Barça 2 Getafe 1
Saturday, 06 February 10, 12:00 PM · Comments (15)
Barça earned another three points tonight after a heroic 2-1 win over Getrafe. An early goal from Leo Messi seemed to have put us on the road to an easy victory but the game was complicated by the sending off of Gerard Piqué after 25 minutes. However, we adapted superbly to the circumstances and had the better chances during the rest of the game, Xavi scored our second midway through the second half and Getafe had to wait until injury time to pull a goal back after Rafa Marquez gave away a penalty. Marquez was also sent off for this foul and we therefore finioshed the game with nine men but fortunately there was not time for Getafe to look for the equalizer.
Barça had to change plans after Dani Alves noticed a muscle twinge during the pre-match warm-up which meant Maxwell had to come in at right back, and we also had a return to the team for Toure Yaya, Seydou Keita and Gabi Milito. We didn't notice any negative signs from the changes and began the game in excellent form, it's true that Getafe rested Casquero and Manu with an eye on their Copa del Rey semi-final and in the first twenty minutes it looked like we could be looking at a big win. Messi put us in front after seven minutes curling in a beauty from 25 yards after Toure had laid the ball back to him, and Messi had three more good chances in the opening spell, the best after a fantastic move in the 19th minute after combining with Maxwell and Ibrahimovic.
The game changed in the 25th minute after we failed to clear the ball, Piqué attempted to dribble the ball out but he let the ball run too far and he jumped in to try and recover the ball, unfortunately he committed a nasty looking foul and the ref didn't hesitate to show him the red card. I don't think there was any malicious intent on Piqué's part and many players escape without punishment for deliberate fouls but Piqué paid for his mistake and suddenly things were not nearly as comfortable as they had been.
Toure moved into defence but for a few minutes we looked disorganised, Valdés twice had to save efforts from Miku, but as we approached half time Xavi had a chance with a header and then Messi sent Ibrahimovic through but after dribbling to the side of the keeper his shot was cleared off the line by a defender.
Soldado had a good chance early in the second half when he met a cross from the right and Valdés had to be alert to save. Soon after Guardiola brought on Busquets for Ibrahimovic and we switched to a 4-4-1 formation with Messi on his own up front. However, with Busquets doing the holding job in midfield, Xavi, Keita and Iniesta had more freedom to support Messi, and we began to see some fantastic work from Messi and Iniesta to keep possession and also to create chances. In the 59th minute Messi, Xavi and Iniesta combined to set up Keita who missed a fantastic chance, shooting into the sidenetting.
Then in the 67th minute Abidal broke up a Getafe attack, the ball came to Marquez who played the ball forward to Xavi in the centre circle, Xavi played the ball right to Messi who set off on a superb run towards the edge of the penalty area, all the defence followed Messi which left Xavi open to receive Messi's pass and coolly beat the keeper at the near post to put us two up.
Getafe struggled to put us under any pressure and our defence held firm with an especially good performance from Milito, but the defence didn't have too much to do thanks mainly to the excellent possession football from Xavi, Iniesta and Messi. Near the end Keita had another great chance which he missed but by then it wasn't so important. Getafe's goal at the end was anecdotal but it was the first league goal we have conceded since the draw with Villarreal at the start of January.
We should be very satisfied with the performance tonight, after some good attacking early on the team rose to the circumstances after Piqué's dismissal and tactically we were superb. As we had done against Real Madrid when we were down to ten men we concentrated on keeping possession rather than defending deep and with Xavi, Iniesta and Messi we have a trio who are experts in keeping the ball. We should also be happy with Maxwell who filled in well at right back, and I was delighted to see such a solid performance from Gabi Milito, with Piqué playing a bit below his level of last season we may even see Milito winning a place in the first choice eleven if he continues like this.
Barça: Valdés 7.5; Maxwell 7.5, Piqué 5, Milito 8, Abidal 7.5; Xavi 8, Toure 7 (Marquez m58, 6.5), Keita 6; Messi 9, Ibrahimovic 6 (Busquets m52, 6.5), Iniesta 8.5 (Pedro m90, --).
Goals: m7 Messi 1-0, m67 Xavi 2-0, m94 Soldado (pen) 2-1.
Barça yellow cards: m24 Maxwell, m26 Xavi, m82 Busquets.
Barça red cards: m25 Piqué, m92 Marquez
Attendance: 74,859
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| Comments (15)
15 Comments · Add yours
What a nerve wrecking game . I was NOT surprised with any of the cards that Xavi,Pique and Marquez received .
Xavi is the motor that makes the team click but he tends to engage himself in unnecessary arguments with referees . Guardiola needs to put his foot down and tell the players to cut it out .
We can not afford a player like Xavi .
I was also NOT surprised at all with both red cards .
Pique is a solid defender but he can be awkward and clumsy with the ball . He lost the ball and then reacted in such a dumb fashion . All he needed to do is collect himself and get back on defense .
Marquez' red card was harsh . It was a clear dive by Blanko but the creep fooled Marquez and instead of using his "brain?" Marquez fell for it and made contact . What a dumb ass . This is NOT the first and it will NOT be the last time .
He will NOT be missed !!
I meant to say ," We can not afford to LOSE a player like Xavi ."
toure rating 7 ..but still substituted.. ??
why Pep , why ??
nyways happy for the win.. wud watch some higlites..
mrjomi --- toure looked kind of injured when he got substituted, i hope it isnt that serious though
Henry...clearly finished here at FCB. Sad that it had to end like it has.
Nice win despite some Barca brain fades...Marquez in particular has been nothing short of terrible since he has come back, and I feel is another player who will be out the door sooner rather than later.
Abidal had another great game and he seems to be getting into the opponents box much more and there was two instances in the game where he was free in the box but did'nt get the ball, I feel he is going to get a goal soon and I hope he does because he deserves it.
Prior to the first red cad it was officially last season's football back again..
Maxwell had one of the best performances I've ever seen, Keita may have missed a couple of easy chances but I think players like him and Abidal are important in circumstances like these, extremely high work rate.
Ibrahimovic should have had 2 assists last night, one for Messi and one for Xavi.
Overall, I think it was one of the most entertaining game in recent memory, and a big evidence to the tactical improvement that we saw under Guardiola.
Goals and highlights . German commentator but good quality video !!
LINK
It was funny watching Maxwell, he seem's to be better at right back than left back.
I wonder what the Madrid press will cook up about last nights performance. Us lucky favourites???????...
Toure was playing great. Powerhouse at the back. Iniesta was exercising some good skill, and what a goal from Messi!!
I cannot believe Seydou Kieta missed the target on booth those chance's too!
Hey ho, another three points in the bag
Maxwell had an excellent game on the right side of the defense .It is much easier for a player who is technically solid to adapt to another position. Same applies to Milito who had an encouraging game despite the long absence from the squad . Let's hope he can step in to cover for the dumb-ass expulsions of Pique and Marquez . I thought Keita had a poor game overall and wasted two easy scoring opportunities .
We would be better off with Iniesta in LM and Pedro as a LW .
I thought Messi, Iniesta and Xavi(unnecessary yellow card) were at their best as usual .
Toure had a good game and assisted on Messi's goal . Unfortunately he could be out for as long as two weeks .
I hope we don't see Abidal filling in as a CB.Worst case scenario !!
Here is my line up for the Atletico game :
Valdes
Pujol Milito Chygrynskiy Maxwell
Xavi Iniesta Keita
Messi Ibrahimovic Pedro
Maxwell like Pabman said seems better as a RB than a LB...It'd be great if he could play on both sides as that'd give us a lot of options.
@Nic: With the crisis (or deja vu in my opinion considering Prof Wenger's transfer inactivity) at Arsenal there has been a lot of noise regarding the possible return of Fabregas to the Nou Camp. Whats the news in Barcelona about the chance of Fab returning home in the summer?
Omerpk - Yes there is a lot of newspaper talk about the possible return of Fabregas, today they say that he is looking to buy a house in Barcelona. However, I wouldn't pay too much attention, there may well be interest to buy him but arriving at a deal with Arsenal will not be easy. For me the priority should be a left winger, David Silva or Ribery would fit the bill nicely.
nic,
Totally agree . I don't think Fabregas is our top priority . We desperately need a quality LW and David Silva could be our best bet . He has the Barça style and he gels so well with Messi ,Xavi and Iniesta .
He is the IDEAL player to get but signing him could prove to be even harder than getting Fabregas . Those dickheads from Valencia will make it almost impossible for us to get him .
I don;t think we have a chance of signing Ribery . He is already a Madrid player . Zidane made sure of that months ago . The main reason Madrid employed Zidane in the first place is to help them get Benzema and Ribery . Besides Ribery is too fragile . He tends to be sidelined for months for the slightest injury . I say forget him !!
I agree that I don't think we will get Ribery. He has the stain of Madrid all over him.
I'd like to see us sign a world class name to left wing. I just struggle to think of anyone that fits. Silva is a good recommendation. Is there anyone better???????????
Hmmmmmmmmmm????????????
What a nerve wrecking game . I was NOT surprised with any of the cards that Xavi,Pique and Marquez received .
Xavi is the motor that makes the team click but he tends to engage himself in unnecessary arguments with referees . Guardiola needs to put his foot down and tell the players to cut it out .
We can not afford a player like Xavi .
I was also NOT surprised at all with both red cards .
Pique is a solid defender but he can be awkward and clumsy with the ball . He lost the ball and then reacted in such a dumb fashion . All he needed to do is collect himself and get back on defense .
Marquez' red card was harsh . It was a clear dive by Blanko but the creep fooled Marquez and instead of using his "brain?" Marquez fell for it and made contact . What a dumb ass . This is NOT the first and it will NOT be the last time .
He will NOT be missed !!
I meant to say ," We can not afford to LOSE a player like Xavi ."
toure rating 7 ..but still substituted.. ??
why Pep , why ??
nyways happy for the win.. wud watch some higlites..
mrjomi --- toure looked kind of injured when he got substituted, i hope it isnt that serious though
Henry...clearly finished here at FCB. Sad that it had to end like it has.
Nice win despite some Barca brain fades...Marquez in particular has been nothing short of terrible since he has come back, and I feel is another player who will be out the door sooner rather than later.
Abidal had another great game and he seems to be getting into the opponents box much more and there was two instances in the game where he was free in the box but did'nt get the ball, I feel he is going to get a goal soon and I hope he does because he deserves it.
Prior to the first red cad it was officially last season's football back again..
Maxwell had one of the best performances I've ever seen, Keita may have missed a couple of easy chances but I think players like him and Abidal are important in circumstances like these, extremely high work rate.
Ibrahimovic should have had 2 assists last night, one for Messi and one for Xavi.
Overall, I think it was one of the most entertaining game in recent memory, and a big evidence to the tactical improvement that we saw under Guardiola.
Goals and highlights . German commentator but good quality video !!
LINK
It was funny watching Maxwell, he seem's to be better at right back than left back.
I wonder what the Madrid press will cook up about last nights performance. Us lucky favourites???????...
Toure was playing great. Powerhouse at the back. Iniesta was exercising some good skill, and what a goal from Messi!!
I cannot believe Seydou Kieta missed the target on booth those chance's too!
Hey ho, another three points in the bag
Maxwell had an excellent game on the right side of the defense .It is much easier for a player who is technically solid to adapt to another position. Same applies to Milito who had an encouraging game despite the long absence from the squad . Let's hope he can step in to cover for the dumb-ass expulsions of Pique and Marquez . I thought Keita had a poor game overall and wasted two easy scoring opportunities .
We would be better off with Iniesta in LM and Pedro as a LW .
I thought Messi, Iniesta and Xavi(unnecessary yellow card) were at their best as usual .
Toure had a good game and assisted on Messi's goal . Unfortunately he could be out for as long as two weeks .
I hope we don't see Abidal filling in as a CB.Worst case scenario !!
Here is my line up for the Atletico game :
Valdes
Pujol Milito Chygrynskiy Maxwell
Xavi Iniesta Keita
Messi Ibrahimovic Pedro
Maxwell like Pabman said seems better as a RB than a LB...It'd be great if he could play on both sides as that'd give us a lot of options.
@Nic: With the crisis (or deja vu in my opinion considering Prof Wenger's transfer inactivity) at Arsenal there has been a lot of noise regarding the possible return of Fabregas to the Nou Camp. Whats the news in Barcelona about the chance of Fab returning home in the summer?
Omerpk - Yes there is a lot of newspaper talk about the possible return of Fabregas, today they say that he is looking to buy a house in Barcelona. However, I wouldn't pay too much attention, there may well be interest to buy him but arriving at a deal with Arsenal will not be easy. For me the priority should be a left winger, David Silva or Ribery would fit the bill nicely.
nic,
Totally agree . I don't think Fabregas is our top priority . We desperately need a quality LW and David Silva could be our best bet . He has the Barça style and he gels so well with Messi ,Xavi and Iniesta .
He is the IDEAL player to get but signing him could prove to be even harder than getting Fabregas . Those dickheads from Valencia will make it almost impossible for us to get him .
I don;t think we have a chance of signing Ribery . He is already a Madrid player . Zidane made sure of that months ago . The main reason Madrid employed Zidane in the first place is to help them get Benzema and Ribery . Besides Ribery is too fragile . He tends to be sidelined for months for the slightest injury . I say forget him !!
I agree that I don't think we will get Ribery. He has the stain of Madrid all over him.
I'd like to see us sign a world class name to left wing. I just struggle to think of anyone that fits. Silva is a good recommendation. Is there anyone better???????????
Hmmmmmmmmmm????????????