Soccer Fan Blog

What so singular team is the Athletic one of Madrid, what aptitude to be enlarged, to become bold when it comes to him in desire. There are nights in which they go out to eat up the world and they eat up it; yesterday it was one of those. They entered the lawn of the Caldron with so many tension, desire and confidence that in only 20 minutes had given him two bites to the Barcelona that made it very hurt.

Money box was still not comfortably in his seat and him the dwarfs grew: Keita broke after starting (perhaps for not warming properly) and it was replaced by Pedro. A few minutes later, Xavi lost the ball in field mattress-maker, Reyes went away of Iniesta and Busquets and put a pass piece to the hollow to Forlán that the Uruguayan could cross before Valdés’s exit to score his 10th goal in nine parties against the Barca.
Soon Omen sinned of too generous when, only before the goalkeeper blaugrana, the goal wanted to yield to his front part partner, making possible Puyol’s arrival, which never gives a move completed. And in the minute 22 Simao fixed an absence for the stick of the doorman, very well thrown but by no means unstoppable if the archer remains in his place; this was what Valdés did not do, it moved before time and, when he wanted to realize, already one had eaten the goal. I will not say that it is the blunder of every trimester, but well …

2-0. 53.000 souls roaring in the Caldron and Quique Sánchez Flower doubting between the eyes or the hands rubbing. And only five minutes later Ibrahimovic made use of the typical hurly-burly that Puyol mounts jumping with everything in the córners to push to the network the ball. He did not silence the stadium, not much less, but between the fortitude screams it was possible to hear a doubt murmur: was going the Atleti to throw for the hut his excellent beginning as so many other times?

Quique is a trainer who can read the soccer and play his letters. Yesterday evening it combined intelligence and valor; intelligence at the time of arranging that his team will press very high to set in difficulties to a Barca to that he was lacking Piqué, Márquez and Alves, keys in the exit of the ball; valor for ordering to his defender to play very anticipated so that the team was not too long. And it went out for him well: his forwards set in serious problems to the rear rival repeatedly, while his defense did not allow to take the back in spite of the tens of meters that were separating it from his goal. Chapeau for Quique, which has gained itself to pulse the confidence of the people of the Manzanares.

Thanks to this spaces pumping between the avant-garde and the rearguard, the midfield rojiblanco ate up the blaugrana. Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets turned out to be completely overcome by Assunçao and Tiago perfectly flanked by Simao and Kings so generous in the help like incisors in attack. Tiago is not anything of another world, but it has occupied better than anybody this damned position in the Atleti, giving him the consistency in the fundamental one who so much needed. And Reyes seems different, or when less he remembers that lad who left the Nervion for the Thames to eat up the world. From his stage in the Arsenal he has been a mediocre player who has not fitted in any place (even his current trainer finished desperado with him when they coincided in Portugal). It seems that he is this player again desequilibrante, shamelessly and sharp that it unites so much capacity for the goal as for the assistance, and the Caldron knows it, since ovacionó his exit of the field.

It is difficult to measure up to where the merit came rojiblanco and where the demerit began blaugrana, but the true thing is that the Barca did not play anything comfortable and lost more balls that never. Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta did his worst party of the year at individual level, too many deficit for a team that depends on them more than of nobody. And Messi did not also appear to the rescue, although it tried it, and much less Ibrahimovic, slow and slightly guessed right, forced to play of backs for the athletic rear. Domínguez was outstanding (it has his central team for many years), Perea looked like that defender who wanted half an Europe, Ujfalusi did not suffer anything with Pedro and Antonio López made use of the flight towards Messi’s center and small Jeffrén trip to dominate his band.

After the fully deserved victory mattress seller is necessary to recognize an extra cost: it did not gain the party playing the crazy thing, pulling the epic, but from the tactical intelligence of his trainer and the united effort of his players. If it was managing to play this way against the ten worst teams of the League, it would add 50 points on 60 possible ones. And the yesterday victory will cost more than three points if it manages to support the same line; it is to eight points of the European area, has everything for winning in the Europaean League and it is classified by the final of the Cup (that almost assures the European tournament to him, so much if it wins as if it loses and the Seville finishes in positions Champions).

The Barcelona loses his first party in the League, what, bearing in mind that we are in the day 22 and that it has been against a big Atleti, it must not worry too much. The worst thing is that they lose Xavi for two weeks and, with still touched Touré, the problem can be more serious than that of yesterday in the defense: in the fundamental one it is where it walks more shortly of effective and, although it could pull the quarry or re-place certain pieces, it is where his game will turn out to be more affected.

The distance with Real Madrid comes down to two points, only one departed from difference, and the duel of the Bernabéu, whatever happens till then, takes a fancy as decisively or, when less, it fixes for occurring of this championship. It has not to the Barca fall down in the minimal pessimism since it is not necessary to forget that, in addition to the current champion, he keeps on being the leader. More worrying seems the accumulation of muscular injuries because it has stool but not so much …

Photo | Derick Leony