In Praise Of Our Defence
Tuesday, 16 December 08, 01:54 PM · Comments(23)
Last week I wrote a piece in praise of Leo Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry. However, it could be argued that the form of Barça's defence is just as important if not more so to this season's success. Victor Valdés has only been beaten nine times in fifteen league games which makes Barça's the best defence in La Liga so far this season.
At the start of the season there were still a few problems at the back especially when it came to defending at set pieces. The first clean sheet in the league wasn't achieved until the 0-1 win at Athletic Bilbao in the seventh jornada. Since then we have managed another six clean sheets in La Liga and have now only conceded two goals in the last nine league games.
In goal Victor Valdés seems to be growing in confidence as the season goes on. The criticism he received from some fans has almost completely died down now and his saves in Saturday's clasico were instrumental in winning the three points. The comparisons with Madrid's Iker Casillas have always made it difficult for him, but this season I think it is fair to say that it is Casillas who is looking more accident prone.
Carles Puyol has been used in every defensive position by Pep Guardiola this season. It is extremely useful to have such a versatile player to fill in for either full back and captain Puyol has not let us down in any position. His never-say-die attitude makes him a perfect captain who leads by example. In Saturday's game against Madrid he also played an important role in attack, leaping like a salmon to head the ball for Eto'o to score the vital first goal.
Possibly the most improved player this season has been Rafa Marquez. Many felt he should have been sold in the summer after two below par seasons. However, he has responded superbly this season to claim his place in the team when at first it seemed that Gerard Piqué might be preferred, and in recent games he has looked more and more commanding.
Dani Alves can hardly really be described as a defender though he does begin the game in the right back position. I was worried about Alves when he started for his tendency to lose position; however, his incredible stamina means he can get forward on countless ocassions while still being able to get back and defend. Alves is a very special player indeed, and an excellent addition to the squad.
Eric Abidal is another who has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism. His performances during the second half of last season really were a cause for concern and he wasn't great at the start of this season. However, since a good game in Bilbao he seems to have regained his form and is winning back the fans' confidence. His recent injury does not seem to have affected him and he had a good game both against Valencia and Real Madrid since coming back.
Óf the other defenders the most used has been Gerard Piqué who is proving to be a bargain buy. He has fitted in well whenever Puyol is deployed at full back and has generally impressed. He still needs to polish up his game a bit as ocassionally he gives the ball away in dangerous positions though I believe he has a big future at the club. Sylvinho and Martin Caceres have had very few oppotunities but we may see more of them as the season goes on. And of course we still have the return of Gabi Milito to look forward to.
We can't talk about the defence without mentioning the man-mountain that is Toure Yaya. He also looked slightly below par at the start of the season but in the last couple of months he has been truly superb. Some would say that the defenders have it easy thanks to Toure's contribution of breaking up the opposition's attacks before they get anywhere near our penalty area. Having overcome last season's back problems I believe it is fair to claim that he is the best defensive midfield player in the world today.
Of course Barça's system demands that the defence starts in attack and in Samuel Eto'o we have an excellent first line of defence, he never tires in chasing down defenders. We usually think of players such as Eto'o, Messi and Xavi for their ball skillls, passing or goal scoring abilities. But in this team they also do a great job in winning the ball back. This for me is the key to Barça's success and the reason that I can't see us throwing the league away. The mentality and team spirit is as high as ever and it could be argued that there is hardly a player in the entire squad (maybe Bojan, but I hate to single him out) who is not performimg better this season than last.
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23 Comments · Add yours
It's nice to see props being given to defenders as they contribute largely to the success of the team. Barca is not just Eto'o, Messi, Henry, etc. but is a whole team effort.
Thanx Nic.
yeah i thought very hard about that point for 2 days now and i still can't find a defensive midfielder thats better than toure at the moment,
i tink toure and mascherano are d best def midfielders in d world now(toure is def d most on-form now)
marquez has really improved, the competition must have done wonders for him, some times i wonder how they'll be shuffled when milito comes back this season not to talk of next season henrique will also come back(i guess he should definitely be loaned back) our defence do an important job and i'm very proud of them....this should be very important for our progress in the champions league
Nic- good comments.
Most fans should now have noted that Guardiola has changed the team to play a much more high pressing line from the midfield - we are closing down the opposition alot quicker (in their own half) which means they don't hold onto the ball - which basically means that barca totally dominate possesion more than ever before - and it also gives the opposition no chance of a respite due to our constant harrassment to get the ball back when we do not have it.
This in itself has been the biggest change Pep has brought to the side. Let's also not discount the fact that Eto'o is healthy & in the squad, who constantly shuts down the defence - something we didnt have in a forward for most of last season.
darren, u ar absolutely right, the opposition cant hold on too possession for long at all, either they try and attack quickly or they end up giving it up because they dont even want to come out of their half
I'm not satisfied with the defense.Madrid had two 100% chances to score.If we want to win the Champions league,we either need to tie up our offside trap to perfection,or get faster defenders...
@Sedin
no we don't need to do either at the moment our defenders are top marker's they intercept the ball before it reaches strikers, and how fast a defender can you get than puyol he runs his ass off
our current defensive pairing of puyi and rafa is comparable to last seasons rio and vidic pairing
Sedin - I disagree. Every defense allows opportunities they shouldn't at some point. Further, speed wasn't necessarily the answer for the two occasions you mention. First, Dani Alves was fast enough to stick with Drenthe, but he went to ground thinking he could poke the ball away early and he miscalculated. It was a problem with his decision making in this particular situation.
Also, I think Abidal could have stayed with Palanca for the other opportunity I believe you’re referring to, but his positioning was a bit off. He watched the ball and failed to track back when Palanca was making a run (also, it seemed to me that he failed to realize throughout the second half that Palanca was going to dribble to his right every time). Once again, this isn't an issue of pace, but rather an individual defender's decision making.
And individuals will always make mistakes. That being said, I think our defense has been excellent. We shouldn't act like this was a Madrid side without any quality. I think they would have got a couple of chances against any defense, especially playing the counter attack like they were.
This may be off track but I have a crazy idea regarding Danny Alves. Why not use him as a RM where he can hook up with Messi more effectively and thus cause more headache and damage to the opposition ? Another advantage would be the elimination of his shortcomings on defense . I would like to know what the rest of the fans think.
My lineup:
Goalkeeper
D e f e n s e
Alves Xavi Hleb
Messi Eto'o Iniesta
e
Sorry, I meant to place Toure instead of Hleb !!
Nope, I dont think Alves needs to be pushed any further, He doesn't really have problems pairing up with Messi on offense anyway.
Defence is very good...
2009-10:
---------------------Puyol(Pique)----Marquez(Milito)-----------------------
---Alves(Henrique)-----------------------------------------Abidal(Caceres)-
2009-10:
-----------Puyol(Pique)---Marquez(Milito)----------
--Alves(Henrique)-------------------Abidal(Caceres)-
Alves is practically a right midfielder for us anyway. He has insane stamina, so I see no reason for him not to continue as right back.
Has anyone been keeping tabs on how Henrique is doing at Bayern?
Excellent review Nic. The problems on counter attacks seem diminished this season, perhaps because of Toure's health or Abidal's improvement. Alves still scares me, clearly many teams will adopt Madrid's strategy of countering Barca's right flank. Alves has the pace to recover, but he often takes too risky an angle, ie attempting the sliding tackle on Drenthe rather than getting in front of him and slowing him down. He is very entertaining to watch, so I'm on board for Mr. Alves' Rollercoaster Ride. But it will have it's moments at both ends.
I think Busquests deserves mention for immediately playing at a first team level, in several different midfield positions including holding.
@ FCB_Darren - I haven't, but someone at offside mentioned that Henrique is doing so well that Leverkusen has requested either another year loan or to purchase him outright. Second hand info, but interesting.
our defense has been truly amazing this season...i hope it continues like this..
FCB Darren
Here's the link that says that Henrique has been outstandin so far, and they want to keep him for another season...
henrique is doing well, seen him a couple of times but it would be better for him to still spend another season there
sedin:
there has never been a defence in the history of football that dosent allow one or two chances, its impossible, teams just try to reduce it to half-chances at their barest minimum
our defence has been excellent from front to back
Barc is Now #1 in World Soccer Rankings - LINK
does anyone know the time of the champions league draw: i wanna rig it so man utd can get real madrid
blaugrana namibia,
The draw is tomorrow (19-12) at 12:00 CET.
You can find all the info on www.uefa.com
The CL draw will be broadcast " live " on Eurosport and on the internet too.