El Barça es mes que un club!

[cincuanta]

Fellas that was the THIRD goal scored by one of our defenders in this tie! They have no answer to it now

[Kongorealm]

WTF!
Complacency
Defenders where are you?
Forca Barca!!!

[Kongorealm]

We can do it!

[Kongorealm]

Good move by Pep, bringing on Macherano for Alexis!

[Kongorealm]

They stop Messi on a good run at goal...free kick should relieve some pressure

[Kongorealm]

This game has turned around drastically! Instead of making RM tails go between they legs, we have given them hope that they can beat us now! Of all places, at the Camp Nou!

Anyway, a draw but we are through to the Semi's of the Copa del Rey!!! (I can breathe now).

[kurpal_v2]

Congrats

[DF1_2nR]

That second half was crap. Team went to sleep and paid the price for it. Another goal would have broken their confidence even more for the league. Instead now they will think they have a chance. Coming back to equalize at home? Poor.

[Swisha]

wonder what sweet nothings Mourinho was whispering to Ramos after he got sent off

[kevcam]

This game has turned around drastically! Instead of making RM tails go between they legs, we have given them hope that they can beat us now! Of all places, at the Camp Nou!

Anyway, a draw but we are through to the Semi's of the Copa del Rey!!! (I can breathe now).

Yeah Barca should have made a statement with this game and really shake up Madrid. This not supposed to happen in Camp Nou. All of a sudden Madrid will now be thinking they can win the next league game at Camp Nou. Madrid wanted this real bad and we were lucky not to concede about 3 goals in the first half hour.

Pep really have to review this game and see what really went wrong. The defense was in a real mess. This will be a real confidence boost for Mourinho and Madrid and it look like he may have finally found a good formula.

Barca really have to work hard in the league because Real not looking like they will drop too many points. This is probably only the 3rd time under Pep that I've seen Barca BARELY holding on in a game.

[X_Factor]

who remembers this?....assisted by the boss!

[Kongorealm]

We have to learn from this game as it shows us Mourinho tactics is having an effect on our game. It is imperative that we focus on the league as we cannot afford to lose any points as RM are not likely to drop points anytime soon (hopefully someone can beat them other than us!, *crosses fingers*). Admittedly, RM looked the better side tonight but this should bring our head down from the clouds and give us the needed determination to prove that we are the best. The rivalry that we call the El Classico has now become more competitive once again given RM play today. We need to be able to play defensively when required.

All in all, the Gods were with us today and we have progressed to the Semi's of the Cup. I am most certain that other teams if not all will be replaying this game over and over looking for tactics to beat Barca. The league will become even harder...Forca Barca

[ado15mk3]

disappointing game. first time in a long time i see a good RM side.
thanks to d ref and luck for the win ;]
dont know what they were thinking in the second half.
i wont read too much into this though, cuz d same thing happened last yr in d copa and we still went on from there.
at the end of the day RM came to play one leg and could only have won this one. had they played similarly in the first they may have progressed. mou and his anti-football again [1st leg]. as long as he plays that style i hope he continues to lose. i think its a fair outcome but i am biased ;]

[Swisha]

despite all that, this deserves to be replayed over and over. even the celebration too

[ado15mk3]

agreed. cant even pass good most of the time but what a shot!

[De Dragon]

disappointing game. first time in a long time i see a good RM side.thanks to d ref and luck for the win ;]
dont know what they were thinking in the second half.
i wont read too much into this though, cuz d same thing happened last yr in d copa and we still went on from there.
at the end of the day RM came to play one leg and could only have won this one. had they played similarly in the first they may have progressed. mou and his anti-football again [1st leg]. as long as he plays that style i hope he continues to lose. i think its a fair outcome but i am biased ;]

Not being facetious, but RM only looked good because Barca's defense were asleep for the first 20 minutes, and apparently for a large chunk of the second!(left for work as soon as second half started). But hanging on to draw at home does not bode well for overhauling a 5 point deficit. Other teams will now be looking to get a sniff in, thinking that we are not so invincible at home after all. The next few games at home will need to be dominated by Barca to regain confidence and respect from La Liga teams.

[mero]

agreed. cant even pass good most of the time but what a shot!

i strongly disagree ado, Dani has proven especially within the past few seasons to be one of the World's best Rb's. Accuracy, crossing, quick passing has increased tenfold. IMO i think he has earned that position over Maicon. He's one of the hardest working/vital/fittest players on Barcelona now. Of course we have his signature loss ball once in a while though, think he has too much power in that right foot

Alves is actually one of my favorite personalities on Barca.

And i agree wholeheartedly with everything De Dragon just said

[X_Factor]

^yep, the 2010 season when we lost to inter, that season when i was sayin off with his head, only sprayed the ball wide, to heavy and jus plain outright crap
however, now, its totally different....he plays alot smarter and most of his crosses and passes are good not to mention pressing to get back the ball when lost...

I think also we looking at this the wrong way, yeah our defense stayed home yesterday but we just knocked out RM out of a competition fellas....no other team will challenge us as they did/do...so im not worried wrt to that.....i think other sides will now run at RM since that will deflate their run a bit!

[ado15mk3]

fellahs, dont get me wrong.
RM didnt play great and we did make them look better.
my point is that mou normally plays ultra defensive with counters against bigger teams [as in first leg].
this is the first time within recent times that i have seen him try against Barca especially.
dont you all remember his CL attempts with Chelsea and the win he got with Inter. same tactics.
but to be honest if we were clicking i doubt they would have scored 2.
and with Danny i do agree he might b the best RB right now and he has improved since arriving.
but i am telling you if he was more consistent with his crossing/shooting we would KILL all other teams. at least twice per game there is a breakaway clear down the flank and pass is 20 rows up in d stand :]. but again as you point out he has improved this area of his game ALOT.

[noshownogo]

Real's strength against Barca is in the speed of their counterattack.

Luckily for us, they hardly get the ball to do this. However, last night we saw relaxed possession being played by Barca resulting in conceding two goals at home.

I not worried at all about the rest of the league's teams, but rather, Barca's complacency.

[X_Factor]

yeah, i think after being 4-1 up on aggregate at the end of the first half
i think they relaxed too much and let complacency set in

[idlemind]

After Pedro's goal...

[Kongorealm]

agreed. cant even pass good most of the time but what a shot!

Dani boy is tied at the top with 7 assists with Messi for Barca iirc (tied for 3rd overall in La Liga)...you sure he can't pass good? He has always been an additional and resourceful player in attack, especially this season! yes, he has his bad days, not the greatest but will always have a spot on the Barca team IMO.

[noshownogo]

idlemind take win, I almost dead with laughter when I saw CR's facial expression in slow motion and freeze frame. Wonder what he siad?

[ado15mk3]

^ how come i cant do that??? he is a %$#^%$# defender man!!!

[Swisha]

[Kongorealm]

to answer the question of why Messi countrymen won't like him is so simple...he has not been able to produce the same results he has with Barca when playing for hte national team! I am probably one of the most hardcore Messi fans and in my opinion he is the best player since 2008 and the best player to play club football. But he cannot become the best player in the world until he wins a world cup medal...end of story! I have been patiently waiting for Argentina with Messi to win a world cup so he can finally be greater than all! Only time will tell...but in club football, Messi will continue to break records and dominate for a long time to come.

[ado15mk3]

^ is only so much he could do. the rest of the team and the coaches is toots.
the only man to solely win a WC is Maradona and he still had really good supporting players.
Maradona coaching in last WC was deplorable and the AFA has no ideas.
has anyone seen Arg games? Messi does real try but he has to practically go back to defence and then bring it in the goal to score. their defence is poor and midfield even poorer.
sorry for him yes. at least i dont live there so i can enjoy barca games more.

[kevcam]

^ is only so much he could do. the rest of the team and the coaches is toots.
the only man to solely win a WC is Maradona and he still had really good supporting players.
Maradona coaching in last WC was deplorable and the AFA has no ideas.
has anyone seen Arg games? Messi does real try but he has to practically go back to defence and then bring it in the goal to score. their defence is poor and midfield even poorer.
sorry for him yes. at least i dont live there so i can enjoy barca games more.

I watch practically all Argentina games as well as Barca games and I could say why Messi does not have the success at Arg like at Barca. Argentina defense is really crap. They are stagnant and slow and contribute nothing to offense. It is amazing that only Germany exploited this in the WC.

Their midfield is weak and is mostly defensive midfielders. Hardly contributing to offense. What happens a lot of the times is that Messi has to come back deep in midfield to get the ball. Nothing new for him as he has to do this for Barca sometimes, especially when there is no space when the other team playing defensively, but on the National team it becomes the norm.

So Messi runs back deep in defense and he passes the ball. You know what happens? He hardly ever gets it back. If Di Maria gets the ball he tries to take on players and fails a lot of the times. Don't even talk about Tevez. Tevez works hard on the field but he is very selfish just like Di Maria. So there is nothing like one-twos for Messi. The only person who can link up with Messi is Pastore (although he not playing too hot for PSG for a lil while) and he always on the bench and will only get a lil 10 mins of play when he is lucky.

On paper Arg has one of the strongest forward line. Some reason though they don't handle their chances well. Milito is so-so and Higuain does real throw away (you could see it in the last Classico on Wednesday) but they always start ahead of Aguero. I don't know why Aguero always starts on the bench. Aguero comes on for the last 15-20 mins in a game and if he gets chances he buries them.

So Messi creates the play and takes the ball deep in midfield dribbles a couple of players, pass the ball to Tevez (these days he not playing) or Di Maria and does not get back the ball. Messi dribbles again in midfield, lays on a sweet pass (the same types that he does for Barca to Alexis or Villa or more recently Abidal and Pedro) to Higuain and he wastes the chance. Messi decides to stay upfront and he does not get the ball because the others barely know about team-play. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I really don't know how Di Maria and Higuain does really make out in Real Madrid squad playing as a team.

So nobody in midfield to pass the ball (a little bit self) for offense and when he in midfield creating a play he seeing 8 players in front of him, it hard for him to have success. It seems like they want Messi to create the play, pass the ball to himself in offense and score or try and dribble through 7-8 players and score. That has to be a real height of frustration for him. If only each player can just do their role in defense and midfield and Messi does not have to run back deep then he could have major success.

Not to mention Argentina always changing up the squad significantly (especially with Maradona at the WC.) Now Arg fans know all of this, so obviously the coach and AFA must know all of this but nothing changes. Sabella now, and the same sheit is happening. AFA like the damn Mafia and they calling all the shots.

So Messi have to do everything in every game to achieve success once nothing changes. The reality is that if you have to be the greatest you have to win the WC and things not looking too nice for Messi right now. If he could really win the WC with this current Argentina team then he just might go down as being the greatest.

[X_Factor]

^ not to mention when he gets the ball its almost always a double team on him with no where to go