Barcelona, Juventus faced very long odds

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/06/2015 (4097 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

By now we’ve grown accustomed to the idea of a Barcelona-Juventus Champions League final.

We know the characters; we know the storylines; we know that one of the two contestants in club football’s biggest match will complete an extraordinary treble.

But back in October — and, indeed, through much of the first half of the season, or more — the showdown we’re currently anticipating was something between a long shot and an impossibility.

Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Real Madrid had raced to the summits of their domestic leagues, and, we thought, the remaining pair of combatants for the European Cup would surely come from the trio. Or, at the very least, feature one of them.

Additionally, Barcelona and Juventus had appointed new managers during the summer, and neither, in the early days of the campaign, was all that popular.

Take Massimiliano Allegri, the incoming Bianconeri boss.

On Oct. 22, his side lost 1-0 at Olympiacos — just three weeks after going down to an identical scoreline at Atletico Madrid. They would also take only a single point from Serie A rivals Sassuolo and Genoa in the final fortnight of the month, and with his brief tenure already in doubt, Allegri hit out at the “ferocious criticism” he and his players were facing.

Those are his words.

“Are Juve starting to miss Antonio Conte?” he asked rhetorically, referencing his predecessor, who had delivered three Scudetti on the trot. “That’s been an issue since I first arrived… But he is in the past now. He is in history and we have to look forward.”

Meanwhile, Enrique was having an equally difficult time in the Catalan capital, where the legacy of former manager Pep Guardiola threatened to overshadow not only him, but anyone who came after.

On Oct. 25 the Blaugrana were thumped by Madrid in El Clasico, and the following Saturday a 1-0 loss at home to Celta Vigo seemed to snuff out whatever chance Enrique had of winning La Liga.

In a December interview the 45-year-old revealed he wasn’t even permitted a glance at his own, ferocious criticism — doctor’s orders — and, admirably, he hit back at his detractors with principle and stubbornness.

“I like my team to play good, attractive, easy-on-the-eye football,” he said. “We are going to be constantly making changes and evolving.”

Enrique’s biggest change was surely the redeployment of Lionel Messi to the right-hand side of the attack, which is where the four-time Ballon d’Or winner initially operated after breaking into the first-team squad.

With Messi and Brazil captain Neymar flanking striker Luis Suarez, Enrique adjusted Barcelona’s focus to the front from the middle, which had previously been the exclusive territory of pass-master Xavi Hernandez and playmaker Andres Iniesta, neither of whom, the manager realized early on, could be expected to reach their previous heights.

It was a brave decision, and the reward, more than seven months later, was a berth in the Champions League Final.

Similarly, Allegri’s subtle modifications to a setup largely left in place by Conte have proved the difference between merely winning Serie A and potentially lifting every trophy on offer this term.

By rotating his squad (some of it was clever; some if was forced on him by the early stumbles of Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal) he has a group of players unusually fresh for early June, and in relaxing Juve’s midfield intensity he released strikers Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata to show their worth in the final third.

As a result we have a fascinating, if previously unlikely, match to anticipate this afternoon. And if Enrique and Allegri were rudely disparaged back in the fall, they can rightly take the plaudits for where they find themselves this spring.

Women’s World Cup: Canada vs. China

CANADA might be ranked higher than their Group A opponents, and the advantages that come with hosting the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup should make them a favourite to top the section.

“Might” and “should” being the operative words, because this bracket is tougher than you might think.

China — today’s opponent — finished third at the 2014 Asian Cup, where they lost to reigning World Cup champions Japan in extra time before beating South Korea for the bronze medal.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, is one of the sport’s true up-and-comers, and New Zealand, who picked up draws against both Norway and Brazil last year, were previously managed by current Canada boss John Herdman.

On Thursday, the 39-year-old hit the nail on the head when he told reporters Canada would need regular offensive contributions from both Jessie Fleming and Sophie Schmidt.

In other words, the competition is too stiff for star striker Christine Sinclair, as good as she is, to simply overcome on her own.

jerradpeters@gmail.com Twitter@JerradPeters