FC Barcelona: La Liga Race Back On! Real Slipping and Barça Rising
How five days can change the way we look at La Liga!
Barcelona has closed in on Real Madrid's lead in the chase for the Spanish title. Realโs lead of 10 points has now been trimmed to six following a 1-1 draw with Villarreal. Barcelona defeated Granada 5-3 on Tuesday with three goals from Lionel Messi.
Congratulations on Messi becoming FC Barcelonaโs all-time leading goal scorer!
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Pep Guardiola stated that Lionel Messi is comparable to Michael Jordan. Maybe Pep read my article "Leo Messi: King of Football Kings" where I made the Messi/Jordan comparison?
I appreciate you reading my articles, Pep. ;)
But before all Culรฉs start going out and celebrating thinking La Liga will be won, letโs not get too carried away. Itโs still a six-point lead and Barรงa is still at the mercy of Real.
I know most will say โBut Barcelona plays Real in April and if they win that game, theyโll only be down three points!โ
I obviously understand this but let me remind you that it is not guaranteed that Barcelona will win that game. Yes, it is at the Camp Nou, but remember how poorly el blaugrana played in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey quarterfinal? They barely survived with a 2-2 tie.
Itโs not that I donโt believe they canโt win the game. Iโm just saying that the April game is not a lock.
Real Madrid is strong and will have extreme confidence from the way they dictated the Copa game coming into the April showdown.
So whatโs wrong with Real Madrid?
I think they are doing what Barcelona was doing in January and February: getting sloppy and not finishing opponents off.
The issues started in the first leg against CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
Up 1-0 in the 28th minute with a Cristiano Ronaldo goal, Madrid got a little too comfortable and was unable to finish off CSKA by adding in a second goal. In stoppage time, a Pontus Wernbloom goal made it 1-1 going back to Madrid. It was clear Jose Mourinhoโs team was a bit off. Real took care of CSKA in the return leg.
Real had a tough time putting away Rayo Vallecano if it wasnโt for a Ronaldo Taconazo as well.
Another game with complicated Real was the Real Betis game of a few weeks ago.
It was clear that Betisโand especially Jefferson Monteroโwere outhustling and outplaying Madrid. Ronaldo made it 3-2 in the 73rd minute which turned out to be the game winner. But a controversial non-call in the last minutes of game tarnished the win in the eyes of many. A hand ball on Sergio Ramos inside the penalty box was not called by referee Gorka Saguรฉs Oscoz.
If the penalty had been given and Betis would have scored, we would be currently looking at a four-point Real Madrid lead.
But it is what it is.
These last two games for Real have been frustrating for Madridistas. They have been two games that Real should have won. But like Barcelona in January and February, inconsistency has plagued Real Madrid. Yes, they have controlled ball possession and shots on goal, but theyโlike Barรงa before themโhave been unable to capitalize on opportunities created and itโs cost them Liga points.
Some will say the last two games were a fluke because the games involved two questionable referee calls against Real Madrid and two great free kicks from Malagaโs Santi Carzorla and Villarrealโs Marcos Senna respectively.
Thatโs no flukeโitโs two great kicks along with not putting away the opponent earlier.
Just like Barcelona was losing on counterattacks, sloppy defensive play and not scoring the amount of goals they are used to, getting tied by one or two shots on goal is no fluke.
As Barcelona has learned this season, most stats donโt matter. The only stat that matters is the scoreboard and if you have a higher number than the other teamโs number.
It also wasnโt a robbery like Ronaldo said it was after the Villarreal game. In typical Mourinho fashion, he did not talk to the media after the game. According to Spanish channel Cuatro, Mourinho is seen on video calling referee Paradas Romero "son of a b****!" The squad also took their managerโs lead and did not talk to the media as well.
Mou being Mou as usual.
Barcelona has improved significantly on offense thanks to the brilliance of Lionel Messi. He now has eight hat tricks this season. If there was doubt Messi might not win a fourth straight FIFA Ballon dโOr, Messi has reminded all of us that he is still the King of Football Kings.
Cristian Tello is a star in the making too.
In order for Barรงa to catch up to Real, Alexis Sanchez and Pedro Rodriguez need to step up their goal-scoring. It canโt always be Messi who scores. Sure, Messi is going crazy on goals but that doesnโt mean the team or fans can just relax a bit because โWe have Leo Messi on our team.โ
Sanchez needs to be quicker at taking the shot, and Pedro has to finally break out of the funk that he has been in all year and hit the back of the netโhopefully with the ball going between the posts.
The Barcelona defense is still sloppy and gave up three goals against Granada. No offense to Granada, but FC Barcelona should not be giving up three goals to Ganada! I donโt care about the Dani Alves handballs; they are still penalties and Avles was playing catch-up on defense on both occasions.
Now with Eric Abidal out indefinitely and Adriano potentially out for the Champions League match against AC Milan with a muscle strain, the defense is thinner than ever.
Jordi Alba canโt come soon enough! Although reports from SPORT.es suggest the deal is imminent.
It is time for Carles Puyol and Gerard Piqueโtwo players that have struggled terribly this seasonโto play solid or else the Champions League will be lost. Itโs more than likely Javier Mascherano or Puyol will replace Adriano if the Brazilian cannot play against Milan.
If you are looking for games that Real Madrid can let some points go, look for March 31st against Osasuna in Pamplona, April 8th against Valencia at the Santiago Bernabรฉu, April 11th in the Madrid Derby when they visit Atletico Madrid, of course the Clรกsico against FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou and the May 2nd clash against Athletic Bilbao in Bilbao.
FC Barcelonaโs schedule is a bit easier than Real Mardidโs, but that doesnโt mean itโs a lock that Barcelona will catch up. This is still an excellent Madrid squad. Also, true Liga fans know anything is possible and both Real Madrid and Barcelona can slip up.
Can FC Barcelona catch up to Real Madrid? Of course!
Will they catch up? Who knows.
Am I happy Real are slipping?
Yes, Iโm a Culรฉ but Iโm also not going to overreact and say that this means Barcelona will definitely come back and win La Liga. Iโm still taking a โweโll see what happensโ attitude.
But I am thrilled FC Barcelona now has a realistic shot at winning La Liga.
Visca el Barรงa!ย ย
Often imitated by other writers but never duplicated, Xoel!
Thanks for reading. Look out for my next article later this week.
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