As the blogger for the Ivory Coast, I have seen the pitfalls of the 4-3-3. When the opposition fields a five man midfield or dedicated strikers, the 3 men in the middle seem even fewer. While the wingers patiently wait for the ball, the sideline chalk covering their heels, the engine room breaks down amidst a maze of bodies. Yes, with the defenders and keeper’s help you can keep the ball in your own half, but at the halfway line things can call apart. And they did.
The temptation after a 3-1 victory is to overreact. For the record, I believe that Barcelona could have tied this match with slightly better finishing, and can win 2-0 at home. However, the nuts & bolts & predictions seldom interest me – rather, my problem is philosophical. How can I describe the etymology of this game? Here’s a few stabs…
First, the prisoner of the ideal. I could paint Mourinho as the shifting tactician – everyone, including me, expected catenaccio, but his Inter side came out in a 4-4-2 with guns blazing. Guardiola, however, is handcuffed by the weight of a 4-3-3 dogmatic system. He cannot make changes because change is the antithesis of everlasting & eternal beauty. To not play the Dutch way is not to play at all in Barcelona. Thus, while Ibrahimovic may scream for a mobile striker partner like Bojan, Guardiola’s hands are tied to the mast. He had to field the winger formation for the sake of fielding the winger formation.
Second, the land of chance & happenstance. This game was the product and end result of cosmic luck, a joke of the universe, a random series of events with no purpose or meta-narrative (aside from this one). Had Samuel missed an early tackle on Messi, Barcelona would have cruised to a demoralizing 2-0 victory. And that actually happened in an alternative universe that is only slightly less random and more weird than this one. Trust me.
Third, the price of beauty. Twice, Barcelona has taken the lead in away matches in Europe. Thus, the beauty and positiveness of their patient passing approach requires the exertion of energy – energy which trades off with the latter stages of games and the art of defense. To paint a picture, one must utilize resources such as an easel, a canvass, etc. To play beautiful football, Barcelona must use their physical energy. And they have played so beautifully so early on in these European encounters, that the energy sapped trades off with defending and the latter stages of matches. Sale vi!
Fourth, the failure of the individual. Samuel E’too was “traded” for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Zlatan played a poor game, which hindered the Barcelona attack. Thus, rather than being a failure of a system, tactics, or an ideal, the crushing weight of the defeat must fall upon the Swede’s broad shoulders. E’too played a decent game, creating chances and pressing in the midfield. He also has scored in two different European Cup finals. Zlatan has yet to shine on the biggest stage.
Fifth, a group of 11 men played another group of 11 men for 90 minutes and scored more goals than the other. For the record, this is the meta-narrative I am most comfortable with.
No related posts.
For tonight, I will put aside my still-unresolved Landon Donovan issues, and embrace your meta-narrative.
Which one? For money, the very last one is the most accurate. And are you sure the issue is you and not Landon Donovan?
Sorry, the last. Definitely the last. (And the issue is always Landon Donovan.)
Inter were, by no means, brilliant tonight. However, they stayed firm in the midfield, turning the 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 on the defense and cut out as many channels as they could.
The real difference for me in this game was the worst collective performance by Barcelona that I’ve seen in 2 years. Dani Alves, whom I love to heap praise on, was abysmal. I’ve never seen him so ineffectual, or with lousier delivery.
The worst of it all was the support Xavi was missing. There was no movement up front and it showed. A flat and static Barcelona is an empty and worthless Barca. There were several times throughout the game where Xavi stood with the ball, hands raised, asking his team what he was supposed to make of it all.
I’d hate to blame something as innocuous as a bus ride for the low energy and poor decision making (or lack there of), but something was in the team cooler that made a universal disaster occur.
Rough match, but entirely Barca’s fault. Pedro rushed and the rest of the team sat. Frustrating to say the least. I wouldn’t blame Ibra as much as I’d blame Alves and Keita. Against Zanetti at LB with Messi pigeon-holed on the wing (as by design), the players that had to make an effect the most were Alves (in support) and Keita as an Iniesta replacement for touch-line to half to 18 control. They both failed.
Ryan-
Fair points. My potshot at Ibra was more of a joke than anything: seldom can a match of 22 players be reduced to one individual.
I agree that the bus ride had to have affected Barcelona’s energy levels – I’ve had to travel that far by bus before, and….it sucks.
I also think that you identified a big problem: without the dribbling Iniesta (and before him Deco) by Xavi’s side, teams like the US and Inter will just try to stand up the Spaniardcito and force him to pass sideways. Xavi is a great player, but he can’t do it alone. And it would be unreasonable to expect him to.
Martha-
How can Robinho return to Brazil and hear applause and shouts for the national team, but Donovan comes back to the US to boo birds? I suggest a shrink session right now! And get a psychoanalyst, no meds. Well, some meds. Well, a lot of meds. But unrelated…