La Liga 2019/20 - Week 5 Fixtures - 20th-22nd September 2019

[The Artful Dodger]

5 hours ago, Cicero said:

Barca are losing their identity with Valverde

Are they? Or is this just coming towards the end of a golden period? Only 3 points off top. Every chance of winning the league. 

[SirBalon]

This is how irregular and topsy turvy La Liga is at the start of this new season. Providing a couple of results go their way and Real Madrid beat Sevilla tonight, Real Madrid would be the worst leader of La Liga statistically of the century.

If people rate an unpredictable league as a superior standing point of power, then La Liga is currently the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, SirBalon said:

This is how irregular and topsy turvy La Liga is at the start of this new season. Providing a couple of results go their way and Real Madrid beat Sevilla tonight, Real Madrid would be the worst leader of La Liga statistically of the century.

If people rate an unpredictable league as a superior standing point of power, then La Liga is currently the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Of the top 5 leagues, for sure. The PL has become 2 sided these days. Not saying La Liga is much different but I reckon Atletico and maybe even Sevilla could have a say to that.

[DeadLinesman]

52 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

Providing a couple of results go their way and Real Madrid beat Sevilla tonight, Real Madrid would be the worst leader of La Liga statistically of the century.

Whatever helps you sleep at night 

[SirBalon]

6 minutes ago, DeadLinesman said:

Whatever helps you sleep at night 

What helps me sleep at night is something completely different mate. 

[El Profesor]

22 hours ago, Teso dos Bichos said:

Valverde should of never been given the job to begin with. The pressure is on barto, will he choose whats best for him and his board or FC Barcelona? 

 

Valverde should´ve been fired after the 2017/18. That defeat at Roma shouldn´t be accepted. 

Having said that, it´s also on the players. It´ll take a coach with guts but veterans like Suárez, Piqué and Busquets shouldn´t be undisputed starters anymore.

[SirBalon]

19 minutes ago, El Profesor said:

 

Valverde should´ve been fired after the 2017/18. That defeat at Roma shouldn´t be accepted. 

Having said that, it´s also on the players. It´ll take a coach with guts but veterans like Suárez, Piqué and Busquets shouldn´t be undisputed starters anymore.

That statement by that Raz or whatever he is is a total lie. I’m not defending Valverde but we have to talk reality here. 

[El Profesor]

2 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

That statement by that Raz or whatever he is is a total lie. I’m not defending Valverde but we have to talk reality here. 

Fair enough, but Valverde hasn´t been getting the most of his squad either way. In my opinion, the losses at Roma and at Anfield aren´t simply accidents. Barcelona has rarely played good football since their treble in 2015.

Valverde is simply not good enough of a coach for this job. I also think the decline of some key players doesn´t help him, but still, that Barça squad is really, really good and you have more than enough to build a very good team.

[SirBalon]

1 hour ago, El Profesor said:

Fair enough, but Valverde hasn´t been getting the most of his squad either way. In my opinion, the losses at Roma and at Anfield aren´t simply accidents. Barcelona has rarely played good football since their treble in 2015.

Valverde is simply not good enough of a coach for this job. I also think the decline of some key players doesn´t help him, but still, that Barça squad is really, really good and you have more than enough to build a very good team.

I love debate mate, I'm the first to subscribe to any debate anywhere on football at the highest end, and am willing to take on board all opinions as long as they're balanced and without agendas (that last bit not aimed at you mate). But we have to adhere to reality and that tweet or whatever it was, was downright ridiculous. Does anyone here or anywhere think a club of Barcelona's stature would let things degrade to such an extent with "facts" on a layabout lazy coach (because that's what that tweet in effect is telling us) just earning a mega crust while everything falls around him?

We have to take things into perspective here which is why I've refrained from over criticising Ernesto Valverde where others have gone overboard by a long margin. Barcelona have won La Liga every season under him and also the Copa del Rey except for last season which was lost in the final itself. I'm not about to be pulled into a black hole of nonsense football talk by demoting the national championship to the status of England's League Cup because that's what in effect is being done here and on social media by fools.

There ARE issues and they must be addressed, more so after this start to the present campaign where Barça actually for once recruited very well with excellent footballers that should be adding a lot more and aren't... Hmmm... Aren't consistently!

Look at my response to the defeat to Granada! Look at what Valverde done off his own back without taking into account the injury to Jordi Alba which is out of his hands. He played Nélson Semedo there, a full-on attacking full-back that relies on his pace to recover his position so as to mark any attack. He isn't the now Ex-Atlético Madrid full-back Juanfran who could go forward and be noticeable in that area, but his forte was defending... Someone like Juanfran is a full-back that when you have an injury crisis you can swap sides on him because he will offer you defensive nouce and intelligence in that area. Instead you swap foot and nature to a player that relies on his comfort zone to blister his way into opponent's defences and cause havoc.  He was lost!

Griezmann playing and attached to the right wing was as lost as Semedo on the left and why? Valverde simply put him there because Antoine is left-footed and thought he may cut-in and have shooting potential. But the reality was that Griezmann isn't an extremely fast player, Antoine plays off combination passes to ghost-in and not exactly dribble his way to the danger zone. A player that was lost in nothingness.

Sergio Busquets... Busquets had just come off an excellent international week where he was absolutely stellar and dominated the game against Romania away. A game that curiously and surprisingly for many Spain had never won. Spain were tremendous because Busquets dominated the whole midfield zone. Busquets may be getting older but as a MARCA journalist said after that game; "Busquets can play until he's 50 if he wants to.". Carlo Ancelotti himself during the pre-season where Barça played Napoli twice said more or less the same thing. Busquets doesn't need to be dropped at all, infact he is required more than ever.

Another story is Piqué who has these things happen to him and it's quite a mystery as to why they happen because last season on the whole many said was his best individual season ever. He was captain for the first time ever this weekend against Granada and he looked way too over emotional which is odd for a player that's seen and won it all in football during his career. He looked over excited and many mistakes came from there including bumping into De Jong twice while trying to gallop through midfield.

I could go on mate... I am in agreement though on the whole. Valverde is lacking in what Barça need because Barça are a different kettle of fish to any other football club in the world. Barcelona is unique, it's not an easy club to be the head coach at because you're not only expected to win. You are also expected even more than winning, to play the best football. He is too ordinary and lacks innovation! Someone with the knowledge of that class of football but with something different to evolve it needs to come in and those names aren't many which is where I think the problem lies and why he hasn't been sacked.

[Machado]

Have to agree with Balon. Massive exaggeration in that tweet. Don't know who that analyst is, but anyone who spouts such a quote loses credibility in my books. It's not that they don't massively depend on Messi to win, it's the first part of the tweet that's way over the top.

[Carnivore Chris]

12 hours ago, El Profesor said:

Fair enough, but Valverde hasn´t been getting the most of his squad either way. In my opinion, the losses at Roma and at Anfield aren´t simply accidents. Barcelona has rarely played good football since their treble in 2015.

Valverde is simply not good enough of a coach for this job. I also think the decline of some key players doesn´t help him, but still, that Barça squad is really, really good and you have more than enough to build a very good team.

To be fair though, I don't even see much of a decline in most of these players. I'd say Suarez has massively declined, as despite still scoring great goals, his allround game has become very frustrating. As for the other senior players last season though:-

Messi - Was as good as ever last season, even playing in such a monotonous system he managed to amass 50 goals which is impressive. If he'd been playing under a better manager last season, where all the players in general were more conformable and in a system that was more suited to his game, he could have banged in 70 again for me, when you take everything into consideration. Imagine if he was playing under Pep, in a side that are smashing teams 8-0, he'd honestly have scored atleast 65 if you ask me.

Pique - For the last 2 and half years, I'd say he's actually been in his best shape and played better than I can remember him ever doing since Puyol retired.

Busquets - Still as good as ever. I don't see him declining yet at all.

Alba - He's improved over the past 2/3 years if anything and has been playing his best football.

Ter Stegen - Best keeper in the world and has many years left.

 

Then you add to that players such as Semedo and Arthur and in my opinion, this side should have been playing far better football and producing much more convincing results. In the end, you have to make the most of it as most of these players I mentioned really will have declined soon and then Barcelona may not have an opportunity to win the Champions league again for a while, as that is how football works. It goes in cycles and you have to make the most of it while you have that opportunity. A better manager over the past 2.5 years would have seen another Champions league I reckon, although at the same time, it's not all about that as nobody has a god given right of winning the Champions league. The league will always be the bread and butter, but it's more about the style of play and manner in which he lost the 2 games against Roma and Liverpool. I also don't see a side this season that is capable of doing anything at all and if it wins the league, it'll be solely because of how shit and inconsistent the rest are. It was even similar last year. He won La Liga, but where was the competition? Real were shite, Atletico were shite and nobody else are consistent enough to cause problems. La Liga last season was the worst I've ever known it at the top of the table if I'm honest. The quality just hasn't been there. Where are all these brilliant attacking players that La Liga used to have? They just aren't there now. Even Atletico don't really have anything in terms of attacking ability and  I seriously don't know where sides like Sevilla are even going to get goals from.

 

 

 

 

[Carnivore Chris]

Athletic Bilbao top of La Liga on goal difference. Could they keep it up? The problem with them is lack of depth. As for Sevilla, they don't have any goals in them so I don't see them being up there for too long personally. I just can't see where Sevilla will get goals this season. They have bought about 5 strikers but none of them are good. Unless one of them surprises the world, I see them struggling for goals. The rest of their side looks quite strong though.

 

[SirBalon]