Slipperduke
The Camden Cad
Barcelona booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 1-0 win over Schalke, but they were made to work for it in a game that could have been over by half-time, had the Germans taken their chances. Mirko Slomka's side were timid and over-cautious in the first leg in Gelsenkirchen, but they were ferocious at the Nou Camp, tearing their hosts apart with ease, but failing to convert any of their opportunites. A freakish Yaya Toure goal before half-time killed the game, sending Schalke down the tunnel wondering what might have been.
For almost the entire first period, Barcelona were nothing but a back-four left open to the elements. The Catalans are capable of some sublime football, but everything depends on Toure clattering around the pitch breaking up attacks and allowing Xavi and Andres Iniesta the freedom to dictate the play. If Toure goes missing, as he did here, the entire edifice falls apart. Slomka's men were like locusts, swarming unmolested across the half-way line, laying waste to everything in their path. They had eleven chances before the break and they should have scored at least three of them. Kevin Kuranyi was the biggest culprit, failing to take advantage of two gilt-edged opportunities in the six yard box.
With Toure's goal to calm the nerves, the second half was more comfortable, but Sir Alex Ferguson won't see anything in the scouting reports to concern him. The latest wonderkid off the conveyor belt, Bojan, zipped about and created a handful of chances and Thierry Henry was guilty of missing an absolute sitter, but Barcelona seemed happier to keep the ball and exhaust the Germans rather than doing anything constructive to end the tie quickly. Jermaine Jones ran his heart out for Schalke, but they couldn't replicate their earlier dominance and the game fizzled out into a scoreline that no-one will be happy with.
Something is rotten in the Nou Camp. Their fans rewarded last weekend's turgid 0-0 draw with Getafe by waving their white hankies en masse which might sound like a tame protest, but in Spain it's the most grevious insult deliverable. When Bojan was withdrawn with 20 minutes to play, the white hankies came out again and Rijkaard was subjected to intense abuse from all sides of the stadium. The supporters have lost faith in the Dutchman and they know that this side is capable of much, much better. Unfortunately for them, it's clear that unless there are dramatic developments in the next fortnight, there is no way that they will be going to Moscow in May. Manchester United will be far too strong for them.
It's difficult to pinpoint what exactly has gone wrong becuase the simple answer is; everything. There doesn't seem to be any balance in their ranks at all. There are a set of world class defenders there and a huge collection of divine attackers, but there is no team. Spanish journalists have been whispering for some time about Rijkaard's lack of discipline and there may be something in that. They seem lethargic and content to do the bare minimum in order to progress. The loss of Henk Ten Cate, their abrasive coach, to Chelsea may have cost them dearly as it was his 'good cop, bad cop' routine with Rijkaard that was at the base of much of Barcelona's recent success.
All the flair and talent in the world is nothing without work-rate and tactical coherence. They are missing Deco and Lionel Messi as well as tubby Ronaldinho, but it's no excuse for a performance as gutless and feeble as this. Barcelona must improve and they must improve quickly because after this display it's clear that it should be Schalke visiting Old Trafford in the semi-finals and not them.
For almost the entire first period, Barcelona were nothing but a back-four left open to the elements. The Catalans are capable of some sublime football, but everything depends on Toure clattering around the pitch breaking up attacks and allowing Xavi and Andres Iniesta the freedom to dictate the play. If Toure goes missing, as he did here, the entire edifice falls apart. Slomka's men were like locusts, swarming unmolested across the half-way line, laying waste to everything in their path. They had eleven chances before the break and they should have scored at least three of them. Kevin Kuranyi was the biggest culprit, failing to take advantage of two gilt-edged opportunities in the six yard box.
With Toure's goal to calm the nerves, the second half was more comfortable, but Sir Alex Ferguson won't see anything in the scouting reports to concern him. The latest wonderkid off the conveyor belt, Bojan, zipped about and created a handful of chances and Thierry Henry was guilty of missing an absolute sitter, but Barcelona seemed happier to keep the ball and exhaust the Germans rather than doing anything constructive to end the tie quickly. Jermaine Jones ran his heart out for Schalke, but they couldn't replicate their earlier dominance and the game fizzled out into a scoreline that no-one will be happy with.
Something is rotten in the Nou Camp. Their fans rewarded last weekend's turgid 0-0 draw with Getafe by waving their white hankies en masse which might sound like a tame protest, but in Spain it's the most grevious insult deliverable. When Bojan was withdrawn with 20 minutes to play, the white hankies came out again and Rijkaard was subjected to intense abuse from all sides of the stadium. The supporters have lost faith in the Dutchman and they know that this side is capable of much, much better. Unfortunately for them, it's clear that unless there are dramatic developments in the next fortnight, there is no way that they will be going to Moscow in May. Manchester United will be far too strong for them.
It's difficult to pinpoint what exactly has gone wrong becuase the simple answer is; everything. There doesn't seem to be any balance in their ranks at all. There are a set of world class defenders there and a huge collection of divine attackers, but there is no team. Spanish journalists have been whispering for some time about Rijkaard's lack of discipline and there may be something in that. They seem lethargic and content to do the bare minimum in order to progress. The loss of Henk Ten Cate, their abrasive coach, to Chelsea may have cost them dearly as it was his 'good cop, bad cop' routine with Rijkaard that was at the base of much of Barcelona's recent success.
All the flair and talent in the world is nothing without work-rate and tactical coherence. They are missing Deco and Lionel Messi as well as tubby Ronaldinho, but it's no excuse for a performance as gutless and feeble as this. Barcelona must improve and they must improve quickly because after this display it's clear that it should be Schalke visiting Old Trafford in the semi-finals and not them.
