Barcelona('s) Complete Domination
In a season which saw La Liga completely tucked in the shadow of the Barcelona show, featuring plucky guest star Real Madrid, it is hard to see beyond the two giants.
While the Blaugrana utterly destroyed the rest of the league, picking up the league crown along with another Champions' League trophy, Real tried to run them close, edging them in a close Copa Del Rey final and racking up an impressive total of points. However, as impressive as Real's tally of wins and points were, Barcelona's were even more. The one index that Real managed to beat Barcelona at was league goals scored, with Madrid scoring 105 to Barca's 95. Ironic then, that the world's greatest exponent of negative defending, Jose Mourinho, saw his side lose the title on the back of a relatively porous defence. Real conceded 33 times while Barcelona only allowed 21. In the end, the Catalans had a difference of +74 and 96 points while Real finished with +69 and 92 points.
The first head to head clash between the two teams, the El Clasico, ended in a resounding win for Barcelona and a humiliating defeat for Jose. A 5-0 win that could easily have been more and was flattering to Real, saw Barcelona establish themselves early, by stamping their authority all over their rivals and sending a shockwave around both the league and Europe. Winter was settling in and already Real had lost the league to Barcelona who were eight points ahead after the win.
Thereafter the second run of Clasicos in the Spring of 2011 were petulant, niggly affairs. Although Barcelona were much better in all four games, Real edged the Copa Del Rey final, winning in extra time and Barcelona won 2-0 in the first of two Champions' League semi-final legs. The other leg and remaining league fixture ended in draws but high drama ensued in all four games. Real resorted to thuggish defending and boorish tactics, Barcelona to avid gamesmanship and both teams to juvenile finger pointing, conspiracy theories and an embarrassing lack of sporting spirit.
Although Real were outmatched by Barcelona, who tried, at least, to play a better and more positive brand of football, Madrid's undoing was all mental. They refused to abandon a defensive counterattacking policy and go on the offensive against their opponents. Clearly the 5-0 hammering had left Jose Mourinho catatonic tactically, with recurring nightmares and he would never try to attack Barcelona, to try and beat them with firepower, ever again. His meltdown was complete as he named an average of seven defensive players in every lineup.
And it was a pity, because despite Real's rich legacy, mountains of cash, grand corridors of influence, extravagant spending and roster brimming with attacking gems, they were never really let off the leash and were made to look like pitiful pretenders at Barcelona's ball. Real should be ashamed of themselves but they decided to give the Portuguese manager another year by turfing the Director of football, Jorge Valdano and placing Mourinho in charge of everything.
Beyond the big two, who, quite frankly, left everyone with a bad taste after their puerile exhibition in the four consecutive Clasicos during March-April 2011, there was a lot of excellent football to be had as several teams in La Liga stepped up and delivered performances worthy of top billing.
Valencia and Villarreal fought an engrossing battle for third spot that saw the last automatic Champions' League berth see-saw between the Yellow Submarines and Los Ches. Valencia surged into the lead at the start of the season, before Villarreal reeled them in; only for the Bat at the Mestella to pull back in front by May 2011. Valencia finished third and Villarreal fourth and for many, this was the most entertaining race in the land. Both teams conceded 44 times but were built around a budget that saw youth talent blended in with national team fringe players and experienced La Liga lesser lights.
Behind them Athletic Bilbao, Seville and Atletico Madrid all finished level on 58 points as none of the three, it seemed, wanted to finish fifth. A yo-yo battle between the three saw them all take turns pulling ahead or dropping behind before landing up in a heap, only separated by head to head results between the trio. Sevilla (5th) and Bilbao (6th) took the Europa League spots while the Rojiblancos, with a typically mental season, finished seventh. A point worth noting, repeatedly, is that Bilbao, stubbornly refuse to field a single non Basque player in their lineup, and have never been relegated from the Primera Division.
At the bottom, only a furious finish aided by Julio Baptista's rejuvenation saw newly purchased super-rich Malaga avoid relegation as despite Guradado's best efforts Deportivo La Coruna went down. Almeria and Hercules may have been doomed from the start, not just because of their quality of talent, lack of funds and in Almeria's case a tendency to concede upwards of six goals on a regular basis; but at least the latter shocked Barcelona and Sevilla with Paraguayan Nelson Valdez, putting the team on his back and delivering.
However, many of the larger clubs had terrible seasons, finishing in lower half, just a few points above Deportivo in 17th - Real Zaragoza (another newly bought club - more on them later), Racing Santander and Real Sociedad among them. Osasuna and Espanyol impressed however, finishing a very commendable 9th and 8th respectively, along with Sporting Gijon (Heehon) who rounded out the top 10.
So, although the big two took home all the headlines, La Liga proved to be so much more than just them.
As a result, any interesting and comprehensive list of players who impressed this season must exclude the players of Real Madrid and Barcelona, as one tries to see beyond the big title fight to review the other talent impressing on La Liga's shores.
*Top Ten Players (not counting players from the Big Two: Barcelona and Real Madrid):
Juan Mata - Despite reported interest from Arsenal, maong others, he has reiterated his desire to continue playing for Los Ches. Valencia's midfield and attacking conduit for the next few years, the youngster has come of age in a season that saw him bookend excellent performances at club level with World Cup and Euro U-21 trophies. Spain's best young talent. Scored eight times while providing 13 assists.
Santi Cazorla - Ole' Santiago had another vintage season with 10 goals and six assists, proving that the national team does have life outside Barca and Real. Pulled the strings as well as scored freely for a refreshing Villareal side that finished fourth in the league and lost in the Europa League semi-finals. One of Europe's most underrated midfield generals.
Xabi Prieto - An excellent season for Real Sociedad, despite the club flirting with relegation. The namesake of the Real deep lying playmaker, Prieto had a season for the ages as he kept his side in the top division with visionary passing and complete leadership from the middle of the park. Notched 13 assists and seven goals for a very healthy return.
Giuseppe Rossi - Villarreal's powerhouse forward and another young tyro who came of age this season, the Italian marksman is the leading forward at both club and international level. Villarreal will want to hold on to him for as long as possible if he continues to play like he did this season. With 18 goals and six assists, he was the best forward outside the big two.
Sergio Aguero - While his days at Atletico Madrid seem numbered, one cannot argue with his production which has continued apace. Another prolific season saw him notch 12 goals and four assists. Whatever his transfer commands, Atleti have made a healthy profit while getting excellent returns from the young striker they recruited five years ago.
Alvaro Negredo - Sevilla's long term replacement for the departed Luis Fabiano and the soon to be retired Frederick Kanoute. The Real Madrid youth team product showed a cool head in front of goal, pacy dribbling and calm finishing for a Seville side that blow hot and cold to finish fifth. Weighed in with a massive 20 goals and six helpers to briefly threaten in the Pichichi race.
Roberto Soldado - Valencia's replacement for David Villa, he filled in admirably for his predecessor. 18 goals and three assists saw him lead the line for a Valencia team that was expected to struggle but flourished despite the unloading of star Davids Silva and Villa and a burgeoning debt. Dovetailed to great effect with Mata, Soldado has reached the apex of his career at the Mestella.
Fernando Llorente - At 26, the physical man mountain was the perfect spearhead for a robust Bilbao side, who consolidated their position towards the top of the table without ever threatening European qualification outright. The experience of national team outings helped bring an added dimension to his game and was literally immense for Athletic, with 18 goals and six assists from 37 starts.
Pablo Osvaldo - In a season that saw all the news and spotlight go towards their cross town rivals, Espanyol, from the Montjuic Olympic hillside, had a quietly impressive season. In a team that was built around his creative and tactical prowess, the Argentine born Italian had a terrific year, singlehandedly taking his team into 8th spot, with 13 goals and four assists.
Ricardo - Osasuna finished with more goals conceded than scored as their defence allowed 47 goals while their attack mustered only 46. Miraculously, they managed to finish ninth as goalkeeper Ricardo pulled off an amazing 128 saves during a 38 game ever-present vigil in net. 14 clean sheets, second only to Barca, were the cornerstone of their campaign.
Top Ten Moments:
Barcelona 5 - 0 Real Madrid - A complete annihilation as Jose Mourinho's grand plans to unseat his Catalan rivals ended in depressing failure. Barcelona were at their imperious best and could easily have notched eight while Real were headless, clueless and eventually guileless as they lost both game, class and composure, with Sergio Ramos being tossed for added measure. A sumptuous orchestration of football in a one-sided Clasico.
Real Zaragoza is foreign owned - As local newspapers announced the arrival of Salvador Ali, Indian businessman Ali Ahsan Syed, based in Bahrain, swooped in to buy the club. While little is known of the enigmatic magnate, his plans for the improvement and advancement of his new club were immediate in their announcement. Zaragoza finished 13th, as it joined Malaga in being the second La Liga club in foreign hands.
Real Madrid 7 - 0 Malaga - A midweek La Liga tie against one of the minnows (Malaga, despite its material wealth, are still hardly heavyweights in the league) rarely brings in a full house. However the Bernebeu was almost packed, insanely loud and rocking to the rafters as the home side put on a clinic during an easy hammering. With 15 minutes to go and all the subs being used up, both Real and Malaga saw players, pick up an injury and simply march down the tunnel.
Valencia 3 - 6 Real Madrid - End to end entertainment as Valencia tried their best to keep Ronaldo and his black shirted crew at bay. Nine goals were scored in an evening that saw Real refuse to lie down and concede the title to Barcelona, or for Valencia to lie down and concede the game to Real. The perfect advert for Spanish football at its best.
Almeria 0 - 8 Barcelona - Almeria were shipping goals on their travels with reckless abandon but were a lot more solid at home. However, the all conquering Blaugrana came to town and shellacked them in front of their home support. Messi scored three, Bojan netted two as Barcelona set an away game record at a venue that had seen the home side only concede six goals in eight previous games.
Barcelona 0 - 2 Hercules - A game that made David slaying Goliath look like a middleweight fight. Promoted Hercules produced a shock for the ages as they beat the defending champions in their own backyard of the Nou Camp. And then they did it again versus Sevilla a few weeks later. One of only two league games Barcelona lost all season.
Real Madrid 2 - 3 Real Zaragoza - And that, they say, was that. Javier Aguirre's relegation threatened side produced a performance for the ages as they upset Real in the Bernebeu, and firmly put the boot in Madrid's title challenge. Jose was inconsolable, Zaragosa were ecstatic as Madrid were outplayed, outfought and outdone.
Real Sociedad 2 - 1 Barcelona - A 31 game unbeaten streak came to an end on an inspired day for Sociedad in San Sebastian. Although Barcelona would go on to win the league, this loss narrowed the margin to second placed Real to a more believable gap and allowed Europe to believe the Blaugrana were mortal again.
Valencia 5 - 0 Villarreal - When third plays fourth, one doesn't always expect a one sided thrashing. However the Mestella was witness to a free flowing game that saw Valencia put their rivals to the sword in emphatic fashion. Valencia regained the momentum for last UCL spot as Villarreal were completely outplayed in spectacular fashion by an inspired home side.
Sevilla 3 - 2 Villarreal - Another game that Villareal surrendered on their travels, it allowed Sevilla to seal fifth spot as Villarreal's season threatened to unravel. Pivotal in the race for Europe, Villarreal fought hard but were cruelly made to pay for fighting on two fronts at the same time. Hot on the heels of their reverse to Valencia, the Yellow Submarine promptly got thrashed by Porto in the Europa League days later.
No comments:
Post a Comment