[SPA] La Liga 2009/2010 (76 Viewers)

Fred

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2003
41,113
Almeria played a fantastic game against Barca today. They completely stopped Barca from playing their football. Hugo Sanchez implemented a cheeky tactic to stop Xavi. He had one of his midfielders (Chico) follow Xavi wherever he went, Chico did not have a position on the field, all he did was follow Xavi around, wherever Xavi was Chico was there right behind him, literally his shadow.

That forced Busquets and Marquez(later Pique) to be the ones that had to link the play. Naturally Barca couldn't play their game.
 

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Fred

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2003
41,113
In what way is man-marking cheeky?
This wasn't just any man-marking. The guy didn't even try to attack the ball when it wasn't with Xavi. At one instance, the ball was with D.Alves, and he was the closest guy to Alves, he didn't even try to pressure Alves but instead let him go and went back to Xavi.
 

Red

-------
Moderator
Nov 26, 2006
47,024
This wasn't just any man-marking. The guy didn't even try to attack the ball when it wasn't with Xavi. At one instance, the ball was with D.Alves, and he was the closest guy to Alves, he didn't even try to pressure Alves but instead let him go and went back to Xavi.
That is real man-marking, not like the so-called man-marking you usually see in which players only mark within their own area of the pitch.
 

Osman

Koul Khara!
Aug 30, 2002
59,324
Whats the point singling out Ibra? Whole of Barca were piss poor.

And as Fred said, Almeria was rather tactically sound (pressured aggressively, unlike other teams in La Liga), and man marking may seem typical, but its seldom you see it used it to this degree, Chico was really sniffing out every single step of Xavi's.
 

Fred

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2003
41,113
Great game by Sevilla today. Real just could not keep up with Sevilla's fast tempo. Their wingers Navas and Perrotti are just fantastic.

Navas ripped Marcelo a new one today, and he was for me the MOM
 

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