PBP: Jornada 29 - El Clásico | La Liga BBVA | Real Madrid v FC Barcelona | 23 March 2014 [R]

Given how much negative stuff I read about Neymar's game and his starting and what he needs to work on before during and after the Clasico, it is worth remembering how much attention he demands from the other team, which in turn can be decisive in creating space for others. Now I'm not saying he had a great game, and I do love what Pedro and Sanchez have done this season and their work rate at all times, and they also draw attention with intelligent movements. Here are some highlights of his Clasico performance. So far he has scored, made 2 assists, and been fouled for a PK and red card in two winning Clasicos, not a bad start.

 

Meh, if he had stepped on anyone else, maybe.



Pepe should still be serving time in prison.

 

Not to be a party pooper, and I do like Neymar..but I'm fairly certain that "assist" to Messi in the last El Clasico was a deflection off the defenders leg

 

I like Neymar. He needs maybe to bulk a little but the guy is crazy talented. He will come good. I didn't like his transfer I thought he was one trick pony. With experince he will become scary good

Maybe Iniesta will teach him close control. He came to the right club for him to be evolve

 

Yes, no official assist given it seems, Carvajal with the "O.A." if such a thing existed.

 

Yeah, it's funny, I was down on getting him at the time it happened, and now when there's criticism I'm actually more positive about it than I was. He has issues, sure; but I have no doubt he can overcome them as long as constant absurd criticism doesn't make him feel like he has to try and be Superman to prove it all wrong.

 

This took awhile but then Michael Cox's career as a football writer has really blown up (in a good for him way) so glad he still posts here at all: http://www.zonalmarking.net/2014/03...t-players-find-space-in-a-crazily-open-match/

 

Excerpts from the ZM piece I posted above:

As so often, after a ludicrously open first half, the managers calmed things down at half-time, the tempo dropped after the break, and the second period was based around penalty decisions – two for Barca, one for Real.

Perhaps the key to the tactical battle was the first Barcelona penalty incident, because it resulted in the dismissal of Ramos for bringing down Neymar. Inevitably, Ancelotti had to bring on an extra centre-back, Raphael Varane, and he chose to take off Benzema – despite his obvious influence on the game. Real moved to a 4-4-1, with Ronaldo upfront and Di Maria now permanently on the left.

At this point, it was highly surprising Martino didn’t immediately bring on an extra attacker. He introduced Pedro Rodriguez, but in place of Neymar rather than in addition to him – he waited ten more minutes until bringing on Alexis Sanchez in place of Fabregas, and moving to a ‘proper’ 4-3-3.

On one hand Barca wasted this period of time, on the other Pedro had a good impact, primarily with his positioning and movement. He simply understands how to create space for others better than Neymar, and in the final period of the game Alves became an attacking force for the first time (partly, of course, because he wasn’t being overloaded by Ronaldo and Di Maria and could fly forward).

Alves hit the post with the score at 3-3, and his late impact was reminiscent of his display in the closing stages of the win at Manchester City, who were also down to ten men. When playing with a man disadvantage, the last player you’d want to play against is Alves, and he was much more attack-minded in the second half.

Conclusion

This could have gone either way. The game was extremely open, which made for a great spectacle, but it was so open that the tactical battle was barely discernible at points. It’s difficult to believe either manager was truly comfortable with this, which partly explains why the pace slowed after the break, once they’d had their chance to interfere.

The main lesson, in such a crazy game, is that attackers with the greatest natural appreciation of space – Messi, Di Maria, Iniesta – are the ones who thrive. It’s doubtful Di Maria was instructed to play as he did, for example – he just realised the space was out wide, and shuttled out there to exploit it.

This was a players’ game rather than a coaches’ game – and the most talented player on the pitch, Messi, was the one who had the greatest impact.

 

ANCELOTTI: “LOOK NOT ON OUR ATTITUDE. IN THIS CLUB, WE ARE BABIES.”

“WHEN MESSI GETS CLOSE, WE POOPOO OURSELVES.”

“AND SINCE WE CAN’T WIN AGAINST HIM, WE CRY NON-STOP TO GET WHAT WE WANT.”