El Clasico Watch Party Special Guest – Barça Legend Patrick Kluivert.

 

This weekend’s El Clasico will be a special one for the Miami Blaugrana Penya. Courtesy of ESPN+, former Blaugrana star Patrick Kluivert will be making an appearance at 77 Sportbar where fans can meet and have their photos taken with the Dutch and Barça legend and with the Spanish league trophy and the official Spanish league ball.

Patrick Kluivert was in Amsterdam Holland where he was an Ajax Amsterdam youth graduate. Kluivert made worldwide headlines when, at the age of 18, he scored the game winner for Ajax in 1995 UEFA Champions League Final against AC Milan. To this day, he is still the youngest goal scorer in Champions League Finals history.

Kluivert joined Milan in 1997 and a year later, he joined FC Barcelona where he would go on to play for the Blaugrana for six seasons. He helped Barça win the league title in 1998 and overall, he would go on to score 122 goals in all competitions for the Blaugrana.

At the time when he joined Barça, Kluivert was a feared striker who also excelled for the Dutch national team who reached the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 tournaments. He was joint top scorer at Euro 2000 with five goals.

Unfortunately, Kluivert’s time with the club coincided during a horrible time for the club, where success was scarce. Nonetheless, he was also there to usher in the new era of success for Barça. Kluivert was one of the veterans of the 2003-2004, alongside Luis Enrique, Phillip Cocu, and Marc Overmars and the new signings of Ronaldinho, Rafa Marquez and Giovanni van Bronckhorst while the likes of Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta and Víctor Valdés got to blossom and combined helped kickstart an era of success that would soon follow.

Barça had a nightmare start to their 2003-2004 season that saw them lose 1-2 to Real Madrid at the Camp Nou in a league match for the first time in 29 years. Kluivert scored Barça’s lone goal that night. Barça were struggling and were nowhere near the top four in La Liga. However, the wind of changes commenced on January 25, 2004 when Barça defeated Sevilla away 1-0 with Kluivert being the goal scoring hero after scoring a remarkable header goal. The team would go on a 9-game winning streak and ultimately enjoy a 17-game unbeaten league streak during the second half of the season. That streak also featured Barça’s come from behind 2-1 win against Real Madrid in the Spanish capital with Kluivert scoring the equalizer header goal before the current Barça manager, Xavi, scored the game winner.

Barça would come up just short and finish second that season and Kluivert would leave the club and join Newcastle United. However, for those who watched Kluivert play for Barça, we got to see a spectacular speedy striker who was dangerous in the air and with his feet and also was a superb playmaker who assisted the likes of Rivaldo and Luis Enrique. My all-time favorite Barça performance from Patrick Kluivert was in the Blaugrana’s 5-1 extra-time victory over Chelsea in the 1999-2000 Champions League second leg of the Quarterfinals where he struck the woodwork twice, had a goal disallowed after he was fouled inside the box and the referee decided to award a penalty instead, before scoring the club’s fifth goal from another memorable header.

After retiring from the game, Kluivert has coached and was the club’s academy director for the last couple of years. He also features for the Barcelona Legends team. Miami Blaugrana Penya is honored that Patrick Kluivert will be making an appearance at 77 Sportbar where fans can meet and have their photos taken with the Dutch and Barça legend and with the Spanish league trophy and the official Spanish league ball.

Barça’s Historic Clásico Victories in Madrid.

 

Barça’s demolition of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu was a thing of beauty. Even though it was not a “Manita,” it still ranks as one of the greatest wins on enemy ground.

Barça’s 4-0 win against Real Madrid was surprising and very pleasant for the Blaugrana faithful. It was one sided as Barça dominated their arch enemy on enemy grounds. We are used to seeing the Blaugrana clobber their arch enemy at the Camp Nou, but at the Bernabéu, well that’s a different story.

 

There’s the Johan Cruyff inspired5-0 victory during the 1974-1975 season which was one of the first “Manita” in recent history. Barça would claim another “Manita” during the “Dream Team” era but that took place at the Camp Nou. That team was managed Johan Cruyff.

 

The next big victory on enemy ground would take place during the 1998-1999 season. Barça were victorious in a back and forth encounter that ended in 2-3. Current Barça manager Luis Enrique scored the team’s second with the Brazilians Rivaldo scoring the opener and Giovanni scoring the game winner. This game is also remembered for the “Butifarra” goal celebration by Giovanni after he scored what ended up being the goal winner and thereby infuriating the Madrid fan base.

Ten years ago, we would see the Madrid fans give a standing applause to a Barça legend. Barça defeated Real Madrid 3-0 with Eto’o scoring the opener before Ronaldinho scored a brace in the second half. It was a one sided affair and the match is mostly remembered by Ronaldinho’s display of magic as he scored two amazing goals. After Ronaldinho scored his second goal, some Madrid fans got out of their seats to applaud the player. This was an act that had not occurred since Maradona’s goal in the 2-2 draw in the first leg of the 1982-1983 defunct League Cup.

Nevertheless, the most memorable result is the 2-6 victory during the 2008-2009 treble season. The buildup to this match was immense with both teams neck and neck in the standings and the league title was bound for whoever would win this match. Madrid took the lead before Barça scored three unanswered goals through Henry, Puyol and Messi. Madrid pulled one back early in the second half to make it 2-3 before Barça scored three another unanswered goals through Henry, Messi and Pique.

Pique was furious when Munir scoffed his chance at scoring the fifth goal during the last Clásico. Barça’s 4-0 win was too easy from the opening whistle and that was with Messi on the bench. Suárez and Neymar scored the first two goals in the first half before Iniesta and Suárez scored the other two goals in the second half. It could have been, and should have been, five had Munir converted on his chances or left his first chance to Pique to score from close range.

Those results are Barça’s “Manita” of big wins on their arch enemy’s grounds in recent history. Which one is your favorite?

Bravo Barça but Room for Improvement Still Exists.

FC Barcelona got their revenge against Real Madrid and keep making 2015 a memorable year. However, there’s still room for improvement for Barça.

It always feels good whenever our Blaugrana win El Clásico. It’s even better when it’s at the Camp Nou towards the end of the season. It’s even better when the victory means Barça now have a four point lead atop of the league standings. It’s still premature to talk about a possible treble but they do control their destiny for the league crown and it was announced today that the Camp Nou will be the venue for the Copa del Rey Final which only enhances their chances. Additionally, their opponents in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals will be PSG, so Barça will get to face a familiar foe in their quest for the Champions League title.

Nevertheless, Barça’s performance, as good as it was in El Clásico, still has room for improvement. One of the big concerns this team has dealt with during the season is of them not being cutthroat enough. During the game, Barça squandered numerous scoring chances to add to their lead. There was the Neymar miss moments before Real Madrid equalized and then the squandered chance after being up 2-1 to put this game to bed. Barça already should have learned from their missed penalties against City and Villarreal but nonetheless, they kept missing chances and allowed Real Madrid to stay alive in the game.

This penchant for not finishing teams off needs to be improved if they want to make it to the Champions League Final. Goals are a precious commodity in the knock out stages so they can ill afford to miss scoring chances or else they will suffer an ugly fate such as their elimination by the hands of Chelsea back in 2011-2012 Champions League Semi-Finals. When the game is close, Barça cannot miss chances to add to their lead or else one slip up and suddenly Barça are the ones leaving the party early.

Additionally, as good as Barça’s defending is on set pieces, they still continue to concede goals. Since the New Year, Barça have kept clean sheets in just four league matches. Furthermore, they have only had two consecutive matches with clean sheets and that was back in January. Now it’s true they have conceded the fewest amounts of goals in the league, but since February, they have only kept two clean sheets in all competitions. Bad habits can become a trend if this is not addressed just as the team is heading down the homestretch.

The international break will give Luis Enrique and his staff ample time to go over these issues and keep working on keeping their players fit and ready. One can hope that the players did not let this result get them carried away in thinking that there is no need for improvement. Neymar’s form lately has been off and reminiscent of his drop in form last season too. We cannot have the likes of him and others suddenly not hitting all cylinders. Lucho will have his work cut out for him in making sure everyone’s form is superb for these next two months. Until then, savor the flavor and then get back to work when the players come back from international break.

Redemption for Barça.

FC Barcelona got to exact revenge on Real Madrid for their loss earlier in the season and in the process, increased their lead atop of the standings to four points. The victory was a boost to the confidence of the Blaugrana and redemption for some.

When Barça lost in the Spanish capital to Real Madrid during week 9, Barça had a one point lead atop of the standings. They would soon lose the top spot to Madrid and struggle the rest of the 2014. They started 2015 off horribly when they lost away to Real Sociedad. Things changed from then on but there was still some doubt about Barça heading into this weekend’s Clásico.

This match was redemption for Luis Enrique and for some of his players. For the manager, many, including myself, criticized his unpredictable approach to coaching this team following that loss. He opted to keep his starting eleven a secret till right before kickoff and his tactics were all wrong after Real Madrid simply had their way against Barça. Fortunately, he got it right this time, now that he has settled on a starting eleven, following the urging from some of the players to stick with a consistent lineup after the fallout from that Real Sociedad loss. Since then, the team has played better than before and even a recent loss to Malaga at the Camp Nou did not create a sense of panic among the fans. Bad days happen and the Malaga loss was seen as a minor hiccup. Real Madrid sputtering at the same time probably helped keep the mood calm in Barcelona.

Credit is due to Luis Enrique and his assistant, Juan Carlos Unzué, for improving this team from last season’s team in terms of fitness and how to attack/defend set pieces. There’s no doubt that the level of intensity that Lucho brought to this team’ training sessions has been significant compared to the light training sessions under Martino last season. The opening goal from Mathieu was a set piece designed by Unzué who could not hide his happiness during the goal celebrations. It was reminiscent of the Guardiola times where the late Tito Vilanova designed set pieces and Puyol scored one of his trademark header goals against Real Madrid after Xavi recommended a minor change to Tito in the plans. The communication between manager and players have improved and the payoff has been on full display ever since.

Another player who gained some redemption from El Clásico was Jeremy Mathieu. In the first Clásico, Luis Enrique started the Frenchman as a left back in place of Jordi Alba. His performance was poor that day and he raised some eyebrows when he stated that he was surprised that the manager picked him as a left back on game day. That suggested that Luis Enrique did not train the team to play with Mathieu as the left back nor give him ample time to mentally prepare for the role. Fortunately, Mathieu got to start the second Clásico, this time as a center back, and not only did he play well on defense; he even got to score! I can’t think of a better way for someone to redeem themselves in such situation.

This match was also redemption of some sorts for Pique, Rakitic, Claudio Bravo and Luis Suarez. Pique has taken abuse over the past few years for his inconsistent form but he was bossing the back four during Barça’s win against their arch rivals. Although he did not score, Rakitic put in a superb performance to make up for that poor appearance as a substitute in the first Clásico where his awful corner kick, also his first touch in the game, resulted in a counter attack goal for Los Blancos. For Claudio Bravo, this was his first taste of victory against Real Madrid during his time in the Spanish league and made some key saves too.

Finally, the other star seeking redemption was Luis Suarez. His signing created some controversy and discontent amongst fans following his World Cup biting incident. His first competitive Barça appearance was in the first Clásico where he assisted on a Neymar goal early into the match before he was subbed off later because he lacked match fitness. It took him some time but the Uruguayan has found his scoring boots and has played a key role in the Barça transformation. After a difficult summer, scoring a game winner in a game of this magnitude goes a long way over winning over the hearts of the doubtful Blaugrana faithful.

Ultimately, we cannot conclude this without mentioning Messi. He was somewhat silent in the first half as he played wide. Yet, it was his free kick that Mathieu nodded in for the opening goal. In the second half, he playing in the center of the pitch which helped the midfield out and after Luis Suarez’s goal, he along with Neymar and Luis terrorized Madrid’s tired team with dangerous counter attacks. He has been amazing in 2015 and we hope he can keep it up down the stretch.

The fact they squandered so many golden chances in the final 20 minutes of the match will give Luis Enrique something to discuss at the next team meeting. They cannot afford to squander these types of chances, especially one such as the Neymar missed opportunity that saw Madrid score moments later. There is room for improvement and a result like this will keep the players’ egos grounded which might not be the case if the score ended 4-1. Ten games left in the league but at least Barça control their own destiny even with Madrid, Valencia and Atlético in pursuit.

Time for Barça to be Ruthless Again.

Another big test for Barça is at hand today when the exciting Clásico rears its head again. Barça have Real Madrid right where they want them but can they be ruthless and finish them off?

Back in October, that gut-wrenching 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Spanish capital left a lingering taste of disappointment in Luis Enrique and the Blaugrana players. We knew Barça were good but we were not sure if this team had the intestinal fortitude to be great. Times have changed since then.

Barça have had a superb 2015 with outstanding overall performances in all three competitions thus far. They got a favorable draw on Friday when they got paired with PSG for the Champions League Quarter-Finals while Real Madrid got paired with Atlético Madrid. Talks of a treble are still premature and part of it is because of this match today.

Barça’s recent history against Real Madrid has been something of a yo-yo, especially at the Camp Nou. Since the 2010-2011 season, Barça have won 2 of their 4 matches at the Camp Nou in league Clásicos. Today will be their fifth league home match of the decade. A win today would put them four points ahead of Real Madrid with ten games to go. A win today would also put more pressure on Real Madrid and their manager Carlo Ancelotti and would put Los Blancos in disarray.

Barça have squandered precious moments like this in the past where they had their foot on Real Madrid’s neck and somehow allowed them to get back up and gain some momentum. Today is another test to see if they can add more to Real Madrid’s misery or will they somehow stumble and give their arch rivals a boost to their self-confidence. Barça must become ruthless again and begin exerting their dominance against their rivals much like they had under Pep during his first three seasons as Barça manager. Today will be a telling sign if Barça can be that ruthless again and finish off Real Madrid.

Time for Barça to Deliver.

For the third time this season, FC Barcelona have been presented with a chance to regain the top spot of the Spanish league back from Real Madrid. Now is the time for Barça to make a statement by taking back the top spot.

Once again, FC Barcelona have a shot of overtaking Real Madrid for first place in the league standings. After losing the top spot to their arch rivals, they were presented with opportunities to regain it in 2015. The first two times were against Real Sociedad and then Malaga where they could have been in first place on a temporary basis. Unfortunately, they lost both times.

So is third time’s the charm? Real Madrid lost to Athletic Club today and remain two points ahead of Barça. Thus, a victory tomorrow for the Blaugrana at the Camp Nou against Rayo Vallecano means Barça will be league leaders again. They can ill afford a slip up and waste a golden chance like this for third time this season.

El Clásico is only a couple of weeks away. If Barça are victorious tomorrow, then they have a chance of keeping their lead and increasing it with a victory against Real Madrid. However, Barça needs to take it one game at a time, especially with an away match to Eibar and a second leg against Manchester City only a few days before El Clásico. Nonetheless, now is the time for Barça to deliver. Failure to beat Rayo Vallecano tomorrow and regain the top spot would be disappointing. Golden chances like this must be taken by Barça and the team must deliver tomorrow.

Barça Need to Get Back on Track.

Following consecutive defeats that saw them relinquish their top spot in the league standings, Barça are back in action with an away clash in Holland against Ajax Amsterdam. Luis Enrique has faced the music following his side’s disappointing performances against Real Madrid and Celta Vigo, and must get this team back on track or risk more pressure and criticism.

Lucho discovered how hot that seats gets in the Barça dugout. At one point, Barça were atop of the league standings with a commanding 6 point cushion ahead of Real Madrid. Now, they are in fourth place in the league and second in their Champions League group stage. Barça must taste victory today against Ajax Amsterdam to keep their pursuit of PSG for the top spot of their Champions League group and not be seeded second for the knock out stages.

Lucho was brought in to improve their style of play but that has not happened. Barça have been conceding goals in similar fashion as they have been the past two seasons. That 4-0 drubbing by Bayern still stings and we have seen this team struggle against teams ready to apply the pressure and be in front of Barça’s players’ noses ever since that heavy defeat. Barça used to be the one putting the squeeze on others by constantly pressuring  their opponents and winning the ball back. Now, they are on the receiving end of such treatment.

Lucho needs to abandon this tactic of playing fullbacks up front and having midfielders cover for them on the flanks while Busquets is left alone in the middle of the pitch as if he is on a deserted island. Barça needs to go back to the basics that made them successful. It is time to go back to the 4-3-3 and have players nearby to create a triangle formation where three teammates are nearby to help each other out. The occasional long ball is fine to keep the opponents honest with their off sides trap but the bread and butter of this team has been their style of one touch passes that we no longer see.

It’s also time to make every player work hard and be held accountable. Players must pressure to win the ball back and punish those who are sloppy. It’s also time to let the younger players play such as Bartra, Montoya, Sandro, and Sergi Samper. Mascherano was killed by Benzema and Celta Vigo’s goal came after he left his spot to contest a ball in the air, which he lost, and moments later, his absence was exploited for the goal. Dani Alves and Pique are a shadow of what they were five years ago and not sure how much longer they can be trusted. Busquets seems hurt or not at 100% so allow Mascherano and Sergi Samper to play his position while letting Rafinha and Rakitic play in place of the injured Iniesta and the aged veteran Xavi in the starting lineup.

The front three are slowly clicking but Lucho is wasting Messi by playing him farther and farther from the box. Keep him close to the box where and his teammates can work on their quick one touch passes much like the way they scored that Messi goal against PSG. Barça’s formula always worked as long as the right players are playing. The fact is we saw a Barça side play against Real Madrid with the same midfield from 2008-2009 and majority of the same players from last season’s Clásico.  That’s not progress but relying on the old guard yet again. Some will say that the club’s loss to Celta Vigo was unlucky since they hit the woodwork four times. We have seen them hit the woodwork often since the Chelsea elimination under Pep. That’s not luck, that’s a trend, or a bad habit, from not being clinical enough up front to go along with the poor defending from the back. Luck is no excuse since these are bad habits.

It’s still early in the season but with the way the club is losing off the pitch with their cases against Laporta and FIFA, they can ill afford to lose on the pitch. The pressure is on Lucho and he needs to take things back to basic or he will be in for a long season with us right beside him in anger.

Barça’s Nightmare in the Santiago Bernabéu.

Barça’s trip to Madrid under first year manager Luis Enrique was a nightmare for both team and manager. Mistakes in tactics and his reaction in the aftermath has some Blaugrana fans concerned about the team’s future. The good news is that Barça is still in first place but the question is for how long?

Luis Enrique’s first visit to the Santiago Bernabéu as a Barça manager made for great stories. However, his past was irrelevant since he managed at this venue for Celta Vigo last season. Barça came to the Spanish capital with a four point lead and were looking to expand it to seven. Luis Enrique opted to start Mathieu over Jordi Alba and the same midfield trio of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta while giving Luis Suarez his first competitive start with Neymar and Messi.

The first El Clásico of the year started off with a bang for Barça but soon ended with a thud. It didn’t take long for Suarez’s to make his presence felt after delivering a superb pass to set up Neymar for the opening goal four minutes into the match. He also set up Messi on a great scoring chance which forced Casillas to pull off a great save to deny Messi from doubling their lead. For Blaugrana fans, there was not much left to remember from this match. Barça seemed like pedestrians out there after Madrid had a 2-1 lead that grew into a 3-1 lead.

I had expressed some reservations, or concerns if you would like, about Luis Enrique. This was his second test after that defeat to PSG and sadly, he failed this test too.  Lucho’s “Plan A” has flattered to deceive and there were doubts if there actually was a genuine “Plan B”. Well, “Plan A” sputtered to create many chances and the team seemed to fade away in the second half. “Plan B” was never presented for us to reflect on. The plan of attack was for the fullbacks to attack down the wings and have the midfielders cover for them. The only problem was Lucho had the wrong personnel to put this plan into action. Xavi and Iniesta are not the same as they were back in 2008-2009 season. Lots of games and age will do that to a player’s body. Alves was not an offensive factor and only defended well when Madrid sat back while Mathieu tried his best but was abysmal in the final third of the pitch. It was asking a lot for Busquets to cover all that exposed space seeing as he is not known as a fast player and so soon after recovering from an injury.

I also addressed my concerns about the defending of this team. The clean sheet records was one of the biggest misleading statistics coming into this match. Barça kept clean sheets but their defending left much to desire. For some seasons now, Barça have been plagued with subpar defending stemming from mistakes and lack of personnel. Lucho opted to go with Pique and Mascherano as center backs, ignoring what had transpired in the last league Clásico that was played in the same venue. I had warned that Benzema was a threat, especially after he terrorized Barça last season when he scored two goals in the first half in this stadium and could have had more in that game. So it came as no surprise that he scored yet again following a mix up between Iniesta and Mascherano that resulted in a counter attack from which Benzema scored his fifth league Clásico goal at home. Pique’s clumsiness resulted in a penalty for handling the ball while sloppy defending resulted in Pepe being left unmarked during a corner kick goal.

The 3-1 loss left a bitter taste for the Blaugrana faithful. Lucho was supposed to usher in a new era but instead, we saw flashbacks to eliminations by the hands of Bayern and Atlético. Fans weren’t happy and the media was ready to pounce on Lucho. We all thought the nightmare ended in Madrid but Lucho’s press conference yesterday just prolonged it.

When confronted by the media, Lucho went on the defensive. His answers regarding Messi allegedly taking injections, Vermaelen’s recovery, and Mathieu’s statement that he was surprised to find out he was going to start as a left back, were poorly dealt. He should have dealt with those questions with calm but instead came off annoyed. This was the last thing we needed following the defeat to Real Madrid.

Personally, I had some concerns with Mathieu’s statement that he was surprised that he going to start as a left back. Lucho had mentioned before that he would inform which goalkeeper was going to start the match two hours prior to kickoff. One can hope that Lucho did do the same in a game of this magnitude. Based on what I saw from Mathieu, where he seemed to struggle to whip in a cross, did Lucho try this out in training to see how he would perform offensively? Only time will tell if Lucho is an enigma or man with a plan.

This disappointing defeat to Real Madrid meant that Barça are still in first place with a tough schedule ahead along with teams breathing down their necks. They will be hosting Celta Vigo and Sevilla and traveling to Valencia along with traveling to Amsterdam and Cyprus to face Ajax and APOEL this month. Lucho has failed his first two big tests. This month will be his third test. Will he be able to keep his team atop of the league standings and will he ensure his team will get maximum points in those two Champions League encounters for the decisive final  match against PSG that will decide who will win the group?

I know it’s early into the season and I am a firm believer of it’s not how you start, but it’s how you finish. Lucho has time on his side but what he does not have, is the patience of fans that are waiting to be impressed on a consistent basis.

Issues for Barça to address ahead of El Clásico.

Well, it’s that time again when most of the world stops to enjoy El Clásico. Barça travel to Madrid Saturday to face their arch rival Real Madrid. Barça sit atop of the standings with a four point advantage over Los Blancos. A win on Saturday would give them a beneficial seven point lead. However, this game seems to raise more concern than hope for some of the Blaugrana faithful with some issues that need to be addressed.

Luis Enrique’s era has been superb with the minor hiccup against Malaga and disappointing showing against Paris Saint-Germaine.  He heads to the Santiago Bernabéu with a four point cushion over his rival, Carlos Ancelotti. Last season, Tata Martino and the players departed the same stadium as victors following their 4-3 victory. The task at hand is for the manager and players to leave the stadium with a victory.

There’s no debating that this team is still a work in progress. The defending has been shaky at best with Pique still inconsistent, Bartra still lacking experience while Mathieu is recovering a knock. The full backs are such an important part of the offense since Lucho prefers to rely on these players than wingers but that also exposes the defense.  Who will start in the back four is everyone’s guess and unlike Tata, Lucho will not allow the media to be present for the whole training to publicize the starting lineup later on.

The other issue is what is Lucho’s Plan A? Finally, Luis Suarez will be allowed to play with the team, hence why it is a work in progress. Will we finally get to see Lucho’s Plan A come to fruition? The other concern is if Plan A is not working, what is the Plan B? The draw against Malaga showed us that Lucho’s strategy was to replace a player with another player who plays in the same role. Swapping out players is not exactly a great back up plan and his 3-4-3 Plan B against PSG did not convince many.

This is only Match Day 9 but a win goes a long way in ensuring Barça have a good grasp on the league crown with a commanding seven point lead. A loss means Barça will have Real Madrid, Atletico, Valencia and even Sevilla breathing down their necks.  Nevertheless, time has shown us to expect the unexpected when it comes to this game and I can never doubt these players in winning at the Santiago Bernabéu.  Need I remind you that ever since that embarrassing 4-1 loss in Madrid back in 2007-2008 season, Barça have only lost once in that stadium over the years with four wins and a draw in league play. Will Saturday make it a fifth for a Manita?

El Clásico: Evaluation Time for both Barça and Real Madrid.

Following just eight matches, El Clásico rears its heads for both Barça and Madrid. Both clubs have had their tests already but this is their mid-term exam. Have both teams addressed what their teams are lacking or is still there work to do? Come Saturday, we will know if there will be more questions or answers presented to the world.

This Saturday is Lucho’s mid-term exam, or evaluation, as Barça’s manager. Thus far, Barça are currently league leaders, four points ahead of Real Madrid and are in second place in their Champions League group stage. They have yet to concede a goal in league play but have conceded four in Champions League play. Lucho’s first test was during the September stretch where Barça drew with Malaga and lost to PSG. Lucho’s tactics came into question during that time where it was believed his Plan A was inadequate and his Plan B was non-existent. Merely swapping players in similar positions is not a Plan B. However, we are still unsure of his Plan A since he still has not had use of all his players. That will change this Saturday.

Contrary to the insistence of the Madrid press that Luis Suarez cannot play this Saturday, the Uruguayan international is set to make his first competitive debut for Barça in the biggest game possible. Perhaps we will see Lucho’s Plan A after all now that he has Messi, Neymar and Suarez available. I am curious to see what Lucho plans to do with “The South American Connection” on Saturday. Messi and Neymar are in fine form heading into this game so will Lucho start with Suarez and play him for 45-60 minutes or go with Pedro and then bring him on as a second half sub? My big concern is how will he react when he meets the likes of Pepe and not lose his head if confronted. I am also curious to see how Suarez’s inclusion will affect the rest of the team. Will the defense be less shaky now that he’s there and not rely too much on the fullbacks attacking? Even though Barça has yet to concede a goal in league play, they came close to on several occasions. Lucho has to wonder which of his players will center the heart of the defense along with Dani Alves and Jordi Alba. Lucho needs to figure out if Mascherano should start ahead of Busquets who has recovered from a hip injury.

Meanwhile, Madrid have had a “Más o menos“ start to the season. They did win the UEFA Super Cup but lost the Supercopa against Atlético. They also suffered a hiccup of their own when they squandered a two goal lead after allowing Real Sociedad to score four unanswered goals in a 4-2 loss. Real Madrid also didn’t do so well on their first big test when they lost to Atlético in the Santiago Bernabéu back in September. This was the third consecutive time that Ancelotti could not defeat Atlético in league play. He has yet to taste victory against Atlético or Barça in league play and one wonders what pressure he will face if he loses to Barça at home again and Los Blancos find themselves four points behind.

The other issue for Madrid is whether or not they are a better team without Alonso and Di Maria. Alonso gave them the bite they needed in the midfield while Di Maria was sensational and their workhorse down the stretch. Hands down, Di Maria was their best player towards the end of the season. Now, both are gone, along with Diego Lopez, and one has to wonder if this Madrid team has the proper team to face Barça. Are they too finesse or can they, especially Kroos, Rodriguez and Modric, defend and win the ball back without the likes of Alonso present? The fact that some consider Bale’s absence, through injury, a blessing since this means Isco can play, says something. As good as Bale is offensively, he does hurt this team defensively.

Speaking of defense, Madrid have conceded more goals, nine, than all the other top six teams in the league and have allowed far too many scoring chances than they should have. So both Barça and Madrid have their work cut out for them on the defensive side of the pitch. One wonders if this will be a box to box goal fest or will both sides be a bit conservative in their style to protect themselves?

Of course, for many, Saturday means it is Messi vs Ronaldo again. Both are gunning to be the best and to be the best, you have to win. I’ve said all that has to be said about Messi. Words cannot adequately describe what he has accomplished for Barça and Argentina. He has a shot at becoming La Liga’s all-time goal scorer and what better venue to do that then at the Santiago Bernabéu. He surpassed Di Stefano as the all-time top scorer in El Clásico in Madrid last season, so can he also surpass Zarra and become all-time scorer in league history in the same venue this Saturday?

Ronaldo is also one of the most dangerous goal scorers I have ever seen and is lethal when surrounded by the right talent. Now, ever since Ronaldo joined Real Madrid, his team has won only once on home soil in league play. Barça on the other hand have won three times at the Santiago Bernabéu during that same span. I, however think the player that Barça need to watch out for is Benzema. He has scored four goals against the Blaugrana on home soil from open play, while Ronaldo has only two goals, both from the spot. Benzema is a vital player for this team, even if he is not scoring. His presence is a cause of concern for defenders and last season, he could have scored a hat trick and more in the first half alone against Barça. Will Barça be ready to deal with him this time?

As a Barça fan, I am not sure what will happen on Saturday. I recall them losing 4-1 in this stadium the year they won the Champions League title in 2006, and they won at this stadium under Tata Martino last season. I do believe they can win at the Santiago Bernabéu. Last season, Iniesta said, “It’s hard to believe there are Barça fans who don’t believe in us. This team has won the right to the fans’ trust – sure we’ve had off days, but nobody should think Madrid are going to find us an easy prospect”. Well said Iniesta and here’s hoping that there is no off day in Madrid come Saturday.

A Decade of Messi Brilliance.

Today marks the ten year anniversary of Lionel Messi’s debut with FC Barcelona’s first team. For us Barça fans, that decade has left us in deep awe and admiration and hopeful of what else does Messi have left in his bag of tricks. Overall, his brilliance has been a rare blessing for this club that should be treasured forever.

A decade since Messi’s debut. Where do you start? The goals, success and honors on his Wikipedia page reads like page taken from an encyclopedia. Can you imagine how that will look like when he retires? Messi is only 27 and has many years ahead of him as long as he avoids injuries, stays in shape and avoids vices; something that affected other greats such as Marco van Basten, Ronaldo and George Best. Messi has had his early problems of injuries that he has gotten over thanks to change of diet, courtesy of Pep Guardiola, and better conditioning.

Messi’s genius has been on display ever since he came on the scene on this day ten years ago. FC Barcelona’s official website has a nice page with a timeline dedicated to Messi’s greatness. He seemed to be a quick winger which reminded me of Marc Overmars but his talent was too good and it was easy for Frank Rijkaard to put him in the starting lineup ahead of Guily back early into the 2004-2005 season. He was such an unknown that trading card companies mistakenly identified him as Luis Leonardo Messi as indicated in my FC Barcelona trading cards collection.

Nevertheless, that first aha moment where you saw something special in Messi varies among fans. Some were impressed in the Gamper Trofeo match against Juventus. Others, it was the memorable hat trick against Real Madrid in that 3-3 draw at the Camp Nou or the unforgettable Copa del Rey goal against Getafe reminiscent of Maradona’s goal against England that showed that this diamond in the rough was something special.

However, for me, it was the next goal he scored following his Real Madrid hat trick. It’s hard to believe that he had only scored less than 30 goals for both club and country at the time he scored that hat trick. For me, it was his goal against Recreativo that same season that made me think this was guy was something special. Don’t get me wrong, that performance against Real Madrid was superb and the passion in that game does usually bring out the best in everybody. However, the moment that showed me of things to come was his goal against Recreativo soon afterwards.

That goal showed early glimpses of his tenacity of winning the ball off a player near the opponent’s box and the ease in how he glided past players in a way you usually see in EA FIFA games. Back then, the EA FIFA games were not that realistic so it was easy for you to have a player dribble past numerous players with ease. For me, it was life imitating Electronic Arts and oddly enough, he’s now the face of those EA FIFA games. Since then, Messi has made those types of plays seem routine and look so easy and at the same time, mind blowing all at once. The goal he scored in the old San Mames stadium that basically won Barça their last league title in 2012-2013 is a perfect example of those goals we have seen from Messi and he did it again recently against Hong Kong a few days ago.

Since that debut ten years ago, Messi has written a new chapter in both Barça and football history books. He has amazed us and the neutrals and inspired many haters; a sure sign you’ve made it. He has done everything imaginable for both club and country. Gone are the days when people would say the next Maradona and I was surprised when I read a young player, Martin Odegaard, being called the “The Next Messi”. How times have changed and need I remind you again, he is only 27. The sky’s the limits for this amazing player who has made watching him represent club or country an event in other cities and countries.

So as we celebrate his decade of brilliance, Barça fans can only hope the club does not neglect this amazing player who has changed the club’s history. They must continue to build around him and ensure the team is led by him. They must ensure they hire the right type of people to coach him and most importantly, learn from their mistake with Pep Guardiola, and support him in every way imaginable. Messi has done everything for the club for the past 10 years and the least the club can do is ensure that this magical number 10 can remain with the club for another 5-10 years.

Last Hurrah For Barça.

El Clásico is upon us once again and since we’re nearing the final stretch of the season, it means more of these clashes are possibly around the corner. The Copa del Rey final is definitely on the books but if the eternal enemies do not meet in European competition, then for some of the core veterans of the Blaugrana, this will be their last ever visit to the Santiago Bernabéu in this sort of fixture. Furthermore, this could be their final quest for honours before they leave the Blaugrana.

Back in October, I discussed how rare it was to see managers face each other in El Clásico during their first year in charge. At the time, Barça were in first place and were being hunted. Fast-forward to today however, and Barça are now the hunters. The roles have been reversed with Barça and Tata facing an uphill climb to get back to the top of the mountain and figure out a system while Real Madrid are league leaders thanks to an amazing unbeaten run and Ancelotti seems to have settled on a formation that suits his players well.

Tomorrow’s clash at the Bernabéu reminds me of 2003-2004 as well. Barça were the visitors and were behind Real Madrid, who were also behind Valencia in a three team race for the league crown. Back on that April day, Barça came back from being a goal down and left the Spanish capital as victors. For many, that was considered the dawn of a new era for the Blaugrana and the signaled the beginning of the demise of Los Galacticos.

If this team wants to continue its run at winning more trophies which kicked off from that victory, with the minor hiccups in between, then it has to start tomorrow with a win. Unlike Ancelotti, I do believe tomorrow will decide the league. A loss by the Blaugrana and it’s over for them but a victory makes it a three way race with only 9 matches left. I understand that there will be 27 points up for grabs even if Barça lose and fall seven points back. However, I also don’t see Madrid dropping seven points. A draw would be somewhat anti-climactic but would keep the league interesting. However, both teams are gunning for a victory and also make a statement.

That is why tomorrow’s game for Barça means a lot. It’s not just to stay in the hunt for the league. It’s more than that; it’s also about making sure this collection of players enjoy one last hurrah before some of them ride off into the sunset. Wind of changes are swirling and headed towards Barcelona so for these guys, it very well could be their last journey together. For this Cule, I hope they make it worthwhile and one to remember.

First Clásico For Big Two Managers.

For the first time in a decade, we are about to witness El Clásico featuring managers in their first ever El Clásico. Gerardo “Tata” Martino and his side will host Carlo Ancelotti this weekend in what will be their first ever encounter as managers of the big two clubs in Spain. As both men prepare their teams for this upcoming clash of arch rivals, one manager seems to have his team playing the way he wants to play while another is juggling between finding the right system and lineup of his liking.

For the first time in a decade, we are about to witness El Clásico featuring managers in their first ever El Clásico. Gerardo “Tata” Martino and his side will host Carlo Ancelotti this weekend in what will be their first ever encounter as managers of the big two clubs in Spain. As both men prepare their teams for this upcoming clash of arch rivals, one manager seems to have his team playing the way he wants to play while another is juggling between finding the right system and lineup of his liking.

Even though both clubs have went through managers over the past few years, this upcoming Clásico will feature for the first time in a decade new managers for both clubs. Although 2008-2009 season saw Pep Guardiola face Juande Ramos, Ramos was hired  with only a few days to prepare for El Clasico. You have to go back to first year of the Frank Rijkaard era when he tried to match wits against Real Madrid’s new manager, Carlos Queiroz. Both managers had a proper summer to prepare their teams. By the time El Clasico rolled around, Rijkaard and the Blaugrana were struggling to find any form while Queiroz and his Galacticos were sitting atop of the league table with a ten point lead over Barça. That December night in Barcelona saw Real Madrid finally win a league game at the Camp Nou for the first time since 1983. 

The second half of that season though would not only see Barça exact revenge by winning at the Santiago Bernabéu, but would reduce the 10 point gap to just 4 points before eventually surpassing them in the standings. At the time, Real Madrid were battling Valencia for the league title which Valencia would end up winning. Real Madrid’s season spiraled out of control after losing to Barça by losing all of their remaining fixtures and finish fourth while Barça ended the season in second place.

While Queiroz had the great start, the late season collapse saw him get fired while Rijkaard would remain with the club and guide them to consecutive league titles and the club’s second ever Champions League title. Quite a contrast when you look back at the awful December night for Blaugrana fans who were wondering if this team was ever going to return to its days of prominence. 

Which brings us to this weekend’s upcoming El Clásico. Tata Martino is off to a record breaking start for a new Barça manager, while his adversary Carlo Ancelotti, is off to a somewhat rocky start and has failed to impress in the Spanish league during this early part of the season. Martino’s only issues have been injuries to key players who are now cleared, with the exception of Jordi Alba, to return to action. Meanwhile, Ancelotti will have to try to figure out who to start and who to bench, especially Gareth Bale, and figure out the right system. It’s not easy when the club directors are involved in the lineups that has Casillas on the bench and Bale rushed into action instead of being brought along slowly after not having a proper preseason to stay in shape this past summer. 

 Not much is different about this upcoming Clásico clash and that December night in the Camp Nou ten years ago.  Only the roles have been reversed with the Blaugrana atop of the standings and adjusting well to a new manager and playing the role of the hunted. Meanwhile, Los Blancos are still trying to figure it out and play the hunter as they try to keep pace with the league leaders. We will see if history will repeats itself this weekend and the remainder of the season too. Nothing will be decided this weekend since the domestic league is always decided in the final five matches. We have a lot of games left and it will be interesting to see how this season plays out the rest of the way.

Hearts of Champions Should Never Be Underestimated.

Well El Clásico came and went and what a roller coaster it was. Barça’s 3-1 victory over their bitter arch rivals was fantastic for us Cules and served a lesson to all those who doubted them. You cannot underestimate the hearts of champions when it comes to this team and Pep.

Without a doubt, this past El Clásico was one for the ages. It had it all. It started off with a bang that sank our hearts just 22 seconds in and ended with all the Blaugrana faithful celebrating yet another impressive victory. Prior to kickoff, many expected Real Madrid to finally get the better of Barça with whispers that the cycle was coming to an end. Real Madrid had a 3 point lead and an extra game in hand so a victory would have meant Real Madrid could have had a 9 point lead before Christmas.

I won’t lie, I was upset when Barça lost away to Getafe but as I stated earlier, the team was down but not out. However, they had to make sure they did not suffer a defeat in the Santiago Bernabéu. Well, they did just that to temporarily go atop of the standings with their memorable 3-1 win. So what did we learn from that victory?

I believe former Houston Rockets coach, Rudy Tomjanovich, said it best after his team repeated as NBA Champions back in the mid 90’s; “Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion.” There had been some anticipation that Mourinho and Madrid were going to finally exact their revenge on Barça. Thankfully, that never came to fruition and that is because we should know to never underestimate the heart of a champion. Pep and his players have been through a lot over the years and it showed on Saturday that they were not ready to hand over the crown as La Liga’s best.

Pep and the players overcame a nightmarish start to a game when Valdés’s poor pass resulted in a goal just 23 seconds into the game. For some teams, that would have killed their confidence but this team brushed it off, after a shaky 20 minutes, to regroup and get the victory. A lot of that is due to the players not giving up in what they believe. Puyol and Abidal could have opted to avoid Valdes after that gaffe and just keep the ball clear from him and Valdes could have also opted to just not take chances and boot the ball all the way down to Casillas. However, they stuck to their guns and kept playing their game. Guardiola also made the right decisions against the so-called master tactician, Mourinho, and once again got the better of him.

Zonal Marking splendidly showed how Pep got the best of Mourinho in this encounter. Pep got the best of him in the Camp Nou after their historic 5-0 victory by playing Messi as a false 9 and on Saturday, Pep got the best of Mourinho again with his tactics. Busquets dropped back, Puyol covered Alves on the right, and, after struggling in the first half, Cesc figured out what Pep wanted him to do which resulted in him scoring in the second half.

This victory sure seemed easy when the club scored their third goal with plenty of time to spare. They seemed relaxed and composed which begs the question; why can’t they start games like this? If there is one slight imperfection that bothers me about this team, and it is slight, it is the team’s start to some big games. We have seen them twice struggle in the first ten minutes in both Champions League finals against Manchester United and this match on Saturday is no different. This also was the case in the 2006 Champions League final in Paris. Pep is always going to be busy but he really needs to come up with a solution to get his team ready from the opening whistle.

This victory also showed us just how vital Puyol is to the team’s success. Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and others get credit for helping this team get the goals but make no mistake about it; Puyol is a big reason why this team is so successful.  As Sid Lowe mentioned in his column today, Puyol has now gone 44 consecutive games unbeaten and it is no coincidence that he was absent in Barça’s past seven defeats. His presence was key back in last season in the Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid. It’s not because of his defending but because of his leadership. After Madrid’s opening goal, Puyol gestured to his fellow teammates to go back to the center of the pitch and get ready for kickoff. He basically told them to get over it and move on. He also kept passing the ball back to Valdes in a show of support that the team believes in him. Puyol is one player that cannot be replaced and one of my favorite memories of the great defender was hi shoving Pique to get him to stop trash talking and get his mind back on the game after Pepe’s sending off in the Champions League last season.

Finally, this victory also proved once again that Messi is the world’s best player. While Messi worked hard for his team to get the victory, Ronaldo was showing his mental weakness with his sad facial expressions and his selfishness to outdo Messi.  The problem is that Messi is not doing this for himself, but for the team. He set up the first goal and worked hard on both sides of the pitch to make his team better. Messi shined while Ronaldo played the defeated role. Ronaldo should have buried his chances and I think had he got in the way of Benzema on that cross that the Portuguese international headed wide. In a stadium where Maradona, Ronaldinho and even Iniesta got applause, Ronaldo got jeered by his own fans.

If anything, the three finalists for the Balon d’Or should be Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, not Ronaldo. Those players rise to the occasion time and time again and all three deserve to be nominated again for their performances. Iniesta was simply amazing and he should be the one standing there on the podium next month with Messi and Xavi for the FIFA Balon d’Or. It could happen again next season where all three might be standing on the podium. Instead, Messi and Xavi will be standing there and whoever wins it, Messi is the favorite, will no doubt thank his fellow teammates. They all know they need and depend on one another for their success. That will be put to the test when they try to capture their second ever FIFA Club World Cup title this week.