Where to begin? Well with an apology for my recent low profile from the site. Being the clumsy, wannabe-Carles Puyol that I am, I managed to damage muscles in my back and shoulder playing football, thus have been unable to sit at my laptop for any great length of time, even though I have been desperate to do so – what with the last few weeks being some of the most surreal, exciting and tense times of Barça’s recent past. But after watching my beloved Barça fall short in their pursuit of the Copa Del Rey last night, I can take it no more. I shall have to work through the pain, both physical and emotional, and get a few things off my chest. Otherwise I am liable to go stark raving bonkers.

So here goes. We did not win the Copa Del Rey. We played well enough to do so but our finishing was poor and we did not penetrate Madrid’s defensive wall anywhere near enough. Yes Real played negative, cynical, anti-football but that was to be expected and it was Barça’s job to prepare for that, and to overcome it. Alas we didn’t do that but we must not allow our heads to fall too far. The team showed some real class out there, they worked extraordinarily hard and made a Madrid team full of superstars and multi-million pound ‘cracks’ appear average and out of their depth. This, in itself, is no mean feat and should be applauded. Yes success is measured in silver but not in silver alone. There are some things that signify success on a different plane and it is these things that Barça demonstrated both last night and in the Bernabeu last weekend.

That is not to take anything away from Madrid. They had a gameplan and they stuck to it rigidly, and arguably (by Mourinho’s standards) that plan paid off on both occasions, what with Barça failing to win either game and his goalkeeper only having to pick the ball out of the net once over 210 minutes of football (makes a difference from five times in ninety minutes, doesn’t it?). But it is that goalkeeper who Mourinho should be thanking more than any other member of his staff today for if it was not for the giant that is Iker Casillas, Mourinho’s Madrid would be a poor imitation of a football team. It is thanks to Casillas’ heroics that Mourinho and his super-negativity has any shred of dignity left. To take great, positive, footballing talent such as Mezut Özil, Xabi Alonso, Angel Di Maria and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo and make them play long-ball, hit-and-hope, blind alley football, I’m sorry but FIFA or UEFA or somebody should be taking away Jose’s right to coach a football team until he realises just how badly he is wasting the careers of so many fine young players with this mind numbing fare.

I’m sure to some this will sound like the ranting of a disgruntled Barça fan who is venting his spleen after watching his team come unstuck once again against the Special One’s tactical genius, but that is not the case. I am speaking here not as a disgruntled Barça fan, but as a disgruntled football fan. Why does the footballing world persist in perpetuating this myth that Mourinho is in some way a footballing genius, always toiling two steps ahead of the rest of the pack? With the resources he has had at his disposal during his time at Madrid, not to mention Inter and Chelsea, Mourinho could easily build a team whose aim is to play expansive, exciting, uplifting football, designed to inspire players and fans alike. Instead what Mourinho does is instill the utmost cynicism and backward thinking in his players; asking them to destroy games, commit countless fouls and misdemeanours, and roll around on the floor for as long as possible to eat into game time, all with the intention of ‘stealing’ a win. His intention is never to give the fans or the players what they desire (basically put – FOOTBALL) he only wants to give his CV what it desires – another trophy at whatever cost.

Yes I admit Mourinho is not obliged to play beautiful, interesting football, and of course each manager brings his own stamp to a team, but all things considered Mourinho could play beauitul, exciting football. He has the players and the money to indulge in any whim he so desires, so he could do away with all non-football and play beautifully. He could play with positivity and gusto, bringing great players to their fullest potential. He chooses not to do this.

Some would argue that against ‘lower’ opposition, when the stakes are not quite so high, Mourinho loosens his leash a little, allowing his players to express themselves (a bit!). The problem is when it comes to those games where the stakes are raised, where there is face to be lost or (even worse) a trophy at stake. Once that happens it’s straight back to the default setting – everyone behind the ball and just try not to concede. The long ball and penalty shoot-out is the best path to victory. Okay, maybe I am being a bit dramatic, but the point stands – such negativity is not genius, it is just negativity and until the football press begins to treat Mourinho and his brand of poetry-less pragmatism with the disdain it deserves, football will inevitably be plagued by this classless and regressive individual and his non-football. Shouldn’t we all expect better? Including our bitterest but esteemed rivals from Madrid? How the mighty have fallen.

But to focus on Mourinho and Madrid’s negativity alone would be to do ourselves a disservice. Both in recognising where the team got it right, and also where they got it wrong. To start with I have got to say I think all eleven men played their hearts out last night, showing real desire and togetherness. Having said that I think Pep got his selection slightly wrong, what with so many of the players already showing signs of fatigue when the two teams met in the league a few days previous. David Villa’s continued lack of firepower in front of goal is causing the team real trouble, what with Pedro’s form also dropping. Add to that the fact that Leo is being forced to come so deep to make things happen and it really is no wonder that we have struggled to find the back of the net much recently.

With this in mind I would have liked to have seen Afellay and Keita starting in place of Villa and Pedro last night, with Keita playing in midfield and Iniesta playing higher up the pitch. This may sound like a strange variation but if we look at the problems that we come up against when we meet Mou’s bus, then perhaps my thinking will be more understandable. Firstly, Afellay, as I have said before, is an unknown quantity, as such he would have caused a lot of confusion in Madrid’s backline, especially if he could develop the understanding and good positional work that seems to be blossoming between himself and Andres Iniesta of late. Add to this the fact that he can shoot powerfully and accurately from distance and Ibi could have proven the difference in a game where creating clear cut shooting opportunities in the opposition box was always going to be tough. While I don’t expect to see him feature too heavily in the Champions League ties, I still believe he could hold the key to unlocking (and moving) Madrid’s infamous (trophy crushing) bus.

As for Seydou Keita, well, what is there to say? He is a strong, physical presence who can give as good as he gets in the tackle whilst also having a great sense for making clever runs into the box. With Messi having to come so deep to find the ball, and the inevitable space created by this, I think Keita could well have done a great job ghosting into the box and supporting Villa/Pedro/Afellay/Iniesta and feeding off any scraps that fell to him. For a destructive, defensive player, he gets forward easily and has an impressive goal scoring record.

Like Afellay, he can also shoot from distance and is also fantastic in the air, which could prove a real threat from dead balls, an area we did not exploit to our full potential at all last night. Again I’m not sure if Seydou will feature too much in the Champions League, but with the likes of Villa, Messi, Xavi and Iniesta all looking tired, as well as growing frustrated with the wall of players in front of them, it may be a good idea to try to supplement our tiki-taka talent with a player whose job it is to go away from the ball, not come towards it. This creates space and, inevitably, opportunities.

Nevertheless, what’s done is done. The cup has set sail for Madrid and we must regroup ahead of this weekend’s clash with Osasuna. And whilst it is important to spot where we went wrong, we must also praise those players who performed so well. I’m primarily thinking here of Pinto, Adriano and the human rock that is Javier Mascherano, all of whom did exceptionally well. So while we may not see too much more of Pinto this season, and Adriano’s injury has robbed us of a player growing into his role, now is a good time to recognise just how important El Jefecito is becoming to our team. Along with Valdes, Xavi and Messi, Masch will be a crucial character if we are to get to Wembley. I only wish Pep had set him free in the middle of the park at some point to feast on the ankles of a few of Madrid’s mobsters. That surely would have been a sight worth paying for.

In summary, we dominated the ball, and at moments the opposition, but until we begin to take our chances when they fall our way, we are always leaving ourselves at risk of being caught cold by another of Mourinho’s tactical gems. It may be hard to do but we must ask the team to be less predictable and more direct, but most importantly we must ask them to stop being so damned nice to Iker Casillas. I like the fella but I want to see his head in his hands more often. He has seemed far too satisfied of late. Time for MVP and the rest of the boys to remind him who we are and what we do. We are Barça. We play beautiful football. And we usually win. Last night was a one off and let’s not forget it. They come to destroy. We aim to create. Goals, as well as history. Wembley awaits. Let’s hope it receives.

Visca Barça! Visca Football!