Let me start by saying that Brazil played really well. Fred was superb. Neymar was special. David Luiz was mature. Alves and Marcello were leaders. Julio Caesar was a wall. I take nothing away from their win, but this match should have been way closer and probably a Spanish win because they are the more polished side. Spain's coach put out a starting 11 that gave Brazil a big chance and they took advantage of it and exploited Spain at every turn.
I took some heat on Twitter today because I stepped up and pretty much call Del Bosque's lineup unacceptable and flat wrong. I don't feel like Del Bosque can pick out the best 11 anymore. I have felt this since Euro 2012 where he used David Silva and Alonso in the starting lineup too much. Both are great players, but there was no reason to have either of them in when you have the Barca central three and a need for more pure attacking options. Spain struggled to score goals and ended up in PKs with Portugal.
Yet, Spain prevailed and rolled in the Final. I wrote after that final win to a friend that sometimes you just win, but you have to make sure you don't confuse right from wrong just because you got a result. You have to look at the bigger picture and be critical of where you could have done better. A draw against Italy to open Euro 2013 should have woken Spain up to the importance of attacking options, but it didn't.
In reality Spain is Barcelona-lite. Some people may not like that, but when you utilize the style and so many of the players from Barcelona it is what it is. It also doesn't hurt that it has worked. The results have been astonishing, but at times Del Bosque tries to ram square pegs in round holes.
Many have lauded Del Bosque with praise for what he has done and he deserves it. He's a great coach in the golden era of Spanish football. Still I think that he's gotten into a bad place with many of the players on his Spanish side. The problem in Spain is like the reverse problem of Argentina. Argentina is loaded with strikers, but lack great midfielders. Spain is loaded with midfielders, but few fresh striking options. Del Bosque has a hard time not starting Xavi, Busquets and Inesta together. Maybe Xavi is not the same player he was three years ago, but when you start him with those two Spain gets a huge advantage because they have a midfield that players together all year. Oh yeah and they are perhaps the great midfield trio of all time. See the 2010-11 Barca stats to back that up.
This is a huge edge for Spain, but it comes at the price of not being able to use Fabregas, Silva, Mata, and Cozolla just to name a few. Del Bosque has chosen to play a 4-4-2 or use Inesta as a forward to get Xabi Alonso on the pitch. Why? Because he's a legendary player and he has too. Del Bosque has become a man that refuses to accept that he cannot play certain players even if he doesn't need him and they weaken his offensive options.
In Euro 2012 he insisted on starting Alonso and Silva around the Barca midfielders. Spain struggled to score goals when he did this. To me it was a huge mistake, but as I stated earlier he survived it. This year I thought he had it figured out. In match one he started Soldado (a player he didn't even pick over an injured Lorente in 2012) and Cesc with Pedro. Cesc is not a true forward, but he has been in good scoring form towards the end of the season. He scored far more goals than David Silva the last two seasons. Soldado is a brazen attacker and this lineup works because it basically allows Soldado to be tip of the spear striker while the others work to get him into great positions.
Spain spanked Uruguay pretty good. Then they played Thaiti who for all intents were a walk over. The result was a rest for their key players. Against Nigeria he went back to this lineup and Spain dominated again, but Soldado squandered some easy chances. Also note that Valdes started in net and was solid. This will be important later. Torres came on and got on the end of a great cross. I knew right there that Del Bosque was going to go away from the lineup that worked and favor Torres.
He has a love affair with Torres who has lacked confidence since returning from injury 3 years ago. He was a once great player who lost his shadow and it is what it is. Del Bosque even picking him for the side was a surprise to many, but now it seemed he would go forward with him as starter in the knock out stage. His starting lineup for the next match made my skin crawl. For some reason he went back to David Silva upfront with Torres. I guess because there link up play was so good over the years?!?! I understand that Cesc had picked up a knock and probably was not well, but that's why you pick David Villa. That fresh guy who scored bags of goals in the past for you, remember him?
Del Bosque killed the trust of his team when he did this. If David Villa had any self confidence it was gone. Fernando Torres and David Silva, who's not a true forward, were picked over him. The net result was Italy taking them to Pks and zero goals. That's right zero goals. When Spain needed a goal in this match he went to Jesus Navas a true forward, but why not give Navas the start then? I think it's because Del Bosque was hoping Torres and Silva would spring his offense to life and Navas isn't as big of a name player. Apparently no one shared Silva's goal total with him and he doesn't watch Chelsea play...ever!
Many people praised Italy for taking Spain to PKs and shutting them down. I give them the credit they deserve, but who did they stop? Torres with no confidence in big games, Pedro who had a low goal total this year and David Silva who has 5 goals in all comps for Man City all season. The commentators tend to really lose touch with the quality of the forwards Spain started. It wasn't Messi and Ronaldo fronting for Spain in either of the last two match by a wide margin. Italy took advantage of team that was not as dangerous upfront just in the midfield. So they attacked up higher and more aggressively in the midfield where Spain are dangerous.
There was also the matter of Iker. He had looked ok in his first two matches, but in PKs he looked lost. He only came close to stopping one and he was slow to get close to that one. I would never criticize a goalie in PKs because they so favor the shooter, but he was noticeably bad. I thought he had no legs or confidence.
After the Italy debacle I thought Del Bosque would go back to what had worked in his two group matches that mattered. If no Cesc then it's time to go with the super fresh legged David Villa who is Spain's all time leading goal scorer who did not see the pitch against Italy and was fresh. My line up was easy.
Goalie
Valdes
Iker looked bad against Italy and in a game where Brazil are sure to press up high Valdes will be better to start because HE IS USED TO PLAYING THE BALL TO BARCELONA PLAYERS OUT OF THE BACK.
Arebeloa Pique Ramos Alba
Xavi, Inesta, Busquets
Cesc(Villa if hurt) Soldado Pedro
Soldado would be fresh legs again with either Cesc or Villa who would have fresh legs and both of those players with Pedro are USED TO PLAYING IN THE BARCA SYSTEM AND KNOW HOW TO PLAY OFF THE MIDFIELDERS BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE ON THE BENCH.
(Sorry for the caps, but I'm trying to drive home some points here)
Navas could come on and if necessary Mata or Cozolla.
So what happened. He started Torres. That was bad, really bad. Torres was barely picked for the competition and off a goal against Nigeria and no goals against Italy he gets the start in the final against Brazil? On what basis? He wasn't even relevant in Euro 2012. I could write a novel about how bad this decision was, but I will leave you with what I think is the best point. Brazil was probably elated seeing Torres over Soldada and knew they could play a little more aggressive for it and attack the midfield and backline with more pressure.
Then he started Juan Mata. This one actually upset me more. Mata had no business being out there and did nothing to deserve it. Del Bosque might have been using this line of thinking. Cesc would have been in if he wasn't hurt and he is an attacking midfielder. Silva had failed the prior match to fill that role, so he decided to opt for another attacking mid in Mata who was more of a threat to score than Silva, but one problem. MATA IS NOT USED TO PLAYING IN THE BARCA SYSTEM AND WAS OFTEN TIMES IN THIS MATCH CAUGHT OUT OF POSITION OR MADE THE WRONG PASS. Villa was the right choice here hands down. He had the experience and would draw defenders because of his range and HE WAS USED TO PLAYING IN THE BARCELONA SYSTEM WITH THE MIDFIELDERS AND PEDRO.
So what happened. Brazil came out and pressed the ball all over the pitch. They decided to play aggressive and pressed Spain making it hard to play out of the back. They forced Iker to play long balls. A strategy that worked against Barcelona a lot this year and decreased the potency of their attack at times by forcing Valdes to lob it down the pitch and made Barca work for possession. They grabbed an early goal when Iker fell asleep staring at the ball one foot in front of him. The bottom line is he's the best keeper in the world, but he's not 100% fit and his confidence is down. Del Bosque ignored all the warning signs and it cost him a goal. Also this whole possession should have been stopped before Hulk crossed it. He turned it over, but Juan Mata gave the ball right back to him. Watch how Mata behaves during this sequence. He looks like a guy who is out of place and unsure of what he is supposed to be doing.
Spain were playing frantic the rest of the first half never able to settle the ball. They were very aggressive with their tackles. If Spain has a beef it would be the referee allowed Brazil to get away with too much, pulling zero yellow cards on Brazil. Brazil earned at least 2 first half cards for their tactics and this did have a big effect on the game. It's like in NBA basketball when officials don't call fouls on players when they drive to the basket. They get beat up enough times without a call and start settling for jump shots. Spain reacted to the no calls in two ways. They got loose with their passing thinking they suddenly had to do too much with the ball and second they mentally started feeling hard done. You could see it in their body language.
Another factor that played a roll was the condition of the pitch. It looked heavy and clumpy. If you have ever read anything I have written in the past you will know that most teams allow their pitch to be this way against Barcelona because it slows the passing game down and decreases passing accuracy. It was a non factor for Brazil because they played long balls in the air. I would expect this type of pitch in a European match, but not in a FIFA event. The pitch at the most glorious stadium in the world was in that bad of shape? I think not. It was done on purpose. More home cooking.
Credit David Luiz for his huge save on the Pedro shot, but does it surprise you that Pedro missed yet another huge chance in a big game? He did it all year for Barcelona. Still a great defensive play and it changed the game because that was for sure going in and it would have put a massive amount of pressure on Brazil.
Instead poor defending lead to a Neymar shot, which Iker didn't seem to have the legs to get too. I think at that point Spain were all done. They had let a sure goal get away and they had no one that could bring them to life offensively on the pitch. Once Del Bosque opened with the same front three I felt the game was up.
The third goal was a sin. First Spain came out in the second half and got outworked. How does that happen? Aren't you supposed to come out fired up and all energy? Didn't Del Bosque give them a big time pep talk? Didn't he remind them that who they were?
Two minutes into the second half I wasn't feeling like he gave a speech at all. Brazil won a ball back they shouldn't have, completed passes they shouldn't have, and put one by Iker that they shouldn't have. If Iker allowed soft goals like this so frequently in the past Barcelona would have a few more Liga titles to talk about. Again though I'll defend him because it's not his ability or age, but just the lack of playing time he was granted after his recovery. Being thrust into this type of match was a mistake and his manager needed to step up and realize that. He needed to stop trying to prove a point about Iker. Iker could do that at Real Madrid next season on his own.
Navas came on for Mata, but why? What did Mata do wrong? Oh I know. He was ineffective with the ball. Caused the first goal to happen, bungled a few key sequences, and provided little threat to Brazil's back line. Probably because he's an attacking midfielder and HE'S NOT USED TO PLAYING IN THE BARCELONA SYSTEM AND HAS RARELY BEEN USED IN THIS TYPE OF SPOT. That could have something to do with it, but I don't know for sure.
Navas gave Spain some life and caused the penalty shot. AND THEN THE DUMBEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN HAPPENED WHEN RAMOS RAN UP AND TOOK THE PENALTY WITHOUT DISCUSSION. (Ok I've seen dumber things, but at the time this seemed pretty dumb.) How in the world does Ramos take that penalty of Xavi? Remember the huge penalty that Ramos, a defender, missed against Bayern two years ago? It was the reason that he shook his finger and pointed at his back when he scored against Italy because everyone thought he would miss and he knew it. (Jackass) There seemed to be no discussion about this and with this missed penalty the match was over, this time for sure. Can you second guess this decision, absolutely! DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB. I digress.
The Pique red was the icing on the worst officiated match I've seen in a while. A for sure yellow, but it was not a red. In context he should have given Spain a break here because he had cut Brazil so much slack. It didn't matter since the game was out of reach after the missed PK, but the officiating should not be forgotten about. How Brazil got no yellows was shameful and it allowed them to get away with murder in the first half. In the second they slowed down with the game in hand.
David Villa was brought on, but this was too little too late. It mirrored the second leg of the Copa semi for Barca against Madrid where Barca fell 3 behind and brought on Villa too late. Poor David Villa. It's like everyone quit on him this year. I think maybe a year too soon.
Now many people will point out that I probably was very Barca biased in this piece, but that's what Spain has become. Barca-lite and I don't blame Del Bosque for that. If I could play Barcelona, even without Messi, against International sides I would be a favorite every time. The team comes in prepared to play together and it doesn't hurt that they have been the best team in the world over the past five years bar none. That's why I say it is what it is.
The issue I have with Del Bosque is he seems to make decision based on one of two things.
1. I have to play certain players because they are big names and it will come at the expense of the lesser names. Soldado, Lorente, and Navas are not as big of names as Mata, Silva, and Torres. I think he believes that he can't take criticism when he plays those guys because that's what any other coach would do. The problem I have with this line of thinking is that it's a team game. Play the team that gives you the best chance.
2. I have to play other players because I don't want to look like I'm just taking advantage of the Barcelona team and that I'm actually improving on them. The problem I have with there is no team that plays quite like Barcelona so when you insert key pieces into the team, and that style, they struggle to adjust and can actually get neutralized by their own side. Just like Juan Mata today. He was out of his element and Torres over the last few years.
In either case I think a little bit of both is true. Del Bosque's ego wants to believe that more of Spain's success is what he has done rather than being a byproduct of the Barcelona era where so many players are playing for one side and playing a style that has changed world football. He has done a lot, but just as in the case with Bayern and Germany the players train all year together for the most part. The best international sides will always be the ones where the core of the team play together year round. It's such a massive advantage. Just ask Mexico and Uruguay. Two teams loaded with stars who have both suddenly begun to struggle in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup (Although I think they both get in). Why, because their players are scattered throughout the globe. Brazil suffered with this same problem, but overcame it due to playing together a lot in the last two months and getting the home cooking I pointed out in an earlier post.
I tweeted earlier that Del Bosque needs to step aside. I was half joking, but I think he does in a way. Not for a new coach, but from the coach he has become. He needs to realize that in order to raise the Cup in Brazil next season he needs to play the best available players at each position and be less concerned with how many Barcelona players he starts and who's feelings he hurts. To be the greatest team of all time you have to hold yourself to the lofty standards. The Confed Cup is a small prize and they lost it last time too. I can see past this, but I hope lessons have been learned.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Spain Vs. Nigeria Dairy Confed Cup 2013 Group stage Match 3
Same lineup for Spain as match up with the exception of Valdes. 8 Barcelona players now. Let's now kid ourselves this team is basically Barcelona with no Messi. If Soldado were to do bad today would it be a surprise if Villa got start on the wing with Cesc in the middle in the next round? It's just crazy to think about. On to the match.
Villa is in for Pedro. So I beg the question is Juan Mata better than David Silva? Yes by a wide margin. So why is Silva playing? I have no idea.
What's at stake? For Nigeria an outside chance at the next round for Spain it determines whether they play Italy or Brazil first. Yes they have not clinched, but the scenario for not advancing is pretty extreme.
It's the Denver snow ref. All Americans should like this guy. Although I think going forward with that match was the right decision.
Only one Barca player on the bench in David Villa.
Spoiler alert this recap will focus mainly on Spain because of the way the rain falls there and the fact that Nigerian soccer knowledge is not very high in my house hold.
Great play by Inesta in the first minute to get into a dangerous position. He seems to thrive in these big international tournaments.
Nigerian comes right back with a quality chance. Probably a bad idea to opt for the short corner.
Amazing passing by Spain to cut from the back all the way to the front with no contact by Nigeria. Pedro's pass was incredible. Credit to Alba for not fumbling that up and scoring in a tough spot. Scary good play by Spain. There was like 8 assists on the play.
Great ball into Fabregas. Nigeria lucky to still only be down 1.
Spain's uniforms would be cool if not for the gold v around the neck.
Great chance for Nigeria as Spain fell asleep having a man advantage. Ramos made a good play to stop the chance. Pedro bumbled up yet another break. He's been doing it for a year why would he stop now.
Xavi was a bad giveaway. Nigeria worked too fast with an advantage and lacked the quality to take advantage.
Ramos takes the free kick over Xavi in a very dangerous spot. I think that was a mistake as he kicks it into the way.
After 15 Spain started brilliant, but have given up chances and maybe are a little overconfident. They need to work harder. Nigeria needs to take advantage of their chances and at least get better shots on goal.
Spain are not playing with a sense of urgency since scoring the first goal. As a group they don't seem determined to win the ball back. Another dangerous chance by Nigeria. There best so far.
Dangerous corner for Nigeria, but they don't score and follow it up by messing up another decent chance.
Maybe Xavi was right about not starting the last game. Spain look rusty. Valdes took out Pique. Didn't look that bad on the replay, but the stretcher is out. I notice that in FIFA matches it comes out faster than in a club match. Pique looks like he will be ok though.
Ramos fires a ball over the top and Soldado is on, but can't finish. Scary good pass by Ramos and good play by Soldado to stay on.
Nigeria drive back with another good run and force a corner. A few moments later they get another big chance. Spain are asleep out there. Nigeria then gets another break into the box. Time for Del Bosque to do some coaching. If he remembers how.
Soldado gets sprung again. No reason to not score there. I think he's botching his chance to keep his spot.
The announcers remind us that this keeper stopped Messi from scoring at the World Cup. It seems crazy that Messi didn't have a single goal considering his form since the WC. I'd bet against that happening again.
Nigeria would be tied at worst if they had a quality striker.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ....Fabregas hits the post and should have scored.....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
Another dangerous Nigeria chance. I'm having trouble pin pointing why these are happening so frequently. It really seems like a lack of energy on Spain's part. Too much time ball watching and waiting for something to happen.
Bad cross by Alba, but good play to get into position to make the cross.
Ramos makes an unssucessful attempt to hit Pedro for a pass. He's been the most willing player to chance. Everyone else is playing more conservative with their passing. Good ball from Xavi, but Soldado is well covered.
Great Xavi free kick to Ramos's head. Good save by the Nigerian keeper. B- effort by Spain in that first half. They should have scored at least one more. Nigeria had some good chances, but couldn't find the quality to finish one off. Spain must do better in the second half to open up Nigeria on the counter attack. They also need to play with more energy.
It's probably popular to take out Soldado, but I'd take out Cesc and see if Villa gives you anything on the wing first. Then try Torres down the middle for the last 20 minutes or so and see if those two play well together.
Nigeria springs a good chance out of ball possession. I'm not sure how they didn't score there.
Spain earn a big free kick at the top of the box. I hope Xavi takes it. Xavi does well to almost bury it. Making me remember the wasted one by Ramos in the first half.
Del Confuse me is bringing on Silva for Fabregas. Looks like Cesc is hurt. Still not sure why you don't bring on a true striker there. I think he just likes trying to win 1-0.
Torres is coming on. I think he will excel in this type of game.
Xavi with a shot he maybe didn't need to take.
Soldado is off. I don't like it. Del Bosque is constantly choosing lineups that are not as attacking. Why not sub Torres in for Pedro, but really the mistake was bringing on David Silva, which I believe he does to stroke Silva's ego.
Great cross by Pedro into to Torres. I think that just earned him the start against Italy.
There are huge gaps in this match where zero is happening. Actually kind of annoying.
Silva botches up a pretty easy chance. All the more reason to question why he is brought in ever for this team.
Great play to prevent Torres from scoring his second. I think he needed to be sharper there and finish it.
Pedro and Torres are playing well together. I would have loved to see Pedro, Torres, and Villa upfront.
Even Juan Mata should play ahead of Silva. The theme I don't like Silva is being misrepresented. I like his game, but he's not a forward and shouldn't be in there. After the Euro I came to the conclusion that Del Bosque was playing him to stroke his ego and I believe I'm correct.
Pedro squanders an easy chance. This is become a theme for both teams. This match should have yielded more goals.
Arebeloa botches up a cross and runs back to commit the foul. Can you say the weak link?
Nigeria will rue all these chances as they miss another one.
Villa is in for Pedro. So I beg the question is Juan Mata better than David Silva? Yes by a wide margin. So why is Silva playing? I have no idea.
Silva messes up a touch and then botches a pass. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.
Villa takes advantage of a good play by Alba and he scores his second.
This match was uninspired. I would have thought a rested Spain side with something to play for would have done better. The effort will need to improve against Italy.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Time to Do Away with the Away Goals Rule
Too often we are forced to watch football matches that are effected by a rule that denies us seeing two great sides play great football. We instead watch boring tactics designed to benefit from having scored away goals. To me it's taking this beautiful game and editing it so you can avoid PK's or extra time at all costs. The cost is denying us the end to end excitement we all crave, especially in the KO stage of the UCL.
This season the UCL Champions, and best team in the world, benefited greatly from this rule. Bayern beat Arsenal in the round of 16 3-1 on the road and then lost 2-0 at home, but they advanced on away goals. That result really bothered me. Imagine if the game would have continued after the final whistle because they were tied. Imagine the drama? Instead Bayern who lost at home without scoring walked off the pitch winners because of where there goals were scored. Does that make any sense?
I don't think it does and the Barcelona PSG result put us all in the same position, but even worse. Barcelona earned an away draw to PSG 2-2. In the return leg PSG struck a goal and took a 3-2 lead overall, but Barca tied the game minutes later at 1-1. The match finished that way. So neither team won a match, but Barcelona advanced. Wait now you can advance without even winning. Barcelona was deemed better because they scored more on the road. Huh?
To make matters worse even when the rule is not directly enforced it can have an affect on an outcome because it might be enforced. You need not look any further than the 2012 UCL Semis to see how the rule can effect pivotal legacy defining matches. Real Madrid lost it's away leg to Bayern 2-1. In the home leg Real scored early and made it 1-0 and then again to go up 2-0. Bayern equalized 2-1 on a PK. So there we sat deadlocked, but in reality we weren't deadlocked. Real knew that they had to be extra careful because if they allowed a Bayern goal they would have to then score two. Every Bayern goal for the remainder of the game counted for more. Real became more defensive, but it didn't end there.
In extra time the rule still applied. This is baffling to me. Real were being punished for playing at home. If Bayern scored they still had to score twice to avoid elimination. The logic here is baffling. To me it was a apparent that Real became very conservative and the rule was effecting their play. Bayern advanced on PK's. In this case the rule indirectly effected the outcome, but it didn't end there.
Barcelona lost to Chelsea in their semi 1-0 on the road. In the return leg Barca got up 2-0, but Chelsea got a late second half goal making the tie level, but Chelsea were threw if the result didn't change. With Chelsea down to 10 men the game became a struggle for them to lose only 2-1. Barcelona through the kitchen sink at them and eventually Fernando Torres benefited and added a late goal to seal the tie with Barca committed to forward. Sure the tie was not decided by the rule, but indirectly it was. Had the tie been even Barcelona would have had a different strategy to get another goal and the game would have been more exciting. Perhaps Chelsea, who no one thought was the best team in Europe last year wouldn't have hoisted the trophy that said they were. To me that's kind of a big deal.
This match seemed like revenge for Chelsea who lost a heart breaker in the UCL Semis in 2009 when they drew Barca at home 1-1 and were eliminated. There were no goals in the first leg. To me this loss changed the landscape of football. Barca's big tie started their dynasty, but they only advanced because they tied better. How often does a tie start a dynasty in the NFL?
The rule also can effect the outlook of a match and make the mountain seem higher should you lose the first leg. Lyon dropped the first leg of their 2010 semi final tie with Bayern Munich 1-0. On the road one would think that is a good result, but look at the position that Lyon was in. They had to be nearly perfect to advance from that position. They needed to win by two goals to have any chance of going through. All because they lost 1-0. That seems a bit harsh, but that's the reality the rule creates. Certainly Bayern's strategy had to be let's just score one goal and defend like mad, while Lyon had to be thinking about how aggressive do we need to be. The strategy going into the second leg was overly effected by a minimal result. So Lyon had to play different from how they normally would and Bayern could be more defensive and less exposed. The end result was a match that was not the best of how either side plays. Eventually ending in a blow out by Bayern.
I believe this rule needs to be done away with. At least in the KO portion of the UCL. Fans contribute all the revenue to the UCL and they deserve better than to watch boring grinding football that is decided by location of goals rather than quantity. There are three key benefits to doing away with the rule that would greatly elevate the quality of play in the KO stage and deliver more satisfying results.
The first benefit, and I can't underscore this enough, is that you would always have a winner. Someone would either score more than someone else or win in PKs. While I don't think PK's are the greatest thing ever it still gives you a winner and a loser. Chelsea won because they scored more PK's than Real Madrid is better than Chelsea won because they scored one more away goal than Real Madrid. You would eliminate ties and that has a ton of value.
Think about how this rule would have effected the 2012 semi final in Madrid. There is no way Real would have been as passive when the result was leveled and probably would have pressed either resulting in a goal for them or something for Bayern or to my next point.
More goals would be scored if this rule was abolished. You would likely eliminate the tactical defensive strategies that go into place when a team is trying to protect their away goal lead. It then becomes 180 minutes of two teams trying to out score each other and not out wit each other, which in turn leads to my final point.
More drama equals more interest and more memories. Image if Arsenal and Bayern had to keep playing in this seasons round of 16. Imagine if they went to penalties. Wouldn't that have been more exciting? It certainly would have been more exciting in the case of PSG/Barca where neither team won a match for their to be extra time. Creating more deadlocked situations, creates more drama and you can't put a price on that. The tactics can be draining and very anti-climactic, but with the rule change the matches would seem to have more life for the entire duration.
Image this scenario. Man U play AC Milan into a 1-1 draw in Milan. In the return leg Milan get up 2-0 in the first half. Now with the current rule in place this match is basically over because Man U would have to score 3 times to win and have no chance of forcing extra time. It's very easy for Milan to sit in for an entire half and prevent three goals, but without the rule if Man U were to score one goal in the 2nd half then the match would be on pins and needles until the final whistle. I think this would be the case in regards to many matches.
I don't think the powers that be at UEFA are likely to do anything anytime to soon. I get that impression by the fact that they have not even adopted the disappearing salt for free kicks like other federations have. It's one of the biggest no brainers there could be and when you add to the fact that it wouldn't stir up controversy at all you just have to scratch your head. World Football is too often protected by authorities that are out of touch with what really matters, but I think they are missing out on the bigger picture. Ratings are a driving force in sports. The changing of this rule and the extra drama, goals, and decisions it will bring only create more interest and more reason to watch. That equals more money and in the end unfortunately that's what they are all about. So, let's hope they wake up soon.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
The Toughest Loss in 33 years...I wouldn't bet against it
In the post game of last nights Finals Game 6 Bill Simmons proclaimed it might be the worst loss in the last 33 years of the NBA. I don't think he was too far off in that statement. The game was so strange in the way that it felt like Miami came on and San Antonio let it slip away. It wasn't a complete choke job or a complete amazing comeback. It was somewhere in the middle. Sure Ray Allen made the three to tie it, but he didn't seem like a hero to me. All of LeBron's fourth quarter turnovers put the Heat in the bad spot they were in. It was just...strange.
For the first time in these playoffs I agreed with Magic Johnson. The Spurs should not have subbed out their starters at the beginning of the fourth quarter or snubbed off both Duncan and Parker. I think you have to play out the first few minutes and keep that lead close to double digits. I thought that was pretty pivotal. If the Heat stay behind by 8 or so I think they start losing faith and the Spurs would have kept their confidence higher.
The Spurs couldn't get the big run stopping basket they needed to push the game out of reach. Despite Miami's big run and the Spurs lack of scoring they had some stops followed by open threes. Green, Leonard, and Neal all missed a three that could have pushed the lead to 7 or more and created the breathing room the Spurs needed to have Miami feeling like it was out of reach.
The Spurs did not have to defend all that well and still could have won. I felt like 100 was the magic number. That would have required Miami to score 35 points fourth quarter points to simply tie and the Spurs would have to score 25. Obviously the Spurs only needed to score 21 to win, but they had a license to be more offensively focused in the fourth. What does that mean? No Boris Diaw!! Keep offensive minded players like Gary Neal in for a longer stretch and forget about trying to be so defensively driven. Sell out on the offensive glass and get easy 2nd chance points. That might be a reach, but I was thinking Miami would run out of gas and in way they did. You have to realize Miami scored 30 4th quater points, but 6 of those were the final two threes. They didn't pull a Lakers-Blazers game 7 from 2000 where the Lakers went off.
I can't say that Leonard and Ginobli choked at the line. Leonard had made his two previous foul shots. A below average free throw shooter is likely to miss one in that spot. Ginobli was also due for a miss. I understand guys have to be clutch, but that wasn't a choke job. It was more like an added point of frustration.
I feel the game was really lost when they couldn't grab an offensive rebound in the final two sequences where Miami tied it. On the first one three Spurs had the position and banged into each other causing Leonard to squeeze it out of his own hands. The second Bosh was in a better position. More heartbreak. If Duncan is in the Spurs get the rebound in either case, but the thinking was that Bosh would also be a three point threat and SA wanted to get good protection against three with speed players. I think Pop over thought this and would do it differently had he to do it over.
I think a lot of people missed the fact that the Spurs got such a poor shot off with 5 seconds left. The fall away Parker jumper was a quick play call made during the unnecessary review that occurred, but I think they could have done better to get him straight on off a pick or just attempted a three pointer, which would likely have been less contested and less expected. I felt the Spurs left a better shot on the table there.
Another point I thought that was glossed over was the fact that in OT no one scored in the final 1:30 or so. (I need to rewatch the game to find out the actual rundown, but it's too soon for that) Miami got a 1 point lead and the rest of the game was two tired teams just trying to earn the final possession. On the final possession the Spurs had a timeout and I don't care what anyone says Pop did the right thing. He pushed the ball. Miami was tired and caught flat footed by this. Ginobli got to the center of the paint with no one in front of him. He had an easy layup, but Ray Allen fouled him to prevent him getting it off. The problem was the refs didn't make the call. After all the chances the Spurs had to win outright they should have never let it come down to a call, but it was a clear foul. It's sour grapes, but it was the truth. (Yes, I realize that Ray Allen made two free throws to push the lead out, but there were no made baskets in the run in. Kind of a sad commentary on a great game. There really wasn't a hero.) In 20 years Ray Allen will be sitting on a beach somewhere and he will get asked did he foul him and he will say yes as he sips his drink and smiles.
Danny Green got fouled on the last shot, but I totally agree with the no call. You aren't getting the body contact call that late. Again it should never have come down to that. I don't know if I could have survived watching Green shoot three free throws in that spot. Literally I might have been done in by that.
You have to feel gutted for the Spurs. It felt like their night, but it wasn't meant to be. In the end it's sad and here's a few reasons why.
Tim Duncan showed up and had a clutch game. You can't blame him for not scoring in the 4th because the ball wasn't given to him in any real good positions and he sat half the quarter. It would have been a legendary game for him to win.
Tony Parker probably stole back the MVP with his 3 and running lay up to take over the game late. Unfortunately he didn't get a good shot in the final seconds and looked bad in the OT. A big credit to him considering we know he has a bad hammy, but you never heard the announcers talking about it. We have no idea what's wrong with Wade, but all we do is hear about it. Kudos to Parker. Wish it could have ended better for him.
LeBron James had an awful game for three quarters, the final three minutes except his made 3, and OT. He turned the ball over at least three times in the final two minutes. LeBron is a great player, but far from MJ when it comes to winning games. He is LeBron and I'm good with that. This would have stopped all the comparisons finally, but his failing late in fourth are forgotten because he got two chances to hit a three and Ray Allen bailed the team out. I would have liked to have ended that discussion once and for all.
Pop would have gotten his fifth title. He deserves it and so does the Spurs franchise. This is how a team should be run. Sure it takes luck, but it also take determination. The STONE CUTTER. I admire what they have done.
It would have proven that team is more important than Divas. How many times did we have to see Heat players complain after a play where they didn't get a call? It's alarming to watch. If roles had been reversed last night and LeBron was Manu he would have ran onto the third deck. It was a touch frustrating that Joey Crawford had to tell Wade to stop yelling at him. A simple technical would have achieved that, but alas none was ever called.
A few other notes;
The game was not rigged. I've watched numerous games in the NBA where I felt the game was rigged to the benefit of league revenues. Portland-Lakers WCF 2000 game 7. Countless Kings-Lakers games and game 7 of the Finals in 2010 between the Lakers. Why is a game rigged? Because dynasties, big markets, superstars, and repeat Champions put asses in seats. Yet in regards to Miami I think the NBA knows they are in win-win. If the Heat lose the fallout draws huge ratings and interest. If they win then they have a dynasty and the same effect. So, no I don't believe that game was rigged. The non-call on Ginobli was just awful officiating. Which leads me too...
Is in apparent to only me that Steve Javie was hired to buffalo the fans of the NBA into thinking the refs don't rig games or miss calls. Again I don't think this game was rigged, but why wouldn't ESPN cut to Javie for those final two calls? Simple because they don't want him saying yes those were fouls, but the officials couldn't call them because of the situation in the game or they were just totally blow calls. Either answer leads to big problems for the NBA. In the first case it makes people feel that the game is not fairly balanced from start to finish (which they are not) and in the second case the officials are prone to mistakes. Either way it makes fans feel the product the NBA is putting out is inferior because unlike the NFL they can't get a call right. Javie was hired to do the opposite. Make people feel like there aren't superstar calls and the better teams aren't being favored. Kudos to the NBA.
Miami has the world's worst fans. The Spurs sold out their home arena for an away game. The Miami fans were leaving down four with Manu going to the line. I was sitting at home biting my nails thinking he has to hit both! Seriously you have LeBron James in his prime. In his prime. The fans are one factor that gives me hope for game 7. If the Spurs get up 2 points they fans might leave.
LeBron James should play without his headband. He looked more likable and more like a guy that had matured. With the Headband he annoys me. I hope he decides it popped off for a reason last night. In a slight bit of humor (because this can't all be depressing) where did his headband end up? It seemed to vanish into thin air on replay. It also seems to have popped off on it's own. Is LeBron using HGH? I wonder?
Game 7 thoughts coming soon....if I have anything left in the tank that is.
For the first time in these playoffs I agreed with Magic Johnson. The Spurs should not have subbed out their starters at the beginning of the fourth quarter or snubbed off both Duncan and Parker. I think you have to play out the first few minutes and keep that lead close to double digits. I thought that was pretty pivotal. If the Heat stay behind by 8 or so I think they start losing faith and the Spurs would have kept their confidence higher.
The Spurs couldn't get the big run stopping basket they needed to push the game out of reach. Despite Miami's big run and the Spurs lack of scoring they had some stops followed by open threes. Green, Leonard, and Neal all missed a three that could have pushed the lead to 7 or more and created the breathing room the Spurs needed to have Miami feeling like it was out of reach.
The Spurs did not have to defend all that well and still could have won. I felt like 100 was the magic number. That would have required Miami to score 35 points fourth quarter points to simply tie and the Spurs would have to score 25. Obviously the Spurs only needed to score 21 to win, but they had a license to be more offensively focused in the fourth. What does that mean? No Boris Diaw!! Keep offensive minded players like Gary Neal in for a longer stretch and forget about trying to be so defensively driven. Sell out on the offensive glass and get easy 2nd chance points. That might be a reach, but I was thinking Miami would run out of gas and in way they did. You have to realize Miami scored 30 4th quater points, but 6 of those were the final two threes. They didn't pull a Lakers-Blazers game 7 from 2000 where the Lakers went off.
I can't say that Leonard and Ginobli choked at the line. Leonard had made his two previous foul shots. A below average free throw shooter is likely to miss one in that spot. Ginobli was also due for a miss. I understand guys have to be clutch, but that wasn't a choke job. It was more like an added point of frustration.
I feel the game was really lost when they couldn't grab an offensive rebound in the final two sequences where Miami tied it. On the first one three Spurs had the position and banged into each other causing Leonard to squeeze it out of his own hands. The second Bosh was in a better position. More heartbreak. If Duncan is in the Spurs get the rebound in either case, but the thinking was that Bosh would also be a three point threat and SA wanted to get good protection against three with speed players. I think Pop over thought this and would do it differently had he to do it over.
I think a lot of people missed the fact that the Spurs got such a poor shot off with 5 seconds left. The fall away Parker jumper was a quick play call made during the unnecessary review that occurred, but I think they could have done better to get him straight on off a pick or just attempted a three pointer, which would likely have been less contested and less expected. I felt the Spurs left a better shot on the table there.
Another point I thought that was glossed over was the fact that in OT no one scored in the final 1:30 or so. (I need to rewatch the game to find out the actual rundown, but it's too soon for that) Miami got a 1 point lead and the rest of the game was two tired teams just trying to earn the final possession. On the final possession the Spurs had a timeout and I don't care what anyone says Pop did the right thing. He pushed the ball. Miami was tired and caught flat footed by this. Ginobli got to the center of the paint with no one in front of him. He had an easy layup, but Ray Allen fouled him to prevent him getting it off. The problem was the refs didn't make the call. After all the chances the Spurs had to win outright they should have never let it come down to a call, but it was a clear foul. It's sour grapes, but it was the truth. (Yes, I realize that Ray Allen made two free throws to push the lead out, but there were no made baskets in the run in. Kind of a sad commentary on a great game. There really wasn't a hero.) In 20 years Ray Allen will be sitting on a beach somewhere and he will get asked did he foul him and he will say yes as he sips his drink and smiles.
Danny Green got fouled on the last shot, but I totally agree with the no call. You aren't getting the body contact call that late. Again it should never have come down to that. I don't know if I could have survived watching Green shoot three free throws in that spot. Literally I might have been done in by that.
You have to feel gutted for the Spurs. It felt like their night, but it wasn't meant to be. In the end it's sad and here's a few reasons why.
Tim Duncan showed up and had a clutch game. You can't blame him for not scoring in the 4th because the ball wasn't given to him in any real good positions and he sat half the quarter. It would have been a legendary game for him to win.
Tony Parker probably stole back the MVP with his 3 and running lay up to take over the game late. Unfortunately he didn't get a good shot in the final seconds and looked bad in the OT. A big credit to him considering we know he has a bad hammy, but you never heard the announcers talking about it. We have no idea what's wrong with Wade, but all we do is hear about it. Kudos to Parker. Wish it could have ended better for him.
LeBron James had an awful game for three quarters, the final three minutes except his made 3, and OT. He turned the ball over at least three times in the final two minutes. LeBron is a great player, but far from MJ when it comes to winning games. He is LeBron and I'm good with that. This would have stopped all the comparisons finally, but his failing late in fourth are forgotten because he got two chances to hit a three and Ray Allen bailed the team out. I would have liked to have ended that discussion once and for all.
Pop would have gotten his fifth title. He deserves it and so does the Spurs franchise. This is how a team should be run. Sure it takes luck, but it also take determination. The STONE CUTTER. I admire what they have done.
It would have proven that team is more important than Divas. How many times did we have to see Heat players complain after a play where they didn't get a call? It's alarming to watch. If roles had been reversed last night and LeBron was Manu he would have ran onto the third deck. It was a touch frustrating that Joey Crawford had to tell Wade to stop yelling at him. A simple technical would have achieved that, but alas none was ever called.
A few other notes;
The game was not rigged. I've watched numerous games in the NBA where I felt the game was rigged to the benefit of league revenues. Portland-Lakers WCF 2000 game 7. Countless Kings-Lakers games and game 7 of the Finals in 2010 between the Lakers. Why is a game rigged? Because dynasties, big markets, superstars, and repeat Champions put asses in seats. Yet in regards to Miami I think the NBA knows they are in win-win. If the Heat lose the fallout draws huge ratings and interest. If they win then they have a dynasty and the same effect. So, no I don't believe that game was rigged. The non-call on Ginobli was just awful officiating. Which leads me too...
Is in apparent to only me that Steve Javie was hired to buffalo the fans of the NBA into thinking the refs don't rig games or miss calls. Again I don't think this game was rigged, but why wouldn't ESPN cut to Javie for those final two calls? Simple because they don't want him saying yes those were fouls, but the officials couldn't call them because of the situation in the game or they were just totally blow calls. Either answer leads to big problems for the NBA. In the first case it makes people feel that the game is not fairly balanced from start to finish (which they are not) and in the second case the officials are prone to mistakes. Either way it makes fans feel the product the NBA is putting out is inferior because unlike the NFL they can't get a call right. Javie was hired to do the opposite. Make people feel like there aren't superstar calls and the better teams aren't being favored. Kudos to the NBA.
Miami has the world's worst fans. The Spurs sold out their home arena for an away game. The Miami fans were leaving down four with Manu going to the line. I was sitting at home biting my nails thinking he has to hit both! Seriously you have LeBron James in his prime. In his prime. The fans are one factor that gives me hope for game 7. If the Spurs get up 2 points they fans might leave.
LeBron James should play without his headband. He looked more likable and more like a guy that had matured. With the Headband he annoys me. I hope he decides it popped off for a reason last night. In a slight bit of humor (because this can't all be depressing) where did his headband end up? It seemed to vanish into thin air on replay. It also seems to have popped off on it's own. Is LeBron using HGH? I wonder?
Game 7 thoughts coming soon....if I have anything left in the tank that is.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Barca Season in Review 12-13
So the 2012-13 season in completely over. It was a never ending season complete with highs and lows. It was very much bitter sweet. If I wrote down on paper the achievements many would say that was pretty good, but having watching it was a little frustrating and exciting at the same time.
The Liga is ours again and yes that was a big accomplishment. The hot start was amazing and I was hoping that it might never end and we could tease being undefeated, but Sociedad put an end to those hopes. I was massively impressed with our finish considering we lost Messi and had really very little to play for, 100 points aside. If was strange how Barca had wrapped up the league in December, but didn't clinch until all the other major leagues already had. I didn't like the season going on so late. I hope La Liga will address that and end the season sooner next year. I'm sure they will with the WC looming.
I felt like the season started really exciting with the many comebacks and the thriller against Real Madrid. I thought the high point was the home win against Altetico, which put everything out of reach for both Madrids. The young Lion Flacao scored and it looked like we were in trouble, but then we imposed our will and choked the life out of them and the season. Once we lost a game it seemed like the energy was gone from not only us, but the teams we played. The worst Classico I've seen to date was the away leg at Real. Just a snoozer of a game and I don't mean the play, but the energy in the stadium. Everyone kind of new that one didn't matter. Usually Classico's are on a knife's edge, but this one was played on a dull blade. Because Real was playing on Tuesday in the UCL the match was played during the day time and that did not help.
This Liga felt like "give us back what's ours and don't plan on getting it back anytime soon." I hope that's the way we treat it next year, but I will address that in a later post. It's a massive accomplishment to win the 2nd biggest league in the world that easily and get 100 points while doing it. A season to remember no doubt.
The Supercup was a major let down for me. In the first match we really bossed the game. Up 3-1 the entire tie was pretty close to being over. We just needed to hold firm or add. Messi got a late ball in the box and Iker made a huge save. It keyed a counter and mistake by the defense leading to a goal many thought didn't matter. I felt it did and we paid for it in the second leg. It was heart breaking to lose a tie that way, especially down a man, but I will never forget Barca staying on the pitch while Real got awarded the trophy. Stay classy.
The Copa was a let down. That was the first real crack in the Barca armor and it came in the second semi final leg against Real Madrid. (When I say crack I mean over the last four years, we have never looked this exposed.) Again we bossed the away leg and had numerous chances to go up 2-0 and put the thing away, but poor finishing did us in and a cracker equalizer left many with a bad taste in their mouth. In the second leg at home we got dominated by Madrid. I think this was in no doubt due to the tactics and the front 3 that were picked. It was the first two goal loss at home that I have ever watched. Some how in a season where we were whipping Real in the League they were getting the better of us at every turn.
A quick look back at the Classico's reveals they had our number this year. We won the Super cup leg one 3-2, lost the second 2-1, in league drew 2-2 at home and lost 2-1 on the road, Copa drew 1-1 on the road and lost 3-1 at home. Real had our number this year. I think it was because they became a pure counter attack team and it worked. Real made themselves too focused on perfectly beating Barca and therefore struggled against a wide variety of styles. Perhaps the lack of trophies was proof of this. Still we had 1 win (preseason really) 3 loses (ok one preseason) and 2 draws, not good. by our standards. The great Jose had sold out to get better against us every year. Maybe that's why so many Barca players are taking unnecessary shot at him. Sure they are protecting Iker, I believe that.
The UCL was as bitter sweet as you can get. First we bossed our group stage, but lost that leg to Celtic away, which was baffling. It was again a bad front 3 and we caught them playing well. It was the first true loss of the season (I don't see the Supercup as anything more than a preseason situation) and it would be the only one in 2012. It didn't have to happen, but it did. The final match where Messi got hurt had us all on pins and needles for a few days. I really didn't need that to happen. We looked brilliant, but then at the same time you were questioning why we needed a late goal at home to beat Celtic? In the end we moved on with relative ease and a few questions.
The KO stage was not much different. I think everyone had us sunk after an uninspired away leg at Milan. We made a team we should have been able to boss look viable again. All credit to them they were playing better, but on form we were better as we had lost two games all season to this point. Again it was a situation where we started the wrong front three, which became a common theme throughout the season. It felt like we had a cloud over us at this point in the year. It might have been missing Tito or just all the retribution for not addressing our ills.
For me the crowning moment of the season was the comeback win against Milan at home. Messi's first goal was a thing of brilliance. I've watched it 100 times. He gets it to his shooting foot in the blink of an eye and guides it through four defenders that were swarming him. The goalie doesn't even move as the laser beam shot flies in the corner. That is one of the greatest goals of all time. For all the shots from distance, and bender free kicks we see on highlight reels you might miss this one because it happened so fast. Watch it again and tell me you don't agree.
The comeback was completed and we went on to PSG to teach them a lesson. That lesson was if we lose our best player we have no faith in our other strikers and will play three guys who combined for less than 15 goals upfront to that point. (It could have been less than ten if you toss out the Copa goals Villa and Cesc scored against third division clubs) Is there a theme developing in this post? Yes there sure is. Messi showed his greatness in the second leg coming on as a super sub causing the winning goal and we escaped, but I didn't feel like we were favorites after that.
It was pretty clear that Messi had not suitably rested his injury going in the next leg against Bayern. Who can blame Tito for starting the best player in the world against the world's hottest team on the road. It became pretty clear that maybe we should have done things a little more tactical in that first leg and tried to get away with a survivable result. Instead we got stomped so bad we all lost hope. I can't blame Tito at all and I wouldn't be a Monday morning QB on this situation. He did what we all would have done, but the result was inevitable. Some say if Messi was 100% we get by them, but I say the tactics and lineup had to change and if they didn't Bayern was still 4-2 better than us. So in a UCL where we made the semi's for a record 6th straight time it felt like we were pretty far away from it.
Just on a side note when do you remember Barca last losing 4-0? I bet you can't even remember 3-0 at home either. Those were the signs that had everyone yelling for center backs, but that is common thinking when you allow goals. It's your defense, but in the case of Barca it is their tactics.
On a whole I was very happy with Tito early on. The team had more life offensively and at times defended really well. He couldn't help it that his back line broke down with injury and give him credit as he kept it together for the first part of the season pretty well. He also couldn't help his own illness, which the team felt once it got prolonged. Despite all that as the season wore on I started to see a few cracks that really had me wondering if he was the right guy.
The first was his selection of the front three. I believe Messi works best when surrounded by good attacking wingers. It doesn't even require those guys to score, but to be threats. Inesta and Cesc are not major scoring threats. Tito continually picked them over a rusty Villa and green Tello. He also chose Pedro over Sanchez. I would have chose Pedro for the first part of the season he did well, but then he just went ice cold. I mean ice cold. He needed the bench, but Tito didn't see it that way. Sanchez didn't give the team a ton of inspiration as he kept botching really easy chances and was earning a reputation as a diver. I have to say I can't blame them for picking Pedro early, but they ignored the signs that Sanchez was coming on and late in the year he finally spread his wings and showed the player he truly was. I felt that Sanchez was just rusty and not getting enough time. He was getting into dangerous positions and even if he wasn't scoring we seemed to score more when he was out there attracting attention. Pedro just put on a show running himself into the ground and missing key chances.
I could probably spend an entire post on Tito's selections, but I will simply say there was a clear lack of trust in certain players this season. Cesc was chosen often because he was more experienced and asked to play out of position. Pedro was giving cart Blanche to be a non-factor and everyone seemed ok with it. All while Thiago, Bartra, Tello, Villa, and Sanchez were not shown a lot of love this year by their coach. He seemed to prefer the safe line up over the right one. It's not a wonder they are all linked with transfer rumors. Tito has to start trusting them because Neymar and Messi can't play 11 positions and those guys can play. Villa probably gets moved I know, but the other three are valuable beyond belief.
The last critique of Tito, which bothered me all year, was how he allowed Jordi Alba to play left back. It's tactically incorrect for Alba to play up as high as he does when Alves is doing the same. Again I can write a blog about this situation alone, but I'll simply say that Alves shouldn't be sending crosses in on a consistent basis to Alba. If that's happening then we are opening ourselves up to counter attacks. I think by mid season teams like Milan and Real picked up on this and took advantage of the space Alba was allowing. Our center backs aren't that bad and certainly not as bad as people think (remember Pique was on FIFA's starting 11), but when they get put in those situations against world class players there is little they can do, but look bad. Tito needs to reign that play in next year and keep him solid on the left side. It was our major tactical flaw all season.
Messi was phenomenal. Just look at his goals to game stats and conversion ratios. You are not likely to get shut out if he attempts five shots. It looked like he would top his record tallies from the prior year, but in yet another bitter sweet twist he got hurt when it mattered most and it was tough to overcome. It was really bad when he got hurt in the league and was gone for our last few matches. Cost him a chance to break 50, which he would have easily done, but it gave Sanchez the minutes to show that he will be a force for us next season. His tally of consecutive league matches with a goal was insane. What is his ceiling? He's been a little flat since returning from injury in international play, but scored three last night and dispelled any thoughts that he was still hurt. I'm just glad he's on our side, he's the best player in sports to watch right now.
It was sad that Tello still saw so little time with the season decided and the internationals having a busy off season. I was puzzled that Deulofeu saw zero minutes down the stretch. Why not see if he's something special. If that top level competition brings it out of him? Instead we let David Villa kill his transfer value. Why was Thiago only used in easy matches all season? It goes back to that trust thing, but here are three guys that I think can be big pieces of the futures. Are you catching the Tello could be really good if given a chance like Sanchez theme? (Oh yeah, he's definitely not Bojan so please don't go there.)
Xavi was solid for us. He spent a little time hurt, but it seemed like less than last season. He seemed to drop back a little bit and be more defensive while Inesta roamed with more freedom in the attack. I was very happy with both of their seasons. Often times when Xavi is in we can hold the ball in midfield for large amounts of time, but when he's not the opposition tends to pressure the other mids and make us work faster. I fear the day he retires for this reason, but I'm hopeful the improved front line can back the defenders off and give our younger mids space to work with and build confidence. Once Xavi hangs them up it will never be the same. He's a once in a lifetime type player.
Winning the league four out of five years is a big deal and I think it's still the most important trophy. The UCL is a big deal, but luck can play a roll in the KO stage so I can't view it as the definitive tournament, especially when no one felt Chelsea was the best team last year when they won it. (I like Liverpool, but they have never won the EPL, but hoisted this trophy, does that even make sense?) Don't get me wrong I want that glory for the club, but I understand that it's not decided on skill and play alone. The league on the other hand is a 38 match grind and the best team usually wins. So, the season was a moderate success. Expectations will be higher next year...much higher.
For some it's Barca 1 and Real 0 and they are happy. For others it was UCL or bust and for some it was just a good ride to be on. I feel like Barca have 6 guys that are top 50 of all time. Some in their primes and some just past it. You just don't want these players to miss chances at titles. I think next season we need to hang a few more loses on Real and grab at least 2 pieces of hardware. We may need to win the UCL to remind everyone who we are. I said to many if we won the UCL and league this year it would be valid to argue the best team of all time. We came close, but next year we need to finish it and make it happen.
The Liga is ours again and yes that was a big accomplishment. The hot start was amazing and I was hoping that it might never end and we could tease being undefeated, but Sociedad put an end to those hopes. I was massively impressed with our finish considering we lost Messi and had really very little to play for, 100 points aside. If was strange how Barca had wrapped up the league in December, but didn't clinch until all the other major leagues already had. I didn't like the season going on so late. I hope La Liga will address that and end the season sooner next year. I'm sure they will with the WC looming.
I felt like the season started really exciting with the many comebacks and the thriller against Real Madrid. I thought the high point was the home win against Altetico, which put everything out of reach for both Madrids. The young Lion Flacao scored and it looked like we were in trouble, but then we imposed our will and choked the life out of them and the season. Once we lost a game it seemed like the energy was gone from not only us, but the teams we played. The worst Classico I've seen to date was the away leg at Real. Just a snoozer of a game and I don't mean the play, but the energy in the stadium. Everyone kind of new that one didn't matter. Usually Classico's are on a knife's edge, but this one was played on a dull blade. Because Real was playing on Tuesday in the UCL the match was played during the day time and that did not help.
This Liga felt like "give us back what's ours and don't plan on getting it back anytime soon." I hope that's the way we treat it next year, but I will address that in a later post. It's a massive accomplishment to win the 2nd biggest league in the world that easily and get 100 points while doing it. A season to remember no doubt.
The Supercup was a major let down for me. In the first match we really bossed the game. Up 3-1 the entire tie was pretty close to being over. We just needed to hold firm or add. Messi got a late ball in the box and Iker made a huge save. It keyed a counter and mistake by the defense leading to a goal many thought didn't matter. I felt it did and we paid for it in the second leg. It was heart breaking to lose a tie that way, especially down a man, but I will never forget Barca staying on the pitch while Real got awarded the trophy. Stay classy.
The Copa was a let down. That was the first real crack in the Barca armor and it came in the second semi final leg against Real Madrid. (When I say crack I mean over the last four years, we have never looked this exposed.) Again we bossed the away leg and had numerous chances to go up 2-0 and put the thing away, but poor finishing did us in and a cracker equalizer left many with a bad taste in their mouth. In the second leg at home we got dominated by Madrid. I think this was in no doubt due to the tactics and the front 3 that were picked. It was the first two goal loss at home that I have ever watched. Some how in a season where we were whipping Real in the League they were getting the better of us at every turn.
A quick look back at the Classico's reveals they had our number this year. We won the Super cup leg one 3-2, lost the second 2-1, in league drew 2-2 at home and lost 2-1 on the road, Copa drew 1-1 on the road and lost 3-1 at home. Real had our number this year. I think it was because they became a pure counter attack team and it worked. Real made themselves too focused on perfectly beating Barca and therefore struggled against a wide variety of styles. Perhaps the lack of trophies was proof of this. Still we had 1 win (preseason really) 3 loses (ok one preseason) and 2 draws, not good. by our standards. The great Jose had sold out to get better against us every year. Maybe that's why so many Barca players are taking unnecessary shot at him. Sure they are protecting Iker, I believe that.
The UCL was as bitter sweet as you can get. First we bossed our group stage, but lost that leg to Celtic away, which was baffling. It was again a bad front 3 and we caught them playing well. It was the first true loss of the season (I don't see the Supercup as anything more than a preseason situation) and it would be the only one in 2012. It didn't have to happen, but it did. The final match where Messi got hurt had us all on pins and needles for a few days. I really didn't need that to happen. We looked brilliant, but then at the same time you were questioning why we needed a late goal at home to beat Celtic? In the end we moved on with relative ease and a few questions.
The KO stage was not much different. I think everyone had us sunk after an uninspired away leg at Milan. We made a team we should have been able to boss look viable again. All credit to them they were playing better, but on form we were better as we had lost two games all season to this point. Again it was a situation where we started the wrong front three, which became a common theme throughout the season. It felt like we had a cloud over us at this point in the year. It might have been missing Tito or just all the retribution for not addressing our ills.
For me the crowning moment of the season was the comeback win against Milan at home. Messi's first goal was a thing of brilliance. I've watched it 100 times. He gets it to his shooting foot in the blink of an eye and guides it through four defenders that were swarming him. The goalie doesn't even move as the laser beam shot flies in the corner. That is one of the greatest goals of all time. For all the shots from distance, and bender free kicks we see on highlight reels you might miss this one because it happened so fast. Watch it again and tell me you don't agree.
The comeback was completed and we went on to PSG to teach them a lesson. That lesson was if we lose our best player we have no faith in our other strikers and will play three guys who combined for less than 15 goals upfront to that point. (It could have been less than ten if you toss out the Copa goals Villa and Cesc scored against third division clubs) Is there a theme developing in this post? Yes there sure is. Messi showed his greatness in the second leg coming on as a super sub causing the winning goal and we escaped, but I didn't feel like we were favorites after that.
It was pretty clear that Messi had not suitably rested his injury going in the next leg against Bayern. Who can blame Tito for starting the best player in the world against the world's hottest team on the road. It became pretty clear that maybe we should have done things a little more tactical in that first leg and tried to get away with a survivable result. Instead we got stomped so bad we all lost hope. I can't blame Tito at all and I wouldn't be a Monday morning QB on this situation. He did what we all would have done, but the result was inevitable. Some say if Messi was 100% we get by them, but I say the tactics and lineup had to change and if they didn't Bayern was still 4-2 better than us. So in a UCL where we made the semi's for a record 6th straight time it felt like we were pretty far away from it.
Just on a side note when do you remember Barca last losing 4-0? I bet you can't even remember 3-0 at home either. Those were the signs that had everyone yelling for center backs, but that is common thinking when you allow goals. It's your defense, but in the case of Barca it is their tactics.
On a whole I was very happy with Tito early on. The team had more life offensively and at times defended really well. He couldn't help it that his back line broke down with injury and give him credit as he kept it together for the first part of the season pretty well. He also couldn't help his own illness, which the team felt once it got prolonged. Despite all that as the season wore on I started to see a few cracks that really had me wondering if he was the right guy.
The first was his selection of the front three. I believe Messi works best when surrounded by good attacking wingers. It doesn't even require those guys to score, but to be threats. Inesta and Cesc are not major scoring threats. Tito continually picked them over a rusty Villa and green Tello. He also chose Pedro over Sanchez. I would have chose Pedro for the first part of the season he did well, but then he just went ice cold. I mean ice cold. He needed the bench, but Tito didn't see it that way. Sanchez didn't give the team a ton of inspiration as he kept botching really easy chances and was earning a reputation as a diver. I have to say I can't blame them for picking Pedro early, but they ignored the signs that Sanchez was coming on and late in the year he finally spread his wings and showed the player he truly was. I felt that Sanchez was just rusty and not getting enough time. He was getting into dangerous positions and even if he wasn't scoring we seemed to score more when he was out there attracting attention. Pedro just put on a show running himself into the ground and missing key chances.
I could probably spend an entire post on Tito's selections, but I will simply say there was a clear lack of trust in certain players this season. Cesc was chosen often because he was more experienced and asked to play out of position. Pedro was giving cart Blanche to be a non-factor and everyone seemed ok with it. All while Thiago, Bartra, Tello, Villa, and Sanchez were not shown a lot of love this year by their coach. He seemed to prefer the safe line up over the right one. It's not a wonder they are all linked with transfer rumors. Tito has to start trusting them because Neymar and Messi can't play 11 positions and those guys can play. Villa probably gets moved I know, but the other three are valuable beyond belief.
The last critique of Tito, which bothered me all year, was how he allowed Jordi Alba to play left back. It's tactically incorrect for Alba to play up as high as he does when Alves is doing the same. Again I can write a blog about this situation alone, but I'll simply say that Alves shouldn't be sending crosses in on a consistent basis to Alba. If that's happening then we are opening ourselves up to counter attacks. I think by mid season teams like Milan and Real picked up on this and took advantage of the space Alba was allowing. Our center backs aren't that bad and certainly not as bad as people think (remember Pique was on FIFA's starting 11), but when they get put in those situations against world class players there is little they can do, but look bad. Tito needs to reign that play in next year and keep him solid on the left side. It was our major tactical flaw all season.
Messi was phenomenal. Just look at his goals to game stats and conversion ratios. You are not likely to get shut out if he attempts five shots. It looked like he would top his record tallies from the prior year, but in yet another bitter sweet twist he got hurt when it mattered most and it was tough to overcome. It was really bad when he got hurt in the league and was gone for our last few matches. Cost him a chance to break 50, which he would have easily done, but it gave Sanchez the minutes to show that he will be a force for us next season. His tally of consecutive league matches with a goal was insane. What is his ceiling? He's been a little flat since returning from injury in international play, but scored three last night and dispelled any thoughts that he was still hurt. I'm just glad he's on our side, he's the best player in sports to watch right now.
It was sad that Tello still saw so little time with the season decided and the internationals having a busy off season. I was puzzled that Deulofeu saw zero minutes down the stretch. Why not see if he's something special. If that top level competition brings it out of him? Instead we let David Villa kill his transfer value. Why was Thiago only used in easy matches all season? It goes back to that trust thing, but here are three guys that I think can be big pieces of the futures. Are you catching the Tello could be really good if given a chance like Sanchez theme? (Oh yeah, he's definitely not Bojan so please don't go there.)
Xavi was solid for us. He spent a little time hurt, but it seemed like less than last season. He seemed to drop back a little bit and be more defensive while Inesta roamed with more freedom in the attack. I was very happy with both of their seasons. Often times when Xavi is in we can hold the ball in midfield for large amounts of time, but when he's not the opposition tends to pressure the other mids and make us work faster. I fear the day he retires for this reason, but I'm hopeful the improved front line can back the defenders off and give our younger mids space to work with and build confidence. Once Xavi hangs them up it will never be the same. He's a once in a lifetime type player.
Winning the league four out of five years is a big deal and I think it's still the most important trophy. The UCL is a big deal, but luck can play a roll in the KO stage so I can't view it as the definitive tournament, especially when no one felt Chelsea was the best team last year when they won it. (I like Liverpool, but they have never won the EPL, but hoisted this trophy, does that even make sense?) Don't get me wrong I want that glory for the club, but I understand that it's not decided on skill and play alone. The league on the other hand is a 38 match grind and the best team usually wins. So, the season was a moderate success. Expectations will be higher next year...much higher.
For some it's Barca 1 and Real 0 and they are happy. For others it was UCL or bust and for some it was just a good ride to be on. I feel like Barca have 6 guys that are top 50 of all time. Some in their primes and some just past it. You just don't want these players to miss chances at titles. I think next season we need to hang a few more loses on Real and grab at least 2 pieces of hardware. We may need to win the UCL to remind everyone who we are. I said to many if we won the UCL and league this year it would be valid to argue the best team of all time. We came close, but next year we need to finish it and make it happen.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
A Spellbinding Game Three of the NBA Finals
The Heat got beat badly last night. It was a different
type of blowout from Game 2 and will have some lingering effects on this
series. Here are my scattered thoughts on what was a scattered game.
The Spurs were leading in the third quarter of game 2 by
four with the ball. It was a game they could have won. Last night
the game was over mid-way through the third. Even though LeBron got the
lead down to 13 it was still and out of reach game because he and Wade had not
rested in the third. I know everyone wants everyone to man up, but against a team that is constantly hitting you with fresh bodies and legs you have to rest your key players for a few minutes.
The Spurs did it all with their bench and role
players. This was not a throttling where Duncan, Parker, or Ginobli went
off. This was a pure team win with Leonard, Neal, and Green doing the
damage, while Splitter was also stuffing the pant. The Heat made their run
on the back of LeBron in Game 2. Hence why the Heat will have to adjust a lot of things and not just on one player.
There are factors in this series that the Heat need to
address. Joel Anthony needs to play more than Birdman and Mike
Miller. They need his defense and rebounding ability. Birdman is
being exposed as a paper defender and only offensive when he gets a rebound or
catches a pass under the basket. Anthony gives them a better option as he
can not only rebound, but also clog the lane and defend Duncan. He also makes free
throws. I’m not saying no Birdman just more Anthony. I am
saying no Mike Miller.
Mike Miller is killing the Heat. He’s hit 8 straight
threes and hasn’t missed in two games, but on the defensive end he couldn’t
guard some WNBA players right now. He can’t keep Parker, Ginobli, Neal,
Leonard, or anyone for that matter in front of him. Especially when he
gets screened. I said it after game 1 he has no business out there.
The Heat rotation should be Cole, Anthony, Birdman (in spots), Battier, and
Allen. They should be able to keep Miller firmly on the bench like
against Indy. Battier doesn’t need to play big minutes he just needs to
provide a blow here and there.
The Spurs did not win last night because they shot well from
3. They won because on numerous possessions the Heat got caught on switches against mainly Miller and allowed the Spurs to get easy lay ups or elbow
jumpers. Once Neal, Green, and Leonard started slashing it opened up the
Heat to threes. If the Spurs had made 5 less they still win by 20. If people think the record threes was the difference they are wrong. It just added to the margin of victory.
The Heat can still win the series. With Parker a
question mark you have to wonder if the Spurs role players can step up again. SA was awful down the stretch without Parker and it cost them the
1 seed in the West. The only balancing factor is D Wade. If he
continues to play poorly the Heat will struggle despite LeBron. He’s killing
Bosh because he’s making it harder for him to get easy buckets like during the
regular season. If it takes 100 points to win on Thursday and LeBron
gives you 40 where do they get the other 60 if Bosh can’t get off because of
Wades poor play? Ok and maybe just Bosh’s poor play. What if LeBron can't get 40?
The fact is that Bosh has lost his
identity. If the Heat win the Finals this year they still will have to
rebuild Chris Bosh. When Wade is 90% or better he and LeBron create loads
of space for Bosh to operate and get easy open shots, but as the Heat got even
better this season Bosh became a 3 point shooter. The question is
why? Don’t they have two specialists in Allen and Miller to do that and
Mario Chalmers? It happened because he was working against a soft East
and Wade was playing better. Now that Wade is hurt and can’t slash for 40
minutes he’s easier to defend. So in turn Bosh is easier to defend.
Wade is limited to an inconsistent jump shots and the occasional post
penetration. That simply isn’t getting it done. Bosh is never
getting post catches and doesn’t remember how to create his own shot because he
doesn’t have to normally. He’s given up on rebounding because all season
they were the worst in the league and it didn’t matter. Miami needs to
completely rebuild Bosh back into something worth 20 million a year. So
my theory is Wade is killing Bosh because Bosh needs him to play well to be a factor. I think it has nothing to do with his ankle.
Game 4 is a monster game. I won’t count the Heat out
until the final whistle because of LeBron and the David Stern factor, but I
think the mental implosion of the Heat will occur should they lose game
4. It’s been simmering since the Bulls series. LeBron is
having to do too much because Wade is hurt. Norris Cole stepped up
against the Bulls so it didn’t matter in that series. The Pacers were not mentally
ready. So, the question becomes how long can the Heat keep coming back
from things. After they lost game 1 everyone said they did that last year
and against the Bulls. No big deal. After they lost 3 everyone said
well they have not lost back to backs yet. They have defined the stats to
this point, but how long can you keep digging yourself into a hole before you
can climb your way out. I think in this case they have finally dug
themselves too deep. The stats are greatly tipping against them.
The Parker injury could be huge. The Spurs will not
only lose everything he does, but also whoever they start won’t be there to tap
on the shoulder off the bench. Thankfully Joseph has seen big minutes
here and there to get him some experience and time. That will help them, but I’ve still felt all along that the key for the Spurs is Leonard and
Green. If they had played big last year they Spurs raise the trophy, but
they needed some seasoning. Still I think the X Factor is Ginobli.
He played better last night. He hit a few key shots, but mainly he had 6
assists. If he can fill in the gap and give them 20 over the next two I
think the Spurs at home can find a way.
Another Key factor that should not be lost on anyone.
In game 2 when the Heat went on the big run Pop pulled his starters pretty
quick. Duncan, Parker, and Ginobli got some big rest. Then in game
3 Parker was hurt, so he played low minutes, Duncan sat the entire fourth, and
Ginobli played 23 minutes. Going into the key game 4 the Spurs are mega
Fresh. Only one player got more than 30 minutes and that was Green with
31. In contrast Wade had 34, Bosh had 32 and LeBron 39. You can’t
spot the Spurs that much time. That’s why blowouts can really shake up a
series.
Many compared LeBron to MJ in the way that Jordan wouldn’t
have done some of the same things LeBron did last night. I say they are
two different players and LeBron is fine in what he does, but I know that even
Kobe would have started that fourth quarter on the Bench. The reason is
even if the Heat came back with LeBron they would have been gassed down the
stretch and the Spurs probably win. If you rest LeBron for 2 minutes and
maybe 10 minutes of actually time you give him a chance to recharge and
refocus. If in that time the Spurs pull away then you weren’t coming back
anyway. The Heat had to get something from someone else. Hence why
this is a team game. All the Heat accomplished by playing him was running
down the LeBron battery, which I will admit is pretty impressive.
Game 4 is one day rest while game 5 is on two days’
rest. The Spurs can strongly consider resting Parker and overplaying
Neal, Leonard, and Green knowing they are staying in SA and can get that extra day
rest to recover. If you had to protect Parker this is the perfect spot to
do it. Game 4 should be very interesting. The story lines are
flowing.
On to Game 1 of these Cup Finals.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Improve your game 6 Experience
Tonight's NBA ECF game offers more than just an opportunity to take in a good basketball game. By simply following the rules of my drinking game the experience will be enhanced greatly. You will need at least 4 friends (we don't want anyone passing out before the fourth quarter), beer, rum, coke, vodka, and a full bottle of Jack.
Here's how to play. Give everyone a beer, rum and coke, and vodka shot. Turns rotate to the person to your left. Every time a below listed event happens a player must take the drink corresponding to that event and then it becomes the next players turn. The turns rotate until the end of the game. Here are the events;
Every time that Steve Kerr mentions Lebron James that player must take a sip of Beer. This will happen often as Kerr is Lebron biggest fan and has a complete man crush on him.
Every time Chris Bosh shoots a three take a shot of vodka. It's what Pat Riley must do after every game when he thinks about Bosh a big man never posting up and sitting behind the line looking to shoot 3's. He could have gotten someone cheaper to do that.
If any ref named Crawford is calling the game then everyone must chug a beer. This way you won't be as puzzled by all the calls they give in the Heat's favor.
If a technical foul is called on the Pacers take a swig of Rum and Coke. This should be a common occurrence, so only a swig is needed.
Any time Steve Kerr proclaims Dwayne Wade is back chug your beer. This will probably occur a lot. If D Wade does anything remotely positive Kerr will jump on it as a turning point situation. This would include him checking into the game, coming out of the locker room from getting his knee retaped, scoring a basket, hitting a free throw, completing a pass, and breathing. These are all things that continue to make Kerr believe Wade is back to 2010 standards of play.
Any time D Wade's back touches the floor take a shot of vodka. This will occur anytime Wade comes within in a few feet of a Pacer player and he has the ball.
If a Heat player is ejected from the game take three consecutive shots of vodka. Seems excessive I know, but the chances of this happening are less than 0%. Also, it doesn't count if a bench player gets tossed. It might be a preconceived play by the Heat to get the team fired up.
Take a big swig of Rum and coke if Steve Kerr mentions the absence Birdman as being crucial. The player must take another one immediately if Albert brings up the Birdman shooting streak. Actually just take two because he surely will.
If Reggie Miller makes a salient point about the game slap yourself in the face. You must have fallen asleep because this probably won't happen.
If Lebron starts screaming after making a shot take a drink of your beer.
If Mike Miller plays everyone must chug their beer. Hopefully that will wipe away the memories of having to watch him play.
If Mike Miller gets hurt or fakes an injury you get a free pass on your turn.
If the Heat commit an offensive foul you get a free pass. Don't count on it!
If the Pacers fall behind at any point by more than 10 points turn off the game and go see a movie. The game is over. They never come back...ever.
If the Pacers win open the bottle of Jack and each player is required to drink an equal share straight as this is what David Stern will be doing if that happens.
Enjoy the game!
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