the antigame

from a tactical perspective, valencia were horrible. 29% possession. passes went stray most of the time. on a day when villa looked out of sorts, what else can you expect? it is the classic example of the anti-game. the kind of game you absolutely don't want, don't expect to play at all. can you possibly imagine, a mere 29% possession? from valencia? i don't think that's football.

but yet, it also embodies the romance of the game. two breaks, two goals. actually, valencia, inspite of the meagre possession, had created the better chances. the number of chances was also equal to barcelona. the albelda miss from angulo's clever backheel, which was really delightful to watch. villa shooting at valdes when he should ahve squared the ball. morientes sending the ball horribly wide after being put through by a clever pass from villa. i just can't figure out how they saw so little of the ball.

but it is really a classic victory which defies all conventional logic. especially that of the importance of possession. if you have the ball, they can't score. well, tell that to barcelona. this statement, i suppose, only applies when it is absolute. meaning you have the ball for every second of the game. because there is no 100%, things can happen, as we have seen in the mestalla.

i am just relieved we held on in the end.