Now, let's focus on that fact the BEST attacking team there is out there. Logic would say if you are going up against the best attacking team, your tactic surely must be to focus on defending and trying to shut them down. Why the heck would you try and ATTACK them from the start?!
That would be a bold and brave move if you had Robben, Ribery and Alaba in your team, but when you don't then it's simply dumb and stupid. Sorry, but there is no other deduction to take from it. The truth is Barcelona should have been up by three goals in the first ten minutes. Okay, first two G's that Barcelona scored were not due to Pep, but it's a mentality that you instil in a team. Pep wanted them to attack and did not really offer rearguard instructions. So even when they changed back to four at the back, you've already unsettled the team, and with Rafinha still in defence over Lahm you just have to smile and say "Pep knows best."
The talk of Pep as a great needs to either stop or at the very least, be revised. Because as everyone agreed, when you have been outplayed mostly for a match with just a few minutes to go, you take a 2-0. It's still an uphill task knowing that Barcelona WILL score in Germany, but you give yourself a shot. To attack and throw so many men forward, again, with no Robben and Ribery and concede the final blow that makes it three, that is just very bad management. Because with that decision, Pep has ended this tie as a contest, and the second leg in Munich will be pointless.
Who knows what the future is? But maybe this was a sign. This was to show that we must label Pep as a very good coach, but he falls short of being called a manager in the same sense as Lippi, Simeone or Mourinho who have delivered under duress and with lesser teams.
Sucks....this could have been quite a match if both teams were at full strength.
Sent from the Hut
