Villarreal 1, Barca 2, a.k.a. “A lot closer than it seemed.”

By: Kevin | December 21st, 2008

Yes, indeed. Could a 2-1 match have been closer than it seemed? You betcha. Who among us was confident about this one, particularly after we left two goals on the table in the first half, one when Henry should have lobbed and the other when Messi inexplicably was slow to realize that he needed to crash that back post.

But thanks to our hero (today, anyhow….sorry Genis, but it’s true), No. 14 in your programs but No. 322 in your hearts, Thierry Henry, we roll into the holiday break with a massive sigh of relief.

As we all knew, this was a very difficult match because Villarreal play as we do: ball pressure, midfield fluency and unbridled aggression. They just don’t do it quite as well as we do. Now, their midfield fluency was enhanced by Guardiola’s starting XI: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Puyol, Abidal, Busquets, Keita, Xavi, Eto’o, Henry, Messi.

Why? Because without Yaya the Destroyer, Villarreal too often were able to develop plays through the middle of the pitch, because Keita really wasn’t sure what the hell he was doing out there, and Busquets isn’t that kind of play-destroying DM. He really needs Yaya to be at his most effective.

Still, both sides came out with bright, attacking football. Henry missed a goal that he usually converts. A simple lob would have done it, instead of going directly at Lopez. But make no mistake about it, Henry was ready to play today. His movement, aggression and precision were readily apparent, and we were far more dangerous with him as the “9″ than Eto’o.

Messi was curiously absent for most of the first half, making the occasional, meaningless run but mostly doing his usual “I can take on 4 guys, just lemme at ‘em” thing. And when Henry was surrounded by 3 players and somehow still got off a shot (or cross, dependent upon one’s worldview), Messi should have converted that one. He had left his defenders, and it rolled right across his bow with the open net yawning.

And boy, did they have chances. Valdes closes out on one, and it was a first half that, frankly, I was surprised to see end scoreless. A part of me also knew that they would score first, because the back line was looking curiously out of sorts. I think that Pique creates complexities that they don’t know how to solve. Marquez’ positional sense and stability were very much absent today.

Now having said that, there are a lot of other things to blame Pique for. He doesn’t have any crispness on his passes out of the back, frequently forcing the player who receives them to play the ball back, and re-set the attack. I’m not sure if he thinks his legs are longer than they are or what, but he lunges instead of getting into proper position. Witness the great chance for Villarreal, caused when he went for the great interception, instead of just running over and blocking the pass.

There wasn’t the usual ball pressure, particularly in the midfield, which allowed Villarreal to play their open, flowing game. It made for pretty football coming and going, but a few near heart attacks for yours truly.

And to boot, Keita was invisible, Xavi had some curiously awry touches, and Eto’o was in “feet of stone” mode again, where that first touch just isn’t there. I’ve never seen the like. Touch is one of those things that a player always has, right? Not Eto’o, who was also pretty much invisible in that first half. Henry was creating chance after chance, controlling the ball and in general raising hell.

The second half started and Villarreal came out very brightly, and with much intent. That they scored was really only a matter of time. It was also deserved, frankly. And people will lay all sorts of blame at the feet of all sorts of people, but simple reality is that it was a perfect pass and shot. Pique and Puyol were in the area, but you just aren’t stopping that one. Valdes had to make a guess, and he guessed wrong. That’s life in the big city. And if it takes a perfect pass and a perfect shot to score against us, then I like our chances.

After the goal, our hackles were raised and the play became much sharper. The goal came from some lovely interplay between Busquets and Xavi, who laid out a beyootiful ball for Alves, who placed it right on Keita’s head. Goal! Keita has a knack for scoring in matches in which he is otherwise terrible. This one was no exception.

That goal seemed to take some of the steam out of Villarreal for a while, and we regained control of the midfield with Xavi’s customary excellence in what was a mixed game for him. You knew that a second goal was coming, you just didn’t know who was going to score it.

But first, there was the matter of a seemingly innocent yellow card, caused by a bad Eto’o touch which sprung Villarreal on an attack. Pique and Yaya were in the neighborhood, and Pique grabbed the jersey, taking one for the team. Did he have to? Good question. Yaya was cutting off the angle, and Valdes was on today. Still, he picked it up.

And man, were we playing well, with one-touch passing, Xavi making runs and everyone looking as if they wanted that second goal more than life itself. That it came off yet another exquisite play is no surprise, given the high quality of this match. Again it was Busquets to Xavi, who lifted a killer ball into the box which was dispatched swiftly by Henry.

Now, that second yellow was harsh. But any time you go in with your elbows up, which all defenders know, and a player goes to ground grabbing his face/head, you’re going to get a card. Was the call a soft one? In slow-motion replay, sure. In real time, it was a yellow for sure, and Pique was gone.

We were down to 10 men, and Villarreal was full of intent. They had two glorious chances, both shot wide thanks in part to luck, but in part to Valdes, who knew that when a player has you dead to rights, all a keeper can do is give less space to shoot at. He did that, and it was three well-earned points.

Hearing the Himno in full-throated roar by some fans was very stirring, and cool. It was one of many moments in what was a very good game of football. Most of us said that Villarreal would be the most difficult match of Big December, and we were right. But we came out to the good.

And with that, player ratings:

Team: 7. They got it done, but it was a little clunky. The usual style and effort weren’t always there, and the defense was scrambling much more than usual. It’s hard not to wonder “What’s new,” and attribute some of that looseness to the absence of Yaya and Marquez.

Guardiola: 8. He had the lads ready to play again, just not collectively. Great substitutions made at the right time, to really disrupt the flow of the match, and get the right people on the pitch.

Valdes: 7: A very good match from our keeper. He guessed wrong on the goal, and maybe should have come out faster and sooner. He was also beaten a couple of times, but reduced angles to limit the real scoring chance, except off an extraordiary shot. There aren’t many of those, and he knows it.

Alves: 9. What a match. He was everywhere on offense and defense, with effort and energy. He even knew when to take fouls and where. A true professional effort, and his pass to Keita was a thing of beauty. He was around almost every last ball.

Pique: 5. His presence creates a curious absence on the back line. He played hard to try to make up for his errors, but it seems that the harder he tries the more bad stuff happens to him. Certainly solid, but they have to solve the “subtraction by inclusion” complexity.

Puyol: 8. Strong as an ox today, with deflection after deflection, and clearance after clearance. He had more ground to cover thanks to the Pique Complexity, but he marshalled the back line very well.

Abidal: 8. Excellent match by our French Greyhound, who really came into his own when we were 10 men. Clearances, good marking and roaming from sideline to sideline were trademarks of his play. And that late-match, sprawling interception was glorious.

Busquets: 7. He had a role in both goals, and his play was generally very strong. He sticks a lot of legs and feet in to disrupt attacks, or at least ping the ball around to slow the attack. And his offensive skills are a delight to watch. He works very well with Xavi.

Keita: 4. No, the goal doesn’t save him. When he wasn’t invisible today, he was sluggish and generally pulsated with adequacy. This was the start in which he was supposed to show us something, and except for that goal, which was a nice crash into the box, he wasn’t there today.

Xavi: 7. Our little general was erratic today. When he was good, he was very good. But there were a lot of balls lost in his feet today, and more circling than usual. He really picked it up in the second half, with dazzling runs and ball control skills.

Messi: 5. Pass. That’s all I have to say. One on four is not going to work. Ever. He was very subdued today. He picked it up some in the second half, but wasn’t his usual effective self.

Eto’o: 6. Lots of effort, but when he was on the left wing, nothing came from out there. Nor was he as effective a striker as he has been in the past, when he moved into the central role. And then there’s the aforementioned first touch issues.

Henry: 9. Getting fouled, retaining possession and making the right pass were the hallmarks of his match today, not to mention that very difficult goal that he made look so easy.

Substitutions

Yaya: 6. Seemed to just be getting up to full Destroyer speed when the match ended. He is so calm with the ball in a way that neither of our other DMs are. Did anyone else laugh at the moment, after a foul, when Franco looked as if he was praying to Yaya? Too funny. The midfield definitely solidified when he entered.

Caceres: 6: Right place, right time. He’s a thug, which I like a lot.

Hleb: 5. Argh. His first touch, a deflection, created a great scoring chance for Villarreal. After that, a very solid match that suited his skill set. We had to retain possession and make smart passes. That’s his game.

And Big December (which really began in November) is over. 11 goals scored, 1 conceded against the cream of the Liga. We are 10 points in the standings up on the second placed side. Next up is not to relax going into the second half, and see what transpires.