Barca 2, Evil Empire 0, a.k.a. “A classic El Clasico.”

Here he is, our Capitan, and my man of the match, Carles Puyol, showing what it takes to win a Clasico. It’s the perfect image that embodies a man who was, today, astounding. Messi will get the media plaudits, Eto’o will get some love for being pichichi and scoring the winning goal.

But know that both goals got their start off the head of our beloved, mop-headed icon. How in the hell did he get so high and stay so high, so late in the game, even fending off a hard bump, to keep the ball alive and steer it toward goal? For the second goal, his header in traffic to Hleb was the ball that the midfielder snapped beautifully to Henry, and you know the rest.

To say that I am really, really, really, really happy right now would be an understatement. I would like to, first off, apologize to my neighbor’s dogs, whom I set off with my exultant, howling battle cry after that first goal. It took them a while to stop barking and if you’re reading this….well….sorry.

I am also really, really happy to be wrong about my draw predictions. The first pages of my notes look as if I have palsy. My hands were actually shaking as I wrote, such was the intensity of this match. And before this report goes one word farther, everyone should remove their hats to Iker Casillas. He almost single-handedly won this match for his side. Save after save, play after play, stoning Eto’o then Messi, reaching, grabbing and controlling, he played an astounding match, as did the entire EE side, who played their collective hearts out, as did everyone on the pitch.

But we won.

Coming in for a landing toward Madrid, I saw in a paper a gentleman was reading, a headline to the effect of “Barca hasn’t really played anyone yet,” or something to that effect. That was before Valencia, and way before El Clasico. Wonder what the headlines will say now?

Guardiola rolled out a lineup that, frankly, had one massive question mark in it for me: Valdes, Alves, Marquez, Puyol, Abidal, Xavi, Yaya, Gudjohnsen, Messi, Eto’o, Henry.

Because here’s the thing. What Gudjohnsen does, we didn’t need against the EE. This was very capably demonstrated by the results that transpired immediately after Busquets entered for the Monument. Yes, Guddie has played some excellent matches this season. This wasn’t one of them, and it was a match that didn’t really suit his skill set. It showed.

The rain made me even more nervous, because rainy matches tend to be unpredictable affairs, often decided by a funky bounce or critical slip. We got off to a bright start, but were clearly missing that last piece of the puzzle, that last pass. The Whites were defending like crazy. We were making it a little easier for them, by trying little stabbed balls and going one dribble too far, which played right into their hands. Messi was making runs, but the shots that we were taking weren’t going to beat an on-form Casillas.

The urgency of the night, and Guardiola’s game plan was apparent in the forward runs from Yaya, Puyol, even Abidal to facilitate good, but not great scoring chances. The ball pressure and advanced back line was even more in effect tonight, and it would have worked, I think, had the void not been sitting in the middle of the midfield.

And people will howl about the cynicism apparent in the “when in doubt, foul” tactic of stopping Messi, but as we saw, yellow cards fixed that. They should have come earlier, frankly, but the ref called a very good match. Messi should get a Purple Heart for his efforts. Yes, there was some exaggeration, but that’s what players do to call attention to something. He was getting hammered.

Also, you play the match you need to play. Yes, some teams pack the box. Yes, some teams foul and play physical football to disrupt the attack. Duh. You play the match you have to play to win. It’s obvious that coming out to play football against us will result in a spanking. So teams would be crazy to do such a thing. So anybody who wants to rip on the EE for their tactics, shouldn’t. And give the ref credit for calming things down with a brief yellow card blizzard. The timing was just right.

As the tension ratcheted, the EE were unleashed on a break that resulted in a pass to Sneijder, and a cannon of a shot that was neatly parried over the crossbar by Valdes. I know for a fact that my heart stopped. Yours probably did too, because many, many keepers don’t stop that one. And Alves’ lack of pace in comparison to fast wingers such as Drenthe was laid bare.

And it continued, with us keeping possession and battering at the lock, and them sticking legs out, making saves, throwing bodies in front of balls and fouling, doing everything to postpone what many assumed was a foregone conclusion. At the half it was scoreless, but they’d had the best scoring chance with the Sneijder shot. I, for one, was happy to see him leave.

Valdes was called upon to make another great save when Drenthe got in on him, and he calmly defended the attack with a great save. He wasn’t showing the same form as Casillas, only because he didn’t have to. But Valdes was knife-sharp tonight, from outrunning an attacker to clear the back, to marshalling his defense on the rare EE corner.

Phil Schoen said “Gudjohnsen has been a waste of space in the second half,” but this could also have been true of the first. Our attack depends so critically on no weak links. If one pass is off, if one run isn’t made, everything breaks down. Gudjohnsen was that missing link, and it disrupted attack after attack, which made Messi want to do more. The Monument’s advanced playing space also seems to detract from Eto’o’s roaming style.

The second half began with even more liveliness for us but it was pretty clear that Gudjohnsen, who probably got a talking to at the break, was on a short leash. About 15 minutes in he was subbed for Busquets and suddenly that extra link was there, making us much more dangerous. I got more relaxed, because from that point I knew that the goal was inevitable. Busquets was hopping around, colt-like, and his excellent give-and-go resulted in a clear penalty haul down by Salgado. It was an excellent play that showed why he should, frankly, have started. I think that Guardiola was going for veteran coolness. And had a certain Cameroonian striker been able to take a better penalty shot, it would have been absolute justice to have had the effort of Busquets result in the first goal.

But it wasn’t to be. Casillas guessed right, and though Eto’o spanked the ball hard, his flat shots are easily stopped by a keeper who makes the right call. High and hard is easier to defend than low and curly. Which is probabaly why everyone, like me, wondered why Messi wasn’t taking the penalty shot.

Water under the bridge, because the chances were coming hot and heavy now. Messi makes a run and takes a shot, ignoring a wide-open Eto’o. Henry is making runs, Eto’o rips a killer volley that was high, but showed intent. The lads were not going to lose this match. They seemed to know that the way Valdes and the defense were playing, that we weren’t going to concede. So it was full effort forward, all hands on deck.

And then came the magic. It was an innocent enough looking corner, and I didn’t think anything was going to amount of it, as the ball headed toward Puyol on the outer edge of the box. And he rose, and kept rising. Take a moment to admire the effort it must have taken from a man who was running his heart out, diving for balls, clearing his lines and making forward runs, to jump so high and hold it for so long.

Puyol headed the ball toward Eto’o, who somehow bodied it into the net. It was 1-0 and it was madness. I would have killed to have been there screaming my fool head off, rather than on my couch, screaming my fool head off. Perhaps if Genis was there, he can describe the scene for us. I was so happy I almost cried. The yellow card for shirt removal was worth it, frankly, since Eto’o just doesn’t get yellows.

The second goal was also brilliant, and well-deserved by the two main parties, Henry and Messi. Both played an excellent match, and it was fitting that they should close the proceedings. Just don’t forget where the header to Hleb for the pass to Henry came from. That’s right, MOTM, Carles Puyol.

Messi’s little chip was cool and cheeky, almost a little too much so. Had Cannavaro had the legs of two years ago, he clears that one, and it’s still tense. That he completely sacrificed his body on that one, not even thinking about hitting the post, shows the intensity of this match for the participants.

Nonetheless, it was 2-0, Messi was running around shirtless, and the Camp Nou was going crazy.

We began this month, hoping for good showings against the other top sides, but not really knowing how it was going to turn out because we just didn’t know how good we were. Now, we do. Would I have rather beaten a side with Robben, and Van Nistelrooy, and De La Red, and Diarra? You bet. And I’m sure that their supporters will say had those folks been there, the match would have been different.

We’ll never know.

And now, for something a little different for the player ratings, based in a discussion that Genis and I had while in Barcelona. He wondered how effective (and fair) it is to rate individual performances, since you often don’t see what a player does in relation to the team goal. Further, that overall team reward as an amalgam of the whole is more important.

Which is absolutely right, in that the goal, the team reward, is most important. Genis is right in that regard. But I think that in rating players, you can evaluate their contribution to the whole. Henceforth we begin with a team rating, followed by Guardiola.

Now let’s get to it:

Team: 9. There was some selfishness, some plays that should have been made that weren’t and a little bit of clunkiness exhibited at times. Still, an excellent overall performance. The camraderie and willingness to go to the mat for each other is so evident that it staggers.

Guardiola: 8. He stuck with Gudjohnsen a bit too long, but deserves full credit for understanding exactly who to bring in. It wasn’t a right time for Hleb. Busquets was a perfect sub. He still doesn’t quite know how to get Henry/Messi/Eto’o playing together, but you can tell that he’s working on it.

Valdes: 10. He was perfect today. From a pair of killer saves to absolute control of his box, he played a great, great match. That he seemed the second-best keeper on the pitch was, I think, due only to the mostly one-way traffic toward the other end. His save against Drenthe was strong as a rock. Might the chip have beaten him? Yes, but Drenthe isn’t that kind of player, and Valdes knew that.

Alves: 8. Who knew that he was such an excellent defender, in addition to his offensive skills, which were on display today. He was a pit bull, constantly working to get possession when we didn’t have it, and looking to make the right pass when we did. Yes, he gets outrun by fast wing attackers. Get used to it. He can usually make a tackle or get into position to do something, but that’s also why the back line moves over to support him when he moves forward. Marquez has come into his own in that role.

Marquez: 9. Speaking of, he didn’t have a lot to do, but what he did was brilliant. I love how he gave that nice, hard foul to show that we aren’t going to be kicked all over the pitch and not give some back. He’s having a killer season, btw, focussing less on the offense via the long ball that he used to provide and more on excellent, excellent defense.

Puyol: 10. He came through the youth academy, is Catalan to the core, and it showed in this match. Had it required giving blood to help the cause, he would have done it with a rusty tin can. From diving headers to no-nonsense clearances and runs, not to mention being critical in both goals, he had a monster match.

Abidal: 7. He had a little “wandering Eric” syndrome, and was given more trouble than he should have been by a rookie. But he played what has become his usual strong match, and he had about the best chance of the first half, with that lightning run of his. Can anyone remember the time when almost everyone was calling for his head? So reliable now.

Xavi: 7. Not his usual dominant intelligence, which I think was affected a bit by the presence of the Monument. As soon as Busquets came on and Xavi assumed his usual role, he was much better.

Yaya: 9. Except for dribbling a bit too much and losing the ball couple of times, he was astounding. I will say, for the record, right now that if we ever sell this player while he is in his prime and playing like he is, we are out of our collective freakin’ minds. Size, strength and a sneaky-quick pace combine with intimidation factor to lock down the midfield. Every 50/50 ball becomes a 100/0 ball, in favor of Yaya. And forget about headers. He wins those, too. Wow. His runs are going to result in a goal very soon. And his long passes to create offense are almost Marquez-like.

Gudjohnsen: 3. This just wasn’t a match for his skill set. But through bad pass after bad pass and sleepwalking-like movements to the ball, he just wasn’t on today. Henry lost a ball that was played to him with three defenders around him, because Gudjohnsen just couldn’t seem to move to him, to get him an outlet.

Messi: 8. Would have been a 7, but “One Dribble Too Far” gets a point upgrade for the Purple Heart. The fouling resulted in not only a quiet period for him, but a determination to do it all himself. He kept ignoring open teammates, and he still doesn’t know how to play with Henry, which I think is inexcusable on the parts of both Henry and Messi. Those two and Eto’o should be doing extra work to gain an understanding of each other, so that Henry isn’t an island on the left, and the Frenchman will start passing even more instead of taking those “no hope” shots from acute angles. Messi is a great player, and had a very good match, don’t forget. But he’s been a lot better.

Eto’o: 6. Yes, he scored the winning goal. But he didn’t really have his usual effect on the match. Pretty weak penalty kick, too. His usual movement wasn’t there today. When he is on, he instinctively gets to the right spot on the pitch. That wasn’t happening, and he seemed just a bit off. That suspension came at a bad time for his sharpness, I think.

Henry: 7. He does all the right stuff, makes great passes and is almost constantly thinking about ways to help the team achieve its goal of excellence. But he disappears for periods, and still will not impose himself on a match and demand the ball. He gets predictable on that wing, and should have done more to own Salgado, who can’t stay with him in a car.

Substitutes:

Busquets: 9. His effect was immediate, and telling. He earned the penalty, kept possession with great control, and made smart passes. If we do sell Yaya, matches such as this one would be the reason. What a player.

Hleb: 8. Still has that annoying tendency to circle in uncertainty, but what a pass to Henry to set up the second, put-away goal. Yow!

Keita: incomplete. Yes, he came on, but aside from giving his match shirt to that Camp Nou guard, who looked rather furtive about being caught on camera that way, he had no discernible effect. His substitution was really just a planned, time-wasting disruption.

So. Next up is Villarreal, who gave us a right smart trouncing last season, and is playing very good footy right now. Is it too much to believe that we could sweep the month? If we do, I find it difficult to see how the side can lose another match, frankly.

Category: Barcelona, La Liga, Review

Tags: Barcelona, La Liga, Review

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