Brazil found its heir

I grew up listening stories about Pele’s Brazil team from the 60s. For many, that was the best national football team to ever hit the pitch. Ever since 1970 there has been great performances by many nations, but it feels that no one had taken the torch of being that consistent team write its own page in the book of football. That was the case until yesterday when Spain achieved what no other national team had done before winning back-to back- to back tournaments.

What Spain did in the final against Italy was similar to what Barcelona did in 2011 against Manchester United. It was the best tribute to football and a statement that it is possible to play beautifully and win. Ever since Luis Aragones took the team in 2006 and convinced them on their style, on their chances, and on their talent, this team has found an identity worth of every compliment on the book.

On the pitch, this team has its ideas clear and they would lose fighting for them rather than becoming a defensive team for the sake of winning. Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas, Silva, Mata, Busquets, Alonso, Alba, Pique understand football this way. Asking them to give the ball to their rivals is taking away part of their talent and their in-pitch personality. Just look at Xabi Alonso with Spain and look at his game with Mourinho’s Real Madrid. It’s so easy for him to associate with other players on the national team who can crate game as well as he can. At Real Madrid it’s hard for him to associate because he is the ultimate playmaker. And while Real Madrid has had dominant matches, when it comes to the crucial matches they have a tendency to give the ball away.

But all technicalities aside, you also have to look at the human factor. Luis Aragones made perhaps the most controversial decision made in Spanish football when he decided not to call Raul to the national team. Raul was not only the top scorer of all times for Spain; he was also the face of the team. But Luis understood that the team should not adapt to one player. His vision of the winning team was that in which there were no egos whatsoever. A team where players understood they are needed to support each other on the pitch, from the bench, or from the stands. Luis Aragones was right and he assembled not only a formidable group of good players but also a formidable group human being. These players understand that the team is above any individual achievement. Look at David Villa, he could have forced being in the team despite not being 100% recovered from his injury and yet he chose to call Del Bosque to tell him that he couldn’t perform at a level the competition demanded. Most players would have lobbied to be in the team even if it meant on the bench. Team over egos, that’s the best way to describe them.

The best quote from the tournament came from Iniesta before he knew he was the MVP of the tournament. When asked about the possibilities of achieving the golden ball he said, “I play to be happy. Not for individual recognition”. That’s the spirit of this team and, in my opinion, the true reason behind their success.

As for Italy, I hope they keep doing what they did in this Eurocup. It is refreshing to see a team that plays defensively but also is capable of playing the ball. Pirlo’s game was outstanding throughout the tournament and Xavi shutting him down was one of the main reasons Italy couldn’t win.

Up until today the Brazilian national team from the 60s was the reference of national football. Now new generations will grow up listening stories about how Spain and its little geniuses became the reference of beautiful football winning what no national team had won before. Modern history has been written…in Spanish

Welcome Tito

Just seconds after the announcement that Pep Guardiola would not be coaching the team next season, Andoni Zubizarreta announced, to everyone’s surprise, the new coach for the F.C Barcelona: Tito Vilanova. Is it me or is this move just pure genius? A cloudy and doubtful future seems now much more clear.

Tito’s announcement came to me as a surprise as he had been struggling with his health this season. In fact, I thought one of the reasons Guardiola would be leaving the team was the possibility of Tito not being able to be his second coach for the future. So here comes the first good news: in order to take charge of the team it means that Tito is 100% recovered.

From a technical and tactical point of view, Tito Vilanova is the only man that can guarantee the continuity of the club’s philosophy. I’m not saying that other coaches are not capable of continuing Pep’s work; however, what better man that the guy who has been there for years already. Tito coached Messi, Fabregas and Pique when they were kids. He is also known for being a strategist who studies his rivals meticulously. Tito Vilanonva is the ideal man to help the team make the transition in the post Guardiola era.

The fact that Tito Vilanova was appointed as the new coach is no coincidence. This means the general manager, Andoni Zubizarreta, had already considered future candidates for a long time The way he explained his reasoning for this decision leaves no doubt in my mind that he studied the possibilities long before Guardiola stated he was not going to continue. This caused a very positive effect, as the talk is no longer about Guardiola leaving but about Tito’s role next season.

Will this work? Nobody thought it would when Guardiola was appointed four years ago and we all know how that story ends. I think it’s a perfectly logical solution. Tito has to make sure he puts his own spin into the team and introduce some new alternatives without deviating from the values and philosophies of the team. There, I think, lies the true challenge. I hope fans understand that he is not Guardiola and he shouldn’t try to be. He’s Tito and he’s been given something many coaches would die for: trust.

Let the Tito era begins.

The convenience of ignorance

I really dislike writing about referees and I tend to avoid doing so for many reasons. First, it’s a waste of time as the games’ results are not changeable after the final whistle is blown. Second, referees have a tough job to do and they go completely unnoticed when they do it brilliantly but vilify tremendously when a mistake happens. Lastly, it’s just a vicious cycle and an excuse to hide away from poor team performances.

Despite my dislike for the subject, today I couldn’t stir away from what’s happening in La Liga. More specifically, the Pique situation after the remarks he made regarding the red card he saw in the last match against Sporting. He attended the media and said that, in his opinion, the referee gave him a premeditated red card. The story takes a nasty spin when the referee committee formally asks for an additional sanction against the player.

First of all, I think Pique made a tremendous mistake with such remarks. It gives a bad image to him as a player, and to the club he represents. It makes me sick to see the best players in the world, and the best clubs, complaining about referees. Whether it’s Pique, Messi, Casillas, or Mourinho, all the whining leads nowhere.

However, my biggest problem with all of this is the referee committee’s decision to formally request the additional sanction against Pique for his comments when they have done nothing after 2 years of Mourinho saying equal, or worse, things. Forget about Mourinho, almost every weekend a player, a coach, or a president goes on to the media to say things like “the referee didn’t want to make the call”, or “we were robbed by the referee” etc. So my question is: isn’t accusing someone of robbery as bad as saying he acted on purpose? Why act on Pique’s comment? Why now?

Neither coaches, nor players or media analysts can really explain the criterions used by that committee in order to act. Ignorance of such rules is precisely the best scenario for the committee to act or hide depending on the situation. The ambiguity allows them to pretend they can’t do anything when a player says something to the ref like “why don’t you go and celebrate the victory with them” like Casilla did after Barcelona eliminated his team from the King’s Cup; but it also allows them to call for actions when other players say something they consider “too much”.

The end result makes everything even more pathetic. Pique red card stills on, which means he won’t be able to play next match. Also, he has to pay 600 euros in penalty for his comment and Barcelona 90 euros as well. Sanctions in Spain tend to be at the range of the thousands euros, so this comes across like a formality and a way to compensate for the insanity of the situation rather than a corrective action.

Morale of the story: next time just do like Mourinho and wait in the parking lot next to the ref’s car and insult him there. You won’t escape the media attention but at least you won’t get penalized either. Just Pathetic.

Maradona: Did you see Valdes against Atletico?

Nobody can deny that Diego Maradona was perhaps the greatest player in football history. He was a short chubby genius that only needed a ball to dribble his way on to victory. He did it with Boca, with Barca, Napoli and Argentina. When he had the ball something was about to happen. He was just that good.

But skills on the pitch don’t necessarily translate in understanding and “getting” the game and Diego is a living proof of that. Recently in his “pipe-bomb” style of press conferences, Diego stated that Barcelona was such a great team that even their “bad” goalkeeper looked good on the pitch. I don’t mind his honesty and his direct answers; in fact, I encourage it. But I completely disagree with his remark regarding Valdes.

To assess what Victor does in Barcelona you need to understand that the goalkeeper’s job in this club is far more than just stopping goals. Barcelona’s game starts with the goalie’s short pass, which is something that doesn’t happen in most clubs. Normally, the goalie is required to stop the ball and then send it as far away from the area as possible. While this decreases immediate danger, Guardiola assumes that this moves result in unnecessary gambling of the ball in the midfield.

So how does this affect Victor? He is required to play with his foot in the same way of a defender or midfield. I think it’s fair to say that 99% this goes unnoticed. He gets the ball and makes a short pass to Pique, Puyol, Alves or Abidal. However, that 1% when he gets it wrong he compromises the team severely. (See Real Madrid’s first goal against Barcelona at the Bernabeu last December)

But the question is: does that make it a bad goalie? Not really. He has won the Zamora Trophy four years including the last 3 seasons. His performance in important matches has been stellar to say the least. In the three champions league final he delivered. The list of strikers that have suffered Victor includes: Henry, Drogba, Eto’o, Rooney, Higuain, Benzema, Raul, Robben, Cristiano, Ribery, Klose, Kun Aguero, Neymar, Guiza and many more.

Victor is not the best goalie in the world, he’s the second best in Spain after the eternal Casillas. The mistakes victor makes are few in quantity but have huge consequences for the most part. However, I think he is among the best in the world when it comes to one on one situations. Victor not only stops goals he also helps the team add points. Proof of that is the last match against atletico. Perhaps Maradona should watch that game and then talk.

In Pep We Trust

There has been a lot of tension and speculation regarding the future of Pep Guardiola in Barcelona. Pep chooses to sign yearly contracts so every winter there is the same drama and the same question on everyone’s mind: will Pep continue in charge of Barcelona next year? If history tells us something is that the answer is always yes. However, this is the year we have waited the longest to get an answer from the coach. Why?

Nobody knows Barcelona better than Pep. We are talking about a man that has always been involved with this club in some form. If there is something Pep has seen from his lifetime in Barcelona is that there is a tendency for entitlement after success. The last clear example of this was Ronaldinho’s Barcelona. This team was called to mark an era and yet after 3 years the project failed. Even though Pep was not directly involved in this project whatsoever, I bet he took some notes regarding the true challenge: staying at the top.

But what does this has to do with his contract extension? I believe that Guardiola uses this mechanism for various reasons. One of them is to let his team know that the moment they engage in that vicious circle of relaxation he’ll walk away. A yearly contract gives him that exit possibility and that leverage on a possible entitlement the team might experience.

Remember that the foundations of this Barcelona are mostly the same players that were humiliated by Real Madrid in Rijkaard’s last year. They understand that the secret of their success lies in their coach’s vision. Only the players have the ability to convince Guardiola to stay. As long as they continue to run after every ball like there is no tomorrow Pep will stay.

Just like American dollars have the phrase “In God we trust” printed, F.C Barcelona should have “In Pep we trust” printed in every scarf, shirt and everything related to the club. Guardiola knows what he’s doing and I have a hard time thinking he will leave the club in a difficult position.

What’s clear now is that the era of signing big name coaches is over at Camp Nou. The next man to sit on that bench has to be knowledgeable in terms of the club, its philosophies, playing style, and the system for promoting youngsters to the first team . Stepping away from all of these would be a terrible mistake. There is a pool of candidates that meet the requirements but that’s for another day (hopefully another year) to discuss.

The High Price of Happiness

Pep Guardiola has always been a fan of rather short squads. He believes that smaller groups of players bond better than larger ones. He reasons that in a small squad everybody gets the chance to play and every player feel he’s important. There is merit in this philosophy. After all, this all comes down to one word: control. A smaller squad allows the coach to have better control. Happy players don’t go around the media revealing secrets that belong in the locker room. Happy players don’t complain their lack of participation in public.

But all of this makes sense when your squad is healthy. When you have your 19 players or so available every week. The moment you start to have multiple players injured, or even worse, players of the same position injured then this approach becomes highly risky. This is precisely the problem Barcelona faces this season.

Guardiola has Villa, Afellay, Fontas, Iniesta, and Pedro injured (the first three severely). On top of that, Keita is out for international duty with Mali. In total, there are only 14 members of the first squad available. Luckily Barcelona is not afraid of calling their junior divisions to the plate, and these kids have been fed the Barcelona style of playing from a very young age so they know how the team operates.

But, should this be the solution? Is it too much to ask to these kids? We don’t want another Bojan scenario to happen. He was the top scorer of all time in Barcelona junior divisions and he was called up to the first team when they needed him at the precarious age of 16. Sure, he answered the call and scored important goals. But I think it is safe to say that, in the long run, that move caused more damage to his career than benefits.

Youngsters need time to develop properly and not all of them can be Messi. Take Iniesta for example. He became part of the main squad in 2003 at almost 20 years of age. But it wasn’t until 2008 where he became a starter. Kids like Tello, Sergi Roberto, and Gerard Deulofeu need time and not too much pressure.

Guardiola clearly doesn’t want another case of Martin Caceres, Hleb or even Bojan. Players who grew frustrated due to their lack of playing time and ended in a bitter farewell from the club. Pep wants his team happy but happiness, unfortunately, can be very expensive at times.

Madrid: that’s almost the way

It was do or die for Real Madrid but sadly for them they did and they died. It was perhaps the best game in Mourinho’s time with Real Madrid and the worst game for Pep Guardiola's since he took charge of the team. Mourinho proved that he’s the most dangerous when he’s against wall. He put almost all his offensive power on the pitch and he almost pulled the upset.

I have never seen Barcelona being dominated at home under Pep Guardiola command. They have lost matches but even then Barcelona was the dominating team. Beyond having a bad day, the main cause was Real Madrid's excellence. They pressed, they passed, and they controlled the ball. This was the Real Madrid that people wanted to see for a long time.

And so, the main question is: why didn’t we see this Real Madrid before? Why didn’t Ozil play the first match? Why did Mourinho choose to give the ball way at home? Why assume the inferior team role when the squad is full of players perfectly fit to create game instead of destroying it?

Only Mourinho has the answers to this. But it is clear that all comes down to the 5-0 lost at Camp Nou last year. Mourinho never digested that defeat. He put those same players and tried to play but Barcelona was perfectly tuned that day and so came the worst defeat in Mourinho’s coaching career.

This is clearly the way to go for Real Madrid as far as pure game comes. Having put their rivals on the top of their nerves should have been a self-esteem shot and a chance to show the world that they are not the bad guys of the movie. It was the perfect chance for them to challenge Barca in all levels: inside the pitch, and outside attitude. Instead, they chose to be the sore loser who blames their misery on the refs.

Teixeira had a bad time refereeing this match but his bad calls were equally distributed. Lass should have never played a minute of the second half. It is clears that Barcelona and Real Madrid were playing. Had it been a player from Granada or Rayo, Lass would have seen a second yellow card after his tackle on Messi. Somebody get some guts to these referees.

Real Madrid and Barcelona will meet at least once more this year. At this moment, what Mourinho will do remains a mystery. Logic indicates he will repeat his last strategy but I doubt Barcelona will have yet another bad day. Barcelona moves on to the semifinals, Real Madrid players can have much needed confidence. Mourinho, on the other hand, will continue to be the target of critics; his strategy at home cost his team a semi-final.

Pepe is insane: Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing expecting different results. By this definition Pepe is absolutely insane. Once again we had to suffer watching every dirty trick of the book: violent tackles, faking faults, and constant complaining to the ref in every call. Clearly this man hasn’t learned the lesson. It’s a miracle that he finishes games with only a yellow card (but that doesn’t count as bad referee for Real Madrid of course). I can’t wait until this player moves to another league but the question is: which team is willing to build him an asylum?

Moral Consequences

If you were to ask fans to mention one thing about the recent “El Clasico” the probable answer would have to be related to Pepe and the stepping on Messi’s hand. The world media has focused their attention on this action. Almost everybody agree that Pepe should be sanctioned by his club and by the committee responsible for fair game. And I say almost everybody because, sadly, there are two organizations that disagree with this: precisely his club and the Spanish referee committee.

Florentino Perez (Real Madrid’s President) has decided to stay in the shadows in this matter and after seven days he hasn’t spoken to anybody outside the club to explain where the team stands in this matter. The reality is that they are ping-poing this subject across the leaders of the team with no one wanting to make a final call. Florentino delegates this to the manager, Mourinho, who has defended the player in public. As a coach he’s responsible for the physical and psychological state of his players; however, as a manager his obligation include dealing with controversies such as this and punish anti-competitive behaviour.

The referee committee says they would not act on the matter since there wasn’t anything written about it in the ref report of the game. Unlike England, where Ballotelli got a four game sanction for a very similar action, Spain has decided to turn a blind eye on the matter. Not even the pressure from all around the world has been enough to make the committee reconsider their positions.

I understand, but fully disagree with both parties. It all comes down to morals and previous decisions taken. Mourinho had an anti competitive behavior in August when he shamelessly poked Barcelona’s second coach, Tito Vilanova in the eye. Neither his club nor the referee committee acted diligently. His club showed full support for him, even showing a tifo that read “Mou, your finger guide us” in reference to the poking incident. The committee settled for an innocent punishment of two games suspension from the supercup tournament only. Meaning that he may never be affected by this decision.

How can they punish Pepe when they turned a blind eye on something as bad, or even worse, from his coach? Judging Pepe by strict standards would be like giving an assassin a death penalty while his assassin partner gets only a community service penalty. Again, I understand the reasoning behind this but it is pathetic to say the least.

Football has evolved from the contact game in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, to a gentlemen’s game. No longer you see in the main European leagues players like Andoni Goikoetxea who intensionally injured Maradona breaking his ankle in the middle of a game. You still get Carvalho tackling knees but the degree of violence is toned down. These players. Pepe, Marcelo (against Fabregas), and Carvalho are a step back to the time where football was warfare.

Take note Spain, the best league is not about having the best players only but having the best system that supports the game. TV rights favour the strong teams economically, which polarizes the league. Referee committees turn a blind eye on crucial matters instead of protecting players and setting example for troublemakers.

It all comes down to morals. Just like its economy, Spain’s morals in these matters are a joke to the rest of Europe, and the world.

Oh, and there is a game today too...

The new season started already

David Villa: Pre-Season officially begun last week with Pep Guardiola having a press conference on Monday followed by the first training session of the season; however, a lot of work has been done already in order to prepare for next season. Just a week after they became La Liga champions F.C Barcelona signed Spanish striker David Villa for €40 million; a sum that doesn’t seem to be a lot after seeing “El Guaje’s” performance at the World Cup. Had the deal been made after the tournament his price on the market would have been almost twice. Both, the player and the club, wanted to close the deal quickly after the season was over. This is the signing that F.C Barcelona needed to do; with Zlatan Ibrahimovic not adapting well the team needs a striker that not only can score but also can play with style of Barcelona. Villa is a striker capable of playing as a center forward or as a left wing as he did in the World Cup. Though a year late, David Villa comes as a consolidated star whose only success has been with the national team.

Pep Guardiola: a man of his word, the successful coach signed a contract extension for one year as he had promised at the beginning of the year. Despite the fact that the new president Sandro Rosell had offered him a 6 years contract Guardiola opted to go for one more year only. The reading of this move is clear, the coach wants to see how the new administration works, how involved they are, and also how much freedom he will have with his team. For two years Guardiola has been able to have his way with everything that regarded his team. If Guardiola feel respected, appreciated, and in control of the team he will stay for another year. Sandro Rosell has already made a decision against the coach’s will with the transfer of Dimitro Chygrinsky. The new president claims economical reasons for the move and Guardiola accepted the move but the idea of the coach was to keep the player. The relationship between president and coach is in the beginning stage but tiny mistakes like this can make Pep’s future away from Camp Nou.

More signings to come: with Thierry Henry, Toure Yaya and Chygrinsky gone the team needs to reinforce some positions. The general belief is that the team needs to go for a winger but with Zlatan Ibrahimovic staying in the club David Villa will be in charge of the left wing formerly occupied by Henry. Sevilla’s player Adriano Correiro has been signed and will most likely play as a left back sending Abidal to the center of the defensive line. Due to his versatility Adriano can also play as a right back or a winger in both sides. The efforts are clearly set upon Cesc Fabregas; bringing back the Catalan would give the team a lot of tactical options and Guardiola could rotate players easily as he did in his first season. If Arsenal refuses to sell Cesc, F.C. Barcelona will look for other options; the most attractive option on the market is the young German Ozil. Regardless of the result of the Fabregas operation a defensive midfielder will come to the team to cover for Toure’s departure. The main concern of the fans is seeing how short the squad is and how this is a similar situation to last year. The main hope comes from the junior division which, as proven, can bring a lot to the table. Keep an eye on Jonathan Dos Santos; Andreu Fontas and Thiago Alcantara.

Golden Ball, Messi and Maradona

Harvesting Success: six nominees for the prestigious golden ball award is recognition to the amazing season that Barça had last year. Even though only six players made the list this is the work of the whole team; names such as Busquets, Pique, or Alves were responsible for making their team mates better. The result is none other than five titles in the year 2009 which make it perhaps the best year in the club’s history. Of all the names there are two that will definitely make the top three; Leo Messi and Andres Iniesta. These two players were decisive all season long. Iniesta even played injured in the final against Manchester United and was the man who gave Eto’o the pass in the first goal in that final. Messi on the other hand had, up until now, his best year as a football player; everything that he did was spot on; and add to that the fact that he didn’t have any muscular injury and the results speak for themselves: goals, good games and titles. Off all the nominees Messi seems to be the obvious choice and he will get this and the FIFA world player as well. It would be very strange if it happens but the three finalists should be Messi; Iniesta and Xavi.


Messi's Debate: Barça’s version of Messi seems to be a lot different from Argentina’s version. In Barcelona, Messi is a player who can decide any game at any time like he did in the Champion’s League against Shaktar or like he did in La Liga against Numancia. In Argentina, however, the same player seems lost and every action in which he participates ends up with the rival team getting the ball back. Casual fans look at this and point directly at the player; saying that he either lacks of motivation or doesn’t understand the game of his national team; however, analysts of the game all agree that this situation is not as simple as it look. In Barcelona, there is a coach that has established a well defined style and philosophy from both a physical and mental point of view. In Argentina the situation is different. Diego Maradona is without a doubt in the top 3 best players of all time (to some even the first) but being a good player don’t always mean to be a good coach. Maradona has not established even an idea of what his team should play. He works a lot the psychological aspects of the game, which is very important, but he lacks of technical understanding which results in players being lost in the field like Messi. Another important aspect to have in mind is that it is not the same to get passes from Xavi and Iniesta than from Mascherano and Veron, this is not a knock on the talent of the two Argentineans because they are very good, but Iniesta and Xavi are simply among the best in the world, if not the best, at organizing the game.


Maradona Should be Fired: before explaining why he should be fired let’s look at his accomplishments as a coach which should also be taken into consideration. First of all, he got the team and led them to earn a spot in 2010’s world cup in South Africa; regardless of the poor image his team shows in every game he got the job done and result oriented critics will say that this is what matters. He also got the team united which is fundamental for any aspirations to do great things; a coach that doesn’t create a sentiment of unity in the team and doesn’t work the team’s psychology is missing on a crucial aspect of the game. However, we are talking about Argentina; an instant favourite in any tournament with players like Mascherano, Messi, Higuain; to expect “just to win” is an unacceptable mediocre mentality of a small team and not a former world champion. Argentina, just like Brazil, Spain, Italy is expected not only to win but to offer an display of good game as it happens to clubs like Real Madrid, Boca Juniors, Barcelona etc. But perhaps the worst of Maradona doesn’t come with anything related to the game or the team but to his shameful declarations after qualifying to the world cup in which he express vulgarities towards members of the media. From a man driven by passion rather than logic it is not a surprise but the fact that the AFA allows this to happen is something that damage the prestigious image of the “beautiful game”. Watching Diego behave and watching Guardiola act is like day and night; they are completely different.

First Impressions

Warming Up: six rounds of La Liga have been played and the sensations cannot be any better for Barça; the team is still a bit rusty from the summer but every game it is a steps in the right direction and the results are proof of that as the team have gotten all the points played. The summer question of Ibrahimovic adaptation to the team has disappeared thanks to the outstanding beginning of the season of the Swedish striker. Five goals in his first five games is a statistic that allows the fans to dream. Whether he can maintain that level or not is another story in which many variables has to be considered such as injuries; fatigue; pressure etc. but at this time nobody doubts of his quality. It is also good to see that Zlatan has not only scored goals but also given assistances as well as participate in the defensive game which is something that many of us could not see happening when he signed with Barça.

All Pieces Feat: Guardiola showed doubters that he had an eye to see talent and the guts to give those players an opportunity to shine. Busquets, Pique, Bojan are examples of this (although Bojan’s presence on the team was Frank Rijkaard’s call) and this season is no different. Even though the squad is short, something Guardiola himself mentioned, he decided that it was not going to be a problem; instead he has transformed this situation into an opportunity and once again has given the chance to future talents such as Jefren Suarez or Pedro Rodrigues; the latter has become officially a member of the first team and has responded with goals to the coach’s confidence. To this day, Pedro has been the only member of the team that has scored in all competitions with a goal in both supercups tournaments and a winning goal against Almeria. Guardiola doesn’t call somebody he has any doubts and that’s why Martin Caceres went to Juventus and why Henrique went to Racing instead of returning to Barça. The merit of this team is not on any single player but on the fact that every member is capable of making the starting eleven at any point.

Margin of Improvement: to say that the team has started very well is one thing but they are far from being perfect or at least as good as last year’s team. Pep knows this and has been working on the control of the game. For instance; against Atletico De Madrid the team won 5-2 but in reality the game was a poor display at many times; once they were winning they did not control the game and it could have cost Barça some more goals. Another area that needs improvement and perhaps a new name is the left wing. Henry is showing that age affects anybody and the 32 year old French man seems as though he will not be able to keep up with the team. At the moment he’s injured for at least ten more days and with a player like Pedro on fire it is not so difficult to think about Henry staying on the bench more frequently. Overall, the team needs a lot of improvement but it is working at a pace which seems to invite fans to another great season and rivals to fear the team. Time will tell.

And so Ibrahimovic is the chosen one

Curve Ball: when it looked like an Ibrahimovic – Eto’o trade was almost impossible, and that Villa was just a matter of hours before he could sign for Barça, and that Forlan was the “Plan B” Joan Laporta throws us a curve ball and ends up solving two of the biggest problems for Pep Guardiola. He got rid of Eto’o who, despite his incredible professionalism and amazing goal record in Barça, was not in the coach list for next season. On the other hand, Guardiola has the first striker he had in mind for Eto’o replacement. After all the spending and new faces that the rival [Real Madrid] had done over the past weeks the crowd was starting to get very nervous; but Laporta and Txiki Beriguistain made an impact with this signing; the Maxwell effect was present this time as well and Valencia let the opportunity of adding some needed money to their accounts with the sale of Villa go. Now, only time will tell if in the long term the trade was such a good idea but in the mean time the impact has been done. Ibrahimovic comes to Barça with a thirst for titles; he has won it all in Holland and Italy but now it’s time to aim not only for the local trophies but also the Champions League. This thirst is what the team needs to keep in a positive dynamic after winning all last season. Sandro Rossell, ex-vice-president of Barça, said that he would have sold Ronaldinho after the victory of the champions league in 2006 and everybody thought he was nuts but time proved him right. Guardiola thinks that the team needed some new faces and that some players [I.E Eto’o] have finished their cycle in Camp Nou.

Two Styles, One Goal: Ibrahimovic said in his first press conference as a Barcelona player that he didn’t come to replace Eto’o and that they were totally different players. The Swedish player is right, he’s not Eto’o and he can’t be compared to the Cameroonian but unfortunately that’s a shadow he will always have for bad or for good. Eto’o is a striker whose best quality is his ability to shot on goal; when he shot it was a goal; or at least a very serious chance of goal; whenever he opened the score Barça would be in the route of victory. However, the Cameroonian lacked of some skills that would have made him the best striker in the world; Eto’o is not a good header, he couldn’t play well unless he was facing the area; and he is not very secure when taking a penalty shot. However, he compensates for that by scoring the goals that matter the most and the ones that give your team title wins. Ibrahimovic on the other hand offers a lot of skills and good passing; he’s a good header and deadly when taking penalty shots. He’s missing big games’ goals but now it is time to prove it. In Barça he will benefit a lot from Xavi and Iniesta’s game and his team mates will benefit from his skills as well. Both Eto’o and Ibrahimovic are world apart but the goal is something they will always have in common.

Thank You Samuel: Samuel Eto’o will be always remembered in Camp Nou for his character, his passion for winning, his way of always saying what was on his mind which sometime gets him a bad reputation, but above all Samuel will always be remembered for his goals. Two hundred games he played for Barcelona and he scored 130 goals to become the third best striker in the club history. Of all goals there are two that will be the bests in for him, for the club and for our memories; the first one in Paris against Arsenal in the final of the champions league 2006. That goal opened the victory road for a more than deserving second title. Then he repeated the routine last May 27 against Manchester United to get us the third champion league title. I would have loved to see Samuel leave Barcelona with a press conference at Camp Nou before heading to Inter Milan; but perhaps this is the best way to say goodbye. I’m sure that Eto’o will come back to Camp Nou to face Barça in the coming years; when that happens he will receive a well deserve standing ovation.

Final Grades

With the football season officially over for Barça after the 1-1 tie against Deportivo it is time now to think about the players and all the effort that they made. This season was just a dream and something that perhaps none of us will ever live again. Pique was right when he said that perhaps in 15 years we will seat down and truly realize the value of this epic season. In the mean let’s look player to player and see how they did. They will be evaluate on a 10 point scale in which 10 will be the best and 0 the worst


- Victor Valdes: one of the most criticized player of this year; had a very good season. As always he had a number of consecutive games in which everything he did was a mistake but when it came down to the decisive moment such as both games against Real Madrid, Against Chelsea, and in the Champions’ League’s final he was spot on. Grade: 9.0


- Jorquera: unfortunately for the Catalan, he spent a lot of time injured and Pinto’s excellent shape and experience prevent him from playing. He will probably be transferred next season. Grade: N/A


- Jose Manuel Pinto: earned the spot of being the second goalkeeper of the team and shine in the key moments of the King’s Cup in which he was the main goalie. He doesn’t have the consistency of Victor but brings a lot of experience. Grade: 7.1


- Abidal: Eric Abidal came from Lyon with the reputation of being almost unstoppable; however, there was a sector of the French media that warned about his attention’s gap at some points of the season; every year one can see how he can be hit-or-miss. In speed he’s very fast but players such as Robben showed how easy can he be to beat at times. He might stay next year but he needs some serious competition for that left back position. Grade: 7.4


- Dani Alves: the best adquicition for this season. The Brazilian justified every single penny invested on him of the 30+ million euros payed to sevilla for the transfer. Defensively unbeatable; offensively, Messi’s best partner in the field. Alves is a machine that never showed up any sign of tiredness. He’s only bad aspect is that sometimes his temper cannot be controlled but after such a magnificent season everything can be forgettable from this player. Grade: 9.5


- Rafael Marquez: The Mexican player was thought to be in decay but Guardiola did his best to bring the best out of Marquez and the end result was a boss in defence. Rafa was not only a wall in the defence line but also the best player to start any play. His ability to start Barça’s game resulted in many of the goals that this team did this year. Welcome Back Rafa. Grade: 9.3


- Martin Caceres: one of the few disappointments of the season. The Uruguayan was never confident on the pitch. He played greatly last year in Huelva but failed to adapt to Barça’s rhythm. The fact that Barça paid 16 million Euros for his service makes you think that they had high expectation which were not met at all. Martin will probably be transferred on a loan next year. Grade: 3.0


- Gaby Milito: Milito was doing an outstading season last year until he got injured playing the Champions’ League semi-final against Manchester United. He was expected to return sometime in march this year but ended up not playing one single minute. Whether he stays next year or not depends on 2 things: 1- he’s ability to stay healthy, and 2- how fast can he get back on track. Grade: N/A


- Gerard Pique: the homecoming season for the young Catalan defender couldn’t have gone any better. After being let go by Alex Ferguson many thought he wasn’t ready to play in Nou Camp but despite the fact that the beginning of the season was not very good for Gerard he soon proved that he was by far the top rising defender in Europe. His ability to read the rival’s game is outstanding and his touch of the ball and accuracy in the pass make him the ideal Barça defender. Grade: 9.2


- Carles Puyol: what can you say about the captain? He’s the most consistent defender in Barcelona. Rarely did he have any bad game and his defensive skills allowed Guardiola to place him in any position of the defenders’ line. Another great season for the captain. Grade 9.0


- Silvinho: his role on the team is not that of the regular player of frequent substitute but more of the mentor and voice of experience in the team. Guardiola did not trust him very much but when he was called for action he responded such as in the final of the Champions’ League. Many consider him out but do not be surprise if his professionalism, experience, and dedication earn him another year in Nou Camp. Grade: 6.0


- Alexander Hleb: along with Caceres Hleb was the biggest disappointment of the season. It was known that he wasn’t very effective at scoring goals but he was very good in Arsenal when it came down to a one on one situation and dribbling. He never adapted and never understood how to work with Alves on the right wing. Next season, if he stays, he won’t have the adaptation excuse. One his defence, it can be said that he never played in the wings at Arsenal and maybe that’s where Guardiola has it wrong. Perhaps a move to the center field would benefit his game as it happened with Gudjohnssen. Grade: 3.5


- Iniesta: no compliment and positive adjective can describe Andres’ majestic football. He has the vision that makes Xavi the architect of the midfield combined with the one-on-one abilities and dribbling as Messi. Having Andres in your team means to have goal, accuracy, speed, surprise, emotion. Either on the left wing or in the middle Iniesta always delivers. He’s goal against Chelsea will be remember for many years to come. Next year’s golden ball award and FIFA world player has to give Andres some justice and if he doesn’t win it he has to be in the top three. Best of all, he’s made in Barça. Grade: 10


- Keita: “Keita has stolen my heart” with that expression Guardiola referred about the African player. Keita is the official player number 12 of the team; one of the most overlooked roles in a team is that of the player that assumes that he’s not a started but the first man to enter the pitch when the substitutions come. This role was previously held be Iniesta and now Keita has assumed it the perfection. He’s passes are a piece of art and the control he provides to the midfield is something that comes across very useful for the team. His surprise entrance in the area is a resource very useful as well as his long distance shot. Grade: 8.4


- Toure Yaya: when the season started Yaya was not having the role he thought he deserved. Pep gave him a chance and soon there was no turning back. Toure has become the perfect ally for Xavi and Iniesta in a role of body guard. He plays his role of defensive midfield to perfection and has even tone down his attitude a bit when it comes down to protesting a call by referees. In the end due to the absence in defence he had to play as a center back and with the more games he played he became more solid. Just as Keita, his long distance shot is a missile hard to stop and for a player that is almost 2 meters tall his dribbling is another piece of beauty; if you don’t believe this check his goal in the King’s Cup final. Grade: 9.2


- Xavi: the best player of the Eurocup, The best player of the Champions’ League Final and probably the best player of FC Barcelona. When he has the ball it’s like watching a Swiss clock work. His passes make him look as though he has a GPS on his legs; the teams that beat Barça this year did it by shooting down Xavi’s game. His consistency is something not very typical in this game. Grade: 10


- Sergio Busquets: the revelation of the season. Guardiola coach him in the junior division of Barça last year and did not hesitate to call him to the first team at the beginning of the year. He debuted as a started in Nou Camp and soon proved himself to be ready for the main team. He combines the passing skill traditional of any young player made in Barça with some defensive midfielder skills proper of Guardiola himself. He moves in the field like a kid that has been playing for many years in Nou Camp. His only weakness is experience but only time gives you that. in the final of the Champions’ League he went from less to more and soon made a big impact on the game. Grade: 8.9


- Bojan: for an 18 year old player the expectations at Nou Camp are extremely high. He did not have as much action as last year but perhaps that’s a good thing. Guardiola took off the pressure he had last year in order for him to grow up as a player with more confidence. In the King’s Cup he showed his potential scoring a lot of goals. Next season he either assumes a more mature role in the team or Guardiola would have to give him on a loan so he starts to play more. Just for the record, last time fans claimed that a player from the junior team deserved a more decisive role in the main team was with an unknown called Iniesta. Coaches took their time and we all know what happened. Grade: 7.5


- Samuel Eto’o: a year ago this very day Eto’o was on his way out; not because he wasn’t a good striker but his attitude was a big problem. Guardiola wanted to start fresh but due to his high price no team could afford to buy him. He did a wonderful pre season and behave well and the result was 30 goals in La Liga plus the decisive first goal in the Champions’ League Final. Samuel is a much more mature player; his temper has been controlled by Pep and he’s a leader in the locker room. Anxiety prevent him from scoring 40 goals this season but what matters is that the important and crucial ones went in. Grade: 10


- Gudjonhssen: the iceman did not have a very important role on the field as his game is not that of quick pass that characterize the team. He brings more of a physical presence in the middle. His goal against Betis gave Guardiola the first victory at home. This would more likely be the last season of Eidur at Nou Camp. Grade: 6.7


- Thierry Henry: if someone had the disappointment of the year award last season it was Henry. Many thought that he was on his way out but Guardiola made it his challenge to bring back Henry to the level he showed in Arsenal. Henry was much more comfortable this season; he scored 19 goals in La Liga including 2 at the Bernabeu in the 2-6 victory. His dribbling and shot on goal are just pure class. If he earned the disappointment of the year award last season, this season he earned the “Welcome Back to World Class Level” award. Grade: 9.7


- Messi: the next year Golden Ball award and FIFA world player have its name. Leo was without a shadow of a doubt the best player of the year. Every time he had the ball something good happened. He scored a total of 41 goals in all competition which includes the 9 goals he score in the Champions’ League – one in the final – he also scored many victory goals. His dribbling can only be stopped with a yellow card foul. And the best part of his season was that for the first time he did not suffer a single injury. Grade: 10.


- Guardiola: Inexperience, Youth, Controversial Decision. All of these were arguments against the man behind the success. A year ago there was a debate between bringing Mourinho or Guardiola. Laporta gambled and brought the Catalan to be the coach and results soon started to speak for themselves. His working philosophy has become the envy of Europe; he doesn’t give private interviews, he doesn’t allow the media in the training sessions but he makes up for that by giving a lot of press conference and having a very polite relation with media members. Nonetheless when he was angry with the media he let them know so, very respectfully, but with character; for example in the middle of the season the media was talking about who should be the next striker because according to them Eto’o was on his way out; soon enough Guardiola stated “my players deserve respect and support not only from the fans but also from the Catalan press…that’s were you guys fill this with crap; I’m not asking respect for me but for this players that are doing a good job and making this a dream season”. One of the most important aspects is that Pep never gave up his philosophy and from day one he was very clear “we are going to attack”. He prevented his players from assisting to publicity acts two days before any game and also created a working philosophy in the team that went from proper diets to eating together as a team. In his first year he did what no coach in Spain has done; he won the Triple Crown and he did so by trusting in home-made players such as Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol, Messi, Valdes, and Pique. Grade: 10

Champions To Become Champion

King of Kings: Barça became the champion of the king’s cup for the first time since 1998 last Wednesday in Mestalla; a stadium that oddly enough was the same where they conquered the same title 11 years ago. Barça entered the final with the handicap of having played three decisive games in a row against Madrid, Chelsea, and Villareal; each of those games meant a lot to the team and Pep did not hesitate to put his best men in every single of those games. Athletic, on the other hand, had been preparing the final with up to 2 month un advance; and since they had already saved a spot for the next year’s Liga they weren’t even playing their best men for a couple of weeks so they could be rested for the final. But this Barça is just too good and too tough to beat. Despite the fact that Athletic scored first, Barça was able to remain quite and soon take control of the game which led to a water clear victory over the “lions” of Bilbao. It is fair to say that Athletic put a lot of pressure on Guardiola’s men but Barça never gave up their style; something that caught up my attention was how Pinto never kicked the ball away but rather passed it to his defenders despite the fact that he had 2 rivals near him; even though this was a risky move by Pep it ended up paying as the first two goal started from the goalkeeper which is one of the elemental rules of this team.

La Liga Almost Ready: Even though winning La Liga should have happened last weekend at Nou Camp when Barça was playing Villareal, a tie played out to be the best to happen. It allowed the team not to distract from the King’s Cup final while celebrating La Liga. Sure, it would have been nice to win it at their home stadium accompanied by their people but realistically speaking after the victory against Madrid La Liga has already an owner; it’s just a matter of when they will officially proclaimed. This weekend they can start playing being champions already if Real Madrid do not comes from El Madrigal with three points; the best thing about winning la Liga before playing is that it would allow him to put a lot of bench players in the main team and give a well deserved rest to men like Messi, Eto’o, Xavi, or Pique. If Madrid wins, which is very unlikely seeing how well Villareal is playing, then Barça would only have to tie in their feud against Mallorca. Statistically speaking, they have added at least one point every time they have played in Las Palmas the last 7 years. Once this title of officially given to Barça they would be the first absolute champions of Spain (League & Cup winner) in 11 years.

Thinking in Rome: With the King’s Cup won and La Liga almost done, Pep has his eyes on only in the final of the champions’ League. Winning La Liga this weekend would give him a lot of time to think only in Rome, take the pressure of his men, and don’t let any euphoria enter the locker room. Just to show how serious Guardiola is about this tournament he fined six of his players for showing up one minute late for the training of today. Not even after playing such a beautiful final was Pep to go easy on his player. The message is perfectly clear: the job is not over. Barça is right now in a unique position of completing the hat-trick of titles; something that only four teams have been able to do and none of which are from Spain, Pep knows it and he wants his team to know it as well. Rome is in the horizon but for now let’s enjoy this weekend which will be when Barça claims the title for the 19th time.

Mission Accomplished

Yesterday Barcelona qualified for their sixth Champions’ League final after a 1-1 tie with Chelsea at Stanford Bridge. Unfortunately this game will be remembered mostly because of the horrendous refereeing rather than the amazing goal by Iniesta in the last second of the added time. To be frank, the referee made a lot of missed call specially the red card to Abidal. That decision cost Chelsea a lot of the match; the referee saw that he made a huge mistake and tried to made up for it by ignoring a very controversial hand ball by Pique with the argument that it wasn’t voluntary.

Essien Zidane & Super Iniesta: Michael Essien wore yesterday the suit of Zidane when he scored an amazing and gorgeous goal in the 9th minute that remembered Zidane’s best goal ever- in the Champions’ League final against Leverkusen- and from that point on Hiddink played the game he wanted: anti-football. Despite the fact that Barça was missing their 2 center backs-Puyol & Marquez- Chelsea did not make enough effort to create more danger around that area. Instead, they decided to defend for the rest of the game and wait for a counter attack that would reach Drogba. To make things even more shameful for Chelsea’s game, they allowed Barça to take control of the game –even when they were missing one player- Barcelona on the other hand played one of their worst games in the year. They didn’t make any shot on target for 92 minutes; something very uncharacteristic of this team. Alves played horribly and will be missing the final due to unnecessary fouls. Eto’o barely appeared throughout the game and Messi was being covered by 3 players every time he was ready to receive the ball. In the end the heroes of this team were Valdes and Iniesta; Andres for scoring that goal that represents the chance of winning the third European championship and Valdes for stopping a one on one against Drogba. In the end, if Chelsea is not in the final is not because the penalties that the referee missed but because they couldn’t finish the job.

The Best Philosophy Won: sadly, Hiddink did his job very well in the first game. He nullified Barcelona completely and with the 0-0 result at the end it seemed as though they had done the job properly even though that meant a disgraceful display of his men. Barcelona on the other hand always had the possession of the ball and had a philosophy that Guardiola has been applying since his first game: Attack, Attack, and Attack. The moment Essien scored Chelsea try to re-apply the dosage to their rivals but the difference is that now only one goal from Barça was enough to eliminate them as it did happen at the end. Barça played the same game over and over again and dominated one of the most difficult stadiums in the world. It’s true that yesterday the display wasn’t pretty at all but throughout the season it has been a different story and this spectacle football that Guardiola is showing every game deserved to be seen in the final. Chelsea lost the chance to repeat the final and it is due mostly because they gambled with the result; unfortunately, when you gamble you can win…or lose. Now against Manchester United Barcelona is going to be playing without Alves and Abidal but Pep will know that to do best as he as shown every time he has to improvise something.

Now, To Finish the Job: Barça is in the final of the two cups it fights for and one step away from winning La Liga- if Madrid loses this weekend or tie and Barça wins they’ll be champions- so it means that the objectives are almost done. Johan Cruyff has said something that is very true and it is that the objective in the Champions League and in the King’s Cup has to be being in the final. Once you are there the objectives has been achieved and you just need to give 110% to try to win it but at the end of the day the final is just one game and a lot can happen in just one game. In La Liga is a different story as it represents an award to the most constant team; Barça has to make sure to win that tournament as soon as possible so they can concentrate in the other 2. All year long Barça has shown that they are displaying the best football in Europe and it would be nice for a change to see football being a bit fare and do some justice. This team is at the entrance of the house of glory; now it’s time to give a few steps forward and finish the job.

Game, Set, & Match: Barça!

Unforgettable: what happened this past Saturday in the Santiago Bernabeu will not be forgotten ever by football fans around the world. Saying that Barça had been superior to Madrid in terms of their game was a statement that needed to be confirmed and Guardiola and his players were responsible to show the world that without any shadow of doubt they were the best team. In the 50s there was the Barça of the 5 cups -the best Barça to date in the writer’s opinion- then the Barça of Cruyff (player) is remembered for the 0-5 in the Bernabeu; then there was the Dream Team of Cruyff, now the coach, who’s remembered for many things such as the first champions league title and the 5-0 against Madrid at home; lastly we had the Barça of Frank Rijkaard which was a team called to make history but died sooner than they expected; they will always be remembered as the team that brought the second champions league title and the one that beat Madrid 0-3 at the Bernabeu the day that the Madrid’s fan cheered for Ronaldinho. Now Guardiola’s team has entered history; they will always be remembered for the 2-6 victory at the Bernabeu. The display of football as an art is appreciated even by the most ultra fans of Real Madrid.

Only 2 New Faces: Comparing this game to what happened a year ago when the Catalans lost 4-1 to Madrid one may think that Guardiola did an intensive renovation of the team bringing new faces and getting rid of many but the truth is that Pep used only two new players yesterday: Alves and Pique. Henry, Eto’o, Messi, Xavi, Abidal, Toure, Iniesta, Puyol, & Valdes were playing for this team last year. This goes to show that what Barcelona needed was not a new philosophy of playing or new players but a strict working ethic. Pep is a coach who was being blamed of lack of experience; however, he acts as a veteran coach guarding every single small detail. Against Madrid, he cracked down were the weak points were and placed Messi in that spot- in between the defensive mid-fielder and the center back- and to do this he had to “sacrificed” Eto’o in the right wing. The strategy worked to perfection and shows that Guardiola spent hours figuring out how to beat Madrid. His next job is not to see how Chelsea plays because he has done that already; instead, he has to fix the problems that his defence is having with corners and free kicks.

Next Objective = Rome: with La Liga almost won and the objective in the king’s cup already achieved- being in the final- the next objective is to eliminate Chelsea at Stanford Bridge in two days. This team deserves to be in the final of the champions’ league but deserving it is not enough and just like they did against Real they have to prove it against Chelsea. Whether the final is won or not is not something they have to think about; the objective has to be a place in the final as it shows that you were a direct championship contender. The biggest concern that Guardiola has is that Marquez is out for the rest of the season and Puyol is serving a suspension so he will only have Pique. Some suggest that Toure will be used as center back and other suggest that Caceres will have the opportunity of a lifetime to shine. Whatever happen I’m confident that this team has the tools to make it to Rome… a 1-1 will do.

Mestalla WIll Judge

Mestalla To Be Remembered: This coming Saturday Barça will visit a stadium that can bring the best memories to fans to this club or the worst. Pep Guardiola’s team will play in Mestalla two games that will determine the successfulness of this campaign. Tomorrow against Valencia half tournament is on the line; if Barça is able to leave with three points they will only have to win tow more games to be champions; even less if Real Madrid loses at Sevilla’s Sanchez Pizjuan. The next time they are back at Mestalla will be may 13 against Atletic de Bilbao in the final of the King’s Cup but now is not the time to talk about that game.

Pep Does not Speculate: Guardiola knows the importance of the coming games. In less than 15 days he will have to face Valencia, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Villareal & Atletic de Bilbao which means that the season will be judged in the next 6 games (7 if they go to the Champions League final in Rome). From now on he won’t give rest to the essential players and the ones like Hleb or Caceres will not be playing so much unless the games are very well finished before the ending time. To prove this Guardiola called the 18 available players to go to Mestallla tomorrow night. He wants to create a good environment by bringing everybody and thus transmitting the importance of the coming games. Against Valencia Henry Eto’o & Messi will be playing from the beginning and will try to win the game as clear as possible to send a direct message to their main rival.

Crucial Victory: With the luck and effectiveness that Real Madrid is having it is crucial that Barça get the three points this weekend; every effort that Madrid has done so far is being nullified by Barça and if they keep this way a bit longer soon Real Madrid will fail. What is happening with this rivalry this year is a metaphor of Barça’s game. Kanoute from Sevilla stated how desperate it is to play against Barcelona in the way that they don’t give you the ball and you spend 90 minute trying to chase the ball which results in them getting exhausted and soon admitting defeat; this has been the Barça VS Madrid race so far. Barça has the points and Madrid is trying to chase them. All logic points that Madrid will sooner rather than later fail but football is an ingrate and sometimes even defies all logic. The only hope that Madrid has is for Barça to get tired from their encounters with Chelsea. However, that is next week. In the mean time La Liga enters in the best part where for Barça a win this Saturday is Crucial.

The Was, Is, and Will be Stars

Futbol is one of the most unpredictable sports. It only takes one game to go from the best to the worst; from a winning streak and calculations of when to celebrate the title to a losing streak in which every hope is lost. This is the nature of this sport and what makes it so beautiful. Barcelona is no different than any other club in this aspect; in fact, the so-demanding crowd is always on top of everything and can go from love to hate in a matter or weeks. If you don’t believe this look at Samuel Eto’o who was booed at home in the last gamer of last year’s season, and now is acclaimed in every game. Every few years Barca crowns a new star and forgets about the previous one; the bests, most of the time, wear the Catalan jersey; for example, Kubala, Cruyff, Romario, Maradona, Ronaldo, Rivaldo among others.

The Was. Ronaldinho Gaucho was less than 14 month ago still the king of Barca. He was a player that with his smile and skills brought faith back to the a team that hadn’t won a title for over five years. In his first year he would do a new trick every week and would make a mediocre team look like a million bucks. In his second year, Rijkaard designed a team around the Brazilian. Eto’o would be the man that would transform every pass from Ronaldinho into a goal; Deco was the man that covered his back; and the scheme was changed to a 4-3-3 where the left wing would be the main weapon of the team with Ronaldinho being unstoppable on the 1 on 1. However, if the rise of Ronaldinho was fast so was his fall. After a dream season in which he conquered the league title and champions league and even getting applauded in the Santiago Bernabeu stadium (something that had never happened) Ronaldinho experienced that the challenge is not getting to the top but staying. Now in Milan he is still a mere shadow of what he was. He no longer creates danger and is very easy to stop in the one on one. Nearly 8 month after his departure it is easy to see that both Txiki and Guardiola were right in excluding the Brazilian from the team.

The Is. When one is gone another comes; with that mentality Barcelona found his new king and they didn’t have to expend millions in this one. Lionel Messi was brought from the junior team at the end of 2004 and as soon as he had his first change he showed Barcelona what he was capable of; the next year he even took the place of veteran Giuly who had to sit down and watch how a 19 year old boy outplayed him. Now, with Ronaldinho gone Messi has become the new king; and not because Barca needed to fill that position but because he has earned it. Right now Messi is the best player in the world. He is like a formula one car that goes directly to the end line to win. It only takes him seconds to plan a play that will end at least on a change of scoring. His weak point has been the constant muscular injuries but Guardiola, up until now, has managed him well to avoid this injuries. Messi needs to learn from Ronalinho and realize that the challenge was not getting there but staying. Only time will tell how long will this king last.

The Will Be. It is impossible to predict the future and what will happen. It is impossible to know what will happen with Messi. However, Barcelona has learnt the lesson with Ronaldinho and will probably manage better the Argentinean. Regardless, there is somebody that will headline the news in the very near future along or without Messi. That is, Bojan. Krkic. The young half Spanish and half Serbian striker breaths goal; he’s the kind of striker that doesn’t need to shine too much to show his talent and can appear in a game in just seconds. He has something different from Eto’o ; Bojan is an area predator he knows where he has to be. Last year he was given a responsibility bigger than his chances when he had to carry a team that was in the process of decomposition. This year he’s been managed more accordingly with his age and experience. Barcelona has found out their future number 9. Give him 2 years.