This Barca way of playing

[HawkTheSeagull]

The style of play is the issue. We don't have the squad to make it work.

Well it wasnt an issue when we had well over 20 shots against Wigan - our finishing was, and is, our biggest failing this season and is why we arent scoring many goals.

The accuracy of our crossing is also poor at times, Dave at the weekend over hit so many of them. None of this has anything to do with the style, which is still similar to last season.

 

[Jbanged]

Do you really think that we play like Barcelona?

Agree.
Our midfield is nothing like what happens with the barca midfield

 

[BensGrandad]

That was just chances that I could remember late in the game when we were hanging on for a point and hoping to sneak a break away goal for the 3 points but I am sure there were many more earluer that I cant specifically remember but thought of at the time as a chance gone begging.

 

[The Truth]

I think we need someone who commands the middle more. Richard Carpenter in his hay day, would be perfect.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

We have had more shots on target than Reading over the whole season and only one less than QPR. Both of those teams are doing well and are in the play-offs. The amount of shots we have is not the problem.

Totally agree.

I said after the Millwall game that depsite it being one of the most lacklustre games Iv'e seen in a long while, that we had 2 or 3 great attacking opportunities in the last 15 minutes to score more goals, only let down by poor finishing, decision making or the final ball.

Also in the latter stages v Reading we also had a 2 v 2 attack with Buckley and Ulloa where Ulloa fell over when perfectly places to either shoot on goal or pass to an unmarked Buckley. Very frustrating.

 

[BensGrandad]

We need another Brian Horton and perhaps Dale Stephens can be the snswer when he has got used to us and our system. Hope he is back against QPR.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

That was just chances that I could remember late in the game when we were hanging on for a point and hoping to sneak a break away goal for the 3 points but I am sure there were many more earluer that I cant specifically remember but thought of at the time as a chance gone begging.

There is a very good reason as to why you cannot remember us having any other shots earlier in the game. We had 6 shots to Readings 26, we got 1 on target to their 5. Very similar ratios but having created 20 extra chances than us I think it's fair to say they were the more likely to score a 2nd.

 

[B.W.]

Really? We hit the target once in 90 minutes, other than Buckley creating himself a chance on his left foot we offers sod all.

Spot on. BG is living in some kind of fantasy land. We created very, very little against Reading, and were only saved by their profligacy in front of goal and the OG. However, in other games, it is very true that we have created chances, but our finishing has been the problem.

 

[Icy Gull]

We need another Brian Horton and perhaps Dale Stephens can be the snswer when he has got used to us and our system. Hope he is back against QPR.

I have said for a couple of years now that we need an inspirational captain, we don't have one and I think that does make us less effective. Nobby used to drive the team on with bollockings and praise to the players and constant bitching to the ref. Most successful teams have an inspired and , to other teams, irritiating driving force.

There is nobody at the Albion who can step to the level required imo.

 

[Baaaald]

Who the hell thinks we play like Barcelona?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

We're missing Andrew Crofts for sure.

 

[Rookie]

Of course we don't play like Barca, they have a system that goes through the club and they have been working on, for what, 20 years? Throw all in the small matter of Messi and one of the best midfielders to play the game in Xavi and I think we are going to struggle to replicate it any time soon.
However, we, occasionally, press high to win the ball back and some of the 1 and 2 touch stuff we play is a joy.

 

[Frutos]

I can only presume that people who believe we play like Barcelona have never actually watched Barcelona.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Time to scrap? In league one we played great passing football with Murray and Barnes upfront and it worked perfectly.

We are not scoring enough goals with this formation. We are wasting time signing Rodriguez and Lingard if we aren't going to play to their strengths, it's no good putting them out on the wing when they're more likely to be more effective partnering Ulloa.

New formation I say, but it won't happen with Oscar.

Your thread title is laughable. Its not a 'Barca way of playing' in any shape or form. Its a Championship mid-table mediocre way of playing if its anything. Just cos the bloke was once on their books. Sake!

 

[trueblue]

Why this obsession with formations? We need to concentrate on execution, if Buckley had his shooting boots on on saturday we would have won. I'm not having a go at Buckley, just pointing out that despite the "handcuffs" and "negative play" we still somehow managed to CREATE a couple of very good match-winning opportunities at the end of the game.

Agreed. Pretty much the case all season. The quality of finishing has let us down from day one. I'm not that surprised that in some games we don't get many chances - it's a tight division. The assumption some people make that, if we played two wingers all the time, we'd romp to high-scoring victories just doesn't ring true. We'd just as likely lose more often because we'd almost certainly concede far more. These are strong teams we're facing with lower Premier League standard strikers in many cases who will take the type of opportunities that we spurn. We could have another ten points on the board with a bit more killer instinct. Unfortunately, I sense the players know it too because, Ulloa apart, we lack confidence in front of goal.

 

[British Bulldog]

I think we need someone who commands the middle more. Richard Carpenter in his hay day, would be perfect.

We are definitely lacking a central midfielder who can control the middle a bit more, I like Ince and Stephens but even with those 2 playing we always look a man down in there. It's a big shame Crofts got injured as alongside Ince and Stephens we would have a pretty solid midfield but with our current squad we've got nobody else who can add that much needed strength and driving force.

 

[Birdie Boy]

There is a very good reason as to why you cannot remember us having any other shots earlier in the game. We had 6 shots to Readings 26, we got 1 on target to their 5. Very similar ratios but having created 20 extra chances than us I think it's fair to say they were the more likely to score a 2nd.

I think that you are missing the fact that we were down to ten men for 38 minutes.

Out of the extra 20 shots how many were in those 38 minutes?

How many of those shots were from 20+yds?

If Reading had gone down to ten men and not us, I would hope for 20+ shots for the last 38 minutes, wouldn't you?

 

[Don Quixote]

Well, I don't like the kick and rush of the Withdean days.

I am glad we got rid of Barnes (honest plodder) for the craftsman type in Lingard and Rodriguez. This is the second striker role much nearer to Messi than Barnes ever was.

Yet Barnes scored goals every so often, which is something no one else apart from Ulloa has been doing.

 

[B.W.]

Agreed. Pretty much the case all season. The quality of finishing has let us down from day one. I'm not that surprised that in some games we don't get many chances - it's a tight division. The assumption some people make that, if we played two wingers all the time, we'd romp to high-scoring victories just doesn't ring true. We'd just as likely lose more often because we'd almost certainly concede far more. These are strong teams we're facing with lower Premier League standard strikers in many cases who will take the type of opportunities that we spurn. We could have another ten points on the board with a bit more killer instinct. Unfortunately, I sense the players know it too because, Ulloa apart, we lack confidence in front of goal.

I kinda agree, but playing a winger instead of Slopez would (a) make us a much bigger threat going forward, and (b) we might actually see said winger push the opposing full-back back, tackle an opponent, or win a 50/50 challenge, rather than bottling every challenge, i.e. we would be better defensively too.

 

[B.W.]

I think that you are missing the fact that we were down to ten men for 38 minutes.

Out of the extra 20 shots how many were in those 38 minutes?

How many of those shots were from 20+yds?

If Reading had gone down to ten men and not us, I would hope for 20+ shots for the last 38 minutes, wouldn't you?

But the fact remains with both 11 and 10 men we created very few chances. In fact, we created more with 10 men (simply because the invisible man was removed from the pitch, and we actually, and shockingly, put a winger, then 2 of them, on the pitch).