I wrote these for an application to Totalbarca. If they seem a little random, it’s because they were exercises assigned to me, not subject material I picked. But they turned out pretty well, i thought!
On Jordi Roura and Vilanova, following Valladolid
After Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Valladolid, Jordi Roura stood at the microphone in place of the ailing Tito Vilanova for the post-match press conference. Interestingly, Roura’s situation parallels Vilanova’s own journey this year—like Roura, Tito was asked to step up from assistant to head coach in troubling circumstances, following Pep Guardiola’s resignation in April.
Tito has handled his debut season with aplomb and humility, deflecting the inevitable comparisons and playing down his record-breaking start to the season. Most remarkably, despite the uncertainty surrounding the club in the wake of the departure of the most successful coach in Barcelona’s history, Tito has consistently kept the team’s focus on training, preparing for the next game, always moving forward.
Like Vilanova, Roura has stepped up to the challenge, winning his first match comfortably and humbly—as he remarked, “Just another game.” The team continued as they have done all season, and despite a brief moment of concern when Valladolid pulled a goal back at 2-1, the players stayed focused and got the result.
Reflecting on the start to the season, Roura emphasized the overwhelming positives: “We closed out the year on an extraordinary athletic level, and, if we include the good news on Vilanova, then we certainly have cause to be happy…the year could not have gone better.” Roura described the team’s joyful reaction at hearing of Vilanova’s hospital release following surgery, conveying an optimism that is emblematic of the reinvigorated spirit Tito Vilanova has brought to Barcelona this season. Anims Tito.
Match preview for UCL Round of 16 against Milan
On February 20, Barcelona will travel to the San Siro to play AC Milan in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. This will be a familiar matchup, as the two clubs met four times last season, in the group stage and the quarter-finals. In those meetings, Barcelona drew twice, won twice, and advanced to the semi-final, but it was far closer than many expected. Led by superstars Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, supported by wily veterans Clarence Seedorf and Alessandro Nesta, Milan sat deep, defended well, and counterattacked with long balls over the Barcelona backline.
But all four of those players have since departed the San Siro, forcing Milan to adapt its playing style as well as its lineup. Milan has suffered in their absence, falling to seventh in the Serie A and advancing in the CL with an unconvincing eight points. However, after defeating Juventus in late November, Milan went on a four-game winning streak domestically, and Massimiliano Allegri seems to have abandoned last year’s narrow 4-3-1-2, settling on a wider, more fluid 4-3-3.
Led by 20-year-old phenomenon and league top scorer Stephan El Shaarawy, Milan have cohered and developed into a younger, faster, attacking team. However, the rest of the attack might be uncertain, as one or both of forwards Robinho and Pato are widely rumored to be departing for Brazil in January. Captain Riccardo Montolivo, who was instrumental in shutting down Juventus, leads a hard-working, inventive midfield. Nocerino and Boateng (both goalscorers against Barcelona last season) have performed well going forward, but will likely be called to try to disrupt Barcelona’s playmakers—as Milan’s defense has been their weakest point this season, conceding 26 goals in 18 games. Ultimately, this free-scoring Barcelona side should prevail, but Milan will offer an exciting matchup.
Thanks for reading, feedback always appreciated!
OneBarca: 