The Whole Story

34 games, 29 goals. In Championship Manager this statistic would make a player "indispensable to the club". Why then does it seem that Samuel Eto'o has been on his way out of Barcelona for the past six months? Why are other strikers being linked with the club when they already have one who is on course to be this year's Pichichi winner? On the surface it seems absurd, but for me the deeper truth is rather simple: Sammy Eto'o really isn't very good.

If you're getting ready to burn me at the stake for heresy then I can understand, but bear with me here. First of all, I'm not saying this as someone who merely witnessed him play poorly against Chelsea, but saw little else of him. At a guess I would say I've seen about 30 of Eto'o 34 games, so my opinion is by no means uninformed. That's not to suggest I am right, but that I haven't come to the conclusion using a tiny sample size. Secondly, I don't deny that Eto'o has desirable qualities. Nice eyes, perfect figure - they're all there. Oh, and he's quick, he's strong, and he can hit the ball very hard which leads to some spectacular goals, like this one. And thirdly, 29 goals is 29 goals. I don't deny the value of such a statistic, but football is not baseball, and statistics do not tell the whole story.

The whole story -- in simple terms -- is something like this: Samuel Eto'o is surrounded by world-class players who create chance after chance for him. He doesn't convert most of these chances, but because he gets so many the law of averages means that he does score some of the time. 29 goals may seem like a good return, but in the context of the season it's actually quite poor. Perhaps this is churlish of me, but remember that it's not just me who has doubts about the Cameroonian. Guardiola wanted to sell him at the start of the season, and it appears that he still wants to sell him. Does he just not like the cut of Eto'o's jib? Maybe, but I think he also see in Eto'o a profligacy and brainlessness that could cost Barcelona dearly when it comes to the upper echelons of world football - the Champions League.

I said to a couple of United fans that Barcelona will either win the final despite Eto'o, or lose if because of him. Harsh hyperbole, but some solid truth is in there somewhere. People may point to Messi underperforming against Chelsea, but you could still see the danger he possesses when on the ball. Cheslea could too, which is why three players rushed to him when he got the ball in the last minute only for him to cooly lay it off to Iniesta. Eto'o was a different proposition. He wasn't tightly marked, yet he was Barcelona's least potent player. His link up play was unimaginative, his ball retention the worst of the 11 starters, and in the first leg he missed arguably Barcelona's best chance over the two legs (though admittedly he did create the chance himself). You could apply the same description to his performances in last season's semi-final, and my prediction is that I will be saying the same thing come Thursday week.

Barca and Torres

The best central midfielder in the world today?

There is just so much to write about concerning the beautiful game this weekend that I'm not sure what to focus on - the Pro Evo 2009 demo? Arsenal dropping more points against inferior opponents? Tottenham being genuine relegation candidates? So much to choose from, so little time to write about it all.

I'll pick out the two things that struck me the most, starting with Barcelona v Athetico last night. In case you don't know, Barca won that game 6-1, going 3-0 up after 8 minutes. In a word, they were phenomenal. The quartet consisting of Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and Eto'o was just breathtaking at times. Each of them had moments that would adorn the most silky of games.

Xavi bringing the ball down with his foot (which was almost at head height), knocking it by a player, and then playing Henry though on goal. Iniesta cutting inside and curling a stunning shot off the post, Messi dribbling by 3 players and chipping the ball over Coupet, only to see his shot go just wide, and Eto'o chesting a ball down, dummying both the defender and goalkeeper, and slotting it home for his second of the night.

Rarely have I seen a team out-play another team like this. I mean we're talking Argentina v Serbia here. If Barca really wanted to, they could have scored 10. It was the kind of performance they threaten against most teams but never actually deliver. The kind of performance that should see them installed as favourites for La Liga (if they weren't aready), and genuine contenders for the Champions League (their defense is too abysmal to make them favourites). Their attacking options are unrivaled by any club in the world. In Xavi, they possess arguably the best central midfield player in the world today (can anyone name someone better?), in Messi and Iniesta they possess the best duo of wingers, and between Eto'o and Henry they possess enough firepower to cause most defenses problems (though I would still have a few question marks over Eto'o and his penchant for wastefulness).

Athletico were horrible, make no mistake about that. But Barcelona played some exquisite football nonetheless. It was a masterclass of footballing beauty you might say.

The other thing I want to talk about is Torres. And more specifically, me not liking him that much. I have nothing against him personally of course. I just don't see what everyone else sees in him.

I mean Benitez came out today and basically said he's the best player in the world. After 2 goals today to bring Liverpool back to 2-2 against City you might be inclined to think Rafa is on to something, but don't let those goals fool you. Torres was woeful in the first half, and not much better in the second. Can a player score 2 goals and still be bad? I think so.

I just don't get very excited when Torres plays. For me, he loses the ball too often, and there's nothing I hate more in a player than an inclination to surrender possession cheaply. You can score all the goals you want, but if you keep giving the ball away when you're not putting it in the back of the net, I won't like you very much. This is just my personal opinion. I know it's not shared by many, but I wanted to make it known.

Watching a player like Xavi, or Iniesta, or Fabregas gives me much greater pleasure than watching someone who scores goals, but doesn't do a whole lot else. Torres is a good player, no question. I just don't think he's as good as people make him out to be. From what I saw of Spain this summer, David Villa was actually the more complete striker of the two. But, you know - since Torres plays in the Premier League, he must be better. I mean, look at how much Deco has improved since he came to England [???].

Regardless of my personal feelings for Torres' game, he must be applauded for his sublime instincts inside the box, and for getting Liverpool out of jail against City today. That was a vital win - not just for the 3 points, but also as a show of character, and a warning to the other teams that they are title contenders this year. This season is shaping up to be better than last, and if Arsenal don't buck up they could find themselves out of the race by Christmas. You heard it here first.