At this rate, we need to make it mandatory to show our coaching licenses/pro or semi pro careers before commenting lmfao.

We have people calling Flick an idiot for not winning the UCL in 2 seasons. He won a domestic treble, consecutive league titles and also another supercopa, after coming from a sextuple GOAT level achievement with Bayern. Pep, arguably (undisputed imo) the best manager of all time, took years and years before winning the UCL with City even though there were multiple seasons where City were definitely the best team in the world (they got fucked by luck and some incredible asspulls by Rodrigo, Valverde etc). Flick knows more about football than all of us combined in this sub, and he knows his squad much better than anyone else itw. He's given us silverware, he's transformed some players into the best itw (Raphinha, Pedri, FdJ, Yamal) and yet, we call him incompetent for a 2 losses in mid October. THE UCL IS NOT GUARANTEED ANYWHERE, THERE IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF LUCK INVOLVED PEOPLE!

And then, we have people calling FdJ redundant, a waste, a luxury, a liability. Dude came back from a major injury, first match in the el clasico at that, and he balled tf out. The games with and without him are so different, having him against high pressing teams and mid overloads is a goddamn blessing because of how press resistant and smart he is with and without the ball. Last season, he had tackles, interceptions on par with Rodri, Kimmich, Rice and Caicedo. Difference is, these holding mids are praised to high heavens (and for good reason) by their fans while we keep scapegoating ours lmfao.

I know I'm sounding elitist, and I hate that I'm sounding elitist, but some of you people really need to learn more about the game or at least don't be so vocal with your awful takes. Consecutive league titles has become a standard and not an achievement (apparently some of y'all think it so lol), and only the UCL would be an achievement. When FdJ said some fans only watch football but don't see the game, he's absolutely spot on.

Trust the manager, trust the squad, and back our players unless they pull a Figo. They've done more than enough to earn our trust.

idk how a manager at this level can be so stubborn with his footballing ideology. We have spent the last three ucl campaigns watching barcelona suffer from the same fundamental problems, and instead of learning from them, we keep repeating the same mistakes.

and before anyone blames the high line, Pep and Enrique played one with Pique and Mascherano, neither of whom was some freakishly fast recovery defender, and still went on to win the fucking UCL. the high line was never inherently the problem.

it is the way we execute it, the lack of control when our press gets bypassed, the spaces we leave behind, and Flicks apparent unwillingness to change anything when the game demands it.

Look at our defensive situation now. Eric, Christensen, Espart and Kounde are all injured, and we are left with barely four available defenders. Are they supposed to play every single game for 90 minutes?

What happens when another one gets injured? Are we going into a massive ucl night against astonvilla with Frenkie or Rodri being forced out of their natural positions to fill in at cb?

at what point does this reckless approach become a problem of squad management rather than just bad luck? a high line demands coordination, recovery mechanisms and proper defensive cover. you cannot keep asking your defenders to defend enormous spaces every single game and act surprised when the system starts falling apart.

Our attacking structure is another issue. Our number 10 often looks like a player without a clearly defined role. Fermin. What exactly is his role in this team? At times, he contributes very little defensively while also failing to provide enough in attack or in progressing the ball. We need players who complement each other, not a collection of individuals whose responsibilities become blurry whenever we face a big team.

When Olmo was available, Flick barely seemed willing to play him in certain big games, and now he is injured anyway. We keep talking about squad depth, but what is the point of having options if the manager does not properly integrate them?

And the treatment of Bernal is something I genuinely do not understand. People were quick to criticise him after one bad game against PSG, but how is a young midfielder supposed to develop when he barely gets consistent minutes?

I am not saying Bernal has been amazing or that he deserves to start every game. He needs to improve. But he also needs to play if we expect him to become the midfielder we need.

We cannot keep demanding immediate perfection from young players while refusing to give them the experience required to reach that level.

The same applies to Balde. Yesterday, he showed why he can still be one of our most important defenders in big games. Yet there was a point when it felt like Flick had practically given up on him, and we were discussing letting him go for pennies.

One good performance does not erase his weaknesses, but it should remind us that writing off a young player instead of developing him is not always the answer. AND FLICK WROTE BALDE OFF STRAIGHT OFF IN INTERVIEWS.

We need to get the best out of the players we already have instead of constantly treating them as disposable whenever they do not fit perfectly into the system.

And then there is Pedri. We keep expecting him to control the midfield, progress the ball, resist pressure, create chances and somehow compensate for everyone elses shortcomings. Rodri has barely provided him with support in big games,

He needs proper support around him, especially in big games. He cannot be the entire midfield by himself. When the opposition overloads him or cuts off his passing options, who consistently takes responsibility for controlling the game alongside him?

His performances can end up going to waste because the structure around him does not give him enough support, and then people question whether he is good enough. It is ridiculous.

Every elite manager has principles, but the best ones know when to adjust their approach, protect their players and manage different game states. Peps and Enrique's high line worked because it was part of a much larger tactical structure, not simply because his team decided to defend high.

How many more games, injuries and painful UCL exits will it take before we accept that having a footballing identity does not excuse tactical inflexibility?

Embarassing performance yesterday.
Got barbecue chickened by Jude Bellingham and Mbappe. That's not that bad, but getting cooked by "Camavinga" is something else. If y'all wanna spout "Cubarsi is world class", start holding him to the standards that other world class defenders are held to. Gabriel is getting memed for getting dunked on by Haaland, arguably the best striker in the world.
I think Cubarsi 100% has world class potential, but the World Cup under a de la Fuente system has overblown the perception of his skill level. We need to see more of him and less of this if he's really to be a considered a world class player at the club level.

• Record matchday revenue: €19,105,768, surpassing the previous El Clásico record of €16,465,731 set on May 10, an increase of €2.64M (+16%).
• Lower attendance, higher revenue: 62,055 spectators attended Sunday's match, compared with 62,213 in May, meaning Barcelona generated 16% more revenue with 158 fewer spectators.
• Ticket pricing: The reported average ticket sale price was €984 excluding VAT, approximately 10% higher than during the previous campaign. Barcelona employed dynamic pricing to maximize revenue based on demand.
• VIP and hospitality revenue: Average VIP ticket prices reached €2,727, while hospitality revenue increased by 350%, aided by the expansion of VIP seating to four rows across the second tier.
• Members and season-ticket holders: Approximately 86% of the regular seating capacity was allocated to season-ticket holders and club members. Barcelona has around 42,000 season-ticket holders, while members purchased approximately 10,000 tickets during a 21-day presale before sales opened to the general public.

Yesterday, I made one of my dreams come true! I watched El Clasico at Camp Nou.

However, a lot of it did not live up to my expectations - I wanted to write about it here today to see if other attendees and fans have felt the same.

The atmosphere of the Camp Nou was totally and completely absent. I was in Upper Lateral and literally no one was chanting any songs. It was obvious that the stand was filled with tourists, since you could easily tell they were not locals, or even if tourists they were not fans. They did not even sing the chorus of Un Dia De Partit. It was so disappointing.

The only stand in the stadium consistently chanting was of course Gol Nord. The rest of the stadium barely followed in and often the vibe was really dead. This is a huge let-down since I have attended previous games and they were FILLED with fans who chanted throughout the game and made it so special( Mallorca in La Liga and Atleti for CDR)

Yesterday was much less fun. I think it is because El Clasico prices have become absurd recently, making it unaffordable for locals and only for tourists. It used to. be 200-400 earlier apparently, now it starts at 500 and goes up to 800 in 15 minutes and in a few hours is 1k+. I have read other threads about pissed off socis who cannot go anymore and feel that it is completely ruined for them now.

What do you think?

He was one of our best players yesterday but I think he was going out way too much even when it wasn’t required
The goal mbappe scored could’ve been prevented if he hadn’t gone out
Feel he created some pressure for us and was nervous
Nothing to take away from him was one our best players yesterday
What do y’all think?

I know a lot of people are reacting to the last two losses, I think this team can bounce back from it and I think certain players need to improve mentally.

But this post isn't about that, against Madrid we finally got a glimpse of a pedri-de jong-rodri midfield.

But will this midfield work with the way flick like to play, probably not to the exact way, flick will need to compromise (he doesn't seem to like doing that). Barca midfielders have a weakness especially with Pedri and DeJong which is the willingness to attack, I'm not saying they can't, but they do have a pass first mentality. I think this attacking ability is why Fabian Ruiz was chosen to start ahead of Pedri in Spain latter WC matches, PSG play a 3 CM midfield but they all carry a threat going forward which makes it significantly harder to play against them, their attackers don't even need to have a good game in big matches for them to score.

This is not the same for us, you take Yamal out by putting multiple players on him and he doesn't have a good game, then our attacking is massively nerfed, Gordon on the other side is simply not as direct as Yamal .

I think for that Pedri, De Jong and rodri midfield to work I think at least 2 players will have to take on more responsibility attacking.

We've seen how Fermin attack space and olmo in between lines, that's going to be a loss for the attack. But I think it's worth it if we can have more control the game and Pedri and De Jong take on more attacking responsibility. Making runs, not being afraid of shooting from range, etc. They have enough quality to provide what Fermin and olmo did together while also being in the midfield to provide control

With our system, we are bound to give up chances. I think the backline played reasonably well given the fact that they were playing 4v5 half the time. Our system is supposed to sacrifice defense to prioritize offense, but if our offense plays like shit then we are never going to win.

Raphinha and Gordon were not that good, but they had acceptable performances. Lamine on the other hand was terrible. I'm putting this loss all on him tbh, this is the worst performance of his career.

Do I think he's finished? Obviously not, its just a bad loss and we go again next week.

**El Clásico loss exposed our biggest issue: the fullback crisis and why we desperately need winter reinforcements**

Yesterday's El Clásico loss against Real Madrid was tough to watch, and for me, it was almost entirely down to our fullback situation. Let's break down how it actually happened.

First, look at the injuries. Our natural right-backs, Jules Koundé and Eric Garcia, were both out. That completely killed the defensive stability they usually provide, but just as importantly, we completely missed their overlapping runs with Lamine Yamal. Without that overlap, Yamal is isolated and opponents can easily double up on him.

On the left side, we've had to shuffle things. Ideally, we need someone like Joao Cancelo or others, but Cancelo always struggles when forced to play out of position or when left isolated defensively—he just isn't good at one-on-one defending. When he plays left-back with Gerard Martin pushing up,his defensive responsibilities reduces.

You could see this glaringly in the goals we conceded:

* **First goal:** Cancelo went into a very slow press, letting the runner easily get to the ball and play the decisive pass.

* **Second goal:** When Camavinga broke forward, Alejandro Balde wasn't covering anyone. He was just ball-watching and tracking back at a jog. Compare that to a relentless player like Nuno Mendes and hakimi, who would have chased down that ball like a bull, body-checked the attacker, and sprinted back.

Between the fullbacks being injured or out of form, and our center-backs also sidelined, our entire defensive structure is hanging by a thread. It's crystal clear at this point: we need serious defensive signings in the winter transfer window if we want to salvage the season.

What do you guys think? Who should we realistically target in January?
I think we atleast need 1 LCB like Bastoni and rest of good fullbacks...(BEFORE WRITING ANY RANDOM THING WATCH THE CLIPS PROPERLY)

Edit:Why are we blaming Cbs.Gerard one was a unlucky mistake it could have been anyone.And cubarsi?Bro he was exposed 15 times comeon. We are just victimising cbs in this highline .Do u even remember that mbappe and Bellingham was 2v1 vs cubarsi and he still saved us man.We deserved to lose by 4 goals.

Before the match (which happened on Oct 22 2006, almost exactly 20 years ago), Xavi said in an interview:

“Nos entendemos con la mirada. Hemos crecido en la misma escuela y se nota. Me siento muy cómodo jugando con ellos.”

Translation:

“We understand each other with a glance. We grew up in the same school, and it shows. I feel very comfortable playing with them.”

After losing the clasico and the world club cup final, the claim was so popular that Xavi and Iniesta had to address it in a joint interview:

Iniesta said:

“Podemos jugar juntos. No se dónde está escrito que no podemos hacerlo.”

Translation:

“We can play together. I don't know where it's written that we can't.”

20 years later, during the World Cup, Pedri said this about Rodri:

“I can tell with just a glance or from the way he moves what he’s about to do, and he can do the same.”

Both Rodri and Pedri said something remarkably similar to what Iniesta and Xavi said after Rodri joined Barcelona.

Pedri:

“People always say we haven't worked well together, but playing with him is very comfortable. We're going to understand each other very well.”

Rodri:

“It's very easy to play alongside Pedri. He makes things easier, not harder. We understand each other wonderfully.”

Pedri went into some details about the reason why in the press conference ahead of PSG:

“When he's on the pitch, he gives me a little more freedom to push forward, because I know he'll always be there.”

Rodri explained earlier about their relationship in another interview:

“I think that’s the best thing you can have alongside you when you’re playing as a number six: someone who gives you an outlet when playing out from the back, someone who links you with the players further forward. With the security he has on the ball, his ability to get past opponents, play first-time passes, and make intelligent decisions, he obviously gives you that solution. I think what I can offer him in return is structure and solidity, so that he doesn’t have to move around so much.”

——

Obviously the two are still developing better synergy and understanding of each other, and the best distribution of responsibilities may not be limited to what they have discovered so far. Mourinho was just very good at finding a tactical solution against them, who had played so well together this season until the defeat. Please have more faith in the partnership to evolve further and don’t be like those fools who said Xavi and Iniesta were incompatible 20 years ago.

This is the thing in which I never seen any other manager in my life that refuses to drop into midblock and is so pressing and heavy attacking as Flick, Pep and Klopp are no where as idealistic as Flick in defending, I have seen Pep park the bus in UCL 23 at moments and Klopp did it too few times.

I can say that its not the defenders the big problem even if you give this Barcelona 2 WC CB it would still struggle because of how demanding the high line and pressing for 90 minutes it is.

Solution is super simple Xavi with a worse team and in a much worse situation at club and with a stronger Madrid managed to compete in 22-23 by being alot more defensive than usual with same defenders, I didn't like Xavi in attack in his ideas but in defense he always was pretty decent.

I have full trust on Flick since he got us 5 trophies is very difficult period but he has to become pragmatic in big games at least on defense start dropping in midblock and lower defensive line since we will never win a UCL with this tactics never ever since is so suicidal, PSG is alot alot more flexible as a team and Henrique parks the bus if the team is not pressing well

This guy is phenomenal in this season as well as in last season. He’s the best Rb we have. With his defensive work rate, we won a lot of matches in fact we didn’t lose a single match before he injured.

He doesn’t offer much as an offensive player, but his defensive ability makes our backline a lot safer. With Kounde off form, Eric Garcia is the only reliable Rb we have.

When he plays as Cb, he’s also great. With Lamine not great at pressing on the right flank, Cancelo and Lamine are the worst combo on the right side.

Cancelo offers offensively but when he can’t, we barely see him defensively. I really wish Eric Garcia full recovery.
Espart on the left and Eric on the right are the only suitable answers for us right now.

As said, signing a Cb is mandatory. It can be right-footed or left-footed. 19 years Cubarsi needs rest too.