Valencia provides the spark

In the last seven days there have been glimpses that Manchester United are beginning to approach their best form. Their second half performances at Stamford Bridge and this afternoon at Old Trafford have been noticeable for the goals of Wayne Rooney; however, it is Antonio Valencia who is providing the creative spark the United talisman has been craving all season.

The top sides this season have been really struggling for creativity and it has been refreshing to see Valencia returning to his best form. He is tremendously quick and is built perfectly for modern day football; he is strong and slight whilst remaining incredibly fleet of foot which makes him very difficult to play against. The Ecuadorian winger is predominantly found hugging the right touchline where his crossing ability can be demonstrated to full effect.

What makes Valencia so integral to United’s current set up is his understanding with Rooney. A couple of seasons ago the winger was responsible for assisting many of the striker’s goals and their understanding is clear for everyone to see. More than once this afternoon Rooney drove one of his trademark passes out to the right touchline where Valencia would control the ball, beat a defender and then find his teammate in the area with a delightful cross. His assist for Rooney’s second was his ninth of the season and it looks like more are on their way.

Many of the Premier League’s other strikers would kill for the service Valencia provides. What separates him from many of his counterparts is his fantastic selflessness which enables his strikers to score so many goals. One of the biggest problems that Fernando Torres has is that many of Chelsea’s players will do something themselves after creating an opening rather than play in the Spaniard. At United once Valencia has an opening he usually finds a red shirt to score the goal. This unerring selflessness is one of the defining features of this current United side and is one of the key factors in their success.

This is his third year at United after an injury ravaged second season and he is proving once again that he is one of the best wingers around. In a recent interview Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola actually stated he believed he was currently the best winger in the world; if his form continues like this until the end of the season he could well be proved right.

It appears that the title will be remaining in Manchester this season but its exact location will remain a mystery for the next few months. It must worry Manchester City and their manager Roberto Mancini that United are beginning to crank up through the gears as the title race enters the final stages. Few would back against United if the gap remains small until the later stages and with Antonio Valencia in this kind of form goals are not going to be hard to find.

The modern day defensive midfielder

There was a time in the not too distant past when the defensive midfielder was thought of as an unskilled position. It was where you would deploy your terrier, someone to harry and disrupt the opposition. In recent times however, it has become one of the most important roles within the side and when done well is an integral part of a successful team.

Although the position suggests it is predominantly defensive we are seeing more instances of players becoming far more offensive. In fact in some cases there is even cause to suggest the position can be undertaken by the playmaker, which is probably best demonstrated by Andrea Pirlo of Juventus and Italy. He is able to make space for himself in tight situations and then dictate the pace of the passing when his side breaks forward. Being blessed with a fantastic range of passing enables Pirlo to truly pull the strings for his team.

I still remember the first time the defensive midfield role really made me sit up and take note; it was Fernando Redondo’s performance for Real Madrid against Manchester United in 2000. The way he conducted his team was like something I had never really seen before; he tackled, he passed, he did an amazing trick to assist Raul for Madrid’s third at Old Trafford and became my favourite player overnight. It was a complete contrast to seeing someone like Roy Keane or Patrick Vieira who were the leading exponents of that role in the Premier League. Its not that they were bad players, both are probably two of the leading examples of central midfield play in England but they didn’t have that little bit extra; they would not have had that extra thought to outfox an opponent and provide that creative spark.

This position is now more crucial that ever before with the advent of the ‘false 9’ position which is becoming ever more popular. With fitness levels ever increasing the space between the midfield and defence is getting increasingly hard to marshal with runners coming from central and wide positions. The finest defensive exponent of this was Claude Makelele who has been paid the biggest compliment of all by renaming the position as the ‘Makelele role’. The best players are always the ones who make things look easy and Makelele made the defensive midfield position integral to Madrid’s Champions League triumph in 2002. Their defence was not the best and it struggled often for numbers as the full backs were usually found rampaging up the wings. The discipline Makelele had enabled the side to play to their attacking strengths and with him in place the defence was not exposed as frequently as it could have been.

Having mentioned some notable players already it is now time to look at the latest of the leading defensive midfielders in world football. Although he is not the most potent attacking threat his ability to read the game, change position and to keep the ball moving makes Sergio Busquets the ideal modern day player. Of course he is aided quite considerably by playing for Barcelona who are currently the best club side in the world. His manager Pep Guardiola is continually trying new tactics and testing new formations. He is extremely lucky that Busquets is such an intelligent player; often when the Barcelona full backs attack he will drop deeper to form a defensive trio alongside Pique and Puyol. For a side that dominates possession and generally play in their opponents half this ability is so vital to the way they set up and play.

Everyone was able to witness how Manchester United were torn apart by Barcelona in the Champions League final last year and how they lacked someone to shield the back four. This position is specialist and there are very few truly great players in that position playing at the moment. With football evolving and adapting as the years go by it will be fascinating to see how the role develops in the coming years. I for one would imagine that the role will become more creative as the game evolves; the game is moving away from the defensive side of things and goals are what everyone wants these days.

Guardiola doesn’t rest on his laurels

It appears that a week cannot pass at the moment without more praise of Barcelona FC; their style, technique and work rate is admired globally at the moment, and quite rightly so. They are the stand out team in European football at this moment in time and the side that every manager aspires to catch and supersede. The team is blessed with the best three players in world football; Iniesta, Messi and Xavi and have recently added Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez.

However, it is all very well having the best players but you have to have a coach who can orchestrate the players. In the summer of 2008 it emerged that Barcelona were to part company with the then manager Frank Rijkaard and that former Barca fans favourite Josep Guardiola would be succeeding him. It certainly raised a few eyebrows as his only previous experience had been coaching the Barcelona B team.

The first thing he did was to get rid of some of the side’s star players which again looked slightly controversial. Out went Deco, Edmilson, Eto’o, Ronaldinho and Zambrotta and in came Daniel Alves, Seydou Keita and Gerard Pique. He also promoted Busquets, Jeffren and Pedro to the first team after coaching them for a year in the B team. He ended the season winning the Champions League, the Copa del Rey and La Liga in his first season. Surely it was the players everyone said….how little they knew.

Success appears to have come naturally to the Catalan coach who has now guided his beloved Barca to 12 titles in just over three years. However, it is the ethos and style of football that has endeared them to many and made them so successful. He has made them the best pressing side I have ever seen; every player from right back to striker hounds, harries and tackles under possession is retained. Pep has also clearly told the players that their best form of defence is also to retain possession. It sounds like common sense to say but actually is very hard to do in practice, most of their games end with Barca having had 60%+ in terms of possession.

The side also benefits hugely from their youth training facility – La Masia. After the purchases this summer they are now capable of putting out a starting eleven that features only home grown players. This education they have received teaches them how to look after the ball, how to use it effectively and most importantly gives them the awareness to know what their teammates are doing too.

He is also responsible for deploying Messi in the new position ‘the deep lying’ striker. From here he is able to drop deep and pick up the ball and then really hurt the opposition. Barca appear to have developed an incredible knack of playing defence splitting passes from just inside their own half. The two wide players on either side are then able to make inside out runs which then put them through on goal – as shown against Madrid in the Super Cup.

Last weekend’s game at home to Villarreal was fascinating for a number of reasons. Firstly, they brushed aside the side that finished fourth 5-0 which just shows how far ahead they are of the competition. Secondly, Pep began the game with a 3-4-3 formation with Busquets and Mascherano playing as part of the three defenders alongside Abidal. Next there was Keita who was the defensive midfielder and then they deployed Fabregas, Iniesta and Thiago in a three in front.

Whenever one of the back three brought the ball forward Keita would simply drop back into the three as cover. It enabled the side to always have at least two options to pass to every time they got the ball which makes it almost impossible for the opposition to retain possession – especially when up against some of the best football players in the world. It was remarkable to see and is the closest example of total football I can remember seeing in my lifetime.

Barcelona are a joy to behold for any football fan at the moment due to their style of play. Whilst many fans and pundits are quick to say it’s mainly because they have Messi, much of the credit must lie at Guardiola’s door. He has transformed the club from a very good team into possibly the best club side in the history of the game. Football is cyclical and the gap between them and the rest will narrow as time goes on but it will be fascinating to see how Pep’s career develops from here. He will not remain at the Camp Nou forever and will surely fancy a new challenge in the not too distant future.

Barcelona run riot at Wembley

The Champions League final on Saturday night ended up being one of the most convincing victories in recent memory; Barcelona dispatched Manchester United effortlessly to win their fourth European Cup. It was a phenomenal display from the Spanish side who must surely now be regarded as the greatest club side in football history.

In an almost instant replay of the final in 2009 United began in dominant fashion whilst Barcelona eased their way into the game slowly. However, after threatening a couple of times the Catalan giants went ahead through Pedro after some wonderful work by Xavi. The diminutive midfield maestro pulled the strings for the entire game; he completed 141 passes from a possible 148 which is staggering. When you consider that United’s two central midfielders contributed 56 passes from a possible 70 it begins to tell the story.

Although United did score before half-time the result was not in doubt. The ease with which Barca picked off United would have been horrible to watch for Ferguson. His team could simply not live with their counterparts and humiliation was not too far away. Much of the blame must lie with Ferguson who believed that Carrick and Giggs could halt the opposing midfield.

After beating Schalke in the semi-final you cannot blame him entirely for feeling that it was possible; however, the difference in quality of the opposition had changed dramatically. The need for a top class enforcer in front of the back four has never been so abundantly obvious.

The class with which Barcelona went about their business was awesome to see and in all honesty I don’t feel they got out of third gear – they simply didn’t have to. When you consider the fact that this team could be together for another two or three years it is frightening. Much of the credit must go to Pep Guardiola who has masterminded this dominance in recent years.

He is an incredible man who knows the club intimately and was also a member of the 1992 squad. He played and offered guidance to a young Xavi when he first came through the youth set up and has been instrumental in bringing Messi into the middle where he can really hurt opposing defences. Having signed another one year deal earlier in the season he will be desperate to win another Champions League trophy next season before he moves onto pastures new.

It was a wonderful final and a great advertisement for how football can be played. There is too much emphasis on the physical side of the game in England and that was clear to see. The most crucial elements are technique and skill which enables Barcelona to play their sublime style of football. I, like most other football fans hope this continues for many years to come.