Man City V Barcelona Pre Match thread.

[Sergio Picasso Aguero]

VS BARCELONA


Hart

Sagna - Kompany - Mangala - Clichy

Fernandinho - Fernando

Navas - Silva - Nasri

Aguero



VS LIVERPOOL


Hart

Zabaleta - Kompany - Mangala - Kolarov

Fernandinho - Fernando

Nasri - Yaya Touré - Silva

Aguero

 

[magiccue01]

I'm impressed you know there is a game going on, considering you likely switched off your TV when we were 2-1 down to Bayern. Or didnt bother to watch at all since it was obvious we would lose.

Are you talking about the Bayern Game that we were being bossed all over the field till they went a man down. Oh, or the game in Munich (last year) when Bayern had already qualified and didn't show up. In my opinion we have regressed a tad bit this season and the Barca game will prove this. Just my opinion.

I think you need to get back to your bridge, I can hear billy Goats approaching..! having an opinion about a game is one thing but if you re-read what you have written, it could well have been written by a rag...!

Okay, so what's your point. We are going into a game where our team sheet looks very identical to last season's except in this case we will replace Yaya with Fernando. Nasri will start but will not be able to provide the speed or width that we need on the left side. Jesus will provide the width and pace we require to win this game but will not be able to find a single player in the box because Aguero is too short to beat pique in the air. Please be objective in your analysis. thanks

 

[Sergi0 Na5r1]

Are you talking about the Bayern Game that we were being bossed all over the field till they went a man down. Oh, or the game in Munich (last year) when Bayern had already qualified and didn't show up. In my opinion we have regressed a tad bit this season and the Barca game will prove this. Just my opinion.

I think you need to get back to your bridge, I can hear billy Goats approaching..! having an opinion about a game is one thing but if you re-read what you have written, it could well have been written by a rag...!

Okay, so what's your point. We are going into a game where our team sheet looks very identical to last season's except in this case we will replace Yaya with Fernando. Nasri will start but will not be able to provide the speed or width that we need on the left side. Jesus will provide the width and pace we require to win this game but will not be able to find a single player in the box because Aguero is too short to beat pique in the air. Please be objective in your analysis. thanks

Objective? You're just pissing on any possibility of us winning against a Barca side which has looked very shaky at times. We aren't exactly a sh**e team you know. Apparently you already know what's going to happen, so why watch at all?

 

[onthelow]

Genuinely don't think Barcelona are all they're cracked up to be.

For sure Messi/Neymar/Suarez is some strike force, but it has been proven to be possible to keep a clean sheet against them and it's going to cost them some defensive capability if they start all three.

The days when Xavi led one of the most selfish, ball hogging midfields in the history of the game are gone, as have the days when they could pull a Sanchez or an Henry off the bench just when the opposing team thought they had them on the ropes.

Their full backs are good, but the central defense and goalkeeper are far from mistake free and the team as a whole are no longer marshaled with the same unity and tactical prowess they had under Pep.

Overall we are stronger.

We are not stronger than Barcelona.

They will have more of the ball against most sides and that is their best form of defence and their front three is definitely the best around in my opinion and can win games on their own, don't underestimate their midfield as well even if it isn't the classic Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets trio.

Lot's on here - myself included - thought Barca were on the decline last year and we went into the home tie after just beating Chelsea in the cup, we got outplayed and battered all over the park, even before the sending off.

The Malaga result aside, Barca were just one win away before that game from going on an all time record 12 league wins or something.

I wouldn't say they had us all over the park before the Demichelis sending off, we were pretty comfortable letting them keep possession and creating very little while we were breaking and Negredo was starting to get one or two chances. Demichelis got caught out by his lack of pace to catch Messi and the tie swung, Mangala won't have that problem.

On sheer quality alone, I'd combine the two teams to have:

Hart
Zabaleta - Kompany - Mangala - Alba
Busquets - Toure - (Iniesta)
(Silva) - Messi - Neymar
Aguero

To explain some choices as it may seem blue-tinted, Zabaleta is ahead of Alves as Alves is now almost 32 and doesn't have the same energy he used to, and Barcelona haven't even bothered to tie him down to a new contract yet (which expires this summer). Mangala ahead of Pique as although Mangala is more inconsistent, he also has none of Pique's weaknesses such as pace, and in the big games performs to a standard Pique couldn't dream of. It was heavily rumoured Barcelona wanted Mangala in the summer to replace Pique but decided the price was too high.
Silva is ahead of Suarez as Silva is a much more consistent performer, while Suarez was outstanding last season it was possible to shut him out, as we did a few times and as Chelsea did. If your defense has a weakness he will find it, otherwise.... Silva is effective in pretty much every game - couldn't choose between Iniesta and Silva though. Hart is goalkeeper as I don't even know if Barcelona have yet established whether they have a number one they trust following Valdes' departure.

Throw in that I trust Pellegrini far more than Enrique (it was rumoured Barcelona sniffed around him in the summer before going for Enrique), and I don't think we should go into this as underdogs (though we will as an added bonus of Barcelona's past glories).

First of all, your line up consists of 12 players. Second of all, I don't understand why did you compare Silva, who is AM, to Suarez, who is CF.

While I can't argue about the presence of Silva, Toure and Zabaleta (Alves is still superior quality wise but hasn't been himself since like 2011) in your line up, I have serious doubts about what are Kompany, Mangala and Hart doing there.

While I can't deny Mangala and Kompany are great players, I personally rate Pique and Mascherano way higher. Mangala is overpriced and overrated as hell, as he keeps proving this season he's not even worth half the money you paid for him. Kompany is an error machine and you never know what you get with him. He's most of the time solid but I wouldn't say he's a safe bet in defence. Ticking time bomb while Pique is absolutely on fire this season and comitted roughly 1 mistake the past months. On the other hand, Mascherano's tackling is probably the best in the world and maybe he lacks height but I still would take him over Mangala or Kompany any day, any time.

Honestly I never kept an eye on Hart that much but I wouldn't say any of Claudio Bravo or the young Marc-Andre ter Stegen are much inferior.

At last, I'd like to compare Suarez with Aguero. With all due respect, Luis is quite obviously the more complete player in general. He contributes to the team way better and overall he's a much better team player. Aguero is dangerous on the counter but that's pretty much it. When facing a bus, he's competely hopeless.

Now, coming to the meritum of my thought, I'd like you to present the line up I would pick (can't argue about the goalkeepers because there's not much difference, I have to kick one player out as your line up had 12 lads):

Hart or Bravo
Zabaleta - Pique - Mascherano - Alba
Toure - Busquets - Silva
Messi - Suarez - Neymar

BTW, good luck tomorrow!

 

[lasereyes]

Keeping a clean sheet tomorrow is top priority for us, we will score at their place and that will make life very difficult for them. I think this is our year in the CL so I am tipping City to go through to the QF..!
We need to play our own game and not show them too much respect like we did last time.

If we play ultra-conservatively striving only not to concede, it will be suicide. Our defence has not been nearly robust enough to think that we can keep Barcelona out. We should play a solid game and compete in midfield; and then run at them when we can. In fact, not dissimilar to the way we played last year, which was not bad until we were derailed by the MDM decision.

 

[lasereyes]

Are you talking about the Bayern Game that we were being bossed all over the field till they went a man down. Oh, or the game in Munich (last year) when Bayern had already qualified and didn't show up. In my opinion we have regressed a tad bit this season and the Barca game will prove this. Just my opinion.

I think you need to get back to your bridge, I can hear billy Goats approaching..! having an opinion about a game is one thing but if you re-read what you have written, it could well have been written by a rag...!

Okay, so what's your point. We are going into a game where our team sheet looks very identical to last season's except in this case we will replace Yaya with Fernando. Nasri will start but will not be able to provide the speed or width that we need on the left side. Jesus will provide the width and pace we require to win this game but will not be able to find a single player in the box because Aguero is too short to beat pique in the air. Please be objective in your analysis. thanks

Last year Aguero missed the first leg and was patently unfit for the second. Nasri and Fernandinho were both literally just back after injury (Nasri's a very serious one). Clichy is playing 3x as well as he did last year (we played Kolarov last year). Hart is having a significantly better season. And MDM is much more settled in our team. And we have Bony as an option.

I'm not asking you to be a City fan (you clearly are not). But if you're going to come trolling on our forum, expect to be taken apart if you post factless cr@p.

 

[sam-caddick]

I really want us to press and attack Barcelona tomorrow, if we sit back the inevitable will just happen.

 

[BobKowalski]

I may end up totally wrong but I sense a different mood going into this game. It's taken a few seasons but I am hopeful we have finally rid ourselves of the mental block we had competing in Europe. As Nasri said - this year we are ready. Fingers crossed that he is right.

 

[lasereyes]

I may end up totally wrong but I sense a different mood going into this game. It's taken a few seasons but I am hopeful we have finally rid ourselves of the mental block we had competing in Europe. As Nasri said - this year we are ready. Fingers crossed that he is right.

The Roma game certainly felt like a rubicon crossed. We had never won a road game like that against a good team. We have been a bit up and down this season, but finally the whole squad is fit and firing. We are in much better shape than the tie last year. And I think Barcelona know themselves it's going to be much closer than last year, as evidenced by Messi's comments (in sharp contrast to Dani Alves's last year)

 

[magiccue01]

I think you need to get back to your bridge, I can hear billy Goats approaching..! having an opinion about a game is one thing but if you re-read what you have written, it could well have been written by a rag...!

Okay, so what's your point. We are going into a game where our team sheet looks very identical to last season's except in this case we will replace Yaya with Fernando. Nasri will start but will not be able to provide the speed or width that we need on the left side. Jesus will provide the width and pace we require to win this game but will not be able to find a single player in the box because Aguero is too short to beat pique in the air. Please be objective in your analysis. thanks

Last year Aguero missed the first leg and was patently unfit for the second. Nasri and Fernandinho were both literally just back after injury (Nasri's a very serious one). Clichy is playing 3x as well as he did last year (we played Kolarov last year). Hart is having a significantly better season. And MDM is much more settled in our team. And we have Bony as an option.

I'm not asking you to be a City fan (you clearly are not). But if you're going to come trolling on our forum, expect to be taken apart if you post factless cr@p.

Look, I am a city fan through and through. Factless crap, stop the stupidity all around. I will await my apology after my prediction comes through. I am guessing your excuse will be that Nasri and Aguero just returned from an injury 3 weeks ago. Don't get me wrong, we have a good squad but not a great squad to play against this bunch.