Archive for the ‘Barcelona’ Category

Game in a sentence

The humiliation continued as Bayern Munich hammer Barcelona 3-0 (7-0 agg) to reach the Champions League final for a second consecutive time.

Observations

• Bayern Munich was superiour in all aspects of the game. Defensively focused, and exceptional in midfield and attack.
• The shocking news before the match was the absence of Lionel Messi in the starting XI, due to an ongoing hamstring problem. Messi’s bench expression and nail biting only showed how antsy the player gets when he’s not on the field.
• But let’s not forget the trio of David Villa, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro all represent the Spanish national team as well as the recent 2012 European champions.  In other words, the absence of Messi isn’t a justifiable excuse for the poor performance. And as Pique said after the match, his inclusion would have probably not made a difference.
• Bayern had to do without Dante, who was reportedly sick (flu), and instead Daniel van Buyten filled his shoes in centre back. Van Buyten has shown over and over again that when called upon he’s a very reliable backup.
• The German side has scored the most goals (26) in the Champions League this season. They increased that to 29 tonight.
• Barcelona had to draw a fine balance from the beginning. They knew they had to play an extraordinary game. To have any shot at making a comeback, the team had to play offensively, while also maintaining a very sound defensive game, especially against an attacking side of Bayern’s calibre.
• Arjen Robben got the first great chance for his team. He broke free after Bastian Schweinsteiger feed him the ball, but Gerard Pique’s tackle prevented the Dutchman from having a clear shot.
• Die Roten were ferocious on the right channel. They had another excellent chance that started with Robben’s pass to Schweini, who backheeled it to Philipp Lahm. The full back was in the process of taking the shot when Pique cleared the ball away.  In the first half, most of Bayern’s chances were quite wasteful, but that changed in the last 45 minutes.
• Pique was exceptional in defence today with several tackles and clearances. That was, of course, until the own goal in the 72nd minute. Adriano and Marc Bartra also struggled with controlling Robben, Mario Mandzukic and Thomas Mueller’s advances deep in their zone.
• The game’s pace steadily picked up a quarter into the match with both sides creating several good opportunities. As in the first leg, the Spanish side had majority possession again.
• Barcelona had a few good chances.  Fabregas chested a pass from Dani Alves that ended in front of Xavi, but the shot went beyond the bar.  Fabregas also had a decent attempt in the 30th minute when he tried to tap it in.
• But that didn’t deter Bayern from their plan.  They were in control for the entire 180 minutes. The Bavarians were extremely organized. Compared to last season, Bayern’s composure has been incredible this year. They don’t succumb to pressure as easily and play with an advanced sense of relaxation.
• Defensively the German side was just as solid, clearing balls with their heads and blocking shots with their bodies.  Even when their backs were pinned against the wall, David Alaba, Jerome Boateng and the remaining back four always made sure to recover the ball and intercept the opponent’s crosses.
• Six of Bayern’s footballers had to play cautiously to avoid missing the final including Schweini, Dante, Gomez, Martinez, Lahm and Gustavo, who were all one booking away.
• While the pressing wasn’t as intense as in the first leg, Bayern continued to attack, making it even harder for Barca to organize. With another 45 minutes to go, Barca really needed a miracle. It’s not often that one feels sympathetic towards the Spanish side, but the sooner the game ended the better.
• The mood at the Camp Nou went sour once Robben scored. In the 49th minute, Alaba’s long pass ended with Robben, who cut inside Barca’s penalty box. Victor Valdes stood no chance against the Dutchman’s classic driller.  Barca now needed six goals to overcome the deficit.
• There was a very large contingent of Bayern fans at the match and were easily heard drowning out the home crowd.
• A rarity, but Tito Vilanova decided to take Xavi and Andres Iniesta out in the second half and replaced them with Alexis Sanchez and Thiago Alcantara.
• But the outcome only got worse. Thomas Mueller made it 3-0 in the 76th minute.  This was a very humiliating night for the Catalans.  With the quality available at Barcelona, the lack of goals became increasingly embarrassing.  This was Barcelona’s worst aggregate CL defeat in a semi-final.
• As for Bayern, they were truly unstoppable and the superiour side in both legs.
• Bayern’s win, alongside Borussia Dortmund, is historic. For the first time in the competition will two German teams fight for the trophy in the final.
• Robben, however, knows there’s one more major hurdle to overcome: “The final is going to be a big one. Dortmund have proved over last two to three years they are a very good team. It will be decided on very small details.”
• We won’t know those details until May 25, 2012 in Wembley.

Three Stars

Robben
Schweini
Alaba

Game in a sentence

Bayern Munich trash Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals.

Observations

• Initially it was hard to see Bayern Munich playing without Mario Mandzukic, who missed the game due to a suspension, but the win today only reaffirmed the depth of this team on both the domestic and the European level.
• Before the game, Jordi Roura said, “This will be a very tight tie. It will be won because of minor details. It will be a very fast game and very intense. The team that imposes themselves on the game with have the advantage.”
• Aside from the tight tie, Roura was correct in his analysis. But instead of his team, it was Bayern that dictated the game. The German side ripped Barcelona’s defence apart and hit the net four times.
• Lionel Messi was fit enough to play, yet he wasn’t 100% and it was obvious his injury continued to hamper his performance. Javier Mascherano and Carles Puyol were still out due to injuries.
• With two very excellent midfields, both teams were constantly pressing high up the pitch. While both were cautious, it was Bayern that slowly began to control the game.
• Around the 12th minute mark, the Spanish side had a long spell of possession that nearly lasted two minutes. Yet possession meant nothing in this game.
• Moreover, it was rare to see Bayern on the losing side of controlling the ball, but they proved today that they can also win games without leading in that category.
• The first goal was the result of a double header. Thomas Mueller, who is possibly one of the grittiest players in football, headed the ball low into the net after receiving it from Dante’s header. Credit should also be given to Arjen Robben, who managed to keep the ball inside the penalty box.
• From the beginning, Barca were quite vulnerable at the back four and Bayern managed to further exploit that weakness as the game went on. The Spanish side had as much trouble off the ball as they had with the ball. When the Catalans gained possession, it was tough for them to create any sort of momentum with Bayern constantly pushing forward.
• Creating and building were two words missing in Barcelona’s game today. Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets weren’t connecting with Messi and the rest of the forward line. It wasn’t just Messi, but Pedro Rodrigue and Alexis Sanchez also weren’t exerting themselves.
• Bayern on the other hand were a very cohesive and organized unit. They never strayed from their plan and formation. Their performance was exceptional. Even under rare moments of Barca pressure, the team remained calm and proactive. The Bavarians managed to not only create several attempts, but also net a hefty chunk of them.
• The midfield was probably the busiest area of the pitch as both teams were trying to push each other back. But Barca seemed to struggle more than the German side and failed to build or set up from behind. When they did, there was always a red wall ready to intercept, block and counter.
• The German side approached the game with a superior plan. They made it difficult for Barca to find any quality openings on the pitch.
• A few minutes after the first goal, Messi was preying right in front of Bayern’s net, but a very clever slide by Dante kept the ball away from danger. The hero, who single-handedly helped win the game against Paris Saint-Germain, was nowhere to be found. For most of the match, he also appeared to play a lot deeper than usual.
• But Barcelona’s loss wasn’t just Messi’s lack of scoring, Rodriguez and Sanchez also didn’t threaten. Even Iniesta and Xavi’s passing choked whenever they entered Bayern territory.
• For the Germans, this was a deserved victory. It was hard to single out a few players for their remarkable performances. This was a truly beautiful team effort. Philipp Lahm and Robben were very dangerous on the right side. Franck Ribery’s speed was deadly and David Alaba provided an assist on the last goal. Javi Martinez was equally productive. He created a few excellent diagonal passes to his teammates upfront and won most of his duels.
• Robben was also playing a more involved defensive game. He contributed a goal and helped set up the second goal for Mario Gomez from a corner. Gomez ended up volleying the ball in from Mueller’s header in the 49th minute. It was a controversial goal and appeared to be slightly offside, but it was hard to see from the referee’s angle.
• Bayern were on a roll. They cruised to score two more goals. In the 73rd minute, the Dutchman finally scored after plenty of miserable and failed attempts in the Champions League this season, and of course, in last year’s final against Chelsea.
• Bayern were excellent on set pieces. They had the physical advantage and looked the more dangerous side throughout the match. Ribery and Robben combined for speed and deep runs into the opponent’s side. At one point, the Frenchman could have increased the lead from a beautiful Robben pass, but his strike just missed the net.
• Marc Bartra, who was paired with a shaved-head Gerard Pique, had two decent chances, one in the 69th and another one moments later. The first involved a weak effort and in the second one he tried to turn around, but in the process lost his grip and the resulting attempt was poor.
• Bayern scored a fourth goal in the 82nd minute. Mueller scored his second from Alaba’s slide on the left side. The striker was very influential and hard to mark for the opponent’s defenders.
• At the end, the German side played with consistency and determination.
• Barcelona were sore losers and emotions took the better of Jordi Alba, who threw the ball directly in Robben’s face near the end of the match. It was a very dirty play and he’ll now miss the next match.
• There were many fouls and handballs that went unnoticed by the referee. The centre circle of the pitch was also in a strange condition at the Allianz Arena. It was quite waterlogged compared to the rest of the field.
• This was the first time since 2010 that the Spanish side has conceded three goals in the Champions League. Barcelona now find themselves in a taxing position. They’re up against one of the best opponents in the competition with a four-goal deficit to overcome.

Three Stars

Mueller
Robben
Martinez

They’re both here:

Bayern XI to face Barca: Neuer; Lahm, Boateng, Dante, Alaba; Martínez, Schweinsteiger; Robben, Müller, Ribéry; Gomez.

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 23, 2013

Barcelona XI to face Bayern: Valdes; Alves, Bartra, Pique, Alba; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Pedro, Messi, Alexis.

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 23, 2013

I don’t normally tout or enjoy match previews, but Michael Cox has done a great job and was prescient too in pre-match personnel decisions. He also frames just how good, and similar, both sides are to one another:

It barely needs outlining precisely what ‘Barcelona’s game’ is after five years of dominance, but few other sides have been so determined to emphasise the importance of their philosophy. Recently the club posted a short article on their website boasting that they’ve now gone 300 consecutive games of possession dominance, a run stretching back to before Pep Guardiola took charge. They’ve helped popularise the concept of ‘possession battle’, while simultaneously ensuring that no proper battle actually occurs – they’re just too good at keeping the ball.

The article notes that Bayern are the closest challengers in this regard. In Europe’s major five leagues, Barcelona average 69.6% of possession, Bayern are next best on 63.6%. No-one else is on more than 58.9%.

Similarly, Barcelona’s pass completion rate is 89.7%, Bayern’s 87.4%, and no-one else above 86.1%.

As ever, separating the two sides is a question of depth. No Mandzukic or Kroos for Bayern; no Puyol or or Mascherano for Barca. But seeing the efficiency and balance of both sides will be fascinating too. Will the midfield be clogged in a fouled up mess as both sides frantically press one another to exhaustion? In that event, will there be a paucity of chances?

Or will Barca’s more direct, less-manic-out-of-possession approach allow for a Bayern edge and a Barca counter? The permutations are fascinating.