Ray Hudson insists that he has run out of superlatives when talking about Lionel Messi. Although, from listening to his most recent broadcasts, it is clear that he hasn’t, he is unintentionally making a pretty profound point here. It is not necessary to make Lionel Messi phenomenal run of form any sexier than it already is. With a little bit of football knowledge, you can see by simply watching him that it is quite possibly the sexiest run of form anyone has ever had - ever.
The same could probably be said of the latest run of form from Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, the need for sexiness is probably something that needs to be elaborated upon – or, at the very least, contextualized. Real Madrid and Barcelona will both finish with more than ninety points this season. Ninety. That’s over 80% of the maximum point total, dropping points in a single digit amount of games, getting maximum points in over 3 of every 4 games.
Arsenal did a pretty good job in 2003-2004 when they went unbeaten. However, Arsenal finished a healthy eleven points ahead of second-place Chelsea and the title race was certainly more about Arsenal´s remaining undefeated than the title race itself.
Sure, Arsenal can say they were unbeaten that season, but Madrid and Barcelona are clearly more superior amongst their respective leagues´ peers. Arsenal was great that year but you should probably give this one more to the footballing Gods than sheer talent. It is quite clear that, if Barcelona and Madrid maintain their dominance, one of them will have an unbeaten season.
La Liga is poised for another legendary run-in. Barcelona are set to play Real Madrid this weekend in Camp Nou with Madrid in first at 85-81. If Barcelona wins, and they indeed are favorites, Madrid - who has the tougher run-in schedule - will have the utmost pressure on them to win out.
Madrid will play for a draw on Saturday. Football seems like a complicated game, but that is only because the results are erratic and seem to sway drastically and irrationally. Mourinho knows that this is not the case, however. Mourinho will sit back and play Barcelona like he played them when he was with Inter Milan. Mourinho knows that he can sit back all game, get a counter-attack goal, have Messi score a remarkable goal, and he will still come out with a draw. With a draw in Saturday’s clásico, Madrid will win La Liga.
This is how sexy Saturday´s matchup is. Sure, check out and see if Juventus can finish the season unbeaten. Sit around and wait and see how bad United can beat City. But know that this season´s sexiest run-in will be between the two best teams in the world, who just happen to participate in the world´s most prolific rivalry.
Showing posts with label Alex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alex. Show all posts
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Interminable Story. and, Pepe, it´s OK
The quarterfinal draw of the Copa del Rey - Spain’s only domestic cup competition – pitted the Spanish giants against each other yet again.
For those who missed it, the first leg was played on Wednesday, January 18. And for those who missed it, Barcelona put on a show yet again.
When Madrid scored early, the crazy GolTV commentator, Ray Hudson, suggested that Madrid might win this one. It was a lofty statement to make. So he began searching for evidence on the pitch. He pointed to the effort put forth by Mou´s men, and that Barcelona´s poor Liga form had carried over into the clásico. Perhaps he was just hoping Barcelona would finally fall. Or perhaps he was trying to prepare himself for a Barcelona defeat, so when Barcelona´s “interminable story” finally came to an end, he would not be as distraught. Whatever the case, Barcelona came back to win a deceptively convincing 2-1.
Barcelona could have scored more, Madrid shouldn´t have scored at all. Ronaldo´s early shot was hard and low, but directly at Pinto – it rolled right underneath his foot.
Last year Madrid won the Copa Del Rey over Barcelona in the final. However, with that being the least meaningful clásico of last year´s historic run of clásicos, (2 Champions League matches, Liga match, and Copa del Rey) and scoring on the less than brilliant Pinto, Madrid´s win was severely dampened.
Before that, Madrid had not beaten Barcelona since may 2008. Their only draws were meaningless: a Liga draw that was good enough for Barcelona to nearly clinch the title, a first leg draw on the supercopa at the Bernabéu, and a second leg draw that was more than good enough for Barcelona to win on aggregate. In short, it has been since the 2007-2008 liga season since Madrid got a win of any significance.
To quantify Barcelona´s superiority at this moment into some sort of figure would likely understate it. Grant Wahl once said that Messi is underrated, that he playing football on another level entirely. I think the same could be said of his club as well. Barcelona has beaten arguably the world´s second best team convincingly and repeatedly. In the last 13 clásicos, you have 9 Barcelona wins, 3 meaningless ties, and 1 Madrid victory (sans Puyol and with Pinto in goal, by the way).
While I’m at it, here’s their résumé of the last 3 years:
Champions League - ´09, ´11. European Supercup - ´09, ´11. La Liga - ´09, ´10, ´11. Copa del Rey - ´09. Spanish Supercup - ´09, ´10, ´11. Club World Cup. ´09, ´11.
That is crazy.
What´s crazier is Carles Puyol´s recent résumé. Ray Hudson pointed out in his commentary on Wednesday that Barcelona is 50 games unbeaten when Puyol is playing. Watch him play once, and you will notice that you can only chalk some of that run to luck and coincidence.
One brief comment on Pepe before I sign off:
Pepe stomped on Messi’s hand. Pepe simulated an elbow to the face, which gave Pique a yellow card. Pepe is a thug.
(Before you turn away, don´t worry, a rant is not forthcoming.)
After witnessing Pepe´s antics, I became furious at first - repeating that last thought over and over again. Then, trying to make sense of at all, I realized that El Clásico is much more than a game. So much more than a game, in fact, that a shattered hand, a broken leg, or even a torn ACL, matters so much less than the result of the clásico. Why wouldn´t you attempt to hurt your opponent?
This much may have seemed obvious to you, but for me, as an idealist, it really got my head out of the clouds. I used to hate Madrid for their violence and thuggish behavior. But, just because they exhibit these behaviors, need not mean they are thugs. Sure, they ruin the integrity of the game. But Pepe could be the kindest, most warm-hearted individual in the world of football, and not have to change his behavior on the pitch. If Pepe´s thuggish behavior helps his team win, he is doing his job. In other words, by virtue of being a part of Real Madrid, his personal obligations to the integrity of football are fully suppressed.
For those who missed it, the first leg was played on Wednesday, January 18. And for those who missed it, Barcelona put on a show yet again.
When Madrid scored early, the crazy GolTV commentator, Ray Hudson, suggested that Madrid might win this one. It was a lofty statement to make. So he began searching for evidence on the pitch. He pointed to the effort put forth by Mou´s men, and that Barcelona´s poor Liga form had carried over into the clásico. Perhaps he was just hoping Barcelona would finally fall. Or perhaps he was trying to prepare himself for a Barcelona defeat, so when Barcelona´s “interminable story” finally came to an end, he would not be as distraught. Whatever the case, Barcelona came back to win a deceptively convincing 2-1.
Barcelona could have scored more, Madrid shouldn´t have scored at all. Ronaldo´s early shot was hard and low, but directly at Pinto – it rolled right underneath his foot.
Last year Madrid won the Copa Del Rey over Barcelona in the final. However, with that being the least meaningful clásico of last year´s historic run of clásicos, (2 Champions League matches, Liga match, and Copa del Rey) and scoring on the less than brilliant Pinto, Madrid´s win was severely dampened.
Before that, Madrid had not beaten Barcelona since may 2008. Their only draws were meaningless: a Liga draw that was good enough for Barcelona to nearly clinch the title, a first leg draw on the supercopa at the Bernabéu, and a second leg draw that was more than good enough for Barcelona to win on aggregate. In short, it has been since the 2007-2008 liga season since Madrid got a win of any significance.
To quantify Barcelona´s superiority at this moment into some sort of figure would likely understate it. Grant Wahl once said that Messi is underrated, that he playing football on another level entirely. I think the same could be said of his club as well. Barcelona has beaten arguably the world´s second best team convincingly and repeatedly. In the last 13 clásicos, you have 9 Barcelona wins, 3 meaningless ties, and 1 Madrid victory (sans Puyol and with Pinto in goal, by the way).
While I’m at it, here’s their résumé of the last 3 years:
Champions League - ´09, ´11. European Supercup - ´09, ´11. La Liga - ´09, ´10, ´11. Copa del Rey - ´09. Spanish Supercup - ´09, ´10, ´11. Club World Cup. ´09, ´11.
That is crazy.
What´s crazier is Carles Puyol´s recent résumé. Ray Hudson pointed out in his commentary on Wednesday that Barcelona is 50 games unbeaten when Puyol is playing. Watch him play once, and you will notice that you can only chalk some of that run to luck and coincidence.
One brief comment on Pepe before I sign off:
Pepe stomped on Messi’s hand. Pepe simulated an elbow to the face, which gave Pique a yellow card. Pepe is a thug.
(Before you turn away, don´t worry, a rant is not forthcoming.)
After witnessing Pepe´s antics, I became furious at first - repeating that last thought over and over again. Then, trying to make sense of at all, I realized that El Clásico is much more than a game. So much more than a game, in fact, that a shattered hand, a broken leg, or even a torn ACL, matters so much less than the result of the clásico. Why wouldn´t you attempt to hurt your opponent?
This much may have seemed obvious to you, but for me, as an idealist, it really got my head out of the clouds. I used to hate Madrid for their violence and thuggish behavior. But, just because they exhibit these behaviors, need not mean they are thugs. Sure, they ruin the integrity of the game. But Pepe could be the kindest, most warm-hearted individual in the world of football, and not have to change his behavior on the pitch. If Pepe´s thuggish behavior helps his team win, he is doing his job. In other words, by virtue of being a part of Real Madrid, his personal obligations to the integrity of football are fully suppressed.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
I Would Love It If They Played Like Brazil In 1970, But There Is An Order of Priorities. First Results, Then Good Football
The Spanish first division gets back underway this weekend after the winter break. Despite a convincing loss at the Bernabéu against Barcelona, Mou´s Madrid still sit 3 points above their arch nemesis at the top of the table. Thought there is really no doubt that – at their present form - Barça will beat Madrid more often than not, the La Liga crown is not decided over two games. Rather, the title will be awarded to team that can beat La Liga’s other teams. Madrid is clearly outperforming Barcelona at this task. Barcelona has dropped points against Valencia, the two Basque teams – Bilbao and Sociedad, Sevilla, and Getafe. Madrid, on the other hand, has only dropped points against their rivals, Levante, and Santander. If La Liga ended today, Madrid would be deserving champions.
In Spain, however, there are only two teams that matter: Barcelona and Madrid. Madrid´s primary objective when they undertook the most expensive football experiment of all time was to beat Barcelona. Though Madrid may be able to simply point to the table at the end of the year to prove their superiority, if they don’t beat – or at least get a point from - Barcelona, I can´t imagine the La Liga crown tasting too sweet to the Meringues.
You can´t expect Madrid to drop many points before the next clásico in the spring. You likewise cannot expect Barcelona to do so either. In short, the upcoming clásico will be like all the others – epic. A win for Barça will begin to demoralize Mou´s men more than motivate them. A win - or even a point - for Madrid, will probably give the title to the Meringues. Thus, the duel between the Spanish giants will be poised to continue being the greatest rivalry of perhaps the entire sporting world.
There are yet many talking points concerning La Liga´s first leg (at least much more than there usually is at this point) that do not concern Barça or Madrid. First of all, Levante is proving to be a force. They are clearly leagues behind the two leaders, but they are actually proving to be a step ahead of the vast majority of the other squads in La Liga. Since beating Madrid early on, Levante have kept their amazing form without a true slump. They have slowed down recently, but only to formidable opposition and normally away from home. It will very interesting to see if Levante can keep form and finish in the top 4 to make the Champions League.
A second surprise is Villarreal´s truly awful form. Frankly, the Yellow Submarines are not living up to their potential, much less their name - sitting only one spot above the relegation zone. Since the late 90s, Villarreal has been a force in not only Spain, but in Europe. With American-born Italian Giuseppe Rossi out until the spring, it will now be very difficult for Villarreal to make Europe.
It´s still way too early to start debating the fate of teams like Osasuna, who sit in an Europa League spot, or teams like Espanyol, Atlético, or Bilbao who do not. Likewise, it is still way too early to condemn the escape artists of Zaragoza to the second division. There is no doubt that the relegation and mid-table battles of Spain´s first division are a bit less attractive than those of the premiership and the bundesliga, but with Villarreal and levante treading in unfamiliar territory, the La Liga will be something to keep an eye on.
In Spain, however, there are only two teams that matter: Barcelona and Madrid. Madrid´s primary objective when they undertook the most expensive football experiment of all time was to beat Barcelona. Though Madrid may be able to simply point to the table at the end of the year to prove their superiority, if they don’t beat – or at least get a point from - Barcelona, I can´t imagine the La Liga crown tasting too sweet to the Meringues.
You can´t expect Madrid to drop many points before the next clásico in the spring. You likewise cannot expect Barcelona to do so either. In short, the upcoming clásico will be like all the others – epic. A win for Barça will begin to demoralize Mou´s men more than motivate them. A win - or even a point - for Madrid, will probably give the title to the Meringues. Thus, the duel between the Spanish giants will be poised to continue being the greatest rivalry of perhaps the entire sporting world.
There are yet many talking points concerning La Liga´s first leg (at least much more than there usually is at this point) that do not concern Barça or Madrid. First of all, Levante is proving to be a force. They are clearly leagues behind the two leaders, but they are actually proving to be a step ahead of the vast majority of the other squads in La Liga. Since beating Madrid early on, Levante have kept their amazing form without a true slump. They have slowed down recently, but only to formidable opposition and normally away from home. It will very interesting to see if Levante can keep form and finish in the top 4 to make the Champions League.
A second surprise is Villarreal´s truly awful form. Frankly, the Yellow Submarines are not living up to their potential, much less their name - sitting only one spot above the relegation zone. Since the late 90s, Villarreal has been a force in not only Spain, but in Europe. With American-born Italian Giuseppe Rossi out until the spring, it will now be very difficult for Villarreal to make Europe.
It´s still way too early to start debating the fate of teams like Osasuna, who sit in an Europa League spot, or teams like Espanyol, Atlético, or Bilbao who do not. Likewise, it is still way too early to condemn the escape artists of Zaragoza to the second division. There is no doubt that the relegation and mid-table battles of Spain´s first division are a bit less attractive than those of the premiership and the bundesliga, but with Villarreal and levante treading in unfamiliar territory, the La Liga will be something to keep an eye on.
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