Monday, February 20, 2012

Sweet and Sour


The Other Pep

After about two months of struggling to get into gear and falling behind further and further to Real Madrid in la Liga, Barcelona delivered one of the unstoppable performances that they were, until recently, turning on with the apparent ease of flipping a switch.

Having just played Valencia in the Copa del Rey, it was time to play them in la Liga at the Nou Camp, and after falling behind 0-1 in the ninth minute thanks to a fluke breakaway, they responded by scoring 5 unanswered goals before the final whistle blew.

Messi in particular was unstoppable, scoring four and serving up deft passes to Pedro, Alexis and Tello--though none of them converted on their opportunities. Alexis, for not scoring, was on fire. He cut back and forth with the ball and made Valencia's defense sweat bullets. I was skeptical about the little(r) man, but he is showing a work ethic that is beyond reproach right now.


You've got another thing coming...

Cesc and Alexis seemed to be the two players that had the most opportunities denied by Diego Alves. The Brazilian keeper for Valencia played a great game--which shows how on-fire Barça's offense was--in spite of allowing five to pass him to the net, the score could have been double that.

Cesc had a brilliant near goal bounce off the inside of the bar. The greatest goal that never was for him. As he was subbed out around the 75th minute for Thiago, Pep hugged him professionally and they exchanged a few words. Apparently Pep did not like what he heard from Cesc and he grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and threw him towards the bench.

It was the moment of the game for me.

Because Pep is the star at the center of their galaxy (not Messi or Xavi, as some might believe) to see him display moments of candor and honesty are some of the most exciting and worth-while events in a game. Though his philosophy is articulated as something that is nearly mystical in it's belief in "Barça" as a concept beyond a club, the physical manifestations of the game's pressure--the frustration, ecstacies and rage--those are the times when we get to see the actual stakes involved in the adherence to an ethos.

As the team and circumstances do not align with the just logic of a theory, the failure of the game in practice is as bitter as ashes.

Pep, when he is enraged, is scary. They are winning 3-1, 5-0, or whatever, but if the underlying logic is not executed correctly, then he is violently frustrated. This is because it's not all about winning. People always say "If you play beautifully and don't win, it's worthless." This is the motivation behind a large majority of football teams. They don't want to play pretty at the expense of winning. Totally understandable.

However, if you win and don't elevate the game to art then you might as well be playing rugby.

Athletes just want to win; poets want something more.


Josep Guardiola articulates his vision

Monday, February 13, 2012

The Deuce

It is a tough time in Europe.

In England, Andre Villas Boas is dealing with the fallout from his rocky first few months at Chelsea. At the time of his signing and arrival for the club there was a great excitement at the prospect of another young Portuguese upstart coming to helm the london giants.



Roman Abramovic and AVB: Like Godfather 2

Since the departure of Mourinho under tempestuous circumstances, the club has had a few managers, most notably and recently Carlo Ancelotti--a Bond-villain if ever there was one--but Chelsea had not performed well in the Champions league. Billionaire owner--and also Bond-villain--Roman Abramovic spends big (£64m in four years on managers since Mourinho left), but knows no satisfaction without Champions league titles.

Hence, the arrival of AVB from Porto, where his side was undefeated and won the Europa league. Having worked previously in the Mourinho regime at Chelsea, the 34 year old Vilas Boas was hoped to bring a thundering return of energy.

After some direct antagonism in the media, AVB has seen pundits criticize him relentlessly as unprepared and immature. His side is currently in fifth place in the Premier league, but still in Champions league contention unlike current Premier league leaders Man City and Man U.

The billionaire boss has been having meetings with the team to see about the need for wins and potentially, no doubt, changes.

In Barcelona, the Blaugrana is currently 10 points off first and the outlook for winning la Liga looks grim. Their three-peat in the league may come to a close due to their sub-par away-form. They have drawn six times and lost twice, while R. Madrid have lost the same but drawn only once.

The Qatar foundation. A new #9. The monkey paw.

This year's team has had a different attack than last year. They have played a little closer to how they did with Ibra in 2010. Though last year, David Villa got caught off-sides all the time, the previous year it looked like Ibra lived there.


I am Ibra. I live offside.

Now, with speedy Alexis Sanchez, the team are playing the ball more out of the back to try and maximize his ability to outrun defenders. There is less development in the midfield, and though Cesc was thought to be joining the club as an alternative to Xavi, he has played more as an alternative striker as Pedro and David Villa have diminished.

Messi is showing fatigue. Heavy weighs the crown. He's a great play-maker and absolutely integral, but his shots are feeling slightly frazzled.

On the contrary, the team has felt the steely presence of Carles Puyol more than ever. The captain is back after a tough spell of injury and he is every bit the war hero. But his goal scoring through headers and set pieces shows the increased italian-style attack they have employed since the Supercopa victories over Madrid.


Capitá

The next Champions league games come on Valentines Day in Germany against Bayer Leverkusen, and the Kings Cup will be played for in Madrid against Bilbao.

It looks perhaps like 2010, this could be a two title year. Zubi, the team's sporting director, puts it tactfully: “If we consider that we’re in the final of the Cup, and if we win the Champions League, plus the three titles we’ve already won ... the season would be extraordinary. In any case, we cannot give up on the league.”