February 11, 2021 – 12:14 pm Clock
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Bayern 2021 vs. Barca 2009: two football giants among themselves
FC Bayern will take the sixth title of the season at the Club World Cup in Qatar on Thursday (7 p.m.). Only one team before FCB has had this greed for title: the other FCB. FC Barcelona. The team of the then newcomer Pep Guardiola swept through Spain and Europe in 2008/09 and won everything there was to win. A look back and a comparison with the Über-Bayern these days.
By Emmanuel Schneider
It all started with a defeat. The first league game of FC Barcelona under the then new coach Pep Guardiola on August 31, 2008 went 0-1 at the newly promoted CD Numancia.
And it wasn’t as if novice trainer Guardiola was only received with open arms. The former midfielder, then 37 years old, came from the 2nd team and heralded the change after coach Frank Rijkaard left. Formative players like the offensive artists Deco and Ronaldinho had to leave, defensive routine Lilian Thuram ended his career. Guardiola relied instead on young players from their own youth and on a new system. What was not yet clear at the time: the upheaval turned into a revolution, “Pep” gave Barcelona a new identity. It was the start of a new era.
The opening failure against the underdog was quickly forgotten. Because after that, Barca remained unbeaten until matchday 24, including 22 wins.
Welcome to the age of tiki-taka
It was the beginning of the Tiki-Taka era. Guardiola gave this incredibly talented team an unparalleled offensive direction: possession, possession, possession. With countless short passes, the ball circulated through the technically shod rows.
And how technically gifted they were. You have to let the squad of the team at that time melt in your mouth. Beguiling for all football senses. Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Dani Alves, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto’o and of course a young Lionel Messi in top form (22 years old) are the best-known names. Hardly any other team has achieved this offensive power, at least not a team in this millennium, maybe the Barca of 2010/11.
Revolution on the defensive too
And even if the opponent got possession of the ball, the Barca stunner took him by surprise. After losing the ball, the Pep players immediately attacked the opponent. With the aim of regaining the ball within a few seconds. In the back, Puyol and Piqué were responsible for the rough, while the duo of the pass robots Xavi / Iniesta directed the ball with a fine foot, and in the front the full offensive power of Henry, Eto’o or Messi struck. On the side, Guardiola invented and established the system of the “false nine”, in which Messi let himself behind and created spaces for Henry and Eto’o.
Xavi, Puyol and Iniesta later spoke unanimously of the best season of their careers. No wonder. It just went perfectly. One of the biggest highlights of the season took place in Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium. In the home of the archenemy, Barca humiliated the eternal rival with six slaps in the face: the end result was 6-2. The changing of the guard was finally here. (At that time, by the way, in Real’s overstrained central defense: Christoph Metzelder.)
Guardiola, Messi and Co. rushed to the championship title with a nine point lead. In the cup, the Catalans ended a long drought of eleven years.
Of course, the team lived off the great talent of its kickers, but in the end this over-team also needed a bit of luck. Above all, one goal is unforgotten: After the 0-0 in the semi-final first leg of the Champions League, FC Barcelona were a long time behind FC Chelsea 0-1 in the second leg. The door to the longed-for finale already seemed to be closed. Iniesta took heart in injury time and twisted the ball under the crossbar from 18 meters. Collective cheers in front of the away block of the Barca fans.
Iniesta’s gateway to happiness
In the final in Rome, Barca then left Manchester United – at the time with the 24-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo – no chance. The “flea” Messi even hit with the head – and the pot was back in Barcelona.
Significant: seven players from their own youth academy were in the CL final in the Barca starting XI. Success made in Barcelona. Barca were also lucky in the European Supercup. Only in the 115th minute did Pedro snap to decide against Donetsk. In the final of the Club World Cup against Estudiantes de La Plata, the Blaugrana lagged behind for a long time. Pedro and Messi met late again. Then all dams broke, also at Guardiola. The coach, overwhelmed by the success, cried uncontrollably. His performance in the rookie year: won all six titles.
Guardiola left the team he had formed three years later, he had won 14 titles in the end, including two Champions League titles and the certainty that he had shaped football. The Tiki Taka of the Barca school also radiated into the Spanish national team. The “Furia Roja” won two European Championships and the World Cup between 2008 and 2012. The Barca block around Xavi and Iniesta played a central role in this.
Video: Lewa wants 6th title and a cherry on the cake
How is the team doing compared to Bayern?
In the league, FC Bayern achieved a slightly higher win rate in 2019/20 (76.5 to 71 percent) than Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2008/09. In the Champions League, the German record champions were even more merciless: eleven games, eleven wins. After all, Barca lost out twice. Both offensive factories delivered in the league with 2.9 goals per game (Bayern) and 2.8 goals (Barca) at a high level.
The teams each benefited from top goal guarantors. While Messi danced the defensive ranks for the Catalans in 2008/09, Robert Lewandowski shot Bayern from success to success in 2019/20. According to the pure goal rate, the Pole was even more successful. The Lewa balance sheet was 55 goals in 47 games (in the three main competitions). Messi can point to five final goals (CL, Spanish Cup, Spanish Supercup and Club World Cup).
Especially since Messi had to “share” the goals and chances with the other Barca offensive weapons, which are still a corner ahead of Bayern’s from 2020. With all the class of Serge Gnabry (23 goals) and Thomas Müller (14), they cannot keep up with Eto’o (36) Henry (26). The Barca triumvirate scored over 100 goals together, something that has never happened before in top European football. Three Barca players were represented in the top 6 of the league (the top scorer, by the way, grabbed Atlético’s Diego Forlan). Lewandowski won the title as top scorer by far (34 goals) at Bayern, but the next Bayern player only followed in tied 10th place (Gnabry: 12 goals).
Nobody can keep up with Xavi / Iniesta
Barca are also ahead in midfield. The duo Xavi / Iniesta beats the Munich midfielders around Kimmich / Thiago / Goretzka. The two Spaniards achieved 64 goals. The three Bayern professionals do not even come close to this value together (48). The Barca duo dictated a game like hardly anyone before and after.
On the other hand, FC Bayern can keep up on the defensive with the bulwark Süle / Boateng / Alaba against the warrior Puyol / Piqué. Clear draw. In goal the point goes to Bayern. Manuel Neuer is the best goalkeeper in the world, Victor Valdés was a good keeper in his time, but not on the same level as the German national goalkeeper. Even if he conceded a record that was similar to Neuer that year (54 games, 45 goals conceded, 22 games with a white West, Neuer: 53 games, 50 goals conceded, 23 clean sheets).
But in the end, even these statistics are smoke and mirrors. Of course one would like to see these two giants in a duel against each other. It would be a festival. One thing is clear: in 2009 Barca swept over Bayern (4: 0 and 1: 1), in 2020 it was exactly the other way around, Bayern waddled Barca (8: 2). Nobody knows how a duel between Barca 2009 and Bayern 2020 would end. But one can say with certainty: these two teams are among the best that European football has seen in the past 50 years.
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