Sunday, May 1, 2011

The Truth: Real lost "of" the plot

Attack, every wily general and accomplished coach would affirm, is the best form of defence.

So why did Jose Mourinho opt for a highly defensive, almost brutal, game in the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona earlier this week? Especially, when he had the means and resources to play equally attackingfootball?

In one stroke, he reduced the Galacticos to a sad caricature; he demolished the great legacy of Real Madrid in those 90 minutes and even turned the beautiful game into an ugly brawl. Worse, he lost 0-2.

But then, Mourinho's philosophy has always been the same: victory at any cost. It didn't matter how much money he had at his fingertips or how much talent in the dugout; he simply devised strategies to win matches. They are not meant to win hearts.

On the face of it, it was a fair ploy: Barcelona are too sublime to be stopped; give them space and they will build castles around you. They come in waves, each more enthralling and compelling than the other. Many times, even the opposition wants to just sit and enjoy them.

Mourinho clearly wasn't into scoring on Wednesday night; he was more interested in not conceding the away goal. He believed Barcelona could be put under pressure, maybe even beaten, this way in the reverse leg; isn't that how he had anyway outmanoeuvred them in the last game and earned a draw in the previous one too?

The crafty strategist forgot one little thing: Lionel Messi. The Argentine, for the most part, looks disinterested during a game; it's almost like he is in a park, out for a walk. Hand him a ball and he suddenly comes to life; with tiny, almost impossible to catch steps, he darts past defenders.

The ball, almost magically, stays glued to his feet until he is ready to pass it or to deliver the final blow. Real Madrid made the mistake of not watching him in the 76th minute; in the 87th minute, they could do nothing but watch as he outwitted four of them, plus the goalkeeper.

Mourinho probably realized that he just couldn't stop Messi; so he decided to stop the entire Barca side. Hustling, attacking, pushing and pulling, his seven-strong defence did everything to disrupt Barcelona's rhythm, their ballet with the ball. It worked for the most part.

The only problem was that Pep Guardiola was prepared this time: he too employed the same aggressive stratagem, even allowing his boys to resort to theatrics. Almost everyone fell at the merest of touches, screamed in agony and made Real look uglier than they really were.

Ronaldo simply didn't have a chance; there was hardly scope for a counter-attack anyway.

On Wednesday night, inevitably, Mourinho was probably the most hated figure in football. But even in defeat, well after the match was over, the Portuguese played a final card: he accused UEFA, the referees and indeed the world of helping Barcelona in these high-profile games.

It may not give him the two goals needed in the away game later this week; but it will surely not be easy to show Real the red card there; it will be even more difficult to look beyond the fouls of Barca's players either. Sadly for him, he doesn't have a choice now: he has to attack from the word go.

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