Question of the day: if you had the choice between either making love to your dream woman, or watching Barcelona every week, which would you choose?
If your answer is not "put your clothes on, love, and make me a cup of tea", then you obviously haven't seen Barca in action this season. For they have broken the La Liga record for most points at the halfway stage of the season, they have scored 62 goals in 20 matches so far (the most in the league by a distance) and conceded only 14 (the least in the league by a difference), and best of all they have done it with a swagger and an aesthetic beauty which is utterly astounding. The build-up play is simply the footballing equivalent of composing a beautiful symphony. Remember when Man Utd's performance a couple of years back when they did Roma 8-1? The Catalans are doing it every week.
Compare Barca's current record - 53 points from 20 games, goal difference of +48 - to other league leaders this season: Manchester United top the Premier League with 47 points from 21 games and a GD of +24, while Inter head Serie A with 43 points from 19 games and Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich share the lead of the Bundesliga with 35 points from 17 games. In short, no-one else from Europe's best leagues is as dominant domestically. And while La Liga is admittedly inferior to the Premier League, the difference is as between Coke and Pepsi - it's clear one is bigger, better and more valuable, but the other is still pretty damn good and there are plenty folk who still prefer it to its rival.
And on the face of it, the Barcelona team which has steamrollered through the first half of the season is not all that different to the one that has coughed and spluttered during the previous two campaigns. But there are three important differences between this Barcelona team and the last. One is on the touchline, where it was clear things had gone stale under Frank Rijkaard. Pep Guardiola has his side playing to Rijkaard's philosophy, but with more pace and the forwards ordered to press the play when not in possession. These changes have given Barcelona more cut and thrust in the final third, and make sure they get the ball back more quickly.
The other two alterations are on the pitch. Dani Alves was signed from Sevilla for megabucks despite an indifferent season. However he has rediscovered his form of 2006/07 and is a Brazilian full-back in the best tradition, irresistable on the attack, yet somehow capable of getting back in time to defend as well. The only flaw in his game, currently, is his insistence of also being a Brazilian full-back in the worst tradition, and constantly blasting long range free kicks at the wall. Is it just me or did Roberto Carlos provide nothing from set pieces after his goal at Le Tournoi in 1997?
Just as important, though, is the man who is no longer there. Ronaldinho's departure has improved Barcelona immeasurably. No longer is play held up while he does a bunch of step overs, and no longer is there the feeling that the team are being let down by an overweight, unfit prima donna.
Add to this the fact that Xavi, star of Euro 2008, continues to spray passes around like an NFL quarterback, and has also now become a goal threat with late runs into the box, and that Thierry Henry has gelled into his role out on the left hand side of the pitch and once more resembles the danger that he was at Arsenal. Meanwhile, Samuel Eto'o, whom the club did their best to offload in the summer, has finally regained the explosive pace that made him arguably the world's best striker before a series of knee injuries, and is flying towards the Golden Shoe title. And they even look solid at the back. But best of all, they have Messi,
And Messi has been extraordinary. I guess we knew already that he was a wonderful player, but he has managed to improve even further. Everything Cristiano Ronaldo was last season, Messi is this season. He looks stronger, more confident. And he continues to dribble past opponents as if the ball was glued to the toe of his boot, more than ever resembling a leaner version of Diego Maradona. With Alves' overlapping preventing sides from doubling up on him, the little Argentinian is running amock through Spanish defences. It is, frankly, utterly joyous. Barcelona's front three have already scored 59 goals in all competitions this season between them. If little Leo's hamstrings hold together (for that is always the fear), then I swear Barcelona will, or at least should, win absolutely everything.
I stand by my answer to the opening question of this post. For this is not the perfect football team, but over the last few months they have been so close to such an accolade that, frankly, it is a bit scary.
L.
If your answer is not "put your clothes on, love, and make me a cup of tea", then you obviously haven't seen Barca in action this season. For they have broken the La Liga record for most points at the halfway stage of the season, they have scored 62 goals in 20 matches so far (the most in the league by a distance) and conceded only 14 (the least in the league by a difference), and best of all they have done it with a swagger and an aesthetic beauty which is utterly astounding. The build-up play is simply the footballing equivalent of composing a beautiful symphony. Remember when Man Utd's performance a couple of years back when they did Roma 8-1? The Catalans are doing it every week.
Compare Barca's current record - 53 points from 20 games, goal difference of +48 - to other league leaders this season: Manchester United top the Premier League with 47 points from 21 games and a GD of +24, while Inter head Serie A with 43 points from 19 games and Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich share the lead of the Bundesliga with 35 points from 17 games. In short, no-one else from Europe's best leagues is as dominant domestically. And while La Liga is admittedly inferior to the Premier League, the difference is as between Coke and Pepsi - it's clear one is bigger, better and more valuable, but the other is still pretty damn good and there are plenty folk who still prefer it to its rival.
And on the face of it, the Barcelona team which has steamrollered through the first half of the season is not all that different to the one that has coughed and spluttered during the previous two campaigns. But there are three important differences between this Barcelona team and the last. One is on the touchline, where it was clear things had gone stale under Frank Rijkaard. Pep Guardiola has his side playing to Rijkaard's philosophy, but with more pace and the forwards ordered to press the play when not in possession. These changes have given Barcelona more cut and thrust in the final third, and make sure they get the ball back more quickly.
The other two alterations are on the pitch. Dani Alves was signed from Sevilla for megabucks despite an indifferent season. However he has rediscovered his form of 2006/07 and is a Brazilian full-back in the best tradition, irresistable on the attack, yet somehow capable of getting back in time to defend as well. The only flaw in his game, currently, is his insistence of also being a Brazilian full-back in the worst tradition, and constantly blasting long range free kicks at the wall. Is it just me or did Roberto Carlos provide nothing from set pieces after his goal at Le Tournoi in 1997?
Just as important, though, is the man who is no longer there. Ronaldinho's departure has improved Barcelona immeasurably. No longer is play held up while he does a bunch of step overs, and no longer is there the feeling that the team are being let down by an overweight, unfit prima donna.
Add to this the fact that Xavi, star of Euro 2008, continues to spray passes around like an NFL quarterback, and has also now become a goal threat with late runs into the box, and that Thierry Henry has gelled into his role out on the left hand side of the pitch and once more resembles the danger that he was at Arsenal. Meanwhile, Samuel Eto'o, whom the club did their best to offload in the summer, has finally regained the explosive pace that made him arguably the world's best striker before a series of knee injuries, and is flying towards the Golden Shoe title. And they even look solid at the back. But best of all, they have Messi,
And Messi has been extraordinary. I guess we knew already that he was a wonderful player, but he has managed to improve even further. Everything Cristiano Ronaldo was last season, Messi is this season. He looks stronger, more confident. And he continues to dribble past opponents as if the ball was glued to the toe of his boot, more than ever resembling a leaner version of Diego Maradona. With Alves' overlapping preventing sides from doubling up on him, the little Argentinian is running amock through Spanish defences. It is, frankly, utterly joyous. Barcelona's front three have already scored 59 goals in all competitions this season between them. If little Leo's hamstrings hold together (for that is always the fear), then I swear Barcelona will, or at least should, win absolutely everything.
I stand by my answer to the opening question of this post. For this is not the perfect football team, but over the last few months they have been so close to such an accolade that, frankly, it is a bit scary.
L.
1 comment:
I really hope Messi does it in the CL this season because that's what he needs to do to match the season Ronaldo had last year. Every time Messi has hit top form in the past he's picked up an injury. If he stays fit and takes Barca to the CL then he'll remove all doubt about whether he's the best player in the world.
I heard the Guardian's Spanish football correspondant last week call Dani Alves the second best player in the world right now.
ps Why do you hav an SPL table from 2007 over there ---> As nice as it is to see Caley up to 9th (an instant impact from Butcher), just because it's on your blog doesn't mean it's true.
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