How Pique and Puyol are so important

How Pique and Puyol are so important
by editor Wong Yang

Barcelona came out of a nine-goal match against Deportivo as the victors. If you are assuming they won 9-0 or 8-1, the plot was actually quite the opposite. Deportivo managed to score four goals, while the Catalans' five goals came from a hat-trick by Messi, as well as a goal each from Jordi Alba and Cristian Tello. Playmaker Xavi was left on the bench by Barca coach Tito Vilanova, but it was not his absence that allowed Deportivo to be just one whisker away from a draw or a victory.

Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol were once again left out of the line-up owing to injuries. Midfielders Alex Song and Javier Mascherano stood in as the backbone of Barcelona's line-up for the match, and thus it was little wonder how Deportivo were able to grab not one, but four goals. It is the biggest number of goals that Barca has conceded in one match this season.

The central defence partnership forged between Pique and Puyol is a blessing to Barcelona,  a barrier preventing the most lethal of strikers from scoring. Puyol is rugged and rough, never letting the ball slip away, treating every game like the Champions League final. Piqué is more relaxed and patient, and plays with a sort of elegance, unlike the "Flintstones" personality of Puyol. Each provides what the other does not have. As total opposites, the two are able to learn from one another and make themselves better players. And that's what makes Barca's defence so strong. Just like in the case of batteries, the positive and negative sides of two batteries in a series alignment are placed so both sides touch. This allows the electrons to flow through and the battery to function.

The long-haired man and his partner with a neater hairstyle will be missed by Barcelona, while the Catalans will face Celtic in mid-week for their UEFA Champions League group-stage match. Why else do you think Energizer's orignal slogan was "nothing outlasts the Energizer"?  That means "nothing gets past Puyol and Pique". Well, almost nothing.