"The shit's chess, not checkers!"
Denzel Washington, Training day.
The comparison was fitting and stark. Stationed at the heart of Real Madrid's midfield Wednesday night in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona was the central defender Pepe. Nothing too strange about that, centre-half's often step into the middle if an injury or tactical situation demands it. But Pepe is no Paul Magrath or Mathais Sammer. His rangy running, brash attitude and snap tackling was deployed against the Barca maestros to disrupt. A piranha dropped into a serene aquarium.
Screening in front of the Barca back four was Sergio Busquets. The Spanish world cup winner is an essential cog in the Barca machine. He has effortlessly kept his place this season despite competition from Argentine captain Javier Mascherano. There are few, if any, better ball winners than Mascherano but that is not enough today. He has struggled to adopt to the Barca passing game, the movement and one touch nature of it is often too much even for a player of his undoubted class. Xavi praises Busquets first touch and how he is always on the half-turn ready to move the ball. His ability to retrieve the ball without making a tackle and thus possibly conceding a foul is also an invaluable tool in an ever more disciplined game.
Pepe best encapsulated Jose Mourinho's approach over three of the latest clasicos. After the drubbing inflicted on his side last November the manager reverted to type and played two dogs of war in the centre of midfield. Having bowed to pressure to go téte a téte with Barca and suffer for it, he was out to stop and then mug a clearly superior foe. What the special one underestimated was the chances of a red card changing the game. With a player like Pepe snapping at the likes of Xavi, the chances of a booking or worse increased ten-fold. It is hard enough to live with Barca with eleven men never mind ten.
Destructive teams can work. That was best captured in last weeks Copa Del Ray. But that is a one off situation. Ten, fifteen years ago, players like Pepe and Lassana Diarra would get away with shunting a passing team off the ball. There are many that claim the game is too sanitised, that any semblance of a harmful tackle is dealt with too harshly. But the advantage it carries is negating the influence of destroyers. Jose Mourinho certainly didn't think Pepe's challenge merited a red card but upon repeated viewing the decision is justified. Had it been Granero challenging a decision would not be needed.
Busquets rarely, if ever tackles with the regularity or force that the likes of Pepe does. He doesn't need to. He best represents the change of midfield players. With the laws as stringent as they are now, where even intent in the tackle is enough for a sending off, the calm interceptions of Busquets are the way forward. He shadows a move waiting to pounce. Pepe and his ilk smash the glass to take the loot, Busquets unlocks the front door. He will likely face Micheal Carrick in the final. Another exponent of calm.
The board is set. Take note Jose.
