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Midweek Football 6/9 May


andykeenan

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If Ajax get to the final you'd imagine the entire football world would be cheering them on. I know I will, and not simply because I dislike plop.

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I hate Liverpool, but I hate Barcelona even more, so pretty pleased with that. 

Also have a vague idea that diminishing the relative power of the Spanish clubs is beneficial for all English clubs, not just the top ones, but I admit this needs work before it becomes an actual thesis I can argue with comfort. 

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2 hours ago, VillaChris said:

Liverpool a bit good tonight.

Have to say Barca's away record in CL knock out is a joke. Just checked and since 2015 win they've scored 4 goals in 9 away KO games. They've lost 4-0 in Paris, 3-0 in Rome, 3-0 in Turin all in recent seasons. Thought they were pretty poor at Old Trafford against worst Man. United team in about 30 years.

Just a lazy complacent team away from Camp Nou and it's cost them yet again.

Yes so not altogether that surprising really.  Messi aside Barcelona aren't that good are they?  Suarez on his way out, Coutinho a huge flop there and Dembele. 

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1 hour ago, sharkyvilla said:

and **** knows what's happened to Coutinho. 

He was just never that good. £140m for him was laughable, he's no better than Riyad Mahrez.

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Back in the day (around 2008-2012) when I used to do a bit of football writing for a local paper and for a site I had with a friend I did a look trough what percentage of deciding ties that Barcelona got to play at home compared to away in the CL

I don't remember the numbers now but over a 10-15 year period or so the had the advantage (?) of having the deciding game at home in a very high% of the ties.

With the away goal rule this is a factor. No other club was even close to this from what I remember.

No idea if this has evened out in recent years but they seem to be struggling away from home in the knock out stages these days.

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9 hours ago, PaulC said:

Yes so not altogether that surprising really.  Messi aside Barcelona aren't that good are they?  Suarez on his way out, Coutinho a huge flop there and Dembele. 

Ter Stegen is a good keeper but had a shocker last night.  But Alba, Lenglet, Sergi Roberto, Malcom, Coutinho, Dembele, Semedo, Vermaelen, Vidal, even Rakitic - there's a lot of crap in that squad, either no longer good enough, never were or never will be.

It's miles away from the days of Abidal, Alves, Henry, etc.  They just got absolutely run to pieces last night.

If Klopp was hired as Barcelona manager today, and I think he will be at some stage, hardly any of that squad would be there within 18 months.

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Barca's biggest problem now by all accounts is that Messi takes too much place and decides too much.

He is the best player in the world, but he also dictates how they should play, who they should sign, who the manager should be and everything in between.

Everything has to go via him, on and off the field.

This is a guesstimation granted, but there has been countless reports about this since Zlatan came and was forced out, and with all of the old guard gone (Pique, Xavi, Iniesta...) he rules with absolute power.

It's the same in the national side, if he doesn't get what he want's and his friends are picked he retires from international play until he get's his way.

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2 hours ago, NurembergVillan said:

Ter Stegen is a good keeper but had a shocker last night.  But Alba, Lenglet, Sergi Roberto, Malcom, Coutinho, Dembele, Semedo, Vermaelen, Vidal, even Rakitic - there's a lot of crap in that squad, either no longer good enough, never were or never will be.

It's miles away from the days of Abidal, Alves, Henry, etc.  They just got absolutely run to pieces last night.

If Klopp was hired as Barcelona manager today, and I think he will be at some stage, hardly any of that squad would be there within 18 months.

Its a long way away from when Suarez first signed when they won the lot. Its going to take a huge rebuilding job for Madrid and Barcelona to get back to where they were. I think we will see a bit of English domination over the next few years.

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2 hours ago, NurembergVillan said:

Ter Stegen is a good keeper but had a shocker last night.  But Alba, Lenglet, Sergi Roberto, Malcom, Coutinho, Dembele, Semedo, Vermaelen, Vidal, even Rakitic - there's a lot of crap in that squad, either no longer good enough, never were or never will be.

It's miles away from the days of Abidal, Alves, Henry, etc.  They just got absolutely run to pieces last night.

If Klopp was hired as Barcelona manager today, and I think he will be at some stage, hardly any of that squad would be there within 18 months.

Even so I think if they started with the team that finished the first leg with Semedo at right back they wouldn't have been torn apart quite so much and gone through.  Sergi Roberto isn't a right back in a million years.  Alba is normally decent and links with Messi brilliantly but was shocking yesterday. 

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5 hours ago, NurembergVillan said:

Ter Stegen is a good keeper but had a shocker last night.  But Alba, Lenglet, Sergi Roberto, Malcom, Coutinho, Dembele, Semedo, Vermaelen, Vidal, even Rakitic - there's a lot of crap in that squad, either no longer good enough, never were or never will be.

It's miles away from the days of Abidal, Alves, Henry, etc.  They just got absolutely run to pieces last night.

If Klopp was hired as Barcelona manager today, and I think he will be at some stage, hardly any of that squad would be there within 18 months.

He's probably the most overrated keeper in the world, he has lots of errors like that in him plus lapses of concentration which leads to dodgy handling. The rest of those names though, wow, some absolute utter shite in that team, Pique and Busquets also completely over the hill at this level too.

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