Before the beginning of the season I had said that Ibra would remain at FC Barcelona, this did not happen. It seems that there were other issues outside of football that were behind the move. I say this based on comments that were made by Ibra's agent about Pep. From this angle it seems very much that Ibra was just not happy with the Catalan boss. Never the less, I still believe Ibra is a great player.
I am here on the eve of the El Classico, feeling a bit nervous but excited as the duel between Jose and Pep was one of the many things that I was looking forward to this season.
Personally I think Jose is the best coach in the world right now, and his fantastic record goes to show, with successful stints at Porto, Chelsea and Inter. He seems to have a gold finger. He turned Chelsea in to not just a competitive football club but a world class team, brought Inter the Champions league. The guy has just been phenomenal. Unlike his predecessor at Inter, who seems to have plunged Inter in to a deep hole (Rafa,) Jose is consistent and thorough. He always seems on the ball. He knows how to get at the opposing coach with smart statements, always keen on putting in a small jab to create some distraction.
Pep on the other hand is young to the business of coaching when compared to Jose. Remember Pep was a player at FCB while Jose was an assistant coach. After surprisingly picking up the top job as Barca's head coach in 2007 Pep has allayed all fears of Barca fans including mine, of a young and inexperience coach managing a team full of stars. He has managed to guide Barca to one of its most successful seasons in the club's history, by copping all titles that were available in the 2008-2009 season. If you thought that was a fluke, this coach guided Barca to the La Liga title the following season in a very close battle with the Madridistas. I have to take my hat off to the previous Barca management for the courage and confidence they showed in this young coach. Pep was specially groomed for the job, as before he was manager of the B team. In his years of playing, Pep was the captain of Barca under the management of Yohan Cruyff. Pep showed great leadership skills during his years as captain of the Barca team. At times it may have seemed like he was the guy in charge. According to Jose, "Pep knows the Barca philosophy very well and he is the perfect coach for FC Barcelona". He has earned the respect of the players by expressing great confidence in their ability.
Indeed, it will be great to see the two top players in the world go up against each other. Personally I am a Messi fan, however, I have great respect for Ronaldo who seems to work hard at improving his game. At the moment both players are neck and neck with goals scored, Ronaldo 14 and Messi 12. At this moment I don't want to focus too much on Leo and Roni as there are a host of other good players who will be on show and they deserve to be mentioned.
Real Madrid as acquired some key players at the beginning of the season but I think the most valuable of the lot is Carvalho. In previous years Madrid had good midfielders and forwards as they do this season, the problem was in defense. The two young Germans Ozil and Khedira are very talented but they may still have the fresh memory of the world cup game against Spain in their minds. On to the Argentine winger Angel; this guy has speed and a good shot but I think he is not special, maybe he will prove me wrong.
Barcelona has acquired one of the best forwards in world football, David Villa. Since arriving at the Camp Nou he has not lived up to his billing, as he has been out of sorts in a couple of games, miss controlling the ball and missing some opportunities that may seem easy based on his standard. Hopefully he can use tomorrow's game as the one to spark.
The difference between both teams is the midfield. Barcelona has arguably the best midfield in the world, with Xavi and Iniesta in the center of the field. These two guys can be ruthless if given space to roam in the midfield. Both attacking midfielders will be given great assurance by the defensive midfielders Busquets and Macherano.
It will be a wonderful spectacle but you know the deciders maybe the two custodians who will be very busy between the sticks with great attackers on either side. We just have to wait and see how this game unfolds. The atmosphere will be magical. It will be interesting to hear the words and metaphors that Ray Hudson will use to describe this game.
Make sure you don't miss a moment, get a RED STRIPE.
I am here on the eve of the El Classico, feeling a bit nervous but excited as the duel between Jose and Pep was one of the many things that I was looking forward to this season.
Personally I think Jose is the best coach in the world right now, and his fantastic record goes to show, with successful stints at Porto, Chelsea and Inter. He seems to have a gold finger. He turned Chelsea in to not just a competitive football club but a world class team, brought Inter the Champions league. The guy has just been phenomenal. Unlike his predecessor at Inter, who seems to have plunged Inter in to a deep hole (Rafa,) Jose is consistent and thorough. He always seems on the ball. He knows how to get at the opposing coach with smart statements, always keen on putting in a small jab to create some distraction.
Pep on the other hand is young to the business of coaching when compared to Jose. Remember Pep was a player at FCB while Jose was an assistant coach. After surprisingly picking up the top job as Barca's head coach in 2007 Pep has allayed all fears of Barca fans including mine, of a young and inexperience coach managing a team full of stars. He has managed to guide Barca to one of its most successful seasons in the club's history, by copping all titles that were available in the 2008-2009 season. If you thought that was a fluke, this coach guided Barca to the La Liga title the following season in a very close battle with the Madridistas. I have to take my hat off to the previous Barca management for the courage and confidence they showed in this young coach. Pep was specially groomed for the job, as before he was manager of the B team. In his years of playing, Pep was the captain of Barca under the management of Yohan Cruyff. Pep showed great leadership skills during his years as captain of the Barca team. At times it may have seemed like he was the guy in charge. According to Jose, "Pep knows the Barca philosophy very well and he is the perfect coach for FC Barcelona". He has earned the respect of the players by expressing great confidence in their ability.
Indeed, it will be great to see the two top players in the world go up against each other. Personally I am a Messi fan, however, I have great respect for Ronaldo who seems to work hard at improving his game. At the moment both players are neck and neck with goals scored, Ronaldo 14 and Messi 12. At this moment I don't want to focus too much on Leo and Roni as there are a host of other good players who will be on show and they deserve to be mentioned.
Real Madrid as acquired some key players at the beginning of the season but I think the most valuable of the lot is Carvalho. In previous years Madrid had good midfielders and forwards as they do this season, the problem was in defense. The two young Germans Ozil and Khedira are very talented but they may still have the fresh memory of the world cup game against Spain in their minds. On to the Argentine winger Angel; this guy has speed and a good shot but I think he is not special, maybe he will prove me wrong.
Barcelona has acquired one of the best forwards in world football, David Villa. Since arriving at the Camp Nou he has not lived up to his billing, as he has been out of sorts in a couple of games, miss controlling the ball and missing some opportunities that may seem easy based on his standard. Hopefully he can use tomorrow's game as the one to spark.
The difference between both teams is the midfield. Barcelona has arguably the best midfield in the world, with Xavi and Iniesta in the center of the field. These two guys can be ruthless if given space to roam in the midfield. Both attacking midfielders will be given great assurance by the defensive midfielders Busquets and Macherano.
It will be a wonderful spectacle but you know the deciders maybe the two custodians who will be very busy between the sticks with great attackers on either side. We just have to wait and see how this game unfolds. The atmosphere will be magical. It will be interesting to hear the words and metaphors that Ray Hudson will use to describe this game.
Make sure you don't miss a moment, get a RED STRIPE.
