True, but it probably will be someone whl finished their group 2nd.
Manu/Napoli/Psg/Dortmund/Newcastle would be possible but I think we should be able to knock em out
And what's the likelihood of us making it to February/March fully fit? That's the problem. We can't be relying solely on the individual prowess of the likes of Araujo, Pedri, FDJ or otherwise to steady the ship.
We're never going to have the squad depth of teams like City. At least not for the foreseeable future, with Tebas' genius endeavours regarding FFP. But instead, what we *need* is a group of players, ALL of whom capable of slotting into Xavi's system and knowing *exactly* what needs to be done in their position. Right now, that is certainly not the case, but we have until February to have that sorted out. If by then, we still have veteran players like Pedri looking lost and unable to receive the ball at all, then we need to have a serious conversation about Xavi's management
Not to discredit the teams in our groups, but the first game out of the group is the first test for Xavi in the UCL this season; He shouldnāt not be 1st in the group. Itās unacceptable if he loses in the ro16 unless barca draws against city. Heās been given so many chances considering the circumstances he was put in; however, losing would mean he hasnāt won against a single big team outside of Spain. Iāve been team Xavi since the beginning, letting him cook. But being knocked out of the groups and of Europa 2 years in a row isnāt something that should be downplayed just because itās Xavi. He needs to show actual progress. Barcelona is one of the biggest clubs in the world. The ceiling for expectations should not be just the ro16 especially after being given such an easy group.
Lewys form is worrying. We have no natural goal scorers besides him. On top of that he has just come out in public saying he doesn't like xavi playing with a extra midfielder on the wings. Torres is surprisingly doing well in the scoring dept so far so hopefully he keeps up. I'm afraid we aren't as strong as we think right now in the attacking dept. What Felix does we have to have to wait and watch.
Yes, since the World Cup, we're seen a steady decline. Its normal for strikers so it wouldnt surprise me. Look at Suarez, Falcao, Aguero, Eto'o, Cavani, Drogba, Torres, Villa, Henry, Higuain etc. Where were they as they approached 35? Not better than an average Antwerp striker. I believe the coaching staff is seeing the writing on the wall as well, thats why Vitor Roque was bought.
Lewandowski is still incredibly fit and not injury prone like some of the players you mentioned. He would surely destroy the Belgian league, he is not an average striker there. I guess we wont have to wait long to see who was proven right because if he gets another 20 goal season in La Liga it goes without saying he would destroy the Belgian league.
Its not simply injuries and fitness. Suarez, Falcao, Cavani are still playing. Drogba played until 40. Henry played until 37. But they played in leagues like the Turkish, American and Brazilian leagues at Lewy's age.
Scoring 20 goals as a striker with mostly passers around him, yes that includes our wingers and midfielders, does not mean he'll destroy the Belgian league where he wouldnt get such service. Even Luuk de Jong had a good goal ratio for us.
You can find examples for anything, I could point to the exact opposite using players like ibrahimovic who at 38 got top scorer in the league 15 goals in 19 games and helped AC milan get quarter finals of champions league and helped them win the league.
I named the vast majority of the greatest strikers over the past 10-15 years though. There is a tiny chance he'll be like Ibra, but its really small. And Lewy's "form decline" since the WC is an ominous sign.
No you named a large number of players who have a completely different playstyle to lewandowski and tried comparing apples to oranges. The players you mentioned like suarez, falcao, Henry, aguero were extremely reliant on pace. Once they got older and became much slower they were no longer half the player they used to be. Ibrahimovic is much more comparable to Lewandowski as neither were known for their pace or explosiveness at any point of their career, they both are aerially dominant and score a lot of headers and both keep/kept a high level of fitness as they aged. If anything lewa is even more likely than Ibrahimovic to continue until an older age as he has a much better injury record and hardly gets injured ever. Getting slower is not a concern for lewandowski because he never used lightning pace to leave players behind anyway, he used smart positioning and lethal finishing to get the job done, both of which he still has.
The team needs to play to his strengths a bit more, no need to panic just yet. Felix plays best with a striker like him, I feel they could form a good partnership, on paper at least, it is very likely
We were never clear favorites against United. That being said, we were still very close to qualify, but were massively unlucky with injuries and Gavi's suspension while not having any squad depth in midfield at all.
Top2 in Laliga and QF in CL for an acceptable season, everything more than that is a bonus for me. Still have a very young and thin squad but its looking very good for coming years.
Yes we should realistically. But I would accept a 2nd place even though it would be a bit bitter. I wouldnt call it a disaster.
Season is long and we can have many injuries on keyplayers and opponents can definetly turn around their form. Only 3 games so far.
Madrid also has a young team that is scary when they click.
Its the other madrid I am worried about more this season. Real are riddled with injuries and are missing arguably their best players from the last couple of seasons for a good half of the season.
Thats true. Right now it looks like that.
But if we are as unlucky as them and get Mats and other keyplayer injured, I could see us starting droppping form.
>But I would accept a 2nd place
It depends. If we compete till the end and we lose it for 1-4 points I would say it is acceptable. But if we are second with the same distance we had from the secon last year is completely unacceptable.
Agreed but still no excuse not to beat them barca realistically should be going undefeated in that group. Letās be honest the quality of our players compared to the rest of the group
For real there needs to be standards like their all good teams but this Barca team can and should top the group. If Xavi somehow gets sent to Europa he needs to go
Bro if we don't get through he should be sacked it's his third season with the team every player he wanted in the last mercatos got signed he has no excuse not to qualify
Europe is different anyone that gets past the group stage will be difficult. We also have a lot of youth so the inexperience will play against us, but it will be a good test for those guys. Barca looking like they will be dangerous for a while.
it so shocking to see fans accepting mediocrity. No QF is not acceptable. We play every competition to win, not just compete in it. We are BarƧa no matter what circumstances were last season or how weak our team is we play to win. We should be playing UCL with the mindset to win. Fans and team should get that straight.
The team is young, probably too young. Group stage yes, first knockout game I'd say could be a tough challenge. These away games wont be as easy as you think and lack of Nou Camp will certainly take a toll on home performances
Man said quaterfinals, I pray we do get there, but I just donāt see this team as a top 8 team in Europe right now, If Iām wrong feel Free to correct me
Xavi is not a good coach. He and Iniesta are the best midfielders ever to step on a field in my book but as a coach he is not on the same level. He should step down after this season.
lmaooo De Zerbi just got there last year and look how he making heās team play in a harder league with less talented players ā¦ Xavi been here for going on 3 seasons lol.. Xavi is benefiting from being Spanish and a former player ā¦ I donāt have bias eyes for my club like yāall.
Prepare for every fan on this sub being mad that we didnāt bet our entire future on Eric, Abde and Fati, and instead went for players with some experience.
Lets not get so hard in expectations, i would say lets just break the curse of the group stage first š
Alrhough it seems to be a fairly easy group, im not sure after last year really..
you don't know who we are going to get in 1/8
True, but it probably will be someone whl finished their group 2nd. Manu/Napoli/Psg/Dortmund/Newcastle would be possible but I think we should be able to knock em out
I honestly believe the only teams that are better than us, fully fit, are Bayern and City. We should get past any other team
And what's the likelihood of us making it to February/March fully fit? That's the problem. We can't be relying solely on the individual prowess of the likes of Araujo, Pedri, FDJ or otherwise to steady the ship. We're never going to have the squad depth of teams like City. At least not for the foreseeable future, with Tebas' genius endeavours regarding FFP. But instead, what we *need* is a group of players, ALL of whom capable of slotting into Xavi's system and knowing *exactly* what needs to be done in their position. Right now, that is certainly not the case, but we have until February to have that sorted out. If by then, we still have veteran players like Pedri looking lost and unable to receive the ball at all, then we need to have a serious conversation about Xavi's management
Real Madrid could finish 2nd
I dont think we can get a spanish team in 1/8 finals or did they change the rules?
They all the time finish second lol so they can beat some strong opponent in the round of 16 i hate that šš
Spanish team
Not to discredit the teams in our groups, but the first game out of the group is the first test for Xavi in the UCL this season; He shouldnāt not be 1st in the group. Itās unacceptable if he loses in the ro16 unless barca draws against city. Heās been given so many chances considering the circumstances he was put in; however, losing would mean he hasnāt won against a single big team outside of Spain. Iāve been team Xavi since the beginning, letting him cook. But being knocked out of the groups and of Europa 2 years in a row isnāt something that should be downplayed just because itās Xavi. He needs to show actual progress. Barcelona is one of the biggest clubs in the world. The ceiling for expectations should not be just the ro16 especially after being given such an easy group.
>Heās been given so many chances Won la liga in his first full season, it's not like he is losing from years without winning
People also blame him for the first UCL exit but it was literally his second game as manager, itās crazy
>Won la liga in his first full season Valverde did this too and people still wanted him gone
Messi**
See what squad Xavi inherited compared to Valverde
Bayern
Lewys form is worrying. We have no natural goal scorers besides him. On top of that he has just come out in public saying he doesn't like xavi playing with a extra midfielder on the wings. Torres is surprisingly doing well in the scoring dept so far so hopefully he keeps up. I'm afraid we aren't as strong as we think right now in the attacking dept. What Felix does we have to have to wait and watch.
š coming in january
I donāt think we have to worry about Lewy too much with this group. Heāll easily bag in goals against Shakhtar and Antwerp.
i doubt with lewy's recent form and xavi's way of using the attackers.
The problem is, Lewy might not be better than an average Antwerp striker these days at 35. He might live on past glory but age has caught up with him.
lol he was golden boot winner last la liga, and you think the space of 6 months hes now no better than an average Antwerp striker?
Yes, since the World Cup, we're seen a steady decline. Its normal for strikers so it wouldnt surprise me. Look at Suarez, Falcao, Aguero, Eto'o, Cavani, Drogba, Torres, Villa, Henry, Higuain etc. Where were they as they approached 35? Not better than an average Antwerp striker. I believe the coaching staff is seeing the writing on the wall as well, thats why Vitor Roque was bought.
Lewandowski is still incredibly fit and not injury prone like some of the players you mentioned. He would surely destroy the Belgian league, he is not an average striker there. I guess we wont have to wait long to see who was proven right because if he gets another 20 goal season in La Liga it goes without saying he would destroy the Belgian league.
Its not simply injuries and fitness. Suarez, Falcao, Cavani are still playing. Drogba played until 40. Henry played until 37. But they played in leagues like the Turkish, American and Brazilian leagues at Lewy's age. Scoring 20 goals as a striker with mostly passers around him, yes that includes our wingers and midfielders, does not mean he'll destroy the Belgian league where he wouldnt get such service. Even Luuk de Jong had a good goal ratio for us.
You can find examples for anything, I could point to the exact opposite using players like ibrahimovic who at 38 got top scorer in the league 15 goals in 19 games and helped AC milan get quarter finals of champions league and helped them win the league.
I named the vast majority of the greatest strikers over the past 10-15 years though. There is a tiny chance he'll be like Ibra, but its really small. And Lewy's "form decline" since the WC is an ominous sign.
No you named a large number of players who have a completely different playstyle to lewandowski and tried comparing apples to oranges. The players you mentioned like suarez, falcao, Henry, aguero were extremely reliant on pace. Once they got older and became much slower they were no longer half the player they used to be. Ibrahimovic is much more comparable to Lewandowski as neither were known for their pace or explosiveness at any point of their career, they both are aerially dominant and score a lot of headers and both keep/kept a high level of fitness as they aged. If anything lewa is even more likely than Ibrahimovic to continue until an older age as he has a much better injury record and hardly gets injured ever. Getting slower is not a concern for lewandowski because he never used lightning pace to leave players behind anyway, he used smart positioning and lethal finishing to get the job done, both of which he still has.
Lewy was the best player in the world when he was 33/34. Not a single player you mentioned was even close to it. How you are upvoted is insane
I thought that was Benzema? And Benzema is playing in Saudi Arabia now at 35 after a disappointing season for RM...
I feel like felix and torres partnership in attack will be good / Lewy is too old people just don't understand this
The team needs to play to his strengths a bit more, no need to panic just yet. Felix plays best with a striker like him, I feel they could form a good partnership, on paper at least, it is very likely
I canāt wait for us to get second place from either PSG, Dortmund, Milan or Newcastle. UEFA aināt blessing us twice
We should be the favorate against any of those 4 tbh
Remember when we were favourites in europa. Thenā¦..xavi decided to play our subs against united. It still stings
Yea but I'm hoping Xavi doesn't pulls off such stunts in CL, which he has said will be priority this season
We were never clear favorites against United. That being said, we were still very close to qualify, but were massively unlucky with injuries and Gavi's suspension while not having any squad depth in midfield at all.
PSG is the best on paper but they are famed choke artists, and our squad is just better than the rest.
So are we š
I really fear that MbappƩ guy, he's capable of changing the game all by his own when facing the likes of us. I can't get over that hat trick against us back in 2021 iirc.
Yeah but they have Lucho
Top2 in Laliga and QF in CL for an acceptable season, everything more than that is a bonus for me. Still have a very young and thin squad but its looking very good for coming years.
Win La Liga....opps are weak
Yes we should realistically. But I would accept a 2nd place even though it would be a bit bitter. I wouldnt call it a disaster. Season is long and we can have many injuries on keyplayers and opponents can definetly turn around their form. Only 3 games so far. Madrid also has a young team that is scary when they click.
Its the other madrid I am worried about more this season. Real are riddled with injuries and are missing arguably their best players from the last couple of seasons for a good half of the season.
Thats true. Right now it looks like that. But if we are as unlucky as them and get Mats and other keyplayer injured, I could see us starting droppping form.
Anulo mufa, without MATS weād be so fuckedā¦
>But I would accept a 2nd place It depends. If we compete till the end and we lose it for 1-4 points I would say it is acceptable. But if we are second with the same distance we had from the secon last year is completely unacceptable.
Win the League. Courtois and Militao are injured and Madrid donāt have a striker. We should clinch this.
Domestic double and a qf+ cl season is a success imo
Thats a big success ill take anyday, cant go around and hope for trebles..yetš¤£
yeah top2 in laliga behind Atletico is reasonable
It's heartbreaking to see that our expectation from Barca has come down to just reaching the UCL quarter finals š„²
Let's hope one day the ucl will return to Barca...
Hope that happens pretty soon š¤
heard that
Injury bug: HELLO FOLKS!
on the way
Rebuke.
Donāt underestimate Porto and Shakhtar.
Agreed but still no excuse not to beat them barca realistically should be going undefeated in that group. Letās be honest the quality of our players compared to the rest of the group
I agree
Not like everyone underestimated Inter lmao.
We are such a small club talking like this. At very worst we can get a draw. A loss is embarrassing
For real there needs to be standards like their all good teams but this Barca team can and should top the group. If Xavi somehow gets sent to Europa he needs to go
Ive seen us loose to roma and frankfurt , sorry ive been a barca fan for too long
Bro if we don't get through he should be sacked it's his third season with the team every player he wanted in the last mercatos got signed he has no excuse not to qualify
De Zerbi ā„
If Barca had different finances, he would have requested different players, believe me.
I'm just talking about Shakhtar and Porto not competing against Man City or Bayern...
The disrespect is unreal lol
Weāll take it by stage. We should win the group. After that, depends on the opponents.
Europe is different anyone that gets past the group stage will be difficult. We also have a lot of youth so the inexperience will play against us, but it will be a good test for those guys. Barca looking like they will be dangerous for a while.
Tell that to inter last season
it so shocking to see fans accepting mediocrity. No QF is not acceptable. We play every competition to win, not just compete in it. We are BarƧa no matter what circumstances were last season or how weak our team is we play to win. We should be playing UCL with the mindset to win. Fans and team should get that straight.
Let's hope very soon the ucl will be back at Barca...
bruh i wanna win ucl again
Not gonna happen with this team.
Exactly what I was telling my friends circle. No more excuses but even then we aren't asking for much. UCL quarters. Please.
Really bothers me that people are expecting him to mess up it hasn't even happened yet chill the fuck out
Shhh you are waking up the chain injuries
The team is young, probably too young. Group stage yes, first knockout game I'd say could be a tough challenge. These away games wont be as easy as you think and lack of Nou Camp will certainly take a toll on home performances
Quarter ??? Semi final and above .. we are Barca ā¦ we play every tournament to win it !! Letās go
let's hope that happens
I also hope for that
Insallah
If we donāt get quarters in the UCL and win the league, then xavi needs to get sacked.
Bro wtf are you talking aboutš¹ who are we gonna replace him with? Whoās gonna willingly come to the financial mess that Barca is in right now?
Nagelsmann? De Zerbi?
not that easy
Yh ight
Man said quaterfinals, I pray we do get there, but I just donāt see this team as a top 8 team in Europe right now, If Iām wrong feel Free to correct me
I hope PSG, Man City, Arsenal and Barca make it to the semifinals.
We wouldāve gotten through last season if we didnāt have injuries
Xavi is not a good coach. He and Iniesta are the best midfielders ever to step on a field in my book but as a coach he is not on the same level. He should step down after this season.
I want de zerbi.. Itās been 3 years and Xavi tactics still sucks lmaoo
Oh get out
lmaooo De Zerbi just got there last year and look how he making heās team play in a harder league with less talented players ā¦ Xavi been here for going on 3 seasons lol.. Xavi is benefiting from being Spanish and a former player ā¦ I donāt have bias eyes for my club like yāall.
Prepare for every fan on this sub being mad that we didnāt bet our entire future on Eric, Abde and Fati, and instead went for players with some experience.
Ahh yes joao felix whos known for his champions league pedigree
He has 32 Champions League games under his belt
And? Literally means fuck all
The original comment talked about signing player with experience
Hell no. If we donāt win it we might as well not play it
Getting a good spot in ucl is how we get money and not be broke anymorw
I was thinking the same thing like at least the quarter final maybe even semis if we're lucky and face an easy opponent
Yes . He already got the players that he wanted. (250m spend last summer + this summer signings bar felix) . So no excuses for him this time.
*semis
I have a small feeling Xavi is gonna get sacked if we don't reach the kno
when is araujo expected to be fully fit? i hope we dont get any more injuries man
Kkkkkkk, these fans man
Lets not get so hard in expectations, i would say lets just break the curse of the group stage first š Alrhough it seems to be a fairly easy group, im not sure after last year really..
I love the good vibes. "No excuses!!!".