timbros:


I disagree @ the bolded.

Pep's tactics seem to work only because of Neuer's heroics. Barca should easily have been 3 nil up at half time if not for Neuer.

Who the heck plays a high line 3 man defence against Barca and hope to survive? Playing Rafinha/Boateng/Bernat to man mark Neymar/Suarez/Messi is the most stupidest decision Pep made. Okay if you want to play a 3 man defence, why not call on the experience of Lahm?

Infact Pep was man marking all over the pitch, a tactic that plays into Barca's hand.

Pep killed the game entirely.

Stupid tactics from a ninja with no clue how to play the game if his team doesn't have the ball.

Here's what the papers had to say about it. . . .





They had recovered from a frankly lunatic opening gambit by Guardiola to enjoy the lion's share of second-half possession.
Munich had 53 per cent possession but not a shot on target. Some will cite this as evidence that not all contests need pragmatism of stifling strategy but the reality is Guardiola decided to slug it out, and lost.
This was actually evidence that it is not always the wisest move to go toe-to-toe with a superior opponent. Munich tried to play Barcelona's game but were a paler, inferior version. They didn't have Messi. It's not the same without Messi.


Faced with Messi, Suarez and Neymar – a trio of players with 108 goals between them this season – Guardiola decided to go with three at the back.
Rafinha, Medhi Benatia and Boateng were strung out across a very overstretched line, the logic of which seemed lost on all but Munich's master coach. It allowed the visitors to man-mark seemingly all over the field, to press high and deny Barcelona possession, but there was one problem with the plan.
It was nuts.
After 20 minutes of mayhem during which time Suarez had gone through one on one, Neymar had a chance deflected off the line and Messi had curled a shot just wide, Guardiola appeared to have a moment of clarity. 'Oh yes,' he recalled, 'I remember why you don't go three at the back against Barcelona. It's nuts.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3070826/Barcelona-3-0-Bayern-Munich-Champions-League-semi-final-Lionel-Messi-nets-deadly-double-Neymar-grabs-late-make-unhappy-return-Nou-Camp-Pep-Guardiola.html#ixzz3ZTBYtxKR




Zlatan Ibrahimovic used to call him 'The Philosopher' but Pep Guardiola looked more like a mad professor in the first half against Barcelona on Wednesday night, frantically signalling to his Bayern Munich players to change the shape of the team after a flurry of early chances.
The experiment to play with three at the back lasted just 15 minutes. Gary Lineker called the high pressing tactical suicide and Javier Mascherano said after the game: 'We know that Pep always plays to win whoever the opposition are and they came to press high but sometimes when you do that you take a risk and we know we have players up front who can make a difference.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3071795/Pep-Guardiola-set-Bayern-Munich-wrong-against-Barcelona-quickly-fixed-s-leaky-defence-genius-Lionel-Messi-destroyed-plan.html#ixzz3ZT9rDtKk

Hahahaha. BoaTANK being disgraced.

AirborneLacer:
Speak of less dignifying transfers, speak of the speculation that Rickie phucking Lambert is moving to Chelsea.

Way to defend the title?

Hey, hold it there young man! Rickie Lambert is not a bad shout for no3 striker.

While he may not work for Liverpool who favour furious pressing from the front, his hold up play would work at Chelsea to kill off games.

Don't you know Claudio Pizarro has been playing the same no3 role for Bayern the last 3 or 4 seasons?

raumdeuter:


Chelsea would also be one of the top 5-6 sides, yet they are nowhere to be seen among the top 6 clubs

How come the SPecial one couldnt take Chelsea to where the belong in Europe

Because they faced PSG, another club in the same top category.

cirmuell:
can you see/read writings few inches from your eyes too?

Yessir.

Debroslink:


Are you saying that if winning the bundlesliga and losing the semifinals of UCL is WORSE than winning the EPL and losing in the 1st knockout stage of UCL?

Yes. Bayern is one of the top3 teams in the world so reaching the last 4 is par for the course.

soe:
then it means U r half blind

No it doesn't. I saw it immediately and my eyesight is exceptional. Friends are often surprised I read writings on vehicles and buildings half a mile away.

Willian has played real well as no10 in the last few games which is his rightful position. He's shown a big uplift on Oscar. He needs to work on his finishing over the summer though. It's no use doing everything perfectly only to miss the final opportunity.

A40:

Nyet Nyet! Hagler was an aggressive southpaw. He definitely wasn't defensive.

You don't have a career K.O record of 80% after almost 70 fights by being defensive

There's a reason Marvelous Hagler didn't age well unlike Mayweather. He fought too many fights and was too aggressive. He was a monster!

The only similarity they share is their chin. Hagler's chin was made out of titanium! He was never knocked down never mind knocked out his entire career.

There's no defence for a knockout punch. Mayweather never fought a K.O machine like Marvelous Hagler

JustKay3:

Hagler's forte is not defence.The fact he can take punches and keep coming doesn't indicate that.While I wouldn't argue the fact Mayweather is a smart pugilist, I don't think his record will remain untainted in that era.

Y'all may be right. I've seen 3 or 4 of his fights which were blood and thunder, but I read thís week that his strength is in a great defence so I defer to the older journalist who woulda seen more than me.

Debroslink:
Are Chelsea fans telling us that winning the epl title is better than winning the bundlesliga title plus being in UCL semi final?

Yes, winning the EPL title is better than winning the Bundesliga (with Bayern).

If we were discussing Klopp, that would be an achievement (winning the Bundesliga with Dortmund).

What's honourable about winning Bundesliga with a club that have won 50% of the league titles since they started. Even a kitman can win the league.

Pep Guardiola quote from last week's interview: "Winning the Bundesliga with Bayern is not an acheivement. I must win Champions League".

A40:

I'm curious as to why you would say that. Is it because Leonard scored a W against him? Don't forget it was a very controversial one

Hagler's endurance was phenomenal and unlike most boxers in this generation actually had a knockout punch. When the 2nd best boxer in your generation can go six years without a knockout it just shows you the dearth in quality

Marvelous Hagler was a Beast!

Because Haglers strength is defence and Mayweather is the greatest defender of all time. The technical match-up favours Mayweather.

Luis Enrique got disgraced out of Roma. The same Luis Enrique is on the verge of the treble with Barca.

Rijkaard relegated Sparta Rotterdam and got disgraced out of Galatasaray. The same Rijkaard won everything with Barca.

Jupp Heynckes won treble with Bayern. Pep came and disgraced them 5-0 in front of the whole world.

What is there in Pep's track record to show that he can manage less-than-great players into Champions like JM did with Porto and Inter?

raumdeuter:


Pep signed for Bayern that has been trophyless for 2 yrs before he put his pen to paper. That is a FACT I would expect a top analyst to know

You're a duplicitous cuunt. So his pen won the league and UCL, not Jupp Heynckes?

Even his pen is outperforming him? Cos his pen won Champions League, but he got disgraced 5-0.

Can you show me where we can sign that pen? We need that pen to manage Chelsea for next season.

raumdeuter:

We are waiting for Mourinho to take a team who haven't won the league in 2 previous attempts, sell the teams best player and win 6 trophies in the following 18 months.

Rubbish.

Pep took over the European, Bundesliga and German Cup Champions and made them worse.

What 6 trophies has Pep won?

Pep hasn't won anything which is not standard routine in a Scottish league.

Like Pep himself said, "if I win Bundesliga title, it means nothing because Bayern win every year".

raumdeuter:


Tripe

Pep first senior coaching job, He took over a Barcelona that finished 3rd in the league, 18points points behind Madrid, Sold their best player and 18months later won 6 trophies.

So how was he an overdog when his team just finished 18points behind the league leader.

Whole load of bollocks. He took over a team with Xavi, Iniesta, Abidal, Messi, Eto etc.

He took over the best team in the world who'd won the UCL 2 years prior.

The only difference is he took over from the most incompetent manager, Rijkaard who'd made the team go soft. Barcelona had the best players

Real Madrid then were parading Raul, Nistelrooy, Guti and co, not even Ronaldo had joined.

You should rather talk about when he took over from Jupp Heynckes and made Bayern worse.

raumdeuter:
^^ It means he can only deliver as an underdog and never in high pressure environment

And Pep can only deliver as an overdog with the world's best players.

I will change my name to Pepisbest if he can deliver trophy with Porto and InterMilan.

Pep is an idealist and idealists are never the greatest. Ali is the greatest cos when he didn't have the attacking ammunition, he went defensive and invented the rope-a-d.ope style. Mayweather is the greatest cos when he couldn't throw flurry for flurry with Pacquiao, he nullified him with great defence.

Pep is a one track mind. When the other team have better players than him, he will lose 5-0. Pep cannot do what Di Matteo did in 2012. Take Meireles, Bosingwa, Mikel, Kalou, Ramires and 34 year-old Drogba and turn them into Champions beating much superior teams on the way. Can Pep do that? No! You can quote me on that.

A40:

Of course you have to give it to Floyd. He has beaten all comers in his generation and truth is you can only beat what is put in front of you

However having seen fights of Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler I can see Floyd losing to one or both of them. These guys were warriors and a class above the ninjas you listed

Floyd can never lose to Hagler, maybe Leonard but never Hagler

Cuadrado is a disgrace. That was a panic buy to replace Schurrle. They didn't scout him properly. He's not good at possession footie, only counterattacking.

lol

JustKay3:
No way you grew up watching Hearns, Duran, Hagler and Leonard take turn on each other and be impressed with this sham.

I gave them the benefit of till the last round, but nothing significant manifested.Snoozefest....equivalent of watching my toe nails grow.

We all enjoyed Haggler, Hearns, Leonard, Duran and cos rivalry, but dont hate on Floyd for being dominant.

De La Hoya, Cotto, Pacman and Marquez woulda been like the 80s rivalry but Floyd made it boring by dominating them, hence there's no rivalry.

This is why I tell ninjas that Larry Holmes may just be the best heavyweight ever. Just because a ninja dominate his era does not mean the other fighters in that era are crap, it just means the ninja is dominant and that dampens the excitement of the era.

Forget it, Moneyman is the best!

Thís nigga like Chelsea, he controls his opponent and wins the fight in the most efficient manner.

Boring boring Mayweather!!!

I've got Moneyman 6-2 with 3 rounds left.

Pacman needs to knock him out to win

Money May all day!

I've never seen Pacman throw so few punches.

1st round looking good for Money man

Mehn, these unknowns should wrap up their fight. Sleep want take me. In full coffee mode.

lalasticlala:


U better start trekking now because some of them didn't. Check to verify.

Hehehehe. But bros, thís your job no get holiday allowance? The day I no see your thread for front page for 2 weeks, I go know say you don take holiday.

homesteady:


hhaaa! Bimfo and Bundesligabest, what moral justification do you have to call another league a Scottish league? especially la liga?

Between the two leagues, which league has been a one one horse race through out this season?
Which league has the 1st position above the 2nd with like 10 points?
Which league had all it's teams flogged out of UCL round of 16, and which league is on it's way to have it teams play the Final of UCL for the 2nd year in a row?
Which league has it's team going for back to back Europa League success?
You think Mourinho was fooolish not to mention La liga among 'his' Scottish league jibe?

The only reason JM didn't mention Laliga as Scottish league is because Laliga has 2 teams in contention while Scotland only has Celtic.

Oga go back to your boring thread. Ain't got time to argue nonsense with you about a league where the top 2 teams score 120 goals a season. What a joke. Get lost nigga.

kai, so Derby no make playoffs? What an end of season crash

homesteady:


Southampton 8-0 Sunderland

Another Scottish league result!

That happened once this season.

In the last 3 weeks alone, we have seen Madrid 9 - 0 Granada, now this.

This is an almost weekly occurence in Spain.

Tval:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Usmjudsjybg

I remember watching this game in the pub.

Some of the younger ones may not remember but this was final game of 2002/2003.

The winner would qualify for the Champions League. . . .and Desailly scored the winner, his last gift to the club before retiring.

If we had not won this game, Abramovic would most likely have not bought the club.

Chelsea was on the verge of going bankrupt that summer and was in debt to the tune of £50m+, after a few disastrous signings like Stanic, Chris Sutton, Bogarde and Casiraghi. Desaillys winner changed all that. Abramovic came by that summer, gave Ken Bates £17m for his share, paid off the utstanding debts and the rest is history.

Also this is the reason Carragher could not get ahead of the likes of Terry, Rio, Campbell and Ledley King in the publics estimation. in the big matches, Zola, Henry and Drogba have been know to disgrace him beyond mockery. Although a good player, these public disgraces came in matches where the whole world was watching, leaving an indelible print on peoples minds.

AirborneLacer:
I read somewhere that we are close to making a £15m plus Remy bid for Lyon's Lacazette.

Good move I say.

Personally, the triumvirate of Costa, Lacazette and Bamford is simply ideal.

Can't argue with that. Especially the fact that Lacazette can play wide so doesn't have to sit on bench behind Costa forever.

Yet another Scottish league result

Cordoba 0 - 8 Barcelona

Abeg the fight na tonight or tomorrow night?. . . . cos I thought it was tomorrow, only to read in the paper that it should start at 5am tonight. Someone please confirm ASAP, I need to plan accordingly