An Open Letter To Barcelona FC

Dear Barcelona players, coaches staff.

Firstly, I would like to extend my congratulations to you for reaching the European Cup final for the seventh time in your 111 year history. It is of course, a wonderful achievement, and you will exercise the privilege to play against the English Champions Manchester United at the wonderful stadium that is Wembley in North-West London.

As I am absolutely sure you have heard countless times, your football can often be quite stunning, with "out of this world" passing and movement, ferociously graceful and relentless attacking ability and football players with stunning quality. Yes, it is true, you deserve to be in the final on your footballing merits.

However, there is another side to your team which fans and admiring pundits often hide away from. Many are so blinded by the talent that the team possess, they are distracted, or perhaps use selective viewing to ignore many of he areas most unwelcome in a fair game. I am sure you would also like to gloss over the subject I am talking about, and allow the praise to rain on you without a hailstone knocking you out.

Well put your umbrella's up, because the hailstone is coming, and it's been coming for a while now.

Cast your minds back to your Champions League semi-final, and even fans, admiring pundits and neutrals all over the world could not cover for you as they watched as you used disgraceful, anti-footballing tactics to gain the advantage. What am I talking about? I'm sure you already know - after all, you were the ones committing the offences. Diving? Gamesmanship? - Cheating?

I know this would be the point when you would like to stop reading, screw up the letter and forget what I say, muttering furiously under your breath about how wrong I am, and how your football is what the world wants to see. "Cheating" is of course, a very strong word, and a terrible accusation, but unfortunately, the name of Barcelona may forever be associated with it if you do not stop.

If you are still reading, then I would just like to ask a few players in particular who will be playing against Manchester United on Saturday a question. Dani Alves, Sergio Busquets, Pedro and Javier Mascherano, this next message is aimed at you:

Bear in mind that not everyone will be at Wembley on Saturday. Bear in mind that millions will be watching on televisions - high definition televisions, with the added advantage of slow motion replays. Please, please, please, would you refrain from diving, or I, and many other football fans around the world will need a new television - and a new window, because the two may be colliding viciously if we see any what was seen in the previous Champions League games.

Arsenal have already fallen a victim of a dubious refereeing decision in their Champions League game against you in March, and although not your fault, Arsenal cannot help but feel hard done by as they could have progressed to the next stage if it wasn't for van Persie's sending off.

Who knows, it may have been an Arsenal - United final? Nevertheless, the other red card which was vastly different from the Arsenal incident was the Pepe sending off when you played Madrid. Although high, there was little contact, and Alves unsurprisingly was the perpetrator, completing several ballerina like pirouettes before going down in apparent agony.

I hope that the referee of the game is not in any way influenced by outside party's, and I hope he will not need to reach for his pockets and little black book to withdraw some cards - whatever colour.

I do not want to see a repeat of the red for van Persie when you played Arsenal, nor do I want to see a repeat of the first leg of the Real Madrid semi-final.

Reluctantly, I wish you good luck for Saturday, as I very much hope that Manchester United v Barcelona will be a fair, diving free zone, and will not go down in history as a farce of a game.

Thank you for your time,

DBS Football

P.S: I have previously dedicated two articles to you. Find them here:

http://dbs-football.blogspot.com/2011/05/guardiola-making-mockery-of-football.html

& here:

http://dbs-football.blogspot.com/2011/04/diving-disgrace-to-football.html

Follow Me on Twitter @DBSFootball

Arsenal Outplayed & Dominated by Relentless Barca

Watch Goals Here
Barcelona achieved 76% of possession against Arsenal. Need I continue?

When Barcelona have the ball and keep it, which they do tenaciously and in apparent ease, the opposition has very little chance of getting anything from the game. Arsenal attempted not a single shot on target. Not one. The utter dominance of Barcelona in all areas of the pitch meant that the absence of their two centre halves, Puyol and Pique was irrelevant in an easy win for the classy Spanish side (I use classy very loosely with Dani Alves, but more on that later).

Arsenal may say that they were hard done by, with a red card brandished to the hard of hearing Rob van Persie early in the second half as he shot wide after the whistle had gone for offside. His pleas that he could not hear the whistle due to the 95,000 screaming fans - a good defence - fell on deaf ears, and the referee decided to show the second yellow in an extremely harsh move which all but ended any fair competitiveness in the painfully one sided match.
Van Persie complained after the match of his red card:

"I think it was a total joke. How can I hear his whistle with 95,000 people jumping up? How can I hear it? Please explain that?"

"I can't understand the view from the ref. One second from his whistle to my shot is a joke. He has been bad all evening. He was against us. I don't know why he was here tonight, it's a joke.

"We feel betrayed, almost. We tried really hard. When it was 1-1 it was all to play for. But, in my opinion, the ref killed the game."

Even so, Arsenal were being controlled, pinned back, outplayed before the sending off, and if anything, Arsenal spent more time in the Barcelona half after the Dutchman's sending off. It was simply a story of the better side winning; I have never seen a game so one sided in possession and chances in the Champions League.

The first goal was inevitable. Wojciech Sczcesny went off early on after his first save of the game injured his finger. Almunia came on, and had a good game - probably Arsenal's best player, but he could do nothing to stop Messi from dinking the ball over him and swiping it into the back of the net for the opener.

In between the action, there was the odd pathetic dive. Diving infuriates me beyond belief, the replays shown on Sky making my fists clench in anger and jaw tighten in utter fury. Although so many footballers are at fault in this department, Dani Alves is one that so many times throws himself to the floor, clutching some part of his body - any part of his body all to con the referee. He gets away with it too. Maddening.

Arsenals goal was scored by Busquets - from a Nasri corner. Perhaps he felt sorry for them, wanted to give them a fighting chance - something to work with and hold on to. Probably not. But for all the intricate passing from Barcelona, their beautiful football was countered by a simple ball into the box, headed into their own net by their own player. A little ironic.

But Barcelona fought back with their wonderful football. Intricate passing, great vision, umarkable movement, all leavin Arsenal defenders on their rear ends, as the tricks and turns left them flat footed. Carved open, Xavi passed the ball into the net, as if it were his team mate, and wheeled away, jubilant. Onto the third.

The Arsenal box was occupied so often by Barcelona, and so it was only a matter of time before someone went down and won a penalty. To my diving hating relief, it was a penalty, fairly awarded for a Koscielny tackle which brought down the Barca player with a late, trailing leg. Messi duly stroked it artistically home, and the game was won.

The deserved winners march on in the competition, leaving Arsenal licking their wounds in preparation for a crucial clash with Manchester United in a far more winnable FA Cup tie. Time to pick themselves up and push on.