Come On Pep! 1 more to go for the History!

1 point for the Liga campeones
1 match for Europe's glory
1 man for the above to make real.

Last year in June, Pep Guardiola promised to all the proud Cule Supporters worldwide - 'We Owe you one' and guess what he delivered it in the very next year. The intensity with which he motivates his bench and the 11 players on the field just shows why he may be on the path to become the 'real one' in history instead of 'special one' !
I had doubted Pep's skills when Eto and Zlatan were shown the doors immediately after successful and not so successful triumphs(in the same order) in 2009 and 2010. But I owe an apology after watching the league this year. Aged 40, his each word is ensured to be implemented on the field starting from Fontas to the Senior Cule - Puyol. His command was evident in the El Clasico Series. While the players from our rival club revealed their frustrations on and off the field (Ronaldo shouting on the field, Roman Caledron says Jose is ruining the club), the players from FCB were graceful in their defeats and draw. Not even one from the club management or otherwise raised eyebrows on Pep. This speaks about the respect he carries around him.

Now coming to the upcoming Final, I have my two cents to Pep
1. Consider Afellay for the starting XI - This boy has the making of FCB's history richer. The speed with which he assisted Messi's goal against Madrid in the away match of champions league was superb. In my observation he sprints faster than Pedro and can even take the ball alone to the goal area if Messi is blocked by Red Devils.

2. Show the video of movie '300' to the boys in the dressing room! While Gladiator suited best for his debut final. This video serves as a confidence booster for those tired legs and minds to repeat the history when times are against them.


Takeaways from Today's (Barca vs Espanyol 2-0) match -
1. Derbies with Espanyol have lost the entertainment value that existed few years back. There were less attendance as compared to last year (I can understand this after the high-octaned El Clasicos).
2. Iniesta is still my crouching tiger , hidden champion - The load he is taking in the midfield is seriously an issue. While Xavi and Busquets assist him regularly, Iniesta was the only one today to tackle and pass the ball to Messi frequently. Why this happened? I don't have an answer for that.
3. Messi was really blocked today ! - Yeah a team like Espanyol should be proud of that and other teams should watch their formation. Chica and Raul from Espanyol were consistently intercepting passes to Messi so as to avoid the galore of goals.

- Pawan
(HASTA MUERTA PARA BARCA)

Blaugrana

If you ask me when I fell in love with FC Barcelona, I will tell you that it was when Rivaldo scored that beautiful chilena, that bicycle kick, against Valencia in the last game of the season about nine years ago, for the 2000-2001 season. Rivaldo scored three goals to Valencia’s two, and Barça needed to win in order to make the Champions League. If you haven’t seen these goals and Rivaldo’s brilliance, take a look:

I was fourteen, and I was watching with my father, who seemed to know everything about every team we watched on TV. He would tell me about Barça’s rivalry with los merengues, about who was who, and he encouraged me to love soccer/football in general, as he does. It wasn’t until the last few years or so that I realized my love for FCB. I knew somehow that they were my team—I used to paint my nails in their colors in high school, I would try to model my own style of play off the Barça midfield, and every time they played I would be anxious and excited all at once. Once I did some research into the history of the club, its politics and ideals, its contributions to society and what it strived for, as well as the history of the city of Barcelona itself and its context in the Iberian Peninsula as part of Spain, then it all began to fall into place as part of my own identity. I still carry my father’s ideals and strive for neutrality and common sense when it comes to watching and analyzing football, but with Barça I cannot remain this way.

Aside from Rivaldo’s amazing skill with the chilena, there is another part of that particular game that warms my soul and puts a goofy grin on my face: the reaction of the suits in the stands to Rivaldo’s third goal. Watch the passion and relief in the thrusting of the arms of the men in the expensive seats. I wish we would see more of this today, though I understand why we do not. Still, I love seeing Laporta’s small, smug smile whenever Barça won or scored a particularly brilliant goal, while his companion of the opposite team would be expressionless in a similar situation. That pride of Barcelona.

Those of us here in the States, for example, or in any part of the world not historically Catalán, who make our own decisions to follow Barça do so for many reasons. Someone I know followed Real Madrid because Hugo Sanchez played for them, and Sanchez is Mexican, like this man; when Rafa Marquez showed up for Barça, this man switched his loyalties because now there was a Mexican playing for Barça. I did so on a feeling, but also at fourteen I really liked the flash and genius of Rivaldo as well as how well the dark red and blue looked together on the uniform.

What about you?