If there was any doubt or debate about the following, all questions were answered after the latest 5-0 "Clasico" thrashing of Real Madrid on Monday night in Camp Nou by Barcelona- The current Barcelona Team remains a much more cohesive unit that the expensively put together Real Madrid so called galacticos! There are several reasons why Barcelona are a better team:
a) Barca players led by Puyal at the back, & Xavi, Inesta, Messi & David Villa with the able assistance of the likes of Alvez & Bosquet know each others' game blindfolded. The Real Madrid team is on the other hand yet again an expensive selection of what money can buy & it may yet take even Mourinho more than one season to mould the team to his style.
b) Barcelona's all attacking style led by the trio of Messi, Inesta & Xavi, arguably the best three players in the world, & this year spearheaded in the attack by David Villa, arguably the best striker in the world, makes them irresistible as well as admirable. Pep Guardiola therefore is the best club coach in the world at the moment.
- Pep Guardiola is a footballing master tactician & magician whilst the ever polarising & arrogant Jose Mourinho is a showman who tries to stifle his opponents with his tactical mastery.
The fact that Mourinho failed to admit absolute humiliation after the 5-0 defeat in his first ever "Clasico" as a coach demonstrated his narcissism. Mourinho went to the Monday night game attempting to stifle Barcelona the same way he did with the much more defensively disciplined Inter Milan side in the semi final of the Champions League last year. But the current Real Madrid side does not possess the defensive qualities of Inter Milan, and Messi, Inesta, Xavi & co this time around kept 67% of the possession AND had the magical David Villa in attack, greatly assisted by Pedro. Last year they had Ibrahimovic who was totally unsuited to Barcelona's style of play.
- Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Messi was mesmerising & taunted & destroyed Real Madrid midfield & defence all the way throughout the match whilst Ronaldo stood as a lonely frustrated figure.
Messi is one of the top 5-10 greaest footballers of all time & has the potential to be another Maradona. His passing, goal scoring, dribling, ball distribution as well as individual technical ability & playmaking skills are simply superb.
Ronaldo on the other hand is tactically superb too. However, as evident in their latest encounter, he is not as good a playmaker & his ball distribution compared to Messi is poor. This is partly due to the fact that "ball hogging" remain Ronaldo's biggest weakness.
The latest Clasico once again provesd the Spanish la Liga is the best football league in the world & the English Premier League has a long way to go to match the skills & tactical ability of the Spanish League, and even the excitement of watching the likes of Ronaldo & Messi battling it out.
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