The Barcelona v Real Madrid thread

[Craig_H]

I would normally agree but that wasn't football last night. It was just Lionel Messi, the rest just made of a show of themselves IMO.

But Messi more than made up for it

Watching him shows anyone why it's called the beautiful game.

[Shaggy]

As already pointed out, Real Madrid and Mourinho got exactly what they wanted, exactly the type of game they engineered.

And they lost.

Only Barcelona tried to play football. Real, the home team, had 23% possession

So football won.

Xavi probed all night, plus Pique, Puyol and of course Messi...all magnificent last night.

[Rudo]

Barca have some of the worst cheats in the modern game playing for game. They is a serious lack of balance about Barca on this thread IMO.

I don't really like either team to be honest but i respect the way Barca play football, but FFS you 'd swear Mourinho was the devil the way many people are going on, i wonder does it stem back to the Rafa and Mouringo back and forth that many hold that grudge? Maybe, maybe not.

Anyways the amount of blatantly embarrassing diving, playacting and harassing the ref that Barca were doing, was just cringeworthy as they were doing sweet fa before the sending off.

Madrid played physical, not quite as physical as the Cope Del Rey but say what you want about them being boring etc but it was working! Pepe's sending off was shocking, yellow at best. It did kill the game. As for the man himself and his tactics, IMO it is the best way to beat Barca, it worked for him before and why not try it again? It may seem like anti-football to some but if it's a results game, if you come out and play for play against Barca, you get dicked! That game IMO was a banker to end 0-0, Mourinho was looking to snatch a goal in the latter stages or go to Nou Camp 0-0 and try nick an away goal, there is nothing wrong with those tactics. Madrid have a much stronger squad than Barca and the players they can bring off the bench can make that difference. Madrid only play like that against Barca.

Have to say i despise the mancs, but i'm getting there with Barca. I love to watch Messi play ball, even though he takes a few dives to be fair to him he gets the living **** kicked out of him but players like Busquets,Pedro,Masch,Pique etc are a ****ing disgrace. Barca are the best team in the world there is no denying that but they do not have to resort to such classless ****e, it was ****ing embarrassing and people's dislike/hatred for the man himself Mourinho IMO has clouded many people's judgements on what actually went on.

Anyways if Barca win the final fair enough, but if they lose it i really won't lose any sleep over it.

Spot on with everything there

They think they're above every other Club in the world, that charging around after the Ref was just ridiculous...and it wasn't just one or two, it was like 6 or 7 players all at the one time...even Puyol who i usually have respect cos he's a tough but fair competitor, he was at it too.

Also agree that it would have finished 0-0, Barca were doing sweet f.a in the attacking sense prior to the red card...as for the red, well it was a joke. Never in a million years was that a red card.
Jose's a sore loser, but he has a valid argument to say his team were robbed of having any chance of reaching the final. The Ref ****ed up good an proper.

If it was any other team other than the Mancs playing Barca in the final, i'd be cheering them on, and that probably includes Chelsea.

Bunch of cheating, moaning, arrogant ****ers.

[Roboklopp]

Wanna watch?

Sadly I was already pretty much on this thread, so made that request to avoid seeing more.

[Buzzo]

Barca have some of the worst cheats in the modern game playing for game. They is a serious lack of balance about Barca on this thread IMO.

I don't really like either team to be honest but i respect the way Barca play football, but FFS you 'd swear Mourinho was the devil the way many people are going on, i wonder does it stem back to the Rafa and Mouringo back and forth that many hold that grudge? Maybe, maybe not.

Anyways the amount of blatantly embarrassing diving, playacting and harassing the ref that Barca were doing, was just cringeworthy as they were doing sweet fa before the sending off.

Madrid played physical, not quite as physical as the Cope Del Rey but say what you want about them being boring etc but it was working! Pepe's sending off was shocking, yellow at best. It did kill the game. As for the man himself and his tactics, IMO it is the best way to beat Barca, it worked for him before and why not try it again? It may seem like anti-football to some but if it's a results game, if you come out and play for play against Barca, you get dicked! That game IMO was a banker to end 0-0, Mourinho was looking to snatch a goal in the latter stages or go to Nou Camp 0-0 and try nick an away goal, there is nothing wrong with those tactics. Madrid have a much stronger squad than Barca and the players they can bring off the bench can make that difference. Madrid only play like that against Barca.

Have to say i despise the mancs, but i'm getting there with Barca. I love to watch Messi play ball, even though he takes a few dives to be fair to him he gets the living **** kicked out of him but players like Busquets,Pedro,Masch,Pique etc are a ****ing disgrace. Barca are the best team in the world there is no denying that but they do not have to resort to such classless ****e, it was ****ing embarrassing and people's dislike/hatred for the man himself Mourinho IMO has clouded many people's judgements on what actually went on.

Anyways if Barca win the final fair enough, but if they lose it i really won't lose any sleep over it.

I agree with you on all the diving and shouting at each other, thoroughly embarrassing for two teams of grown men.

The thing with Mourinho is that these are the only tactics he knows. And he is after all managing Real Madrid, not Luton Town. A team with Alonso, Ronaldo, Kaka, Higuain, Ozil, Di Maria, Benzema etc. etc, surely a team with players such as this should fear nobody? If these 2 teams went toe to toe we would have all enjoyed a classic game. The fact is Real played defensively, and in situations where teams play like this the game ends up niggly and you are always likely to see a red card. If it works, fine - he gets a trophy. But if it doesn't he deserves some stick for being so negative. Barca tried to play some passing football and for that alone deserved to win.

[Shaggy]

Barca have some of the worst cheats in the modern game playing for game. They is a serious lack of balance about Barca on this thread IMO.

I don't really like either team to be honest but i respect the way Barca play football, but FFS you 'd swear Mourinho was the devil the way many people are going on, i wonder does it stem back to the Rafa and Mourinho back and forth that many hold that grudge? Maybe, maybe not.

Anyways the amount of blatantly embarrassing diving, playacting and harassing the ref that Barca were doing, was just cringeworthy as they were doing sweet fa before the sending off.

Madrid played physical, not quite as physical as the Cope Del Rey but say what you want about them being boring etc but it was working! Pepe's sending off was shocking, yellow at best. It did kill the game. As for the man himself and his tactics, IMO it is the best way to beat Barca, it worked for him before and why not try it again? It may seem like anti-football to some but if it's a results game, if you come out and play for play against Barca, you get dicked! That game IMO was a banker to end 0-0, Mourinho was looking to snatch a goal in the latter stages or go to Nou Camp 0-0 and try nick an away goal, there is nothing wrong with those tactics. Madrid have a much stronger squad than Barca and the players they can bring off the bench can make that difference. Madrid only play like that against Barca.

Have to say i despise the mancs, but i'm getting there with Barca. I love to watch Messi play ball, even though he takes a few dives to be fair to him he gets the living **** kicked out of him but players like Busquets,Pedro,Masch,Pique etc are a ****ing disgrace. Barca are the best team in the world there is no denying that but they do not have to resort to such classless ****e, it was ****ing embarrassing and people's dislike/hatred for the man himself Mourinho IMO has clouded many people's judgements on what actually went on.

Abysmal post although to be expected from a Mourinho cheerleader.

Also from a man who slaughtered Benitez for being 'defensive', your post could be seen as extremely rich and hypocritical beyond belief. I can only imagine your posts had Benitez ever set us out to play like that. Which thankfully he never did.

Anyways if Barca win the final fair enough, but if they lose it i really won't lose any sleep over it.

So what you're saying is you don't mind if the Mancs win the European Cup for a 4th time. Oh dear.

[Craig_H]

Even shaggy minds, and he IS a manc

[Shaggy]

Couple of good posts from elsewhere.

Mourinho has a lot of questions to answer after that debacle:

1. Why do his players always get sent off against Barca?

His conspiracy theory is about as pathetic as they come, every team gets good and bad decisions (Drogba gets sent off against Barca - conspiracy; Drogba gets sent off against Inter Milan - good reffing), but it's hard for anyone to deny that his teams are brutal in their approach to all his games against Barca. He lets them keep the ball in their own half, but as soon as they cross the line his players kick the **** out of them. Of course it doesn't help him that the Barca players (as were his by the way, Pepe's dive off Mascherano deserved a score for both difficulty and execution) dived all over the place, but if you set your side out to make bone crunching tackles with the sole intention of disrupting and hurting the opposition, there is a chance those flying studs will eventually lead to a red card.

2. Why is the atmosphere in these games so tense?

How many times have we seen scenes like last night involving Mourinho teams? He breeds this type of atmosphere in the press to the point that when the two sides enter the field they are literally foaming at the mouth. Every decision is questioned, every tackle leads to handbags, it's a tactic of his that destroys the game as a spectacle.

3. (And this is an important one) Why did he give up?

You are 0 - 0 in the European Cup semi final with 30 minutes, you have just had a defender sent off (irrespective of whether you feel it was harsh or not), you have defenders on the bench, you have brought on a striker at half time who seems intent on getting himself sent off - why not try and do something about it? Why not take off Adebayor and bring on another defender? But what do you do? You throw a fit and sulk in a corner. What were the notes for?

4. Why give up - part 2?

It took the Barcelona manager to say what his counter-part should have, this is Real Madrid, 9 times champions of Europe, they will never give up, the tie is not over. Surely that's Mourinho's job instead of his woe is me, it's over post match performance.

5. Where is his Real Madrid team heading?

The team today, with the additions of some excellent players, not least of all Ozil, and perhaps the strongest squad in football, is no nearer overcoming Barcelona than they were at the start of the season. Yes they won the Copa, but that does nothing to disguise the complete dominance of the one side over the other. And more importantly, whatever Mourinho says, his approach to these games shows he doesn't believe his team is anywhere near the level of Barcelona. When is that going to change? And if it's just a matter of Barcelona are too good, then surely it's worthwhile bringing in a manager who can play entertaining football, isn't that something Real Madrid should be doing. Surely it can't be acceptable that in all the classicos thus far, with a team containing so many "galacticos", he can set his side out to play a style of football that wouldn't be out of place in the 80's Wimbledon side. They also won a cup once.

The gameplan to contain and counter was pathetic.

Barcelona had to re-shuffle their defence and lost Iniesta to injury, instead of even attempting to take advantage of that, at home, he stuck to his tried and tested, do **** all and try nick it.

Kaka and Higuain tore Valencia to shreds in their last away game, but they didn't get a sniff.

Why not allow Ozil to try and influence the game instead of bypassing him with the constant hoofs to Ronaldo?

It was completely defeatist by Mourinho and he should be ashamed of himself. A lot of people like to compare Rafa and Jose, with the "we saw Rafa doing that many times", but I never saw an approach like that at home. Look how we started our QF and SF in 2005, both against far superior sides.

I don't think there can be any excuse for Mourinho's approach to that game, Barcelona were tired, suffering from injuries, had just been beaten in the Copa, Kaka & Higuain had just shown they can be a big influence to the side, and Mourinho decides to give Barcelona the ball, hope they get frustrated and tired, then hopefully pick them off, or (as he alluded to in his post match press rant) play 3 hours for 0 - 0.

If he had shown a bit of ambition it may have been a different outcome.

[Shaggy]

Cringeworthy Madrid propaganda

http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1193040487639/1330054873516/noticia/Noticia/Television_images_show_that_Pepe_did_not_touch_Alves__leg.htm

"Look what our ex player Michael Owen and Wio Ferdinand said everyone!!!!11"

[Rudo]

I just love football. And football won

Football won oh football won, yes a load of players lyin down as if they'd be shot, running after the referee every time they saw a team-mate being touched...yes a real victory for the beautiful game.
They set such a good example.

I suppose they do deserve a lot of credit Barca because when it was 11 v 11, they really did throw the kitchen sink at the Real defence.

[Shaggy]

So, so bitter.

Get over it lad, they lost, they're going out and 99% of the football world rejoices :bird:

[danperkins]

But Messi more than made up for it

Watching him shows anyone why it's called the beautiful game.

he is truly incredible

[elrichio86]

Football won oh football won, yes a load of players lyin down as if they'd be shot, running after the referee every time they saw a team-mate being touched...yes a real victory for the beautiful game.
They set such a good example.

I suppose they do deserve a lot of credit Barca because when it was 11 v 11, they really did throw the kitchen sink at the Real defence.

And which side encouraged that sort of game? In this match and the previous two?

Both sides were equally guilty of play-acting and bad sportsmanship IMO. The only difference was that Barca ALSO tried to play football as well.

[Shaggy]

Mourinho crying after having his arse handed to him



With Pinky and Perky crying along with him, live on Est1892

[Rudo]

So, so bitter.

Get over it lad, they lost, they're going out and 99% of the football world rejoices :bird:

Honest to god, i'm not particularly bothered Real lost, but what sickens me is the behaviour of Barca's players last night and no-one picking up on it.

All the talk is of Mourinho being found out, about how good Barca are etc etc when what overshadows the whole ****in thing is the disgraceful actions of players that represent the so-called best team in world football.