FC Barcelona

[Blaugrana92]

Ja, enten det eller også van Persie på vej til Barcelona eller Afellay på vej til Arsenal.

[Visca El Barca]

Spændende interview med Juan Manuel Lillo.

Chelsea will suffer against Barcelona, just like everyone else - Juan Manuel Lillo
The former Almeria coach, friend and mentor of Pep Guardiola gives a unique insight into the Catalans' playing philosophy and what the Blues can expect at Stamford Bridge tonight

Apr 18, 2012 12:40:00 PM


EXCLUSIVE
By Adrian Boullosa

Juan Manuel Lillo is one of the defining figures in the career of Pep Guardiola. After a match between Lillo’s Oviedo and Guardiola’s Barcelona in 1996-97, the Blaugrana midfielder knocked on the door of the young coach because he was so impressed by the way his modest outfit had held their own against the Catalan powerhouse, capitulating only at the end of a 4-2 thriller.



Since then, the two have maintained a very close relationship that included a recommendation by Pep for his mentor to be Barcelona coach in 2003 and a brief stint together as coach and player for the exotic Mexican First Division outfit Dorados de Culiacan.

As such, there is hardly a more authorised voice to speak exclusively to Goal.com about the upcoming showcase between Barcelona and Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Goal.com: A Chelsea v Barcelona Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge. Many memories, that famous goal by Iniesta ... will history repeat itself?

Lillo: You never know what will happen. But of course, what happened was not normal, because there was a team that was much better and had to wait for a stroke of luck to win the tie. Essien, who had the ability to score a goal from outside the area, didn’t had the resolve to strongly clear a routine ball. Had he done so, Barca would not have won the Champions League, and would not have played the Club World Cup or the Super Cup and they would have three titles less. You have to think that history is often written by such issues. However, if you watch both matches again you will see that Barca were infinitely superior.

How do you expect the game to develop?

There is only one ball, but I think if there were two, both would be for Barcelona. Both teams have a 50 per cent possibility of winning a match but the odds will always favour the one who has the ball more and treats it better, the one that has the ball near the opposition's goal.

Do you think Barcelona’s playing style can benefit the English side?

Chelsea will suffer the same as all the rest. Against Barcelona you do not play as you want, you play as you can. What happens is that, playing as they can, Chelsea will have a chance, because that style is pretty close to what they are; not having the ball won’t matter much to them, you could say, because that won’t be much different to the way they are used to playing.

So the recipe for Barca will be the same, pass and pass the ball until they find a way to score ...

With each pass, the team get more organised, and each pass disorganises their opponents. So when they actually get the ball back it’s like if they have placed your TV in the bathroom, the bidet in the kitchen and the saucepans in the bedroom. When you are able to get everything back to its place, Barca have already found a way through.

Starting with Guardiola and finishing with the whole squad, everybody in the cule entourage has placed special emphasis on the state of the pitch. Is it that important?

For Barca the pitch is extremely important, not decisive because there is nothing decisive in life, but important nonetheless. The pitch is always a factor, for everyone, but for a team that likes to get the ball on the floor and play it fast to find players in attacking positions it becomes essential. If the pitch is not perfect it hurts the team, of course.

And how should they solve that problem?

The rules should change. The conditions have to be those that help the fan who has paid for their tickets, not to benefit one team or another. Of course, if the public believes that the field must be in bad shape because their team will have more chances to win, then so be it.

Two big semi-finals, two great rivals and two teams that appear to be above the rest, Real Madrid and Barcelona. You can’t ask for more ...

You see the Spanish teams and they seem to be one step above the rest, and you also have a historical fact that the final of the two European [club] competitions could be fought out by Spanish teams. We only need to win Euro 2012 to put the icing on the cake.

LINK; http://www.goal.com/en/news/596/exclusi ... e-everyone

[emo]

Jeg er ikke helt enig.

Jeg mener at det er en hel fantastisk sæson Puyol har gang i, han har vist alt det han er bedst til denne sæson, og har været nok vores vigtigste mand defensivt.

Pique er faldet i niveau, ingen ved hvorfor, men det kan ske for alle, sådan er det vel i fodbold, og så skal man bare i omdrejninger hurtigst muligt.

Pedro har været alt for skadet til at han kunne spille sig i form, og nærme sig den Pedro vi kender, normalt. Undrer mig over at han ikke fik hele kampen i går, eller fra start, men kan virke at Guardiola har ham i tankerne til CHL semifinalen.

Resten er bare normale spillere, der falder i niveau i løbet af en sæson, har et par dårlige kampe og det er det. Eneste jeg sådan set er skuffet over er Pique, at han ikke kan fokusere nok til at komme i form hurtigst muligt.

[Visca El Barca]

Outfought, out-thought and all but out of the title race: D-Day awaits Guardiola's Barca after Real inflict rare Clasico loss
Saturday evening's match proved to be a torrid affair for all those involved with the Catalan club, but redemption could lie just around the corner

Apr 22, 2012 12:00:00 PM
By Robin Bairner



ANALYSIS
By Robin Bairner

Real Madrid introduced Pep Guardiola to a new sensation on Saturday night: defeat against Barcelona’s greatest rivals at Camp Nou.

Ten times the Catalan faced Los Blancos at the atmospheric venue as a player and 10 times his side came through unscathed. He had then enjoyed six matches as a coach without a loss prior to the 2-1 reverse.

And the taste of defeat will have been particularly potent as the capital side effectively clinched the league title, moving seven points clear with only four games left to play.

The torrential rain teeming down from the Barcelona sky throughout the encounter summed up the mood of the home camp, which looked flat, even during the pre-match press conferences.

LA LIGA LOST:
The matches that cost Barca
Sep 10

Sociedad
D 2-2 Xavi and Cesc had Barca cruising, but a loss of concentration allowed the Basque side to earn an unlikely point in San Sebastian.
Oct 22

Sevilla
D 0-0
Messi and Co threw everything they had at Javi Varas, but the keeper stood firm, saving a late penalty from the Argentine.
Nov 26

Getafe
L 1-0
Valera struck the only goal as Guardiola's side produced a distinctly below-par display in the capital.
Jan 28

Villarreal
D 0-0
The Yellow Submarine were toiling in the relegation zone, but Barca couldn't find the guile to break through at El Madrigal.
Feb 11

Osasuna
L 3-2

It was a night on which none of Guardiola’s gambles paid dividends; itself an unusual feeling for a man who has grown accustomed to seeing risks pay off. Only a week earlier against Levante, the coach made match-winning decisions early in the second half, withdrawing Xavi and Andres Iniesta to replace the great icons with Isaac Cuenca, who was remarkably overlooked from the squad to face Madrid, and Pedro respectively, but such magic was noticeably lacking on Saturday.

Before the line-ups were officially announced, there was a ripple of sensation that Pep had taken the bold decision to start with the promising Cristian Tello in place of Alexis Sanchez, who was admittedly a big doubt approaching the game. The speculation proved to be well founded, and the Chilean winger joined the out-of-form Cesc Fabregas and the out-of-favour Gerard Pique as the most noteworthy names on the bench.

While Guardiola’s hand was presumably forced to leave Sanchez out of his starting XI – only those inside the inner sanctum of Camp Nou will truly know how seriously the South American is affected by his physical complaints – his gamble to go with Tello as opposed to Cuenca proved the wrong call as the youngster crumbled under the pressure of the most intense club game in the world. Although the 20-year-old showed glimpses of his searing pace, his decision-making was poor and the experienced Alvaro Arbeloa regularly stopped his progress with ease, allowing Madrid to focus halting more pressing threats, such as Lionel Messi, who was notable by his relative anonymity.

Guardiola watched this unfold in a strangely inanimate manner, replacing the youngster only late in the game.

By that stage, the coach had already made one decisive play, again withdrawing Xavi which brought immediate success. Alexis was deployed for the final 20 minutes, suddenly providing a more direct threat to Madrid’s goal and scoring literally within seconds of his arrival.

Yet this change came too late to make a lasting impact, and any illusion that this substitution was more Guardiola magic was swiftly cast aside as Cristiano Ronaldo broke the offside trap and coolly finished past Victor Valdes.

The Portuguese’s goal condemned Barca to successive defeats for the first time since May 2009, and though it signalled the end of their hopes of winning a fourth-straight Primera Division title, there is still much left for the Catalans to achieve this term if they can refocus and regroup.

Guardiola will need to galvanise his squad quickly, though, as Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Chelsea promises to be a testing affair. After frustrating at Stamford Bridge last Wednesday, the Blaugrana face a 1-0 deficit, and although they are still favourites to progress, the Blues travel to Spain at the perfect time to face a squad battered both physically and mentally.

Out-Mou-noeuvred | The Real Madrid boss won Saturday’s tactical battle

There were signs of frustration in Barca’s play on Saturday night, with even the characteristically calm Messi starting to look tetchy towards the end of the match. But coolness was not the main mental attribute lacking from their play; the hosts lacked the lustre of their guests, who appeared more ready for battle and eager to prove a point to the estimated 400 million fans watching the game around the world.

If Barcelona are to turnaround the European tie on Tuesday, Guardiola must make his plays correctly.

Alexis must – if fit – start, and the option of Cuenca must be on the table, too. Pique may have fallen out of favour with the coach, but his aerial presence would be useful against a team who will focus heavily on set pieces to try and score a potentially priceless away goal, particularly having seen Sami Khedira scramble the weekend’s opener following a corner haplessly defended.

Tuesday truly could be a pivotal night in Barca’s campaign, having suffered their biggest blow of the Guardiola reign to date.

Victory would provide the Camp Nou outfit a soothing balm after Saturday but more crucially, give them fresh impetus before the end of the season. Records are still there to be broken, with the prospect of becoming the first team in the Champions League era to defend their title a particularly priceless carat, especially given it would come at the expense of Madrid, whose efforts to win a historic 10th European crown have been foiled for nearly a decade.

If this is achieved, Barca could justly argue to have enjoyed a stronger campaign than Los Blancos, confirming their status as an immortal side and providing Guardiola with that familiar feeling of record-breaking success once more.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/editor ... tle-race-d

[Visca El Barca]

Since Guardiola became coach in summer of 2008, Barcelona have played 251 official games #fcblive Man United 233, Real Madrid 210 [via lv]

Det er godt nok mange kampe, f.eks har vi spillet hele 41 kampe flere end Real over 3½ år, det svarer til en hel La Liga sæson, plus 3 kampe. Når vi så samtidig tænker på, at Pep altid har haft en smal trup, fordi det er sådan han arbejder bedst, og det er næsten de samme spillere som har været i klubben i denne periode, så er der ikke noget at sige til de er trætte nu.

Vi har i den grad brug for en pause og ferie, men spillerene skal jo til EM.

[zqa]

Jep. Det har også været tydeligt i flere perioder, er der intet overskud var hverken mentalt eller fysisk. Åndssvage Asien/USA ture, samt VM for klubhold. Og så nu et EM.

[Visca El Barca]

Ja det er godt at vi i hvert fald slipper for en lang pre-season tur, men så er der jo et forbandet EM som spillerene skal igennem.

Spillerene virker trætte synes jeg, det havde været godt med en lang pause, men det får de ikke nu hvor de skal afsted til EM, og de fleste har pres på sig som forsvarende mestre. De skal altså levere konstant. For engangs skyld håber jeg at Del Bosque laver en hjerneblødning og dropper Xavi, Ini, Villa, Pedro og Busi.

[Blach]

Ja det er godt at vi i hvert fald slipper for en lang pre-season tur, men så er der jo et forbandet EM som spillerene skal igennem.

Spillerene virker trætte synes jeg, det havde været godt med en lang pause, men det får de ikke nu hvor de skal afsted til EM, og de fleste har pres på sig som forsvarende mestre. De skal altså levere konstant. For engangs skyld håber jeg at Del Bosque laver en hjerneblødning og dropper Xavi, Ini, Villa, Pedro og Busi.

Hvad med OL?

[JonasV]

Selv om jeg jo elsker at se vores drenge spille bold, så ville jeg ønske at samtlige Barça-spillere ville melde fra til EM. Kunne også være sjovt at se hvordan Spanien ville fungere uden

[rummenigge]

Ja det er godt at vi i hvert fald slipper for en lang pre-season tur, men så er der jo et forbandet EM som spillerene skal igennem.

Spillerene virker trætte synes jeg, det havde været godt med en lang pause, men det får de ikke nu hvor de skal afsted til EM, og de fleste har pres på sig som forsvarende mestre. De skal altså levere konstant. For engangs skyld håber jeg at Del Bosque laver en hjerneblødning og dropper Xavi, Ini, Villa, Pedro og Busi.

Ku være fedt, men det vil desværre aldrig ske. Måske Pedro udebliver og Villa hvis han skulle få et tilbageslag ifht sin skade.

Det er meget tankevækkende med det vilde program vi har haft over de tre år i fht de hvide. Derfor skal alarmklokkerne ikke ringe af de forkerte grunde. Spillerne skal lades op mentalt ved at de får lange ferierne uden for meget klubpolemik. Samtidig skal klubben forstærke sig intelligent.

[Flax_Generous]

Selv om jeg jo elsker at se vores drenge spille bold, så ville jeg ønske at samtlige Barça-spillere ville melde fra til EM. Kunne også være sjovt at se hvordan Spanien ville fungere uden

Sjov tanke.

Min startopstilling - baseret på hvem som har imponeret mig i denne sæson - ville nok se sådan her ud:

----------------------- Casillas ----------------------
Arbeloa ------ Ramos - Martinez ------ Alba
------------------ Alonso - Herrera --------------
Cazorla ------------- Silva ------------------ Mata
--------------------- Soldado -----------------------

Resten af min trup ville så nok være Reina, De Gea, Nacho Monreal, Iraola, Gamez, Gabi, Bruno, Navas, Callejon, Muniain, Llorente og Negredo. Det er en svækket trup, men alligevel ikke helt ringe.

[Visca El Barca]

In their last three games (Levante Chelsea Madrid), Barcelona have missed 14 of the 16 clear chances the team has created #fcblive [via md]

Det er virkelig under al kritik, at vi har brændt så mange chancer på det sidste.

[Heartbreaker]

Hvis vi nu havde været effektive som bare fanden, så lå CL-finalen og La Liga titlen lige til højrebenet.

[Visca El Barca]

3RF46RktcPM

[Heartbreaker]

Husk at sæt [youtube] [youtube] uden om ;)

[youtube]3RF46RktcPM[/youtube]