Thoughts Post Barcelona’s Loss to Bayern Munich

The Germans are back! The Germans are the new power in world football. Barcelona’s era is over. Barcelona is a one-man team.

Say what you wish, celebrate as you need, and predict whatever, but here are some points for you to think about:

• How many German players do Bayern Munich have in the starting eleven? I know for a fact that, van Buyten, Ribery, Martinez, Mandzukic, Robben, and Alaba are not German.
• Barcelona have reached 6 consecutive semi-finals since 2007-2008, and won 3 titles in the past 6 years. Is this the end? Or is it just a sign that they will be on their feet again?
• This is the first time in 12 years where a German team will win the title – since Bayern’s last in 2001, just because both finalists are German. So where were the Germans hiding and why didn’t any German team manage to win it – since 2002 – when facing an opponent from a different nationality?
• La Masia is still producing players who are not as legendary as Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta, yet Xavi and Iniesta did not enter the world of fame by attending only one year at the academy. La Masia is a long term project and an incubator for talent.
• Is the Spanish league too weak? If your answer is yes then when would you acknowledge the presence of Real Madrid and the wins of Barcelona in the past years? And is the Champions League a reflection of local leagues or just a field for all European teams to chase a dream?
• Did Guardiola build a team with a four year expiry date or establish a school of thought and tactic? Should this Barcelona remain faithful to their style or should they break the bank to buy talent and titles in order to satisfy the doubters?

I have many other questions that will lead to subjective debates and mere predictions and assumptions. However, I am not worried that this team will take us back to the dark ages; specifically early 2000’s.

Will it be the fall of Barcelona or just a failed attempt?

Andres Iniesta Wedding

Since football is slow at the moment, here is a treat for you: The Andres Iniesta Wedding. Andres Iniesta and Anna Ortiz got married on July 8, 2012, at the castle of Tamarit in Tarragona, Spain. Lionel Messi, Iker Casillas, Xavi Hernandez and Samuel Eto’o were among the guests. Below is a video from the wedding ceremony and here is a link for more than 40 photos. (Obviously, my favorite will be Daniella Semaan with Cesc Fabregas, not for the love of Cesc but for the … of Daniella)

The wedding is all about Iniesta, but I chose Daniella Semaan

Guardiola Quits: Now What?

Josep “Pep” Guardiola has announced in a press conference on Friday, April 28, 2012, that he will not continue as head coach for FC Barcelona once the current season is concluded. The decision, and all the related official comments and statements behind the decision can be found here.

I am still bedazzled, and thinking of the consequences and meanings of such a decision. I have some questions and thoughts to share but I will need some time and energy to put them in writing. In the meantime, you can enjoy reading “The Football Supernova” post about the decision here.

p.s. Guardiola: You gave it all and was the best.

Numbers and figures speak better about achievements

Barcelona vs Chelsea – 2011/2012: A Tale to remember (and a post by The Football Supernova)

Did football lose when a team “parked the bus” and got the qualification pass? Is this the end of “The Greatest Team in History”? Will Guardiola stay on and rejuvenate his team and tactics? Can Chelsea stay on their feet and bring “The Cup” for Abramovich? Well, there are many questions and long discussions about the consequences of Barcelona’s exit from the Champions League (and a possible trophyless season) and Chelsea’s brave and weird season so far. However, I cannot answer everything in one post, especially not within less than 24 hours of the final whistle.

For the time being, I am re-blogging one of the best post-match posts, written brilliantly as usual by The Football Supernova. Here it goes:

FC Barcelona 2 – 2 Chelsea – The Catalans are down and out

That was an unbelievable game of Football. It had everything. Goals, drama, a penalty, a red-card and an “underdog” winning. Well, not sure if “underdog” is the right term to describe Chelsea, but you know what I mean. Some pointers after this game:

– Pique’s hit was a nasty one. He looked completely dazed and for him to get back on the pitch to carry on was a risky thing to do by the player and club’s doctors. When he was substituted, he was immediately taken to the hospital due to concussion.

– I hate John Terry with a passion, but regardless of what anyone, including the wife-hunter himself says, I still think that giving a red card for that was harsh. During Football games, players get knees in the back (or bum in this case) all the time and yes, it is a foul. But a red card offense. A straight one? I’m not so sure about that. Sanchez made the most of it, that must be said, but I was surprised by the decision. Terry went on to say after the game that he’s “not that type of player”. Funny.

– Barca were 2-0 up and strolling their way to victory. They surrendered a 2-0 lead at the Nou Camp. Barcelona! Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona surrendering a 2 goal lead in a Champions League semi-final! Nobody could ever have predicted that. One thing I’ve been saying about this particular Barca team is that despite all their qualities, they’ve never been faced with the disappointments of consecutive defeats. They’re a fantastic mechanism, but their mental strength that requires bouncing back from defeats has never been tested. Tonight it was and it didn’t look too good.

– 3 games without a win for Barca. 2 defeats and a draw (which is actually a defeat). When was the last time that happened to them?

– Ramires. That finish. What a beauty. You’ve got to have balls of steel to try that in such a game and at such a moment.

– The beauty of Barcelona’s second goal was the way Iniesta controlled himself to not fall into the offside trap. A striker’s behavior by a midfield maestro.

– The first half felt like it happened in 5 minutes. Entertainment to the max!

– Was it a penalty? Definitely. A poor striker’s tackle by Drogba. But for Lionel Messi to smash it with such power onto the crossbar was unexpected. Well, who knew? Messi is human after all!

– Lionel Messi has still never scored against Chelsea.

– Barcelona have no plan B. Besides their “philosophy” of passing and all that lovely stuff that people cream themselves over all the time, what happens when teams like Chelsea and Real Madrid “park the bus” or play an organized line to stop those trademark passes? Where’s the plan B? If any of their players had taken a shot from outside the box, I’m pretty sure it would have caused even more chaos and probably resulted in a goal. It felt like they were continuously waiting to caress the ball into the net. Chelsea had 10 men in the penalty area all game. Have a bloody shot and it’ll deflect off someone and who knows what’ll happen.

– Fernando Torres. 50 million pounds, in cash, were just refunded to Roman Abramovitch with that goal. Torres probably couldn’t believe it himself that he scored; but the man has a great record against Barcelona. 8 goals in his last 11 games against them.

– Drogba is still a beast.

– Do Chelsea have a chance in the final without Ramires, John Terry, Ivanovic and Mereiles?

– Should Roberto Di Matteo be given the full-time job? It’s funny that Chelsea’s two Champions League final appearances will have been led by two interim coaches (Grant 2008 and Di Matteo 2012). Maybe Abramovich should keep sacking managers during the middle of the season.

– What’s next for Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona? And for the man himself?

– Last, but not least, the league comparisons. I hate hearing them. During the season, some people say “La Liga is better than the Premier League because X, Y, Z from La Liga are at this stage in a European competition”, or vice versa. The same goes for the Bundesliga, Serie A and all other leagues. You can’t compare leagues with this sort of stuff. The team in 6th in the Premier League is in the final of the Champions League. What does that mean? Is the Premiership the best? No. Is La Liga is failing? No. You just can’t compare. Leagues are different in the same way cultures are. Spending your time trying to compare which league is better than which (especially based on the ridiculous assumption that how many teams left in Europe is an indication of that) doesn’t make sense to me. Some leagues are better than others in various aspects, and depending on your personal preference, it becomes a subjective choice. End of story.

Aftermath of El Clasico Number 6: Real Madrid are League Champions 2011/2012

First things first: Congratulations Real Madrid for the first league title since 2008. Moving on, and in theory, Barcelona can still make a comeback only if Real Madrid lost at least 2 games and drew one while Barcelona won all four. In reality, the points’ difference is at 7 with four games to play for both teams. Even Guardiola started his post-match conference stating “First of all, congratulations to Madrid, for the win and the league title they have confirmed today.”

As I mentioned before, in the El Clasico preview, the team that scored first won the game, in a safe game, where Real Madrid took no risks and played with their heads on. Mourinho dominated the game in what could be a rehearsal for his team’s next big game against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

I have one big concern, and let’s hope I am wrong about it. First, read through the thoughts and facts and scroll down to condemn or approve my worry.

• Guardiola conceded his first loss in the League against Real Madrid.
• Ronaldo is now the League’s top scorer with 42 goals, while Messi is second with 41.
• 23 goals, 43 yellow cards, 4 red cards, 2 draws, 4 wins in 6 head-to-head games in 2011/2012 have been registered
• Messi did not score in his fourth consecutive El Clasico. (Total Messi Stats vs Real Madrid: 19 games, 10 Wins – 5 Draws – 4 Losses, 13 goals, 10 assists)
• Diving was evident at moments; nothing impressive though.
• Abidal is one reason why Barcelona are fragile at the back. Guardiola should have listened to me earlier and signed a defender or two in the Winter Transfer Market.
• Barcelona have recently lost that one aspect that made them more confident on the pitch: Winning balls back within less than 6-7 seconds of losing them.
• Thiago is still not ready for the big stage; and David Villa is missed.
• Valdes sent an apology to Diego Maradona post his howler (away from the fact that the first goal is an offside candidate).

Well, a seventh El Clasico is still a possibility, and if it happened it will be the most gorgeous and competitive one. Barcelona still has two trophies to win, but the team is tired already and Guardiola should find the cure fast. However, my only concern is XAVI. He was angry at being substituted during the game, and he even showed his frustration while he was at the bench. I do not recall seeing him acting this way and it makes me wonder if it was a sign of discontent against his own performance or against Guardiola’s decision. I hope it was for the former state, and I blame Frank Rijkaard’s karma in both cases.

What???

FC Barcelona – AC Milan: Rants for the Champions League

It felt like watching a game at Camp Nou on a bad pitch: Milan vs Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals first leg was a game to disappoint for the fans of both teams and to teach many lessons for the coaches of both. The return leg will be played on the real Camp Nou on Thuesday, April 03, 2012, at 18:45 GMT (22:45 Dubai Time). Here are my rants about the game and the next encounter of the two giants:

• Nesta proved he is the last real defender on planet earth. Those who feared the absence of that Brazilian defender should name their grandchildren “Nesta”.
•  Antonini should be checked for steroids intake. He was unreal for once.
• Puyol is Barcelona’s defence. Pique is not his heir.
• Mascherano is a beast; brainless at times, but a great tactical player.

Bored already talking about defences? Barcelona couldn’t manage a goal in international competitions for the first time in over two years and a half. Worrying? Not that much actually, especially when playing against 9 defenders for more than 75 minutes.

Guardiola: "What is this sh*t? How many defenders do they have?"

• Mourinho should finally accept that UNICEF was not in the referee’s dictionary in San Siro.
• Guardiola and the world should honor Arsene Wenger for his comments about the pitch of the San Siro earlier this year. The amount of tripping over and slips witnessed is something not to ignore.
• Robinho should not feature again for Milan if they want to reach the next stage.
• Without Abidal, it is better to play with 3 defenders.
• Allegri knows his best chance is a penalty-shootout decider.
• Barcelona should play Tello from start. The kid has fast feet.
• Goals will come, and it will not be good to be a Milan fan on that night. Messi will score, at least twice.
• NIKE should produce less elastic kits. Pulling a player’s jersey should mean a foul in the referee’s books.
• Iniesta is better when part of the holy trinity in the midfield: Busquets-Xavi-Iniesta.

If Barcelona manages a qualification, the press will not be impressed. However, if Milan manages that, the tabloids will talk about: Crisis in Barcelona, Guardiola leaving, Messi overrated, Zlatan for Ballon D’Or, and Mourinho’s psychological effect on refereeing.

Champions League Quarter-finals: AC Milan – FC Barcelona

I am not looking forward this stage of the Champions League as much as I am anxiously awaiting the semi-finals one. It is the anticipated game between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich and the rollercoaster ride of Barcelona vs Chelsea that makes the quarter-finals worth watching.

However, the aforementioned doesn’t mean the results are guaranteed or someone sane enough will miss the mother of all matches on March 28: AC Milan vs FC Barcelona. If you want to know the history of the previous meetings of these two giants, here is a link for you. If you are in the mood for some rants about this epic battle; here we go:

• Last time they met it was full of controversy. This time it will be a straight forward blood bath.
• Thiago Silva is out injured: Good news for both teams.
• Allegri said that he would prefer to have played this match with a full squad. Well, he’s got Nesta back, right?
• Zlatan is on a roll. This is one more chance for him to be the “Big Games Man;” a tag he never convinced at.
• Messi is not done beating records, and Milan will not stop his mission.
• Barca’s defence line is shuffled again. Barca’s defence is not as good as before.
• Van Bommel is suspended, less red cards to be witnessed, and high hopes for Guardiola to go back home with no injuries.
• Arsene Wenger protested against the pitch condition of San Siro; his team lost 4-0. Guardiola should learn, and Milan should have made the amendments already.

A close friend of mine, whom I respect and listen to when it comes to Milan and football, told me earlier last week that THIS Milan doesn’t deserve the Champions League title, but Zlatan does. Anyone agrees?

Vengeance in the making?

Aftermath Thoughts from El Clasico Number 5

20 goals, 37 yellow cards, 4 red cards, 2 draws, 3 wins and a zillion dirty incidents are the main stats after 5 El Clasicos. The war is on, and game number 6 is two months and 25 days away (April 22, 2012); that only if a Champions League encounter was evaded.

The end result of this El Clasico saw Barcelona qualifying to the Semi-Finals stage of the Copa del Rey. The aggregate score was the real reason why Barcelona was the victorious team, but the second leg in Camp Nou was a strange one. Real Madrid put some serious pressure all throughout the game and could have won it if it were not for the many misses in front of goal starting from the 12^th second! Mourinho’s team broke Barcelona’s tempo over the 90 minutes yet failed to prevail.

Time Magazine has selected Messi for its cover on the February 2012 issue: Need more to say?

Every encounter between these giants is an odd one. Their clashes have no rules and every time the lessons learned and the notes are many. I will keep those to the next duel and I shall now highlight some random thoughts:

1. Messi failed to score in his third consecutive El Clasico – yet he assisted his 10^th goal (Total Messi Stats vs Real Madrid: 18 games, 10 Wins – 5 Draws – 3 Losses, 13 goals, 10 assists)
2. Guardiola have concluded his 14^th El Clasico as coach: 9 Wins – 4 Draws – 1 Loss
3. Jose Mourinho concluded his 9^th El Clasico, in Camp Nou: 0 Win – 4 Draws – 5 Losses / Goals: 9-19
4. Alexis and Iniesta left the game injured – reportedly they will be away for up to 2 weeks for Alexis and 3 weeks for Iniesta.
5. Ramos became the all-time record holder of red cards in the history Real Madrid.
6. After the game, Mourinho waited for the referees at the referee’s exit of the Camp Nou and insulted them.
7. Diving and faking injuries have become prominent features whenever the two teams meet, even with the absence of Di Maria.
8. Saint Iker, aka Casillas, admitted post the match that “It’s true I insulted the referee after the game. It was in the heat of the moment.”

I am not sure where I am going with this, so I will shut up for now and go blame myself for many football conventions I once defended or believed in.

PROOF: Mourinho waiting at the referee's exit to confront him

FC Barcelona Fans: The Ten Commandments

1. Thou shalt have no other teams before Futbol Club Barcelona
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image but the crest
3. Thou shalt not take the name of Guardiola in vain
4. Remember the sextuple, to keep it holy
5. Honor Joan Gamper and Johan Cruyff
6. Thou shalt not love “That” white team
7. Thou shalt not commit suicide when a game is lost
8. Thou shalt not attack the referees
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against La Masia players
10. Thou shalt not covet titles of other teams

Barcelona Crest

El Clasico: The Copa Del Rey Encounter (4/6)

While SKY Sports already established the English Premier League as the best in the universe, the world will ignore that on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 21:00 GMT; yet again. It is El Clasico time, where Real Madrid and Barcelona will meet for the fourth time this season. This match will be for the first leg of the quarter final stage of the Copa Del Rey. It will be played in the Santiago Bernabéu and led by referee Muñiz Fernández. Second leg will be on January 25, 2012 in Camp Nou.

The last time the two teams met in the Copa Del Rey was in the final of the competition in 2011 where Real Madrid won 1-0 to grab the cup, only for Ramos to drop it. However, the last times both teams met this season, Barcelona won 3-1 away from home.

The last time Ramos touched the cup before throwing it under the bus

This encounter will be one of the ugliest out of possible EIGHT El Clasico matches. Now do not be shocked, it will be ugly and everyone should be prepared for that. Barcelona are already behind in the league race, and their form has not been at its best, while Real Madrid have been sort of wasteful recently when it comes to defending. I will not go analyzing and previewing what will happen and how each team will play, but I will leave you with some quick notes:

• Stats from the past 3 games this season: 13 goals, 20 yellow cards, 3 red cards, 1 draw, 2 wins, 319 punches, 256 “F Words”, and 17 mentions of Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother.
• Messi will play his 300^th official game for Barcelona. He already scored 213 goals in the past 299, and 13 goals in 13 El Clasicos, since his debut on October 16, 2004. However, Messi never scored in the Copa del Rey against Real Madrid.
• Guardiola will celebrate his 41^st birthday on the day of the game. He was born on January 18, 1971 and this is his El Clasico number 13: 8 wins – 3 draws – 1 loss. A birthday win would be the best gift, unless Mourinho brings him a bottle of wine to top it.
• Barcelona has only 17 first team players available for the match, if we consider Cuenca. Afellay, Villa, and Fontas are injured, Keita is away on international duty, and Pedro is a doubt. “Whistling” Pinto will be the goalkeeper starting the match and not Valdes.
• Real Madrid will be without Khedira and Arbeloa, while di Maria is a doubt. Other than that, every player is fit and eager to play. Watch out for Pepe; he sees blood.
• Diving will be one of the match’s highlights, and the nominees so far are: Cristiano Ronaldo, Busquets, and Alexis.
• Jose Mourinho stated that ”if someone criticizes Cristiano Ronaldo, he has a problem with me.” Surely then, we will witness a couple of eye poking incidents and Karanka will replace his mentor in the post-match press conference.

Whatever happens in the Bernabéu there is one sure thing: two more El Clasico encounters will follow. We shall label this one as 4/6 for now, as six encounters are confirmed awaiting a possible additional 2 in the Champions League.

Pinto, getting ready for tomorrow's Clásico, Predator-style (via @BarcaTheOffside)