2011 CL Final as it happened.

Why should the press praise Barcelona ?

Because they are a great side in the making and with plenty of youngsters to occupy the gaps once some of the older heads depart.

They will in time be ranked alongside the River Plate of the thirties the original creators of total football, Grande Torino of the forties who were tragically wiped out in an air crash and the whole of Italy mourned not to mention Santos of the fifties and their origination of the 4-4-2 to such sides as Ajax of the seventies and Liverpool in the eighties.

Hopefully this display will put to bed all the nonsense spouted that La Liga is a pub league.

The fact is sides in it have to play one of the best sides week in and week out and they and Real have an overwhelming financial advantage at present.

That said most of the sides in La Liga play excellent technical football.

This boring accusation is trite and nonsensical. Football is about keeping the ball , creating space when you have it and closing it down when you do not.

Barca excel at it. There is an artistry to running off the ball, manouevring the ball around and the delicate way the tempo is cranked up as the ball enters the final third.

That is to say this tiki taka is a Spanish invention. Argentina 2005-7 with a fine example being the Cambiasso goal in 2006 during a WC which they should have won when they outplayed Germany in the QF , have the ability to do it as well.

And like this Barca side their are other sides if you have watched a lot of football as with Brazil in 1982, Hungary in 1954 for instance there is a palpable flair to the sidewhich makes one sit up and watch.

There is a degree of hype. Of course there is. That is what journalists unfortunately indulge in.

Ferguson like Bielsa with Chile against Spain or Sabella with Estudiantes should have played a three man midfield and attacked with fullbacks. His lineup was defensive almost self defeating from the start ie no Nani or a ball winner in the midfield and no creator.

Perhaps with players of genuine world class standard like Cantona, Best and Charlton but not with these pale imitations.

And as for Messi. Yes he is the world's best. This silly accusation that he has not done it with Argentina (hopefully this summer in the Copa America puts one bugbear to rest) is down to the awful management and player selections being made.

But that is improving although Batista looks to be a clueless idiot as well. And as for comparisons with Maradona /

Maradona is still the most naturally gifted of the two. His passing skills are superior as are his dead ball skills. Messi is comparable to him in dribbling and certainly a better scorer/finisher though he is not a real playmaker as such so in that sense they are not comparable.

Look at these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[yt]--ACUzCCza8[/yt]

As a 20 year old against England in 1980:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[yt]BXrbxzKveRY[/yt]

Messi is really most like the great Garrincha who most Brazilians will tell you was a far better player than Pele.

That said little Leo is just 23 and he has time on his side and with players like Kun Aguero, di Maria ,Lavezzi , Higuain , Pastore , Lamela , Banega as players of real skill and talent and also all young ones to meld as a unit. All it needs is a renewed defence for Argentina (which they are in the process of going through) for Messi to realize his ultimate dream of winning in 2014.

And lets not forget the other unique player Andres Iniesta whose control of the ball and vision complements Messi and often gets forgotten about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[yt]f0RudpJof-Q[/yt]

Above all they treat the ball as a friend and with adoration and respect as di Stefano described it. All this hoof and get it into the mixer may be exciting but as seen by England's lack of sucess since 1970 it is going nowhere.

There is still an emphasis on players in junior sides being of sufficient size and strength and with pace. The ball is the fastest thing on the pitch and players who can think a few milliseconds ahead like Messi and Iniesta can see space where there is apparently none.

Indeed all these mini sized players would have been in all likelihood chucked out of academies here certainly at the time they were growing up for being too small.

And one other final thing regarding Messi. I like his humility in a time when players lack grace , his lack of tattoos and ostentatious behaviour.

When he and Villa nearly created a wondergoal in the second half he did not curse but merely smiled. It sums him up as a player.

 

That is the part most football fans do not see but is integral to the game. The running off the ball and workrate.

And it is not all lateral either . They will wait patiently for an opening to appear or create one and having the ability to retain the posession with a high level of technical skills.

It's no coincidence players like Messi have such a high shot accuracy. They tend to shoot only when there is a real chance of sucess. It is thinking football whichfor me it is not boring it is what football should be about and has it's own aesthetic charm in the way angles and space are created.

Football is less flowing than it once was due to the greater physical capacity of players and the way space is closed down rather than players standing off but the way sides like these move the ball about it tires the opposition into the ground so that less gifted sides will eventually crack.

It is up to other sides to match their technical abilities and actually have the balls to attack them as well.

Madrid were scared witless which is even more shocking as they have better players than Manchester United , but Fergie when he announced his team sheet ought to have packed up there and then.

It's teams like his who hope to defend for ninety minutes and catch them on the break like cowards that turn these games into defence v attack.

 

Still waiting for Man U to turn up.

Barca are world class but didn't expect them to outclassed Fergie's men that easily (again)

Their football is great to watch because unlike Arsenal there is an end product in the final 3rd rather than looking pretty and then losing the ball.

On a general note it was nice to see the game played in a good spirit rather than the usual rolling around/chasing after officials.