A Cule's Words

Leeds edged Everton 1-0 in an entertaining game.  I think Leeds are one of those sides which I really like watching. Defining a whole another level of relentless pressing and attack-minded football. This match was truly special. Everton were not bad either, and had many chances of their own. It was just that Leeds were a bit better.  Yes, so why is it almost perfect 90 minutes ? It was beautiful, free flowing football played at a pace most can only dream of. I might as well think Bayern would envy the stamina of Leeds players. The only thing that missed the mark was finishing. Not that it was not good, it was, but it certainly could have been better. Add to that the goalkeeping masterclass from Pickford and Meslier, it was a delight. The defenses, surprisingly, were on point too. I would only point to the fact that Everton could not handle possession in the midfield and crowded places well. That was where they lost the game. You need to dominate in tight areas to show the qual...

 On paper, this should be an easy win for Barcelona. But one of the few teams to beat Barcelona at the Camp Nou has been Osasuna.  So, is it possible to lose to Osasuna ? Yes. No team is predictable. Is it justifiable ? Nope. Never should a team like Barcelona lose to a team like Osasuna. This just doesn't make sense. And I hope that Barcelona do not make themselves look like jokers on the night and come back with a resounding win. That is elementary.  Lineup- We cannot rest players for this match because We are sitting comfortably at 12th in the league table. I would not say we deserve it, but we do not deserve to be top of the table either, and that's what needs to change. Thus- Ter Stegen, Alba, Lenglet, Oscar, Konrad Fuente, De Jong, Puig/Alena/Pjanic, Coutinho, Messi, Dembele, Griezmann.  A few things- Reports suggests Dest has muscular discomfort and Oscar is considered as a replacement. Now, We cannot put Umtiti in an important match, so I think Fuente will be...

 A good result for Barcelona, but we lost a great of the game. 2020 is really not going well.  It's almost as bad as it gets. Diego Maradona has died aged 60 and he is going to be remembered throughout the world.  Well, his health did not seem to be on his side for a long time now and it probably did not come as a shock for his health professionals, but it sure did shock the footballing world. He will be an inspiration for millions of Argentinians and aspiring footballers alike, for decades to come. As for the match, team took a bit too long to get going, but then the signs were all positive. I hope it stays that way. Anyways, The man of the match was Sergino Dest and deservedly so. He will be getting many minutes in the coming matches in Roberto's absence, and I am hopeful that he will make the most of them.  That's it then,  Adieu, Diego. 

 Alright, Messi and De Jong are rested, this match is tagged a tester, but we still desperately need a win.  Lineup- I think Riqui and Pjanic should come in, along with Dest and Oscar. And, hopefully, Trincao and Coutinho.  What should we improve on ? Basically everything has a huge room for improvement in this team, and the list is widening for the last few games, so why not have a bit of positivity. Barcelona are good at creating chances ! Target ? To win comfortably. Not by a huge margin of goals, but a gap in quality. That's where you would  want to focus right now.  What if we lose ? I honestly do not expect that to happen, but as we all know, anything can happen, and then we would really have to see if Koeman was the right man, but I do not expect sacking anytime soon, because nobody is in control right now.  Prediction ? 3-0 to Barcelona, with 20 shots.  And yeah, I loved Griezmann's approach and answers in the  interview and I hope he sco...

 We lost, again, and it's not even the finishing this time.  We did not deserve to lose, but not to win either. That's not good. Alright, what's the wrongs of this match ? Trincao did not start. We needed a substitute for Ansu, who is a winger. Pedri is not.  Dest did not start. Why to buy a good player if he is to rot on the bench ? This was by far the most important match for at least a month. Why not start a good player? I do not know if he's injured, or burned out due to the international break, but he better have a reason for it.  Many players were out of life. Lacking energy and creativity, yesterday's Barcelona was stale, I hate to say it, but it was.  And then again, good ol' finishing.  The most disturbing was, defense. Pique, yes, Pique miscontrolled the ball, Ter Stegen came rushing 40-50 yards and that's how Atleti scored. I really feel the lack of confidence, or dare I say competence in this team.  Dembele was impressive though, and that p...

 Suarez is out, but that's not even half of the problems Barca were gonna face.  Barca are having injury crisis at the top of all other problems it's going through. At least Busquets won't start this match. Fati won't, too. Alright. Atleti are in a much better position in La Liga than Barcelona. Although they have played more matches, they have been objectively much more decisive than Barcelona and that is, like every other match, the thing we have to improve.  1. Lineup- Ter Stegen, Dest, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, De Jong, Puig, Pedri, Messi, Trincao, Griezmann.  Now, to choose Puig over Pjanic is only because he needs that trust and confidence from Koeman. We do not want to ruin his career.  2. Approach. I guess attacking is our strength and better team plays to it's strengths. We need to show that on the field.  3. Messi and Griezmann need to pair up for a goal. That will silence the "dark regime" claims for a bit.  4. Take shots with confidence, but on...

 The match was awesome, but arguably the more important news was the resignation of the board.  So, let's not get carried away, and discuss the negatives first.  1. Ansu is injured. For 5 months. A big blow. That's not good. 2. The defense is a joke. We need Araujo to recover, Dest to start, Garcia to come in January and a decent left back(at defending) to get ourselves going.  3. Busquets started, both were mediocre.  Now for the positives.  1. Griezmann is finally having confidence to move around and take shots.  2. Well, it was unavoidable, but Messi scored from open play.  3. Dembele looking good AF.  4. Pedri is getting the chances he deserves.  5. 5 in a match . All in all, I was satisfied, but Griezmann needs to just keep his shots in the goal and Pedri needs to avoid getting burned out.  That's it then.