Real Madrid vs Barcelona Although the Clasico’s status as a season-defining event has diminished, its importance has not.
You don’t need to be a genius of imagination to see the last few weeks of the season unfold like this.
Atletico Madrid, run down by nerves and on fumes
Atletico Madrid, run down by nerves and on fumes, loses its position at the top of La Liga. Barcelona, unbeaten since the beginning of the year and restored, Real Madrid vs Barcelona replaces Diego Simeone’s team to regain its crown.
Real Madrid, the familiar smell of European glory in its nostrils and a breeze past Liverpool edge Chelsea to win a place at the Champions League final. Real Madrid would be, in Istanbul, the underdog by all measures. Real Madrid vs Barcelona Bayern Munich and Manchester City are, without a doubt, better-coordinated, more complete teams. Even Paris St.-Germain’s mission for revenge, fueled by Kylian Mbappe’s brilliance, has more star power and more forward momentum than it did Wednesday night in Munich.
Real Madrid and is the Champions League
It is Real Madrid and it is the Champions League. These things don’t necessarily follow logic. Each of them, like Barcelona, the twin repelling poles in the Clasico, may not be more than seven weeks away from glory. Both spent most of the campaign in what appeared to be free fall. It is not difficult to imagine that they will be at the pinnacle of their careers in just a few weeks.
This does not mean the perception is false. Even after the election, Barcelona’s financial woes are alarmingly real. It has greater salary commitments than any other team. Its team is still young. Real Madrid vs Barcelona It still spends hundreds of millions on the transfer market. It still wastes its legacy, still alienates the greatest star in its past and still loses sight of itself.
Real Madrid’s situation may not be as dire, but there are signs of institutional complacency, endemic drift, and other indicators that indicate this. The team is beginning to age. Its policy of paying premiums for young talent — many of whom have only a few senior games under their belts – has not yielded the results the club hoped.
Real Madrid has a lot of unemployed high-earners on its payroll
Real Madrid has a lot of unemployed high-earners on its payroll. Real Madrid’s finances are being stretched by the Santiago Bernabeu revamp that has made it play home games at the training facility for one year. Real Madrid’s belief that it can sign Erling Haaland, as well as Mbappe in the next two seasons, seems both ludicrous and faintly naive. Real Madrid, awash in glamour and success has become the private fief of Florentino Perez.
These issues are not the result of misguided, inept news media. They do not prove that there is a conspiracy against Madrid and Barcelona. These issues are real and will be manifested on Saturday when the clubs meet in the Spanish capital for their second Clasico.
sports historians will be looking back at European soccer’s imperial
If 50 years from now sports historians will be looking back at European soccer’s imperial period and examining how it became what David Goldblatt calls the single greatest cultural phenomenon in modern history, they can do worse than, to begin with, those 18 days of 2011 when Real and Barcelona met four times.
Even from a relatively low vantage point in 2021, these two and half weeks have the air and feel of a seed, a flower and dawn, dusk, and midday sun. In the first decade of the 21st century, Real Madrid vs Barcelona was what soccer had been striving towards. In the second decade, it would be the standard against which soccer would measure all things.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Clasico was more than just a meeting of two world-class soccer teams. It was also the battle of the supernova game’s two brightest stars, Lionel Messi (the best soccer player) and Cristiano Ronaldo (the worst). It was a battle between wills and minds: Jose Mourinho versus Pep Guardiola, defence from attack, destruction against creation. Darkness against the light.
These were the days when soccer was still breathing.
It seems fitting that the most important Clasico in recent years will be held at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Saturday night, instead of at the Bernabeu. It’s a diminished circumstance for a diminished sport.
These are important stakes. The winner will be in a prime position to remove Atletico Madrid from the top of La Liga. As is often the case when these two teams meet, the loser will be in crisis. Real Madrid vs Barcelona This is without a doubt the most important game of the weekend. However, it is no longer the mainstay of the European season, as once thought.
This is partly due to the decline in the quality of the teams. Real Madrid and Barcelona are not the best two teams on the planet. This honour currently falls somewhere between Manchester and Munich. You could argue that neither the Spanish giant nor the other four are currently in the top five.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Messi
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Messi is still there, of course. But, there’s no Ronaldo, no Xavi or Andres Iniesta and no Xabi Alonso. Both teams are currently undergoing (reluctantly) generational changes, with both in various stages. P.S.G. Wednesday night was a great night for the artistic and technical quality. The Allianz Arena was flooded by P.S.G.
This is due to the wider decline of La Liga. Spain has lost its primacy position for a long time. France is the current world champion and the country with the greatest number of players. Germany, and to a lesser extent Leeds, are the source of all things soccer. England is the home of its best league. Spain has lost its place in the vanguard.
Yet, despite all this, it’s not hard to imagine the season coming to an end with celebrations at Las Ramblas, Plaza de Cibeles and Barcelona being anointed Kings of Spain, and Real Madrid returning to its original status as Rey de Copas.
Real Madrid must win the Champions League
This is a testament to our tendency to believe that soccer’s decline is linear and to try to find an explanation for each event. The rumours about Barcelona’s demise are exaggerated if it wins a championship. Real Madrid must win the Champions League if its methods work.
Sometimes, it doesn’t work that way. Sometimes, things happen. Sometimes, stars align. Every success has its own meaning. Sometimes Liverpool wins the Champions League together with DjimiTraore at left-back. Sometimes Croatia is awarded a golden generation. It would have been more powerful if Real Madrid had been paired with Manchester City in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Real Madrid and Barcelona can still be so close to the top after a season of deep diving is a reminder that falling fast and far is only part of the equation. Another part is where you’re coming from.
Barcelona and Madrid have won seven of the 14 Champions League titles
Barcelona and Madrid have won seven of the 14 Champions League titles. They have been soccer’s driving force for over a decade. At different points in the period, each reached heights not seen before. Both teams remain incredibly wealthy in terms both of revenue and talent. Many of their former players are still with them. Although their talent has diminished, it is not gone.
The eras don’t end in a day. History is not a linear process. The Clasico 2021 will be a shadow of the Clasicos 2011. Real Madrid and Barcelona are not at risk. It should not be surprising that glory might still be awaiting either one or both of them. They had a long way to go.
Take a stand, but lose 3 points
- It’s difficult to pinpoint the most troubling part of last weekend’s episode in which Valencia’s MouctarDiakhaby claimed that he was racially harassed by Juan Cala, Cadiz defender. Ordinarily, the answer would be clear: it did not happen. However, this time it’s hard to determine if that was the most troubling part.
- It is important to Real Madrid Barcelona to note that this was not the first instance of racist abuse against a soccer player on Saturday. Several other players were also racially abused online, as often happens. Cala may be telling the truth, but if there was a misunderstanding, it is still possible to believe that a soccer player was racially abused on the field in 2021.
- Finally, Valencia, who had initially walked off to show solidarity with Diakhaby, returned to the field to continue the game without the victim but against the accused perpetrator. Cala asked to continue and he accepted. Diakhaby was, however, not in the right frame of mind to continue.
It was later revealed that his club continued to play because it had been warned by an unidentified third party that it could lose points if it didn’t return to the field. This is not good news for Valencia. How much dignity is your player worth?
Even more important is the fact that soccer’s antiracism posture shows horribly in its decision to continue punishing a team who does not comply. If a team is accused of racism on the field, all the campaign slogans and campaigns are meaningless. The immediate reaction to such accusations is to try to suppress protests, protect the product, or to use any other means to do so.
This is an area where soccer’s authorities, more than the players and to a lesser extent, the clubs, are complicit. These decisions should not be made ad hoc and placed on the shoulders of the victim of abuse. The referee should instruct players to stop playing if they believe they have been racially abused. No punishment should be threatened, and no grey area should exist. It is up to the sport in its entirety to take a stand for those who participate.
Sign of the Times
It is possible that it was the context and not the act that caused the consternation, as we now see. Officials in Manchester City’s 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund Tuesday night did not have a great night. The decision to disallow Jude Bellingham’s goal and to do so before the video assistant referee could contribute did not scream competence.
Nevertheless, the outrage following those brief glimpses of Octavian Sobre as the assistant referee asking Erling Haaland for autographs on his yellow and red cards seemed a bit excessive. I’ve always been puzzled by the idea of autographs. Take a look at this piece of paper that I saw a person sign. It is difficult to see the incident as anything but completely harmless and, deep down, very sweet.
An official shouldn’t want to keep a memento of one of the most important occasions in his career. Who is really in pain? We can’t assume that Sobre, who spent decades working at his job, would compromise the integrity of his decisions because he happens to love everyone’s favourite goal cyborg. As the controversy erupted at the Etihad, it was difficult not to notice how much attention was being placed on Sobre’s nationality.
It turned out that there was another reason. Haaland wasn’t particularly exceptional. Sobre also wanted to autograph Pep Guardiola. They have been his treasure trove for many years. He then sold them to support an autism charity in Romania. The shouting stopped abruptly.
It would be nice to believe that there might be a lesson to be learned. To gather all the facts before jumping to conclusions; to avoid jumping to the worst possible conclusion, and to resist the temptation of reacting with fury to even the smallest perceived transgression. But you wouldn’t be surprised if it happened.
Correspondence
Alexander Da Silva presented an open goal and asked for advice about possible reading material. This one, Alexander, was highly acclaimed. Although it didn’t sell very well, this makes it even more special.
There are many other works. Some might call them lesser than me, but there are some. There are so many that I am tempted to compile a list. It is a question we receive quite often.
In summary, Jonathan Wilson’s “Inverting the Pyramid”, remains the mandatory work in tactical history. Depending on what kind of politics you are interested in, you have “Fear and Loathing In La Liga” (Sid Lowe), and “Angels With Dirty Faces” (Wilson again. You can’t escape him). Simon Kuper’s, “Football Against the Enemy” (Sid Kuper), which is over 25 years old but still forms the genre. Jon Clegg and Josh Robinson have “The Club”, which captures the Premier League era.
James Montague’s canon is also recommended: “When Friday Comes”, “Thirty-One Nil”, and especially his latest, “1312 Among the Ultras,” which all are great. Robert Andrew Powell’s “This Love Is Not for Cowards” is my favourite soccer book.
Mark Gromko takes me to task, however, for my “evident disregard” for Manchester City. You’re tired of the money and the organization. However, some of us find it fascinating to see the skill and coordination of the players, as well as the precision and depth of the teamwork and brilliance of their coaches.
Although I don’t have an argument with any of this, I will admit that I am tired of it all. Not emotionally stimulated would be a better description. However, I won’t hold back on any harsh criticism. As they chase all four major trophies, City will become more focused. They will start in a few weeks in the Carabao Cup final. We will be covering these in detail.
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