Hey hey! Foxsoccer reports that Abidal is back...
Based on this info: Pep will probably go for the following formation:
F: Messi, Villa, Pedro
M: Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets
D: Puyol, Pique, Mascherano, Alves
Reserves: Abidal, Afellay, Keita, and a Team B GK.
----------------
The Big Mouth's team is missing his key defensive components (Pepe and Ramos) and will have to rely on a more attack-minded formation as follows:
F: Hinguin
W: Di Maria & C. Ronaldo
M: Alonso & Ozil/Kaka
DM: Diarra
D: Marcelo, Carhalvo, Albiola, Arbeloa
Reserves: Benzema, Adebayor
This formation should be countered by our previous Clasico formation with Busquests and Keita, which this armchair manager would like to look like either 4-4-2 (Iniesta as a midfielder) or 4-3-3 (with Iniesta out on left to toy with the thin Madrid defense)
F: Iniesta, Messi, Villa/Pedro/Afellay
M: Xavi, Keita, Busquets
D: Puyol, Pique, Mascherano, Alves
With Afellay and Pedro coming with 15-30 minutes left and Abidal in the 90th minute.
Visca Barcelona and enjoy the game!!!
See this link --> Barcelona's Abidal returns from liver surgery
Showing posts with label Keita. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Keita. Show all posts
Monday, May 2, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
4 more Clasicos, any one?
Hidy-ho,
Well...
Let's start with the expected Saturday line-up:
F: Messi, Villa, Pedro (a.k.a., MVP, as fellow www.BarcelonaFootballBlog.com colleagues would say)
M: Xavi, Iniesta, Keita
D: Adriano, Pique, Busquets, Alves
Madrid should field a "familiar" team to hide a potentially different CL line-up:
F: Benzema
W: De Maria, Cristiano
M: Xabi, Ozil, Khidera
D: Marcelo, Carvalho, Pepe, Ramos
Reserves: Kaka for Ozil or Xabi, and Higuain or Adebayor for Benzema, and Diarra for Khidera.
Both coaches have declared their intentions to send in their best players and the Big Mouth has all his strikers on the ready (the Frenchman, the Togolese, the Portuguese, & the Argentinian). I expect a tough game, in which the Big Mouth's battle tactic is to weaken FCB as part of his overall CL/Copa del Rey War Strategy. Imagine, FCB without an injured Messi or a Xavi, or Pique for the next 3 weeks. It will be easy for Ramos and Pepe to squash the smaller FCB player. Moron-hu plays defensive football and will give the nod to his players to be "extra" physical. I hope the referee will be able to keep Madrid under control, especially in front of their crowd.
Personally, I would be happy to concede a draw against a maturer Madrid team and focus our strength on the CL, for if the Big Mouth can't make it to the CL, he'll make sure that FCB will pay the price. I can imagine him plotting his "scorched earth" plan; FCB will be so weak by the time they get to the final (if they do), even the opponents B team will give FCB a hard time.
On the other hand, a simple 1 goal victory at White Castle's (not the burger joint) would strike a severe mental blow to the Madridistas, who are desperately seeking revenge for the past 5 losses and especially for the last 5-0 humiliation, in order to believe in themselves again.
Copa del Rey:
I think that team B got the Copa and deserve to play the Copa even if they do get mauled:
F: Afellay, Jeffren, and an MVP component (I feel sorry for Bojan, he's just so unlucky)
M: Thiago, Dos Santos, and Keita
D: Maxwell, Milito, Fontas, and Alves
KG: Pinto
I say let's give this bone to the dogs, even though I think that this dog is smart enough to not take the bait and is OBSESSED in the T-Bone steak, the Champions League, after having tasted it twice before.
Champions League:
The loss of Moron-hu's rock in defense Carvalho is a severe blow, especially with hot-heads Pepe and Ramos. This aspect should lessen the severity of our own losses in defense (Puyol and Abidal) rendering Madrid prone to our attacks. Recall that Madrid's players are not used to playing on three fronts at the same time. We have to win in the first leg when Madrid is without Carvalho!!!
Expected FCB CL Line-up:
F: Messi, Villa, Pedro
M: Iniesta, Xavi, Mascehrano
D: Adriano, Pique, Busquets, and Alves
I have to admit, I did not think that the Big Mouth could bring the players this far.
Overall, we only need to win 2 of the 4 four games but not the Cope del Rey.
All the best!
Well...
Let's start with the expected Saturday line-up:
F: Messi, Villa, Pedro (a.k.a., MVP, as fellow www.BarcelonaFootballBlog.com colleagues would say)
M: Xavi, Iniesta, Keita
D: Adriano, Pique, Busquets, Alves
Madrid should field a "familiar" team to hide a potentially different CL line-up:
F: Benzema
W: De Maria, Cristiano
M: Xabi, Ozil, Khidera
D: Marcelo, Carvalho, Pepe, Ramos
Reserves: Kaka for Ozil or Xabi, and Higuain or Adebayor for Benzema, and Diarra for Khidera.
Both coaches have declared their intentions to send in their best players and the Big Mouth has all his strikers on the ready (the Frenchman, the Togolese, the Portuguese, & the Argentinian). I expect a tough game, in which the Big Mouth's battle tactic is to weaken FCB as part of his overall CL/Copa del Rey War Strategy. Imagine, FCB without an injured Messi or a Xavi, or Pique for the next 3 weeks. It will be easy for Ramos and Pepe to squash the smaller FCB player. Moron-hu plays defensive football and will give the nod to his players to be "extra" physical. I hope the referee will be able to keep Madrid under control, especially in front of their crowd.
Personally, I would be happy to concede a draw against a maturer Madrid team and focus our strength on the CL, for if the Big Mouth can't make it to the CL, he'll make sure that FCB will pay the price. I can imagine him plotting his "scorched earth" plan; FCB will be so weak by the time they get to the final (if they do), even the opponents B team will give FCB a hard time.
On the other hand, a simple 1 goal victory at White Castle's (not the burger joint) would strike a severe mental blow to the Madridistas, who are desperately seeking revenge for the past 5 losses and especially for the last 5-0 humiliation, in order to believe in themselves again.
Copa del Rey:
I think that team B got the Copa and deserve to play the Copa even if they do get mauled:
F: Afellay, Jeffren, and an MVP component (I feel sorry for Bojan, he's just so unlucky)
M: Thiago, Dos Santos, and Keita
D: Maxwell, Milito, Fontas, and Alves
KG: Pinto
I say let's give this bone to the dogs, even though I think that this dog is smart enough to not take the bait and is OBSESSED in the T-Bone steak, the Champions League, after having tasted it twice before.
Champions League:
The loss of Moron-hu's rock in defense Carvalho is a severe blow, especially with hot-heads Pepe and Ramos. This aspect should lessen the severity of our own losses in defense (Puyol and Abidal) rendering Madrid prone to our attacks. Recall that Madrid's players are not used to playing on three fronts at the same time. We have to win in the first leg when Madrid is without Carvalho!!!
Expected FCB CL Line-up:
F: Messi, Villa, Pedro
M: Iniesta, Xavi, Mascehrano
D: Adriano, Pique, Busquets, and Alves
I have to admit, I did not think that the Big Mouth could bring the players this far.
Overall, we only need to win 2 of the 4 four games but not the Cope del Rey.
All the best!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Sucker punch, suckers!!!
I am so happy I don't even know where to begin...
Hmmm, should I start by Moron-hu's misery or Barcelona's victory? This is Moron-hu, and I don't really feel like being sportsmanly today and have a laugh at his expense, Ha ha ha ha!
Let's start with the shock upset of the season, even bigger than Hercules defeat of Barcelona in week 2. Truth be told a depleted Mardid lost to Sporting Gijon's dying moment sucker punch, but more importantly the loss ended Moron-hu's long-standing and flawless record at home (having not lost 150 home games since February 23, 2002, spanning a period of 9 years with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Madrid). There was no comparison between the two sides with Madrid taking 13 shots-on-goal out of a total of 33 shots vs. Gijon's sole strike out of a total of 4 shots. Hats off to Sporting GK's Juan Pablo for his heroic efforts!!!
Now, will this be a bad omen for Moron-hu? Will they lose their next home match when they host Barcelona? After all misery loves company!!!
Barcelona's win was a pleasant surprise and broke recent tradition where the team plays poorly after playing international and Champions League games spanning a few seasons now. I predicted a hard earn draw, but was more than happy with an under-strength Barcelona victory and Madrid's humiliating loss. It was also good to see Afellay, Keita, Thiago and Mascherano get more play time.
Next up? FCB welcomes Shakhtar to the Camp Nou for the first leg of the Champions League clash!
Hmmm, should I start by Moron-hu's misery or Barcelona's victory? This is Moron-hu, and I don't really feel like being sportsmanly today and have a laugh at his expense, Ha ha ha ha!
Let's start with the shock upset of the season, even bigger than Hercules defeat of Barcelona in week 2. Truth be told a depleted Mardid lost to Sporting Gijon's dying moment sucker punch, but more importantly the loss ended Moron-hu's long-standing and flawless record at home (having not lost 150 home games since February 23, 2002, spanning a period of 9 years with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Madrid). There was no comparison between the two sides with Madrid taking 13 shots-on-goal out of a total of 33 shots vs. Gijon's sole strike out of a total of 4 shots. Hats off to Sporting GK's Juan Pablo for his heroic efforts!!!
Now, will this be a bad omen for Moron-hu? Will they lose their next home match when they host Barcelona? After all misery loves company!!!
Barcelona's win was a pleasant surprise and broke recent tradition where the team plays poorly after playing international and Champions League games spanning a few seasons now. I predicted a hard earn draw, but was more than happy with an under-strength Barcelona victory and Madrid's humiliating loss. It was also good to see Afellay, Keita, Thiago and Mascherano get more play time.
Next up? FCB welcomes Shakhtar to the Camp Nou for the first leg of the Champions League clash!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Barcelona's expected line-up at the El Madrigal
OK, based on our current injuries and with an eye towards the Champions League game, here is my line up:
F: Afellay (L), Villa (C), Bojan
M: Iniesta, Keita, Mascherano
D: Adriano (L), Pique, Busquets, Alves (R)
GK: Valdez
Reserves: Messi, Thiago and Jeffren
El Madrigal is a difficult stadium with an even more difficult crowd (kudos to the Villarreal fans for their loyalty) as such I would like to see the team play a physical first half (Keita and Mascherano) and slow the tempo of the game but bring in the heat in the 2nd half with Messi and Jeffren, if needed. I would like to see Messi saved for the CL game later in the week and not risk an injury especially after the last scare. I've included Afellay after his strong showing in the Euro qualifiers (I hope he shines and stays with the team).
For Villearreal, Nilmar and Rossi will want to impress Barcelona and show what they're made of.
Prediction? Based on the above and the fact that we don't do good when we come back from international games, I think it will be a hard earned draw...
Enjoy the game!
F: Afellay (L), Villa (C), Bojan
M: Iniesta, Keita, Mascherano
D: Adriano (L), Pique, Busquets, Alves (R)
GK: Valdez
Reserves: Messi, Thiago and Jeffren
El Madrigal is a difficult stadium with an even more difficult crowd (kudos to the Villarreal fans for their loyalty) as such I would like to see the team play a physical first half (Keita and Mascherano) and slow the tempo of the game but bring in the heat in the 2nd half with Messi and Jeffren, if needed. I would like to see Messi saved for the CL game later in the week and not risk an injury especially after the last scare. I've included Afellay after his strong showing in the Euro qualifiers (I hope he shines and stays with the team).
For Villearreal, Nilmar and Rossi will want to impress Barcelona and show what they're made of.
Prediction? Based on the above and the fact that we don't do good when we come back from international games, I think it will be a hard earned draw...
Enjoy the game!
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