El Clásico proves Barcelona and Real Madrid still a world apart

Many dubbed it the biggest club game in football history. With 209 meetings between the two sides that represent the political and cultural dichotomy prevalent throughout much of Spain, thirteen world champions on hand, the two most recent Ballon d'Or winners and the three most recent top scorers in the UEFA Champions League present, one club being just two points ahead of the other atop La Liga, and it being the most watched club football game on the planet other than the UEFA Champions League Final, the historic rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid had seldom received this much hype and buildup or felt more important.

Then came Monday night.

A cold, damp evening on the sodden pitch of the Nou Camp saw the 210th meeting between these two hated foes turn into a massacre of (somewhat) unexpected proportions as Barcelona thrashed visiting Real Madrid 5-0 to leapfrog Los Blancos and take the wheel as league leaders in Spain’s top-flight division.

We all know what happened, and in the aftermath of the destruction, as is typical in any big showdown between two heavyweights, pundits across the globe have been putting pen to paper (that expression is obsolete, but so be it) to tell their respective tales and opine about the more surprising storyline: Barça’s romp or Real’s whomp.

Ever since I was hired and agreed to come teach in Spain for a year at the end of this past spring, I had been looking forward to this match. Having only been to Barcelona once before when I was nine (and having partied a little too hard to remember it, apparently), I had planned on journeying up to Catalunya for the weekend and shelling out however many Euros it would take to get me inside Europe’s largest stadium to feast my eyes on the greatest rivalry in all of sports.

Let’s just say a weekend trip to Lisbon proved to be a bit less expensive than my venture to BCN might have been, and I figured since I’d be flying back from Cristiano Ronaldo’s former home to his new home, I’d still be able to catch some of the action on television in the Spanish capital.

Wrong again.

My bus from Madrid to Granada was scheduled to depart at 7:30 and arrive in Andalucía just after midnight, meaning I’d miss what was supposed to be the most exciting Clásico yet. My only hope was for my bus’s thirty-minute break to coincide with a piece of the action.

Luckily, it did.

The trip was one of the rockiest I had ever experienced via coach in my twenty-three years of existence, the light fixture above me that I needed to write things down was out, and my BlackBerry’s 3G network was having serious problems picking up a signal for most of the ride, but ultimately I managed to discover that Xavi and Pedro had found the back of the net and were sitting pretty at halftime 2-0 over Real. About fifteen minutes later the bus stopped. I walked into the bar and ordered a bocadillo de jamon y queso just as the second half was getting underway.

It didn’t take long for Barça to add insult to injury with a pair of David Villa strikes in the 55th and 58th minutes that doubled the home side’s lead over their rivals, who were lost in a sea of bewilderment and consternation. It was after the former Valencia forward’s second goal when I swallowed my last bite of baguette, cured meat, and olive oil, and headed back to the bus with several minutes to spare before the bus resumed its journey; I didn’t need to see anymore.

It should be noted that I am not a Real Madrid fan, so it’s not as if my emotions had been severely damaged by what I had just witnessed. To be fair, I appreciate the way Barcelona play, but am also a big fan of José Mourinho, the man in charge of the Catalan club’s most threatening opposition.

No, I left the bar because what I had seen in those three minutes had demonstrated to me what most of us already know: that football is a team game, and therefore, you win as a team.

One need only to have watched (or, eh-hem, seen the highlights of) Barcelona’s celebration after Xavi flicked the ball past Iker Casillas in the tenth minute for the game’s opening goal that sent the Nou Camp faithful into a thunderous uproar to confirm this notion, and catch a glimpse of Barcelona’s team-oriented mentality. After the talismanic midfielder ran wild down the goal line, there were no fewer than seven of his teammates in-tow, each one of them eager to pounce on their revered goal-scorer.

Barcelona’s possessive and meticulous style of play sold itself on this point. Intricate passing, perfectly-weighted through-balls, timely runs, composed finishing, and selfless play in general led to the demolition of (historically) Europe’s most successful club—their first defeat of the season and first under Mourinho, who was making his first return to the Nou Camp since April when he oversaw a defiant second-leg loss with Inter that still propelled the eventual champions to the UCL Final in Madrid 3-2 on aggregate.

After watching Barcelona’s bedazzling performance on Monday night, there will be many who will wonder exactly how Mourinho’s former squad managed to thwart the brilliant, disciplined tactical machine that is Pep Guardiola’s band of radiant technicians last season.

To be sure, the Special One’s new club most certainly does not lack quality. In fact, they still may be one of, if not the second-best team in Europe. But that term—team—is an ironic one for Real Madrid, because while they are one by default, it is clear that they are still light-years behind their rivals in instilling that team-first mentality on which Barcelona so prosperously thrives.

Mourinho clearly felt similarly, declaring in a post-match interview: “Barça is the finished article while Madrid is still a long way off that.”

The most telling tally in Barça’s emphatic destruction of Real on Monday night, however, must have been substitute Jeffrén Suárez’s stoppage time tap-in. A low cross from fellow sub Bojan Krkić to the Venezuelan-born winger, who slipped it past Casillas for the fifth and final goal of the evening, proved once again that at a club as great as Barcelona, even those players who are restricted to making mere cameo appearances are capable of on-pitch success thanks to the club’s seemingly impregnable tactical system.

For me, the current rivalry between these two clubs, which has now seen Barcelona capture five wins in the last five Clásicos, draws a curiously strong comparison to that of the Patriots and the Colts of the NFL—most notably during New England’s Super Bowl-winning years. It was the system employed by head coach Bill Belichick that enabled players like David Givens, Randall Gay, and even Randy Moss et al to maximize their talents and in turn help the team win game after game after game as a unit, while the Colts relied too heavily on quarterback Peyton Manning to do something about it (I’ll let you venture a wild guess as to which Real Madrid player is most closely associated with the four-time NFL MVP).

Granted, the Colts eventually found a formula that worked against the Patriots, and all of a sudden, they started winning games over their heated enemies. But will Real Madrid find a similar formula that enables them to finally return the favor and begin to conquer their now superior rivals once more?

Only time will tell as the next edition of this storied rivalry is slated for April, and Real will likely be playing catch-up until that point. There is of course no way of knowing where in the table Real and Barça will be come that date, but here is some parting advice for the future of Mourinho’s men in white when it comes to jousting with their neighbors from the northeast: invest more in an on-field philosophy based on tactics and teamwork as opposed to an off-field philosophy based on club President Florentino Pérez’s checkbook; it hasn’t won them a Clásico (much less a title) since it was activated...again.

A Tale of One Pity: Reevaluating Arsène's Goon-Squad

When MŠK Žilina striker Babatounde Bello slipped a fast one past Chelsea keeper Ross Turnbull Tuesday night, surely the sentiment reverberating around Stamford Bridge could be likened to the ominous expression: “Here we go again.”

The Blues, who were coming off their worst run of form in recent memory (three losses in four matches), had breached yet again and found themselves trailing 1-0 at halftime to an opponent of less quality for the third straight match. This, compounded by the mysterious dismissal of assistant coach Ray Wilkins two weeks ago, rumors abound this week suggesting manager Carlo Ancelotti had tendered his resignation only then to have it rejected by the board, and a languid string of performances, did not bode well for Chelsea, a club evidently on the brink of pressing the panic button.

Little did the reigning Premier League champions or their supporters know that another London-based club some 19 hours and 49 minutes southwest by car (according to Google Maps) had already pressed it.

Manager Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal (does anyone else think it’s bizarre that the first name of Arsenal’s boss is eerily similar to the name of his club? No? Okay then), who were looking to erase a painful 3-2 collapse at home to Tottenham at the weekend, appeared to be sitting pretty late in the second half in a scoreless affair at Braga when Mexican striker Carlos Vela went down in the box, evidently as a result of having been tackled by one of the Portuguese club’s defenders.

The Gunners, who thrashed Braga 6-0 at the Emirates back in September, finally had their breakthrough, and one forthcoming Cesc Fàbregas spot-kick was all it would take to ensure both victory and advancement in Europe’s most prestigious football tournament.

But it didn’t happen.

Instead, Vela was booked for a dive, and the chance to seal progression to the knockout rounds of this year’s Champions League evaporated in the blink of an eye. Well, actually, on the foot of a 27-year-old Brazilian known simply as Matheus.

The Braga attacker with the 99 shirt found the back of the net twice in the final seven minutes—including an emphatic clincher in stoppage time—and threw Arsenal’s hopes of progressing to the final sixteen of the Champions League for the eighth-straight year into doubt. The victory put the Portuguese club even on points with Arsenal (9) and made certain the final matches of the group stages will mean something, if not everything, for both teams involved.

That being said, looking ahead to Group H’s final match day slated for December 8, Arsenal still should advance. On that fateful day they will be home to winless Partizan Belgrade, while Braga will make the long journey eastward to frosty Ukraine to take on group leaders Shakhtar Donetsk (12 points). Simply put, a loss is almost as unlikely a result for Arsenal as a win is for Braga.

But still, just what exactly is going on at the Gunners camp? And more directly, what is the issue with Arsenal?

I had the distinct privilege this past weekend to plop down in an Irish Pub and take in the aforementioned flop against Spurs. While nursing my first stout, Samir Nasri and Marouane Chamakh frustrated a rather paltry Tottenham side and gave the Gunners a 2-0 lead at the break, reassuring their manager and fans that they were still one of the Premier League’s toughest nuts to crack.

Then, Gareth Bale cheekily sneaked one past keeper Łukasz Fabiański to open the second half, Rafael van der Vaart added a penalty shortly thereafter following an inexplicable handball by Fàbregas, and Younes Kaboul’s deft header capped off what could be deemed either a remarkable comeback or a pitiful collapse.

Maybe it was the Guinness warping my vision, but I’m more inclined to believe it was the latter. Either way, the pallid performances changed sides after halftime, and this North London derby went to Spurs for the first time at Arsenal since 1993.

So I’ll ask it again (because I just realized I didn’t answer my question at all): What is the Gunners’ deal?

Well, for starters, they have little clout. I mean, is there anyone on that squad that’s going to instill legitimate fear in an opposing backline? Nasri is talented, but lacks strength; Fàbregas at the moment seems to be most invested in his reunion with Barcelona, his foolish handball speaking volumes about his lack of focus for his current club; and Robin van Persie hasn’t been fully fit since Hanson was popular (the sad thing is, that’s not far from the truth).

Secondly, they seem far more concerned with style than they do with results. I have watched a handful of Arsenal games this year—including the 2-0 loss to Chelsea in early October—and what they lack in the scoring department they more than make up with flair. But that’s not a good thing. I really can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched them pass the ball to death around the perimeter of the box before it either breaks down or is finally thwarted—all of this coming before anyone has even attempted a shot on goal. The game at Stamford Bridge supplied more than enough evidence to support that claim.

Thirdly, remember that comment Fàbregas made this summer about Arsenal lacking the drive and desire to win trophies? He was right. This should come as no surprise with Wegner’s continually placing style above results in the club’s pecking order, but if not for that reason, Arsenal simply lack both bite and an appetite for dominance, unlike foes Chelsea, Manchester United, and even Spurs.

Is it because they’re (still) too inexperienced? Too French? Or too frugal and adamant about spending big in the transfer window? It could be for one, if not all of those reasons.

At the end of Tuesday evening, Chelsea had struggled, but ultimately had won against inferior opposition, despite fielding a lineup overloaded with mere children. Arsenal, who had put forth their typical starting XI of youthful veterans, ultimately lost to decent, yet still subordinate opponents and are one loss away (this weekend at Aston Villa perhaps) from being in a bit of trouble. The difference between Arsenal and other prolific clubs such as Chelsea? It might be as simple as team makeup or as complicated as collective desire. Whatever it is, Wegner must identify and then ameliorate the problem swiftly, or he and the rest of his contingent of followers can be assured of yet another silverware-less season at the Emirates, home to one of the flashiest, yet most unfulfilling clubs in all of Europe.

Problems Aplenty at Chelsea

One of the Premier League’s worst kept secrets was unveiled two weeks ago at Anfield when Liverpool defeated Chelsea 2-0: that England’s reigning champions are a very different squad without midfielder Michael Essien and striker Didier Drogba.

The revelation, which should come as a shock to no one, was made palpably evident by an anemic display put forth by the rest of the Blues, who were without the services of the versatile Essien (injured), and who were denied those of their indomitable forward for the first 45 minutes before a malaria-stricken Drogba (somewhat reluctantly) made his way onto the pitch just after halftime. And although Chelsea generated several more opportunities in the second half, the sickly Ivorian’s cameo was negligible.

After Sunday’s appalling 3-0 home defeat at the hands of plucky Sunderland yet another, perhaps more significant, secret was exposed in Carlo Ancelotti’s side: that Chelsea really aren’t that good. Allow me to rephrase: Chelsea really aren’t that good without a fully fit Essien and a fully fit Drogba in the starting XI.

In Drogba, Chelsea have a headstrong, hungry, and powerful striker whose killer instinct in front of goal falls second to none. In Essien, Chelsea have a multifaceted midfielder whose versatility, dynamism, and industry are irreplaceable. Without one or the other or both, the football being played by the collective whole dips notably in quality and zest, and becomes less watchable with each scoreless, elapsing minute. Both footballers have been rendered indispensable by Chelsea and their followers, and both men unquestionably are the keys and cornerstones to the Blues ultimate success.

So the burning question has to be asked: which African footballer is more valuable to the West Londoners?

Considering the plethora of goals he has bagged in all competitions in recent years (including a golden boot-winning 29 last season), instinctually one might at first be more inclined to say Drogba. Tandem partner Nicolas Anelka and left winger Florent Malouda are more than capable of finding the back of the net themselves, but neither pose as dangerous a threat as does 2009’s African Footballer of the Year. That being said, Drogba’s figures will inevitably overshadow the labor and physical presence of Essien, both of which elude the stat sheet.

Consider for a moment the last three and a half seasons both domestically and on the continent for Chelsea. The 2007-08 season saw the Blues come within a point and a missed spot kick away from winning both the Premier League and the Champions League, respectively, falling ultimately in both races to Manchester United, who at the time boasted the world’s greatest player, Cristiano Ronaldo. Essien remained healthy for much of the season, while Drogba remained injured for a large chunk of it.

In 2008-09, the Blues got off to a flying start before hitting a rut in the winter months, which eventually led to manager Luiz Felipe Scolari’s dismissal. Not surprisingly, an out-of-form Drogba and an injury-plagued Essien, who was out for several months, coincided with Chelsea’s poor form. Only when Guus Hiddink took over as interim manager in February—at almost the exact moment Essien was cleared to play again—did the 2008 Premiership/UCL runners up begin to steer the ship in the opposite direction. And had it not been for a heartbreaking away goal at the death by Barcelona’s Andrés Iniesta, an Essien wonder-volley would have been enough to secure a rematch with United in the UCL Final in Rome.

Then there was last season, and while Drogba continued to bag goal after goal, it wasn’t enough to thwart eventual UCL champs Inter in the first round of sixteen. Essien was nowhere to be found that match, as he was injured again, this time for most of the season. Chelsea, of course went on to win the double, but did so with only a point to spare over a Ronaldo-less United.

Finally, there is this season, and the last two weeks have told a similar tale. They fell to Liverpool without Essien and a fully fit Drogba, then defeated Fulham 1-0 last Wednesday with both players in the starting XI, Essien heading home the game-winner. The Ghanaian international foolishly challenged Clint Dempsey at the end of the fixture, however, and was duly sent off and handed a three-match ban. That left Drogba and the rest of the Ancelotti’s unit to battle Sunderland, and, well, let’s just say having Essien in there might have helped.

Obviously, it is not quite that simple. Yes, Chelsea are a galvanized squad when Essien is healthy and in the starting XI, as they often are with an in-form Drogba. Unfortunately for the Blues, however, the Sunderland defeat, which is already being called the worst at Stamford Bridge during the Roman Abramovich era, exposed several other flaws in the foundation.

One need only to have looked at the Chelsea backline deployed by Ancelotti against Steve Bruce’s squad on Sunday to see that at the moment all is not quite right at the Bridge. Detrimental injuries to both Alex and John Terry that could keep the center-half partnership sidelined for months meant that normal right backs Branislav Ivanović and Paulo Ferreira were left to fill their void, while Ashley Cole and José Bosingwa covered the left and right flanks. The makeshift backline breached a whopping three times, and Ancelotti may now be forced to spend in January and reel in a dependable center-half to hold down the fort until the Brazilian and the Chelsea skipper return.

Then there were the subs, which consisted of regular Salomon Kalou and batch of untested, inexperienced youths such as Gaël Kakuta Josh McEachran, all of whom (with the exception of 25-year-olds Kalou and backup keeper Ross Turnbull) couldn’t legally purchase a drink in the United States today if they tried. Where were the normal reinforcements of Michael Ballack, Joe Cole, Deco, Juliano Belletti and Ricardo Carvalho? Ancelotti should be applauded for his persistent and methodical utilization of youth into the squad, but perhaps it would have behooved the Italian to retain a couple of the aforementioned veterans he let walk in the summer for unforeseen circumstances such as these.

The loss to Liverpool was unexpected. The loss of Essien for three matches even more so. And Sunday’s loss to Sunderland? Let’s not even go there. And yet, after two weeks of relative turmoil and unrest, Chelsea still sit atop the pinnacle of the English Premier League two whole points above city rivals Arsenal. They may be too heavily reliant on Essien and Drogba, they may have a jerry-rigged backline, and they may have a handful of unknown, unproven kids coming off the bench. But as of today, they are still the best club in English football. If they should fall this weekend at Birmingham, however, Ancelotti’s raised left eyebrow will tell the story and the Italian may for the first time in his spell at Chelsea be forced to cope with a club on the brink of crisis.

Real's (Potentially) Real Problem

There will be few unhappy Madrileños to be found following Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw against Champions League group rivals AC Milan Wednesday night at the San Siro. The result, which ensured Los Merengues’ progression to the knockout stages of European football’s elite tournament for the eighth straight year, surely induced a feeling of both comfort and relief among its supporters, no matter how mundane or tedious some believe the preliminary round has become. Like Chelsea and Bayern Munich, who also punched their tickets to the knockout rounds this week, Real Madrid are headed to the last sixteen of the Champions League once again, and that’s all that matters.

However, though Real boast an unbeaten record in all competitions this season, sit atop La Liga and Group D of the UCL, and have the ability to terrorize opposing defenses and goalkeepers seemingly at the flip of a switch, Wednesday night’s clash at the Giuseppe Meazza suggested that Europe’s most successful club still has a lot of work to do if they hope to conquer the continent by season’s end.

Take for example Filippo Inzaghi’s first goal that evened the score at one in the 68th minute. A lofted pass intended for Zlatan Ibrahimović turned into a botched clearance by Pepe that freed the Swede down the left wing and enabled him to deliver a cross into the box—muffed uncharacteristically by Iker Casillas—that the evergreen Inzaghi duly headed into the back of the net.

But it wasn’t just the Portuguese defender’s slipup that assisted in Milan’s equalizer. In fact, it was only one of a handful of defensive miscues by the Madrid backline, though Real’s starting right center back will bear the brunt of the blame for his farcical flop. But even footballers are fallible beings, so Pepe can be excused this time for his unfortunate gaffe.

There is, however, no kind of justification whatsoever for the remaining two culprits, Casillas notwithstanding. Right back Sergio Ramos was nowhere to be found on the flank after Ibrahimović disposed of Pepe, and then could be seen trailing after the Swedish international before he delivered his cross. And left back Marcelo could be seen falling behind Inzaghi in similar fashion before the 37-year-old forward notched his first goal of the evening.

But so what? That’s just one goal. A one-time thing on this night. Or so Real supporters may have thought.

Inzaghi struck again just ten minutes later to become Europe’s most prolific scorer in history (fittingly tied now with Real legend Raúl) with 70 goals on the continent, and exposed even more flaws in Real’s defensive foundation. To be fair, the Italian may have been offside when he received the oncoming chip over Marcelo’s head, but does that excuse the Brazilian left back for ball-watching? Inzaghi received the floating orb with aplomb, and then deftly put it past Casillas for the second time, with Ricardo Carvalho half-a-step behind him. Milan 2 Real 1.

We know the rest of the story. Manager José Mourinho’s ingenuity ultimately prevailed when he brought on out of favor striker Karim Benzema for Gonzalo Higuaín, and then new boy Pedro León. Moments into stoppage time the former fed the latter with an exquisite pass that the former Getafe star put through Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati’s wickets and all lapses were suddenly forgotten. The Special One then celebrated lavishly, as only he knows how, running jubilantly down the sideline to laud his goal-scorer as his club made certain they would be playing European football come February.

But for Real Madrid, at least in recent years, European football in February has proven to be the club’s Kryptonite. For the last six years, Los Blancos have failed to advance beyond the last sixteen, and haven’t made the semifinals since the current format began in 2003. Yes, they have the best player in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo, and yes, they have one of the best supporting cast of attackers in Higuaín, Ángel di María, and Mesut Özil, and yes, they have Mourinho. So yes, this season might be different.

Yet, all of that, no matter how daunting and powerful collectively it may be still might not be enough to paper over the cracks of what remains a faulty and sometimes too offensive-minded back four.

At Inter, Mourinho molded his backline into an impregnable barrier that the manager, club, and its fans owe for their capturing of Champions League glory last May. This season at Real, his objective will be to recreate that impenetrable defense, but with inferior talent. Sergio Ramos is no Maicon, just as Pepe is no Lúcio. And Javier Zanetti’s defensive prowess makes Marcelo’s look U-12-esque. And as the competition grows stiffer, Real will be unable to rely as heavily as they have on their explosive attacking game, and more to the point, they will have to defend against better clubs. It will all depend on the draw, of course, but just think if Real were to be pegged against Tottenham, for instance. If Gareth Bale can make Maicon look silly, just imagine what he’d be able to do against Ramos.

We must remember that the 2-2 draw against Milan was only one game, and that may not be enough to raise concern for future fixtures. However, if Real fails to progress past the first round of the knockout stages once again, we may find that Wednesday night’s clash was a subtle preview of things to come for Mourinho’s men in white. Again, the design is there for the world’s greatest manager, it’s just whether or not the architect has the proper materials at his disposal.