In a problematic season like this, there is a really tough match is waiting for Barcelona up next. Their opponent is Atletico Madrid now. Lucky for Barcelona, Atletico Madrid also are in a similar shape now. They are also struggling to win matches. The Valencia victory was extremely difficult for them surely. And in Camp Nou, I don't see a clear favourite. Both of them can beat the other. But there is a feeling in me that Barcelona won't lose and they might even win by a one-goal difference.
This match is important for both Barcelona and ATM for their quest to get or keep a position among top 4. ATM could pass to the 5th spot or even 6th in case they lose the game. Barcelona needs 3 points to get closer to the first places and try to secure a CL spot. From 2020, ATM didn't lose any match vs Barcelona. Odds aren't that big, Barcelona @2.4 while ATM @3 is risky imo! 
Topic: La Liga (Spanish League) Prediction Thread 2020/21 - page 3782. (Read 528922 times)
In a problematic season like this, there is a really tough match is waiting for Barcelona up next. Their opponent is Atletico Madrid now. Lucky for Barcelona, Atletico Madrid also are in a similar shape now. They are also struggling to win matches. The Valencia victory was extremely difficult for them surely. And in Camp Nou, I don't see a clear favourite. Both of them can beat the other. But there is a feeling in me that Barcelona won't lose and they might even win by a one-goal difference.
This Barcelona squad will need at least 2 more years to get in shape and in the situation to be on the top tier teams in Europe. But at the moment, they are a lower A-tier team I have to say.
But I have to admire Xavi with how well he has done with the huge duty on his shoulders. Even at a time, Barca weren't even top 10. But now they are 5th placed and the influence of him on the squad is visible. I'd say that give this team time, and Xavi some more time, and Barcelona will turn around.
I believe it is not even about being in more shape, they need more players. They do not have players that play with Barcelona tiki taka style that Xavi grew up with and now uses as his tactics. Don't get me wrong, there are some players who uses that tactic but not all of them. Which is a proof that they need players either coming from youth like ansu fati and pedri.But I have to admire Xavi with how well he has done with the huge duty on his shoulders. Even at a time, Barca weren't even top 10. But now they are 5th placed and the influence of him on the squad is visible. I'd say that give this team time, and Xavi some more time, and Barcelona will turn around.
They need to also stay healthy as well, ansu show some brilliance when he played but keeps getting injured all the time, I do not think that you can be a star player when you are always injured. All in all I believe that we should probably see Barcelona change a lot of players in order to get better, not just getting used to the tactic and all that.
This Barcelona squad will need at least 2 more years to get in shape and in the situation to be on the top tier teams in Europe. But at the moment, they are a lower A-tier team I have to say.
But I have to admire Xavi with how well he has done with the huge duty on his shoulders. Even at a time, Barca weren't even top 10. But now they are 5th placed and the influence of him on the squad is visible. I'd say that give this team time, and Xavi some more time, and Barcelona will turn around.
But I have to admire Xavi with how well he has done with the huge duty on his shoulders. Even at a time, Barca weren't even top 10. But now they are 5th placed and the influence of him on the squad is visible. I'd say that give this team time, and Xavi some more time, and Barcelona will turn around.
They need time indeed. They are trying something new, Xavi is trying it actually. And I would like to see it working out in the future of course. Barcelona are one of the strongest teams of the La Liga and we should be able to see them at top places in the league standings every season. They should be fighting for the league title also while doing this. But they have a brand new squad now and the players are young and inexperienced mostly. They need a long time to adapt to each other and start to play like the Barcelona we've known.
There are too many problems that occur in Barcelona, therefore Xavi tries to solve these problems one by one. The latest problem is that
many of Barcelona's main players are injured, then Dembele asks for a very high salary increase, even though Barcelona's finances are not
doing well. Things like that at least affect the team's performance, so it's not surprising that until now Barcelona are still playing inconsistently
and need time to be able to rediscover their best form. Barcelona has a very good history as a big team in La Liga, usually dominating La Liga
with Real Madrid. But now Barcelona to enter the top 4 is very difficult, so it does take time for Xavi to make Barcelona able to compete again
with Real Madrid for the La Liga trophy. I believe Xavi is the right coach to make Barcelona one of the strongest teams in Europe again.
I think we have to understand that when we talk about Barcelona being reliable on Messi, we are talking about Barcelona relying on the best player to ever play football.
So if you have that player in your team, you make Strategies around him, you enable him to play better, you make him comfortable to score goals or make plays.
I think that's where the mistake was made. Barcelona made their own Strategies and when the Strategy didn't work, we said Messi couldn't score, Messi is washed, Barcelona depends on Messi, etc.
Anyway, now Barcelona seems to be getting stable with their performance, and also players are getting back their form. And a high percentage of that credit goes to Xavi for sure.
So if you have that player in your team, you make Strategies around him, you enable him to play better, you make him comfortable to score goals or make plays.
I think that's where the mistake was made. Barcelona made their own Strategies and when the Strategy didn't work, we said Messi couldn't score, Messi is washed, Barcelona depends on Messi, etc.
Anyway, now Barcelona seems to be getting stable with their performance, and also players are getting back their form. And a high percentage of that credit goes to Xavi for sure.
That deserves to be appreciated. Throughout their Barcelona career, they have to start again from scratch. After all, Xavi has become comfortable with him having spent more time at Barca giving what he can. Improvements began to emerge and Barca gradually began to get used to being more mature, especially new players who seemed to be obedient to Xavi's instructions.
On 6 February, Atletico Madrid will be a club that will test Barca's quality on the pitch. Hopefully, we can see improvements in terms of attacks that are sharper than usual.
This Barcelona squad will need at least 2 more years to get in shape and in the situation to be on the top tier teams in Europe. But at the moment, they are a lower A-tier team I have to say.
But I have to admire Xavi with how well he has done with the huge duty on his shoulders. Even at a time, Barca weren't even top 10. But now they are 5th placed and the influence of him on the squad is visible. I'd say that give this team time, and Xavi some more time, and Barcelona will turn around.
But I have to admire Xavi with how well he has done with the huge duty on his shoulders. Even at a time, Barca weren't even top 10. But now they are 5th placed and the influence of him on the squad is visible. I'd say that give this team time, and Xavi some more time, and Barcelona will turn around.
They need time indeed. They are trying something new, Xavi is trying it actually. And I would like to see it working out in the future of course. Barcelona are one of the strongest teams of the La Liga and we should be able to see them at top places in the league standings every season. They should be fighting for the league title also while doing this. But they have a brand new squad now and the players are young and inexperienced mostly. They need a long time to adapt to each other and start to play like the Barcelona we've known.
This Barcelona squad will need at least 2 more years to get in shape and in the situation to be on the top tier teams in Europe. But at the moment, they are a lower A-tier team I have to say.
But I have to admire Xavi with how well he has done with the huge duty on his shoulders. Even at a time, Barca weren't even top 10. But now they are 5th placed and the influence of him on the squad is visible. I'd say that give this team time, and Xavi some more time, and Barcelona will turn around.
But I have to admire Xavi with how well he has done with the huge duty on his shoulders. Even at a time, Barca weren't even top 10. But now they are 5th placed and the influence of him on the squad is visible. I'd say that give this team time, and Xavi some more time, and Barcelona will turn around.
Xavi's work methods are respected, but I don't think they are relevant for modern football. Firstly, no one will give a coach 2 years to experiment. The result is needed here and now and at the moment Barcelona is pretty bad with this - it has already been eliminated from the Champions League, the Spanish Super Cup and the Spanish Cup. A difficult play-off with Napoli is ahead. Secondly, the result is needed in order to retain good players and attract new stars. Top players prefer to play in existing top clubs and not to bet on promising ones.
I agree, with Xavi the possibility of Barcelona could be much better. At least you can do it with free play, unlike when Koeman is too conventional and presses players to focus on 1 player. Here Xavi changes this style and tries to expand the movement of his players so that they always contribute to each other in building attacks.
Does Koeman require Barcelona players to focus or rely on a single player? Do you mean he requires his players to rely on Messi? Hell no, I believe. Barcelona rely on Messi in many years, even before seasons with Koeman there.I think we have to understand that when we talk about Barcelona being reliable on Messi, we are talking about Barcelona relying on the best player to ever play football.
So if you have that player in your team, you make Strategies around him, you enable him to play better, you make him comfortable to score goals or make plays.
I think that's where the mistake was made. Barcelona made their own Strategies and when the Strategy didn't work, we said Messi couldn't score, Messi is washed, Barcelona depends on Messi, etc.
Anyway, now Barcelona seems to be getting stable with their performance, and also players are getting back their form. And a high percentage of that credit goes to Xavi for sure.
I think that it would still be a good achievement for Barcelona if they end the season at the third or fourth place in the standings. I mean that they are still trying to play as a complete team and they haven't been very successful about that. The thing they need is time and a good striker also. 
They are having big problems on scoring more goals. For example, the Barcelona we've known so far should have been able to destroy Alaves in that game by scoring at least a few goals. If they solve their scoring problem, then they'd be more assertive.
Just placing in the top 4 is enough for me to see Barcelona in the condition they are in now. The Barcelona game now is not like the Barcelona I used to know. Whether my feelings are right or wrong, I feel that the loss of their key player in the last few seasons (Lionel Messi) has had an impact on the team's performance. They are having big problems on scoring more goals. For example, the Barcelona we've known so far should have been able to destroy Alaves in that game by scoring at least a few goals. If they solve their scoring problem, then they'd be more assertive.Apart from that I am quite happy, slowly Barcelona are starting to show progress to return to their best form.
Being in 4th place won't make Xavi feel enough, it's just the beginning. They must continue to rise and not be easily satisfied with the achievements that have just been achieved. La Liga is still long and the challenges in front of the eyes await.
Athletic Bilbao indeed aren't a weak team and they showed it to us in their Super Cup matches too. They were the last champions of that cup and they played a finale against Real Madrid this season. Maybe they lost but they still did a great work. And now, they would most probably target the Copa del Rey title. They haven't been that much successful in this tournament like they have in the Super Cup. But they are still strong and capable enough to cause big difficulties for Real Madrid. It'd be an interesting match and maybe Athletic Bilbao would win also.
No doubt about Athletic Bilbao quality and form but still they need some very hard work to beat Real Madrid because their home record against Real Madrid is very poor in last 3 matches they lost against them and their win against Barcelona was in extra time so still it is very long way for them to have any chance into this cup we have some other very good teams as well in this competition like Betis, Real Sociedad and Valencia all these teams are good and have quality to win this cup if Real Madrid lost in quarter-final against them.Right now, Betis is staying at third spot with very good record and Real Sociedad is at sixth even they have very bad time in last few weeks, but they can turn tables into their favor in any match.
Real Sociedad started the season very good actually. We all remember that they were even the leader in the La Liga for a long time some time ago. But their form has dropped down compared to before and we see them at the sixth position in the standings now. Their recent form is really bad and they can still do better if they improve their performance. It is good to see different teams at the top also and I hope that Real Sociedad can stay at this level at least until the end of the season.
Replacing koeman for Xavi is the best decision Barcelona management made and so far there have been lots of improvement. Finishing in the third or fourth place will require lots of commitment and it would mean contending with Athletico Maldrid, Sevilla and Real bettis but Barcelona can do better with xavi leadership as for good performance I will say there have been good ones but all Barcelona needs at the time is more good finishers who would send their team work to the back of their opponents net
Really like that? I don't deny contribution and good job of Xavi so far but did Koeman do terrible job in Barcelona? I see Koeman did his job good enough. Of course, it is not good as expected or best but it is acceptable. In addition, saying the replacement is a best decision is over exaggeration and too positively thinking. Xavi might have a good future in his coach management career but now he is in early phase of this career. It is not too common to see a young successful coach like Pep. Will Xavi be able to repeat that success? Sounds very difficult, from himself and because of player quality in Barcelona now.Regardless of Xavi being a new coach and being really early in his career, he is doing a good job for Barcelona which a lot of popular coaches could not do, right?
I mean what did the past coaches do? Not win UCL consistently? Losing league games consistently? Losing key players? Or is it losing Messi Even when he said he will play for half the salary? Yeah, nothing seems to be appreciative for them.
I think the last good thing that happened before Xavi was the 6-1(6-5) aggregate win against PSG.
So I don't care if Xavi is new or if he doesn't have experience, all I care about is that he pulled Barcelona out of a deep hole and now they are doing something decent under his management.
So yeah, I think Xavi is doing a heck of a job and I appreciate him.
I agree, with Xavi the possibility of Barcelona could be much better. At least you can do it with free play, unlike when Koeman is too conventional and presses players to focus on 1 player. Here Xavi changes this style and tries to expand the movement of his players so that they always contribute to each other in building attacks.
Does Koeman require Barcelona players to focus or rely on a single player? Do you mean he requires his players to rely on Messi? Hell no, I believe. Barcelona rely on Messi in many years, even before seasons with Koeman there.
I think that it would still be a good achievement for Barcelona if they end the season at the third or fourth place in the standings. I mean that they are still trying to play as a complete team and they haven't been very successful about that. The thing they need is time and a good striker also. They are having big problems on scoring more goals. For example, the Barcelona we've known so far should have been able to destroy Alaves in that game by scoring at least a few goals. If they solve their scoring problem, then they'd be more assertive.
Just placing in the top 4 is enough for me to see Barcelona in the condition they are in now. The Barcelona game now is not like the Barcelona I used to know. Whether my feelings are right or wrong, I feel that the loss of their key player in the last few seasons (Lionel Messi) has had an impact on the team's performance. They are having big problems on scoring more goals. For example, the Barcelona we've known so far should have been able to destroy Alaves in that game by scoring at least a few goals. If they solve their scoring problem, then they'd be more assertive.Apart from that I am quite happy, slowly Barcelona are starting to show progress to return to their best form.
We can compare the achievements of Barcelona in several seasons based on the final standings. 19-20, 20-21 & 21-22 (ongoing) Here he is.
From the 3 seasons that I tried to show in the picture, Barcelona managed to score more than 80 goals every season even though they didn't win the title. At that time they still had Lionel Messi and Suarez. But this season they have only managed to score 32 goals in 21 match, it is a result that is not imagined by everyone about Barcelona. Without Messi they can't do much in front of goal, it's a bad thing for Barcelona this season despite still having 17 games to play.
From the 3 seasons that I tried to show in the picture, Barcelona managed to score more than 80 goals every season even though they didn't win the title. At that time they still had Lionel Messi and Suarez. But this season they have only managed to score 32 goals in 21 match, it is a result that is not imagined by everyone about Barcelona. Without Messi they can't do much in front of goal, it's a bad thing for Barcelona this season despite still having 17 games to play.
If you look at Messi's performance in the French championship, then we can assume that it's not about him. If I'm not mistaken, he scored only one goal there, although PSG totally dominates the domestic scene. Barcelona are now in a more systemic crisis than if they were suffering from the absence of one or two players. And judging by what I see, this will not change this season.
We can compare the achievements of Barcelona in several seasons based on the final standings. 19-20, 20-21 & 21-22 (ongoing) Here he is.
From the 3 seasons that I tried to show in the picture, Barcelona managed to score more than 80 goals every season even though they didn't win the title. At that time they still had Lionel Messi and Suarez. But this season they have only managed to score 32 goals in 21 match, it is a result that is not imagined by everyone about Barcelona. Without Messi they can't do much in front of goal, it's a bad thing for Barcelona this season despite still having 17 games to play.
their productivity decreases over time and this is a natural thing I think because in the last few years it was Messi who has always been the biggest goal contributor there, especially for the last 2 seasons he was in Barcelona because if I'm not mistaken in the 2019/2020 and 2020 seasons /2021 even though he didn't win, but messi became the top scorer there. From the 3 seasons that I tried to show in the picture, Barcelona managed to score more than 80 goals every season even though they didn't win the title. At that time they still had Lionel Messi and Suarez. But this season they have only managed to score 32 goals in 21 match, it is a result that is not imagined by everyone about Barcelona. Without Messi they can't do much in front of goal, it's a bad thing for Barcelona this season despite still having 17 games to play.
Messi goal productivity for Barcelona can't be doubted, under the uniform of Barcelona Messi has scored 634 goals and this makes him Barcelona top scorer and Barcelona dependence on Messi was evident when Messi left, after Messi departure Barcelona seemed very difficult to get a forward who can be as sharp as messi, and even now memphis depay and ansu fati who are predicted to be the next messi not to consistently score goals.
This Barcelona squad will need at least 2 more years to get in shape and in the situation to be on the top tier teams in Europe. But at the moment, they are a lower A-tier team I have to say.
Indeed, two years there is a possibility under Xavi, Barcelona can compete for the title again. However, we also have to remember about Barcelona condition will be in the next 2 years. If, their finances are still not improving, then there is a possibility that Barcelona will not be able to buy players at an expensive price. Their hope is in La Masia which has often created star players for Barcelona since the Rijkaard era. If this happens again, finances may no longer be a problem, as they find quality players to take from their own academy.
We can compare the achievements of Barcelona in several seasons based on the final standings. 19-20, 20-21 & 21-22 (ongoing) Here he is.
From the 3 seasons that I tried to show in the picture, Barcelona managed to score more than 80 goals every season even though they didn't win the title. At that time they still had Lionel Messi and Suarez. But this season they have only managed to score 32 goals in 21 match, it is a result that is not imagined by everyone about Barcelona. Without Messi they can't do much in front of goal, it's a bad thing for Barcelona this season despite still having 17 games to play.
their productivity decreases over time and this is a natural thing I think because in the last few years it was Messi who has always been the biggest goal contributor there, especially for the last 2 seasons he was in Barcelona because if I'm not mistaken in the 2019/2020 and 2020 seasons /2021 even though he didn't win, but messi became the top scorer there. From the 3 seasons that I tried to show in the picture, Barcelona managed to score more than 80 goals every season even though they didn't win the title. At that time they still had Lionel Messi and Suarez. But this season they have only managed to score 32 goals in 21 match, it is a result that is not imagined by everyone about Barcelona. Without Messi they can't do much in front of goal, it's a bad thing for Barcelona this season despite still having 17 games to play.
Replacing koeman for Xavi is the best decision Barcelona management made and so far there have been lots of improvement. Finishing in the third or fourth place will require lots of commitment and it would mean contending with Athletico Maldrid, Sevilla and Real bettis but Barcelona can do better with xavi leadership as for good performance I will say there have been good ones but all Barcelona needs at the time is more good finishers who would send their team work to the back of their opponents net
Really like that? I don't deny contribution and good job of Xavi so far but did Koeman do terrible job in Barcelona? I see Koeman did his job good enough. Of course, it is not good as expected or best but it is acceptable. In addition, saying the replacement is a best decision is over exaggeration and too positively thinking. Xavi might have a good future in his coach management career but now he is in early phase of this career. It is not too common to see a young successful coach like Pep. Will Xavi be able to repeat that success? Sounds very difficult, from himself and because of player quality in Barcelona now.I agree, with Xavi the possibility of Barcelona could be much better. At least you can do it with free play, unlike when Koeman is too conventional and presses players to focus on 1 player. Here Xavi changes this style and tries to expand the movement of his players so that they always contribute to each other in building attacks.
Does Koeman require Barcelona players to focus or rely on a single player? Do you mean he requires his players to rely on Messi? Hell no, I believe. Barcelona rely on Messi in many years, even before seasons with Koeman there. Replacing koeman for Xavi is the best decision Barcelona management made and so far there have been lots of improvement. Finishing in the third or fourth place will require lots of commitment and it would mean contending with Athletico Maldrid, Sevilla and Real bettis but Barcelona can do better with xavi leadership as for good performance I will say there have been good ones but all Barcelona needs at the time is more good finishers who would send their team work to the back of their opponents net
I agree, with Xavi the possibility of Barcelona could be much better. At least you can do it with free play, unlike when Koeman is too conventional and presses players to focus on 1 player. Here Xavi changes this style and tries to expand the movement of his players so that they always contribute to each other in building attacks. I think that it would still be a good achievement for Barcelona if they end the season at the third or fourth place in the standings. I mean that they are still trying to play as a complete team and they haven't been very successful about that. The thing they need is time and a good striker also. They are having big problems on scoring more goals. For example, the Barcelona we've known so far should have been able to destroy Alaves in that game by scoring at least a few goals. If they solve their scoring problem, then they'd be more assertive.
They are having big problems on scoring more goals. For example, the Barcelona we've known so far should have been able to destroy Alaves in that game by scoring at least a few goals. If they solve their scoring problem, then they'd be more assertive.Yes, they should be able to be in the top four. At least they can qualify for the Champions League for next season. Xavi has brought about change, Barcelona have gradually changed in terms of his game and mentality. They need a process for all. Sevilla, Real Betis are teams beyond my prediction, they are capable of being in the top three. Moreover if we look at the table of the class while their point distance is actually not too far away. For that, barcelona's chances of the Champions League zone are still quite large.
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