Guardiola used Messi very very cleverly
Let me just start of by saying that Barcelona put up a great performance against Real Madrid and the score line does say that they murdered Real Madrid that night. Barcelona showcased some magic touch football and the performance was so good, it will serve as one for the ages. Defeating Jose Mourinho’s side so easily is no easy feet but I feel that this time was an exception. Barcelona played well but the mistakes in Real Madrid made Barcelona look heavenly.
So dwell not Real Madrid fans. I truly believe that Real Madrid are not as far away from Barcelona as the scoreline suggests and as in the past years, Barcelona has again just edged us. They do not make any stupid mistakes and keep working hard to get the ball back and that is where they really really beat us. Without taking any credit away from Barcelona who thrashed Real Madrid in many people’s eyes, I think the teams are much closer to each other than the scoreline suggested because of the following reasons:
- Real Madrid played are 3 teams. One attacked, one defended while the mid 3 took a nap. Barcelona played like a team. All attacked and all defended in their respective positions.
- Almost all of the goals had Real Madrid defenders making horrendous mistakes which should not be expected of a professional football player let alone from world class football players which Real Madrid players are. Lets just analyse the goals one by one and I am sure that most people would see that Real Madrid are not as bad a team as the scoreline may suggest to a lot of people. Well it should, but still, it is not as the scoreline may say it is.
- 1st goal was a bit lucky for Barcelona. The pass was great from Iniesta but the slipperiness of the pitch lay waste to the magnificent interception made by Marcelo but the ball just bobbled up into Xavi whos first touch was also pretty lucky. The finish was great though.
- 2nd goal, it was a great offensive move by Barcelona, moving the ball from one side to the other but unfortunately, if the quality of football made you win matches than Arsenal would have been the English version of Barcelona right now.
In the 2nd goal, Casillas should had stopped the ball or even if he wanted to parry it away, he should have done that by hitting the ball opposite to the goal not make it run along the face of the goal only to be eaten up by a Barcelona player.
- 3rd goal. Central defenders were caught ball watching. Though Messi played a wondrous pass to Villa but Jose Mourinho’s sides usually do not even give an inch to the opponents outside the penalty area. Questions should be raised on Casillas as well.
He did not rush Villa even though the angle was quite tight. One or two more steps in the direction of Villa and the angle would have been cut off. Anyway, again, it was Real Madrid’s mistake so we cannot really blame anyone but ourselves.
- 4rth goal. Real Madrid had great difficulty in covering Messi as Messi was being used as a hybrid playmaker mix attacker along with Xavi and Iniesta.
Real Madrid did not know what to do with these 3 and hence were under constant pressure from the start but that, as I said, in football counts for nothing. In football, goals count. That Barcelona scored, but try to understand it this way. Liverpool demolished Real Madrid, pure style. Real Madrid got outclassed, outrun basically by Liverpool but Barcelona did not do that and there have been cases in the past where Barcelona played the same way but Real Madrid still won.
This was not one of those nights. The 4rth goal was all about Messi’s, as the commentator puts it, orgasmic pass right in the path of Villa who made a mess of the situation in my opinion and in the end was lucky enough that the ball kept on going towards the goal even after hitting Casillas’s legs. So nothing there to be ashamed about, Real Madrid fans. These things just happen in football.
- 5fth Goal. This is where I though that the players I saw today wearing the Real Madrid shirt, were really not giving it respect. After Raul and Zidane’s era, there has been hardly a player who fights for the shirt rather than for fame and money while playing for Real Madrid.
The fifth goal was as soft as it comes. Sergio Ramos was looking at the ball as if he was a spectator while Jefferen ran from Barcelona’s penalty area to Real Madrid’s penalty area during this period when Ramos as enjoying the show as Messi and Alves were passing the ball to each other.
Jefferen ended up scoring a goal that I would not put in the soft category but even more so, in the disgraced category. That goal was a disgraced goal and a slap in the face of all Real Madrid defenders who had just given up the game after conceding the 4rth goal.
Ramos’s poor positioning cost us that goal, even I know that I should be looking at the ball while keeping an eye on any oncoming attackers behind me when in the middle of the pitch.
- It was not Mourinho’s fault that Real Madrid lost that bad. I think it was more down to the commitment of Real Madrid players than anything else. I think the magnitude of the situation got to everybody.
- With no experienced outfielder in the side, I think the likes of Ronaldo and Oezil did not have a clue of how to go about in making a comeback. Instead Real Madrid just rolled over for of Barcelona like a hungry pup.
- Ronaldo again flopped. He still has not scored against Barcelona. I think he tries to do too much by himself in big matches that is the reason he is so useful in games against Barcelona or any team that defends well.
- Like it or not. Real Madrid missed the cool and experienced Kaka a lot. I think his quality could have proved that he is still the man to go to when it comes to winning big games. Oezil might show his magic against Almeria and the lot but big teams will mark him to death.
It is not really Oezil’s fault that he too flopped. He is too young and too new for El Clasico.
Therefore, I again say that Barcelona were clearly the better team but the scoreline just does not do justice to the difference between the teams. I think a 2-0 or 4-2 would have done justice to the kind of performance Real Madrid put in. Hope this is of any source of comfort to Real Madrid fans as I think the reasons I have given are pretty fair.
What do you guys think? Is the difference between Barcelona and Real Madrid really of 5-0 or was it just a bad day at the office for Real Madrid. I am all ears now.
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