Victor Valdes Arribas

[rummenigge]

VM er allerede ved at få vores målmand til at vokse yderligere, både spillemæssigt med hans positive attitude overfor at lære fra de andre og som person:
http://indkast.dk/index.php?nyhed=66854

Den nye inspiration er præcis hvad han har brug for for at blive endnu bedre. Godt gået og må du blive 1. målmand snart!

[Mander]

[youtube]6EoMH3s1DfU[/youtube]

[JonasV]

Haha, fantastisk fejring af den redning! Hvem der end skrev at der burde laves en gif, har så meget ret.

[Thiago Alcántara]

Den er ret fangende!

[Bager]

Ja, den er faktisk ikke så gal som noget af det pis der normalt kommer ud af sådan noget :P

[Visca El Barca]

Tillykke til Victor, han fylder 29 år i dag! Håber han bliver i klubben de næste 10 år, han er den perfekte målmand for os, og en af verdens bedste på positionen.

[Visca El Barca]

Jeg poster lige en artikel fra totalbarca.com. Det er en artikel om 3 spillere, som ikke får særlig meget ros, eller overskrifter, men som forfatteren skriver og jeg er enig med ham i, fortjener de at få anerkendelse. Bussi har måske fået lidt mere anerkendelse, men jeg mener at man hurtigt overser Valdes og Abidal og deres betydning for holdet. Nårh men her poster jeg lige artiklen, og den kan anbefales, det er god læsning, selvom den er lidt lang.


The Foundations
Posted at: 17:00 on Thursday, February 10, 2011 Category: Opinion Pieces Written by: Spencer
The Foundations

They say that behind every great man is a great woman so surely it stands to reason that behind every great individual there is a great team. Or should that be behind every show-stopping Lionel Messi performance there are ten show-stopping players who make it possible for the diminutive Argentine to shine. It is with this in mind that I’d like to pin point a few players whose performances so far this season have proved invaluable to the team’s great form but who, thanks to the genius of our forward line, rarely get the credit they truly deserve.

Before we begin I must issue a disclaimer. So good has the team been this season that is seems almost churlish of me to pick out certain players for special praise, what with almost every member of the squad putting in notable performances. And yet there is a part of me that cannot refrain from wanting to draw attention to three players who I personally feel are not given the recognition they deserve by the press and fans alike. Players who although not under-valued are often over-looked.

So let’s begin at the beginning, shall we, with a player who may not be number one in every one’s book but when it comes to the team, he has undoubtedly cemented his place as Barca’s numero uno. That’s right - it’s the man I like to call Big Vic. Señor Valdes. The footballer’s goalkeeper of choice. Equally happy with his feet as he is with his hands. Sure there are some out there who say he doesn’t do enough to garner high praise, but to those people I can offer only stone cold facts.

So far this season Big Vic has conceded only 11 goals in his 22 La Liga performances, keeping 12 clean sheets in the process. Let’s put that in context, shall we. That means that in over 1980 minutes of football, Valdes has on average conceded only once every 180 minutes. That’s one goal every two games. Compare that to his closest competitor, Madrid’s Iker Casillas, and you see just how impressive those stats are. Casillas has kept 10 cleansheets, conceding 19 goals in 22 La Liga games, that’s an average of one goal every 104 minutes. That makes Big Vic over an hour better than his Madrid counterpart. And as we all know an hour is a long time in football – especially if you’re Iker Casillas and it’s Clasico day!

But of course cutting it down to such stats reduces the achievement down to nothing more than goal side economics, doing away with the intricate nuances of personal performance. And it is these personal performances that have proven so inspiring recently. If Valdes is cursed to play for the greatest ‘footballing’ team in history, he is blessed to have some of the greatest goalkeeping reflexes in the modern game, something that will see him surely remembered alongside his attacking teammates.

For long periods he is almost invisible, his main task seemingly to stay awake during the game. Then out of nowhere our offside trap is sprung and Big Vic is called into action; rushing off his line well, making saves with all parts of his body and most importantly getting rid of the danger. Where in the past he was likely to make a mistake or fail to clear his lines thus keeping the pressure on the team, Valdes has now learnt how to make great saves and how to make them stick – the ball not shown the same affection by our goalkeeper as it is by his colleagues. Simply put, Big Vic has become an immense influence on the team.

Ask any defender, professional or otherwise, what it means to have a reliable, intelligent goalkeeper behind you and the answer will almost always be the same. It means stability and reassurance, which in turn means freedom for defenders (and the team as a whole) to go forward with gusto and commitment. Such pyschological strength can mean the difference between scoring and missing, and ultimately, between winning and losing. What would the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal give for such certainty – (about 30 million euros if the rumours are to be believed!).

But of course there are still some out there who will say that due to the wonderful protection he gets from his defence, we can never know just how good Valdes really is. Well you can only paint a picture with the colours you have at hand, and luckily for us, the colours we have are pretty darn special. Does that mean we should admonish the accomplishments of Big Vic just because our defenders can do their job so well? I think not. In fact, it is worth noting that the other two players I have singled out for praise are members of our defensive wall, and yet their performances are not merely based on strength and security. No, for these two it is their involvement in our forward play that proves just how important they are to the team.

Perhaps the best compliment I can pay to both of these players is that at one time or another I felt that both were on the periphery of the team, their performances lacking consistency and concentration, often leaving them looking more like liabilities than leaders. But no longer am I filled with such thoughts for now both Eric Abidal and Sergio Busquets have affirmed themselves in my mind as arguably the two best performers of our season thus far.

Yes, yes, Messi is a genius and Xavi is the king of the world, and Andres is magic personified, and David Villa has lovely legs… wait scrap that! What I’m trying to say is Abidal and Sergio have, along with Big Vic, provided the team with the steady, secure foundations it needs in order to create the majesty we are currently seeing this season. With both proving their versatility and intelligence, Abidal and Sergio have managed to ensure that theirs are the first names on the teamsheet ahead of the countless superstars the squad currently has.

Abidal has (after a rather shaky start it must be said) taken to his role as makeshift centre-back with aplomb, the Frenchman forging such a strong understanding with Gerard Pique that when the news trickled through that El Capitan may not be fit in time for our Champions League tie with Arsenal, I did not throw up my arms and begin to weep. No, I just thought ‘oh well I’m sure Eric will be fine‘. That’s a hell of a reputation recovery considering how dubious I was about whether Abidal could cut the mustard at the heart of defence, but I admit it – I was wrong. He has proven himself more than capable. He reads the game well, is tough in the challenge and uses the ball intelligently but not recklessly. He gets forward well but has the pace to get back when needed. He is proving himself the well rounded player he always told us he was.

And perhaps most importantly, he has learnt to trust his left-back. At the start of the season Abidal resembled Bugs Bunny in those cartoons when the crafty rabbit plays two different characters having a conversation with himself – the Frenchman unsure of whether he should be holding his position at centre-back or pushing across to cover on his natural flank. Such doubt caused Abidal to seem out of his depth and unsure of himself. But now with Maxwell finding form and Abidal feeling more secure alongside the wandering Gerard Pique, it seems the left-side is amply covered, the whopping great hole between Gerard Pique and the left-back brothers finally put to bed. This is great news for everybody and is demonstrated every week by our defensive uniformity and strength.

If he keeps up this form the French international will surely be pushing for recognition as Barca’s player of the season. But in order to win such an accolade he will have to beat off stiff competition from a player who at one time used to bemuse and befuddle Barca fans, but has now managed to break his way into our hearts – Sergio Busquets.

As careers go Sergio’s is up there with Rocky – out of nowhere, through times of trial and tribulation and onto great success and renown. (Okay things don’t end well for Rocky but come on, give me a break, there’s only so many metaphors out there!) Just like Abidal, Busquets has proven himself to be a steadying influence on the team; his calm nature and strong work ethic allowing those both in front and behind him the freedom they need to do their jobs to the fullest. Add to this his recent applaud-able stint at centre-back and it does appear he is all set to give Xavi’s appearance record a run for its money.

At a mere 22 years of age, Busquets cuts a mature and reliable figure on and off the field, seemingly imitating Pep as the anchor of the team through which the magic happens. His tackling has improved, he is calmer on the ball and no longer feels the need to go rolling around the pitch whenever someone attempts to tackle him. All things considered, I would have to point to him as our most consistent and important player so far this season. Where once I would shake my head to see his name on the teamsheet I now feel elated, secure in the knowledge that our silent midfield stalker is out there protecting those around him, destroying and creating in equal measure. He is a wonderful footballer who, if current form continues, will one day be considered a club legend, and rightly so.

It’s thanks to the likes of Sergio and the ever-ready and willing Abidal and Victor Valdes that this current team will go down in history as one of the greatest to ever play the game. But when the time comes and the children ask about that great, great Barca of the past, it will not be only Leo and Xavi and Andres who they will ask about. No, they will also point out those players standing alongside them. It is our job to make sure such greats as these are given the respect they deserve, and their memories live long in the hearts of all Barca fans – including those still to come.

Our foundations are strong. Let us not forget that.

[kklaus]

Valdes' recovery time is today in the media estimated to be between 10 days and 4 weeks, depending on the reaction to the treatment #fcblive

Stadig ikke rigtig noget konkret.. men jeg stemmer på 10 dage.

[BarçaDK]

Valdes' recovery time is today in the media estimated to be between 10 days and 4 weeks, depending on the reaction to the treatment #fcblive

Stadig ikke rigtig noget konkret.. men jeg stemmer på 10 dage.

Jeg stemmer på han laver "en Puyol" og er med mod Mallorca :D

[Squix]

Valdes' recovery time is today in the media estimated to be between 10 days and 4 weeks, depending on the reaction to the treatment #fcblive

Stadig ikke rigtig noget konkret.. men jeg stemmer på 10 dage.

Jeg stemmer på han laver "en Puyol" og er med mod Mallorca :D

Den er lidt spydig den kommentar.

Puyol har siddet ude i over 1 måned nu, med netop en knæskade - Så håber ikke Valdes efterligner den ;)
Selvom jeg godt ved hvad du mener - Fordi Puyol netop plejer at blive klar på rekordtid, den sammenligning var bare ikke så god i det her tilfælde :P

[Valdééés]

Jeg får altså stress over Pinto, kom nu Valdés for helvede, bliv rask...(gælder også Puyol)

[Squix]

Jeg får altså stress over Pinto, kom nu Valdés for helvede, bliv rask...(gælder også Puyol)

Samme her!

Sidder og holder vejret hver gang modstanderen begynder og presse ham, og han har den i fødderne!
Glæder mig til at få en ny keeper - selvom Pinto umiddelbart virker som en mega nice person at have på holdet, så har han ikke niveauet til at være ved Barcelona - heller ikke bare som reserve.

[zqa]

Han har fine redninger hver gang han står, og han har reddet trofæer til os. Jeg synes stadig hans niveau er fint nok til at spille som reserve.

[Squix]

As things stand now, both Valdes and Puyol will be able to play the return game of the CL 1/8 finals vs Arsenal on 8 March

Valdes is expected to make his come-back on 5 March against Zaragoza, or even on 2 March against Valencia

Fantastisk nyhed!

[Valdééés]

Han har fine redninger hver gang han står, og han har reddet trofæer til os. Jeg synes stadig hans niveau er fint nok til at spille som reserve.

Det er rigtigt at han laver fine redninger, men uden puyol til så at styre forsvaret sejler det hele syntes jeg.