Book Review

Graham Hunter: Barca – The making of the greatest team in the world

If you were contemplating buying this book but have since decided against it after Guardiola’s departure and Barcelona’s surrender of both the La Liga and Champions League crowns, then you’ve made a bad decision. A really bad decision.

Hunter’s book closely examines goings on behind the scenes at the Camp Nou and the chain of events that led to the construction of what many believe to be the world’s greatest ever team, a journey not so simple as many will believe.

The book is neatly divided into chapters, with each of Barca’s key players featured, as well as a an examination of a number of other important factors in the story. Hunter examines the journeys of the likes of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta from their early days at La Masia right through to their recent achievements at the height of the game.

My favourite chapter is the one detailing the recently departed Pep Guardiola. The section really emphasizes how Barca early on believed that the Catalan had all the right credentials to eventually become the first team manager and how their belief was eventually rewarded with success. All of this despite the fact that Guardiola had no managerial experience before initially being appointed as manager of Barcelona B.

Hunter’s knowledge about the club is unparalleled, stemming from the fact that he has spent over a decade working in and around the club and as a result has become good friends with many of the players and key powerbrokers at the club.

Away from the chapters featuring Guardiola and his former charges, are detailed accounts about the sewing of the seeds of the Barcelona ethos and La Masia, Barca’s famed academy amongst others.

Each section is slick and smooth reading and enlightening with facts that are guaranteed to surprise the reader, such as the fact that both Messi and Iniesta were once on the verge of sealing loan moves to Glasgow Rangers!

Some chapters do overlap chronologically, but this is a necessity in providing such extensive coverage of each respective subject.

The general chronology of the book is as follows; the coming of Cruyff and the instillation of the Barca philosophy, the baron years of foreign imports and financial mismanagement under Van Gaal and Gaspart, the arrival of Rijkaard and his early success and then subsequent decline and then recovery and prosperity under Guardiola.

Throughout the book runs the obvious theme of Barcelona being a vehicle of Catalan identity and how many of the players are proud Catalan’s and proud supporters of Barca. I witnessed this first hand during my recent visit to the Camp Nou, with the museum outlining just how important the football club has been to Catalan identity, pride and even at times resistance.

Above all I feel that the book teaches that Barcelona really is more than a club. How the likes of Ibrahimovic came and failed but a far less talented individual like Pedro can be an undoubted success because firstly from graduating from La Masia he understands the Barca system and its requirements and secondly, he possesses the right mental steel and winner’s mentality.

Writing this review I found it impossible to analyse all aspects of the book. The book simply covers so much, in such detail that to really grasp the whole concept of Barcelona you must read the book yourself.

However, what I can promise is that this book will make you cherish the players that form this fantastic team and appreciate Barcelona’s unique identity and means of operation.

Whatever the post Guardiola years hold, this book superbly tells the story so far of the best team that many of us have seen in our lifetimes, not missing a step along the way.

The defensive midfielder – responsible for disrupting attacks or the first point in setting them up?

http://www.footballspeak.com/post/2012/05/02/The-Contrasting-Role-of-the-Defensive-Midfielder.aspx

The role of the defensive midfielder is one that is open to many interpretations. On the one hand you have the ‘water carriers’ typified by the industrious Didier Deschamps after whom the phrase was coined, and on the other the conductors of the orchestra, the deep-lying playmakers.

Both roles represent hugely contrasting styles; however which occupation is of the biggest benefit to the team?

The role of the water carrier is simple. Hassle and harass the opposition, disrupting their flow and consistently attempting to unsettle them until either they are forced into a mistake or the tackle is made. Then once the ball is recovered, offloading it simply to a more gifted teammate.

A contemporary example of this position is Nigel De Jong. De Jong has I believe, acquired a somewhat unfair reputation as a dirty player. Yes De Jong is a tough cookie and his hard but fair ethos has caused injury, however he operates perfectly within the rules the majority of the time, with the exception of his near execution of Xabi Alonso in the World Cup Final.

De Jong has been used somewhat sparingly this term but Mancini still identifies the time and the place to unleash his Rottweiler. Leading United 1-0 in the recent Premier League clash, Mancini brought on De Jong to tighten up the midfield and although United didn’t create much in the way of chances throughout the game, De Jong’s grip on the midfield meant that City were able to comfortably see out the remainder of the match.

Perhaps two of the most successful ‘water carriers’ were Frenchmen Didier Deschamps and Claude Makelele. Both these players played alongside Zinedine Zidane and Zizou was the first to acknowledge the worth of both players.

Of course Deschamps and Makelele are not the most technically gifted of players, but their hard running and ability to break up the play warranted their places in some of the world’s great teams, allowing those around them to operate to their full potential.

The ‘water carriers’ can also to be referred to as destructive midfielders and in no place is this more common than the Premier League.

The fast and frenetic pace of the Premier League often calls for somebody who can quickly break up an attack and immediately launch a counter,  a vital strategy in the fast paced end-to-end nature of the Premier League.

Admittedly this role isn’t exclusive to England, and teams across the globe have benefited from players who can simply win the ball and offload it to more gifted teammates.

At the other end of the defensive midfield spectrum is the deep-lying playmaker.

In Argentina this role is referred to as the ‘number 5’. Here is a player responsible for orchestrating the play in front of them, knowing the best time to maintain possession with a sideways pass and when to launch a probing 30-yard ball into the path of an onrushing attacker.

For me players who have excelled most in this position in recent years include Fernando Redondo, Andrea Pirlo and Xabi Alonso.

I was only lucky enough to see Redondo play a few times as when my interest in football really sparked; he was in the later days of a career prematurely cut short by injury. I remember Redondo dictating a Champions League quarter final at Old Trafford, as United fell to Real. Everything that night went through Redondo, and he even laid on a goal for a teammate after embarrassing Henning Berg on one of his rare forays forward.

A more contemporary example of the deep-lying playmaker is Andrea Pirlo.

Pirlo, like many others in this role, was not immediately recognised for his effectiveness. Pirlo was largely unused at Inter and was sent out in a series of loan moves and it wasn’t until moving to cross town rivals AC Milan that he flourished.

I think that Pirlo is underrated defensively, but undoubtedly his main qualities are his range of passing, dead ball and organisational skills.

By sitting so deep Pirlo offers defenders a way out without having to hopelessly hoof the ball upfield and risking possession, while he also offers shape and protection sitting in front of a back four.

When he receives the ball he immediately plots the best means of attack, whether it be a short and simple pass, or a direct longer ball.

The best players in this position also organise those around them and Xabi Alonso can often by seen pointing and gesturing, almost as if to say “I know best, the ball goes this way”.

Alonso occupies a similar role to Pirlo, pulling strings and more often than not being the starting point of the majority of attacks.

To perfect the deep-lying playmaker role, a candidate needs to have accurate passing ability and a sound football brain. Knowing the best way of planning an attack and having the ability to deliver the right pass is a must.

It is not a coincidence that many of these players are often responsible for dead ball duties in their respective teams, such is their highly advanced passing accuracy.

The water carrier and the deep-lying playmaker are hugely contrasting ways to operate in defensive midfield. The simple disruption and donkey work up against beautiful methodological grace.

However, I do also feel that they both have more in common that one would initially think. They both provide a team with shape and a certain level of insurance for those operating further up the field.  Teammates know that when play breaks down, they are unlikely to be left desperately short as the opponent advances.

Once the ball is recovered this is when the differences become apparent. The ‘water-carrier’ quickly gives the ball to those more gifted around him, however the deep-lying playmaker is responsible for initiating attacks himself.

To choose which discipline of the defensive midfielder is more effective is impossible, however I am sure that many teams in the future will benefit from the tactical discipline and organisational qualities that both roles undoubtedly bring.