Real Madrid pass completion v Barca

Who cares??

Both Spanish teams full of cheats and they are teaching same tricks to Drogba as well

On the other side, why TV don't do stats on like who had more Feign injuries, dives...Barcelona will still beat every one in that stat

I think what is happening to us is that we have been on a roll for 3 years and everything has been going right for us. Despite being the best team in the world IMO, we have also had our luck - Stamford Bridge 3 years ago for example - and we have needed that luck too. I just think the players are suffering physically but more emotioally and psychologically. It's difficult to be at the top for so long - not domestically but also in terms of Europe too.

But we are not finished yet.

As far as RDM being a lucky manager. Well, I watcha lot of English football - I love English football - and I believe that Chelsea had absolutely no luck for almost all the season. They were robbed at Old Trafford, didn't get vital penalties that they should have on 3 or 4 occasions, a very questionable Man Utd penalty at Stamford Bridge, bad luck against QPR, and that is just from memory - if I sat down and thought about it I'd remember more. Maybe Chelsea are just getting their luck all in one go at the end of the season. Also, you can't write off teams that have so many dangerous players.

xiuxiuejar, what's the situation with Cesc at the moment? I've watched a lot of Barca games on sky this season, and he's been brilliant individually every time I've seen him. But he seems to have disrupted Barca's fluidity as a team. Pep maybe thinks he's too good to leave out so he has to somehow fit him in the team...

Cesc started really well and plays that up and down box to box role really well. He linked up really well with Messi, especially before Christmas. But his form has dropped a little lately. I believe that Barça bought Cesc as the 'next' Xavi and Cesc has the ability and talent to grow into that role but Xavi is very disciplined and Cesc has to learn that part of the game.

You see, another reason for our fall in form this season has been Xavi. People talk about Xavi now but Xavi has been doing what he does for Barça at this top level for about 9 seasons now. He has been the heartbeat of Riykaard's and Guardiola's teams. When we play at our best, Xavi picks up the ball on the edge of our area and "triangulates" (if it exists in English - from the Catalan word) - a quick succession of passes Xavi - Puyol - Xavi - Alves - Xavi - Iniesta - Xavi .... All the time the WHOLE team moves with possession into the attacking part of the field. This way we attack in numbers and form a quick strangle on the opposition to win the ball back high up the field and form quick attacks.

As you can imagine, Xavi sees a lot of the ball and runs a lot of metres. But Xavi has had knee and ankle problems for the last 3 years and is finding it increasingly difficult. Therefore in the last couple of months, you may notice Barça has been a little more direct. Subsequently we don't have that quality of possession we had before.

Cesc will have to learn to play that role and also cover for Iniesta sometimes. Barça's players must learn to play in vasrious roles which vary very subtly.

Saying all that, im my opinion, Cesc is a fantastic player. I personally rate him more highly that Iniesta but he needs more discipline.

xiuxiuejar, yeah I feel stupid criticising a player of Iniesta's calibre and talent, but he's disappointed me a lot in recent months, whenever I've watched Barca. His end product seems to be lacking and it looks to me that Cesc offers much more to the team, in terms of goals, assists and general play.

Maybe Pep is not dropping Iniesta for the big games because of his reputation?

I agree with you a little verminator but I don't think it's reputation. I mean, the 'Legend of Iniesta' was made after the goal at Chelsea and the World Cup goal. Both extremely lucky but some players have that luck and make reputations from it. I (and my fellow Cules will kill me for this) don't rate Iniesta. I don't think he does enough and he's light. A 25 metre shot in injury time against any team is luck, against Chelsea that day, it was more than luck. But really, I don't think he could function in any team except this Barça team. I'm sure Cesc will play more next year.

I also think Barca lack the fluidity they had last season.

A Villa-Messi-Pedro front three was quick, incisive, clinical, fluid and very threatening.

With Xavi and Iniesta BOTH in the middle behind the front three. Now Pep seems to have pushed Iniesta out wide.

Also, unlike most people, I haven't been that impressed with Alexis.

But Pep has decided that Messi is the best striker at the club. This difference you have pointed at is more because of Xavi's struggle. Also, not having a recognised striker means we have no target to vary our attacks.

There's a huge difference in Chelsea's and Madrid's performances in that Madrid got twice the number of shots on target Barça did. They didn't hold onto the ball as much as they should have, but they used it much better when they had it than Chelsea last week.

That is because they are a much better team thañ Chelsea, at the end of the day their tactic was to stop Barcelona playing, exactly the same as Chelsea, and they used the best of their available resources to do that, exactly the same as Chelsea.