El Classico: Post Game Thoughts

Pepe in midfield again to disrupt the rhythm of Barcelona. He was there to bully. At half time, FCBarcelona had been dominating, but Madrid looked dangerous on the break. Nothing new there. Madrid breaking at speed, scored an overly easy looking goal in the 7th minute of the game. Thankfully, not long afterwards, Barca worked a couple of passes down the right; Alves sent Messi through, and the Flea burned Sergio Ramos for the equalizer. 

...

Late in the second half, Ramos got his revenge, nodding in from a corner to secure the win. It is clear Madrid no longer fear Barca. The tide has definitely turned. This win for them is like gin in the tonic. They will go into their Champions  League tie against Madrid feeling high. Never before have I hope more that a team was humbled by another than now. Common u Red Devils!

The Unneccessary Classico: Pregame Thoughts

This is the second Classico of the year in the regular lbva, and it has been under hyped. Most say Barca have already won the league and have nothing to play for. Madrid couldn't care less, according to most. They have already lost the league, and have a huge match on Tuesday in the Champions League against Manchester United. 

Barca's incredibly poor run of form of late need to be reversed, however, and this is the perfect match to do so. Madrid will try to obfuscate them by whatever means necessary, and my guess is that it will be ugly. Let's see.

Clasico 2012 Post-mortem

Alright, so the blau-grana had a rough day at the office. From my seats just barely under la tribuna in the south-west corner of the Camp Nou, Barca just seemed to have an off night. The Madrid players were more up for this one, and their tactics proved effective enough for the win. The Barca players never got out of second gear.


This resurgent Madrid squad came to out fight Barca for every ball, to close the space down quickly, and to not let Barca get into any sort of attacking rhythm. They played out this strategy to near perfection. Like Chelsea at mid-week, when it mattered, they made their chances count.

So what now? So life goes on. We focus on the next game, at home to Chelsea, and we try forget about all of the misplaced and intercepted passes tonight.

Perhaps Pep played the cast he did with one eye on the CL tie in just a few days. No Pique, no Cesc, no Alexis, at least until later on. I hope that's the case; he's been saying for the past several weeks now that Barca will not win the league. Let's say Pep played a weakened side tonight so that he could deliver us he Big Eared trophy come May. Ya. That's my story and I'm stickin to it.

Everyone is entitled to have the occasional off night.  Barca's off nights in the league this year have sadly come a bit too often. Congrats to Madrid to have surely taken the title now. Hope the boys can pull it together in the Champions League.

Khedira scored the first goal on this play

El Clasico 2012 Preview

So here we are again, the Clasico. These games, and those of the Champions League, sort out who the best team, using the purest definition of the word, is. 

It is true that both Barca and Madrid lost their games in mid week ties, and it is entirely possible that one or both of these teams will not make it through to the Champions League final. Credit must go to both Chelsea and Bayern Munich for humbling the two Spanish juggernauts. Well done. Let's see if you can do that consistently now for a few years, as have done both FC Barcelona and, to a lesser extent, Real Madrid.

Those CL games are essential pretext for the Clasico tonight. Madrid arrive at the Camp Nou thinking primarily about winning the league, which they are in a position of strength to do, and rubbing it in the Catalans' faces regardless of the result. Of course they desperately want to win the Clasico and put an end to Barca's supremacy over the past three years, but a draw would suffice. A draw would keep them 4 points in the clear. This Madrid side however, might be a bit tired. Virtually an A-team played in Munich, and they were made to work hard by a Bayern team who was really more motivated than Madrid to win this one.

Barca, too, come into this one tired (loosing in the pouring London rain after complexly dominating Chelsea must have been exhausting). Problem is, they absolutely have to win this one to maintain any hope of winning the title. They would like to win this one also to keep their legend alive - a legend that puts this particular Barca incarnation among the best soccer teams in all time history.

Both sets of players will no doubt shake off their fatigue or play through it tonight. Both squads look to be at or virtually at (David Villa is still out) full strength. Pep is bound to surprise us with his starting selection (Cuenca or Alexis?); Mourinho is bound to park the bus, and instruct his players to rough it up.

This is my second Clasico and I feel supremely lucky to witness it, regardless of the outcome. I'll be watching this one from just outside the Tribuna on the south western corner of the stadium. Photos to follow tomorrow. C'mon you Barca!

Champions League Semifinal Preview

Expect some minor surprises, but the Big Two in Spain should make it through.

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid square off first at the Allianz Arena, a stadium all four semi-finalists will want to be at in just over month. Madrid looks stronger to me based from their form in both La Liga and in the Champions League. Bayern seem to have conceded the Bundesliga title to Borussia Dortmund, and for me run hot and cold in the Champions League. They lost 0-1 against Basel in the Round of Sixteen, before destroying them 7-0 at home. That the final is in Munich in late May is a red herring. Pros are pros, and Madrid's are just better than Bayern's.

In the other semifinal, Barcelona look stronger than Chelsea, but there is good reason for Barcelona to be very weary of the Blues. To me Chelsea appear as a wounded dog, possibly with rabies, that may or may not lash out at you and dish you a fatal blow. The Blues' upcoming fixtures look really exhausting to me (at Wembley against Spurs in an FA Cup Semifinal, home v. Barcelona; away to Arsenal; away to Barcelona). Expect at least one loss from those four fixtures, hopefully one big one against Barcelona.

See you at the Camp Nou!

El Classic

Stakes were very high going into this game. For FC Barcelona, this was a must win game.The first twenty-three seconds were horrible, and my initial thought was that Madrid were about to run rampant over us, netting a score of goals. Thankfully, after that incredibly opportunistic start, Madrid's fragile psyche was exposed.
The miss by Ronaldo, through on goal with about twenty minutes of the game gone, followed closely by Xabi Alonso's yellow card for a hack on Messi, constituted a turning point in the game. About ten minutes later, Messi dribbled by four players, and threaded his pass to Sanchez for the equalizer. Barca's confidence grew, and well, you know what happened next. 

It wasn't as definitive or impressive as la manita last year, but this was a fantastic and necessary win for FCB.
Visca el Barca!

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On an unrelated note, this blogger is moving to Barcelona in February of 2012. I hope to get to as many games in person as possible. I'll keep you posted!

David v. Goliath: Racing and Valencia Hold Real Madrid and Barcelona

Si, hay liga indeed. Maybe.
I watched the Madrid game yesterday, and caught most of the Barca game through a combination of Radio Barca and Gol TV courtesy of the Druid in Inman Square. Both teams drew in fixtures to Racing de Santander and Valencia respectively, in what was probably the best set of results for La Liga's PR officers. However, it is very apparent that the top two teams are breaking away in terms of attracting and contracting talent, and there appears to be no end in sight.

For fans of different teams in La Liga the situation looks frustrating and difficult to reconcile.  I am a fan of one of the big teams, Barcelona, but I cannot stand the fact that our spending power and that of our rivals Madrid has reduced the others in the league to mere also-rans. Points differences between the second place finisher (either Barca or Madrid each of the past three years, with the big points jump at the 2009-2010 season) and the third place finisher tell a depressing story.

2010-2011  21 pts between Madrid (2) and Valencia (3)

2009-2010* 25 pts between Madrid (2) and Valencia (3)

2008-2009   8 pts between Madrid (2) and Sevilla (3)  

2007-2008  (Villareal finished above Barca; Madrid won the title)

2006-2007   5 pts between Barca (2) and Sevilla (3)

2005-2006   1 pt between Madrid (2) and Valencia

*In 2009, both Barca and Real Madrid brought in some remarkable players, and a few, in Barca's system at least, seemed to come in to their own at just the right time. Madrid's 2009 shopping spree included Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema, Albiol, Lassana Diarra, Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso, Esteban Granero, and a goalkeeper called Adan. Ay Caramba!

I like to think that there is hope, but that means some hard decisions need to be made, specifically something on the order of salary caps and/or some sort of redistribution of wealth. Fine to say, nearly impossible to implement. It would require the leaders from Barca and Madrid to pony up to the table and offer to sacrifice a significant percentage of their earnings to create a more balanced league. As things now stand, the big two will continue to bring in the most talented and most expensive ball players, leaving the others to the remaining scraps. While football is a funny game, and one can regularly see examples of Davids beating (or drawing) Goliaths -- reference the most recent match from either Barca or Madrid -- the current course if unaltered is untenable.

The Money League: Group Phase Thoughts

The Champions League 2011-2012 edition has begun. The groups were drawn last week, so it is prediction time:

Group A: Bayern Munich, Villarreal, Manchester City, Napoli

This is the group of death -- Manchester City and Bayern Munich are the most likely to advance. Villareal traded Santi Cazorla over the summer, but kept Rossi. Still, they are weaker and will struggle to get to the knock-out round. Napoli are no pushover, though, and might give Bayern or Man City a run for their money.

Group B: Inter Milan, CSKA Moscow, Lille, Trabzonspor

This is the snooze group. Inter and CSKA advance, methinks.

Group C: Manchester United, Benfica, Basel, Otelul Galati

This is too easy for Man United. Benfica should also advance. Swiss side Basel are familiar faces in the Champions League, but have not yet made it out of the group stage. Otelul Galati are a Romanian side I know nothing about. Good for them for making it this far!

Group D: Real Madrid, Lyon, Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb

Such is my loathing for RM that I am hoping for a miracle here in the shape of Ajax or Dinamo. Alas, it is extremely unlikely that either of those will make it through.

Group E: Chelsea, Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen,Genk

Genk is such a great name for a football club. They will be the whipping boys here. Should be interesting to see who between Valencia and Leverkusen make it through (along side of Chelsea, of course). My hopes are that Valencia can do the job -- they could use the money to keep up with Barca and RM.

Group F: Arsenal, Marseille, Olympiakos, Borussia Dortmund

With the crap Arsenal have been playing lately, it is hard to imagine them making it through. Their new signings might just provide the necessary spark, however. I expect some hard fought matches in this group, and it should get very entertaining. Dortmund were incredible last year in the Bundesliga -- they are my tip to win this group.

Group G: FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit, Apoel FC

I bet this will be closely fought group, but I don't expect any of these teams to make it past the first knock out round.

Group H: Barcelona, AC Milan, BATE Borisov, Viktoria Plzen

BATE Borisov play their European games at the Minsk Stadium in Belorussia. I am glad Barca plays them in September, rather in December as the temperature must drop brutally. Good to BATE for making it into the CL - I hope they enjoy the experience. Barca's game against Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic should be interesting, but I assume they have both the quality and the depth to get the points from those fixtures. The Milan games should determine who finishes first and second in the group, and they (Milan) are bound to run us close.

Visca el Barca!

Supercopa, the First of the 2011-2012 Clasicos

Last Sunday evening Real Madrid drew 2-2 against FC Barcelona in the annual preseason Supercopa. A two-legged tie pitting the winners of the Spanish Liga and the winner of the Copa del Rey, this is the traditional kick-off to the season in Spain.

The game was entertaining, but it clearly showed, to me at least, two teams in different stages of their development for this season. The Madrid players seemed to be revving at near top speed, building upon a successful preseason. The Barca players, on the other hand, were clearly not running well at all, in part due to a choppy preseason.

Both teams had players out for the Copa America in Argentina this summer. Di Maria, Higuain, Messi, Alves, Mascherano, Milito, Adriano, and Alexis Sanchez all represented their country in the games, altering their training schedules for the summer and preseason. Both teams also acquired a few new players, some of whom will become first team regulars if not starters.

My impression is that this preseason Pep, has been more lax with the most senior players, allowing them more down time and not being so strict about training regimes.

For the game, Madrid started what appeared to be a first choice team. Pep, the FC Barcelona manager, however, sat Pique, Xavi, Pedro and Busquets, all reportedly suffering from minor injuries. Personally, I think they just needed more rest.

In the first half, the irregular squad for Barcelona had a hard time dealing with the speed and diligence of the Madrid attack. When Barcelona possessed the ball, Madrid pressed hard and regularly won the ball back. Barca played a large number of long balls in hopes of relieving the pressure -- a sure sign that the squad was not yet firing on all cylinders.

In the midst of this, four great goals were scored, and it is worth having a look at the highlights.

A couple of positives to note: Alexis Sanchez looks pretty good. He is a definite asset to the team.

Also, even under intense pressure, all of the Barca players kept their cool, defended well (Alves and Mascherano were great) and showed considerable skill in their one touch, twenty-yard passing moves. Once they get settled, which will take considerable time on the training pitch (this strike may be a good thing for this), they should be quite dangerous.

Tonight's game will resolve the Supercup, and it should be a sight to behold.

Come on you Barca!

Three Things I Like about the Preseason

There are many fans who couldn't give a toss about preseason friendlies. They say they are meaningless and boring. I disagree.

The three things I like most about the preseason are this 1) we get to see debuts 2) we get to see youth players from a team's academy mix it up with first-teamers and 3) we get the occasional anomaly.

I have watched a lot of preseason games this summer and was lucky to be in the stadium for three of them -- USA vs Spain (ok, technically this was not a preseason game, but a friendly -- I'm still counting it), N.E. Revolution vs. Manchester United and FC Barcelona vs Manchester United. In each game I have seen at least something interesting and remarkable.

New signings are always eager to please and it was no different for Ashley Young when he stepped onto the pitch vs. New England. I think United are glad to have him.

Barcelona brought a large number of their youth academy to the US, and a few have left an impression. Thiago, a regular for Barca B, looks the real deal, though as Sid Lowe argues, he has some developing to do. Fontas, brought into the first team along with Thiago fairly recently, looks a great replacement for Puyol.

Real Madrid have signed multiple players to try to cope with and overrun Barca in La Liga this year. Devastating for Barca's other rivals, Espanhol, Jose Maria Callejon could be even more of a pain in the neck for Barca with Madrid. If the Merengues call upon Spurs striker Adebayor again, they will probably have the deepest attacking bench I have ever seen.

As for anomalies, the one that stands out the most would be Mario Balotelli's attempted back heel from eight yards out vs. L.A. Galaxy. Outrageous and a bit disrespectful, even if it is only a friendly.

The upcoming season should be interesting.

Four Clasicos in 18 Days! Final Considerations

Watching Champions League soccer in the US is always a bit odd. First of all, games are on Tuesdays or Wednesdays at the odd time of 2:45 in the afternoon. In the middle of the work day, the soccer fan must discreetly log in to whatever website they use to watch games, or take a late lunch and find a TV to watch the game. This results in either the viewer feeling like they are scheming away from their boss in the middle of the day or postponing midday nourishment to catch the game of his/her favorite team.

The first point is reconciled by the ability on several programs to have small viewer on your desktop showing the game while you plug in headphones for the audio. You can therefore work on other things while the game plays in a corner of your screen. To view this most recent game, I had the convenient excuse of meeting a work colleague for collaborative planning - which was true. We had to discuss a mutual plan to teach a unit on sport.
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Regarding the last of the Clasicos, the 1-1 draw in Catalunya was contentious but just in my opinion. 0-0 at halftime, it felt like Barca was easily doing enough to withstand the Madrid pressure. Barca maintained possession well (as usual) and defended decently enough when Madrid tried to hit on the break.

In the second half, Higuain's goal shoulda woulda coulda standed, had the ref not already whistled for the non-foul. I say non-foul because it was not a foul. But the ref blew the whistle -- you have to stop when that happens. Whatever. There is no conspiracy trying to get Barca to the final -- Mourinho and Marca can shove it. Barca outplayed Madrid over the two CL games and that is that.

I'm glad all four games are done. The final tally of Clasicos (for 2011) was 1W, 1L, 2 draws. Barca conceded the Copa del Rey to Madrid, while Madrid conceded a spot in the Champions League Final to Barca.

Barca won the overall record of Clasicos for the 2010-2011 season. Let's not forget the 5-0 thumping on November 29. :-)
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As I write this, Barca have just won the title -- well done boys! I am happy to have seen you play live once this season -- may your good form continue -- and may you win in Wembley!

Four Clasicos in 18 Days! Game 3 Considerations

First leg of the Champions League Semifinal in Madrid

Barca were brilliant. Madrid came in to frustrate. Barca were motivated to create goal scoring opportunties; Madrid's objective was to disrupt Barca's play and hope to pinch a goal on a counter attack. Madrid's tackles were cynical and a bit dirty. Barca wasn't having any of it.

Highly motivated by the King's Cup loss and Mourinho's whining, Barca came to play. Dominating possession, they attacked the Madrid goal in waves.

In the second half, as Barca continued to dominate possession and frustrate the Merengues, the whites started to lunge into tackles. One such lunge, Pepe on Alves, Pepe came in reckless and with his studs up. Replays seem to show not so much contact was made. Alves spun around and fell to the ground. Red card to Pepe. A fair call based from an accumulation of challenges in my admittedly biased opinion.

Madrid could have responded differently to the red card, perceiving a conspiracy against them and fighting extra hard as a result, but this team is different; more petulant. They seemed to throw in the towel, especially after the Alfellay to Messi goal. Later, Messi scored an incredible solo effort. The kid is good.

All of that was overshadowed, of course by the negative bits. Busquets does play act a bit too much. I would prefer it if he didn't. Same goes for Di Maria, however, for Madrid. Tit for tat.

The final Clasico of the year is at the Nou Camp on Tuesday. Que gana el mejor.
Visca el Barca!

Four Clasicos in 18 Days! Game 2 Considerations

I watched the Copa del Rey final in the Phoenix Landing in Central Square. Good venue to watch games as it is generally full of fans. Inside it seemed the Madrid supporters outnumbered the Barca supporters. Still, with one hundred or so people crowded into the place, the atmosphere was good. Perhaps twenty to twenty-five were there for the Arsenal vs. Tottenham game going on at roughly the same time.

Madrid definitely held the upper hand in the first period. Mourinho put Pepe, the big Portuguese center half, in the midfield to lock Messi down and generally harangue Barca's midfielders. It was an effective tactic. Madrid looked sharp and worked extra hard to close Barca down whenever we got the ball. As is typical with a Mourinho side, there were a lot of rough challenges.

Barca played a much better second period. They kept the ball in Madrid's half and created several great chances, only to be denied repeatedly by Casillas and the Madrid defense. The second half ended tied at nil-nil. Pep made some attacking changes. Alfellay came on; so did Keita. Madrid's changes happened earlier.

At the start of extra time, the momentum shifted back to Madrid. Their goal in the first half of extra time was followed by intelligent defending, clever stall tactics, and a general greater desire to maintain the trophy that was Barca put forth.

I am not bitter that Madrid won. Ronaldo scored an impressive goal. Di Maria put in a great cross after beating Alves. Ronaldo out jumped Adriano to hit a picture perfect cabezazo into the corner of the net.

It all sets up a very tense Champions League semi-final. Madrid look supremely confident going into this first leg at the Bernabeu. Barca is missing Iniesta, Abidal, Maxwell and Adriano. Puyol is arguably not 100% fit -- our bench looks thin. Still, we will give them a good game. Visca el Barca!

Four Clasicos in 18 Days! Game 1 Considerations

Ay Caramba!

One down, three to go. This tie, the first of FOUR, took place in Madrid. For the millions watching, this was the appetizer, to help whet the appetite for the three, arguably more important, matches to come. I viewed this match as crucial in establishing a foundation for the following games.

Before the match I considered the possible outcomes. For Madrid, a win in this first game could rebuild confidence for moving forward. For Barca, a win would provide further vindication of superiority (firmly established in the first leg at the Camp Nou and in subsequent league games).

However, losing might not have been tragic for either side. Sometimes a defeat early in a competition is the best motivation for future encounters. See Spain's performance in the first match of the World Cup in South Africa; Barca vs. Inter Milan in the CL group stage in 2010. Mourinho returned to face Barca in the Semifinals of the CL that season and put us out of the competition.

As probably every other Cule around, I wanted Barca to win (this one and all of the others), but I wasn't under the impression that a loss in the tie was detrimental.

Both sides can take positives from this game: Barca proved that they can create chances and maintain possession, regardless what formation and strategy Mourinho employs; Madrid again demonstrated their incredible speed and agility on the counter, but also showed commendable courage in their fightback with 10 men.

I thought both penalty calls were correct. Alves' foul on Marcelo was not as egregious as Albiol's on Villa -- correct decisions in both cases regarding the red card (and lack thereof). The Copa final is next -- my cousin Victor is off to the final in Valencia -- hope he gets a cracker!

The Clasico, Part III

As we walk in, Victor Valdez is warming up. A few minutes later the Madrid and Barca players come out to warm up. After running some drills and stretching, the players partner up and pass the ball amongst themselves. Dani Alves and Leo Messi are right below us. Right below us. I can't believe it.

There are tremendous whistles and jeers for the Madrid players and coach when they take to the field. Those jeers contain serious venom. The noise is unremittingly loud. Madrid is loathed here, it is obvious. Many of the Madrid players have played Clasicos before, and in general they look unfazed. Still, all of the players seem a bit jumpy. They understand this is a big game.

Back into the tunnel for the line up and march in front of the camera. The Hymno de Barca starts on the PA system played (x2, the first to warm the crowd up apparently). People hold up their piece of the mosaic, which spells out "T'estimo Barca." Incredible. Now to the kickoff...

At first, the game is tense. Players are trying to assert themselves and find some sort of rhythm. Barca creates a chance early, then another from a corner kick. After the ball bounces a around a bit, Puyol nudges it to Messi who lofts a delicate chip over everyone onto the far post, agonizingly close to an opening goal. A few minutes later, Xavi strikes gold. Iniesta makes a run on the left side of the field and spies Xavi in the box, loosely covered by Marcelo. Marcelo goes to make a play on Iniesta's pass but fails to clear, the ball flicks off of Xavi's heel and somehow bounces over his shoulder -- Xavi instinctively volleys the loose ball past Casillas who is clearly at sea as to what to do. 1 - 0 to Barca. Xavi runs to the corner closest to us with arms raised to celebrate. Jubilation in the stands.
Now that the ice has broken, the Catalans can relax and let their skills and training shine. Madrid do get a couple of chances on counters in the first half, but are not creating much. Ronaldo, petulance incarnate, shoves Guardiola when not getting the ball back for a throw in. The crowd reacts with a chant directed at the Portuguese.
...
The second half is a master class in possession and attacking football. Rather than walk you though the rest of the game, you should have a look while the link is still there. Go to ESPN3 and watch it. Messi's passes to Villa for goals are simply brilliant. the fifth goal is icing on the cake.
On reflection, I think my personal favorite moment is when Marcelo fouls Pedro, mocks him, then turns his back as Pedro sprints in behind him to net the second goal -- sweet retribution! Also, the Ramos red card was particularly indicative of character.

The Clasico, Part I

In March of last year, after the birth of our son, Leo, we were visited by my wife's cousin, Mar. When Mar arrived, we asked her if it would be alright if we came to visit in November. Absolutely, she said. Good, seeing as we had already bought tickets :)

Months went by. We watched gleefully as Spain (playing a Barca system with mostly Barca players) won the World Cup in fabulous style. And then we waited. Actually, I guess, I waited...to hear the fixture list for the 2010-2011 season. I was going to see Barca play, regardless of whom they played or even where they played. Secretly I harbored desperate hope that we would meet Madrid during our visit, and that I would get to go.

On July 20, 2010, the fixture list was posted on the La Liga website. I did a double take. I did a triple take. I could not believe it, but there it was: week 13: FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid CF. I did not hesitate -- I wrote to tio Jordi that moment via three different email addresses. Can you help me get to this game, please?

Fast forward to our visit -- incredible -- not the subject of this blog, but I must mention that it was wonderful to have the family in Spain meet Leo. Leo loved them and they loved him right back.

On our last full day in Barcelona, I watched the hours slowly roll by until about 7pm. Out the door, get me to the game. Monique and I took the bus to the Camp Nou, which crawled through the streets of Barca at an agonizing pace, especially when we got near the stadium. There was one other couple on the bus when we boarded that was obviously heading to the game. The rest looked like they were just off from work. The closer we got, the more nervous I got. Not about getting in. I knew we were getting in - tio Jordi had borrowed someone's season tickets and someone's ID cards for us. I was nervous about the result.

Madrid had a one point advantage over Barca and were looking stronger than they had looked in more than two years, with a new manager Jose Mourinho instilling much confidence in the team. Madrid had done better in the games preceding the Clasico. The stage was set for a big game.

The Clasico, Part II

We roll up to the main entrance nearest our gate. Monique and I pull out our borrowed club membership cards -- the first security barrier. We are nodded through, no hesitation from the badge-checker.

I am trembling with excitement as we walk in the direction of out gate, which I had scoped out on a pilgrimage to the Camp Nou a day before.

The first thing I notice that is different from stadiums in the US -- only one tiny stand selling Barca trinkets on the way to the stadium entrance. It is clear that the focus here is football, not merchandising. You can of course, get all of your Barca shopping done at their incredible Botiga, adjacent to the Camp Nou. In we go, then. Up the steps -- here the security guard is eying me suspiciously. I think he knows I'm not a Socio. I swipe the carnet, the green light flashes -- I'm in!

It is not clear which portal we need to go through as we are in between the numbers over the doors. We gamble and go in the lower portal, closer to the actual pitch -- this is it.

There it is -- the beautiful pitch.

Valdez is warming up. My god I've made it. Row numbers nearly match the carnet i'm holding in my hand. I walk down about 12 or 13 steps and find mine -- this is amazing. We are in the corner, but incredibly close to the pitch. I manoever around a few people and Monique and I take our seats. if Marca's Cagometro were measuring my excitement -- it would be off the charts now.

The Usual Suspects

Leagues are at or are nearing the half way point and we are starting to get a sense for how things will end up. I've caught a good number of Premiership, La Liga and Bundesliga games. Here are my thoughts on the Usual Suspects for winning those leagues.
The Premiership:
Man U is in first place after displacing a Chelsea side that have recently shown that they can be beat. That is a bit a surprise to me as I thought the Chelsea bench was deep, and the motivation to win was still strong. Drogba's illness (malaria) and Lampard's absence due to injury has cost them dearly. Perhaps they can recover after the New Year?
United's bench is starting to look stronger than I initially thought at the start of the year, with Chicharito helpfully scoring valuable goals, Park putting in some good shifts and even Anderson doing his bit for the team.
Some people at this stage are saying Arsenal could challenge for the top but I am not completely convinced (especially after the tame defeat agains United on Dec 13). Arsenal tend to take on injuries at inopportune times in the season. If they can make it through January and February healthy, I may but more stock in their chances.
La Liga
See the next blog for the Clasico eval, surely 3 key points to determine the winner of the league.
As for the also rans, I too have been impressed with Villareal, and deceived by both Sevilla and Valencia. Neither of the latter can put any kind of good run together, and Sevilla, despite having a good squad on paper, are in a downward spiral.

Bundesliga
Judging by what I have seen of of them so far this season (admittedly only a few games), Munich don't deserve to win anything. Sure they have been hit by injuries to some key players, but this is Munich. More is expected.
Dortmund -- these guys are playing out of their skin, a mix of confidence and style. Hope they can keep it up after the long break, depite losing their Japanese star to the Asia Cup in January.
Hannover ? I just can't believe their good form will continue after break. Let's hope they can keep it up enough to make the UEFA EuroLiga Cup or whatever it is called.

El Clasico!

vs.

The 2010 La Liga schedule came out today, July 20. By chance, the Clasico falls on a date when Leo, the Missus and I will be in Barcelona.

What?!?!?

Since I learned of this, I have been fervently contacting Barcelona family members in hopes of lining up tickets. They are not even on sale yet to my knowledge.

Stay tuned.

Viva Espanha!

Full disclosure -- my wife's family is Catalan; I'm a Barca fan. This, however, is not an all Barca or all Spain blog.

Having had a few days to reflect on the match, my opinion remains the same -- the best team won. It was not a pretty match, but I can't say I expected it to be. Spain playing in its first ever final, versus a Dutch side that isn't nearly as classy as previous incarnations.

Both teams looked nervous at that start, Spain especially. Ramos was ever eager to receive the ball, but got rid of it immediately afterwords. Xavi must have had adrenaline coursing through his veins -- he was not his typical calm, thoughtful self.

Much has been said about the ref, Howard Webb. I though he did a decent job in a very tough game. Both teams made rough fouls - Webb did his best to keep the game moving.

Highlights: Incredible finish at the death by Barca forward/midfielder Andres Iniesta. Incredible performance from Iker Casillas, the Madrid goalkeeper. Robben running at Casillas in a couple of one on one situations caused the heart to flutter -- thankfully Casillas was up to the challenge on one play; Puyol, of course, managed to bump Robben off the ball for the other. Robben wanted a foul but, as others have pointed out, perhaps that non-call was retribution for the Van Bommel or DeJong fouls earlier in the game.

I think the greatest joy for me however, was seeing Barca and Madrid players look genuinely happy playing together. It be foolish to say that they put history behind them completely, but it does seem like they've made some sort of peace with it.