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Josep Guardiola is beginning his fourth season as FC Barcelona head coach. The results so far? Three consecutive league titles, two Champions League trophies. Perfect football. Maybe the greatest team Assembled, ever. Lionel Messi, at 24, has been the best player in the world, arguably, but probably, for three years now, more or less. Five La Liga titles, three Champions League, twice FIFA Player of the year.
Barcelona and Real Madrid. A classico on August 14. What a way to kick off the new season, with two matches between the two best teams in Spain, in Europe. Sure, it’s the Supercopa de Espana, not the most important tourney one can think of. Still, it’s a great way for an early ignition to the biggest rivalry of all.
This year, Barcelona can only fall. They might not. No one will be surprised if they win a fourth league title in a row, a second straight Champions League trophy (something never to be done). Since Guardiola took the helms from Rijkaard in August 2008, Barcelona haven’t lost a league match to Real Madrid. How bloody good can they still be?
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It’s rarer than once in a generation. To have three players, all bred and grown in the club, of this magnitude, with these skills – Xavi, Iniesta, Lionel Messi. That never happens. It happened to Barca. It took a few years of honing and perfecting, but this threesome, along with the rest of world class talent surrounding them, makes it nearly impossible to imagine Barcelona falling anytime soon. But the legend can’t grow any bigger. So Lionel Messi will be called the greatest, and compared to the greatest ever, once again. There’s no World Cup this year. Nothing to achieve that hasn’t been won before.
Guardiola? He still sees the challenge in another season with the most talented group of players in the world. With an added Alexis Sanchez, and maybe Cesc Fabregas very very soon. He renews his contract annually, signing only for one more year. That’s how it’s been since he’s taken the job. How much hunger for title with the same group of players does he, and they, have? Alex Ferguson never grows tired, but the squad changes. Stars come and go, only he remains.
For Barcelona? It’s been the same squad, pretty much, for the past three years. Lionel Messi failed with Argentina in the Copa America this summer. The amount of guilt and blame burdened on his shoulders was ridiculous. Still, the ‘Messi can’t win with Argentina… Messi can’t win without Xavi…‘ talk didn’t stop. Especially early on in the tournament. A wave of national support came after that, when facing elimination from the group stage. Still, this year? What can Messi do to surprise us?
Score 50 goals? He’s done it. Dribbling? Passing? We’ve seen it all. He’ll probably just as good as last year, and the year before that. Its incredible on its own. But people, and football fans among them (maybe even more), have a short memory. Not only titles. Greatness. Something transcendent. Something we haven’t seen before. I can’t believe Barcelona can be any better than last year. Simply impossible. And there’s that Madrid foe waiting, lurking around the corner.
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Cristiano Ronaldo may be the greatest player in the world. A skill set that no one has and no one ever had. He just lives in a world, and in a league, with Lionel Messi. Since winning the 2008 Champions League with a mega season, Ronaldo has just gotten better. His scoring records for Real Madrid are mind blowing. But Real keep finishing second. A Spanish cup win, with Ronaldo scoring the winner, is just a short term cure. An Aspirin for a bigger, deeper pain.
Jose Mourinho hates to lose. Everybody does. But it always seems he does more than others. That’s what the world is like for you when you truly believe you are the best, and deserve to win, everything, every time. The pain of that 5-0 crushing at the Nou Camp, the Champions League defeat in the Semi Final, the red cards, the excuses, the authentic and righteous claims. A build up for this year. The theory of Jose Mourinho making his teams reach their peak during his second season as manager or head coach will be put to another test. It worked with Inter, it worked with Porto. With Chelsea as well, but with no Champions League title, or final, on the resume from his time in England.
The pedestal on which this Barcelona team, and Lionel Messi on its banner, couldn’t be any higher. With nothing left to prove, this team faces yet another year with half the world in awe, overzealous in support and love for the team that plays the game the way it should (on consoles) be played and the other half thinking they get all the breaks, waiting for the fall. For just how much longer can Messi and Guardiola keep this team high above everyone else?
20 responses to “Not Much to Gain and Plenty to Lose for Barcelona, Messi and Guardiola”
This is one of the best articles I’ve read in my entire life! I hate it when people complain(Sometimes even Messi’s own fans)about Messi and that he doesn’t perform for his coutry…! Have you actually watched him play for his country?! He does all the work, he creates chances and always tries his best…! He is the best player ever and that’s final.
Messi is a good player, he plays very well both for his country and his club,i pray that God will continue to bless him with more years to come and skills, messi keep on u are truely the best,i wish i could play like messi, up up Fc Barcelona the catalan giant,long live fc Barcelona.
I wante dto agree with the fact that Messi is the best player ever, but you can’t say that base on 3 seasons when people like Pele,Zidane,Maradona,Ronaldo(Brazil) shocked the worldfor more than a decade.
Pele (3 world cups)—-12 years
Ronaldo (1 world cup runner up, 1 world cup win, 15 goals in the world cup, 47 goals in 49 games at age 20….)— 10 years. Sometimes I ask myself why didn’t this guy retire at 28 like Pele?
Zidane (1998-2006)—world cup, world cup runner up, world player of the year 3 times….
I love Messi and i Like FC Barcelona,Messi is the best player in the world,no one like him.
Another perfect example of how FIFA and UEFA have been able to cloud the minds of many including writers. Barcalona may be the best team and thats a big “MAY BE” because after a while it becomes very hard to ignore the obvious signs of favoritism especially with UEFA officials but never the less the team’s overall success can not be denied. But to sit there and have the audacity to believe, say or even think Messi is just as good if not better than Ronaldo is a crime in its own right and a pathetic slap in the face to futbol. There is no argument or comparison in the world right now more outlandish then this fiasco. Nothing taken away from Messi he is an unbelievable talent and futbol genius but to say that he is out of this planet must mean Ronaldo is out of the galaxy. In terms of pure ability, athleticism and overall complete talent Cristiano is simply on a level Messi could only dream about; a level he will never be able to reach no matter how many Xavis or Iniestas are on his wing. Team success aside, when you compare two individual talents, two individual futbol players, the only comparisons to be made are what each player “INDIVIDUALLY” brings to the pitch. Ronaldo having played in three different leagues and excelling in each one has proven himself way more than Messi no matter how many titles BARCALONA wins. FIFA and UEFA can claim what they want and use what-ever bias to hand out thier awards, but the reality of the matter is Cristiano Ronaldo is not only better than Messi he is hands down the best player in the world PERIOD! Ballon D’Or or no Ballon D’Or FIFA and fans may not like his ego problem but you can rest assure that in futbol’s entire history there has never ever been a player like Cristiano Ronaldo.
to The Truth ..he he…we all know CRonaldo was a English media hero…..(like D. Beckham was )
and Messi is everyones ” Love to watch”….
CR is a futball maneken..he have even problem to deliver the ball to othet team mates….dod’n he??
so don’t mention his name near Messi ..Messi is from other planet….
[…] Not Much to Gain and Plenty to Lose for Barcelona, Messi and GuardiolaSportigeJosep Guardiola is beginning his fourth season as FC Barcelona head coach. The results so far? Three consecutive league titles, two Champions League trophies. Perfect football. Maybe the greatest team Assembled, ever. Lionel Messi, at 24, …FC Barcelona Preview 2011Forza FutbolEXCLUSIVE interview: Sergi Barjuan talks all things BarcelonaSport 360Lionel Messi shows love for his mum with tattoo portrait of her on his backMetroKeeda of Sportsall 7 news articles » […]
Who can challenge lionel messi
To the Truth or should I say Delusion. Ronaldo is great and yes he is the second best player in the world. Yes he has played well in multiple leagues but until he delivers consistently in the big game he will always be second best. Yes he scored an amazing amount of goals in the last few league games in La Liga and broke the record, which is amazing, but what did that get him or more importantly his team? Remember it is a team game and Messi just makes everyone around him better. Messi also seems to score the goals that mean the most in the knockout stages in competitions. Ronaldo has scored 2. The Copa final this year and a goal in the Champions league final but he also missed a penalty in that game. Messi on the other hand has scored multiple game winners and most impressive, in important games. Champions league semis, finals, club world cup semi and finals, etc. Yes Ronaldo is a physically amazing but soon his speed will fade as will Messi’s but Messi is also a creator and will continue to provide. He provides almost as many assists as goals. So I believe a lot of the hype as to who is better is really down to personal choice of style, at least to the fans. It is almost universally agreed that Messi is head and shoulders above the rest to the ones that really know football and that is the coaches and team captains that vote for Fifa world player of the year.
To be the highest goal scorer of the Champions League three seasons in a roll is something Amazin until Ronaldo tops the champions league goal chat for three season in a roll as Messi has done He would only remain second to Messi Period.
To the truth…cmon man. Ronaldo may be faster than Messi in a 100 meter race, he may have a better opposite foot, and he has a better header. But at the end of the day, Ronaldo is a fantastic player and Messi is a footballing genius. That term gets thrown around to much,but in Messi’s case, its absolutely true. Ronaldo relies on pure speed and power, while Messi uses his superior football intellect to destroy teams. The “he can’t perform without Xavi and Iniesta” argument needs to be refined to say ” Messi plays just as well without them, the difference is the team doesn’t always win”. When Messi and Ronaldo are done their careers, Ronaldo will be remembered as one of the greatest goal scorers of all time, and one of the most offensively complete players of all time. But Messi will be on the pedestal above everyone. He’ll simply be the the best the game has ever seen. Some people, like Graeme Souness, already believe he’s the greatest player of all time.
This is a brilliant article- unbiased and and very factual! I can’t wait for the next season to begin. I think Barcelona is capable of winning another CL but I doubt it will happen. I think its time we expect the unexpected. This season teams should be wary of Man City, and in the season to follow so does the new Juventus.
@Tuk Can’t wait for Juve to be great again… don’t think it’ll happen this season though 🙁
Messi is the G.O.A.T.. and by a mile ! Pure Genius that Argentinian.. by far more talented then anyone else at the moment and only to be challenged by the names Maradona, Pele and Zidane, i think he has surpassed them all including Cruyff and Ronaldo Brazil, he is simply perfect probably best assists in the world and best striking in the world (prolific) as well as being an insane dribbler… he scores with both feet, head..even chest ! its a joy to live in the Messi era and watch him each few days, something to tell our grandkids.
@ The Truth You’re an idiot. That is all.
The truth,u are the biggest fool in this planet. That c.ronaldo has played at 3 diff leagues and excelled,is a childish and foolish way of analyzing futbol. Have u forgotten eto,ronaldo dilemma,zidane,etc, they have all played in diff leagues and excelled as well. C.ronaldo is a complete player,how many cups has he won for his country? I beg, d response of messi and his fitness in a big match is second to none. Messi the greatest footballer in the history of football.
Whoever says messi is the one, is right. Whoever says C ronaldo is the best, ur right. Whoever says it is Zizu, ur not mistaken. Whoever says its ronaldinho, is absolutely right. But i say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
no one is like messi
hooo what a nice argue messi needs xavi his around unless he can’t do anything( men just watch argentina’s game then after open your mouth but atleast how stupidly to say it the same whom do you want to keep he has also playing for his country how many goals have he scored please football is not a goethe game okay) anyway i appriciat you, at least you have admitted that messi is after greatness thats why you compared him with all time greatness’s you mentioned ronaldo have 1 world cup yeah he have one but just watch out his team mates like you compared messi with xavi as well as pele with 3 world cup do same as again iam not supposed to say they are nothing and there is no need to say that cause we know what they are all and you must understand again football is not a individual game then some thing on ronaldo you said he have great 3 last seasons then what the heck have he done? gained for team? 50+goals is that the answer?! what you forgot that he playing with a another ten team mates just check the ra.madrid least after say there is no one like to assist ronaldo dude let them play and keep watching probably you have just watched rayal’s game only but did’t you see any el classico and finally dude i said just let them to play let’s hope be patient cause we love challenge we love pressure
i can’t beleave that some idiots still compare MESSI with ronaldo is beyond grazy… messi always has been the better player when he played v ronaldo in all the games period… and he is been on top of the game 4 more than 4 years now and he keeps geting better with each year… and plz ppl do football a faver and do not compare anymore MESSI v ronaldo cuz is always ONLY 1 WINER AND IS MESSIIIII..