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.

Barça to visit two of seven infernos

In less than 24 hours the UEFA committee will hold the final draw of the champions league determining who plays against whom and where the second game of each round is going to be played. It is believed that whoever plays the second game at home has an advantage but each team knows that to be in the final they need to do well in both game. Tomorrow at this time the speculation will be at its best as everybody will try to predict the outcome, pick the bests for their fantasy leagues and so on.

There Are No Easy Team. From this moment on, there are absolutely no small team. One of the magical aspects of this tournament is that a single play can be a make or break for any team. Many fans of teams such as Manchester, Barça, or Bayern Munich want to face Villareal or Oporto but the fact of the matter is that it doesn’t really make a difference. To win against any team there need to be three main factors present 1) good team 2) you need to have a good day and 3) perhaps the most important yet overlooked fact you need to have luck. Just remember how Monaco faced Oporto in the final just five years ago while big names such as Manchester, Liverpool, or Real Madrid had to just watch it from home.

Barcelona will have to play in 2 of the seven “infernos” if they want to make it to Roma this year and try to add their third cup here is a look at the possible contenders:

Manchester United: perfectly balanced team; with a perfect preparation. This team is a very serious contender to go back to back in this tournament. Their home pitch, Old Trafford, doesn’t bring many good memories to the Barcelona fans as we still have the image of that amazing goal from Paul Scholes last year in the semi-finals. The best quality about this team is the organization with which they play; they practice a solid defence that doesn’t let you move comfortably and just when you lose the ball they can create an attacking play in seconds with which they destroy you.

Liverpool: motivated as hell after two consecutives win scoring four goals against non other than Real Madrid and Manchester United (the last one in Old Trafford). This team is made for the champions’ league. Benitez knows how to prepare these games better than anybody. Their strongest point is the fact that their two pillars so-to-speak respond at big games; Torres and Gerrard almost never disappoint whenever they play a big game. Even in their worst day they’d make you suffer a lot. Anfield is a strong factor as they have by far the best crowd in the world.

Bayern Munich: this is a favourite of mine. The Germans play really solid and have a combination in their front line which is devastating. Tony is a striker that, while not being praised by many, scores a lot and goes very well in the air. Klose feats the same description but has better footwork than his Italian team member and last but not least Ribery; this guy can make it happen…just like that. The only “doubt” that I can find in this team is the fact that they have yet to prove themselves against a big club. I just hope they go against one of the four members of the “British Empire”

Villareal: one Cinderella team some may say; villareal has shown that they are ready to face the challenge. When they play good they are extremely hard to beat. Men like Senna, Cazorla or the veteran Pirlo can come back at any time and make the team win. Their problem is that at the moment they are not doing as well as they wish in Spain. After they lost to Madrid and Barça in December they have been very “hit-&-miss”

Chelsea: second place is not enough for this team and they want to achieve what they failed last year. Anelka and Drogba bring so much experience to their offensive line that it is hard to not consider them for the semi-finals. However, they will need more than Anelka and Drogba to advance and if men like Lampard or Essien do not appear during the game and be decisive they won’t have too much of a chance. Also, with Deco out due to a knee injury it remains to be seen how they manage their midfield. Stanford Bridge is a solid stadium where is really hard to win but since Barça cracked them three years ago it hasn’t been the same. I believe this tournament will make this team stronger or will completely accelerate the renovation in the locker room.

Oporto: the second least attractive team in the tournament along with Villareal; however a team that doesn’t need to do much to make an impact. Whenever Lissandro scores this team create a lot of troubles to their rivals and if they are lucky, and they are very lucky, they can make an upset and advance. Their weakest point is the goalie that can miss a lot of obvious plays.

Arsenal: this team can be very solid but can also be really bad. They are, at least on paper, the weakest member of the so-called “British Empire”. However they faced big teams in the past under similar circumstances and advanced to the next round. Men like Cesc or Van Persie are always the one that you need to be very careful; but also there are men like Adebayor who can miss tons of goals which in these tournament means good bye.

One Game Less...3 Points More

Eleven More Finals. Barcelona defeated Almeria 2-0 in what looked more of a training session than an actual game. Guardiola’s men dominated the entire game and if it wasn’t for the Almeria’s goalie, Diego Alves, we would be talking about a 5-0 result. Barcelona seems to have learnt the lesson at last and now plays more loyal to their game style: pressure, possession, and quick passes. However, in the first half of the game Barça made the mistake of just having the ball but not doing much with it. The game was predictable which resulted in few goal shots. Nonetheless, the few shots that Barcelona made were on target but the inspiration of Almeria’s goalie was out of this world. In the second half Barca realized its mistake and started moving the ball quicker than before and scoring two goals in less than 10 minutes. At the end of the night the objective was accomplished. Barcelona is once again 6 points away from Real Madrid. There are only 11 more games until the end of the season; each of those will be a final.

Bojan’s Time. Last season former Barcelona’s coach Frank Rijkaard decided to give the young 17 year old Bojan a chance to play with the first team; the situation was really bad with a team that had given up La Liga the previous year to arch nemesis Madrid. Samuel Eto’o had a severe injury once again and would be out most of the season; Thierry Henry was not adapting to Spanish futbol at all and his number were not justifying the 24 millions Barcelona had invested in him; and to make things worst the main event and star of the team, Ronaldinho, was in the beginning of his humungous free-fall. Bojan became an instant idol in Barcelona for his youth, passion, background history with the club and on top of that his romance with the goal. This year his presence has not been greater or equal than last year when he became a regular striker. In fact, he’s been playing way less and only in the King’s Cup he is member of the main team. However, people seem to overlook his age, 18, and the fact that what happened to him last year was unusual. Bojan had a golden chance yesterday and he did not disappoint. He’s a player that is not involved in the game a lot; his skills are not of the striker that runs with the ball, enter the area and score; instead, he’s a predator of the area waiting for the right moment to strike. Yesterday he only had 2 chances and both of them entered; goals that come in the crucial moment of the season when Barça is fighting for 3 championships and need to know that all players are there to respond when needed.

Waiting For a Rival. This Friday is the final draw in the Champions League in which the best 8 clubs in Europe will be paired so that all possible matches are known. There are no small teams at this stage. Nonetheless, many would prefer Porto or Villareal than any of the British teams. Johan Cruyff mentioned on his column this week that at this point any rival is going to be tough. If Barça gets paired with Liverpool or Manchester (both serious title contenders) they would then have a golden opportunity to eliminate one of the bests. The trick will be for Guardiola to figure a way of keeping his men fresh both mentally and physically to face this challenge. Madrid on the other hand has the “advantage” of playing only once a week which means that they can afford this coming 11 finals in La Liga in a better way than Barcelona who could feel the intensity of all competitions affect their game. However, I bet that many in Madrid would love to have the “problem” of playing all tournaments.

Champion's League Hangover

After 3 long months the most prestigious tournament in Europe is finally back. The KO round of 16 was very interesting to say the least and most of the games are way open to put money on the line. Let’s look game by game what happened and the consequences.

Lyon VS Barça: Horrible first half by the Catalans; it was probably the worst display of the season and it comes at the worst time. Pep’s team has not won in three games. Valdes is right now in clumsy mode. Let’s be honest, Juninho’s goal was a piece or art worthy of the mighty ones but Valdes could and should have done something more. It’s not too much that he failed but the fact that it’s his second game in which a mistake of the keeper cost the teams the game. Fortunately Henry appeared (at least once) to save the day and score another goal worthy of the chosen ones. The good news is that 1) the team didn’t lose and 2) a goal away is always a good news; this means that a 0-0 tie will still take Barcelona to quarters of final. The bad news: Barcelona has never passed to the next round after tying 1-1 on the first game. Prediction: Barcelona wins at home next game and advances to the quarters of Final.

Inter VS Manchester: the big daddy of this round was very disappointing; especially for mourinho’s men. Manchester seemed as though they were playing home. They moved very comfortably throughout the game and had many chances of scoring. Mourinho must be extremely grateful to Julio Cesar who was without any doubt the MVP of the night. Ibrahimovic barely appeared during the game and neither did Adriano. However, in this type of tournaments not letting the visitor score in the first game is a success. Prediction: This is a very bold prediction but I ‘m sure Inter will tie at old Trafford and advance. But don’t fool yourself they won’t display any type of futbol; it will be 90 minutes of constant offensive game by Manud.

Arsenal VS Roma: Once again the premier showed to be a better league than Calcio. I’m not a fan of the kick and run show that is seen every weekend on England but even I have to admit that they are miles away at the moment. Arsenal showed extremely superiority at emirate stadium and just as Manchester is a shame that the superiority was not reflected on the final score. A penalty goal by Van Persie was enough for the moment but Roma is a very tricky team at home. It’s hard to know how good they will be the next game or how incredible bad. Prediction: Arsenal is going to advance to the next round without too much problem. A 0-0 at the Olympic Stadium will be more than enough to kick out the hosts of this year’s final.

Atletico VS Oporto: I’m glad these two had to see each other in this round. They are so similar in so many ways that it is nice to the spectacle. Atletico’s men were convinced that in champions league they will be different from the rollercoaster display of La Liga but unfortunately it wasn’t the case. Every time the seemed to figure how to win Lisandro would strike back and get Oporto in the picture once again. The final result is a shame if you are an Atletico De Madrid fan; a 2-2 is not the best score to have with the next game being away. Prediction: Oporto won’t have too many troubles to eliminate Aguero and company. 1-0

Chelsea VS Juventus: the biggest upset of this round for me. I was going to be very surprise if Barça had won at Lyon but Juventus losing and not scoring is an humongous surprise. Let’s be clear, Chelsea is a solid club as they showed last game and nobody forget they are the runner-up of last tournament. Not even almighty Manchester United could win clearly against them in the final; but also let’s not forget who Juventus really is. Juve is like this bee that it doesn’t matter how many times you try to get rid off it always comes back. That’s Juventus in champions league; rarely any other team feel this tournament as Juve does and to see them losing and not scoring is an outrage. Prediction: I think Juve will win 2-1 at home which will leave them out due to away goal advantage…something they lack.

Villareal vs Panathinaikos: as is the case with Atletico and Oporto I’m glad for these two as well. They are such underdogs in this tournament that it’s nice to see them battle each other. I can’t say too much about this game; Villareal never fully recovered after losing to Madrid and Barça in December and this have shown in the qualifying where they are currently at 4th place with 11 point difference from the second. I think they still have a shot but Panathinaikos seems to have this one. Prediction: Panathinaikos advances winning 2-0.

Real Madrid VS Liverpool: this was probably the second big daddy of this round. So much history between these two only made the scenario more intense. Real Madrid is right now the re-emerging phoenix in Spain who is starting to worry their arch nemesis Barça. And Liverpool, while not as solid in the premier as they would want to be still the “never say never” team of Europe. The encounter was hard to describe. Both coaches decided to show their amazing defensive organization but forget to display how well the attack. And to make everything weirder Liverpool ended up getting a victory. In Spain they say Liverpool brought Petroleum back from Madrid and I couldn’t agree more. 0-1 doesn’t seem that bad but at the same time is too much. Madrid will have to suffer a LOT if they want to keep the 10th championship dream. Prediction: Liverpool will take this one 1-0 and go to the next round.

Sporting Lisbon VS Bayern Munich: This was probably the most predictable encounter. The difference between these 2 teams is colossal. I predicted a 0-3 with goals of Ribery, Toni, and Klose but to be honest now that I see it a 0-5 was more than obvious. Prediction: Bayern doesn’t even have to show up to win. 2-0 at home for the Germans