El Clasico: Personal Battles

by: hamad ali




Last week, goal.com published an article about the coming clasico and who has the better line-up. so I couldn't avoid the temptation to write an article about it myself.

VALDES VS CASILLAS :
We start this clash from the back. Now I really want to say Valdes with all my heart but life is cruel. If there is one madridista that wins at least 75% of his comparisons with other keepers it's Iker. Now I’m not saying that V.V is bad keeper. On the contrary, I wouldn't trade Valdes with any goal keeper in the world just for the fact that he's Catalan and that he's the best in the world (yes the best in the world) in one on ones. But never the less Casillas wins this battle. So it's Barca 0 - 1 Madrid.

ALVES VS RAMOS :
Two of the greatest right backs in the world. Let's start with Ramos. When a defender is 6ft tall you assume that we're talking about a centre back with no pace but that’s not the case with Sergio. At 1.83 cm tall he has the pace of a B.M.W and the build of an ox. A build perfect for a defender and he scores goals too. But what about Alves. He doesn’t have the height or the strength of Ramos. But what he lacks in height . He makes up for it with pace, Shots, Assists, Free kicks, Stamina, Crosses, Goals and I can keep going forever. So what’s a B.M.W compared with a Bugatti Veyron. It's not just speed, But assists too. The fact that he comes behind iniesta in assists says it all . So in short , In build Ramos wins. In goal scoring it's a tie (5 goals each last season). In speed its alves. In assists it's alves (14 alves - 2 Ramos). In stamina it's alves. In technique its alves. In defending it's Ramos. So in the end, Alves wins. Barca 1 - 1 Madrid.

PUYOL VS ALBIOL :
Experience vs. potential. the poor kid comes against the heart and pride of the Catalans. Probably the best defender in Barcelona's history. Whether or not Albiol can achieve the heights of Puyol remains to be seen but right now there's one clear winner. Based on titles and leadership captain brave heart wins the battle. Barca 2 - 1 Madrid.

PIQUE VS PEPE :
Gerard Pique was one of the biggest surprises last season . Performing like a player with a Puyol like experience just at the age of 22. Although Pepe is a good defender. But Pique performed better than he did the past season. Plus they both have something in common. They both snap, Though in a different way. When Pique snaps he goes forward in a Beckenbauer style run and helps his team mates and off the pitch he plays a prank on some poor victim. But when Pepe snaps he kicks the living hell out of a helpless player. Even Iker said while pushing him off the pitch "you’re a disgrace to this shirt ". So Barca 3 - 1 Madrid.

ABIDAL VS MARCELO :
Now I know people will say I should have used Maxwell but I didn’t for two reasons : 1- I don't think that pep would start with two attacking fullbacks 2- I haven’t seen many matches of Maxwell and I can't base my judgment on YouTube where Florentino Perez would look like a Ballon d'Or winner. Marcelo is good attacking fullback at most but if Dani gets criticized for his defending then the word defence doesn't exist in Marcelo's dictionary. I’ve seen Higuan do more defending then he did. His technique is unquestionable. His crosses land more on the crowd than on players heads. While Abidal isn't perfect but still he provides defensive balance and height to stop aerial threats. Barca 4 - 1 Madrid.

YAYA VS LASS DIARRA :
Probably Madrid’s best player last season . But when your entire team is down and you’re a new arrival you'd look great. Our players ran all over Madrid’s pitch while he couldn’t do a thing . I know some would say it's a bit harsh when I judge a player because he couldn't stop Xavi and co. But didn't Yaya stop the entire Chelsea midfield all by himself . Players like Lampard, Ballack, Essien and Obi Mikel. Why? Because he's (Yaya) the best DM in the world . Barca 5 - 1 Madrid.

XAVI VS XABI :
Best player in EURO 2008 . Man of the match in the UCL final and the EURO final. Top assists in the league. 4 assists in el clasico and the list goes on. Now Alonso is world class and no one can deny it but until he achives the above mentioned, he's no better than Xavi. The winner is crystal clear. Barca 6 - 1 Madrid.

INIESTA VS ROBBEN (BATTLE OF THE GLASS MEN) :
Both are decisive. both are important players if fit. Robben is faster. Iniesta is more technical. the difference? Iniesta is a team player and has better vision and passing. So Don Andres wins. Barca 7 - 1 Madrid.

HENRY VS KAKA :
As much as I like Henry, This battle has one clear winner. Even though Henry was great last season, He's no longer the Henry of Arsenal. And while Kaka did nothing great last season he still has a couple of years left in him. So when it's Henry vs. the ex- ballon d'Or winner (hopefully for the last time), it's Kaka. Barca 7 - 2 Madrid.

IBRAHIMOVIC VS BENZEMA :
The battle of potential vs. proven ability. I for one was never convinced with Benzema's ability. 15 goals in the French league doesn't equal 25 in the Italian league. Say what you want about Ibra's Europe record but would Drogba, Toni and any other striker score 25 goals with no real playmaker in their teams? At least Benzema had Juninho. And i've never seen someone flop so badly in the french shirt like Benzema did in Euro 2008. His price dropping after that from 100 mil to 40 mil and I still think it's too much . So when it comes to Ibra vs. Benzema, Ibra is the clear winner. Barca 8 - 2 Madrid.

MESSI VS C.RONALDO :
As my friend B4L said, it's the clash of the titans. As much as I hate this but let’s give credit where it's due . He might be arrogant but he's world class. Amazing skill, super fast feet, lightning speed. And his famous 41 goals season. And then you have Messi the undisputed number one. I don't know what to say about him that hasn't been said. The rightful heir to Maradona's throne. Scoring 38 goals last season. People say that Ronaldo scored more goals. Then let me ask you this. Did Ronaldo share his penalties with Rooney just as Messi did with Eto'o? No. Ronaldo scored at least 8 penalties out of 10. While Messi scored 3 out of 5, While Eto'o scored 2 out of 4. Let's give Rooney just three of Ronaldo's penalties. Guess what? 38 goals just like Messi. And while Messi gave an amazing 18 assists, Ronaldo gave a measly 8. So Messi is the better team player. Messi vs. Ronaldo, Messi is the winner. Barca 9 - 2 Madrid.

So there you have it: a 9-2 advantage. Your opinions matter, tell me what you think.

Statistics: Zlatan vs Eto'o

Zlatan Ibrahimović born 3 October 1981 (27)

1. 2006-2007 apps-goals : league 27-15 , cup 2-0 , europe 7-0 = 36 apps 15 goals ( goal ratio : 0.42 )



2. 2007-2008 apps-goals : league 26-17 , cup 1-0 , europe 7-5 = 34 apps 22 goals ( goal ratio : 0.65 )



3. 2008-2009 apps-goals : league 35-25 , cup 3-3 , europe 8-1 = 46 apps 29 goals ( goal ratio : 0.63 )

• TOTAL : 116 apps 66 goals ( goal ratio : 0.57 )

• long term injuries : 1 (2007-2008 for 3 months)

Samuel Eto'o Fils born 10 March 1981 (28)

1. 2006-2007 apps-goals : league 19-11 , cup 4-1 , europe 4-1 = 27 apps 13 goals ( goal ratio : 0.48 )



2. 2007-2008 apps-goals : league 18-16 , cup 3-1 , europe 7-1 = 28 apps 18 goals ( goal ratio : 0.64 )



3. 2008-2009 apps-goals : league 36-30 , cup 4-0 , europe 12-6 = 52 apps 36 goals ( goal ratio : 0.69 )

• TOTAL : 107 apps 68 goals ( goal ratio : 0.64 )

• long term injuries : 2 (2006-2007 for 5 months , 2007-2008 for 3 months )

Compiled by: hamid_ali

The Scapegoat in Failure, The Forgotten Man in Success - Txiki Begiristain

The man under fire, the guy with a bull’s-eye mark on the back of his head, let me present, Txiki Begiristain.

Some called him a flop, some called him blind but that does not change the fact that he played his part in our treble winning season.

5 players came in, some excelled, some struggled and some flopped, let’s review what these players did last season.

DANI ALVES:-

If you could grade his performances last season, then he definitely gets an A+. The marauding fullback, the best right back in the world. Just one question - who brought him here? That’s right, Txiki. But does he get some credit for signing the best player in his position? No, it's simply forgotten. We all remember when Madrid, Chelsea, Milan and Man U(teams with open cheque books , barring Milan ;D) wanted him, but he went and got a personal agreement with Dani so that he doesn’t choose anyone but barca. Some would say a bit overpriced due to Txiki's bad negotiation, but let me ask one last question - would any of the clubs mentioned above signed him for less than 35m+ euro? I don’t think so.

GERARD PIQUE:

Another master stroke. Sir Alex is still weeping over the loss of one the best defensive prospects in the world. When Ferdinand spent half of last season injured there was no one to replace a defender of his calibre. There was no Pique, because he flew back to Barcelona. Sure some would say we paid a lot for our own youth product, but after seeing Pique last season, does 6 million Euros seem expensive? No.

SEYDOU KEITA:

Here's a guy who struggled to make an impact in the first stages of the season due to lack of playing time but his confidence grew with time. He scored important goals and gave Xavi & Andres to roam free because they knew that someone's got their back. He might not be a Yaya but he's good enough to fill the void if Yaya is injured. He's another good signing for a good price, and credit goes to Txiki, again.

MARTIN CACERES:

A young defender who was once dubbed as the new Sergio Ramos had a catastrophic first season with Barcelona. He never really got going because of little playing time and some disastrous mistakes, but don't all young players do that? Rafa Marquez makes the same mistakes and he's a veteran, so should we sell him? Of course not because he's the best defender in Mexican history, and like him Caceres needs to learn. He's only 22. How many people had faith in Henry after his debut season, not many, but he learned, improved and he was 29, and besides, if you're a sporting director who gets excellent scouting reports about a young player wouldn’t you have signed him for 15 mil? Of course.

ALEX HLEB:

Now here's a player who has the word flop engraved on his forehead. After amazing seasons with Arsenal, everyone thought that he would hit the ground running at barca. But the truth was cruel for Alex as he was greeted to La Liga with a tackle that ruined his career with us. The only thing I can thank him for is his pass to Henry in El Clasico and that it wasn’t someone else who got that tackle. But would you rather buy a 15 million euro flop or buy a 30 million pound Berbatov, a 40 million pound Shevchenko or a 30 million euro Quaresma? The answer is obvious...

In short, there is no sporting director without mistakes. At least Txiki's mistakes were the least costly ones. So there you have it, a guy who didn’t spend the summer chasing a Ronaldo and wasting a Robinho. A guy who did not spend 150 mill on two players. The guy who brings what the coach wants. Txiki.

Posted by hamad_ali.

Barça B - Statistics 08-09: Goals, assists, cards

goals
4 Maric
2 Rochina
2 Jeffren
2 Abraham
2 Gai
2 Nolito
1 Verdés
1 Pedro
1 Botia
1 Longás
1 Víctor Sánchez
1 Xavi Torres


assists
4 Víctor Vázquez
3 Nolito
2 Gai
1 Longás
1 Thiago
1 Maric
1 Abraham


yellow cards
8 Verdés
6 Nolito
5 Víctor Vázquez
5 Corcoles
4 Joni
3 Maric
3 Longás
3 Botia
3 Xavi Torres
3 Abraham
2 Rochina
2 Gai
2 Rueda
1 Oier
1 Víctor Sanchez
1 Espasandín


red cards
1 Corcoles
1 Xavi Torres
1 Longás
1 Víctor Sánchez
1 Verdés



Barcelona Atlétic has played 18 official games