FC Barcelona: David Villa And The Hype

Last season, we were all a little disappointed that the team was a little too dependent on Lionel Messi who had to take too much responsibility on the goal scoring front. I, for one, half expected Cesc Fabregas to share the burden and in all fairness, he did in some way but after we lost Villa to that horrific injury in December, it was painful to watch Cesc lose his form entirely along with Pedro and Alexis.

Let's not delve into that season too much but basically everything that could go wrong, did(Murphy's law to the uninitiated). Our preseason sucked(much like Madrid's this season: food for thought?), our defense performed admirably considering the circumstances, our offensive capabilities had to improvise drastically causing midfielders like Xavi(who broke his own goal scoring record) to contribute more but that wasn't enough.

Now, DAHVEED VIYYA is back. Spain's all time top scorer. 3rd goal in a Champion's league final that was nothing short of epic. Remember that rocket into the top right corner in the Clasico? This is the man who has consistently scored 20 odd goals a season from before I started following football. At his peak, he is by far the best striker in the business simply cause he is such a huge threat from any distance (40 yards in).

But, this is also the same player who is just back from a very serious injury. 8 months of no competitive football is a long time for a player pushing 31 years of age. All fans (I'm at the very top of that list and this article could have more therapeutic reasons that I'm willing to admit) are dying from the excitement. To make matters worse, every time the Spaniard touches the ball, it seems to hit the back of the net. Remember Villa just before he broke his leg? Exactly! he played quite a few games(over a couple of months) carrying an injury to the same bone, and was terribly out of form. The club chose not to say that out loud till just before the CWC match. He had this annoying tendency to stray offside. It was all the more annoying cause anybody who has watched La Liga over the last 5 or 6 years knows what Villa is capable of (especially Culés, remember that chip over Valdes don't you?).

I guess, I'm trying to say that even if the club itself and the player feels that he will reach top form in 3 weeks, we(fans) should stop hyping it up too much. It is one thing being able to play a cameo of 15 minutes and scoring and entirely another of 90 minutes and scoring a winner (hypothetically speaking of course). My personal thoughts? I think I'm ready to give Villa another 2 months before he starts playing 90 minutes and an additional couple of weeks for him to score consistently.

That said, have you guys watched Villa closely (and with a cool head) when he has played? Is it just me or does he actually look better than he did even when he was fit? All of a sudden, the Spaniard is ready to risk dribbling out wide to help create disarray in opposing ranks. Now, unlike before, his short passes in and around the box is accurate, quick, creative and moreover he makes the right runs to receive the return pass. Not to mention last night's goal was one right out of the top drawer. As fans of Barcelona we aren't really used to long balls over the top, and last night, Villa's goal was pure class. The perfect run, the perfect take, switches to his left (weaker foot) and slots it through the keeper's legs. This is a 1:52 second video and you simply cannot deny that El Guaje is really motivated. All I ask is that fans shouldn't keep their hopes too high, lest we get disappointed and blame it on the player (SELL HIM?!)

David Villa vs Getafe - La Liga 12-13 (A) (via TheLonia2012)