CL, Semi final: Barcelona-Inter, fighting to survive

By: Ramzi | April 27th, 2010

"I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done." Buddha

This is the day. Will Barcelona qualify to the final or not? That’s the question that echoes across the Blaugrana’s universe since last week’s upset. One thing for sure regardless of the final result, we need to show what we stand for. The unmatched passion toward the shirt. The unbending loyalty toward the offense football we play. And the humility and respect we have toward the potentials of any opponent we face.

A lot has been said about the first leg. I defended Pep and his decisions but I also pointed out that the weak elements of our system were exposed to the extreme against Inter. Does it mean that we need to make radical changes for the second leg? Hell no! And it is coming from someone who has been demanding systematic modifications in our tactical framework since ever. The same possession oriented approach in defense and offense.

Obviously you heard a lot about the invalidity of this system since last week (and every time Barcelona draw?). Especially when it comes to defense. That’s just the same endless debate about what’s “right” and what’s “wrong” in football. This same system was the reason why this team won all the titles possible last season. Through this system we contained the threat of Manchester united in last year’s final with a backup aging left back that barely played a demanding game throughout the season. A defensive midfielder playing as a center back. A center back playing as a right back. A second option holding mid (last season). And two injured players in front who had to go back to the treatment table after the final and still suffer from that event till the moment. But we were still able to defend against the team that defeated everyone else for two consecutive years.

Defense is to prevent your opponent from scoring. As obvious as the definition is, its interpretation tends to be too one-dimensional to understand the variety of options. Some build towers and walls around the city. Sometimes it works; sometime the walls collapse and the city get wiped off the map. Both cases happened. If you forgot, I can remind you. We in return, ramble through the opponent troops taking their arrows and swords. Without it, they can’t even initiate an attack. Not only that, but we will also have more arrows to shoot on them. Though, it’s not all easy. If we get busted while crawling toward their tents, we are dead! They will easily stab us once, twice, and even more. Towers sound more secured but as long as it works, yet it invites the enemy to approach the city gates. Moving towards the opponents’ tents sound like a crazy idea. But as long as it works, the return is extremely high as you don’t only defend your city but you also dominate and terminate the enemy permanently, using their own arrows. High risk=high return. I am sure you’ve heard that before. In the past five years, the return was unmatched. That’s good enough to stick to the principle.

In the first leg, the trick didn’t work. All the players had a cold that they were sneezing enough to wake those sheltered in the tents. We were not dressed properly that we started to run across each other unaware who were with us and who were against us. Ultimate chaos. Not sure how many casualties were stabbed by the opponent and how many received a friendly hook by mistake. And it happened at the worst timing as we were battling against the Internazionale gladiators of Milano.

We come to the second leg with a Himalaya peak to climb. Any slip leads to a free fall down the bottomless cliff. We need to do the offense dance properly, yet how good we defend will decide this game. We must not lose the ball as generously as we did in the first leg. And it’s important to cover right, press tight, and fight.

How will Inter play?

After all the games we played against Inter this season and all the talks shared, nothing more to say. Unless if the ones we wish they lose had something else to point out on their page. Inter will put pressure on our backline, and close spaces while defending our frontline. One of the reasons that Barcelona had a very high possession record in the first leg was Inter being less concerned about anything we do in the middle third. Their forwards moved deep to the midfield when there was no benefit from putting our defenders under pressure, so they closed the midfield instead. Their holding midfielders were opening up after forcing Messi and Pedro to retreat toward the midfield, which kept Ibra isolated in front. Inter presence in the middle third was an output of their master plan, rather than a part of it.

When they won back the ball, there were no Aristotle dialectic arguments. They directly changed play and attacked the space existing on the opposite flank, Thanks for the one holding midfielder and two offense oriented fullbacks selection of Barcelona. Every time Barcelona closed a lateral channel, Inter were more than certain that another channel was cleared on the other flank, and they exposed that to the extreme.

Mourinho will seek more of the same.

How will Barcelona play?

The same…the same… The selection will be the same as the first leg with Milito taking Puyol’s place and Abidal –if fit- benching Maxwell. Yaya? Regardless of some sloppy passing against Xerez, he made a good case for himself. With Keita being far from his level before the injury, I would like to give Yaya another try there. But I doubt it. Pep will most probably keep his tested cards he used so far this season. Xerez might not be a sufficient game in convincing Pep to bench one of his most reliable tactical cards in Keita. One more option is having Yaya as a center Back, if Milito is not fit for this game.

What worry me most is the emotional vibes and how far the players will be focused. We all know they want to qualify. They want to so much. But with all the fans’ support, it’s a challenge to avoid the anxiety. Inter have 90 minutes to score the goal they need to have the upper hand. Barcelona players in return may get so obsessed in scoring early, which will backfire the way we don’t like. I say Patience is the key.

It will be repetitive, boring and meaningless to explain Barcelona’s approach. We explained it many times before. That’s why I thought we can release the stress doing something crazy: Trying to invent a new way to play Inter. You know…killing time till the game. The players will decide the game and I am sure they will give it a fight. So let’s try to do anything possible to avoid playing on our nerves’ guitar till the kickoff. Alright…alright…I will start…

You don’t like it. Well you don’t need to worry; we have a different coach to decide how to play.

Yeap! I like it! Especially that Abidal is not fully fit (that’s if he started in the first place). If he is not available, then Yaya takes his place (Milito switch to the LCB position). No problem in having Pedro instead of Henry, or even Messi (With Yaya/Keita playing beside Xavi). But I like it most this way.

- I like having two forwards in the center as it will be more challenging for Inter to defend. Besides, if one of the forwards had to interchange with the midfield, we will still have one more forward as an advanced outlet that will help shuffling our lines forward all the time.

- I like having Maxwell and Alves to stretch the flanks while being well covered defensively.

- I like that 5 men structure in the midfield as it serve our possession game well and keep Messi closer to the opponent box all the time. Even when we lose possession, Xavi can help Busquets in the center so he doesn’t get outnumbered.

- I like how it closes the flanks permanently with high defense on the flanks but also diagonal deep cover behind.

- The times when Inter plays one forward in front, one of the Center backs can move forward as a second holding midfielder backing Busquets.

Regardless of the ending result –and I have lot of confidence- as long as the players show the dedication we know, I will accept the result with pride. In the champions’ league, semi final is a success for any club, as it approves world class quality. From there on, lot of variables decide who qualify to the final.

Few fans can claim that their club creates a football show for them to enjoy game in game out during the season. I will always be thankful for the players’ devotion and commitment to create joy and euphoria whenever they were called for it. Titles come and go, class is permanent.

Some Related Barcelona Posts:

Category: Barcelona, Champions League, Champions League 2010, Preview

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IceMel

Butterflies on top of butterflies on top of butterflies!
This anticipation is what it is all about.

Maybe Pep has a Ramzi-esque surprise for us.
Hope it is Yaya-sized.
Everybody remember the laserbeam he drilled in the Gamper?

I'll take any result as long as they do indeed leave leave their skin...and I have little doubt of that...here comes a firecracker of a match!!
Kxevin

Lineup is interesting: VV, Alves, Pique, The Yaya, Milito, Busquets, Xavi, Keita, Messi, Ibrahimovic, Pedro.
Pedro

Yeah, the hype is a situation on to itself. I hate to bear comparisons but this hype is similar to Real Madrid's attempt prior to the 2-6 albeit in a much grander scale. Fortunately, this Barcelona team is not disguising itself as anything other than a proper footballing team but we've seen this club asphyxiate from pressure before.
quicksand612

i soooo love barca...go team, we can do this..
whatever happens though,il forever be a barca fan... hope yaya plays, and abidal fit enough..we need him for defense...i hope nobody gets sent off..FORCA BARCA..
Ramzi

The hype surrounding the game is getting a bit out of order by now.

1) It will give Mou another tool to motivate his players to fight back. (He already creating his normal stories)

2) If things do not go Barca way tonight, this hype may cause greater damage than just leaving the CL. We cant afford that, now with the liga reaching the deciding 100 Meters.

Let's hope the players can handle all the pressure generated in the past few days.
kamikaze kontiki

The line-up suggested would be great only I feel it relies too much on the positional awareness of Alves and Busquets(which I am not at all confident of) and Inter have used the tactic of the wide forwards interchanging positions with Sneijder and Milito moving wide.
dr.ian.way

We have to remember that home games for Italians are difficult to analyze - most of them play stronger at home. On the other hand 2-0 to Barca is enough to dump Inter out. But when analyzing latest Inter's performance playing this season, i realize its skills, especially attack are degrading as can be seen at http://www.scibet.com... Their away performance suffers: see the latest loses to Fiorentina and Roma.
adal

Re: kaveh

If Barca plays defensive, then its not Barca. Sure, patience is a key here. But Barca will play as it always does, attack, attack, attack!
kaveh

It is going to be quite difficult for Barca to win. I think "the special one" has figured out Barca's weakness. Barca attack TOO MUCH. This leaves their backs wide open. Also, Barca cannot beat you through the air. In fact, taking into consideration Barca's weaknesses, this leg may be easier for Inter than the first. Why? Because Inter kill you on the counter. So at home, Barca increases their attack even further, which plays right into the counter-attacking strategy.

So, what will Inter's tactics be? They will play a VERY narrow formation. This congests the middle. They will close space down immediately. Allow Barca to have as much possession as they want, but not allow them to come through the middle. They will force Barca to stay deep with possession, or to move to the flanks. With the narrow formation, they will keep Barca out of the middle and out of the penalty box. Barca can't cross their way to victory. Barca is a side which thrives off moving through the middle or attacking through the middle.

Then, they will wait for their chances. Once they get possession, they will kick a long ball over the top. 10, 20, or 30 times they may get called for offsides. But they will continue to do it, because that is the best way to attack the Barca defense --the counter.

If i was Barca i would come into this game very calm and defensive. I would NOT bomb forward. I would play very patient ball. Remember that if Inter score 1 time, Barca will need to score 4 times to win! Remember that if Inter are lucky enough to scre 2, Barca will be forced to score 5 to win! Barca must come out defensively, and then attack in a patient way.
Forza Juve

"(apparently football is NOT a religious reason)"
Haha that was funny xD
joe bloggs

Last exam of my degree/life ever...and its at the same time as potentially one of the biggest/exciting games barcelona have played over the 13 years i have supported them...damn professor wont let me take it early (apparently football is NOT a religious reason) i curse lady luck!
Regardless of the result, I will be proud of Barcelona and wearing my "Special Barcelona must win jersey" to make sure no superstitious beliefs are ignored!
I BELIEVE! WE BELIEVE!! VISCA EL BARCA!!!
phunky

Most of us would've watched this, but for those who din't-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
:-) :-) ;-)
phunky

I don't think i've ever been this pumped up before, can't wait for tomo!
yogesh

Ramzi, good article. I fully share your sentiment. I really like the shape of team you have put there (3 - 3 - 2 -2). I am worried that players will be under too much pressure. We need to take it easy. Its very difficult but we do need 2 goals and not 4 or 5. I would go with your line up as tomorrow will be as much about handling pressure as it is about anything else. So Henry would be perfect though i am not sure if Pep will put him on. Can be a good sub though. Tommorow cannot come soon enough. At least i will be useful after the match. Or maybe in a day or two:).
Ramzi

Ade, if the comeback requires that I show my artistic hidden talents, I am all for it :D

True, Kxevin. The first 15 Minutes may prove decisive.

Sneijder will be available. Good news, as I want every good player possible to be involved. Including Abidal. Hopefully.
RohanV

Interesting line-up, I'd love to see it in action, but doubt it's going to happen, and Inter's probably not the best time to try it out. But I like the Idea of having Messi not *need* to contribute in the midfield if Xavi's under pressure.

And, Kxev, you say it as if being "borne to the match on gilded biers shouldered by Amazonian virgins," would be less of a distraction than a bus ride. My mind would be way, way more preoccupied in that case. :)
Nich

you know what i'd love? should abidal be fit, have a back line of alves, milito, abidal, and maxwell. pique? in the midfield behind yaya/keita and xavi. abidal is a beast at breaking up the counter attack and pique has all the skills to be an formidable holding midfielder, as well as a threat around the box, especially in the air. like a busquets on roids- bigger, faster, better passer, better header, better composure. but pep would be uncomfortable leaving out puyol and pique from his center back pairing unless forced to do so
Kxevin

Keita's passing was exceptional against Xerez. Granted, it was Xerez, but he had a number of excellent balls that were rather Xaviesque in their timing and precision.

Nice lineup suggestion, Ramzi. We all know it will never happen, with Guardiola being as conservative as he is, but boy would it solve a lot of complexities.

I think that Inter is going to come out gangbusters in the first 15-20 minutes, to put us on the back foot and try to grab an early away goal. Then they will settle. I think we should go Emirates on their asses, only putting away the chances.

If we play our game like we can, which is to say with speed and precision, no team in the world can stand up to us. Remember, we thumped That Other Spanish Team 2-0 without Abidal and Iniesta, who made a tika-taka cameo.

If Guardiola doesn't start The Yaya, he's crazy. He becomes a giant Iniesta in that he can pass and attack in case Xavi is man-marked or overloaded. Busquets, for all of his skills, can't perform this valuable service.

We beat Inter at home 2-0 in a match in which we played with our traditional pace and movement, and without Messi OR Ibrahimovic. I am confident. Not blind to the challenge, but confident that if we play our game, we will prevail.

I watched those goals against Inter, and I challenge anyone to tell me that we give up a single one if we're on form. I think the side was mentally fragged, and even if we'd been borne to the match on gilded biers shouldered by Amazonian virgins (rather than a bus) the result would have been the same. You can only have so many Match of the Seasons in a given week. Had it been Xerez instead of Espanyol in that interim, we'd probably have grabbed a better result at the San Siro.
phunky

Nice article, but yeah Yaya instead of Busi. When we are attacking Yaya provides another dimension to our attack with his oace bursts n all n pique can then be used as an interim DM. While defending too he provides greater strength in our midfield. Also i feel he has better positional knowledge than Busi may be due to his experience.
anyway 'remuntada', i believe.
Ade C.

Lovely piece of modern art you used there, Ramzi, and a great preview, as always.
I am all behind the 'remuntada' (comeback) campaign that Barça is deploying in preparation for tomorrow, but it's good to remind us that getting to the CL semifinals is, in no shape or manner, a disappointment. Even if we can't overcome that two-goal disadvantage, as long as we fight until the end, we'll have earned praise.
And I love your proposed line-up (putting Yaya in for Busi and Pedrito in for Henry, though). We'd be an attacking wonder playing like that, and not too shabby in the back (I'm assuming VV is hiding in the goal, right? :P). You can say what you like about Maxwell when defending, but he's a great one for attacking and I think Pep should pair him with Abidal more often.
Let's not forget... visca el Barça!