Martino's Barcelona is more than just Lionel Messi

Tata Martino

Carlo Ancelotti, armed with that famous left eyebrow that seems to have a life of its own, tried to downplay the significance of his Madrid side’s El Clasico loss, even insisting that his team “attacked more” than Barcelona managed on the night.

And while the raised eyebrow continues to compete admirably with The Rock Dwayne Johnson’s in its attempt to become the first human body part to fly unsupported by any mortal constraints, Ancelotti himself fell flat on his face in a much more nuanced battle with his Barcelona counterpart.

So much so that if he were to take his Rock impersonations further, and yell “Can you smelllllllll, what Carlo is cooking?” the first thing that pops into my mind would be the image of a cheeky Gerardo Martino sneaking into Carlo’s kitchen and making his own subtle additions to the broth, so to speak.

And remember, this is a broth that has already had far too many cooks on its case, what with Floreninto Perez and the fans themselves having prominent says in Ancelotti’s team.

But what Martino has done is completely ruin the meal, and Ancelotti has been stunned at just how easily it was all accomplished. And so he must begin again, from the depths of this humiliation, a man who first has to solve the issues rampant within his own team before he can even think of taking on this Barcelona side.

Curiously, it was a humiliation on a much larger scale that saw Martino arrive at Barcelona. The 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Bayern Munich viciously exposed that which Barcelona have so stubbornly refused to acknowledge, their vision clouded by years of success – the unshakable truth of Darwinian evolution.

Even winning teams have to change and evolve in the face of ever-growing opposition, because only the fittest survive. And it a right that has to be earned over and over again, this right to be called the “fittest” – this much has always been clear to those who are learned in the ways of nature.

And yet Barcelona meekly succumbed to that very entity that has been responsible for their ascent to the pinnacle of world football – their footballing philosophy. Protected in the bubble of domestic successes, the Catalans were lulled into a false sense of security, and were blind to the storm that was coming.

And when it hit, with a ferocity unlike anything they had seen unfold on the hallowed turf of the Camp Nou, it came as a wake-up call. They realized that they had become too enmeshed in the confines of their thinking, and that fresh perspective was the need of the hour.

Tito Vilanova’s continued battles with a monster of a different kind, one that far eclipses anything the Catalans would see on a football pitch, rendered him unsuitable for the job at hand. And so they turned to Martino, a man who is essentially a fellow brother in terms of his own attitude toward the game. And yet, tellingly, has the crucial advantage of being able to see things from the outside in.

Having played under Marco Biesla in his own career, the current Barcelona incumbent is no stranger to the high pressing and possession oriented game that Barcelona perfected under Pep Guardiola. Guardiola considers Biesla his mentor, and so to put faith in another student of the old master seemed logical.

But Martino has proved himself to be more than just a chip off the old block – and this came to the fore in the El Clasico. In addressing the unsolved issues that had crept in at Barcelona the manager has put Barcelona back on the track of challenging Bayern Munich, who sit atop the pile with an almost casual disregard for any potential challengers.

Crucial to the task has been the flag bearer, the man who every La Masia graduate hopes to one day emulate – Lionel Messi. For all his acheivements, Messi’s all-too-humane body cannot take on the entire burden of lifting Barcelona time and time again – something the Argentine’s indomitable spirit had never been able to accept previously.

Neymar da Silva and Lionel Messi

Easily upset when he was taken off late in games, even when Barcelona were coasting to another victory, his obsession with his notching up the digits on his goal count cost Barcelona dearly – most notably seen in that defeat to Bayern.

Realisation came in the dawn of that defeat, and that, coupled with the arrival of Martino – a man who Messi holds in high regard – has seen the emergence of a Barcelona in transition.

In the El Clasico, Messi himself started on the right, as opposed to his customary position in the center, where practically all of Barcelona’s play would then be directed through him. And as capable as Messi is of orchestrating the performance, Neymar’s seamless transition into the team has not gone unnoticed in Martino’s eyes.

And he didn’t disappoint on the night – a goal and an assist making light work of a Real Madrid side that was reduced to bemoaning the decisions of the referee. Well, any side that plays Sergio Ramos and Pepe is bound to have grievances of its own, so the count remains even on that front.

Ancelotti’s decision to play Ramos in midfield may have stemmed from Rafael Varane considering Pepe to be something of a “mentor” since his arrival in Madrid. Keeping that pair together may have been Ancelotti’s way of making sure no indiscretions on the part of the Portuguese decided the match, perhaps hoping that the role of the senior in the defensive pairing would keep his infamous temper in check.

As it is, the pair never looked to be on the same page, whereas Ramos himself was reduced to running around in circles on the night.

Meanwhile, the defensive priorities of the entire opposition were turned on its head by Martino’s simple switch in the focus of the Barcelona attack – from Messi to Neymar.

Ancelotti’s switch in defense, however, compounded the problems that were already inherent in the Real Madrid line-up well before this match.

And another star was at hand to take advantage – Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean has had a quiet time of it since his mega money move from Udinese, but Martino realised early on that he was just as good as his price tag dictated.

His searing pace and control have contributed heavily to a more direct Barcelona this season, especially in the games that Messi missed, while nursing the thigh injury. His delectable chip was a moment of rare class and composure, and ultimately decided the match in Barcelona’s favor.

Barcelona’s high tempo game, inspired by Biesla and perfected by Guardiola, requires superhuman levels of commitment and stamina to sustain itself over years. Biesla himself once declared “if football was played by robots my teams would always win”.

However tempting it may have been to think of Messi as a robot, his frailties were exposed for all to see by a Bayern Munich juggernaut all those months ago.

Rising from that knockout blow the maestro has found that his mates are only too willing to shoulder his enormous burden.

All under the watchful eye of a man who has given this club a reason to expect great things again.