The Barcelona v Real Madrid thread

[Shaggy]

All you can do is laugh at Mourinho and his tactics. He got more or less everything wrong.

It's true though - he was facing Barca at just about the weakest he's faced them. A makeshift back four with two players out of position, little Mascherano as a rookie centre back, Puyol returning from injury to play at left back (could've put Ronaldo directly up against him - didn't) no Iniesta - it was a big opportunity for Real to at least show a semblance of attacking intent. It doesn't have to be gung-ho. But they did nothing. Opportunity missed.

On top of that he seemed to make a political substitution in Adebayor and did nothing after the red card. Just sat in the corner and sulked, faking laughter and smiles whenever the cameras went on him

[Shaggy]

very audley harrison when he was fighting standing there against haye.

no one believed him when he said it either

[Rudo]

i dont have time to list everything "you dont get"

but wasnt it the 4th official?

Very original. Ta.

[Shaggy]

Shaggy, who's your top 5 Barca players of all time?

Reina
Luis Garcia
Pacheco
Chygrynskiy
Messi

[Rudo]

What about your earliest memory as a Barca fan?

[little dave hedgehog]

tiresome.

[Reece]

Mine is swapping my Ocean Colour Scene beeny hat for a copy of Blur's Parklife and a giant Barcelona flag. I was hooked on them from then.

[Shaggy]

[CJ]

What about your earliest memory as a Barca fan?

who are the best 10 RM players ever?

also can you come with a best ever starting 11 for RM

obviously your best 10 dont all have to be in your best ever starting 11

[Arn]

Real Madrid will be the second club that Mourinho will be sacked from because he can't play better attacking football. Chelsea being the first.

He moaned that he didn't had enough strikers and then he starts without a single striker against Barcelona

The way Barcelona play means that it is pressure on the other top clubs to play entertaining football and not only win at every cost.

The fans compare their teams with Barcelona. They want entertainers. Look at the players we fans want us to sign. It is entertainers, players like Hazard, Aguero, Lavezzi and Neymar. We fans want to see the team play entertaining attacking football. Winning isn't enough. The reason is Barcelona and we want us to be as good as them, to entertain us as much as they do.

The attack minded football is here to stay and the reason is Barcelona. Dortmund have copied them and will most probably win the league. They have copied Barcelonas high pressure game and quick passing game. Not as good as them of course but they have still copied them. More and more top clubs will do the same.

[Shaggy]

Decent read

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/champions-league/8482014/Real-Madrid-v-Barcelona-Jose-Mourinho-condemned-on-all-sides-after-Champions-League-semi-final.html

Real Madrid v Barcelona: Jose Mourinho condemned on all sides after Champions League semi-final

Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid were facing attacks on two fronts on Thursday night.

By Rory Smith 10:17PM BST 28 Apr 2011

Uefa opened an investigation which could result in a raft of disciplinary charges and Barcelona claimed the Portuguese manager's insinuation that the Catalan club benefited from a conspiracy that made them invincible in the Champions League could incite violence.

The European game's governing body confirmed in a statement that its Control and Disciplinary Body would hear cases against both Real and Barcelona on May 6, though it is the Bernabéu side who face the more serious and more numerous charges.

"The case against Real Madrid is in relation to the throwing of missiles, a pitch invasion, the red card shown to Pepe, the dismissal of the coach José Mourinho, as well as the inappropriate statement given by Mr Mourinho to the media after the match," read the statement.

The first two offences are likely to result in a fine, rather than an order to play games behind closed doors, while Real could also be sanctioned for failing to control their players in relation to the dismissals of Pepe and Mourinho, who could expect to miss the final at Wembley should his punishment be extended.
Barcelona, meanwhile, could be charged with the same offence, depending on the outcome of Uefa's investigation into the sending off of reserve goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto for his part in a half-time brawl.

It is the comments made by the Portuguese, though, that have created the greatest rancour. Mourinho, in the aftermath of his side's 2-0 defeat, said Barcelona have "a lot of power," suggesting that might be attributable to the position of Spanish FA president Angel Maria Villar Llona at Uefa or their charitable links to Unicef. He indicated his counterpart, Pep Guardiola, should be "ashamed" to have won the 2009 Champions League owing to the stain of "scandal" attached to it and even claimed he was "disgusted" to be working in football.

His histrionic outburst prompted a former foe of both the Portuguese and Barcelona, Arsène Wenger – who saw Robin van Persie controversially dismissed at the Nou Camp this season, an incident cited as part of Mourinho's extensive rant – to suggest that if the former Chelsea manager genuinely believes the Catalan side are favoured by a continent-wide conspiracy, that he ought to consider retirement.

"I refuse to believe that there is, let's say, a script behind the stage and that Barcelona is advantaged," said Wenger. "The day I believe that, it's impossible to manage. This season they had certainly some advantages. I feel that they were accidental. I feel that they overreact, certainly, but they play certainly the best football at the moment in Europe and you have to give them credit for that."

Barcelona's reaction to Mourinho's allegations was rather less contemplative. Though Uefa's disciplinary procedures are already under way, the Spanish league leaders yesterday confirmed they would make a formal complaint about Mourinho calling into question the "honour" of the club.

"The president [Sandro Rosell] decided to convene an extraordinary general board meeting and we intend to report the manager of Real Madrid to Uefa's Control and Disciplinary Committee for his allegations," said spokesman Toni Freixa. "They consist of a clear infraction of Rule 5 [of Uefa's disciplinary code, relating to improper conduct and behaviour damaging to the game]. Barcelona have ben damaged [by these allegations].

"They hurt and wound our reputation. It is unacceptable that anyone question our titles or our link with Unicef. Our intention is not to fan the flames but to douse them. We believe that managers should talk about football and not other matters that incite violence.

"We want to stand firm when the war of words passes certain limits and we believe Mr Mourinho crossed this line yesterday. We have complete faith in Uefa's disciplinary bodies and satisfaction with the trajectory of our team in its conduct in victory and in defeat."

The aftershocks of Wednesday's ill-tempered fixture and Mourinho's outburst continued yesterday, with players and officials on both sides reaffirming their clubs' positions.

Jorge Valdano, Real's technical director, suggested that the decision of Wolfgang Stark to send off Pepe "irrevocably changed the game" and led to "various incidents" which were "not agreeable."

A host of Barcelona players, meanwhile, expressed their support for Guardiola – who criticised Mourinho's endless attempts to goad his counterpart before the fixture – with goalkeeper Victor Valdes insisting the club's manager "spoke for all Barcelona fans". Defender Gerard Piqué insisted: "If you play with fire, at the limits of violence, you get burned."

A number of former players, too, came out on Barcelona's side, with Ronaldo – the Brazilian striker who graced both clubs – suggesting Messi's second strike "was a goal only scored on the PlayStation" and even the devout Madridista, Guti, suggesting Mourinho "is trying to justify his impotence".

[Rudo]

Next Tues night should be eventful.

[CJ]

what should RM do next week?

[Reece]

Not specifically related to that article, but I think Rory is a really good journo. In fact a lot of these younger generation of journos put the old guard to shame IMO.

[Rudo]

Play with no fear. I think it'll kick off either way.