2011 has been an incredible year for Barcelona and it's squad. Numerous trophies, individual awards and putting the Barcelona style of football on display for the world to watch and be in awe of.
January began with Lionel Messi beating out teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta for the FIFA Balon D'or award. January also saw a club record streak of 28 consecutive unbeaten matches come to an end in the second leg of the Copa Del Ray quarterfinals, but tied a La Liga record with 15 straight league wins. They would set the new record at 16 consecutive wins, part of a 32 game unbeaten streak, another La Liga record.
In February Barca set a date with Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey finals, easing past Almeria 8-0 on aggregate. However, it also saw Barcelona lose 2-1 at the Emirates in London to Arsenal, their first knock out round opponent in the UEFA Champions League.
In March came the second leg of the Champions League match up at the Nou Camp and saw Barcelona overturn the first leg deficit with a 3-1 win, but not without controversy. Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie was shown a second yellow for delay after kicking the ball away mere moments after an offside call in which RVP didn't hear the whistle (which is debatable, if he didn't hear the whistle, he was clear on goal, why boot it from 30 yards out?). Even though Barcelona was dominating every aspect of the game to that point, it was 1-1 at the time and effectively ended Arsenals European season. Defender Eric Abidal was also diagnosed with a tumor in the middle of March and while many thought his career may be cut short, he would make a remarkable recovery and return for the Champions League final in May.
As Barcelona turned the corner into April, many of their competitions were headed towards their climax. Barcelona eliminated Shaktar Donetsk in the Champions League, and set up a semi final match up with Real Madrid in what would turn out to be four Classico's in a span of barely two weeks, meeting Madrid in league play, the Copa Del Ray final, and both legs of the Champions League semi-final. Their league tilt ended in a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu, marking the first time since he was hired that Pep Guaridola failed to defeat Real Madrid. Four days later would mark Guardiola's first defeat to Madrid as they lost the Copa Del Rey final 1-0 after a extra time header from Ronaldo. Barca would take their revenge in the Champions League semi-final, taking the first leg at the Bernabeu 2-0. Their last match in April, a 1-2 loss to Sociedad would end their 32 game league unbeaten streak which had begun all the way back at week 2 of the season.
May would begin with Barcelona punching their ticket to Wembley after a 1-1 draw against Madrid in Barcelona sent them to a finals match against Manchester United in a repeat of the 2009 UEFA Champions League final. Despite their record league streaks Barcelona did not clinch the league title until two weeks left in the season, and then finished their Liga campagin with a win away at Malaga, their 14th away victory of the season, also a new club record. In their last competitive match of the 2010-2011 season Barcelona saw off Manchester United 3-1 winning their 2nd trophy of the calendar year.
The summer transfer window was busy for Barcelona, as May and June saw them part ways with Martin Caceres, Victor Sanchez, Jeffren, Gabi Milito, and Bojan, as well as finalizing the sale of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to AC Milan. However, they made two huge moves, bringing in Udinese's speedy Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez and finally ending the years long transfer drama in bring Cesc Fabregas back to Barcelona after eight years at Arsenal. July saw the players return to the pitch with a few friendlies against Bayern Munich.
August saw a return to competitive play for Barcelona and they began by playing the Copa Del Ray champions Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup. After a 2-2 draw in the first leg, a thrilling, dramatic, vicious second leg saw Barcelona win another trophy with a 3-2 win at the Nou Camp in which punches were thrown and red cards dealt out, all beginning with a tackle on Fabregas by Marcelo and ending with Jose Mourihno poking Barcelona assistant Tito Villanova in the eye. Later in August, Barcelona would meet the Europa League winners Porto in the UEFA Super Cup, adding another trophy to the cabinet after a 2-0 victory.
September marked the early stages of both the Champions League group stage and early tilts in La Liga. Barcelona would stutter in the first weeks of the season, before tearing apart Osasuna 8-0. September also saw the beginnings of the Barcelona injury bug begin to pop up, losing Alexis Sanchez for nearly two months to a torn hamstring, and Iniesta for nearly a month.
October was business as usual for the Catalans, pulling themselves into first place in the league, and the to the top of their group in the Champions League with a draw against AC Milan, and wins against Viktoria Plzen and BATE Borisov.
November saw 8 Barcelona players names to the Balon D'or shortlist, and also saw Barca cement the top spot in their group heading into the Champions League knockout rounds. However, their first league loss of the season to Getafe leaves them 6 points behind Madrid heading into the first Classico of the season.
So here we are in December. Barcelona dominates Real Madrid in the first Classico, winning 3-1 coming back from a early Benzema strike. The injury bug would return, this time claiming David Villa with a broken leg suffered in the FIFA Club World Cup. This devastating injury may take up to 6 months to heal and puts him at risk to compete in the 2012 Euros. Barcelona would round off 2011 by winning the FIFA Club World Cup against Brazilian giants Santos, and then in Copa Del Ray action run out a mixed team of veterans and youth club members and roll C.E. L'Hospitalet 9-0 in their Copa Del Ray match up.
Barcelona finished 2011 with countless highlights, four trophies, while setting new records for individuals and clubs. What will 2012 bring to FC Barcelona and it's fans? Wither it is up or down nobody can tell (although, down doesn't seem to be a direction Pep Guardiola knows about). But i can tell you that wherever Barcelona go in 2012, they will go there playing the tiki-taka football the world has fallen in love with.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Copa Del Rey Barcelona 9 - 0 C.E. L'Hospitalet (10-0 agg)
Well, Barca went out with a bang in their last fixture of the year, running away to a 9-0 win over third division side, and geographical neighbors C.E. L'Hospitalet. What is somewhat confounding is that the first leg ended 1-0 to Barcelona, with a squad that featured Iniesta, Puyol, Keita, David Villa, Xavi and Fabregas. The lone goal in a rain soaked affair by Iniesta didn't foretell that the reverse would get close to a double digit scoreline.
Barcelona started with a stronger lineup in the second leg, starting Busquets, Puyol, Pique, Iniesta, Thiago, Pedro, Xavi and Fabregas, but for the most part featured all spanish players, as the Leo Messi's and Dani Alves' were sent home a few days early for the holidays.
The first ten minutes were battled in the midfield, with Barca unable to create a rhythm, until the 11th minute. Issac Cuenca, who has been very impressive in his first team outings this year, took on a defender at the touch line, and as he nipped past him the defender reached out for his shirt. A good half second after very light contact, Cuenca tripped over his own feet and tumbled in the box in a blatant dive that was pretty disgusting, even more so when the ref pointed to the spot. Pedro stepped up to take the PK, and it was 1-0 Barcelona.
At that point the gates opened and the goals poured in. Even though Barca were clearly the better team, this is a tainted victory by how the first goal was scored. With every Barca match lately, they were hit by the injury bug. Iniesta was taken out in the first half with a torn muscle, Fabregas suffered an injury blow, but he played through it, and Busquets and Xavi were pulled out to rest early in the game.
After Pedro's goal, Iniesta scored in the 19th, Thiago in the 23rd, Xavi in the 36th, and Christian Tello in the 43rd before halftime. After half, Cuenca got on the score sheet in the 49th, Thiago got his second from the spot in the 55th (how obvious does a penalty have to be to point to the spot in a 6-0 game?), Tello added his second in the 65th and Cuenca scored a brace by finishing the scoring in the 81st.
In another game without Leo Messi the Barca youngsters looked scary good. And on top of it, it seems they have a much more aggressive attitude than their first team counterparts. They were hungry to score for all 90 minutes and never took their foot off the gas. I think in the spirit of good sportsmanship that was a little cruel to their third division side, but it should put people on notice who believe that life after Messi and Xavi will be bleak for the Catalans. Christian Tello was particularly lethal, and added his name to the list of Barca B players who are ready to step up when the time comes.
Later this week i'll be back with a year in review for the Blaugrana, and look ahead to an exciting new year in 2012. Felices Fiestas!
Barcelona started with a stronger lineup in the second leg, starting Busquets, Puyol, Pique, Iniesta, Thiago, Pedro, Xavi and Fabregas, but for the most part featured all spanish players, as the Leo Messi's and Dani Alves' were sent home a few days early for the holidays.
The first ten minutes were battled in the midfield, with Barca unable to create a rhythm, until the 11th minute. Issac Cuenca, who has been very impressive in his first team outings this year, took on a defender at the touch line, and as he nipped past him the defender reached out for his shirt. A good half second after very light contact, Cuenca tripped over his own feet and tumbled in the box in a blatant dive that was pretty disgusting, even more so when the ref pointed to the spot. Pedro stepped up to take the PK, and it was 1-0 Barcelona.
At that point the gates opened and the goals poured in. Even though Barca were clearly the better team, this is a tainted victory by how the first goal was scored. With every Barca match lately, they were hit by the injury bug. Iniesta was taken out in the first half with a torn muscle, Fabregas suffered an injury blow, but he played through it, and Busquets and Xavi were pulled out to rest early in the game.
After Pedro's goal, Iniesta scored in the 19th, Thiago in the 23rd, Xavi in the 36th, and Christian Tello in the 43rd before halftime. After half, Cuenca got on the score sheet in the 49th, Thiago got his second from the spot in the 55th (how obvious does a penalty have to be to point to the spot in a 6-0 game?), Tello added his second in the 65th and Cuenca scored a brace by finishing the scoring in the 81st.
In another game without Leo Messi the Barca youngsters looked scary good. And on top of it, it seems they have a much more aggressive attitude than their first team counterparts. They were hungry to score for all 90 minutes and never took their foot off the gas. I think in the spirit of good sportsmanship that was a little cruel to their third division side, but it should put people on notice who believe that life after Messi and Xavi will be bleak for the Catalans. Christian Tello was particularly lethal, and added his name to the list of Barca B players who are ready to step up when the time comes.
Later this week i'll be back with a year in review for the Blaugrana, and look ahead to an exciting new year in 2012. Felices Fiestas!
Monday, December 19, 2011
RUFIO, RUFIO, RU-FI-NOOOOOOOOOO danger.
There is a theme in recent years of Barcelona games falling below expectations, and the FIFA Club World Cup final against Brazils Santos is no exception. It was billed as Messi v. Neymar, the best in the world against the next big thing, but as always people tend to forget that Messi is merely 24 years old, hardly on the downside to his career. It was typical Barcelona, 70% possession and a 4-0 rout of the South American Champions, it was 3-0 after the first half, and while Santos came out a much better team in the second half, it was never going to be enough.
For Santos, Neymar got all the press attention coming into the match up, but it was the midfielder Ganso who was the shining star on the team. He doesn't have the box to box pace to be a midfielder in Europe, but his passing, especially long range and extended through balls was exceptional.
Messi, with two goals in the final joined Pedro (2009) as the only two players to score goals in 6 club competitions in the same season (Spanish Super Cup, Copa Del Rey, La Liga, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, European Super Cup). He was joined on the score sheet by Xavi and Cesc Fabregas, with 11 goals in 20 appearances has in half a season nearly surpassed all but his most prolific goal scoring season at Arsenal.
Next up for Barcelona is a return to the Copa Del Rey, with a match against L'Hospitaliet next week. While Pep strives to take every match in every game seriously, this is a good opportunity to trot out some of the youngsters who made such an impact in the last match day in the CL group stage. However, having seen what happened to Real Madrid two years ago, when they were beat handily by a third division side, I expect Pep to at least put a few of the regular starters out to create a rhythm and have the necessary experience on the field in the case of a early goal by the opposition.
Copa starting IX: Pinto, Maxwell, Fontas, Pique, Alves, Mascherano, Thiago, Sergi Roberto, Pedro, Cuenca, Deulofeu
For Santos, Neymar got all the press attention coming into the match up, but it was the midfielder Ganso who was the shining star on the team. He doesn't have the box to box pace to be a midfielder in Europe, but his passing, especially long range and extended through balls was exceptional.
Messi, with two goals in the final joined Pedro (2009) as the only two players to score goals in 6 club competitions in the same season (Spanish Super Cup, Copa Del Rey, La Liga, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, European Super Cup). He was joined on the score sheet by Xavi and Cesc Fabregas, with 11 goals in 20 appearances has in half a season nearly surpassed all but his most prolific goal scoring season at Arsenal.
Next up for Barcelona is a return to the Copa Del Rey, with a match against L'Hospitaliet next week. While Pep strives to take every match in every game seriously, this is a good opportunity to trot out some of the youngsters who made such an impact in the last match day in the CL group stage. However, having seen what happened to Real Madrid two years ago, when they were beat handily by a third division side, I expect Pep to at least put a few of the regular starters out to create a rhythm and have the necessary experience on the field in the case of a early goal by the opposition.
Copa starting IX: Pinto, Maxwell, Fontas, Pique, Alves, Mascherano, Thiago, Sergi Roberto, Pedro, Cuenca, Deulofeu
Friday, December 16, 2011
Champions League Draw and match ups.
It's friday night, and it's not Lent, but that won't stop me from having fish fry for dinner. As i wait for tasty fish to be fried to sweet perfection, i want to take a look at the draws and upcoming knock out stages in the Champions League.
Looking first at the Spanish teams, Barcelona drew Bayer Leverkusen of Germany. Leverkusen finished second to Chelsea in Group E, but struggled to score goals, and their goal differential both in Europe and in Germany is in the single digits. Barcelona on the other hand, swept though the group stage with 5 wins in 6 games, and also managed to steal some more thunder from their rivals in the capital by scoring the most goals in the group stage this year with 20, allowing only 4. Despite losing David Villa for possibly the rest of the season, Barca should advance with ease.
Real Madrid, with a perfect group stage record drew the Group B runners up, CSKA Moscow. Playing eastern European teams can be very tricky at this stage in the year, as their domestic schedules are closer to the MLS schedule, a spring to fall league, rather than a fall to spring league. CSKA Moscow will be well rested, and are just beginning the domestic league in February. This has traditionally hurt eastern European teams as they tend to have a lot of rust coming into the knockout rounds, and that will be something the Whites will be able to exploit. I expect a tight contest in Russia, a 0-0 draw most likely, with Madrid running out ahead in the return leg.
One of the most surprising group stage winners in recent years is Cyprus' APOEL who drew French club Lyon. Domestically APOEL have a stingy defense, and while Lyon has lost some of their talent over the last two seasons, i expect their story to end here, but to be the first Cypriot team to make it to the knock out stage is still a historic feat to be celebrated.
The match up between Inter Milan and Marseilles could be either very interesting, or incredibly disappointing. Both teams are struggling in their domestic campaigns, especially Inter who has been in a state of flux since the departure of Mourinho. While Claudio Ranieri has brought some stability and probably the ability to progress to the round of 8, i can see Marseilles making things difficult for the Italians. I'll pick Inter to progress, but i wouldn't be surprised of an opposite result.
Benfica, the Group C winners face off against Zenit St. Petersburg, Group G runners up. They will face all the same problems that Madrid will have matching up against CSKA Moscow, and will be facing a much more difficult club. Zenit is crushing their domestic competition, and have a goal differential of nearly +40 domestically while sitting at the top of the RPL table. This is the first time Zenit has made it to the group stage, but they will be evenly matched with a tough Portuguese team that along with Basel knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League at the group stage for the first time in 6 years. Both my respect for the growing Russian teams, and my hatred of nearly everything from Portugal, i'll pick Zenit to upset Benfica and move on to the round of 8.
Swiss upstarts Basel, whose final match day victory over Manchester United put them into the knockout rounds will visit European giants Bayern Munich, who won this years 'group of death'. I think Villareal's terrible European campaign takes a bit of the steam out of that moniker, but Napoli and Manchester City weren't pushovers, and FC Hollywood topped the group with a game to spare. I think the Swiss showed a ton of character in the group stage and took the fight to a lot of 'bigger' clubs, but gusto and determination can't overcome the massive gap in talent between the two sides. Bayern Munich is gaining confidence, scoring goals and is sitting on top of the Bundesliga table. They will easily move on.
The Chelsea - Napoli match up can go either way. Chelsea has been up and down since hiring Andre Villas-Boras away from Porto in the summer, and if hiring a Portuguese manager away from Porto worked once, why not try it again? Napoli surprised everyone by making it out of the 'group of death' condemning oil soaked Manchester City to the depths of the Europa League. (Manchester Derby in the Europa League? yes, please) yet are struggling in Serie A. I don't think Napoli have the depth to compete in Europe this year, and Chelsea will progress to the next stage.
AC Milan - Arsenal is the most intriguing of a otherwise tame first knock out round. Arsenal this year will live and die by the Dutch striker Robin Van Persie. I think RVP still is carrying a chip on his shoulder (and if he isn't he should be) after the debacle last season in which he was shown a red card for a delay in a highly suspect fashion. Domestically AC Milan are chasing Juventus and if that is still the case come February, it will be interesting where they place their priorities. AC Milan has firepower however, and while RVP might be the most talented man on the pitch, if Thiago Silva locks him down, Arsenals second and third options won't get the job done against the likes of Ibrahimovic, Robinho, and Pato. I'll pick AC Milan to advance, as Arsenal are simply cursed in the knockout rounds. They win their group to avoid Barcelona only to get the runners up to Barca in AC Milan.
Winners:
Barcelona, Madrid, Lyon, Inter, Zenit, Bayern, Chelsea and AC Milan.
Looking first at the Spanish teams, Barcelona drew Bayer Leverkusen of Germany. Leverkusen finished second to Chelsea in Group E, but struggled to score goals, and their goal differential both in Europe and in Germany is in the single digits. Barcelona on the other hand, swept though the group stage with 5 wins in 6 games, and also managed to steal some more thunder from their rivals in the capital by scoring the most goals in the group stage this year with 20, allowing only 4. Despite losing David Villa for possibly the rest of the season, Barca should advance with ease.
Real Madrid, with a perfect group stage record drew the Group B runners up, CSKA Moscow. Playing eastern European teams can be very tricky at this stage in the year, as their domestic schedules are closer to the MLS schedule, a spring to fall league, rather than a fall to spring league. CSKA Moscow will be well rested, and are just beginning the domestic league in February. This has traditionally hurt eastern European teams as they tend to have a lot of rust coming into the knockout rounds, and that will be something the Whites will be able to exploit. I expect a tight contest in Russia, a 0-0 draw most likely, with Madrid running out ahead in the return leg.
One of the most surprising group stage winners in recent years is Cyprus' APOEL who drew French club Lyon. Domestically APOEL have a stingy defense, and while Lyon has lost some of their talent over the last two seasons, i expect their story to end here, but to be the first Cypriot team to make it to the knock out stage is still a historic feat to be celebrated.
The match up between Inter Milan and Marseilles could be either very interesting, or incredibly disappointing. Both teams are struggling in their domestic campaigns, especially Inter who has been in a state of flux since the departure of Mourinho. While Claudio Ranieri has brought some stability and probably the ability to progress to the round of 8, i can see Marseilles making things difficult for the Italians. I'll pick Inter to progress, but i wouldn't be surprised of an opposite result.
Benfica, the Group C winners face off against Zenit St. Petersburg, Group G runners up. They will face all the same problems that Madrid will have matching up against CSKA Moscow, and will be facing a much more difficult club. Zenit is crushing their domestic competition, and have a goal differential of nearly +40 domestically while sitting at the top of the RPL table. This is the first time Zenit has made it to the group stage, but they will be evenly matched with a tough Portuguese team that along with Basel knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League at the group stage for the first time in 6 years. Both my respect for the growing Russian teams, and my hatred of nearly everything from Portugal, i'll pick Zenit to upset Benfica and move on to the round of 8.
Swiss upstarts Basel, whose final match day victory over Manchester United put them into the knockout rounds will visit European giants Bayern Munich, who won this years 'group of death'. I think Villareal's terrible European campaign takes a bit of the steam out of that moniker, but Napoli and Manchester City weren't pushovers, and FC Hollywood topped the group with a game to spare. I think the Swiss showed a ton of character in the group stage and took the fight to a lot of 'bigger' clubs, but gusto and determination can't overcome the massive gap in talent between the two sides. Bayern Munich is gaining confidence, scoring goals and is sitting on top of the Bundesliga table. They will easily move on.
The Chelsea - Napoli match up can go either way. Chelsea has been up and down since hiring Andre Villas-Boras away from Porto in the summer, and if hiring a Portuguese manager away from Porto worked once, why not try it again? Napoli surprised everyone by making it out of the 'group of death' condemning oil soaked Manchester City to the depths of the Europa League. (Manchester Derby in the Europa League? yes, please) yet are struggling in Serie A. I don't think Napoli have the depth to compete in Europe this year, and Chelsea will progress to the next stage.
AC Milan - Arsenal is the most intriguing of a otherwise tame first knock out round. Arsenal this year will live and die by the Dutch striker Robin Van Persie. I think RVP still is carrying a chip on his shoulder (and if he isn't he should be) after the debacle last season in which he was shown a red card for a delay in a highly suspect fashion. Domestically AC Milan are chasing Juventus and if that is still the case come February, it will be interesting where they place their priorities. AC Milan has firepower however, and while RVP might be the most talented man on the pitch, if Thiago Silva locks him down, Arsenals second and third options won't get the job done against the likes of Ibrahimovic, Robinho, and Pato. I'll pick AC Milan to advance, as Arsenal are simply cursed in the knockout rounds. They win their group to avoid Barcelona only to get the runners up to Barca in AC Milan.
Winners:
Barcelona, Madrid, Lyon, Inter, Zenit, Bayern, Chelsea and AC Milan.
CWC Semi-Finals
More about the CL draw later today, but Barca's last match was early Thursday morning against Al-Saad, the Asian Champions League winners in the Semi-final of the Club World Cup in Japan. Guardiola has said both this year and in their last appearance that he takes this competition very seriously (although as champions of Europe they are placed directly in the semi-finals) because of how difficult it is to get to play for this trophy.
The last time Barca was in the CWC, was two years ago, when they famously won 6 out of 6 competition trophies in a single year. Pedro also made history that year becoming the first player to score in all 6 competitions in a single year, a feat Lionel Messi is looking to accomplish should he score in the final against Santos of Brazil.
Barca trotted out to a 4-0 victory, barely breaking a sweat but it was costly. David VIlla, who was arguably the most energetic of all the players on the pitch suffered a broken leg while chasing down a ball. The injury wasn't as gruesome on camera as i had expected, but none the less Villa is world class, and having him missing from the line up for 4-5 months will be a blow as Barca compete in 5 different competitions. Alexis Sanchez, who came in for the injured Villa was pulled later in the game with a muscle injury and is questionable for the final. To any team, losing two attackers can be devastating, but with Barcelona they simply throw another body in place and the system will provide. Behind Villa and Sanchez in the pecking order is young Issac Cuenca, and if necessary Cesc Fabregas can be pushed up front, where he has had success in his first year back with Barca.
With Villa out until April, you have to wonder how worth it this CWC Cup is to Pep Guardiola, Sando Rosell and the Barcelona board. Their mission of expanding their brand worldwide may have just cost them the season and possibly the career of the most prolific striker in the history of Spanish football. I haven't seen anything from Vincente Del Bosque yet, but i cannot imagine he feels the same way about a 2 game tournament in Japan as Guardiola and Rosell do.
The last time Barca was in the CWC, was two years ago, when they famously won 6 out of 6 competition trophies in a single year. Pedro also made history that year becoming the first player to score in all 6 competitions in a single year, a feat Lionel Messi is looking to accomplish should he score in the final against Santos of Brazil.
Barca trotted out to a 4-0 victory, barely breaking a sweat but it was costly. David VIlla, who was arguably the most energetic of all the players on the pitch suffered a broken leg while chasing down a ball. The injury wasn't as gruesome on camera as i had expected, but none the less Villa is world class, and having him missing from the line up for 4-5 months will be a blow as Barca compete in 5 different competitions. Alexis Sanchez, who came in for the injured Villa was pulled later in the game with a muscle injury and is questionable for the final. To any team, losing two attackers can be devastating, but with Barcelona they simply throw another body in place and the system will provide. Behind Villa and Sanchez in the pecking order is young Issac Cuenca, and if necessary Cesc Fabregas can be pushed up front, where he has had success in his first year back with Barca.
With Villa out until April, you have to wonder how worth it this CWC Cup is to Pep Guardiola, Sando Rosell and the Barcelona board. Their mission of expanding their brand worldwide may have just cost them the season and possibly the career of the most prolific striker in the history of Spanish football. I haven't seen anything from Vincente Del Bosque yet, but i cannot imagine he feels the same way about a 2 game tournament in Japan as Guardiola and Rosell do.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Barcelona 3 - 1 Madrid
Wow. (to quote the Christopher Walker as the Intercontinental) Wowie wow wow, wow!
Obviously i'm biased, but it was a good game, and for once a game without controversy. No red cards, no penalties, just football. Madrid pressed the attack for the first 10 minutes and it paid off with a Benzema goal in the first 20 seconds. While Barca wasn't as sharp, and as dominant in possession as usual, it was clear the best team came out ahead. I was actually disappointed in Leo Messi this match, if that was his own shortcoming or a well executed Madrid plan, i'm not sure yet, but his assist to Sanchez was superb, as was his pass to Dani Alves before Fabregas' header. It says a lot about Messi in a match with two brilliant passes to create goals that it was a disappointing day.
On the other side of the ball, Ronaldo laid another goose egg. His free kicks were generally poor, and Pique and Puyol kept him controlled all night. DiMaria also had a rough game, but that is becoming standard issue against Barcelona. DiMaria on his own is brilliant, if a bit light on his feet, but when he comes against a organized, and talented defensive unit, he tens to get greedy and wastes opportunities, as he did tonight.
Barcelona is now even on points with Madrid, although they have a game in hand. Next up is the Club World Cup in Japan, in which Barca are naturally the heavy favorites. As with every Classico, the post game ramifications will be shown from all angles, and certainly there will be some tidbits worth mentioning in the days ahead. For instance, Andres Iniesta posted a photo of facebook of him at his locker in his tighty whities, fascinating stuff.
Obviously i'm biased, but it was a good game, and for once a game without controversy. No red cards, no penalties, just football. Madrid pressed the attack for the first 10 minutes and it paid off with a Benzema goal in the first 20 seconds. While Barca wasn't as sharp, and as dominant in possession as usual, it was clear the best team came out ahead. I was actually disappointed in Leo Messi this match, if that was his own shortcoming or a well executed Madrid plan, i'm not sure yet, but his assist to Sanchez was superb, as was his pass to Dani Alves before Fabregas' header. It says a lot about Messi in a match with two brilliant passes to create goals that it was a disappointing day.
On the other side of the ball, Ronaldo laid another goose egg. His free kicks were generally poor, and Pique and Puyol kept him controlled all night. DiMaria also had a rough game, but that is becoming standard issue against Barcelona. DiMaria on his own is brilliant, if a bit light on his feet, but when he comes against a organized, and talented defensive unit, he tens to get greedy and wastes opportunities, as he did tonight.
Barcelona is now even on points with Madrid, although they have a game in hand. Next up is the Club World Cup in Japan, in which Barca are naturally the heavy favorites. As with every Classico, the post game ramifications will be shown from all angles, and certainly there will be some tidbits worth mentioning in the days ahead. For instance, Andres Iniesta posted a photo of facebook of him at his locker in his tighty whities, fascinating stuff.
That big match feeling.
Here we are, less than 4 hours from kick off, and it's one of those very rare times I get that 'big match' feeling when i am watching a sport. It doesn't happen very often, i tend to reserve my anxiety for only the most important of days in sports. CL finals, Classicos...Brewers playoff games, that's about it. I went into last years Green Bay/Pittsburgh Superbowl with a tray of green and gold jello shots and thinking the game was in the bag. Then again, maybe it's the cold that is doing this to me, it's a brisk 21 F outside this morning.
I just read a very strange report and i of course blame it on a filthy Madridista. Apparently the plane that Barca was scheduled to take from Barcelona to Madrid became infested by rats.....RATS! and with foggy conditions was delayed and arrived late to the capital. Madrid are so dirty.
I'm so amped up i don't even want to write, so i'm going to make my prediction, and try and burn off some energy before the game. I hope wherever you are, even if you like me but not soccer, to try and find a place to watch the game. Find a bar with GOLTV, maybe your satellite package already has it, pull up an internet stream, it will be on ESPN Deportes, as well as ESPN 3. These are arguably the top two teams in the sport right now, period. They are both entertaining to watch and will undoubtedly shatter your previous notions of soccer as a unorganized, slow, low scoring game with 10 kids all fighting for the same ball. Plus at least here in the northern half of the US, it's bitter cold and a Saturday afternoon with no college football to watch, get your sports on!
my heart says Barcelona 3 - 2 Madrid, my mind says Barcelona 2 - Madrid 2. Expect to see Ronaldo, DiMaria, Fabregas and Messi all on the scoresheet.
I just read a very strange report and i of course blame it on a filthy Madridista. Apparently the plane that Barca was scheduled to take from Barcelona to Madrid became infested by rats.....RATS! and with foggy conditions was delayed and arrived late to the capital. Madrid are so dirty.
I'm so amped up i don't even want to write, so i'm going to make my prediction, and try and burn off some energy before the game. I hope wherever you are, even if you like me but not soccer, to try and find a place to watch the game. Find a bar with GOLTV, maybe your satellite package already has it, pull up an internet stream, it will be on ESPN Deportes, as well as ESPN 3. These are arguably the top two teams in the sport right now, period. They are both entertaining to watch and will undoubtedly shatter your previous notions of soccer as a unorganized, slow, low scoring game with 10 kids all fighting for the same ball. Plus at least here in the northern half of the US, it's bitter cold and a Saturday afternoon with no college football to watch, get your sports on!
my heart says Barcelona 3 - 2 Madrid, my mind says Barcelona 2 - Madrid 2. Expect to see Ronaldo, DiMaria, Fabregas and Messi all on the scoresheet.
Friday, December 9, 2011
A look back, a look forward.
2011 has been a spoiled year for El Classico. Usually an event that occurs only twice a year in their two league match-ups, conspired to have the two spanish giants meet in every competition possible. Tomorrows clash will mark the 7th time in a single calendar year that Barcelona meet Madrid, and nearly every game has it's own memorable moments. Ronaldo finally breaking his Barca cherry (although from the spot), Mourinho poking Barca assistant couch Tito Villanova in the eye during a sideline scrum, Ronaldo's headed effort over Jose Pinto to finally earn Mourinho a Madrid trophy in extra time in the Copa Del Ray final, or Messi's masterpiece at the Bernabeu in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final match. With exceptional moments from each side, this is how all of 2011s Classico's shook out.
April 16 2011 La Liga Week 32 Barcelona 1 - 1 Madrid
Messi '53 (p) Ronaldo 82' (p)
April 20, 2011 Copa Del Ray Final (at Estadio Mestalla, Valencia) Barcelona 0 - 1 Madrid (aet)
Ronaldo 103'
April 27th, 2011 UEFA Champions League Semi-Final First Leg Barcelona 2 - 0 Madrid
Messi 76' 87'
May 3rd 2011 UEFA Champions League Semi-Final Second Leg Madrid 1 - 1 Barcelona
Pedro 54' Marcelo 64'
August 14th 2011 Supercopa de Espana Final First Leg Barcelona 2 - Madrid 2
Ozil 13' Villa 36' Messi 45'+1' Alonso 54'
August 17th 2011 Supercopa de Espana Final Second Leg Madrid 2 - 3 Barcelona
Iniesta 15' Ronaldo 20' Messi 45', 88' Benzema 82'
December 10, 2011 La Liga Week 16 Barcelona ? - ? Madrid
It's hardly surprising to see, that as Messi goes, so do Barcelona. Seeing as how he is the reigning player of the year, it shouldn't be a shock to anyone, and i expect tomorrow to e no different. There are two ways the game may be played; Madrid will either park the bus, a favorite tactic of Mourinho against Barca, but rarely works for the entire game, or Madrid will do what they've done all season and attack, attack, attack. Nobody scored more goals in the league this year than Madrid, nor the Champions League group stage. The new Galaticos know how to score goals, and they can score them from anywhere with anybody. Ronaldo has been much more efficient in front of goal this year, finally learning that he can rack up assists as well as burying the ball into the net., making him more of a threat than ever. But with 'the special one' you never quite know what you are going to get. Which to Barca, is irrelevant, as Pep Guardiola will play the Barca brand of football, damned of who is on the other side.
That being said, Pep has plenty of his own questions to answer in the next 24 hours. What formation will Barca play? Who will be in central defense? who will be on the left? who will be on the right? If you haven't been following the results, you would think Barca are in a crisis (which with every loss or draw, or even narrow victory, is apparently the situation.). Barcelona has been playing with a 3-4-3 system of late, partially due to injuries in defense, and partially to bring in an extra midfielder, because you can't keep Thiago Alcantara, or Cesc Fabregas on the bench every day. The usually solid central pairing of Pique and Puyol has had injury problems for the last 18 months, mostly with the 33 year old captain, who picked up a head injury in last weeks 5-0 win over Levante. In his absence, former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has been brilliant in the middle, despite his 5'9" measurement. Pique should be well rested and the creativity of Barcelona has been attributed to him as his long passes and incredible accurate, he can run with the ball and has shown an exceptional scoring touch for a defender. With Pique healthy, Carles Puyol will make sure he is in the match, leaving Guardiola no choice but to play his 'normal' 4-3-3 formation, as he will need Dani Alves and Abidal to contain the likes of Angel DiMaria who is ruthless on the left.
With the back four sorted out, Alves, Pique, Puyol and Abidal, the next question is who is left out of the midfield? Boasting the best midfield, possibly in the history of the game, Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta are starting, regardless of the formation. The third midfielder is usually Sergi Busquets, who has also played his fair share of central defense. However, Sergi has a penchant for spending too much time on his back looking for fouls, and the midfield may need a holding player with some teeth if Madrid decide to make the game a more physical affair. Enter Javier Mascherano, who deserves a starting spot with his play this year. Unfortunately it falls to the coach to tell Thiago and Fabregas that they will be watching from the bench for the biggest game in the league yet. I expect the midfield to be Iniesta, Mascherano, and Xavi.
So who is up front? Messi, without a doubt, but the flanks are questionable. Pedro is coming off injury, but worked hard and scored twice mid-week in his first action since injury against BATE Borisov in the Champions League, netting his 50th goal for Barca in the process, and the youth team spent 90 minutes showing the world that there is life after Xavi and Puyol. On the other side, has been a bit of a revolving door for the Catalans for the last few years. Since 2008 Barcelona has had Samuel Eto'o, Theirry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovich, and now David Villa, Alexis Sanchez and Barca B call up Issac Cuenca. Villa has a nose for goal, especially in big games, and even while at Valencia has scored against Madrid, but recently has been in a slump due to the Barca system. For Spain, who plays in a 4-4-2, he is much more comfortable, and has more room to move, but at Barca he is sharing the middle with Leo Messi, who can go where he wants, when he wants. Alexis Sanchez was brought in from Serie A side Udinese as a pure flank player with blistering speed, and although knocked down by injury earlier this year, he has come into his own lately and has found his scoring touch. Another, although unlikely, possibility is the young Catalan Issac Cuenca. While severely lacking in the looks department, Cuenca is a lanky, speedy flanker who is amazing with the ball at his feet. He hasn't had a lot of first team experience however, and certainly none in a game as big as this. If it were my decision i would give Villa a half to prove he is up for the big match, but i have a feeling that Sanchez will get the start.
In my much too long of a post, my starting XI are Valdes; Dani Alves, Pique, Puyol, Abidal; Iniesta, Mascherano, Xavi; Pedro, Messi, Sanchez.
Tomorrow i will give my prediction for the game, as well as a post game post (sobriety not guaranteed), and will look at the rest of action in La Liga.
April 16 2011 La Liga Week 32 Barcelona 1 - 1 Madrid
Messi '53 (p) Ronaldo 82' (p)
April 20, 2011 Copa Del Ray Final (at Estadio Mestalla, Valencia) Barcelona 0 - 1 Madrid (aet)
Ronaldo 103'
April 27th, 2011 UEFA Champions League Semi-Final First Leg Barcelona 2 - 0 Madrid
Messi 76' 87'
May 3rd 2011 UEFA Champions League Semi-Final Second Leg Madrid 1 - 1 Barcelona
Pedro 54' Marcelo 64'
August 14th 2011 Supercopa de Espana Final First Leg Barcelona 2 - Madrid 2
Ozil 13' Villa 36' Messi 45'+1' Alonso 54'
August 17th 2011 Supercopa de Espana Final Second Leg Madrid 2 - 3 Barcelona
Iniesta 15' Ronaldo 20' Messi 45', 88' Benzema 82'
December 10, 2011 La Liga Week 16 Barcelona ? - ? Madrid
It's hardly surprising to see, that as Messi goes, so do Barcelona. Seeing as how he is the reigning player of the year, it shouldn't be a shock to anyone, and i expect tomorrow to e no different. There are two ways the game may be played; Madrid will either park the bus, a favorite tactic of Mourinho against Barca, but rarely works for the entire game, or Madrid will do what they've done all season and attack, attack, attack. Nobody scored more goals in the league this year than Madrid, nor the Champions League group stage. The new Galaticos know how to score goals, and they can score them from anywhere with anybody. Ronaldo has been much more efficient in front of goal this year, finally learning that he can rack up assists as well as burying the ball into the net., making him more of a threat than ever. But with 'the special one' you never quite know what you are going to get. Which to Barca, is irrelevant, as Pep Guardiola will play the Barca brand of football, damned of who is on the other side.
That being said, Pep has plenty of his own questions to answer in the next 24 hours. What formation will Barca play? Who will be in central defense? who will be on the left? who will be on the right? If you haven't been following the results, you would think Barca are in a crisis (which with every loss or draw, or even narrow victory, is apparently the situation.). Barcelona has been playing with a 3-4-3 system of late, partially due to injuries in defense, and partially to bring in an extra midfielder, because you can't keep Thiago Alcantara, or Cesc Fabregas on the bench every day. The usually solid central pairing of Pique and Puyol has had injury problems for the last 18 months, mostly with the 33 year old captain, who picked up a head injury in last weeks 5-0 win over Levante. In his absence, former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has been brilliant in the middle, despite his 5'9" measurement. Pique should be well rested and the creativity of Barcelona has been attributed to him as his long passes and incredible accurate, he can run with the ball and has shown an exceptional scoring touch for a defender. With Pique healthy, Carles Puyol will make sure he is in the match, leaving Guardiola no choice but to play his 'normal' 4-3-3 formation, as he will need Dani Alves and Abidal to contain the likes of Angel DiMaria who is ruthless on the left.
With the back four sorted out, Alves, Pique, Puyol and Abidal, the next question is who is left out of the midfield? Boasting the best midfield, possibly in the history of the game, Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta are starting, regardless of the formation. The third midfielder is usually Sergi Busquets, who has also played his fair share of central defense. However, Sergi has a penchant for spending too much time on his back looking for fouls, and the midfield may need a holding player with some teeth if Madrid decide to make the game a more physical affair. Enter Javier Mascherano, who deserves a starting spot with his play this year. Unfortunately it falls to the coach to tell Thiago and Fabregas that they will be watching from the bench for the biggest game in the league yet. I expect the midfield to be Iniesta, Mascherano, and Xavi.
So who is up front? Messi, without a doubt, but the flanks are questionable. Pedro is coming off injury, but worked hard and scored twice mid-week in his first action since injury against BATE Borisov in the Champions League, netting his 50th goal for Barca in the process, and the youth team spent 90 minutes showing the world that there is life after Xavi and Puyol. On the other side, has been a bit of a revolving door for the Catalans for the last few years. Since 2008 Barcelona has had Samuel Eto'o, Theirry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovich, and now David Villa, Alexis Sanchez and Barca B call up Issac Cuenca. Villa has a nose for goal, especially in big games, and even while at Valencia has scored against Madrid, but recently has been in a slump due to the Barca system. For Spain, who plays in a 4-4-2, he is much more comfortable, and has more room to move, but at Barca he is sharing the middle with Leo Messi, who can go where he wants, when he wants. Alexis Sanchez was brought in from Serie A side Udinese as a pure flank player with blistering speed, and although knocked down by injury earlier this year, he has come into his own lately and has found his scoring touch. Another, although unlikely, possibility is the young Catalan Issac Cuenca. While severely lacking in the looks department, Cuenca is a lanky, speedy flanker who is amazing with the ball at his feet. He hasn't had a lot of first team experience however, and certainly none in a game as big as this. If it were my decision i would give Villa a half to prove he is up for the big match, but i have a feeling that Sanchez will get the start.
In my much too long of a post, my starting XI are Valdes; Dani Alves, Pique, Puyol, Abidal; Iniesta, Mascherano, Xavi; Pedro, Messi, Sanchez.
Tomorrow i will give my prediction for the game, as well as a post game post (sobriety not guaranteed), and will look at the rest of action in La Liga.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Where better to begin than El Classico?
This is a short debut post for my new, and first, blog, 'Mes que un club de futbol' (translation; More than just a football club). These famous words are at the heart of the team I support, FC Barcelona. 'Mes que un club' (blog name, not available), is stitched into every shirt, and has become as integral to the club as the famous crest itself.
I figure there is no better time to begin a blog on FC Barcelona than right now, in the week preceding the most famous of all derby matches, El Classico, between FC Barcelona, and their eternal rivals, Real Madrid. Between today and Saturday I would like to introduce myself, although, many (well, the few) of you who read this in it's infantile stages know who i am, and why i love FCB, but it's more for archive purposes when 'mes que un club de futbol' becomes a massive blog, with many, many stadium lights, as the saying goes.
My own history of sports is generally filled with disappointment, my hyper-local teams, the Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks have generally been terrible since i've been born. The Brewers making an exception over the last 5 years, and the Bucks that one year. But still, it gives me a somewhat dampened optimism regarding Barcelona, i don't take the wins too high, or the losses too low.
Well, thanks for reading my blog, and i hope you will continue to follow me. As made obvious, i'm pretty new at this, so any input, suggestions, advise on format, what to discuss, blog length, any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.
Until next time, visca Barca!
I figure there is no better time to begin a blog on FC Barcelona than right now, in the week preceding the most famous of all derby matches, El Classico, between FC Barcelona, and their eternal rivals, Real Madrid. Between today and Saturday I would like to introduce myself, although, many (well, the few) of you who read this in it's infantile stages know who i am, and why i love FCB, but it's more for archive purposes when 'mes que un club de futbol' becomes a massive blog, with many, many stadium lights, as the saying goes.
My own history of sports is generally filled with disappointment, my hyper-local teams, the Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks have generally been terrible since i've been born. The Brewers making an exception over the last 5 years, and the Bucks that one year. But still, it gives me a somewhat dampened optimism regarding Barcelona, i don't take the wins too high, or the losses too low.
Well, thanks for reading my blog, and i hope you will continue to follow me. As made obvious, i'm pretty new at this, so any input, suggestions, advise on format, what to discuss, blog length, any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.
Until next time, visca Barca!
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