Archive for March, 2009
Posted on 03-31-2009 under
PreviewsTuesday’s here so that means that it’s time to look at the front men that will decide the fates of these two clubs in the world’s premier club tournament.
Luckily for all of us, the forwards involved in this matchup are some of the deadliest offensive players in world football, even though Bayern’s terrific creative forward Miroslav Klose will miss the tie to injury.
Barcelona’s Cerberean forward lineup features men from three continents united under the Blaugrana banner. They have been a revelation this season, playing staggeringly beautiful and precise ball. And they’ve also scored a crapload of goals. Up front, they’ll look like this:
Henry—Eto’o—Messi
What can anyone really say to describe Lionel Messi? To put it simply, he’s the best footballer playing today. His touch is generally flawless, his anticipation is psychic, and these qualities combined with his split-second decisiveness and masterful body control make him the ultimate offensive weapon. Once the Argentine eludes defenders, his finishing ability is careful and precise. Nevermind capitalism: Messi is creative destruction. When he has the ball, watch him turn 90 and 180 degrees with ease. Defenders will be clawing to keep up. Leo will work his one-touch passes with his teammates and they’ll return it to him, and he’ll collect it and continue his attack. He’ll take his share of punishment from defenders, and while the more physical ones tend to have some measure of effect on him, outmuscling Messi is neither an easy nor conclusive way to stop him over the course of 90 minutes, or two games for that matter. Wow, it’s going to be fun to watch him.
On the left side is the eldest of the bunch, Frenchman Theirry Henry. After taking a while to get acclimated to the Barcelona style after an emotionally fraught departure from Arsenal, Henry has succesfully reinvented himself and become the influential presence that Barca had hoped he would be when they first acquired him. Titi has always had a knack for playing well in open space; when he finds himself alone with one or two men to beat, he uses his speed and body control to either create space for a strike at goal or feint defenders and run past them, always with a knowing, cool finish past the goalkeeper. For Barca, he’s adapted to their quick style and the constant movement around him by improving his own passing and refining his style to fit his position on the wing. He’s a better header of the ball now than he was earlier in his career. Henry is always looking to out-think defenders, so look for him to try to sneak around the big ox Lúcio as he tries to find space.
In the middle for Barca is Cameroon’s own Samuel Eto’o. While not as gifted a dribbler as Messi and Henry, Eto’o is pure power and quickness in front of the goal. He doesn’t need to be a good dribbler since the part of the field where he operates usually doesn’t reward dribblers. He has a brilliant knack for putting himself in passing lanes for his teammates, who feed him the ball and either find it passed along in very quick order or better yet, in the back of the net. While defenders get preoccupied watching Messi, Xavi and Henry, Eto’o finds space to receive the ball and punish defenders. You can practically hear the whistle of his powerful shots on TV. We can only guess what they sound like on the field.
For München, the loss of Klose is unfortunate, but they’re not without hope. The strike pair that they do have is capable of causing havoc and scoring goals and they’ll get their chance to do so. They’ll line up like this:
Podolski—Toni
Provided his recovery from an ailing heel continues, we will see Luca Toni on the pitch for Bayern. While certainly not the most popular player, Munich’s big Italian has a terrific soft touch on the ball that belies his height and his great strength. While he was a bit of a diver when he first entered the Bundesliga, Toni stopped getting the calls and started to toughen up and play through it. This has improved his play, as Toni’s balance and strength are better than they’ve ever been, and while he may be one of the slowest players on the field, he is probably one of the best shielders of the ball, a talent that is enhanced by his large size. The aforementioned strength and footwork give him a great advantage against defenders, and he rarely seems to have any trouble getting his shot off. Combined with his height, his great body control makes him an immense danger when the ball is delivered in the air. If he’s getting service, watch his dribbling and shielding technique. Though many people don’t like him, he’s pretty mesmerizing to watch in his own right. One additional note is that he doesn’t usually play well when the pressure’s on, and he very well could become frustrated and lose his concentration in a game with stakes as high as this.
Lukas Podolski is another one of the Bayern players who frustrates fans with his inconsistency. When he’s playing well, Podolski has lightning speed and brilliant accurate finishing ability. Once he’s behind a defense, a goal is pretty much a foregone conclusion. While he’s not as canny as Eto’o at cutting out space for himself in the box, if he finds space he can put the ball on the frame of the goal. Yes, that photo shows his bicycle kick in the previous round against Sporting Lisbon. He can be a magician. Yet Poldi can also be a fraud, as his sometimes seemingly disinterested attitude overpowers his talent and is a detriment to the club. Unlike Toni though, Podolski does seem to play well on the big stages, both for club and country, so the thinking here is that he’ll be pretty dangerous.
How I see it playing out: Barcelona’s big three will be giving a lot of trouble to the Bayern defense, and if they are getting service and space, they will have a chance to show off their talents. When Barca have the ball, we should watch how Bayern defend the middle of the field. If Barca can use their great dribbling playmakers to get to the middle of the field, they can be much more dangerous. If Bayern’s marking can keep Messi and Henry on the wings, Bayern should be strong enough to defend against those kinds of crosses. Look for Barca to really focus on getting a goal on the counterattack by getting Eto’o or Henry behind the defenders with loads of space, as Munich’s defenders don’t always deal with those situations well.
For Bayern, they will need Toni to provide an aerial presence to take advantage of Barca’s smaller defenders. They should try to find him early in the first game, as an early strike would not only give them an important away goal, but give Toni’s confidence a boost throughout the rest of the tie. If he starts to miss chances, Toni’s frustration could be difficult for him to surmount. Look for Podolski to attempt to take advantage of Barca defender Dani Alves’ forays into attack by taking runs at the center of the Barcelona defense. Poldi will need to challenge them and make Alves think twice about going forward. Doing so will not only give Bayern opportunities to score, but also neutralize a big part of the Barca attack.
While Miro will be wearing street clothes and watching the action just like us (but perhaps just a tad more frustrated than us at not being out there. Only just a little bit!), it should still be a feast for football fans everywhere, and soccer gods willing, we’ll see some goals!
Posted on 03-30-2009 under
PreviewsHope everybody enjoyed the international ball this weekend, although the Tigerblog’s Portuguese readers are probably walking on eggshells at this point. Good luck fellas.
We’re starting the week right by covering the midfielders in the big matchup. It’s only appropriate that I make the disclaimer that injuries may change the starting units, but in most cases I’m going to assume that all of those close to health will want to be on the field and that’s how the preview will take shape. Later this week, we’ll cover the substitutes, so all the the likely participants will be covered.
Technically speaking, Barcelona employs a 4-3-3 formation, and it says here that the starting midfielders for Barcelona will be:
Iniesta—Touré—Xavi
Both Andrés Iniesta and the antelope Yaya Touré have been fighting injuries but I expect that they’ll be fit enough to walk out of the tunnel and onto the field at the Camp Nou next week.
Barcelona’s viper Xavi lines up on the right side behind forward Lionel Messi, and the two play with an almost supernatural understanding of each other and superlative one-touch passing. Xavi’s playmaking ability is highlighted by both his knack for making perfectly precise through-balls to players running forward and for his ability to always be in position to receive a pass. He’s essentially the anchor of Barcelona’s midfield and could certainly be regarded as Barcelona’s field general when the Blaugrana are on the attack. While he understands his primary role as a midfielder, Xavi will also makes smart runs past the forwards into the opposing penalty area, giving serious trouble to opposing defenses (particularly ones that are not organized). While his best work is done through attack, he’s a solid and smart defender who wins many 50-50 balls. As is true with the other Barcelona midfielders, he looks to apply defensive pressure in the opponents’ half, looking to disrupt their possession early and start a quick counter-attack.
In Andrés Iniesta, Barcelona have exceptional skill on the ball and wonderful inventiveness. He and Xavi are both hitting their strides as two of the best midfielders in the game. Unselfish almost to a fault, Iniesta’s ability to hold possession even under tight defensive scrutiny is tremendous, and he’ll be counted on to avoid tackles and maintain possession in the match against Bayern. He’s also gifted with great vision, so when Samuel Eto’o or Thierry Henry dash towards goal, look for Iniesta to pick them out. Like Xavi, Iniesta is not known for his defending but actually does a pretty good job challenging for the ball in the opposition’s half and marking opposing attackers when Barca are pushed back.
Yaya Touré is a up-and-coming player who is becoming a high-quality holding midfielder right before our eyes. Sturdy enough to break up opponent’s attacking play while also a keen decision-maker in his distribution of the ball to his flanking players, Yaya is becoming increasingly vital to Barcelona as well as national side Côte d’Ivoire. With defensive teammates who like to get up into the attack (like Dani Alves), Touré is responsible for filling the gaps. When he’s defending, look for Yaya to be surveying the Bayern attack and anticipating and marking the runners.
Given that forward Luca Toni is healthy enough to start with Lukas Podolski at the top, Bayern Munich will be playing a 4-4-2. In the midfield, expect to see the starters:
Ribéry—Zé Roberto—Van Bommel—Schweinsteiger
One of the most terrific players in world football is München’s marquee man, the dynamic flea himself, Franck Ribéry. Franck is known for his great speed, wonderful dribbling, and reputation as the team pranckster. While he always plays with a nose for goal, also look for the Frenchman to utilize the wing and whip in crosses (both on the ground and in the air) to find his big target Toni or the dangerous streaking Zé Roberto. Ribéry’s tackling isn’t so great, but he is fast enough to chase down most opponents and prevent them from having free run. It will certainly be compelling to see how he plays on Barcelona’s deadly right side, which features Alves, Xavi and Messi. Furthermore, there have been rumors in the last few months about Ribéry joining the Catalan giants, so look for him to try to impress his potential future supporters.
Next up is the ageless Brazilian Zé Roberto. Even at age 34 the central midfielder can still give opposing defenses fits with his sense of positioning and his pace while making runs at goal. Having played as a winger for Bayern as well as holding midfielder for Brazil (he’s since retired from international football to concentrate on his club duties), the versatile midfielder plays with great intelligence and heart. Look for him to seek to build a connection with Ribéry as the game starts at Camp Nou, as the two will be looking to feel out the Barca defense and try to establish themselves in attack. On defense, Zé will be very active and will most likely focus his defending on closing down Yaya and Iniesta, while also being responsible for starting counterattacks in the other direction. Also look for him guarding the posts on corner kick defense; he’s been seen clearing the ball off the line on numerous occasions.
Mark Van Bommel will make a bittersweet return to the Camp Nou where he won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2005. A tireless tackler, the first foreign-born Bayern captain will be Munich’s backbone in midfield. While there is no challenge from which he will back down, he will certainly have his hands full with Barca’s attack. Look for him to play Xavi very closely with the intention of completely shutting down his former teammate. His physical play can be very frustrating to opponents, and he takes a good deal of pleasure in intimidating them. Look for him to earn a card in the match as his exuberance usually gets the better of him, especially when emotions run high, as they no doubt will in this matchup. While he will be focusing on his defending in this tie, he does have some skill with the ball and may take a few dangerous shots from the 20-yard range.
Bastian Schweinsteiger is an enigmatic talent. While he is an excellent crosser and shooter, quality dribbler, good defender, and smart player, he hasn’t always shown the consistency to give Bayern fans complete confidence in him. He’s always played well in the big matches (especially for the national team). If he finds confidence in this match, he will surely be a handful. Recently he has seemed to hit his stride in both his play and his temperament, and München fans will be counting on him to come good against Barca.
How I see it playing out: While I’m expecting a tactical twist in these lineups (which we’ll go into further on Thursday), the basics still hold: the keys are disruption in defense and creativity in attack. But that’s not really good analysis. I guess I’ll be looking closely at how the teams pressure their opponents in the middle of the field. The team that has the most success gaining possession in midfield will be the team that puts the most pressure on the other’s defense, and I think this type of sustained pressure will be a huge advantage for the team that does it. Both managers have said that they don’t want to “sit back,” so dispossessing opponents in their defensive half will be an important way to exploit weakness. Both teams are fluid and athletic enough to do this well, so it will definitely be something to look out for.
The Xavi-Van Bommel and Zé Roberto-Touré matchups will also go a long way in helping us take the temperature of the match. Whichever of these attackers has the most success will most likely determine who wins the midfield battle.
For those who want more spirit animals, click the spirit animal category at the top of a previous entry. For the Barca-Bayern matchup, check out one of the first entries in the spirit animal series, Lúcio the musk ox.
Posted on 03-27-2009 under
PreviewsToday, the Ultimate Preview covers the defensive intricacies of the two continental giants.
For Barca, The Tigerblog predicts the following defensive lineup:
Abidal—Marquez—Puyol—Alves
While there could be injuries that alter this, we should expect these four to play if fit. It’s important to note that Éric Abidal has had sporadic issues with his ankle all year, and the lion Carles Puyol will just be returning from injury to his ankle ligaments. While Barca wasn’t made to rue Puyol’s absence when he missed the second Group Stage match against Lyon, remember that Barca gave up two pretty weak goals in that game, even though the brilliant Barcelona attack machine (to be previewed next week) had removed all doubt from their triumph by then. Having all four of these players healthy with their full compliment of defensive substitutions will be important for Barca.
Unquestionably, the strength of Barcelona’s defense is its capability to join the attack, particularly through the dynamic piranha himself, Dani Alves. Alves likes to go up the field and when he does, he generally stays close to the sideline, which provides space for Leo Messi and the other midfielders and simultaneously good positioning for Alves to make his terrific crosses. Defenses that choose to double team Messi leave more room for the dangerous Alves, and teams that try to account for Alves risk leaving more room for Messi to roam. Barcelona have used this tactic to devastating effect this season. One criticism of it is that Alves tends to get caught upfield, thereby putting added pressure on the remaining defenders. While Puyol can do a magnificent job covering for Alves in these situations, Barca is certainly vulnerable to the counter-attack, which is no doubt something Bayern will be looking to do.
On the other side, Frenchman Abidal and the Mexican Rafa Márquez have a different partnership. This is surely the more conservative side of the Barcelona defense, though it lacks little in terms of talent. Abidal generally stays home and very rarely will he initiate the attack. He wouldn’t have much space to do so without being caught in an awkward position, as Thierry Henry usually plays so close to the touchline in Barcelona’s formation. For Márquez—a truly dirty and bitter player for his national team, CONCACAF bridesmaids Mexico—he has a sublime talent in his long passing. He can loft the ball from the back of the field to the front with incredible accuracy, which generally keeps him in good position to defend. Watching him make long passes is a treat, so defenders (or spectators) best not sleep when Márquez has the ball and is looking up field. We may not see them marauding into attack, but Abidal and Márquez will be relied upon by Barca nonetheless. If the pair are beaten, it surely will not be for being overly aggressive or out of position.
The last note on Barca which must be mentioned is that they are vulnerable in the air. They are a pretty small team, and they don’t defend corners very well as a result. Look for München to try to take advantage of this fact as they venture forward looking for goals.
For Munich, I’m expecting this lineup, though I think Bayern may be inclined to sub:
Lahm—Demechilis—Lúcio—Oddo
I’d say there’s a 70% chance they go with the above lineup, and a 29% chance they go with Massimo Oddo replaced by Christian Lell. There’s a slight chance Jürgen Klinsmann would deploy regular midfielder and Tigerblog favorite Hamit Altintop in a fullback role, but we will go with the Oddo lineup for this preview.
Following last season’s historically prolific defense that set a Bundesliga record for fewest goals conceded (21), the backline was the last thing Bayern supporters would have expected to falter this season. But the bizarre mistakes from Demichelis and musk ox Lúcio along with the strange sale of Marcel Jansen have caused confidence to waver for the München faithful. Last season Bayern was impenetrable through the middle, but this year they’ve been made to pay for Lúcio’s swashbuckling runs forward and Demichelis’ frustrating rash of slips and cement-legs. While Lúcio’s wanderlust has always been a part of his game, Bayern fans will be hoping he plays more conservatively given Barca’s mercurial ability to counterattack. As for Demichelis, he’s a great player when he doesn’t get caught ball-watching or slipping on the turf. While the center of Bayern’s defense isn’t as skilled with the ball as Barca, they aren’t exactly bad and can be competent on the ball when it’s played back to them.
On the wings, Philipp Lahm plays a similar wing-back role as Daniel Alves, but tends not to be as risky as often as Alves. Along with Alves, José Bosingwa, and Sergio Ramos, Lahm is one of the best fullbacks in the world and his crosses are made with sensational accuracy. While he doesn’t have the height of his partners in the central defense, he is pacy enough to stay with anyone and he usually marks very well. On the other side, the on-loan Massimo Oddo is also a talented crosser who attacks from his position, although he’s not in the class of Lahm or Alves. If Bayern’s default attitude becomes defensive or if Henry is giving Oddo trouble, look for the more defensively-inclined and agile Christian Lell to come into the game on the right side. He has younger legs and can make runs forward, but tends not to do much once he’s up there, so look for Lell to spell Oddo with an assignment to play a more physical defensive style.
How I see it playing out: To put it bluntly, if Lúcio or Demichelis screw up and and concede a goal up the middle, Bayern are toast. The key phrase here is screw up; if the goal is well-worked by Barca and inevitably comes up the middle, it would not be as disastrous as a slip up or mental error would be. If there is such a mistake, the confidence of Bayern’s central defense will be compromised and the blood will be in the water for Barca’s merciless attack. Bayern will need a smart and conservative performance from their central defenders to help n00b GK Michael Rensing and to enable the involvement of their wing-backs up front. Look for Bayern fullbacks to be involved in the attack, but if they venture too far, we could see Rensing digging the ball out of his net in no time if Barca can produce on the counter-attack. If Bayern can organize well, expect midfielder Mark Van Bommel to assist by hounding Xavi or Messi, leaving the central defenders to mark the loose runners. Also, Bayern will probably try to intimidate Barcelona with some hard fouls, particularly in the first game at the Camp Nou. Depending on the officiating, look for Lúcio and/or Dimichelis to pick up a card and if Lell comes on, he will surely earn one also.
I mentioned yesterday that I expect Barca to concede a goal at some point on a corner or set-piece. I still believe this, and also expect them to concede a goal on the run of play as well whether it comes from a cross from the wing or a well-timed Bayern run up the middle, maybe from the ageless Zé Roberto. But If Alves can assert himself up front and Puyol and Marquez can successfully cover for him in the back, this will be a great harbinger for Barca success. Puyol or Marquez will most certainly earn a card, and if the referee detects a dive or faux injury from Alves, he could receive one also.
Many other previews (not that you should be reading those…) see this as a high-scoring tie, but I’m not inclined to swing one way or the other just yet. I’ll save that for the final prediction next week when all the facts are on the table.
See you next week as the Ultimate Bayern Barca Preview rolls on…
Posted on 03-27-2009 under
footy haikus,
spirit animalsI know welcomes are tacky, but daps to the folks from The Offside. The preview posts are below, but right now it’s time for one of the Tigerblog’s regular features, and today’s your lucky day as we feature Carles Puyol, the Lion. I’d recommend subscribing to Dreams of My Tiger so you don’t miss any of the big preview.
the lion of spain
commanding all before him;
indomitable
Posted on 03-26-2009 under
Previews
Yesterday we kicked off of the Tigerblog’s wall-to-wall coverage of the Bayern Barca tie by looking at some of the major storylines. Today we cover goalkeeping, and to keep you coming back to the Tigerblog’s source of Bayern/Barca manna, at the end of the preview you’ll see a schedule of our coverage ahead of this monumental showdown.
In a tie with many compelling storylines and quality matchups, it a bit jarring to have this injected in to the fray: Both goalkeepers are having mediocre seasons that have their respective supporters questioning whether they’ll return next year. Today we’ll examine the recent form of the GKs for each team, and what to look for in their play.
For Barca, Victor Valdes had appeared to finally have emerged as a truly world-class keeper last season, only to have regressed this year, especially in recent months. In particular, his positioning and anticipation have been most suspect. Attackers who have taken shots from outside the penalty area (both during free kicks and during play) have been able to catch Valdes flat-footed and out of position, and he is been embarrassed a number of times recently, such as during the recent La Liga match against Atletico Madrid and the Champions League match that we all saw against Lyon. He’s having confidence issues as well, which seem to be affecting his decision-making as he is trying to do too much to compensate for his recent poor form. This can be seen most clearly in his distribution, which hasn’t been so sharp recently. Perhaps most troubling is that he may be continuing to get worse and that rock bottom hasn’t yet hit.
For the München men, Michael Rensing’s first season filling the shoes of Tigerblog favorite Olli Kahn has been a bit short of expectations. While Rensing’s reflexes have impressed, he has a similar positioning problem as Valdes as well as trouble organizing Bayern’s defense. Comparisons to Kahn may not be fair, but part of the reason Bayern was able to set the Bundesliga record for fewest goals allowed over the season was due in part to Kahn’s experience and authority commanding the defense. Rensing does not yet have the talent nor the assertiveness to organize the defense and he’s been made to pay by Bayern’s opposition this year. He is also having trouble with distribution, although this probably has more to do with his inexperience. While Rensing hasn’t been steadily declining like Valdes, his inconsistent performances have seemingly become more frequent recently, which will worry the Munich faithful. Bayern fans-like their Barca counterparts-will be hoping that their goalkeeper can keep his head and avoid a major mistake.
How I see it playing out: While I can’t envision a colossal blunder (who ever does, really?), these goalkeepers’ weaknesses could be strengths for the opposition. I’m going to call it even. At some point in the two games, Bayern will score either off of a set piece or a cross, possibly because Valdes was out of position. On the other side, Barca will score one on a counter attack at some point, and this may perhaps be due to Rensing’s inability to get his defenders to focus on their positioning. Because of their deadliness and skill on possession, Barca may even be able to do this more than once. Outright blunders by the GKs probably won’t be to blame, but as each of their current weaknesses play to opponents’ strengths, I can see goals coming as a result.
Tomorrow tune in for the preview of the defenders.