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Spanish Inquisition: Who Would Be Favourites If Barcelona Faced The Spanish National Team?
Which side would win a hypothetical and imaginary match between the Spanish national team and Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona? Goal.com’s Cyrus C. Malek entertains a whimsical thought…
17-Jun-2009 5:58:47 PM
It is, of course, a match built in the realm of fiction — one that is wholly impossible, but at the same time one that would pit two teams together who elicit the beauty of football and capture the magic of how the sport is meant to be played.
It is an encounter that would feature the two European champions — the Eurocopa 2008-winning Spanish national squad and Champions League trophy holders (not to diminish their La Liga, and Copa del Rey titles) Barcelona — in a mouth-watering match-up to determine the supremacy of club or country.
To aid us in entertaining our fantasy, certain parameters would have to be set. For example, Vicente del Bosque would not be able to count on the players in La Seleccion that hail from Barcelona, thus acquitting the national squad of some of their most pivotal players in Xavi, Puyol, Iniesta, and Pique. But even so, Spain would be left with an impressive squad and certainly one that would be capable of competing with some of the best teams on the international level, let alone the club circuit.
Continuing our daydream, Del Bosque’s Furia Roja would play in their customary 4-4-2 system with the following line-up:
Starting XI: Iker Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol, Carlos Marchena, Joan Capdevila; David Silva, Cesc Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, Albert Riera; Fernando Torres, and David Villa.
Subs: Marcos Senna, Santi Cazorla, Alvaro Arbeloa
Meanwhile, Barcelona would take to the pitch in their habitual 4-3-3 system and Pep Guardiola would set out with the following players to begin the match:
Starting XI: Victor Valdes; Dani Alves, Rafa Marquez, Carles Puyol, Eric Abidal; Xavi Hernandez, Yaya Toure, Andres Iniesta; Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, and Thierry Henry.
Subs: Gerard Pique, Seydou Keita, Sergi Busquets
The match would have to played in a neutral setting so as not to favour either side, thus ruling out a meeting on Spanish soil, the Catalunyan province included. London’s new Wembley Stadium would serve as a superb venue, maximizing both ticket sales, and marketing revenues for a match of such epic proportions that the entire footballing community would be sure to follow in broadcasts across the globe.
From the opening whistle, it would be clear that both teams would seek to gain and hold possession, hoping to dictate the pace of the game and direct the field of play. With La Seleccion losing the Best Player of the Eurocopa in Xavi to Barcelona, the onus of navigating through the midfield and creating through balls would fall on the shoulders of Cesc and a slightly more withdrawn Xabi Alonso. Even so, these two Premier League players know full well how to slip passes in to the forwards.
Albert Riera’s pace on the left and David Silva’s darting runs along the right flank would be sure to keep Dani Alves and Eric Abidal at home and with Barca’s right and left backs occupied with their defensive duties, Puyol and Marquez would surely have to stay very focused as the pacy and opportunistic David Villa and Fernando Torres would exploit even the slightest opening.
At the other end of the pitch, Sergio Ramos, who was skinned in El Clasico at the Bernabeu by Thierry Henry, would do well to coordinate with Raul Albiol in an effort to contain the Frenchman. On the other flank, Capdevilla would be unable to fly forward as regularly to flash a cross into the opposition’s area, forced to stay honest and keep a watchful eye on Messi.
Marchena and Albiol would have to coordinate with one another in determining who will mark Eto’o as both central defenders would likely have to assist their compatriots from time to time with Henry and Messi’s trademark cuts back to the inside. Del Bosque would likely have to sacrifice either Cesc or Xabi Alonso in the second half in favour of Marcos Senna in order to keep Xavi contained.
The match itself would likely develop into a battle in the midfield, with each team trading spells of possession and the ‘Olés’ of contiguous passes abounding. Both goalkeepers would be called upon early and often, but Spain would have to be more careful than Barcelona in pushing forward because the Blaugrana are faster and more dangerous on the counterattack.
Both teams have a predator’s nose for scoring goals, but with the sides so evenly matched, a 2-2 draw would not be an implausible finish. Going into the penalty shoot-out, the outcome becomes much more definitive as Casillas would best Valdes. As the Spanish captain did in the Eurocopa against Italy, Iker would make at least two saves (one again denying Eto’o in a manner similar to the penalty Casillas saved in December’s Clasico) to give Spain the victory—an incredible conclusion to the perfect footballing duel.
But unfortunately, some dreams were never meant to be.
Cyrus C. Malek, Goal.com
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