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by PAM
Yeah, Tuesday and Wednesday (Wednesday and Thursday this side of the world) had been a 'stunning' two-day football affair. I'm still speechless until now. I'm still pinching myself just to make sure that what transpired during the past two days were real... and that I wasn't having a nightmare.
So, both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF took care of La Liga business last weekend, with the World's Best Player, Lionel Messi (who cares what you think, Mr. Pelé?), and the flashy Blanco diva, Cristiano Ronaldo, setting the record
Messi and Ronaldo, La Liga Megastars... 41 goals
each... and counting!for the most number of goals scored in the Liga history in one season - a staggering 41 goals each! That also brought Messi's goal tally this season in all competitions to 63 goals. Oh, boy! What a boy, this boy! Oy!
After their respective Liga competitions over the weekened, four points still separated the Spanish giants as El Clásico loomed this coming weekend, with the Blancos enjoying the coveted lead over the defending Campeones from Barcelona. With five matches still to be played, including the Clásico, the result of this weekend's "Clash of the Titans" could easily decide the Liga overall outcome... and therefore, the Culés and the Madridistas are holding on to their seats in high-tension anticipation. "Bloodbath" alert!
But first, there's the first leg of their respective UEFA Champions League (UCL) Semi-final tie with Chelsea FC at Stamford Bridge in London for Barça, and FC Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany for Real Madrid. Both are not small matter by all means and standard, of course! But with many people wishing (or dreading, depending on one's heart condition) a UCL Clásico final, the semis talks were not as big as the coming Clásico - a possible preview of what might be a "Munich Mutilation" via a UCL Final. Of course, it was the 'most wrong' way to deal with football matters, as the past two days showed! The results were astonishing! Well, one is more astonishing than the other though. :)
***
Real Madrid tried, but Bayern Munich was too tough!
Okay, right off the bat, let me admit that yo no soy Madridista... soy Culé. Therefore, I don't feel I lost anything by falling asleep and had to wait for the replay of the Madrid/Munich Allianz Arena battle two hours after the live airing last Wednesday. But it was 2:30 AM in this side of the world... and I was working, too! :(
Uhm, since I'm not a Madridista... therefore, I could be excused for saying that I didn't see anything spectacular in the Blancos game against Munich, despite the fact that the men from Madrid were trying to put an end to their squad's age-old win drought in Germany: only one win in 22 visits to Germany. If the Blancos were trying to improve their 8 wins in 18 meetings with Munich, the talented Manuel Nauer who was up to the task was not about to allow them. I did try to look hard for greatness among the Blancos though - promise! :) On the other hand, the Bavarians, under the former Madrid coach, Jupp Heynckes, were running, running, running...
Ribéry catching RM defense off guard... offside?and attacking, attacking, attacking! Quite impressive. Franck Ribéry's goal - the first in the match - was questionable "legally" (offside? Well, Dr. Howard Webb was refereeing... and he ruled that it wasn't. Ooo-kay....), but it was done with so much conviction for winning. No matter, José Mourinho thought it was offside... but nah-uh, he ain't criticizing - according to him! Really? :)
After the score went 1-0 for Munich, people were wondering as to when would the Real Madrid "bad luck" on German soil end? And then, a German in the Spanish Capital's squad responded - whoa! It seemed like the answer to that question was "today"! Yep, Mesut Ozil's equalizing tap-in was a thing of beauty indeed, in how it was made and finished: a Ronaldo and Karim Benzema collaboration, which was finished cooly by Ozil. Apart from his eye roll-inducing "gracefully dramatic dives" and equally dramatic pained expression after his beautifully sculpted body collided with the turf, it was the only "I'm-here" showing of diva Crissy over the 90-minute match. But, it was a "real match", so naturally the "Pretty One" was quiet. One female football fan tweeted: "has anyone noticed that Ronaldo has a very strange way of running when he hasn't got the ball? like he is in high heels." Hahaha... you're mean, girl, mean! ;) But you're spot on! Ahh-haha...
To protect the Blancos' lead, in
"Super Mario" for the win.terms of away goal, Mourinho substituted Ozil with Marcelo on the 69th minute. Before you know it, Marcelo was spraying violence around the pitch - naturally! Dang, dang, dang, how evil! Mario Gomez, Munich's leading goal scorer of the season, however, was determined to stay ahead as they look to traveling to Madrid for the second leg. He made a couple of nice chances for himself... and he was constantly violated by the Madrid defenders - without a call from the referee! What a joke! And then, still fighting, in the dying seconds of the competition, Philipp Lahm sent a cross to the sprinting Super Mario, and the striker beat Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas for a second goal for Bayern on the 90th minute! The scoreline went 2-1... for Bayern! The Blancos then tried to level with the Bavarians - to no avail.
And then, an incredible panic made me dart out from my seat when Marcelo kick-chapped Thomas Müller's legs unnecessarily in a very, very late and absolutely wreckless tackle! Müller dropped writhing in pain on the turf!
Feeling like winners. The crowd roared in justified disapproval of the horrible violence. I was fuming mad! And almost expectedly, a melee broke out on the pitch. Boy, why am I not surprised??? I'd slap that barbaric Blanco, too, if I had my way! I think that that was the first time this year in the UCL that Mourinho's men were challenged in a "real" big match against a "strong squad"... naturally, they dealt against great competition in the only way they knew how - the Mourinho way - with violence! *sigh* Shortly, the final whistle sounded... Mourinho's face looked of awful disgust - for his men, maybe? Who knows, his face is always disgusting anyway! Hey, hey, hey, before you smash your iPad in rage, let me remind ya, I'm not a Madrista, nah-uh!
And so, Bayern will visit Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, a little bit ahead of Madrid! *Clap, clap* Keep it up, guys, 'cause Madrid will be tougher on ya!
***
An awful night for Barça... but not so much for fans of the beautiful game!
Yep, it was an awful Wednesday evening (Thursday morning in my side of the world), alright. What else could you call it? Dominant all throughout the match at the Bridge with 72% of ball possession, and a total of 24 attempts by Barça against only 5 by Chelsea... ending with a 1-0 scoreline... in favor of Chelsea! Ah, lady luck, your smile can be cruel, too... now I know!
As expected, Chelsea "parked the bus" to counter Barça's possession-based attacking football, thus, the unsuccessful 24 attempts for goal by Barça. Is this surprising? Not at all. Chelsea is Mourinho's former Club... and the most effective way they know to counter brilliance is to kill it, rather than matching it with brilliance of their own. Then again, that's their brand of brilliance - defensive play against Barça's attacking football. Besides, that's football for ya... luck is always a factor. But what was amazing was that, even in defeat, a huge chunk of the English audience was still wowed by the beauty by which Barça played their football. :) Well, trust the origin of the beautiful game to recognize beauty when they see it! :)
But, yeah, "Pep Guardiola's Barça" are challenging the entire football world to play the beautiful game the way it should be played - beautifully... primarily, the Barça way. Those who cannot do it, incapable of doing it, but hungry to win, resort to counter Barça's game by "parking the bus" and to fish for cheap free kick or spot kick by diving. Ask Mourinho and Didier Drogba, they know! But is that legitimate? For as long as nobody is dropping dead from Marcelo and Pepe's violence, and spectators can still summon good judgement by wiping the bad taste in their mouths everytime the humungous Drogba dropped to the ground with the slightest brush with men half his weight, while infuriating, is still bearable... I guess? What say you, Fernando Torres?
Anyway, I could sit through all the ugliness, albeit close to suffocation, 'cause afterall, winning is still the very purpose of a contest. So, some people try their own ways of scoring a win. However, the essence of greatness in sports... and in all human endeavors, I believe, is winning beautifully and with integrity. Therefore, in spite of this twisted lust for winning by some sides, because the Barça men are awesome talent who insist on playing beautifully, they prevail - most of the time. And it's nice feeling to see them do each time... watching them play with patience, building chances for themselves in a teamwork, and then winning beautifully with delightful goals is in itself a lesson in life.
Yes, despite the disappointing show of irreverence to the beautiful game that their counterparts display on the pitch, Barça always find a way to bring joy to their audience... even in defeat. However, Barça need to be more conscious of how serious many sides are in trying to overcome them, because, clearly, theirs is the side to beat... regardless
Attacking football vs. defensive footballof what Mourinho say publicly (because who knows what he "actually" thinks privately? With his obssession of Barça, we do not have to keep guessing, I think.). Therefore, none of them Blaugranes should get into the contest half-heartedly, without winning in mind - 100%.
At Stamford Bridge, El Capitan Carles Puyol (a "beast" on the pitch!!), Lionel Messi, who was looking to score his first goal against Chelsea (aw, man, how he dazzles is out of this world indeed!), Sergio Busquets (that last-second miss was pure bad luck. Overall, he showed reliability on the pitch.), Javier Mascherano (fearless, even on yellow card) and Adriano (he tried everything, and took chances.) were 100%. While the rest came on the pitch with their usual grit, the disturbing, disappointing and damning indecision of Cesc Fàbregas in front of the goal (reminiscent of his late Gunner days. Dang, Cesc, go ahead and lose your mind in love like yer buddy, Gerard Piqué. If that suits ya, we're all for it... but please, set yer mind straight on the pitch! Ya look lost out there, dude! So, ya see, it's not the club that you're with that wins ya titles... it's how ya do your designated job with yer club that does!), the repeated inaccuracy of seemingly intimidated (by big defenders) and star-struck (by his teammates) Alexis Sánchez (which he seemed to think was alright... 'cause Messi was
Phenomenal shackles for a phenomenal talent!there to make things right anyway, and it's enough that he, Alexis, kept trying. Dude, accuracy is priority! You're with Barça now and not with a second-rate club, therefore, go for the "kill", 'cause you're supposed to be Barça's "killer" now!), the throwing-all-cautions-to-the-wind attitude of the seemingly too intense Dani Alves (which exposes the precarious state of affairs at the back. Ah, Dani, why do ya always feel the need to skim the peripheries of danger zones?), the surprisingly not-dominant-and-not-as-assertive-and-as-quick-as-usual Xavi (well, he's aging... just ask his contemporary, Iker Casillas, who has been uncharacteristically slow to react, too, lately! Or, does the Maestro feel weird conducting an "unfamiliar orchestra" out there? Pep, look over here, please!), the even more surprisingly quiet Andrés Iniesta (he's just probably "misplaced" at the wing, and therefore looking weird fighting for the ball against, say Ivanovic, rather than making his "ghost-like" appearances from the center and into the box with the ball for Messi's finishing. Oy! Alright, Pep, please "use" the Don well - for goodness sake!), and the lacking-of-intensity-and-sharpness-for-the-longest-time-now Victor Valdes (what's eating ya these days, VV? C'mon now, confess!) were all exploited by the desperate-to-win Chelsea.
But, I gotta give it to Roberto Di Matteo and his men... they executed their plan to defend like there's no tomorrow pretty good, using their physical stature advantage, experience, and home crowd advantage. They wanted to win, and they worked hard to do it! The Blues did take Barça by surprise today... Barça blinked one second
Lampard's game-changing sneak attack on Messi.and, Lionel Messi, of all people, lost possession of the ball! Frank Lampard, in all his reverence and awe for the phenomenal "Little Genius" sneaked a "desperately brilliant" coup at extension time in the first-half, linked up with Ramires, and got away with it! Before we know it, that shameless best actor of a diver in blue shirt called Didier Drogba, he who was about to finish the match unworthy of any sort of credit that night but desperate to overcome Barça, always waiting for an opening, finally used his "legitimate" talent to finish the Lampard-Ramires coup to a goal... and succeed! But that's only because Barça allowed him - just one little nick of time! The hardworking yet precarious back, with its men fond of multi-tasking, and VV who seemed to have trouble concentrating lately were suspects.
Barça tried to respond until the very last second of the match. Messi and Iniesta combined for a goal where Messi was blocked. He picked up the rebound
The agony of undeserved defeat.and found Pedro Rodríguez, who unluckily hit the post! The remnant of Pedro's attempt found its way in front of Busquets, which he kicked, sending it flying... over the net! Aargh, luck, you're cruel! :( And so, the match ended with Messi yet to score against Chelsea, and Barça unable to make the crucial away goal, therefore, keeping the score at 1-0 in favor of Chelsea. Many found it unbelievable... maybe even by Chelsea! Of course, many were quick to put the blame on Messi, who lost the ball to Lampard that resulted to that lucky Drogba goal. Yep, the "little phenomenon"... he who, just a few days ago, has been credited for bringing Barça this far in the competition, is being blamed! Ironic, isn't it? Messi felt it, too, screaming his misery in the relentlessly streaming London rain. Oh, well....
***
So, where do we go from here, Pep?
How things turned the way they did at the Bridge make one wonder... Barça play the game so beautifully like no other. But, while their
"In Pep we trust."game is designed for winning, are they still - as a team - "desperate enough" to win? I hope they still are... because every side that wins the "privilege" to play opposite them is DESPERATE to beat them! It's one thing to win a title, it's another to win a title against "Guardiola's Barça"! (Once again, ask Mourinho! Then again, he's in his maniacal state of desperate glee right now following Barça's first-leg loss at Stamford Bridge. So, maybe, not a good time to ask.) And most of football spectators all around the globe are "desperate" to see them keep playing the beautiful game... and to keep winning - and winning beautifully, too!
Therefore, we hope that the return leg to Camp Nou (and in the Clásico on Saturday) we'll see a "merciless-in-front-of-the-goal" and "intolerant-to-repulsive-divers" Barça! It's the Champions League Semi-final round, for Pete's sake, Pep! This is no time for being "gentle" and "patronizing" even when you are playing an obviously inferior side (well, make that "sides" if we're including Clásico on Saturday). The objective is still to win - and win beautifully! And, we want you to win, guys! We all know you can and that you deserve it! So, please, be DESPERATE... because we are!!!
Barça goal rampage, we want you! Come to Camp Nou! Visca, el Barça!
***
Photo credits: All photos were grabbed at the Zimbio website - thanks!
