Barcelona Overpowers Mallorca To Move Seven Points Clear of Madrid

FC Barcelona are without a doubt the most technical side in world football.  But without their cerebral dime-dropper Xavi and the irreplaceable Dani Alves, Saturday's match against Mallorca was anything but a sure thing.

The game began a bit shakily for the Blaugrana, as Mallorca came out spirited and aggressive.  Barça narrowly avoided conceding early, most notably on a free header that was sent just over the crossbar in the 17th minute.  Mallorca pressured energetically, won the ball frequently in midfield and forced the Barcelona defense into some desperate measures.  

Pique was the lynchpin in the middle, standing tall, breaking up plays and heading off lead passes, his strength and energy critical throughout the first half hour when Barça failed to build any sort of possession.  Pinto made his best save of the night in the 29th minute, diving full length to stop a crossing shot at the base of his left post (although it may not have been headed for goal).

In the 33rd minute Mallorca threatened again, audaciously sending balls straight through the center of Barcelona’s defense as few teams have this season.  Instead of working the ball out of danger with neat passing, Pique and Abidal were forced to send long clearances in the general direction of Villa.  The opening 35 minutes saw a frenetic pace and a Barça team that sorely missed their midfield general Xavi.

Physical strength, not class, got the league leaders through this opening stretch: Keita and Busquets especially made aggressive challenges, and ferociously commanded the midfield.  Despite Pedro and Messi dropping back to help, Barça could not build plays or dictate the tempo of the match.  Instead, they mixed it up with Mallorca in midfield‒challenging the islanders to match their strength, speed, and toughness, dumping balls deep when necessary and playing more like a side from the Premier league than the showmen of Spanish football.

But Barça’s class appeared in the 37th minute in a lovely give and go between Messi and Keita on the left flank.  Messi, moving into midfield to receive the ball in space, touched to Keita and made a run on goal.  The Mali international chipped a delightful return pass over the Mallorca defense that took a high bounce in the box before being headed over the onrushing keeper by Messi.  It was a spectacular goal, and representative of Barça’s play on the night‒quick, direct, and perhaps a bit lucky.  Messi netted his league-leading 26th Liga goal, and the hopes of Mallorca for a quick start had been crushed.  

Despite a hard-fought first half, and numerous chances, the home side found themselves down a goal and the result seemed somehow inevitable.  The first half closed with trademark Barça possession‒the ball completing stately half-circles through the back four perhaps for the first time all night, and men moving forward easily in attack.

Barça didn’t let up in the second half: Messi continued to find space in the middle and creatively work the ball up the field.  Busquets looked sharp, and when the Mallorca defense gave him yards of space in the 56th minute, he made them pay.  From deep in Barcelona territory, he found Villa making a right-to-left run with a Xavi-like pass that split Mallorca’s central defenders and left Villa alone against a charging Aouate.  "El Guaje" correctly held possession and dribbled past the keeper to tuck it home easily.  The score now read 0-2, and the game was firmly in hand for the Catalans. 

8 minutes later Busquets continued his forward thinking, this time finding a streaking Adriano on the right side.  Xavi and Alves, one imagines, looked on in satisfaction as their deadly combination finally came to life.  Adriano was promptly taken off the ball, but this particular pass showed how the Barcelona show can roll on even without some of its stars.

In the 66th minute, Pedro came out of nowhere with a true golazo.  Receiving the ball on the left flank, he slowed slightly to allow the advance of Villa and Messi to put the defenders on their heels.  Taking a touch right into space, he sent a sinking ball streaking over the head of Aouate and into goal.  This was a shot to make you shout, and an overdue reminder of Pedro’s superb striking ability.  It was a perfect goal for Barça fans‒raw and powerful, the type of strike that demoralizes an opponent and puts a stamp of authority on any match.

Pedro and Villa gave way to Affelay and Bojan in the 70th minute, and Mallorca never threatened again.  Affelay had some flickers of brilliance, like a perfectly-weighted diagonal through-ball for Iniesta who couldn't quite finish.  Bojan was his usual hard-working self‒controlling the ball nicely against larger players and showing some competitive fire in a sideline altercation with Ayoze.

All in all it was a dominant away performance from Barcelona, who looked stronger and stronger as the game wore on, and showed that their millions of dollars have bought not only brains, but some serious brawn.  Keita was the perfect example‒a summer signing (in 2008) whose shiny dime opened the scoring, but whose imperious physicality overpowered Mallorca and set the tone for the match.