Barcelona lost 1-0 to Real Sociedad where Real had 1 shot on target and scored from it and Messi wasted about 3 or 4 chances. Barcelona were pressed all over the park and as for being tired they brought on 3 subs of top quality in Rakitic, Iniesta and Alba for 3 other good players. They are in peak physical condition because of sports science and because they are earning £300k a week do you think the club would risk £100 million pound players if they were 'running through quicksand'? Of course not, they'd get injured. They are tested to see if they are match fit.


How well did they get on last night against them? Even the first leg win was largely in part to playing against 10 men for two thirds of the game. Barcelona struggle against teams that sit deep, they have in Europe against Chelsea, Inter, Rangers and in the league against teams like Real Sociedad and Atletico last night.

Good grief.




Lol why are you picking games from 3/4/5 years ago. What relevance does that have to this current side?

Picking two recent games where they have been beat is extremely lazy.

Atletico didn't sit deep. Not sure what game you were watching but they were not starting from deep at all. They only dropped deeper to the edge of there box in the last 20 mins.

Now do I believe my own eyes and the Barcelona manager:


Or you? Atlectico Madrid dumped them out the Champions League playing the same way they dumped them out the competition the last time. Barcelona weren't clever enough to get past an organised and disciplined defence.

Not from what I saw. For me they played similar to the league game in February and didn't allow Barcelona to build from the back. What they do is keep a tight shape and press the ball when the odds of success are high and the cost of failure is minimal but still press as a team so the shape stays the same.

Watch the first goal again and see how many Athletico players are in around the area. There were 6 players. This was no camping on there own box and trying to nick one on a quick counter.

Still I need to go and watch Barcelona v Inter from 2010 and somehow 6 years later see what this group of players and Manager has to do with that game.

Just read that Kevin Friend has been replaced from the upcoming Stoke vs Tottenham match for Neil Swarbrick (whoever that is) due to Kevin Friend's previously disclosed bias towards Leicester City.

Strange world where a Leicester fan refereeing a Stoke vs Spurs match would be considered a problem.

I love it when Barcelona get dumped out of the CL.

One of the dirtiest teams in football.

Shouldn't a team full of 300k a week players be able to be clever enough to beat a team playing defensively? Deary me.

More negative news for Newcastle - been found guilty of discrimination against one of their former players.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36044285

It would have been pretty funny watching him give Stoke three audacious penalties and a red card for Harry Kane I think all referees must be a little bias though. Like even when my team isn't involved in the game I'm watching, i still usually like one team more than the other. Unless it's Stoke v West Brom, in which case I'd watch golf or darts instead!

Yeah they're only human, as you say I can't ever remember a match where I didn't take the side of one team for one reason or another

I guess we generally discuss the Pool/Dortmund game in here?

Can't wait, even as a neutral I used to get real exited about watching Liverpool in big European matches during the 00s, the atmosphere was electric and they always traditionally raised their games far beyond their usual domestic performance levels

Hope they go through tonight, and they're in a great position to do so. They've been mostly very good in the "big" matches this year.

Just reading the article about West Ham's Olympic Stadium deal. It's quite incredible really - it's like they've won the lottery, used a tenner from the win to buy more lottery tickets and won it all over again

"Only" £2.5m a year rent for them, but the LLDC must meet running costs for the likes of: utilities; the pitch preparations, including undersoil heating and floodlights; goalposts, goalnets, and corner flags; the 'dugouts' for managers, substitutes and the fourth official; changing rooms; and security, cleaning and pest control.

Their performance at Dortmund was outstanding, completely controlling the game and blunting the free scoring Bundesliga team. However, I remain to be convinced this Liverpool team/squad are capable of repeating that performance; inconsistency this season has been the mark of many of the usual premier league top sides, Liverpool included. Borussia have scored as many goals as Bayern in the Bundesliga this season; I think they will give Liverpool a tough time at Anfield and will win the tie. I will be happy to be wrong.

I saw that as well

Surprised they haven't got the FA to pay their wages as well

Awful deal for everyone except West Ham

They must be saving a fortune on the cost of policing/security alone

Great atmosphere and then Michael Owen's voice kicks in ...

Dream start for Borussia 0-1

So you are saying that Barca should never lose a match? No team ever does that. No team has ever even won the UCL for two seasons in a row.

[quote=NiteOwl12;82129056]Great atmosphere and then Michael Owen's voice kicks in ...
/QUOTE]

I get BT sport as part of my broadband package, but chose to watch the match on Fox Sports via Kodi, better quality and no Owen.

Game set and match tie over

Where did I say that?

I just find it funny that most of the time Barcelona lose it's because the other team were playing "defensively" or "negatively".

Like has been mentioned. Atletico had committed a few times in attack and simply just played better.

With Liverpool having to chase the game now they could get a bit of a doing

Tie over already pretty much. Coutinho an absolute disaster for the first. In hindsight pool really should have gotten the win away when they had by far the better chances

deleted

my quoting was a complete mess

Looks very well called already!

Aye, and no Gerrard around to drag them back into it.

How quick are Dortmund ?
Love to see the pace of Leicester take on Borussia.

With the way their luck has turned out over this, I'm expecting the announcement any day now from the FA or the LLDC that they've uncovered a clause in their agreement that says they must meet the wage demands of the players as they're classed as civil servants or something like that !