Barca, Barca, Barca: historic treble

The Eternal City has witnessed the triumph of an unforgettable Barça. The victory against Manchester United has brought the Club its third Champions League / European Cup and an historic treble. Barça, Barça, Barça!

We all know about the Barça of the Five Cups and the Dream Team. Now we have the Barça of the treble. Josep Guardiola’s unbelievable first season as head coach has culminated in taking the Champions League away from Manchester United, until now widely considered the best team in the world. The English champions were looking to be the first side to win back-to-back Champions Leagues. But now there is a new champion. Barça.

The first treble of the 21st century

Until now, only four teams could boast of having achieved the treble of league, Cup and Champions League / European Cup: Celtic (1967), Ajax (1972), PSV Eindhoven (1988) and Manchester United (1999). Now FC Barcelona has entered that select group, the first team to do so in the ferociously competitive 21st century. The 27th May will now be a day for all Barça fans to celebrate.

A love of good football

And what makes victory taste even sweeter is that Barça has risen to the top of European football playing the kind of football that has delighted fans everywhere. The whole of Europe recognizes the Barça style, the natural successor to Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team.

The current squad of players has played a fundamental role. In these days of chequebook teambuilding, Barça has reached the top with 7 first team players that have come up through the Barça youth ranks. This combination of home-grown talent and foreign stars is again a reflection of the Club’s policy of remaining true to its local roots.

Guardiola's role

Guardiola has downplayed the significance of his contribution but there is no doubt that he has changed the face of the team in just one short year. His capacity for leadership, his ability to motivate the players and make them believe in themselves, combined with an extraordinary capacity for work and technical analysis of the game are factors, backed up by results, which have found him a place in the history of FC Barcelona and football in general.

These are the same virtues we saw a year ago (in charge of Barça B) and which won him the chance to lead the first team. It wasn’t an easy decision but it has turned out to be correct. Now the Barça family can enjoy the fruits of that decision.

He took charge of Barça B and won promotion from the Third Division to Second Division B. A year later as first team coach he has led the team to an historic treble.

He’s only 38 but he has already won the respect of the entire world of football. And yet in every public utterance he plays down his role and passes all the credit to his players. “I’m fortunate to have these players”. However, we all recognize the vital role he has played throughout an amazing season.

He started his coaching career just a year ago with the Barça reserve squad and has now established himself among the elite of European football coaches.

Promotion in his first season

After qualifying as a coach, Pep took over Barça B for the 2007-08 season – his objective was to win promotion. More than that he took the team to first place and then won promotion in the playoffs.

Glory in his second season

At the end of last season, Josep Guardiola was appointed first team head coach. The results couldn’t have been better. The world of football has showered him with praise for the quality of Barça’s football and the team has achieved the first ever treble.

The youngest

Josep Guardiola has also become the third youngest manager to win European football’s top club competition and the youngest of the Champions League era. He also joins that small band of professional who have won the trophy as both a player and as a manager - Miguel Muñoz, Giovanni Trapattoni, Johan Cruyff, Carlo Ancelotti and Frank Rijkaard.

“I can’t do more”

Immediately after the match he was asked, touch in cheek, if he would now be leaving the Club. Guardiola smiled and joked: “I can’t do more”.

He also placed the team’s achievement in context. “This is the legacy left behind by Cruyff and Charly (Rexach). They’re the parents of the baby”.

Committed players

The players have given him their all right from the beginning of the season. The fantastic harmony between players and coach was perfectly demonstrated by the celebrations on Wednesday evening and previously after winning the league and the Cup –on each occasion the players sought him out to carry him on their shoulders. And although Guardiola wanted to stay out of the limelight in Rome, Thierry Henry gave him the trophy to offer to the fans.

5 finals: 2 cups

FC Barcelona will play in the sixth European Cup final when they appear in Rome later this month when they will be attempting to win the trophy for the third time in the club's history.

Following their successes in Paris and London and the defeats in Berne, Sevilla and Athens, the final in Roma will give Pep Guardiola's side a chance to write their name into the Blaugrana's history books with a famous win against Manchester United.

The second in Paris: 2-1 (2005-06)

Barça won the trophy for the second time in the French capital as they came back to beat Arsenal in the Stade de France. After 12 years without playing in the final, Frank Rijkaard's side completed a glorious season by winning through to play in what proved to be a dramatic encounter.

After going behind to a goal from Sol Campbell, Barça then saw their oponents reduced to ten men as Jens Lehmann was sent off after 18 minutes. In the second half Samuel Eto'o levelled matters before substitute Juliano Belletti netted the winner to give Barça a 2-1 victory.

The end of a era: 0-4 (1993-94)

Johan Cruyff's Dream Team travelled to Athens aiming to put on a great display of football as they had been doing throughout that season and were keen to win the European Cup for the second time in three seasons to add to their four consecutive league titles.

Despite naming his strongest side for the game, that included Ronald Koeman, Pep Guardiola, Hristo Stoichkov and Romario, Cruyff's side were to be undone by Fabio Capello's AC Milan as they lost 4-0. Daniele Massaro netted twice, while Dejan Savicevic and Marcelo Desailly scored one apiece.

The trophy arrives: 1-0 (1991-92)

Having lost two finals, Barça were to end that run by lifting the trophy at teh mythical Wembley Stadium against Sampdoria. The Dream Team were at their best and they produced a great performance, but had to be at their best against a strong Italian outfit in the English capital.

Coach Johan Cruyff ensured that his side maintained their style and their spirit, but even he would not have thought that the game would be so close. It was won in extra-time by a stunning free-kick from Ronald Koeman.

A lost opportunity: 0-0 lost on penalties (1985-86)

After 25 years without playing in the final of the European Cup, Terry Venables took his title winning team to the Sánchez Pizjuán in Seville to take on Steaua Bucharest in a game in which they were clear favourites to win and become the best side on the continent.

But it was not to be as the Blaugrana's opponents played very defensively and were able to keep Barça out as the game ended goalless. Urruti did superbly in the resulting penalty shot as he stopped two of the four penalties in the Andalucian capital. But at the other end Helmuth Duckadam saved all four spot-kicks and earned his side their one and only triumph of the trophy.

Bern - the first disappointment: 2-3 (1960-61)

After Real Madrid had won five consecutive finals, FC Barcelona took on Benfica in Berne with the chance to break los Merengues' hegemony and become the first other team to win the continental trophy.

Luck however was not on Barça's side as Enrique Orizaola's side hit the woodwork on no less than four times in the Wankdorf Stadium. Things started well as Sandor Kocsis put Barça ahead, before Jose Aguas, and Mario Coluna netted and Antoni Ramallets scored an own goal as Benfica went two ahead. Zoltan Czibor did reduce the arrears with 15 minutes left, but it was not enough.

Barca, toujours Barca...

Quel match hier soir....

Fantastique.
C'est vraiment triste pour Chelsea et je suis triste pour Drogba.
Autant le Barca pouvait se plaindre de l'arbitrage au match aller, autant Chelsea peut se plaindre de l'arbitrage au match retour.
Mais ce fut un tres mauvais coaching de Guus Hiddink: sortir Drogba alors que le Barca venait de perdre un defenseur. Sachant la menace constante que pose Drogba sur n'importe quelle defense, il ne fallait pas le sortir, pour miser sur une courte victoire de 1 a 0 sur une equipe reduite a dix.

De plus, Essien a ete l'homme du match pour Chelsea et... Barca:
1. Il a marque un but magnifique des la 9e minute alors que le Barca tenait le match, et
2. Il a loupe le degagement sur un controle manque d'Eto'o, ce qui a permis a Messi de donner une passe en or a Iniesta qui crucifia les Blues a la ... 93e minute, sur leur premier tir cadre.

C'est cruel!
Mais c'est le foot.

Je ne pense pas que ce Chelsea aurait battu ManU en finale. Donc vaut mieux pour eux de ne pas vivre 2 fois de suite le meme traumatisme.
Ce n'est pas dit que le Barca fera mieux. Mais ni le Barca, ni ManU n'ont perdu une finale de Champions League. Ca sera une premiere pour les 2 equipes.

Quelle belle finale a venir.

Le Barca étrille le Real. Une voie royale pour le titre

Cinq minutes. Le rêve du Real Madrid aura duré cinq minutes. Revenu à quatre points du FC Barcelone le week-end dernier, les Merengue, étrillés à Bernabeu par un leader désormais sur la voie royale (2-6), ont briévement entretenu l'espoir de tout relancer dans la course au titre. Bien entrés dans ce Clasico décisif, les Madrilènes n'étaient plus virtuellement qu'à une longueur de leur adversaire lorsque Gonzalo Hinguain a ouvert la marque d'un coup de tête du point de penalty à la réception d'un centre de Sergio Ramos (13e). Mais la réaction catalane a très vite étouffé les velléités du club de la capitale de renverser le cours de la Liga. Cinq minutes après le but madrilène, Thierry Henry, auteur d'un doublé samedi soir, a ramené les deux équipes à égalité en profitant d'une ouverture millimétrée de Lionel Messi, double buteur lui aussi (18e). Le début de la fin pour le Real.

Comme un symbole, le capitaine catalan Carles Puyol a donné l'avantage aux Blaugrana en reprenant victorieusement de la tête un coup franc de Xavi, le premier but de la saison du défenseur central qui a fêté l'événement devant le peuple de Castille en embrassant goulument son brassard aux couleurs de la Catalogne, encore un symbole (20e). En atteignant la pause avec deux buts d'avance après un extérieur du gauche victorieux de Messi sur une perte de balle de Lassana Diarra (35e), le FC Barcelone avait déjà assomé son rival historique. Il n'avait pourtant gagné qu'un seul des six derniers chocs (au match aller, 2-0) et se présentait dans l'antre de son meilleur ennemi après deux nuls en Liga (2-2 à Valence) et en C1 (0-0 face à Chelsea). La deuxième période, copier/coller de la première -premier but madrilène puis avalanche barcelonaise- a donné au Clasico des allures de leçon. On avait hâte pour le Real que l'arbitre arrête les frais...

Une tête de près de Sergio Ramos a redonné quelques couleurs aux Merengue en ramenant le score à 3-2 (56e) puis la meilleure attaque d'Europe s'est remise à l'ouvrage. Comme au début du match, c'est Thierry Henry qui a très vite donné la réplique en expédiant une ouverture de Xavi dans le but vide d'Iker Casillas sorti à sa rencontre (58e). Messi a ensuite surpris le dernier rempart madrilène d'une frappe au premier poteau (75e) et Piqué a conclu la marque dans un angle fermé, isncrivant au passage le... 100e but du Barça cette saison (83e). Autre record : la triplette Eto'o - Messi - Henry a désormais dépassé la "Sainte Trinité" du Real de la saison 1960-61 en inscrivant d'ores et déjà trois buts de plus qu'elle (69 contre 66). Bien sûr, ce Barça exceptionnel n'est pas encore certain de gagner son premier titre depuis 2006. Mais avec sept longueurs de retard et une différence de buts astronomique, on n'ose imaginer que le Real puisse recoller lors des quatre dernières rencontres.

Je ne vois pas comment le Barca pourrait perdre ce titre. Il lui faut maintenant gagner à Stamford Bridge contre Chelsea pour aussi espérer faire un remake de la saison 2006: Champion d'Espagne et Champion d'Europe (contre Arsenal).

PS: Arsenal a très peu de chance de passer la demi-finale :-(