Eric Abidal (Lyon, 1979) is an unusual case in this increasingly fast-paced world of football. In times in which those who are held beyond the thirty more for older than for veterans in Spain than elsewhere, the French side is a real rare bird.
After debuting in 2000 with AS Monaco, passing through the Lille OSC and succeed later in the Olympique Lyonnais (three Ligue 1 and many other Super), eventually landing in Barcelona in the summer of 2007. In his first season under Frank Rijkaard, he lived the debacle of a team that was sunk by the apathy of Ronaldinho, Deco and even the Dutch coach. The following year with Pep Guardiola debut at the Nou Camp bench, Abidal was about to ask the club who pierced him, as he himself acknowledged earlier this year, not connected to the preparer Santpedor: a question of feeling, that Pep say. However, little by little he understood his coach and accepting the thousand and one correction of a freak who put more videos in six months than had been involved throughout his career. Of course, winning League, Cup and Champions League in a single year Abidal finally convince that there was no better place for him to FC Barcelona.
But all was not as nice as it sounds. Spring 2009 that the good of Abi could not play or final Champions Cup or the paths sanctions, a double misfortune for a player who despite his size is far from being a defender leñero: This season, for example, averages less than a foul per game in league (15 in 20). Yes the following season participated in all subsequent final (Spain and European Super Cup and Club World), but no doubt that Abidal will have a thorn removed expects this year. Beyond the titles won, Abidal film is its greatest attraction in the evolution that has had as a player.
When his path crossed with that of Guardiola, Abidal had just turned 28. Twelve months earlier he had been signed to cover, along with Sylvinho, the left lateral space vacated Van Bronckhorst. In his first season with Rijkaard played some games as central, which incidentally has been doing since coming to the elite in Monaco. Because of its height (186 cm) and his prodigious physical deployment, descent player Martinican always worked reasonably well as central, however, until he became a pupil in Guardiola, his style was that of a defender expedient, completely focused on the work of cutting and destruction.
But with the Catalan coach has learned to handle significantly in other respects, especially with regard to positional play and ball out from the front row. Abidal has realized an outstanding new concepts imposed by Guardiola, so on today is totally different from a defender who came to this shore of the Mediterranean. There has been something that has occurred in the overnight, as happened to poor Gregor Samsa, but it can be said that Abidal has been a real metamorphosis. Today is the main substitute for Pique and Puyol in the center of defense, always ready to meet low or enter a rotation break, having advanced from the right to a soldier who has lost the confidence of the coach and some of the fans .
Abidal is not only a center dedicated to defending, much less. The improvement in the output of the ball from behind has been extraordinary, not only in the technical section, but especially in the conceptual. Eric has internalized the ideology Guardiola as if he had any life at Barça. But he did not go to school in La Masia and had his internship at the Mini Stadium: Abidal is a lawyer who entered the University Blaugrana in the form of over 25 years. Maybe I could have dedicated a post like Seydou Keita, a similar model, but is that you are making temporadón French defender is more than noteworthy.
Photo | Wael.Mogherbi
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