Essential The Official Football (Soccer) Thread - RIP Diogo Jota

[Kunty McPhuck]

Apart from the Messi years when has Barca ever been stellar in the champions league / European cup? Back in the day Barca were smaller than Liverpool and the Italian giants in European football terms. Barca even being considered a real near-rival to Real is relatively recent .

No, they had that big name, but not the big ears hardware. They won 3 UEFA/Fairs and 4 CWC's cups but never CL until 92. Lost to Bucharest at the Nou Camp on pens in 86. IIRC they were the first team to win the inaugural Fairs Cup.

You have the Pre Cruyff, Cruyff and the Post Cruyff eras. And the latter 2 shape modern Barca.

Barca and Real have always been rivals, that goes beyond football, it's basically Liverpool/Manchester canal beef, but with General Franco instead. Remember Spanish teams are CF but yet Barca is the English version, but in Franco era it was CF.

 

[Kunty McPhuck]

Fantasy Football's back.

I'll update it later and put the codes out

 

[SmarkMero]

 

[SmarkMero]

 

[Kunty McPhuck]

I think some random years in the 90s? Ronaldinhos peak? And Peps Barca till Xavi left. Messi's presence alone has made people think of them as contenders for the past 4 years or so

They didn't have just some random years. From 79-94 They made multiple European finals. 3 CL, 4 CWC. Winning 4 out of 7. Also when Cruyff took over they won 4 La Ligas on the spin, hence the Dream Team, beating Reals La Quinta del Buitre, who had won 5 La Ligas in a row before that.

 

[null]

"Back in the day Barca were smaller than Liverpool and the Italian giants in European football terms. Barca even being considered a real near-rival to Real is relatively recent."

No, they had that big name, but not the big ears hardware. They won 3 UEFA/Fairs and 4 CWC's cups but never CL until 92. Lost to Bucharest at the Nou Camp on pens in 86. IIRC they were the first team to win the inaugural Fairs Cup.

You have the Pre Cruyff, Cruyff and the Post Cruyff eras. And the latter 2 shape modern Barca.

Barca and Real have always been rivals, that goes beyond football, it's basically Liverpool/Manchester canal beef, but with General Franco instead. Remember Spanish teams are CF but yet Barca is the English version, but in Franco era it was CF.

Barca and Real have always been rivals

That is not what "real near-rivals" means.

 

[null]

Bayern....just wow.

I know y'all hate my side, but from a footballing standpoint, City vs Bayern could be one of the best matches ever.

Bayern (like Germany) does the "reliable" well but doesn't do the "outstanding" well.

So in years when none or few of the big teams, that fluctuate between extremes of bad and good, are playing well then reliable, consistently good Bayern sneak in.

That is why they have lost so many finals. Regularly over such a long period. Germany too at the World Cup.

Italy == Lambos, Fezzas and at the other end Puntos.

UK == Rolls, Bentley and Leyland.

German offerings cluster in the middle and get no higher than Porsche. Reliable, consistent, does all the core things well but never fantasy cars or fantasy football.

 

[Kunty McPhuck]

"Back in the day Barca were smaller than Liverpool and the Italian giants in European football terms. Barca even being considered a real near-rival to Real is relatively recent."



That is not what "real near-rivals" means.

If you're on about honours then yeah. Just like United weren't near Liverpool until the latest couple of decades. Other than that i have no idea what you are on about.

I guess you don't count Spanish Nationalism vs Catalan Nationalism as a rival thing

 

[Montez]

This club is a mess. Get into bed with Raul and his agent network, make his signings and then sack him days later

Can he take Luiz, Cedric and Willian with him, please?

KIA FC still here, that's Edu's boy.

Raul was leading Neymar's transfer to Barca and we saw what happened with that deal. Don't get why Arsenal hired Raul.

Any doubt who Amazon will be following next season???

 

[Premeditated]

anyone else thinks Messi has become a luxury player over the past few years?

what other top team can he go and play the way he does and have the whole team cater to how he plays? He doesn't run off the ball or move off the ball, he can't stick to his og position because he usually shifts in, but that becomes a problem for the cm trying to to his job and the rb hardly has anyone to pass it forward to. since he doesn't have a work rate off the ball he can't be in midfield.

 

[The ADD]

Bayern (like Germany) does the "reliable" well but doesn't do the "outstanding" well.

So in years when none or few of the big teams, that fluctuate between extremes of bad and good, are playing well then reliable, consistently good Bayern sneak in.

That is why they have lost so many finals. Regularly over such a long period. Germany too at the World Cup.

Italy == Lambos, Fezzas and at the other end Puntos.

UK == Rolls, Bentley and Leyland.

German offerings cluster in the middle and get no higher than Porsche. Reliable, consistent, does all the core things well but never fantasy cars or fantasy football.

Interesting

 

[NoGutsNoGLory]

Bayern (like Germany) does the "reliable" well but doesn't do the "outstanding" well.

So in years when none or few of the big teams, that fluctuate between extremes of bad and good, are playing well then reliable, consistently good Bayern sneak in.

That is why they have lost so many finals. Regularly over such a long period. Germany too at the World Cup.

Italy == Lambos, Fezzas and at the other end Puntos.

UK == Rolls, Bentley and Leyland.

German offerings cluster in the middle and get no higher than Porsche. Reliable, consistent, does all the core things well but never fantasy cars or fantasy football.

They have both handed some of the biggest beat downs of all time. 4 World cups and it should have been more but for some shyt luck(been in more finals than Brazil) and has scored massive amounts of goals. Germany has always been spectacular at football.

 

[BlackBall]

anyone else thinks Messi has become a luxury player over the past few years?

what other top team can he go and play the way he does and have the whole team cater to how he plays? He doesn't run off the ball or move off the ball, he can't stick to his og position because he usually shifts in, but that becomes a problem for the cm trying to to his job and the rb hardly has anyone to pass it forward to. since he doesn't have a work rate off the ball he can't be in midfield.

At his age he’ll retire soon. He’s the icon for Barca

 

[Kunty McPhuck]

anyone else thinks Messi has become a luxury player over the past few years?

what other top team can he go and play the way he does and have the whole team cater to how he plays? He doesn't run off the ball or move off the ball, he can't stick to his og position because he usually shifts in, but that becomes a problem for the cm trying to to his job and the rb hardly has anyone to pass it forward to. since he doesn't have a work rate off the ball he can't be in midfield.

He's been a luxury player since Pep left/around the time he scored 91 goals. H

Valverde had the right idea when he went to 2 up top, but Suarez was done by that stage, the mobility was already declining. Messi like C dot needs workers alongside him.

The problem is Barca are too attached to the 433, but Messi needs a partner up front and he has to play as the SS. With one hard working winger and a Benz/Firmino type of worker as the CF. So basically you're left with 442 or some variant of 352 to fit him. Because the midfield diamond doesn't work either for Barca or Argentina

 

[mastermind]

Nah, Barca much like the Spain team got found out in the early 10's. Both Chelsea and Inter laid the blueprint and then Bayern put them to the sword. They never evolved as a team, stood still and went backwards. Yeah MSN led them to a title that one year, but every season since, in the KO stages, theyve been bullied and that goes back to Chelsea and Inter. And Barcas away performances haven't been that stellar over the last decade in the CL if we're keeping it reality.

Yup. Pep hasn’t had success in Europe since then as well.

It’s not a style of play suited for CL success.