SB Nation User Blog: Right Foot de Koeman

Champions League Draw

Right Foot de Koeman — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:44:23 -0000

Champions League is by far my favorite club tournament and the first knockout round draw was held today and turned out some pretty interesting match ups:

Chelsea FC (ENG) v Juventus (ITA)

Villarreal CF (ESP) v Panathinaikos FC (GRE)

Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) v FC Bayern München (GER)

Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP) v FC Porto (POR)

Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) v FC Barcelona (ESP)

Real Madrid CF (ESP) v Liverpool FC (ENG)

Arsenal FC (ENG) v AS Roma (ITA)

FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) v Manchester United FC (ENG)

It is clear that the best match up is between Inter and Man U. Mourniho going head to head with Fergie. You would have to think Mourinho's experience in the EPL gives him the best shot at dethroning the champs. Also, interestingly enough the other EPL teams have draws against historically strong opponents. Except their current versions are not as impressive, most definitely Liverpool may actually be the luckiest ones facing Real Madrid. Then again, the transfer window is opening up soon and Madrid could get healthy before the first leg in February.

My ultimate hope is that instead of seeing the EPL teams all advance and make it deep like last season, we will see La Liga teams repeat the feat of having 3 of 4 semifinalists (of course, I'm hoping Real Madrid crash out soon).

My Barca have definitely gotten the draw I wanted most. They could have drawn Inter, Roma, Arsenal, or Lyon. The Italian clubs scared me due to the Italian shut down defense and no one ever wants to travel to England to play Arsenal, especially since the styles of the two sides aren't too far off.

First Legs-February 24/25 - Teams in the left column host

Second Legs - March 10/11

Season Over: Barcelona crash out of Champions League Final

Right Foot de Koeman — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:01:40 -0000

404 minutes

That is how long since Barcelona scored a goal.

That is why Rijkaard will not be on Barcelona's bench next season.

That is why Thierry Henry will be heading out of the Nou.

That is Exhibit A of how important Ronaldinho is to this team.

That is why my hair has grayed so much over the past couple of months.

That is why we will end this season with no trophies.

And that is why the high expectations of the preseason seem eons ago.

Half-time: 1:0 Man Utd, Barcelona have 45 minutes to salvage season

Right Foot de Koeman — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:45:03 -0000

Thanks to the most fundamental defensive mistake by Zambrotta, Scholes put Man Utd up 1-0 with a great strike. Every single futbol coach teaches their defenders to never clear the ball to the center of the pitch. And that is exactly what Zambrotta did! Aghhh. Thankfully, we always new Barcelona needed to score one goal. And they have had some nice chances and the first 15 minutes were great (until Scholes's goal). We are still in it.

Let's see what Rijkaard does. Do we see Henry? I think we need someone else with a nose for goal.

Crossing fingers!!!

90 Minutes to Moscow: Barcelona - Manchester United at Old Tratford

Right Foot de Koeman — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:26:46 -0000

90 Minutes. By the end of 90 minutes we will likely have 1/2 of the 2008 Champions League final match-up set. Disaster or glory awaits both of these clubs. Two clubs that had the highest of expectations at the beginning of the season face off to head to Moscow. The amazing thing is that the loser of this match may in fact end up trophyless this season. Barca's season success hinges on the next 90 minutes and Man Utd are hanging on to the EPL title by Goal Difference.

Who's the pressure on? I don't know. Man Utd have to be seen as favorites playing at home needing a win. But you cannot say Barcelona have nothing to play for. There is plenty of evidence to show that this might be the last meaningful match for this group of players.

What does Barcelona need to do? They need to do something they have not done in 314 minutes, score a goal. An early goal will put all the pressure on Man Utd to score twice. If Barca cannot score early, they will have to withstand the early onslaught that is sure to come. Barcelona will on occasion have to just go for goal. Too often they could not crack Man Utd's 1/3 of the field and waited too long for that perfect pass. When Henry came on with a nice strike in the 85th minute in the 1st leg it was actually the best chance all match. Man Utd ended up sitting back because they knew Barca weren't going to strike from outside the box. They have to keep the defenders on their toes and their is no doubt all of Barca's attackers are capable of long strikes.

Key Players - The obvious choices are Ronaldo and Messi, but I don't expect either of them to disappoint. I see Tevez and Deco as more critical for either teams success. If Tevez can replace the bulldog nature of Rooney, he could give Puyol and the back 4 trouble. Barca seem to have trouble with players of that nature and only Puyol is capable of 1 on 1 tackles w/o fouling. And as I have said over and over again, Deco is critical for Barca. His work rate in the midfield helps Barcelona maintain possession and reduce Man Utd's counterattacks. If we can get the same performance from Deco as in the 1st leg, I think we will have a great chance at stealing this match. His doggedness is even more important away.

Key Absence It is hard to figure if Man Utd will miss Rooney or Vidic more. Tevez is a capable replacement to Rooney with similar stlye. Vidic has a settling effect on the Man Utd Defense. But I will say I'm glad to see that Rooney is nowhere near the pitch!

For Barca, the most interesting (temporary) absence is Henry's start on the bench. You figure his years of success at Old Tratford would have earned him a starting spot. However, if Barca is down at the half, I see Henry coming in at the beginning of the 2nd half.

Prediction-An Amazing Match!

Official line-ups:

Manchester United:

HARGREAVES----FERDINAND---WES BROWN---EVRA
----------------CARRICK-------------SCHOLES---------
NANI------------------------------------------------PARK
-----------------RONALDO--------TEVEZ-----------------

Bench: Kuszack, Anderson, O'shea, Giggs, Fletcher, Silvestre, Welbeck

Rooney and Vidic are not on the bench*

FC Barcelona:

-------------------VALDES------------------
ZAMBROTTA----PUYOL----MILITO-----ABIDAL
-------------------TOURE--------------------
------------XAVI----------DECO-------------
MESSI-------------ETO'O-------------INIESTA

Bench: Pinto, Gudjohsnen, Henry, Edmilson, Sylvinho, Thuram, Bojan

Man Utd have a rough weekend too!

Right Foot de Koeman — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:43:54 -0000

Manchester United also suffered a defeat at the weekend. Chelsea knocked off Man U 2-1 to go equal on points with Man U with 2 matches to remain. Man Utd are ahead on goal difference. When it seemed like Man Utd would have clinched the EPL title by this weekend, Man Utd have some more pressure on them because of the potential they will be finishing the season empty handed if they don't win their next three matches (Barcelona, Wigan, and West Ham).

I hope we see Man Utd play with that pressure on their shoulders and if Barcelona can come out and score quickly Man Utd will press even more.

Another thing that Man Utd will have to contend with is the absence of Rooney and Vidic. It is uncertain whether both will be in the line-up. Despite Ferguson's statements that he will be unleashing Rooney on Barca's defense, it is unclear if he will be healthy after picking up a hip injury.

26 hours and counting...

It's official: No Liga this season for Barcelona

Right Foot de Koeman — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:33:59 -0000

Barcelona seem to have resigned themselves to a 3rd place finish. Deportivo deserved their 2-0 win against a Barca side that was filled with substitutes. Rijkaard was clearly resting players for the midweek champions league fixture. I have not problem with that and Deportivo have been on a hot streak recently. It is official, La Liga is now a 2 dog fight between Villareal and Real Madrid. But in reality, Madrid needs one more win and it's theirs (aghhh!!!). Barcelona have fallen 4 points behind Villareal for the 2nd spot (in reality 5 points due to H2H). It looks like Barca's season will start in late July for 3rd round Champions League qualifying. This will be rough considering the many players who will be playing in the Euro 2008. But let's not worry about this now.

For me, La Liga can be described with one word: Frustrating!

Manchester United to Face Chelsea for EPL Title, Why Should Barcelona care?

Right Foot de Koeman — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:31:52 -0000

Tomorrow afternoon, Manchester United will be looking to effectively clinch the EPL title against fellow Champions League contenders Chelsea. Tomorrow's match will be a hard fought battle and it could rarely wear out some Man Utd players. Chelsea play a stagnant, physical brand of futbol that could cause Barca's complete contrast of play confuse Man U a little. I know this is being hopeful, but I sincerely believe that a strong effort by Chelsea could be an advantage to Barca. I see two potential scenarios playing out that may be positive for Barca:

A Man Utd win would clinch the title and set off a day or so of massive celebration. Hopefully there will be a win hangover that will diminish the tenacity of Man U.
A Man Utd loss would shift a lot of pressure on Man U in that if they lose to Barca on Tuesday they may be on the path to win no hardware if Chelsea overtakes them. They may play tight in front of a nervous Old Tratford crowd.

Trust me, I know these are all views of Barca hopeful and they aren't driven much in reality. But hey, I can still cross my fingers can't I.

Barcelona dominate possession, but head to Old Tratford 0-0

Right Foot de Koeman — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:40:27 -0000

Barcelona controlled possession for an mesmerizing 65% of the time, however, were unable to convert that into goals. Barca was lucky to escape with a 0-0 score line as Cristiano missed 2nd minute penalty after a Milito handball. After that miss, Barcelona eased into full control of the match with Man U rarely threatening. Unfortunatley, Barca had very few clean shots at goal and the best came in the 86th minute from Henry, who had come on late in the 2nd half. Other than that Van Der Sar was not tested.

Honestly, I was impressed with Barca's performance. Anyone who has been watching them the past month would be shocked at the high quality of play that Barca produced. Sure they did not score, but they did face arguably the top club in the world right now. I feared C. Ronaldo, but he was definitely blunted (and pushed around). Even though Messi could not contribute much, his presence provided Barca with another threat that they have been missing for the past few weeks. Also, I was quite happy with Deco's introduction into the squad. He did look rusty, but I have always viewed him as a controlling figure in the midfield. Barca do not have as many lulls on the pitch when he plays. Next week we will be missing Marquez, but Puyol will be back. I am not feeling confident about next week, but I think Barca has the opportunity and moments of class to put in that single away goal.

Advantage Man U, but Barca still have a great shot if they play as well and structured as they did today.

6 days til 2nd leg at Old Tratford...

Manchester United v. Barcelona - 1st Leg to Save Barcelona's season

Right Foot de Koeman — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:08:56 -0000

Barcelona are effectively done in La Liga, save for fighting for the 2nd automatic qualifier for next seasons Champions League. They were eliminated by eventual Copa Del Rey champion Valencia and now face the current juggernauts of Europe, Manchester United. This semifinal will likely make or break this season. Heck, the season may already be broken but for me, a Champions League victory is glory enough. However, Barcelona have stumbled for the past few weeks in falling out of La Liga and the Copa. Take a look at their recent results since the 1st leg of the Copa Semis:

Valencia 1 - 1 (Copa)
@ Atlético M 2 - 4
Celtic 1 - 0 (CL)
Villarreal     1 - 2
Almeria     2 - 2
@Valencia     2 - 3 (Copa)
Valladolid     4 - 1
@Real Betis     2 - 3
@Schalke 04     1 - 0 (CL)
Getafe     0 - 0
Schalke 04 1 - 0 (CL)
@Recreativo 2 - 2
Espanyol 0 - 0

So in their last 11 matches, Barcelona has 4 victories. 2 against Schalke 04, 1 against Celtic , and 1 against cellar dwellers Valladolid. Beating 2 teams from the 2nd tier leagues is not all that impressive. In that time span, Barca have been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and have earned 7pts out of a possible 21 in La Liga and have seen themselves dropping behind Villareal in the race to the 2nd automatic qualifier. They must have more points than Villareal at the end of the season because if they are equal on points, Villareal will get the nod thanks to dominating Barca in 2 head to head matches.

But all of this can be set aside (or almost all of this) if Barcelona can take care of business in these next two legs. The feat will be quite a task. I understand that these are two juggernaut European powers, but a more astute observer will see that these two teams are playing on a different level than one another, Man U ready to clinch the EPL with Barca struggling to stay together. A team that has seen their Ronnie elevate his game to another level (Man U) and the other that is watching their once talismanic striker exit stage left (Barca). The fortunes of these teams are clearly diverging, but they have met at this spot and can put on quite the show for us fans. Just look at this list of stars that will be on the field at the same time:

C. Ronaldo
Wayne Rooney
Carlos Tevez
Thierry Henry
Samuel Eto'o
Lionel Messi

....and I'm just scratching the surface obviously, but I'm definitely looking forward to an exciting match that I'm sure will include a lot of nail biting. The onus is on Barca to perform as the home side. I'm curious to see how Barca will react to a team that Barca will have difficulty in dominating possession against and more importantly how will they deal with Ronaldo's cutting runs. Barca will also have to deal with a couple of towering players like Rio Ferdinand on set pieces, something that has been one of Barca's weakest links.

I'm hoping for the magic of 2005-2006. And Messi, I'm looking to you!

Catalan Derby: Espanyol come to the Nou

Right Foot de Koeman — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:32:57 -0000

Last year this derby helped decide the winner of La Liga with Espanyol destroying Barca's chances with Tamudo's 88th minute equalizer. This time around, it is more about European positioning. It should definitely be a match, but I'm curious how many starters Rijkaard is going to rest for the midweek clash with Man United. Barca looking to firm their grip on the 2nd automatic qualifying Champions League spot and Espanyol looking to get back into the UEFA cup race.

Match may lack the excitement of years past, but lets hope Barca can take a solid performance into their major clash with Man U.