A good source of mine at FC Barcelona told me a few days ago that he was convinced that Barca will win La Liga and the Champions League this season.
But that was before Messi got injured. I wrote not so long ago on the paradox afflicting Guardiola’s Barca. Its current greatness and potential weakness lay in the Argentine star. With Messi firing on all cylinders, Barca as a team is inspired to greatness , with all the other key parts- Xavi, Iniesta, Pujol, Villa- contributing to a collective effort that few can surpass in team work , skill, and poetry in motion. But vulnerability lies behind this dependency on one player.
Take away Messi from the equation, as he was last night against Sporting de Gijon, and suddenly the team begins to seem less united, less fluid, and more vulnerable. To watch Bojan up front instead of Messi is the equivalent of being made to stay in a youth hostel instead of the Ritz. Playing Bojan for most of the game exposes him for the less that star quality he is. He loses the ball too easily, and does not have the personality or the talent to draw the team around him. Even Pedro, brought in as a sub last night belatedly, plays better when Messi is around.
So what happened last night? Clear goals were missed, not least by Villa, who, without Messi, tries to assume the role of the chief protagonist, and ends up losing a sense of team spirit along the way. As a striker, Bojan does not measure up to the greatness that a club that Barca demands but Villa also loses his edge without Messi.
Sporting, hardly one of the best teams in Europe played a defensive game- a solid back wall- but one that showed up the weakness of Barca’s offensive play. Even Barca’s creative midfield looked pedestrian at times, turning this into one of the most boring matches I have seen for a while. The Russians must have a smile on their face this morning thinking ahead to their Champion’s League tie.
And I have not forgotten Iniesta who was a pale shadow of the star who played against Atletico de Madrid at the weekend and earned a standing ovation from the Vicente Calderon stadium.
Sure, the gossip from the Bernabeu reaching me , is that Mourinho is already ruffling feathers, not least Valdano who knows a thing or two about how football should be played not only to look beautiful but also to win. Valdano in my book is one of the great philosophers and poets of football although I suspect that Mourinho, the onetime translator at FC Barcelona under Bobby Robson, sees him as an uncomfortable presence at Real Madrid.
And yet Real Madrid are winning their games and growing in confidence, with strength in depth that Barca lacks. I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating, it’s going to be a tough season, even when Messi comes back.
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