Barcelona – The Catalan Blaugrana Giants- Part 2.

Part 2:

So, we're back and I'm asking perhaps the ultimate 'one man team' question:  Are Barcelona a one man team? Now its pretty obvious which 'one man' I'm talking about. Clue: it aint Mascherano.

Its actualy bonkers that a brilliant team like Barca, with the obvious players like Xavi, Iniesta etc. can rely on one man. But Messi's goal scoring ability is bonkers so...

Messi La Liga goals: 43

Barca La Liga goals: 80

David Villa (Next highest La Liga scorer): 8

 "At least I look good."

Maybe some die hard fans can suggest that Barca dont need 'Million goal Messi' as much as his million goals imply. Maybe my new nickname for Messi will catch on, and I'll trademark it. Maybe neither.

We know about Messi's demi-god presence creating space for teammates. We also know the counter-argument that Leo can only do magic with other magicians (basically Xavi). We know that the only games Barca can afford to drop Messi in are against weaker teams.

But have we can also counter with the view that Messi's strong injury record is helped by Barca's strength affording him rest whenever he needs it.

Heres what I think. Barca ARE a one man team.

In the big games at least.

That man alternates between the referee and Messi. Depends whether Messi's on form or if the ref's been paid.

4. Guardiola: Tactical genius or lucky inheritor?

Here's an analogy of a common belief.

Imagine. You've just been hired as an assassin and your first missions are to take out every leader of the G8. You go to bed that first night sobbing into your pillow. How are you meant to get close to either of them let alone kill them? You toss and turn all night. The next morning you wake blinking at a huddled mass in the corner. It's like the magic of christmas! All the presidents and prime ministers you could dream of, all tied up together! Free of charge!

The assassin is Guardiola. 

 

 "Jose, you're next."

The G8 reps are the Barca team. The assignment/contract is the job of building a team after Rijkaard's champions.

But after all this, I believe a good way of getting the answer is by going tactical.

Rijkaard's Barca :

Guardiola's Barca:

So, maybe Guardiola didnt bring anything new to the table formation-wise. Even in terms of possesion strategy, while he himself came out of la Masia, much of the Barca philosophy (club self- sufficiency, technical development) is attributed to Ajax via former Barca boss Johan Cryuff, where Rijkaard gained his name as a player.

To wrap up, here's an unecessarily complicated diagram to ruin your day.

Did Pep perfect the tikitaka that bores/passes teams to death or is its perfection congruent with many la Masia graduates coming of age together? 

If you want, you can tell me in the comments below.

NEXT TIME!!!!: Arsenal- Should Wenger be sacked? Does Arsenal need a star player? Is Gervinho actually good?

Barcelona – The Catalan Blaugrana Giants- Part 1.

1^st up!!!!

I think I’m gonna tackle a tough one first.

No. I’m not going to talk about Barcelona cheating.

1. Tito Vilanova

Vilanova has been the manager of Barcelona since 2012, having been the assistant manager since 2008.

As Barca are currently:

·         13 points clear in the league , with the end of the season in sight

·         In the ¼ finals (last 8) of the UEFA Champions League

·         Still annihilating unfortunate teams after a tiny blip in form.

Only a psycho, such as this man, 

would think of sacking good ol’ Tito.

But, after the aforementioned ‘blip’, some people suggest that his ongoing cancer treatment is affecting his ability to manage the team.  Club president Sandro Rosell reassured our Tito though.

2. Victor Valdes

Whenever I chat to a football fan about a Barcelona match in which they conceded a few goals and looked dodgy defensively, Valdes (or Pinto to a lesser degree) is often the target. Oh no, God forbid that Puyol is more injury prone than Kieron Dyer,  about 50, and sometimes gets done like this 

OUCH! (Gif from www.101GreatGoals.com)

Add to that Pique’s recent distractions and poor form and  I think it’s safe to say poor Valdes may be a scapegoat.

I believe Valdes  is a good keeper who is unlucky in getting compared to Casillas and also must either have stupid levels of concentration or be doped up to stay awake when Barca go on a possession spree e.g . 83% vs Tenerife (May 2010). Ridiculous.

 If you have time, come back some other time for part 2.

Hi football fans

From Olly at Redcafe.net
As I write this from (insanely) sunny Ghana, there are 4 things within the world of football that I think are sticking out.

These are all to do with the factors in a football team’s performance on the pitch.

I would like to focus on:

1.         The crazy trend of sacking managers. e.g. Blackburn have had 5 managers this season.
2.         The perhaps unfair view of armchair critics on players e.g. Heskey
3.     The rise of the ‘One man team’ debate. e.g. RVP, Suarez, Messi etc.
4.     The squad’s responsibility vs the manager’s responsibility. e.g. Ghana/ Kwesi Appiah AfCON 2013.

Now, I will try to analyse individual football matches while also looking at specific clubs. I say 'try' cause I’m depending on the availability of good internet which relies on Ghanaian mobile networks (btw Vodafone you are rubbish) which in turn relies on whether they are being incompetent or not.

As you can imagine, this is pretty shaky ground so I’m sure you’ll forgive me if I fail to deliver.