El Clasico – Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona – La liga Match – March 2, 2018
A portrayal of every Barca Players' performance
It was a breathless and entertaining game as both teams took
every opportunity to attack from all fronts. There is nothing much to write
about how the match was played as Real Madrid continued to be aggressive – as
in the past 2 games. Led by the young stars Vinicius & Reguilon, and the
rest feeding them with the ball, they attacked from the word go. But their poor finishing left a lot to
be desired.
Barcelona were considered lucky to win the last Clasico (Copa Del Rey) and had to play at the hostile Bernabeu twice in a week. But in the La Liga game, it was a different Barcelona that stepped into the Bernabeu.
Sergi Roberto was charged with the role of stopping the
dangerous Vinicius and Reguilon. Behind him the duo of Pique and Langlet
stood in firm support at the center with Alba on the left flank. Superman Ter Stegen manned the Barca goal. The trio
of Arthur Melo, Busquets and Rakitic formed the midfield. Messi started on the
right with Dembele and Suarez forming the rest of the attacking trident.
It was a perfect combination of solid defending and well
timed counter attacking that left Real Madrid scurrying desperately. Barca
shackled down the Madrid attackers effectively and controlled the mid field
with determination.
Unlike the earlier two Copa Games, despite the aggression of
Madrid, Barcelona attacked with a lively Messi churning out perfect passes into
the Madrid box. Sadly, Dembele and Suarez kept missing, as usual. The Barça Captain was also
attacking and shooting with energy.
Though not at their best, in the end it was a wonderful team
effort from FC Barcelona that saw them win 1-0. A lovely goal from Rakitic proved to be the winner. It was a thoroughly deserved win.
The following are the description of every one of the
Barcelona players who gave it their 100% to ensure a well-earned victory. (Sorry I did not have eyes for any one else
except for the feisty ones in Blue & Red).
The Gaurdian - Ter Stegen:
Compared to the earlier clasicos, Stegen had a relatively
quiet time in the goal. He was not tested much as most of the shots from the
Madrid players missed the target. Yet he never let his guard down and brought off some
great saves whenever there was a threat. He continued to impress and never let
anyone breach his well guarded box .
The Fantastic Four at the
back: Pique, Lenglet, Roberto and Alba
Gerard Pique:
A resolute Gerard Pique turned up in style at the Bernabeu
much to the annoyance of the Madrid supporters. He had been imperious for Barca for
the past few weeks. But today he was the master of anticipation and he was
there to support Sergi Roberto and Lenglet at every turn. He did have his occassional
brain freeze (like that crazy dribbling in his own box instead of clearing the ball), but was very watchful and
assertive for majority of the game. The boos of the Bernabeu loyals only
added to his determination as he came up with one of his best performances of
the season. It was jaw-dropping stuff from the towering Pique, who literally was
the Boss in the field. The Man of the Match.
Lenglet:
The resolute, young Frenchman was undaunted
and up for the tough task on hand. He kept throwing himself against the heavyweights of Madrid and came up with some amazing blocks. There were a few
times when he was overrun but he always managed to get back on time to prevent
any damage. On the night, he became the Iron Man of Barca as he took several
heavy hits like a punching bag. It was very painful to watch as he winced in
pain, taking constant hits, but never stopped defending. It was a stupendous effort from the Lion-hearted Lenglet.
Sergi Roberto:
Barca’s darling, Sergi Roberto was give the unevious
task of stopping Vinicius and Reguilon by the coach. But he did a remarkable job as he never put a foot
wrong. He restrained the dangerous duo with unwavering determination. How he did it is still a puzzle! He was
also afforded the space to move forward to facilitate Barca’s attacks from the
right thanks to the fantastic support from Pique and Lenglet at the back.
Sergi’s awesome assist to Rakitic, anticipating the Croat's run, resulted in the winning goal. A truly
memorable and impressive performance from the young man which made La Masia proud. He seem to reserve his best for Bernabeu. It was all heart from the sweetheart of FC Barcelona.
Jordi Alba:
Jordi Alba was kept busy in defence by the likes of Gareth
Bale, Carvajal and Benzema. The little dynamite was all fired up as he produced staggering tackles and blocks to keep his team in the game. He was
allowed little space to move forward, but managed to link with the
forwards whenever the rest of his defense and midfield came to his assistance. He was
constantly kept on his toes but he never let anything shake him. He was the Ant
Man who frustrated the biggies of Real Madrid and came away smiling.
Together the adamant quartret, blunted the Real Madrid
attacks and protected Ter Stegen superbly.
The Masters of
Midfield: Busquets, Arthur Melo and Rakitic
Busquets:
He started on the wrong foot, as he fouled Kroos in a
dangerous area giving away a free kick and earning a yellow card, within a few
minutes of the match. There was always the danger of being sent off as he needled with the opposition to get the ball from them. While he effectively did his job, he was careful not do anything rash. The canny Busquets came up
with one of the smartest performances and was cautious not put his team in any
jeopardy. He was the one who managed to
nick the ball from Kroos and passed it to Roberto which eventually gave them the winning goal.
Arthur Melo:
The return of the injured Arthur Melo was a huge relief as he
brought the balance back into the Barcelona midfield. The Brazilian star
carried a lot of responsibility on his young shoulders and did not waver under
the heavy pressure of the much experienced Madrid midfielders. His assured
presence in the middle gave more freedom to Messi and Rakitic and both were able to attack
without the worry of giving away the ball. The wonderful Balancer tilted the
balance in favour of the Blaugranas.
Rakitic:
Barcelona had a Secret Superstar - the endearing Rakitic. He
was highly motivated and outshone his national teammate and the Ballon d’Or winner
Modric. The often unsung hero of FC Barcelona had a memorable night as he
defended and attacked with spunk. His fantastic one-two with Roberto and a
totally unexpected sprint, left the
likes of Ramos and Varane hapless. Finally he capped off the well worked move with a lovely dink over the goalkeeper that gave Barca the lead and
finally, the much needed win. His endurance and hard work goes unnoticed most of
the times. But on the night, he was the shining beacon of Barca.
Rakitic, Busquets and Arthur did a tremendous job
helping the back four whenever there was added pressure. They pressed hard and
came back to defend, that rendered the Real Madrid attacks ineffective. Staying
disciplined and focused they gave Barcelona the upper hand.
The Stuttering Attackers – Suarez and Dembele:
Compared to the rest, Suarez and Dembele had an average
game. Though they attacked, they missed scoring by
the smallest of margins or their shots were saved by the Keeper. They wasted most of the inch perfect passes that Messi managed to get to them. If
they had been on target, the margin could have been more. Their consistency in missing chances were almost as much as Vinicius's. Thankfully it did not cost the team in the end. It was commendable that they kept trying till the end.
The Captain
and Leader:
By his own lofty standards, Lionel Messi had been quiet in the earlier clasicos. But in this game, right from the pep talk during the initial Team huddle , he looked hungry and motivated. He was all over the Madrid defense and midfield, passing and shooting with verve. He rattled the likes of Ramos, Casemiro and Varane. He was in very rough treatment from the Madrid defense and midfield including a bloody mouth given by his special friend Ramos who wanted to rile him, as nothing else was working.
But this time Messi was not taking any nonsense. He was angry and did not hesitate to square up against the Madrid Captain, going head to head. It was fun to watch, as Ramos met his match in the plucky, little Argentine. Messi could have easily had a couple of goals but his shots missed the mark by a whisker. He did seem to be hampered in the 2nd half, which is a worry for Barca as the season gets more hectic.
The King - Arturo
Vidal:
Vidal came in after the 70th minute to replace
Arthur. The self proclaimed King was relentless and defended with verve. In the 20 minutes that he was given, he made a tremendous impact. He proved
with his grit and majestic performance that he was truly a King in every right.
Coutinho and Semedo came in as substitutes towards the fag
end of the game and did okay in the short period of time.
Valverde:
Valverde came up with the best possible line up and his entire team rallied well in all situations. His defensive tactics were top notch that successfully nullified the Real Madrid attacks. His subsitutions also came good which did not affect the rhythm or tempo of the team. Its an unbelievable 4 out of 4 for Valverde at the Bernabeu in Clasicos. It is no mean achievement by any standards. Hats off coach. It was a class act. I hope he is able to effectively rest some of his important players during some of the matches in the coming days which could prove crucial towards the end of the season.
Overall it was a spirited performance by an inspired
Barcelona team who came with the attitude of never to give in under any
circumstances. They stuck to their
tasks and showed the urge to win. This time they didn’t just park the bus, they drove it into the enemy lines
to give Real Madrid an unforgettable nightmare in their own backyard .
In the end it was job well done and
they celebrated it joyfully with their supporters who had made it to the Bernabeu. As for the player ratings, every Barcelona player deserved a
10 out of 10 for a superlative team effort.
Take a bow Team Barcelona. Vamos Barca. Forca Barca!
Image Credits - Google Images
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