Ole! Barcelona Throws Down The Gauntlet

In no uncertain terms and without a sliver of ambiguity FC Barcelona and the player I've dubbed "The One" has thrown down the gauntlet to all comers and have made a strong statement. We will not be vanquished so easily! With exclamation point, the defending UEFA Champion's League title holders made waste of their German opponents. They are regaining their form in time to finish strong both in the champions league final 8 and in La Liga. Today's match should resonate in the ears of Arsenal, Manchester United and AC Milan. If you want to be the best you will have to beat the best. I have no doubt that all who were fortunate enough to witness today's dominating display from the the best club in Europe would agree that the contenders will have to step up a notch or two to get to their level.

Just a few minutes ago, I witnessed the clinical demolition of VfB Stuttgart by an efficient and fluid Barcelona team. They were outclassed in every aspect of the game. In the midfield, in attack and in defence. What defence? Christian Gross must have wondered while on the sidelines was this the same team we held to a draw earlier in the month.

He is not alone in his bewilderment as I'm sure Sir Alex, Mourinho and Wenger are all wary of the task ahead. The road to the title leads through Barcelona and their teams' ability to withstand the inevitable bombardment from the most lethal strike force in club football and their defenders ability to contain the engine behind the machine that is Barcelona, the flea, "The One", Lionel Messi.

In an almost single handed display of sheer genius, the indomitable Lionel Messi was in one of his moods today to feast on a diet of goals. Stuttgart were fortunate to contain him to just 2 and I'm sure Jens Lehman will be having nightmares tonight of a marauding Maradona-esque Messi who masterfully and majestically mined two goals taken from the top shelf. Not only did he stamp his class on the pitch by outpacing, out-hustling and simply outing his opponents but he uncharacteristically showed a selfish determination and voracious appetite for more and more goals and must have been disappointed not to have earned back to back hat tricks.

He took a plum of a goal in the 13th minute with a shot taken outside of the 18 yard box to open his account. As the game progressed, he made several forays into Stuttgart's goal area to press for further withdrawals. Combining well with the young Pedro, his usual partner in crime Danny Alves, Iniesta and Toure. He applied ongoing pressure on Stuttgart's defense who must have relished hearing the final whistle blow signalling the end of the onslought.

Not everyone on Barca's offensive unit were in peak form however as Thierry Henry succeeded more at throwing his hands in the air with appeals to the referee than he did in converting the chances gifted to him. In one attempt he appeared mere seconds off pace to connect on a low pass from Toure on a sliding attempt with only the goal keeper to beat. A clinical finisher in his prime and favored over Ibrahimovic to start up front, he would not have done much to quiet his detractors and mounting critics as well as convince coach Pep Guardiola to give him more playing time. 

The boy wonder Pedro and Toure both had excelent games. They combined well in the middle with Toure being provider on both Messi's and Pedro's goals. He was rather unlucky not to have placed his name on the score sheet as he had a low 20 yard drive whistle pass the upright with an outstretched Lehman whispering a silent prayer for the post to come to his aid.

Not to be outdone, Alves fed Messi a cheeky backheel in the 60th minute that allowed the Barca talisman to convert his 31st goal in all competitions for the season. His defensive counterpart stood tall with the ever reliable Puyol marshaling the defense well.

In contrast, Stuttgart stuttered terribly in their offensive forays and failed to create enough attempts at Barcelona's goal to bother Victor Valdes who looked rather bored and must have regretted not carrying his smart phone to read up on my other blog posts online.

So Pep allowed his charges to play true to their nature and save for a few anxious moments at the start of the game, Barcelona's lion share of possession resulted in a very entertaining game, at least for their fans and football lovers world wide. A lesson Ancelotti should take note of as Chelsea continue to lick their wounds fresh from an early exit form the competition due to the cautious approach chosen by their coach. As is often in sports, a good offense is usually the best defense.

As the only La Liga club left in the competition it is interesting to see how they will fare against the in-form Arsenal and Manchester United who both had goal feasts against their opponents with the former registering 5 and the latter 4. What will set these three front runners apart? I believe the form of their respective leading goal scorers. With Manchester United registering their 3 year consecutive progression to the quarterfinals, they must be considered Barca's highest hurdle to clear in order to become back to back champions. With an in-form Rooney showing no signs of slowing down in his goal tally, the 2007/2008 champions are sure to mount a strong fight for champions league spoils.

Arsenal have failed to spark against high calibre opposition this season and despite their favorite tag and strong showing in the champions league so far, I am sceptical of their chances against Spain's elite and against their EPL counterpart. Their strikers have been guilty of missing numerous clear cut chances at goal and with few and fewer chances in the offing as the quality of the opposition is increased, they are sure to pay the price for their less than convincing goal conversion.

What of Inter? Not a fan of Serie A and I don't think they have what it takes to topple the top three favorites. Eto is not the player he was at Barca and without a potent striker, their chances are very slim to advance to the finals. However football is a game as such that the best team on the day is not always the one in the best form for the season. I would be rather disappointed though to see them contesting the final. They don't deliver the excitement and entertainment of a Barcelona or Manchester United. I'm sure the pundits would agree.

Never the less there are interesting days ahead for the final in Real Madrid, very interesting days ahead indeed.