By John ST

Soccer Net Live

Barcelona are on track for a Spanish treble but of late, the euphoria surrounding this scintillating team has fizzled out and they have looked less than invincible. Not to take anything away from the Blaugrana, they remain the most thrilling team in Europe on their day.

However, consistency has suffered from the demanding match fixtures. Barcelona stuttered in February and March when they drew with Real Betis and then lost to city rivals Espanyol and Atletico Madrid. More recently, a 2-2 draw to Valencia has whittled their once unassailable 12 point lead to a tentative 4-point gap over closest rival Real Madrid.

While Barcelona stumbled, Real Madrid came back from a goal down in a gritty 4-2 victory over third-placed Sevilla. It has bolstered their confidence and injected new life into the title race. Indeed, the Los Merengues today is a different side from the one which succumbed 2-0 at the Nou Camp in December. That was a deplorable league debut for Juande Ramos as Real Madrid’s manager but they have not looked back since with an awesome run of 17 wins and one draw in 18 La Liga matches.

Considering Chelsea’s neutralization of Barcelona’s threat in the Champions League semi-final, one cannot help but feel wistful that a year of commendable efforts from Pep Guardiola’s Dream Boys may end up in misery when it matters. Even today, the Catalans are struggling to explain their toothless display against Chelsea.

How could they fail to find the net? After all, the much vaunted strike force comprising Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o have scored more goals between them than the entire Chelsea side. At their current rate, Barca could rewrite the record of 107 league goals set by John Toshack’s Real Madrid in 1989-90.

The short and simple truth for Chelsea’s success in stopping the finest front line football has known (where so many others failed) is an ultra-defensive strategy. At times, Barcelona had to wade through three defensive shields in front of hero Petr Cech who showed no signs of vulnerability, like those embarrassing blunders he committed in the Premier League.

The midfield helped out by kicking and haranguing Xavi and Iniesta, barging Messi off the ball, and crowding him out. Cech was pleased with those in front of him and particularly grateful to the magnificent Jose Bosingwa who was playing in the left back position due to Ashley Cole’s absence. The Portuguese effectively shackled Lionel Messi which shows that right-footed players are the perfect foil in dealing with the tricky winger. Messi was also cut down to size by Phillip Lahm in Bayern Munich’s 1-1 draw with Barcelona.

It is within Barcelona’s right to decry Chelsea’s negative tactics or a biased referee but the obsession is unhealthy. For all their talents, they should rise above all these whinging and analyse how to overcome this hurdle. The referee may have allowed Chelsea to break up play with aggressive tackles, fouls and time wasting.

To be frank, I prefer scintillating football any day over this kind of ruthlessly effective but boring style. However, let’s not forget that Guus Hiddink’s tactics are legitimate. There is nothing in the books which suggest that Chelsea have to join Barcelona in being the poster boys of football to achieve their objectives.

Barcelona were unable to dictate the pace but a successful team must learn to adapt to different circumstances. When fluidity and artistry are curtailed because your opponent fought for all the balls and left little space and supply for Lionel Messi and his teammates, Pep Guardiola must have alternative tactics ready to deal with such obdurate defenses.

Sometimes, instead of applying suffocating pressure, letting go of possession and luring Chelsea to counter-attack may be a better approach as it allows Barcelona to exploit gaps at the back. Barcelona should also not dwell too much on a possible penalty which the referee denied Thierry Henry. The Blaugrana had sufficient chances to win the game, only if they had been more accurate with their shots.

Though Chelsea prefer an inelegant destroyer role, it will be a folly for Pep Guardiola to assume Chelsea only know how to defend and will be a sitting duck at Stamford Bridge. While Guardiola refused to veer from his principle of “attack being the best form of defense,” the 62 year old Hiddink has seen enough in his lifetime to be flexible in his strageties as circumstances dictate.

The implication being that the Blues could very well take the game to Barcelona by attacking in waves since the odds are now in their favor. Let’s not forget that Guus Hiddink was schooled in the art of Total Football and is no stranger to a stylish, open, attacking play.

He led Holland into the semi finals of the 1998 World Cup and they were one of the most exciting teams on display. South Korea in the 2002 World Cup took the football community by storm with its cohesiveness, slick passing, and work ethics where the players maintain a high tempo of tireless running while their opponents slagged off in the final moments. The mastermind who lifted the Koreans to unimaginable heights of a World Cup: Guus Hiddink.

The Dutch maestro then took his magic to Australia and Russia and improved both teams substantially in fitness, discipline, confidence and purpose. Hiddink knows how to extract the best from limited and ordinary resources and getting them to function as a team.

Though Hiddink can count his blessings that Michael Essien returned from long-term injury to add muscle and technical ability to Chelsea’s midfield, it is the way he motivated underachiever Didier Drogba and polished a condemned player Florent Malouda into competence that made a huge difference.

Hiddink will also revel in the knowledge that Guardiola has to replace two central defensive stalwarts, Rafael Marquez and Carles Puyol, for the second leg due to injury and suspension respectively. Keeping things tight will be especially challenging if Chelsea decide to stamp their aerial superiority by pumping balls towards the marauding Didier Drogba.

I believe Pep Guardiola has a bright future ahead of him but it will be a tall order for him to outwit Guus Hiddink’s experience and tactical shrewdness. In fairness, Pep has already exceeded expectations in his debut managerial season. He won respect from friends and foes alike for his brand of attacking, possession and high-paced football that bordered on the obsessive.

To be sure, Pep Guardiola has his work cut out for him with a squad featuring Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto’o, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Alves. Henry is Arsenal’s leading scorer, Eto’o Spain’s top scorer over the past five years, and Messi contributed cosistently his fair share of assists and goals by tormenting defenses. You can’t go wrong with these lads, right?

Well, not too long ago, all three were in the team that finished 18 points behind Real Madrid last season. Eto’o was in the headlines for public spats with Ronaldinho while Henry lamented his role as a left wing water carrier. Nevertheless, the dark clouds dissipated and all three have outdone themselves under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola has molded and motivated the massive egos into the second version of Cryuff’s Dream Team, with better organisation, passing, control, team spirit and a hunger for goals. He is an intelligent and perceptive person and being a former player at the highest level, he knows how how and what the prima donnas think.

Despite all the accolades, Guardiola has kept his feet firmly on the ground by constantly reminding supporters that his team has not won anything. He is right to temper unrealistic expectations and prepare for the worst in case everything unravels after a taxing encounter with Real Madrid in one of football’s most anticipated match known as El Clasico, followed by a do-or-die mission to Stamford Bridge to progress into Champions League finals.

Pep Guardialo is currently facing two camps of thought and I doubt he relishes this fine balancing act. Is El Clasico more important than the Champions League? His best players in the front line and midfield are at his disposal but there is a need to rest, refresh and rotate the squad. Lack of clinical strikes, dimming creativity as well as tiredness are starting to creep in; however, the first XI could be weakened considerably by any tinkering.

Losing the El Clasico is unimaginable to the true blue Catalans, of which Guardiola is a staunch member, having featured prominently in Cruyff’s Dream Team during his prime and is well-loved by Barcelona fans. He understands the mystique behind El Clasico first hand. To the die-hards, El Clasico is more than just the normal club rivalries, it is a derby scarred by decades of politics, hatred, oppression and cultural clashes.

Juande Ramos will have an easier decision to make. In fact, El Clasico could not have come at a better time for Real Madrid. Real’s elimination from the Champions League and the King’s Cup has allowed them to concentrate fully on the Primera Liga. Juande Ramos has done credibly in keeping pace with the league leader and to breathe down their neck relentlessly.

Real Madrid are in the driver’s seat in terms of momentum and they have a home ground advantage at the imposing Santiago Bernabeu - the bitter battlefield when Barcelona suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat last year and had to applaud Real on to the pitch in the traditional tribute to the newly-crowned league champions.

In terms of injuries and suspensions, neither team has clear advantages. Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez is out with a troubling knee injury and the loss of his expertise in building up attacks from the back will be felt keenly. Real defender Pepe has been banned for 10 matches following his sending off against Getafe. Real will also be without midfielder Guti (ankle injury), and it is unclear whether winger Arjen Robben and midfielder Wesley Sneijder will recover from muscle strains in time to feature.

This title race could go right to the wire if Real Madrid emerge with a victory. With four matches left and the title race separated by a wafer thin one point gap, Barcelona may crack under the intense pressure and bid farewell to their first league title in three years.

Conversely, if Barcelona eliminate the Men In White, the La Liga title is virtually theirs for the taking. With three home games coming up and no team has stopped Barcelona from scoring at Camp Nou this season (except for Chelsea), the points are more or less secure. They will also be able to face Chelsea in a more relaxed manner and progress to the Champions League Finals.

After the El Clasico, Barcelona have four days to recuperate and dismantle the Chelsea defense and then face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final. In view of the hectic schedule, there is a high chance that Pep Guardiola’s debut managerial season may up in tears.

True champions emerge from trying circumstances so if Guardiola succeeds in negotiating all the hurdles, this baptism of fire will only strengthen his resolve and add to his experience. We could very well be witnessing a new era of dominance by the Blaugrana.

Even if Guardiola fails to deliver, he can give himself a pat on the back as the ground is sweet for a second assualt on the Treble next season, provided the same team and management are kept intact.