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La Liga 2018/19

Discussion in 'World Football' started by ILoveTheCeltic, Aug 9, 2018.

Discuss La Liga 2018/19 in the World Football area at TalkCeltic.net.

  1. PaulM1888 Moderator Moderator Gold Member

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    We’ve had a poor patch of early season form, we definitely aren’t struggling and neither are Barca.

    I can see why some Barca fans don’t like Valverde but a La Liga and Cup double in his first season doesn’t constitute the job being too big for him. The reason they don’t like him is his lack of fluid formation because they still yearn for the Pep formula they were spoiled with.
     
  2. Liam Scales Gold Member Gold Member

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    I agree with the bottom bit, I definitely wouldn’t define them as struggling either but they are shipping a lot of goals and dropping points they don’t usually. They’re nowhere near there best and they’re quite lucky that it’s co-inceded with a time that Real are * gash.

    With us going out of Europe, taking this length of time to get to the top of the table, dropping points we haven’t in the last few years, needing to play the likes of Jack Hendry, all our injury problems. We were * struggling. We seem to have turned the corner though.
     
  3. PaulM1888 Moderator Moderator Gold Member

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  4. FCBarca

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    Poch will unlikely ever be in the running at Barcelona due to his connection to Asspanyol

    Just watched most of the new documentary on Pep's Barca 'Take the ball, Pass the ball' and even there you can hear Xavi talk about how it is not nearly enough to win at Barcelona - the style of play is crucial and it''s been abandoned
     
  5. ILoveTheCeltic

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    What do you think Guardiola classes as the best XI just now for his tactics if he could pick anyone.


    Ederson
    Kimmich Van Dijk Hummels Alba
    Busquets
    Mbappe De Bruyne Messi Neymar
    Salah
    Probably something like that i'd say, I don't think he really likes strikers. At Barca he didnt like Eto'o played Villa from the left, then at Bayern I bet he wanted Gotze to play the Messi role but it never worked out. At City also it was rumoured for a good while he didnt want Aguero.
     
  6. McChiellini..

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    Stick Joe Cole in instead of Messi and it looks pretty close..
     
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  7. Murph-E

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    Always found that weird. He's played 99 games under Pep at City in just over 2 seasons (including a spell out with an injury), and scored 74 goals.
     
  8. FCBarca

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    I don't think he dislikes strikers but the reality is that strikers tend to have the biggest egos in a football team and Pep is about deconstructing the ego pyramid in a squad. Samu is a great example of an elite striker who has an elite temper/ego and that never meshed well with Guardiola - lest we forget (And corroborated in the Take the ball, Pass the ball documentary) Pep had earmarked Eto'O for an exit along with Deco & Ronnie for all the disruptions they caused in trainings & team harmony with Rijkaard before teammates and a fine pre-season in 2008 convinced him to reconsider...for one season anyway. Could say similar about Ibra yet look at Villa & Henry who laud Guardiola.

    Kun is a great example of an elite player who was a bit lazy/inconsistent and as Pep will attest, he doesn't care if you make mistakes but if you aren't running your * off you will sit. I think particularly in the 1st and 2nd season at City, Pep just didn't trust Kun in the biggest matches and you could see that in CL that he was a nonfactor in the knockout stages. We've seen similar with Los Albicelestes, he just couldn't be trusted like Di Maria or Higuain.

    As a striker in Pep's best XI, I think he'd choose a player he knows well in Romario since they were teammates
     
  9. PaulM1888 Moderator Moderator Gold Member

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    He doesn’t dislike strikers. He just wants them to work within a structure, which can be difficult because the elite strikers have 1 vision of how to play and that’s to put the ball in the net by any means.

    He made it publically known he wanted more from Aguero and the way he handled it, despite the English media’s best efforts, meant he got it out of him.
     
  10. Smithy

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    Real getting thumped 3-0 from Eibar! *!
     
  11. dbhoy72

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    Fkn done btts,, Real are pish.
     
  12. Gyp Rosetti Gold Member

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    That’s * shame.
     
  13. dbhoy72

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    Watching Barca game, not sure if it's that eleven sports Graham hunter is on the one I'm watching, he's too overexcited and squeaky. They have about 40 differnt people commentating mind you.
     
  14. dbhoy72

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    Big mad Diego.
     
  15. Jeremie Frimpong

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    Who’s the better left-back, Alba or Marcelo?

    @ILoveTheCeltic Do you have any stats on them, mate?
     
  16. Gyp Rosetti Gold Member

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    For me defending wise without doubt its Alba, I’ve always thought Marcelo as better going forward tbh. But I rate Filipe Luis ahead of both defensively.
     
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  17. Jeremie Frimpong

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    I was deliberating over my left-back pick in the draft, mate. :giggle1:

    I went for Marcelo.
     
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  18. Gyp Rosetti Gold Member

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    You honestly took Marcelo in front of all the great left backs that ever been. :56:
     
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2018
  19. Jeremie Frimpong

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    No, it was an international chain draft, mate. I had to pick a player who had played against my previous pick in a major international tournament.
     
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  20. Gyp Rosetti Gold Member

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    Awright, I thought you were on drugs. :84:
     
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