El Clasico 2017 - Game 1 - 23-12-2017 - Review

 El Clasico 2017 - Game 1 - 23-12-2017 - Review

Barcelona's memorable Christmas Gift to its fans

 (Please note that this is a review totally biased to Barcelona. You need to actually watch the game at least once more to understand the strategies that were in play.)

The Barcelona team applauding its supporters at the end of the victory.

El Clasico never disappoints except for the fans of the losing side. As promised, this one did not. It was a tale of two halves and two different teams in each half. 

Zidane opted for Kovacic instead of, their man in form, Isco with the intention of curtailing the Messi effect as well as strengthening the defense. Isco, Asensio and Bale were left on the bench to be brought in the 2^nd half depending on the way the match progressed. Marcelo, Ramos, Carvajal and Varane formed the strong defensive backline of Madrid with the dependable Navas in the goal. Despite their recent struggles in LaLiga, Ronaldo and Benzema were chosen as the strikers who were to lead the team from the front. 

Coach Valverde went in with 4 midfielders – Iniesta, Busquets, Paulinho and Rakitic to tackle the famed quartet of Los Blancos - Modric, Casemiro, Kroos and Kovacic. While Rakitic and Busquets were to be the defending midfielders, Iniesta had the liberty to move forward, with Paulinho moving back and forth as necessitated. Messi was to drift all over the park while Suarez was the lone striker. The defenders were Pique, Vermaelen (in place of the injured Umtiti), Jordi Alba on the left and Sergi Roberto on the right (instead of the quicker Semedo) with Super Stegen guarding the goal.

Real Madrid came out all guns blazing and attacked from the word go. It was breathless stuff! Marcelo was racing up and down the left flank providing neat passes to the forwards. Kroos and Modric were sneaking up the middle and making inroads into the Barca half. But the misfiring forwards of Real Madrid did not capitalize on the chances. Ronaldo missed a couple of sitters and Benzema hit the post with a header while Ter Stegen, Pique and Vermaelen, supported by almost the whole of the Barca team, came up with some timely and terrific saves.

Terrific Ter Stegen - the Barca Wall

Barcelona were stretched to its maximum, yet unlike the earlier seasons, a disciplined Barca hung in there and refused to panic. It was a mammoth performance by Ter Stegen who never let up. The plucky Pique was undaunted and did not put a foot wrong. He made a massive difference at the back, anticipating and tackling with élan. He was instrumental in keeping Barca in the game. The valiant Vermaelen - the one everyone doubted - was unwavering and patient, not giving an inch. He took one for the team when he was yellow carded for stopping Modric in his tracks. 

The rock solid Vermaelen and Pique

Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba were fabulous in assisting the defenders and also quick to go forward, when there was an opening. Such was the pressure in the opening 30 minutes from Real Madrid that Iniesta, Paulinho and Messi were also involved in defending.

Busquets tackling Benzema while Iniesta and Alba look on

The Barca midfield was well guarded by the unshakeable Busquets and the solid Rakitic, which gave Iniesta, remarkable freedom to move up despite the pressure at the back. Paulinho was firm in defense and was also up front in a jiffy, as and when there was a break. Luis Suarez prowled around in the Real Madrid half, waiting for his moment. 

Kovacic marking Messi

Messi was limited by the hovering Kovacic and he patiently tracked back (mostly strolled) to help in the midfield. Barcelona soaked up the intense pressure like a sponge. Slowly they started to find their footing and created chances. Messi, despite the lack of space, produced some fine passes which were sadly not finished off. Paulinho did force two fantastic saves from Navas, but could have done better. 


The two wily Barca foxes - Messi and Busquets, seem to have a little pact of playing a game of chess with poor Kovacic as the pawn. Whenever Messi drifted back with his Kovacic shadow, it freed up Busquets to move forward. That meant Kovacic had to track Busquets instead and that in turn released Leo. Busquets at times also closed in and marked Kovacic which meant Messi was free to move forward, minus the shadow. They went into the break on equal terms – but Real Madrid were more dominant and influential than Barca. But Barcelona had successfully stuck to their task.

The second half was a completely different story as Barca came in with more intent. knowing that the Madrid players were worn-out from their stupendous efforts in the first half.  Barcelona kept the ball and stepped up with cute little attacks. Real Madrid went from 100 to 0 in energy as they gave away too many balls and failed to keep up with the marauding Barca. The tactics that seem to work wonderfully in the first half misfired. 

Sergi Roberto intercepted Kroos and gave the ball to Busquets. Busquets after a few extraordinary touches (in his own casual way) passed the ball to the advancing Rakitic who had acres of space in front, with Suarez on the left and Sergi racing forward on the right. Messi was a few yards behind Rakitic. Everyone expected him to pass it to Messi, as usual, including Kovacic who chose to mark Messi instead of covering Rakitic. Rakitic cleverly delivered it to Sergi Roberto who saw Suarez rushing in, practically free, on the left and made the neatest of crosses. Unlike the first half, the Uruguayan was clinical in his finish. A well deserved Barcelona went ahead 1-0.

Suarez and Sergi Roberto celebrating the 1st goal

As the tide turned, things started unraveling for Madrid. As usual Ramos lost his cool as he slyly slapped Suarez and got away with a yellow card instead of Red. Kroos and Modric were constantly upstaged by Jordi Alba and Iniesta. Marcelo and Carvajal looked totally sapped. Kovacic seem to disappear as Messi got into his groove and moved quicker. As per Zidane’s scheme to counter the dominance of Barcelona; Isco, Asensio and Bale started to warm up, to come in. But then came, the vital moment, that turned the game on its head.

Messi split the Madrid midfield with a scorching pass that found Suarez. Suarez’s shot was well blocked by Navas. By then the Madrid goal was teaming with Barca players. As the ball fell to the ever mindful Messi, he teed off Suarez once again. A hard-pressed Navas came up with another fantastic save. The ball bounced back to the bolting Paulinho who for once found his mark with a strong header. A desperate Carvajal decided to play goalkeeper and stopped the goal bound ball with his hand. That proved to be the watershed moment of the match. Carvajal was sent off and Messi scored the resulting penalty in the same emphatic manner as he always does at the Bernabue. Barcelona was up 2-0 and it was now a huge mountain to climb for the exhausted Real Madrid.

Barca team celebrating after going up by two goals

With 10 men, Zidane was forced to change his strategy. Nacho was brought in to strengthen the depleted defense. As a result Isco was sacrificed. While Nacho, Bale and Asensio stood on the side lines to be substituted, Barca played out another of their masterclass, They passed the ball around casually among themselves for about 6 to 7 minutes while the 10 men from Real Madrid were forced to look on. Benzema (mercilessly booed by the home fans) and Kovacic came off  and the incoming Madrid players had only 10 minutes to set things right. Valverde sent in Andre Gomes and Semedo for Iniesta and Paulinho and kept back his third substitution

Even with 10 men, the introduction of Bale and Asensio injected some life into Madrid. Bale let out two bristling shots which forced Ter Stegen to come up with acrobatic saves. Time was ticking away and finally Aleix Vidal came in as the 3^rd substitute for Barca, in place of Sergi Roberto, in added time.  But one Mr. Messi refused to stop. He galloped into the right flank leaving the charging Marcelo in a heap, along with one of his shoes. With his right shoe off, Messi dashed to the edge of the box and sent in a perfect pass before he went hurtling down. It was seized by Vidal whose shot rolled below the very tired and tried Navas to give Barca a 3-0 win. 

Aleix Vidal and a bootless Messi after the 3rd goal

The whistle blew to bring the curtains down on an eventful game which left the Blaugranas in a heap of delight. 

Zidane got his tactics right initially as the aggressive Real Madrid looked to score in the frenzied first half. But the floundering forwards, fatigue and the red card forced him to change his strategy.  
(Down 0-2, I would have preferred him to bring in Isco, their go to guy, instead of Nacho because Casemiro could always switch back to defense from the midfield. But Zidane was more reactive than proactive after the red card and he was looking to minimize the damage.)

Ernesto Valverde had a pragmatic and tactical game-plan for El Clasico. It was a disciplined first half as the tireless defense and a resilient midfield absorbed the pressure to nullify the immense aggression of Real Madrid. It was followed by a blitzing second half which left the weary opposition totally winded. 

The Barcelona Warriors:

Ter Stegen: As he had been all this season, Ter Stegen was phenomenal in the goal. He was extremely brave in one to one situations and ensured that no one breached his boundary.  The enormous German wall of Barca stopped everything with a vengeance and succeeded in frustrating the Madrid forwards. 

Pique: It was just jaw dropping stuff in defense from the unwavering Pique. He deserved a standing ovation for keeping Real Madrid at bay with perfectly timed tackles. He was one of the primary reasons that kept Barcelona in the game.

Vermaelen: What a monumental performance by Vermaelen! To take on the might of Real Madrid at the Bernabue and make it all look easy - that’s totally extraordinary. Pray the talented Vermaelen stays fit and continues to dazzle for Barca. 

Sergi Roberto: Selected above Semedo, it was a complete and rocking performance worthy of El Clasico from the young warhorse. He was instrumental in several saves in the first half and played a significant role in the first goal where he raced in and squared a perfect cross to Suarez. Take a bow Splendid Sergi.

Jordi Alba: Energetic as usual, he was extremely compact and sensible to stay back in his own half in the first half. His well timed interventions helped in stopping the likes of Marcelo and Modric. One of the memorable moments was when he nutmegged Modric to send in a great pass to Iniesta.

Busquets: He is the most unassuming of players who impacts the game big time - that’s exactly what the brilliant Busquets did in this Clasico. It was an understated and creative Busquets who made the right interceptions and gave the right passes. He was the calm fulcrum from which the rest of the team emerged forward. 

Ivan Rakitic: The reliable Rakitic came up with a fabulous performance. Though he did make a few mistakes in the tumultuous first half, he regained his rhythm and focus to take charge of the midfield, ably supporting Busquets. To top it all was that incredible sprint through the middle and the perfectly timed, intelligent pass to Sergi that resulted in the first goal. 

Iniesta: It was a grand performance filled with many wonderful moves from the legend and leader. He showed the much decorated Madrid midfielders who wass the best with some mesmerizing ballet moves. It was vintage Iniesta especially when he bamboozled the likes of Modric, Kroos and Marcelo with his supernatural touches. Hope he keeps doing his magic because it’s a privilege to watch Iniesta play.

Paulinho: He was dependable in defense and mid field and did not let the tensions get to him. He was definitely guilty of missing two great chances, but then Navas was defending his goal with all his might. Still baffled as to how Paulinho managed it because he was everywhere - attacking, in the middle and defending when needed. He made up for his misses with a telling header which resulted in the red card for Carvajal and the penalty. This surprise package brings in a lot of strength and solidity to the Barcelona side and is a good attacking option. 

Luis Suarez: He is still not at his best, missing quite a few chances. But this is one relentless guy who never stops trying and always comes good in crunch matches. The goal Suarez scored was one of the coolest finishes in the Lion's den. A stupendous effort!

Lionel Messi: (I need more than a paragraph for this incredible influence that was at his minimalistic best.)

Zidane chose Kovacic over the much more dangerous Isco, because he wanted to curb Messi. That was a huge relief for Barcelona because Isco was in great form and known to score important goals. If Madrid had gone up in the first half, it would have been a different story in the second half. So the special, little one influenced the game even before a ball was kicked.

Messi adapted beautifully in the first half letting Kovacic dominate. He was mostly in his own half, at walking pace in the midfield. But despite being choked by the Madrid defenders, he forged a number of immaculate passes which Paulinho and Suarez failed to connect.  

In the second half, it was more tactical. In the build up to the first goal, as Rakitic was moving forward, an ingenious Messi trailed him but not with his usual swiftness. That forced Kovacic to either mark Messi or Rakitic and he chose Messi which aided in the first goal. Messi with his incredible awareness along with his smart team mates neutralized the Kovacic strategy of Zidane.  

In this game, he made an incredible, 9 inch-perfect passes into the Madrid D. The one that stands out was his rifling, quintessential pass that led to the red card and the penalty. He scored the penalty without much ado and had a truly iconic celebration which has become the face of this Clasico. He also broke a number of Clasico records in the process.

The iconic celebration of Messi after taking the penalty

Last season, a triumphant Messi would have required cotton and ice packs after he was left battered, bleeding and bruised. This year all he needed was a boot and I am sure he wouldn’t mind that at all after the win. 

The assist for the third goal for which he left Marcelo for dead, along with his right shoe, reveals his insatiable desire for more.Without missing a beat, he darted to the edge of the box and gave a lovely pass with his booted left leg as he went down, which Aleix Vidal thankfully converted. Losing the shoe didn’t hinder Leo as he pounced on the opportunity. His incredible shoe-less run went unnoticed, except by, maybe Cristiano Ronaldo, who was right in front of him, watching in disbelief.  It came into prominence only after the goal were replayed.

At the start, Messi was like a shadow over the Bernabue – ambling, defending and passing. As the game progressed the shadow turned into a Tsunami engulfing and destroying everything, albeit a shoe less. 

How fortunate are we to witness this little genius at work?

The Barca Substitutes

Semedo:  Came in as a substitute in the last 10 minutes. Had a chance to score from a Messi pass but missed it. Otherwise did a good job of covering the back.

Andre Gomes: Did okay with some good runs in the middle.

Aleix Vidal: Came in the dying moments and scored the final goal sealing a memorable win. 

This was a job well done by FC Barcelona who deserved to win. Valverde got his tactics doubly right with his defense in the first half and super offense in the second half because his disciplined and obliging team followed the plan to the tee. The triumph was complete in every sense and Barcelona actually made it all look pretty routine in the end. 

Thank you FC Barcelona for a lovely Christmas gift, to us, the fans.

Players celebrating in the Barca dressing room after the win

Vamos Barca! Forca Barca!