'El Cid' Puyol to lead Barcelona fightback against Arsenal (Feature)

By Duncan Shaw Feb 18, 2011, 10:51 GMT

Madrid - Barcelona's key man in the March 8 Champions League showdown against Arsenal will not be Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta or Xavi.

Instead, according to the Catalan media on Friday, it will be a 32-year-old defender with a dodgy left knee who has not played for three weeks now.

In 1099, during the siege of Valencia, the Christian leaders decided to put the dead body of legendary warrior 'El Cid' - killed the day before in a skirmish with the Moors - on his famous white horse Babieca, in order to raise the morale of the troops.

Barca have a similar plan with Puyol, in order to turn around Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at Arsenal - even if the veteran captain is not a hundred per cent fit.

Catalan radio station RAC-1 on Friday commented that 'Puyol will force himself to be fit for the second leg, by sheer strength of character.'

Mundo Deportivo, for its part, claimed that Puyol will play in the March 8 showdown 'save an accident or a spectacular relapse.'

The sports paper stated that 'the presence of the captain has been a vital question,' especially given that Gerard Pique, Puyol's usual partner in the centre of defence, is suspended for the clash.

Puyol suffered a twisted left knee, which has since developed into tendinitis, in the January 29 league defeat of Racing Santander.

Without him, the Barca defence failed to shut out Sporting Gijon - in the 1-1 draw that ended Barca's record-breaking run of 16 straight league wins - and looked porous against Arsenal.

Mundo Deportivo pointed out that in Barca's four defeats this season in all competitions - against Sevilla, Hercules, Betis and Arsenal - Puyol has been absent.

The principal problem here is that Barca completely rely on the Puyol-Pique partnership - which helped Spain to win the World Cup - without really having a 'Plan B' for when either or both is absent.

In Gijon Pep Guardiola brought in Gabriel Milito, but the Argentine veteran looked slow and shaky after three months out injured.

Against Arsenal he moved Eric Abidal from left-back into the centre, but this meant bringing in at left-back Maxwell, who has rarely been as effective as Abidal down the left.

Guardiola has been looking for a younger replacement for Puyol but has, in the past two years, rejected Martin Caceres, Henrique and - most expensively - Dmytro Chygrinsiky, after casting his highly critical eye over them. This summer Guardiola will continue his search.

An online poll taken by Mundo Deportivo showed, on Friday, that 55 per cent of readers believe him to be 'irreplaceable.'

Rival daily Sport, meanwhile, commented on Friday that 'Puyol is one of those players who gives character to a team. His winning personality is contagious for his team-mates, and (with him) at the back there is always order and decision...He was sorely missed in the Emirates Stadium.'

Puyol has become a legendary, immensely popular 'El Cid' figure at Barca over the years, thanks to his never-say-die attitude, his indomitable spirit and his evident qualities of leadership.

Unlike the handsome, composed Pique, Puyol is not a very aesthetic defender and he usually finishes a game covered in mud - and sometimes blood also.

Like Messi, Iniesta and Xavi, Puyol - who hails from a small town in Lerida province - is a product of Barca's famous youth academy. He made his debut in 1999 and for several years was Barca and Spain's first-choice right back.

Coach Frank Rijkaard converted him into a sweeper after 2003, and from that key position Puyol has captained Barca to four Liga titles and two Champions Leagues.

Now his only concern is to get himself fit for the March 8 showdown.

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