FC Barcelona - Arsenal

[Translated with Google Translate]

After the first assault in England, the British media criticized the press from Barcelona for accusing the referee to decide the match (although there is more than convincing evidence). These media were claiming that the Barcelona press had to admit that Arsenal had deserved to win the game.

It's funny now how the same media claim that the Arsenal was robbed in Barcelona. The most significant is that no one denies that according the rules if the player continues playing, after the referee's whistle, is worthy of a yellow card. The arguments to defend the theory of the "Persicution" suffered by Arsenal (according to The Sun) are surreal; "showing him a second yellow for shooting at goal just ONE second after the match official blew for offside." (sic) or the excuse given by Van Persie himself: he had not heard the whistle. That is, the argument of those who accuse the referee of robbing the Arsenal, is not that the card was not according the rules, but "that the referee could have forgiven the player" (strange argument for a defense, right?).

The key question is that according to the rules of this action is penalized with a yellow card. The only reason is to avoid the players loosing time. And no one can deny that Arsenal lost a lot of time. In fact, the added time of all the match was nine minutes! (5+4 minutes). Yet another factor, if Van Persie had been a model of fair play perhaps the referee wouldn't have shown his second yellow, but the Dutch had done exactly the opposite: during the first part had already merited the "orange" card with his participation in the brawl and the following push on Alves. In fact, we recalled the worst World Cup Van Persie.

The British press also forget about the ignored penalty over Messi. This "small" detail does not seem important, although it would have meant the end of the first half with 2-0.

They neglect the strictly sporting of merits. Even before the expulsion, the ball was at 75% to 25% for Barcelona. Also, Arsenal had not done anything during the game, aside from defending. They were fortunate that, at their only arrival on Barcelona's area, a player of Barcelona (Busquets) scored the goal.

Arsenal went to Barcelona to play catenaccio. But if it is sad to fail with your own ideas, to fail with those of others is pathetic. Arsenal held out his version of catenaccio for forty minutes, but eventually, collapsed. They tried to imitate the Inter Milan and failed, which was fairly predictable. Did they really expect to survive in the Nou Camp playing as an Italian team?

Corriere dello Sport sobre la final de Champions League

ROMA, 28 maggio - Tutti sognano una squa dra come il Barcellona. Non ce n’è una più bella e più forte. E’ davve ro la stella d’Europa. Dire che ha meritato la Coppa è dire poco, ha dato una lezione memorabile al Manchester e ci ha regalato un’ora e mezza di spettacolo puro. Che bravo il Barca, che squadra e che gioia per Guardiola, 38 anni, un de buttante che si presenta alla gran de, senza un’incertezza. Un gol in avvio dopo dieci minuti con un’in venzione di Eto’o, un’incornata (!) a metà ripresa del piccolo immen­so Messi, che ha uccellato quel gi gante di Ferdinand, così, tanto per togliere agli inglesi ogni speranza. Il Barca ha avuto una piccola esita zione solo all’inizio, ma dopo il gol di Eto’o è venuto fuori con tutta la sua qualità davvero immensa. Ha stordito gli inglesi con un palleggio velenoso ed elegante, ispirato da un Iniesta straordinario, sostenuto dal grande dinamismo di Xavi e dalle serpentine velenose di Messi.

Il Manchester è rimasto a guarda re, con sussulti rabbiosi ma isolati di Ronaldo: è rimasto sempre fuo ri partita. Non ha spinto sugli out, si è fatto imbottigliare a centro campo, è impallidito subendo gli scambi fantasiosi e i ricami di Inie sta, Xavi, Busquets e Messi. Bravi anche in difesa, con un grande Puyol, solo Henry in ombra. Fer guson ha cercato di salvare la Cop pa, inserendo nella ripresa prima Tevez e poi Berbatov. Tre punte più Ronaldo, ma tutto inutile per chè anzi il Barça ha consolidato il suo straordinario dominio a cen trocampo, si è impossessato defi nitamente del gioco e della partita. Che squadra, che spettacolo, due gol non dicono tutto e infatti Van der Sar ne ha evitati un altro paio.

Abbiamo visto grandi squadre in Europa, il Manchester stesso in più occasioni, ma questa di Pep Guar­diola oggi è davvero una stella che illumina tutti, non solo i suoi tifosi.

Més aquí.

The Best Team of the World

We are glad to congratulate Futbol Club Barcelona, as the new owner of the european Champions League cup. Yesterday night they beat the Manchester at Rome.
As many (non-barcelonists) propose this could be the best soccer ever seen on a field.

Enjoy it. Força Barça!

Read at The New York Times, A Dazzling Barcelona Wins With Style.

Shameful Chelsea

When you spent more than 100$ buying football players, you expect at least that they will be able to play a little football on the field. When you saw Chelsea playing yesterday and one week ago you could think that you was watching the smallest team of England, and not one team that it is supossed (only supossed, as we have seen) one of the biggest teams of Europe.

Drogba curses the referee

Chelsea's yesterdays' night's interpretation of what should be one football match was a shame for european football. Their poor, coward, miserable strategy was only the basis on which they built a constat series of theatretical acts; recurring simulation of fouls -like the one who provoked the red card for Abidal, it as not even a fault, therefore never a red card; false appeals of penalty; and simulation of injuries to lose time. The sad side of this, is that the brittish media, instead of critisizing the bad arts of Chelsea's stars, defends them, in support of their ridiculous theory of a UEFA conspiracy.

The fact is that in the first 45 minutes Chelsea had around 30% of possession of the ball, and that, in the second part, even with one player more on the field, they were not capable to play anything that one could call football. To defend this is to defend the dark side of football. And to blame the referee for loosing after playing the most miser football seen in Europe in the last year is so ruin!

About the so called errors of the referee. As we can see in the following photos, only one of them, the arm of Piqué could be considered one penalty (althought totally not voluntary); but it is clearly compensated by the red card for Abidal, which was totally totally.