Offseason

The 10-11' season is over and the books have been written on the outcome.

It has been an obvious high-water mark for FC Barcelona, and perhaps football in general as people have lined up to sing the praises of their particular style of apparently, selfless play.

The team has also gone through the measures of shoring up their squad with contracts designed to keep their nucleus largely intact for the next four years. Pedro recently re-upped his along with Thiago, as Busquets, Alves, Xavi, Messi, Iniesta and others (almost all of them, actually) are committed until at least 2015.

The only familiar dudes that seem to be candidates for inevitable trade are Bojan and Gabby Milito. Neither one of them has had a remarkable season in a few years. Milito has been injury-ridden and showed himself to be less than up-to-task in filling the gaping holes in their defense last season.

Bojan is a more tricky issue: He is a second generation player on the team who showed real flashes of brilliance while still in his teens. He was almost like a Messi-alternative for a short while.



But then it seemed like his touch stopped settling and in the key final moments, his shots would fly awry. I felt that he may have been sent a bit off course by his feeling an urge to replicate Messi's jaw-dropping improvisations, rather than keeping a holding pattern that would allow him to clean up on second chance strikes as Pedro has done so effectively. Now he is rumored to be a bargaining chip to be moved to Italy and help alleviate some of the team's 500 million Euro debt.

Speaking of debt, distinctive chinks in the superman armor seem to be showing under the weight of the bank balance. After years bearing only the mark of UNICEF on their chest, Barça will begin featuring the label of the Qatar Foundation--a group that seems to be a broad consortium of scientific, industrial and educational interests that are designed to advance the oil-filthy-rich nation socially. It may not be AIG, but it seems vaguely like a cabal compared to the polio-vaccinating and baby feeding peacemakers of UNICEF.

The £125m price of selling the front jersey real estate, while moving UNICEF to the back as a tramp-stamp, will make some progress in making the world's most dazzling team more economically viable, but it looks a little nefarious.

Elsewhere, there is still talk about signing Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal--this makes two summers in a row that have had the rumour blazing. Arsenal is a mess. He should move, but I still don't see a sure place for him in the lineup, at least until Xavi or Iniesta leave (knock-knock). Even then, they just signed Afelay like six months ago and he will be such a great fit with the team in the season to come. Cesc, just stay in England.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid have been signing a ton of defensive midfielders and look to be scrambling to meet the needs of Jose Mourinho after a season that saw them finish in second place for the third straight year. Next year they will most likely be even more competitive, as all Mourinho teams tend to take a year to warm before really getting rolling. Current speculation links Brazilian striking phenomenon Neymar to Madrid. That kid's one of these Justin Bieber dudes...


Neymar warms up

There is already a match scheduled for the numbers one and two teams to meet twice in August for the Spanish Super Cup, where the Copa del Rey winners meet la Liga's champions.

In the meantime, some players are getting a break, while others from the western hemisphere are playing in the Copa America. Even for those who've got to play in July for their home country, the feeling looks to be pretty post-orgasmic. The real heavy dream lifting has been accomplished back in Catalunya, and what comes now are just gravy contests to please the die-hards and show the folks back home a taste of the jedi lessons that have been learned in the Camp Nou.

If there is darkness on the horizon, it is still distant.

My senses haven't returned to me just yet.

Seasons

2010/2011 has been a golden season.

Having won the Champions League of Europe and la Liga in Spain, the team as directed by Pep Guardiola, added two more to their total of 6/9 major championships possible during his tenure (la liga/copa del rey/champions league X three years).

It's true that they are genius athletes, but the real mark of their excellence is in their coaching. More than Messi, whose personality only shows his love for the game, Guardiola personifies the esthetic of the team.

He had previously worked in the mid-field on the 90's dream team under then-coach Johan Cruyff (the Dutch superstar who himself moved to Barça in the 70's and was the key influence on the team of the last 30 years).

Pep learned the legacy of the Dutch/Catalan patois from being a kid in Barcelona, playing ball constantly through the club's youth academy, la masia. He made it on to the first team young and was on the field for the win for the European cup at Wembley 1992.

Josep Guardiola

Flash forward to May 28, 2011 and Pep Guardiola is on the pitch again-albeit a reconstructed Wembley. His team has sealed their domestic title for several weeks, he has a superstar central forward that is hailed as the greatest player of a generation. The traditional captain of the team has been injured for the last three months and largely out of play. Another base in his defensive triangle underwent surgery two months ago to remove cancer from his liver.

The weeks previous in Europe saw his team put on their most loathed performance ever during his tenure as manager, with a brutal series of games against Real Madrid that left a nasty taste in every one's mouth. How low can you go...? And those were the same players that his boys won the World Cup with last summer. At least 70% of them from both rival squads.

Players having more babies. The team in the red financially in spite of the victories and accolades. Next season we will wear the emblem of the Qatar Foundation on our chest, with UNICEF moved to the back.

Cruyff is still involved. Upstairs and in the administration.

And Pep's own contract is only negotiated for one more year--as each of his contracts have been. Though the club continues to push him for longer, he doesn't budge.

On the pitch facing them is Manchester United. Their coach, Sir Alex Ferguson has been at the club for decades. Winning-est manager in England and Europe. But while his style is perfected at bringing different talent together under a single flag, Guardiola's is in cultivating the ethos of a single style and bringing in a few elements to enhance it.

All of that is bullshit. It's not worth anything if Pedro and Villa don't come up today. The two strikers have been misfiring for three months, and genius or not, it isn't Messi's job to make a magic win. The three of them had been working together brilliantly in the fall. Breaking the lines in front of them like rascals on bikes. So give it up boys, quit holding out...

And the game started:
And then they did.

The game was tight. The game was weave-y.

They were squeezed by United early and didn't get to finalize their touch, but they soon started chatting back and forth building steam with it. Twenty minutes in and Iniesta meets up with Pedro to skate past the d and shoot to the lower right corner of the back of the net. 1-0.

Pedro is back. Don Pedro.

A few minutes later, though, Rooney launches one from the top of the box to equalize in merry ol' England. **cue double knee slide-------and, cut! 1-1.

The game felt good. Energetic and exciting. Hundreds of millions of people in every country watching it and now locked in. Both sides were inspiring eachother.

At the start of the half Man U showed up to the field three minutes before Barcelona. They wanted to pick it up. Barça had been holding the ball constantly and making the English champs chase it all over. They were on the field in their white jerseys that bore the name of corporate sponsor AON, a replacement after they parted company with AIG.

As the ball dropped on the pitch, Xavi and Messi and Iniesta locked it up between them, zig-zagging around and completely spinning the Man U men into ball watchers. Then in a little kick-around moment Iniesta dishes to Messi who wails it into the goal. 2-1.

Messi is a short man, but he could have dunked a watermelon in those moments. He shot to the corner by the club supporters, with Dani Alves in tow for the celebration.

A few minutes later, it would be David Villa who would get to celebrate a goal. After looking impatient to get a shot, Pedro sent one his way and he set it cleanly before arcing the ball in from 20 yards.

All three cylinders; firing again.

The D was held steady by Abidal, his cool gait breaking down the midfield before they could make headway, and before the clock ran out injured captain Carles Puyol got to play the final minutes. Also given time was Ibrahim Afelay, who since coming from Holland this year has been keen to get into the swing of things. If he will go as far as Cruyff did in Catalunya is still a mystery.

All that we have is now.


Pep as a coach at Wembley. 3-1.

68/69

Since the start of the 2010/2011 campaign, Barcelona have played 68 games. Now it is the end of the season and there is only one left.

Wembley.


Freddie rocking at the old Wembley

On Saturday they will take the field to meet Man U in the Champions league final--the last game of play in Europe before the summer coolout of vacations and harmless friendly exhibition matches.

The last few weeks have had the feel of vacation, as the Spanish league has been won and settled with a point total of 96. The entire top ten is as follows:

1 FC Barcelona 96
2 Real Madrid 92
3 Valencia CF 71
4 Villarreal CF 62
5 Sevilla FC 58
6 Athletic Club 58
7 At.Madrid 58
8 RCD Espanyol 49
9 Osasuna 47
10 Sporting Gijón 47

Almeria, the scene of a personal industrial-coast dis, was relegated to the second division. They finished with 30 points.


Almeria

The team are the favorites to win on Saturday, against the side they beat two years ago for the cup. Man U no longer have Cristiano Ronaldo or Carlos Tevez, but they have picked up the blossoming Chicharito as striking power and Wayne Rooney has been having a great four months.

Likewise, Berbatov has been one of the Premier league's most dominant scorers and Ryan Giggs-now in his 26th season playing professionally in Manchester (with the last 24 being at United) has been solid as a rock. He is what John Terry wishes he could be. Outrageous sex scandals and all.

In fact, the last week has been looking a little shaky for Man U. Giggs' is in the storm of a media freakout over an affair with a reality show chick, and he has ducked the press and skipped practice. Man U also played a friendly this week against Juventus, and the Italian side came to Old Trafford and handed them their first home loss of the season.

In the meantime, it seems that Barça have been studying up and doing their training for the final. They had to fly a day early into England as there is another Icelandic volcanic explosion threatening to shut down air traffic soon. That could be lame for the blaugrana since they would naturally want their maximum fan turnout in a stadium that holds 90,000 (the second-largest in Europe behind the Camp Nou).

Though the crowd should be overwhelmingly Man U supporters, there is a kind of harmony to the appeal of Messi these days that could persuade any football fan to their feet.

The dude is now 23 and he's got that young Obi-Wan Jedi knight stride. Guardiola looks excited and focused in the pre-match, while Sir Alex Ferguson seems to be hedging his optimism in the face of jedi.

If Barcelona get a stunning win on Saturday, it will clearly mark them as one of the great teams to ever play professional football.

It feels like everyone is preparing for that eventuality.

One to go...

The Marathon

League Champions of Spain 2010/2011.

This is the third year in a row--the entire tenure of Pep Guardiola who has built three sterling teams.

The first was the Eto'o-Henry-Messi squad that won in Rome with Sylvinho playing in his last game. A team that had stunning goals from the three most spooky-artistic scorers in la liga.


the 3, 08/09

Last year was the Ibra season that brought the emergence of Pedro as their piercing alternative to Messi since Henry was out to lunch.


cheeky monkey, 09/10

This year was the killer bee attacking swarm of Villa, Pedro and Messi as Iniesta continues an era of brilliance.


this one's for my baby

But in yesterday's away tie at Levante (1-1), the team just barely slid into home to seal the league on points. Although the century point total will not be met, nor last year's record of 99, it seems like the team will get a slight vacation over the next two weeks leading up to the only remaining title.

The Champions league final will be played on saturday the 28th at Wembley Stadium. The interim should be spent getting Puyol back healthy enough for the full 90, along with bringing Abidal up to as high a level as he can muster post tumor removal.

Villa continues his streak of no mojo, scoring only a goal or two in the last three months. Can somebody please give el guaje some ham? The boy needs some grease.

Their current form, winning but not with much to spare, shows their fatigue after a grueling few years of play in the broad schedule of international, league, and random cup and promotional play. Over a hundred games in the last year and a half for some of them. It's battery time.

It was nice to see the goal that came yesterday courtesy of Keita's header. He always makes a real impact on the pitch with his forward mid-fielding. Though Messi created a stunning cut through four defenders to shoot, the ball rattled out off the inside of the post a cm off the mark.

The second half was played out with both teams resigned to the draw and not attacking. We got the point, can we go home now?

Still, the team did make time to celebrate the league for a little on the pitch, and their supporters were in high numbers. La liga's is the title that the team prizes the highest, as it is the most arduous contest they play in and names them the greatest in Spain.

For Catalunya, it is a source of pride. The winners of Spain, the world champions; Catalunya is the height of football on Earth. Soon Barcelona will be lifting up the cup, with their red champions hats on, toasting
"Visca Barça,
Visca Catalunya."


Levante, 5.10.11.

The Annointed ones...?

Jose Mourinho was banned by UEFA for five champions league games following his outspoken criticism of referees after Real Madrid's loss last week in Madrid. One of the bans will be suspended for three years. As he was already red carded during the game, he had to sit out and not watch his team fall again finally on tuesday in the second leg at the Camp Nou, 1-1 (Barça 3 - R. Madrid 1 agg.).

After dropping the first game in Madrid, Mourinho sensing the impossibility of victory in the champions league opened his mouth wide and let fly:

"It's clear that against Barcelona you have no chance.

"I don't understand why. I don't know if it's the publicity of UNICEF [the club's shirt sponsor], I don't know if it's the friendship of [Spanish football federation president Angel Maria] Villar at UEFA, where he is vice-president, I don't know if it's because they are very nice, but they have got this power. The rest of us have no chance."

He went on to temper the achievements of Guardiola--who in nearly three seasons as coach has brought Catalunya two Copa del Reys, two la Liga championships (soon to be three barring some unforeseen extraordinary catastrophe in the next few weeks), a FIFA World Club Cup, and a Champions league cup--the second to be played for in three weeks at Wembley.

"Guardiola is a fantastic coach, but he has won one Champions League which I would be ashamed to win after the scandal at Stamford Bridge and this year, if he wins it again, it will be after the scandal at the Bernabeu."

In fact, the sole sour note of last year's season for the Blaugrana came from their elimination from the Champions league by Mourinho's men at Inter Milan. Though Barça finished the season with two championships and a record point total of 99, the missing Champions league cup stuck out to the team that felt undeniable in so many ways.

People have been murmuring against the Catalans for a while--the mountains of praise heaped upon them has made the team a target for those who resent their dominance. Mourinho has become that sector's bullhorn, albeit with his own interests in mind.

Still, his ideas have cost him with many in football's hierarchy, including some of the royal elders at his own club. Football legend and honorary Madrid president Distefano criticized Mourinho's coaching style and the team's lack of personality. The personality Madrid fail to exhibit on the pitch is instead on full ranting display in their press conferences. With a team assembled at a cost of over 600 million euros, the frustration is understandable.

Unfortunately for Mourinho, the only philosophy he has for getting out of the pit is to keep digging...

In less sensational UEFA-banning news, Jose Pinto, Barça's reserve keeper, was banned for three games following his tussling with Madrid as the teams left the pitch for half-time at the Bernabeu. Earlier in the season, he was banned for whistling to mislead a Copenhavn forward into believing he was offsides. He's a real hot-head who had a great run in the Copa del Rey (his domain for the majority of the season) until the one costly goal against them in the final.

Barça have stated they will appeal the ban.

Back in Black

Pep watches as Mourinho plays himself

So far, the string of clasicos has been kind of a stalemate, with both sides drawing in la liga, then Madrid winning the copa del rey final and trophy, and then last week's first leg of the champions league semi finals which saw Barça beat Madrid 0-2 thanks to two great second half goals from Messi--The later of which was a work of individual art on the pitch as he darted up and cut past four dudes to sneak the ball in the far wall of the net past Casillas.

The team has been trying to shake off the defensive jitters, but as Puyol appears to be back and fit again along with the imminent return of Eric Abidal fresh from whooping a tumor's ass, it seems that the cylinders may be firing again along the back line.

The protracted war with Madrid has been grueling, and as the final game of it approaches to be played tomorrow, there is a relief coming on. Big-show fatigue.

Soon enough, there looks to be the champs league final which will be a rematch of the final two years ago between the Catalans and Man U. This one will be played in London.

That is, unless there is a stunner tomorrow at the Nou Camp and Madrid can get past the deficit they are in for the series and season. Post-match controversy has been rife as Mourinho has decried a long list of referees that he insists are part of a pro-Barça conspiracy against his teams over the years. He had to sit out the second half of last week's loss from the stands after he mocked the ref's decision to red card Pepe and reduce his squad to 10 men. He shouldn't complain; his team's are usually better with 10 men. They have bastante talent that cannot be coordinated without a frozen hearted mentality that drives them to play aggressively and break legs.

And then the special one rants about it in his droll laconic frustration, gets fined and benched by the league as the ball rolls closer and closer to his own goal.

La Liga all but already secured for Barcelona, their main issue now seems to be if they will beat their league record 99 points of last year by winning all the remaining four contests left in the spanish season. Having lost on Saturday against low positioned Racing Santender, they have set themselves up to finish in first with 100. What is this, cricket?

Mind Games

The first two Clasicos have been played.

A tie in la liga and a loss to Madrid for the Copa del Rey (which their monkey-asses proceeded to drop under their team bus during their victory celebration in Madrid).

Losing la Copa del Rey was almost worth it to see Sergio Ramos drop the som'bitch. These guys aren't real winners...

Today begins their two-legged contest of the Champions league to see who will fly their flag above all the other clubs of Europe. Man U will almost certainly be waiting in the final. Which spanish goliath will they meet there?

Mourinho has been lobbing stones at Guardiola in the press conferences. It seems to have ruffled up Pep's feathers some.

The mass media psyche-out...will it work?

Will we win?