Lionel Messi

[Dr. Gonzo]

10 minutes ago, José said:

Man Utd, Portugal, and RM.... the dude practically single carry those three club teams/NT to greatness, now we are making excuses for Messi for not doing the same with Barcelona this year? 

Okay what about Juve

[Spike]

Keylor Navas carried RM, because they haven’t played defence for half a decade. Look at RM now, they aren’t conceedng fucktons of goals because Ronaldo is gone, it is because Courtois is shit compared to the great Navas

[Dr. Gonzo]

4 hours ago, Dan said:

It's to be expected now. Wasted too much energy debating it tonight. Every cliche going about how he couldn't do it in England etc....

I cannot believe someone can sit there, watch 180 minutes of that and deduce that Messi is the problem.

Where was Suarez? Where was Coutinho? Where were the defence?

Absolute joke.

Exactly. Where were all of their outfield players that weren’t Vidal?

Messi carried a pretty negative Barca to a 3-0 win. Most (if not all) of their creativity over the two legs came through him. That passive and negative approach when everyone knew we’d be throwing everything at them and playing with every ounce of energy was either extreme arrogance or just complete incompetence in planning for the second leg.

When you’ve got teams putting in no effort against hungry opponents in one leg of a knockout tournament, you don’t just blame one player. You blame the entire team. And the tactical approach should be questioned - the same thing happening 3 years in a row should mean adjustments are made.

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 minute ago, José said:

Really? First year with the team. Give him two or three and he will get a CL with Juventus, mark my words.

Question. What's the only player to win the PL, La Liga,and the scudetto? And THE ONLY THRE3 CLs back to back to back.... CLU3: not the guy who is 1 out of the last 8 CLs 

Messi no es pele, no es Maradona, y no es CRISTIANO. Es un pendejo sin putos WU3VOS!!!

 

Who’s the top scorer in Italy this season? Is it Ronaldo or a 38 year old?

These are undoubtedly great players we’re talking about. Legitimately 2 of the best the sport has ever seen. But it’s a team sport, not an individual sport.

It’s undoubtedly a great achievement that Ronaldo and Madrid won the CL 3 years in a row. It’s the most prestigious tournament in world football, other than the World Cup, but the quality is higher than the World Cup. So it’s obviously a massive achievement. But let’s not pretend it’s one man’s individual effort that won that title. In the final last season Ronaldo had a quiet match, being defensively marshaled by a young fullback that you don’t rate at all. He didn’t make any contribution leading to goals there. Not saying he doesn’t deserve accolades, he was obviously a huge part of their winning cup runs. But it’s a team sport, that 3 years on the bounce of winning it is an incredible achievement he can be proud of. But it’s one he shares with his team.

Ronaldo is obviously a huge part of why his teams have been successful. But his successes and failures are team successes and failures. The same goes with Messi.

[Cicero]

Ramos carried Real Madrid

[Dr. Gonzo]

If anything this shows winning the CL is a team effort. Look at the stats, notice how Messi and Ronaldo both carried Juventus to where they ended up.

You need good individuals and good team performances to progress. We have seen this season that individuals (the 2 best players in the world) carrying sides won’t beat the best teams in Europe.

[The Artful Dodger]

Sounds like Messi nearly had it out with a Barca fan at the airport.

[Cicero]

4 minutes ago, The Artful Dodger said:

Sounds like Messi nearly had it out with a Barca fan at the airport.

Quote

 

At the airport's security checkpoint, a small group of fans are said to have confronted Messi and the player had to be dragged away to avoid a more serious situation.

It was also reported that a separate group of Barcelona fans applauded their hero, coming to the defence of the player despite an awful evening on the pitch. 

In the first leg at the Nou Camp, Messi was in fine form, scoring a remarkable free-kick to help his side to a 3-0 victory before to criticising the Nou Camp crowd for whistling Philippe Coutinho. 

In the return leg though, Liverpool achieved the near-impossible, a brace apiece from Georginio Wijnaldum and Divock Origi securing a 4-3 aggregate victory. 

 

 

[Cicero]

Applaud 

 

[Guest]

*sigh*

[Spike]

The team bus left Messi at Anfield. HAHA, someone is getting fired.

[Stan]

3 minutes ago, Spike said:

The team bus left Messi at Anfield. HAHA, someone is getting fired.

Drug test took longer than expected...

[Dr. Gonzo]

54 minutes ago, Stan said:

Drug test took longer than expected...

Issues with the pain pills he's been taking for his back? I don't blame him though, can't be easy carrying a club as massive as Barca around for a season.

Imagine trying to have it out with your club's best ever player and the only man who did anything creative in that second leg for them. What an embarrassment!

[Stan]

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Issues with the pain pills he's been taking for his back? I don't blame him though, can't be easy carrying a club as massive as Barca around for a season.

Imagine trying to have it out with your club's best ever player and the only man who did anything creative in that second leg for them. What an embarrassment!

Mad ain't it? It's what pisses me off with some football fans these days. Far too reactionary and fickle and don't always recall what a player may have done in the past. How the fvck can you even forget what Messi did last week to even get in to the position of 3-0 first leg, let alone the 599 goals and hundreds of assists he's provided previous to that

I'm glad it's a minority though at the airport and even better to hear other fans outnumbered those cunty fans and showed Messi some love in comparison. 

[RandoEFC+]

Never thought I'd see a United fan gloat this much after a 4-0 Liverpool win.

[Asura]

Messi - 10 leagues, 4 CLs, 6 Spanish Cups  --- total 20 major trophies

Ronaldo - 6 leagues, 5 CLs, 3 domestic cups (1 FA, 2 Spanish) --- total 14 major trophies 

Not counting the mickey mouse tournaments like supercups.. Messi has 20 trophies and Ronaldo has 14 trophies despite being 2 years older.

National team wise, Ronaldo has one and messi has zero.

Just because he won 3 CLs in a row doesnt make him a better player, since he had 6 year drought before 2014 too.. lol 

Vidal won the last 8 or 9 league titles with Bayern, Juve and Barca but doesnt make him anything better than what he actually is

[Stan]

2 minutes ago, José said:

Not gloating. The better team won and Messi was exposed. All this "if it wasnt for him, it would of been worst"is nothing but bullshit. All Barcelona needed from Messi was ONE fucking goal and it would of been over. Real leaders step up when it matters (for example, Ronaldo versus Bayern, he was scoring for fun)

What about pinning the blame on those who couldn't finish where Messi set them up? 

[Spike]

2 minutes ago, José said:

Not gloating. The better team won and Messi was exposed. All this "if it wasnt for him, it would of been worst"is nothing but bullshit. All Barcelona needed from Messi was ONE fucking goal and it would of been over. Real leaders step up when it matters (for example, Ronaldo versus Bayern, he was scoring for fun)

You're 100% right. Just like how Cristiano pulled through for Juve when Ajax were up. Immense performance that.

[Spike]

Just now, José said:

 

 

But 4 out of the last 5 is simply underperforming for a guy labeled the best of all time and given how much he makes. I remember all those people laughing (TFF) about ronaldo being a real madrid dependent player, without Ramos & Benzema, he is getting exposed for his lack of leadership and clutchness. 

One fucking goal would of made the difference, but he was prolly too busy playing video games during half time to motivate others, including himself. 

 

[Cicero]

Who saved Real in 2014? Ramos

Who saved Real in 2016? Ramos

Who saved Real in 2018? Karius 

 

[Asura]

1 minute ago, Cicero said:

Who saved Real in 2014? Ramos

Who saved Real in 2016? Ramos

Who saved Real in 2018? Karius 

 

and that Bayern's goalie during Neuer's absence.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Is it Messi's fault that Barcelona approached the game the same way they approached the first leg - play pretty conservatively, hope Messi can pull pieces of magic for Barca going forward? It worked in Barca with quite a bit of luck, had we scored an away goal the complexion of the game would have been completely different for us. But it was not the greatest strategy when everyone in the world knew how we would play at Anfield and knowing what the Anfield atmosphere would be like... especially if we got the early goal that we did get.

I agree with @José… all Barca needed was a goal. That probably would have put it beyond our reach despite the performance and the atmosphere and all that. And in the first half they had plenty of chances to get it - just like over 2 halfs of football in Barca we also had plenty of chances. And should Barca have scored? Yes, absolutely. But it's not like Messi didn't try. Literally all of Barca's goal threat involved Messi in some shape over both legs.  And in the 8 chances Barca had in the second leg, Messi was either creating the chance or the one taking the shot. He forced saves from Allison.

Was he anywhere near as good as he is at his best? No. But how many times can that have been said of Ronaldo over the past few years as well? As I've said before, Barca have plenty to blame. And Messi, as part of the losing team, shares some of that blame too. But he's also their best ever player, the current top scorer in the CL, and the person who gave them the best chance of going through against us. And after that second leg, I don't think many of the Barca players, other than Vidal, can be too proud of themselves.

And Valverde's the one who sets up the side. He chose to take the "safe" approach, just like he did the year before... when going aggressive early on would definitely have been a better option to truly make it impossible for us to progress. He didn't learn from the loss against Roma. His tactics seem fine for La Liga, they're not often going up against sides that are going to be able to attempt to go toe to toe with them in most games of a premier league season. But up against sides that are more capable of doing that, and particularly playing with the desire to lift club football's most prestigious trophy, those tactics just aren't going to cut it in modern football.

I don't think it's coincidental that the other teams in the semi-final have a wholly different approach to Barcelona. All three of them have taken on a fearless approach in playing positive football, despite not always being favourites. Ajax vs the two giants they've slain and Tottenham vs City, in particular, demonstrate that as well as us against Barca it's not just the tactics (which for all of the sides, I think have been sound tactically) it's also getting 11 people on the pitch to be one cohesive unit. Right now Barca are not that cohesive unit. For the last 3 years in the CL, Real Madrid did have that - you don't have 3 successful CL runs without the whole team buying into the belief they could win the most prestigious club cup competition three times in a row. Against all of the best sides in Europe for three years in a row.

If Barca want the CL, they need a rebuild so they've got a team that's using Messi in a way that's different to just 11 great individuals relying on an outstanding player to continually bail them out all the time.

Also what the fuck was the point in spending all that money on Coutinho, who was always far better for us in a midfield 3 that in the front 3... and then putting him out wide where he's been proven to be less effective. Don't you want that player you spent all that money on? Why even buy him if you're not going to use him correctly and get him in that form that he was in that made you want to buy him?

[Dr. Gonzo]

31 minutes ago, Cicero said:

Who saved Real in 2014? Ramos

Who saved Real in 2016? Ramos

Who saved Real in 2018? Karius 

 

Ramos gave Karius a blow to the head, so if he was concussed while making those mistakes you could argue again... Ramos.

[The Artful Dodger]

Messi played alright, his passes thread through Alba, Suarez and Couthinho. It certainly wasn't classic Messi but he was not the prime offender.

[Dan+]

1 hour ago, José said:

Not gloating. The better team won and Messi was exposed. All this "if it wasnt for him, it would of been worst"is nothing but bullshit. All Barcelona needed from Messi was ONE fucking goal and it would of been over. Real leaders step up when it matters (for example, Ronaldo versus Bayern, he was scoring for fun)

He scored twice in the tie. They were 3-0 up from the first leg. There is no blood on his hands.