Barça & Real Madrid: The Spanish Ying Yang

A Year of Change

It is incredible how things can change in a single year in the world of football. Just 365 days ago, Real Madrid was on top of the world having conquered their precious 10^th UEFA Champions League, the European SuperCup, the FIFA World Cup of Clubs, and in the middle of a 20+ winning streak. For the first time in almost 15 years Real Madrid was once again the undisputable European reference. Carlo Ancelotti managed to create a harmonious team that united fans, management and players. Madrid was once again “Royal”.

At the same time, Barcelona was going through the roughest period of the season. Their game wasn’t convincing, Suarez wasn’t scoring despite all his efforts, and Luis Enrique’s relationship with the squad was more than questionable. Their defeat in San Sebastian against Real Sociedad was considered to be beginning of the end for the team with fans asking for the president to resign, as well as Andoni Zubizarreta.

F.C Barcelona in 2015 – Photo by fcbarcelona.com

Fast forward 12 months and both clubs seem to have traded spots. Barça just closed the year with 5 of the 6 possible titles with a treble included (first team to achieve this for a second time, and only team in Spain to ever win the treble). Meanwhile Real Madrid is in the middle of yet another institutional crisis, which includes a 0-4 defeat against Barça at home, as well as a shameful “suicide” & negligent elimination in the Copa del Rey.

These teams were born to oppose one another. I’m not talking about a team winning and another losing, which is expected since they compete in the same leagues. Their opposite nature goes a step further. In recent years:

• When Madrid had The Galacticos, Barca when through one of its darkest times in terms including 5 years without winning a title
• When Barcelona dominated with Ronaldinho, Madrid went through 3 coaches in a year, ending with Florentino Perez resigning and thus concluding the Galacticos era
• When Barça won their 6/6 titles, Madrid changed presidents once, and coaches 3 times
• When Madrid won the 10^th Champions League Barcelona changed president, coach, and was on the verge of changing coach again.
• Now that Barça has won their second treble, Madrid has changed coach, and may be doing so once again. Not to mention Florentino Perez’ decreasing popularity

Difference In Models

The only recent time I think both teams were at top level was when Mourinho coached Real. But even then, once the titles are counted, Barcelona had the edge. It is undeniable that, overall, the last 15 years has been dominated by Barça. From an institutional point of view they have had a much stable period.

Florentino Perez Popularity Decreases – Photo by Marca.com

It seems F.C Barcelona discovered what they wanted to be and they shaped their operating model against this idea long ago, which gives them a north whenever they have been lost. If you look at the list of coaches in the past 20 years there’s a similarity in styles; if you look at the types of players that have led Barça through different prosperous times, there is a common element as well.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, has yet to determine what kind of football they want to play. Their “flavour of the year” model of buying the best player (usually not in the market) has proven to yield short-term results. Some of them great, others not so much but overall the club seems to be in perpetual instability for the past 15 years. From Del Bosque to Capello, Pelegrinni, Mourinho, Ancelotti, and Benitez there are many different ideas and conflicting philosophies on what to do.

Messi, Barça & La Liga: A Matter of Consistency

Messi Leads The Way

Messi’s dynasty in the Spanish league continues as he led the team to its 5^th league title in the last 7 years. It seems rather unfair to single the Argentinian out as the main responsible for the team’s success; especially when considering other important players like Xavi, Iniesta, Pique, Neymar, Suarez, Alba, Bravo and more.

But this is Messi’s team. When the genius who wears the number 10 on his back is in top form he takes things to a different level no other player in the world can. Whether it is by dribbling his way to the net, or by imagining the pass mortals will take two extra seconds to even think about, Messi leads the way. He’s the differentiator and the main responsible for the club’s success in recent years.

La Liga: a tribute to consistency

La Liga 14-15 Champions. Photo by David Ramos

I love league tournaments, and to me they are the most important title of the year. League competitions reward consistency while minimizing chance as much as possible. Yes, luck is still an important element of the game but throughout 38 rounds it goes both ways. One day you hit the post, the other your rival does. La Liga is less likely to be decided by a last minute goal in added time.

F.C Barcelona won La Liga by doing two things right. First, they made sure to face the last 10 matches with enough points to be in the contention for title. I’ve said before that La Liga is truly disputed in the last 10 matches of the season but teams must be consistent during those prior 28 games as well. Second, they defeated every direct competitor; at the moments that it matters the most, this team counted games by victories. Real Madrid, Atletico, Valencia & Sevilla can look at the new champions and say there were bested.

The Barcelona Era

When you look at the 23 league trophies Barcelona has in their museum, it is easy to overlook this interesting fact: 13 of those came after 1990. That means that 52% of the league titles disputed over the last 25 years have gone to the Catalan team. Yes, we are lucky to live in the Messi dynasty. But this more than Messi, this is F.C Barcelona time.

This is no coincidence. These are the results of a club that established and committed to one idea brought to them by Johan Cruyff back 1990. Every coach that has trained the team for the past 25 years had his own flair but the core idea stayed the same. This has provided the club not only competitive success shown by the 13 league titles and 3 champions league, and 5 Copas del Rey won; but also institutional direction at the moments of trouble when not everything is clear.

In short, the most consistent player named Messi, has lead a consistent club named F.C Barcelona to yet another league title that rewards precisely that: consistency. Chapeau!

Barça & Real Madrid Turned Upside Down

If someone had told me at the beginning of 2015 that F.C Barcelona would be in two cups finals, and a victory away from winning the league title in May, I would have taken it as wishful thinking. But that’s precisely the current situation of the Catalan team. With Messi leading the way, they could achieve greatness beyond what many of us thought would be possible early in this season.

Messi’s Leading The Team To Greatness – Photo Credit: Sport.es

After losing at the Anoeta stadium against Real Sociedad back in January, the club suffered a series of small crisis that resulted in one big mess exemplified by confrontations between Messi & Luis Enrique. But this defeat resulted also in a turning point as the positive results started to come. Team and staff found the winning formula from a strategic, physical, and dynamic point of view.

And it’s not just winning, but the fact that Barça has defeated every big team they have challenged in all 3 competitions. Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Manchester City, PSG, Valencia, and Bayern Munich have all been defeated at crucial moments when it’s all “make or break”.

Real Madrid didn’t. In the moments where it matters the most, Real Madrid has been bested by direct competitors. In the fasted change of dynamics I can remember, Ancelotti’s team is on the verge of ending the season without any of the big three titles. This is the same team that captivated the world with James, Bale, Benzema, and an unstoppable Cristiano leading the way with 22 consecutive victories. That wasn’t last season; we are talking 4 months ago.

Greatness Awaits (Or Nothing)

La Liga is very close for Barcelona. One victory in either of the next two games would be enough for Messi to lift his 7^th league title. Only Barcelona can win it or lose it. The first opportunity happens on Sunday against Atletico, the same team that took it away from them 363 days ago.

With a place in the finals of the other two competitions, Luis Enrique can achieve the so desired and ever difficult treble (League, Cup, and Champions League). When Messi is on top of his form everything is possible; but these cups can be decided for either side on such small details that they don’t really reflect the overall quality of a season. Regardless, Real Madrid’s only trophy for this year seems to be celebrating a Barça loss. World turned upside down indeed.

Barca: Leading & Struggling

Sour 2-2 tie for F.C Barcelona at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Sevilla in one of their better games after 3 consecutive lackcluster performances in La Liga. Barcelona no longer has a 4 points lead but rather 2, which means any other tie will most likely drop them to second place as a result of their goal average in games against Madrid.

Photo by Angel Fernandez – AP

After a rather sublime first half hour, Barcelona led the scoreboard 0-2 while dominating the pitch. But Sevilla has always been a fighting team and after that first half hour they picked enough momentum to start their comeback. Unai Emery has made of his Sevilla a very competitive and attractive team; it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they are the only undefeated team at home in La Liga.

It’s hard to judge Luis Enrique as a coach when his team is capable of the best and the worst in such a short period of time. In Sevilla, Barcelona played the best 30 minutes since their first half in Manchester back in Februay. But games last longer than 30 or 45 minutes. Nevertheless, the team didn’t played bad the remaining of the match and Sevilla dig gold out of two silly mistakes by Bravo & Pique: two shots on goals, two goals.

 

Next Stop Valencia

F.C Barcelona will be facing Valencia CF at the Camp Nou on Saturday. Winning this match is not fundamental, it is crucial or they will most likely lose La Liga the lead to Real Madrid. Not to mention this game will take place right after the first PSG vs. Barça game of the quarters of final of the Champions League. No more speculations, no more reserving the team, the time to prove whether this team deserve the trophies is now.

 

 

El Clasico: La Liga Has Begun

El Clasico is a rebel of a match. It doesn’t understand logic, history, momentum, or intentions. Whenever F.C Barcelona & Real Madrid face one another the pre-match forecasts are rarely met. This year was no exception. In a match where Barcelona entered as the clear favourites, they struggled to give 3 passes in a row. Madrid dominated the mid-field and they could have gone to half time at least a goals ahead.

But El Clasico is a rebel and it challenges common sense, the obvious, and even what one is seeing. Despite playing their worst match since their 1-0 defeat at Anoeta against Real Sociedad, Barça was able to get the 2-1 victory and three very important points that puts them as clear favourites to win the league title. I don’t think these points are decisive yet but they reflect very well what has been the last 2 months of the tournament.

Wings for Madrid

Barcelona may have gotten the three points, but Madrid should get a serious psychological boost from this match. Ancelotti’s team have been in free fall for the past months as a result of fatigue and injuries. With Luca Modric back, Real has regained their presence in the mid-field. Today they displayed dominance against a team whose better asset is precisely the mid-field. Once again it will be their city rivals, Atletico Madrid , who will test their true form in their upcoming Champions League encounters.

Pique: El Clasico MVP – Photo by Emilio Morenatti – AP

Jugar Bien Siempre

Pep Guardiola’s philosophy was that of Jugar Bien Siempre (playing good always). This meant prioritizing on playing good game rather than focusing on the scoreboard, as playing good will almost always lead to victories. But that’s rather utopic, especially since Guardiola left. Today Barcelona didn’t play well. But champions are usually those teams that can take home the three points, even after horrible matches.

Pique: Night & Day

To say that Pique was the best player of the match is an understatement. He has been on a streak of good matches for a while but it is games like today’s that consolidate a player. Comparing Pique’s performance in this match with his performance at the Bernabeu back in October is like comparing night and day. Anticipation, control, presence, leadership, and confidence was everything he lacked back then, and everything that describes him right now. The best Pique is back.

10 Games to Go

The late Luis Aragones used to say that the league was decided in the last 10 matches. Luis was a wise man. The true Liga started last night. Barcelona has a 4-point lead, which is important but not decisive. I don’t think either Madrid or Barça are going to win all 10 matches. It’s going to be a tough finish and Madrid has the goal average advantage, which in case of a tie in points will get them the title. Fasten your seat belt.

Luis Enrique Shows His Cards

Luis Enrique couldn’t have started off in a better way. His team won 9 points in their first 3 games scoring 6 times and not receiving any goal against. Combined with the back-to-back defeats that Real Madrid suffered, the Asturian coach has gotten a lot of credit for the coming months.

It is still too early to truly appreciate the new coach’s tactical changes, but there clear signs that makes this team different from last year’s. First, the team seems to have returned to a high-pressure tactical system where the first line of the team is responsible for getting the ball back as soon as they lose it. This means that defense starts in the attacking front. This is something that Barcelona hasn’t been able to truly implement since Guardiola’s time. They tried last year but the physical work wasn’t there.

Luis Enrique. Picture By: Pere Punti – Mundo Deportivo

Another visible difference on this team is Lionel Messi’s new role. Luis Enrique has adapted the Argentinian star to a play-maker position just behind the striking line. Messi no longer is the sole responsible for the team goals. Instead, he is moving freely looking for the best pass on goal. This is going to be an even more interesting role once Luis Suarez comes back from suspension. Don’t get me wrong, Messi will still be among the team’s top scorer; but holding his position a few meters back seems like a good idea to break the monotony and predictability that the attacking line has seen in the last few seasons.

Lastly, Luis Enrique has shown trust on the youth system from day one. Proof of this is how Munir El Haddadi has been on the starting eleven for all games. In “El Madrigal” stadium against Villareal, the Asturian coach played Sandro, the Barca B striker, when the game was still 0-0 in the second half. The youngster scored the winning goal. His personal bet on the youth system seems to be a real thing and not just a solution to give veterans some rest when games are decided too early. Young players like Adama, Sandro, Sergi Roberto, Dongou, Grimaldo ,and Munir will not be carrying the team, nor should they be doing that. However, expect them to have some responsibilities in the first team.

It’s still too soon, and we won’t truly see Luis Enrique’s main idea until the missing piece of his puzzle, Luis Suarez, is available to play. However, the first impressions couldn’t be any better. Good playing, solid defending, and above all, victories.

Mathieu & Vermaelen: Barcelona’s Bet

To say that Barcelona needed to sign defenders this summer would be a bit of an understatement. In fact, they should have done so two years ago after those embarrassing defeats in the Champions League semi final against Bayern Munich. At last, the new defenders are no longer a rumour but actual players: Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen.

I don’t believe that these are the signings that will spark hope amongst fans; but then again, players are signed to improve the team not win a popularity contest. In this sport, the difference between a season to remember and one to forget can be something that happens in one crucial match. Therefore, I don’t think we can judge whether these players are going to be good or not just yet.

I will say, though, that I expect Mathieu to do better out of the two. He already knows culture, the league, and he has been playing great defense for Valencia for the past few seasons. Vermaelen, on the other hand, has the ghosts of injuries following him. While he has the skills and the talent, having played 17 games only last season is something to be worried about. This is a big risk that Zubizarreta is taking.

Regardless of first impressions, the team certainly needed these players. At this point, it was better to bring just about anybody for these positions. Why? Because a team cannot simply go through a 60+ game season with just 3 center back. It seems Barcelona fell in the same trap A.C Milan did after 2005 where they failed to rejuvenate the team in time. The lesson here is that tough decisions must be made in order to keep teams competitive and healthy. To delay rejuvenation is to end up attending the transfer market with a “desperate” sign around your neck.

Jeremy Mathieu, and Thomas Vermealen may not be the defenders that Barcelona deserved, but at this point they are the ones that we needed.

Barça & Spain: Cursed by Absolutism

The Spain debacle at the 2014 World Cup will be remembered for years to come. Entering the tournament as one of the favourite teams, they offered nothing more than a sterile, and unimaginative game. Some people argue they lacked of intensity; others call it lack of ambition. But we can all agree is that this team was far inferior to the team that dominated international football for the past six years.

For better or for worse, the Spanish National Team success has gone hand in hand with F.C Barcelona success. After all, there were times where up to seven Barcelona players were on the national team (Xavi, Pique, Puyol, Busquets, Iniesta, Pedro, and Villa). For anybody that has followed Barcelona for the past 2 years, Spain’s poor performance at the World Cup should come as no surprise. These two teams suffered the same problems: an aging squad, and absolutism.

Squads aging is something bound to happen. Successful football cycles usually last four years; and while it’s easy to say, few coaches want to assume the risk and consequences of making tough calls when it comes to leaving seasoned players out. Luis Aragones (R.I.P) left Raul out of the national team in 2007, and until the day he won the Eurocup 2008 critics were merciless.

But an aging squad is not the main problem. I believe both Barça and the Spanish National Team fell victim of absolutism in their style. These teams found success in the Tiki Taka style, and for years the title yield showed that it was the right football for them to play. However,  you can only do the same trick for so long before it’s figured out. Both teams lacked the vision to evolve in anticipation of rivals figuring out their game.

For years the words “counter attack” became a sin for both teams; and they believed that without 75% ball possession victory couldn’t be achieved. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a believer that if you have the ball, the rival has little to do. But possession should be the mean, not the end. In 2005, Ronaldinho was applauded at the Bernabeu after Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 0-3. In that game, Barcelona had 51% possession, which showed that they weren’t afraid of playing without the ball as well. Ronaldinho’s goals came from  counter attacks. And yet, the dominant team won the game.

Luis Enrique, Barcelona’s new coach, has already started to fix the aging problem by bringing youger players to the squad. Now is time to see how he evolves the playing style. Failure to do so will result in another frustrating season.

 

F.C Barcelona: Martino’s Hiccups

Tata Martino once said that he was surprised of all the criticism surrounding F.C Barcelona. Despite leading the league from day one, the voices of concern were always there as though the team was in deep troubles. Sure, the Madrid media played a big role drawing attention to some of the problems the team had (some of which had nothing to do with performance). But some fan sectors have always been skeptical of Martino.

Tough race for La Liga

One factor playing against this coach, and pretty much any future coach, is the fact that F.C Barcelona achieved perfection not long ago. Right off the bat, Guardiola achieved those 6 titles in his first year and in 2011 he conquered the Champions League once more while relegating Real Madrid to an afterthought at the same time. That’s a tough, if not impossible, act to follow. On the one hand, I think fans understand this. But there will always be the need to relive those days somehow. I don’t think it is possible, or at least realistic to think we’ll have a winning cycle like that any time soon. Dominant football cycles last about 4 years and many things have to happen years before achieving that. This was the case with Ajax in the 70’s, Milan in the 80’s, Barcelona in the early 90’s, and Madrid in the early 2000’s.

But aside from longing fans, Tata Martino has failed to achieve a winning streak strong enough to boost confidence. The team recently won a space for the King’s Cup final against Madrid, they went on to clearly defeat Manchester City at Etihad Stadium, but then they lost badly to Real Sociedad 3-1, which cost them the first spot of La Liga. These “hiccups” have been constant throughout the season and they invite pessimism. La Liga has been a neck to neck race with both Atletico and Real Madrid, and mistakes like these will be decisive. You can’t expect confidence from your fans if every few steps forward are followed by a big step backwards.

La Liga rewards consistency and right now Barcelona hasn’t shown that.  Both the Champions League and the King’s Cup are tournaments where a “hiccup” can be the difference between winning or not. Tata Martino still has credit and the situation can revert back in a few days. However, the feeling at this moment is that titles will depend of how much luck the team has in the coming weeks rather than its own talent.

On Verra…