Recreativo Huelva 0, Barcelona 2, a.k.a. “Breaching the great wall.”

By: Kevin | November 16th, 2008

“Okay. You hook over the middle. You, run down to the red car while he blocks for you. I’ll fake the kick then pass. Ready….break!”

Wow. Don’t know about you all, but I haven’t worried more about a match in a very long time. There was so much at stake, and on a weekend in which the top four were falling like tenpins, our lads faced a Recreativo side who defended with energy and effort, putting all their men, their mamas, stadium vendors and ball boys in front of goal.

And it worked, until a moment of inspired play calling opened the lock, and that was all she wrote.

It was so simple that, like a fake field goal or drop kick, you wonder why more teams don’t do it. It’s one of those plays that a coach has in reserve for a match such as this, in which the opposing side is playing two stacks of defenders, 4 atop 5. It requires a legitimate free kick threat, a waterbug of a player with as fast a first step as anyone in the league, teammates who have to stand in the exact right spot to keep everybody positioned to keep the scat back onside, and voila.

The Xavi pass was flawless, a pillow of a ball that set up perfectly for the Messi blast, as he broke behind the wall into wide open space. From that moment, the only question was whether the keeper would be crazy enough to get in front of the howitzer blast. He wasn’t, and the resultant goal meant game over.

But man, was I worried, because the way that Recre were playing, we were one bad play away from a draw. As we all know, last season, that play would have come. This season….well, let’s just say that matches such as these are what championships are made of, because make no mistake about it, the lads weren’t at their best today.

We rolled out a starting lineup that could have been predicted, except that Guardiola has been so conventionally unconventional this season: Valdes, Alves, Marquez, Pique, Puyol, Yaya, Busquets, Xavi, Messi, Eto’o, Henry.

It’s a side with destructive force measured in megatons.

It was also a side that opened with a curious lethargy, almost as if the ghosts of the Benidorm match were still stalking about. This played right into Recre’s hands. The passes weren’t as sharp, the movement wasn’t as accurate and everything was just a little bit clunky. Couple this with Recre’s defending like lions and an on-form keeper, and it’s no shock that the opening half ended 0-0.

Pique and Alves were strong early. Messi was ball hogging a little too much in the early going, and all that was missing was that final link in the chain. Even as the lads picked up the play, there was still that outstretched leg or toenail from a Recre defender that thwarted things, as the home side were pretty determined to leave with what they came in with, come hell or high water.

There were some “almost” moments, to be sure. Yaya’s rumble which led to Eto’o taking a little too much time on the ball. Messi’s killer run that led to an afterthought dribbler of a shot by Henry that my gramma could have stopped. Henry’s setup for Busquets that he skied off the half-volley. Eto’o shooting directly at the keeper.

And the thoughts began: “Us, too? Like the rest of the big four, us, too?”

Then came The Play. It was pure audacity and testicular capacity so abundant that you wonder how Guardiola walks with a normal gait. Everything had to be perfect, and it was. You can’t even fault Recre for giving it up, really. That close to net, with Dani Alves, one of the best free kick takers in the world? You simply have to play for the direct kick.

Some were hoping that would open the floodgates, as Recre had to come out to play. But they remained tight, almost saying “Yeah, well there’s still honor in 1-0 rather than 6-0. So there.” But come out they did, because the Footy Man Code says: You can’t play passive at home. From then on, the second goal was just a matter of time.

But there was a scare, one that stemmed directly from Pique’s laconic play. Recre played a long ball, and rather than taking the ball and sending it off for a mate to deal with, he was going to just let it roll out. Only it didn’t. And the Recre attacker caught up, and suddenly there was a mess that led to two corners, slack marking (again by Pique) and a free header that hit the upright so hard that thing is probably still thrumming.

Then Henry hit the crossbar. Then the upright. Eto’o loses a great through ball in his feet. And Pique was getting beaten like a gong up that sideline, and it was nervous nelly time, until a bit of Henry brilliance made it all better.

He takes the pass, controls it, makes the run, battles to keep possession of the ball, finds space and laces a killer cross right onto the feet of Eto’o who, optimistically, has a go at a shot. His resulting scuff bounds about, directly into the path of Keita, who pushes it home. Then, and only then could we relax. By the by, if Keita isn’t in for Yaya, that goal doesn’t happen, since Keita’s natural tendency is to crash the box. Yaya’s is to sit and wait to destroy.

So if Yaya doesn’t knock his head, he stays in, Krkic probably comes in for Henry and that play never develops. Unless there are those of you who believe that Krkic for Eto’o was the plan all along. We’ll never know, but what we do know is this: There is breathing space, ranging from 3 to 8 points. Two more weekends before Big December, but it would be nice to go in with some breathing space, just in case.

And another thing. Can somebody explain to me why, on the right side of the pitch, we have an attacking maelstrom. Where on the left side, Henry gets the ball and is in effect stranded. Nobody comes to help, or give him any outlets. It’s “Here’s the ball, dude. Now do your thing.” It happens time and again. So he has to beat 2-3 defenders and work free for a shot or a cross. That he does one or the other as often as he does is awesome. With some help, he’d be even more effective.

Finally, in the “broken record” category, Messi has to pass more and more effectively. During one first half play, he had 6 defenders surrounding him, which means it’s a 9 on 4 if he makes the right pass. His bailout pass to Xavi was too little, at the way wrong time. I know, he’s Messi and we’re supposed to forgive him all that stuff, right? Many do. I can’t. He has so much power in his hands. Use The Force for good, Leo. The amazing thing about Ronaldinho was that he just knew. When to continue the run, when to make the pass, he just knew. When (not if) Messi acquires that skill, sides are going to ask not to play us, as in “If we give you a 1-0 win, can we not do this?”

And now, player ratings:

Valdes: 8. He didn’t have a lot to do, but what he did was exceptional. He had to play errorless, particularly when that free header was smacked directly at him. Spill that ball, and it’s a very different match, as a Recre player probably pounces on that one. His movement and control of his area are still improving. Great match.

Alves: 7. He is getting better and better as both a defender and attacker, as he learns how players move and their tendencies. He’s also the guy who gets under the skin of the opposing side. Gives up too many set pieces, though. Needs to play with more control.

Marquez: 8. Killer match from The Kaiser. He was always, and I mean always in the right spot. He saved the clean sheet with that toenail tackle away from the Recre player, and for clearance after clearance, position play after position play, he was on the case.

Pique: 6. He started out strong, but fell off as the match progressed. I don’t know if Guardiola has to start putting cayenne pepper in his oatmeal to make him mean, or what. But he’s still too casual out there. Puyol has plenty of effort and drive to spare….pass some along to Pique.

Puyol: 7. Speaking of, another strong, strong match from our Captain. That mop of hair was everywhere on the pitch. He was a little sloppy on sideline plays, often giving up possession when he didn’t need to (and Abidal wouldn’t have). But he does yeoman work on the wing, filling in with effort and determination what he lacks in pace and athetic ability.

Yaya: 6. He was on and off. For some absurd reason, he decided he wanted to play with the ball today, which is never a good thing. Do what you do, Yaya, which is smash. He’s becoming more offense-minded, and made a couple of very good runs. But he wasn’t his usual dominant self, in part because every time he came near a Recre player, that individual would either fall down or give the ball up. Then they switched to wing attacks. And Yaya gave up his noggin for a header. Hats off. Man crush intact.

Busquets: 5. I’m going to have to explain this rating to Genis in a couple of weeks, but for now, this lad was a little off song. sort of like an analog radio dial that is just off of the station. You can hear the music, but….he was kicking a lot of balls away just from bad timing, and a stanky touch kept Messi from a sure goal in the second half.

Xavi: 5. I know, I know. He made the pass that led to the goal. He was invisible, folks. Not sure what was going on, but it was a very subdued match from Xavi. Even his off-the-ball movement that creates spaces for his mates wasn’t there today. Nor were his runs, excepting a couple of extraordinary instances. Everybody’s allowed an off match, however, and the malaise was team-wide, really.

Henry: 6. Good play, crappy finishing. He and Eto’o left all kinds of goals on the pitch today. But again, all of the other facets of his game were strong today, which lifted his overall rating. It’s worth watching that play of his that led to the Keita goal again. And also the second half run in which he took the pass, made a quick move for space and unleashed a fast, hard shot. That’s the kind of stuff we signed him for.

Messi: 8. Wow. What a match. If not for the ball hogging, he’s perfect. The one run, during which Recre defenders are doing everything short of just tackling him, American football style, was emblematic of his play today. He was not going to let the side lose. That’s what leaders do. I will continue to fault him for his bull-headed runs, when a more effective move is often the killer pass. But he’ll get better at it. For sure.

Eto’o: 6. The effort and movement were there but he, like everyone else, was just a little off song today. He doesn’t usually lose balls in his feet like that. At least not this season, when he has been pretty much flawless. He left goals on the pitch today, as well. He’ll get an assist for that Keita goal I reckon, but that was a shot all day and all night.

Substitutes

Sylvinho: 0. Stanky. And what was up with that pass he laid out to midfield, almost as if he were trying to help Recre gain some dignity with a goal?

Keita: 6. Good movement, right place at right time on the goal. He isn’t Yaya and never will be, but we might have to get used to that after next summer.

Krkic: incomplete. Except for showing some killer hang time on the header that struck the crossbar, he wasn’t really in long enough to have any real effect.

Guardiola: 8. He could have started making subs willy-nilly, but he seemed to sense that this was a team-wide thing, and the lads would have to work through it. And the set piece call was just insane. Inspired, but insane. It’s also worth noting the team spirit. I thought there was going to be a rumble after that vicious challenge on Messi. The looks on the lads faces as the bum-rushed the scene warmed my heart.