Barca Run Riot at the Bernabeu

The most eagerly anticipated match in the Spanish calendar ended in a pretty one sided affair. Goals from Neymar, Andres Iniesta and a brace from Luis Suarez humbled Real Madrid and piled on the pressure for Rafa Benitez. 

From the off Barca dominated. Neymar had the opening chance after a lay off by Luis Suarez from a Jordi Alba cross but his shot ballooned over. It wasn't long until the deadlock was broken by Luis Suarez with a lovely outside of the foot effort. Sergi Roberto's surging run forward caused problems for Madrid and committed Varane before sliding through to Suarez.

A sweeping ball from Iniesta found another great run from Roberto and with a bit more composure it would have been 2-0. Barca were causing problems which would be of concern for Benitez. Roberto blazed a shot over the bar on 25 minutes. Another great opportunity and the young Spaniard was at the centre of everything. 

Real Madrid pressed from the front and it nearly paid off as Ivan Rakitic was dispossessed but they couldn't make use of the chance. In the opening half an hour Barcelona had the better of the opportunities and looked the more settled. Particularly early on, Madrid gave up some easy chances but they tightened up as the half went only to be undone in the closing stages of the half.

Karim Benzema had a great chance after a sliced clearance but he failed to connect with the ball and it allowed Barca to counter. Neymar doubled the Catalan side's lead after being slid through by Iniesta and putting it through Navas' legs. Once again Madrid were carved open and it was going to take a great second half performance to get back in the match.

Barcelona were often reluctant to hit the long ball out from the back and looked to play out. When it worked, it looked beautiful but there was always a chance that it could back fire and result in a Madrid goal. It rarely failed however and Barcelona looked class above their counterparts.

Barcelona had a terrific chance to put their hosts to bed with a golden clear cut chance with Neymar skipping away from a challenge and racing to the byline before cutting the ball back to the edge of the box. Suarez got a toe to the ball but Marcelo was on hand to block the ball. Again Varane blocked a Rakitic shot but Madrid were living dangerously. Half time was greeted by jeers by the Bernabeu faithful and they showed their opinion of what they had seen from their side.  

Straight from the kick off, Marcelo skipped down the left flank but his shot hit the side netting. Minutes later, James Rodriguez released a shot from outside the area that was heading into the bottom corner but for an incredible save from Claudio Bravo. It was a positive reaction, but the elusive early goal evaded their grasp.

The game was finished the match through captain Andres Iniesta. It was a beautiful passage of play and a rocket of a finish by Iniesta. Luka Modric was motionless as the Spanish international cruised passed to release the shot. Minutes later they were queuing up for the fourth but Suarez hit the side netting. Madrid have been totally out played and deserve to be 3-0 down.

The little magician came on as the third goal went in and he had his first sighter on 66 minutes, a lovely lifted ball found Suarez but Varane scuffed the ball away to Neymar whose back heel found Messi but Varane blocked the shot once again. Ronaldo had an incredible chance to grab a goal back after a swift counter attack. He tried to lift the ball over Bravo but the Chilean read the move and saved comfortably.

Barca were on form and Suarez scored the fourth and his second after springing the offside trap and lifting over Navas. The Catalans were cruising, but they looked capable of scoring more goals. You could tell that Madrid were trying to get out of the match and that they just wanted the final whistle.

It went from bad to worse for Madrid when Isco was shown a straight red for a horrific challenge on Neymar. It was the correct decision and made the final 5 minutes very tough for the home side. Ronaldo had the final say for Madrid when he bulleted a header but it was equally met by Bravo. The Chilean keeper has played well on the few occasions that he was called upon.

At full time, Barcelona deserved their 4-0 victory and it probably could have been 2 or 3 more. The white handkerchiefs were waved around the Bernabeu and the Madristas expressed their dissatisfaction of their sides performance. Benitez will have questions to answer and they may be questions that he won't want to hear.

Pedro Saves Barca’s Blushes

FC Barcelona secure their 5th title in quite extraordinary fashion. The match had everything, free kicks, goals galore, abysmal defending and transfer-listed Pedro coming off the bench to score the winner.

The European Super Cup did not start slowly as an exquisite dead ball strike from Ever Banega put the Europa League winners in the lead on 2 minutes. Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was positioned almost on the post which made Banega's job easier. Taking nothing away from the strike his positioning was dubious to say the least.

While goals from dead ball situations are rare to say the least, we were treated to another brace from Lionel Messi to give Barcelona the lead. Similar to Ter Stegen, the Sevilla keeper was almost on the post. For his second, the keeper could not have done anything about. It has been certainly a dead ball masterclass offered up by both sides, too bad we will probably not see another free kick for about another month.

Barcelona dominated the half, blighted by a few counter attacks from Sevilla. Gerard Pique and Jeremy Mathieu were able to pick Ivan Rakitic, Messi and Iniesta out allowing them to turn and run at the defence. Sevilla's midfield needs to do more defensively or else they will ship more goals.

Kevin Gamiero had an excellent chance to level the game on 40 minutes but his scuffed shot couldn't find the back of the net and Iborra couldn't capitalise. On the stroke of half time Suarez beat the offside trap but his shot only found the keeper and rebounded clear. He regathered the ball and centred it for Rafinha to score. Sevilla’s high defensive line was exposed.

After half time, Sevilla hadn't learnt their lesson and Suarez capitalised on a sloppy pass from Benoit Tremoulinas. Sevilla were the makers of their own destruction. However, Jose Antonio Reyes was able to score Sevilla's second and was helped by non-existent marking from the Champions League holders and offered a glimmer of hope to Unai Emery’s side.

Coasting at 4-2, Barca took their foot off the gas. Mathieu found himself on the wrong side of Vitolo and dragged him down inside the box. Kevin Gameiro cooly slotted the penalty home with 19 minutes to go. Barcelona could have been out of sight but Sevilla capitalised on Barcelona's loss of concentration.

The third gave Sevilla confidence and as they pushed more men forward their risk was rewarded after more shoddy defending allowed substitute Immobile to turn Marc Bartra who found Yevhen Konoplyanka for the tap in. I find it hard to believe for a side who was 4-1 up and cruising comfortably for 50 minutes to capitulate and concede 3, but I suppose that is football.

Extra time saw the introduction of Pedro Rodriguez and I suppose it was written in the stars that he would score the winner in what looks like is his last ever appearance for the Catalan side. His 115th minute goal was the exact same time he scored in the 2009 final to beat Shahktar Donetsk. Despite the muted celebrations, his goal won Barcelona their 5thEuropean Super Cup equalling AC Milan’s record with 5.  

A truly magnificent game for the neutrals proved an excellent way to ring in the new season as this season’s curtain raiser. Barcelona have the Spanish Super Cup first leg at the San Mames Stadium while Sevilla have 9 days to patch their defensive woes before they begin the season at Malaga.

Dominant Barcelona Overpower the Old Lady

Luis Enrique's side completes the fabled treble and become the first side to do this twice. Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez netted with Morata equalising between before Neymar secured the victory in injury time. Max Allegri's side put up a brave fight but it was not enough to topple the quality of Barcelona.

It took Barcelona 4 minutes to find their rhythm in this year's final. Lovely intricate play between Neymar and Andres Iniesta allowed Ivan Rakitic to side foot into an empty net. It was definitely not the start Allegri had in mind and a reshuffle beckoned. As predicted, Barcelona had the possession in the opening stages and an early yellow card for Vidal left the Chilean on a tight rope for the rest of the game.

Juventus were being pulled apart by the heart of the Catalonian midfield. The loss of Giorgio Chiellini to injury showed in the early encounters as Juve lacked any leaders the back. With Vidal's early booking, Barca were keen to exploit this with the side utilising their full array of gamesmanship techniques. Allegri showed his faith with Alvaro Morata, and his counter attacking prowess was being used and was getting success out Javier Mascherano. On the counter, Juve were able to break and cause a moment of doubt in the Barca defence. Mascherano looked edgy, but Juve's attacks only culminated in shots easily dealt with.

As half time approached, it was vital that The Old Lady didn't concede another. In the midfield, they weren't able to hold the ball due to the extreme pressure put onto them by a dominant Barca triangle. They may play to the edge of the rules, but some of their passages of play were quite exquistite in the opening half. For the second period, Juve had to regain some of the possession in the middle of the park and, when on the counter, their passes had to find their team mate in order to keep the momentum.

Within the first 5 minutes Luis Enrique's men showed their potency on the counter with a five on three resulting in a fine save from Juve stalwart Gianluigi Buffon. Juve pounced after an intelligent back heel found Stephan Lichsteiner and the Swiss international squared to find Carlos Tevez. Tevez beat the defender before a shot was parried by Ter Stegen and Morata tapped into an empty net. Probably against the run of play, but it was the bit of luck that was needed by the Italian side.

The game descended into an end to end affair with both sides having attempts and one that was wonderful to the neutral. Barcelona restored their lead when Lionel Messi's shot and Buffon's save found the path of Luis Suarez and he finished to send the Catalonian crowd into raptures. Minutes later, Neymar had a goal ruled out by the assistant behind Buffon's goal for hand ball. With Barcelona on top and Juve rattled, a third goal would have effectively killed the game.

As 90 minutes approached, Juventus began throwing the kitchen sink at Barca. Fernando Llorente entered the fray and provided a target for the wide men. As they threw everything forward, Messi, Neymar and Pedro were able to catch the side on the break, and secure their 4th title in 9 years and coveted treble. Juventus fought valiantly but were unable to capitalise for the 5 minutes the game was tied up at 1 each.

For Juventus, they sorely missed Chiellini who guided them through their semi final. For the first goal, while the midfield were at fault, I would have had more confidence if he was on the pitch. For Barcelona, they fully deserved the win. Up front, Messi, Neymar and Suarez wreaked havoc in the Juve defence while the midfield predictably dictated the play. While they still were the victors, defensively Mascherano was exposed by Morata's pace. The defensive performance will not be picked apart by Enrique and his performance analysis team will not worry due to celebrations that will be taking place in Catalunya over the next few days.

Key Performances

While Barca's front trident will receive all the plaudits, Andres Iniesta showed his class as he has done so much in a Barcelona shirt over his career. The linchpin in the centre of midfield was able to invade the space left by their wayward counterparts before finding Ivan Rakitic who finished past the scrambling Gianluigi Buffon. The whole Barcelona midfield deserve praise, but Andres Iniesta looked a class apart throughout this match and the knock-out stage. I was critical of his inclusion in the Team of the Year at the beginning of January, but he will warrant a spot in the ceremony to take place at the beginning of 2016.

I was impressed with the efforts of Gianluigi Buffon. He ultimately kept the Italian side in the contest and a firm paw denied Dani Alves from the edge of the box. Another save prevented Luis Suarez from capitalising on a Barca counter attack. While there were times when the World Cup winner looked nervy in nets, he largely did his job and kept the game on a knife edge. Some will say he was at fault for the Suarez goal, but the Uruguayan's positioning made it impossible for Buffon to parry it away from danger. A solid all round game from the Italian veteran.

Lionel Messi also needs a mention. While he did not get on the scoresheet, his general all round play was exceptional and he was a nuisance for the Juventus defence. Other notable mentions include Neymar and Alvaro Morata who both posed different problems for their respective defences.

Another Champions League campaign has drawn to a close with Barcelona leaving as warranted victors. Luis Enrique emulates one Pep Guardiola by completing the treble in his first season. The events between Enrique and Messi seem to a distant memory, and it's looking more like as the season went on, both sides were rectified and this definitely reflected in some of the performances this year. It's not long to the first qualifying round of next year's competition at the end of the month. With the final in Milan, we can only expect another riveting journey. 

Manchester City v Barcelona

Barcelona are in Manchester tonight to take on the English Champions and this can only mean one thing, the  Champions League. I thought I would write this to give an insight into what Manchester City have to do to progress in the competition.

1. Vincent Kompany

For all the many millions that the Sheikhs are pumping into the Manchester club, £6m buy Vincent Kompany is the defensive heartbeat at all the success for City. He hasn't been at his formidable best this season, and was out injured around the Christmas period. I wouldn't say that his contribution is underrated as he does get a lot of credit for his actions, but his value is priceless to City and I'm sure Pellegrini is aware of this. Kompany brings a calm head to the defence, particularly when Mangala can be erratic at times. He will need to be at his best to neutralise a potent Catalonian attack.

2. Don't play 2 strikers.

City normally play a 4-4-2 that works pretty well for them. They've won the Premier League with the formation, but I don't see them beating Barcelona with it. We all know that Barcelona like the possession stats, so with only 2 in the centre of midfield, they may get overrun by Barca's 3. Here's hoping that Aguero tracks back, as the defence will need help. While Barca have been content with passing the ball in tiki taka over the years, Luis Enrique has seemed to acquire a more direct approach - not to the extent of hoof ball, but you know what I mean. Because of this, I can sort of see why Pellegrini has selected 2 strikers, although I don't agree with him.

3. Sergio Aguero 

Of course, the man, myth and legend will have a deciding factor on the game. I am unequivocally positive that City will get chances, and this will be the man who you would bet on 9 times out of 10 to finish them. Aguero is likely to play a shadow striker role, but will also need to give a hand in defence. Aguero will be involved in the action one way or another and may prove beneficial to his strike partner, Edin Dzeko, who poses a different threat to the other little Argentine. Both Dzeko and Aguero will cause problems for the defence but will they take them?

4. Wide players.

Pablo Zabeleta and Gael Clichy will be vital tonight in defence. Up against Neymar and Messi, discipline will be key as both and produce magic from nothing. Suarez needs to be thrown into the mix as I could put a mortgage on all three roaming positions. With Neymar often going down when a gentle breeze brushes him, City will need to be careful when it comes to challenging for the ball. Not only will they be facing this terrific trio, Jordi Alba and Dani Alves' overlapping runs are also likely to cause problems. The wingers will need to retreat when Barcelona are on the ball.

5. Sergio Busquets.

The fella is one of Barcelona's unsung heroes. Much against the popular opinion, he can tackle, and is an expert in breaking the play up by winning free kicks as we all know. Not only are is defensive capabilities to be commended, I believe he will pick up where Xavi and Iniesta left off only in a deeper position. He can dictate the tempo of the game and thread an inch perfect pass so will need to be closed down. He will probably drop to deep for Fernando to mark, so Aguero, Nasri, Silva or Dzeko will need to prevent him from weaving his magic. Alongside him is Ivan Ratikic. The Croatian is the legs, and will be able to help out in both attack and defence. Both are dangerous and it would be stupid to disregard one, but Busquets is the one, along with the attack, and end City's dreams.

Precisely 2 minutes to kick off, according to my computer screen, and I cannot wait for the 90 minutes to unfold.

A Look at El Clasico

We're nearly a month into the Summer transfer window and arch rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona have already spent a hatful in order to bolster their squads to try and reclaim the title from Atletico. 

Barcelona add Luis Suarez to their already magnificent attack after agreeing a deal with Liverpool for £75m. It was probably the worst kept secret this summer and it didn't catch anyone by surprise when it was announced. Suarez is a world class player and has been a revelation in Liverpool's rise to prominence again, contributing 69 goals in 110 games. He certainly will be able to get Barcelona goals. The only problem I have with this transfer is that I am not sure where abouts he play on the pitch. Last season in the Premier League, he was often playing in a central position normally behind Daniel Sturridge with a tendency to drift wide and cut in with a free role. At Liverpool he was the main man, will he be able to cope with playing second fiddle to Messi or even Neymar? While he is banned from footballing activity for 4 months, rumour has it that he will be back in time to take on Real Madrid.

Earlier this week, Real Madrid revealed another one of their fabled Galacticos in Colombia's James Rodriguez. After a stunning World Cup, which saw him net 6 goals and win the Golden Boot, Carlo Ancelotti was quick to snap up the Colombian from AS Monaco for an estimated £63m. The 23 year old, seems to be a hit with the Madristas as 45,000 turned out for the unveiling and it has been reported that 345,000 James shirts were sold in the first 48 hours, already re-paying 20% of the transfer fee (that's if all my statistics are correct). Last season with Monaco, he netted 10 times and assisted 12 goals in 38 games, a tally that secured the recently French club to second position in Ligue 1. The signing completes a fearsome attack that surely must rank as the best in the world.

Having purchased Suarez this year and Neymar last season, Luis Enrique decided to strengthen in defensive positions in an attempt to reduce the goals conceded. The acquisition of Jeremy Mathieu was rather surprising, particularly for £15.8m and at 30 years old, he won't have very many playing years left. Even though Barcelona have been dominant over the last number of years, it has much been down to retaining possession and not letting the opposition attack. Mathieu may be a short term fix until they are able to acquire an heir to Carles Puyol. Another signing is that of Croatia's Ivan Rakitic. The former Sevilla man had a decent World Cup with Croatia, but was unable to guide the European side into the knockout stages. It is a possibility that he will be lined up to replace Xavi, in terms of dictating the play and fills the void left by Fabregas' departure. I don't see him becoming a regular starter in his first season as he will find it hard to displace Sergio Busquets at the heart of midfield and could be a rotational option for Xavi.

Toni Kroos has been phenomenal over the last two seasons and has been at the centre of success for Bayern and Germany. He joined the Champions League winners from the Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich for a fee believed to be £24m and snub a move to Manchester United. For £24m Madrid have bagged themselves a bargain as Kroos should command a fee that's at least double this amount. I expect Kroos to play along side Alonso and dictate the game and be an excellent addition to this young squad. The signing of James Rodriguez has almost overshadowed Kroos' transfer, and I think this one will be just as significant as the Colombian.

Germany have a number of exceptional young goal keepers in their possession, and since Victor Valdes didn't have his contract renewed, it was necessary to sign Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The 22 year old has recently admitted that he "enjoys the Barcelona way" in a recent interview after the friendly win against Recreativo Huelva. The former Monchengladbach man has a sparkling career ahead of him and will be one of Europe's top goal keepers in years to come. Having also turned down the option of renewing Jose Pinto's contract, Luis Enrique was in search of a back up keeper to ter Stegen, and who better than Claudio Bravo. The Chilean had a good World Cup which notably saw Chile beat Spain but narrowly go out on penalties to Brazil. At 31, this is his big money move and will hope to enjoy his time in Catalonia before hanging up the boots.

It has been a very busy transfer window for both Barcelona and Real Madrid with big sums of money being forked out on both sides. With world class talents on offer, it makes the El Clasico encounters so much more tasty. I cannot wait to see this La Liga season unfold.