I haven't been writing for a few reasons, one of which is that game recaps take awhile, and with two games a week, that's a lot of time i don't always have, so I wonder to myself 'where do i go with a blog'? Especially one about soccer. Do I expand to more teams and more leagues? But if nobody is all that interested in reading about FCB, what good will Roma and Derby County do. In any case, we'll move along, recap the last two weeks and look ahead.
3 games, 3 wins, Osasuna, Betis and Madrid. The win over Osasuna cost Barcelona their promising young defender Andreu Fontas for the remainder of the season with a torn knee ligament. He joins Ibrahim Affelay, David Villa and a rotating cast of characters in the stands. The 4-2 over Betis was a tough one, as Betis fought back from 2 goals down to tie at the Camp Nou, but Barcelona brought on their young star in the wings, one, Lionel Messi, and took the game over winning 4-2. I think they were looking ahead to another Classico, and while Iker Casillas says they are becoming watered down, i think if he had only lost one of the last nine rather than only winning one of the last nine, he would have a different opinion.
This edition of the Classico was really no different than may games, early pressure, Barcelona endures. While Ronaldo's goal in the 11th minute wasn't as quick as Benzema's 23 second goal in the last game, it none the less put Madrid up, and more importantly to Madrid, kept Ronaldo's head in the game. Past meetings have seen Barcelona freeze out the Portuguese winger, leaving him frustrated, and taking him mentally out of the game. Fans lamented at the inclusion of backup keeper Jose Pinto for this game, but it is the coach's decision to play Pinto in all Copa ties, he was good enough to blank Madrid for 116 minutes in last years final, he was good enough to start this night. While you could fault him for poor positioning, and letting it sneak between the wickets, remember that Valdes gave up a gift in the last game after less than half a minute.
As the half went on, it became clear that Barcelona would take control and it would be a matter of time before the goal came to even the score. Going into the half still down 1-0, this brave writer predicted a 1-2 Barcelona victory. Five minutes into the second half, Puyol raced past a lazy Pepe to head the ball past Casillas, and we were level. Using a combination of Pepe and Lass Diarra, Messi had a quiet day and was forced to track back nearly to midfield to get possession of the ball. In a move that i simply did not understand, Mourinho pulled Diarra for Mesuit Ozil, leaving Pepe, who was already on a yellow card from early in the first half to deal with Messi on his own. Messi thanked the Madrid coach by drawing about 5 defenders and chipping a pass to goal scoring machine (1 goal in 3 seasons) Eric Abidal, to calmly chested down, slipped past Casillas, turned 30 and signed a new contract. 1-2 Barcelona is how the game ended. No controversy, none of the sideline bruhahas that has thrown previous Classicos into disarray.
Well, until Pepe took lazy baby steps and stomped on Messi's hand. If there are three players that I absolutely despise on Madrid it's Pepe, Sergio Ramos, and everybody else except Iker Casillas. Pepe earned a yellow for a harsh challenge within the first 15 minutes of the match, could have earned a second for simulation after making a meal out of zero contact from Cesc Fabregas, and then should have gotten a red, a fat fine and a few weeks off for what he did to Messi. It was disgusting, deliberate, and needs to be addressed by the Spanish Federation. Pepe has a long history of violent attacks on other players, one resulting in a ten game ban in 2009.
This story isn't over yet, as the second leg is this Wednesday. It will be interesting to see if Pepe is in the starting lineup and the reception he receives from the Catalan faithful, and the games referees. Before Barcelona looks to advance to the Copa semi finals, they first take on 8th place Malaga. No smal feat, as Malaga is probably the third most talented team in Spain on paper, taking the Madrid route of attempting to purchase trophies. Unfortunately for all their talent, they do not find the back of the net often enough for success. I predict a 0-2 win on the road for Barcelona.
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