Sharapova, Unseeded Lisicki Reach Semifinals

Sabine Lisicki, an unseeded wildcard, became the first German woman since Steffi Graf in 1999 to reach the Wimbledon semifinals.

By JOHN MARTIN

Published: June 28, 2011

WIMBLEDON, England —Maria Sharapova of Russia signaled her return to the form that won her a Wimbledon championship in 2004 by overwhelming Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, 6-1, 6-1, in barely an hour Tuesday. The victory sent Sharapova to the semifinals here for the first time since 2006.

“I’m very honored to be in the semifinals,” Sharapova said at courtside after the match.

It was a powerful display of all-court dominance by Sharapova only one day after her opponent had dispatched the top seed, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

Sharapova will now play Sabine Lisicki of Germany, an unseeded wild card entrant, in the semifinals after Lisicki upset No. 9 seed Marian Bartoli of France, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1, in their quarterfinal match on Tuesday.

The Sharapova-Cibulkova match had none of that drama. By the time she trailed 0-2 in the second set, Cibulkova had lost her serve four times and hit only two winners to Sharapova’s 13. But, if she felt pinned down, she didn’t show it and broke Sharapova’s serve to provide a short glimmer of hope. The crowd applauded loudly, hoping perhaps this might not turn into a rout.

That was to no avail.

Sharapova’s shrieks became louder, if possible, the sound echoing through the Centre Court cavern created by the closed roof. Cibulkova’s sounds were more contralto than soprano.

Sharapova quickly regained control of the play, broke Cibulkova’s serve two more times and pummeled still more winners. She raised her hands in victory when Cibulkova’s final shot sailed over the baseline and let out a modified shriek of celebration.

Lisicki’s celebration had been even more modest. She broke into a wide grin when Bartoli’s final forehand found the net. She is the first German to reach the women’s semifinals since Steffi Graf in 1999.

“I have absolutely nothing to lose and I’m just going to fight,” she said during a courtside interview.

Played under a Centre Court roof that shielded the players from a heavy London thunderstorm, it was an oddly jittery encounter, punctuated by Bartoli’s eccentric jumping antics as she awaited Lisicki’s serve.

After a vigorous extended rally, Lisicki clipped a backhand down the line and out of Bartoli’s reach to clinch the first set in 43 minutes, hitting 18 winners and 4 aces.

Bartoli and Lisicki traded service breaks early in the second set, but Lisicki was taking control and had the match on her racket, serving at 5-4. That’s when her nerves kicked in. She bungled an easy high forehand at the net but recovered on the next point by jamming a forehand down the line and then hit an ace, her sixth, and another winner to set up match point. After trading winners, Lisicki crafted a low overhead that Bartoli couldn’t reach.

But Lisicki’s failed drop shot on another match point suggested she had gone once too often to that well. Bartoli soon offered her another match point and Lisicki couldn’t convert it, sending a forehand wide.

Lisicki ultimately lost her serve by double-faulting and it appeared that her game was about to fall apart. Bartoli won the set in a tie-breaker.

As they began the final set, Lisicki had hit a remarkable 42 winners to Bartoli’s 10, an unusually wide margin for a match that was virtually dead even.

Soon the difference began to appear in the score. Bartoli double-faulted to drop her serve in the second game of the set.

Lisicki’s moment was coming. She held serve to lead, 3-0, and raced to her chair for the changeover. Bartoli looked dejected and leaned forward to rub her upper left thigh. She could muster little in the way of a challenge from there.

Read More

Mexico Rallies to Beat U.S. 4-2 in Gold Cup Final Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2011/06/25/mexico-rallies-to-beat-us-4-2-in-gold-cup-final

PASADENA, Calif. – Pablo Barrera scored two goals and Mexico rallied to beat the United States 4-2 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl.

Andres Guardado and Giovani Dos Santos also scored for Mexico, which has won two consecutive Gold Cup titles and six overall. The victory puts El Tri in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, a preview of the 2014 World Cup.

Mexico's Javier Hernandez, who led this year's Gold Cup with seven goals, was the tournament's most valuable player. Hernandez scored 20 goals for Manchester United during England's recently completed Premier League season.

Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan scored to help the United States build a 2-0 lead. Donovan became the Gold Cup's all-time leading scorer with 13 goals.

Barrera put Mexico ahead to stay in the 50th minute, slipping a 10-yard shot underneath the right hand of diving goalkeeper Tim Howard and inside the left post.

The United States got off to a fast start but Mexico got back in the game with two goals during an impressive seven-minute stretch.

Barrera scored his first goal on a 17-yard shot inside the right post in the 29th minute, snapping Howard's Gold Cup shutout streak at 351 minutes.

Then in the 36th minute, Dos Santos's pass from the right side of the penalty area deflected off defender Eric Lichaj and toward Howard.

Guardado pounced on the ball and poked it in from five yards, tying it at 2.

Guardado played on a slightly sprained left ankle. He was injured during Mexico's 2-0 semifinal victory over Honduras on Wednesday.

Dos Santos ended the scoring in the 76th minute by lofting a 17-yard shot that Lichaj failed to head away from an open net at the left post.

The announced attendance of 93,420 was the largest for a Gold Cup game in the United States, but the crowd was decidedly in Mexico's corner.

The Americans responded with an early burst. Bradley put the U.S. ahead in the eighth minute with a 10-yard header off Freddy Adu's corner kick.

Donovan's 11-yard shot inside the left post made it 2-0 in the 23rd minute. Clint Dempsey's pass between two defenders freed Donovan for a breakaway.

Defender Steve Cherundolo, who had played every minute of the Gold Cup for the United States, sprained his left ankle and left in the 11th minute.

Two of Mexico's defenders, Carlos Salcido and Rafael Marquez, also left in the first half because of injury.

Read More

Messi, the youngest to ever win two Ballon d’Ors

History waits for Leo Messi with open arms: for some, he is already the best player of all time, and titles are on track to confirm him as such. Individually, the Argentine already has two Ballon d’Ors and a FIFA World Player of the Year award. But at only 23, his era has just began. At the moment, FC Barcelona’s striker has already made history. Players that have two gold balls or more are: Ronaldo, Van Basten, Platini, Rummenigge, Keegan, Beckenbauer, Cruyff and Di Stefano. Among this list, Messi is the youngest to receive the second award. Johan Cruyff, for example, was 26 years old in 1973, when he received his second Golden Ball. Marco van Basten, until now the youngest, was 25 years old in 1989, when he received his second award. Rummenigge and Ronaldo were 26 years old when they received their second and final awards. The oldest at the time of receiving the second award was Di Stefano in 1959 at age 33.

The biggest players in the history of football are: Cruyff, Di Stefano, Maradona, & Pele. But Messi seems to be on track to join these great footballers at the Football Olympus. Pele and Maradona could never win a Ballon d’Or, because until 1995 it was only given to European players, Di Stéfano won two awards, and Cruyff, three prizes. Franz Beckenbauer, for many the fifth player in history with the exclusion of Leo, won two golden balls and appeared five times among the top three contestants. The youngest footballer to receive the award was Ronaldo, who won it in 1997 at the age of 21 years and three months after having completed a spectacular season with Barça.

Leo Messi, who tonight will be offering the Golden ball to the fans during the Copa del Rey match against Betis, will be starting his quest for his third Ballon d’Or. Throughout history, only three players have managed to win three Golden balls: Cruyff, Van Basten and Platini. None of them won a World Cup, but a Euro Cup in the case of Van Basten (1988) and Platini (1984).

The Barca striker is the third footballer born in Argentina who gets the Golden Ball, but the first that won it as an Argentine, since both Di Stefano and Omar Sívori received their awards as nationalized Spanish and Italian players, respectively.

His triumph equals the football eternal pulse between the two giants of South America, Brazil and Argentina, with five gold balls for players that have emerged in each country: two of Di Stefano, Messi and one for Sívori of Argentina; two from Ronaldo and Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaká for Brazil.

Read More

The Review: Levante 1-1 FC Barcelona – CHAMPIONS OF SPAIN!!! Read more: http://www.totalbarca.com/2011/matches/the-review-levante-1-1-fc-barcelona-ch

Ladies and gentlemen, FC Barcelona are the official La Liga Champions for the 2010-2011 season!

This season was special. We were made fun of in the beginning of the season, after losing our first home game to Hercules in September. The doubters and haters had come out as fast as they could after the game. We were called weak, they said we were tired, that Real Madrid would trounce us this year, especially considering that Madrid were the ones who possessed the “Special One”. Yet after a brutal season, our boys have battled through every obstacle placed in front of them, and in they end, after all the smoke had cleared, OUR team stood the tallest. This is a day for all of us to be proud, We Did It!

We went into Week 36 squaring off against Levante. The Valencia based side needed to win this game just as much as we did, although a draw would have been beneficial to both teams. We needed a point in order for us to be appointed La Liga Champions, and a point for Levante would have guaranteed them a place in the Spanish top flight next season.

Guardiola clearly realized the situation, and his team selection reflected the occasion. Our coach decided to roll out with a line-up which consisted of both first-teamers and substitutes. Valdes was the goalie, while Pep chose a back-line of Alves, Mascherano, Pique, and Abidal, with a midfield consisting of Xavi, Keita, and Busquets, while our front line included Messi, Villa, and Afellay.

The beginning of the game was unusual. Barça had most of the ball, while Levante had the better chances in the first 20 minutes. Weak headers, and some woeful finishing denied Levante the chance to get the opening goal of the game. Barcelona then managed to grab a hold on the match, and the best chance in the first half for Barcelona fell in the 25th minute. After winning a free kick, Xavi whipped the ball into the penalty area which Busquets almost managed to get a head to.

Two minutes after the first chance, we took the lead thanks to a brilliant pass from Xavi. After having received the ball 40 yards from the goal, Xavi turned, looked up, and spotted Keita’s 20 yard run. Our midfield general then picked out Keita with a peach of a pass, from where our number 15 managed to produce a wonderful header into the top left corner of the net.

As soon as the first goal was scored, Barcelona went back to what it does best. Keep Ball. Our next chance of the game fell to Villa, whose curling shot from the edge of the area missed the right hand corner by a couple of inches. Two minutes after this chance by Villa, Levante scored their first goal of the night. A routine ball from Javi Venta should have been cleared by Pique, but a misunderstanding between the defender and Valdes allowed Caicedo to roll the ball into the empty net. Messi then almost managed to get his first goal of the night, trying to place the ball into the top corner of the net from a 25 yard free kick, but it curled agonizingly wide from the post. With that, the half time whistle had blown.

The second half was probably one of the most boring halves of the season. The only highlights were two Messi runs, two runs which should have produced a better outcome. His first occurred in the 56th minute. He received the ball 25 yards from goal, and after having his passing options limited by the Levante defence, Messi managed to wriggle and skip past four Levante players, but his shot bounced back from the inside of the post and it was cleared to safety.

His second run saw him start from 40 yards out. After playing a one-two with Alves, Messi went on a mazy run, which saw him evade the attention of the entire Levante defense, but after some nice footwork, his shot from the edge of the area missed the goal by a matter of centimeters.

The clock ticked down to the final minutes, and other than a few substitutions, one that included Abidal getting a standing ovation from the Levante faithful, there was not much special to witness. And when the last minute of stoppage time had finished, and the referee had signaled the end of the 36th game in Barcelona’s 2010-2011 season, everyone that was associated with FC Barcelona were ecstatic, as that was the whistle that confirmed FC Barcelona as the 2010-2011 La Liga Champions.

When I wrote my first review, the review that I submitted when I applied for totalBarça (I picked the Barcelona-Real Madrid game), I wrote that whether or not FC Barcelona win a title this season, we were witnessing a special era. An era which saw us rack up title after title, assemble one of the greatest teams ever brought together, both on an individual and collective note, an era which saw us produce one of the greatest performances in the history of football, an era which saw three of our best players recognized as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd best players in the world, an era which saw us witness one of the greatest ever football players to have graced the game, the list goes on…. This team is special, and they now have three La Liga titles from the last three years. I feel like crying. A part of me feels as if though, until I die, I will never be able to witness such a golden period in FC Barcelona’s history, and just for the record, I’m eighteen years old. I haven’t seen Sacchi’s Milan, I haven’t seen the great Ajax, I haven’t seen the 1970′s Brazil, I haven’t even seen our very own Dream team of the 90′s, but watching this team play makes me feel as if, though I don’t need to see all those other teams play, it makes me feel as though this team is better than all the other great teams of the years before. Enjoy this moment fellow Cules, WE did it. Oh, and did I mention, we’re also in the Champions League Final… Not bad, not bad at all… VISCA BARCA!!!!

Awards

Man of the Match: None, the man of the match for this game is the whole club. Clinching a league title is no easy feat, especially when it’s the third one on the trot. The boys didn’t play their best game, but they didn’t have to, as a draw would have been perfect for both the teams. If I did have to pick one player, then it would probably be Xavi, wonderful passing, and the pass for our goal… speechless…

Stat(s) of the day: 21st La Liga title, third in a row, nuff’ said…

Photo: Getty Images

Read More

From Manchester With Love, Part 1

Similar to our former group of posts “From London With Love”, this series of articles provides weekly coverage of what is going on in the land of our next UEFA Champions League rival and co-finalist, Manchester United. Every week, guest writer (and a friend of our own writer, Hady) Hasan Noureldin, who happens to be an avid Liverpool and English Premier League fan, will be covering what’s happening in the stadium of dreams – Old Trafford – in Manchester.

From match details to internal club and transfer issues, this is a chance to look at the upcoming encounter from a neutral’s point of view through a slightly sarcastic lens. Manchester United have showed a solid performance against Chelsea and managed to win in a thrilling game. Continue on for a full review of their latest match here on your number one source for all Barça-related issues.

It was just 35 seconds… 35 seconds and Manchester United were on course to their record-breaking 19^th Premier League title. All of the talk of them being not a “vintage United side” was put to rest as soon as the whistle blew to signal the start of the game. It was United’s best performance of the season, one of the best performances of the season by any team so far.

Chelsea were not up to pace -yes, that should be said- but it was the high pressure of Man Utd that created an air of uncertainty for the Chelsea backline. They were fantastic in every department, and the only blemish on a great day was conceding a goal, a goal that put United under pressure, but even then they continued to create chance after chance through counterattacks. They could and should have been 4-0 up before Chelsea even attempted to get something out of the match.

Park was at his industrious best, competing from the left hand side and proving to be a handful, Valencia went past Ashley Cole more than the latter had cheated on his ex-wife. Hernandez could have bagged a hat-trick, Rooney had chances to score as well. Out there on the pitch, there wasn’t a single player who didn’t perform well, from the defense to offense, it was perfect.

United have all but sealed the title, needing 1 point from their last 2 games to win it. This would give Fergie the chance to rest some players before the final, and it will hopefully be worth the wait. Barcelona will be confident enough to surpass them, but it depends hugely on the Red Devils. If they reproduce the same performance they had against Chelsea, we will be in for a cracking game.

Hady’s question to the readers: After this great game by Manchester, are you afraid of any surprises that United may have in store for Barça? And what do you think of their manager’s latest words in which he said that he’ll be able to harm Barça in the UCL final? Personally, I think we’re in for a very challenging game with a slight number of goals due to the fear of counter attacks on both sides, but, as always . . .

. . .IN PEP WE TRUST!

Please share your opinion in the comments section and remember to be respectful of others’ points of view.

Photo: Getty Images

Statistics: 11-05-2011

Messi	31	11	7	3	52
David Villa	18	3	1	0	22
Pedro	13	4	4	0	21
Iniesta	8	1	0	0	9
Bojan	5	0	1	0	6
Keita	2	1	2	0	5
Xavi	3	2	0	0	5
Dani Alves	2	2	0	0	4
Pique	3	1	0	0	4
Thiago	2	0	1	0	3
Afellay	0	0	1	0	1
Adriano	0	0	1	0	1
Maxwell	0	0	1	0	1
Abidal	0	0	1	0	1
Puyol	1	0	0	0	1
Nolito	0	0	1	0	1
Milito	0	0	1	0	1
Busquet	1	0	0	0	1
Jefferen	1	0	0	0	1
Vazquez	0	1		0	1
Fontas	0	1	0	0	1
Ibrahimovic	0	0	0	1	1
Own Goals	1	0	0	1	2
Total	90	27	22	4	143

Assists	La Liga	CL	Copa	SSC	Total
Messi	20	4	3	0	27
Dani Alves	14	3	2	1	20
Iniesta	5	5	3	1	14
Xavi	7	2	4	1	14
Villa	11	1	1	0	13
Pedro	10	2	1	0	13
Thiago	0	1	4	0	5
Keita	3	0	2	0	5
Busquet	3	2	0	0	5
Bojan	2	0	1	0	3
Adriano	1	2	0	0	3
Maxwell	1	0	0	1	2
Jeffren	1	0	0	0	1
Affelay	0	1	0	0	1
Nolito	0	0	1	0	1
Fontas	1	0	0	0	1
Pique	1	0	0	0	1
Abidal	0	1	0	0	1
Total	80	24	22	4	130

Minutes	La Liga	CL	Copa	SSC	Total
Messi	2769	956	451	128	4304
Dani Alves	2744	990	390	180	4304
Iniesta	2798	809	419	34	4060
Pique	2491	938	435	90	3954
Villa	2683	858	362	34	3937
Xavi	2373	863	529	88	3853
Valdes	2700	900	0	90	3690
Busquets	2210	990	255	90	3545
Pedro	2126	681	531	56	3394
Mascherano	1417	790	649	0	2856
Maxwel	1690	371	507	180	2748
Abidal	1835	469	243	180	2727
Keita	1352	420	458	180	2410
Puyol	1385	630	103	0	2118
Adriano	887	424	642	11	1964
Pinto	450	180	750	0	1380
Bojan	749	59	419	146	1373
Milito	668	34	227	81	1010
Thiago	481	90	268	25	864
Afellay	391	120	218	0	729
Fontas	252	90	90	0	432
Nolito	14	0	237	0	251
Barta	0	55	180	0	235
Jefferen	142	28	41	0	211
Dos Santos	6	63	2	65	136
Oriol Romeu	0	0	0	90	90
Ruben Minio	0	0	0	90	90
Sergi Gomez	0	0	0	90	90
Victor Vazquez	0	77	0	0	77
Ibrahimovic	0	0	0	52	52
Sergi Roberto	0	1	25	0	26
Montoya	18	0	0	0	18

Goals Per Games	Games	Goals	Average
Messi	53	52	0.98
Keita	53	5	0.09
Pedro	50	21	0.42
Villa	50	22	0.44
Dani Alves	50	4	0.08
Iniesta	49	9	0.18
Pique	49	4	0.08
Xavi	48	5	0.10
Busquets	44	1	0.02
Mascherano	41	0	0.00
Valdes	40	0	0.00
Maxwel	38	1	0.03
Abidal	37	1	0.03
Bojan	35	6	0.17
Adriano	30	1	0.03
Puyol	26	1	0.04
Afellay	24	1	0.04
Milito	17	1	0.06
Pinto	16	0	0.00
Thiago	15	3	0.20
Jefferen	11	1	0.09
Nolito	5	1	0.20
Fontas	5	1	0.20
Dos Santos	4	0	0.00
Barta	3	0	0.00
Sergi Roberto	2	0	0.00
Victor Vazquez	1	1	1.00
Ibrahimovic	1	1	1.00
Oriol Romeu	1	0	0.00
Montoya	1	0	0.00
Ruben Minio	1	0	0.00
Sergi Gomez	1	0	0.00

Games	La Liga	CL	Copa	SSC	Total
Messi	32	12	7	2	53
Keita	33	9	9	2	53
Pedro	31	11	7	1	50
Villa	33	11	5	1	50
Dani Alves	32	11	5	2	50
Iniesta	34	9	5	1	49
Pique	30	11	7	1	49
Xavi	30	11	6	1	48
Busquets	27	11	5	1	44
Mascherano	24	10	7	0	41
Valdes	30	9	0	1	40
Maxwel	23	7	6	2	38
Abidal	23	7	5	2	37
Bojan	25	3	5	2	35
Adriano	14	6	8	2	30
Puyol	17	7	2	0	26
Afellay	13	5	6	0	24
Milito	10	2	4	1	17
Pinto	5	2	9	0	16
Thiago	10	1	3	1	15
Jefferen	6	2	3	0	11
Nolito	2	0	3	0	5
Fontas	3	1	1	0	5
Dos Santos	1	1	1	1	4
Barta	0	1	2	0	3
Sergi Roberto	0	1	1	0	2
Montoya	2	0	0	0	2
Victor Vazquez	0	1	0	0	1
Ibrahimovic	0	0	0	1	1
Oriol Romeu	0	0	0	1	1
Ruben Minio	0	0	0	1	1
Sergi Gomez	0	0	0	1	1

Yellow Cards	La Liga	CL	Copa	SSC	Total
Pique	8	3	1	1	13
Dani Alves	9	1	0	1	11
Busquets	5	1	3	0	9
Mascherano	6	1	0	0	7
Xavi	6	0	0	0	6
Valdes	6	0	0	0	6
Messi	4	0	1	0	5
Adriano	3	0	2	0	5
Puyol	3	1	0	0	4
Iniesta	1	3	0	0	4
Pedro	2	1	1	0	4
Villa	3	0	0	0	3
Milito	2	1	0	0	3
Keita	3	0	0	0	3
Maxwel	2	0	0	0	2
Abidal	2	0	0	0	2
Pinto	1	0	1	0	2
Bojan	2	0	0	0	2
Afellay	1	0	0	0	1
Bartra	0	0	1	0	1
Thiago	1	0	0	0	1
Total	70	12	10	2	94

Red Cards	La Liga	CL	Copa	SSC	Total
Pique	1	0	0	0	1
Pinto	0	1	0	0	1
Villa	1	0	0	0	1
Total	2	1	0	0	3

Tags

Read More

Barça, champions with the best defense in league history Read more: http://www.totalbarca.com/2011/news/barca-champions-with-the-best-defense-in-leag

As reported by Madrid based sports paper Marca, Barcelona have the chance to collect their third League title under Guardiola with the fewest goals allowed as champions in history. So far this season, they have conceded 19 goals and could potentially break their own record from last season (24). “The ball is the one who orders the teams,” maintains the Blaugrana coach. His offensive philosophy hides a perhaps more determinant defensive virtue. Both attack and defense are determined by the location of the ball.

The forwards

The Barça game is characterized by the monopoly of possession. The number of men that work to move the ball in the attacking area is important. “They are a team that usually move in spaces close to the area, so it is much easier and economic to attempt recovery where greater numbers of players accumulate,” explains Óscar Cano in his book El Modelo de juego del FC Barcelona.

The numbers show the defensive performances of the forwards. Messi, Pedro, Villa, Xavi and Iniesta have recovered 425 balls so far this season. These five players almost double the figure of recoveries made by Real Madrid’s seven most frequently used attacking players (272 between Di María, C. Ronaldo, Özil, Higuaín, Benzema, Adebayor and Kaká).

The defenders

The experience of this season reflects the paradoxical role of defense in the Barcelona style. Barcelona has hardly suffered from their defensive injuries. Except for Pique and Alves, none of the other five defenders have been able to feature in more than half the league games this season. Puyol has only appeared in 16 matches and Milito in 10; while at left back, there has been a virtual carousel on the left side with the physical troubles of Maxwell, the late adaptation of Adriano and the unexpected loss of Abidal in the final stretch of the season.

The goalkeeper

It seems certain that Víctor Valdés will get the fourth Zamora trophy of his career. Equaling Juan Acuña, legendary goalkeeper of Deportivo in the 40′s, and Santi Cañizares, who won as goalkeeper of Celta and Valencia. Ahead of him is Antoni Ramallets, who alone has reached five.

Compared with goalkeeper Iker Casillas, he may be a little less critical because he is forced to intervene less (161 compared to 119 stops throughout the league). In the overall design of the game of Barça, Valdes is the beginning of the forward line or the last of the defensive part of the team as they move forward to the goal.

The Champions with the fewest allowed goals in history

1. Barcelona 2010-11. 19 goals -at the time of writing-
2. Barcelona 2009-10. 24 goals
3. Barcelona 1984-85. 25 goals
4. Real Madrid 1987-88. 26 goals
5. Valencia 2003-04. 27 goals

Photo: Getty Images

Read More

The Review: FC Barcelona 2-0 RCD Espanyol

Having booked their passport to Wembley on a wonderful night in the Camp Nou, it was time for FC Barcelona to turn their attention to the league priorities, and first up was a fierce local derby, against local rivals RCD Espanyol. Having seen their lead at the top of the table cut down to 5 points because of Real Madrid’s win yesterday, Barcelona went into this game with a chance to regain their 8 point advantage, and more importantly, inch ever closer to their 21st La Liga crown. Espanyol needed a win just as badly, as they were fighting to gain a Europa League spot for next season. Throw in a local derby with so many sub-plots, and a wonderful game was surely on the cards.

Pep Guardiola, with the intention of winning the league as soon as possible, sent out his strongest, and fittest, line-up. Valdes was in net, while Pique, Mascherano, Alves, and Fontas was chosen to guard the backline. It was our customary trident of midfielders, Iniesta, Busquets, and Xavi that were chosen, while the highly praised and successful MVP trident led our front-line.

Surprisingly, it was Espanyol who had the better of the opening 10 minutes, as some high intensity and pressure from our rivals prevented us from setting up our normal passing rhythm. It took over 18 minutes for the first chance of the game to arrive. First, Villa sent a weak shot into the arms of Kameni, Pedro then managed to cut inside from the right flank and fire a shot at goal, only for Kameni to punch it out. In the 22nd minute, Iniesta decided to get in on the act with a side-footed shot after some beautiful footwork, but once again Kameni produced a good save to keep the ball out. Alves then tried to replicate his wonder goal against Getafe, but this time, the ball fizzed past the right hand post. Chances were mounting, and it was only a matter of time before Barça managed to break the deadlock.

In the 28th minute, a piece of Messi magic almost put the blaugrana ahead. Messi managed to superbly control a chipped pass with the outside of his left boot, and after bringing the ball under control, turned Rodriguez inside out, and then only succeeded in dragging his shot wide from six yards out, albeit with his right foot. The very next minute, Barcelona took the lead, thanks to some wonderful footwork by Andres Iniesta. After playing a one-two with Fontas, he ran forward and after having skipped past Chica and Amat, slid a shot into the bottom left corner of the net. He then wheeled away in celebration, dedicating the goal to his newborn daughter.

Minutes before the halftime whistle, Villa could have scored the second goal of the night. Fontas passed the ball to Messi, who then back-heeled the ball to Iniesta, whose first time pass released Villa one on one with Kameni. Almost certain to score, Villa then managed to scoop the ball far and wide. Although the finishing need to be better, the interplay that resulted in the chance was described best by the guys over at Goal.com: “Barça played the beautiful game at its most beautiful.” A mesmeric run from Leo Messi resulted in a clash between Villa and Kameni, after the Argentinean had tried to play in Villa. With that the halftime whistle blew, a whistle that ended a intense period of pressure from FC Barcelona.

The second half restarted, and with less than two minutes gone, FC Barcelona scored their second goal of the evening. Xavi swung in a corner, and Pique battled hard to get in front of his marker and sent a downward header that nestled beautifully into the bottom corner of the net.

Osvaldo, Espanyol’s star man, tried to single-handedly drag Espanyol back into the contest. First, a beautiful turn saw him leave Pique on the floor, and his follow-up shot was palmed away be Victor Valdes. Moments later, the same man tried a bending shot which Valdes clung to safely.

Messi managed to win a free kick right outside the box, but the wall blocked his shot. Iniesta then tried to square the ball to Villa after a well-timed reverse pass from Messi. Unfortunately Rodriguez dived in to make a vital block. The rest of the game slowly ticked on, with Barcelona happy to keep possession and tick off some time from the clock. It worked, and after some keep-ball, the whistle blew to signal the end of the 35th game of FC Barcelona’s 2010-2011 La Liga campaign.

Although this was a fierce local derby, none of the teams managed to play to their full potential. Barcelona were clearly playing in a reserved gear, while Espanyol clearly lacked any attacking urgency, aside for Pablo Osvaldo. With only one point needed from their next three games, it would be wise for our beloved team to wrap up the league as fast as possible. With the wonderful Champions League finals coming up on the 28th of May, it would be best to rest some players for the upcoming games. Looking forward to the 28th of May, I am a tad concerned, one for Villa, and one for our inability to take our chances. Villa’s finishing needs to be improved upon, while our chances have to be buried. If we do play to our full potential (Remember November-December) then, I do not really see Manchester United standing a chance. Until then …VISCA BARCA!!!

Awards:
Man of the Match: Today’s man of the match award goes to Andres Iniesta. Although he didn’t start the game well, he improved and grabbed a wonderful goal. He then managed to take the game by the scruff of the neck, producing some wonderful passing and runs which really needed some better end results.

Stat(s) of the Day:
- Since the beginning of the season, No team has managed to score a goal against FC Barcelona in the first 15 minutes.
- Barcelona has not lost their last 27 official home games (All Competitions).

Image: AP Photo

Read More

Match Preview: FC Barcelona vs RCD Espanyol

After securing their second Champions League final in three years on Tuesday night, it is time to concentrate on wrapping up a third League title on the trot for Guardiola’s men. It will be another opportunity to add to their already bulging trophy cabinet. Any notions of winning the league tonight were dashed by a 6-2 demolition of Sevilla by Real Madrid, leaving the Blaugrana with the objective of reducing the four points deficit they need from their remaining three games to taste success. In yesterday’s press conference Guardiola dismissed resting any of his star names for tonight’s Catalan derby with city rivals Espanyol. He will be more than aware that in the previous six encounters between these sides at the Camp Nou, Barcelona had only managed two victories.

Espanyol’s poor form in the second half of the league campaign has seen them struggle, registering a mere fourteen points. Barcelona also showed a recent dip in form, suffering their second defeat of the season to lowly Real Sociedad last week. Sergio Garcia and Baena will both miss out due to injury for the visitors, while Barcelona’s recent injury worries seem to be taking a positive turn. Bojan is the latest to have returned to full training this week, after a month long absence due to a cruciate ligament tear. Captain Carles Puyol and Andres Iniesta both played a full part in the midweek match and seem to have shrugged off their recent knocks, while Eric Abidal has made a miraculous return after being expected to take no further part this season.

One would expect Abidal and Bojan to both be on the bench as a precaution. However, Puyol, who is short of match practice, could well get a starting berth on the left of a backline comprising of Alves, Pique and Mascherano. Busquets, Iniesta and Xavi are expected to start in midfield, however don’t discount Thiago who has impressed in his last few games at midfield – securing a goal and a man of the match performance last Saturday. Up front, the attacking trident of Messi, Villa and Pedro should impress. Pedro managed to score in midweek. However, neither he nor Villa have been their prolific selves in recent games, with Messi carrying the forward line on his own with regard to registering goals. Maybe tonight they will recapture the magic that set the league alight during the first half of the season.

In conclusion, Barcelona has too much quality to allow Espanyol to take any points from tonight’s home fixture. Expect a high tempo game with Abidal and Bojan to make cameo appearances from the bench.

Probable line up:
Valdes, Alves, Mascherano, Pique, Puyol, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro, Messi, Villa

Score Prediction:
FC Barcelona 3 – RCD Espanyol 0

Video: Tactical Barça – Midfield

Video: Tactical Barça – Off the ball movement

Read More

Champions League Match Preview: Real Madrid CF vs FC Barcelona

I awoke the Sunday before the decisive first leg of Barcelona’s Champions League semi-final to an odd, if not disturbing quote from Sergio Busquets: “Real Madrid are the worst rival that we could face at this time.” In Marca, no less. While Busquets went on to give all of the tired platitudes that readers of international sport are by now used to (“We must stay by our philosophy”, “We are a united team”, etc.), this statement struck me as missing the point somewhat. As the reigning Spanish champions, a title Barcelona now look set to retain, the Blaugrana should relish the opportunity to prove their philosophy against that of their most hated rivals on the European stage.

True, their last two outings against Los Merengues did not end as expected. Jose Mourinho once again proved that he is an excellent coach, and I don’t think that anybody has ever doubted that Madrid have in their team some truly world class talent. But this should act as motivation; Barcelona are a team with an identity that is universally respected. Revenge of the highest order is a dream that now burns in the hearts of millions of Culés all over the world, and the next two weeks will decide how the 2010/2011 season is remembered on the whole.

One point that can be taken away from the recent meetings with Madrid is that, no matter what the eventual outcome of our next two meetings, Barcelona have played true to their style. Madrid have lacked an identity all season, playing fierce attacking football against some teams, and odd, quasi-counter attacking against others, sometimes losing attention at inopportune moments (Sporting Gijón come to mind). Barcelona, meanwhile, have continued to try their possession-over-all-else style that usually see’s the team steamroll over opponents left and right. But something new has happened; it has stopped working, at least against Mourinho’s Madrid. Finally it would seem, after three seasons as the reincarnation of the Cruyff Dream Team, others have learned how to play against possession-dominant Barcelona. Constantly closing down space in the Catalan midfield, Madrid have found success in their last two outings in this fashion; and Barcelona, I must say, have yet to respond.

Real Madrid play host to Barcelona this Wednesday evening in what is sure to be a season defining game for both of the Spanish giants. Barcelona, still licking their wounds from the previous encounters between the two sides, should walk out of the tunnel with a full-strength squad, assuming captain Carles Puyol is able to recover from the newest knock to his hamstring. They will face a Madrid side suddenly flush with confidence, fresh from a 6-3 mauling of Valencia on the weekend, and as Guardiola himself has labeled them, “favourites”. What must Barcelona do to recover their recent dominance over the Madridistas? One word: shoot.

Even while under constant harassment by the Madrid starting eleven, at no point were the Catalans in danger of conceding great amounts of possession in the previous two meetings. What Barcelona must do is shoot the ball; dominance in possession is meaningless without goals. It has become frustrating as of late to watch stunningly beautiful build-up play amount to nothing but running around the top of the box. Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Villa, Alves, they can all shoot from distance. Why don’t they? If Barcelona are to right the wrongs of their recent meetings with their arch rivals, new emphasis needs to be placed on the final third of the pitch.

Having rested the majority of the first team against a feisty Osasuna side on the weekend, coach Guardiola looks set to field his strongest possible team in the Bernabeu come Wednesday evening. The only question mark hanging over the squad concerns the health of captain Puyol and left-back Maxwell. While Maxwell’s absence had been easier to fill with the in-form Adriano, Guardiola this time around has lost the former Sevilla player to thigh injury. It has been Puyol’s absence that has resulted in some shuffling in the midfield. Or, more likely, the reappearance of Mascherano next to Piqué; Busquets, while an admirable stand-in, is of much better use in the midfield. And he should find himself there come Wednesday evening, tasked with keeping an eye on Madrid’s roving midfielders. David Villa will hopefully continue to regain his newly-found goal scoring form and will be accompanied up top by Pedro and Messi, the latter of whom will be looking to bag his 51st goal of the campaign. A truly astonishing figure.

Madrid, meanwhile, are likely to continue to use the formation that brought them success in the Copa Del Rey final. Aside from losing Carvalho to suspension, Madrid will be at full strength, barring some late training ground mishap (and one can always hope, especially given Sergio Ramos’ very public penchant for clumsiness). Cristiano Ronaldo, as always, will start, and will likely do so alongside the excellent Angel Di Maria and Ozil. Don’t be surprised to see Higuaín come on at some point during the proceedings, having regained his scoring form after a return from injury.

The Madrid midfield will have to undergo some changes with Sami Khedira possibly out for the rest of the season from injury. Mourinho may replace him with Lasanna Diarra. Xabi Alonso is excellent, even when played a bit out of position in the deeper portions of the field. They will be joined by Pepe, the hard-hitting Portugese defender who has suddenly been a revelation since tasked with breaking up the play of the Catalans, seemingly with as much violence as can be tolerated by the referee.

The back four will all be familiar faces: Sergio Ramos (a.k.a Señor butterfingers), Arbeloa, Albiol (standing in for the suspended Carvalho), and Marcelo, another violence-prone figure. Keeper and captain Casillas will likely need to keep a close eye on the Brazilian’s temper; there were moments of near-insanity from this character in the Copa Del Rey final, and being sent of in the semi-finals of the Champions League would be a disaster for Madrid.

So then, on to the prediction. I heavily suspect that Guardiola will tell his players to keep it simple, continue with the style of play they have perfected, but perhaps shoot the ball a bit more. There is no reason not to test Casillas from distance early on, and a statement of intent from the Catalans should remind Madrid that it is only as of late that they are able to stifle the mesmerizing football of Barcelona. That being said, Madrid are in excellent form, and will no-doubt enter the game with a sky-high level of confidence (bordering on smugness, as is usually the case with Madrid). Both teams should be well rested, and ready for what could prove to be one of the tournament’s most epic battles to date. An away goal or two for Barcelona should be the ultimate aim, but a win in the Bernabeu would be a massive step towards Wembley. But I don’t expect one.

FC Barcelona line-up: Valdès, Dani Alves, Piqué, Puyol, Mascherano, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Messi, Pedro

Real Madrid line-up: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Arbeloa, Albiol, Marcelo, Pepe, Xabi Alonso, Lasanna Diarra, Ozil, Di Maria, Ronaldo.

Match Prediction: Real Madrid CF 1-1 FC Barcelona

Read More

The not-so-terrible history of Champions League teams that lost the first leg 2-1 away from home Read more: http://www.totalbarca.com/2011/analysis/t

Barça is in what appears to be a tough spot. Without even considering the loss of both Puyol and Pique, no squad wants to find itself facing a deficit going into the second leg of a Champions League knockout tie, even if it’s only a one goal deficit, you have an away goal and the match will be played at home. It’s especially unpleasant when the opposition will be arriving with a plane-full of world class talent that finds itself sitting extremely close to the top in one of the world’s elite leagues.

Such is life for the blaugrana as they prepare for Tuesday’s massively-huge match with Arsenal. “Barcelona Lite” features Cesc Fabregas, who according to scattered reports is from Barcelona and trained in the local football academy, and Arsene Wenger, a coach who makes no secret of his admiration for the brand of football that Barça play. But if any culés took them lightly, those feelings probably faded after the Gunners shocked Barça with two late goals in London.

But history tells us winning 2-1 at home in the first leg of a Champions League tie is far from a free pass to the next round. In fact, the statistics suggest Arsenal fans should be just as worried. Since the European Cup became the Champions League in the 1992-93 season, 16 times has a home team won the first leg of a knockout tie 2-1. Only 8 times has that team gone on to the next round. Another figure to encourage the blaugrana: 3 of those occurrences were in the 90′s. Since the dawn of the millenium, teams facing the 2-1 deficit after the away leg are 8-5 in favor of moving on. And among the teams that were in the same position that Barça finds itself in are some excellent squads, including the 2002 champion Real Madrid squad. What’s more, the list of teams that were in Arsenal’s position but failed to go through also features some extremely talented squads from the top leagues in Europe. Unfortunately, the list includes a bad memory – the 2005 Barcelona squad, which went on to win La Liga, and the Champions League a year later. They fell to Mourinho’s Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, after picking up a 2-1 win at Camp Nou. But it goes to show that nothing is impossible, or even unlikely, and Arsenal’s impressive record and their roster of stars doesn’t guarantee anything.

Also of note for culés: In 1993, Barca lost a first leg clash with Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine, 3-1. But Barca went on to take the tie on a 5-4 aggregate, after romping in the second leg at Camp Nou.

For your browsing pleasure, here is a list of all ties that finished 2-1 in favor of the home team in the first leg, the result, and how both squads finished the year. The qualifying rounds which take place in August and feature teams from smaller leagues were excluded.

Occurrences where the first leg home team went on to the next round:

Second round, 1992-93

Leg 1: Rangers 2-1 Leeds United

Leg 2: Leeds 1-2 Rangers

Rangers win 4-2, fail to advance out of group stage, which took place later in the tournament at this point

First round, 1993-94

1: Galatasaray 2-1 Cork City

2: Cork City 1-0 Galatasaray

Galatasaray wins 3-1, fail to advance out of group stage, which took place later in the tournament at this point

Quarterfinals, 1998-99

1: Juventus 2-1 Olympiacos

2: Olympiacos 1-1 Juventus

Juventus wins 3-2, lost in semifinals to champ Manchester United

First knockout round, 2003-04

1: Porto 2-1 Man U

2: Man U 1-1 Porto

Porto wins 3-2, goes on to beat Monaco in final to win Champions League

Quarterfinals, 2004-05

1: Liverpool 2-1 Juventus

2: Juventus 0-0 Liverpool

Liverpool wins 2-1, beats AC Milan on penalties in final to win Champions League

First knockout round, 2007-08

1: Roma 2-1 R Madrid

2: R Madrid 1-2 Roma

Roma wins 4-2, loses to champ Manchester United in quarters

Round of 16, 2009-10

1: Bayern Munich 2-1 Fiorentina

2: Fiorentina 3-2 Bayern

Bayern goes through on away goals 4-4, loses to Inter in final

Quarterfinals, 2009-10

1: Bayern 2-1 Man U

2: Man U 3-2 Bayern

Bayern goes through on away goals 4-4, loses to Inter in final

Occurrences where the first leg away team overcame the 2-1 deficit in the second leg:

Quarterfinals, 2000-01

1: Arsenal 2-1 Valencia

2: Valencia 1-0 Arsenal

Valencia goes through on away goals 2-2, goes on to lose final to Bayern on penalties

Quarterfinals, 2001-02

1: Bayern Munich 2-1 Real Madrid

2: Real Madrid 2-0 Bayern

Real Madrid wins 3-2, goes on to beat Bayer Leverkusen in final to win Champions League

First knockout round, 2003-04

1: Lokomotiv Moscow 2-1 Monaco

2: Monaco 1-0 Lokomotiv

Monaco goes through on away goals, 2-2, goes on to lose finals to Porto

First knockout round, 2004-05

1: Barca 2-1 Chelsea

2: Chelsea 4-2 Barca

Chelsea wins 5-4, loses to Liverpool in semis

Quarterfinals, 2005-06

1: Inter-2-1 Villarreal

2: Villarreal 1-0 Inter

Villarreal goes through on away goals 2-2, loses 1-0 to Arsenal in semis

Quarterfinals, 2006-07

1: Roma 2-1 Man U

2: Man U 7-1 Roma

Man U wins 8-3, loses to eventual champ Milan in semis

Quarterfinals, 2007-08

1: Fenerbache 2-1 Chelsea

2: Chelsea 2-0 Fenerbache

Chelsea wins 3-2, loses to Manchester United in finals

Round of 16, 2009-10

1: Porto 2-1 Arsenal

2: Arsenal 5-0 Porto

Arsenal wins 6-2, loses to FC Barcelona in quarters

Read More

Tri-dimensional Barça

This article addresses the impressive statistics of our attacking front, the “trident”, or also called MVP (Messi-Villa-Pedro). The original was extracted from Diari El Punt and can be found here.

* Barça’s legend gets bigger thanks to the excellent performance of the MVP trident
* Messi, Villa and Pedro have scored 56 times, more than any other team in La Liga
* The trident has scored 75% of Barça’s goals this season and is heading to outperform the Messi, Eto’o and Henry performance in 2008/09 season
* The trident has scored 83 times considering all competitions Barça is involved in.

What an Asturian, an Argentinian and a Canarian do? This phrase could be part of a classic joke, but it reflects the identity of the most deadly attacking front in Barça’s history to date. And what they do is to score. They score again and again, until exhaustion, non stop. Messi, Villa and Pedro (MVP) are like performers in a choreography set in a football ground, which resembles an opera stage. Those “three tenors” have made each of their appearance a complete recital.

They are the end point of the team, the ones that make a superlative difference. They are the ones that change the script of the games and to martyr their rivals. Obviously, the Trident would be nothing without its team mates, but the importance they have in the team is tremendous. This trio is the catalyst of the Barça game. Their performance could be resembled to the final touches of a meal, the perfect cooking point, the pinch of salt, the thing that makes the difference. The dish would still be good without them, but it won’t be an excellent meal. With them, it becomes an exquisite dish that tickles the palate. They gave an extra dimension to Barça’s game, making it tri-dimensional. They give the depth and width the team needs to continue being successful.

If the deadliest trident in Barça history is in good shape, there is no impossible challenge for the team to beat. But Barça was getting some criticism at the beginning of the season, for the lack of effectiveness in front. Villa was going through the typical adaptation process, following a road map planned by Pep Guardiola, Messi was recovering from the WC in South Africa and Pedro, as well as Villa, had not completed the typical preseason training programme because of the WC. Also, he was assuming the challenge of overcoming his best season. However, the trident has been working step by step, with methodical parsimony, at low heat, in order to achieve an impressive run. Right now, Barça can be compared to a football producing machine, thanks to this perfectly assembled trio.

The importance of the scorer trio was shown, once again, in Mallorca. The three of them scored at the Iberostar Stadium. It was the third league match in which this circumstance was repeated (La Coruña and Getafe were the others). It was a difficult game for Barça since they had high profile absences, such as Xavi, Valdez, Puyol and Dani Alves. But the “three tenors” did not fail. Messi was in charge of opening the can, with a genius goal. The argentine gently touched the ball with his chest and took advantage of the rebound to then head it to beat Mallorca’s keeper. The game was about to finish its first part and Messi’s goal calmed the nerves down in a discrete first part. This goal was like a vitamin injection to the game. It was Messi’s 26th goal in La Liga, who has 42 goals this season alone, in all competitions. A superb player, who is surrounded by two “small” geniuses that are also prone on being excellent with the ball. Then, Villa appeared to score the second after a fantastic run from midfield and a face to face definition with Mallorca’s keeper. It was the fourth game in a row that Villa scored (Mallorca, Athletic, Arsenal and Sporting), achieving 17 goals in La Liga and 21 in total this season. On the other hand, Pedro was the one in charge of closing the show with a poisoned shot that put end to a month drought for him. The small striker reached his 13th goal of the championship, leaving behind his 12 goals last season mark. The three of them are breaking their own records. The trident ended the anguish produced by the missing players. They did it the day the team needed it the most. Madrid only drew at Riazor because of their own lack of effectiveness, which shows a reality that is quite opposite to Barça’s current form. This is Barça’s magic key. The goal law is the one that decides the fate of a team. And Barça, according the statistics of its top three strikers, has everything in favour. Messi, Villa and Pedro have scored 56 times in La Liga. They accumulate 75% of Barça’s goals, that has scored 76 goals in the Spanish league, in total.

The trident stats do not stand comparison with anyone. They are amazing. The entire Madrid squad has scored 55 goals in the league and other teams are light years away from the trio’s numbers. They are the ones who will be writing history at Barça in the upcoming months. Winning trophies this season depends on them keeping their current performance. Their potential also can be extended to other competitions, since they have scored 83 times this season overall. This figure could be heading to overpass the previous record of 100 goals in one season, held by the previous trident formed by Messi, Eto’o and Henry in 2008/09 course. That was the treble year, a historical year full of titles. Now an Argentinian, an Asturian and a Canarian are expanding Barça’s legend and might break the 100 goals per season barrier. If they do, another brilliant year is assured.

Editor’s note: This article was written before the Valencia encounter. Messi has added 1 goal to his own and the MVP’s tallies since then.

Read More