₦airaland Forum

Geld:
🦍🦍🦍

Gavi's ball retention and dictation have improved. He's the perfect Box-to-Box midfielder, and he's only 19.

Those tackles and interceptions. One would argue he's too fierce for a player who turned 19 a few weeks ago.

I connected my VPN and opened Hulu to watch the game. After 15mins of watching passes being recycled and Barça uninspired style of play, I almost fell asleep.

Regardless, it was a difficult win but I didn't watch enough of the game to judge these players. Another scrappy win. We need to be more creative and lethal, these binary scores might not work this time as we are conceding goal more often this season.

We use a similar formation as Real Madrid, and we play boring games like them. I knew what I was saying when I said we play like Madrid these days.

Anyways, I'd take the win. Only result matters.

But we're far from where we're supposed to be.

Man, these dark days. It's alright.

Bimmarlykay:
I wanted to ignore but i don't know if you seeking attention or something...

That said,the Messi you're writing an epistle on is no longer with us. Also all you wrote has been sent to the gutters cus Messi won the WC being the best player of the mundial, something your so called clutch Ronaldo et al couldn't.

Now you dug up Mbappe UCL knockout-stats comparing it with Messi's and decided thats one reason he is a fruad ... I would love to see you bring Mbappes calendar year goal record,freekicks scored if he has any, personal medal he has at his current age compared Messi's.

Messi made sure we never played Europa,Messi won us leagues against likes of Madrids with his goals and assist,Messi's brilliance covered many loop holes in our team since 2016, serious played excelled playing with Messi ,Messi never impeded any players growth as you claimed its not his fault most players cant score to save their life,even Mbappe enjoyed his few seasons with Messi guy weytin you say dey scratch you,talk....

Yes i wouldn't deny the fact that his fees were outrageous but man!! RONALDO was being paid high also... and luckly for him he had great players around him till he left Madrid to flop thinking he was the Messiah of Madrid not knowing it was the other way round, while Messi lost his after 2016..its football you know, a team sport not one man game,a tree can't make a forest even if it can not in UCL ask Mbappe how far.


I don't know you,but i bet you'll be a very ungrateful person judging by this post of yours,you ain't a true Barca fan, you're plastic...gosh am so angry i can't even type properly to school you.

How can you compare a player giving 7 times world honor,played when men were men in football, and still schooling the kids of this era to a boy doing well in football with GOAT potentials but not up to GOAT standard SMH...

I'm a cúler, not a Messi fan. Let that be known.

DarkJeddi:
He's been doing what he was bought to do..
Dictate and win matches.
Winning the EPL is a bonus.

You're entertaining mediocrity. For a player worth £100M, he needs to maintain that dictation and performance till he wins the league title. If not, in my point of view, as not meet up the expectations of his £100M price tag.

Kilishihunter:
We were mostly screaming because of the back-to-back Champions League bottlejobs despite having one of the best versions of Messi; what has he done since moving back to Bilbao? Xavi's stubbornness and rigid tactics at times don't justify the hell Valverde put us through on extremely vital champions league nights in 18 and 19
I can't believe a Barça fan is exciting big Valverde in 2023

There's nothing to hype about Valverde. He's playing a system I'm not the biggest fan of, but I'm saying he was overhated for doing the same thing as Xavi.

Listen, Valverde played a system around Messi; that's one of the reasons Messi was successful under him.

I went back in time to watch a Barcelona vs. Sevilla match in 2019, and it was horrendous compared to today's football. Barcelona doesn't seem to have any damn tactics than to pass the ball to Messi every 2 secs.

We made it to crucial stages, where the ball was limited from reaching Messi in the final third. Messi would have to drop deep. You'd see players hovering around Messi and cutting his passing lanes.

That was the death of the team.

We died right there. Knowing Messi, he's not as clutch as we think he is. He has disappointed me a lot in games where the team is being dominated, and he doesn't get enough of the ball. He becomes a liability, and since the team is so used to playing around him, they couldn't be effective without him.

I know this would hurt a lot of Barcelona fans, and I would get hated for this. Your love for Messi blinds you. Makes you think he's perfect and never at fault.

If his team was dominated and he didn't get enough ball at his feet, and he couldn't change the tide of the game, you either blame the team, the manager, or his teammates for not being good enough

Also, Messi was also one of the reasons for Barcelona's financial crisis with his enormous wages, bonuses, and desire to keep his best friend, Suarez.

Disgusting. See, I'm speaking the truth. I'm not your average Barcelona fan that licks Messi's ass and would blame a whole club or even a nation because we perceive him to be faultless.

Messi is not a saint. Those innocent looks and those humble speeches of his don't fool me.

The more I think about it, the more I dislike Messi. He's a hero and a villain at the same time. I'm starting to understand why Ultras in PSG kicked him out.

Our Ultras are dunce, and fools that were charmed and hypnotized by Messi.

We freaking blown 7 UCL years because of Messi. Every year we play around him and get bleeped, yet we keep on doing everything to please him and can't see the system built around him breaks on cold UCL nights against cold-hearted teams with excruciating press-- closing down structure that yearns for having the ball and dictating the play

That's why Real Madrid are better than us. Bleep it. In the 2018 UCL, Ronaldo didn't score in the S/F and Final, yet they won the whole thing.

They don't build around Ronaldo; that dude doesn't need the ball at his feet every damn 2secs before he scores a gazola. Big players come clutch even with a 31% - 69% possession, with a few touches, and they STRIKE! That's why Haaland and Mbappe are very dangerous.

Also, Messi's stats in the knockout stages are horrendous. Let me pull out the stats.

"2 non penalty goals in 27 games at 2006, 2010, 2018 World Cup and 2011, 2015, 2019 Copa America"

Mbappe is 10yrs younger than Messi, and he is only 2 knockout goals behind Messi in the UCL

That's why CR7 dominated the K.Os and Messi only in the group stages. Messi isn't my ideal players in a difficult game, honestly.

And those playmaking skills, and dropping deep don't fool me. He does that because he can't get the ball in the final third and he needs more engagement.

I mean, look at the damn WC final, where France were being dominated by France. Mbappe and his partners barely smelt the ball.

France eventually got a bit control of the game in the 80th minute, and Mbappe getting a few touches of the ball for the first time, and he struck a wonderful volley into the net. THAT IS HOW YOU WIN DIFFICULT GAMES

Smh... I could type a whole a book in here, but let me stop know for now.

I was entertained. I was shooting for Arsenal to win. At the same time, I was kept on the edge of my sit and knew the game could go either way.

Adakintroy:
Go back to your sit.

If you wan talk race hand.

I don't speak gibberish. You were saying?

kenic:
This is a fact from an arsenal fan.

We only speak the truth here.

Ade1177:
That guy wasted almost 30mins caressing balls we were meant to be playing

Then any shot against him na sure goal

From pre season to now

How many goals has he swallowed

Ah, you're another bozo who doesn't understand your team's tactics and how "building from the back" works. Besides, you're blaming Onana for a deflected goal and a 1v1 a few meters away from him.

6ixT8:
Soccer is bitter sweat men!

You mean fútbol?

Naijagoodman:
Arsenal bought Declan Rice and is reaping the benefits. Chelsea broke the bank to buy Caicedo, and he came to punish us

Chelsea plays like a Sunday league team. Arsenal is an established team, and Delcan Rice is a more elegant player than Caicedo.

The Manchester United fans blaming Onana are only finding a scapegoat for their mysterious failure in this match to console themselves.

thatigboman:
Arsenal is undoubtedly, the best team in England

There's a superior team in the same league as Arsenal that wears sky blue with a bald trainer from Catalonia, Spain.

Adakintroy:
For that amount rice was underpriced.

Until he wins them the EPL, he's not underpriced. In fact, he's yet to live up to the £100M expectations.

Beverlyjean:
De gea would have saved that ....

The match wouldn't have lasted to this minute if De Gea was the GK

Ade1177:
f!!!! Onana

Very stupid keeper

How were those goals Onana's fault?

Racoon:
Abeg daddy stop giving Nigerians false illusory hope. You and Pastor Kumuyi have been making these kinds of statements since 2015 but nay, just dragging the name of the Lord into disrepute. Tinubu Akpabio, Gbajiamila, Gandollar are just the wrong corrupt kind of leaders Nigeria does not deserves @ present.

Prophet Elijah didn't gave Israel this kind of false hope during the satanic reigns of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Infact he was used of the Lord to execute judgement again that wicked government. Jehu faced the house of Ahab to do the damage. Enough said.

Why are you calling him Daddy? His name is Adeboye.

Demurray:
The penalty given to Man U against nothingham forest last week is the same as the which Taylor did not make the decision.
It doesn't make sense at all

No. In fact, Bissaka made little to no contact with that challenge on Hav.

This match is tougher than a Teflon tape. Onana is the heart of Man U's defence. His ball playing ability is keep arsenal from pressing their defenders as an extra man in the defence. If De Gea was still Man U's GK, they would have been battered severely.

Onana is exquisite. Meanwhile, I have to give credit to Man U compactness for making it difficult for Arsenal to play with freedom.

maidaboi:
Carry this your agenda go one side

You call it an agenda. I call it honesty.

We have the lowest goal difference of the top 4. We're playing a defensive 4-4-2, and we no longer possess our identity.

I remember when Valverde was playing 4-4-2, and Barcelona fans martyred him. We were screaming and shrieking like a cat whose tail got stepped on.

I can vividly recall that VVD was criticized heavily for not playing a Barcelona-esque style. Fans said VVD was playing a defensive, boring football. "Play 4-3-3"

This man was delivering results while butchering Real Madrid on every occasion.

He was the most hated manager I've ever seen from a fanbase because he's not Xavi, and he doesn't have Laporta on his side.

Kilishihunter:
We don see something sha
Barça fans who stayed from 2021till this time deserve every good thing this team gets abeg cause many for don give up; they're the real ones

Another 8-2 will be recreated if we use this lineup against Bayern.

Gündo as a lone DM? You're not serious. He's not a natural DM, and he mostly excels in a double pivot.

Pep used him as a lone DM in the UCL final against Chelsea and got f-cked. Elite teams are experts when it comes to exploiting a tactical naivety.

I envision Cancelo majestically whipping those low crosses to Lewandowski on a plate for a tap-in or a hell-smashing volley.

A creative full-back that can't defend. We needed that for Lewa; hoping our center-backs are crafty enough to cover wide spaces before our players drop back in shape.

Why do we always play on Sunday?

It's gonna be a long season for sure.

Kilishihunter:
I'm not laporta or xavi who's been benching him na, Even though I didn't like that development, I'll in a way happy fati's gone to Brighton cause he's going to play under one of the best tactical coaches currently in world football and a comfortable habitat for brewing talent
I don't believe we'll sign Felix permanently anyways; it's to hope he comes good for us

I'm happy to see Fati under a new system. Honestly, we don't deserve him. I hope he does well and prove Xavi wrong.

As for Felix, he's another cheap signing to beautify the squad and nothing else.

Kilishihunter:
Nobody is expecting us to win the UCL, We can only hope, you see the way we are struggling to register players we even got on loan and you're comparing our attack to top teams that are backed by corporate billionaires, gulf states, monarchs or well run non owned clubs
It's like you've forgotten our current situation about finances and FFP

Bayern, Real Madrid, and Arsenal aren't run by monarchs, Gulf states, or corporate, whatever you call them.

Have you forgotten we're the third most valuable club in the world? Barcelona is a football monarch on its own. Because of our history, class, and tradition, we are already a giant among men. We don't need monarchs or multi-billionaires to invest in us.

The clubs run by oil states and monarchs are clubs whose class has been ruined. These oil states pick them up and invest in them again.

Real Madrid isn't run by oil states or an American billionaire like Todd. Yet, they can make as much spending as City and PSG.

It's like we don't have the money. We misused our wealth after an unsuccessful investment in players and managers who flopped or milked the system.

Anyway, I understand you, and I believe you have a point. We're in a bad phase, and we can't currently compete.

But I wish we could. The club only has itself to blame for our financial crisis. We are still standing because of our history, class, and La Masia. Otherwise, we would have sinked like AC Milan.

Messi milked our system, man. Griezmann, Dembele and Coutinho, and other players with fat wages sucked the club's wealth dry.

We ruined ourselves. So sad.

Kilishihunter:
But dembele, Pedri and small yamal are excelling, FDJ has been playing his best football under Xavi than previous Barça coaches he played under, Even under koeman, So until Felix flops here I'll be looking out to see what he will offer in this team

Fati who's the better player was kicked out to let Felix in.

Okay.

Our front three are 16-year-old Lamine, 35-year-old Lewa, and a fake Brazilian, Raphinha.

Compare that to the front three of UCL's big clubs of today

We're not ready.

Kilishihunter:
Fati needs to rediscover himself that's why a year under de zerbi is a project we all Hope works ouy, Felix has been Laporta's wet dream since 2021
He might have regressed somehow from his days at benfica but if he can find his confidence under us we'll savour him, even xavi's four mid systems might favour him, though I hope we see less of that this season

A homegrown Fati couldn't find his confidence under Xavi, but you expect the Portuguese man (Felix) whom Simeone and Chelsea didn't trust to be good enough to excel under Xavi with fewer goals than Fati last season. Incredible.

Xavi is letting Fati go for Felix. Incredible.

Create chances for your striker and see him bag goals.

Honestly, it's disgraceful to say Lewa shouldn't be expecting chances he savors in Bayern Munich.

Are we not supposed to be better than Bayern?

Are we not Barcelona, the trademark of beautiful football?

Disgraceful.

The whole squad of Bayern that won the 2020 UCL cost less than £150M, so yeah, don't use our financial crisis as an excuse.