David Villa became the talisman for the Spanish national football team, scoring five of Spain’s six goals in the tournament.  Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta controlled the midfield with their incisive passing and ball possession.  Fernando Torres could not get into stride as he struggled for form from his April knee surgery and was eventually benched in favor of Pedro Rodríguez against Germany.  The Cesc Fàbregas saga between Arsenal and Barcelona continued to rage as Fàbregas insisted on returning to the club of his youth while committing to Arsenal as their captain at the same time.  Telecinco sports journalist Sara Carbonero somehow “distracted” boyfriend Iker Casillas before the Switzerland game and directly led to Spain’s only loss of this World Cup.

All these stories followed La Furia Roja throughout this World Cup, but the under-reported story with this team is the effectiveness of the back four, in particular the leader of the defense, Carles Puyol.

Spain has conceded only one goal in their six games, and in that goal, they allowed against Switzerland, it took a disorganized scramble and a fortuitous bounce for Gelson Fernandes to tap the ball into the open net.

For those who put any stock into the Castrol Index rankings, the top four ranked players in this World Cup are the four Spanish defenders, with Sergio Ramos slightly edging Carles Puyol for the top spot.

Save for Ramos, who tends to relish the limelight, especially off the pitch with his party boy reputation, these Spanish defenders love that the vast majority of the attention falls upon their other teammates.  With championship teams that are known for their offensive flair, they can only operate to their fullest extent if their defenders are solid enough for them to throw men forward.

Although the Three R’s (Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo) headlined Brazil as they won their fifth World Cup title in 2002, the work rate of Lúcio, Roque Júnior, and Edmílson gave Cafu and Roberto Carlos the freedom to become de facto wingers and the three R’s to dazzle the world with their Samba flair.

The legendary 1989-90 Real Madrid team netted a staggering La Liga record 107 goals, with Hugo Sánchez scoring a record 38 goals in one season.  Real Madrid ran away with the league, winning by nine points (Note: in those years, wins accounted for two points instead of the current three points, so using the current point system, Real were fifteen points better than second-place Valencia) not only due to the brilliance of Sánchez up front and Emilio Butragueño and Míchel creating behind him but with the three central defenders that commanded the back line: first-year defender and eventual Real legend Fernando Hierro, elegant sweeper Manuel Sanchís, and gritty Oscar Ruggeri.

The 2008-09 FC Barcelona team that won all six tournaments they entered included a trio of forwards that propelled their team into the most feared club in Europe: Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, and Samuel Eto’o.  With Xavi and Andrés Iniesta providing perfection for the front three to finish those patented Barça moves, they forced teams to defend with nine and ten men for the full ninety minutes.

While this team kept possession of the ball as well as any team that ever graced the pitch, there were times when they would turn the ball over in midfield, and the opposing counter-attack would sail into full-flight.  Dani Alves, Gerard Piqué, and Éric Abidal closed the ball down as quickly as schoolchildren running to beat the class bell, but Carles Puyol was their leader.  In the 2009 Champions League final against Manchester United, when the Red Devils scrambled and threw more men into attack to pull themselves back into the match, Puyol appeared everywhere, as he cut down potential attacks from Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes, Dimitar Berbatov, etc. as well as flying forward on more than one occasion to augment the attack.

Although Iker Casillas has been the captain of the Spanish national team since Euro 2008, Carles Puyol continues to lead the back line with his tenacity and braveheart defending.  Vital blocks on potential shots on target from Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Mario Gómez, organizing the defensive four, and his ever-running engine proved significant in keeping the Germans out, but the goal he scored will be the moment that most will remember from this semifinal that sent Spain into further uncharted territory: a FIFA World Cup Final.

Earlier in the match, Andrés Iniesta whipped in a high-velocity cross into the six-yard box for Puyol, and he could not keep his diving header underneath the crossbar as it flew over it for a goal kick.  That opportunity was arguably Spain’s best scoring chance before Puyol redeemed himself in the 73rd minute, and the manner in which he scored Spain’s lone goal is reminiscent of a central defender’s dream goal: a flying header from a corner kick.

With Spain’s lack of height, Xavi usually decides to execute a short corner routine, and Germany caught on to this tactic and sent an extra man around the corner flag.  Xavi, however, sent a bending ball from the corner into a dangerous area, where Puyol had a running head start to the penalty spot, and with his flowing curly locks, he powered his jumping header past a helpless Manuel Neuer as Spain’s patience paid off in an unusual fashion.  The extra man sent to mark Iniesta for the short corner combined with Germany’s zonal marking gave Puyol the opportunity to have an unmolested attempt at the header.

While many expected this Spanish team to dazzle with their midfield maestros and their creativity, David Villa has been the only player to finish consistently.  Because of this, Spain has scored more than one goal only twice in six matches, and the team had to be vigilant in defense in case of a well-timed counter-attack from the opposition.  With the sputtering in front of goal, Spain had to find different ways to score as well as maintain focus in the back when their teammates played keep-ball for minutes at a time.

This Spanish team, although constituted mainly from the Euro 2008 winning side, will not reach those same scoring heights as that team because national teams have had two more years to prepare for these unique set of characters, and Spain manager Vicente del Bosque is intent on playing this possession game set forth by previous manager Luis Aragonés.

The Dutch will likely provide a different test not encountered by Spain this World Cup because of their hardened midfielders Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong.  If Germany could be blamed for having too much respect for Spain, the Netherlands will not fall into that same trap because van Bommel and de Jong will have no problem flying into tackles and pressuring high up the pitch to prevent Spain’s hypnotic ball possession.

Sunday’s final will be highly tactical, especially if the match remains goalless for the first hour.  Regardless of how the Dutch and Spanish attack each other, the job remains the same for the Spanish defense: quickly retrieve the ball when Spain loses possession.  Spain will find it difficult to score on the Netherlands, and if Spain concedes the opening goal, the Netherlands will surely defend for their lives with all ten outfield players.  While David Villa and Xavi have been the two best players for Spain in this World Cup, Vicente del Bosque will rely on his star defenders to stave away the potent Dutch attack, and it will be they who decide the winner on Sunday.

Diego Milito, Iván Córdoba, and Wesley Sneijder celebrate their passage to the Champions League final.

The sprinklers rose up from the pitch and sprayed the Inter Milan players and staff.  The Barcelona anthem, “Cant del Barça,” blared through the loudspeakers as the Culés did not know whether to clap off their Blaugrana heroes or vehemently whistle at the unwanted visitors from northern Italy.  This sense of confusion permeated throughout the Camp Nou after referee Frank de Bleeckere blew the whistle for fulltime, but two things were certain: FC Internazionale Milano would face Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, and FC Barcelona would not.

Inter manager José Mourinho fueled the fire, in typical Mourinho fashion, in the pre-match press conference when he spoke of Barcelona’s ambition to compete in the Champions League final in Madrid:

“We (Inter Milan) have the dream of winning the Champions League, and for Barcelona, it’s an obsession.  This is the difference.  A dream is purer than an obsession.  There is pride in a dream, anywhere in the world.  For Barcelona, it was a dream to reach the final in Rome, but to reach the final at the Bernabéu is an obsession for them.”

If this quote were analyzed on its own grounds, very few people would know what the hell he was talking about; however, Mourinho’s ingenuity for creating distractions away from his team and onto himself has served him well with his previous teams.  FC Porto and Chelsea put up with his antics because they worked.  This formula seemed to sour at Inter Milan, where the Italian press were unimpressed with his brash personality, and even Inter president Massimo Moratti started to suffer from Mourinho fatigue.

With the 3-1 triumph at the San Siro in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals against Barcelona, Mourinho had free reign, and his quote struck a chord with Barça and its fans like no other manager could accomplish.  They immediately went on the defensive.

Some Barcelona supporters reportedly attacked Mourinho’s car after the press conference, punching the windows, throwing various paraphernalia, and attempting to topple the car on its side.

Barça TV, the club’s television channel, created an advertisement where various Barcelona players promised to “leave their skins” on the Camp Nou pitch to audibly declare their intentions on Wednesday night, accompanying the shirts they displayed after they beat Xerez on Saturday which showed the message, “Nos vamos a dejar la piel,” (We will leave our skin).

Another section of Barcelona fans tried to disrupt the sleep of the Inter players Tuesday night into the early hours of Wednesday morning outside of their team hotel, making constant noise with drum, horns, and firecrackers.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta gave his rebuttal to Mourinho’s “obsession” quote, stating that anyone who assesses Barcelona as obsessive is a second-rate psychologist.

A strong reaction from many arms of the Barça establishment, but why?  There is no doubt that José Mourinho can get under the skin (no pun intended) of his opposition, but whenever all of this huffing and puffing occurs, usually it means that there is doubt, and they engage in all of this extracurricular activity to convince themselves otherwise.

When Barcelona traveled to Stamford Bridge in last year’s Champions League semifinal second leg without scoring at the Camp Nou, this same rah-rah fervor did not exist prior to the match.  Although it took a 93rd minute goal by Andrés Iniesta to slug past Chelsea into the final, the confidence that Barcelona had of breaking through a resolute Chelsea defense was enough for them.

Although they only needed to score once at Stamford Bridge last season, a 2-0 result at the Camp Nou, even against a José Mourinho defense, was not an impossible situation by any stretch.  All of the extraneous motivation mentioned above was inconsistent with this team and teemed with a desperation not seen since the end of the Frank Rijkaard era.

When the players took to the pitch at 20:45 CET, the choreographed displays of the Catalunyan flag from each goal side and a Barça trophy resplendent in garnet, yellow, and blue from the sideline stands would inspire the most jaded of players.  Not only the Barcelona players, but the Inter Milan players who would want nothing more than to spoil Barcelona’s magnificent run since the origins of the Pep Guardiola regime.

With Carles Puyol suspended for this match, Gabriel Milito was expected to deputize in central defense, but Guardiola threw a wrench with Milito starting at left back and Touré Yaya in central defense.  In the first leg, most of Inter’s successful attacking moves originated down the right flank, and they took advantage of Maxwell’s constant forward runs and left him out of position for Maicon, Samuel Eto’o, and Wesley Sneijder to perform their duties.

For Inter Milan, yellow cards became their main concern, as, save for Lúcio, the rest of the back four was one yellow card away from missing the final should they reach that stage.  The burning question lingered about whether Maicon, Walter Samuel, and Javier Zanetti would be hesitant to throw themselves into challenges, knowing that one late tackle could mean suspension from the biggest match of their careers.  Ask Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, who missed the 1999 final when Manchester United completed their astonishing two-goal turnaround in stoppage time against Bayern Munich.  According to Keane, “Although I was putting a brave face on it, this (missing the final) was just about the worst experience I’d had in football.”

Inter clearly frustrated Barcelona through the first twenty-seven minutes, ceding nearly 80% of the possession but allowing nothing to bother their goalkeeper Júlio César.  Then the inevitable controversy ensued when Frank de Bleeckere sent off former Barça player Thiago Motta for a hand to the face of Sergio Busquets.  As the modern game would dictate, Busquets reacted as though he suffered a knockout blow from Mike Tyson.  He had the audacity to take a peek at de Bleeckere to see if he flashed a card before “regaining his senses,” and he accomplished exactly what he set out to do when Motta raised his hand to his face.

Understandably, Motta could not believe the decision and needed to be held back not from de Bleeckere but from Busquets.  A harsh decision by de Bleeckere, but if the roles were reversed, Motta would have likely done the same thing and also try to coax that red card.

Until Gerard Piqué scored in the 84th minute, however, Barça’s one-man advantage appeared irrelevant, as Inter Milan continued to clear any ball that entered their penalty area.  Júlio César made a spectacular diving, fingertip save on a Lionel Messi curler, and Bojan Krkic missed an absolute certainty of a header two minutes before Piqué’s goal, but the vast majority of Barça’s attempts on goal were fired from the twenty-five to thirty-five yard distances, nothing that would seriously trouble Júlio César.

More newsworthy than Barça’s lack of cutting edge involved the substitution of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 63rd minute in favor of Bojan Krkic.  With twenty-seven minutes on the clock, there remained plenty of time to score the necessary two goals, but Pep Guardiola believed Bojan had a better chance of galvanizing the offense than Ibrahimovic.  Ibrahimovic’s reputation had been linked to his shrinking violet act in the most important moments for both club and country, and his listless performance against Inter Milan will do him no favors in shaking this reputation.

The last ten minutes became purely riveting, as the siege on Inter’s goal had actual consequences, and when Bojan appeared to net the clinching goal in the first minute of stoppage time, the city of Barcelona actually lifted from the ground, but Frank de Bleeckere blew his whistle before Bojan’s goal transpired for a handball on Touré Yaya.

No one claimed any doubt that Touré Yaya did not intentionally handle the ball, as Walter Samuel smashed his clearance straight into Yaya’s tucked arm from less than three yards away, but that call always goes against the attacking team and in favor of the defending team.  If that same situation happened, where the offensive player kicked the ball into the defensive player’s tucked arms in their own penalty area, the referee would rightfully continue play because the handball was unintentional.

Barcelona did not do enough on the pitch, and their 1-0 result might be their most hollow victory in many years.  Legitimate questions will be asked about this Barça team.  Would Andrés Iniesta have made the difference between advancing and failing?  Does Pep Guardiola need to develop an alternate plan when the opposition decides to employ ten men behind the ball?  Did Barcelona miss the inspiration of their captain, Carles Puyol, even though Inter Milan made little to no suggestion of troubling the Barça defense?  Was the Ibrahimovic for Eto’o swap a potential bust?

All of these inquiries will either never be answered or answered over time, but now they must focus on their tenuous one point lead over Real Madrid in La Liga.  Failing to reach the Champions League final in Madrid hurts, but if Barcelona cannot hold on to the La Liga crown after having at least a share of the lead for all but a couple weeks of the season, this potentially historic team will become just another good team that played nice football.

As for now, they will seethe over José Mourinho, pejoratively referred to as “The Interpreter” in Barcelona, and how he defiantly pointed to the crowd in revelry after his Inter Milan team achieved for what they set out.  Mourinho deserved to do whatever he wanted, however, because he earned it.  He slew the beast.  Those windmills were actual giants, and he defeated the enchanter.  Joan Laporta, Pep Guardiola, and the rest of the Blaugrana nation will look internally soon enough, but this pain that they will have to put away in time for Villarreal on Saturday stings much more than the joy they felt from any of their six trophies from a year ago.

The Spanish national team hopes to relive this moment in 2012.

The Congress Hall of the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Poland held the draw for UEFA Euro 2012 on Sunday afternoon, and while there is no clear consensus about a “group of death” among the nine groups, Spain’s group would not be considered in contention for that infamous moniker.

Spain was chosen in one of the three groups that contains five national teams, so their qualifying campaign will consist of two less games than the teams that were selected in the six groups that had six teams.  Second, the schedule for these fixtures will be negotiated in Madrid on February 18 and 19.  The international calendar for the next two years will be comprised of twelve dates for these matches to be played, so for four of these dates, Spain will either play a friendly or not play at all.

As for the competition that the Spanish national team will face in Group I, Spain should and will be heavy favorites to qualify for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine as group winners.  The four teams with whom they will square off did not qualify for World Cup 2010, and none of those teams finished higher than third in their World Cup qualifying groups.  These European national teams are as follows: Czech Republic, Scotland, Lithuania, and Liechtenstein.

The Czech Republic provides the only significant threat in this group to dislodge Spain from its perch at this moment.  Considering their results from the past two years, however, internal strife within the team has spilled onto the pitch with their inconsistent play.  Three coaches during the two-year World Cup campaign and a scandal that led captain Tomáš Ujfaluši to retire from international football have hampered the Czech Republic’s efforts to move beyond the first round of the major international tournaments.

Scotland remains the perennial bridesmaid, as their last four qualifying campaigns for the World Cup and the European Championships combined included three third-place finishes in their groups as well as a second-place, where they lost in a playoff to the Netherlands 6-1 on aggregate for Euro 2004.  The disastrous reign of George Burley, which included the Barry Ferguson – Allan McGregor late-night drinking scandal and a measly three wins out of fourteen, forced the Scottish FA to make an immediate change, giving the services to now-former Dundee United manager Craig Levein.

Lithuania has steadily improved since their birth from the fall of the Soviet Union and has managed to achieve positive results against some of the top national teams in Europe.  Although they finished in the lower halves of their groups in their last couple of qualifying campaigns, European teams do not see Lithuania as a pushover by any means.  Many La Liga fans will recognize Lithuania’s versatile defender/midfielder Marius Stankevicius, on loan to Sevilla from Sampdoria, but other players such as FC Dinamo Moskva midfielder Edgaras Cesnauskis and Livorno striker Tomas Danilevicius, Lithuania’s all-time leading scorer, ensure the starting eleven depth that Lithuania needs in order to compete for second place in the group.

The Liechtenstein national team will be the cellar-dwellers of this group, as they have finished last in their groups in every single World Cup and European Championship qualifiers.  A majority of the current squad falls under the age of twenty-five, but the leadership comes from Liechtenstein best and most famous player ever, Mario Frick.  At age thirty-five, he has not made any declarations about retiring from the team, so for the foreseeable future, he will nurture this young and talented team, including midfielder Martin Büchel and the little lightning bug David Hasler, the attacking midfielder/striker who has caught the eyes of several top European teams.  While they will not threaten to compete for the top two spots in the group, do not be surprised if they pull off a shock result during these next two years.

As in life, nothing should be taken for granted, but if Spain plays the way to which they are accustomed from the last four years, they should clinch the group with matches to spare.  While the likes of Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernández, Joan Capdevila, and Marcos Senna will be heading into their mid-thirties by 2012, most of the current Spanish guard will still be in their twenties, and rising stars Iker Muniain, Javi Martinez, César Azpilicueta, Sergio Canales, etc. will have two more years to mature into the quality players that their talent indicates.  Whomever the manager of this team will be during the Euro 2012 campaign (mostly likely Vicente del Bosque will stay on for another two years), he will be blessed with a team with chemistry and talent that surpasses any national team in Europe.

The hype, the pomp, the circumstance.  All of these rose to a higher level for this episode of El Clásico at the Camp Nou on Sunday evening.  Coming into this match, FC Barcelona turned their fortunes around in the UEFA Champions League with a 2-0 victory over Inter Milan.  The scoreline hardly gave any justice to both teams as Barcelona played as well as Inter played poorly.  The impotency in attack as well as the nonchalance in defense for Inter contrasted with the elegant passing football and the defensive pressure presented by Barça.  What resulted were two goals in twenty-six minutes and a willingness to keep possession, as Inter Milan did not use their ability to close Barça down.

Real Madrid was more workmanlike in their 1-0 win over FC Zürich.  Reading the stat sheet would convince all those who did not witness the match that Real dominated their lowly Swiss opponents, but the desire and spirit within the Zürich squad contributed to a tighter than expected match.  Real toiled through a physical encounter to rise to the top of their Champions League group with one match to go, and they were able to give Cristiano Ronaldo his first action in several weeks.  His twenty-minute stint was not anything special, but the most important reason that manager Manuel Pellegrini sent him out against FC Zürich was to get him used to live football before their match against Barcelona.

The biggest pieces of news before the Real – Barça clash were the absences of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Raúl from their respective teams’ starting eleven.  Raúl’s omission did not come as too much of a surprise because Gonzalo Higuaín has been the in form striker in the last few games, but for Pellegrini to exclude Raúl in such a monumental occasion shows that he is in full control of this team and will do what he feels is best for the team, even if that means passing over Real legends like Raúl and Guti.  As for Ibrahimovic, he struggled with a hamstring injury that occurred in a league match against Mallorca three weeks ago and forced him to miss two friendlies for the Swedish national team and a Champions League encounter against Inter Milan.  Both Raúl and Ibrahimovic were available on their sides’ benches if necessary.

Many expected this match to be a goal fest, similar to their last meeting in early May, when Real Madrid fought their way back into the title race with a torrid fifty-two points out of a possible fifty-four heading into El Clásico.  Barcelona would dominate the proceedings with a 2-6 thrashing at the Santiago Bernabéu to seal La Liga for the Blaugrana.  What transpired this Sunday was more akin to the first Barcelona – Real Madrid meeting last season, where goals were at a premium, and the physical nature of both teams was a major part in influencing the run of play.

Even though it was 0-0 at halftime, Real won the opening forty-five minutes by creating the better chances and snuffing out the influences of Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, and Lionel Messi.  Manuel Pellegrini’s tactics forced the ball away from Xavi, the conductor of the Catalunyan orchestra, and Barcelona bypassed the midfield altogether on more occasions than they prefer.  Xabi Alonso and Lassana Diarra worked in synergy in the midfield, as their two dominated the midfield three of Barcelona.

Real had the best opportunity to score in the first half in the 20th minute, when Kaká’s run from the left flank into the penalty area set up a pass across the box to an unmarked Cristiano Ronaldo.  Ronaldo took the shot first-time to the left far post and had Barça keeper Victor Valdés going the wrong way.  Valdés somehow deflected the shot with his trailing legs and went wide of the post for a corner.  Ronaldo might be criticized for not finishing a golden opportunity, but most of the credit should belong to Valdés, as he continues to become one of Spain’s top goalkeepers without ever being noticed.  Those gaffes that have plagued his career are at a bare minimum, and Barcelona rewarded this consistency with a contract extension through 2014 in the offseason.

The start of the second half was more of the same as each team received yellow cards for professional fouls.  Both teams tended to halt any semblance of a counter-attack or breakaway with a professional foul or significant contact.  Barcelona continued to possess the ball at a high percentage but failed to substantiate it with any noteworthy chances.  Barça manager Pep Guardiola made the first move in the tactical game between Pellegrini and him when he sent in Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 51st minute for an ineffective Thierry Henry.  Henry started the match in the center of the three forward line with Messi on his right and Iniesta on his left but found little success.  He drifted to his more comfortable left flank as the game wore on but still could not engineer a legitimate scoring opportunity.

The blasé Barcelona attack suddenly became much more potent with Ibrahimovic leading the line.  They had their best spell of possession two minutes into Ibrahimovic’s shift, when a series of patented Barça short, incisive passes ultimately led to a shot blocked by Xabi Alonso.  Although they did not convert, Barcelona brought different ideas into the fold and concerned an already worried Real Madrid, as they felt the momentum shift toward their Catalunyan rivals.

Real Madrid stubbornly succumbed to this momentum when Barcelona broke the deadlock in the 56th minute.  Ibrahimovic volleyed in a left-footed shot to give Barça the 1-0 lead.  Dani Alves gets equal credit for the goal because of a wonderful early cross, and Ibrahimovic still had plenty to do, as his left-footed volley was technically difficult.  Many players with this particular opportunity would either blaze it high over the crossbar or completely mistime the cross and whiff on the shot.  This moment was why Barcelona was so aggressive in bringing Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Inter Milan.  As technically gifted and football-intelligent as he is, he built a reputation for coming up small in the most important moments.  Whether this assertion was fair or not became irrelevant at this instant as Ibrahimovic etched his name into the fabric of this historic rivalry.

The euphoria would be short-lived as Sergio Busquets received his second yellow card for an unnecessary and deliberate handball in midfield in the 62nd minute.  Touré Yaya came in for Seydou Keita to beef up the midfield and fill the absence of Busquets, and Andrés Iniesta dropped back into the midfield to produce a 4-3-2 formation.  As well as Barcelona’s offensive flair drives their overall philosophy, it often overlooks their defensive tenacity and discipline.  Carles Puyol is the captain of the team for a reason, and he wears the Catalunyan armband with abounding pride and grit.  Barcelona held on to the clean sheet and the win thanks to Puyol’s defensive positioning and sheer will.

He fully committed to sliding challenges that prevented potential goals in the 26th, 53rd, and 70th minutes, and as Real pushed forward with a one-man advantage and a one-goal deficit, Puyol led the defensive line, always insisting to be compact with his words and his hand gestures.  While Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the goal that made the difference on the scoreboard, Carles Puyol clearly was the man of the match as he personified the fortitude and determination of FC Barcelona.  Those rumors of Puyol leaving for Manchester City seem laughable now.

Despite the hyperbole surrounding the match, Barcelona’s three-point win over their blood rivals only gives the Blaugrana a tenuous two point lead over Los Merengues, with a myriad of challengers just behind them with twenty-six rounds of matches left.  Real Madrid will take solace in the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo is on his way back to full fitness, and their team will continue to gel as the campaign continues.  Sevilla and Valencia have the talent to break the duopoly at the top of La Liga.  Today, however, belongs to the tenants of Camp Nou.

This past week was a litmus test in their efforts to recapture the once inconceivable treble.  Barcelona was in grave danger of not qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League and falling four points behind Real Madrid at the end of November.  The mark of a champion is when they win when not playing at their best.  Hardly anyone will say that Barcelona was at their scintillating best against Inter Milan and Real Madrid, but they achieved their desired results without compromising their beliefs and philosophies.  The 155th edition of El Clásico ends with a 1-0 victory for FC Barcelona.  A tension-filled thriller, it was neither the prettiest nor the best played match in the history of this rivalry, but the effort and intent displayed by all involved in the match were unsurpassed.

Since we are approaching the end of a decade, and since it’s summer,I thought I would offer up my La Liga Team of the decade. I set my team based on the best actual season had by a player in each position. It is not an aggregative list. It is not based on contributions over the course of a few seasons or a career. The players who had the best year of any player in the decade in their respective position are what make up this list.  Enjoy……

Formation: 3-5-2

Goalie-Santiago Canizares (2003/2004)

Lead Valencia to a league and UEFA Cup double as well as winning the Zamora trophy for himself. Was the custodian for a team who managed to combine rock solid defense with a flair for attack. Regarded as one of the premier keepers in world football at the time, this was his best season in a Valencia shirt.

Defender: Dani Alves (2006/2007)

Has been the best right back in La Liga consistently since breaking into the first team at Sevilla 2004. Was a huge threat on the right flank as Sevilla finished in 3rd place, only 5 points off champions Real Madrid. Won the Copa del Rey,as well as a second successive UEFA Cup that year. This was the season that established him as the premier attacking full back anywhere in the world.

Defender: Roberto Ayala (2001/2002)

One of the best defenders of his generation, Ayala showed A.C Milan what they could have enjoyed had they showed some faith in his incredible timing and reading of the game. A tough customer in defense, Ayala demonstrated class and leadership by leading Valencia to their first Liga title in 31 years. Also named Champions League defender of the year as Los Che lost in the final to Bayern Munich.

Defender: Carles Puyol (2005/2006)

Not the prettiest man in the list, nor the most technically gifted, but no one exemplifies heart more than Carles Puyol. Catalan through and through, Puyol showed why he was the deserved captain of the club as he balanced the potent Barcelona attacking power with his sound defensive abilities. Always one to jump into a tackle, Puyol makes up for his sometimes questionable decision making with his unique ability to hustle a ball out of danger on pure desire alone. Captained Barcelona to a second successive Liga title that year as well as a Champions League title, in which he was named UEFA best defender. No player represents what their club is more than this man.

Defensive Midfield: Xabi Alonso (2002/2003)

Came within two points of emulating his father by winning a Liga title with Real Sociedad, this was the year Xabi Alonso broke out. Xabi was the complete central midfielder, exhibiting uncanny positional sense, an ability to win the ball in tackles, as well as a knack for great ball distribution and a cannon for a right foot. He helped put Sociedad back on the football map(albeit briefly), and went on to claim the best Spanish player award courtesy of Don Balon. Real Madrid may have won the league this year, but all the success Xabi later enjoyed with Liverpool and with Spain was born here.

Defensive Midfield: Claude Makelele (2002/2003)

Forget about galacticos, this was the guy who lifted Madrid to the heights they enjoyed in the first part of the decade.  His departure to Chelsea in the summer of 2003 was seen as the scourge that caused the dramatic downfall of the first galactico area, a sentiment shared by former teammates Zidane, McManaman and Hierro. Makelele was a rock, managing the defensive load all the way to a Liga title against a pesky Real Sociedad team. Fresh off a Champions League title the year before, Makelele had to deal with increasing pressure as Madrid’s unbalanced side was top heavy with attackers. But he danced the dance ever so well, and wasn’t truly appreciated by Madrid, nor most Liga fans until he had departed for Chelsea. Solid, solid, solid.

Attacking Midfield: Juan Roman Riquelme (2004/2005)

One of the most enigmatic figures in Spanish football ever, when he was on his game no one in the world was better. Consistency has been the main hindrance his entire career, but for two magical years in the then unknown Villareal, he brought a tiny club to the brink of European glory. After a dreadful first European season at Barcelona, coach Manuel Pellegrini had enough faith in the precise passing ability of this temparmental Argentine, and built an entire squad around his abilities.  A 15 goal haul, coupled with a 3rd place finish made this Riquelme’s crowning achievement in Spain. Not too many players can place the title of artist in front of their name, but surely he is one who can.

Attacking midfielder: Ronaldinho(2004/2005)

This was the year Ronaldinho established himself as the best player on the planet. I would call you a liar if you said you weren’t put under his spell, even if it was for a short period of time. He did it all. He brought the Liga title back to Catalunya that year, which helped him earn his second consecutive FIFA Player of the year award as well as his first Ballon D’or. His recent fall from grace and form is made more sad when you consider the heights he reached only a scant few years back. His style and flair were breathtaking, his technique and trickery were out of this world, and his smile and enjoyment of the game was unmatched anywhere. Ronaldinho was one of a kind, and this season is what pushed him into the stratosphere of footballing transcendence, a feat only achieved by a select few before him.

Attacking Midfielder: Zinedine Zidane(2001/2002)

The greatest player of his generation, Zidane finally completed the holy trinity of  football prizes by taking Madrid to a record 9th Champions League title with one of the greatest goals ever scored in a major final. After arriving in Madrid as the most expensive player ever, Zidane didn’t disappoint in this, his first year in Spain. Although Madrid were disappointed to finish third, their concentration on winning the Champions League in their centenary year was no doubt a factor. Zidane justified every one of the 76 million euros spent on him. Although he didn’t enjoy the amount of domestic success he did later on in his Madrid career, the fact that he delivered such a beautiful product on the field in his first year in Spain makes me rank this as his best Liga season. The most elegant man ever to caress a football with his feet.

Forward: Nihat Kahveci (2002/2003)

I realize La Liga has played host to some glamorous forwards who have had solid seasons and won trophies with their respective clubs this past decade. However, no one has had the same impact as a relative unknown in their debut full season in Spain as Nihat did. After arriving from Besiktas during the winter transfer break the year before, Nihat only managed to net 1 goal in 11 appearances for Real Socieadad. This made it all the more unexpected when he scored 23 goals the following year as Sociedad came within a whisker of winning the most improbable of La Liga titles of recent memory. Finishing tied for second in the Pichichi that year, his goals skyrocketed Real Sociedad to heights it hadn’t seen in a long time. While definitely not a flash in the pan, the rest of his stay in Spain was marred by injury and he never quite rang the bell like he did in 02/03.  Brilliant strikers came before and have come since, but no one goal scorer has had more of an impact on his teams success than Nihat did in that magical year where the title almost returned to the Anoeta.

Forward: Lionel Messi (2008/2009)

The world at his fingertips, Leo Messi did it all this past season leading Barcelona to one of the greatest seasons in the history of club football, period. After making his Barca debut in 2004/2005, it was evident Leo was destined for greatness. There were flashes of brilliance, too many to list, but he was always in the shadow of Ronaldinho, as well as being prone to injury. This past year was when the full brunt of the weight of expectation fell on his slight shoulders, and did he ever deliver. 23 goals, the treble, and all around mind blowing play from a legend in the making. Messi handled the pressure of being the big dog at the Camp Nou amicably, and looks set to follow a hallowed path to greatness traveled only by a select few.

Subs bench:

Goalie: Iker Casillas (2004/2005)

Defender: Amedeo Carboni (2003/2004)

Midfielder: Xavi (2008/2009)

Midfielder: Luis Figo (2000/2001)

Forward: Roy Makaay(2002/2003)

Forward: Raul (2000/2001)

Forward: Samuel Eto’o (2005/2006)