(Insert reference to Lio, lions, and roaring here)

Pep’s notes before the game must have been:

1. Give Messi the ball.
2. ????
3. GOLAZO
4. Repeat 1-3 until sufficient scoreline is achieved.

A simply remarkable game from the world’s best player. But the thing is, this is him being “back on form”. That’s the incredible part.

By his standards, Leo Messi has been a bit lacklustre in away games. Despite being the focus of the opposition team’s defense, a minimum of three defenders on him at all time, despite the fact that that means that the rest of the team has much more space to operate, he only scored one goal in away matches in the Liga this season. (Compared to the 18 goals scored at Camp Nou).

And that is poor. By his standards.

By his standards.

Those are the key words and ones I would repeat ad nauseam.

Because the standards this man has set is higher than Mount Everest and it only continues to elevate as he plays. A standard no other human can ever reach and maintain.

Because Messi to me is like a footballing superhero. Except it’s not Superman, it’s Argentinaman! (His Argie blood gives him strength, don’tcha know?).

He is the team’s greatest offensive threat. He’s been carrying them offensively. The real story this season is not that he’s only score one goal away from home, but that the team itself has had problems scoring. Even if he himself doesn’t have a direct impact, though assist and goals, the indirect influence he has is priceless. He forces a team to change shape and makes sure the opposition can never really relax just by being there because they know that one false move, and BAM. Destruction. Goals. Mayhem.

That’s why Pep doesn’t sub him off.

And as the mister said today: “Messi’s main quality is his consistency; for being decisive in so many games, for such a long time.”

But if he doesn’t dominate the game as his often superhuman, Argentinaman self does, doesn’t shine the way he’s supposed to – the way us Barca fans are used to – then he’s had a bad game. He looks uninterested, unmotivated and has to be subbed off.

If that were me, I’d be weeping at the unfairness of it all.

But not Messi. Because he knows. He knows the standards he’s set. He knows that he has to keep improving, that he can’t just rest on his laurels. That the fans and the club are demanding and expecting and will not allow that. And if he wants to stay, he’ll have to keep pushing himself.

He told Don Balon a couple of weeks ago:

“I’m at the best club in the world, no other team could fulfill me as much as Barcelona does. I grew up at La Masia and I became a man at Barca. I hope to stay here until they get tired of me, which is hopefully never.”

This is our player. And today, he showed that hunger that never left.

Target: Locked

We rolled into Malaga’s stadium with Valdes; Alves, Pique, Masche, Abidal; Busi, Iniesta, Thiago; Adriano, Messi and Alexis. It was an interesting one. No Xavi, Fabregas, or Puyol, and Adriano starts as LW.

The game itself stated with a battle for possession. Malaga weren’t interested in sitting back a la Madrid and going for a counter attack. But unlike many games this season, we got into a rhythm early, passing the ball around, getting into a groove.

Or rather, Messi got into a groove. As early as the 7^th minute, he went on one of those classic runs, dancing past Malaga defenders, before slotting the ball to a wide open Thiago on the right who first times the cross for a diving Alexis header in the box which was saved by the excellent Malaga goalkeeper.

But the onslaught was just beginning. Two minutes later, another lovely dribble from Messi ends with a powerful shot deflected JUST past the post for a corner. Iniesta was wide open in space to the left of Leo and he probably should have passed to Ghostface.

Barcelona were really dominating now. But Malaga then decided to try and get something out of the game.

Now Victor Valdes must have the hardest and easiest job ever. The ultimate paradox. He has to be alert to the danger, which is often meager. But if he’s not focused, the goals will pour in like locusts.

In the 14^th minute, Valdes produced three successive goal denying saves from Isco to keep Malaga shut out before the Messi show took over.

Messi was once again on a run but the ball is tackled away (he gets accidentally kneed in the head for his troubles). Malaga counter attack. After a nice one-two on the left, Isco unleashes a shot that’s headed for the top right corner, but he is DE-NIED by a flying Valdes. From the resulting corner, Boo! Wellington the pesky Isco directs a header towards goal but that man Valdes saves again. The rebound is smacked goalwards yet again by Isco but no ball shall pass the Wall of Valdes. In the first half anyway.

You shall not pass!

Regular service resumed from there as Pique had a free header in the 17^th minute which was poor. Decent chances from Thiago and Adriano followed. The break-through only a matter of time.

Déjà vu hit in the 29^th minute when Messi floated an incredible pass to a wide open Abidal. Very reminiscent of the winning goal last Wednesday. But Willy Cabanero was alert to the impending catastrophe and forced Abidal back. Abi passes back to Messi who is lurking in the box. Leo spanks the ball towards goal but Demichelis clears off the line.

But Messi’s wasn’t finished. He lays an incredible pass to Alexis which is saved. The Malaga GK, desperately trying to relieve some pressure, launches a counter attack through Eliseu. He curls a wonderful cross to Ruud van Nistelrooy (yeah, he was playing) who puts it wide.

Fantastic game and still only a half hour in. You’d wonder how it was still 0-0.

That would change in the 32^nd minute when Adriano puts in a fabulous floating cross for –who else?– Leo Messi to head in. He may be the second shortest player on the field, but the man can head the ball. I’ve always thought so. The placement was spectacular. 1-0 to Barca.

Eat it, Pele! With a side of paella.

I’ll take the time to say Messi’s passes are just incredible. I mean, really. Nothing flashy, just simple perfectly weighted passes that are so, so deadly.

The half ended with two more half chances. The first comes when Alexis wins the ball at the edge of the Malaga box and play a brilliant pass to Iniesta, but he miscontrols (!) and the danger is cleared. The second was Messi passing the ball through the legs on a Malaga defender to Abidal, but his cross is gathered by the Malaga GK before Alexis could get a head to it.

Halftime. 1-0 Barcelona with 70% of the ball. Ole.

The second half started as the first half ended. Barca camped out in the Malaga half.

Wonderful play by Iniesta would be the instigator for the second goal. He sets up Thiago at the edge of the box, but his shot was saved. The danger for Malaga wasn’t averted as Adriano picked up the rebound and squared the ball to Thiago but he is once again saved by the outstanding Malaga GK. He wouldn’t be able to stop Alexis, as the Chilean manages to put in the rebound. 2-0 Barcelona.

Would we let poor Malaga catch their breath?

Answer: Hell to the no.

Just three minutes later, good pressure from Iniesta Busi Leo in the Malaga half wins Barca possession. Busi slides a short pass back to Messi. Surrounded by three players with another two blocking his path, the genius jinxes his way through, drifting to the right before cutting back to his left and slotting the ball past the keeper. 3-0. Game. Set. Match.

But we’d spend the rest of the game looking for a fourth.

Striker Pique would come out of the long grass around the 70th minute, but the team ignores him he doesn’t get any service.

In the 73rd minute, after Pedro comes on for Iniesta, Messi hits the underside of the crossbar. To describe my feeling, I go to the wonderful Ray Hudson:

“Damn that crossbar! Damn it all to hell! A hat-trick would have been deserved. Look at this, the witching way. I think it crossed the line.”

Aye, sir.

Thiago would get two good opportunities to net the 4th. He’s put through on goal by a great Abidal pass, but he tries to set up Cuenca instead of going for goal. A couple of seconds later, he has a header saved.

The fourth goal would come eventually and to describe it, I will consult my notes from this match:

81st Busi wins the ball in Malaga half. Messi. Dead. 0-4. Hattrick. &#^(@#&@)*#@)*#)!(

Argentinaman. I’m so glad he plays for us.

Match ball is yours!

The End

Make no mistake, Malaga were a dangerous opponent. They had very good looks on goal in the first half. In the second half, substitute Rondon was very lively. He scored after Valdes saved the initial shot from a Malaga player, but pushed the ball into the path of Rondon. That man Rondon would get anther look at goal int he 86th minute, dragging his header wide after a great cross from the left.

He himself would provide a cross in the dying moments of the game but the resultant header was poor.

So it’s not like Malaga were parking the bus — we forced them back and put them relentless pressure. So much so that they couldn’t get into the game (until we dropped off towards the end). Important distinction.

Also, Santi Cazorla is a wonderful footballer.

Thoughts:

Team: Easily the best away game of the season. Some frenetic passing in the first half, but calmed down in the second. Was just dominate for 85 minutes and a sensational day between the sticks by the Malaga GK is what kept the score down. No matter who plays, the level doesn’t drop much. Almost scored a goal from pressing in the 26th minute too. This performance was coming, but it was also much needed. Riding the momentum of the Copa win. Keep it up!

But that being said, those last 5 minutes… no me gusta. You can’t just switch off like that. Stay focused for the whole match.

Pep: Made all his subs before the 75th minute!! Also, he had the team ready to play but also rested some key players. As Josep Capdevila, a Spanish journalist, noted on Twitter: Pep is still rotating even with 15 squad players (and a couple of B teamers). This is awesome. Well played, boss.

Valdes: “Without Valdes’ saves in the first half, you don’t know what can happen. Details are decisive in football.” – Pep Guardiola post match. Some really sensational saves Victor. It’s a shame that we couldn’t keep a clean sheet for you. Can’t put too much blame on the Rondon goal, maybe could have push it out, but even then that’s asking a lot.

Alves: Seemed like he was dying in the second half with all those hits. Glad to see he’s okay. Malaga attacked his flank most often in the first half, to be expected. Got up and down the flank with his usual energy. Nice line up play with Messi and Alexis.

Mascherano: Full on man. Fantastic defensive play towards the end of the first half, where he just ate up the ground and blocked van Nistelrooy’s path to goal.

Pique: Getting better. Did some great covering jobs, particularly in the second half. Tried to be a striker, but alas, had to slowly make his way back when it became apparent that a) the team wouldn’t be entertaining that idea, and b) he probably wouldn’t have scored anyway.

Abidal: Maxwell said after he signed for PSG: “Abidal is the best left back in the world. He’s in spectacular form.” Couldn’t have said it better myself, Maxy.

Busi: Really loved the game he played today. Always available as an outlet, always keeps it simple. Just a great footballer. That tackle by Camacho in the second half was just awful. Ripped your shorts and everything. I bet some will still call you a diver afterwords though.

Thiago: Wonderful match. He’s putting in that workman like performance that tends to be a thank less job. Keep possession well, make some great runs into the box. The interesting thing with Thiago is that people are still expecting him to play a looser, flashier match. But he knows that for the team to win, he’ll have to make sacrifices and do the dirty work. I love that.

Iniesta: Another strong match. I love his chemistry with Messi. Their link up play is just a joy to watch. Got some well deserved rest when Pep subbed him off for Pedro.

Adriano: He loves to attack doesn’t he? He didn’t make as many runs that I’d expect him to. And sometimes he had the defender’s reflex in the box where he cleared the ball away from the Malaga goal instead of towards it. Fantastic cross for the opening goal. Shame you got a cramp towards the end. Let’s hope it’s not serious.

Alexis: El nino maravilla! Movement was good, had great chances to score and eventually put away the second goal. Good day at the office, chileno.

Messi: See above. At the halfway point in 08-09 season he had 11 goals, in 09-10 he had 15, last year he had 18 and now he has 22 [Jafri during LB]. Only one two from a penalty (compared to another player who has 22 goals, 10 9 (!) for the spot). And he’s still expected to do more, to be even better. He wouldn’t want it any other way.

Substitutions

Cuenca (for Alexis): Came in when the match was pretty much decided. Good run out for Isaac.

JDS (for Adriano): Yay! JDS got to play and it wasn’t at rightback! I always love seeing Jona on the pitch.

Pedro (for Iniesta): Looked good. Gain some much needed minutes and had nice touches on the ball. Here’s hoping he comes back to form soon.

So we’re still improving. This doesn’t mean that there won’t be more…unfortunate… results in the future. But the team will keep trying hard to win this Liga. I couldn’t ask for more.

Away form: hopefully fixed.
[All images courtesy of fcbarcelona.cat]

Coming into this match a lot of Cules were expecting a statement match. With yet another match with Madrid looming midweek there was hope that we would demolish Betis and emphatically cast off our recent anemic form. Couple this with the fact that the team hadn’t conceded in the Camp Nou yet in the league and it seemed harder to come to Barcelona and get a victory than it is to attack Russia in the winter. Unlike the Russians we were at a numerical disadvantage, with only 15 first team players fit for the match. It would have been an injury crisis for any other club, but it was just a typical day for Guardiola who started: Valdes, Puyol, Mascherano, Abidal, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Cuenca, Messi, and Sanchez. It was an obvious 3-4-3, and the easiest formation to guess since, uhh, last match. A couple awards were presented and you could almost hear the Cules salivating as they anticipated a major win.

"Never attack Russia in the winter"

Apparently Betis didn’t get the memo, and like Napoleon’s march on Russia in 1812 they started brightly. Valdes was forced into action early as Abidal failed to pick up his mark and Mascherano lost track of his man running through, giving him a one-on-one. Valdes again showed his importance to the team on the resulting corner, punching out a bullet of a header. Betis looked hungry, they were pressing well, passing well, and creating chances. And the English commentator just called it the “Nou Camp.” Where is that mute button? Time for some Frank Zappa.

Yet for all Betis’ work, Barcelona is the first on the score sheet with what is essentially our first attack. Puyol makes a smart interception and feeds Xavi who begins to dance through the midfield, exchanging passes with Busquets and Iniesta as he moves left and finds Sanchez in space. Meanwhile Fabregas is doing what he does best and making an incisive run across the box. Sanchez again shows his ninja skills with a cleverly disguised pass, Fabregas has his evening cup of Earl Gray before he clips the ball against the far post, and Xavi is lurking to make it 1-0. A deserved goal for Xavi that earned him the right to a cute hop-skip-and-jump celebration with a fist pump thrown in for good measure.

I had barely finished my own, more excessive, celebration before Messi made it 2-0. The entire Betis backline is in full retreat as Iniesta dribbles at them before playing a simple pass to Sanchez who is in acres of space on the left. The Betis right back obviously didn’t learn his lesson about giving Sanchez too much space from the last goal and Sanchez punishes him with a perfect first time cross that Messi finishes easily. Two goals, both of which Sanchez created by maintaining width on the left and catching the Betis backline out of position. 12 minutes into the game and I started to relax.

Unfortunately I wasn’t the only one. Messi put Iniesta in on goal with a long probing pass but Iniesta looks like he is out on a Sunday stroll and the chance is lost. As a side note, Fabregas starts the play making an interception in the right back zone, and ends it making a slide tackle in Betis’ box. Fabregas dropped deep in midfield throughout the game, playing almost as a defensive midfielder at times without the ball. I’d like to see this more often as it fills the hole Busquets leaves when he drops into a back four (and hopefully will cure Fabregas of his “run wherever the ball is” positioning). The ensuing 20 minutes consist mostly of Barcelona maintaining possession deep but not creating many chances. Strangely the reason we struggled to create chances was because we weren’t patient enough in our passing. The team as a whole was too direct in the opponent’s third, constantly trying to play the hero ball when we needed to be besieging their goal (there was also Sanchez comically tripping over the ball when he was through on goal).

AND HOLY JEEZERS BETIS HAVE SCORED. A darting run from Molina through the middle beats Mascherano. Molina drops it back, and while our entire defense stands transfixed a perfect ball finds Castro camped all alone in our box. A very nice goal that we would have been proud of if our boys had scored it, but all of a sudden our Camp Nou clean sheet run is over. And I’m not quite so relaxed anymore. On a tactical note the worry with the 3-4-3 on defense is generally that teams can find space on the wings. With both Puyol and Abidal playing fairly wide throughout the first half the most danger has come when Betis isolate Mascherano against a quick forward and play a through pass – they’ve had several good chances this way. The rest of the half devolves into a ping pong match with both teams having a couple half chances. Overall it feels like an EPL game for a couple minutes there.

FIST PUMPAZO!!

A nervous half time commenced. I kept hoping that the words a wise man once spoke would be true: “Betis always find a way of troubling us, even if we eventually win.”

Alves replaced Cuenca at half time – starting off at right wing where Cuenca supposedly played in the first half. Within six minutes he was dropping in to play right back, forming a 4-3-3, and within seven minutes Betis scored their second goal. Castro had the whole right side of the pitch to himself as Alves had been drawn way too centrally. Castro finds Santa Cruz unmarked at the top of the box and Santa Cruz nestles the ball in the far corner. 2-2.

And for a couple of minutes after the equalizing goal there were doubts. A dread seemed to hang over the stadium, and you could hear whispers from the peanut gallery: “Pep insists on using this formation even though it is weak defensively.” “The team lacks the killer instinct it had in years past.” “This is the type of match where Barcelona concedes the league.” For a moment I thought I could hear a Cule running down Las Ramblas screaming “Franco is coming! Franco is coming!” But there was lots of time left.

Barcelona started crafting some half chances, with Messi putting a weak shot on target and Xavi playing a nice chip that Fabregas blazed over. Abidal in particular was enjoying the change back to a 4-3-3, getting forward and causing havoc on the left. Fabregas and Messi play a cute give and go but Messi blazes over. Speaking of Messi he lost the ball all too often today, especially after Betis scored their second. 60 minutes gone, and there isn’t so much time left. My heart rate is getting alarmingly high.

The players also seem to be losing their cool, as both Messi and Xavi tell the ref exactly what they think about his call. Alves on the right causing trouble now. We are attacking their goal but the clear chances just won’t seem to come. Messi loses the ball again. Alves goes up with the keeper for a header but the ball just won’t go in the goal. ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME? I’m breathing hard now. Xavi is awesome. The ref denies Iniesta a penalty after Montero mistakes his shin for the ball in their box. Iniesta says to the ref “Sir, I must kindly disagree” and gets a yellow for his troubles. Damn this game is exciting. Messi drives through the center and gets wrecked by Montero, who sees his second yellow. Being a man up is great and all by why can’t we score?!?!?! Messi loses the ball again. Oh no Betis is attacking again. Pep is yelling. Sanchez gets a ball through from Iniesta but can’t finish. Sanchez glances a header just wide. 15 minutes left and the tension is rising to uncontroGGGGGGOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL. GOAL GOAL GOAL.

Xavi has been providing dangerous balls for a half hour and he finds Sanchez running laterally through the middle. Sanchez still has it all to do and he finds space against two defenders and powers the ball past Casto. I may be developing a man crush on Sanchez. The final goal and the nail in the Betis’ coffin comes through an excellent attacking run from Abidal where he combines nicely with Messi and keeps the ball alive after the rebound and earns a rare Barcelona penalty. Messi duly finishes it, and the match is over.

The oddest moment of the match

Valdes: B+. Will be disappointed to concede in the Camp Nou, but can’t take blame for either of the goals. Made a couple excellent saves early in the first half. Distribution was solid as always.

Puyol: B. Made some excellent interceptions, but also got caught way out of position at times.

Mascherano: C+. Beaten several times in the first half to give Betis dangerous chances, although he was left isolated. Much better in the second half with Puyol next to him.

Abidal: B. The second game in a row where he cleared the ball out of bounds with alarming regularity. Looked unsure of his role and positioning on the left of the three man defense in the first half. Enjoyed his freedom to get forward in the second and played a huge role in winning the penalty.

Busquets: B+. Spent the first half somewhere between centerback and defensive midfielder, popping up at the right place with unnerving regularity. He reads the game incredibly well. Distributed well and created a couple dangerous moments when he attacked through the middle. Fouled and won fouls. All in all a stereotypical Busquets performance.

Xavi: A. Scored a deserved goal, and controlled the match throughout. Played a bunch of dangerous balls as we searched for the equalizer – they all found their target, but only Sanchez could capitalize. Good match.

Iniesta: B+. He was a wizard out there with the ball at his feet. Played well with Sanchez in the early going. Created a lot of dangerous situations but just seemed unable to connect for the final pass.

Fabregas: B. He kind of reminds me of watching Pedro in his first season. Covered an unbelievable amount of ground. Made some dangerous runs in the box but could also be seen deep in the midfield at times. Some of his passing wasn’t patient enough and he still looks like he isn’t sure where he should be on the field a lot of the time.

Cuenca: C-. Hooked for Alves at half time after an anonymous first half. Contributed almost nothing going forward but worked hard and covered a lot of ground defending the right flank.

Messi: B. Scored two goals and drew a red card, but didn’t have a great game the rest of the time. A solid first half was followed by a second half where he lost the ball too often – whether on the dribble or a pass.

Sanchez: A. Created danger on the left wing the whole first half, and the first two goals as well. Faded a bit in the middle of the match, but emphatically scored the winning goal after a superb run through the middle. We haven’t had a player with his dynamism and versatility of play on the left wing since Henry circa ’08-’09. My MOTM.

Subs

Alves: B. Deserves the blame for Betis’ second goal, as he was ostensibly playing right back but was standing in the center circle. Created danger on the right, including a sumptuous cross for Sanchez right before we took the lead, but nothing quite seemed to come off for him.

Thiago: N/A. Replaced Fabregas in the 83rd minute to maintain possession and did his job without any fuss.

*All grading is done on the curve.

Overall it was an incredibly exciting game. No, Barcelona wasn’t at their best, and this didn’t turn into the statement game that many were expecting or hoping it to be. In fact it’s fair to say that our execution was off all night – maybe just by a little bit, but that small margin is what makes the difference. These matches are the reason I love watching this team – tense all the way through, moments of magic, and it feels unbelievably amazing when the boys in Blaugrana pull it off. Games like these remind the players, and fans, that even in the Camp Nou nothing can be taken for granted – a lesson that we may have forgotten over three years of success. In the end you can’t help but hope our season plays out just like this match – a strong start, a slump in form in the middle, and a blazing finish that secures the win.

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.”

I know what you are all feeling. I know because I’m feeling the same way.

Well, actually, I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like doing this:

Those Pericos. How I loathe them.

Just when the perfect opportunity to sit down and roll over nicely presents itself – really, we weren’t even planning on scoring that many goals against them—they have to go and play out of their skins against us in front of their fans.

The bastards.

So Barcelona struts onto the Cornella pitch with a 3-4-3 formation consisting of: Valdes – Puyol, Pique, Abidal – Xavi, Busi, Fabregas, Iniesta – Alves, Messi, and Alexis.

It was the same eleven that started, and won 1-3, in the Bernabeu in December. Iniesta and Alexis were able to shake off their injuries (well, in latter’s case, make a full recovery). There was no Cuenca, or Maxwell, as they didn’t make the bench.

The match started off at a frenetic pace, which suited Espanyol just as well.

Wait…Espanyol?

What?! There’s another team on the field?!

Barcelona with their superhuman tippy tappy from hell tends to make the other team seem like they’re training cones. Turns out they’re actually aren’t.

…Yeah, I’m pretty shocked too.

Hats off to Espanyol. They made things difficult. How difficult? I’ll get to that. But they definitely played out of their skins.

The concept of deserving things – goals, cards, wins, sweat soaked shirts– in football is one regarded with some disdain: you don’t ‘deserve’ things, you earn it. And I’m hard pressed to say that Espanyol didn’t earn their goal.

It was coming, it really was.

Composure, composure, wherefore art thou?

A 3-4-3 is a great formation when executed properly. You can create a boat load of chances, gain numerical superiority in advantageous places on the pitch, and score a lot of goals. However, there is one very important thing you need to make it all work:

Possession.

With possession, you can compose yourself, find a rhythm, dictate the tempo, prevent your 3 man backline from being exposed and just generally cause the other team problems while minimizing yours. It’s why we love it so much, we could marry it.

But if you don’t have it, 3-4-3 is a bit… risky, to say the least.

Barcelona did not have good possession, regardless of what the statistician says.

(They’re probably getting lazy and already have the possession stat before the game’s played, I bet. )

Espanyol came out with a game plan, which was: press the heck out of that team in black and turn this game into a scrimmage. Don’t worry about keeping decent possession or anything impossible like that, just make sure they can’t.  Stay narrow, flood the centre, and when you get the ball, don’t worry about scoring on the counter. Just make sure you have more players than them when countering and work from there.

Needless to say: it worked.

Sergio Garcia and Joan Verdu in particular did a great job in drifting in between our lines. Sure, they can’t finish to save a dying puppy, but it seems like Alvaro can.

It’s a cliché but midfields win matches.

The main objective of our midfield is quite simple: keep the ball. From there, they usually establish the team’s rhythm and dictate the match’s tempo.

As mentioned above, the first half was end to end stuff. That was partly down to Espanyol’s press, but our players also had a large effect.

They were far too direct today and played far too fast. And they let themselves get caught up in Espanyol dynamics and didn’t try to settle the match down.

It was weird seeing our team play like they were Speedy Gonzalez on speed. (Don’t doubt my similes, okay. They’re brilliant.)

I didn’t like it.

The Cesc Complexity

I'm really scoring dem headed goals!

I find Cesc Fabregas a very interesting player. He’s not particularly fast, his first touch isn’t the best on the team, but he has a wonderful GPS in his head that probably flashes green arrows every now and again that tells him ‘Hey, Cesc, move that way! You’ll find space there!’ and more often than not he’ll do some kind of damage using that space, whether it be scoring a goal or providing an assist.

Take the goal he scored today in the 15^th minute, after being denied minutes before when Messi was adjudged to have used his arm to control the ball (silly refs, don’t they know he’s Argentine?): Xavi shifts the ball to Alves on the right. As Dani prepares for the cross, Messi makes a barreling forward run towards goal, taking a multitude of defenders (read: two) with him. That leaves a small gap – really, I doubt we could even fit Bojan in there (if he were still here) — and Fabregas took advantage, directing a fabulous header into the bottom right corner from just inside the box.

Wonderful goal. He shadows Leo’s runs so, so well.

That being said, he brings a host of other issues both directly and indirectly.

His role in the team is still a weird one. It’s kind of like he’s in a free role, but not really. When he’s playing in an advanced position, he’ll have a positive effect. However, when he’s playing in said advanced position, shadowing Messi’s runs or creating confusion – “anarchy” as Pep calls it, as when the opposition defenders see him they think, “Wait, when you get here? Aren’t you supposed to be in the midfield?”—there’s no one to support Xavi, Iniesta and Busi in the midfield, particularly during counters.

In other words, sure, we have another player up front, but we’re a man short in the midfield of all places.

So not cool. And totally rains on Pep’s total midfield domination parade.

So whenever we lost the ball, our transition defense (ie. When we go from ‘let’s score a billion goals on these mofos’ to ‘ah crap, we lost the ball, all hands on deck!’) suffered. Badly. We didn’t have enough players to defend the Espanyol ones that were streaking forward.

Added to that was Alves playing too far up the pitch in his right wing role. When he’s playing that high, and Cesc is off to scale Mount Shadow Striker, he’s got to make sure he’s careful not to lose possession on his side. Why? Because he’s only got Puyol and Xavi, who probably drifts to the middle, behind to cover. As much as I love ‘em, they’re not exactly the Spanish Usain Bolts. And there’s only so much ground Busi’s Bambi legs can cover. (A lot, to be fair, but still).

Basically Alves shouldn’t lose the ball too often because he’ll be too far up the pitch to run back and cover and leave poor Puyol, Xavi and maybe Busi to cover.

Problem: Alves lost the ball too often, leaving poor Puyol, Xavi, and maybe Busi, to cover.

Yeah, this isn't working.

Second half: Pep tries to make adjustments

Team came out of the second half after getting their Pep talk (pun had to happen, sorry) and they kept possession much better.

And by much better, I mean slightly better than what it was before. Which wasn’t much.

That had to do with the fact Alves was pushed deeper; first to the midfield, then to right back around the 65^th minute. When that happened, we switched to a more conventional back 4 and Fabregas moved to the wing. It was necessary as our right flank was being overrun.

We needed to regain some lost composure. Then build a rhythm and get that second goal.

Ultimately, Barcelona couldn’t. Espanyol’s dynamism dictated the game and that was the Pericos’ greatest victory.

Two Schools of Thought: We’re all gonna die! Vs. Relax muchachos, still a long way to go

A good chunk of cules, maybe 90%, ascribe to the former. I’m that rare 10% that believes that giving up on the Liga with 17 games to go is…pretty silly.

Is it a challenge? For sure. But impossible? Not a chance.

Yeah, we’ll drop points, but they will too. A draw here, an Alcorconazo there, et voila! We’re back in it.

This might shock some people but…

We’re still not a finished product. Experimentation is still in effect. Seriously. Just like the first half of the season saw about a billion backlines (something like 9 different ones in La Liga alone) so that we could seamlessly go from a 3 man backline to a 4 man backline with no subs, I think our second half of the season will see us doing more experimenting with our frontline, especially given Villa’s unfortunate injury.

Honestly, I’ve always seen this season as the transition for next season when Alexis is fully integrated, we find out what the heck to do with Fabregas, and Thiago…okay, maybe not Thiago.

Penalties and Barca, like Di Maria and Staying Upright In the Box

The majority of the blame lies with us, but no one blaugrana would mind if referees didn’t stop applying the rules of the game to us. We can be crap and still be allowed to get penalties. Really. First Valencia, then Getafe, and now this game…

Is it because of Qatar Foundation? Or the Coke Zero? Because that’s not our fault. (Okay, maybe the first one, but that’s all RoSELL man. And the cules who voted for it).

And I don’t even like Coke Zero. Aspartame sucks.

Thoughts:

Pep: game-plan didn’t work. Should have set them up different, like you did in the Clasico with Alexis up front, Messi as 10. And personally, I’d have put in Thiago instead of Pedro. He can play LW and still maintain possession. But I know you wanted it. Look how sad you are in this video.

Team: Not the best of games. Too direct, passes more wayward than Liverpool’s sense of justice. They’re human after all. Your punishment: Being in the middle of never-ending rondos, courtesy of the Barca Babies. Then having Carmona and Armando on your team when playing against them. Don’t worry fellow cules, I have a heart; I need it to live after all. Conscience? I have no conscience.

Valdes: Didn’t really have much to do. Some erratic passes and weird positioning at times, but awesome save in the first half when you pushed Verdu’s shot off the post. That, and the save from Sergio Garcia too. Maybe could have done better on the goal, but that was an all around stinker.

Puyol: Lots of heart, full body blocks and some great covering for Alves. That said, Espanyol were prioritizing that right flank and so you were by yourself for a while. Alvaro also broke away from you on the goal. Sad face.

Pique: I liked your defending today. Great interceptions, won a lot in the air, some good tackles and that goal line clearance? Me gusta. Your passing? Could have done without it today to be honest. Missed their mark and tended to gift possession right back. Your form’s improving though. Good news.

Abidal: Mr. Reliable. Espanyol took one look at you and said, “screw attacking this flank.” Your flexibility and ability to play as centre back is one of the reasons why we can seamlessly go from a 3-man back line to a 4  man one. I loved that full body block in the first half on Sergio Garcia too.

Busi: I thought you had a great game. You’re just so smooth. I like your deft passes. You keep it simple, and it’s wonderful to watch. There was this lovely turn you did in the centre of the field in the second half that I could seriously watch all day. There were times where you were in fireman mode too and used those Bambi legs to cover great distances. Under-appreciated.

Xavi: A lot of people are blaming you for not controlling the midfield, but then those people probably don’t get that you’re not the one who’s solely responsible for Midfield Domination ™. When you did have the ball though, you did some good things, like that assist to an assist for our goal. You also misplaced passes on occasion, which is notable only for its oddity.

Iniesta: I missed you. Oh how I missed you. Silkiest player I’ve ever seen. Combinations with Alexis were very nice, and one of our best players in both halves today. A selfish part of me likes that you are sometimes overshadowed a bit, or lumped together with Xavi, because then you can become subject of a cult. A fanatic one.

Cesc:  see above. What I’m reminded of when I thought of this game is a Barca youth team coach who said that he felt that Fabregas was making us too ‘English’ and that worried him. Interesting shout and after watching this game, I’m inclined to agree a bit.

Alves: The cross for Cesc’s goal was immaculate. I see Cuenca’s emergence has been keeping you on your toes. Just stop dilly dallying with the ball. Please. I know you’re playing right wing, but if you’re not going to take on a player, which you should have given how narrow Espanyol was, then at least keep the ball moving. The hesitation really isn’t necessary. Disappointed with you today. You need to take ‘Keep It Simple And Moving’ lessons with Busi.

That said, incredibly saddened to hear the monkey chants directed at you. It was very clear on my TV. Shameful.

Messi: Generally, most people will be thinking, “we lost—uh, I mean, drew! Where was Leo!” Those same people tend to forget teams prioritize defending him. There will be games where it’s just too much. And when he’s being defended by so many players, everyone else has less players on them and are more open. His job isn’t just to score and be the hero all the time. Team game, etc.

That being said, it wasn’t a shining example of what he can do. Didn’t have much direct effect as we’re used to seeing, didn’t press as hard as he could have, and was just generally meh. By his standards.

Alexis: Chut de bol, chileno! Shoot! His game was a mixed bag for me. While he was very lively, he tended to be too differential to other players. That, and when he DID decide to shoot, it took about a million years. And he didn’t get it on target either. Bad Alexis. Also, take on players more.  You’ve got skills, bro. Use them! His workrate was as great as ever though.

Substitutes:

Pedro (for Alexis): brought on to assist in the scoring of, or actually score, the second goal. Composure on the ball isn’t his strong suit, his wayward shot at the death was a scuffed one, but he could have, and should have, gotten a penalty after Raul Rodriguez’s blatant handball. Ah well.

Keiteeee (for Cesc): Came on just before the goal was scored. Your sub was meant to restore some order in the midfield, and basically hang on to the 0-1 (which is always very risky) but with that equalizer the team was always going to be frantically searching for the winner. Now you’re off to the ACON (African Cup of Nations). You will be missed.

So.

Some food for thought:

– In the post match press conference, our mister was almost in tears. Seriously. He had look forward and up to stop them welling up in his eyes. This Liga matters. They won’t give up until it’s mathematically impossible and neither will I. There was a time where Madrid was 12pts back and still managed to win the title (ugh) and in the 08/09 we had a 12 pt lead in January cut down to 1.

5 points?

The league isn’t over until it’s mathematically impossible. We’ll fight to the end.

Our next match in the Liga is against Real Betis on Sunday (we play Osasuna away on Thursday).

Som-hi, Barca!

– Espanyol started a bunch of homegrown players, men from their academy, did that make a difference, however small it may be? Personally, yes, I think it did.

They hassled, they harangued, they moaned, they stomped – they did anything they could do salvage something in front of their fans. And for themselves. Because, well, they hate us. Sure, it’s been diluted a bit by Iniesta’s Jarque gesture, but the chance to put a wrench in our season is one they clap their hands gleefully at.

And… that’s something I don’t think Madrid have right now to be honest.

Am I the only one who noticed the...body...in the background?

—-

Images courtesy of: fcbarcelona.cat, Yahoo! Sports.

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.

This was the face. Messi has, of late, undergone a degree of scrutiny that might make many believe he just stands around, waiting for the ball before he springs into action. But if you want to see how much this club wanted this title, just look at this image.

Better yet, watch this glorious, glorious match by the best club in football and one of the best in the history of the game, a beautiful thing that never fails to bring pleasure, even when it fails to fully execute its mission.

Notions of beauty fascinate me. Men and women, cars, objets d’art can all be justly labeled “beautiful,” by many a person who, subjectively, deems them thus. Disputes? To be sure. Recall when MOMA featured a blockbuster exhibition that featured motorcycles. “That ain’t art,” some crowed, “and it ain’t beauty.” But subjective definitions quake in the face of logic, since subjectivity is, by its very definition, unassailable. “I say it’s beautiful, so it is. The end.”

They won’t be putting our glorious club in any museum for people to gaze upon, though they should. There should be videos, and things so that people remember what this is like, rather than some elderly Catalan dude in the stands, waving around a cigar in open defiance of the Camp Nou’s non-smoking edict, talking about the Best Club He Ever Saw.
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