The anti-Barcelona World XI

Copied off an article I saw elsewhere - what team would you pick to try and beat Barça?

I reckon there are some obvious points: you want a tough, hard-working midfield. You want defenders that are fast and can play physical, fullbacks that get down the flank, and an attack that's strong in the air with strikers who are efficient at taking their chances.

The manager is obviously going to be Mourinho, not much debate required there. He fits the concept of anti-Barça both tactically and philosophically.

So, what 11 would you pick? Don't try to be clever/lazy by just naming the Real Madrid 11

I'll start with some initial thoughts:

Casillas (no particular requirement here, just anyone that's good)

?-Carvalho-Lucio-Bale

Pepe - to destroy
X. Alonso - to launch the counter attacks
?

Ronaldo
?
?

Buffon
Thuram--Nesta--Stam--Maldini
Roy Keane--Xabi--Makelele
CR7--Ronaldo--Zidane

*at their prime

easy, die MANNSCHAFT is cleary the 3rd best team in the world after barca and spain, when you look at there system and individuals

Kroos wrote:easy, die MANNSCHAFT is cleary the 3rd best team in the world after barca and spain, when you look at there system and individuals

Yes, but the point of this thread is a team that can beat Barça. So far die MANNSCHAFT has not been able to do so.

I would assume it's what ever Santos' first 11 is these days.

-----------Casillas
----Vidic-David Luiz-T.Silva
Sagna-----De Rossi---------Bale
-----------Modric
-----Robben-------C.Ronaldo
--------Eto'o/Drogba/Ibrahimovic

This team can dominate the midfield, can defend well (3 CB + DM), has 2 explosive FB. Modric can be the playmaker and Robber + CR just behind a good striker.

Luiz and Vidic together

Now that would be funny

COTR wrote:Luiz and Vidic together

Now that would be funny

Why?

Lucio and Kompany would be my centre backs.

Why the fuck is everone putting Ronaldo in. I know Barca will dominate possession, but having the ball for a bit isn't a bad thing.

Bogdan Stancu wrote:-----------Casillas
----Vidic-David Luiz-T.Silva
Sagna-----De Rossi---------Bale
-----------Modric
-----Robben-------C.Ronaldo
--------Eto'o/Drogba/Ibrahimovic

This team can dominate the midfield, can defend well (3 CB + DM), has 2 explosive FB. Modric can be the playmaker and Robber + CR just behind a good striker.

Like this team very much.

Vidic for me though isn't the kind of defender to deal with Barca's movement. Kompany of Man City is a better alternative.

Problems with Robben and Ronaldo in there - they'd have to be the very top of their games as both very selfish, individual players. Running down blind alleys and losing the ball is not an option against Barca - they would both need to work the crosses as early as possible.

Ozil instead of Robben perhaps, playing more centrally, as I don't think wingers work well against Barcelona since having so little of the ball means they get pushed back into defensive positions and by the time have spread out the pressing game in the centre Barca employ leaves supply to widemen extremely limited. It's exactly what happened to Valencia/Park in the recent final.

-fairly conservative full backs but with serious pace & counter potential in Bale & Robben in front of them
-Drogba probably best around at holding the ball up, can also score goals & generally bully the CBs
-strong/tactically aware CM, Bale is also a worker who would get back & track Villa/Pedro. Robben the only luxury player, but at the least he would keep the LB from getting forward much
-if all else fails DeCunt can kung-fu kick the fuckers

Is this based on Alan Smith's suggestion in yesterday's Torygraph? His was an interesting team:

Casillas; Lahm, Luiz, Vidic, Cole; Alonso, Pepe, Modric; Sanchez, Ronaldo, Bale.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/european/8545026/Alan-Smith-My-world-XI-to-take-on-the-might-of-Barcelona.html

Cesar: for the save against messi in the Camp Nou
Maincon:Fills the role of attacking and physical fullback perfectly
Lucio: Fast,Strong,Big and can ready the game
Carvalho: to give the defense Balance
Cole: Never seen him have a truly bad game against barca to be honest.
Cambiasso:
Essian: two very excellent midfielders, strong and can read the game, but also can make a pass.
Robben: the only winger i constantly fear barca coming up against
Midget: the AM needs to be able to make the pass and also take the shot
Di Maria: hard worker down the flanks
RVN: his record speaks for itself, don't think he need a big physical forward, but one that takes his chance, Drogba's record against us is shit, despite popular belief for example, players like RVN,Higgy and Milito will get much more joy out of our defense, has the will put away the few chances they get.

despite how well pepe did in his role against us, its a very high risk strategy has he will constantly get booked
Rolando has never played well against us and i don't see that changing much, robben gave us a much hard time during his time at madrid.


--------------------Cesar

---Maicon-----Lucio-----Carvalho---Cole

---------------Essien---Cambiasso

----Di Maria-------Midget----------Robben

---------------------RVN

that team would for sure beat us IMO

------------------Neuer
--------Komps-----Silva-----Luiz
---------------------Pepe
---Muller---Fabregas--Sahin---Marcelo
------------------Sneijder
---------------Eto'o

------------Casillas-----------

Maicon----Lucio-Carvalho---Cole

-------------Alonso-------------

-------Pepe--------Van Bommel----

-----------Gerrard-------Di Maria/Bale

-----------Drogba---------

Basically copying the tactics from Dunga's Brazil. The midfield is key and here they have enough players packed to counter the 3/4 man midfield from Barcelona. Pepe/Bommel can do all the grunt work and Gerrard is also there. Di Maria will cover Alves' runs and be able to take him on from Alonso's passes. This means giving up space on the right but Abidal isn't that much of a threat. Drogba doesn't need any explanation.

Gerrard, Bommel and Drogba?!

or maybe


---------------GK

---Ramos-----Terry---Vidic-----Evra/clichy

-----------Khedira---Alonso

-----Ronaldo-----Kaka------Ribery

-----------------Drogba


,the huff and puff team.

Allez les rouges wrote:Gerrard, Bommel and Drogba?!

I still rate all those players. I was a bit unsure about Gerrard but bar injuries I think would he would be well suited. Otherwise Sneijder/Modric/Borja would be fine as replacements.

is this the Damascene volte-face of one who has turned his back forever on the beautiful game?!

The team looks defensively formidable but propped up by over-the-hill brute force, I like to think it would get what it deserved.

fcb wrote:

Kroos wrote:easy, die MANNSCHAFT is cleary the 3rd best team in the world after barca and spain, when you look at there system and individuals

Yes, but the point of this thread is a team that can beat Barça. So far die MANNSCHAFT has not been able to do so.

it was quite close, one standard situation and the the highly missed müller saved you


now germany has more depth, trochowski will never play for germany again, also özil was pretty much wasted in the centre

i think bayern and germany have the players to beat spain/barca, bayern lacked so far the organisation on the field, and germany just lacks the experience

bayern/germany has far better individual class than most club sides, i wish bayern would have manus organisation

germany vs. spain

------------neuer

boateng-höwedes-hummels-lahm

-----khedira---schweini
---------kroos

müller----gomez-----özil

the midfield is a great combination of passing, steel and keeping possession, players like podolski pretty much useless against the likes of spain


bayern vs. barca


----------neuer

rafinha-boateng-badstuber-lahm

-----tymo----schweini
---------kroos

robben---gomez-müller

i would never play ribery against barca, his useless runs and dribblings would kill us

Allez les rouges wrote: is this the Damascene volte-face of one who has turned his back forever on the beautiful game?!

The team looks defensively formidable but propped up by over-the-hill brute force, I like to think it would get what it deserved.

Destruction is beautiful
And I agree that this team would get what it deserved, VICTORY.

To be serious I don't see how this is a team of brute force. Carvalho/Maicon/Alonso/Gerrard/Di Maria are all pretty good on the ball and Lucio/Pepe/Bommel/Drogba are hardly donkey's either. So I don't get what you are talking about. If I wanted a team that was only physical then I would have had a central defence of Samuel-Vidic and a midfield of Essien/Mascherano/Melo.

No idea about an XI but I agree that a highly efficient finisher trumps a mobile targetman when playing Barca. I'd say the same is true of the creative players - that they make the right decisions is more important than their ability to make magic happen. Barca's defense is not that good, their strength is in not giving you the time on the ball to create many chances. So you need attacking players who are not likely to waste the ball.

Basically, you need a lot of efficiency, some facking runners in midfield, and mobile CBs.

-----------------Buffon-----------------

Maicon--Lucio--Kompany--Cole

-----------Tiote-----Toure-----------
-----------------Nasri-----------------

----Rooney---------C.Ronaldo----
--------------van Persie--------------

Deferring the Apocalypse wrote:No idea about an XI but I agree that a highly efficient finisher trumps a mobile targetman when playing Barca. I'd say the same is true of the creative players - that they make the right decisions is more important than their ability to make magic happen. Barca's defense is not that good, their strength is in not giving you the time on the ball to create many chances. So you need attacking players who are not likely to waste the ball.

Basically, you need a lot of efficiency, some facking runners in midfield, and mobile CBs.

Completely agree. I don't know which players to choose but they'd need to be capable of playing as a team and scoring more goals than they concede. The defenders should be good at defending but also able to contribute offensively. The attackers should be good at attacking while still providing support to the defense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEVdca9U9LM

Definitely NOT a Mourinho coached team because your chances are limited to 'divine' intervention such as Collina gifting Mourinho's Chelsea the tie against Barça, an erupting volcano messing up traveling plans, refs not calling penalties for Barça or disallowing perfectly legal Barça goals (mainly the one that KO Mourinho and Inter with less than five minutes left at the Camp Nou in return leg) and allowing offside goals (Milito's). So you see Mourinho has never really beaten Barcelona, and on the contrary he's gotten his ass thoroughly whooped! SO MANY THINGS HAVE TO BREAK JUST RIGHT FOR A MOURINHO COACHED TEAM TO BEAT BARCELONA. MOREOVER, HE'S SUCH A CAGON (a great coward!) when he plays Barça. This is my reasoning as to why your chances are not good with a Mourinho coached team, it is down to sheer luck with him, and his team will always look second best, but he may nick a win just like Rubin Kazan.

Mes Amis! a give you a full Chile team (with their strikers fit) coached by Bielsa (I know Bielsa doesn't coach Chile anymore so any Bielsa coached team for he owned Barça erm Spain with only ten players) any team coached by this Argie.

Here's hoping Santos win CL and that they keep their stars and coach, I think they have a good shot at beating Barça. You won't see the Catalans utterly humiliate them like they did the Mancs.

-----------------De Vries---------------

Richards--Ignashevich--Bochetti--Marcelo

---------------Toure--Ledesma-----------

Gökdeniz--------Dominguez-----------Bale

--------------------Eto'o-----------------



De Vries to spring counter-attacks with his great passing and throwing.

The 2 CB's have great passing ability to spring counter (1st CB is weak att the aerial stuff but no probs with Barca in that respect)

FB's have the athleticism to make lung-busting runs forward if and when required.

Toure is strong defensively and has great vision - ledesma is feisty (maybe a bit too much) and as good a long passer as there is in football.

The Turk and Dominguez because its worked before - the searing pace of Bale on the left flank and then Eto'o is a no brainer.

There is quite a difference between a 'team to beat Barcelona' and an 'anti-Barcelona team'

Team to beat Barcelona: Neuer; Maicon, Lucio, Ferdinand, A.Cole; Yaya Toure, Essien; Di Maria, Sneijder, Robben; Eto'o

Anti-Barcelona XI would include the likes of Sergio Ramos, Adebayor, Drogba and be coached by either Wenger or Mourinho.

Super Mourinho wrote:

Allez les rouges wrote: is this the Damascene volte-face of one who has turned his back forever on the beautiful game?!

The team looks defensively formidable but propped up by over-the-hill brute force, I like to think it would get what it deserved.

Destruction is beautiful
And I agree that this team would get what it deserved, VICTORY.

To be serious I don't see how this is a team of brute force. Carvalho/Maicon/Alonso/Gerrard/Di Maria are all pretty good on the ball and Lucio/Pepe/Bommel/Drogba are hardly donkey's either. So I don't get what you are talking about. If I wanted a team that was only physical then I would have had a central defence of Samuel-Vidic and a midfield of Essien/Mascherano/Melo.

Well negativity is one thing but I can only wonder if you genuinely think Gerrard, van Bommel, Drogba and di Maria would make much of an impact on Pique, Puyol, Alves, Abidal, Busquets et al. I rate Drogba highly, would have called him the best in the world till very recently but really, even United have more impressive attackers than that.