EL-CLASSICO(NOW THAT THE MIGHTY HAS FALLEN)

As the players filed out with high expectations, viewers across the globe were in high spirit and a lot of excitement surrounded the much talked about tie.

Some said it was a war of C. Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi, others said Guardiola vs Mourinho. Whatever anyone said,it was going to be a thrilling encounter.

LINE-UP
Barcelona lined up a 4-3-3 formation with Valdes in goal: Alves,Pique,Puyol,Abidal,Xavi,Busquets,Iniesta,Pedro,Messi,Villa.
Madrid lined up a 4-5-1 formation with Casillas in goal: Ramos,Carvalho,Pepe,Marcelo,Alonso,Khedira,Ozil,Ronaldo,Di Maria,Benzema.

1ST HALF
In the early stages of the first half,barcelona were more tactical as they looked to pick the ball quickly in the mid-field and send it to the left flank. They did this with an aim of disorienting Madrid's 5-man midfield.They were quick with their passes and this did not give Madrid mid-fielders particular players to mark.Xavi was the commander of this game play and distributed passes as quickly as he ran forward to score the first goal. The quick play at the center of the park allowed Villa enough space and time to think anytime the ball was sprayed to him. Iniesta constantly joined Villa on the left flank to cause Ramos more troubles as Ronaldo drifted to the centre of the field,leaving Ramos with no support behind.Even now,I wonder why Alonso or Khedira was not present to support Ramos in marking these Spanish 'wizards'.But for two good runs,Messi did not do more than pass the ball excellently in the first half. The two goals scored by Xavi and Pedro in the half showed how quick Barca can attack and use the ball to the detriment of their opponents.After these two goals,Madrid struggled to find their feet but it almost appeared as a repay of the Germany-Spain world cup match. The individual abilites of the Barca players was on display as they kept possession wonderfully.

2ND HALF
The half-time substitution of Ozil for Diarra was an evidence of confusion in the Madrid bench.At half time,I expected the special one to bring on a more-attacking player for Khedira instead of Ozil. I was amazed at the simplest of tactics with which Guardiola defeated Mourinho as he switched his attack from the left to the right in the second half,thereby causing Marcelo a lot of problems. In this half,Messi and Pedro did the same job which Villa and Iniesta did in the first half.If you followed the game,you would notice Messi set Villa up for two goals in almost the same fashion that Iniesta set Xavi up for the first goal. If only Madrid had known that the second half would cause more problems for them than the first!Once again,Messi showed class as he dished through passes to Villa for two brilliant finishes by the man i like to call the 'number 1 goalscorer of today'.Villa makes goalscoring seem an easy task.After much pressure on Marcelo,Mourinho took him off for Arbeloa who did a better job defensively.Carvalho was lucky not to have been sent off when he used his hands to stop a goal-bound move by Pedro.Later in the game,it was Ramos who was going to get his matching orders. Bojan and Jeffren came on later in the game and the youngsters teamed up to register their presence on the pitch as the former swung in a great pass to the latter for a clinical finish.
In a nutshell, Barcelona made the match seem like a training session.

SUBSTITUTIONS
DIARRA --> OZIL(MADRID)
ARBELOA --> MARCELO(MADRID)

BOJAN --> VILLA
KEITA --> XAVI
JEFFREN --> PEDRO

Watch out for the next post on the 4-3-3 formation.

ARSENAL-TOTTENHAM(THE NORTH LONDON DERBY)

I've been away for a while but now back and better.Learnt so much in little time.
The game is:

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur

Barclays Premier League, Emirates Stadium

Saturday, November 20, 2010, 12:45

Referee:‬ Phil Dowd

Arsenal news: Jack Wilshere passed a fitness test on Friday and will be named in the squad. Laurent Koscielny is back from suspension. Robin van Persie had 45 minutes more football with Holland this week but is highly unlikely to start.

Tottenham news: Striker Jermain Defoe, having recovered from ankle surgery, is back in training and is included in Harry Redknapp’s squad, and will likely be used as a substitute.Lennon could also play some part in this fixture.

The North London derby promises to be an entertaining one as both teams have always been known for their abilities to come all out and attack their opponents.Flashes of class and pace will be the highlight of the game but I see Arsenal carrying the day as they tend to be more technically disciplined. I expect the Arsenal midfield to put pressure on Spurs and make it very difficult for them to find their feet for most of the game.

On the other hand anyway,one cannot rule out the 'bullet' pace of Bale and the thunderous strikes from the left foot of Van der Vaart.Tottenham are a very strong side too and could go out to pick 1 or 3 points in this early kick off.

I however do not see this as a 'Modric vs Fabregas' game as players like Nasri and Bale have been in excellent form this season.I also believe that if both coaches place Walcott and Bale on the right and left flanks of their teams respectively,it is going to be much action on one side of the fray.Nevertheless, I do not see Walcott starting this game.

Whatever the results turn out to be,we are assured of a fun-filled,all-attacking afternoon.

I will be here after the game to highlight the technicalities and tactical activities of the match,rating and analyzing each player in the process.

While some say it is a battle between Fabregas and Modric, I see it as a battle between these men who are techincally sound and mentally alert;