The two of you must be wondering why the blog's long break... unfortunately, I have simply walked into Gurgaon (though one does not...). So while I stared at my loaded gun, said my tearful goodbyes to noone in particular, and synchronized the slowly executed trigger push with the over syncopated mental process video of gun mechanism with bullet exiting barrel, I happened to have the time and energy to also switch on the TV and watch Bilbao cover ManU like a rash.... that was covered by really pretty ointment. Even simple good natured mountain boys like self need a lot more than Gurgaon torture to go ahead with suicide when EPL scum are getting slaughtered the way they are - red and blue of Manchester bundled out by red and blue(ish) of Iberia. So on the topic of simple good natured village boys getting dumped into unfamiliar unforgiving "big league" environments, I look at the 3 Bilbao games of the past 2 in-absentia weeks.
To begin with, big round of applause for fellow blog writer Tazim who shocked the world by watching not 1.... not 2... but THREE non-Arsenal games!! Not that he understood enough to review them, but on this blog we acknowledge and appreciate growth. So well done Brain tumor, good job. More unfamiliar than big-league Old Trafford pre-game awe Bilbao "would have felt" according to condescending English hat-eaters was the sudden EPL notice post-game awe. Suddenly EPL fans who thought La Liga was a video game featuring Messi and Ronaldo in 1 on 1 combat, were watching, talking, and greedily eyeing Bilbao (by talking I mean spouting gyaan about Spanish footballing philosophy, art, and literature). With good reason, they gave a wonderful account of themselves - Susaeta, Iraola and Javi in the first leg, and De Marcos, Muniain in the second being just the easily mentionable tip of a Bilbao berg that decimated ManU. My disappointment at ManU exiting UCL without giving us the chance to watch them get destroyed by Spanish opposition was thankfully like a 2 lb baby (I mean premature, not "jackal-bait")
I've followed them quite closely this year (Bielsa duh), and I've never seen them play that well, sure Susaeta Iraola combination had been great, Javi had rubbished my early-season claim that he doesn't look comfortable at CB, and the Herrera-Muniain link on the left was excellent, but none of this would have made a difference without the relentless pressing we saw in the ManU game, on a level I've never seen from them before. It might be too simplistic to wonder why they don't play like this all the time, especially poignant after they got creamed at home to Valencia yesterday 0-3 while playing a remarkably similar game to their ManU encounter, except that Valencia pressed back just as manically, and intercepted the very passes that ManU blinked at cluelessly. I can't figure out why English teams always seem at sea when faced with this kind of pressing, their game is supposed to be based on energy and speed after all. That being said, there were enough "oh crap ManU's got the ball, he's winding up for an agricultural heave into the box, where Rooney is making an unmarked run" pant-peeing moments to put things into perspective if I were to start singing about the innate superiority of Liga gameplay and its effect on the foregoneness of a conclusion in an EPL-Liga match up. In summary, I still don't think Bilbao make UCL spots, my money on Malaga for 4th (coz they really need my money....), but drooling at the prospect of a Valencia-Bilbao Europa final. Javi Martinez first leg : coaching manual on Positional play for CB with possession, as well as defending counter attacks - Nesta who!
To begin with, big round of applause for fellow blog writer Tazim who shocked the world by watching not 1.... not 2... but THREE non-Arsenal games!! Not that he understood enough to review them, but on this blog we acknowledge and appreciate growth. So well done Brain tumor, good job. More unfamiliar than big-league Old Trafford pre-game awe Bilbao "would have felt" according to condescending English hat-eaters was the sudden EPL notice post-game awe. Suddenly EPL fans who thought La Liga was a video game featuring Messi and Ronaldo in 1 on 1 combat, were watching, talking, and greedily eyeing Bilbao (by talking I mean spouting gyaan about Spanish footballing philosophy, art, and literature). With good reason, they gave a wonderful account of themselves - Susaeta, Iraola and Javi in the first leg, and De Marcos, Muniain in the second being just the easily mentionable tip of a Bilbao berg that decimated ManU. My disappointment at ManU exiting UCL without giving us the chance to watch them get destroyed by Spanish opposition was thankfully like a 2 lb baby (I mean premature, not "jackal-bait")
I've followed them quite closely this year (Bielsa duh), and I've never seen them play that well, sure Susaeta Iraola combination had been great, Javi had rubbished my early-season claim that he doesn't look comfortable at CB, and the Herrera-Muniain link on the left was excellent, but none of this would have made a difference without the relentless pressing we saw in the ManU game, on a level I've never seen from them before. It might be too simplistic to wonder why they don't play like this all the time, especially poignant after they got creamed at home to Valencia yesterday 0-3 while playing a remarkably similar game to their ManU encounter, except that Valencia pressed back just as manically, and intercepted the very passes that ManU blinked at cluelessly. I can't figure out why English teams always seem at sea when faced with this kind of pressing, their game is supposed to be based on energy and speed after all. That being said, there were enough "oh crap ManU's got the ball, he's winding up for an agricultural heave into the box, where Rooney is making an unmarked run" pant-peeing moments to put things into perspective if I were to start singing about the innate superiority of Liga gameplay and its effect on the foregoneness of a conclusion in an EPL-Liga match up. In summary, I still don't think Bilbao make UCL spots, my money on Malaga for 4th (coz they really need my money....), but drooling at the prospect of a Valencia-Bilbao Europa final. Javi Martinez first leg : coaching manual on Positional play for CB with possession, as well as defending counter attacks - Nesta who!
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