Looks like Barça and Messi aren't the only ones a tad too tired...
Real Madrid really is the antithesis of Barcelona: whereas the latter only play midfielders, the former have NO midfield. When they had possession, and until Kaká came on, there were 40 meters of empty space in between their defence (to which Alonso and Khedira tracked back because the centre backs can't make long passes) and the attack. All the time! Incredible! They'd then have the 2 fullbacks a bit further up but the pitch, but glued to the sideline, and 4 relatively immobile forwards waiting near the penalty area.
I felt like I was watching a game from the 1950s. Only thing is: Bayern was not a 50s team.
I felt Mourinho made exactly the right substitutions but all came 15 minutes too late (of course he had to play with the prospect of extra-time, but still...).
Maybe the never ending fight for supremacy between the 2 spanish giants turned all their players into exhausted ghosts. Xabi Alonso, for example, their only midfielder who can both defend and create something as a deep lying playmaker has been physically out of it for the past 6 months. Mourinho also did very little squad rotation.
Anyway, this shouldn't take any credit away from Bayern, who I think probably just about deserved it overall. I wasn't impressed with them last week, but today they were pretty good.
The forwards pressed Real Madrid's defenders all day, thus widening that huge gap between both halves of Madrid's team. The midfield was key: Kroos, Schweinsteiger and L. Gustavo a very dynamic unit on and off the ball, preventing any overlaps in the wings, always creating an extra barrier of pressing and comfortable in possession: tiki-taka with a purpose.
And the defence, their most dodgy sector, was also pretty good.
Only problem is that they got too many yellow cards and now have a squad almost as depleted as Chelsea's, but with more important players missing in my opinion. The only really irreplaceable player Chelsea has suspended, on current form, is Ramires. They can bring experience in Essien or Malouda to grind out another result with heroic ultra-catenaccio.
Badstuber, Alaba and Luiz Gustavo (iirc the ones missing the final) are bigger losses I think.
Finally, with the following list of top spanish players all in a dip of form - Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, David Silva, Mata, Torres, Piqué, Pedro + David Villa recovering from a broken leg -, and contrasting that with what we saw today, Germany for the Euro 2012 title?
Maybe we'll run into a mountain hermit with satellite tv?
