Barca Losing Style?

                This Friday, Suarez had his big chance at a home debut for Barcelona, and many hoped it would provide a bounce back from the disappointing loss to Real Madrid previously. With Messi posed to set a La Liga goal record with one more goal and Suarez yet to show his true attacking linkup with the team, the home game against Celta Vigo was hoped to provide some reassurance. Throughout the first half, Barcelona held the majority of possession and had no shortage of opportunities; however, their defense still looked shaky. This pattern continued until the 55^th minute when Celta finally put one away and themselves ahead away against Barcelona. After some substitutions for Barcelona, the attack grew again, but nothing came of it and the game ended as another disappointing defeat for Barcelona.

                This loss creates further trouble for Luis Enrique and his plan for the team, as bringing in Suarez hoped to make more opportunities and, in turn, goals. So far, in his first two games, Suarez has yet to score and begin what is hoped to be a successful career with Barcelona. However, Suarez has created opportunities and has one assist, but he is still lacking a goal. Also, talk of Messi breaking the La Liga career goal record started before the Real Madrid game, but he has yet to score the record-breaking goal. Thus, Barcelona has not been the most effective attacking-wise in the last few games, and despite such big name strikers, a real attacking force is yet to be seen.

                However, offense is not the only part of the game that Barcelona is struggling with, and their defense is not as strong as it needs to be in order to do well in the league. Like Celta, Barcelona was able to create chances offensively, and, with a sound defensive side, could have held on to at least sustain a draw. Unluckily, this was not the case, and working backwards Barcelona looked shaky as ever, and lacked any real defensive presence from any one player. In the buildup to the goal by Celta, Barcelona’s defense was outmuscled multiple times and, in the end, were scored on due to a lack of strong defensive presence. In order for Barcelona to compete with very attacking teams such as Real Madrid, they need to connect going forward and grow as an offensive force. Also, the defensive side needs to get stronger and someone needs to step up as a leader in the back. 

Adidas Crazylight Pack

                Just recently, Adidas released Crazylight versions of their four major soccer cleat silos: F50, Predator, Nitrocharge, and 11pro. Featuring stunning colors and unique designs, these shoes are sure to make you stand out on the pitch. The Crazylight versions of these cleats are only for the firm ground stud patterns and there is only one color and model for each branch. With each boot being under 8 ounces and the F50 being under 5, these are all very lightweight cleats especially considering the fact that some of them utilize leather or leather-like synthetics. At first impressions, I was very excited to see these new cleats, and each colorway is distinctive and intriguing. Even though these are basically just slimmed-down versions of Adidas’s top model cleats, I think they did a good job of bringing down the weight, maintaining stability and structure, and creating a color and feel unique to the Crazylight models.

                To me, the feel of the cleats that I am wearing is an important part of deciding which ones to buy, and weight contributes greatly to the feel of a boot. Nothing is worse than the feeling of heavy, weighed down cleats. Although anything under 9 or so ounces is fairly light on the feet and the difference between 9 or 6 ounces is hardly noticeable, there is a freshness about not being able to tell that you are wearing shoes. Because of this, it is nice that Adidas is able to create the support of their regular cleats while taking off some of the excess weight. While not everyone will be able to afford these cleats, as premium cleats come with a premium price, I appreciate how Adidas still makes them as there are people who want this extra lightweight feel. Along with the high-end feel, there are no lower-end models that share the same colorway as the Crazylight models, guaranteeing the wearer to stand out on the field. Unlike the Crazylight shoes, normal models of cleats at any level share the same colors, so a high-end shoe looks very similar to a lower-end shoe on the field, creating a lack of a premium feel to some people. Overall, Adidas did a lot of things right for this release, improving on all of their regular top models by dropping weight while keeping the positives of the regular shoes.

United Shows Strength

            Despite a slow start to the season, and a loss to Rooney to suspension and Falcao to injury, Manchester United put on their most convincing show against Chelsea today. Both teams were likely saying the same things about the game; that they were both unhappy to not win. Chelsea feels this way because they are currently seen as the greatest contender for the title and have started the season as such while United feels that they played a game deserving of a win. United seemed to be winning the game, ending up with over twice the shots and greater possession time than Chelsea, but ended up down by one after a goal by Drogba. At this point, Chelsea looked to dominate and kill the game like they do so well, and it looked as if they would succeed and turn out with the win. However, in the 94^th minute, a free kick by Di Maria ended up at the feet of Van Persie who put the ball in the back of the net and gave United a much needed, and deserved, 1-1 tie to league leaders Chelsea.

            For Manchester United and its fans, today’s game against Chelsea was going to show a lot about the team and where they stand going forward. For one, Rooney, their captain and long-time starting forward, was out due to suspension after a red card in a previous game. There has been dispute to Rooney’s position as captain and if he deserves the title, and how the team plays without him could change that status. After losing to much less competitive teams than Chelsea, United was not expected to do extremely well against them, but this improvement does show that United may be better off without Rooney as their captain. In the absence of Rooney, Robin Van Persie took on the role as captain against Chelsea, and he played a game deserving of the captain’s band, scoring the late goal to equalize and give the team a point in the league. Going forward, I wonder if this may be a permanent change in statuses, with Van Persie remaining as captain and Rooney losing the title. Depending on how United does in the next games without Rooney, this may become a more likely outcome. Either way, the game was a very disappointing one for Chelsea and gives hope to what Manchester United can do in the future.