The Real Federación Española de Fútbol (the Spanish FA) released the full schedule for the 2010-11 La Liga season, and Jornada 1 will be held on the last weekend of August.  Both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona will commence their campaigns away from home as they visit Mallorca and Racing de Santander respectively.  Real Sociedad, the Basque football entity that spent the last two years in the Segunda División after establishing themselves in the Primera División for the previous forty seasons, will make their triumphant return to the top level of the Spanish pyramid against Villarreal.  The last match of the first round of fixtures will be held that Monday night as Atlético Madrid hosts Sporting de Gijón at the Estadio Vicente Calderón.

Here are the full schedule of the opening round of the La Liga season on August 28–30:

Mallorca — Real Madrid

Hércules — Athletic Bilbao

Racing de Santander — FC Barcelona

Málaga — Valencia

Deportivo La Coruña — Real Zaragoza

Levante — Sevilla

Espanyol — Getafe

Real Sociedad — Villarreal

Osasuna — Almería

Atlético Madrid — Sporting Gijón

El Clásico matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be held on the November 27 weekend (Jornada 13) at the Camp Nou and the April 16 weekend (Jornada 32) at the Santiago Bernabéu, where José Mourinho will reacquaint himself with Pep Guardiola after Mourinho’s Inter Milan eliminated Barcelona in last season’s UEFA Champions League.

Other derbies of note include the Basque derby between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao in Rounds 14 and 33, the Valencian derby between Valencia and Villarreal in Rounds 12 and 31, el derbi Barceloní between Espanyol and Barcelona in Rounds 16 and 35, and el Derbi madrileño between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid in Rounds 10 and 29.

If the races for the title, Champions League places, Europa League places, and relegation come down to the final day, as it has for the past few seasons, here are the final round of fixtures:

Real Madrid — Almería

Osasuna — Villarreal

Real Sociedad — Getafe

Espanyol — Sevilla

Levante — Real Zaragoza

Deportivo La Coruña — Valencia

Málaga — Barcelona

Racing de Santander — Athletic Bilbao

Hércules — Sporting Gijón

Mallorca — Atlético Madrid

For the rest of the schedule, refer to the RFEF website here.  La Liga will continue with one Monday match every round, and a Friday fixture may be included by the start of the season.  While Real Madrid and Barcelona will likely lead the way as per usual, the revamped Valencia lineup, the continued solidity of Sevilla, and the always dangerous Villarreal will challenge the duopoly all season, and Hércules and Real Sociedad will surprise many as they return to La Liga.

Last Saturday’s telecast of El Clásico between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu was the highest-rated and most-watched program on Spanish-language cable television this year.

El Clásico was seen on ESPN Deportes by an average of 466,000 Hispanic homes and 783,000 Hispanic viewers.  As for the normal La Liga matches shown on ESPN Deportes every weekend, the live telecasts average 95,000 Hispanic households and 139,000 Hispanic viewers.

These figures are great news in the United States for ESPN Deportes and its Spanish-speaking population.  The Primera División de México, the Mexican football league, is by far the most watched football league for Hispanics in the United States, and for a foreign league to garner consistent support on a weekly basis can only help spread the popularity of La Liga and Spanish football throughout the United States.  Considering the fact that ESPN, DirecTV, and Gol TV cannot set their weekly schedules too far ahead because of the LFP’s policy of revealing kickoff times only seven to ten days before each round, ESPN Deportes has done well to attract this many viewers.

On hand, I do not have the ratings for Gol TV and its English language telecast of El Clásico, but with Gol TV as a bilingual channel, the number of viewers should be on par or even greater than those who watched Real Madrid –Barcelona on ESPN Deportes.

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.

The Almería — Barcelona match had not concluded when Real Madrid took to the pitch, but a few minutes into their match with Sevilla, they knew that Barça slipped at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos and dropped two points with a 2–2 draw against Almería.  Expectations were that Real Madrid would not have the chance to grab at least a share of the lead away from the Blaugrana until the second Clásico meeting on April 11, but this unforeseen gift, wrapped in a bow by their archrivals to the northeast, laid at the doorstep of the Bernabéu for the Madridistas to open gleefully.

Unfortunately, Xabi Alonso put it into his own net in the 10th minute, and Ivica Dragutinovic scored an unlikely free kick that was meant to be crossed into a flood of players.  Iker Casillas and Xabi Alonso looked at each other with contempt as both expected one another to handle the harmless ball.  Xabi Alonso let the ball sail over his head, assuming that Casillas would catch it on the bounce.  Casillas anticipated Xabi Alonso to head the ball away to safety and therefore did not cover the left post.  The ball furtively sneaked into the bottom left corner of the net, and Sevilla held a 0–2 lead at the Santiago Bernabéu with 38+ minutes remaining.

A loss for Real Madrid against Sevilla, even in the capital city, would not have been a shocking revelation, and a defeat to the Andalusians would still have Los Blancos a mere three points behind Barcelona with thirteen matches left to overturn the deficit. Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini entertained zero options of settling, as he removed Álvaro Arbeloa and Lassana Diarra from the action in the 55th minute and sent in two creative midfielders, Rafael van der Vaart and Guti, to revitalize the incessant but stagnant attack.

Observing that Sevilla had only one shot on target in fifty-five minutes, the unlikely Dragutinovic goal, Pellegrini concluded that there was little need for a second defensive midfielder and a stay-at-home left back.  Real Madrid played intricate football in the middle of the pitch, used both flanks effectively, and dabbled in a more direct, long-ball approach up to that point, but Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop and his defensive line held firm without a breach of goal.  Los Nervionenses cared little that their two goals came courtesy of a Xabi Alonso own goal and miscommunication between Iker Casillas and Xabi Alonso on a Dragutinovic free kick.

Rafael van der Vaart and Guti certainly have the fecundity to create and exploit any gaps within the Sevilla defense, and each had differing problems with Pellegrini this season.  Van der Vaart was supposed to be gone in the previous summer transfer window.  He was not in Pellegrini’s blueprints to the point where Esteban Granero was given van der Vaart’s number 23 in the preseason.  Wesley Sneijder, exiled by Real Madrid and eventually sold to Inter Milan, more than suggested to van der Vaart that he should leave to join a club that wanted him.

Van der Vaart stubbornly stayed with Madrid, feeling as though he was good enough for the team and wanted to prove his Madrid doubters wrong.  While he has fought injuries throughout the season, van der Vaart showed himself to be the third attacking midfielder with Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká.

As for José María Gutiérrez Hernández, that man known as Guti, Guti is and will always be Guti.  Perpetually and chronically incorrigible, he has gotten under the skin of every Real Madrid manager since he first made it to the senior squad.  If anyone tugs on his gossamer robe, he lashes out and leaves no one in his wake.

For a character like that, he should have been booted out years ago, but he still roams the pitch at the Santiago Bernabéu because of his truly world-class vision and passing distribution.  The term “world-class” is bandied around quite frequently, but for Guti, the label fits.  If he did not possess this type of talent, there is no way manager after manager would have kept this turbulent truculent on their squads.

Manuel Pellegrini could have easily phased out both van der Vaart and Guti if he let his ego get the best of him, but when the bell rung, he employed the players best suited for the situation rather than use others just because they did not vex him.  What Madrid needed in the final half-hour against Sevilla were players that forced Sevilla’s defensive and midfield lines to lose their shape.

Sergio Ramos getting R-rated after heading in the equalizer.

Whereas the field tilted toward Andrés Palop’s goal in the first half, this Madrid torrent in the second half completely inundated everyone with a red tinge.  A 60th minute Cristiano Ronaldo strike that benefited from a wicked Marius Stankevicius deflection and a 64th minute Sergio Ramos header from a van der Vaart corner turned the match completely around in the ten minutes since the substitutes entered the match.  Guti struck the crossbar, and Gonzalo Higuaín hit the post and the crossbar on two separate shots in the ensuing ten minutes after the Ramos equalizer, but Pellegrini was not done with his tinkering.

In the 75th minute, he made the bold move of withdrawing the €65 million Kaká in favor of Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer Raúl, who has made very few appearances since losing his starting spot early in the season.  Kaká had a decent game, but van der Vaart and Guti accomplished more in twenty minutes than Kaká did in seventy-five.  Pellegrini, soft-spoken but strong in his convictions, knew the gravity of the situation and wanted no less than three points.

An ultra-offensive 4–1-3–2 formation proved to be too much for Sevilla, as Rafael van der Vaart outmuscled Stankevicius for a rebound from three yards out and converted his scoring chance after Palop understandably gave up a rebound from Higuaín’s header in the second minute of stoppage time.

The euphoria felt and created by the players sent the Madridistas into a higher state of consciousness as they witnessed the most electric thirty minutes of the La Liga season.  Pellegrini, always the levelheaded statesman, put this match into its proper perspective when he spoke with Spanish sports daily Marca:

“There are still 39 points to play for.  These are three important points.  We will only be happy when our final objectives are obtained.  Now we depend on ourselves.”

With all the emotion spent on conquering this two-goal deficit against Sevilla, Real Madrid will have little time to recover because they host Lyon on Wednesday in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League tie down a single goal.  Whether they maintain this surging momentum into that match remains to be seen, and for all the plaudits and accolades they received on Saturday, a deluge of harsh criticism will be levied upon them if they fail to defeat Lyon and advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

That discussion, however, is for another day.  Real Madrid and Barcelona are tied at the top of La Liga with thirteen matches remaining.  Barcelona has the edge because they defeated Real 1–0 in November, and as the famous Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once quipped:

If you are first, you are first.  If you are second, you are nothing.

Real Madrid would not want it any other way.

Fueras de Juego

- Athletic Bilbao’s resurgence this season is due to many factors, including a stellar home record and Fernando Llorente leading the line, but some credit has to go to Gaizka Toquero, the perfect wingman to Llorente’s hold-up play.  Once a lower division vagabond with such illustrious clubs as SD Lemona, Sestao River Club, and SD Eibar, he caught the eye of Bilbao, although he was not in manager Joaquín Caparrós’ plans when Toquero first arrived in Bilbao.  He scored both of Athletic’s goals in their routine 2–0 win over Real Valladolid on Sunday, including a clinical finish off the short-hop to give his team an insurmountable two-goal advantage.

- Felicitaciones to Xerez as they won their first match away from home in the top flight after defeating an in-form Málaga 2–4 in a match that featured two red cards, nine yellow cards and a penalty miss and a penalty make by Xerez winger Momo.  Xerez manager Néstor Gorosito had an impossible task of keeping Xerez afloat after he replaced José Ángel Ziganda in January, and while Xerez is still ten points adrift of safety, Gorosito has instilled confidence in a team that had none before he arrived.

- The weekly drama that is Atlético Madrid came up with another plot twist, as Ibrahima Baldé scored in stoppage time to give Los Colchoneros an undeserved 1–1 draw.  A poor match in terms of quality, Diego Forlán was livid when he was substituted with thirty minutes left, and Atleti seemed to release the guillotine on itself after José Antonio Reyes received a straight red card for flailing his arm at Eliseu Pereira, although what little contact Reyes made on Eliseu sent him into “unfathomable” pain.  Clearly frustrated by Zaragoza’s bounty on him, he decided to take the law into his own hands in a half-hearted attempt to send a message.  If Atlético manager Quique Sánchez Flores has not already been prescribed Thorazine, Zyprexa, or any other antipsychotic drug because he has to deal with this club on a daily basis, he needs them now.

Barcelona’s star Lionel Messi has capped his great week with two goals to lead the Catalan side to a 3–1 victory over Deportivo La Coruna. Several days ago he was named the Ballon d’Or winner after a stunning year during which he led Barca to three titles– Champions League, la Liga and Copa del Rey.

Some skeptics and other unreasonable critics were beginning to argue Messi is underperforming and not living up to his remarkable displays from last season. What many seem to overlook is the fact Messi has already found the back of the net nine times in 13 league matches besides providing his fellow Barca players with five assists. In total Messi has 13 goals while assisting on six others in 20 appearances. A week ago the club hosted Real Madrid in the El Clasico clash and ended up 1–0 winners courtesy of substitute Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s second-half strike. Messi took part in the game after missing out on the crucial 2–0 triumph over Inter in the Champions League.

In the space of two weeks, the Catalan side emerged victorious against Los Galacticos in la Liga and the Nerazzurri in European competition. The side remains on course to compete in all the major competitions despite the fact it is still too early to judge whether Barca can go all the way and repeat as treble winners.

Messi was not used against Inter (in Europe) due to injury but has featured in the other important games against Real and Depor helping Barca to open a five point lead over their bitter rivals Real. While Barca’s players remain undefeated in the league, the capital club’s players have yet to hit top form and the side has already been dumped out of the cup competition. The fans and critics alike must understand Messi will not score in every game and will certainly have a number of sub-par performances.

It is unfair to expect from him to score in almost every game or to perform at his best over the course of a long and demanding season. What matters the most now is his side is still in the running to repeat as champs in all three competitions won last season. The club will have the opportunity to win the FIFA World Club Cup as well which will be held in Abu Dahbi before the end of this year. All eyes will be on Messi to see whether he can finish off a great year with another trophy.

The next several months will decide whether Barca can repeat and if Messi will indeed remain the world’s best player. South Africa 2010 will have a big say in determining whether he repeats as Ballon d’Or winner but his achievements with his club should not be underestimated.

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.

This weekend’s round of fixtures is highlighted by El Clásico, the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid.  Not only are they the two most successful teams in the history of Spanish football, they occupy the top two spots in this season’s table.  Real Madrid has a one point lead over Barcelona heading into this pivotal match.  Not to be overshadowed is another top six clash between 4th place Valencia and 6th place Mallorca at the Mestalla on Saturday.

The times listed are Eastern Standard Time (EST) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DIRECTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Nov. 28

Sporting Gijón vs. Villarreal — 11:55 AM on GOL TV

Valencia vs. Mallorca — 1:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Sevilla vs. Málaga — 3:55 PM on GOL TV

Nov. 29

Racing Santander vs. Deportivo La Coruña — 10:45 AM on DIRECTV channel 456

Almería vs. Athletic Bilbao — 10:45 AM on DIRECTV channel 457

Real Zaragoza vs. Osasuna — 10:45 AM on DIRECTV channel 458

Atlético Madrid vs. Espanyol — 2:55 on ESPN2/ESPN 360

El Clásico: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid — On GOL TV, coverage starts at 11:00 AM with a thirty minute program called “El Clásico Goles Historicos,” detailing the most important goals in the history of the Barcelona — Real Madrid rivalry.  At 12:00 PM, there is an hour pre-game show before kickoff at 1:00 PM, followed by the match itself, and then an hour post-game show following the match.

On ESPN Deportes and ESPN 360, coverage begins at 12:00 PM with their own one-hour pregame show before the 1:00 PM kickoff.  After the match on both ESPN Deportes and ESPN 360, there will be a ninety minute post-game show on ESPN Deportes.

Unfortunately, this match will not be show in high definition in the United States.

The Getafe — Xerez and the Real Valladolid — Tenerife matches will not be shown on US TV.

Also in mid-week, Match Day 5 of the Europa League commences with three Spanish teams fighting to make it into the knockout stages.  The most intriguing match involving a La Liga team is Valencia hosting Lille at the Mestalla; Valencia is tied with Genoa for second in the group with six points, one point behind Lille.

UEFA Europa League

Levski Sofia vs. Villarreal — Wednesday, December 2 at 12:45 PM on DIRECTV channel 463 (463–1 for HD)

Valencia vs. Lille — Wednesday, December 2 at 3:00 PM on DIRECTV channel 462 (462–1 for HD) and delayed at 8:00 PM on GOL TV

Austria Wien vs. Athletic Bilbao — Thursday, December 3 at 12:45 PM on DIRECTV channel 462 (462–1 for HD)

Photo Courtesy of Oh-Barcelona

In American sports, pundits and journalists throw around the phrase “trap game” when describing a game that would be looked over in anticipation of more important matters in the immediate future.  With a pivotal UEFA Champions League fixture with Inter Milan on Tuesday and El Clásico on Sunday against Real Madrid, it would be human nature to suggest that Barcelona would somewhat neglect their due diligence and not focus solely on their match against Athletic Bilbao.  Although the 1–1 final at San Mamés may intimate a supposed lack of focus, it is part of a plateau trend since Valencia outplayed them in mid-October.

Excluding their home and away legs with Segunda División B side Cultural Leonesa in the Copa del Rey, Barcelona has only won twice in their last seven matches in all competitions.  They only lost once in that stretch, an inconceivable 1–2 result at the Camp Nou by the hands of Rubin Kazan, but heading into the defining week of their campaign up to this point, Barcelona needs to stem this mediocre tide in order to achieve their desired results against Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

In Barcelona’s two wins against Real Zaragoza and Mallorca, they capitalized on their numerous chances within the first half hour to seize the match by the throat and force the opposition to come forward.  Both Real Zaragoza and Mallorca played into the hands of Barcelona and tried to play open and expansive football only to see Barcelona break them on the counter-attack.  To say that a team needs to score early to demoralize the opposition is an obvious observation, but in Barcelona’s case, when they score that early goal, the dam breaks apart.  Scoring six against Zaragoza and four against Mallorca proves this point.  Another common thread with their two wins is the comfort of playing in front of their Blaugrana faithful at the Camp Nou.  Again, another unequivocal truth: a team usually plays better at home.  In La Liga, Barcelona has a 100% record at home, scoring nineteen while surrendering only five in five matches.

Their one loss to Rubin Kazan did come at home, but that match was an aberration compared to the rest of their matches in this seven game sample.  In the opening minutes, Aleksandr Ryazantsev’s audacious and prodigious effort from nearly forty yards sent shock waves throughout Europe.  After Zlatan Ibrahimovic responded with an equalizer early in the second half, order seemed to be restored in the universe, but when Rubin Kazan broke on the counter-attack and Gökdeniz Karadeniz converted his one opportunity, suddenly the champions looked vulnerable for the first time.

The one trait that Rubin Kazan possessed and no other opponent of Barcelona will live up to this season was their sheer physicality.  One of the few ways to frustrate the orchestra is to close down their space in a robust manner.  Evidenced by this match and the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal against Chelsea last season, mucking their flow is an effective tactic if otherwise unaesthetically pleasing.

Barcelona’s four draws to Valencia, Rubin Kazan away, Osasuna, and Athletic Bilbao are results of two intertwining factors.  It is no coincidence that all of these results occurred away from home.  Despite playing at home, Barcelona’s opposition proceeded with an away team train of thought: break forward when the situation presents itself but otherwise soak up the Catalan pressure.  Because of this mentality, the cutting edge needed to unlock the defense has been blunted ever so slightly.

Thierry Henry has missed more than half of Barcelona’s matches, but Pedro Rodríguez shifted into his position quite nicely, learning on the job while taking the lessons from his Barcelona academy days, both under Pep Guardiola.  Three of the top five contenders for the Pichichi Trophy as top scorer in La Liga currently play for Barcelona (Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Seydou Keita), and they lead La Liga with twenty-nine goals through eleven matches.  Barcelona creates more goal-scoring opportunities than any other team in La Liga, and they spend a vast majority of the time in the opposition half, but they have squandered many of these chances.  It gives their opponents an extra boost of confidence when they are able to keep them out of the back of net, whether it was because of their own defense or Barcelona’s poor finishing.

This mediocre stretch is analogous to a string of matches last season in February and March, where they lost the Catalan derby to struggling Espanyol and did not win in five consecutive matches in all competitions.  The rest is history for that campaign, as Barça earned an unprecedented treble.  Although the derby match with Real Madrid will grab most of the headlines this week, there will be another twenty-six rounds of football to decide the champion of Spain.  There is a distinct possibility that Rubin Kazan will knock Barcelona out of the Champions League competition if they lose to Inter Milan on Tuesday.

Both these teams will know their fate before they kickoff as Rubin Kazan hosts Dynamo Kyiv two hours before the rest of Tuesday’s action.  If Rubin Kazan defeats Dynamo Kyiv and Inter Milan defeats Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Barcelona can finish no higher than third in the group because Rubin has the tiebreaker edge over Barcelona.  When they faced potential elimination in the Champions League last season, they rose to the occasion and passed every test.  Inter Milan’s defense is the best that Barcelona has seen this season, so fashioning that opening goal is paramount.  If Barcelona defeats Internazionale Milano and rises to a top two spot in Group F, that momentum will carry over to El Clásico on Sunday and renew this team with a sense of vitality, vigor, and vivacity that has slowed to this point.