Barça 3 Sporting Lisbon 1

A very odd game tonight. At times it looked like we were playing an unimportant friendly, at times we looked a bit interested, but overall it was a flat performance that needs a very large amount of improvement. Its a win which is good, finally scored from open play (a carbon copy goal against Russia in Euro), but ive rarely felt so uninspired and convinced from a 3-1 win. And how bad was the refereeing, honestly!

The best players I thought were definitely Marquez and Pique. Pique was great with tackles and headers and really showed his physical side tonight, while Marquez was very composed, well positioned and showed good passing. Puyol too was great, did well covering the left and. Amazingly our defence looked better with just 3 proper defenders, than with 4 (thought that missing fourth one cant really be called a proper anything).

Pep once again showed initiative and tactical thinking playing a hybrid 3 back with Alves as wingback, and I liked it a lot, especially for teams that want to play us as defensively as we are use to. But against better teams I think it could be very risky. However, I was slightly unhappy with Pep’s subs, leaving on no proper forward, and then for some strange reason taking off Puyol for Sylvinho when clearly we should have taken out Keita and just left a simple back 4. And despite Keita having a pretty ok game, I still think Yaya is of much better quality both on and off the ball, and as soon as he came on his presence was already much bigger. Im worried extended bench time will motivate his exit, which would be terribly sad. I hate seeing him off the field.

I have given up on Henry entirely, despite him not being awful, I don’t think he will ever know how to play in our system and just doesn’t seem to have a drop of the talent and magic he had in years before. Etoo too also was very flat today, looked unsharp, and needs to improve drastically.

BUT, by FAR my most worrying part of the game tonight was Messi! (i never thought id say that). He did some moves and dribbles tonight of ABSOLUTE genius, but he was very lazy and his body language and facial expressions really really worried me. Hopefully he is still tired and jetlagged, but it looked more than that. I really hope this isn’t some “Ronaldinho syndrome” in the making. He just looked very unhappy, annoyed and frustrated.

Iniesta was magic going forward, really happy with him. And Xavi as usual was his brilliant self, but with him, I know every game its the same, so it doesn’t suprise me. But overall there is still A LOT of energy, killer instinct, and confidence missing with this team. We are a ways away from where we need to be. RIGHT NOW, we have no chance of winning the CL. The players at times looked bored, like they just wanted the game to finish so they could go home. I just got a weird feeling from it.

But a win is a win, and lets hope we build from here this weekend at Gijon.

didnt realize puyol was injured so that sub wasnt too bad then. and right at the top i meant unconfident, NOT confident with the win.

It was a delight to see Barcelona win this game in style.

I was surprised to see Puyol be placed on the left side instead of Sylvinho. Then again its captain Puyol. His versatility allows him to play anywhere and it was evident when he pretty much snuffed out any attack that came his way. Once again this man proves that he is just too good

Pique's performance was exceptional today. I was really impressed to see him impose himself on other opponents. He barely put a foot wrong. It was a good idea to bring him back to Barcelona.

Iniesta is too good on the left wing.

Keita was really good at controlling the midfield.

Compared to his abysmal performances in the past, Henry performed really well. He was running circles around the defence and had some nice shots on goal too. He had a decent performance on the wing and improved further when he momentarily swapped places with eto'o from time to time.

Glad to see Barcelona go back to its winning ways. Its only a matter of time when Barcelona begins to score plenty of goals. Their passing and ability to keep posession is absolutely exceptional

oh yeah either sporting cant tackle or they like to step on their opponent's feet alot

also eto'o needs to improve his touch

Hurricane IKE knocked down my power on Friday so i missed my first Barca game since Rivaldo/ Sonny Anderson were scoring goals. Does anyone have any links for highlights of the game today? thanks

Why is gudjohnson still on this team did't i tell him to move .

now i see why guardiola wanted a striker eto'o sucked ass and is undependable, he has lost yards of pace i don't really trust him, he just scored the penalty and that's it i don't know why guardiola contines playing this henry eto'o combo it ill never work ,henry looses the ball too easily on that left side and always does the same thing drags it to the left and ""crosses"" ,

the BEST forward 3 is INIESTA (left) HENRY/eto'o(centre) Messi (right) NUTHING ELSE!!!

And oh BTW did u see those two jinxing run's by messi he just danced around in the box and defenders were falling left and right and that run through the center were he just faints' to the left and swiches direction to the right leaving the defender tackling his shadow,hahahahah .he looks buffed up now he can stand more shoulder to shoulder tackles

match was ok, i hope we are stil on d improvin track.....
my points:
-i dont knw why pep just prefers keita to toure outrightly, toure was one of our best players last season and he really brings something different to our midfield

- our left side is damn empty....one of messi/hleb needs to specialize there, i wouldnt like iniesta too though he can play there as well as any

- messi was kinda wack today apart from some wonder moves...i tink he's startin to learn that football can never be easy...from numancia to paraguay to peru.....he has to learn to maintain his cool...nobody wil let him continue dancin round them foreva, there always b new tactics to stop him but if he's really d best(which he is), he surely rise above all the challenges

- there's something not right about eto'o but i believe he soon get into his stride soon as we start playin well....one should also note that one of the consequences of the tactics being used against us is that eto'o will just be like a grain of sand in a desert

@Rivaldo10: LINK

See link for highlights.

Two words: most excellent! And, of course, wouldn't it be Señor Hernandez to be waiting to drive the final nail in for that match. The man never stops his runs. So many players can learn a lot from watching how Xavi runs without the ball.

Xavi is god

layibi: you and i had very similar pts again, you see the game objectively. glad to see someone also noticed messi and commented on him. i think you may be right about him being a bit young and after a few very tough matches here and south america he was frustrated. hopefully it was just that. guardiola needs to council him on that.

but this game was miles from an excellent win, far far from it. if anyone believes it was your standards for the team have dropped absymally. it was a good platform to win, ease some pressure and hopefuly build on. but a performance like that against good opposition will NOT cut it.

movement of the ball was great or more convincing than their previous 2 league games. but there's nothing to be excited about, more of relief. but it would be too early to judge the coach right now. rijkaard didnt get it right straight away when he took the helm so i guess we'd have to assess him at a later stage.

i agree with some comments above that the players didn't look hungry enough. barsa better get moving soon!

I think people are reading a bit too much into the whole Yaya vs Keita thing. They are different players with different strenghts and Pep is simply using the best player for the game. Yaya is a pure destroyer and in that sense he is far superior to Keita, but in games where the opposing team is going to stick 9 men behind the ball do we really need a purely defensive player in our midfield. Keita is much better at going forward, his passing is faster and he keeps the midfield moving quickly, and because of that when we are playing against 9 men behind the ball he is simply a better option. Pep is selecting the best team for the game and not selecting players based on their perceived starting preference (something frank never did). I am sure you will see a lot of Yaya this season but it will be in the tougher games against opponenents who might actually dare to venture out of their end of the pitch. I think you will see Yaya start most of the big games. It is a long season and there are plenty of games to come. Pep knows Yayas worth and he will use him, i wouldnt worry too much about that.

The same goes for Bojan. I have read a lot of people asking why he wasnt brought on instead of Pedro. Well, again this was a tactical decision and it paid off. Pedro brings something that Bojan doesnt and that is pure width. He is a proper winger and not a striker converted into a winger. He makes run after run down the right/left and he can put good balls into the box. He doesnt look to cut in at every opporunity like Bojan/Messi. By putting him on the right and moving Messi to the middle Pep was changing the dynamic of the attack. Sporting couldnt pack the box anymore because they had to track Pedro who kept flying down the right, this consequently gave Messi a lot more space. Near the end of the game he was able to make several runs down the middle and found space much more easily and that is because Pedro was spreading the defence.

Its nice to see Pep changes things up a bit in these games and not sticking to the same thing. Had he brought on Bojan it would have been the same attack, by bringing on Pedro he changed it up a bit.

The game in general was good, not excellent by any means, but satisfactory at this stage. Blaugranaboy I usually agree a lot with you and while most of your points are valid I think you are expecting slightly too much from this team at this stage. We have a new manager with a new style as well as some new players. The team needs time to gel and to find their feet. I dont think we will see the best of Barca till Jan but we will get better and better and the early signs are positive. With each game we move the ball better, faster and with more intent. The new players are starting to understand each other and the team better. The defence is improving SLOWLY, but its better than nothing. You cannot change a team overnight and I am sure you know that.

Also I like Pep A LOT! Tactically he is very aware, he is not afraid to make bold "unpopular" decisions and he selects his team based on the players strengths and not the players so called standing within a team.

As for Henry he is getting better and I think he will have a good season. He had a good showing last night. He was a lot sharper and he made his presence known on the pitch. Eto'o is still looking for match fitness and Messi had a less than spectacular night by his standards. He was clearly getting frustrated at first, who can blame him with 3 opposing players closing him down everytime he saw the ball. That being said he seemed to get over it in the 2nd half so I wouldnt worry too much. He has had a long week and an even longer summer. Give him 2 weeks and he will be back to his best.

is it just me or is Marquez the only fellow who scores headers off corners? I can only remember him being able to score those.

Let's not set the hopes to high after this game, Nic. Yes, we did well, but the opponent didn't really play football and were weak in the defence. Absolutely, there has been improvement, but I think we need a tougher opponent to messure our strength...

And Nic, congratulations on your correct prediction! I thought my 2-1 would hold stick, but that darn Xavi came in the way

Best thing for me was when Puyol was rushed by the littlebarca mascots, just before they walked out onto the pich. They had to be restrained when they saw him.

kkkkkk
waaaaaaaaaaw it's great after disappointed we will reach the level we need before.
the result was great and i like always win .
all in all forget the last three games now our players have more confidence and that's great.
i appretiate all players thanks what you did last night and i hope to be contineus like this .
i am very glad man of the match(XAVI) he deserve more and more .
ineista was great , titi also great during the game all four backs was good,
but what the fucking messi was disappointed he made more runing but he look like disappointed player let's hope he will be the best next game.
what about kieta,kieta is good but i don't know why he prefer instead yaya toure.
Eto'o score the penelty good but i don't know why he took the penelty ?messi was present and he look like disappointed. so it's was good if messi took the penelty and he got inspiration to compete the champions scorer.

what about pep's tactics it was best if he against week team.
the strong teams we needs other tactics.
all in all it was great game
i will hope good season in this year.

The first comment above says it all "an unimportant friendly." I think you can blame Sporting for that, they were not interested in getting a result, they stacked 9, 10, 11 guys behind the ball and still gave Barcelona too much space. I wouldn't get on Barca too much for this one; Barca played down to the level of its opponent and still got a 3-1 win.

LINK

hey hilal, i def am not expecting too much, i think u misread into my comments a bit. on the weekend i was the main voice asking for patience and saying the team would take a few weeks or months to settle. HOWEVER, i still think the team and players need to show more energy and pace. the players and game looked so dull at times. that i dont think needs much time to change. othewise hopefully your right about keita, but i think yaya's passing really isnt that poor and overall i like him more. plus, if we continue to play this 3 back his more holding style could provide better cover.

BUT, it really is such early days and even i feel a bit silly commenting on the team so much and so critically after just a handful of matches. im willing to be patient and give them TIME. im not gonna lie though, several times last night i flipped the channel to another game (only for a secondt though) because the game at times really was super dull, and i just miss the edge of ur seat football.

Sorry if i misunderstood you a bit Blaugranaboy.....i did find it strange since you are one of the few ppl i have noticed is willing to be a little patient. I think ur right though, at times we look a bit too slow and laboured, but i think that will improve the more games they play. Its only been 3 games so far so most the players have not really reached match fitness yet....and it is showing a bit. That being said I saw no lack of effort yesterday, balls were chased down hard, the forwards pressed the defence high up the pitch, Henry and Eto'o both ran their socks off. With the ball we could be a little faster, but im sure that will improve with each game. I too got a little bored at times yesterday BUT its not easy when every team we play puts 9 or even 1o behind the ball! I cant wait till we play a team who actually want to play football.

With regards to Yaya, i dont think he is a bad passer of the ball, he is a very good passer, but he is not as quick. He likes to take a few touches, hold the ball up and then pass, he slows down the play ever so slightly, whereas Keita is a lot more give and go. He receives the ball and passes immediately, keeping things moving. Overall i too prefer Yaya, but in these games I can see why Pep prefers to play Keita. I would however pick Yaya in most away games and any home game against good opposition. Lets see what Pep does.

Anyways lets hope we get a convincing win this weekend to build on this victory and improve our confidence. I think confidence is key here, as we get more confident the precision in front of goal will improve. That is what is lacking the most right now. If we finished off even half of our chances I dont think anybody would be complaining about much. Messi alone could have had a hatrick last night. We could have won by 4 or 5.....they will come

maybe keita was played cause he knows how it is like to play on the same field as dani alves. With Alves allowed full licence to run up the flanks and join the attack, Keita had to cover for him. Toure has to get used to that for the time being.

that and perhaps using the depth of the talented squad at his disposal and avoid injuries.

*sigh* when is the next game again?

BARCA!!!!!!!!!

Pep substitutions were brilliant.

Xavi was once again just superb, Iniesta did extremely well on the left. Messi made wonderful runs but just couldn't find the net.I also thought Alves made some good runs and looked good aswell.

Pep seriously needs to work on boosting the confidence of the strikers as well as defending set pieces. a confidence booster could surley help Valdes...

Thank goodness Abidal didn't play.

Felt much safer with Abidal on the bench.
What impressed me the most was that uncommon lively Camp Nou audience. Los Socios seemed to have understand that they play a part in the match, not only in good times or as fierce critiques!!

Its about time that barcelona scored from open play. If we cant do that how are we going to compete with our tough opponents this year? They have been struggling against these terrible teams that they have faced so far this year, but thank God they are starting to show some promise. Iniesta and Xavi again were as brilliant as they always are. Henry finally showed some promise and looked really good, its just a matter of time until he starts scoring goals again. Pique was exceptional in the back and im starting to think that they should use the same back four and leave Abidal out again until he starts showing what he is capable of ( like in the 2006 world cup for france). our right sided flank is so dangerous with messi and alves and it is only a matter of time before they get on the same page. Messi had a great game and it really is only a matter of time before he starts scoring some goals himself. And then there is the best pure striker in the game of samuel etoo. There play has nothing to do with Pep having no expirience, they are just underachieving right now and they need to gel together with all of the new players that have arrived. Soon enough everyone will see how explosive this team really is.

what do u peesp feel abt this article?
LINK

Ewan Macdonald is ALWAYS critical of Barca.....not sure why, but he does not seem to like us very much! I cant believe he had the audacity to say what he did about Messi. So what? He had a bad game it happens to everyone. Other players should be so lucky to have bad games likes Messi's cos he could have had a hatrick. Im not buying this whole "Messi is selfish" thing that has started ever since Maradonna opened his mouth. Messi is not at all selfish, he sets up as many goals as he scores. His runs are what make him who he is and I would never want him to change that. Sure sometimes he tries just that bit too much, but its worth it because more often than not he succeeds! Mr Mcdonald should go watch what Messi did in the olympics, i guarantee they would not have won it without Messi.....Riquelme is asleep half the time, Aguerro missed a lot of chances laid on a plate for him by Messi and Di Maria scored the goal in the final because Messi picked him out beautifully. A game that could have gone either way up till the goal btw.

Macdonald knew he was going out on a limb there...said it himself.

forget him...we got the 3 points, maybe should have converted a couple more of those chances, and not conceded, but im happy going one step at a time for now

im predicting a bit win on sunday. 4-0

Mr mcdonald jealous with Barca and Messi! because Messi is Barca's key player from now and future..he just afraid with quality we have.. FORCA BARCA!!!

Well, sorry for joining the party a bit late here. I have been busy with work. I finally saw the game I have to tell you that we still do have work to do. Our pace, as noted by many is what worries me but I was glad to see some goals scored in running play. However, I would only take one of them as a "validly" constructed goal. Penalties are really a matter of "luck", altough Eto'o took it very well, and Xavi's goal was one of those that just happens by surprise. I am excited to see this however because I see those goals as opportunities that came about because of sheer will and desire to win, which goes to my points on early posts that we are finally playing with heart.
I am glad to see more people call for patience since Blaugranaboy and I originally called for it. I will restate my la liga preview analysis on my blog:"Barcelona will win la Liga this year and we have a pretty good shot a the Champions' League trophy". Again, my optimism is not misplaced. I am just seeing ALL the signs one should look for in a Championship team:Coach's tactical aptitude and team control, players' buy in and commitment and an overall synergic feel in victory or defeat. Again, It will be painful at times but I can guarantee you right now that Shuster knows that he will not win both legs of the "classico" this year.Until then my friends FORCA BARCA!!!

It is hard to believe all the negative criticism of Messi lately. He has a unique style that he can not and should not change. He is pure magic in his moves and incredible touches. It is not realistic to expect him to score everytime he touches the ball. Barca is fortunate to have the best player in the world in the starting lineup week in and week out. So, Barca fans: enjoy the show !!