs then:)

-- Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:18 am --

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

-- Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:03 am --

We`d get walloped just like everyone else.

both legs then:)

Lot of repetition on here tonight, I say, there's a lot of repetition on here tonight ;)

i had a hic cucumber butty earlier

 

[Citizen52]

Much as I love watching them and think they are the best team I have personally had the privilege of seeing play the game, they were fortunate tonight.

Think Mourinho has wised up a bit since that 5-0 last year, they were pressing all over the pitch early doors tonight and were unlucky in that Barcelona have that individual brilliance that has again seen them through - normally when you watch Barca they would have racked up 200 or 250 passes by 30 minutes in but it couldn't have been anything like that tonight.

As for our chances against them, we are the same as everyone else I think although only some of our players have CL experience and some don't, on their day they are just on another level. United couldn't even get the ball off them in May and I am not sure we would fare that much better - that's in no way being detrimental to us, they are just a superb team.

I think having De Jong as a shield for the back four would help in breaking up their rhythm a little bit and monitoring through balls and probably the fact Mancini likes to play 4-5-1 would help us in midfield in breaking up the fluency of Xavi and Iniesta. Problem is then the passing starts in defence so do you go two up front to combat that or put three in central midfield?

Arsenal have managed to beat them over one leg, much like Real playing a pressing game tonight but even Arsenal last year were not in it for a good proportion of the game. Inter beat them largely playing on the break and getting a bit of luck in the second leg in 2010 although to be fair to do it with 10 men was fantastic. United stopped them on the way to Moscow a few years back largely by stifling them with a 4-5-1 but to be honest I think Barca have evolved since then, like Rome 2009 and results since then.

One thing is for sure, you have to defend well which is one thing that would stand us in good stead. Over two legs I wouldn't be confident but I neither would Real Madrid so it's not as if we're in bad company.

Just seen God's comments above about their defence, you watch Barca and 9 times out of 10 they will have over 70% possession against anyone so the thing is although I do agree with you about the defence being weak, it can't be tested if the opposition don't have the ball.

 

[Wellsblue21]

i honestly believe that we wouldnt of conceded 2 out of the 3 goals that Real conceded tonight.

and i feel that with the strength in our team we could win at our ground and maybe snatch a draw over there, dont forget an 'ageing' inter side was able to do this

 

[whothefisAlice]

Re: M.C.F.C VS BARCELONA

We've already done em at theirs.

...wots to fear !

WASN'T THIS THE LAST TIME WE PLAYED THEM? Uh. Not really the same as MCFC v Barcelona on a Tues/Wed night in Champs League. Have a look at those teams mate.

Teams
FC Barcelona:
Pinto; Montoya (Alves, 46), Puyol (Marc Bartra, 30), Fontas (Pique, 65), Maxwell; Sergio; Yaya Toure (Jonathan, 46), Gudjohnsen (Keita, 46); Jeffren Gai, 54), Bojan (Ibrahimovic, 46), Pedro (Messi, 46).

Unused subs:
Mino, Henrique, Muniesa, Thiago

Bookings:


Manchester City:
Given; Onuoha, Dunne, Kolo Toure (Ben Haim, 46), Zabaleta (Garrido, 65); Weiss, Wright-Phillips (Tripper, 81), Ireland, Barry Etuhu, 69), Petrov; Tevez (Bellamy, 65).

Unused subs:
Taylor, Vidal, McGivern

 

[20sbc07]

With Tevez, Aguero and Silva in our team, anything is possible.

 

[LoveCity]

The key would be to get the ball, if we can't do that we've had it. De Jong is one of the best defensive midfield terriers in the world though so that is one plus. If we got the ball we could score, their defence IMO isn't even top 8 in Europe. But getting the ball for any sustained period of time is incredibly hard against Barca.

 

[MCFC1993]

Tevez-Aguero-Silva-Nasri... Kompany-Lescott...

Messi-Iniesta-Villa-Xavi... Puyol-Pique...

One things for sure, what a match that would be...

 

[Anonymous]

with our strongest team out,
tevez included and everyone on their game.
I'd say honestly.... 2-1,3-1 to them, we're
not their yet.

at the eitihad it could be close
but at the nou camp we'd get rinsed.

 

[TCIB]

Our defence is very disciplined, IF we went to them with a 1-0 lead and fustrated them with mancini with his best defensive head on his shoulders.

I dunno man either im the deluded optimest with blue specs on an inch thick or we really do have a 40/50% chance in their favor, and yes we would need to be as good as we know we can be to do it thats a given.

 

[Anonymous]

Our defence is very disciplined, IF we went to them with a 1-0 lead and fustrated them with mancini with his best defensive head on his shoulders.

I dunno man either im the deluded optimest with blue specs on an inch thick or we really do have a 40/50% chance in their favor, and yes we would need to be as good as we know we can be to do it thats a given.

we'll see if we are cut out for europe's
best this season. if we sit back and let them
come at us like we did with swansea it could
get ugly. but like someone said on the real and
barca thread, attack is the best form of defence
against barca.

it would be risky but we have the attack to do it,
i'd be inclined to leave the back 4 very defensive
instead of having the fullbacks pushing on, and also
make sure de jong stays very defensive
(he'd have a hell of a job on his hands) and then leave
aguero,dzeko,tev,silva,yaya,balo,nasri - who ever out of
those are playing to go for their jugular.

i do hope some time in the future, we get to play them,
they are for me the pinnacle of attractive, free-flowing
football and would love to see how we'd do.

 

[TCIB]

Our defence is very disciplined, IF we went to them with a 1-0 lead and fustrated them with mancini with his best defensive head on his shoulders.

I dunno man either im the deluded optimest with blue specs on an inch thick or we really do have a 40/50% chance in their favor, and yes we would need to be as good as we know we can be to do it thats a given.

we'll see if we are cut out for europe's
best this season. if we sit back and let them
come at us like we did with swansea it could
get ugly. but like someone said on the real and
barca thread, attack is the best form of defence
against barca.

it would be risky but we have the attack to do it,
i'd be inclined to leave the back 4 very defensive
instead of having the fullbacks pushing on, and also
make sure de jong stays very defensive
(he'd have a hell of a job on his hands) and then leave
aguero,dzeko,tev,silva,yaya,balo,nasri - who ever out of
those are playing to go for their jugular.

i do hope some time in the future, we get to play them,
they are for me the pinnacle of attractive, free-flowing
football and would love to see how we'd do.

I'd buy that for a dollar.

Yeah just reading your post it makes me feel better, in one of the threads last night someone remarked "teves is mor important than NDJ, if you think otherwise you need a check up".

I replied that i think he is wrong and long story short Tevez WAS more important for us maybe but not now.

So me agreeing with yours and i assume everyone elses idea on tactics if we meet them, does NDJ not seem far more important a player than Tevez now ?

Please someone vindivate me saying that about Tevez i dont want to be the crazy :<

 

[AdamoTheGreat]

i think we are getting a little to ahead of ourselves...

 

[Sabster]

Hahahha to anyone thinking it would be a high scoring game.

We would play negative and rightly so and try and nick it from set pieces.

 

[Anonymous]

Our defence is very disciplined, IF we went to them with a 1-0 lead and fustrated them with mancini with his best defensive head on his shoulders.

I dunno man either im the deluded optimest with blue specs on an inch thick or we really do have a 40/50% chance in their favor, and yes we would need to be as good as we know we can be to do it thats a given.

we'll see if we are cut out for europe's
best this season. if we sit back and let them
come at us like we did with swansea it could
get ugly. but like someone said on the real and
barca thread, attack is the best form of defence
against barca.

it would be risky but we have the attack to do it,
i'd be inclined to leave the back 4 very defensive
instead of having the fullbacks pushing on, and also
make sure de jong stays very defensive
(he'd have a hell of a job on his hands) and then leave
aguero,dzeko,tev,silva,yaya,balo,nasri - who ever out of
those are playing to go for their jugular.

i do hope some time in the future, we get to play them,
they are for me the pinnacle of attractive, free-flowing
football and would love to see how we'd do.

I'd buy that for a dollar.

Yeah just reading your post it makes me feel better, in one of the threads last night someone remarked "teves is mor important than NDJ, if you think otherwise you need a check up".

I replied that i think he is wrong and long story short Tevez WAS more important for us maybe but not now.

So me agreeing with yours and i assume everyone elses idea on tactics if we meet them, does NDJ not seem far more important a player than Tevez now ?

Please someone vindivate me saying that about Tevez i dont want to be the crazy :<

well i think it depends on who we are playing, but
i'd say de jong is more important, yes tevez scored a
lot of goals in the last two seasons but you saw in the semi
that the goal that won us the game came from somewhere
else and goals will come from elsewhere when hes not playing,
we have a lot of players who are capable. when he is playing
everything seems to go to him, when hes not silva is the magician
who dictakes things.

de jong takes the pressure off other players going forward, it allows
other players a sort of freedom so the likes of yaya can go for it
on his charging runs. add the fact of aguero who i'm predicting to bag
more than a handful this term, tevez as far as im concerned
can leave. don't get me wrong if we get tevez playing again
if only for this season, it will obviously be a huge bonus and could be
the difference between 2nd and 1st.

 

[sincity]

we'll see if we are cut out for europe's
best this season. if we sit back and let them
come at us like we did with swansea it could
get ugly. but like someone said on the real and
barca thread, attack is the best form of defence
against barca.

it would be risky but we have the attack to do it,
i'd be inclined to leave the back 4 very defensive
instead of having the fullbacks pushing on, and also
make sure de jong stays very defensive
(he'd have a hell of a job on his hands) and then leave
aguero,dzeko,tev,silva,yaya,balo,nasri - who ever out of
those are playing to go for their jugular.

i do hope some time in the future, we get to play them,
they are for me the pinnacle of attractive, free-flowing
football and would love to see how we'd do.

I'd buy that for a dollar.

Yeah just reading your post it makes me feel better, in one of the threads last night someone remarked "teves is mor important than NDJ, if you think otherwise you need a check up".

I replied that i think he is wrong and long story short Tevez WAS more important for us maybe but not now.

So me agreeing with yours and i assume everyone elses idea on tactics if we meet them, does NDJ not seem far more important a player than Tevez now ?

Please someone vindivate me saying that about Tevez i dont want to be the crazy :<

well i think it depends on who we are playing, but
i'd say de jong is more important, yes tevez scored a
lot of goals in the last two seasons but you saw in the semi
that the goal that won us the game came from somewhere
else and goals will come from elsewhere when hes not playing,
we have a lot of players who are capable. when he is playing
everything seems to go to him, when hes not silva is the magician
who dictakes things.

de jong takes the pressure off other players going forward, it allows
other players a sort of freedom so the likes of yaya can go for it
on his charging runs. add the fact of aguero who i'm predicting to bag
more than a handful this term, tevez as far as im concerned
can leave. don't get me wrong if we get tevez playing again
if only for this season, it will obviously be a huge bonus and could be
the difference between 2nd and 1st.

err...slight correction, Silva is a magician irrespective of who plays.. tho when Tevez plays he's the majority recipient of Silva passes, probably because he's able to anticipate them and they understand each other very well...that role is being taken over like for like by Aguero, but if i ever see Tevez, Aguero and Silva playing in a match together ill know that it's going to be a high scoring match..