The Offside Podcast: Episode 19

I know that it’s pretty much certain that Barcelona needs Messi with the Ronaldinho downfall. I didn’t think that the Henry pick up was a great idea, but do yall think that maybe Messi might be better somewhere else? Wierd question because I can’t really picture him anywhere else because of the style Barca plays, but it was just a thought that came to me after seeing how he was above the competition, wasn’t able to put one away sadly, but it seems at times that he wants to do things that the other players aren’t clicking with, i.e runs, passes, etc

thoughts, opinions?

Posted from  United States

I am truly disappointed, Messi deserved a lot better from his team mates than he got. Eto has been off colour for quite a few games now and Rijkaard got his team wrong. I think Gudjohnson should have been playing in the midfield and in the second half he should have brought on Dos Santos, whose pace along with Messi’s would have caused the United defense a lot of problems. Tevez played really good, his work rate is great.
Barca need a new coach and some new defenders and a good goalkeeper.

Messi is Barça’s best player, still his style of play is becoming predictable: always avoiding his marker and cutting in towards the midfield.
To be honest I thought Barçelona played like s***, 5OOOOO passes and hardly a shot on goal. I love the beautiful game as much as the next guy, but when there’s no end product (there wasn’t anybody who could break open ManU’s defense) there’s also no point in doing it.

When the game came to a close Barça started playing the long ball… to Bojan, who’s a midget. Tactical genius by Rijkaard right there IMO!

Say what you want about Tevez, his workate is incredible. Never stopped running, always kept possession and always did something with the ball, be it giving a great pass or avoiding his marker.

Posted from  Belgium

Barca’s goals have dried up, but they never had a problem before. Now they are looking a bit like Arsenal, with too much passing, and no end product. But the problem is, i think, the strikers, who have been woeful all season.

Messi does repeat patterns, but he really has opened up his game. He was coming up the center more, and running from all angles. The problem with him is that he is so effective at the short bursting run from the right, that he will always try it. He seems to have gotten the message that he needs to add more things to his repertoire. Lets remember– he’s only 20!

Just before he first got injured — the first time this season — In the game against Valencia– Messi was playing like a straight out midfielder. He passed twice to Eto’o , who scored both times. Then Messi got his injury and Eto’o went to the African Nation’s Cup. Messi came back from his injuries as hungry as ever, Eto’o didn’t.

Posted from  United States

I think the problems with Barca are more to do with off field wranglings and issues within the club itself more than anything else which is affecting the players mentally(with the exception of Messi who doesn’t get involved). Every team has a cycle, when that cycle ends u have to bring in new blood and new ideas to renew/breathe new life back into the club, they should have got rid of Rijkaard,Ronaldinho and Deco at the start of this season but they didn’t and now they’re paying the price.

messsii is so much better than C.ronaldo… -.-”
messi is the best… c.ronaldo?nothing from him…

Posted from  Malaysia

C.ronaldo is overrrateddd >.

Posted from  Malaysia

and again…ronaldo was nothing….messi is the best

Posted from  Malaysia

Messay,

The Mavericks are losing. With 5.7 secs, they are ………..as a matter of fact, they’ve just lost.

I also agree with you:- No one was there to assist messi. Tghey kept losing the ball and whenever he passed it and made a dash past a defender anticipating a through ball, they’d lose it.

i caught the game at the 13th minute and was lucky to see paul scholes’ goal.

Milito sold out.

nativ son yeah, i just saw my beloved mavs get beat out of the playoffs yet again. its been hard to chew man. losing in the finals,losing last year and now this. they are heartless.

I wish messi was on the mavs to show them what having a heart looks like lol.

read this
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-messi-sets-shining-example-that-ronaldo-must-learn-to-match-818136.html

what yall think?

http://www.goal.com/en-india/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=677614

I’m still wired and upset about Barca losing. That article that you posted said it all, Messay. United win on a defensive foul up (one of so many this year).

Messi needed more help. No one else stepped up. For chrissakes, where was Barca’s Scholes, an elder who has seen it all and who can calm things down and take reasonable shots? Messi had to take it ALL on. He had to take EVERYONE on.

I think that Xavi and Iniesta are great, don’t get me wrong, but they end up being way to passive in huge games like this. It appeared that Messi was at a faster clip than everyone on his own team – nobody was really there for him to communicate. You can say what you will about Ronaldinho, but Dinho really was one of the few who could keep up with Messi’s wizardry (and vice versus).

Watching the Copa Libertadores. My team Liga is doing quite well, thank you very much.

Posted from  United States

I didn’t see the match although from the comments above, I feel I have caught up and will watch the match later. great job guys.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/04/30/sfnman130.xml

I came across the above article. Was Tevez really that good tonight? From the highlights, didn’t see much of him except for the chance he missed in the 2nd half.

The goal.com rating is BS. Probably rated by a ManU/Premier League bandwagon boy. Not sure how CR could get 7. He was mostly invisible.

Posted from  United States

Congrats Alexa !!
Liga de Quito 2-0 Estudiantes.
Estudiantes La Plata, included Verón, are the current leaders of the Clausura (Argy League).
Next week is game 2, in La Plata, just south of Buenos Aires.

Posted from  United States

hi Debashish,
Did u upload the ARG Vs Serbia game to some place?

Thanks and regards,
Miany

Posted from  United States

If a team such as Barca stops playing with short passes & patience because this way of playing doesn’t bring results in modern futbol, then I’ll stop watching the CL.

Yes, Barca did “50000” passes without scoring a single gol in 180 minutes. So what? They had plenty occasions in the 2 games, they weren’t realistic that’s all. There were many factors that made them get out of the CL, as DAY1STAR has said. It’s also very easy to criticize a coach too. Ridjkaard was on the bench, not on the field.

I don’t understand the “Messi is the best VS Ronaldo is sh#t” debate. At all. Some suddenly realize that Ronaldo is over-rated by the medias & the mass, and I don’t understand it. He has always played like this. The marketed system should be criticized, not an over-rated player. No Cristiano Ronaldo is not the best in the world, like Cannavaro in 2006, Ronaldo in 2002, and so on… Who really cares? We all know that Messi is the most outstanding player nowadays.

Some also suddenly realize that MU plays boring futbol at a high level, which is surprising too. Anyway, they should get credit, they were awesome tactically (Tevez a pure monster).

ALBO,
Tonight River VS San Lorenzo!

ALEXA,
Indeed you need a Riquelme cure after watching Manchester!

Posted from  Sweden

Of course the game ended in disapointment. I knew before the game that it
would….but it still hurts like hell. I have come to the conclusion that my football, my passion and love for football, is just a dream. Only a dream, and it will never be real. Nothing real good can ever happen. I love argentine players and Argentina….but loving Argentina and argentine players like Messi and Riquelme are just all about pain and dissapointments. Every single time the real big games, the real big occasions come, it ends in tears. I am so fuckin’ sick of it!
Since our victory on penalties against England in the 98 World Cup, it’s been like this. 9 years of dissapoinmemts and pain. Later in WC 98 Holland beat us in the quarter final in the last minute of the game..how could we ever forget?
In 1999 we lost to Brazil in the Copa America quarter final.
Redondo won the CL with Real in 2000…that made me happy…but in the final they beat Valencia(with Lopez and Kily).
The next year Valencia(with Ayala, Kily and Aimar) lost the final again.

In 2002 we lost to England in the WC…needless to say, losing to England is just horrible and this result together with our failure to beat Sweden sent us out of the WC after the group stage.
In 2003 Inter(with lots of argies) lost the CL semifinal against Milan.

In 2004…..Nothing really bad or really fantastic happend, rather surprisingly. Tevez and Argentina won the Olymics. Nice moment, but not like winnig a senior cup like Copa America, the World Cup or the Champions Legue.

In 2005 I thought my hero, Hernan Crespo, had secured victory for his Milan in the CL final against Liver***l…but it was not to be, of course…..
We also got humiliated by Brazil in the final of the confederations cup that summer. A poor, poor perforance.
Later this year we also undeservedly lost a high prestige friendly against England. Messi was suspended fir that game because he had been given a red card after one minute on the field in his debut against Hungary two months earlier.

In 2006 Messi was phenomenal in the CL game against Chelsea on Stamford Bridge…he was injured in the return leg….and did not get to play in the final where Barca beat Ars***l. This is a very bitter thing for me, espesially after what happened yesterday…in 2006 Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto’o and all where playing great…of course my Messi couldn’t be a part of the team that won that final. But yesterday he played and he played well, but Eto’o and Deco played like idiots. As soon as Messi can play in a deciecive game, the players around him are playing like donkeys. This I will never ever forget!!
Riquelme had the chance to send Villareal to the CL final this year, but his penalty in the dying minutes in the semi final against Ars***l were saved by the keeper. In the biggest moment of his career so far, he couldn’t cope with the pressure….
The biggest dissapoinment in 2006 however, came in the WC. We lost the quarter final against Germany, the first real top class team we met in this cometition, and the WC ended in tears and frustration. And later this year we lost a high prestige friendly against Brazil in London…..

In 2007 Messi and Barca were eliminated by Liver***l in the CL second round, Messi had just come back from injury and couldn’t do much. Another VERY bitter moment….I will never stop thinking: what would happen if Barca with a fully fit Messi had the chance to play this Liverp***l team?
The worst moment in 2007 allthough, came in the Copa final against Brazil…we lost and played an incredible bad game right when it matterd most. Later that year I travelled to Oslo to see my beloved Argentina play live against Norway…it was great to meet all the players, but it was fuckin’ embarrasing and painful to see us losing to Norway, and this is maybe the only time in my sad life that I will ever get to see an Argentina game live.
2008….Inter(with 67 Argies) are humiliated by Liver***l(0-3) in the second round of the CL and gets knocked out. Barca plays Man Utd for the right to play in the CL final….Messi plays a good game in Barcelona. He plays even better in Manchester, and completely outshines C. Ronaldo…..but maybe apart from Puyol, Xavi and Iniesta no one helps Leo much in his attemt to beat Man Utd. This is very easy: if Barca had had ONE single effective attacker on the field together with Leo, they would have gone through. It’s that easy! One striker…but when it matterd most for Barca and my hero…they of course did not have a striker able to do anything. This just tastes so fuckin’ bitter.

Yes, I know there have been Argie players who have won Serie A, La Liga and Premier Legue during these years…Copa Libertadores…..the UEFA cup…even the Olympics….And yes, I know Argentina have played some great WC qualifiers during these years, even against Brazil(!)………
But this is my point: when it really matters most, on the highest level, in the biggest and most deciecive games, against the toughest of oponents…In the World Cup, in the Copa America, in the Champions Legue…..in games against Brazil and England….it always ends up BAD. In tears. Disapointment and pain. I don’t think my heart can take this any longer…I am so tired of this shit!

I guess there are still some positive people out there who will say that Tevez now has the chance to win the CL and maybe score in the CL final……..I would be happy if he did, but United is an english team and I can never fully support an english team. But come on, folks….against Chelsea or the ultra defensive Liver***l…Dream on! It will not happen.

I have decided to stop dreaming. Dreams are just dreams. I rest my case. Sorry, but I had to get it off my chest.

Rune, i completely understand where you’re coming from, after the WC2006 defeat i hit a 3 week depression cycle, but this is what i tell myself all the time, nothing ever stays the same, everything changes, and you have to be eternally optimistic. If right now, things are not going our way then tomorrow, or the day after they surely will.
There is much more reason to be optimistic right now than ever before. Barcelona had been playing pretty crap for quite a while now, so, it wasn’t too surprising what happened, you could see how much Messi really wanted to be in the final because he played his heart out, but, you have to remember that he had not been involved in the behind the scenes wranglings that have been affecting the other players performances recently.
Anyway, i firmly believe that next season will be a good one for all of us Argentina supporters.

And at the end of the day, it’s our dreams that push us to try to achieve what our heart most desires, so, don’t stop dreaming, one day your dreams will come true.

RUNE,

1990: Referring
1994: Tactics
1998: Bad luck
2002: Bad luck
2003: Bad luck
2005: Mental
2006: Bad luck, Tactics, Referring
2007: Mental, Tactics

There is always a cause.

Personnaly, the way Argentina played at WC 2006 was like a dream. Magnificent. Italy will only remember one date: 2006. I will remember the beauty, forever: http://www.megaupload.com/fr/?d=Y1TD8MWB

Posted from  Sweden

Like for Argentina, Renova has scheduled 2 stupid & useless friendlies for Brazil, in the States this summer, against Venezuela and Canada.

Posted from  Sweden

It’s a bitter disappointment, but I’ve watched Barcelona all year, and I really didn’t see how they were going to play well enough to win the whole thing. They would have if MEssi hadn’t gotten injured. There was a quote in one of the Spanish newspapers before the CLSemis, something along the lines of “Messi makes us dream but the rest of the players give us nightmares”. That’s basically how it was for most of the year.

The Arg defeat to Brazil was way worse, because Arg was so superior in all the areas that are important for good football. Then they fell apart, I think because the defensive line had no real trust in Pato.

Either way, it will always be more difficult to play in this style. It’s easier to build a team around defense and the lucky nick of a goal. But that’s the p*ssy way out (sorry for my language!).

We WILL triumph one of these days. We are just in a bad time for football right now.

ALBO — thanks! Liga wins! At least my team wins! I’m so happy for them.

Posted from  United States

To Maxilopez,
The result between Barca and Man Utd did not
surprise me at all. The cycle of suceess for
Barca has been over for a while now. The Barca
coach needs a new job; he will be thrown out soon. That is
the way it is in Football.
Messi was great in the first half of the first leg
and great again yesterday. But football is a collective
sport and his dribbling skills is not enough to win nowadays.
He is way too isolated. Henry, Itoh, Deco were useless and Deco wasted a number of opportunities. Henry could have scored on a header.

I hope that Messi finds a NEW club soon. Else he is wasting
his talent.I doubt though whether he will ever leave Barca.
Cheers to you all,
Ken

Posted from  United States

Barca is the only team that has a tradition of passive, offensive, total football. It would be crazy for MEssi to leave Barcelona. He goes to any team, and the style of play will always be at the whim of the coach or the owner. Let’s not go crazy here. Barcelona are one of two teams in the top that even care about good football. The other, Arsenal, would never in a million years pay for his transfer fee. It’s a ludicrous idea.

Posted from  United States