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Spanish Inquisition: Still No Crisis At Barcelona
Ewan Macdonald looks back at Tuesday night's meeting between Lyon and Barcelona and says, well, it wasn't all bad...
25-Feb-2009 7:04:14 PM
Going behind to an early goal in the Champions League is bad enough, but when it's a preventable strike it's all the worse. So learned Barcelona last night, the Blaugrana having the stuffing well and truly knocked out of them by a moment of characteristic audacity from Juninho Pernambucano.
After Saturday's defeat at the hands of Espanyol it was well and truly panic stations for the fans - but all is not lost.
Half-Life
After all, in one of Barcelona's worst 45 minute spells of the season so far, they conceded just once, and even managed to hit the post at the other end.
To me, this is not the sign of a team in crisis, rather one that is ever so slightly losing its direction. Injuries have taken their toll - the absence of Andres Iniesta has been predictably brutal, and without Eric Abidal, Carles Puyol was dragged out of position to the left flank - also, the much-vaunted Lionel Messi found himself all too often isolated while concerns elsewhere on the pitch took precedence.
That first half, in fact, was more a tale of midfield woes than anything else. Lyon's game style, while not overtly attacking, does make for a packed central line. Yaya Toure in particular is clearly not used to that level of pressure, even away from home. Sergi Busquets, meanwhile, has a lot to learn.
After The Break
But oddly enough, lessons did seem to be learned as quickly as the half time interval. Barcelona came out fizzing, if not quite swinging, and certainly saw some level of improvement. Thierry Henry, who otherwise had a tough evening, took his goal well, and things markedly stepped up at the back.
Rafael Marquez in particular deserves praise for some last-ditch defending towards the end that saved his side's bacon. I think it's safe to say that, in the previous two seasons, this game would in fact have been lost by the Blaugrana, but there is now a level of doggedness and confidence that they previously lacked.
But what matters now is repairing the Iniesta-less midfield before the weekend. Atletico Madrid - no great shakes at the moment, admittedly - will have watched how quickly Barcelona were overpowered in the first period with interest. Perhaps Seydou Keita is the answer, or Aliaksandr Hleb.
But even with that concern out of the way, remember: this game, at a tough arena, ended in a draw. To call two games without a win a crisis would be to overegg the pudding severely... yet that's what so many will do!
As for tonight, Villarreal have a great chance to progress, and Real Madrid - on a great winning run and with the chance to sink a Liverpool side submerged in drama - can't be written out. Be sure to check out those games, and their respective build-ups, live on Goal.com.
Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com
After Saturday's defeat at the hands of Espanyol it was well and truly panic stations for the fans - but all is not lost.
Half-Life
After all, in one of Barcelona's worst 45 minute spells of the season so far, they conceded just once, and even managed to hit the post at the other end.
To me, this is not the sign of a team in crisis, rather one that is ever so slightly losing its direction. Injuries have taken their toll - the absence of Andres Iniesta has been predictably brutal, and without Eric Abidal, Carles Puyol was dragged out of position to the left flank - also, the much-vaunted Lionel Messi found himself all too often isolated while concerns elsewhere on the pitch took precedence.
That first half, in fact, was more a tale of midfield woes than anything else. Lyon's game style, while not overtly attacking, does make for a packed central line. Yaya Toure in particular is clearly not used to that level of pressure, even away from home. Sergi Busquets, meanwhile, has a lot to learn.
After The Break
But oddly enough, lessons did seem to be learned as quickly as the half time interval. Barcelona came out fizzing, if not quite swinging, and certainly saw some level of improvement. Thierry Henry, who otherwise had a tough evening, took his goal well, and things markedly stepped up at the back.
Rafael Marquez in particular deserves praise for some last-ditch defending towards the end that saved his side's bacon. I think it's safe to say that, in the previous two seasons, this game would in fact have been lost by the Blaugrana, but there is now a level of doggedness and confidence that they previously lacked.
But what matters now is repairing the Iniesta-less midfield before the weekend. Atletico Madrid - no great shakes at the moment, admittedly - will have watched how quickly Barcelona were overpowered in the first period with interest. Perhaps Seydou Keita is the answer, or Aliaksandr Hleb.
But even with that concern out of the way, remember: this game, at a tough arena, ended in a draw. To call two games without a win a crisis would be to overegg the pudding severely... yet that's what so many will do!
As for tonight, Villarreal have a great chance to progress, and Real Madrid - on a great winning run and with the chance to sink a Liverpool side submerged in drama - can't be written out. Be sure to check out those games, and their respective build-ups, live on Goal.com.
Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com
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