A tale of two penalties

Two penalties that defined the European season and threw out all bets and calculations by pundits. While Messi’s dent on the cross-bar spelled doom and gloom for the Nou Camp crowd, hardly believing their beloved team too tired and incapable in breaking down the double layered 8 man defensive wall of Chelsea, Sergio Ramos’ shot made even more headlines and was the source of much amusement and jolly among football fans.

Honorable mention: Ronaldo’s miss that got the ball rolling (pun not intended) to keep Mourinho on his knees even after the referee blew his whistle for the winner of the tie. Ronaldo, who proved quite adept in taking penalties this season, accumulating double digit number of goals scored off penalties, shot an easy one that Neuer had little trouble deflecting.

A few ribs and jokes circulating the internet about Ramos' penalty:

- Apparently the Airforce and the commercial air control have landed all planes in South Africa as they have spotted Ramos’ penalty ball on radar and it will be passing in South African air space within the next 20 minutes....destination Antarctica

- It is on a world tour..

- A granny and a S.Ramos came to heaven's door and God asked them why are they here?
Granny: I am a good person and I did a lot of praying.
God: Ok, come in.
S. Ramos: I just came for a ball!!!!

- North Korea has contacted Sergio Ramos seeking information on how to get projectiles to leave earth's atmosphere.

- There will be a happy kid in Africa with a souvenir CL ball.

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Yes these penalties denied us, the fans, of yet another El Clasico in the final of the Champions league. But haven’t we had enough El Clasicos in the past to satisfy our hunger? Having said that I think we should not take anything away from Bayern who totally deserved to be in the final. They showed great composure and that renowned German resoluteness to reach the final. I only wonder would Chelsea decide to park the bus in the final too? Afterall it is only played in one leg and there’s no away goal rule.

Neither Bayern is like Barca. While barca’s philosophy and esthetic style has its own merits, given the type of players and usual strategies they follow, it draws a clear contrast to Bayern’s capabilities. Chelsea could afford to park the bus and huddle in the middle of their box, never worrying about shots from range or even those crosses coming from flanks as Barca’s players were far shorter and less physical than the English team’s defenders. But Bayern is an entirely different matter. Not only they will shoot from range and they have great shooters to force the defenders to come out to close on them, they also have tall physical attacking players who can and will have a real say in crosses and corners peppered in from flanks through the likes of Lahm. So if you are a Chelsea fan, I suggest you start praying.

First blood to Chelsea

Chelsea  defeated Barcelona in a match that left a lot to be said. And boy do we have a lot to talk about.

First of all Chelsea rode their luck and really capitalized on the one or two serious chances they got through their ever-green star, Drogba, who incidentally spent a LOT of the game rolling on the floor! Barca was unlucky to have hit the bar twice, get a shot cleared on the goal line and a few other shots that were saved by great acrobatics from Cech. I also assume things cannot stay the same in Nou Camp. But at the same time I think there are things that need to be addressed or at least considered as note-worthy.

Attack routes:  Barcelona’s  pointless crosses and corners into the opponents’ box and how they proved impotent only reinforces the fact that they DO need a tall, physical forward like Van Persie  to give them  some sort of an option in such situations. Yes, they experimented with the vindictive and egotistic Ibrahimovic. But that doesn’t mean every other striker will be the same.  But it was painful to see they try crosses and corners into the box for short forwards like Alexis, Messi and Cesc  who were always crowded by the tall, physical defenders.

Barca  has to think about adding other dimensions to their game and attack. Merely satisfied with “walking the ball into the goal” is going to get the team through each and every game and situation is just futile.This becomes more apparent when Barca faces teams that park the bus in front of their goal and fill their 18 yard box with 9 or even 10 players for long periods of the game.

Shooting: The shooting by almost everyone was atrocious. Most of the time the players don’t even look for a shot. But the scant few instances they did attempt, they rushed it or were amateurishly off target.

Overpassing and lack of urgency:  While the passing and tiki-taka is very pleasing and all, when the team falls behind and needs to show urgency, there is no change of pace or tactics. It still stays the same patient tiki-taka which allows the opponent to regroup and gather in their box and block our through passes from the middle. Don’t get me started on the wasted crosses from flanks.

And I’m afraid by now the whole world knows how Barca plays and what could impede their game. From leaving the grass uncut (in some pitches you could even see flowers at the tip of the grass!!) to parking the bus in the box to getting violently physical and rash style. Therefore mixing it up with a few new tricks and routes to attack will prove extremely successful for the club and will make defending against them that much more difficult and unpredictable.

Bottomline: No need to fret yet, though. We have the return game in Spain and with the crowd behind the team, given Barca’s great form at home leaves a lot to look forward to.

A date with History

4/18/2012 Will bring in a flood of memories for Barcelona fans when once again they travel to London's Stamford Bridge to take on one of their toughest rivals, Chelsea in yet another European champions league do-or-die match up. The prize? A place in the final against either the free-flowing German attacking machine of Bayern or the ...well, a Madrid team that frankly has lost all its glorious tradition and respect of the yore mostly because of the methods and attitude of their coach, one sad little man called Jose Mourinho.

Any football fan, even the neutrals would wish for a Bayern-Barcelona final. If for nothing else, just to watch two contrasting attacking styles go head to head to see whose knife is sharper and whose cut  runs deeper. But first, Barca have to deal with a rejuvenated Chelsea, fresh off a thumping 5-0 win over no less than Tottenham this week-end. One wouldnt bet against many eyes in the Bridge to focus on a diminutive, balding figure of Iniesta who dealt the death blow with his last minute shot three years ago that eliminated Chelsea and helped Barca go all the way to win the trophy.

Who will steal the spotlight this time 'round? Don Andres? or the greatest football player the world has ever witnessed, Leo Messi? Perhaps the most overlooked but greatest midfield masterminds of our time, Xavi? Or maybe it will be a new name and someone most people would have overlooked whose flash of brilliance will see Barca through? Yes, as is evident, I am betting on Barca stealing the three points necessary. Come on. Should we discount the magnificent form Barca is at the moment? Then it is on to the mother of all battles, this year's final (looks like it, if Bayern has a say in it) Clasico in Nou Camp where Barca will make life a living hell for the dirty, unsporting and pampered lot from Madrid.

Speaking of Madrid's diving team, did it come as a surprise that as soon as they faced a decent team they crumbled and looked so vulnerable and weak in both defense as well as midfield, while their so called star players mis-firing against decent defenders and opposition? The way bayern approached their first leg, I wouldnt be surprised if we see another flowing attacking display in the return leg with Madrid  still smarting after yet another defeat at the hands of Barcelona.