Athletic Bilbao 0, Barca 1; a.k.a. “A moment of rare beauty.”

By: Kevin | October 19th, 2008

I’ll be brief with this one, because there just isn’t a whole lot to say about this match that was made more difficult than it in fact was, and because my fevered fingers are barely attached to my flu-addled brain.

Victor Valdes. My man! Forwards get all the glory, defenders get credit for all the grit, but credit one Victor Valdes for this victory. He patrolled his line like a lion, and ruled his box like a man possessed, ensuring that nothing from Bilbao went in, and the table was set for that moment of beauty.

We footy fans suffer a lot for this game, through crappy matches, runs of bad form, wait til’ next year-itis and the like, all for that thing….that spectacular thing that happens, that splits the desultory match gloom like a rare double rainbow.

It came today innocently enough, with Henry nabbing the ball and beginning one of his runs.

Unlike Messi, whose runs are dynamic and aggressive, like a high-wire and trapeze act combined, Henry’s runs are almost subtle. Defenders are terrified because he might run past them, work some move and be gone, or lord knows what. So his 3/4-speed run with the ball threaded through the Athletic midfield, some footwork got him past a defender and all the time, his head was up. Eto’o made the streaking run, and a pass right onto his foot was controlled, set up and blasted into the net.

It was as pretty a goal as you’re going to see us score all season, everyone, and I hoped y’all enjoyed it. I also hope that even the staunchest Henry-Hater notes that if he isn’t on the pitch doing his thing, we have a 0-0 draw.

Guardiola rolled out a starting lineup of: Valdes, Alves, Marquez, Pique, Abidal, Yaya, Keita, Victor Sanchez, Iniesta, Henry, Eto’o.

And I know what everyone was thinking: Where does the mojo come from? Who makes that pass that sets up the killer pass that leads to the goal? No Xavi, no Messi, right?

Valid question, frankly, as Iniesta was invisible. We passed the ball around a lot, and but for a better first touch, Eto’o gets a cheap one early. Henry scuffed one, and you could tell that this was going to be a looooong match.

The defense looked a little funky at first, then settled themselves down. The late-match insertion of Puyol settled things down even more, though it was a shame that it had to come as the result of a Marquez injury.

The offense looked even funkier, with lots of lateral and back passing, but very little of real intent.

But hey, we won, right, thanks to a rare moment of beauty from two players that many argued couldn’t play together, an either/or argument that on this day, would have negated their collective brilliance. And so it goes, to player ratings:

Valdes: 9. Man of the match, bar none. GolTV’s Terra Player of the Game was Eto’o, and it’s okay if they’re misguided. Valdes was on form today, looking like the keeper who everyone thought, back in the day, was one of the best in the world, bar none.

Alves: 4. I’m still waiting for tangible evidence of why we paid 30+million for this dude. His lazing about led to a dangerous chance for Bilbao, he was throwing balls into the box with little regard for who was actually in the box….I dunno. I’m a patient lad, but I’m hoping that he rounds into form, and I mean soon.

Marquez: 5. Very solid game. Did a good job of marshalling the back line and keeping things solid back there. He’s been rocking ever since he was shorn of his locks. Is this a reverse Samson sort of thing? Fine passes out of the back, including one to Eto’o that he should have done better with.

Pique: 5. Pique giveth, and Pique taketh away. His laconic play led to a Keita foul that led to a very dangerous free kick for Bilbao, as he skulked away from the scene of the crime. Then he saves his bacon by dashing about, making fine passes out of the back and shutting down attacks. Cut out the bad, and he’s a stunner.

Abidal: 7. Another excellent, confident match. His only screwup was when he got in the way of Valdes, who was coming to claim a ball. And VV let him know about it, too. Headed away a number of balls in the box, and used his pace to ensure that his side of the pitch was nice and airtight.

Yaya: 6. Too many backpasses. He has to get a better grasp of when to push the ball forward, but still….the manmountain was in full effect today, breaking up attacks, chasing down players and just occupying space in the box. Nice face full of Marquez header away, too. The defense needed him today, and given the stuff that’s been allegedly going on, I’m surprised he got the start. Nice to see that Guardiola put the team in front of any personal stuff.

Keita: 4. Still working his way in, and as with Alves, I’m being patient. But I need to see more than a Malian crumpled on the pitch. Really. A LOT more.

Victor Sanchez: 5. Solid game from the kid. I presume that his first touch will get better, as for wont of a better one, some excellent chances got cocked up. He had lots of energy, seeming to be everyplace and in the wrong place at the same time. I think that his future is bright, but it’s safe to say that his first-team debut wasn’t as dazzling as that of Busquets.

Iniesta: 7. He got off to a slow start, but really came to life with as fine a collection of runs and passes as you will see. That pass to Eto’o that he choked on was spectacular. When he gets it in his head to become an offensive force, he can change a match. Our offense didn’t look at all dangerous until he decided that it was go time.

Henry: 7. Not sure what the hell Schoen/Hudson were talking about when they were accusing him of bad play in the first half, as if he were the sole reason we looked sloppy. His effort was there, and he and Eto’o are really learning to work together. Looks like there are still a few communication bugs to be worked out. But from making runs to tracking back on defense and making pass after pass, he was in fine form today. He didn’t score a goal, but was essential to the victory.

Eto’o: 7. He should have had a hat trick. If he bends that first-half ball a little bit instead of hitting it right at the keeper, if he does anything other than what he tried after that Iniesta ball, we win going away. Which in no way negate his energy, pace and overall excellence. The goal he scored was just killer. Sure, the pass was perfect, but to control and set up the ball for the shot with one motion? Crazy.

Substitutes

Busquets: 5. He tries to be a little too fancy with the ball in possession. Better teams will make him rue those tendencies. But very solid. We gained some passing fluency when he came in for Keita.

Puyol: 8. El Capitan came in loaded for bear, and took that back line by the scruff of the neck. Any ball that came near him was cleared, no muss, no fuss.

Hleb: 5. You could see that he was very tentative and ginger, almost flinching when a tackle was imminent. But his ball control and passing skills are world class. Too bad the injury came just as he was working his way into a nice run of form. He worked well with Iniesta.

Guardiola: 7. Solid substitutions, and a good starting lineup that tried to sub midfield fluency for 2 killer forwards. And it worked, so how ’bout that?