barcelona - are they the greatest club side the world has ever seen?

no they £#%&!ing well aren't. so why is a good part of the forum behaving like we've just lost to the second coming of brazil '70?


barca have had a very good season and played very well last night. but that's no reason to go into barca-worship overdrive. this is a team which barely got by chelsea, going through by the skin of their teeth and very much undeservedly.

'outclassed'
'undressed'
'best youth academy in the world'
'petrified'
'overawed'

ffs. grow a set, some of you.

one match - for which, if you remember, we were deserved favourites going in - in which we didn't turn up and they did. they played at the top of their game and we played near the bottom of ours - trying, remember, to achieve something that no team ever has achieved.

simple
as
that


all this self-flagellation and abasement at the feet of the mighty barca is a bit embarrassing, tbh. our young side will be back and will be better. fergie will think on the season, change a few things, a few new faces and we'll march onward and upward.

we're no worse a side than we were when we obliterated arsenal home and away in the semi. and barca are no better than they were when they scraped past chelsea with the help of an incompetent norwegian. teams have off days - we were just unfortunate that we didn't turn up for the big one.

I agree, but I don't think it's our support saying this. It's the media and rival fans.

Our response has mainly been - they turned up, we didn't.

We've played them 3 times in a year, and our midfield has been comprehensively outplayed every time.

The AC milan side of 88-90 would have pissed all over them, good side deserving champions and all that but utd made them look far better than they are.

this was their year mate - a'la us in 1999

the nature of iniesta's goal at chelsea told me as much. They could, and probably should, have gone out of that tie. So much went their way and then they scored that goal out of the blue. You had to feel it was their year.

tbh, i wouldn't have fancied us to beat blackburn rovers playing like that last night, let alone barcelona.

we may have been "undressed" but we took most of the clothes off ourselves.

also united struggle against spanish teams who keep the ball well. our record against them is £#%&!ing abysmal.

1 goal in 7 games against spanish teams speaks for itself.

We didnt play shit because we had an off day, we played shit because barca were awesome tbf. Once they went a goal up they just passed us to death and that was that. I would rather lose getting outclassed than losing to a really dodgy goal or a last minuter winner.

I really can't complain they were just the better team. Some people need to realise that us losing to barcelona doesnt suddenly mean we need a new midfield and attack when we saw in the semi final what we can do when we turn it on.

We've had another great season 2 cup finals in 2 years fantastic. Gutted but not major. I'll get over it.

Originally Posted by History

We didnt play shit because we had an off day, we played shit because barca were awesome tbf. Once they went a goal up they just passed us to death and that was that. I would rather lose getting outclassed than losing to a really dodgy goal or a last minuter winner.

I really can't complain they were just the better team. Some people need to realise that us losing to barcelona doesnt suddenly mean we need a new midfield and attack when we saw in the semi final what we can do when we turn it on.

We've had another great season 2 cup finals in 2 years fantastic. Gutted but not major. I'll get over it.

That's what's getting me. We lose to a better team and suddenly it's time for an "overhaul" or something.

They aren't 'the greatest team ever' but they ARE one of the greatest teams in spanish football history - no denying it, the stats are there. Treble winners, record goal scorers. They will never have another season like this.

We were getting the "ole's" in the european cup final ffs. that was bloody embarassing.

You want a lesson in how to pressure an opposition team into giving the ball away without clattering them or fouling, watch barcelona last night. It was comprehensive.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

You want a lesson in how to pressure an opposition team into giving the ball away without clattering them or fouling, watch barcelona last night. It was comprehensive.

I blame Fergie for setting up our side to basically bend over & take a Catalan £#%&!ing length though.

Hindsight again, but £#%&! me, what was he playing at with that starting XI.

don't get me wrong, there's plenty to address. we were far too passive, left too many gaps, failed to press them anything like enough and generally played barca at their own game instead of playing to our own tempo and playing to our own strengths. and, simply, too many of our players had off days. rooney was very ineffective, anderson a shadow of himself, rio and vidic uncertain and prone to error, evra terrible in terms of positioning.

all credit to barca who were superb, and united can and should address a lot about how we played. but the gap between the teams is nothing like as great as it was last night.

Originally Posted by History

We didnt play shit because we had an off day, we played shit because barca were awesome tbf. Once they went a goal up they just passed us to death and that was that. I would rather lose getting outclassed than losing to a really dodgy goal or a last minuter winner.

.

You see while agreeing with most of your post, especially the bit about not needing a overhaul and be very happy about our season, you would have to be a very spoilt #@&%! if you are not content with picking up three trophies, i just cannot go along with the barca were awesome bit, i agree that they are without doubt a great side the best in europe but last night they had it far too easy, utd played probably their worst game since getting hammered by milan in the san siro two years ago, and very much like that night our players seemed to freeze after that first goal went in, too many of our players heads went down, for the rest of the game they just stood off them and accepted their fate, it was that lack of fight that dissapointed me, not the defeat but the manner of it.

Originally Posted by redmike

You see while agreeing with most of your post, especially the bit about not needing a overhaul and be very happy about our season, you would have to be a very spoilt #@&%! if you are not content with picking up three trophies, i just cannot go along with the barca were awesome bit, i agree that they are without doubt a great side the best in europe but last night they had it far too easy, utd played probably their worst game since getting hammered by milan in the san siro two years ago, and very much like that night our players seemed to freeze after that first goal went in, too many of our players heads went down, for the rest of the game they just stood off them and accepted their fate, it was that lack of fight that dissapointed me, not the defeat but the manner of it.

quite

Originally Posted by redmike

You see while agreeing with most of your post, especially the bit about not needing a overhaul and be very happy about our season, you would have to be a very spoilt #@&%! if you are not content with picking up three trophies, i just cannot go along with the barca were awesome bit, i agree that they are without doubt a great side the best in europe but last night they had it far too easy, utd played probably their worst game since getting hammered by milan in the san siro two years ago, and very much like that night our players seemed to freeze after that first goal went in, too many of our players heads went down, for the rest of the game they just stood off them and accepted their fate, it was that lack of fight that dissapointed me, not the defeat but the manner of it.

tbf you have a point. Most neutrals ive talked to said united played shite rather than barca were amazing. I think i was just trying to be unbiased.

we were shit no doubt about it, but barca are one of those teams who will punish you for being shit unlike where we could probably of got away with it against chelsea. We've done it before played shit and got away with it.

Im really happy the way the our seasons gone and im not gonna let it end on a downer. The players can be proud of what they've done in the last 3 years. we were due to lose a final anyway get it out the way now then Ronnie can have his dream of lifting a trophy at the bernabau when we lift it next year

Originally Posted by Ether

We've played them 3 times in a year, and our midfield has been comprehensively outplayed every time.

what he said.

Get it sorted ffs.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

We were getting the "ole's" in the european cup final ffs. that was bloody embarassing.

True, it was embarrassing, but it's not an indicator of how good a team is. They were doing it at one-nil after 10 minutes. I've seen United fans do that and cringed.

The media's love of hype is obvious. United are the greatest team in the world, then two defeats and it's a crisis. Liverpool beat the worst Real team in years and suddenly they're the best team in Europe. Arsenal are the most exciting team ever seen in world history and Wenger is a tactical genius. It goes on and on.

That's not to say Barça aren't great, clearly they are, but the way some people are going ott is amazing. If that ref in the Chelsea match had given any of those penalties, blown slightly earlier or Essien had cleared the ball properly the papers would be full of %@#$&!s such as 'Premiership shows it's superiority again, Best League in the World (tm)', 'Europe unable to match power of English teams' etc. Instead it's a massive Barcelona £#%&!fest. You would think Barca beat everyone ten-nil on the way to the final. They didn't, they played well in some games and poorly in others and managed to win it by playing very well in the final - that's a cup competition for you. A post hit here, a missed chance there, a slightly off team selection, a key suspension, and you find yourself on the losing side.

Originally Posted by borsuk

don't get me wrong, there's plenty to address. we were far too passive, left too many gaps, failed to press them anything like enough and generally played barca at their own game instead of playing to our own tempo and playing to our own strengths. and, simply, too many of our players had off days. rooney was very ineffective, anderson a shadow of himself, rio and vidic uncertain and prone to error, evra terrible in terms of positioning.

all credit to barca who were superb, and united can and should address a lot about how we played. but the gap between the teams is nothing like as great as it was last night.

you are better than that, i hope.

there is nothing to address.
we let them have far too much space in midfield which was because the player we have who provides the legs in midfield didnt play and we replaced him with our oldest player and switched roles.

its as simple as.

if there is anything to address its our forward line and what is happening. because we have three main strikers at the club and two were not in the team. that needs addressing tbh.
why is ronaldo (a wide player) picked ahead of them to play in their prefered position.

Originally Posted by History

tbf you have a point. Most neutrals ive talked to said united played shite rather than barca were amazing. I think i was just trying to be unbiased.



Im really happy the way the our seasons gone and im not gonna let it end on a downer. The players can be proud of what they've done in the last 3 years.

An admirable quality to have, and yes after a few days we can all look back on a great season, but last night just felt that they could have put up a bit more of a fight rather than just surrender meekly, valdez imo a shaky keeper hardly made a save all night.

Originally Posted by History

we were shit no doubt about it, but barca are one of those teams who will punish you for being shit

That's a good point, we've played equally poorly at times this season and got away with it - but if you keep handing the ball back to Barca they are going to dismantle you.

Credit where it is due, they're a great team - but they really didn't have to play above themselves at all, they just turned up and played their natural game whereas we didn't.

It's one thing that drives me mad about SAF, he's got such an inferiority complex about these top sides. Time after time players are moved all over the place to nullify the opponents - we're trying to stop teams playing to their strengths but in doing so are not playing to our own.

maybe the long break since our players last competetive match didn't do us any favours it looked like we were on holiday once the first went in
there certainly wasn't any sign of "freshness"
at least barcelona will now have to deal with the ridiculous hype the media will pour on them leaving us to get on with it next season.

They kept and passed the ball brilliantly whilst we were sloppy as £#%&! giving it away time and time again. We made them look good but saying that deserved exactly what we got.

Really sinking in now and I can't believe a team could turn up to the Champions League £#%&!ing final, a game as big as numerous World Cup finals before it, and be as sloppy as Utd were last night

are they £#%&! - they, like us are very good on their day.

However as we well know they were spawny as £#%&! to get past Chelsea in the semis