#clement is an absolute menace

[michaeltrevino]

🎵 I can tell that we are gonna be friends 🎵

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (26 Jun-2 Jul 2022)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🙂 My Albatross Always With Me (LolitaBlue) - 94K, shrunkyclunks

😊 👂‍ The Saint Closes The Case (Simon Templar 'The Saint' #3) (Leslie Charteris, author; John Telfer, narrator)

🥰 take my hand (and my whole life too) (portraitofemmy, rainbow_marbles) - 56K, stucky no powers omegaverse AU - perfect blend of angst and comfort

😊 Worth His Weight in Bronze (sparrow30) - 41K, Otayuri D/s relationship

😍 Wanna Feel the Heat With Somebody (2bestfriends, author; , narrator) - 72K, stucky no powers omegaverse - reread of forever fave office romance

😍 👂‍ The Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple #2) (Agatha Christie, author; Richard E. Grant, narrator) - inordinately fond of Len Clement (& his family) plus I kind of like this gossipy version of Miss Marple; also Richard E. Grant is a very excellent narrator

🙂 He Who Must Not Be Normal (lettered) - 40K, Draco/Harry - decently written but not really my vibe as far as characterizations

🥰 👂‍ The A.B.C. Murders (Hercule Poirot #14) (Agatha Christie, author; Hugh Fraser, narrator) - hilarious that at the beginning of this HP describes his 'perfect case' and it is, in fact, the set up of Cards At The Table

💖💖 +68K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (laiqualaurelote) - MFMM: Phryne/Jack, 19K - absolutely LOVED this James Bond AU!

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Baymax! - s1, e1-6 - this was very cute and I do adore Baymax but also he is sort of a terrifying do-gooder menace?

Sing 2

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Tiny Doors ATL

Desert Island Discs - David Harewood, actor and presenter

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - MicroHertz #1: Reflecting on “Breathe”

Switched on Pop - Beyoncé's House

Ologies with Alie Ward - SUMMERSODE: Balmy Vibes & Seasonal Factoids with various Ologists

Song Exploder - Monica Martin "Go Easy, Kid"

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Hodges Meteorite

You're Dead To Me - Ancient Athenian Democracy

Hit Parade - A Deal with the TV God

Shedunnit Book Club - The Dark Side of True Crime

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Floating Freedom School

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Goiter Belt

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Presenting Donna Summer

Presenting Shakira

my faves playlist - 523 songs on shuffle; this is great bc literally every song I'm like 'oh, I fucking LOVE this one!' but also hilarious bc at one point there was a run where it went "Call Me Maybe" (CRJ) --> "St. Thomas" (Sonny Rollins) --> "Gaslighter" (The Chicks) --> Yuve Yuve Yu (The HU) which is certainly a mix of genres

[singaporecmd368]

Slick Man City close to Champions League last 16 place after Brugge rout

Manchester City got back on track as they thrashed Club Brugge 4-1 on Wednesday (Nov 3) to move within touching distance of a place in the Champions League last 16.

Pep Guardiola’s side recovered from the shock of conceding a John Stones own goal after Phil Foden’s early opener at the Etihad Stadium.

Riyad Mahrez put City back in front in the second half and Raheem Sterling came off the bench to end his goal drought before Gabriel Jesus capped the rout.

City sit top of Group A, one point above Paris Saint Germain, after their third win in four matches in the competition.

Last season’s Champions League runners-up are five points clear of third-placed Brugge and will reach the knockout stages with one point from their last two games against PSG and Leipzig.

“Fully deserved. I liked how we played. After conceding we dropped a little bit, but the second half was really good,” Guardiola said.

“When you’re at Manchester City, you realise nobody will help you. Everything to do, we’ve done it.

“All the titles I won before were because I was at big clubs. Absolutely, the pleasure is higher (to win with City).” After a strong start to the season, City had suffered their worst period of the campaign.

Saturday’s shock home defeat against Crystal Palace came hot on the heels of a penalty shoot-out loss at West Ham that ended their four-year reign as League Cup holders.

Guardiola responded to those setbacks by defiantly claiming City were playing at an “incredible” level, labelling their current form among the “best moments” of his time at the club.

Having thrashed Brugge 5-1 in Belgium last month, City once again picked on Philippe Clement’s team, although the victory wasn’t without a few scares.

Guardiola had described Brugge’s visit as “much more important” than Saturday’s derby at Manchester United and his players got the message.

Constant menace

Kevin De Bruyne’s inconsistent form of late has been a concern, so it was intriguing to see Guardiola drop the Belgian midfielder.

Even without De Bruyne, City had too much attacking quality for Brugge.

Joao Cancelo was a constant menace and the left-back was inches away from scoring with a curling effort that cannoned off the post.

City’s relentless pressure was rewarded in the 15th minute after Foden’s initial cross-shot was blocked by Brugge keeper Simon Mignolet.

Mahrez pounced on the loose ball and jinked across the Brugge area before picking out Cancelo, whose cross found Foden narrowly onside to tap-in his fifth goal this season.

But despite their dominant start, City were rocked as Brugge equalised in freakish circumstances two minutes later.

Hans Vanaken’s shot was clawed away by Ederson and when Charles De Ketelaere crossed back into the six-yard box, Bernardo Silva’s attempted block deflected the ball off Stones’ face and into the net.

That shock knocked City out of their stride and they nearly conceded again when De Ketelaere’s low drive forced a good stop from Ederson.

Jack Grealish’s deft pass presented Mahrez with a golden opportunity early in the second half, but Mignolet saved the Algerian’s close-range strike.

Brugge threatened again when De Ketelaere’s shot crept wide.

But City had regained control and Mahrez made amends for his earlier miss as he restored their lead in the 54th minute.

Access now at: https://cmd368betting.site/

See more: https://www.reddit.com/user/singcmd368apore/comments/qn5s4f/slick_man_city_close_to_champions_league_last_16/

[gadgetsrevv]

Griezmann scores brilliant double in 9/10 showing as Barca trounce Betis

Antoine Griezmann scored twice to lead Barcelona to a 5-2 win over Real Betis.

BARCELONA — Antoine Griezmann scored twice as Barcelona bounced back from an opening day defeat to Athletic Bilbao by thumping Real Betis 5-2 at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Griezmann opened his account for his new club just before half-time after Nabil Fekir had given Betis a surprise lead. The former Atletico Madrid star added his second after the break, curling home from the corner of the box.

Barca B forward Carles Perez added the third with a neat finish from 18 yards and Jordi Alba scored the fourth after a clever pass from Sergio Busquets. Substitute Arturo Vidal then made it five before Loren Moron grabbed a late consolation for the visitors.

Positives

Coach Ernesto Valverde will draw a long list of positives from Barca’s first win of the season. Not only was this one of the most impressive performances from his side in a long while, but there were also plenty of individual highlights.

Griezmann’s off the mark for the club — the second goal was a beauty — and he also set up Vidal’s strike. With Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez injured, that can only be good news moving forward. In that sense, Perez’s performance also caught the eye. The youngster showed plenty of character and capped his performance with a deserved goal.

There was also a nice moment late on as Ansu Fati came on for his debut. The attacker is only 16 years and 298 days old and becomes the second-youngest player to ever represent Barca in La Liga.

Negatives

There was a 10-minute spell around the Betis goal when Barca looked nervy. Busquets’ intercepted pass, which Rafinha was slow to react to, led to Fekir’s goal and a series of errors followed. There was also some sloppiness in front of goal in the first half, with Rafinha especially guilty of missing chances, but they rectified that after the break.

– When is the Champions League group-stage draw? – ESPN La Liga fantasy: Sign up now!

Manager rating out of 10

7 — Valverde’s shown he’s open to change in the early weeks of the season. That’s been forced in part by injuries in attack but he’s also made some big decisions in midfield, with Ivan Rakitic left on the bench two weeks running. Here, his side played some brilliant football at times — even with Messi and Suarez watching from the stands.

Player ratings (1-10; 10=best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 6 — Beaten by two absolutely stunning finishes from Fekir and Loren.

DF Nelson Semedo, 7 — Was a menace in attack, linking well with Sergi Roberto and Perez ahead of him.

DF Gerard Pique, 6 — The defender made his 500th appearance for the club but struggled at times in the first half. Gave away a dangerous free kick with a foul on Loren.

DF Clement Lenglet, 6 — Like Pique, was caught out of position at times, but got away with it with some cynical fouling.

DF Jordi Alba, 7 — Scored a good goal and linked well in the final third with Griezmann and, surprisingly, Busquets, who got forward more than usual.

MF Sergio Busquets, 7 — Returned to the lineup after not playing in the loss to Athletic. His stray pass led to Betis’ opening goal but he improved after that. Played some nice passes and set up Alba’s goal.

MF Sergi Roberto, 7 — Produced a lovely cross for Griezmann’s first goal. Looks like he’s going to be given plenty of time to settle into a midfield role this season.

MF Frenkie de Jong, 6 — Played on the left of the midfield three, but seemed to spend too much time out towards the touchline, which doesn’t suit him.

FW Carles Perez, 8 — A lively performance that suggests there is no reason Valverde can’t continue to rely on him while Messi, Suarez and Ousmane Dembele are out. He’s prepared to take on players, shows for the ball and has bundles of character.

FW Antoine Griezmann, 9 — Good and bad moments early on gave way to a brilliant second-half performance. Broke his duck for the club before the break and added a stunning second in the second half in a display that brought Camp Nou to its feet.

FW Rafinha, 6 — Some nice touches but his night will be remembered for two big misses. The first was somehow deflected wide by Sidnei and he didn’t even make contact with the ball at the far post for the second.

Substitutes

FW Arturo Vidal, 6 — Came on for his first appearance of the season and netted a goal.

FW Ansu Fati, N/R — A night the teenager will never forget. Could have been even better, too, if his fizzed effort didn’t fly inches wide.

FW Junior Firpo, N/R — The summer signing made his debut for Barca against his former side.

More News

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[verziehenone]

It’s that time again.  That time for TV shows to bow out for a few months, go into hibernation, and then feverishly work to convince to return to their worlds for more.

Having watched a number of shows hit their finales in recent months, here is my subjective and biased ranking:

Agents of SHIELD

The 100

Z Nation

The Good Place

Arrow

Legion

Supergirl

The Flash

Supernatural

The Legends of Tomorrow

The Vampire Diaries

Superstore

Last Man on Earth

The Walking Dead

Suits

Star Wars: Rebels

Channel Zero

This isn’t a ranking from Good to Bad, but rather in order of ‘I liked it a lot!’ to ‘I could have liked it more’ to ‘It was a finale’.  I don’t think I watched any shows in recent days that I really thought were awful finales, but some were definitely better than others. 

SHIELD was fantastic this season and I can’t even really think of a true ‘lull’ in the action.  First Ghost Rider, then LMDs, then the Framework (’Hydra’) stuff.  Excellent way of divvying up a 23-24 episode season and keeping it fresh and exciting.  Other shows would do well to learn from this example.

The 100 was terrific.  That show keeps blowing me away.  The stories are interesting, the acting and sets and effects are really great, and it’s full of great moments!  The last two seasons have been up and down, but man, those ‘ups’ are really up! 

Z Nation is an oddball to see on here but this show is so ridiculously fun that I have to mention it.  Every episode has some insane ridiculous stupid zombie moment where insane ridiculously stupid things happen to zombies, and then a bad guy says something dumb and then probably dies an episode later and then more stupid ridiculously fun zombie action happens.  So many fun and enjoyable moments of over the top action and effects. 

Odd to see a comedy like this so high?  The Good Place snuck up on me for being a very well written comedy with clever and laugh out loud moments, good acting and special effects, and a very very good finale.  If you haven’t given it a shot, I really really think you should, it’s so surprisingly entertaining.

Arrow did a great job of concluding the present storyline in a BIG way, and also the flashback storyline.  Very interested to see what will happen next season, as the finale left the writers with basically a blank slate regarding ... well ... everything.

Legion.  Wow.  I mean, Noah Hawley is just in a world of his own with directing.  Fargo was instantly a classic (especially season 1) and Legion just proves it wasn’t a fluke.  I loved seeing Dan Stevens break out of his Downton Abbey role in a big way, and obviously Aubrey Plaza was a treat (like always).  The visuals, the music, everything.  And obvs I loved seeing Jemaine Clement.  Because I love seeing him in basically everything.

Supergirl did a great job of being the finale everyone kind of expected and hoped for at the same time.  Big effects, big fights, conclusions to stories, teases for the next season, all of it.  It had more ambition in it than some movies, and did a great job with maximizing the TV budget it had.  And honestly, it’s crazy that this is a TV show.  A decade ago, many of these episodes would have been a movie, for their budget and characters.  And Melissa Benoist is just a treat.

Flash ... well, I love the Flash, but this season wasn’t great, and last wasn’t either.  This was better, but still up and down, very uneven.  The finale was fine, but it had a few things that could have made it much better.  And naturally Barry did a Barry thing in the finale, and despite it actually making sense this time around, it still feels like a pointless cliffhanger.  One of those: Is the main character really dead?  Well, all signs point to Maybe!  (Unless the show got renewed and isn’t Game of Thrones).

Supernatural was pretty solid considering it is in season 10,000.  Sad that Mark Sheppard (Crowley) said he’s not coming back for next year, but maybe it’s a cop out like Ian Somerhalder (Damien) on Vampire Diaries, where it’s really just to ‘sell’ a finale.  I really have enjoyed the last 4 seasons quite a lot and have every intention of tuning in again and again to watch the boys raise havoc and save people (and hunt things) as long as the CW will renew it.

Legends added dinosaurs in the finale, in a city, doing dinosaur things.  This covers a lot of ‘meh’ parts in the finale, though it was pretty solid overall.  I mean, when a season is about getting the Spear of Destiny and then needing to use the Blood of Christ that is buried in a battlefield (that you retrieve during a battle) so that 3 baddies don’t destroy all the things ... well, it’s an insane premise that was well delivered, just not incredibly well.  More Captain Cold is always a good thing though!

Vampire Diaries finally ended, and it ended in (some) ways that people expected, and others that were still (somewhat) surprising.  It smartly left teases to storylines unexplored that will likely payoff in The Originals, and allow us to continue visiting some characters again, but it didn’t feel like a cheap finale for a show that over and over surprised me with how fun and insane it was. 

Both Superstore and Last Man on Earth had finales that reset the status quo and will get me back.  Partly because they’re both terrific in different ways, and partly because both could use a bit of a shakeup in ‘the formula’.  They were fine finales but not ‘OH MY GOSH HAVE YOU SEEN’ finales. 

A simple summary of The Walking Dead finale: from literally the first 2 minutes I could have told you how at least part of it would end.  But some parts were still very entertaining, while other were ... predictably dumb.  This was a very up and down season with a lot of flaws that hopefully will be corrected and some story problems that seemed so simple to resolve.

Suits teased a change that seemed like it took an eternity to get here, despite being eminently enjoyable to watch it come to fruition, still took a thousand years to happen.  It was renewed, so it will be neat to see how it changes things going forward.  And, considering the upcoming spinoff, I wonder if Suits is coming to a close?

Rebels ... next season is your last.  I have mixed feelings about this.  Where was Ahsoka this last season?  I guess that was the answer to season 2′s finale... but come on.  That better not be the answer.  I’m excited for some of the teases for next season, hopeful Thrawn keeps being menacing, and intrigued about how they end it.  And mostly I’m interested to see when Disney will announce the next animated show, hopefully set in another interesting era where we can see big names do big stuff (ala Clone Wars).  Still hopeful that Ezra goes darkside.  We’ll see.

Channel Zero surprised me with how incredibly slow burning the entire show was, taking its sweet old time to add in the scares and the dread.  I enjoyed every episode and thought the finale ended it sufficiently, but it wasn’t as good as the prior episodes.  Here’s hoping that season 2 ends up with a similar slow burn feel.

And the following are ones that have aired but I haven’t yet watched:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Modern Family

Jane the Virgin

Bobs Burgers

Elementary

Samurai Jack

12 Monkeys

The Expanse

Into the Badlands

Yeah, I’ll get there.  I watch a few of these with my wife, so it’s a ‘when we get to it’ kind of thing (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family, Jane the Virgin, Bobs Burgers), and a few (Samurai Jack, 12 Monkeys) I haven’t watched any of this season.  And Elementary, while I really really enjoy it, I am at least 2-3 seasons out.  The Expanse is the sci-fi show everyone should be watching but not enough are and I think it’s going to end up cancelled before it really hits its stride (and as far as I understand, it got terrifically better in season 2 after a very strong season 1).  Into the Badlands is the show (frankly) that Iron Fist wishes it was and I really need to watch season 2, but its one of those shows you have to watch without doing other things (which tends to be what I do).

And there’s ones that are a still a ways out:

The Originals

The Leftovers

Better Call Saul

Doctor Who

Steven Universe

Adventure Time

Gotham

Fargo

American Gods

Prison Break

Twin Peaks

So much excellent TV in this!  The Originals has been good, The Leftovers is on its way out (and seems to be maintaining its quality and momentum), and what I say that hasn’t been said about Better Call Saul?  Doctor Who has been completely amazing this season, easily the best Capaldi season, and up there with the best ‘Nu Who’ seasons, in my opinion (and many others’).  Steven Universe is so much fun and I know Adventure Time is on the way out ... sad sad sad.  Can’t wait to share that with my son when he’s older.  Gotham is insane and campy and stupid and I’ll absolutely tune in in the fall.  Fargo has been good this season after a kind of ‘meh’ season 2.  American Gods is a great adaptation of the book, and a great show really in every respect.  Blown away by the quality!  And I haven’t actually started Prison Break but I fully expect to enjoy it (and be sad since apparently it isn’t getting renewed again).  Um and Twin Peaks is a show that I don’t understand but am watching season 2 so I can watch season 3. 

And ones that are about to start:

Dark Matter

Killjoys

Fear the Walking Dead

Rick and Morty

Orphan Black

Preacher

Dark Matter isn’t amazing but it’s serviceable, while Killjoys is so so so much fun.  Fear is still figuring itself out but season 2 was much better than season 1 (where they totally abandoned their premise about 2 episodes in).  Rick and frickin’ Morty.  When are we getting more, Dan Harmon??!??!  And lastly, Orphan Black, I can’t believe it’s almost time to say goodbye.  Tatiana Maslany better get some killer roles after this because she is a stellar actress and this show is so good, I hope the finale does it justice.  And Preacher is just insane in the best way.

That’s all for my TV thoughts for now.  I didn’t include Netflix-type binge shows but I watched a lot of those too (Iron Fist, 3%, The OA, Between, Travelers, Santa Clarita Diet, The Crown).  Or shows I might want to watch but haven’t yet (Riverdale, Underground).  And I probably forgot other shows too.  And I probably watch too much TV, but if it’s any consolation or explanation, it heavily influences and inspires my writing.  (And most of it I watch while video gaming anyway).

[chicagoindiecritics]

New from Jeff York on The Establishing Shot: “I USED TO GO HERE” FINDS THE FRESH IN THE “OLD SCHOOL”

Vaulted author Thomas Wolfe famously wrote You Can’t Go Home Again but cinema seems to absolutely adore stories about people who try. In I USED TO GO HERE, the naif who thinks she can reclaim past glory is a 35-year-old writer named Kate (Gillian Jacobs). Her life is unraveling so she returns to her alma mater, hoping to find some sort of solace there to soothe her savaged ego. The stunted adult who needs to grow up is a familiar trope to even the casual filmgoer, explored in everything from  GROUNDHOG DAY or BRIDESMAIDS, and while writer/director Kris Rey hasn’t made a gem quite as special as those classics, her new film nonetheless shines brightly.

As the story starts, novelist Kate has had her first book published but it’s bombing in the marketplace. So much so that her literary agents have canceled the publicity tour for the tome. Kate’s already in the doldrums, having recently broken off an engagement, and this setback crushes her fragile ego. Feeling alone and more than a little desperate, she heads to her alma mater to give a book reading there, thinking that her return as a minor celebrity will kickstart her confidence.

Kate is a self-saboteur however, finding fault in almost every situation and taking self-deprecation to extremes. When college folk at the University of Illinois – Carbondale compliment her on her book, she’s far too quick to trash its less than stellar jacket art. Put up at a bed & breakfast, Kate openly bemoans that it’s not an Airbnb. Sure, she may throw her bitter asides away with aplomb, but her negative vibe rubs everyone the wrong way. Even her back-home preggo sister Laura (Zoe Chao) is exasperated as she haplessly tries to cajole her into a good place.

As an actress, Jacobs is wise to not play Kate too disgruntled, though there is a bit of a Larry David feel to her holier-than-thou misanthrope.  Kate is quite unlikeable at times, rolling her eyes, snidely commenting on the minutiae around her, and openly pining for the now married professor (Jemaine Clement) she crushed on back in the day. She’s even a pickled pill when it comes to guiding  students like April (Hannah Marks) coming to her for advice. Her wisdom is doled out with healthy dashes of acrimony.

But just when one might think that the film might be zigging Kate towards an affair with her prof or ultimately becoming besties with sexpot April, the story nicely zags. Kate ends up becoming friends with a mix of students instead that she meets at the house she used to live on campus. She bonds with them through a series of casual adventures that change her for the better (of course) and keep the movie from ever feeling stale.

Along the way, Rey has a field day directing the talented cast she’s put together to play the host of quirky characters she’s written. Relative newcomers Brandon Daley, Rammel Chan, Josh Wiggins, Khloe Janel, and Forrest Goodluck all graduate with comedic honors as they play the students that Kate befriends.

Clement is hilariously droll as you’d expect, sometimes getting huge laughs just standing there staring at a dingaling student. Jorma Taccone stands out too in a couple of hilarious scenes as well. He’s also given the most outrageous line in Rey’s script, an admission about self-pleasure that is a jaw-dropper. Taccone is on a roll this summer, as he and his Lonely Island cohorts Andy Samberg and Akiva Shaffer helped produce this sharp film opening on VOD today, as well as Max Barbakow’s hit comedy film PALM SPRINGS that dropped on Hulu subscribers last month.

Jacobs’ sly performance is mostly a reactive one and she’s expert at conveying so much with how she holds her curt mouth or nonplussed eyelids. There’s a touch of menace in those eyes of hers too – she could almost be Emma Stone’s bitter sister.  Despite Kate’s grievances, Jacobs makes us care for her as she earns her degree from the school of hard knocks. Back-to-school comedies are nothing new on the big or small screen, but thanks to Rey, Jacobs, and a fresh and funny cast, I USED TO GO HERE manages to make “old school” feel surprisingly new.

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[walkonwalkonwithhopeinyourheart]

Barcelona Analysis via /r/LiverpoolFC

Barcelona Analysis

Hi everyone, after a great result and performance yesterday I thought I'd try and shed a bit of light on the challenge awaiting the team during the week. I've watched just about every Barca match for the last decade or so but of course, my observations are not the absolute be all end all, so feel free to disagree or question anything that I say.

*disclaimer I am a Liverpool fan but this article will speak very highly of Barca*

​

At the very least I'm hoping to clarify a few things that may not be instantly obvious.

​

2018/19 Style

This season Barca have reverted back to their fabled 4-3-3, having had much success with a 4-4-2 last season.

Much has remained the same since the late 2000s, with fullbacks playing extremely high, offering width, centrebacks splitting in possession and playing a higher line, with a pivot often dropping between them.

From there, an asymmetric duo in midfield offers shorter and longer passing options.

The front players match the midfield's asymmetry, with a one narrow and one wide forward, coupled by a striker.

​

Possession is still key, they have the ball a lot! Often the idea is to create space between the opposition's defence and midfield. They are particularly effective at overloading the inside left before quickly switching it to the inside right (wonder who occupies that area). As such space then opens up wide right and wide left in the transition, making it difficult for opponents to recover effectively.

This team still loves to play out from the back, however their goalkeeper now is a lot more comfortable launching 40 or 50 yard passes to the flanks should the short passes be going nowhere. However they can still cause so much damage to poorly planned presses with 3 or 4 touches and a Busquets pirouette.

The midfield likes to string what i call 'test' passes together. In that they will pass into areas in which it makes opposition players consider coming out of position to claim the ball but also consider staying put, often they aren't sure and after the 3rd or 4th time they'll push up only to leave fatal space somewhere else. Aside from that though, the midfield won't do a whole lot of 'on-paper' damage, Rakitic aside this midfield isn't in double figures for goals and assists combined.

Their forwards do a lot of switching, from 30 yards and in, the name of the game is 1-2s and you'll normally see opponents squashed into an area smaller than their penalty box yet the net still bulges. The front 3 play close together but the space will either be vertical or horizontal i.e. one will run in behind when the others combine, or one will hug the touchline while the others combine. This is when a midfield linker such as Rakitic or Arthur seals the deal.

​

Personnel

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is in my mind the best keeper in the world. He plays as a sweeper keeper behind Barca's high line and is very comfortable in possession. He is also one of the best in the business at dealing with one on one situations and in terms of reflex shot stopping (seriously - youtube some of the mental things he's done this year).

​

Gerard Pique is having an absolute second coming in defence, playing with his usual swagger on the ball, but also commanding and leading the entire backline. He has been unbelievable since the turn of year; his ability to block shots, deal with crosses and intercept passes into the striker have all improved markedly. Clement Lenglet has slotted in beautifully alongside Pique and his composure in possession is a hallmark of the way Barca want their defenders to play. He also boasts excellent recover pace but can be a bit rash with his last ditch tackles. Jordi Alba continues to be the only world class leftback not named Andy and whilst he rightly receives a lot of plaudits for his attacking dimension, defensively his positional sense and intelligence means he is rarely caught out. Nelson Semedo and Sergi Roberto have both been used as right backs, with the former offering more defensive solidity but more naivety and the latter able to continue attacks as an auxiliary midfielder, such is his versatility.

​

Sergio Busquets may not be the player of a few years ago but is still integral to how Barca play. Dictating the tempo and creating space out of nothing whilst also covering for his more attacking teammates. Ivan Rakitic has shown no signs of a world cup hangover, which would make sense as he has 5 lungs. He fills the space vacated by the marauding right back and some Argentine luxury player but is also capable of late bursts from midfield and has a mean right foot. Arthur Melo is experiencing a great debut season, with people claiming him to be the new Xavi. The playstyles are similar, but he lacks the Spaniards creativity and people often say he plays with fear, keeping things ticking along but never threatening.

​

Lionel Messi lol. Luis Suarez is playing a strange brand this season, alternating between perfect hattricks to Shane Long. He is, as we know, always a menace, and when his link up play is working well, him and Messi play football from another planet. Ousmane Dembele is still very raw, but his pace absolutely terrifies defenders, he's like bambi with NOS, but he also has two great feet and loves to sell a dummy.

​

Arturo Vidal, Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti, Malcom and Carles Alena all offer a threat coming off the bench.

​

Strengths

This Barca team plays with much more control off the ball than the other iterations. Their centrebacks are fantastic at defending crosses and cutbacks, with the midfield excellent at shielding from deep and forcing opponents wide or into a mistake.

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Their frontline has pace to burn with Dembele and as such, offer fantastic counter attacking opportunities, plus has a certain fluidity to it in a similar way to Liverpool. Suarez may pop up on the right, Dembele through the middle and as such they are difficult to tie down.

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Their midfield plays with more verticality, they will be wary of Liverpool's press and it is likely that they will be more direct with their movement and transitions so as to bypass any press.

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Messi. Yep, him. With the way this Barca team plays, h is able to function on a greater level. He normally drops in to the inside right position (although he will normally start matches on the touchline) and from there it pretty much depends on him. Dembele and Suarez like to alternate between coming short for 1-2s or running in behind, whilst Alba always offers a long diagonal threat. But get too close and all you'll feel is his fart in the wind. He also offers a shooting threat from set pieces and from anywhere inside 25 yards.

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Patience is a virtue with this team. Quite often they will not hit their flow in the first half of games, instead toying with their opponents, tiring them until the space between players is big enough to strike. This Barca team is extremely clinical (unless Suarez is wearing his second left boot again) and as such, any chances they create will most likely be high in quality.

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Weaknesses

Their high defensive line is of course, susceptible to longer passes however these must be weighted perfectly to avoiding the onrushing Ter Stegen.

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Either side of Busquets. Their transitional movement when losing the ball in midfield is poor. Often Arthur and Rakitic are offering pasisng options and as such, if the ball is given away in midfield the space either side of their pivot becomes a lot more glaring.

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Lack of movement when Coutinho plays has also been a theme this season, as the playmaker often tries to do too much himself. Suarez and Messi have recently stopped making dynamic runs as often due to this and normally this threat will solely be the duty of each fullback.

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Messi. Weird right? That's not to say the wee man himself is a weakness, but rather in times of need the other players tend to look like deer in headlights, of course it is often Messi who is driving the truck.

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Where Liverpool Can Profit

It's a stick or twist scenario. Do Liverpool cheat and leave their frontmen high up the field and risk an overload? I feel Klopp will look to use more of a 4-4-2 in defence, with Mane and Wijnaldum/Milner filling in on the flanks. Subsequently a counter attack becomes more of a threat, but how can they get the ball to them?

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BIG VIRG. Yes he's a mountain, a colossus, a unit, but he also possesses a hugely dangerous weapon. The long diagonal pass. If anyone would like to watch Barca's 4-4 thriller with Villarreal they'll see how their two frontmen both occupied the spaces where the Barca fullbacks would be meaning that there was no need to avoid whatever Barca press there was - instead they played the ball to their frontmen who could combine in those spaces - they found a lot of joy that evening, 4 joy to be exact.

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Space in the midfield is normally a virtue when playing against Barca, but this Liverpool midfield is capable of playing some lovely one touch football, granted there won't be as much space as last night... a quick transition from winning the ball to attacking can bypass this Barca midfield if done correctly, and Liverpool are one of the best in the world at that.

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Anfield. Barca's away form has been tentative for the last few years. That's not to say this team lacks belief, they simply play a more pragmatic role when away from home, accepting 0-0s as decent results. Normally they've gone back to the Camp Nou knowing what was expected of them, but that will not be the case in this tie. Anfield however, will be in the know.

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Summary

Sorry for the long read, it doesn't feel nearly as informative as I had intended it to be but heyho, that's what armchair punditry does to people!

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If there are any questions on this article or Barca team then give me a shout but hopefully some of you found this useful!

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P.S they play Levante at 19:45 today but I don't expect their full team to play for more than 60 mins max.

Submitted April 27, 2019 at 06:07PM by AgentGoat via reddit http://bit.ly/2IM31CK