Barca vs Mallorca, or “Here’s to happier times,” Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, (5pm on GolTV)
By: Kevin | May 10th, 2008
Okay. Time to play out the string, to find out what kind of fans we have at the Camp Nou. We’re bound for third place, and will have to play our way into the Champions League next season. Frank Rijkaard and Ronaldinho, two faces who came to epitomize all that this side stands for and strives for, are no more. One is off, most recent rumors say to Chelsea, the other is, depending on what you believe, off to AC Milan to join Mourinho and Drogba, again if you believe the football rumor mill.
What we do know is this: Mallorca is up, and we are at home with precious little to play for except a rousing send-off for a coach that I believe most of the players and a great many fans have come to love and respect.
Will there be the same kind of malaise there was during el Clasico, or will the players want to send out their chief with a smile on his face? I’m betting the latter, and that some serious stonk will be put down on a 7th-place Mallorca side that has been a very pleasant surprise this season. And their striker, Dani Guiza, can get a feel for what many hope will be his new home next season.
Mallorca have far, far more to play for than us. They still have the chance, by finishing sixth in the table, to qualify for Europe next season, via UEFA Cup. Their last six matches have been four wins, a loss to Sevilla and a draw at the Evil Empire. And we have nothing to play for, which means all the factors are in place for another big helping of egg on face, right?
Wrong.
Xavi said it best, when he said that the players are accepting the blame for what happened with their coach. Yes, Rijkaard had a lot to do with it, but the players have most of the blame, as the ones putting ball to foot. I think they will not want to let that man down.
The cause will be helped by the fact that Mallorca will want to win, so they will come out to play football. This should mean an open match which, at the Camp Nou, will play directly into our hands.
The squad list is Valdes, Pinto, Thuram, Abidal, Oleguer (Lordy!), Puyol, Zambrotta, Edmilson, Yaya, Deco, Dos Santos, Eto’o, Henry, Krkic, and Messi. B teamers Rueda and Fali will be getting their run-outs with the big boys tomorrow, and could see some time if we kick some tail. Yes, Ezquerro is also on the squad, but come on….I’ll play before he will.
We have something of a problem, in that Xavi is suspended, The Icelandic Mounument Gudjohnsen is injured, and so is Iniesta. So who the heck plays midfield for us? Is this the day for the 4-2-4 right from the outset?
I’m hoping so, with a starting XI of: Valdes, Thuram, Puyol, Abidal, Zambrotta, Yaya, Deco, Eto’o, Henry, Krkic, Messi. Dos Santos could get the surprise start in place of Henry, but I think that Rijkaard will want to go down with his best bullets in the gun. And everybody on that damned pitch has a lot to prove tomorrow. Rijkaard has fooled with the 4-2-4 some this season, and what do we have to lose now, really? Third place? So what. We’ll still have to play our way into the main Champions League draw whatever happens. Might as well get funky.
I’m predicting a final score of 3-1, if Mallorca play open, 2-0 if they don’t. No, it won’t matter for a lot except for a lovely gesture to the man who has done so much for the side. But sometimes, that’s all it takes to fire the lads up.
Where to Watch: The best places to watch FC Barcelona in action.
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Comments
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good luck this weekend..Guiza is going to show you why when you buy him that it will be a great move by Barca.
Posted from
United States
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so much for the idea that ronnie would play one more match in front of the nou camp faithful. or, will he actually be back next year? probably not.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Thanks, Jeremy.
I’m really sad about Ronnie not getting a proper send-off. Let’s hope the fans remember all the good times we’ve had with Frank and behave well towards him.
(Can’t believe we’re done to one attacking midfielder. This is just sad.)
Posted from
Australia -
Linda, if we believe the press reports (not to mention the confirmed regional nightclub sightings), Ronaldinho has no interest in a farewell appearance.
I suspect the Camp Nou fans will give Rijkaard the respect and thanks that he deserves for his service to the side.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
I really think that they should give their all tonight, after all, Rijkard did spend a good number of years with the club and did do well.
I for one will miss the Dutchman.
Posted from
Jordan -
Straight from goal.com:
“The Camp Nou side are allegedly willing to offer Samuel Eto’o to Inter in return for Ibrahimovic, Xavi to Chelsea for Essien, and Puyol to Arsenal in return for Fabregas. The type of plan proposed would mean that players from different clubs wouldn’t have to play in the same position – for example a midfielder for a defender, and so on.”
Puyol to Arsenal? BULLSHIT!
Posted from
Australia -
I’d hold off on that outrage, Jake. First of all, Fabregas isn’t going anywhere. He’s considered a franchise player for them, more than any other.
Second, Goal.com is good for providing stuff to talk about, but is as reliable as a rusty old watch.
But if they weren’t crazy, I’d do Xavi for Essien in about two seconds. I wouldn’t do Eto’o for Ibra. The pace difference is huge, and pace is what opens up defenses these days.
As far as Puyol. My loyalty says no way, but it’s hard to ignore the passing of time and the step he’s lost. Keep him for sure, but he’ll be hard pressed if we make a really good central defender a priority this summer.
I can’t see anyone in a sober state allowing the movement or sale of El Capitan, our Penya. Like Maldini at AC Milan, he’s earned the right to retire wearing the blaugrana.
Look at it another way. If you are Arsene Wenger, and your mind hasn’t been taken over by crack, would you take a player on the back side of the slope who might be able to buttress your back line for a midfielder with a tremendous up side, who might eventually become one of the best ever?
But Goal.com has done its job in that it gives us something to talk about.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
I just finished watching El Clasico (circa 2005 @ Santiago Bernabeu) on FoxSoccer Channel, what a treat it was. I only recently started following futbol hardcore after the 2006 World Cup, thus missing this famed match where the Madridistas applauded the spectacular play of the polarizing Brazilian. What a match, what chemistry, what joga bonita. The ebbs and flow of the game were truly spectacular. Barca completely manhandled Los Blancos on that day. This week, a similar squad was trotted out in Madrid and the result was far from the same. So what happened to us? I understand a multitude of events have caused this downward spiral, but the one fact that looms larger than the others is the absence of Ronnie these past two years. During that match, his passion and commitment were second to none. Two spectacular goals, countless runs at goal, phenomenal vision and awareness. It’s not often that Madridistas get out of there seat and put there hands together for someone wearing the blaugrana colors. I know many visitors of this site feel that Ronnie must go as part of the spring cleaning that needs to take place. But is it at all possible that Ronnie’s antics were caused by Rijkaard and him not seeing eye to eye? Is it feasible that Ronnie would like to stay with Barca and prove to the world that he’s still the world class player he was in 2005? Or, am I extremely delusional after watching the best footballer in the world during the 2005 season play one of his best games against the hated EE?
An aside, does FoxSoccer Channel have the rights to BarcaTV now?
Posted from
United States -
The game is at 3pm this afternoon, not 5pm. I’ve gone ahead and made the change to the title.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
small comment: haven’t we become the old evil empire of couple of years back..I know there are many many differences but the some similarities are also striking…we just never called it the Galactico era..or something like that but that lack of cohesion etc etc just reminds me so much of the team that I loved to hate in the name of Real..
Posted from
United Kingdom -
the term “evil empire” refers to history dating back to the spanish civil war, not the last 10 years. so, no, we havent.
there are lots of interesting essays out there on the political subtext of the whole barcelona-real madrid rivalry. im sure you could dig something up on the web.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
no no I meant Real Madrid of the Galactico era…(God I have to stop using that EE term)….
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Here is the starting line up for the Mallorca match:
Portero Pinto
Defensas Zambrotta, Puyol, Thuram, Abidal
Medios Edmílson, Touré Yaya, Deco
Delanteros Messi, Eto’o y Henry.En la banquillo: Valdés, Fali, Rueda, Oleguer, Giovani, Ezquerro y Bojan.
will be interesting to see if the B-teamers get a chance before, for instance, Santi or Presas.
also will be interesting to see whether edmilson or toure is the man supporting deco in attack and creation.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Thanks, Isaiah. Didn’t want anyone thinking that GolTV was showing the match live (my, how we’ve fallen….we’re on tape delay now).
I sure hope that Fox Soccer doesn’t have the rights to Barca TV. That will mean pay-per-view for pretty much everything. Any Man U fans will know what I mean. And Fox’s PPV ain’t cheap.
The question is, does that mean Barca TV, as in the club-sponsored broadcasting arm, or the U.S. broadcast feeds? If it’s the latter, that would suck. They already have the English league, Serie A and loads of other stuff. What kind of love would La Liga get, given that they’re already serving two masters, unless they jettison Serie A or something?
Oh, and yes you are delusional after watching that magnificent match, Kyle.
We’ll never see that R10 again. I’m not sure anyone else will, either. But that was a corker, wasn’t it?Posted from
United Kingdom -
And for that matter, I had to break out the DVDs thanks to Kyle’s reminiscence.
Henry: When he was running rampant at Arsenal, they would use his pace to break him loose. He was usually playing at the shoulder of the defense, the way Inzaghi does now at AC Milan. One pass and the ball would find him in a spot where all he had to do was shoot, and he was deadly. He also took a great many of the free kicks for Arsenal. Not sure what happened when he came here with the frees. As for open play, we know all too well, unfortunately.
Ronaldinho: Pace, drive and committment were the hallmarks of that player. Those latter two goals in the 3-0 thrashing of the Galactico-era Evil Empire should have made the fans rise to their feet and applaud. It wasn’t as much the finishes as the run. He just shredded the defense, and was doing so all season. He just wasn’t the same after the World Cup, when you really look back at it.
And it really was a jailbreak on the opposing team’s box, because Messi, Eto’o and Ronaldinho were running at them, with Deco playing up. Scary stuff, and the stuff of glory days.
Just a little bit of perspective and more fond memories.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
This game is fucking insane. Almost surreal.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Mallorca win Mallorca win! Add more wood to the fire.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Did anyone else know what to make of Eto’o’s celebration? He didn’t seem all that happy, and it almost looked like he was waving good-bye rather than saluting the fans.
If you missed it, here it is:
http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/S927YY1DDKB22TFVPosted from
United Kingdom -
Jake, you said it. Mallorca win in stunning fashion and our team blows monkey nuts at holding on to a lead. How does this happen?
I only saw the second half and god how I wish I hadn’t…This is some utter nonsense we’re dealing with now at the end. We’re tied on points with Atletico going into the final match…What a bad send-off for Frank, who deserved much better. But at least now we know why you don’t sub off your best player…
Posted from
United Kingdom -
probably not the right place to say this, but the fact is, many/most sports fans are fools.
thats the only way i can explain the whistles eto’o was receiving from the beginning of the match. (the goltv dudes only seemed to notice the whistles in the second half when he took the free kick.)
he’s scored more goals than anyone on the team in the last few years, riddled with injuries, scored the tying goal in the champs league final, a higher goal efficiency than anyone in the world game, he works like crazy, and sure, he’s in a slump, but whistling him?
fools.
ps his quotes regarding not wanting to play for a team that didnt win silverware (often alluded to by kevin and others here) were misinterpreted. he even clarified this himself. what he was actually saying was that, according to his high standards, he wasnt doing enough if he hadnt helped the team win silverware in the last two years. he felt unworthy. but i hope he wasnt waving goodbye.
Posted from
United States -
I’m with you on the fans, ballbeav, and I’m with you on the contributions of Eto’o to the side. And I missed his clarification of his “no silver, no me” comments.
I posted a review of the match, for what it’s worth. I’m pretty outraged at the fan behavior. I expected better. It’s not like we’re battling relegation.
Posted from
United Kingdom
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