10 Things Noticed Whilst Watching Barcelona at the Nou Camp
SPENDING an evening watching Barcelona live is every football fan’s dream. It is also something that every fanatic across the globe who considers himself or herself remotely interested in ‘The Beautiful Game’ should attempt to do at least once in their life.
Having pulled myself off the armchair to travel to the Spanish city and had the opportunity to watch the current version of the Catalan side play, here are a few things that I spotted whilst watching the best team on the planet.
Barcelona are not unbeatable
This one goes without saying I guess as having lost to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in midweek, Barca did indeed prove that they are fallible after a terrific run of results in La Liga which saw them break the Spanish league record.
For a time against Athletic Bilbao, the Catalan side looked totally unplayable; Messi, Pedro and Villa were ghosting through their opponents defence and only a loose pass here and there prevented a second and probably sealing goal before the break. In the second period, there was however, a few moments where Barcelona looked vulnerable. Athletic took advantage of one of their few chances to score, and could have been playing against ten-men were Pique not playing in front of his 120,000 strong home crowd.
Should Barcelona beat Arsenal in the Champions League then the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea will feel that they can give the Spanish champions a game.
Messi is everywhere
Even during what was quite an under-par performance for the Argentine star; he was still in goal scoring form, helping himself to the winner, less than ten minutes before the end. Before that, I had seen Messi pretty much do everything. He should have had a penalty after being felled in the box by no less than two players, and he was perhaps unlucky to score a second near the end after a smart save from the goalkeeper.
In between all his heroics, Messi was marginally ordinary. The problem is that the two-time reigning FIFA World Player of the Year’s ordinary still makes him a heck of a performer, even when not at his best.
Dropping off into spaces, Messi is a nightmare to mark, so many times he found himself just in front of the back four picking up the ball, playing a short ball and then sprinting off into space. Defenders tried to get close to him but he’s so quick and so sharp with such an excellent touch that it is hard to close him down unless you get there the split second the ball does.
Very rarely is he pressed up against the last-man and so often is he found out left or out right that putting a man marker on him is completely pointless. The run which saw Messi felled inside the area as something to behold. Three times he pulled off the same move and three defenders could do nothing about it. Just before the end he has the ball in the corner and spun a defender before having his shirt tugged. Messi impetuously spun round, still kept the ball and looked to take the defender on again before the free kick was awarded.
He had the mentality and enthusiasm of a child, something which Barca’s total football philosophy plays into the hands of perfectly.
Barcelona can be professional
They may have won the game against Bilbao, but towards the end Barcelona looked like a side who were looking to halt a slide of two games. Clearly realising that this was not their most polished performance, and knowing that a vital three points would keep them ahead of Real Madrid, Barcelona began to perform very unlike I have ever seen them do before.
Whilst not quite going to the extent of their opponents who were time wasting from the moment they scored onwards, Barcelona did not want to give away the precious goal that their number ten had given them in the 81st minute. They were professional in their approach, and acted like a team who were not only desperate for victory, but one who realised that the danger of their under-rated opponents needed to be snuffed out.
Perhaps it was the mid-point of the game when Bilbao proved that they were capable of beating Barcelona and that earned them the respect of their opponents. It also led the Catalan side to begin a pattern of play that you would not expect from them.
If the previous 70 or so minutes had been a demonstration of keep-ball, then the last nine minutes were a master-class in how not to give anything away defensively. Knowing that their opponents had to push forward if they wished to get anything out of the game, Barcelona invited Bilbao onto them and were not afraid to counter-attack when the time was right.
I didn’t expect to see them put the ball in the corner and look to press their advantage home, but with the exception of Messi, who was looking for a second, Barca did everything they had to in order to maintain status quo at the top of the Spanish League.
Not that Barcelona doing this should be seen as a bad thing, as it proves that they are professional and cared more than anything about winning, but it was perhaps the unexpected nature of their decision that caught me most by surprise. Having watched them pretty much toy with their opponents during the first half, and seeing them throw wave and wave after attack forward inside forty-five minutes, witnessing Guardiola’s side heading to the corner in the final seconds of the game show that the La Liga side are drilled well enough to know when a victory is vital.
Daniel Alves should be sued under the trade descriptions act
Even Cafu, the most attacking right fullback of all time, did more than his Brazilian replacement.
It’s not as though Alves is greatly required at the back, especially at the Nou Camp, but the pressure he puts on opponents by roaming forward creates a totally different problem than with any other defender in the modern game.
He is a winger in everything but number, and the positions he takes up on the field are far from what you would expect of a traditional defender. Ironically Alves can’t get into his national team’s starting eleven because of the ranging qualities possessed by Maicon, but with the way Barcelona’s number two plays, it is hard to see even the threat of even Gareth Bale convincing Alves to maintain his defensive postitining.
The good thing for Barcelona is that with every second Alves is forward, it provides an out ball for their very narrow midfield. At international level Iniesta usually starts out wide but drifts in, but the way his club side plays meas that Iniesta can stay inside and allow the talented Brazilian to run up and down the flank all game long.
Available on a constant basis throughout the 90 minutes, Alves also has excellent delivery, which helps to set up Barcelona attacks down the right hand side.
I would definitely like to see his tackles per game ratio.
Pedro is incredibly under-rated
For many people, the inclusion of Pedro and Busquets in Spain’s World Cup squad instead of the likes of David Silva and Cesc Fabregas was a surprise.
On my trip to the Nou Camp Busquets demonstrated his versatility by slotting in at left back meaning that he was slightly stifled.
Pedro on the other hand displayed in flashes what a talent he is.
Winning six trophies, and scoring en-route to them all in his first senior professional season, Pedro is a under-the-radar talent that could end up being one of the top players in the world in the next three to four seasons.
He is lightning quick with an excellent touch and loves to take defenders on whenever he gets the chance. Just like Messi, he gives you a chance to take the ball off his toes before whipping it away like a magician at the last second meaning he is either fouled or causes defenders to commit themselves.
Down the left hand side, he was a constant threat to the Athletic back-line, and showed some more tidy skills to set up some goalmouth opportunities for the La Liga champions. His turn of pace would be an absolute nightmare to defend against, and on more than one occasion he made a defender look like they were running in slow motion
Despite being a relative newcomer to the team, Pedro is full of confidence and his performance demonstrates that he belongs in the Barcelona team; his self-confidence put that’s across almost immediately.
La Liga shares properties with the SPL
Whilst the standard of football in both competitions is certainly different, Rangers and Celtic’s fight for the title in Scotland on a regular basis has become very similar to the two-way battle for the title between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
At the moment it is worrying to report that La Liga now operates without even the thought of a third contender. Athletico Madrid’s threat has diminished in recent years, whilst Villareal have aged noticeably. Other competition comes from the likes of Valencia, who have been affected by Barcelona purchasing one of their leading lights, and the other team inside the current Spanish top five is rather surprisingly Bilbao, who have clearly built around the talents of Llorente.
In the Spanish League and the SPL, a draw almost has the same effect as a defeat. Either of the ‘big two’ who do not secure a victory in each and every game realise the penalty for dropping points will be being trumped by their opponents who will nine times out of ten win their fixtures.
The biggest games in the season, and the ones that decide the title, are those between Barcelona and Real Madrid, just as in Scotland where the title is usually decided by the aggregate outcome throughout the season of Glasgow’s finest meeting.
The noise can be deafening, but so can the silence
120,000 fans screaming at the top of their voices can certainly be noisy, but don’t be fooled into thinking that a cauldron of noise awaits anyone who enters the Camp Nou.
Be under no illusions, Barcelona fans will let opposition players and referees ‘have it’ when they feel it’s necessary, but more often than not, supporters of the Catalan team are waiting to be entertained, and they do this patiently and quietly.
There are very few songs resonating from the mouths of Barca fans and unless a decision goes against them, there is barely a reaction to the opposition having the ball.
When they do make a noise though, the Barcelona fans make a serious racket; playing in such an atmosphere with a wall of noise surrounding you even 10% of the time would be intimidating enough.
Barcelona fans don’t like their team to walk the ball in
Arsenal are often criticised by neutrals and even their own supporters for ‘not shooting enough’, but Barcelona too can be accused of trying to ‘score the perfect goal’.
On many occasions during the game, the extra pass which Barcelona play works perfectly, but often it draws a huge groan from their own fans.
Even a player as special as Lionel Messi has his decision making questioned when he chooses to play a pass to a team mate rather than taking the selfish option and scoring a goal himself.
Barcelona fans are likely to be very used to their pure brand of football, and it is rare to see them playing long balls or players launching shots at goal from absurd range if they are pressing forward for a goal.
The Catalan side like to work the ball around until they find themselves a good angle which provides a high percentage opportunity for a shot. That does not mean, however, that Barcelona fans are always happy about it. Struggling to score against Bilbao there were several cries of anguish when their sides impressive passing was not quite working out.
Puyol is a bigger miss than people think
With so many attacking players, and so much flair in their side going forward, it is often easy to forget that unlike their closest rivals, much of Barcelona’s strength is built on their ability to defend well and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Puyol’s absence was perhaps telling in the Champions League defeat to Arsenal, and at the weekend against Bilbao there was a five-minute period where Barcelona looked extremely shaky in defence.
The experienced Spaniard missing a game for Barcelona, not only denies the team of their captain but it creates other problems in the team which Guardiola would rather not have to find a solution to.
With Pique in the middle he is able to talk and communicate with his central defensive partner Pique and work on the relationship that they have at both club and country level.
Puyol is also one of the few players in the team who is unashamed about his lack of technical ability. Whilst Pique can bring the ball out from the back, Puyol is more of a no-nonsense player, and will defend at all costs whether or not it looks pretty.
Defensive cohesion issues are also heavily overlooked when the Barca captain is absent. The void at centre-back is usually filled by Abidal, which brings the Frenchman into an unfamiliar position and also brings in Maxwell at left-back who, like Dani Alves, down the right hand side is very attacking. Against Bilbao, Barca used Busquets at full back, a position he is no more than functional in.
The Nou Camp has a lot of steps
Looking at the stadium from the outside, it’s pretty obvious that scaling the Nou Camp would be a huge task.
The scale of what is required is only really possible to understand once you climb stairs around the back of the eight plus tiers of the stadium. The effort you have to put in is certainly worth it for the view from the top, but be prepared those seated in the sections around ’45-50’, you will be required to put the hard yards in to get to your seat.
Having pulled myself off the armchair to travel to the Spanish city and had the opportunity to watch the current version of the Catalan side play, here are a few things that I spotted whilst watching the best team on the planet.
Barcelona are not unbeatable
This one goes without saying I guess as having lost to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in midweek, Barca did indeed prove that they are fallible after a terrific run of results in La Liga which saw them break the Spanish league record.
For a time against Athletic Bilbao, the Catalan side looked totally unplayable; Messi, Pedro and Villa were ghosting through their opponents defence and only a loose pass here and there prevented a second and probably sealing goal before the break. In the second period, there was however, a few moments where Barcelona looked vulnerable. Athletic took advantage of one of their few chances to score, and could have been playing against ten-men were Pique not playing in front of his 120,000 strong home crowd.
Should Barcelona beat Arsenal in the Champions League then the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea will feel that they can give the Spanish champions a game.
Messi is everywhere
Even during what was quite an under-par performance for the Argentine star; he was still in goal scoring form, helping himself to the winner, less than ten minutes before the end. Before that, I had seen Messi pretty much do everything. He should have had a penalty after being felled in the box by no less than two players, and he was perhaps unlucky to score a second near the end after a smart save from the goalkeeper.
In between all his heroics, Messi was marginally ordinary. The problem is that the two-time reigning FIFA World Player of the Year’s ordinary still makes him a heck of a performer, even when not at his best.
Dropping off into spaces, Messi is a nightmare to mark, so many times he found himself just in front of the back four picking up the ball, playing a short ball and then sprinting off into space. Defenders tried to get close to him but he’s so quick and so sharp with such an excellent touch that it is hard to close him down unless you get there the split second the ball does.
Very rarely is he pressed up against the last-man and so often is he found out left or out right that putting a man marker on him is completely pointless. The run which saw Messi felled inside the area as something to behold. Three times he pulled off the same move and three defenders could do nothing about it. Just before the end he has the ball in the corner and spun a defender before having his shirt tugged. Messi impetuously spun round, still kept the ball and looked to take the defender on again before the free kick was awarded.
He had the mentality and enthusiasm of a child, something which Barca’s total football philosophy plays into the hands of perfectly.
Barcelona can be professional
They may have won the game against Bilbao, but towards the end Barcelona looked like a side who were looking to halt a slide of two games. Clearly realising that this was not their most polished performance, and knowing that a vital three points would keep them ahead of Real Madrid, Barcelona began to perform very unlike I have ever seen them do before.
Whilst not quite going to the extent of their opponents who were time wasting from the moment they scored onwards, Barcelona did not want to give away the precious goal that their number ten had given them in the 81st minute. They were professional in their approach, and acted like a team who were not only desperate for victory, but one who realised that the danger of their under-rated opponents needed to be snuffed out.
Perhaps it was the mid-point of the game when Bilbao proved that they were capable of beating Barcelona and that earned them the respect of their opponents. It also led the Catalan side to begin a pattern of play that you would not expect from them.
If the previous 70 or so minutes had been a demonstration of keep-ball, then the last nine minutes were a master-class in how not to give anything away defensively. Knowing that their opponents had to push forward if they wished to get anything out of the game, Barcelona invited Bilbao onto them and were not afraid to counter-attack when the time was right.
I didn’t expect to see them put the ball in the corner and look to press their advantage home, but with the exception of Messi, who was looking for a second, Barca did everything they had to in order to maintain status quo at the top of the Spanish League.
Not that Barcelona doing this should be seen as a bad thing, as it proves that they are professional and cared more than anything about winning, but it was perhaps the unexpected nature of their decision that caught me most by surprise. Having watched them pretty much toy with their opponents during the first half, and seeing them throw wave and wave after attack forward inside forty-five minutes, witnessing Guardiola’s side heading to the corner in the final seconds of the game show that the La Liga side are drilled well enough to know when a victory is vital.
Daniel Alves should be sued under the trade descriptions act
Even Cafu, the most attacking right fullback of all time, did more than his Brazilian replacement.
It’s not as though Alves is greatly required at the back, especially at the Nou Camp, but the pressure he puts on opponents by roaming forward creates a totally different problem than with any other defender in the modern game.
He is a winger in everything but number, and the positions he takes up on the field are far from what you would expect of a traditional defender. Ironically Alves can’t get into his national team’s starting eleven because of the ranging qualities possessed by Maicon, but with the way Barcelona’s number two plays, it is hard to see even the threat of even Gareth Bale convincing Alves to maintain his defensive postitining.
The good thing for Barcelona is that with every second Alves is forward, it provides an out ball for their very narrow midfield. At international level Iniesta usually starts out wide but drifts in, but the way his club side plays meas that Iniesta can stay inside and allow the talented Brazilian to run up and down the flank all game long.
Available on a constant basis throughout the 90 minutes, Alves also has excellent delivery, which helps to set up Barcelona attacks down the right hand side.
I would definitely like to see his tackles per game ratio.
Pedro is incredibly under-rated
For many people, the inclusion of Pedro and Busquets in Spain’s World Cup squad instead of the likes of David Silva and Cesc Fabregas was a surprise.
On my trip to the Nou Camp Busquets demonstrated his versatility by slotting in at left back meaning that he was slightly stifled.
Pedro on the other hand displayed in flashes what a talent he is.
Winning six trophies, and scoring en-route to them all in his first senior professional season, Pedro is a under-the-radar talent that could end up being one of the top players in the world in the next three to four seasons.
He is lightning quick with an excellent touch and loves to take defenders on whenever he gets the chance. Just like Messi, he gives you a chance to take the ball off his toes before whipping it away like a magician at the last second meaning he is either fouled or causes defenders to commit themselves.
Down the left hand side, he was a constant threat to the Athletic back-line, and showed some more tidy skills to set up some goalmouth opportunities for the La Liga champions. His turn of pace would be an absolute nightmare to defend against, and on more than one occasion he made a defender look like they were running in slow motion
Despite being a relative newcomer to the team, Pedro is full of confidence and his performance demonstrates that he belongs in the Barcelona team; his self-confidence put that’s across almost immediately.
La Liga shares properties with the SPL
Whilst the standard of football in both competitions is certainly different, Rangers and Celtic’s fight for the title in Scotland on a regular basis has become very similar to the two-way battle for the title between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
At the moment it is worrying to report that La Liga now operates without even the thought of a third contender. Athletico Madrid’s threat has diminished in recent years, whilst Villareal have aged noticeably. Other competition comes from the likes of Valencia, who have been affected by Barcelona purchasing one of their leading lights, and the other team inside the current Spanish top five is rather surprisingly Bilbao, who have clearly built around the talents of Llorente.
In the Spanish League and the SPL, a draw almost has the same effect as a defeat. Either of the ‘big two’ who do not secure a victory in each and every game realise the penalty for dropping points will be being trumped by their opponents who will nine times out of ten win their fixtures.
The biggest games in the season, and the ones that decide the title, are those between Barcelona and Real Madrid, just as in Scotland where the title is usually decided by the aggregate outcome throughout the season of Glasgow’s finest meeting.
The noise can be deafening, but so can the silence
120,000 fans screaming at the top of their voices can certainly be noisy, but don’t be fooled into thinking that a cauldron of noise awaits anyone who enters the Camp Nou.
Be under no illusions, Barcelona fans will let opposition players and referees ‘have it’ when they feel it’s necessary, but more often than not, supporters of the Catalan team are waiting to be entertained, and they do this patiently and quietly.
There are very few songs resonating from the mouths of Barca fans and unless a decision goes against them, there is barely a reaction to the opposition having the ball.
When they do make a noise though, the Barcelona fans make a serious racket; playing in such an atmosphere with a wall of noise surrounding you even 10% of the time would be intimidating enough.
Barcelona fans don’t like their team to walk the ball in
Arsenal are often criticised by neutrals and even their own supporters for ‘not shooting enough’, but Barcelona too can be accused of trying to ‘score the perfect goal’.
On many occasions during the game, the extra pass which Barcelona play works perfectly, but often it draws a huge groan from their own fans.
Even a player as special as Lionel Messi has his decision making questioned when he chooses to play a pass to a team mate rather than taking the selfish option and scoring a goal himself.
Barcelona fans are likely to be very used to their pure brand of football, and it is rare to see them playing long balls or players launching shots at goal from absurd range if they are pressing forward for a goal.
The Catalan side like to work the ball around until they find themselves a good angle which provides a high percentage opportunity for a shot. That does not mean, however, that Barcelona fans are always happy about it. Struggling to score against Bilbao there were several cries of anguish when their sides impressive passing was not quite working out.
Puyol is a bigger miss than people think
With so many attacking players, and so much flair in their side going forward, it is often easy to forget that unlike their closest rivals, much of Barcelona’s strength is built on their ability to defend well and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Puyol’s absence was perhaps telling in the Champions League defeat to Arsenal, and at the weekend against Bilbao there was a five-minute period where Barcelona looked extremely shaky in defence.
The experienced Spaniard missing a game for Barcelona, not only denies the team of their captain but it creates other problems in the team which Guardiola would rather not have to find a solution to.
With Pique in the middle he is able to talk and communicate with his central defensive partner Pique and work on the relationship that they have at both club and country level.
Puyol is also one of the few players in the team who is unashamed about his lack of technical ability. Whilst Pique can bring the ball out from the back, Puyol is more of a no-nonsense player, and will defend at all costs whether or not it looks pretty.
Defensive cohesion issues are also heavily overlooked when the Barca captain is absent. The void at centre-back is usually filled by Abidal, which brings the Frenchman into an unfamiliar position and also brings in Maxwell at left-back who, like Dani Alves, down the right hand side is very attacking. Against Bilbao, Barca used Busquets at full back, a position he is no more than functional in.
The Nou Camp has a lot of steps
Looking at the stadium from the outside, it’s pretty obvious that scaling the Nou Camp would be a huge task.
The scale of what is required is only really possible to understand once you climb stairs around the back of the eight plus tiers of the stadium. The effort you have to put in is certainly worth it for the view from the top, but be prepared those seated in the sections around ’45-50’, you will be required to put the hard yards in to get to your seat.