a break from the nail-baiting liga finale

...well, at least this weekend, when I can see my beloved Albicelestes in action once again, even if it's one of those silly exhibition friendlies I dislike so much.

But before that, Phil Ball is as always spot on with his remarks about Barca's somewhat unseemingly but also encouragingly spirited performance against Getafe:

Ronaldinho...will be out of Barça's last two games...having been sent off for kicking Getafe's Belenguer up the bum at the end of the first half of their 1-0 home win at the weekend. Then again, Belenguer had been kicking Ronaldinho for the best part of the first half, but the referee was Pérez Burrul, possibly the worst of an appalling bunch, and one wholly incapable of distinguishing his own arse from his elbow, no matter a foul from a legal tackle. Burrul, according to Messi in a post-match press conference, warned the Argentine before the game that if he dived, he would 'pay the consequences'. Talk about guilty before being proved innocent.

Sid Lowe is also as consistently entertaining as always, and worth reading about the entire state of the La Liga as it stands now.

And lastly, on an internationals-related note: congratulations to David Beckham. He fully deserves not only the recall, but a proper mea culpa from Steve McClaren about the way he was treated as a scrapegoat after the World Cup.

Atletico 0 - 6 Barca

(Image courtesy of Sport)

Goals: Messi 39, Zambrotta 43, Eto'o 46, Ronaldinho 58, Messi 80, Iniesta 90.

Holy shit. That was...not the result I expected. Okay, boys, you have this fan back on board. Keep doing that and you might have a chance to redeem the season.

More later. Oh yes.

(General impression so far is that Barca were not worth that scoreline, but Atletico proved their ability to collapse yet again. They won this fixture quite handily last season, let's not forget, against a Barca in much better form and spirit. Not that I'm complaining. Lord knows I rather pessimistically thought we were going to the Calderon to give up the title.

And for those crowing about this match being thrown by Atletico: I really don't think they'd jeopardize their own European chances like this. Plus, throwing a match does not require one to be humiliated in one's own stadium.)

ETA: "This gives us hope," said Rijkaard.

Getafe 4 - 0 Barcelona (6 - 5 agg)

I have nothing to say that is printable. Neither does young Leo Messi, probably.

Like I said in the comments of the Barcelona Offside blog, somebody please convince me otherwise or prove me wrong, but right now it seems to me that the season can only go further down the pan from here. Crash and burn, all the hubris going down in flames.

I will say this, though: if Real win the league playing the way they've been all season, it will be Barca's fault and I'll be kind of pissed.

(If we don't bounce back against Real Betis, then it really is over.)

Edited to add:

"Getafe deserved this win and they should be congratulated, while we must digest what has happened. It is not easy because there are defeats and then there are defeats. This one is very difficult. Whatever happens now we have to keep on going and try to finish the season with dignity.

I know everyone is going to say it was ridiculous and we are suffering. It is clear that we were completely useless tonight. I do not feel ashamed, but I must ask for forgiveness from the club's supporters. Now we must restore our pride after one of the hardest nights of my life."

- Frank Rijkaard in his post match press conference.

Champions League, Premiership and La Liga musings

(Still far too busy, but how can I resist commenting on the state of affairs at such an exciting time?)

Liverpool v AC Milan

It's funny, isn't it, that perhaps the less fancied of the four sides in the semi-final actually made it through. Remember when everyone was frothing at the mouth at the idea of 3 gigantic Man Utd-Chelsea clashes in the space of a month to decide masters of England and Europe? At the time, I quietly suggested to some friends that the idea might be a bit much for those who were not fans of the two clubs involved, all respect for their achievements aside. Needn't have worried.

Predictably, Rafa Benitez proved once and for all that he does indeed have Jose Mourinho's number (what a shame he's not sharing the secret with the rest of us), while less predictably the decorated veterans of Milan proved they still had enough in them for one more shot at glory.

Milan and Liverpool are second and third on the list of most European Cup final appearances respectively. They've both had their periods of utter domination over the competition and countless unforgettable moments, sometimes at each other's expense.

No doubt Milan and their supporters are eager to erase the memory of the 2005 final by triumphing this time around. It won't be easy, but if they do pull it off, then Kaka has perhaps gone some way to earning the title of 'best player in the world' now being bestowed on him - sometimes by admiring English journalists after his display against Man Utd. And of course it will be a worthy parting gift for some of the veterans.

As for Liverpool, another European crown would probably make up for the disappointments they've suffered in the Premiership and domestic cup competitions this season. And they deserve it, having made their way past not inconsiderable obstacles in Barca and Chelsea. It's not a complete team, not yet, but Rafa Benitez is the master of making the whole far greater than the parts, and that is entirely admirable.

(As a sidenote, how pleased am I that Mascherano's talents are finally being recognised and given a platform to shine again? He's surely earned his spot on the national team back.)

More later, when the game is imminent.

Manchester United - Champions 06-07

Congratulations are in order for a tremendous achievement, given the opponent they were up against. Whatever the disappointments of this season (and I do understand the Champions League complex, given that Barca's record in the CL is just as spotty), this was probably more than even Sir Alex dared hope for at the beginning of the season.

As for young Cristiano Ronaldo, is he the best player in the world? I don't think so, not yet. But he's damn good, and he's done more than anyone could have predicted this season. He'd have a much easier time of it in a league like La Liga, which is accommodating towards players of his type, but staying at United was absolutely the correct decision for his development. I started out quite leery of him because of the diving, but the way he's weathered the abuse and grown from the experience has made me reconsider.

A few weeks ago, I thought United had choked and all the good work was going to go to waste. But they proved to be made of stronger stuff, even with players dropping like flies with injuries. Where they go from here is a tricky question, and transfer window activity or lack of from them is going to be interesting to watch.

Chelsea

I've read a fair few post-mortems of their Premiership ambitions now, written by supporters and by journalists, and one theme stands out. They all talk about pride. The pride with which Chelsea fought back in the second half of their game against Arsenal, the pride displayed by Mourinho after the game.

Even with my extremely unfavourable view of Mourinho, I still have to respect that pride, and the fighting spirit associated with it which he has carefully cultivated in his team. This season events have achieved the remarkable feat of both deepening my dislike of him and nudging me into defending him. Having said all that, and therefore hopefully given you a balanced view of my opinion of Mourinho, I would like to put to you my response to all the protestations of moral victory:

If your team ethic is built on winning at any cost, both literal and figurative, then what happens when you don't win?

That is my question, stemming from my personal view of what football is, and what it isn't.

(Edit: the ever admirable Kevin McCarra of the Guardian makes the same point in his article today with greater eloquence.)

Having said that, I would like to pay my respects to a player I don't actually like, but can't help admiring. Everyone pillored him for not adjusting immediately to Premiership football, but he's been immense this season, and anything Chelsea achieve will owe a lot to his contribution. Yeah, I'm talking about the same guy who I slated in my Barca v Chelsea match report as a diving thug - Didier Drogba, of course. He's still got that unpleasant side, and that's why I've yet to warm to him, but lord can he play. Tireless and a force to strike fear into the hearts of defenders all over (but especially Phillipe Senderos, the poor man), Mourinho probably wishes his entire team were as hard-working as Drogba and the equally indispensable Michael Essien.

West Ham

I completely understand the outrage of those who are angry that they're going to benefit from an illegal transfer without any punishment where it hurts, and the associated unfairness towards the other clubs battling relegation, but my sentimental side wins out in this one: seeing the fantastic rapport between the Hammers faithful and Carlos Tevez swayed me. If he does manage to lead them to survival, that debt of faith he now owes them would be repaid. And he's doing a wonderful job of it so far.

La Liga Title Race

I'm going to have no nails by the time this is over. As things stand with five rounds to go, the consensus seems to be that Barca, Sevilla (4 points off) and Real Madrid (2 points off) are all still in it, while Valencia only have an outside shot of closing the 6 point gap between them and the top. The fixture lists of the top 4 look remarkable similar, with matchs against moderately tricky teams like Recreativo, Espanyol and Zaragoza dominating. It's practically impossible to call, to be honest.

It's going be a matter of who blinks first. Ahh, the drama.

Barca

We've been getting results, sort of, but we've also been lucky to be playing the bottom of the league these last few weeks. Form is not quite all there, which is quite worrying. We're reliant on our stars producing their moments of magic for the game-winner, and our master goalscorer finding the net when we need him to.

In the last two seasons, Samuel Eto'o has been crucial in the title run-in. When the team seemed to be out of form and running out of steam, he would pop up and score that all-important goal to ensure the points. It's an unfair burden to put on his shoulders, given his injury complications this season, but isn't it funny how a player who missed 5 months of the season through injury could still end up making the most important contributions?

Actually, if you think about it, it's really not. Some members of the squad have been immense this season, others not so much. But that's for the end of the season. Right now, no one should be thinking of anything else other than working to secure the title. I live in hope.