Barca Grabs Top Spot; Sporting - 2; Barca - 5

FC Barcelona assured themselves of the top spot in their group and hopefully increased their chance of meeting an easier challenge in the second round with an emphatic 2-5 victory against Sporting Lisbon. With both team assured of a second round place the only thing that was at stake was the top spot. There is no guarantee that we will have a easy second round opponent; but there is a high chance of that happening. Hnery, Pique, Messi and Bojan all got into the score sheet; a Caneira own goal completes the tally for Barca. For Lisbon it was Veloso and Leidson who scored the goals. Guardiola fielded a very strong side at Portugal. Valdes guarded the goal; in front fo him Alves, Marquez, Pique and Caceres formed the defensive line; the midfield was made up of Xavi, Busquests and Gudjonsen; Messi,Henry and Hleb formed the forward line.The presence of two attack minded players helped FC Barcelona but there is no question of the fact that Messi was the main reason for such emphatic display. This victory would go well for a great display at Sevilla this weekend.

FC Barcelona dominated proceedings from the begining. In the 13th minute Busquets stole the ball from Lisbon and the ball reached Messi on the right; Messi unleashed his trademark dribbling run upto the goal line and pulled back the ball to Henry who completed the formalities. The second goal came in the 17th minute when Pique latched on to the end of a Xavi cross from corner. FC Barcelona went with a two goal lead to the half time. In the second half Henry was replaced by Bojan. In the 49th minute Alves played in Messi with a quickly taken free kick who rounded off Rui Patricio before slotting Barca's third of the night. Guardiola immediately took Messi off and put Pedro in his place. That move looked to have backfired with Sporting pulling two goals back in quick time. First it was Veloso who curled a free kick into the corner; the second came from Leidson after a Marquez's mistake. The recovery was short lived with Barca increasing their lead courtesy of a Caneira own goal after he tried to clear the ball off Busquets. In the 73rd minute Bojan was brough down by Patricio; he was expelled and a penalty was awarded. Bojan slotted the penalty to take Barca's tally to five goal and a welcome personal relief too.

Sporting Lisbon vs FC Barcelona Preview

The clash between Sporting Lisbon and Fc Barcelona could be one of the most insignificant match of this round. With bot teams qualified for the knock-out stage, it could be the time for the coaches to give the lesser known players some playing time. But this match is more tricky for FC Barcelona than Sporting. Barca would like to top the group and avoid other top ranking clubs in the second round. Hence we can expect Guardiola to put up a good competitive side for this match. Taking a deviation to his usual policy; Guardiola announce the squad well in advance. Messi and Marquez have been included in the side but Puyol and Toure are rested. That is a very good move considering those two gentlemen would be sure starters against Sevilla. Messi could be expected to start but Guardiola is expected to rest Eto, Valdes etc. The squad announced is Valdés, Pinto, Alves, Sylvinho, Cáceres, Márquez, Piqué, Xavi, Gudjohnsen, Sergio Busquets, Víctor Sánchez, Keita, Hleb, Pedro, Messi, Henry, Bojan and Eto'o.

I expect Guardiola to Pinto a start in place of Valdes. Pique, Caceres, Marquez and Sylvinho should make up the defensive line. The midfield is pretty tricky with Keita and Busquests expected to start with Victor Sanchez. Bojan should replace Eto on the centre of pitch with Henry on left and Pedro on the right. This could be a very tricky tie and we could do us a world of good if we come out undefeated.

Now Everyone is After Bojan

FC Barcelona fans and Management looks like is creating a habit of putting enormous pressure on new emerging talents. Last season it was Giovanni who wilted in the enormous pressure created and moved out of Nou Camp. Now it looks like this season it will be the chance of Bojan Krkic to be at the receiving end. But in Bojan's case the move could be a temporary one, this is what Sport.es is reporting. Sport.es reports that Barcelona could be thinking about a loan move for the youngster since he is getting very few playing occasion. Bojan started for the fisrt time in league and had a torrid time wasting some good chances. He was substituted in the 55th minute and looked very much depressed by his own showing.

Bojan sums up his performance as this "’m not happy at all with my own performance because this was my first start in La Liga and I wanted to do something special. But it didn’t happen.". There is so much to be read between in that statement. First of all is the fact that he is desperate to make a mark and grab Guardiola's attention. Every match whenever he has been brought in he has done the same. It is sad that no attempt has been made by the Manager to assure him. Many argue that this is a tough league and he has to toughen up to survive here. They point out the example of Messi's evolution as an example like last time they used to expel Giovanni. But they always forget the facts behind Messi's evolution. Messi was always given time to evolve as a player; he was always protected by his team mates; in terms of the burden of carrying the team it was Ronnie, Eto and Deco who carried us forward. Messi was guaranteed of his position on the right always; there was only Guily to fight for that place. Bojan's case is different; he is supposed to fight with Henry, Gudjonsen, Eto for the centre forward place; add to this Guardiola's preference of Pedro, Busquests and Victor ahead of him. Naturally he is desperate to get attention of his coach. Most of the game he has been brought in as substitute in the later stages. But as usual Barcelona fans will never be ready to see these facts nor will be ready to give him time to learn the trade. There is a huge chance of him moving out of Barcelona atleast temporarily. Remember next season it will be Busquets or Pedrito.

FC Barcelona vs Getafe Pics 23/11/08

FC Barcelona Player Rating against Getafe 23/11/08

Valdes - 5.5 - He undone all the good impression he created in recent weeks by his trademark spill which luckily for him didn,t go into goal. Was otherwise decent in the match. Couldn't do much for the goal; but I would like to see him anticipating a bit more as Barca is conceding goal in this fashion. Everyone curls ball past Valdes if given some space.

Alves - 6.5 - Was one of the better players in today's match. Was caught at times while defending but then you can't complaint. Produced a telling cross which resulted in the goal. But many of his cross wasn't up to the mark.

Pique - 6 - Was at fault for giving away the ball that resulted in the goal. Had a great header saved by Getafe Goal Keeper. But looked susceptible in defense. I am saying it again I don't see him holding his place when Milito returns.

Puyol - 7 - If it was not for Puyol we would have conceded more. Regularly went forward to inspire team and sometimes left huge void in the defense because of that.

Sylvinho - 6 - Rare start. Did not commit any big mistake but still did not do anything to warrant a place. Was denied by Pato but his strike was stunning. He wasn't helped by the fact that Hlen ahead of him wasn't in any sync with him. Looked good when Henry came; but was substituted shortly.

Xavi - 6 - Another poor game. Guardiola is not helping him by putting two defensive minded players in middle; it leaves Getafe enough players to mark our general out. Needs to tighten up his game; he is giving away ball cheaply.

Toure - 6.5 - Good game as a DM. Gave away ball in a dangerous position but was lucky. Did well to rest possession in many occasion but wasn't that good when going forward. Guardiola should encourage him to take some long range shots.

Keita - 6 - Got the goal otherwise a very poor performance. Played out of position. But regularly gave away the ball.

Bojan - 4.5 - Disaster. Barca fans should not do the stupidity of writing him off like Giovani. He is good and remember he is 18 years old. Guardiola needs to assure him; he looked more desperate than anything; Wasted many chances.

Eto - 6.5 - Hard working. Was undone by the lack of service. Missed Messi like hell. Maybe this is my analysis - I think Messi and Eto gels well and Iniesta nad Xavi gels well. The moment Iniesta was sidelined Xavi gone off pace a bit; and without Messi Eto is struggling to get the ball. He dropped back and created some movement to his credit. But he should have swapped his position with Bojan much often.

Hleb - 4 - Bojan atleast saw most of the ball; Hleb wasn't in picture. Was disappointing to see this. May be we can have one more player for that wide left role.

Substitutes :
Henry (6.5) & Pedro (6.5) - Instilled pace that was missing.
Gudjonsen (5.5) - Wasn't involved in anything.

Best FC Barcelona Player - Puyol
Man Of the Match - Roberto Carlos Abbondanzieri(Getafe)

Getafe Defense Stops FC Barcelona; FC Barcelona -1, Getafe-1

FC Barcelona finally conceded their winning streak in la Liga to a really tough and hard working Getafe defense. Meanwhile Getafe has extended their unbeaten streak against Barca to a season and a half. FC Barcelona yet haven't found a way to deal with this tough and tightly packed defense. A Seydou Keita header in the second half saved a point for Barca after Manu put Getafe infront in the 19th minute. Sure the absence of players like Messi and Iniesta could be blamed for the result, but that was precisely the point I was making in my previous post Is It Too Early to Dream about Silverware, the absence of two of our big four did looked like affecting us. What was more dissappointing about the match was the way Hleb and Bojan who got the first League start of the season played. Eto did work hard but was undone by the lack of service. I have written in my preview to this match that with Messi absent it would be disastrous to put two defensive minded players in the middle. That tactic effectively took Eto out of the match; and we have to see Eto dropping back to create some attacking moves. Guardiola gave Sylvinho a rare start on the left, Puyol moved to the centre to partner with Pique and Alves occupied the righ back position. The midfield was made up of Xavi, Toure and Keita. The forward line was formed by the combination of Bojan, Eto and Hleb.

Barcelona dominated possesion in the first half but did not create any meaningful attack in the early exchanges. Getafe meanwhile settled into their game plan and was looking to hurt Barca on the counter. In the 19th minute Pique gave away the ball to Manu whose initial pass came off from Pique and then he curled a superb strike past a hapless Valdes. That goal stunned the players and the crowd. FC Barcelona tried to reply back immediately. In the 21st minute Bojan's volley from an excellent cross from Eto was deflected for a corner. In the 28th minute it was Bojan again who wastes another great chance when he was caught in two mind. In the 31st minute Bojan wastes another good chance by shooting high after a Alves free kick hit the wall and the rebound fell perfect for Bojan. In the 35th minute it was Sylvinho whose stunning shot from the left of the box was saved by Abadonazzeri. In the 38th minute Barca was almost caught on the counter but Albin's effort was saved by Valdes. In the 39th minute Puyol produced a magnificient run into the box and places the ball to Eto who was on the edge of the box; Eto produced a magnificient, precise shot which beat the keepre but the bar came to his rescue.

In the second half also Barca could not produce any of their free flowing movements. In the 56th minute Guardiola brought in Henry for Hleb and Pedro for Bojan. That move started to instil some pace and an already tired Getafe defense looked a bit shaky for the first time in the match. In the 62nd minute Pique heads wide from a Xavi corner; that was an open chance. In the 64th minute Toure gave ball away in a dangerous position; somehow Barca was lucky to see the chance wasted by Getafe. In the 70th minute Valdes produced his trademark mistake (which was missing in recent matches); Albin picks up a lose ball and shots from a distance; should have been a regular catch for Valdes but as expected he spills but was real lucky to see it go wide. His expression after that was real funny. After narrowly escaping the chance of going 2 nil down Barca equalised in the 72nd minute when Keita got to the end of an excellent Alves cross with a good header. In the 73rd minute Sylvinho was taken off and was replaced by Gudjonsen. FC Barcelona was pressing rigorously for the victory and Getafe defense was having some tough times. In the 79th minute great cross from Keita in the left was cleared by Defense ahead of Henry. In the 80th minute Abadonezzeri produce another magical save to deny a Pique header from a corner. I still can't understand how he manged to save that. For the last minutes of the game Getafe defense hold their fort and FC barcelona struggled to find any movement.

FC Barcelona prepare for the tough fixtures after losing their winning streak. But there is not much to be dissappointed. We still are three point clear; but it is now essential for us to beat Sevilla next week. The absence of Messi and Iniesta, and the lack of fortune and great goal keeping the Argentinian international can be attributed as the reaon for this result. But one have to admit that Guardiola did some tactical blunders; first was to bring Hlen and Bojan, tow non-regulars together in this match. It was enough to get one of them a start. With both struggling Barca really struggled to make an impression early on and created chances only after Eto started dropping back. Secondly was the decision to club Toure and Keita together especially with Messi absent; this could be a sensible decision next week but not in a home match and that too against a team which are looking to drop back and defend. What that move did was opened up Xavi as the lone creative polayer and Getafe marked him well out of the match.

FC Barcelona vs Getafe Preview

FC Barcelona would be looking to their winning streak to 10 consecutive matches when they welcome Getafe in La Liga tonight.There is a high chance that Lionel Messi would not be starting on today's match. Messi left Friday’s training session with a pain in the quadriceps in his right leg. Eventhough the club doctor's examination has ruled out any serious injury; the club is expected not to rush the star especially considering the series of tough matches coming. Pedro is expected to be included in the team as a cover to Messi. Guardiola is expected to make the call for inclusion of Messi just before the match starts. Getafe Lies 13th in the table and are going to real tough times. Getafe makes the trip to Camp Nou with three consecutive defeats in their bag; the only fact that should be welcomed by them could be the non-availability of Messi. It also yet to see how FC Barcelona cope with the non-availability of Messi and Iniesta , two of their brightest stars of this season. The burden of carrying Barca through in this match could rest on the shoulders of Eto and Xavi.

Guardiola is expected to field his best available side for tonight's match. With Villareal losing yesterday, this is the best time to clearly move ahead of rivals. Alves, Marquez, Pique and Puyol is supposed tom guard the defense in front of Valdes. There could be chance of Caceres being slotted as a left back especially after his performance as a left-back for Uruguay. The midfield for me should be made of Toure, Xavi and Gudjonsen. There is no point in slotting two defensive minded players in that midfield especially at home. The forward would be potentially made up of Et, Bojan and Henry. If Bojan comes into the side Guardiola should use him on the right side. There is no point in moving Eto from middle to right in order to bring in Bojan. Even with Messi absent Barca should be able to produce a convincing victory. I predict a scoreline of 3-0 in the match.