Barça 1 Real Madrid 0
Sunday, 29 November 09, 02:07 PM · Comments (27)
A goal in the 56th minute from substitute Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave 10-man Barça an epic victory over Real Madrid to take us back to the top of La Liga on our 110th anniversary. Ibrahimovic had only been on the pitch for five minutes when he scored, but the victory was put in doubt when Sergio Busquets got himself sent off for a second yellow card for a needless handball. However, it was a heroic performance from the ten remaining players and despite a couple of scares we held out for the victory.
It was a very tough match for us as Madrid managed to suffocate us in midfield by playing an advanced defence which left little space in the zone where Xavi and Iniesta usually work their magic. Faced with such tactics we tried to find the ball over the top but the few times we tried this we were frustrated by the red-headed linesman's flag going up every time, perhaps he was annoyed at Dani Alves shouting in his face early on. The other tactic we tried was to get in crosses but in the first half our aim was off target and we had few players getting into the area to aim at.
Madrid tried to hit us on the break and created the first goalscoring chance in the 20th minute after Kaka got past Piqué, Abidal had to come across leaving Ronaldo open on the right, but when Kaka found him Ronaldo hit his shot too close to Valdés who made a vital save with his outstretched right foot. Six minutes later Ronaldo dribbled in from the right, fed Kaka who laid the ball on to Marcelo in an excellent position but Carles Puyol got across superbly to make an excellent block.
It was Madrid's best period of the game but they had no more chances in the first half except for a hopeful shot from Marcelo that gave Valdés no problem. However, we also failed to get anywhere near Iker Casillas's goal and his only work was to deal with a low cross from Andres Iniesta.
Early in the second half Ibrahimovic came on for the ineffective Thierry Henry, soon after Xavi had a chance after a great build up but his shot was blocked. Then in the 53rd minute Madrid broke away, Ronaldo cut inside Eric Abidal but when he looked likely to score Puyol made another great block. Three minutes later Keita played the ball out to the right to Dani Alves, in the first half Alves's crossing had been well off target but this time he sent in a beauty that found Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the far post and he volleyed left-footed past Casillas.
However, when Busquets was sent off in the 62nd minute for his second yellow for sticking out his arm unnecessarily in midfield things looked like they would be more complicated but Barça rose to the occasion with a heroic performance. Pep Guardiola brought on Toure Yaya but the fact that he took off Keita suggested he did not want to just sit back and defend, the idea being to stick to what we do best which is keeping possesion. In this aspect Iniesta and Messi were brilliant and we continued to look for a second. Piqué had a header just wide from Xavi's free kick when Ibrahimovic was in a better position to score, Eric Abidal came close to his first Barça goal after being put through by an excellent ball from Xavi and near the end Alves played a fantastic pass into Messi who was denied by Casillas's legs.
At the other end Madrid had their chances, Ronaldo had a header over shortly before being subbed off for Benzema. Then in the 70th minute Puyol made his third vital block this time on Benzema as he shaped to shoot from close in. They put us under pressure from three second half corners but we defended bravely and deserved to hold on. Near the end Lass lost his patience as Xavi, Iniesta and Messi played keep-ball and was also sent off.
After all the criticism after recent performances we have responded brilliantly with two vital wins over Inter Milan and Real Madrid. against Inter we played some delightful football but tonight's victory was mainly down to great courage. We looked on the ropes at times but the defence was magnificent led heroically by Carles Puyol. Xavi, Iniesta and Messi struggled in the first half but once we were in the lead and down to ten men they were magnificent in keeping the ball which was essential to keep the pressure off our defenders. We can be rightly proud of this victory against a Madrid team who played a very well organised first half, but they will be disappointed that they didn't do more when they had the one-man advantage. Pep Guardiola once again demonstrated his tactical genius by not resorting to a defensive formation after the sending off, the fact that we also played much better in the second half suggests the merit of his half time talk.
We now play Xerex on Wednesday, Deportivo on Saturday followed by the Champions League game against Dynamo Kiev. We then face Espanyol at home before flying off to Abu Dhabi for the Club World Cup where we have the small challenge of proving what most of us culés believe: that we are the best team on the planet.
Barça: Valdés 8; Alves 8, Puyol 9, Piqué 8, Abidal 7; Xavi 7.5, Busquets 4.5, Keita 7 (Toure m66, 7); Messi 8, Henry 5.5 (Ibrahimovic m51, 8), Iniesta 8.5.
Goal: m56 Ibrahimovic
Yellow cards: m33 Arboloa, m41 Albiol, m48 Lass, m50 Busquets, m62 Busquets, m69 Pepe, m79 Marcelo, m90 Lass
Red cards: m62 Busquets, m90 Lass
Attendance: 97,138
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27 Comments · Add yours
Real Madrid were very strong today and Barca did not show their class; but champions always ride a bit of luck to pull through and thats what got us the victory. also, great substitution by Pep.
This was the first defining week of our season. Had it gone bad, we could be out of the CL and looking at a highly spirited Madrid from some distance back. Two years ago, we would have gone to pieces. But this team responded, producing a fantastic display against Inter and a great performance of courage tonight!
It was a difficult game. Madrid looked very strong in the midfield, stopping our plays early, and still created a few opportunities for themselves. But througout the game, we were by far the best team. After all, a team with Alonso and Kaka leading their play had a paltry 36% of possession to show for the millions paid, that's almost incredible. Particularly when you consider they had an extra man for half an hour... They also had to resort to a lot of fouling to slow us down, and maybe that explains that we had a better control of the game in the second half as booked Madrid players had to be a bit more careful. Congrats to the ref who was excellent I thought. He was very consistent, Busquets was booked twice for fouls wich had also been booked for Madrid players.
It was a very difficult game and we have shown once again that we can win very difficult games cos' we have a great mental. I think that's what I prefer in this team, thanks a lot Pep for this nice gift!
Oh, and Nic, remember this discussion we had about Puyol? Not the best defender in the world anymore?
Visca Barça!!!
absolutely amazing stuff from puyol... definitely MOM.
we looked a lot stronger in the second half. would have been really interesting to see what would have happened if we didn't drop to 10 men. anyway, great win. not easy, not all too pretty, but we fought hard for it. and our defense really was great.
let it be known that by MOM I mean Man of the Match, so maybe I needed a T in that...
Tarzan was immense today...absolutely immense.
Great fight with 10 men, Busquets is a star in the waiting but needs to stop the brain fades he has (although he is still young). Pity Toure couldn't start but I understand he is still underdone.
Great last 2 games, gives us some confidence and also saps Madrid's mentality. Good stuff - great way to start the week!
i would have gone crazy if busquets had cost us the match. i just hope after these 2 big games pep is now satisfied that he can hold his own in our midfield come jan/feb....so i dont expect to see toure having the least minutes when compared to keita and busi
to the match, we must be thankful for the victory and i hope yall recognise how hard it is to win convincingly against such an expensively assemble team...also, ibra was bought for this kinda matches so i hope to see more goals from him...
puyol was a beast, MOM as noted and most of the others were nice too
valdes was at it again, i can hardly remember us winning any tough match without a contribution from him, as soon as he saved from c.ronaldo i was already thinkin that this is one of those games when the opposition would have some critical chance and fluff it before we have ours and win the game....
im seriously worried about henry, its as if we always start with 10 men in all the recent matches he has started...i seriously dont mind pedro gettin some games till he gets some form
lastly, pep....u are definitely gonna be one of the best....ive always trusted u since last season.....i even agree u might get it wrong eventually in one match and have even forgiven you for that already
also, messi, xavi and inesta went ball-obsessed in the last minutes of the match, diarra was simply upset he was being used for ball control training
what a great night. this was indeed a team performance, but i have to give it up for especially Pep, Puyol and Zlatan.
- Pep for his brilliant tactical knowledge, that made Pellegrini look like a newcomer.
- Puyol for his heroic performance in defence. who said too old?
- Zlatan for his goal - obviously. scoring just four/five minutes after being sent on is just pure class.
Nic, i think you are being a bit harsh on Henry. he tried his best, but his game was affected by the rest of the team, which offensive strategie did not work in the first half.
finally, Busquets deserves a verbal beating after tonight. he was just rubbish. got almost nothing right and that handball just topped it off. of course i'm not happy to see this, but i got to say that this just brings Toure closer to more starting line-ups - which is wonderful.
visca barca!
You'll never ever hear me say this ever again but good job to Madrid...the first team in a very long time to really challenge us with offence......
annnnd enough of that
We were champs today...never found our rhythm, caught some luck and were brilliant when we needed to be...
Was overly impressed with Messi's effort today...was left alone a lot but was special at some moments n the first half....
Midfield was good but madrid were good too...these are the best midfields in the world and after watching arsenal and chelsea you can see the class in la liga
lastly Henry, love you, but you don't fit our squad anymore...thank you for being apart of the greatest trio last year
Ibra..not a big game player?
5 minutes
and Puyol,
Salute the General
Celebrate boys, we deserve it
The best birthday present ever, 110 years - best way to celebrate as well.
Guardiola is 3-0 against RM.
Well done to MOTM, Puyol who was absolutely superb saving us on many times and showing his trademark tenacity and fighting spirit.
It would be best for Henry to be left on the bench for a couple of weeks, he is ineffective at the moment, so give him a rest and play Pedro or Bojan.
Busquets wasn't great and the handball was just silly, but he'll learn and take away from the game, returning better and hopefully more focussed.
It was a awsome performance from ten men barca. Barca keeping the ball better than the Madrid as usual and create chances,. On the other hand Madridian played good game in the first half but couldn't take advantages of ten man barca. Second half barca came out strong and keeping the ball. Madrid side is now far better the last season but still a huge gap compare to their counter part barca. It is a nice showing from barca after some bad performance in champs league and la liga....
Stand up for Captain Courageous ( 'The Wall' in my opinion) and his superb defensive team. What a performance against possibly one of if not the best offensive line-up in the world including Kaka and CR 7. Everything Real could do to get a goal they tried but The Wall and Co. just wouldn't let the ball go into the net. Valdes made an excellent save against CR7 which was the best chance for either side in the first half. Again, I don't understand what more Valdes has to do to prove he should be in the Spain WC 2010 squad.
Real shutdown both of our midfield playmakers in the first half and consequently we didn't look like scoring in the first half.Pep then brought out another of his trump cards aka Ibracadabra early in the second half who netted in the only goal of the match. The towering presence of Ibra allows us an aerial option to the opposition goal which we didn't seem to have in the prior season.
In my opinion (which could be wrong) this match while highlighting our mental toughness also displayed our lack of options on the wings. Henry is getting older and injury prone and Iniesta/Keita are not and should not be thought of as natural wingers.
Is it me or did Barca get better with Biscuits sending off? I still think the guy just had a bad match and he will learn from this blunder to become a better player in the future for Barca.
I don't get Madrid I really don't. What happened last night was a taste of there own medicine. They won 1-0 for the last 4 games I think. COMPLETELY LUCKY ! Now they dare to come and say that we won by luck. Just face it we WON. We are better. Your Millions couldn't win you the game. LIVE WITH IT!!!
@ omer,
I don't think we got better when busquets went off so much as we got better when Zlatan came on. I think we we're really flying after he entered the game and we were ready to squeeze the life out of the game after his goal until Busquets did what he did... I mean, we did have some pretty shaky looking moments in the second half...
Anyway, great win for the team!
I nearly had an anxiety attack watching that match.
Thanks Busquets you dumb ass.
Well really he just made a mistake. Can happen to anyone. He just picked the least convenient time to do it. That's why Toure is No.1.
Ease up on Henry everybody. I'm yet to see the proper starting eleven line up. That is where he played so well last year. I know he has not been up to the mark this year. But when he scored the other week you can see how much it meant to him. I would like to see everyone get behind him again.
I know he's getting on a bit now, but it was only last year he played fabulous football. His talent is undoubted. It's just his mindset. I'm sure he's on his way out, but till then let's keep up the support.
P.S. I love being right about Ibra........
This past week was the toughest so far and it has shaped our season so far. However, we won although we couldn't produce the same level as on inter match and madrid took advantage of that and they were very close to score on more than an occasion but thanks god we had Puyol to stop them and save our backs.
Also, Xavi wasn't in the perfect mind set in the 1st half he lost his touch until the 2nd half and thanks god Iniesta we back in the midfield to fill up Xavi's out of form performance in the 1st 20-45 mins. Also, Pep did an amazing sub with Ibra, Ibra did it with his 1st touch he produced a magnificent goal and we could have scored a second from Pique's header. Busquets sent off was due to his lack of experience but he sure learned a lot from it and will be much better on the coming matches, still he is a great talent!
BUT happy 110th Anniversary Everyone! I hope Barca release a jersey for it
@Cule@Heart:
Yes you're right we could have taken the game away after Ibra scored had Biscuits not got himself sent off. However what I meant by gotten better was the intensity in the Barca play that wasn't as apparent in the first half. Its like the 10 Barca players seemed to have upped their performance levels after Biscuits exit.
@Pabman:
I'm not trying to criticise Henry and yes he's been terrific for us especially last year but he's not going to get any younger so Barca need to find a youngster who can be groomed to slot into his position when Henry does hang up his boots.
On Henry, I must say I feel a bit worried too. He was constantly offside, and that could be cos' he knows he isn't quick enough anymore to get a regular breakthrough, which was illustrated when he had a straight sprint for a ball with Pepe and lost it by a mile. This lack of pace is worrying me, I just hope he is out of form and can recover.
Another point worth highlighting in my opinion was the fair-play of both teams, no bad spirit, no bad tackles, Madrid were playing hard but fair I thought, and it was nice to see the players lifting the players of the other team, ruffling their hair and clapping and all. Compared to last year fixture, there was a world of difference, and that was nice!
LINK
Seriously though what is Guadiola's problem with Yaya? Any other coach would cherish to have a player of his abilities yet Sergi Biscuits is being relied upon in such crucial games.
He was terrible yesterday and could have easily cost Barca the game. I noticed Barca actually played better when he got sent off.
Moving on Guadiola has a bias and does not consider Yaya an important part of the team in my opinion.
The reason I say this is because I never ever heard the coach give any compliments to our Yaya.
He constantly praises the likes of Keita and Biscuits I quote "Biscuits is a player who never has a bad game"
I'm shaking my head in disgust I'm I the only 1 who notices what a complete player Yaya is in his position.
Maybe when he decides to leave and head to the EPL he will get the recognition he deserves.
I hope he never leaves. I can't stand EPL teams and Yaya has become a favorite player of mine since he forced himself to play in the semi final of 08 champions league against Manchester even though he was suffering from back problems which required him to have cortisone injections.
Where is the acknowledgment for this guy?
Single handedly shut the entire Chelsea midfield and Drogba in last season's semi final. Scored the crucial equalizer in the final of the Kings cup.
Did I mention he played out of position as a center back in the final in Rome and did a perfect job.
I would appreciate if the coach could acknowledge his contributions. Yet it's players like Pedro, Biscuits and Keita who are held in higher regards.
I would like to know your thoughts on this subject.
I also noticed henry was outpaced by Pepe in a sprint. Pepe has pace but thierry must be carrying a knock cos nobody leaves henry like that!!
He cant have lost his pace in a few months???
I think henry has struggled to find his best position at barca. Last season he did terrific job as part of that devastating front three. But at arsenal he was the best player in the PL for several years playing centrally.
At barca, eto kept him of central role, then guardiola employed messi there in some games last season. Now ibra has arrived to spoil his party once more.
Dont get me wrong. Henry is one of the best wingers/widemen in football but it was as an out and out striker for arsenal that he became practically unplayable and the best striker in the world.
Also i see Yaya has a lot of blaugrana fans behind him in his push for a first team spot. But guardiola prefers keita and busquets!! A hem.. Pep seems to know what he's talkin about so there must be something a lot of fans dont know, or cant see. (perhaps poor attitude??) Is he unsettling in the dressing room?? There has got to be something like that in the background.
We all know yaya is great on the field and i personally think he's the classiest defensive midfielder in the world. He can fill in at CB against man u in CL final too at the drop of a hat and play magnificently.
I think he's on the way out though??? Other teams are queueing up to sign him
BTW . Real surprised me a bit to be honest. They attack with thrilling speed on the counter attack.
I dont think they deserved a win, but they showed they could become a force and will defo be challenging barca this year in la liga and CL.
But it will be different for barca when they come up against a chelsea or liverpool who try to stifle the game with tough defensive gameplan. Its sometimes pure anti-football like last seasons semi with chelsea.
Barca would be better suited to playing madrid, man utd and teams who try to attack.
Who do you think are the teams who will end up in CL quarter finals?? Obviously barca!! and... ????
Mouthwatering CL semi final line up this year
Chelsea v Barca
Man utd v Real Madrid
I cant see anyone else muscling in on the EPL/La Liga dominance. If anyone fancies telling me which other teams have a realistic chance this year?? Please do
I think you guys need to step back a bit and think a little about this whole Yaya situation. First of all, let me say, I love the Yaya and I would be VERY upset if he ever left. However, as much as I value him, no player is worth more than the team. Busi is playing because HE HAS TO. Pep cannot risk playing at least an entire month in Jan, when we play Sevilla, without a capable DM. If the game against RM showed us anything its that he still has a lot to learn and you learn by playing, not by sitting on the bench.
If Yaya cannot understand that we have to do what is best for the team and not his personal career then quite frankly he can leave. There is nothing more important than winning games. What happens if we play Yaya every single game till he goes off to the ACN and then we lose half the games when he is gone because his spot is not covered adequately. He will probably be gone for even more than a month, because Ivory Coast are pretty damn good and they will prob reach the final. Would you rather have an unfit, unsharp Busquets, lacking confidence and minutes? Or a fresh, sharp, confident Busquets with plenty of games under his belt and plenty of experiences to learn from. Either way he is not Yaya, but Pep cannot do anything about that. The Yaya will be gone for at least a month. Period. We have to make sure we can handle that month. Busi is getting better and even though he didnt have his best game against MAdrid consider that he is only 21 and he was playing against two of the worlds best in Kaka and Ronaldo. He did a pretty decent job cos I have seen those two make much better, much more experienced players look foolish. Not to mention his performance vs Inter Milan, which was very impressive. Compare that to how he started the season and you will see how crucial it is to give him playing time to improve. Yaya was injured vs Inter, imagine Busi had barely played up till then, do you think he would have had such a good game? Doubt it. He needed those ...
minutes in all those games leading up to the Inter game to get him to that level. He will need more games so that he is ready for January where, whether we like it or not, he will be our DM for some big games. He has to be ready and it is a lot more important to make sure he is ready than to please Yaya and his agent.
It is not Peps fault that Yaya is in the ACN, that is just the way it is. Pep is doing what is best for the team and for the results, he is being smart and thinking ahead and I don't doubt him for a second.
Hilal, that is very understandable but there is a way pep can manage it without making yaya feel like an outcast. Common, jst abt 7 starts all because of nation cup... We might as well loan him out for this seasn
@Layi
These are the stats for both players so far this season:
Starts this season (all comps):
Busquets: 12
Yaya: 12
Subs on (all comps):
Busquets: 7
Yaya: 2
That does not seem so unreasonable to me when you consider the circumstances. Plus Yaya was sick, if he wasnt he probably would have started against both Inter and Madrid. He couldnt play against Inter because he was sick, not Peps fault, and against Madrid I cannot blame Pep for starting Busi. He just came off prob one of the best games he ever had for us, while Yaya had just recovered from Swine flu. Pep has to make decisions based on what he thinks is going to win us games, not on what he thinks is going to make a player happy. It is a delicate balancing act trying to do both, but the team always takes priority and if the player cannot understand that than he can leave.
Don't get me wrong, I dont want Yaya to leave, I really really dont. I think he and Mascherano are the two best DM in the world. For us I think Yaya even edges it because of the size and strength he brings to the midfield. BUT None of that justifies playing him just because he demands it. If Pep decides it is better to play Busi then that is it. We didnt win 5 trophies because of Yaya, we won 5 trophies because we are a hard working, united team of players that is led by Pep. This is the kind of shit players did with Rijkaard and got away with and its kind of thing that undermines a managers position. That is why top managers like Ferguson always act quickly and swiftly when players come out and say shit to the press. There is only one manager and only one man who makes these decisions, if players are allowed to undermine that, then you start getting more and more problems in the dressing room. I hope Pep makes it clear that it wont fly with him.
I couldn't agree more than with Hilal's previous post. I would also hate to see Toure leave and I doubt that he will. Previously we have always blamed the rumours of Toure leaving on his agent but this time it seems to come from the player himself (unless of course it is the usual made up nonsense from the press). Whatever the case it is only Guardiola who can see how the chemistry works in training and the changing room and if any player is unnecesarily rocking the boat it is the manager who needs to sort that out (and I don't care if that player is Leo Messi, the team comes first).
However, let's just hope that it just a lot of hot air and Toure remains with us and continues to show what a tremendous player he is in our colours.
It is about time Diarra ,the "butcher" , was sent off for a change . I don't understand how he can get away with his reckless fouling game in and game out . He makes no attempt to play the ball whatsoever . He seems to go for the ankle most of the time .
If that S.O.B. is not the dirtiest MF in La Liga I don't know who is ?