Other than the Zlatan paragraphs at the start I agree with all that.
People are far too quick to write off Barca who were having a season on a par with last year’s up until last night.
They were no more lucky last season than they were unlucky last night. You couldn’t argue with the eventual outcome either year
They don’t have the attitude problems that characterised the end of the Rijkaard era
Guardiola is being judged ridiculously harshly after achieving an awful lot in his first 20 months or so
There’s nothing to suggest this is a squad on the verge of deteriorating. Rijkaard had an excellent squad but it was always dependent on Ronaldinho maintaining interest, Deco bothering to work, reliance on the loan signing of Davids etc. There’s more stabilty about the current squad.
Anyone who argues Zlatan is a top player i usually just disregard their opinions on football/soccer for evermore. As they clearly haven’t a clue about anything else to do with football.
That’s the key point. What he achieved last year was phenomenal in his first season as a proper mananger. For people to question him because of the Inter game is crazy.
I recall Real Madrid getting knocked out in similar circumstances in the 2003 semis by Juventus. When I say similar, I mean that they were the top team in Europe at the time and had destroyed a few teams on their way to the semis, including Man Utd I think. That was a good Juventus side who went on to compete in a wonderful final against Milan that season in Old Trafford.
Real went on to win the league. What did the chairman do then? Sack Del Bosque for getting knocked out of the CL? This is despite him single handely turning around their fortunes in 2000 from a team struggling to get out of their group into a team who won the European Cup at a canter. He adopted the 3-5-2 formation and they were unplayable. Then Figo was forced upon him and he completely changed the way they played back to 4-4-2 and they were still excellent. He managed to fit in Zidane in there as well and still keep a shape about them.
Real have never recovered from that. They have never been the same force in Europe and that is down to their knee jerk reaction of sacking the best coach they had then, or since, on the back of one bad result.
I cannot understand how anyone could still maintain that Ibramhimovic is a top player. Bandage and NCC are obviously on the wind up but Rocko still appears to vehemently believe it.
I recall Rocko once saying to me that my view of comedy is forever tarnished by my appreciation of Friends. Well the same can be said for your view of football and your appreciation of Ibrahimovic.
Except that Friends is actually quality of course!
Little bit hazy, and maybe it was recent RTE comments(to be ignored of course) that have thrown me about it, but i thought i remembered it being complete cak. I’d be a big admirer of Italian defense and their formations and particulary Juve, so i think i’d remember that, but i’ll bow to your memory, as i’m not 100% on it.