IF there was one certainty aboutthe first games of the New Year it was that Barcelona would win, and win handsomely.
Levante, their opponents on Sunday, arrived at Camp Nou 16th in La Liga with one away win to their name. Had they been a horse there would have been a stewards’ inquiry after their previous outing — a Christmas beanfeast in Madrid which ended 8-0, with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema serving themselves at will and going back for third helpings.
That was the cup and Sunday was the league, so stiffer resistance was to be expected. Even so, you couldn’t get good odds against Barcelona, even with a three-goal handicap, so it was a genuine shock to see the home team clinging on nervily to a 2-1 lead for the final 15 minutes.
True, Lionel Messi was given the evening off — his replacement Pedro scored both goals — and Barcelona were without both first-choice centre-backs, but it was one of those games that showed how even the best attacking sides can struggle against a packed defence.
Pep Guardiola emerged for his post-match press conference muttering wryly about teams "parking the bus", as if it were somehow indecent for opponents to seek to prevent Barcelona from scoring. It might conceivably have been a lot more embarrassing, as Levante had a very good penalty claim turned down when the score was 0-0.
The plus for Guardiola was that his home-grown youngsters once again showed their quality. Along with Pedro, Sergio Busquets filled in competently at centre-back, and Thiago, the young Brazilian midfielder, looked an excellent prospect when he came on in place of Javier Mascherano.
The next generation is already looking good, and that’s the decisive difference with Real Madrid. Both clubs have spent fortunes, but Barcelona have that tremendous core of players who have come through together and who know each others’ game by heart
"We could play in our sleep," said Ruud Gullit of the great Milan side that was moulded by Arrigo Sacchi. Guardiola has that and more – some of his first-team squad were among the 12-year-olds he worked with when he started his coaching career with the schoolboy team.
Sunday’s match leaves Xavi one short of setting a new club record of 550 appearances, and he now seems to be the favourite to take the World Player of the Year award next Monday, after being ranked third last time.
"It’s now or never for him," said Johan Cruyff yesterday, and evidently the Catalan lobby is in favour of Xavi rather than his two team-mates on the shortlist. Messi has been a class apart this season, but did not have a great World Cup, while Andres Iniesta missed a lot of games for Barcelona last year.
Xavi’s personal success with club and country is a painful contrast – literally — with Kaka, who won that award in 2007. It must feel like a lot more than three years ago.
The Brazilian finally returns from injury this week, after 238 days out, with a lot of catching-up to do. Kaka’s first season with Madrid was definitely an anti-climax and ever since the story has been floating around in Milan that he has a chronic knee problem that may prevent him recovering fully.
The frustration for his club, and especially for Jose Mourinho, is that now Gonzalo Higuain needs an operation and may well be out for the rest of this season. It means more choppping and changing in attack, as Madrid only have one central striker available. Hence the rumours about a possible bid for Emmanuel Adebayor.
For all that, Mourinho concerns are more at the back than the front. There isn’t that rock-like certainty he could build on at his previous two clubs and he is leaning heavily on his captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Leave aside Barcelona’s 5-0 win and Casillas has conceded 7 goals in 14 games, In front of him, however, the centre-backs have not always looked reliable, and it seems as if Mourinho might opt to break up his Portuguese pairing, Pepe and Carvalho, both suspended for last night’s derby against Getafe.
How he must yearn for a top-class holding midfielder – a Makelele or a Cambiasso. Something of an irony since both once played for Madrid and were discarded as surplus to requirements.
* Last night’s results: Spain: PrimeraDivision: Atletico Madrid 0 Racing Santander 0; Mallorca 3 Hercules 0; Villarreal 2 Almeria 0; Zaragoza 2 Real Sociedad 1; Getafe 2 Real Madrid 3.
Scottish Premier: St. Mirren 0 Kilmarnock 2.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Tuesday, January 04, 2011
