Real Murcia 3-Barca 5, a.k.a. “What’s up with the glass?”

By: Kevin | May 18th, 2008

So. Is the glass half-full, or half-empty?

Depends.

The half-fullers will say “See, the lads just needed to relax and be a bit more direct, so that truth, goodness and joga bonito can prevail. They want to fire coaches and sell players after that glorious display? Lordy!”

The half-empties will say “Yeah, anybody can beat up a side that is going down, with absolutely nothing to play for, and that has been leaking goals like a stringless net.”

The truth is somewhere in the middle.

The starting lineup was: Pinto, Puyol, Thuram, Abidal, Oleguer, Xavi, Gudjohnsen, Messi, Henry, Eto’o and Dos Santos. Yes, kids, that’s RIGHT. Kxevin gets his 4-2-4. Sure, it was easy to play against Murcia, who don’t really pack a lot of punch in the midfield, but the attacking potential of that formation was evident.

There was a movement (mostly) and directness that has been lacking for much of the season. Yes, our last two victories have shown that we can beat up on sides with nothing to play for. But that’s on paper. Let’s have a look at the goals, shall we?

1. Beautiful, unselfish football (hey, where has that been all season?) that resulted in a tap-in with flair by Eto’o, off a lovely pass from Henry.

2. Beautiful, unselfish football that resulted in a classic Henry goal in which he hangs just on the shoulder of the defense, makes a burst, takes the pass and closes the deal. Note: He didn’t have to beat people, didn’t get the ball 25 yards from goal. Trap pass, beat keeper, dent net. Check, check, and check.

3. Beautiful, unselfish football that resulted in a tap-in by Dos Santos. A typical Eto’o run drew defenders, and the obvious pass was made. Piece of cake, and lovely to watch.

4. Beautiful, unselfish football in that players rushed the box with the intention of creating space for teammates. The record will show an assist on this goal but really, the kid was sick. Lobbing the keeper? And that worked because of past history, as Phil Schoen observed. Two weeks ago Dos Santos tries to beat two defenders and dribble the ball into the net, so the keeper was out a ways, expecting more of that stupidity. Nice goal, a true thing of beauty.

5. Beautiful, unselfish football. Henry saw immediately that Messi and Dos Santos would be impossible to stop (one, but not the other). A perfectly weighted pass from Henry to Messantos (that toe-tapping hybrid), and Dos Santos beautifully finished with a world-class strike. His last two goals were among the best of the year.

There was much to like about the goals, and the way we played. It was very direct. You’d almost think it was two years ago. Everything was at goal. No dithering, no screwing around with the ball, no pretty, meaningless patterns. Ball, meet foot and say hello to Mr. Keeper. Awesome. And where was this all season?

The eradication of pressure does do a lot for a side. Nothing to play for, let’s do what we do best for a change, yes? And it worked. Like a charm. The 4-2-4, done right, means that your defense doesn’t get a whole lot of stress because the attacking four keep a lot of possession. Imagine Yaya and Keita (oh please, oh please….) or even the incumbents, Xavi and Yaya, with the attacking foursome playing the way that they did. And this was a true 4-2-4. There wasn’t a hybrid Iniesta type to switch things to a 4-3-3. Loved the committment.

So the glass is half-full, right?

The defense was a little ragged, as they have been all season. Against a better side we’re probably a lot more nervous about the result. That first goal was some “Apres-vous, ma cher Alphonse” (en Francais, in honor of the culprits), as Thuram and Henry stood there and let the unmarked guy put in the header.

Puyol made a bad decision. On the free kick, Fali made a professional foul. You don’t expect a free kick like that. Pinto sure as hell didn’t. Et voila.

Most importantly, have we learned anything from this extravagant display? You bet.

Rijkaard has a lovely smile.
We have an exceptional youth system.
Dos Santos has immense potential.
The 4-2-4 can work.
The future ain’t all that grim.

Should we be selling everybody and their mamas this summer, based on what we saw yesterday? Keep the mamas, I’d say, but pretty much yes. Think about who has played their way out of town for one reason or another, and whether they did enough yesterday to make you change your mind. Really look at it, not through the prism of individual player fondness, but the love for the blaugrana. And the answer is?

Sort of, in one case. (More below, in player ratings.)

Things were all warm and fuzzy. The genuine affection showed to Thuram when he exited the match confirmed everything that I have been thinking all season about that consummate professional. Compare that with the rather desultory greetings that Gudjohnsen received when he came off. Interestingly, Henry’s greetings made it seem like more of a “See you next week,” than “Good luck in whatever your next endeavor is.”

And with that, for the last time this season, player ratings (augmented by my wishes for that particular player’s future….think of it as extra-bonus goodness):

Pinto: 6. Some great stops, after a shaky beginning. The starting keeper spot is going to be up for grabs, and it should be. Pinto showed a lot today, including reflexes and a nice ball-tracking ability. Not sure a lot of keepers stop that free kick, in his defense. Keep

Puyol: 5. Very solid game from the captain, sullied by that penalty. Keep

Thuram: 5. Very solid, very professional. His wheels are gone, but he still understands position. Goodbye. He’s moving on by mutual agreement.

Abidal: 5. Again, he has shown very well these last matches of the season. I have seen very few examples of his psychic walkabout, and man, what pace. Keep But give him competition for the spot. It shouldn’t be his by default.

Oleguer: 4. I’m being just a bit generous here, but he had some nice movement, and some good play, when he wasn’t vanishing. Sell.

Xavi: 6. Steady, reliable Xavi. This is the player that will serve so well as part of a nucleus for next season’s side. Keep him in his wheelhouse, and he will never let you down. Keep

Gudjohnsen: 4. Good match for him, but his lumbering style is so unsuited for La Liga. He too often looks like a bull in a china shop on the pitch. Some very nifty passes and movement today, but there wasn’t a ton of pressure on him. Whenever there was, he lost the ball. Sell

Messi: 4. I know, I know. Blasphemy! Watch the match again, and tell me I’m wrong. His heart didn’t seem to be in it. Lots of running, nothing to show for it. Never really was a threat. Keep (I know….DUH!)

Henry: 7. Okay. He’s been on the uptick for a while now, and we’re really beginning to get glimpses of the player we thought we’d signed. The break for his goal was perfect, and how about the deft little header to himself? Slicker than snake snot. And that affection between he and Krkic was genuine. I have always argued that you can’t sell him until you see what he can do in position. Keep

Eto’o: 5. Solid match. He scored, but most forwards in the league put that one away. Had some loose, attack-busting moments in the Murcia box. I can already hear Isaiah screaming, but…. Sell

Dos Santos: 7. I know. The kid gets a hat trick and just gets a 7? That 7 is for the hat trick. He wasn’t around a ton when he wasn’t putting the ball in the net. Loan This is the player that made me change my mind. I was in the “sell” camp for some time now, but anybody who can score goals like he did yesterday at least deserves a look. The cash lure might be too great, though.

Substitutes:

Fali: 5. He didn’t really get enough time to make a real call, but as someone observed in the comments, he stabilised that right side in a way that Oleguer couldn’t. And he’s clearly one for the devotees of male beauty. Matinee idol looks. He has pace, and good closure speed. Keep As if there were any doubt.

Rueda: 4. Didn’t show a lot, but what I saw, I liked. He’s definitely one for the future. Aggressive, like Fali. Keep

Krkic: 3. Didn’t really do much, or have his usual galvanic effect. Hell yeah, keep. What are you, crazy?

And with that, we’re all done for the season. Next real match is the Gamper Trophy match, which I am planning to be able to take live notes on, as I will almost certainly be going, as I do every year. Have fun, everyone, and don’t forget about us now that there aren’t any matches. Isaiah and I get lonely very easily.