Throughout Barcelona’s two-year run of groundbreaking excellence, Josep Guardiola i Sala role as a tactician tended to be undervalued.  He reinstituted the “Total Football” concept that Johan Cruyff, Guardiola’s former manager at FC Barcelona, instilled when he was a player and a manager at the club, and he changed the culture inside the dressing room.

He sent bad influences Deco and Ronaldinho away, and he brought a sense of discipline and accountability that the club lacked at the end of the Frank Rijkaard era.  When it came to the X and O’s of a match, however, most defined the team in his reign as a beautiful machine that only possessed a “Plan A” of ball possession and incessant attack.

If anyone still doubted Pep Guardiola as a tactical grandmaster, the last two matches against Arsenal and Real Madrid should validate his place as one of the top managers in world football.

Debuted against Arsenal during the second half of the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal, Guardiola insisted on the 4–4-2 formation to handle Real Madrid’s abundance of offensive talent.  Partly forced by injuries but mostly a tactical decision, the Barça starting eleven was a departure from the norm.  Guardiola brought Dani Alves forward as a right midfielder/winger and positioned Seydou Keita as a left midfielder.  Carles Puyol went to right back, and Gabriel Milito filled in alongside Gerard Piqué in central defense.

With Éric Abidal reinjuring his thigh against Arsenal, the question surrounding the left back position was if Maxwell would receive the nod against Real Madrid.  Maxwell is the natural replacement, but in some instances this season, the opposition caught him out of position when he would make his forward runs.  With Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo racing down the left flank, there would be a decent possibility of a defensive breakdown with Maxwell absent from the action.  Rather than putting Carles Puyol in a left back role that he rarely ever plays, Guardiola kept faith with Maxwell in their most important match of the La Liga season.

The first few minutes of the match suggested that this pivotal game would be more akin to the tightly contested edition in November than the open affair at the Bernabéu last May.  The suffocating Barça press swarmed even harder, and the Real Madrid tackling came with more regularity and venom.

Guardiola positioned his team to quell Real Madrid’s lightning counter-attack, and apart from a couple of instances when Cristiano Ronaldo’s pure talent and speed would defy any defense, Barcelona’s defensive organization and discipline kept firm.  A clean sheet through forty-five minutes and zero shots on goal allowed testified to the Blaugrana’s security in the midfield and in front of Víctor Valdés.

With a one-goal lead to start the second half, Guardiola readjusted his formation, bringing Dani Alves back to his usual right back role and moving Carles Puyol into central defense, creating a five-man back line to consolidate an already strong defense.  Guardiola knew that his counterpart Manuel Pellegrini would send wave after wave of attacks in the second half to score the equalizing goal, and he felt a reinforcement to stem this oncoming tide would be prudent.  Hardly characterizing this change as protectionist with Dani Alves and Maxwell still marauding both flanks, Real Madrid found Puyol, Piqué, and Milito to be uncompromising and intelligent in their tackling and positioning.

Two clean sheets against Real Madrid this season substantiated Barcelona’s claim as more than a club who only worries about scoring goals.

Manuel Pellegrini is no fledgling manager either, and with Real Madrid’s midfield and defensive organization at its season best, it would take more invention and guile than individual splendor to break down their white wall.  Who better than Xavi Hernández to solve the problem.

For a player that has and continues to receive numerous accolades throughout his illustrious career, Xavi does not get the full credit for his contributions to Futbol Club Barcelona.  He always had a transcendent talent on his team that would garner the headlines: first, it was Rivaldo; then it was Ronaldinho; and now it is Lionel Messi.  Others would scoff at their teammates for stealing the limelight, but Xavi would want nothing more than to provide assists for his fellow colleagues as well as deflecting praise to them and his manager.

For Xavi’s first masterpiece, he executed a cheeky lofted ball over the Madrid defense to perfection.  Constantly scanning the field for any potential passes to befuddle the opposition, he saw Messi make a run from the corner of his eye.  He had two options: an incisive through ball in between the defenders or a ball over the defense.  He chose the latter (the much more difficult option), and Raúl Albiol watched in horror as the ball floated over his head onto the chest of Messi, who chested it to his right to create space and smack it past Iker Casillas for the vital first goal.

Xavi’s second offering early in the second half sealed the match.  Again, he spotted a run of his teammate in his peripheral vision.  Pedro made a diagonal run, and Xavi obliged his effort by slotting a perfect through ball that hit the moving target as well as directing it into a position where Álvaro Arbeloa could not come around Pedro to tackle the ball away.  Pedro curled his shot past Casillas, and the 0–2 lead proved insurmountable.

Besides his inventive and sagacious ball distribution, his ability off the ball remains underrated.  Sergio Busquets and Touré Yaya are known to be the pivots of the Barça midfield as well as the protectors of the back four, but Xavi is the epitome of a box-to-box midfielder.  His harassment of any Madrid player on the ball forced them to rush their movements, causing a few turnovers in compromising areas of the pitch.  On several occasions, he fully committed to decisive tackles that broke up feasible goal-scoring opportunities for Real Madrid.

It is no coincidence that Xavi Hernández and Josep Guardiola would mastermind a crucial victory in Barcelona’s attempt to repeat as Spanish champions.  When Barcelona won their first European Cup in 1992, Guardiola led the midfield as that deep-lying playmaker that controlled the game without having to score.  As Guardiola started to age, Xavi became the natural successor to Guardiola in his position, and Xavi’s teams have won two UEFA Champions League titles, the second with his former teammate Guardiola as manager.

Lionel Messi and Pedro Rodríguez scored yet again in an important match, and the plaudits showered on these two for their brilliant individual moments are richly deserved.  Behind all great forwards, however, are the midfielders that provide them with the potent ball to pierce the defense.  While Messi creates opportunities for himself due to his amazing ability, he would be the first to say that without Xavi governing the midfield as a maestro and conductor and Pep Guardiola continually instructing in training and in the heat of a match, he would not have matured into the historic figure he has already become.

Fueras de Juego

- Cristiano Ronaldo played his part, consistently flying down both flanks in search of any opening that Barcelona allowed, but his anxiety to prove he is better than Lionel Messi and worth the €94 million transfer fee left his teammates out of the loop as he single-handedly tried to beat Barça on his own.  Gonzalo Higuaín supplied the most disappointing performance for Real Madrid, as he could not carve out a decent chance against Puyol and the gang.  Although it was not entirely his fault, the papers will again spout out how he flatters to deceive in the grandest occasions despite scoring a tremendous amount of goals.

In case of El Clásico blinkers, there were other matches in La Liga this weekend.

- Sevilla defeated Málaga 1–2 in an Andalusian derby, but both Andrés Palop and Gustavo Munúa provided classic moments for those blooper highlight reels.  For Palop, he failed to secure a routine shot from Duda, and the ensuing spill gave Felipe Caicedo a simple tap-in for Málaga to take the lead.

Sevilla’s equalizer from Juan Cala came about from an embarrassing error by Munúa.  Ivica Dragutinovic’s free kick floated straight into Munúa’s chest, but he somehow fumbled and mishandled it as if he caught a burning rock, and Cala could not believe his luck as he tapped in his goal.

Málaga was disgraceful with their constant play-acting and time-wasting tactics, and cosmic justice reigned supreme as Lolo headed the winning goal late in the contest.

- Athletic Bilbao notched the most comprehensive victory of the weekend with their 4–1 drubbing of Almería at the San Mamés, and the score flattered Almería.  Javi Martínez exhibited why Rafa Benítez and Liverpool are following his every move closely.  Two goals and industry in the midfield further cemented him as one of Liverpool’s summer transfer targets as the Reds try to find the replacement for Xabi Alonso that Alberto Aquilani has failed to achieve to this point.

Bilbao pelted Almería goalkeeper Diego Alves with twenty-six total shots, thirteen on target, but the most impressive stat of the match for Athletic Club was that they committed only nine fouls for the whole ninety minutes.  Nine fouls in ninety minutes for Athletic Bilbao would be analogous to Barcelona only having 50% of the possession.  It hardly ever happens.

- Valencia’s Manuel Fernandes might want to hide under a rock tonight after a torrid game against Mallorca.  Admittedly a midfielder forced into central defense due to a host of injuries, Fernandes committed elementary errors in defense, including getting continually beat over the top and stranding his own keeper César Sánchez a couple of times with short back passes.

The coup de grâce came when he netted into his own goal from a Gonzalo Castro cross to hinder any chance for Valencia to salvage a point.  To cap off a miserable performance, Fernandes was sent off late in the match for a clumsy tackle on Aritz Aduriz.

Pablo Hernández scored late for Los Che to intensify the last few minutes, but Mallorca dominated Valencia despite the 3–2 final scoreline, and Valencia’s miserable week ended with a thud at the ONO Estadi.

A ridiculous question with what should be a simple answer.  First, a cursory investigation.  Is Barcelona on top of the standings in La Liga?  Yes.  Has Barcelona obtained sixty-one points from twenty-four matches, one more point than it had at the same point last season?  Check.  Does Barcelona have the edge in its UEFA Champions League matchup against Stuttgart because of the away goal?  True.  Does Barcelona have some of the greatest players in the world of football?  Absolutely.  Has Barcelona been figured out?  From all the previous affirmations, the headline answer should be a definitive NO, but peering underneath the surface reveals a few cracks in their perfect facade.

As Chelsea and Rubin Kazan proved last year, one strategy to eke out a positive result against the Blaugrana includes conceding 70%+ possession to the Catalans and hope to capitalize on one or two chances when Carles Puyol’s defensive four play their extremely high line.  Many teams have unsuccessfully tried this tactic, but on Saturday evening, Málaga decided to employ this type of football, believing that they can be akin to Chelsea and Rubin Kazan.  It almost worked.

After a frustrating sixty-eight minutes, where nearly every Dani Alves cross was cleared and Lionel Messi’s wondrous runs were eventually snuffed by the Málaga defense, it took a special strike from Barcelona’s clutch performer of the season, Pedro Rodríguez, to break the deadlock.

Fernando and Manolo did not close Pedro’s space down, and with only Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the penalty area, Pedro decided tto take the shot himself from just outside the box.  He powered it to the point where goalkeeper Gustavo Munúa could only get a hand to it at his left near post despite him covering that side of the goal.

The unthinkable occurred twelve minutes later, when a one-two between Valdo and Victor Obinna at the halfway line sent Valdo free for nearly half of the pitch, and he converted the opportunity with aplomb, as he slotted the ball past a determined Victor Valdés.

Now for 99.7% of teams with a slim one-goal advantage with ten minutes to spare, playing deeper in their own half is not only prudent but the correct tactic.  Not for Barcelona.  What some might consider naïveté, Barcelona sees as the only way.  For the most part, Barcelona executes with total clarity, but on rare occasions, as with Valdo and Obinna, they pay a steep price for their loyalty to the club philosophy.

As with true champions, however, they managed to discover the game-winner in the late stages to make one point into three.  Xavi Hernández had an unusually quiet game, but his field vision is incomparable, and he played a cutting, diagonal ball to a streaking Dani Alves on the right wing.  A straightforward, first-time squared ball across the six-yard box to an unmarked Messi, and the tap-in gave Barça a 2–1 lead in the 84th minute, a lead they would not relinquish.

For the defending La Liga champions, stringing twenty to thirty passes to find an opening in the defense is normal business for them, but after they took the lead, their passing took more of a defensive nature.  They passed it around the field almost in an attempt to wind the clock down rather than initiate another attack.  With Málaga producing a dogged and earnest effort throughout the match, this mode was the right move, but it was quite peculiar to witness Barcelona passing it around with no ambition.

The other stratagem falls only for the brave (some might say for the suicidal).  It involves taking the game to Barcelona.  This inevitably means that there will be plenty of space for the Barcelona dynamos if they retrieve possession.  Tenerife was successful for the first thirty-five minutes against Barcelona in their match in January by putting the Barça players on their back heels.  A recurring problem for the Chicharreros all season, however, has been their lack of finishing, and when they could not score on some promising opportunities, Barcelona smelled blood, and a 0–5 thumping ensued.

When Barcelona visited the Mercedes-Benz Arena to face Stuttgart, no one would have blamed Die Schwaben if they used the Chelsea/Rubin Kazan strategy.  Although their form improved dramatically since Christian Gross took over the manager position from Markus Babbel, they still lied ninth in the Bundesliga and needed to defeat Unirea Urziceni on the final group stage match to advance to the Round of 16.

Cautious in the beginning, Stuttgart ventured forward when Barça could not organize an effective attack.  Cacau scored once and could have had another two, and by halftime, the 1–0 score line in favor of Stuttgart flattered Barcelona.  According to Gerard Piqué in the Spanish sports newspaper Sport, “If we play as we did in the first half, we are not going to last long in this competition.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s crucial equalizer in the second half gave Barça the precious away goal and the 1–1 result away from home, but that does not take away from Stuttgart outplaying the Catalans for long stretches of the game.

Lionel Messi admitted that his side is not performing up to their celestial expectations.  On the club website following the Stuttgart match, he said, “I don’t know what went wrong.  It’s true that recently we’ve not been playing the same football we are used to, but now is the key moment and we have to get back to that level.”

Injuries clearly have hindered their play as of late.  Xavi and Ibrahimovic have recently returned from injury spells, and Seydou Keita, Éric Abidal, and Dmytro Chygrynskiy remain in the trainer’s room.

Around this same time last season, Barcelona lulled in relative mediocrity.  In a span of five matches from February 14 to March 4, they drew three and lost two, including a loss to a then relegation-bound Espanyol and a 2–2 draw with Real Betis, who would be relegated to the Segunda División at the end of the season.  What happened from that point forward is now immortalized in Barcelona’s six-trophy 2009, so why would this current momentary slip be any different from last year?

The final three months of the season should provide the final answer to the opening rhetorical question, but for any team to win against Barcelona, they have to believe that they have the solution to the Barça question.  Managers now have a large sampling in which to study Pep Guardiola’s coaching tendencies.

The doubt creeping from both the Barça fans and the press corps may be sounding the alarm bell a little early, but now this team cannot evade the comparisons to last year’s Barcelona squad that won every competition they entered.  They have only lost three times in the 2009-10 campaign: once in La Liga, once in the Champions League, and once in the Copa del Rey.  With Real Madrid breathing down their neck in Spain and other European teams wanting to dethrone the European champions, Barça cannot afford to “struggle” much longer if they want to defend these two crowns.

Has Barcelona been figured out?  Hardly, but that air of indomitability that they imposed last season has lessened to a degree.

Fueras de Juego

- Another natural disaster rocked the globe early Saturday morning.  This time, an 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Chile crumbled buildings and roads, leaving at least seven hundred dead with the toll rising at this moment.  One of the stars of the Chilean national football team, Humberto “Chupete” Suazo, paid homage to his homeland by scoring two goals in Real Zaragoza’s 0–2 victory over Getafe.  After scoring each of his two goals, he lifted his jersey to reveal his message, “Fuerza Chile.”  We all echo the same sentiment.

- The most surprisingly entertaining match of the weekend was the back and forth affair between Sporting Gijón and Osasuna.  A meeting of two mid-table teams that have a lack of scoring, a 3–2 result for the Asturians included a couple of penalties, a lightning pace, and an intense atmosphere rare for a match between teams that do not have much for which to play.

- Apparently, Carlos Marchena wants goalkeeper César Sánchez’s job because Marchena did a wonderful job in slapping away Sergio Agüero’s attempt to dribble away from him inside the box.  Neither referee Alfonso Pérez Burrull nor his linesman called the obvious penalty, but after harassment from the Atlético Madrid players and a chat with the fourth official, Pérez Burrull awarded Atlético the penalty kick, and Marchena rightly received a red card.  Atlético routed Valencia 4–1, and consistency might actually be arriving at the Vicente Calderón (but if they limply fall to Real Zaragoza next Sunday, no one will be surprised).

A festive atmosphere enveloped the Camp Nou on Saturday evening as the boys of the Blaugrana celebrated their unprecedented six-trophy year with their Barça faithful.  Villarreal was a mere afterthought as the Barcelona players deservedly received their plaudits for a year of literal perfection.  Even Villarreal showed them respect before the match when they created a tunnel for Barcelona to run through as the Villarreal players clapped and appreciated their host’s achievements.  When referee Bernardino González Vázquez blew his whistle to commence the game, however, the lovefest ceased, and Villarreal showed Barcelona and those watching in the stands and through their televisions why they have been a European force in the last six years.

Manager Pep Guardiola gave Lionel Messi the day off, as Pep gave him some extra vacation time.  Messi was there for the celebration, but he had just arrived from Argentina, and he was not match-fit.  Jonathan dos Santos played in Messi’s place, and it was his first start for the senior team.  For Villarreal, Ernesto Valverde left Giuseppe Rossi on the bench in favor of Nilmar as the lone striker, and he gave David Fuster only his third start of the season and positioned him just behind Nilmar.

When Barcelona scored in the seventh minute, there was a sense of a blowout as the feelings of euphoria brought about from the pregame fiesta carried into the opening minutes of the match.  The goal came from a typical Barça move.  In the final third of the pitch, Xavi Hernández played a diagonal ball to Dani Alves deep down the right flank.  Alves did well to whip in a cross into the middle of the penalty area.  The ball bounced in the box and into the vicinity of Thierry Henry.  The cross was a little behind Henry, but leaning on his left foot, he unleashed a half-volley missile that rocked the crossbar.  Pedro Rodríguez was alert, kept himself onside before Henry’s shot, and slotted home the rebound coolly to give his team the 1–0 lead.

If there is a criticism to be laid upon Barcelona this season, they have tended to start slowly in their matches, but with the quick goal against Villarreal, it would not have been unusual for Barcelona to get the second and third goals in quick succession.  Marcos Senna and Villarreal made sure that the seventh minute would be the only one conceded on this night.

Barcelona had their chances in the first half to add a second goal, including a sitter from twelve yards that Zlatan Ibrahimovic failed to get on target and a Henry header that flew over the crossbar in the 45th minute, but Ernesto Valverde employed tactics that few managers embarked on against Barcelona.  Villarreal played how Barça plays against all of their opponents: ball possession, a high defensive line, and constant pressure on the ball.

For all the recognition that Barcelona receives for their flowing, attacking style, their unending and unrelenting energy on defense is arguably the most important aspect in their six-trophy season.  Many teams sit back in their own half of the field and hope for a quick counter-attack against Barcelona, and this is why Barcelona has sixty-five to seventy-five percent of the possession in each match.  Valverde knew that this type of strategy would only lead to their demise, so when Barça was on the ball, a Villarreal player or two would immediately shift towards that man.  Barcelona was not used to this type of pressure put upon them, and it led to more turnovers in midfield and in their own third of the field.

Obviously, with this Barça tactic, a team has to have the players that can execute this game plan.  Clubs like Xerez and Málaga could not play the way that Villarreal did against Barcelona due to a lack of quality players, but with Marcos Senna and Bruno Soriano providing the steel in the midfield, and the attacking quartet of Cani, David Fuster, Santi Cazorla, and Nilmar working tirelessly to retrieve possession immediately after losing it, they out-Barça-ed Barça for a majority of the match.  The statistics would not necessarily support this statement, as Barcelona had a 60–40 ratio of possession in their favor, but the 60% is a low number for them, and many observing the game could see that Villarreal rattled their cage that slight bit, and Barcelona hardly had to cope with this throughout the season.

David Fuster made the most of his rare start by roaming around in his free role behind the striker and disrupting the normally tight Barcelona defense.  In the 28th minute, Cani crossed into the area near the end line, and Fuster flew from the penalty spot and nodded down a header that, ironically, he hit too hard.  Always taught to bring the header down, Fuster did exactly that, but it bounced off the turf and over the crossbar.

Eventually, Fuster’s presence in the Barcelona half of the field turned to gold in the 51st minute, when he converted after numerous chances to equalize earlier in the match.  Villarreal maintained a spell of possession in the final third, and when Nilmar’s shot was blocked, the move looked to be over, but Cani was first to the ball and provided sweet service to Fuster at the back post, where he perfected a technically difficult half-volley across goal and past Victor Valdés into the back of the net.

Barcelona stemmed Villarreal’s momentum when Andrés Iniesta came in for the largely ineffective Jonathan dos Santos in the 58th minute.  Dos Santos showed flashes of his enormous talent, but he was overmatched on this night, and his 19-year-old legs will see much better days.  Two minutes into Iniesta’s shift, Pedro played a skillful pullback to him around the 18-yard penalty line, but the pass was a little behind Iniesta, so he could not take the shot first-time.  Iniesta took a touch and shot an off-balanced effort that Diego López handled easily.

López nearly paid for a poor goal clearance in the 65th minute, when Iniesta reclaimed possession and curled a wonderful shot toward the top right corner of the net, but López made a soaring save to tip it around the goal.  The match ultimately finished 1–1, with Villarreal fully deserving a share of the spoils.

Villarreal has the reputation of playing pretty, passing football but not necessarily having the physicality needed throughout a long campaign.  They committed fifteen fouls as well as suffering twenty-two fouls against Barcelona, so at least for this match, they were not afraid to go into challenges and be fully committed to the job.  Iván Marcano and Diego Godín were stellar in central defense as they closed down Xavi and Ibrahimovic.  They frustrated Ibrahimovic, and this frustration boiled over when Ibrahimovic received a yellow card in the 88th minute for a late tackle on Godín.

A controversial no-call on a penalty claim by Nilmar on a clumsy Carles Puyol challenge may have given Villarreal all three points, but even though they earned only the solitary point, they know now that their poor early-season form was not a sign of future play.  Moral victories do not mean much in terms of position in the league, and Villarreal remains ninth in the table, eight points behind the final Champions League spot.  If they remain healthy in the midfield with Bruno, Santi Cazorla, and their inspirational captain Marcos Senna, their overall ability should see them rise into the European spots by the end of the season.

Ibrahimovic scores in his first La Liga game

Writer’s Note: Unfortunately, WordPress does not recognize the “c” with an accent mark, so Bojan Krkic and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s names will not include an accent mark above the ” c.”

It is easy to overreact and overanalyze after one match and assume that whatever happens in that match will become a trend throughout the season; therefore, in evaluating Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s performance in the Barcelona — Sporting Gijón match on Monday night, hyperbole will not be the overall sentiment of this piece.

As for the match itself, Barcelona never let Sporting Gijón play, and Sporting did not really seem interested in retrieving the ball back from Barcelona.  Barça had 74% of the possession in each half, but uncharacteristically, Barça constructed their three goals from corner kicks rather than from open play.  Bojan Krkic, deputizing for Thierry Henry, who Pep Guardiola decided to rest after playing in the UEFA Super Cup on Friday, performed at a high level with a goal and numerous individual runs that menaced the Sporting defense all night long.  While Bojan brought the Camp Nou to its feet, Seydou Keita was the man of the match with his tireless work rate in the midfield and his ability to get his head onto free kicks and crosses.  His near post flick on from a corner kick in the 18th minute directly led to Bojan’s headed goal on the back post, his header from a corner kick in the 42nd minute scored the second goal for Barcelona, and another header in the 67th minute hit the post.  While Barcelona did not produce the sparkling display of football like most expect them to do on every occasion, they took the belief out of Sporting and thus could play around with the ball for ninety minutes.

With Thierry Henry resting and Lionel Messi in Argentina preparing for World Cup qualifying against Brazil, the limelight was squarely focused on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and how he would fare in his first match in the blaugrana shirt.  With Pedro Rodríguez on his right and Bojan Krkic on his left, Ibrahimovic had more than capable forwards on the wings, but they were not Henry or Messi.  His first significant touch came in the fourth minute when Pedro sent him a through ball into the box, which got him behind the Sporting defense; however, he was positioned at an acute angle and he scuffed his shot trying to blast it past Sporting goalkeeper Juan Pablo.  In the 30th minute, he made a run into the box and faked a shot, causing two defenders to go to ground in anticipation.  Open for the shot, he tried a cute, swerved shot towards the near post, and Juan Pablo saved it easily.  A diagonal run in the 40th minute set up a shot for Ibrahimovic, but Juan Pablo made a routine save.  In the first half, Ibrahimovic seemed a bit sluggish and lax in attack, but that could be directly attributed to his lack of match fitness.  He injured his hand while on a US tour with Inter Milan and did not play a competitive match until the Joan Gamper Trophy against Manchester City on August 19.

Ibrahimovic raised his energy level and involved himself more into the attack in the second half.  In the 66th minute, Eric Abidal sent a long ball to the edge of the penalty area, and Alberto Botía, a central defender on loan to Sporting from Barcelona, harassed Ibrahimovic, but he was able to fight him off and restart the attack.  His willingness to scrap and clash with the defense gave a rise to the Barça faithful.  In the 74th minute, on an average cross by Pedro, Ibrahimovic was able to rise over Botía and deliver a solid header, but it headed toward Juan Pablo’s grateful hands.  Pedro’s cross hung in the air, so Ibrahimovic had to supply most of the power for the header, and he accomplished that feat quite well.  His aerial ability is one of the attributes that differentiated Ibrahimovic from his predecessor Samuel Eto’o.

Then in the 82nd minute, Ibrahimovic scored his first goal for Barça.  On another corner kick, Xavi took it short to Dani Alves, and after he crossed the ball into the box, it took a slight deflection off Sporting defender Grégory’s head, and Ibrahimovic executed the diving header at the back post to perfection.  It was almost a carbon copy of the first Barcelona goal where Seydou Keita’s near-post flick sent the ball to the back post, and Bojan headed home the opening score.  It was not the most attractive goal he has ever scored, but at that moment, it must have been sweet for him to score in his first match for Barça.

There were a few flashes of brilliance by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, including the goal late in the contest, but he will not be putting this performance in his scrapbook of the best ninety minutes in his career.  The chemistry among his fellow forwards lacked that something extra, but anyone expecting the gears to shift seamlessly in the first match hold unrealistic expectations.  While he did not play his best, scoring in his first match was important because now he does not have to face the pressure of a goal drought to start his season.  Ibrahimovic would admit that he still needs time to adapt to life in Spain and the Barça system.  When the international break concludes and Henry and Messi join Ibrahimovic in attack for a string of games, Pep Guardiola will see if the infinite attacking potential of this trio will culminate into consecutive La Liga titles.  A straightforward win and an Ibrahimovic goal is just the start that Barcelona needed to launch a successful La Liga campaign.

]]> http://www.laligatalk.com/zlatan-ibrahimovic-a-mixed-bag-in-barcelonas-3-0-victory-over-sporting-gijon/1759/feed/ 4 http://www.laligatalk.com/la-liga-team-of-the-decade/1447 http://www.laligatalk.com/la-liga-team-of-the-decade/1447#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:25:26 +0000 Matt Langille http://www.laligatalk.com/?p=1447

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)