From M. Mal : Barcelona, Ajax, AC Milan and Real Madrid
Dear Myles,
As we have all witnessed, Manchester United were well and thoroughly beaten by 11 players who were a class above them in every respect.
Aside from the quite blatantly offside goal by Rooney, I like to think that Arsenal put up a better fight at the Nou Camp despite not making an attempt on goal. We were, after all, one Bendtner shot away from making it past the two legs.
That is not the point though. I’m certainly not as experienced with football as you are but would like your opinion on something.
Watching Barcelona play the past 3 seasons I can’t help but feel that their squad may be one of the best ever.
I’ve watched Messi create goals out of sheer nothings, and almost always in an occasion where a draw is on the cards, as compared to Ronaldo and Higuain piling on tap-ins and hatricks against lower table Liga teams where Real were already winning.
Watching the final, the scores were Villa, Pedro and Messi. The assists came from Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta. Isn’t there a beautiful symmetry to that? I watched AC Milan conquer everything in the early 90’s and thought they were the side of a generation. I watched Madrid conquer everything in the early 00’s and thought they were better.
But pioneering aside, I believe this Barcelona side can rival the legendary Ajax. I wasn’t born then, and I’ve watched replays of those matches, but I imagine that even Cruyff would have wanted to reach the level of quality that this side has on the pitch. Of course, I’m not basing my judgement on just one match or even one season, but the past three.
I think Barcelona wins so much because of their dynamic nature.
They were bested by Inter last year and clearly they learnt from their mistakes and dealt with “Mourinho tactics” perfectly this time round.
What do you think?
Myles replies :
I try not to compare eras or finals.
Every football match is different, every final is different, every star or major talent is different, every successful coach has his own methods and obsessions.
Disagree a bit on Bendtner, Inter and the Rooney goal. When that throw was intercepted, United’s passing was very fast on the linesman’s side. When a player is half a yard offside near the linesman, sometimes the flag goes up, sometimes not. Some goals stand, others are disallowed. That’s football.
This time the linesman wasn’t quite level with the play. Two fast one-twos by Rooney caught out out the defence…….and the linesman. That happens quite a lot and players accept it.
Last year Portugal’s nabob of nullification used an experienced Italian team to shut down Barcelona and scramble into the final and Inter won the trophy.
Man Utd haven’t been that ugly since Robson, Whiteside, Moran and Remi Moses karate-kicked and elbowed everybody twice a week.
The pugnacious Ron Atkinson called those fouls “reducers” and deemed such thuggery to be “earning the right to play.” In other words, when our opponents are bruised and limping, we can win.
Face it, Bendtner is a slag who will always miss that late chance. He will never be good enough to bury that chance.
We may never see what Messi can do in another team. Why would he ever leave the club that is perfect for him ?
When Messi is 30, ask me if he is one of the three best ever.
Yes, Messi is unique in the way that he takes tiny steps and tiny touches and twinkles through tiny gaps, as Romario used to do. And I love him to bits.
But watching a Pele documentary one night last week, I remembered why I prefer Pele.
Because Pele was more explosively athletic and spectacular.
His jumps and flicks and volleys and shots from distance were often outrageous, and remain unsurpassed. Even by Maradona.
Pele had freak ability, the kind of gifts you see once every 50 years, so he was able to set off on preposterous dribbles across thick mud or very bumpy pitches and do things that left fans thrilled and opponents utterly gobsmacked.
Yes, this Barcelona are very special, partly because Messi is more of a team player than Ronadinho was.
They lack a bit of power but when your teamwork is that good, you win anyway.
As we’ve seen, Johan Cruyff is the link between Ajax and Barcelona. He was their coach for eight seasons and Guardiola was Cruyff”s captain.