And what did this day of friendlies and World Cup playoffs leave us? Well, an image I wouldn’t have believed possible, for a start.

“Yes, it was a handball,” said Thierry Henry of this. No kidding, Tití. No. Kidding.

Thierry Henry (and Eric Abidal, who is nursing his thigh injury in Barcelona) got their golden World Cup Ticket thanks to a highly-questionable move by our French striker, who handled the ball (twice, if you at the video closely) to set a goal that Arsenal’s William Gallas slipped past the Irish goalkeeper. My theory is that he had his eyes closed and that the ultra-tight new French kits had cut off blood flow and feeling in his upper limbs, so he really didn’t realise that he was playing volleyball for a moment. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

“I will be honest, it was a handball. But I’m not the referee,” said Thierry after the match, shrugging in infinitely French fashion. “It’s a f***ing disgrace,” said… oh, no, wait, wrong one. “The hand was so obvious, we’re disgusted. FIFA absolutely did not want Ireland at World Cup,” fumed Robbie Keane in response. The Irish have a good reason to complain, but… c’est la vie (see what I did there?).

On other, less red-card-worthy news… oh, no, forget it. We’re still thinking of red cards, particularly of the one that Pehlivan got yesterday during the first half of the friendly game between Austria and Spain (in the same stadium that saw La Roja win their European Cup last year) for a foul on our dear Sergi Busquets. Our midfielder gave as good as he got, however, but after he was subbed off in the second half he was seen with a pack of ice firmly held to his knee. I’d be grateful if you could stand up now and perform the solemn Please, Dear Gods of Football, No Friendly Injuries dance. Thank you.

I think I’m getting used to the sight of Barça players writhing in pain on the ground.

Now, if you’ve caught your breath from your vigorous dancing, let me tell you that Vicente del Bosque was kind enough not to play Piqué or Puyol, but Buquets, Xavi and Iniesta were in the starting XI. Don Andrés set the second goal for Villa to slip past the Austrian goalkeeper, Xavi lorded over the midfield, and Busi… well, Busi was not bad, fouling and backpassing to his heart’s content; to be honest, I’m happy that Del Bosque is playing him so much, because I think that way he can get more experience and make mistakes that hopefully he will not then repeat when dressed in blaugrana. Spain went on to win 1-5, with Busi being subbed off in the second half for Athletic’s Iraola, Xavi for Valencia’s Pablo H. and Iniesta for Sevilla’s Navas.

Oh, and before I forget, Chygrinskiy and Ukraine did not get into the World Cup, being knocked out on a match that a gritty Greece won in Donetsk, a match that our Jesus Christ Superstar lookalike didn’t play.

This makes it eleven Barça players that will be playing in South Africa next summer: Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Piqué and Busquets for Spain, Leo Messi for Argentina, Dani Alves for Brasil, Yaya Touré for Côte D’Ivoire, Thierry Henry and Eric Abidal for France, and Rafa Márquez for México. And, even though the list of countries is not going to change, we could sneak a further player in this list, if Vicente del Bosque listens to the screams of “Pinto Selección” that can be heard in some matches at the Camp Nou. No, I’m not joking… not about the screams, I’m not, but it’s our underrated (or overrated, depending on which side of the fence you’re sitting on) Víctor Valdés who is rumoured to have chances at *finally* being called for La Roja after Diego López’s latest disappointing performances. We’ll see.

Ah, isn’t this a sight for sore eyes?

And, on even happier news, we have the joyous return of Gabi Milito to the field! The Argentinean defender played a full 45 minutes of the friendly that Barça played against Bolívar (a Bolivian team) yesterday, and that a hodgepodge of first-team players and boys from the Juvenil B won 4-1. “It’s been a very special day,” said Gabi, who was watched from the stands by Txiki. “I’m making progress though I’m still in the recovery phase. I’m still not ready for a competitive match. How long? I don’t know yet but it won’t be long”. After 19 months laid up, Gabi, I think we can wait another few weeks to make sure you’re alright.

And with this, international break is over and is business as usual for Barça, who will start training today in the afternoon for our match against Athletic de Bilbao this weekend.

But wait, what is that I hear? Oh no! According to Mundo Deportivo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s ischiotibials seem to have given out and, pending on further medical tests, he seems to be in doubt not only for Saturday’s match, but perhaps also for our clashes agains Inter and Real Madrid. If you need me, I’ll be here in my corner, crying and holding onto my Leo Messi plushie.

Worse than the dreaded swine flu, this wily and powerful virus decimates football clubs throughout the world…

For these days in which the happiness, pride and self-respect of so many countries is being gambled on, Pep has been left with a meagre eight first team players to order around the training ground, which has led him to steal Luis Enrique’s Barça Atletic to make up the numbers (which, seeing our dependence on canteranos, is anything but a bad thing). The other thirteen players have flown away to join their respective national teams, to win (hopefully), to bask in the admiration of their countrymen (as it should be) and to return to Barcelona uninjured (I’m willing to sacrifice my (imaginary) firstborn in exchange for this).

Vicente del Bosque, of course, knows a good thing when he sees it and called up five of our boys (Puyol, Piqué, Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets) to play against Armenia with La Selección.

We were proud to see Xavi as captain of La Roja (and setting up Cesc’s goal with clinical accuracy), Puyol lording over the defence in Armenia as he does in Barcelona, and Piqué coming in the second part in exchange for Marchena (who is not sure to be fit enough to play next Saturday for Valencia against us), but Andrés Iniesta’s return to La Selección after having missed eleven games due to injury was definitely the highlight of the game.

Until an Armenian (yes, Hovsepyan, I’m looking at you) took it upon himself to test the newfound wholeness of Iniesta’s legs, earning himself a yellow card and leaving our fragile, precious Don Andrés with niggling pain in the very same area of his recently-healed injury. To add injury to, well, more injury, Xavi was sent back to Barcelona with problems in his knee (yes, in *that* knee), though Del Bosque is keeping Iniesta for Wednesday’s match against Bosnia Herzegovina. Cue Pep’s ominous frown and our frantic speculation on what our midfield will look like in Mestalla…

The background noise you hear? Thousands of culés going, “Oh, no, no, nononononono, NOT AGAIN!”

Over in Latin America, Leo Messi tried to play saviour with Argentina as the albiceleste earned a last-minute victory against Peru thanks to a “miracle” (Maradona dixit). The Peruvian defenders, of course, took the hack-Messi’s-legs-off approach, but apparently our striker survived the match intact and is ready for Wednesday’s equally dramatic match against Uruguay, which could ensure Argentina a place in the World Cup… or send them into playoff “hell”.

Meanwhile, Rafa Márquez helped Mexico qualify for the World Cup, playing for the full match in his country’s victory against El Salvador, and then returned to Barcelona, being suspended for Wednesday’s match against Trinidad & Tobago. Already qualified, Dani Alves played in the midfield of Brazil’s starting eleven, and lost a match of no importance in La Paz’s dizzying altitude as the Canarinha faced Bolivia.

Over in Africa, the great Yaya Touré defended (if only for the last minutes of the match) Côte D’Ivoire’s colours as they earned their World Cup qualification by coming to a draw against Malawi, and will stay to play Guinea on Wednesday, while Seydou Keita was part of a rather meaningless victory over Sudan (Mali is out of the running for the World Cup already).

As it is, eight of our boys are already qualified with their national teams (Puyol, Xavi, Piqué, Iniesta and Busquets for Spain, Márquez for Mexico, Alves for Brazil and Touré Yaya for Côte D’Ivoire), a few others are on the brink of either direct qualification or at least getting to the playoffs (Messi for Argentina, Henry and Abidal for France, and Chygrynskiy for Ukraine), while the rest will likely be left watching the matches on the TV, like the rest of us mortals.

So, it’s a time for us Barcelona fans to sit back, bask in our top-of-the-table position, and pray for the return of our players, safe and sound and free of injuries and jet-lag. Let’s not forget our next Liga rival is Valencia, who has a lot to prove and some very good players with which to prove it.

(I suppose I should now acknowledge that this is my first Offside post, and that I’m dearly hoping it won’t be my last… the transition from loyal reader to writer is odd, to say the least, and I feel like I’m lost in Kevin, Isaiah and Iggy’s shoes! Anyway, I’m really proud to belong to such a great team (blogging- and footballing-wise), even if I have to share one single chair with five guys…)

History is a bitch, ain’t it? Yes, this Pique red card from the last time that we played Villarreal was rescinded, but there is little chance that Abidal’s stinker will be, for it was well-earned. It was also, with the ensuing penalty kick, the screwup that made the Barcelona street cleaning crews breathe a massive sigh of relief. Yes, the championship is ours. It’s only a matter of time. But clinching it on the road means a lot less mess, as 100,000 people won’t be streaming out the Camp Nou, heading directly for La Rambla.

This is an unbelievably expensive draw. Let’s tally up the cost:

–Best lineup used with victory in mind, so the guys are tired for Wednesday.
–Not clinching means no relaxing yet. We have to win or draw the next match.
–Iniesta is injured, possibly at risk for the Champions League final.
–A pretty massive bill from cleaning egg off of all of our faces.

Guardiola, as predicted, rolled out his best available lineup for this one: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Puyol, Abidal, The Yaya, Keita, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Eto’o. The idea was to clinch the title today, and I don’t mean yesterday.

And things were going extraordinarily well for the side. Alves laid on a great ball for Eto’o that really should have made it 1-0 nice and early, but Eto’o has been shit for a while, so I didn’t expect him to close that deal. There was a bit of sharpness absent, but that was to be expected, given the Wednesday match and all that it entailed. Then came a crazy moment

Abidal laced an inch-perfect ball for Keita to run on to, and he let fly. The deflection found the upper corner and just like that, it was 1-0. The crowd was going crazy, everybody was smiling, Keita was grinning as if he’d planned it all along, and I was wondering if Abidal should get an assist for that one. That goal was a result of fortune favoring the brave. If you don’t shoot it, nothing can happen. Hats off to Keita for that one.

Through it all, Pique was being spectacular, stopping attack after attack and making pass after pass. He kept right on with the task of being our most effective back line player, and the midfield was starting to exert control of the match, and then The Yaya got caught doing what he so rarely does these days, which was being stupid with the ball. He usually has an unerring sense of danger and when to one-touch it to safety. This time, his touch was a little lax, and the ball was stolen.

Villarreal were off to the races on an attack that lots of defenders had a chance to stop, but it was shoddy, shameful marking as everyone ran to the ball, forgetting to mark the only man who could kill you, the leaker for the tap-in. We can argue for days about whose man it was, about whether Puyol should have left the center to go for the ball, about whether Abidal should have been standing there ball watching, about whether Pique should have just thrown his body in front of the most obvious passing route, but the fact remains: it was a soft, soft goal to give up, almost as soft as the Valencia sashay through the entire defense.

Should Yaya have had better control? You bet. But the job of the defense is to have your back if you screw up.

And then it was off to the races for Villarreal again, as they coaxed a staggering save out of Valdes, and what turned out to be a crucial save, right? If that goal is in, it’s a loss, and we’re really vexed. How he stopped his body and reached back across to palm that ball away, I’ll never know. But he did.

Then, it was Ghostface time, as he took a pass and, in avoiding the tackle, fell to his side, somehow keeping the ball in the neighborhood of his foot. He rose and calmly laced a pass to a wide-open Eto’o for a 2-1 lead, and the place was really going crazy.

My place wasn’t, because I didn’t like the way that the match felt. They were playing like a side that had already won, rather than a side that was trying to clinch, and went off the boil. Passes were lax, and Eto’o stone-touched what would have been a sure-thing goal for one injured Frenchman. Then Messi earned a free kick with some dogged, determined play, and Dani Alves stepped up to the plate.

That free kick that he laced past Villarreal’s keeper was spectacular. Where have those been all season, I will never know, but that he pulled one out at that point was excellent, and with a 3-1 lead, we should have been home free, but nothing is ever easy when you are trying to clinch, particularly with people who haven’t been there before. You start to feel things, the legs get tight, the breath gets short.

The second half began much like the first ended, with Iniesta running amok as he nutmegged, deked, battled, then yellow-carded a defender as we attacked Villarreal again. And when Puyol chest-passed to Messi, only to have the goal go begging, my anxiety level continued to rise, because the lads weren’t sharp, or this match would have been over. Done. Gone. Put to bed.

Another beautiful moment, a 1-2-3 interplay between Pique and Xavi that set us off on a scintillating attack, was ruined by a moment of Eto’o selfishness as he shot the ball directly at the defenders, as if they were going to somehow magically dematerialize, leaving him with a clear shot at goal.

Then came the moment of the match, really, as a lofted ball to Nihat found him in space and on goal. So Abidal fouled him. It wasn’t much of a foul, and Nihat made a meal of it. As last man, the straight red (particularly after the hooraw of mid-week) was a given.

I imagine some will rail about the ref, and some of the calls that he made. They shouldn’t. There will never, ever be a perfectly officiated match. We should have killed Villarreal, and didn’t.

Now. I have, and am still a fan of Abidal, defending him when everyone wanted his head on a stake and out of the Camp Nou. But he was as stupid as could be on this one, because there’s no way that taking one for the team makes any sense at all there. Get in front of the ball, give Valdes a shot at making the save, do something except put your side a man down. But he did, and it was a critical, critical goal that took a lot out of the side, particularly coming after Messi and Eto’o were strolling down the pitch, grinning about some interplay in the Villarreal box that fell short.

That it fell short because was their defenders were falling to the pitch, putting their bodies in front of the ball and playing their hearts out, goes without saying. And down to the other end it went. Puyol tried to stop the stabbed ball preceding the penalty, but came up short. He even dove at it hands-first, willing to concede a free kick on the hand ball outside the box. But it came up short.

From then on it was a question of defending, of holding on to a one-goal lead for about 20 minutes, as you had to figure on 3-4 minutes of added time with all the substitutions. And the value of the 4th goal, which threatened time and again to come, was clear. A two-goal cushion is a lot less desperate than a one-goal edge, when you are defending with 10 men against a side that actually wants to score, rather than play defense.

But who knew it was going to be a Monument that killed us? Gudjohnsen, on for Messi, made two plays that hurt:

–He sashayed up the pitch and, surrounded by 4 Villarreal players that he knew he was running into, didn’t have the circumspection to pass the ball back to safety to reset the offense and help kill time.

–In the ensuing contretemps that saw Villarreal with the ball, he then committed the unpardonable sin in Guardiola-land of being lazy. He was content to jog at the man with the ball, rather than realizing that the only way we could be beaten was with a long ball over the top and applying pressure to prevent it. To allow that pass, rather than running at the man and forcing something different, was appalling.

And away the pass went, a great ball to the attacker that saw it bounce around off legs and feet. Puyol and Pique were in the area. The former had it bounce around, the latter just missed clearing it. Llorente stabbed it into the top corner just off the post, and that was that. You can even lay a little culpability on Valdes, who should have been doing the math to realize that he wasn’t going to shoot it over a prone Puyol, and that the only shot he had was the near side. And yes, Puyol never, ever should have let the man get behind him to even have a shot at that ball. Keep the play in front of you, stroll out and head the pass away, then pop the champagne corks.

Gudjohnsen had two chances at redemption, but just wasn’t fast enough for the one great ball, and couldn’t keep himself onside for the second. And at some point, in all the scrummage, for lack of a better word, Iniesta picks up what could be an extremely expensive injury. I watched again and again and couldn’t see where it happened, but he was moving fine and running well right up to the end of the match.

My guess is that it’s one of those “Henry injuries,” that happened earlier in the match and the player thinks it’s just a knock that he can run off. But it isn’t. It’s potentially a Champions League chance-killer. Say prayers, light candles, work juju, do whatever you have to do to work the magic that brings our little Ghostface back for the Champions League final. Here is the ugly moment: (thanks, Jnice).

And with that:

Team: 5 Key moments of lax play and taking a collective foot off the gas let this match get away. Can it be forgiven, after the drama of the Champions League match? No. You have to be sharp until you reach the finish line.

Guardiola: 4 I know his philosophy about the strongest side. And it’s easy to second-guess someone. But the lads were tired, tired, tired. Tired players get hurt. I would have liked the starting XI a lot more had Wednesday not been so grueling. And when the EE lost, we could safely lose and still back into the title, while resting key players for the Copa final. Krkic instead of Eto’o? Hleb instead of Iniesta? I didn’t like the substitutions, either. Eto’o was still Touch of Stone, but he’s valuable in defending from the front, more so than Sylvinho on the left. And I would have pulled Iniesta, based on value to the side. I didn’t like Gudjohnsen for Messi either. The latter would have been contesting that ball and running at Villarreal players. Gudjohnsen back there meant that they had all night to kick the ball around with no danger, and they knew it.

Valdes: 7 Yes, I’m giving him some culpability for that tying goal. I’d even say that a sharper Valdes doesn’t allow that pass across the goal for the goal that tied it at 1-1. Both those would be harsh, however, hence his rating. He played a hell of a match today, including his save of the season off the Villarreal header.

Alves: 6 Alves is on the road to recovery, too bad it can’t be for the CL final. Many great passes today, including ones to Eto’o and Gudjohnsen that deserved better fates. And that free kick goal was a stunner. But yes, he had what we will henceforth label Alves Moments, that could have damaged the side. Not sure what his problem is, other than pressure.

Pique: 8 Two errors today, both crucial: he should have given up his body to stop that first pass in the box, and he whiffed on the clearance on the tying goal. Those sullied what would otherwise have been a 10. He was still our best back line defender, as he has been for a while now.

Puyol: 6 Fervor does not an excellent match make. He had a good one, but (and it’s the reason I prefer him on the wing instead of in center these days) he roams, which creates difficulties for his back line mates. Had he not run to the ball on that first goal, it wouldn’t have happened, as the pass crossed the space that he vacated. And he should have been playing back, right in front of Valdes as a center fielder on that third goal. He knows better.

Abidal: 4 Had been playing well, until his brain shut off. His stupidity turned the match irrevocably in Villarreal’s favor. He’d been making strong plays and good passes, including the ball to Keita for the first goal. But good lord, man! Yes, people will blame him for the draw, but they shouldn’t. There was plenty of culpability to go around.

The Yaya: 5 He’s been better. A lot better. A sharp Yaya doesn’t allow that steal that leads to the first goal, and he was a little off on the usual Yaya telepathic magic that always puts him where the ball is. We now see how crucial he is to midfield control.

Keita: 8 Okay. This was the first match in which I understood why we bought Keita. It wasn’t just the goal. He made a series of excellent plays, passes and defensive stops that just knocked me out.

Xavi: 6 Took one for the side, in that The Yaya’s clunkitude meant that he had to do more defensive work, which meant that he couldn’t be as influential as he usually is. But he was also off today, with the Champions League hangover. Bummer.

Iniesta: 9 Almost perfect. His effort, committment and desire make him my Man of the Match, going away. He’s on form and playing his heart out, which makes him so dangerous. There were a couple instances of Bad Ghostface, when he fell to the pitch, hunting for a call. But what a player, and that assist to Eto’o was just absurd.

Messi: 5 Some good, mostly mediocre. If he’s on and ready to play, we destroy Villarreal. But you could tell from his dead eyes and that faraway look on his face that he wasn’t going to have a good match, and he didn’t.

Eto’o: 4 No, no, no, no. Yes, he scored a goal, but I could have put that one away. His stone feet cost the side time and again, including one play in which he was away through the middle, and all he had to do was not cock up the touch. And yet he did, straight into the hands of the keeper. He made an all-pitch effort today, which is about the only thing keeping him from a lower rating. Yes, he had moments of very good play, but they amounted to nothing.

Substitutes

Sylvinho (for Eto’o): 5 It’s good that he got some time, but he should have done more with it.

Busquets (for Xavi): 5 A few good moments, but I probably would have left Xavi out there, frankly. His style of play is such that he can conserve himself, and those few minutes wouldn’t have hurt much. When we need to defend, that means possession. No player is more assured with the ball than Xavi.

Gudjohnsen (for Messi): 3 The cruelest sting of all is that he came on for Messi. His failures are documented above.

Now, we have an 8-point lead with 9 to play for. If we lose all three and the EE win all three, we lose the championship, and we deserve to. Now anybody who thinks there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening needs their head examined.

But two of my biggest worries have manifested themselves:

Injuries: Marquez, Henry and now Iniesta, with a recurrence of the thigh injury that kept him out for quite a while earlier in the season. I have faith, and believe we will fight and be in it, but anyone who doesn’t think that our Champions League chances are damaged without Henry, Iniesta, Marquez, Alves and Abidal is crazy.

Tactics: Chelsea have shown that long balls are the way to attack our back line, bypassing the fluent, attacking midfield which we present. Does anyone really think that isn’t going to be a M.O. of every side that we face for the rest of the season? Our midfield is our strength. Long balls allow a side to bypass that strength.

That we will get at least one piece of silver is without a doubt. Two is pretty certain, though Bilbao will be playing their hearts out for the Copa win. The Champions League we will just have to see about. I am encouraged by the fact that Iniesta played the rest of the match with his injury, and Henry seemed a bit affected by his, but not much. Let’s hope that both will find their way to Rome.

Poor Andres, who has been a major contributor to our success so far this season, is out injured. He’s started 13 of our 17 games in all competitions and subbed on for one, playing 740 out of the 850* league minutes. He’s only scored 1 goal, but his contributions in terms of passing and spacing have been invaluable. I’ve always been a fan of SPF45, but this year I’ve found myself nodding knowingly as he squirms through a couple of defenders, as if that’s somehow normal. He’s all growed up now and he’s proving those who pointed to him as one of those necessary but hard-to-pin-down players very, very right.

Because of his injury — a muscle tear on the back of his knee, from what I understand — he’ll probably miss the December 14 Clasico in the Camp Nou (as well as our very own Kevin’s trip to Barcelona, involving Valencia and Shaktar). If I were Mrs. Kevin, I’d demand a refund. Or maybe just more Yaya. Either way, Iniesta will be missed, though it does provide Hleb and Keita fairly decent opportunities to step up and get more playing time. Both have been maligned by some for failure to produce, but both are still growing into the squad, a process that generally takes a year except in, well, exceptional cases.

Seydou Keita is back to full training with the squad after getting injured a few weeks ago. That’s good news for us and hopefully he comes back stronger and with a better understanding of his role, whatever Pep decides that is. I’ve seen him almost as a left-sided central attacking midfielder, a designation that makes no sense at all until you watch him. He’s not an Iniesta, he doesn’t make into the box much, but there he is in left channel, playing as if he’s in the middle of the field. It’s strange, I think, but it allows Abidal/Sylvinho to make constant overlapping runs without removing the threat from the middle. It’s where Messi has been drifting to on the right, freeing up Alves to swing over his shoulder into the corner.

Yet the greater issue right now is what is happening to our fan base. Yes, the team is playing beautifully and has regained the top spot in the league after quite a while out of it, but those who follow the team are beginning to place their faith in this squad. Because I thought Rijkaard was a great coach — note I said great, not good — I will not bash him. I was not in favor of letting him go, but I will admit that Guardiola has changed a few things, not least of which is the feeling you get watching the players. They are running harder and smarter, they’re challenging for every ball, they’re taking (almost) every shot. It remains to be seen how long they can keep up this work rate, but Guardiola’s rotation can’t be hurting. The fans are responding and beginning to gain in confidence after 2 years of slow, but steady declines in self-belief — and yes, I know the arguments that will be posted in the comments — and that is a good thing.

I love reading that people are really excited for our next game because they believe we will win and put on a good show doing it. So far, I’ve noticed that most everyone is going at it well-balanced, without expecting to win, but rather believing we will win. There’s a subtle difference there, of course, especially to a semantic nerd like myself. We believe we will win, but only through hard work and dedication, by putting bodies on the line and putting heels on throats. We lose Iniesta, but here we are, with Keita back and with Hleb ready to roll. Get those guys integrated in the squad and we’ll be truly dangerous. My lord, Bojan has been misfiring constantly this year and yet he’s got 3 goals — he has 8 sub appearances and 0 goals in the league — if he starts clicking, and I think we all know he will soon, we’re going to be so dominate it won’t be funny.

It’ll just be awesome.

Think of the names we bandy about: Bojan, Caceres, Busquets…none of them are regular starters, yet we all seem to agree that they are talented.** This means that we are deeper than we have been in several years as well as younger. If we don’t win any titles this year, it will surprise me a bit, but will not mean all that much because the core of our team is young and talented. Not much wrong with that, to be honest.

Real Madrid aren’t exactly floundering, despite there current knack for losing to Juventus. It’s not like they lost their first Copa del Rey game to a Segunda B team or anything. Wait. Oops. I’d laugh more if we hadn’t barely beaten Benidorm 1-0 thanks to the aforementioned Bojan, though I have little doubt that RM will pull it out in the Bernabeu against Real Union. They will be without Arjen Robben, though, who looks set to be out for roughly the same amount of time as Iniesta after he got injured in training before this last Juve loss.

We all see El Clasico as the most important game during the season, but will it actually end up being such? RM continue to get points in the league (they’re only 2 behind at this point) and can never be counted out. But is this a two horse race or a three maybe even four horse race? What of Villarreal and Valencia? Villarreal are steady as she goes (despite a thrashing in the Copa by Segunda side Ejido) and sit between Barça and RM; Valencia is 4th, but has been playing without David Silva for a while. Will the injuries to Iniesta and Robben give both El Submarino Amarillo and Los Che the chance they need to keep themselves in title contention during the tough weeks ahead?

I personally don’t think anyone has the talent Barça currently boasts, but La Liga is the real deal, folks, and no game is ever easy. Except the Almeria game. That one was easy…but who saw that coming? Not you. Whoever you are, you did not see it coming. And you didn’t foresee Ejido and Real Union winning, either. But they happened and the league is more interesting for it. Being partisan, I am rooting for Barça putting this thing away soon, but it’s a long, tough road and I plan to go ahead and enjoy it one game at a time.

Oh man, the times, they are a’changin’, huh? And I, for one, like it.

—–
*This includes added time, which, contrary to popular belief, is actually real time. I have the total from Valdes’ stats page.

**I’ll go ahead and admit that Busquets is growing on me, though I’m still skeptical to a certain degree about his consistency. However, if we’re giving Bojan the benefit of the doubt, we have to give it to Busquets as well, especially considering that Bojan has had a full year’s worth of time in the 1st team and Busquets has appear in 11 games, including the Copa Catalunya.

Also, Bojan has played 176 minutes in the league (21%), which is not all that much. When he has appeared more often in the Champions League, he has a much better record: 176 minutes in the group stage (49%), but has 2 goals. He also has played 93 minutes (100%) in the Copa and scored 1 goal. Per minute, Bojan is rocking the house, I’d say (Eto’o has 10 goals in 881 minutes and Messi has 10 in 920, as opposed to Bojan’s 3 in 445).

Yes, as in festering pile of dung.

This picture is of one of the sole bright spots of the lackluster, pretty much craptastic encounter with Basel, El Capitan, our own Carles Puyol, who also seemed to be the only one taking the match seriously.

I’m going to be brief with the report, and let the vituperation loose in the player ratings.

As I commented in the preview, this was always going to be a tough one. It’s hard to convince a side that they have to put out for a match that they don’t have to put out for. It’s also one of those things that define a championship side, the desire to win every match. It’s clear that we aren’t there yet, as we dicked around, letting Basel hang around, even though their sole interest was in not getting another 5-0 pasting.

They must have been overjoyed when they saw the “white flag” starting XI of Valdes, Sylvinho, Marquez, Pique, Puyol, Busquets, Initesta, Victor Sanchez. Hleb, Krkic and Henry.

They also must have been thinking, “Hey, where are those penetrating runs and dishes that upset our defense so much going to come from? I think we’re home free here, boys!”

And so it was.

If you don’t convert your chances, this is what happens. Henry had a sitter. Krkic had a volley off an Henry bicycle setup, which would have been the goal of the century if converted. Instead Krkic lets it fall, giving the defender a chance to get there. Pique must have tried to miss that header. He succeeded. This was a match that frankly, against a better side, we lose.

That we advance into the knockout stages via sort of a slideways move should be scant consolation because simply put, the lads didn’t want that match. Dare I say it, they looked like last year’s Barca. I rather imagine that Guardiola had some choice words for some folks. And he should have.

The only up side to this is if they want to win the group, my Shakhtar match will mean something now. Hoo-freakin’-ray. And anybody who says “Oh, you’re over the moon when they win, and the sky is falling when they lose,” can stuff it. They justly earned every bit of bile they’ll get for this display, from papers, Catalan radio, socis and us.

And to make matters worse, Iniesta is out for six weeks with thigh damage. Do I seem cranky? Good. Because I am. We become a right-sided team now, as there is nobody else on the left side with the attacking verve and ball skills that Iniesta had. Ick. Let’s do some ratings, shall we?

Valdes: 7. Still playing great, still controlling his line. He kept out a Basel goal with very quick reactions, and was helpless on the goal they did score. He’s still making liars out of his detractors.

Pique: 4. Pulsated with adequacy. Score the header, jackass. He has to stop playing so casually, as if it were practice. The more I watch him play, the more convinced I am that it wasn’t talent that kept him out of the side at Man U, but fire.

Marquez: 3. He was on erratic the whole match, including sloppy marking on an earlier Basel corner. And it was just absurd the way he stood there and let the goal happen. Puyol was great again, but so great that he can mark his AND Marquez’ man? No. Hell no. If Marquez does his job, it’s a win.

Puyol: 8. Grit, drive and deterination galore. He was everywhere again, but he showed his weakness today: he is not a crosser of the ball. Was there a cross that he put into the box that didn’t go directly to the keeper? Don’t think so.

Sylvinho: 3. Trash. Invisible except when he was fouling to keep from getting beat up the line. The conceded goal started with him, because he didn’t press the ball. If he puts any kind of pressure on the attacker, that pass isn’t as good and we don’t get to see Marquez go on psychic walkabout. Does anyone doubt Abidal’s value any more?

Iniesta: 5. He tried, but reverted to type….holding the ball too long, making runs that would amount to nothing, banging his head against the 10-man Basel wall. So much for thinking that they would come out and play football.

Busquets: 4. Son, rolling on the pitch and running around ineffectually is no way to go through life.

Sanchez: 3. Pep, keeper of a most excellent space, noticed that in my initial evaluation, Mr. Sanchez and his rating were omitted. Truth to tell, he was so invisible that I forgot he even played. My notes don’t mention his name a single time. But whenever he’s in, he seems to struggle with finding a spot. I hate to keep repeating an old saying, but he’s everywhere and nowhere, all at once.

Hleb: 3. The master of passes that almost got there, only to be intercepted by Basel players. His last outing he was very good, but he was surrounded by higher quality. He had the stank today. There was one stretch where he passed the ball to Basel defenders not once, but twice! If everyone else is aggressive, his style can work. If he has to be a catalyst, he is found wanting.

Krkic: 3. Whatever, dude. Learn to volley, and learn not to take long shots that don’t have a snowball’s chance of going in. You’re still a year away. When you talk about playing time, remember that. If you’re a striker, get your ass in or near the box and make some stuff happen, like one Cameroonian. Just saying.

Henry: 6. His effort and energy were good, and he did create chances. But he has to score that first-half goal. He had the whole back half of the net at which to shoot, and the ball just didn’t bend. Top class strikers bury those, all day and all night. Good, right? No, because we didn’t buy him to create chances, we bought him to put the damn ball in the net. Do so, or sit down. And get your ass off the wing. You’re wasted out there.

Substitutes

Messi: 7. Energy and movement galore, and I like the give-and-go with Henry for the goal. But on two occasions in the box, the ball got tangled up in his feet, because rather than dishing off to a teammate who surely must have been open, given that he was surrounded by 3-4 defenders, he kept on working to try to get loose. Not good.

Xavi: 5. Pretty much invisible. Completed a few passes, didn’t do much beyond that.

Eto’o: Incomplete. You all saw why. He was out there running around, but really. I expected more. So did he, I rather think.

Guardiola: 5. You have to get players motivated to play every match. That lineup was a gamble, but when the goals didn’t come early, you should have punted. And shame on you for not realizing that Sylvinho can’t cut it any longer. Well, now you know.

First the real news and then the speculation: Gabi Milito has suffered an ACL tear that will require surgery and will put him on the sideline for around 6 months. The injury occurred during the Manchester United match a week ago, but, oddly enough, didn’t cause him to stop playing at the time as it usually does. After the match he got examined by the doctors and they found that he was busted. Crap. That probably means we’ll have to go in a different direction with our transfer policy because we can now no longer focus on the midfield and one defensive position. Rather, we’ll have another two new defenders, which will put our team in the same awkward situation of trying to gel that they were in throughout this year. Hopefully no other disasters befall our team during the next few months (in the league or in Euro2008).Now, on to the rumors: According to both Sport and EMD, quoting TV3, Pep Guardiola will be the manager next year. This is interesting news, if true, and is certainly the direction I’d like to go if (and only if) Frank Rijkaard steps down or is fired. If I were Frankie, I would be out of there because he can no longer do anything correctly by the fans or the board. And while I think he’s eating the bullets that should be aimed at the board, that is the life of a manager at a high-pressure club. It’s unfortunate and I’d like to see him get another year, along with Deco, Ronaldinho, and anyone else who is (supposedly) on the bus out of town. Pep is at least an in-house choice and has worked wonders with the Barca B team. You know he lives and dies Barcelona, so he’ll bring that kind of passion to the first team. Hopefully he can succeed by building on Rijkaard’s brilliance rather than putting the team into an entirely new system. I have my doubts, but if that’s the where the team wants to go, at least they’re keeping it all in the family.

The latest, greatest, rumor is that we’re in the David Villa race. Of course, that’s just stupid, because we have Eto’o, Henry, and some kid named Bojan to fill that position. If Real Madrid really want Villa then maybe we’re just “in it” to increase the price on their end. I just don’t think that we’re really going to go for another huge name striker unless we get rid of both Eto’o and Henry, something that would be very, very unintelligent. In my opinion, of course, as humble as it is…

Well, her song isn’t done, but you have to wonder. We’re in third place, one point behind Villarreal and eleven behind the Evil Empire, with five matches left to go. That’s fifteen points. Barring a massive collapse, alien abductions and the like, that’s a lotta points to make up, even if you count the three we’re going to get at the Bernabeu.

Right now, I hope we’re thinking that “fewer matches are better” next season, and will play to overtake Villarreal for the automatic Champions League spot.

But standing in our way is Deportivo La Coruna.

They’re sitting eighth in the table, with not a lot to play for except upsetting one of the big sides at home, late in the season when it’s distracted because of a looming Champions League semi-final draw and…hey, wait…that’s US, isn’t it? 24-karat, stone-cold bummer.

In team news, Iniesta and Milito are both out because of yellow card buildup, and Messi is being rested after the word from the Man U game, which was that he felt a twinge of something. Rijkaard pulled him soonest, and hopefully he’ll be ready for the Old Trafford leg next Tuesday. Eto’o and Xavi will also be rested, which gives you some indication, despite Curly Frank saying that the Liga isn’t done, everybody pretty much presumes that it is.

So who the hell is in the side, and who’s starting?

Well, here’s who we have: Valdes, Abidal, Puyol, Marquez, Sylvinho, Deco, Yaya, Gudjohnsen, Krkic, Dos Santos, Henry, Edmilson, Oleguer, Thuram, “Santi Claus” and Pedrito.

Christ, the starting eleven is almost a no-brainer, based on the importance of Tuesday’s match: Valdes, Puyol, Marquez, Abidal, Zambrotta, Deco, Yaya, Gudjohnsen, Krkic, Henry, Dos Santos.

Look for Yaya and Deco to get pulled early. We might also see Sylvinho for Abidal, if Rijkaard even puts Abidal in the side at all, except as a sub to get loose. Wouldn’t want him playing like crap and messing up the good feelings he has from Wednesday.

In many ways, this is a pain in the butt match that we could easily lose, and I think that people would be bothered from the standpoint of losing ground to second place, but if a loss meant a win on Tuesday, we’d gladly take it. Rock.

Deportivo are pretty crazy. They beat the Evil Empire, but lost to Mallorca. But that’s been the side’s only loss in the last six matches, a verrrrry impressive run. We, on the other hand, have been pissing away the title like a beer fiend in an unwatched alley. But….might we be surfing the good feelings from Wednesday, and decide to come out and whip some ass, even with a depleted side?

Doubtful, particularly given the Deportivo 1-4-5 formation, and two of the four don’t really stray all too far upfield. It’s going to be a looong afternoon in a match that we might very well lose, something like 1-0. I’d be predicting a 0-0 draw were we at Camp Nou, but we aren’t. I think everybody is so focused on Tuesday, that this match is an afterthought, something they have to deal with. I think that as far as anyone on the side is concerned, there are three matches left: Tuesday, the Bernabeu showdown and the Champions League final.

Everything else is just an opportunity to get injured, and be kept from playing in one of the remaining real matches. So I just don’t see us coming out with the fire, except for the kids, who know they probably won’t be seeing any action at Old Trafford unless things are well in hand.

And if “Santi Claus” even gets near the pitch, Rijkaard isn’t going to have to fret about burglars breaking in while he’s home. I’m going to be saddling up and coming for his ass.

\mm/

Ah, a picture from happier times that we can all remember, because it looks like its official: Ronaldinho is now a Rossoneri. We all saw it coming, so it isn’t like anyone should be shocked at the news, which, unlike many other recent rumors of transfers and the like, comes from his brother and agent, who says that the mercurial Brazilian has agreed to terms with AC Milan, or as we should probably now call them, Brazil in Italy.

We aren’t even getting the big, fat windfall, which is most vexing. The deal will give us between 20 and 30 million Euros, with Ronaldinho buying out the rest of his Barca contract. We must have REALLY wanted to get rid of him.

Word is still coming out in a firm way, so the details are still murky. But a “preliminary agreement” has been reached with the player, with the details to be hammered out now with Barcelona management. This is almost certainly a formality because Laporta isn’t crazy, like those folks in Sevilla, and because Ronaldinho doesn’t want to be here. More importantly, management doesn’t want him here. Seems a no-brainer, and AC Milan is almost operating from a position of strength. I’ll take money on how fast he recovers from his “injury” now, not to play for us, but to capitalize on his change of scenery.

You all know how I have felt about this player, pretty much since the beginning of the season. It was clear that he was the “black sheep,” that he was being a divisive force and that all the clatter about “he isn’t going,” and “team solidarity” was all just so much nonsense. Management knew it and more importantly, the players knew it. And I think that the team is going to come together as never before, because the big, unsettling thing is resolved.

The real question now is….where, there are lots of questions, such as:

What next? Now that this is truly Messi’s team, what complementary parts should be added?
Will R10 be a bust in Italy, or will he shine, with Pato and Kaka?
Do we really care how he will do in Italy?
What happens to Blaugrana shirt sales? Don’t forget the “Beckham effect” at the Evil Empire.
Will Kxevin dance the samba of joy, now that he has his wish?

Inter Milan says that they will fight for him, but that looks unlikely to happen. He should make AC Milan a force next season, unless something happens to hurt his feelings, as here. Which leads to the biggest question of all:

What happened?

Did the reality that this was Messi’s team, from a guy who needed to be the biggest superstar, put the nail in the coffin? Was it a rift between he and Rijkaard, who finally did put his foot down with the Brazilian? Did management screw the pooch, undercutting Rijkaard and his efforts to mend fences?

We may never know, but let’s hear it.

Yes, I appreciate, and always will appreciate, all that he has done for us. He was brilliant almost from the day he arrived, reaching a glorious culmination in the year of the double. The free kicks were unerring, the passes glorious. He’s the reason that many, many people became fans of the Blaugrana.

But now, the new era begins, and there is lots to discuss.

Valdés, Pinto, Abidal, Thuram, Sylvinho, Zambrotta, Puyol, Milito, Edmílson, Márquez, Touré Yaya, Xavi, Gudjohnsen, Messi, Eto’o, Giovani, Víctor Vázquez, Ezquerro.

Oh. Hell. Yes: MESSIIII. It’s so great to see him back in the squad list, even if he doesn’t start. It’s perhaps best to start him and then take him off once he tires, but Rijkaard tends to sub on recently injured players at around the 65 minute mark, so expect that. The bad news, of course, is who will start if he doesn’t? Read the squad list again and note that there’s no Iniesta, Henry, or Bojan thanks to injuries. Marquez looks like he get some time, despite having reinjured his foot in practise this week. So what lineup do we start with?

Valdes, Zambrotta, Sylvinho, Puyol, Milito, Sylvinho, Toure, Xavi, Gudjohnsen, Messi, Eto’o

That’s what I’m going with, but you could easily see Guddie or Messi replaced by Gio. If the game goes well, the first sub off should be Messi (perhaps so even if it is going badly). Sylvinho gets the nod, I think, because of Abidal’s lack of effort/ineffectiveness against Schalke; perhaps Rijkaard is going to take subtle revenge for Puyol’s card by keeping “Abi” on the bench.* We don’t have a midweek game this week, though, so perhaps Abidal will get the start after all, especially if Sylvinho can be used as an attacking sub later on since we’re missing so many offensive weapons.

Let’s do some statistical analysis, shall we? It can’t hurt, can it? At worst I’ll make an “informed” guess at the scoreline and get that wrong. At best I’ll make an “informed” guess at the scoreline and get it right. We have so much to look forward to!

It’s an away game for Barcelona, which hasn’t been pretty this year: 4W-7D-4L. In terms of wins, that puts us tied for 11th with Sevilla, Betis, and Recre themselves. Our goals scored (22) is 4th best, while our goals allowed (20) is 7th best. Away points: 19 points away after 15 matches, meaning we’ve left 26 points on the table in away games alone. Yowza. This becomes an absolute must-win game if we’re to challenge for the title, especially since Real Madrid host 19th placed Murcia at the Bernabeu.

Recreativo Huelva, however, are 17th for a reason and that reason would be their home form: 5W-5D-5L with 19 goals scored and 20 allowed. So, in a lot of ways, the form between the teams is even (they’ve left 25 points on the table at home). They’re 7th worst in terms of goals allowed and tied for 11th best in goals scored at home. Their leading scorer is Florent Sinama-Pongolle with 9, by the way. The team also comes into the match on a streak of 2 Wins, 1 Draw, and 2 Losses in their last five league games (compare that to Barcelona’s 1 Win, 2 Draws, and 2 Losses). We’ll see which team shows up, the one that gave Real Madrid a 3-2 run for their money in early February or the side that fell to Mallorca 7-1 the following week.

I think that they’ll play hard and will come at our meager lineup with a large amount of venom. It will be all that we can do to keep the ball out of our net, but having Puyol and Milito in there together will help solidify things and get us back on course. 2-1, baby, both our goals by Eto’o.

*When it comes to nicknames, no one beats what Amare Stoudamire of the Suns did on Wednesday against the Spurs: after receiving a nice pass from Steve Nash, Amare went up and superdunked the ball from about 800 feet away (he can fly). Fortunately he was “WIRED” by the ESPN crew that night and we all got to hear him say “Nice pass, Two Time,” which is apparently what he and possibly others call the two-time league MVP. Can we come up with some nicknames like that for our squad? Maybe Ezquerro can be “One Time” for how many appearances he makes in a season? Any other ideas?