What's gone wrong with Barca?

 　　MADRID, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Tuesday was a cold night in FC Barcelona' s Camp Nou Stadium and the 98,000 fans in the stands had very little comfort on the pitch as their side was beaten 3-1 at home to Real Madrid in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey.

　　As if losing to their historic rival was not bad enough, it was the second important defeat suffered by the leaders of the BBVA Primera Liga and follows on from a 2-0 setback¹ away to AC Milan in the San Siro Stadium in the Champions League: a game that had ended with the Barca players promising² to set right the errors they had committed.

　　That clearly didn't happen against Real Madrid as Barca fell into the same errors as before, looking static and nervy in possession of the ball while at the same time worryingly fragile in defense³.

　　Madrid' s three goals, which came thanks to two counter-attacks, one of which provoked a penalty and the other a tap in from Cristiano Ronaldo, and a free header buried by Rafael Varene, highlighted Barca' s defensive⁴ frailties⁵ which have seen them concede goals in their last 12 matches.

　　Barca struggle to defend set pieces, given in part a lack of height in a side containing small players such as Andres Iniesta, Jordi Alba, Dani Alves, Cesc Fabrigas and Xavi Hernandez, but they also look open to the counter-attack.

　　Alves may be a fine player going forward, but defensively he has made errors, the most important of which is his tendency to get dragged out of position into the middle of the pitch, allowing rivals to get in behind him.

　　That is partly due to Barca' s attacking strategy, which sees him and left back Jordi Alba committed to attack and central defenders⁶, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique⁷ forced to cover extra spaces. Sergio Busquets, who plays the holding midfield role has in the past, provided cover, but against Milan and Madrid, Busquets was out of position, 15 yards too far forward.

　　The defensive errors would not be so significant if Barca' s midfield was at its best. Barca have always taken risks with their style of play which relies on swift passing and movement and maintaining possession. They have always been open to be hit on the break, but in the past they have not lost the ball with the ease they did against Milan and Madrid.

　　The trident, Xavi Iniesta and Busquets, supported by Pedro Rodriguez, Cesc Fabrigas and the forward runs of Alves and Alba have become expert in keeping the ball and probing for space in Barca' s rivals. That is not happening of late: Pedro is off the pace, Xavi and Cesc are physically⁸ struggling and Iniesta can' t do it on his own.

　　As a result, Barca are losing the ball more, their rivals are launching more breaks and they are receiving more goals. Also Leo Messi has been forced to drop ever deeper looking for the ball, taking him further away from where he does most damage.

　　Meanwhile striker David Villa⁹ is forced to spend his time watching impatiently from the dugout, when a striker of his quality could be vital for attacking ball into the rival penalty area.

　　There is another major factor. One nobody in Barcelona likes to mention: coach Tito Vilanova is currently in New York undergoing treatment for cancer and his assistant, Jordi Roura has taken over the reins¹⁰ at the Camp Nou.

　　Roura insists he is in constant communication with Vilanova, but the fact is Vilanova' s absence have taken away an ability to react at speed, hardly surprising given that Roura was second assistant coach a year ago and it is no insult to a fine club man and an excellent coach to suggest that, perhaps he is struggling after being thrust into the limelight in circumstances which are extremely difficult.

　　Vilanova is expected to return sometime during March, but there is no firm date and there is no way that the worries over his health can have anything other than a negative effect over the mood of the squad¹¹. Add to that physical tiredness as we approach the end of another long season and a lack of experience in the dugout and you have factors which help explain the problem.

　　Everyone is crossing their fingers for Vilanova to recover, first as a person and secondly¹² as a coach, if and when he retakes his seat in the dugout, we can expect Barca to bounce back, but with the return leg against Milan in two weeks Barca probably need to learn from recent errors without him. Tuesday saw them fail at the first attempt, will they get it right next time?

1 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

5 frailties   

n.脆弱( frailty的名词复数 )；虚弱；（性格或行为上的）弱点；缺点

参考例句：

• The fact indicates the economic frailties of this type of farming. 这一事实表明，这种类型的农业在经济上有其脆弱性。 来自辞典例句
• He failed therein to take account of the frailties of human nature--the difficulties of matrimonial life. 在此，他没有考虑到人性的种种弱点--夫妻生活的种种难处。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

6 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 pique   

v.伤害…的自尊心，使生气 n.不满，生气

参考例句：

• She went off in a fit of pique.她一赌气就走了。
• Tom finished the sentence with an air of pique.汤姆有些生气地说完这句话。

8 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

9 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

10 reins   

感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带

参考例句：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

11 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

12 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。