Words can’t describe the anticipation.

Starting XI: Pinto Alves Pique Puyol Abidal Xavi Busquets Iniesta Fabregas Messi Sanchez

Bench: Valdes, Mascherano, Adriano, Dos Santos, Thiago, Sergi, Cuenca

Storm Trooper XI: Casillas, Altintop, Ramos, Carvalho, Marcelo, Coentrao, Pepe, Alonso, Diarra, Ozil, Callejon, Higuain, Ronaldo, Benzema

Boarding begins 15 minutes before the 4:00 PM EST flight. Don’t be late.

Copa Preview: Real Madrid – Barcelona, Wednesday 4pm ET, GolTV

Adrenaline is an interesting thing. I like it to a certain extent. It’s gotten me off a mountain top with bad weather closing in. It’s kept me from crashing my car in icy conditions. And it’s probably cut a few years off my life thanks to its connection with El Clásico. All things are give and take, y’all. El Clásico takes your sanity, social abilities, and hairline, but it gives you more waistline, mass hysteria, and cardiac arrest. All things are give and take.

What you witness when you witness a match between the two great sides of Spain is far more than the 90 minutes of game time. Besides the obvious preparation by the team itself, there’s the reams of idiotic drivel “sportswriters” and “journalists” dish out at a stupendous rate, the Madrid-based statisticians pointing out the obvious nature of Madrid’s superiority and the one-upmanship from Catalunya saying “nuh-uh, poopypants, our statisticians butter their bread on the correct side”, and now even the psychologists claiming The Real Thongnaldo is allergic to Barça while Messi is the scourge of Madrid.

Basically, if this goes on for another 10-15 minutes, we’re going to see this splashed across all the newspapers in the world:

And you thought it was the Soviets that would pull the trigger. Turns out it’s me, incapable of writing another preview about Llourinho or Dive Maria.

But here we are, talking about both: among the list of casualties in white for this match is Angel di Maria, a man whose propensity for getting sudden injuries right as he’s totally owned by Eric Abidal are known worldwide (we chanted “broken ankles” at our bar for a solid minute, maybe more). Marca declared dM out of the contest 100% for sure definitely not playing. Moments later Mourinho declared him not quite fit, but in the squad and hopefully playing a pivotal role in the match. Being the glorious human being that I am, I hope he’s fit and capable of playing breaking his ankles yet again in front of Rey Abi. Remember, The French Greyhound doesn’t even need to be on his feet to be so cool Samuel L. Jackson takes lessons from him. O-freakin’-lé. [UPDATE: It's been brought to my attention that the above mentioned broken ankles were by Pique, not Abidal. Does that make Abidal less awesome? Nope. It makes me thank Shakira for teaching Gerard these sexy moves. Thanks to reader Srini for the info and link.]

Yet the larger point is that Mourinho is playing the game that we’ve all created for him to play. Can’t really blame him for “hiding his cards” as they’re saying: there’s so much pressure on this that if he falters, if Barça comes out the victors, it could wreck RM’s season. I say could, of course, because the Liga is by no means lost if they’re out of the Copa del Rey and the Champions League is just about to get going again. And yet it seems that the pressure is all on Madrid this time around. The burden of expectation and the fear of failure is rampant.

Cules can stand anywhere on earth and feel free to sing the hymn and then, kindly, with a pat on the shoulder of their beet-red madridista neighbor, point out that Barça can still win when they spot los merengues a goal. The peels of laughter that follow are the gorgeous bells of a cathedral for me and a dark dirge to those who have outspent, outspoken, and outfought the Catalans only to find themselves at the bottom looking up.

Naturally nothing is written in stone and the team has to play lights out to win. That’s the odd thing: against this Madrid team, they’re on point. They’re capable. They don’t go to sleep. It’s as if Mourinho keeping his mouth shut would maybe allow him to catch Barça napping, but the turgid waters are so mucky with reporters making up their own story lines that it’s basically impossible not to say something, even if you say nothing at all. Silence is no kind of “no comment”–and that’s not particularly fair, but Guardiola has mastered it: just answer the roundabout way, take the high road, feed them what they want and nothing more.

So, to the Madrid injury woes: Carvalho and Khedira are out (actually, 100% out) while Arbeloa is suspended. Pepe has been struggling with some fitness questions and di Maria appears “tocado” if still capable of playing. Mourinho had this to say about his options (English below):

Si juega Ramos de lateral, me van a criticar porque es mejor de central. Si juega Fabio de lateral derecho, me van a criticar porque es zurdo. Si juega Lass de lateral, me van a criticar porque está Khedira lesionado y dejo solo a Xabi. Si juega Pepe de central, me van a criticar porque tiene que jugar en el medio. Pero si le pongo en el medio, me dirán que es mejor de central. Si juego con trivote me van a criticar porque hay que ir a atacar. Si juego al ataque, me dirán que había que poblar el medio y me criticarán igual. Si juega Higuaín, me criticarán porque no juega Benzema. Y si juega Benzema, me van a criticar porque no juega Higuaín que marcó un gol en Mallorca. Mejor nos vamos al cine mañana y luego vemos el resultado y opinamos.

If Ramos plays on the wing, they’ll criticize me because he’s better in the middle. If Fabio [Coentrao] plays at RB, they’ll criticize me because he’s a leftie. If Lass plays on the wing, they’ll criticize me because Khedira is injured and I’m leaving Xabi alone in the middle. If Pepe plays at centerback, they’ll criticize me because he has to play in midfield. But if I put him in midfield, they’ll tel me he’s better at centerback. If I play a “trivote” they’ll criticize me because you have to go out and attack. If I gamble on offense, they’ll tell me I should have reinforced the midfield and they’ll criticize me equally. If Higuain plays, they’ll criticize me for not playing Benzema. And if Benzema plays, they’ll criticize me because Higuain didn’t play even though he scored against Mallorca. It’d be better if we just went to the movies tomorrow and later checked out the score and opined on it.

Sure, that’s all true, especially the part of about him not bothering to show up, but it’s said with an air of disgust that only further incites the already insane mob. And it heaps pressure on the players to make right by their manager’s decisions, even if they’re wrong or if Barça is simply better on the night. Until they beat Barça again (over these 2 legs or in a one-off match), Madrid will be in this vortex of crazy that they can’t seem to get out of or get enough of. Further, what about Callejon? Do you start him, Varane, or, as Marca somewhat absurdly suggested, 20-year old Castilla player Dani Carvajal. That would go over well, I’m sure.

Speaking of B-teamers, maybe, if things continue with the ante-raising, we’ll see another Sergi Roberto appearance. He’s in the squad, so it’s possible: Valdés, Pinto, Piqué, Fàbregas, Puyol, Xavi, Alexis, Messi, Thiago, Mascherano, Busquets, Adriano, Abidal, Iniesta, Dani Alves, Jonathan dos Santos, Sergi Roberto, Montoya, Cuenca.

And while there are serious injury problems on the front line (Villa, Ibi, Pedro), the starting lineup that won 1-3 the last time Barça went to the Bernabeu is completely available. None of the subs that were used (Keita, Villa, and Pedro), but at least the first 11 could play. Personally, that’s exactly what should happen, with the exception of the goalie:

Pinto, Alves, Pique, Puyol, Abidal, Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi, Cesc, Messi, Alexis.

That’s a solid lineup, no matter who is thrown at them, though the subs may leave a little to be desired in terms of versatility and experience. Thiago, Adriano, and Mascherano are the major names there, but beyond that are a series of little ones that, while talented and capable, are perhaps not up to the challenge of a full on clasico quite just yet. Cuenca, perhaps, but he was more worthless than I was on Sunday and I was pretty much just a hunk of alcohol-sodden flesh (except when I was in the bathroom for Alexis’ goal, in which case I was simply missing in action, but that was sort of Cuenca’s thing too).

So here we are. It’s time again. Do they play a trivote, do they hunker down for the 0-0 and go for the 1-1 away? Who cares, we play our game, we do our thing, and come what may, it’s el clásico time.

Official Prediction: 1-1. A tight affair to be decided at the lovely Camp Nou in a week. Goal by Messi because, well, he’s Messi.

Let’s make this a mature ending:

Guess who!

It’s always difficult to get excited going into a second leg match when the team has a 4-0 lead from the first leg. When you factor in that in the last few days Messi and Guardiola both picked up major individual awards, Maxwell was sold to PSG, and we inevitably drew away to Espanyol; this game almost seemed like an afterthought.

This thought was reinforced when the main story in the buildup to the match was the dense fog that had descended on Pamplona. It seemed a sinister fog, forcing Barcelona to land their jumbo jet in a neighboring city and take a bus the rest of the way – buses being the kryptonite of the team (apart from knee and hamstring injuries). The fog also forced Pep to leave Iniesta at home as he was concerned the other players wouldn’t be able to see him, and Alves stayed behind so he didn’t miss his Thursday night samba class. A classic 4-3-3 was in order with the likes of Pinto, Montoya, Pique, Fontas, Adriano, Sergi, Mascherano, Thiago, Cuenca, Sanchez, and Pedro getting the nod. And I was excited to see some fringe players get some time.

As the match started the fog wasn’t just obscuring my view of the far side of the field, it seemed to weigh heavy on the shoulders of the men in mint green. It was a pernicious fog that seemed to have seeped into the minds of our boys, and for much of the first half we seemed slow and off kilter. I’m reminded of the first time I ever went white water canoeing – the fog was so dense over the Nantahala that you could hear the rapids before you could see them, and by the time you could see them there was no time to react. My skiing coach once told me that in order to be a good mogul skier you had to be thinking at least two turns ahead – the same holds true for white water paddling, and for football. The fog on the Nantahala made it impossible to look down the river and plan my moves, meaning I spent the entire time reacting to the river instead of being proactive (well, when I wasn’t swimming). And so it was with Barcelona early on. The fog had appeared to dull the teams thoughts, to make them reactive instead of proactive. And just as my analogy falls apart here, so did Barcelona’s coordinated team play for most of the first half.

Calvin vs. Nantahala, 2007

Pedro was the man who created the first bit of excitement in the half as he created a half chance for himself and duly put it on target. Unfortunately it forebode the type of game he would have, the type of game he has been having all season. Whether it’s due to his injury issues, his lack of goals this season, or the arrival of Sanchez; Pedro has been trying too hard to make something happen, to create a moment of magic. To return to the form that elevated him briefly to San Pedro he is going to have to return to basics and focus on doing the simple things correctly… Ooooohhhhh Osasuna gets off a good cross that neither Pique nor Montoya have any idea how to deal with and it luckily passes harmlessly between them. Lucky Break 1.

This brings us to the most disappointing aspect of the game – Fontas’ ACL injury. He only lasted 11 minutes but up to that point he had been nearly flawless – passing well, getting into space well, and even doing some defending. Unfortunately his first mistake got him into trouble as he lost his head and the ball at the edge of our box. You can see him put a serious stress on his knee while his foot is planted, and then, in a lion-hearted move that would have made Puyol proud he continues to play and atones for his mistake – all while it looks like his knee will give out at any moment. It was a glimpse of the determination and steel that champions are made of. Unfortunately it’s a sight we won’t see again for some time, as it looks like the already underused defender will be out for the season. So it goes.

The rest of the first half was honestly fairly uneventful. It consisted mostly of Barcelona keeping possession but not threatening much while Osasuna looked dangerous every time they crossed into our half. Pique made a massive goal line save with his head after Abidal lost the ball in our box – although Pinto should take some blame as his distribution put Abidal in a dangerous situation. Lucky Break 2. Osasuna created several more dangerous chances, including a beauty of a volley from Lekic. Lucky Break 3. Lekic made no mistake with his next chance though, as a poor clearance from Abidal followed by Sergi tripping over his shoelace gifted him a clear chance. So it goes.

Meanwhile we were somewhat of a shambles going forward. The problem originated in the midfield where all three of Mascherano, Thiago, and Sergi had a tendency to dwell on the ball. This game was a reminder why Pep uses Mascherano as a center back, he distributes the ball adequately but not with the speed, creativity, or precision that Busquets does. Meanwhile Sergi can pass but he didn’t put himself in positions to help his teammates enough. We did manage to put together a couple nice moments of tiki-taka which interestingly all coalesced around Thiago. Unfortunately Thiago lacked a foil in midfield and has a tendency to push the play away from himself – he has a phenomenal cross-field pass, but in this match he needed to draw the play towards himself, not send the ball across the field. Sanchez looked isolated but played his role well. He held up the ball well several times and made intelligent runs to find space wide but you couldn’t fault him for being frustrated.

Come on Abidal, hands above the blanket

While we somehow managed to sneak out of the first half without giving up another goal, the boys looked more positive at the start of the second half. In practically the first attack of the half Adriano created just enough space with his pace to play a phenomenal cross that was easy for Sanchez to nod in at the back post. Adriano deserves the credit on this one. As a side note I’m more than happy that I was wrong about Sanchez’s ability to score goals, but the kid has the killer instinct of a ninja combined with the hunger of a black bear coming out of hibernation. Scary.

And now some things are happening on the far side of the field but I can’t tell who is on the ball and whether they are doing something sweet or not, damn fog. At least we have the ball near their box and look dangerous. Ohhh look it’s the 60th minute and Messi is coming in. I should have made a wager on that, although I bet it would have had less than a 1% return on my investment. Ohh and look, he gets fouled the first time he touches the ball. So it goes.

With Messi on we looked like a completely different team. He gave the attack a focal point and began to dictate the game, something no one had been able to do earlier in the match. OHHH what a nice disguised pass from Messi that Pedro somehow manages to get stuck between his feet and the chance is lost. And Pedro has picked up a hamstring knock and is replaced by Busquets as Pep looks to see the match out with a 5-1 aggregate lead.

The final goal of the tie comes as Sergi finds a pocket of space in the Osasuna backline and is put through with a phenomenal ball by Messi. It’s worth noting here that Sergi set himself as the player highest up the field. Whether that was due to an instruction for Pep or whether he naturally noticed that there was space available, it was impressive positioning from the youngster. The goal brings his tally to 2 goals in 4 first team games. I have to wonder at this point if he has leapfrogged Dos Santos in the pecking order.

At this point the match is essentially over as a contest. Barcelona maintains almost total dominance for the last 20 minutes, and other than a sweet Messi chip disallowed for a (correct) offside decision, there isn’t much to report on. On to the players!

Duck, Duck, GOOSE!

Pinto: B-. Decent performance, but some of his distribution was questionable – notably putting Abidal in trouble right after he came on.

Montoya: A-. I haven’t mentioned him yet, but he put in a very solid shift today. He covers the flank well, overlaps well, and regularly puts himself in good positions. His passing is quite tidy, and he rarely gave away the ball. Add in some neat interceptions on top and it was a very encouraging, if understated performance from the young Spaniard.

Pique: A-. Put together a very solid match today. A great goal line save was the highlight, but he lead the line without too much trouble throughout. His long pass radar also seemed to be working tonight, something that hasn’t been true in a while. When the team was lacking drive he made some intelligent runs forward to try and galvanize the team. Good match.

Fontas: N/A.  Played well in the first 11 minutes. Unfortunately his first mistake was his last as he was stretchered off with an ACL injury.

Adriano: B+. Struggled a bit in the early going, but the more he took the license to get forward the better he looked. Put in a phenomenal cross for the first goal after he made the smallest window of space for himself.

Mascherano: C+. Struggled a bit as he moved back to his “natural” position (as the English commentators called it). He misplaced too many passes and spent a bit too much time on the ball. However his movement was intelligent as he dropped in to form a back three at times.

Sergi: B. Popped up to score the winning goal to atone for being easily muscled off the ball to gift Osasuna their goal. His passing is solid, but seemed a bit rushed at times. His movement could use a lot of work, and he needs to learn to offer himself for a pass instead of making a bee-line for the goal. Even though he was hot and cold, he should be encouraged by his performance.

Thiago: B. Some good, some bad. He was in the thick of all our best moments in the first half, but he also gave the ball away much too easily on several occasions. Unable to set the tempo of the match, but generally used the ball well.

Cuenca: B-. Looked good when the ball came his way and his deadly low crosses were there tonight, but no one could seem to get on the end of them. Anonymous for large periods.

Sanchez: B+. Looked isolated in the first half, but not for lack of effort. Put himself in the right place to score the opening goal and his movement was good throughout. Subbed for Messi in the 58th minute.

Pedro: D. A tough game for Pedro where he worked extremely hard and created very little. His pressing was poor today, and at times it looked more like chasing that coordinated pressing. Taken off with another minor hamstring injury. Must be wishing this season would end so he can get a fresh start.

Subs

Abidal: B-. Abidal didn’t look his usual calm and collected self out there today. Gave away the ball and almost a goal as soon as he came on, and never settled in. Cleared it out of bounds more than I’ve seen him do in some 5 game runs. Had a hand in Osasuna’s goal with a poor clearance. Looked solid most of the time, but like my old man says “Defenders can play a perfect game but make one mistake and it is considered a poor game.”

Messi: A-. Provided a focal point for the team when we desperately needed one, and got himself an assist for the winning goal. We looked a different side with him on the pitch.

Busquets: N/A. Came on to provide stability and other than making a meal of a challenge I can’t think what else he did.

*All grading is done on the curve.

And so in the end it was a victory, but a costly one. I’m reminded of the legend of the Greek king Pyrrhus, who looked out at the battlefield after a victory over the Romans and said “another such victory would uttely ruin us.”

We carry a 4-0 lead from the first leg, and unless Hell freezes over (I wouldn’t mind if that meant we got some snow in upstate NY) we will be punching our free Clasico card tonight and getting two free Clasico’s. Iniesta and Alves were left home to defend the fort Nou against any preemptive Madridista attacks (although Khedira won’t be pulling any blitzkriegs anytime soon), but Montoya and Sergi get first team starts. This is Post-Maxwell Match One, so let the dawn of Montoya begin.

Starting XI: Pinto, Montoya, Pique, Fontas, Adriano, Mascherano, Thiago, Sergi Roberto, Cuenca, Pedro, Sanchez

Bench: Valdes, Puyol, Abidal, Busquets, Xavi, Fabregas, Messi

Refreshments, as always, served shortly before kickoff. 4:00 PM EST

Copa Preview: Osasuna - Barça (0-4 aggregate), Round of 16 2nd leg, Thursday, 4pmET

Tis the season of triumphant returns to winning ways. Or, at least, for Barça, the moment when anything better than a 4-0 loss will automatically send them through to the next round of the Copa del Rey. Certainly Getafe pulled it off a few years ago with that 4-0 win at the Coliseum in the semifinals. The first leg had been 5-2 at the Camp Nou, though, and those away goals changed things pretty dramatically. A 5-1 loss would suit Barça just fine, as a matter of fact, though the loss would probably put some of the more frantic fans on suicide watch.

Whatever happens, though, it’s more about what’s looming than what is going on against Osasuna. 4-0 in the first leg probably means a few B-teamers in the mix, but the squad needs to be reminded that it’s going to take something superhuman to get the league title back, so perhaps playing all 1st teamers again to ensure passage to the next round to face Real Madrid (who won 0-1 at Malaga thanks to an absurd mistake by keeper Willy Caballero; though don’t blame it all on poor Willy since Malaga needed to win to advance and not scoring surprisingly didn’t achieve that). More clásicos? Count me in the “ugh, really?” category. I’m developing heart problems about this, people.

Can we agree on that? It’s too many. Make that your next tweet hastag: #toomany, though perhaps in all caps it will get the point across. #TOOMANY. So obviously we’ll have to eliminate them and make the Copa safe for the rest of the world.   The first leg could fall on Pep’s birthday too (Jan 18), which would mean that we would also have to win one for ye olde meese-tear. It’s just how it’s got to be, folks. And thus, we must eliminate Osasuna.

That means actually focusing on this match and not worrying about Ballons d’Ors or managerial awards (even if the latter are for Total Excellence and Badassery). It means scoring some goals and getting back to tiki-taka. It means not wondering if Espanyol has found the secret to defeating Barça (they haven’t; at best they’ve found the secret to drawing with FCB). It means maybe giving some kids some time and maybe not, depending. It means winning one for Tito. It means winning 800 million billion matches for Tito. It means reigniting that all-consuming desire for revenge against a team that hasn’t actually done you any wrong. It means then taking that passion and fire on to the next match and, as my high school biology teacher used to say, burning down their villages because I am the dragon and you have awoken my fury.

And no, I’m not kidding about him. He actually said stuff like that about people who got below like a 75 on his tests. Claimed he wore an amulet around his neck to keep him from turning into a dragon and, one presumes, burning all the villages there are to burn. He was also pretty much the best teacher I’ve ever had. So there’s that too.

That sort of passion is useful sometimes and now might be just that moment. Keep your head on your shoulders, of course, because you never know when you’ll end up outside of Coffeyville, Kansas with Matthew McConaughey on your tail. You’ll want to survive the witching hour to prey on more helpless saps throughout your long, distinguished career. Sure, it’s on the road, which is hard, but you’ve won there before and you’ll do it again (preferably tomorrow).

Osasuna is in a little bit of a dogfight for their Europa League spot (and within striking distance of the final CL spot too), which might distract them if they think they need to concentrated on their match against Racing. Oddly, though, they’ve got 3 consecutive home games coming up, which is probably a huge boost for them. They’re undefeated at home, after all, having won 5, drawn 3, and lost none in La Liga and draw once in the Copa. That might suggest that they concentrate on the league just to make sure they gain maximum points, especially with the second of those 3 home matches against Valencia and Atletico Madrid.

Whatever, Sport thinks we roll out with a decently serious side and their selection makes sense given that Alves and Iniesta (and the departing Maxwell) are missing. Alves “felt some discomfort” according to the official site, which is somewhat troubling, but they’re taking precautions, which is good. I’ll endorse their lineup: Pinto, Montoya, Pique, Fontas, Adriano, Mascherano, Xavi, Thiago, Ceunca, Messi, Pedro. Works for me on several levels, most of which involve resting key components of the team such as Puyol, Busi, and the not included Iniesta and Alves. Sergi Roberto was also included in the list and could make a start given that his inclusion wouldn’t put the team over the 4 B-teamers rule. So maybe he’ll play.

Osasuna comes at us with the following squad: Ricardo, Asier Riesgo, Marc Bertrán, Miguel Flaño, Lolo, Satrústegui, Postigo, Hermosa, Nekounam, Puñal, Calleja, Raúl García, Cejudo, Lamah, Roberto Torres, Raoul Loe, Lekic, Manu

There’s a lot of youth players involved in that, so I don’t know what lineup they’ll bring out. They’ve also included their medical report here, if you’re interested in such things. They drew 0-0 at Real Sociedad this weekend, so they’re still in 5th in the league, which I’m guessing suits them. I don’t know their true ambitions, actually, but I’m thinking they’re all about 5th place and a Europa League spot unless Levante falls off its pedestal and they can nab 4th, which would be totally rad. So, again, I think they’re giving this one up for lost and moving on with La Liga.

Offical Prediction: 1-1. Drab affair. Lots of fog. Messi scores and everyone poops their pants in wonder.

So we're incompatible? Huh. (Getty)

It appears that visiting the Camp Nou is the footballing equivalent to a death sentence. Since the 2-2 draw with AC Milan in the Champions League group stage on September 13, 2011, Barça has allowed exactly 0 goals at home. In La Liga, 8 matches have produced 39 goals for; in the Champions League, 2 matches meant 6 more goals; and in the Copa del Rey, L’Hospitalet fell 9-0 and now Osasuna has gone down 4-0 as well. In total, that’s 58 goals to none against. 60 goals with 2 against is the season-long total unless you count the Supercopa de España second leg match against Real Madrid that ended 3-2 in Barça’s favor.

Osasuna, whatever their complaints about the grass or Messi’s inclusion in the squad after the announcement of his illness, should recognize that the final score was a fairly just outcome for how they played. Opening salvos aside, it was a one-dimensional match: Barça attacking. That anyone could possibly complain about being played off the pitch is simply a testament to how much it sucks to get blown out, no matter who the opponent is.

As a casual amateur player, I get upset when I lose a tight match, much less when my team is repeatedly subjected to the other team’s goal celebrations. And the largest number of fans we have are the teams waiting to play after us. We’re competitive, even if we’re not, you know, competitive. Being competitive is the lifeblood of any athlete and it is only increasingly so as the stakes get higher, so it’s understandable that Osasuna is pissed about having had 12 goals put on them in 2 matches.

Speaking of competitive, Guardiola rolled out a very serious lineup, starting Pinto, Puyol, Mascherano, Pique, Busquets, Thiago, Xavi, Cesc, Pedro, Cuenca, Alves, a 3-4-3 on paper and mostly so in practice. You have to start at least 7 first teamers, so next week’s match, while pretty much a formality, will not be replete with B teamers called up for the occasion. It’ll be something like what appeared against L’Hospi, one can assume.

The match, then

Early pressing by Osasuna created a couple of delicate moments, including a risky pass by Pinto out of the back to Pique. When Osasuna got the ball, however, Barça was quick to press and Osasuna gave the ball up fairly cheaply. By the 6th minute, Barça’s rhythm had been established and the day’s theme began to emerge: Osasuna’s midfield would press forward while the defense became discombobulated and lost the plot. The back line would just hang around with FCB’s forwards and leave the middle channels completely open for quick bursts through the middle.

Barcelona’s shape was, as always, dependent on the moment. Cuenca and Pedro switched positions from time-to-time, causing slight panic in the defense that Cesc took full advantage of throughout. He was everywhere and I suppose it’s worth a paragraph about him:

Cesc Fabregas is a wonderful player. We all know that. We’ve all known that for a long time. I wasn’t in favor of his purchase for a couple of reasons that aren’t really worth going into at the moment, but suffice to say that they didn’t have much to do with his on-field abilities. Since his arrival, I haven’t been particularly impressed with a couple of aspects of his game. Compare him to Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and even Thiago and you can say that he has subpar on-the-ball qualities. He’s not as fast or physical as everyone in England claimed he’d be (though that is a lame argument on my part since I didn’t buy it back then either) and his passing sometimes leaves something to be desired, but he is—and this is very important—absolutely ridiculously awesome at spacing. He’s got that innate knowledge of where to be and how to position himself to create space around him. It’s a lovely thing to watch and yesterday’s match was that plus a work rate that was virtually unmatched. He was everywhere and doing everything. He put in his best all-around performance in a blaugrana shirt. What’s tough for him, of course, is that his performance was nearly overshadowed by that of Xavi. Or possibly even Messi, who played for just 30 minutes.

But no, my Man of the Match is Cesc Fabregas. He was spectacular. He could have had 4 goals and as many assists, but ended with “just” a brace and a single assist.

And yet.

It’s a team game and this team, this Futbol Club Barcelona is simply on another planet right now. They’re space aliens come to earth to mess with our brains. As long as their mothership doesn’t come to take them away, I gladly welcome our new overlords. Because, damn, they’re somethin’ and that somethin’ is such a pleasure to watch.

The team is playing at such a high level that it’s almost incomprehensible how they lost to Getafe just a few weeks ago or even conceded a single shot on goal to that one team in white, much less a goal. Osasuna ran into a buzzsaw and if Madrid gets past Malaga to reach the quarters with Barça, it’s going to be a crazy couple of games, but 2 which the team should win. Al Sadd and Santos can tell them what it’s going to be like. L’Hospi is still searching for a ball to play with since we still have them all in our house. Osasuna thought they were doing okay, but then half jogged for a moment and bam. 4-0.

The Bad

A couple of odd moments at the back, Pedro’s anonymity throughout, and the lack of a pressure during a small period where Osasuna played their way into the game and probably should have gotten on the scoreboard to teach us a lesson about going to sleep. That’s about the only bad, I guess, except for pretty much all of Osasuna’s performance.

The Good

Cesc, Xavi, Messi’s sick performance, and the overall defensive display. Also good was Ivorian-Guinean-Belgian striker Roland Lamah, a second half substitution who showed determination and a couple of good moves. Pretty much the only bright spot in an otherwise bad performance by the team. I enjoyed the team’s overall work rate and especially the willingness to track back when things slipped through the first layer of defense. Sánchez stood out in that, for instance. Puyol was an inspiration. What a guy.

Messi was incredible in his few minutes. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how good he really is, then he comes on and bam, it’s a different game. He is so complete now: his passing, vision, and ability with the ball are simply unfathomable skills. Twice he combined with other players to go on a sick run. The first, with Alves, deserved a goal. The second, with Xavi, was more intricate and probably better, but ended with a little shirt tug that could have been called a penalty but would probably have been too harsh. Whatever. Incredible. I’m a Xavi guy, really, a fan of playmakers, of midfielders in general, and yet I’m enthralled by this Lionel Messi. How can you not be? He’s astounding.

Next up is the Catalan derbi. So yeah, let’s keep this level of play up and put pressure on Madrid going into their intense match against Malaga that could go either way (though will probably go in RM’s favor). Do you believe in this team? You should. If you don’t, go watch them again and drink in the lovely draughts of The Best Team Ever. You won’t get another chance for 30 years, so go for it, go all in. It’s fun.