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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Best wishes and good luck to Celtic Football Club.
Do us proud.
Some interesting Stats from Opta….
Barcelona have won 14 and lost none of their last 17 Champions League games at the Nou Camp.
Barcelona have won four and lost none of their last seven European games against Scottish opponents.
Barca have won four and lost just one of the eight European matches they have played against Celtic.
Celtic have failed to score in four of their last five European games against Spanish opponents, including the last three in Spain.
The Scottish champions have failed to score in nine of their last 13 European matches in Spain, netting just once in each of the other four games.
Lionel Messi has scored (53) or assisted (17) 70 goals in 70 Champions League appearances.
Barcelona have lost just one of their last 20 Champions League games (W15 D4 L1).
Scott Brown has committed more fouls than any other player in the Champions League (8).
Barcelona have the best passing accuracy in the opposition half (92%) while Celtic have the lowest completion rate (65%).
53% of Celtic’s attempts at goal have come from set plays, the highest proportion in the Champions League.
I thought the last stat was massive, it may even go higher tonight….
HH
Why,ffs,are stv not showing the match tonight?
That is shameful.
Just a Bhoys Game.
I dont think STV get much of a say in this one.
Current agreement is for terrestrial ITV to nominate 1 game and SKY take the rest.
I would assume that the fault lies with the regions in England who will have opted for Man U . Also ITV does not usually cover away games.until later stages
( Can’t believe I’m defending STV !!! … away for a lie down)
The Onlooker
Hills giving 66/1 for Hooper to score anytime and Celtic to win.
Son of Gabriel
14:18
Thanks mate! It would add extra spring to my step if the Celts can get something out of tonight’s game! I would say there is some craic right at this very moment down in Las Ramblas!
Marti
Lies,damn’ lies,and statistics.
: > )
Bada Bing @ 14.22
-“Off topic-The Thick Of It, Enquiry episode at the weekend was brilliant.”
It certainly was. So was the Donald Trump docu the other night. I’m now relying on the Barca-Celtic game tonight to make it 3 good TV programmes in a week for the first time since the original Crossroads was axed back in the 80s.
going out to get the carry out,
nervous and excited,
FOSTER
LUSTIQ AMBROSE WILSON IZAGUIRRE
BROWN KAYAL WANYAMA LEDLEY MULGREW
SAMARAS
we’ll probably concede goals,we have done to lesser teams,
but we can score
BB
TALLYBHOY
Good to see you back on the blog.
Thought your good ladies had maybe put the kybosh on it.
Absolutely hanging Friday morning,curers were the order of the day;nearly undone my good work over the previous fortnight.
How was your soup? Assuming Provan and Walker didnae turn up,of course……….
just popped in to pop oot again.
MWD
I don’t cope well with Celtic teams…..
Anyone know what price Efe is with ladbrokes to score anytime in 90mins (25s with hills)
There’ll never be a newco Crossroads, that’s for sure.
DBBIA/AmyTurtleCSC
DBBIA
Surprised that you, your Flying V and your brass neck are still around, after that Wishbone Ash revelation yesterday.
;-)
leftclicktic
25s is the best rate excluding the exchanges.
Efe Anytime & Celtic is 275/1 with PP.
HH
Ryan\o/D
Thank you :)))
Till later
“Oscar Knox celtic warrior YNWA” HAIL HAIL
It’s said that the bookies don’t often get it wrong – well hopefully tonight will be one of those rare occassions.
Ole Johnny- I had almost the perfect journey into work the day, weavin’ through the ole windfarms to a live version of ‘The Phoenix’, featurin’ the twin lead guitar pyrotechnics of ole Ted and Andy.
The only thing that could have improved it is if somehow at the end it had somehow segued into ‘Freebird’ featurin’ the triplet lead guitar pyrotechnics of Ed, Allen and Steve.
leftclicktic – Mulgrew or Wanyama better anytime bets.
Mulgrew – aerial threat plus his free kicks
Wanyama – it was reported last night the corners being practiced were for Wanyama. Direct pass and a Sammy near post flick on were both being practiced
RogueLeader
You’re better informed than the Barca coaching staff! I was thinking Charlie myself because of the free kick threat. 65-1 with Betfair at the minute to score last.
I was just thinking, the great thing about this time of the day is that we are allowed to dream! That being the case…..
Hooper to score first and a 2-2 scoreline is 200-1 on Betfair :-)
Fiver anyone ?
Marti
I watched the Parliamentary committee giving George Entwistle the once over – The BBC chief executive uttered these exact words
“Whenever the BBC puts something into the public domain it has an obligation, an ongoing obligation, to ensure the accuracy of that thing of whatever it is we have put out there”
He went on later to say that they (the BBC) has a duty to correct any inaccuracies.
Someone should tell BBC Scotland when it comes to the crap they report on the status of Oldco / Newco
I just hope we don’t score too early and piss them off…
RogueLeader
14:59 on
23 October, 2012
sssssssssh!
MWD
Enjoy the occasion,bud.
I really envy every Celtic supporter who is in Barcelona tonight,and I’m not much given to envy.
It’s one of the Seven Deady Sins,which can see you BANISHED from good company.
Is cliping one of them,too?
Rumours abound.Zaluska in goals,Forster centre forward,somehow I think we will be having an aerial bombardment.I think my nerves are beginning to show.HH
Lynyrd Skynyrd were named after Leonard Skinner – a mocking tribute to a physical-education teacher at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida who was notorious for strictly enforcing the school’s policy against boys having long hair.
Thankfully our #9Enigma was schooled in Heraklion (Crete), and not Jacksonville (Florida), otherwise the goal he scores at the Nou Camp tonight might never have happened.
Talking of world records – given the relatively cheap price of their season tickets and the amount of tickets they give away free – surely they hold the world record for the least amount of money raised for a match with a 45,000+ attendance ?
It usually costs more for 1 single European away trip than it does for one of their season tickets.
BTW, there were 1200 Queens Park fans at the game at the weekend – pretty good
I have just seen two guys in Glasgow city centre wearing Sevconian scarves.
Is there a game tonight in some lower league bounce tournament or were they just showing off?
Scotland are British when it comes to what gets shown on terrestrial TV but when it comes to diving up the cash for the British TV deal we are suddenly Scottish again!
Strange that
Lost wifi connection twice today but okay so far TOT3g aircard.Doubt cable tv here (Phitsanuloc) will have, weekend no Scottish (goal 2). Looking forward to good and plenty updates, Celtic 1st are you in action with that crisp radio style commentary.
Cumbernauld no 1 Colin Mathie on Twitter: “It’s going to be a humiliation for them at the Nou Camp, 5-0 Barca.”
Conflicting beliefs about Celtic,
I wonder what team he supports?
“Humiliated” by Barca or by Stirling… Any comparison??
Play well Celtic, do your best, and you cannot be humiliated.
Have a great night everybody, unfortunately I’m om my todd,traveling but updates!!!
Good afternoon all,
Only chance to drop in to cqn today so Hail Hail and lots of good luck to the Bhoys tonight.
In the grand scheme of things we have absolutely nothing to lose as wea re not expected to live with Barcelona BUT who knows?????
Barca have an awful lot of players missing from defence and although there forward players are THE very best in the world they are looking a little vulnerable at the back so anything is possible.
not sure we will get anything tonight but there is a very special fell about this current squad. I just hope we go out and play to our strenghts and give it absolutely everything!
the rest will look after itself
Proud to be a Celt as ever
Hail Hail
Tusker
Thanks for asking. I only do that when I have no means of watching the Hoops, such as most home games when I rely on audio from Celtic TV and, like a good few others, am happy to relay to CQNers around the world what is going on.
Tonight, it’s the CSC for me, amigo.
Nice shot of Barca now
bournesouprecipe
Those lucky lucky Bhoys! What I wouldn’t give to be there. Looking outside my window at work here in Dublin and it’s horribly grey with a mizzley rain falling on and off. Ah well, my day will come!
Marti
Looking at Barca’s stats this season. How the hell do any of us think we will get a result tonight?
Don’t get me wrong I have put £43.00 on various bets, all of them positive for Celtic and honestly think we can do it tonight.
But why?
I suppose my hero Tommy Burns summed it up best.
“I’m sure also that players who come to Celtic from outside of Scotland eventually grasp not only how big this club is, but also the glory of being part of this great club’s history: they leave with a feeling that this club is something special.”
On a weeks holiday..cider chilling in fridge, ice in freezer and vodka for mrs frantic..now what can possibly go wrong! Down to the local see if any zombonians are about for a light hearted chat! May the force be strong with Lenny and the bhoys tonight.
leftclick-18/1