Prioritise Barcelona or Chelsea?

[daztrueblue91]

Think we need to try and put Sunderland to the sword early on. Try and get a 3-0 lead by half time then rest some key players and sit back and counter. Inviting pressure onto us will be a good workout for the game against Barca. I know it might sound a little arrogant to Sunderland but they are a team we normally demolish (when playing at home) and a game we realistically should still win whilst resting key players.

Then go for it against Chelsea, none of this resting players for Barca. Chelsea have already got the better of us twice this season and whilst they have undoubtedly had luck on their side (with Joes howler and the injuries) we cannot afford lose against them 3 times in a season. I would go with the same formation as last time but swap Lescott for Nastasic, Garcia for Demi and Jovetic for either Dzeko/ Negrado.

Unlike some other people I don't think the 1st leg of the Barca game in a must win. Some people have mentioned needing a 2 goal lead to progress but for me the key is keeping a clean sheet and not letting them have an away goal. I'd quite happily take a 0-0 now because with Sergio and Fernandinho back I would back up to score at the Nou Camp.

 

[sam-caddick]

Think we need to try and put Sunderland to the sword early on. Try and get a 3-0 lead by half time then rest some key players and sit back and counter. Inviting pressure onto us will be a good workout for the game against Barca. I know it might sound a little arrogant to Sunderland but they are a team we normally demolish (when playing at home) and a game we realistically should still win whilst resting key players.

Then go for it against Chelsea, none of this resting players for Barca. Chelsea have already got the better of us twice this season and whilst they have undoubtedly had luck on their side (with Joes howler and the injuries) we cannot afford lose against them 3 times in a season. I would go with the same formation as last time but swap Lescott for Nastasic, Garcia for Demi and Jovetic for either Dzeko/ Negrado.

Unlike some other people I don't think the 1st leg of the Barca game in a must win. Some people have mentioned needing a 2 goal lead to progress but for me the key is keeping a clean sheet and not letting them have an away goal. I'd quite happily take a 0-0 now because with Sergio and Fernandinho back I would back up to score at the Nou Camp.

We won't keep a clean sheet against Barca, we have too many attacking players who don't have that defensive mentality to shut them out, we would have to commit one mighty game of anti-football to shut them out and it's not in Pellegrini's nature do play like that.

I would scap the Chelsea game, it's come at the wrong time for us and needs must, Barcelona is a historic game for the club and we need to do out utmost to try and perform against them, going all out against Chelsea three days prior will not allow us to do that.

We are just going to have to take it on the chin this season what Chelsea have and will do against us, the CL is far superior to the Cup anyway.

 

[NorCalBlue]

Think we need to try and put Sunderland to the sword early on. Try and get a 3-0 lead by half time then rest some key players and sit back and counter. Inviting pressure onto us will be a good workout for the game against Barca. I know it might sound a little arrogant to Sunderland but they are a team we normally demolish (when playing at home) and a game we realistically should still win whilst resting key players.

Then go for it against Chelsea, none of this resting players for Barca. Chelsea have already got the better of us twice this season and whilst they have undoubtedly had luck on their side (with Joes howler and the injuries) we cannot afford lose against them 3 times in a season. I would go with the same formation as last time but swap Lescott for Nastasic, Garcia for Demi and Jovetic for either Dzeko/ Negrado.

Unlike some other people I don't think the 1st leg of the Barca game in a must win. Some people have mentioned needing a 2 goal lead to progress but for me the key is keeping a clean sheet and not letting them have an away goal. I'd quite happily take a 0-0 now because with Sergio and Fernandinho back I would back up to score at the Nou Camp.

I'd go straight at them myself ;)

 

[daztrueblue91]

Think we need to try and put Sunderland to the sword early on. Try and get a 3-0 lead by half time then rest some key players and sit back and counter. Inviting pressure onto us will be a good workout for the game against Barca. I know it might sound a little arrogant to Sunderland but they are a team we normally demolish (when playing at home) and a game we realistically should still win whilst resting key players.

Then go for it against Chelsea, none of this resting players for Barca. Chelsea have already got the better of us twice this season and whilst they have undoubtedly had luck on their side (with Joes howler and the injuries) we cannot afford lose against them 3 times in a season. I would go with the same formation as last time but swap Lescott for Nastasic, Garcia for Demi and Jovetic for either Dzeko/ Negrado.

Unlike some other people I don't think the 1st leg of the Barca game in a must win. Some people have mentioned needing a 2 goal lead to progress but for me the key is keeping a clean sheet and not letting them have an away goal. I'd quite happily take a 0-0 now because with Sergio and Fernandinho back I would back up to score at the Nou Camp.

I'd go straight at them myself ;)

Meant back us to score. Haha

 

[Helmet Cole]

Definitely play the "reserves" against Chelsea and prioritise Barca, without a shadow of doubt.

We can't continue to play our strongest 11 through this run of games, no way whatsoever.

The C1C is our biggest chance of silverware at the moment and gets one monkey off our backs as we don't want to risk ending up potless.

Prem still the most important, for me, and I'd happily take humbling defeats in both FA and Chumps if it meant we secured the double of Prem and C1C.

All depends though on the injury situation, get our big guns all fit and we can do anyone.

I think we'll see a semi rotated team for Chelsea, with the best team against Barca. Makes sense as our semi rotated team wouldn't be hugely different from the one which played on Monday.

.......and got outplayed! I appreciate the thinking on here, but surely it doesn't sit well to gift that Portuguese gobshite the FA Cup?

 

[daztrueblue91]

Think we need to try and put Sunderland to the sword early on. Try and get a 3-0 lead by half time then rest some key players and sit back and counter. Inviting pressure onto us will be a good workout for the game against Barca. I know it might sound a little arrogant to Sunderland but they are a team we normally demolish (when playing at home) and a game we realistically should still win whilst resting key players.

Then go for it against Chelsea, none of this resting players for Barca. Chelsea have already got the better of us twice this season and whilst they have undoubtedly had luck on their side (with Joes howler and the injuries) we cannot afford lose against them 3 times in a season. I would go with the same formation as last time but swap Lescott for Nastasic, Garcia for Demi and Jovetic for either Dzeko/ Negrado.

Unlike some other people I don't think the 1st leg of the Barca game in a must win. Some people have mentioned needing a 2 goal lead to progress but for me the key is keeping a clean sheet and not letting them have an away goal. I'd quite happily take a 0-0 now because with Sergio and Fernandinho back I would back up to score at the Nou Camp.

We won't keep a clean sheet against Barca, we have too many attacking players who don't have that defensive mentality to shut them out, we would have to commit one mighty game of anti-football to shut them out and it's not in Pellegrini's nature do play like that.

I would scap the Chelsea game, it's come at the wrong time for us and needs must, Barcelona is a historic game for the club and we need to do out utmost to try and perform against them, going all out against Chelsea three days prior will not allow us to do that.

We are just going to have to take it on the chin this season what Chelsea have and will do against us, the CL is far superior to the Cup anyway.

This game against Barca is not like any other game Pellegrini has managed with us to be fair. He was pragmatic in the CL with Malaga and our best chance of qualifying is by making sure we have the away goal advantage.

 

[sam-caddick]

Definitely play the "reserves" against Chelsea and prioritise Barca, without a shadow of doubt.

We can't continue to play our strongest 11 through this run of games, no way whatsoever.

The C1C is our biggest chance of silverware at the moment and gets one monkey off our backs as we don't want to risk ending up potless.

Prem still the most important, for me, and I'd happily take humbling defeats in both FA and Chumps if it meant we secured the double of Prem and C1C.

All depends though on the injury situation, get our big guns all fit and we can do anyone.

I think we'll see a semi rotated team for Chelsea, with the best team against Barca. Makes sense as our semi rotated team wouldn't be hugely different from the one which played on Monday.

.......and got outplayed! I appreciate the thinking on here, but surely it doesn't sit well to gift that Portuguese gobshite the FA Cup?

We are going to have to take it on the chin this season mate in my opinion, the Barcelona game is far superior in historic and economical value to the club than Chelsea in the Cup.

 

[BlueAnorak]

There is a good chance we will lose against Barca if we prioritize the game, So why sacrifice the Chelsea game?
Best to play our best possible available team in both games. We are certainly good enough to win both.

 

[steviemc]

I don't think it's in Pellers make-up to play anything other than our strongest team. He seems to stand by his word, and I can't see him making a post-match interview explaining that a loss was due to having to rest players.

The team he fielded for West Ham 2nd leg, which was a dead rubber, was a brave move and had key players got injured he knew he would leaving himself open for criticism. I'm sure less ambitious managers would have played it safer. For what appears to be a quiet mannered manager, he certainly has bags of belief in himself and the squad.

 

[Anonymous]

There is a good chance we will lose against Barca if we prioritize the game, So why sacrifice the Chelsea game?
Best to play our best possible available team in both games. We are certainly good enough to win both.

I think the CL will be the priority simply because by that point we will have hopefully won a domestic trophy already. Also Barcelona are vulnerable this season. If Fernandinho can be fit by then, then even with Kun and Nasri out, we are favourites both on the night and over two legs.