Sevilla 0, Barca 3, a.k.a. “Most impressive to date.”

By: Kevin | November 29th, 2008

Sorry kids, but you can take all of the 6-1 Atletico and 5-0 Basels and whatnot, put them all in a big ol’ pot, and they don’t equal today’s dismantling of a quality side.

All season long, despite all the signs of effort, quality and aggression, people have been saying “So and so wasn’t a quality side, or had injuries, or the bus ran out of gas on the way to the match, or blah, blah, blah, blah.”

Sevilla is a quality side, and the score wasn’t truly indicative of the one-sided quality of the match.

I admit to being really, really nervous before this one. Sevilla are the business. Guardiola’s no-nonsense lineup assuaged some of the skittishness I was feeling. He rolled out:

Valdes, Alves, Pique, Marquez, Puyol, Yaya, Keita, Xavi, Henry, Messi, Eto’o. We will henceforth call this the “taking care of business lineup,” because it is pure intent, with attacking quality up front, a solid back line and two midfield truncheons (well, one and a half).

So the start was very curious, with Sevilla pressing, getting on top of the lads and having quite a bit of possession. And early in my notes, right after the starting lineup is the notation, “Pique worries me.” And man, did those worries come to fruition, as Fabiano left him for dead and unleashed a shot. Then Fabiano blew past him and shot wide.

Uh, oh.

Guardiola was on the sidelines, agitatedly demanding that the lads move forward, forward, and wondering why the hell they weren’t following the game plan.

So were they, apparently.

But then, we began to get some possession, and play the ball out of the back with much more confidence. Sevilla’s answer to the Messi Complexity seemed to be the foul. When in doubt, get the hatchet out. And the ball began to spend more and more time in their end. And so it was, a simple ball out of the back from Pique to Messi, who lays on an excellent feed to Xavi, who slots a pass in to Eto’o that got the luck of the bounce, once again (for the second time this season) falling to his feet as if it were meant to be there.

Now, what made this goal so exquisite was the finish. Outside of the right foot, struck with power and accuracy. It was 1-0 and a different game now, from a team that has had difficulties scoring. But now they would certainly have to chase the match, playing at home and all, and chase they did, until they got a glorious chance, right on the doorstep.

Perhaps the gods are sure why Pique moved aside pretty much after the ball was struck, as if a retroactive offside could be had. And the free kick fell directly to the foot of Kanoute, who, from point-blank range, whacked the crossbar. That’s when I knew the match was ours, believing in the adage that God watches out for children, damn fools and lanky, misguided defenders.

It could be argued that Sevilla, but for poor finishing, would have been ahead at the half, 2-1. But converting chances is part of being a good side. I have no idea how Kanoute missed the sitter, then Fabiano heads directly at Valdes. But with strong defense and offense, it was nervous time.

But the Kanoute fluff was the last, best chance for Sevilla. The lads really seemed to swing into action, and between pressure, figuring out angles, slick close-in passing and a battleship named Yaya, we kept possession, and kept a top-four Liga side on lockdown. Coming up the wing, Puyol was there. Coming up the middle, Yaya was there. Coming up the other wing, Alves was all pugnaciousness and flailing arms. And Valdes roamed his box, playing a much better match than the Sporting display. The defense held its shape, everybody covered for everybody else, and really, from there on it was just a matter of letting the time run out.

Sevilla brought in Diego Capel, and in one of his very first possessions of the ball, Yaya essentially scared him into giving up the ball. He rumbled in, and Capel seemed to sort of look up and just turned it over. Awesomeness. And the lockdown was exacerbated. Xavi was everywhere, serving as a passing outlet, making smart passes, keeping control. Henry was roaming the midfield like a DM, winning balls in the middle. As with the Atletico thrashing, we just didn’t want Sevilla to even have the ball.

And then, it was time for the Lionel Messi show. When other players are getting tired, Messi is just getting warmed up, it seems. The stamina and determination are impressive, verging on spectacular. And the second goal was kind of absurd, really, because Xavi took a pass and lofted a header to Messi that the little Argentine just knew was going to fall exactly where it needed to. He took off like a man aflame, took a bit of control and volleyed a rocket past Palop, who barely had time to react.

It was 2-0, and given the lockdown that was ensuing from midfield deep into our half of the pitch, the match was really over now. But it wasn’t. Oh, no. Messi was still feeling his oats and so, off an inch-perfect pass from Hleb, he was off again, leaving his defender in the dust in the 92nd minute, to take the ball, scurry around Palop and bend in a shot from an acute angle, for the brace, the 3-0 scoreline and one for the record books.

I loved this win. Like our best wins, it was a team victory. Yes, we all loved when Ronaldinho single-handedly destroyed the Evil Empire. But the team wins, where everyone is working together at a high level, are more satisfying. The only real erratic spots on the pitch were Pique and Keita. Pique had two blunders that could have resulted in Sevilla goals, but before and after, he was strong. Keita just wasn’t quite there, though his physical presence made Yaya’s destruction easier.

I don’t know if we are, as some say, the best team in Europe. I know that we put Sevilla in our pockets and handled them. And to be sure, if Fabiano makes that first shot, or if Kanoute doesn’t get stage fright, it’s a different match. But make no mistake, we would have scored more goals, because there was no letup. The lads were running just as hard and pressing as much into the 90th minute as they were in the 19th. And that effort, even if we aren’t indeed the best team in Europe, is what will make every match against our lads a difficult one.

And now, the ratings:

Valdes: 8. Solid, solid match. Controlled his box well, made the few saves that he had to and didn’t panic with Kanoute at the doorstep. In many ways a keeper is only as good as his defense, but during the wobbly moments, he was still strong.

Alves: 6. Good match, and quite the little hell-raiser. I hated the way that he got under our lads skin when he was at Sevilla, but I love it now that he’s wearing the colors. When forced to play honest on defense he did so, and his ball pressure up and down the wing forced bad passes and possession changes.

Pique: 5. He would have earned a higher score but he still has, shall we say, fire problems. He isn’t lazy. He must think that he has a better position than he does on the pitch, because he has a curious habit of letting attackers get to balls. And those two blunders, the first in which he took the wrong angle to Fabiano, and the second in which he allowed Kanoute a practice ground shot, were horrific.

Marquez: 8. Wow, what a match. I hope that people really appreciated how he was almost in the right place at the right time all the time, for the key clearance or interception. Like any number of players on the side, he is really having a banner season. So solid on the back line.

Puyol: 6. Very good match from our Captain. I didn’t like his tendency to shade toward the middle, allowing his man too much space to take the pass and begin the attack. But he tightened up as the match progressed. Did a good job of keeping Capel in check, as well.

Yaya: 10. I looked for a time when he put a foot wrong, and couldn’t really find it. He won ball after ball, intercepted pass after pass and went shoulder to shoulder with Kanoute on attacks, when nobody else seemed willing to. He was spectacular today in his quiet, energetic way. And I just love those rumbling runs that he makes.

Keita: 4. He just didn’t have much of an effect on the match, except for a couple of moon-ball shots. If people talk about shopping a defensive midfielder to Juventus, take this one. I know that he will grow into the side, but will he ever, ever be a Yaya? No.

Xavi: 10. Another perfect match from a brilliant player. He’s so quiet, but so smooth and controlling. At some points he was like a defensive mid with great ball skills. Other times, he was the outlet for a harried teammate. But he was always, always in the right spot with the right pass. And his headed pass to Messi for the second goal was sick. Just sick.

Henry: 6. He still has to learn to impose himself on the game more. Be more demanding, drive past his defender right from the start. But his work rate and willingness to do whatever is necessary cannot be faulted. Winning balls in the midfield? Crazy. Much better second half.

Messi: 6. Yes he got the brace, but he’s played better matches. He dribbled when he should have passed, and seemed at times to struggle with what to do at what time. But his two goals were exceptional, extravagant pieces of skill that owed huge debts to the passes, as well. His energy and stamina are remarkable.

Eto’o: 8. Went in and out of the frame, but his attacking prowess and drive were there in abundance. His yellow card seemed to be for impeding the keeper as he tried to restart play, but again, that’s just his energy. His running around disrupts so much, from giving the keeper less time to kick the ball downfield, to forcing bad passes. He deflected a lot of balls today, a sign of a very, very active player.

Substitutes

Busquets: 6. More solid play, and an extra point for vexation. How is it that he manages to get players so annoyed at him? He is constantly taking hard fouls, and he drove Fabiano crazy on that one play. Now truth to tell, Fabiano looked angry the entire match. But Busquets was the straw that broke the Brazilian’s back, it seems.

Hleb: 6. That pass to Messi was a killer ball, and his possession play and distribution kept things calm at a time when Sevilla were pressing like crazy, for at least a pride goal.

Gudjohnsen: incomplete. Wasn’t really there long enough to do much of anything.

Guardiola: 8. Good substitutions, great job of getting everyone ready to play. He kept the fire under the lads the entire match, to dominant effect.

And next up is Valencia. We should be able to beat them without Eto’o, who will be suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card. Henry grabbed his back about midway through the second half. Hopefully that’s good to go.

And that’s what I know.