Whilst Barcelona and Real Madrid have been very poor this week, German football is getting better. Looks like german efficiency is back. Over to Nick Proschwitz now to keep things ticking over.
Looks like a cracking atmosphere in that stand too. You're missing the point so much. Yeah they had a massive party but they did score 4 goals and got early goals in both games. So who's to say if the game went the same way as Bristol City the other night they wouldn't have reacted the same? You're trying to compare a massive European semi-final (in which neither side were the favourites) and they won comfortably and scored early, with the ****ty Championship games we see most weeks were there isn't a goal until 79 minutes (if we're lucky) and we're expected to win before the game, so not scoring within a certain time is deemed as failure. Looking at Bristol the other night again, the fans were well up for it in the first 5 minutes or so, the East stand started the game singing 'jump up, if you're Hull City' and even got the South and West stands involved briefly, when the game obviously wasn't going the right way people got on edge and started worrying about whether we'd score. If we'd got an early goal and gone on to win 4-1 the place would have been rocking. So it's a shame that tippy-tappy Italy ****ed Germany over in the Euros before being shat on themselves by Spain then really isn't it? Myth based on nothing whatsoever. German football is massively over-rated now. Spanish football is only two teams, but those two teams are the best two in the world. (Mind you Real are going to have to start winning something or making some finals at least if they want to remain a respected force in European football). EPL is an amazing league overall, it's still a really high standard there are at least 3 teams who could realistically win the league at the start of any season.
The atmosphere against Bristol wasn't that bad, to be honest. Apart from the booing at the end. There was some fans trying to create an atmosphere, until the nerves kicked in. What we need is for the opposition to bring fans so there's some banter. Also you can't force it or else it'll be goal music & good afternoon...stand ETC
As I keep saying, the single biggest obstacle is what happens on the pitch. Whenever we get a big crowd for a big game with a massive build-up, it just happens to be a let-down on the pitch. Whereas the games to celebrate have come in unexpected matches which aren't perceived as being as important as games like Watford and Bristol were.
I'm pretty confident Bayern would be challenging for the number 1 slot if they were in the premier league!
You are missing the point. They were winging and up for it before the game and at the beginning. Compare the scenes with everyone stood up and olds of flags at the 2 games in Germany before kick off with the typical City crowd before kickoff. They would still have been singing if they hadn't got an early goal. I'll bet none of them were moaning about people making too much noise or shouting too loudly like some morons in even the East Stand do.
ISPLT, I don't think it's a myth based on nothing at all going by all the comments I see from fans bored witless by Barcas style!
I like Barcas style but its something to be used in moderation. It can be painful watching them in a tight game when they pass it around the edge of the box a lot, unable to get into the box for a proper chance but unwilling to have a pop from a bit of distance. It's class when they're well on top and constantly breaking through the opponents defence though even if it doesn't always result in a goal. It would be far better if they'd adopt that style when in position for it but when the chance or need to be a little more direct and take more shooting chances arose that they'd take that too. I think the only Barca player I've seen shoot from outside the box is Messi and even then it's from in the d or just a yard out.
For me it's all tied in with Xavi getting old too, they were at their peak when he was. After a year or 2 of one style dominating it does get boring and you start rooting for something a bit different
It is though. Someone made up this idea that they just play 200 passes in their own 6-yard box but it's bullshit. The way they play is amazing; it's more attacking than almost any other team. They can pass through the tiniest gaps in and around the area, the notion that it's all defensive is just made up. They play the way we try to play but can still pick apart the super defensive sides that we struggle against. That's the hardest thing in football for me, breaking down a team who are parked on the edge of their own box. Even the ****test team can sit 10 men back and protect a 1-goal lead or even a draw. Barca are great at that.
Disagree on the other points earlier in the thread but agree with you here. I could stand a few seasons of etching Barcelona style football and the results it has brought them in previous seasons, at the KC. And that style would suit so many of our fans who prefer to sit quietly contemplating the passage of play instead of doing vulgar things like shout and cheer.
For every tactic there's a counter tactic. Maybe this Barca team have it so far drilled into them they can't play another way, or maybe it's arrogance and refusal to mix it up, but the one thing Barca suffer from is a total lack of plan b. if tippy tappy isn't working its game over for them. And yes I did see ronaldinho play quite a lot but I was meaning this current Barca team.
That same better team were beaten by Chelsea who must have been an even better team. They finished below Man United and City so they must both be even better sides yet all three are out of the CL before the semi-finals. Which proves nothing other than that knockout football proves nothing. It's exciting and entertaining but it doesn't prove ****. In fairness they usually win without a plan B. That's a daft English idea IMO this plan B thing. Basically just forget your well-worked and rehearsed style of play and just lump it because you're losing. Sticking to your guns even when it hasn't worked so far is another thing the rest of us could learn from Barca. Plenty of teams keep Barca out for 45, 60, maybe 80 minutes, but hardly any do for 90.
I know what you mean but mixing it up a bit is never a bad thing, Bayern had them firmly zipped away and there were times you were thinking just pass it further than 5 yards, play it a bit faster or even take a shot, and they may have found themselves with an away goal or two to fall back on in the next leg. I'm not saying they should lump it but that they should at least try and move it about a bit quicker and try take advantage of a gap when ones available when they're shut out like Tuesday, rather than just always hold it back, play completely safe and allow the other team to just regroup and get back into defensive formation every time. Bayern players could have tip tied back into position they had so much time to get back before Barca even though about doing anything. I think real do a great job of playing different styles and mixing them up as and when needs must, admittedly didn't do a great deal for them either but at least they actually managed to score a goal that Barca wouldn't have scored and actually looked like they might score at some point over the 90 minutes.
I think it depends on the players available as well. For example we don't have a big bastard so when we start lumping it in the last 2 minutes because we need a goal it's just embarrassing and pointless. Spain sometimes throw Navas on for something different when they need a goal don't they? Not because he's a big bugger obviously but because he hits the byline and can get behind a defence.
Bit ot, but St. Pauli have also had a nack of creating literally dozens of world class youngsters on football manager games over the years, which back on topic is probably where rolling thunder heard of them.
