The Sids 2013

It's the Sids 2013! The complete review of La Liga 2012-13

From Messi's miracles to the player who lived his dream as a fan it is time for the annual end-of-season Spanish football awards

In the end it was Tito Vilanova's season and Eric Abidal's too. They became the symbol of the suffering and the success of Barcelona's fourth league title in five years, the feeling in their celebrations.

And yet there was something strange about the 2012-2013 campaign, Barcelona's greatest ever season greeted like a disappointment. The league was won so early that there was something anticlimactic about it and they finished without the injured Leo Messi, without the Champions League, destroyed 7-0 over two legs by Bayern Munich.

They finished too with that nagging sense that something, or maybe many things, were not quite right. Again, Abidal was a symbol: he returned to action 402 days after having undergone a liver transplant, but departed in tears, the promise broken.

Barcelona also missed out on the Copa del Rey, where they had been knocked out by Madrid and were defeated by their rivals' subs in the league. But this was a colossal season for Barcelona, not least given the problems they faced. Javier Mascherano put it well when he noted: "Our coach is not in New York on holiday, you know." Even with illness and injury, even with a short squad that desperately lacks defenders, even with the doubts, they still produced a near perfect 2012: 17 wins and one draw, 2-2 against Madrid. José Mourinho claims that he ended Barcelona's hegemony but Barcelona won the league again, 15 points ahead of Madrid. That's the biggest ever gap between first and second. They equalled Madrid's points record, reaching 100.

Meanwhile, Mourinho and Madrid were unravelling and as each layer fell away, it became clearer that those stories, dismissed as "literature" by the club's president, were largely true. Mourinho gave up the league title before Christmas, which might not have mattered had his team not been knocked out in Europe and however much they sold "success", everyone knew this was not it. The divisions grew more entrenched, the battle bitter, complete with press campaigns, punishments and even a pre-match plebiscite.

When the man assumed to be Mourinho's faithful defender turned it was hard not to think: "Et tu, Pepe?" Alvaro Arbeloa still stood up for his coach but by then he stood alone. And by then, Mourinho had long departed – mentally if not physically.

By then, too, his team had lost the Copa del Rey final to Atlético Madrid.

The Rojiblancos finally defeated their rivals for the first time since 1999. Atlético also took up a place in the Champions League after finishing third, where they will be joined by Real Sociedad, the best team to watch in the second half of the season. European places went to Valencia, who Real overtook on the final day, and to Betis – another team that was brilliant to watch on a shoestring. With Málaga and Rayo both denied Uefa licences, there could still be a European place for Betis's city rivals Sevilla, all the way down in ninth. A team that didn't win a single away game.

Good news for Sevilla, not so good for the league: an eloquent comment on a league that is, at an organisational shambles; a competition where financial crisis grips and no one can compete with the big two. Not just compete: where nobody else even seems to matter. Which is a pity, because beyond Madrid and Barcelona, there are great stories, great games and great players. But for how long? Radamel Falcao has already gone and so have Fernando Llorente and Jesús Navas. They will almost certainly be just the first as a familiar trend continues, a trend in which everyone else's good players depart. The winter transfer window was reality, laid bare. Less money was spent in the whole of Spain than QPR spent on Chris Samba.

This was also the season that was marked by match fixing, after Levante midfielder Barkero accused his team-mates of selling themselves following a 4-0 defeat by Deportivo de La Coruña. Allegations like those are nothing new in Spain; in fact, they have long been indulged as just one of those things, accepted as part of the game. But this time is different; this time it could even be good news. The incoming league president Javier Tebas insisted that he was going to make match-fixing his priority – why he didn't when he was vice-president and de facto president is another question – and launched an investigation, with evidence passed on to the anti-corruption attorney. Maybe this time something will actually be done.

At least the scandal meant that the familiar whiff that surrounds the final day was not there this time; alarm bells had been sounded, players and presidents warned. They were being watched. On the final day, four teams could go down; in the end, Deportivo, Zaragoza and Mallorca did, while the side that stayed up were Celta de Vigo, prompting a proper party, with fans hanging off the crossbar and players disappearing tearfully under piles of bodies, emerging in just their pants.

Iago Aspas's suicidal head-butt in the Galician derby and subsequent four-game ban had not cost his team relegation after all. Instead, he provided the assist that saved them. No wonder he was delighted. No wonder Hugo Mallo was too. And not just because he's the first man up as the Guardian once again hands out the most prestigious awards in the game …

Best fan

Hugo Mallo finally lived his dream of travelling to the Galician derby to watch his beloved Celta face Deportivo in enemy territory with his mates from the Iago Aspas fan club. Mallo boarded the bus, posed with a For Sale sign superimposed across debt-ridden Depor's badge while his mates gigglingly stuck it up on Twitter, and then sang his way through the journey before heading into the stadium two hours before kick off, ready for war. It was dark but he wore sunglasses and pulled his hood up, shouting for Depor's fans to come and have a go if they thought they were hard enough, singling out his victims and grabbing his crotch, inviting them to get their lips round this until a policeman in riot gear intervened. All of which would be pretty tame, but for one thing: Hugo Mallo is not just a Celta de Vigo fan, he is a Celta de Vigo player.

Best put-down

One man not impressed with Mallo, or team-mate Iago Aspas whose red card in that game cost Celta victory and almost survival was striker Mario Bermejo.
"When you go to bed with children," he declared, "you wake up covered in piss."

Speaking of which …

Least prepared player

Goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz was nowhere to be seen when Athletic Bilbao v Granada kicked off. "I was still in the toilet when I heard the whistle," he admitted afterwards.

Best fans' wind-up

Sevilla is one of the great Spanish cities but if there is one thing that it hasn't got, and one thing that the rest of Andalusia loves to remind them that it hasn't got, it's a beach. So when Sevilla played at the Rosaleda, Málaga fans spent the game playing with lilos, dinghies, rubber rings and beach balls, sending them bouncing around the stands and laughing at their sea-less rivals.

Most excruciatingly embarrassing moment

Step forward, Alex Song.

Second most excruciatingly embarrassing moment

At the end of the Copa del Rey final, José Mourinho decided not to go up to collect his medal but the assistant coach Aitor Karanka did, leaving King Juan Carlos turning to the Federation president and asking: "So, what, do I give it to this bloke?"
 

Best threat

Atlético's Madrid's rock band lead singing, former goalkeeping assistant coach Germán "the monkey" Burgos was one man who wouldn't let himself be pushed around by José Mourinho, warning the Madrid manager: "I'm not Tito: I'll tear your head off." Mind you, that's nowhere near as frightening hearing the quiet click of the door closing behind you and turning round to see Levante centre-back and man mountain Sergio Ballesteros standing there in just a towel. "It got a bit messy because it seems I'm not allowed to be there," Ballesteros innocently said of his accidental arrival in the Madrid medical room, where he ended up in fight with Pepe.
"If he doesn't like this sport, he can take up boxing," Sergio Ramos said.

Least committed player

If Muniain was rumbled, that was nothing compared to Granada's Italian striker Antonio Floro Flores, who told his manager that he was struggling for fitness and wouldn't be available for their game against Espanyol … before heading off to the Sierra Nevada for a spot of skiing. He would have got away with it too if it hadn't been for that pesky fan and his camera phone.

Best shirts

Imagine your favourite player running out with your name on the front of his shirt? Well, that's more or less what Real Sociedad did against Sevilla. They held a draw amongst their members, pulling out 22 members' names to be worn on the front of the shirts, from Cándida López to Jon Igay, from Igor Marín to Alex Townend. "It's time to reveal the best sponsor in our history," ran the campaign "… you."

Best newspaper cover

Another award for Sport, who managed to sum up absolutely everything in a single headline. 24 hours after Barcelona were hammered 4-0 by Bayern Munich, they ran with "Madrid concede four as well." Because that makes it all right.

Best post-match interview

When Canal Plus's touchline reporter Ricardo Sierra asked Cesc Fábregas about his slightly theatrical role in Gary Medel's red card after Barcelona's win at Sevilla, the midfielder replied: "he touched my face with his forehead ... if you like, I can do that to you and see what you think."

Best coach's protest

Diego Simeone, who came off his bench to remonstrate with the referee for showing a red card. To opposition manager Mauricio Pellegrino.

Best coach

Philippe Montanier took Real Sociedad back to the Champions League despite not always having fans and club behind him, except in the "carrying knives" sense of the word.
Ernesto Valverde turned Valencia round but finally gave up negotiating with the president to stay next year because every time he went back the president was a different man. Pepe Mel continues to do a superb job at Betis, whilst writing best-selling thrillers. Paco Jémez's team are almost as stylish as his elbow-padded jackets and jazzy waistcoats.
And Manuel Pellegrini briefly made Málaga everyone's other team. But it is hard to look beyond Diego Simeone: he has exorcised an entire club, built a team in his image, won three trophies in 18 months and finally defeated Real Madrid for the first time this millennium.
In the Copa del Rey final at the Bernabéu.

Team of the Season

GK: Courtois (Atlético)
RB: Carlos Martínez (Real Sociedad)
CB: Miranda (Atlético)
CB: Iñigo Martínez (Real Sociedad)
LB: Filipe Luis (Atlético)
M: Sergio Busquets
M: Xabi Prieto (Real Sociedad)
M: Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona)
S: Leo Messi (Barcelona)
S: Radamel Falcao (Atlético)
S: Cristiano Ronaldo (Madrid)
Subs: Rubén Castro (Betis), Ozil, Varane (Madrid), Negredo, Rakitic (Sevilla), Soldado (Valencia), Piti (Rayo), Isco (Málaga), Illarramendi, Vela (Real Sociedad), Arda, Costa (Atlético).

Finally, a few quotes

"I put the telly on for the last three minutes. They didn't show the game really, they just kept focusing on the bench." – Tito Vilanova nails it.

"Mourinho has put us back where we're supposed to be." – Florentino Pérez.

Hang on a minute, you're supposed to be empty-handed and 15 points behind Barcelona?

"When you look at possession, they didn't dominate us." – Xavi Hernández becomes a self parody after Barcelona's 7-0 aggregate battering at the hands of Bayern.

"At 11pm, I'm asleep." – Spain's kick-off times don't exactly suit Radamel Falcao.

"After losing to Sevilla, our fans couldn't give a toss about Madrid." – Pepe Mel misjudges the mood just a little. Betis beat Madrid and their fans looked like they did give a toss or two.

"We need bollocks." – Manolo Jiménez reverts to type. Besides, Zaragoza's problem was not that they needed bollocks; Zaragoza's problem was that they were bollocks.

"Mourinho always shows his face; he never hides." – Aitor Karanka.

"As soon as Abidal plays a game we'll renew his contract." – Barcelona vice-president Josep María Bartomeu, in December: What was that word again? Ah, yes, valors.

"I wanted to score that goal for all the kids who laugh at my son every day for being an Atlético fan." – For João Miranda, this time it was personal.

"You can be suspicious of Levante-Celta too. There are always suspicions; it cannot just be focused on our match." – Manuel Pablo doesn't so much say that Deportivo are innocent, as say that everyone else is guilty too.

Barcelona European Semifinals record

2001: E3  Barcelona - Liverpool 0-0 
2002: E1  Barcelona - Real Madrid 0-2
2006: E1  Barcelona - Milan 0-0 (Second Leg; Qualification)
2008: E1  Barcelona - Manchester United 0-0
2009: E1  Barcelona - Chelsea 0-0
2010: E1  Barcelona - Internazionale 1-0 (Second Leg; Failure)
2011: E1  Barcelona - Real Madrid 1-1 (Second Leg; Qualification)
2012: E1  Barcelona - Chelsea 2-2 (Second Leg; Failure)
2013: E1  Barcelona - Bayern Munchen 0-3 (Second Leg; Failure)

P  W D L  GF GA  GD
9  1 6 2   4  8  -4

Away:

2001: E3  @ Liverpool 0-1 (Second Leg; Failure)
2002: E1  @ Real Madrid 1-1 (Second Leg; Failure)
2006: E1  @ Milan 1-0
2008: E1  @ Manchester United 0-1 (Second Leg; Failure)
2009: E1  @ Chelsea 1-1 (Second Leg; Qualification)
2010: E1  @ Internazionale 1-3
2011: E1  @ Real Madrid 2-0
2012: E1  @ Chelsea 0-1
2013: E1  @ Bayern Munchen 0-4

P  W D L  GF GA  GD 
9  2 2 5   6 12  -6



Total:
P  W D L  GF GA  GD    QF    QFSLH  QFSLA
9  1 6 2   4  8  -4   3/9     2/5    1/4

J. Wilson: Will the football world now follow Bayern's method rather than Barça's?

Tiki-taka is not dead but Tuesday's game showed the centre of New Total Football has moved from Barcelona to Munich

 

 

The sun has set on the age of Barcelona and dawn has broken on the bright new age of Bayern Munich. Bayern's demolition of Barça last night certainly had the sense of a game that changed the order of things – even in advance it felt like an era-defining game. It crystallised the sense that Barça are not quite what they were, a weary shadow of the team that won the Champions League in 2011, and that Bayern are rising, inspired by a crop of fine young players and German economic might.

As such the victory – aside for all but ensuring Bayern's place in the Champions League final – has largely symbolic value. That was the moment, historians will say (assuming things pan out as we think they will) when the crown was passed on. Except, of course, that it's not that simple, not least because eras are no longer so easy to define as they used to be. Look down the list of European Cup winners and there are reasonably clear divisions: the age of Real Madrid separated from the era of Catenaccio and Milanese domination by the Benfica interregnum, the total footballing time of Ajax and Bayern Munich, then the period of English domination that was ended at Heysel. That led to a period of flux before the arrival of Arrigo Sacchi's Milan.

Since the Champions League began, though, no side has retained the title, let alone won three in a row. More good teams are involved and the way money is distributed has led to the creation of a self-perpetuating elite of perhaps half a dozen sides with a changing group of perhaps half a dozen more (themselves drawn from a pool of probably 10-15 teams with the very occasional outlier) challenging them each season. That in turn has brought more competitive, perhaps even better, games in the later stages of the competition, which has made it harder for even the very best to sustain success. Previously the elite could afford an off-day against a lesser opponent; now there are fewer lesser opponents in the knockout stage and the slightest slip can mean elimination.

The Champions League began with Italian domination as Milan and Juventus each reached three finals in a row, but each won only one of them. Real Madrid then won three Champions Leagues in five years before the balance shifted to the Premier League, which produced seven finalists (although only three winners) between 2005 and 2012, and Barcelona (the two eras, confusingly, running for a time in parallel).

Few would dispute that Barcelona has been Europe's leading club over the past half-decade, and the achievement of reaching six successive semi-finals speaks of a great consistency of quality. Yet they have won only two of them: they were squeezed out by Manchester United in 2008 and were the victims of extraordinary defensive performances from Internazionale in 2010 and Chelsea last year. History will wonder how a side widely – and rightly – hailed as one of the greatest there has ever been, won only two Champions Leagues.

Of course next year, such a reflection could seem hideously premature. It may be that, hopefully fully recovered from cancer, Tito Vilanova, can next season re-energise this side, can restore the spark and the invention whose absence meant that, despite dominating possession last night, Barça rarely looked like scoring. Perhaps he can even teach them how to repel set plays or persuade the board to sign a defender who can defend. This, after all, is not an old team; although Carles Puyol is 35 and Xavi 33 none of the other regular outfielders is over 30.

There was a sense of staleness about Barcelona last night, something that perhaps explains the over-reliance on Lionel Messi. The great Hungarian coach Bela Guttmann, of course, believed no side could endure more than three years without major changes and the danger of familiarity was something of which Pep Guardiola seemed acutely conscious without ever being able to combat it.

Part of the problem has been that so few of the players Barcelona have signed, outsiders who weren't developed at La Masia (and even one who was) have truly integrated: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexis Sánchez, Cesc Fábregas, Dmytro Chyhrynskyi, Alex Song, even David Villa to an extent (although his broken leg perhaps provides some mitigation), have been a disappointment, and that has severely compromised the process of transition.

Almost more than trophies – although there were plenty of them under Guardiola – what defined the years of Barcelona's dominance was their style. Others may not have been able to ape tiki-taka precisely, but there are very few top sides now who don't look to dominate possession and press the opponent high up the pitch.

To suggest, as some have done, that Bayern's victory somehow ends tiki-taka is ludicrous. Their style is itself based on similar principles, on control of possession and winning the ball back high up the pitch – themselves core tenets of Total Football, which has underpinned Barcelona's football since Rinus Michels moved there from Ajax in 1971.

The German variant of the philosophy, which eschewed pressing, underpinned the successes of Bayern and Borussia Mönchengladbach in the seventies. The two came together as Jupp Heynckes, who played for Gladbach, succeeded Louis van Gaal, who had taken his modernised version of Total Football from Ajax to Barcelona in 1997, at Bayern two years ago.

Only Barcelona have higher possession stats and have completed a higher percentage of passes than Bayern in Europe's top five leagues this season. That Bayern last night achieved only 37% possession is because they modified – or were forced to modify – their approach against the only side better than them at holding the ball in Europe. The core philosophy of both is the same.

Bayern are perhaps a little more physical and a little more direct than Barça but there is a reason they have appointed Guardiola as their manager next season. The era of the New Total Football continues, it's just that its centre has moved from Barcelona to Munich.

Jonathan Wilson: Mourinho exit strategy getting messy

"Have you considered resigning?"

"I have considered staying."

Jose Mourinho said little but said it all. Perhaps the most eloquent comment on his time at Real Madrid in general, and on the way it is drawing to a close in particular, was made during a press conference this week when he said he might stay ... and said it as a threat.
Make no mistake: there are Madrid fans who want Mourinho to continue. In fact, there are those who are terrified of the life after him, of a power and personality vacuum, a return to old vices where authority is absent. Some feel that Madrid will collapse in his wake; they also think that his departure represents a defeat, the failure to implement a new model that the club desperately needed. Other fans, for all the confrontation right now, would soon fall back into line if he did continue and particularly if he wins.

Mourinho has given two press conferences in the last week. The first justified his record, arguing that three Champions League semifinals in a row for Real Madrid represents a significant improvement, and pointed the finger of blame at two main culprits: the media and Iker Casillas. Mourinho had complained that, according to the press, victories were always the team's, but defeats were always his alone; not for the first time he offered the alternative view. Anybody's fault but mine.

A few days later, Pepe, always assumed to be amongst those players closest to Mourinho, but now knowing that his coach would be leaving and his captain would not, insisted that Mourinho's words were "inappropriate" and that Casillas deserved more respect. The division was public. 

In the meantime, president Florentino Pérez appealed for unity to see out the season, insisting that the players would come together. He made no mention of the coach, but the message got through that he preferred Mourinho not to speak. Which pretty much guaranteed that Mourinho did speak. He dismissed Pepe as a "frustrated" man who had lost his place to Raphael Varane. In a comment that appeared directed at Pérez, he noted how football was like society: "hypocritical." 

There was also an apparent dig at Cristiano Ronaldo when he said that Madrid had not lost the league having started off "sad" -- a reference to Ronaldo's famous complaint in the autumn. And he said something bound to irritate Madrid fans: he called Barcelona the best team in the world over the last 20 or 30 years. Then he mentioned the prospect of staying. 

Mourinho has not spoken to his players for the last four days. The relationship with many of them has broken down entirely. Before the Málaga game on Wednesday some fans whistled him. There is a tense calm, but the feeling that an explosion is imminent does not go away. Mourinho seems ready to explode. His players are deserting him. Those that are not jumping ship are being pushed overboard. The media are laying into him, although much of the media already did, sometimes viciously so.

On one level at least, that appears to suit Mourinho: why should he protect people he considered responsible for his problems over the last three years? It does him no harm to leave behind a mess for another manager to clean up. The worse his successor, the better he looks. Blaming others reduces his own culpability. And then there's the other question: the exit strategy.

When Mourinho said that he might stay, it underlined an inescapable truth: Mourinho's tenure has reached a point where he has to go. But someone needs to make that happen and carry the can -- emotionally and economically. Put in blunt terms, Madrid wants Mourinho to resign, Mourinho wants Madrid to sack him. A compensation clause means that the party that unilaterally breaks the contract has to pay a figure which, midseason, was understood to be around €20 million but in the close season may be closer to €10 million.

Neither side wants to pay that, and the most logical solution is an agreement where the contract is rescinded by "mutual consent" and any fees are waived. But neither side entirely trusts the other, hence the threat. What Mourinho is essentially saying to Madrid is: handle this the right way or I'll announce that I'm staying, sticking a massive spanner in the works.

Brian Clough Quotes

1. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but then again I wasn’t on that particular job.”

2. On dealing with player disagreements: “We talk about it for 20 minutes and then we decide I was right.”

3. ”David Seaman is a handsome young man but he spends too much time looking in his mirror rather than at the ball. You can’t keep goal with hair like that.”

4. On aerial football: ”If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he’d have put grass up there.”

6. On Martin O’Neil’s success at Leicester City: ”Anybody who can do anything in Leicester other than knit a jumper has got to be a genius. If he’d been English or Swedish, he’d have walked the England job.”

8. On Sven getting the England job: ”At last we’ve appointed a manager who speaks English better than the players.”

9. After a streaker interrupted Derby’s game against Man Utd: ”The Derby players saw more of his balls than the one they’re meant to be playing with!”








19. To the Forest physio after Stuart Pearce suffered a concussion in an FA Cup game: ”Tell him he’s Pele and that he’s playing up front for the last 10 minutes.”

20. After Martin O’Neil asked why he’d been dropped to the reserves: “Because you’re too good for the first team.”

21. “Beckham? His wife can’t sing and his barber can’t cut hair.” 

22. On guessing who nominated him for a knighthood: “I thought it was my next-door neighbour because I think she felt that if I got something like that I would have to move.”


24. On pasty Forest midfielder Brian Rice: “I’m not saying he’s pale and thin, but the maid in our hotel room pulled back the sheets and remade the bed without realising he was still in it!”

25. “Ah yes, Frank Sinatra. He met me once y’know?”

26. “Telling a player to get his hair cut counts as coaching as far as I’m concerned.”

If I went back in time to 2003 and told you everything that happened in soccer over the next ten years, which event would be hardest to believe?

Greece win Euro 2004

New Zealand would be the only undefeated team in the 2010 World Cup Group stage.

Qatar getting to host the 2022 World Cup.

Rangers would be bankrupt and relegated to the lowest league going.

Ryan Giggs would still be playing for Manchester United who are still one of the top clubs in the PL/World

That Spain (the national team) will dominate the footballing world.

England's "golden generation" failed to qualify for euro 08

That Cristiano Ronaldo would become a player with a ~ 1:1 goals to matches played ratio for Real Madrid. And that he'll be the second player in the world while doing it.

Arsenal would go undefeated the whole next season

Liverpool coming back from being down 3 goals in the Champions league final vs AC Milan in 2005 to win it in penalties

Arsenal would go 8+ years without a trophy with Wenger at the helm

Raúl leaving Real Madrid...

Del Piero leaving Juventus.

That we [City] would win the league. We'd just got back into the premier league at this point so the idea of winning the whole thing?

Juventus being relegated in Serie B the same year Italy won the World Cup with several of its players.

Real Madrid hasn't won la decima yet.

Zidane playing hist last official game headbutts an Italian dude in the final of the next World Cup and gets red carded

Chelsea would win the CL vs. Munich at Munich.

The extent of Leeds' fall (they've as good as turned to a feeder club for Norwich, ffs)

Spurs being at least as good as if not better than Arsenal.

A 4th division side (Swansea) playing some of best football in the league and winning a cup. It's been pretty well documented how close they came to exiting the football league in 2003.

Arsenal losing 8-2.

Manchester City would win the Premier League after being down 7(?) points with 6 games left against Manchester United

The scale of this whole Pep and Messi business. Early 2000's were not exactly glorious years for Barca.

That Sepp Blatter is still in charge of FIFA in 2013 and that the FIFA WC 2022 will be held in fucking Qatar of all places.

That Michael Owen would never achieve greatness again.

Le Tallec was not the new Zidane.

Portsmouth would win the FA Cup and then be relegated and put into receivership many times over to the point they'd end up in league two.

That Germany does a 180 and starts to have some of the most promising talent around, yet be no more successful than in the dark years.

Three English teams winning the Champions League finals on Penalty Shootouts.

That Zlatan will bring Juve, Inter and Milan the scudetto.

North Korea actually played in the World Cup

Inter winning a league title (for once proving they are a big team by finally winning league titles. Also Inter winning a CL and becoming the only team in Italian football history to win the treble.

Brazil's arguable best player refuses to move to Europe.

Pre-match MIL-BCN [2-0]

Jandito22 asks: "What's the current situation with Gerard Deulofeu? He's been doing well for the B team and has quite a bit of hype behind him, yet he's only made a handful of first team appearances. Barcelona's wide men haven't exactly been in great form this year. Could we get a look at Deulofeu in place of Alexis or Pedro anytime soon?"

Sid replies:

He's the player, as you probably know, who they are the most excited about from the youth system. Extremely talented, if a little individualistic. I think the intention is for him to get some first-team minutes, but he has had fewer than most people expected. Vicente del Bosque dropped a fascinating hint in an interview we did with him on Al Primer Toque: he said that he was going to call him up for the Spain squad and was advised against it (by Barcelona).

 Nico1866 asks: "Will the lack of competition at the top of La Liga start to erode the quality of Real Madrid and Barcelona in the long term? Could this be the season in which they start to pull out the Old Firm excuses of 'we play crap teams every week making it harder to step in in Europe'?"Sid replies:

I think this is a real danger and one that, for reasons I do not full understand, Madrid and Barcelona don't seem to see or don't want to see. But – caveat time – the rest of the teams in Spain are not necessarily weak (Athletic and Atlético showed that last year and Malaga walked their Champions League group). They are getting weakened constantly, so the process has begun and I think it may well impinge on the big two at some stage. Their sights are set on a European league. The problem they have is that the big teams they think would go with them from Germany, England, etc, are not so keen to leave their domestic leagues behind as Madrid and Barcelona are. Incidentally, the other day I was reading a book on Real Madrid from 1961 and they were talking about the inevitability of a European league in 'a few years'. Nothing has changed. Speaking of which, they were also slagging off the English style compared to Spain as too rigid, not creative enough, a bit neanderthal.

Arglc asks: "Would Barcelona be a match for Bayern Munich on current form?"Sid replies:

I guess it depends what current form means. Right now, if they faced each other, I'd be tempted to have Bayern down as favourites.

KevinDavies14 asks: "Is Barcelona v Bayern now the purists' final? Imagine, the sexiness of Schweinsteiger against the bastard Busquets – delicious! Plus don't you think Kroos would be a better fit for Barcelona than Fabregas?"Sid replies:

Cesc is playing really well this year and he also ticks the emotional boxes. He's Catalan, a youth teamer, a Barcelona fan, has the style of play (that said, he is more 'vertical' than most his team mates). But, yeah, I've really liked Kroos when I've seen him.

ColdCoffee writes: "I agreed with your article from earlier today. Barcelona look vulnerable this season. I also find it interesting that they have had no superiority over Real Madrid whatsoever this season on a head-to-head basis.
Clearly, as you say, they have not been sufficiently challenged. But don't you think in a way that's just what they need? Isn't it true that in the post-Rijkaard era, Barcelona have been at their very best when challenged?"Sid replies:

Not quite true: in the first of the two Super Cup games they battered Madrid (and were then close to battered back in the second game). I think you're probably right; they need that competitive push to bring th ebest out of them. Focus improves, the speed of the passing, the finishing too.

Elscollonsdelgos declares: "A lot has been said about Barça not being what they were during Guardiola's first years but I kind of like the way they stick with Vilanova and then Roure when any other club would have rushed out and brought a big name in. I also think they've played some pretty good football this season- 65 points can't be a fluke- despite the slapstick defence when they panic. Sid, can you answer these statements as if they were questions?"
Sid replies:

Yes, of course. Tito Vilanova appeared to forfeit a little bit of control in return for more decisiveness. They allowed the other team to play a tad more so that they could open the game up more. It felt, in that sense, perhaps a little less dogmatic.
Also, the defensive problems early in the season: well, they had most their defenders out. It's forgotten that Adriano (!) played at centre-back, for example, against Madrid. Now the defence is back (ish ... Puyol/Pique do not partner each other as often as they would like) but it's the traditional time of year that they dip (January-February) and they have lacked that real need which might improve them. Valdes' form has dipped too.

 Jonwoo writes: "I read your column on Valdes in Sports Illustrated. How are the Spanish press treating him at the moment? For such a key part of their treble team, I would have thought people would wish him well for the years of loyal service. Plus, as good as he is, there are better keepers out there."
Sid replies:

Yes, they did. He was mostly understood, cheered at next game, etc. Media (under influence?) spectacularly misjudged the public mood on Valdes. In terms of his replacement, Reina is one to keep an eye on.