It was a hard earn victory and lesson for Madrid on how to comport themselves when things aint going as you would have expected them to be.Thiago was unjustifiably sent off, he was having a bad game i must admit,we kept our cool even when we had every reason to bully the ref around, and in the end we have shown a trait of a champoin.you dont need to intimidate match officials just because you are losing a game,its not healthy for the game,and it put the credibility/quality of the entire league to a grate doubt and jeopardy.Madrid are trying so hard to become a champion by whining over every ref decision to put pressure on them,such mind game is not going to earn them the respect they deserve even if they eventually win the league.they will surely need to do more than they have done tonight if they do not want to come and be crying like babies after the Osasuna game,coz pamplona is a very hostile ground and i guess good game alone can not guarantee you the maximum points their.

preacher of good ethics wonderful speech and advise there.
but still no thanks for the admonitions.
when barca players crowd the referees in some past matches and decisions finally went your way it never reduced the worth of the victory then, abi?
na now such act go come blight the glitter of the victory for.madrids victory.
partof the double standard we are complaining of has just been shown by your comments.

^^^Bros i am just stating the obvious.Barca had recieved far worse officiating this season,some that pointed clearly that Barca is too superior to Madrid and the rest of the teams in laliga, hence they need to be too lenient to madrid especially just to dethrone Barca.Madrid got 10pen and Barca got less than 5,we have had more of our players been sent off this season than madrid,they have awarded few penality against us and i dont even think Madrid had any penality against them in the league this season.common, this an irony considering how rough madrid players are.the point i am trying to make is that madrid has neve been this unnecesserily aggressive until Mou takes over and reduced a grate club with alot of intergrity to a mere eyespoking,disrespectful to match officials,kicking,kunfu,whinning etc.Mou is a grate coach but this a must win attitude he and perez are trying to initiate in madrid philosopy is bad.

he dey always tire me when barcelona fans complain on our behalf for mourinho reducing real madrid to a disgraced clubside.
no worry we no mind the "disgraces".

una hate the guy so tey una want make he comot for your rival club and remain jobless

usbcable: he dey always tire me when barcelona fans complain on our behalf for mourinho reducing real madrid to a disgraced clubside.
no worry we no mind the "disgraces".

una hate the guy so tey una want make he comot for your rival club and remain jobless

We are not a club of haters and ill-wishers!

We show to each one what they offer to us!

Moanrihno to us, is just another rival coach in an open league where the minders want nothing more than to play the beautiful game we know as football, while the spoilers work tooth and nail to hit at whoever comes their way in their blind pursuit of vain glory.

Barca B 2 - Alcoyano 1: Back to back wins for Barca B.

Rodri scored the first goal and Jean Marie Dongou scored the winner. He's still a Juvenil A player(16 years) but he has been making appearances for the B team. He's a very exciting prospect. One of the biggest talents coming through. He will likely get promoted to the B team next season.

I sense a very interesting end of this season. Football is a beautiful thing.

Difficult win and a great result guess we were more composed cos matches like these are the type we either draw or lose next wknd would be interesting. . . . lets just play our football bring on milan

Forza Barca!!

It'd be nice if we scored an away goal tonight.

I'd gladly take a draw.

It will be a tough game. But I am tipping Barca for a win. Milan is prolly relying on their bad pitch, and our keep-ball rhythm will be halted by that.

AjanleKoko: It will be a tough game. But I am tipping Barca for a win. Milan is prolly relying on their bad pitch, and our keep-ball rhythm will be halted by that.

I highly doubt that. You lot would still have 60percent+ of the ball possession as per usual. The state of the pitch is being blown out of proportion. Look no further than Milan's performance against the gunners.

A win of any sort preferably with an added bonus of a clean sheet would do me just fine.

Cesc dropped - Been poor in the last two games.

Puyol at LB - didn't look very comfortable there in our last match vs Mallorca.

Barcelona XI: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Puyol, Keita, Busquets, Mascherano, Xavi, Iniesta, Sanchez, Messi

Fucking Milan. . . It's like we're playing on a banana peel.

Milan played their hearts out. Now, the pressure is on us to perform well at Nou camp. I see us winning that one anyway.
I wonder why Pep stuck with Keita the whole game. He looked out of ideas I guess. I expected he should have withdrawn Keita for Tello, thereby leaving Don Andres slotting back to the midfield to assume he's normal position. That would have given the team an extra creative flow in the middle. Watching the game was like seeing us play with 2 holding midfielders(the more reason Milan's final ball on the counter amounts to nothing). Glad with the overall performance of the defence. Good to see Gerard Shakira hitting top form. He was a beast tonight.

The key highlights from this match for me:

1. I can't believe Keita played 90 mins when we had Cesc & Thiago on the bench.

2. We didn't dominate the midfield as we normally would. The supply to the forwards was not as good as normal. We really should have taken advantage of this Milan team, decimated by injuries.

3. We slowed the game to walking pace too often (at times, I even thought the referee had blown his whistle or something). This allowed Milan to get back to defend in numbers.

4. Messi is looking tired again. Not surprising, with the midweek matches piling up again. I still (and will always) question the wisdom of playing him (or any other outfield player) 90 mins, every single game.

5. Tello is a great talent; however, against a team of wise old men like Milan, you cannot expect him to be a game changer.

6. Milan achieved their objective not to concede. We did not achieve our objective to score an away goal. Milan have a small victory here...hopefully we can hammer them in Nou Camp.

7. Pep really needs to tell the boys to shoot when they can. The intricate 1-2 passes are nice, but once in a while, when the passing isn't working, how about some shots instead of trying the next flick to Messi? I can't believe we had only 5 shots on goal in this match!

8. Why don't referees ever call penalties in Barcelona's favour? Alexis was clearly fouled, while Puyol's shirt was clearly pulled in the 2nd half. Still, we get no penalties.

9. I am worried because we play Bilbao this weekend, then Milan next week, then away to Zaragoza who are fighting for Liga survival...can we win all these matches?

We will defeat them in camp nou.millan were too defensive and its been proven over time that the easiest way to beat barca is by defending with 8 players or more and wait patiantly to grab a goal when you have the chance.a draw against millan in sansiro aint a bad result, afterrall,gunners got 4 unreplied goals.Kaita strenght and hight was the reason pep needed him to play in the middle and i think it was a nice decision aside that Iniesta has been pretty poor over the last 2 matches now,i have seen him put up a good performance playing from the wing.i hope its not fatigue.our defence was very organized and i xpect them to keep that same level of concentration next week.

medjai: Fucking Milan. . . It's like we're playing on a banana peel.

Tired, Old and Lame Excuse. Abeg give credit to whom it's due. Those dudes defended their hearts out tonight.

We bossed despite the pitch, We should have played to our strengths, removing keita for cesc and letting Don iniesta back to the middle would have been a nice move IMO

I bliv we would beat dem in the camp but it would be very very tough as Milan now have belief coming from this match

chic2pimp:
Tired, Old and Lame Excuse. Abeg give credit to whom it's due. Those dudes defended their hearts out tonight.

He's not giving excuses. We all felt the matchup would be tricky, as were the two ties during the group stage. Milan may lack quality compared to Barca, but they are a strong and experienced side.
I still feel the tie is tricky. Barca can still go through as per their ridiculous home advantage, but it will be a close one. 1-1 can easily knock us out.

I hate to admit it, but this season, Real Madrid have been a better side. Barcelona has relied too much on the creative genius of a few, and the side is stretched really thin on experience. Madrid could have gotten something in a game like yesterday's, even with the bad pitch.

It's amazing the way the press is treating the draw like it was a loss for Barca, and the end of Barca's hegemony on football. Yeah, some pundit used those words Were people expecting Barca to crush Milan 10-0 at the San Siro? We were lucky to win there in November. We had two defensive mistakes and a penalty, they scored two brilliant goals.

On a lighter note, Barca is not a liked side oh. Cos I had a late meeting, I needed to catch the game in the lobby of a popular Lagos hotel. People were rooting madly for AC Milan sha. Every save and block from Milan was celebrated like a goal.

chic2pimp:
Tired, Old and Lame Excuse. Abeg give credit to whom it's due. Those dudes defended their hearts out tonight.

I'm not blaming the result on the state of the pitch but truth is the pitch was bad. It was like they poured ogbono soup on the pitch just minutes before kickoff. It was very slippery and players from both sides easily lost their balance.


That aside, it wasn't best of performances from us. We played under-par last night. I know that Milan away is not an easy game, but I expected more from the team in such a season-defining game.


We seemed tired(which is a bit weird, since we had 3 days of proper rest) and also lacked a bit in resolve. Iniesta despite being played out of position, should have done a lot more. Alexis lacks in finishing and decision-making.


The initiative is still ours but the 2nd leg is just 90 minutes and luck can play a big role.


If Milan go ahead, prepare yourselves for an Inter/Chelsea bus-parking. The team must be in tip-toe condition for the 2nd leg and for that reason, key players must be rested for the Bilbao game.

Wet Pitch
Dry Pitch
Flooded Pitch
whatever, AC Milan like most clubs will chop am for camp nou bar a miracle(e.g messi and the whole squad playing below par).

AjanleKoko:
On a lighter note, Barca is not a liked side oh. Cos I had a late meeting, I needed to catch the game in the lobby of a popular Lagos hotel. People were rooting madly for AC Milan sha. Every save and block from Milan was celebrated like a goal.

Thats one price any entity pays for being successful beyond measure.

Aye ko fe ni f'oro afi ori eni.

Theoretically if any club suddenly starts becoming as dominant as barca is right now the ''no love lost feeling'' will shift to the new kid on the block even if its real madrid and jose mourinho still as the coach. AC milan of the eighties and Real of the very early 2000's come to mind.

i wish i can hear what that adiye fufun tio mo arare lagba aka cryuff has to say concerning milans rubbish pitch.hehehehehehehehehe.
barca shoulda not av complained. AC milan was bound to fall in camp nou

^^
For once I agree.
Barca was over the top in reporting the pitch situation to UEFA. Nothing but mere petulance. Even with the bad pitch, they could have won but did not take the chances.
At least they didn't take 4 like Arsenal. I wonder what would have happened if the team lost. At least for that one, I appreciate English clubs. They shut up and get the job done (when they can).

Our main problem vs Milan was width - we didn't stretch the Milan defence wide enough. It was easy for them to maintain their shape at the back. This is part of the problem with playing Iniesta as a winger. He has more bad games than good ones playing from that position.

We didn't offer much threat down the right either apart from Alves. Sanchez always tends to drift into that CF position and become our focal point in attack with Messi playing off him.

Story of the match?

Distribution of attack: Right flank-33%. Middle-45%. Left flank-only 21%.

I do understand why Pep played Keita for 90 mins. though. It was for tactical reasons. He was trying to avoid an Inter, San Siro repeat.

Pep could have made his subs earlier. Tello could have been introduced earlier. He really troubled the Milan defence with his pace and skill when he came on.

Good thing is we didn't concede. We just need to win at home.

medjai: Our main problem vs Milan was width - we didn't stretch the Milan defence wide enough. It was easy for them to maintain their shape at the back. This is part of the problem with playing Iniesta as a winger. He has more bad games than good ones playing from that position.

We didn't offer much threat down the right either apart from Alves. Sanchez always tends to drift into that CF position and become our focal point in attack with Messi playing off him.

Story of the match?

Distribution of attack: Right flank-33%. Middle-45%. Left flank-only 21%.

I do understand why Pep played Keita for 90 mins. though. It was for tactical reasons. He was trying to avoid an Inter, San Siro repeat.

Pep could have made his subs earlier. Tello could have been introduced earlier. He really troubled the Milan defence with his pace and skill when he came on.

Good thing is we didn't concede. We just need to win at home.

I think we will win at home.
Milan will have to attack and try to score. Both teams played with extreme caution. In fact, Milan allowed Barca a lot of time on the ball and focused on keeping their lines intact.

I hope Pique and Masch bring their A games like they did on Wednesday. And i hope no silly injuries against the Basques this weekend.

You guys wud be surprised the way Milan will be destroyed come Tuesday. This Barca team dnt take no shiitt, just cos they didnt win on some other clubs home turf dont mean they wont do their job at home. I repeat Milan go hear whinn!!

eyoniggar: You guys wud be surprised the way Milan will be destroyed come Tuesday. This Barca team dnt take no shiitt, just cos they didnt win on some other clubs home turf dont mean they wont do their job at home. I repeat Milan go hear whinn!!

Boys are just expressing cautious optimism. I don't doubt for a second that Pep and the crew will be ready.

Up next though, a visit from the in-form (in Europe) Basque side. Promises to be a cracker. Sets the stage nicely for Tuesday.

AjanleKoko:

Boys are just expressing cautious optimism. I don't doubt for a second that Pep and the crew will be ready.

Up next though, a visit from the in-form (in Europe) Basque side. Promises to be a cracker. Sets the stage nicely for Tuesday.

Athletic have been very poor in the league of late. Lost their last three. It's like they are channeling all their efforts towards winning the EL. It's understandable though. Fourth place seems to be out of reach, Malaga seem to have got that on lock and they'd be playing in Europe next season anyway since they reached the copa final so EL represents their only chance of winning a trophy.

My preffered line up vs Athletic:

-----Valdes-----

----Alves----Pique----Puyi----Muniesa----

----Keita----

----Iniesta----Thiago----

----Pedro----Messi----Tello----


Key players should be rested ahead of the Milan game on Tuesday.

Adriano can come on as sub for Muniesa in the 2nd half. I expect him to play a big part on Tuesday. We missed him at the San Siro. He would have really stretched that Milan defence with his bombing forward.

Xavi can come on for Iniesta and Sanchez for Messi.

Cesc's injured, between. Expected to be fit for Tuesday though.

^^^^
Pep never takes Messi off, so no chance Sanchez will come in for him.

I agree with most of what you said, esp about Bilbao focusing on EL since they don't need the league position to re-appear in that tournament next season. In addition, Bilbao only played on Thur, so they've had very little rest in preparation for tonight's game.

On the other hand, our squad is very thin and I'm not as confident about Tue as some other people are. I'm sure we'll qualify, but it will be tough. Milan know that they need to score only 1 goal to potentially go through, so they will be patient and will try to frustrate our attackers as they did on Wed.

It's a difficult job for Pep to rest players for Tue, while trying to keep the pressure on Madrid in the league.

Our key to winning on Tue is to be clinical with our chances. No matter how defensive the team is, we create chances. The difference this season is that most of the scoring burden has been on Messi, with all our other attackers (other than Tello) having poor scoring ratios.

medjai: Fourth place seems to be out of reach, Malaga seem to have got that on lock and they'd be playing in Europe next season anyway since they reached the copa final so EL represents their only chance of winning a trophy.

Actually, Bilbao have a chance to win 2 trophies, since they're also in the copa final. Of course, we all hope that the copa victory is Barca's.

Madrid just wiped the floor with Osasuna, in Pamplona! Madrid were simply clinical in their finishing - in addition, they turn defence to attack really quickly, while our slow build up makes it easy for park-the-bus teams to defend. We have had bad refereeing decisions and sometimes hard luck in some matches this season, but I feel the biggest reason we're behind Madrid is that our attackers are simply not converting the many chances the Barca midfield creates. I will try to get some stats on Barcelona's goal-to-chance ratio compared to Madrid, but I'm pretty confident that the Madrid converts more effectively.

We all don't like Madrid (to put it mildly) so I'm not here to glorify Mou & his boys, but this is something the Barca technical team can review and improve upon.