Barcelona vs Arsenal

quote Cashis

quote Mycon

You can say that if a team is dominant in a game and are seemingly the superior team. They should win but for their lack of focus. You can't say it just for any old game, in this case this is what seemed to have happened for me. Barca had no tempo in the second-half, were 1-0 up and cruising it seemed as though concentration was their main problem. Arsenal exploited this well like a top team should.

That sounds nothing like a lack of concentration to me, that sounds like Arsenal were the better team during the second half simply due to playing superior football and wanting it more. A lack of concentration doesn't last 45 minutes, for example you could switch off for a set piece and lose your man and concede. That's a lack of concentration.

quote wba_4_eva

he also said he is a top player and can go on to be a great player for arsenal and england but i assume that was conviniently left out of their quote.

quote DjedwardSmith

quote shaunie

Except from Wenger. He says he is not worried. He also said this will be one of the times you see Arsenal defending for 60% of the match. That made me laugh a little, if he thinks he is going to the Nou Camp with a lead to defend but his team will only be defending for 60% of the match, he has another thing coming. If Arsenal sit back, it will be closer to 90% of the match they will have to defend for.

Think you've missed the point there, he;s not saying we're setting out to defend, he's stating the obvious that we'l see less of the ball

quote Exonerate

PEStar, if Barcelona don't score I won't masturbate for a year

quote Mycon

quote shaunie

I have never seen a more one-sided match in my life. I know Arsenal had 10 men, but that was incredible from Barcelona in the second half.

Guess you didn't see Inter v Barca last year then in the same stadium. In fact that's the way everyone seems to play against them.

I seem to be missing something with Barcelona falling about. Didn't annoy me one bit during the game, didn't see as out of the ordinary at all. Maybe it's because I expect a bit of it. In fact I even remember a point where a Barcelona player was tackled and could have went down but stayed on his feet. Daniel Alves is a *bleep* however.

quote Av3ry

quote DjedwardSmith

quote Av3ry

Whats that Fench twat Wenger got to moan about??? The fact his team played crap???

The farce of a red card he gave to RVP which ruined any chance we did have?

Or the joke yellow cards he handed out to Sagna and Koscielny?

*bleep* off with this bollocks about "it was his own fault he was already on a yellow", it doesn't change the fact it was never a yellow.

And Abidal should have been sent off in the first half for all those getting high and mighty about "MESSI DISALLOWED GOAL AND MESSI PENALTY".

As for why we didn't push forward, everyone looked dead on their feet.

The farcical red card would have made no difference. It was anti football at its best


Barcelona covered 4000 metres more than Arsenal apparently or something like that.

quote NathanTheGoonerBoy

quote shaunie

See the people talking about Barcelona play acting, how come no one mentions the incredible, awesome, outstanding, soon to be best player ever (exaggeration btw) Jack Wilshere staying down when he clearly didn't need to and diving a couple of times?
Oh yeah, it's cos he is English.

can't remember these off the top of my head (might have happened) and you being someone who said they'd just watched RVP put the ball in the back of the net and not celebrating... I think i'll probs not even bother cotemplating it tbh.

quote PJS

Or cause that time near the end of the first half actually looked like quite a painful tackle perhaps?

quote DjedwardSmith

Also, Shakthar look class.

quote DjedwardSmith

looks black on my phone

and yeah abidals there is a red without doubt, raise your hands and you walk.

disagree with it but letter of the law.

and alves studded nasri twice before then scissoring him.

quote Junior Messi

Busquets had more efforts on target and goals than Arsenal. Busquets > Arsenal?

quote Mycon

If a team attacks well enough and takes their chances clinically enough then I'd say they could beat Barca without doing that tedious to watch blanket defence. But teams are unwilling to take that risk on the big stage.

quote Chelsea Boi

I don't think Barcelona have actually ever dominated us that much at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal were unfortunate in the decision, but because Barcelona was dominating you can't assume Barcelona would've still gone through if RVP stayed on. I do think the red card changed the game but Fabregas didn't help matters either. Like some people say .. when defending, just soemtimes you need to hoof it rather then be fancy.

quote Exonerate

Scotland I'm guessing.

quote LuisGarciaisgod

Yeah Deco, Ronaldinho, Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Eto'o to name a few. Poor Barcelona team alright.

quote Exonerate

Player-for-player perhaps, but Guardiola is a fantastic coach and there is no doubt in when I say that the current team is better than the one of 06-07. However with that being said, merely dismissing Liverpool's win because Barcelona weren't as good as they are now is harsh. Barcelona were still a fantastic team and were strong favourites, it was a massive shock to everyone when we beat them at the Nou Camp. LuisGarciaisgod's point still stands, Barcelona can be beaten without putting 10 men behind the ball, it just takes a great manager (with balls), a great team ethic and for the team in question to take their chances. They're not invincible by any means.

quote LuisGarciaisgod

According to this

http://www.globalpost.com/webblog/sports/fc-barcelona-0-2-hercules-%E2%80%93-video-highlights-recap-and-match-stats-%E2%80%93-la-liga-%E2%80%93-11-sep

Hercules had 9 shots in the game so stop making up stats and talking shite.

quote I am what I am

Barca really aren't as good as you all seem to think.

They couldn't beat us in either tie and they only had one shot on goal against us in 09 when they robbed us.

quote Exonerate

quote Bollo

quote Exonerate

Are we all forgetting that this unstoppable team was beaten by Arsenal just a couple of weeks ago?

Yes, Messi was disallowed a valid goal but from all we know, Messi could have scored that goal and then Sagna could have scored a hat-trick. It's nonsense to hypothesise on what could have happened if such-a-such-a-thing happened.

Barcelona are a fantastic team, there is no denying that. But their defence is based on them having the ball, for the 40%, or even 30%, of the game you have the ball, you create chances and score them, you're sorted. I make it sound easy but Arsenal did it at the Emirates to perfection. Their back five isn't that reliable defensively. Theo Walcott would have made one hell of a difference against Barcelona. They're so vulnerable on the break but not many teams can exploit it because they either don't have a pacey player for it, can't intercept a Barcelona pass (or tackle a player) or simply can't break away quick enough.

They missed Puyol massively though, and obviously I know they should be able to deal with it without him, but get their usual back 4 and that defence is brilliant, he's so important to them, I think I'm right in thinking that all the games they've lost have been without him. And the Messi/Sagna point is just weird, because Messi should have had a goal, there's no getting around that, Sagna didn't have a goal unfairly disallowed, but I sort of see your point. And you say it's nonsense to hypothesise, then say that Walcott would have made a difference? I said it at the time, people were massively overvaluing Walcott's importance, sure he would have been useful to have, but it's not like Barcelona haven't faced fast players before.

It's not a hypothesis, Walcott would have made a difference.

Barcelona can't cope with fast players though, look at Jesus Navas recently for evidence. I mean I know it's not as simple as that, otherwise teams with fast players would always win, but you get what I'm saying. Barcelona's system is vulnerable to pace.

Agreed about Puyol though.