Lyon 1, Barca 1, a.k.a. “Adhering to the template.”

By: Kevin | February 24th, 2009

Mmmmmm! Smells like an away goal. Isaiah was spot on about his prediction of the final score, and truth to tell, we got away with one, sort of.

What the hell was up with that first half? We were on the back foot, Lyon were running around like crazy people playing our game. You could almost see Guardiola, like all coaches, saying “Just weather this storm, then we’ll get ‘em.”

And were it not for the fact that offensively we sucked the big one, we probably would have.

Lyon followed the template that has been shown them by every other team that has given us a hard time: pressure the ball, play physical and foul whenever possible. And it worked.

When sides play like that, eventually the same stuff happens: our lads stop running off the ball, forcing the guy with the ball to hold it and hold it, waiting for something to happen. But everyone is waiting for someone else to make something happen, and nothing happens. Then Messi or Eto’o (heaven forfend) will get the ball and run at 3 or 4 defenders. We all know how that one comes out.

We had a lineup that on paper, should have been able to do the business, as it has been all season: Valdes, Alves, Marquez, Pique, Puyol, Yaya, Busquets, Xavi, Messi, Henry, Eto’o. Turn them there boys loose, and it’s go time, yo.

But that hasn’t been happening, now that teams know how to play us, which is fast and hard. I worry about the first team that has the stamina to keep that up for an entire match, frankly. Because Lyon, except for the first 10 minutes, owned that first half, as we spent it on the back foot. And with a stout defense that they were able to roll out after Valdes’ brain cramp some 7 minutes in, we were completely and totally stymied. Not even close after Eto’o smacked the post with a ball that should have been in the back of the net. That ball goes in and the match is completely different.

But it didn’t, so things were as they were. This, by the by, is the fundamental difference between now and the first half of the season: We aren’t scoring early. So teams are able to continue to play tight and play off the counterattack, and give us trouble by pressing up the pitch and fouling like crazy. An early goal fixes all that, but we’re just a hair off. Xavi’s great early through ball for Henry was just a bit too hard, then a through ball for Eto’o had the same problem.

Full credit to Lyon for playing half a match, before they got the 1-0 lead and parked the bus. Really. Should the multi-time Ligue 1 champions play with 10 men behind the ball? Even when the match was tied? Eventually, quality came out, though it took about 67 minutes for it to happen, though in reality it should have happened long before that.

I need to know two things, and you can call upon Leonard Nimoy, consult the ancient runes, hire a fortuneteller, I don’t care what you do, but two questions are still burning at me:

1. How in the HELL did Eto’o manage to not score on that dead-to-rights opportunity?
2. What in the hell was Valdes thinking on that lazy, lofted free kick?

Just asking, because the match should have been 1-0 at least, and remained thus….

Unless you ask the folks from Lyon, who will point to Benzema hitting the post after having Valdes beaten, a slow-moving Grosso when the ball was laying on the pitch, begging to be struck and an amazing, full-extension control from Valdes, who seemed to finally remember how to play his damned position after cocking it up more than a rooster in the catnip.

And why is it looking as if the long ball is becoming an offensive option for us, when we can’t pass the ball into the net? I’m okay with that, with a different striker at the “9,” because Eto’o just ain’t that guy.

So when the long balls didn’t work and Lyon got possession, they charged up the pitch, running at our defenders in ways that didn’t really catch them out, but created chances nonetheless by letting the ball find players in space. Man, could we have used Abidal’s pace out there today, as Lyon pretty much had their way on the left side of our defense. I love El Capitan to death, but man!

Yes, the play that resulted in the free kick shouldn’t have been a foul, as the attacker just threw up his arms and fell down. I’ll stipulate that. But Valdes has to make those plays. When he hitches up his bloomers and marches into Laporta’s office, demanding to make as much as Casillas, it would help him to have a leg to stand on. As it is, out comes the “highlights” DVD: the Betis giveaway, the Juninho free, the misjudged cross, getting snookered on the Benzema snap shot.

And they will give him some shiny trinkets, beads and a bottle of booze. And that will be that.

Meanwhile….

Lyon was getting to every 50/50 ball, the defense wasn’t clearing its lines properly, and everybody was lucky to get out of the first half down only 1-0. Luckily, Lyon ran out of juice, and we remembered, sort of, that we’re supposed to be the best side in the world. Possession stats began to build, passes began to link up, but a curious thing happened: the lads were still screwing around with the ball, rather than relying on one-touch footy to catch the bus napping.

On and on it went, until a stretch of concerted, serious pressure worked up a corner. A lofted ball found the head of Marquez, who cut it across the box and there was a diving, post-bombing Henry to head in the equalizer and that critical away goal. From that point on we were rampant, but just couldn’t close the deal.

I repeat: This is a tired, tired side that needs quality rest. Problem is they can’t get any, because it’s a must-win against Atletico, because we know that Espanyol is going to roll over against the EE, just to screw us. Yes. I said it.

I just don’t have a lot of notes for the second half, because it was just us, battering our heads against a 10-man defense and not being able to do nothing about it. I’m pleased as punch that we got an away goal, but I am mightily vexed by our susceptibility to an open game, that against a better side would have for sure led to 3 or 4 goals. The opponents only get tougher from here, boys.

And there was another distressing sign, which I have seen for the second match in a row: loss of composure. You saw it in players dumping the system, Messi dribbling and dribbling inside the box, when Henry was wide open and standing there, screaming for the ball. Eto’o running at 3 defenders, as if he is somehow going to magically materialize on the other side of them, with the ball.

The problems created by the absense of Iniesta and Abidal were apparent today: Henry was mostly standing around out there, while the other guys played with the ball. And he needs reps, like any attacker, to work into the match. Iniesta gets him those reps, Abidal tries the occasional give and go with him. But as it was, some lofted ball found its way over to him, and there was the Sole Henry Option: slide toward end line, spurt, cross. The end.

Ugh.

What I will say is this: We have seen Lyon’s best half of football. No way do they come into our house and do what they did today, which means that we win at home probably 2-1 or some such scoreline, since Juninho will get a free in a dangerous spot, and probably put it in.

And with that….

Team: 3. Individual play is not going to beat a parked bus. One-touch passing and movement off the ball will. I know it’s hard when you’re tired, and getting fouled, but that’s why you get the big bucks. Make it happen.

Guardiola: 6. Made the right moves, but took too long to do it. Moving Eto’o to the right so that he wasn’t gumming up the middle any more with the “touch of stone” was smart, as was the Keita for Busquets move. But crikey, how long was he going to give Busquets to suck out the planet?

Valdes: 3. Man, he was hovering around 0, then made a few very nice plays, including that most excellent read and full stretch to prevent the 2-0. Don’t know if anyone remembers the Shakhtar Champions League match at the Camp Nou, but Pinto screwed up the identical play, and the cross wasn’t as good. Still, his blunder on the Juninho free kick was horrific, and he almost screwed up another set piece. He, like the side, is having a bad stretch. They’ll have to play out of it.

Alves: 5. His usual strong effort, but he and Messi are just not working as they once did. Not even close. Fatigue? He’s playing solid defense, but too many of his crosses wandered today, as if he was just throwing them in, waiting for the Invisible Forward to do something.

Pique: 5. Solid. Very solid. He’s also getting the hang of the attack-starting long outlet pass, and was demon in the air. Almost scored off a header that forced a save that I still don’t think the Lyon keeper knows a lot about.

Marquez: 7. He missed a couple of clearances, including one that probably should have cost a goal. But he kept Benzema mostly in check, except when the forward was able to run, and take advantage of the pace difference.

Puyol: 4. His arms must be tired from all the throw-ins he was taking in the second half. Thankfully Lyon turned the pressure off after the half, because there was space galore on his side of the pitch. Could Sylvinho have done worse? At least there would have been offense, right?

Yaya: 4. Kinda stanky today, including a terrible giveaway that almost led directly to a Lyon goal. Seemed sluggish, but had a few very good moments. Man are his long passing skills tip-top.

Busquets: 2. He was either terrible, or invisible. Xavi was the only midfielder out there today. The critical role that Busquets plays in our midfield was abdicated, which allowed the pressure to build and build on Xavi, and turned Yaya into a midfield facilitator, which, as much as I love him, isn’t his game.

Xavi: 5. Better, but still not there yet, because he’s tired. Man, can you see it. He was a little livelier today. Can someone explain to me why he is still being allowed to take our free kicks? He was also susceptible to the Lyon pressure, in part because of Busquets’ stankiness.

Messi: 3. Anonymous and dare I say it, ordinary. Passed up way too many men and kept the ball too long. Every last time that he had it. He had the license to roam, so drift left and play with Henry, who could have used some love. Less dribbling, more passing. I thought we would have to stop saying that to you, sir. Guess not.

Henry: 4. If you aren’t getting the ball, go and get it. You allowed yourself to become invisible for far, far too long in this match. Yes, the run at the goal was excellent, but given who you were playing against, we should have owned the left side of the pitch. Don’t give me that “they won’t pass me the ball crap.” Get in somebody’s face and demand it. And you shouldn’t look that fresh at the end of a match.

Eto’o: 3. Horrible today. First touch of stone, and way too much individual play. Moving him to the right got him the hell out of everyone’s way. Problem was that it effectively left us without a “9,”, since Henry was holding down the left.

Substitute:

Keita: (for Busquets): 4. Was lively at first, making a great play as soon as he entered to create something that could have been a chance. Faded into anonymity after that.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a tired side that has no respite anytime soon, with 4 matches in the next 10 days: at Atletico, away to Mallorca for the 2nd Copa semi leg, then home to Athletic Bilbao, always a difficult encounter, then the home leg against Lyon. Then they’re right back at it that Sunday, away to Almeria.

Yikes.