By John ST
Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard says his team needs to start killing teams off, if they hope to lift the Spanish title this season. I can’t agree more, after watching how Recreativo Huelva shared the spoils despite falling behind twice.
The title is almost out of reach for Barcelona now but the careless manner in which points were dropped is disgraceful. The Catalans have won only once in its past seven league matches and time is running out with six games left. Heads will roll at the end of the season since Rijkaard has no excuses given the amount of talents at his disposal.
In this 2-2 draw against Recreativo Huelva, Barcelona rested Bojan Krkic, Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta due to injuries while Ronaldinho was absent amid reports that he will be playing for AC Milan next season. However, Barcelona welcomed the return of Lionel Messi and their class showed in the way they pressed forward aggressively right from the start.
Barcelona established one-goal cushion on two occasions, thanks to Samuel Eto’o and created enough chances to win the game comfortably. But a shaky defense proved to be their undoing. Similar to last month encounter against Real Betis, where a 2-1 second-half lead reversed into a 3-2 defeat, Barcelona’s defensive lapses proved costly again.
I was impressed with Recreativo Huelva’s fighting spirit and work-rate. They were not cowed by Barcelona’s reputation and every ball was chased down. In the end, their efforts in besieging the Catalans were rewarded as Marco Ruben took advantage of a defensive mess to equalize with a 71st-minute header. Ruben had made it 1-1 in the 41st minute with another header. It was controversial as replays showed the ball had not crossed the line.
Mathematically, Barcelona are not out of contention for the La Liga yet. They have to clear Espanyol, Valencia, Mallorca, Deportivo, Murcia and, most importantly, Real Madrid. It is a tricky path to maneuver and more points may be dropped against Valencia and Deportivo. And not to forget, the small matter of Barcelona not tasting victory against Madrid since November 2005 — a run of four matches.
Even if Barcelona win the remaining matches, Real Madrid still retain control over its own destiny and a calamity of three losses is needed for Barcelona to revive their hopes. In Europe, the situation for the 2006 Champions League winner is getting tedious. Though undefeated, they will face off with Manchester United (also unbeaten) in the semi-finals. The Red Devils are in sterling form currently and they will demolish Barcelona’s porous defense.
Meanwhile, the ball is in Real Madrid’s court. Though their 1-0 victory over Real Murcia wasn’t a high-quality display, it was enough for them to surge nine points clear of Barcelona and ten of Villarreal. Madrid exhibited their championship qualities by grinding out a win despite playing with ten men for nearly 70 minutes.
Murcia started with a 4-5-1 formation to stifle the midfield and Schuster responded with Robinho and Arjen Robben on the flanks to supply lone striker Raul. But Schuster’s strategy was ruined in the 19th minute when Miguel Torres was given a red card for stepping on the heel of a Murcia player.
Murcia, second from bottom in the table, made their numerical superiority count at times but their lack of finesse in front of goal, reflected in their deplorable statistic of less than a goal per game, saved Madrid.
At the end of the first half, Real Madrid were jeered by their demanding home fans as they had expected their team to dispatch such a lowly opponent by now. Fortunately, in the 59th minute, Sneijder scored with his only shot, making it his eighth goal in league play.
A throw-in from the right saw Murcia missing two chances to clear the ball before Sneijder latched on in the penalty area. He did not waste time in firing the ball into the upper right corner. Madrid grew more confident and they continued their plunder for a second goal, their pressure yielded about three times as many shots as Murcia when the final whistle blew.
This victory certainly smoothen Real Madrid’s route to their second consecutive La Liga title. Schuster was impressed with the way his players coped with Torres’ early dismissal. He has been criticised this season for Madrid’s boring style of play - speculation persists about his long-term future at the club - and he admitted Sunday’s win was another case of substance over style.
He said: “It was harder to find spaces in which to attack. I think there is a lot of merit in this victory, but I would have liked the game to be different. The only important thing is to take each game at a time and to try to win every single one. That’s what we are working on.”
I believe Real Madrid will clinch the title but I am not confident that Schuster will remain as manager for another term. Real Madrid have a penchant for sacking successful managers. Fabio Capello, also much criticized during his second spell at Real Madrid for neglecting David Beckham and Ronaldo, secured the domestic title on the last day by pipping Barcelona.
The euphoria of filling the trophy cabinet, after several years of under-achievement, was unfortunately, short-lived. Real Madrid’s president, Ramón Calderón showed Capello the door soon after.
Another successful Real Madrid manager in recent history, Vincente del Bosque, also suffered the same fate just a day after he won the club its 29th League title. In both cases, the managers have illustrious records - Capello winning titles at every club he managed and del Bosque, over four seasons in charge, steered the club to two Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, a Spanish Supercup, a European Supercup and the Intercontinental Cup.
Apparently, winning titles do not ensure survivability of managers at Real Madrid. Add to that the fact that Schuster barely fulfilled the promise of replacing Fabio Capello with more entertainment.
He did not transform Real Madrid’s playing style substantially; shades of Capello can still be seen in the team as they preferred to win in a tight and efficient manner rather than a swashbuckling approach. Failing to progress in the Champions League also put Schuster in a precarious position.
It is not for unusual to yearn for changes when we are at the pinnacle. After discarding the galacticos approach and seeing positive results, the board is itching to return to their old ways. Real Madrid could not hide their adulation for Cristiano Ronaldo and they are preparing to break the bank to lure him over.
However, money is only part of the equation. Under Schuster, Real Madrid are not playing the kind of attractive football which will allow Ronaldo to showcase his full array of skills. A coach with stronger attacking credentials may be a different story though and Ronaldo may then be tempted to contemplate a lucrative transfer.
For the time being, I am not sure who will replace Schuster or if he will be replaced but in Real Madrid, sentimentality counts for little.