Pick United’s poison, a.k.a. “What’s the lineup and strategy?”

talking about fifa 09. I play manager mode and so far im into my 5th season with Barca.
The team has shuffle a lil with the core players there.
Players sold: Eto'o, Xavi (old), Henry (old), Hleb, Guddy, Sylvinho (grandpa), Abilda (old).
Players bought: Fabregas (for Xavi), Benzema (for Henry), Fernando Torres (for Eto'o), Lahm (for Abidal), Benzema -sold- (for Ribery), a couple of young players.

My starting XI is kick ass:

VV
Alves-Puyol-Milito-Lahm
Yaya
Fabregas-Iniesta
Messi-Torres-Ribery

A lil tooo much but overall it's the same with the exception of Lahm for Abidal.

I've always wanted to buy Silva, bidding for the maximum euros possible but i always get the msg of "Valencia doesnt have enough players in their squad."

:D

For fun, here's the result of my FIFA 09 game playing against a friend tonight.

My starting lineup:

Valdes
Puyol/Pique/Caceres/Keita
Toure
Xavi/Iniesta
Messi/Henry/Bojan

Result after 120 minutes: Barcelona 2-1 Man U

Goals:
33' Henry
90' Berbatov
108' Xavi

PREVIEW IS UP! PREVIEW IS UP!

It is now time to utterly and totally FREAK THE HELL OUT!

Yes Yaya can defend on the counters. He has amazing Pace. I think he's one of our fastest players.

He can also read the mid and offense very well. That helps him get a head start in counters.

Nice article, Jordi. Thanks. Pique is a funny man.

As a final note before bedtime...
I strongly recommend Yaya as a defensive mid. as mentioned yesterday. But there is only one question...if he played as a lone DM, can he catch the pace of the counters? I mentioned before the counters tunnel between our offense and defense. I usually prefer 2 DM in such kind of games, but with all our defense problems this is unattainable. unless if either Henry or Iniesta were not able to start.

Eh...I dont envy pep...

Hello all I have been out for a few days and was wondering if any of you have links to the footage of the celebrations on Saturday in Camp Nou. thanks in advance!!!

GO BARCA!!!!!

@Kxevin, if we ignore Busquets Issues lately as a Defensive midfielder, that suggestion will work.

The thing I always felt in Keita as an added value is that he is not something specific, but more a Salad. little of this and that. I hope with time, people will start to feel the importance of such kind of utility players over the big names who are great but in something specific.

In a way, I think busquets as a defensive mid against man utd is not a big gamble. he will not have a clash with tanks (Essien Series) but with players he can match physically.

So if we will end up playing a 4-4-2, Keita can add something Sylvinho and Caceres cant, as a left back. He is movable per order. Left back/second defensive mid/ Attacking mid with xavi dropping little deeper...Pep can change his role as the game need, and this is a highly unpredictable game, so as Ferguson. So this kind of players can save ur life.

I think the reason why Yaya is at CB is because with one pass, you can remove Yaya out of the equation and leave Caceres and Pique completely exposed. But I think the benefits of leaving Yaya in mid outweigh the benefits of putting him at CB. If you put Sylvi at LB and have him stay there 99% of the game, it would make the back much more stable.

i would feel 100% better about this match if i knew Yaya was being played in his usual position. put Caceres in the middle, Puyol on the right and Sylvinho on the left if need be, just don't remove Yaya from the back of that midfield. his ball-winning and movement-stopping abilities are going to be absolutely vital.

nevermind isaiah, i can't run it anymore :( and i think i'm gonna be missing the final.

shit :@

So Hector and Ramzi (and I had forgotten about the absent Hargreaves), could this be the reason for Keita at left back, that extra attacker to work overlaps with Henry and force the kinds of defensive shifts that open space?

I think that we've all been thinking of Keita as that pure defender at left back, rather than a left-sided Alves (defense/offense combo platter, not passing). Suddenly, I think of not only the midfield help possibilities for Busquets(?), Xavi and Iniesta, but also the overlapping runs with Henry, long shots and box-bombing that Keita does.

Ramzi raises good points about Valencia. After them (as I noted later) more teams tried to bypass our aggressive, hyperactive midfield by going long ball. Mallorca did it, and Osasuna did it, as did Villarreal.

Pique gives some player profiles. Apparently VV plays the piano :)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/spo...

http://extras.timesonline.co.u...

pretty interesting info.

And it will not be bad actualy to keep Eto'o in the box while excuting point for, so he glue the CB deeper while Messi link with Xavi. It will ofer more inches between Man Utd two lines for Messi to squeeze himself while penetrating, demanding the pass.

This discussion makes me wonder-- is it worse to Eto'o or to Hleb a shot on goal?

Tim Stannard is saying Pep would be better off losing tomorrow, since the only way to go after that is down. True. But still.

Valdes,
Puyol, Yaya, Pique, Sylvinho
Xavi, Keita, Iniesta
Messi, Eto'o, Henry.

Don't think there's much debate on that.

Perhaps some more interesting subs. Caceres on for Keita (or Iniesta or Henry, see how they're doing) at halftime if things could be going better in the midfield. Perhaps start Henry but not Iniesta, or vice versa. I definitely see Keita getting a start in any case. I would have Henry play from the start if I had to pick between him and Iniesta, since there's no way he won't play well in this game, against a team he looooves to hate, against arguably the weakest position. This formula--with Iniesta not starting--could mean confusion for that right side by switching the left-side duo at some point in the game.

Any confident predictions for the Man U lineup?

@Hector, that was insightful.

What I am more worried about, is not the game we played against Chelsea. And Its not the fact that Sir Alex watched the game against Real Madrid. The main worry is our game against Valencia. They tried something damaging.

Their defense lineup was too rigid, never get fooled to be pulled out of position even when there was no Barcelona forward in position to cause threat. When Barcelona move the ball in Valencia Midfield, Marchena and Albiol were cemented in their box (inside), with baraja, Pablo and Albelda?(forgot the third DM they used back then) planted on the edge of the box. It made no room for tricky Barcelona movements to create space, Valencia players were not welling to move out of position no matter what.

Then when they get the ball, they skip the midfield. no room to build up offense. instead Pablo, Silva and vila raced the wind to our own half catching the long balls played from the edge of their own box. They cant dominate the midfield so they canceled its role. If you watch the game again, Valencia barely played 3 passes from their box to ours, it was a very vertical game.

Of course our fatigue back then helped them. But in the other hand Against Man Utd you play against more systemic team with better defense, and u have 3 defenders out of service. If Man Utd played the "Flank-run with the ball, cross, dribble center-flank...) game, then no worries. If they Played a Valencia, it will be more complicated.

On the other side, The Offense set up complications u mentioned are very true. And here, the Alves factor show its importance. In alves we didnt miss a defender (Do we consider him as a defender?) We missed a golden key in our offense puzzle.

In my opinion, in order to overcome the issues you mentioned we need the following:

1) More direct game: The Man utd 4-3 set up you mentioned will take place after they do the transition offense-to-defense. If we are convinced that they will attack, then some of the 3 midfielders will play a supportive role in offense. When you win back the ball you need to avoid the typical possession game. even the dribbling. You need to become that Valencia. Couple of passes getting you to the opponent box before Man utd reposition defensively.

2) eh...Long shots: When the box is crowded by defenders it damage your team attacks because there is no spaces. that's true unless if you attack by blasting long shots. Pass-Move-Pass-move-pass-shoot! Let Ferdinand and Vidic stay in the box. may be they deflect your shot to the net, or at least make it harder for Vander sar to see whats going on, till he feel the net dancing behind him.

3) One touch and dribbling on the edge of the box: it sound like a contradiction, but what i want to point out is that both techniques generate free kicks on the box edge. Frustrate that defensive midfield trio. get them booked, irritated, and confused. We aren't so brilliant when it come to set pieces but still. A yellow card early in the game for any of them, then a Messi/iniesta dribbling around like a bee (you know how annoying it is, right?)

4) The Soft path: Switching Messi-eto'o positions so that Eto'o act as an attacking midfielder for a moment while messi exchange passes with him while penetrating to the Box thru its left angel, like the corner of this (L) (Visualize). the same set up between Iniesta and henry from the other side.Thats the soft path in the 4-3 defensive structure. The box angles. when you attack thru middle you face two compact lines. If you attack from the flanks u will end up playing crosses (not recommended against that keeper and defense). Well timed diagonal penetration:

a) Take the full back (Evra)on the week side.
b)The defensive mid close ur path of course and thats where a pass to the supportive AM you are linking with is important. either he pass back to you behind defensive mid and here u r (Messi) facing the CB (Ferdinand). Or all that mess give the opportunity to the striker on the other side (Henry) to sneak demanding the ball in the box, so while everyone is busy with the Right flank Messi movement, its Henry who gets the ball.

Thank you Isaiah-

Holy crap it's tomorrow! I've been way too busy to realize it.

I'm watching it JeffP. I don't think Messi is getting the respect he deserves on that show.

Well Kevin, we agree on the ultimate reason you listed: quieting the din of the EPL love-fest. But even if Barcelona pull it off, there will probably be all kind of excuses made about how the better side lost. Good luck to your lot, though, I'll be vigilantly cheering them on.

And I can't help it - if Eto'o does score, I predict the collective response will be something like "Holy crap! Eto'o didn't Eto'o it!"

Err.... Lots. Especially Ol' Onionballs. The Brit press has been hilarious though. If somehow we pull off the miracle, they will have to eat some serious crow.

I'm still stuck at work after hours (7:40pm EST over here). I may not even watch the game until after 10pm on the DVR. These new projects suck monkey balls (not really, they're fun but could they come up at a worse time). I may just risk getting fired or pulling an all nighter to escape work and watch the game live but if we win I'll be too pumped to concentrate and if we lose I'll be too bummed to concentrate.

ARRRGHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone else watching the CL Final Preview Show on ESPN2 right now?

Let's see how much ManU slobbering they do....

Isaiah, is it gonna be a special one, including Hudsonian Hyperboles?

Will it make the most cynical of us shake our heads and say "Hey!, this blithering fool is right! We can do this!" ?

I expect nothing less from this piece.

I'll promise you this though, before i read, i will turn on my iTunes, turn on the put the Champion's League song on loop and keep it going while i read it, for its dramatic effect.

Now, stop reading the comments and get to writing!

hey i think i can do the liveblog if no one has it covered because my plans didn't work out for tomorrow

email me when the time comes

Yeah, this preview isn't messing around, but I also didn't really have time to work on it at work, so it'll be up later tonight, hopefully by 9 my time.

It's in process, JeffP. I saw it up when I was writing this post. I didn't read it, but usually when Isaiah takes a while to get something together, it's a monster.

Cool, mku. Just being the policeman. It's part of the job description. Isaiah and I work to make this a place to which ANYONE can come. Period. Tolerating hostile language isn't part of my job description, and I don't want to be part of a place where it is. Hence the caveat "unless the exceptionally cool colleague is in fact gay."

Others have explained it, but there it is from my worldview. 'Nuff said.

--John, Eto'o is going to score tomorrow. I believe that. I think that he has so much frustration in him that it is going to explode into a leonine performance that will remove the phrase "to Eto'o" from the lexicon forever.

And to echo OhYes, we are reveling in the double, after two silverless seasons and having to qualify for the CL group stages last season. This season is a success, win or lose.

But make no mistake about it, I am going to be seriously bummed if we lose tomorrow, because I never, ever want the side to lose. I didn't even like the weekend's loss, though it was pretty inevitable for a match nobody really cared about.

If we win tomorrow, however, so many great things would happen:

The treble
Vindication for our style of play
Vindication for our style of club management (home-grown players, home-grown coach)
Silencing those "Premiership is the best EVER" folks

Damn it, Isaiah! Preview! I demand a preview!

I think "Eto'o'd" it is pretty much hilarious, John, purely because of the nearly consecutive apostrophes.

Not that it matters.

:-)

All I've been reading for the past 2 weeks (840 hours) is Barca vs ManU. It's emotionally draining, and that's not even taking into account the final TOMORROW.

I'm going to die of exhaustion.

I can't wait though.

And if you want to "soften the blow" for a loss, why not think of all the great things the team has done already? It doesn't REALLY matter if Barca wins or loses tomorrow. Well, it matters, but the season is already terrific. To recover so well over the summer is just fantastic.

I still think Barca can win, and I still believe it will happen, but that doesn't mean it's going to make the blow hurt that much more.

I think Barca should start with a traditional lineup, like this:

Valdes
Puyol Pique Toure Sylvinho
Xavi Busquets/Keita Iniesta
Messi Eto'o Henry

I think if Eto'o flops, sub him off and bring on Bojan at halftime. By doing this, put Henry in the middle and Bojan on the right. Messi would be great in the middle too, with more room, but he's not an out-and-out striker, so Henry would fit that role better. Also, i agree that Toure should play in the middle, but i think Busquets or Keita can do a better job at filling in for Toure than Caceres can do for filling in for Marquez (though i know next to nothing about Caceres, but know he's young and doesnt get all that much time). So put Toure in the back and Busquets or Keita in the middle. I would start Busquets, and if he flops, switch him at halftime for Keita.

Kevin: "what if my name became the slang term for something unlikable, as in “Damn, that was SO Kevin!” T’would get old pretty quickly."

Eto'o might be able to give you some insight concerning this phenomena - just give it some time. As in, "Damn! He had the ball right in front of the goal and completely ETO'O'D it!"

Let's just hope that tomorrow's performance doesn't speed the process.

ok, cheers!

visca el barça i visca fuentealbilla

Kevin was doing the right thing, I know here in New Jersey lots of people are called gay without actually being gay and that is why Kevin said what he said. You said he is actually gay, so we move on, no big deal.

I think that the Man U casualty that everybody seems to have forgotten is Owen Hargreaves. He is exactly the big tough "all terrain" midfielder a la Essien that gives us so much trouble. Missing both him and Fletcher (another one among that mold) pretty much negates them pulling the exact same thing that Chelsea did (overpower AND outnumber our midfield with a simply more physical but extremely disciplined line-up while playing two lines). The Essiens, Obi Mikels, Ballacks, and Lampards, those bigger, faster, stronger (even if less skilled) guys is what as caused us the most problem IMHO. Carrick is big and strong but he is no Essien and if he expends too much energy chasing after Xavi and Iniesta (hello, Spain v. England 2009), he won't have much left over to orchestrate the Man U offense. Anderson is their #1A candidate for this role IMO. He and Park WILL play. One is their last true hard man defensive mid who can tackle without always incurring a red (hello Paul Scholes) and Park is a human lung who is an awesome workhorse on the wings. Chelseas had the horses o put three holding/defensive mids in front of their back four. Carrick and Scholes as great as they are, are not the defensive beasts Essien, Mikel, and Ballack are.

I like the idea of using Eto and Henry to occupy Evra and Evans (possibly Rooney and Park will be helping out over there too).

The key I think will be bring out and extra man to help out Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi. The idea will be to put Messi in space against Ferdinand and Vidic in the center or at least draw them in enough to open up diagonals from Eto and Henry that Xavi or Iniesta can pick out. The problem is that I predict SAF, being the brilliant coach he is, will not let himself get Juande'ed (when Guardiola outnumbered Gago and Lass in the middle by forming a Messi-Iniesta-Xavi triangle around them while Eto, Alves, Abidal and Henry occupied the wingers and fullbacks, putting Messi in space against the CB's and letting him run at them) so he will learn from Chelsea. Their key IMO was the 4-3-whatever. We could not outnumber them in midfield. So, I predict Anderson, Carrick, and possibly Scholes for veteran presence (if not Gibson). So, our Messi false 9, for a triangle around the double pivot routine which worked so well against RM, Sevilla, and others will not work as well, all things being equal.

Solution? Ramzi?

Overloading a flank during an attack and then quickly switching the play to a cutter may be an option. Most likely we will have to take a huge risk and put four men in center mid to out number their 3 and leave essentially only 2 men back because a third one is necessary to back up the wing from which we are attacking and assure that Park is kept away from center mid.

Yeah, I'm excited.

Its all good mku, i dont think anyone was offended, i think Kxevin was doing his administrative duty to make sure no one is/will be.

but yeah, it's what most of us are doing, trying to pump ourselves up and spread some good vibes around.

My parents are really into it, so everyone, think positive thoughts.

Barca win tomorrow.
Barca win the Treble.
Barca demand the respect of the stupid British press and Prem fanboys the world over!

that is precisely what I mean

Is this seriously turning into a gay debate.
Guys this is about Barca Visca Barca!!

I was just wishing luck to all of us, now I have to explain myself on some surreal stuff.

screw you... barça will win anyway

kxevin: my colleague is GAY a.k.a. homosexual... it is not an insult, it's a sexual preference. It's the year 2009 for god's sake!

He doesn't like football like many gay people (fact), so I offered him 100euros to take my place. We are friends, i would never insult him. And if I wanted to I would have to use stronger words, not his sexual preference... he already know he is gay :D

all the fuzz you made, who are you protecting mate? he likes guys, period. Is it that bad? in spain it is not.

Consider the "born" amended to "are," Jason. Thanks for the comment. And I hate politics as well, in all forms. Nor do I enjoy being the grownup. Seriously.

I can see DieHardBarca's plan, in preparing for the worst, but being overjoyed at the best. It's reverse psychology that is often effective in dealing with things we don't want to consider, such as us losing tomorrow.

Porto did pretty well by attacking the crap out of their defense. But they had a guy named Hulk. The Yaya is bigger than Hulk, but we can't make him a striker, can we? Can we?

I'm all for censoring potentially hurtful words Kxev. I can agree with that part.

Saying that people are born that way is just a theory, and NOT a universally accepted one at that.

And assuming that it is there since birth, so is autism, and bi-polar disorder, yet there is the choice to seek treatment.

Anyways, i don't really enjoy arguing over politics, so back to Barca.

@DieHardBarca, if you were really a Barcelona fan, you wouldnt be so pessimistic about it.

If porto and Villareal got decent results against ManU, how come you can't entertain the notion of us getting one.

I'm with kxevin in thinking the game could easily go 3-0 us, or 3-0 them. But to say that ManU will absolutely win shows a lack of a grasp on how football works.

Kudos for thong boy Kxevin priceless. That explains a lot about his free kicks lol

Thong Boy was mine, Achraf. It came from a tete-a-tete that we had with the United boys during the semis last year. Good-natured back and forth. My supposition for the reason Ronaldo stands the way that he does is because he plays in a thong.

--mku, I hate to be the language nag, but unless the exceptionally cool (letting you do what you'd love to do) colleague is in fact gay, reconsider the descriptive.

The good-natured insults and swear words fly fast and free around here. Isaiah and I are cool with that. It's how people talk. But the way that someone was born shouldn't be used as a negative term. I always like to think (thank you, Wanda Sykes), what if my name became the slang term for something unlikable, as in "Damn, that was SO Kevin!" T'would get old pretty quickly.

Jason: I know the feeling. To bad I'm supposed to have one of four exams tomorrow before the match - it's impossible to do any studying now!

I can't describe how much I'm looking forward to finishing up the essay and leave for the MATCH OF THE CENTURY! It's going to be so extremely, insanely sweet. And if (when) we win... It will be amazing, beyond imagination.

Wish me luck, guys.

Visca el Barca!

Tutomate, ESPN guys have said it will be on HD as well. Plus it is on ESPN and not ESPN2, they are serious about this one.

Why did i just get a page askin for a code?... Is that normal it happened when i submitted a comment

dude diehardbarca keep the pessimism to yourself let us anticipate in peace I for 1 am looking forward to the game and you constantly sayin we r gonna lose isn't helpin. So plz we get it u think barca will lose just stop and thank you

Isaiah, are you sure it will be in HD? Because I know it will be broadcast on ESPNHD but the actual game is not marked as an HD feed on my DirectTV.

Stop. Please.

then, go with your heart diehardbarça.

united won't smell the ball and they can't defend like chelsea, they don't have essien and obi mikel.

we will winnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!

wow this blog has been so active.

Hey Jason im no utd fan mate. Im simply being realistic, I'm going with my head not my heart. Just wait and see, we will get beat by utd. They are in better, period. Live with it.

Man, i didnt get anything done yesterday, and cant get anything done today. All life has stopped and is a matter of stalling til tomorrow. Even then, after the game i'll be to euphoric or depressed to do anything useful.

tomorrow I don't work (I had to pay a gay colleague who doesn't like football 100 euros to take my place) and I don't have internet at home so... good luck to everyone and ENJOY THE GAME OF THE CENTURY!!

it's been nice see so many diehard barça fans abroad, all getting exited together before the game.

see you after the final

VISCA EL BARÇA, GUANYAREM

*ignores negativity* , Barca for the win!

whats with this ManU/Madrid troller calling himself "DiehardBarca" ?

we get it, like all other Prem fan boys, you think ManU is going to win. Thnx for sharing. Good Day.

oh man, i feel sorry for you Ramzi. You are going to have ur heart broken tommorow, this is what im trying to say: get ready for the fricken loss, BECAUSE IT WILL HAPPEN

Who came up with thong boy?... priceless!

Fuggin'a, Ramzi! Henry and Iniesta doing full-speed practice. I'll know how Messi is going to be when I see his eyes, pre-match. You all know what I mean. He sometimes has what I call the "eyes of death," intense and extremely focussed but dead, as if he doesn't want to get to know that which he is about to destroy.

If we see the "eyes of death," he'll have a great match.

The most briefing, straightforward, smart, and insightful comment I ever made. And one of the rare things that I say right. Here it is:

WE ARE GOING TO ROME TO GET THE CUP AND COME BACK!

Thank you very much!
Celebrate with you later.

Messi is going to play loose tomorrow, in interviews he sounds like a man possessed. He was a little tentative against Chelsea, he's going to be focused tomorrow. That will make all the difference.

jnice: what a photo!!

hristo has to play tomorrow!!! instead of henry

LOL, thong boy.I still cant get over that.

Also, Ronaldo is a threat, but i think it would be smarter for us to dedicate more effort to cutting his supply, than to play him out.

Ronaldo is used to getting the ball taken away, it happens, and he'll get over it and try again. Being starved for service however will get his thong in a bunch, and he'll start stamping about with his arms in the air.

Pep, Stoichkov, and Koeman in what looks like serious discussions about the match:

http://estaticos02.marca.com/a...

Ya Cf thx Josh for correcting lol but still brilliant from SAF

I dont know who mentioned that we shouldnt risk Henry, because it could end in his transfer or ending his career.

Im pretty sure that if you ask Henry, he'll think it is worth it. It's why he came to Barcelona for; for the glory of titles, and what better way to go out, winning the Treble, and being instrumental to it.

Unless one of his legs is going to be amputated, BELIEVE that he will be in the starting 11 tomorrow. I'm sure Guariolda himself cannot keep him out of the final, even if he tried.

@ Achraf, thats "Franco CF" lol.

@ Isaiah: But more importantly 11:45 Pacific.

same here Helge I do not particularly like Manchester United and I can't STAND Ronaldo but nothing compares to the hatred towards the Evil Empire or like SAF calls them "Franco FC"

Iniest and Henry trained this evening with the whole team and the same intensity as the rest! At least that's what I read from the main article of www.elmundodeportivo.es - but I do actually not know a single word in Spanish.

if its penalties, no penalty for eto'o.

If you're in the USA, the game is on ESPN, in HD.

2:45pmEST
20:45pm Barcelona time.

I'm positive of this. I don't know where fourfourtwo is located, but must be somewhere in the Atlantic unless England is now only 4 hours ahead of us (continental drifting?)

Achraf, no I can guarantee you that I won't.

I've been saving up 100€ for the CL final since 07/08 season. Last year I've already won ~100€ because ManUtd won so I don't care. And now you might ask yourself why I placed a bet on ManUtd last year... well, the reason is because I have a lot of antipathy towards ManUtd - comparable to RM. I cannot tell why, it's just as it is.

So if we played the final against Arsenal for example, I could bear a loss and congratulate the Gunners for their title... but a loss against ManUtd is the most devastating thing I can imagine in my football world! Hence, a win for Barca is of a priceless value for me :)

I do NOT wanna see this game go to penalties. The end.

"Should the game go to penalties, utd will win for sure, Valdes sucks VDS is great, its that simple"

I just read that comment on a forum and I just want to say I would actually be VERY confident if the game went to a shootout. Make no mistake about it, Valdes makes stupid mistakes that are sometimes costly that are probably due to a lack of concentration. BUT, other than that, he is a WORLD CLASS keeper. In a penalty shootout,the concentration problem will not be a factor, as he will be 100 % focused. He is actually specialized in stopping penalties.

To be certain...2:45 eastern? fourfourtwo.com is playing up some bs "18:45" kickoff rather than fcbarcelona.cat's 20:45.

My eggs are all in one basket.

It just happens to be the Freak Out Basket.

lol nice way to go Helge but after a few weeks when barca wins you might start regretting that 100 euros

I use a similar tactic, DieHardBarca.

I placed 100€ on ManUtd CL winner because if Barca loses tomorrow, my heart will be broken but at least I will have won 100€. And if Barca wins, I don't f***ing care about the 100€ disprofit because it will be the best day of my life (so far) :D

my last comment didn't get through 4 some reason anyways....
Hopefully Manchester won't score an early goal and then proceed to park the bus Chelsea-style. Cuz if they do it like Chelsea I don't know if Iniesta or anyone else can save is this time. It will ruin the final wheras if Barca score an early goal they will look for the second then the third then the fourth then... you get my drift

Kxevin, Iniesta and Henry WILL NOT PLAY for 90 minutes. AT MOST, they will play 30 minutes.

I am an experienced fan, being pessimistic IS THE WAY TO GO. Saying that we will win will only make the eventual loss worse. Meanwhile, I have been preparing myself for the loss for weaks.

Pique had said he will score. If he scored the winner that would be awesome. .

if iniesta scores I'm done with football, there will not be greater happiness for me, never. The day he scored vs chelsea I kept the bruises from the hugs for weeks, what a day!

ronaldo in his own goal would be nice also :D

Why is there like a ten minute comment delay?

no, the name is valencian (valenciano) :D

I'm for ANYONE on Barça scoring the winning goal.

kxevin you got it right I agree with the possible results of the game and the role of key players
Throwing this out there: Anyone for sylvinho doing a belleti and scoring the winning goal!

So the name is Catalenciquin?

haha, ManU has TB. That sucks.

nice catalan kxevin!! but the name of the language is:

catalan-valenciano-mallorquin

just joking around, I'm from Valencia and I have to reivindicate my own... political bullsh***

Here's what I think:

I could see either side winning in a blowout.
I could also see it going down to PKs.
But most likely, a great individual play will turn the match. I think we have more of that type of player than United, who have Rooney, Scholes (who will be inspired) and Thong Boy.

I'm just hoping for a great match, and as mku correctly points out, given the dejection that permeated our souls at this very same time last season, who thought that we would already have the double, and would be going for the treble? Win or lose, we've had a great season.

And for the first time, I feel as if we have a coach who will examine the loss and say "This is why it happened." Don't forget that he was anticipating Chelsea, Liverpool and the other English sides in asking for his bus-breaking striker. At the time, hardly anyone agreed with it, or the names on offer, believing that Eto'o was plenty.

I say now what I said then, and believe to be true: Eto'o will win us the league, not the Champions League. Larsson was the difference maker in '06. I love what Samu does, don't get me wrong. And if there is truth in the adage that there are "lies, damn lies and statistics," then he will prove me wrong and rip it up tomorrow.

Because I think that he's the wild card, just as Park is the wild card for United. You can account for the known excellence: Rooney, TB, Messi, Iniesta, Henry. It's the wild cards that mess up the hand.

If we lose, we lose playing our beautiful brand of soccer. But we will not lose. Visca el Barça!!!

deep breath.
less than 24 hours away...
i'm playing europe's "the final countdown" on my work pc for the rest of the day.

I wouldn't worry about any negativity. Anybody who is in fact a DieHardBarca fan already knows that Henry and Iniesta are in fact playing, and that Messi hasn't sucked against English sides as much as he hasn't had the support. The strategy of letting him dribble right into trouble and cutting off his passing angles has heretofore worked. At some point, Guardiola will sit him down, watch some film and say "Vegi què està fent. ara aturi's." (I THINK (Genis?) that says "See what you are making. Now stop." in Catala.)

I wouldn't worry about it. I'd worry more about my butchering the Catalan language! :D

if we loose we loose, it has been a fantastic year and the next one can be even better.

Barça 5-2. Don't ask why, its the number that keeps popping up in my head.

I'll be happy with any score so long as Barça wins.