Football fans the world over know Barcelona better than any other team, apart from their own personal favourites. We have all marvelled at how this side redefined the game at club level, before carrying their modus operandi and success to the Spanish national team, with an even greater win ratio, but the devil is in the detail, and the details point to a vulnerability in Barcelona.
They have won European trophies three times in the last nine seasons but only once in the other six seasons have they been eliminated by a non-British team. Five times in nine seasons they have passed, jinked and outplayed British opposition without creating enough clear-cut chances to win the tie, or by protecting their goal sufficiently well.
Inter parked the bus in the 2010 Champions League semi-final, as only Inter can, but all others across continental Europe have been swept aside, no matter how defensively, flamboyantly or aggressively they play.
The pool of teams capable of beating over two legs Barcelona is admittedly small but any opponent who reaches the knock out stage of a competition from France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy or Spain itself would take their chances seriously. The Russians, Ukrainians and Belgians would have a go too. None of these countries have a single team better than Barca by any objective measure, but the same is true of British teams.
There is something about the high-tempo nature of the British game this team just doesn’t cope well with. If they did, they would have won at least twice as many European trophies as they have in the last nine seasons. If it’s objective evidence you are looking for, you don’t need to look too far for a style of football Barcelona don’t cope with.
Chelsea triumphed twice during the period while Liverpool and Manchester United both won once. The sequence started when Celtic drew 0-0 at the Camp Nou after a 1-0 win in Glasgow in 2004. Liverpool also knocked Barca out three years earlier and don’t ask a Dundee United fan about their exploits at the Camp Nou unless you have an hour to kill!
Play your own game, Celtic.
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Spanish journalist Guillem Balague says:
Barcelona has become more like the Dream Team of Johan Cruyff than a better version of Guardiola’s team.
That means, you will see more than one crazy game/result like this weekend against Depor, a 4-5 game that showed the best of the team (Messi, amazingly enough, hasn’t reached his peak yet; they are capable of playing more direct under the leadership of Cesc or more controlled with Xavi, what a powerful cocktail) and their worst -and Celtic can exploit some of this: poor defending set pieces, exposed at the back with Song and Mascherano, their directness opens up defenses but also stretches their own team, makes it long, so they can´t pressure in packs as they used to.
If Celtic decides to play a box to box game with high tempo, it will be like throwing a coin to the air. If they end up defending deep and offering all the possession to Barcelona, they will be beaten.
Mort
Message to Celtic first from tooting tim:
Guys I am fogged in at Southend airport. Been talking to Celtic_first on CQN about it. Can’t get a data connection up anymore here. Can someone reply to him on my behalf, that we are flying into Barcelona BCN Term 2C. Thanx
may67
12:54 on
23 October, 2012
67 messages showing on my phone. It’s a sign, I tell ya!
———————————————————————–
Answer them ,you ignoramus:O)
I am generally an optimist, and I am liking the articles on Barca Paul67, but realistically we are getting beat. We have nowt to lose, and I am most interested in how we play and how when we get the ball, we are able to retain possession. This for me is the test of how far we have come (and this team has come far with further to go IMO).
Agree though, play our own game,organise well and don’t be afraid to commit numbers forward when we get a chance. You don’t keep the ball by limiting your options to pass it in the opponents half of the field.
Ball on the ground, the Celtic way, against a club almost but not quite as great as our own.
Really looking forward to this……. despite the realism in my thinking – there is always hope. That’s what makes this game special, that’s what makes our club special.
Work to do. Laters y’all.
Voguepunter,
I didnt know that the term P1ss Dartist originated in Ru’glen.
Papua He ran about with my young brother in law and I believe is still friends with him, although one is obviously over with you and the other lives in London. He spent quite a few nights having a drink in my house with my Bro in law when he lived with us.
Please tell him that David Craig’s bro in law was asking and the door is always open for a few beers and a wee reb tune whenever he is home.
Enjoy the game mate.
HH
may67
12:54 on
23 October, 2012
67 messages showing on my phone. It’s a sign, I tell ya!
———————————-
A sign that you don’t look at your phone that often?
I don’t see us getting anything out of this game tonight, at least as points go.
However, I feel this should be a learning experience for the team. They may find that they cope better at home once they have experienced the Barca style of play. And then, who knows?
For that reason I feel we have nothing to lose tonight. A “good account of ourselves” will do me.
Mort
Mjallby said last night we would not defend because our team just could not do it for 90 minutes.
3-2 Celtic.
Kilbowie Kelt
See ,you Bankies didn’t invent everything. HH
Ha!
he has you’re number Voguepunter :¬)
A dartist is a Vogue ism for a dart player
A dirty dartist is the name given to the person who has drawn a target on the back of Voguepunters renowned “armchair”……. so I’m told.
A score draw tonight methinks.
ASonOfDan
Defending for 90m mins would be incredibly tiring on all players and they would also be on the back foot from the start as sub-consiously they would feel that all they could do was to hold out and hope for a draw.
Letting them go for it now and again (nothing really stupid mind) will give them a bit more belief that they can get something from the game and while attacking, defenders will be given a bit of a rest for when the next inevitable onslaught from Barcelona comes.
I think we will be hemmed in a bit at the start and the opening 10-15 mins will be key. If we can avoid conceding at this time and create a couple of chances on breaks, it will give Barcelona something to think about.
Mort
Is Paul67 trying to say
“they dont like it up them captain Mannering” ?
No Puyol Piquet Busquets hmmmmmmmmm
Still we need to get the ball off them first.
Good afternoon,
I am hopeful that we may achieve something tonight– if not then that is fine but there is a right good team in the making at Celtic Park so come on bhoys.
In the interim here is a wee observation on other matters from cycling to impending legal decisions of interest.
By the Rivers of Babylon and fifty shades of …sh.. Whyte?
http://wp.me/s1G95H-21
Into this mob Celtic!
Got £2 on Sammy & 1-0 @651-1!
richie
12:28 on
23 October, 2012
Will watch in the same Aberdeen boozer….Malones. Full of Tims and a great atmosphere assured.
…. The king vic67 will be there!
HH
The Honest Mistake loves being first
Thanks for passing on Tooting Tim’s message. I assumed he was going to Barcelona as, if it was Alicante, all hope was already gone.
Southend Airport says his flight should be away at 13.25. EasyJet are very generous to themselves regarding time, and it’s lost its landing slot, but he should definitely be on the ground by 5.30 pm local time.
Depending on where his hotel is, he ought still to have time to go there, leave his stuff and get to the game. If not, he should use the left luggage at Sants station and then the Metro.
Celtic_First
Got a message for you from TootingTim!
He is fogged in at Southend airport and cant get a data connection on his mobile to message you directly. Says they are flying into Barcelona BCN terminal 2C
Enjoy the game…
Hail Hail
Any of the good fholks on here know of any pubs in the Guildford area showing the game tonight?
Thanks in advance
BM
I remember hearing Billy Stark say that if Xabi and Iniesta had been coming through the youth ranks in Scotland they would have been told that, given their lack of height, they would not make the grade as a Pro.
If these two players couldn’t have made it here then we have nothing to fear from this mob!
Seriously though, I think we’ll score tonight and if Fraser has the game of his life then you never know.
We seem to be becoming increasingly adept at defending and attacking set pieces, much like Martin O’Neill’s team. Hopefully Samaras can go on his meandering runs on that beautiful big surface and win us some free kicks.
When the draw was made I was actually disappointed to be meeting Barca yet again. What was I thinking! So excited for this game.
Has Mrs Messi given birth yet or is it still possible she may go into labour this evening?
Tito Vilanova @FCBarcelona coach: CelticFc are very quick & good on the counter attack. We have to take them seriously.
Praise Indeed.
Hail Hail – A draw me thinks.
SSN,,,,going to speak to Ally McCost at Edinburgh Castle next???
Oh goody!
Is it just me or do Sky Sports give Sevco far too much air time????
HH
Tooting Tim
The only thing about the left luggage at Sants is you have to get back by 11.00 pm to get to your bag. If you go for this, use the metro. It’s only a few stops and will be faster than taxi.
RogueLeader, the height difference is a reason to be hopeful.
RobertTressell, we may lose but teams grow by facing top opposition and conceding nothing until the end.
jc2, exactly.
AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani denies the club are looking to sack manager Massimiliano Allegri after the club’s worst start to a Serie A season in 71 years.
“There’s no desire to change the coach,” says Galliani. “Allegri is staying in place, he just needs to get the squad to start earning points and to find a solution to get out of this situation.”
Milan are currently 15th, and travel to Spain to face Malaga in the Champions League on Wednesday.
He also confirmed reports he will resort to wearing a shell suit on matchday were unfounded.
Looking forward to the game , my head says defeat but come k.o
my heart will be saying we can do this. A point will be a great
result.
To all bhoys and ghirls having problems travelling hope you
get there in plenty of time.
Lou macari said on talksport that if celtic win, it would
be bigger than 1967. Dont agree with that the only
thing bigger would be winning it again
HH
Celtic +2 goals @ 12-5 £30 on that one.
Samaras to get the last goal 100-1…
Highland MSPs John Finnie and Jean Urquhart have resigned from the SNP over the party’s decision to end its long-standing opposition to Nato.
The pair described the decision as “heart-wrenching” and said they would continue to sit as independent MSPs with no official party affiliation.
Party leader Alex Salmond said he was saddened by the resignations.
The SNP now has a majority of one at Holyrood, although the MSPs said they would support most party policy
From the TSFM Blog.
BTW lets not get to focused or indifferent here, lets wish Glasgow Celtic the best of luck tonight. A tough tough assignment – one good thing though, we can rest assured that both the team and the fans will do Scotland proud whatever the result.
Score more goals than them,good chance we will.
http://www.png-csc.com
Try not to p*** yourself with laughter whilst reading this one.
Back in 2004, Rangers fans came closer than anyone knows to the extraordinary prospect of Lionel Messi, or indeed Andres Iniesta, playing on loan at Ibrox
THE REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION OF ‘BARCA: THE MAKING OF THE GREATEST TEAM IN THE WORLD’ – PUBLISHED BY BACKPAGE PRESS – IS NOW OUT IN PAPERBACK AND ACROSS ALL DIGITAL PLATFORMS
Alex McLeish has always had an adventurous outlook on how to add quality to his squads. He has always loved European football and his early managerial success, at Hibernian in Scotland, centred around his imaginative recruitment of the former France defender Franck Sauzee and Russell Latapy, a magical midfielder from Porto – this when Hibs had been relegated from the Scottish Premier League.
As Rangers manager, he succeeded with Mikel Arteta, a La Masia graduate, Jean-Alain Boumsong and Dado Prso. However, during the 2003-04 season he came closest to the greatest coup of his career.
McLeish recalled: “Jan Wouters was my assistant at Ibrox at the time and I asked him whether or not he knew Frank Rijkaard and if he’d be willing to get in touch to check if there were some quality youngsters who might benefit us because of their talents, but who could gain experience in Scotland before returning to Barca.
“Jan told me that he was slightly friendlier with Rijkaard’s assistant, Henk ten Cate, and our scouts had already been aware of Leo Messi’s growing reputation at youth level.
“We didn’t have a big budget at the time and the previous season we’d taken some bigger-name players on free contracts or low transfer fees but higher wages. This time, we thought that the fans might be a little bit more understanding if we brought younger or less experienced players, but who were evidently of good quality.
“Ten Cate and Jan Wouters had chats about us taking Messi on loan, but the guidance from Henk was that he was probably too young and possibly too slight to get benefit from Scottish football. Our view was that Barca were probably hedging their bets at the time. Even then, they knew how good he was and they must have thought that letting him go to British football might be a risk because of the tough tackling and the physicality, but they were also obviously unsure about how quickly he might actually make the Barca first team. We caught them just in the middle of that process of working out what they wanted to do with Messi, but during the discussions Henk said to Jan that we should do ourselves a favour and take Iniesta on loan instead.
“I think his exact words were, ‘This boy is going to be a world beater’, which he proved against the Netherlands in South Africa. Henk told us that Iniesta ‘sees the picture in front of him’, earlier than anyone and that he’s got a great pass and an ability to beat people.
“Eventually we made a formal enquiry; I think it would have been towards the end of the 2004-05 season. But Messi played brilliantly in the Youth World Cup and Barcelona were sure that they wouldn’t loan him. Then Iniesta scored in a big pre-season game which meant that the club couldn’t really loan him out without losing face. It was a pity nothing worked out because I’d been really excited at the idea of one of them coming for a season.
“The other thing about Messi was that my kids were into that Championship Manager game and they’d told me about him when he was only 12 or 13, that he was going to be a superstar.”
“The other thing about Messi was that my kids were into that Championship Manager game and they’d told me about him when he was only 12 or 13, that he was going to be a superstar”
Ferran Soriano was one of Barca’s two vice-presidents at the time and recalls well the fierce debate galvanized by Rangers’ determination to take either Messi or Iniesta on loan.
“At the time of the Rangers interest there were lots of discussions about Iniesta. I remember Henk defending his logic saying, ‘The guy’s small, he doesn’t have the strength, maybe we send him elsewhere for a couple of years and then we’ll see’.
“He liked Mark van Bommel, for example, a symbol of which is the Champions League final in 2006, where they [Rijkaard and Ten Cate] started with Van Bommel and the game changed when Iniesta came on for him.
“In those discussions about whether to loan to Rangers, history and tradition played a role. I remember [Txiki] Begiristain and [Joan] Laporta, the old guys, the local guys, defending Iniesta very, very strongly and saying, ‘No, this guy has talent, he has to stay’, and they were proved right.
“It wasn’t easy to argue because the guy is small and at the time our rivalry was with Chelsea. We had several Champions League games against them. He was playing against guys like [Michael] Essien, who is three times bigger than him. So, it was a tough debate. Now it wouldn’t be an issue, but it was tough then.”
Watching the game in Paddy Murphy’s in Rotterdam tonight.
Full of Hope and trepidation !
No early rise for work tomorrow either, so if we win it might be a long night !
No early goals celtic
The fat useless one at Embra Castle?!
Is he going to jump?!
Or be pushed?!
Should be hilarious anyway!
HH!!
The whole world will be watching tonight. Hope we’re in the hoops!
All this positivity is making me dizzy….need to go for a lie down.
There’s one of these tweety things doing the rounds from swimmer Michael Jamieson:
“Supposed to be at the Palace today meeting Queen Liz but I’d never have made it back in time for the Hoops game! #priorities #hailhail”
Conventional wisdom contends that our best chance to get a result tonight will be from set pieces. So who am I to argue with that?
I have my fingers crossed that Efe, Charlie, Sammi and Wilson will create havoc from free kicks and corners, undermining Barcelona’s confidence and creating doubts in their minds.
A couple of years ago I would have been watching this from behind the couch. This afternoon like every other Celt around the world I will be feeling hopeful especially if we survive the first 20 minutes and contain the best footballer in the world at the moment.
‘GG
Raising money for ‘the troops’ says the fat useless one?!
Will they ever see any of it?!
Nice setting for the zombies – dreich, cold and foggy!
Sure beats Barcelona – eh?!
HH!!