"Three Defensive mid-fielders" Formation was not Starnage and Stupid After All!!

[Ali Chicago]

Thanks for sharing. I share the view what I witnessed as kid in 70s as the "total football" is perfected today by Barca. What they pointed out about family environment and that sense of collective is such a key I think. That is why they bring people who can adapt that point of view and maybe they don't bring someone like Christiano Ronaldo there.

In addition; I would like to clarify something, because I think there is a misunderstanding here. Going back and forth isn't an attempt on Payman and I part to prove whose is larger here. It is a never ending quest for understanding better, learning from each other and adjust our sense of what each of us sees as reality.

Payman and I since 2005 have been at times on the same and at times on different sides. For example we share a critical point of view toward Branko around 2006 while we differ on Ghotbi for example. I just want to clear it up, it isn't about "Whose is bigger". Reality is much more complex that one person to get it all and our only hope is to have a dialogue, point and counter points to get closer to the reality. In this process each of us "yours truly" included have our own biases and short coming that makes it more difficult.

I wrote this, because a few times in your posts you pointed out to the same issue " people are going back and forth". I am not denying there is that element at times as well. But maybe this is part of the process, for some people it is just that going back and forth and prove "whose is bigger", for a few it is an attempt to make our view of the world more accurate.

This is an attempt to clarify and not being a critic of you, to further reiterate again.

^ hahha no it's not only you or DD or anyone else

It's just the way of "the going back and forth" (regardless of the topic). It has become like a real sitcome (maybe DD's avatar has something to do with it).

But back on topic:

Like I said before here in Holland you have multiple TV-Talk Shows where they discuss and analyze the games and football in general. And here is what they had to say in a nutshell:

Ronald Koeman was there for the game and they asked him to join the players for the after party but he refused as he thought it's their moment. I wrote this to give you an example about the "family feeling" Barca has. Koeman (and the Talk Show host who witnessed it all) was explaining that the club has a very warm culture and that as a player, once you get in, you're part of the family and no matter how famous you were (or not) when ever you go back they welcome you as family.......(I guess Karimi and Kia could say the same about PP :P)

Koeman went on to praise the position-passing-pressuring style of Barca. The other people on the show wanted to credit Cruijff with that (as the Dutch are way too chauvinistic...just like Iranians, maybe even worse) But Koeman tried to tone that down by saying that: it all started with Cruijff and us (himself and the other Dutch players), but the positiong-passing-pressuring game that Barca displays today is something else. And that the players are way better and skilled than the "dream team" of Barca back then.

On another show there was a discussion between Van Hanegem (best defender in the Dutch football history and who would be named among Pele, Maradona and Cruijff if he didn't play during the time that Cruijjf played too) and Van der Gijp (ex-Dutch international and teammate of Gullit etc. who is very funny and tells things as they are, without roo-darvasi).

Van Hanegem was of the opinion that there is no strategy, tactic or formation that's build against this team. He says that Barca is too exceptional and that no matter what you do you'll lose. As we've seen it happen to various team, with different formations and tactics.

Van der Gijp was of the opinion that Fergi had told the players to go out there and enjoy the game. As ManU players were mere expectators like the rest of us. He said that with the exception of the first 10 minutes, they didn't pressurize the Barca players and just tried defending while walking back, which only plays in the favor of Barca. He is of the opinion that if you pressurize enough and don't let Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta pass the ball to each other, you will stand a chance. As long as you intercept, or prevent these 3 players to pass to each other or find each other you'll have a shot, as the rest of the team isn't nearly as good and can't pass very well either.

[Babak agha]

^ I understand what you're saying, and the whole point of a discussion/forum is the going back and forth and hopefully learning/understanding something.

Nothing wrong with that and nothing wrong with what's going on here!

It's just maybe due to the fact that unlike the football forum, there are only a handful of people posting here. And you can usually predict the response or even the very first post of a thread and it's tone here. that's the only funny thing I meant, and not the content of what was said or asked.

Back on topic: they indeed pointed out that the "family thing" of Barca and choosing the right players to fit that enviroment (I wonder who came up with Ibrahimovic) leads to the success and continuation at Brca compared to Real or Man-City