Real counters Bayern

I watched today's Real Madrid/Bayern Muenchen match with a great deal of curiosity.

I hadn't seen Madrid this season (at least not in the last couple months), and was a bit puzzled by their play.  Last season, it really struck me how aggressively they were attacking the ball in the midfield on defense.  In this game, they were mostly sitting back and only trying to interfere with passes between Munich players.

I wasn't sure whether it was a change in strategy for the year, or a single-game idea.

Regardless, they spent a lot of time early in the game watching Bayern pass around them.  They managed to keep Munich from getting good chances, but were getting almost no touches.

In fact, after a little while, I was IM'ing a friend with how many touches their most recent possession had.  The longest was twenty-one, until suddenly they had a twelve touch counterattack that went all the way into the back of the net (with some significant luck on avoiding defenders; the final cross went between the legs of two different defenders, ten yards or more apart).

That didn't seem to deter Bayern at all for quite a while, even though Madrid managed two more close counterattacks in the next ten minutes or so (one was pushed high by a Ronaldo only six yards or so from the net).

But despite a bunch of corners, Munich only managed one really good chance, and that shot was blocked by a defender five to eight yards out.

Real actually managed one more strong chance in the forty-first minute, but again pushed the ball over the net (it was a terrible strike, too, as he had time).

But that was about it, and the teams went into the half at one-nil.

The second half was played much more even, possessionally (counting by completed passes, I'd bet that Munich spent much of the first half at over 90% possession).  I don't think either team really had many strong chances, and Madrid was probably ahead there, again.  It had to be a frustrating day for Bayern (and especially for their one striker, Mandžukić, who was largely invisible).

But despite the possession balancing out a bit, the score stayed the same, and the game ended at one-nil.

The game was an interesting chess match, and I'm definitely looking forward to the second leg.

Barca Bash 2011

I recorded the Champions League final the other day, intending to watch it that night. But I didn't feel well, so between that and taking care of the kids, I didn't get around to watching it until tonight. Alas, I already knew who won, but I still watched it.

It was quite the impressive display of talent. At about the 80 minute mark, I noticed the announcers saying that someone (I think it was one of the players or coaches) saying that the top of the Champions League has more talent than in the World Cup. I'm not sure that that's true, but I must admit that I'm not sure it isn't, either.

Anyway, ManU started out playing very well, dictating play for the first ten minutes or so, but it was all downhill from there. They did manage a goal in the 34th minute off a broken play, but they were utterly dominated from about the tenth minute on. Measure it any way you want, and Barca had the better of it. It still took quite a while for them to get their second and third goals, but with the chances they were getting, you knew goals were coming.

ManU's goalkeeper, I thought, had a pretty good game, despite the final score. He didn't have any really spectacular saves, but he saved everything you'd realistically think he might stop.

What's left to say about Messi's play? He is just unbelievable with the ball in tight spaces. He was muscled off the ball a few times, but not often. And the one time they gave him space around the box, he scored. (And a pretty goal it was, too, into the upper corner from just outside the box.)

Rooney had a very nice play that led to his goal, and generally looked very good as well. I will say, though, that after scoring, when his teammates all crowded around him, he looked like he was thinking, "Damn, these guys are lucky to have me on their team". He didn't look at any of them, nor did he return any of the hugs or any of that. You'd think, at the least, he'd have a gesture of thanks for the guy with whom he did the give-and-go just before the shot.

But other than that, the story was just one of Barca dominating in the midfield, controlling the ball, and attacking whenever they felt like it.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be soccer without talking about the diving. I will say it was better than many World Cup teams. I wasn't keeping a careful count, but I only remember five or six dives (all but one of them from Barca, which didn't surprise me). So it wasn't as bad as I expected, at least.

In any event, congratulations to Barca and their fans for a very well-played game. I would have been a bit happier, I think, with a ManU win, but there was no question that the better team won.