Interesting observing Real Madrid and FC Barcelona play in their respective Champions League games this week. Both teams frustrated by the defensive tactics of lesser mortals. But there all comparisons end.
What I find hugely striking is the tension and poor chemistry that is evident not just between Mourinho and his players but among the Madrid players themselves. The Madrid players seem not to be enjoying themselves. They also show signs of genuine fear of what Mourinho might do to them. By contrast Barca players , even under pressure, seems to have lost none of that camaraderie that has been forged over two seasons, with Guardiola respected rather than feared. I am told that Pep spends as much time behind the scenes ensuring that his players are happy as he does developing tactics. Mourinho wants only to win and tactical substitution is one of the tools he uses best to ensure that his team gets that critical late goal but I dread to think the bullying that goes on , away from the cameras.
Meanwhile, while we are on the subject of psychology, it is also interesting to compare Messi with Rooney. Both players have suffered similar ankle injuries of late and yet while Messi has come back to the team with speedy boarding, Rooney still languishes as a temporary exile, his future with the English squad also in doubt, a question mark over his future as a player, as well as a family man.
There was a time once when Ferguson was regarded as the kind of manager that could make a player walk on water if he wanted to. They used to write essays and books about his inspirational style of management and how players like Beckham considered Ferguson a father figure. But Ferguson seems to be struggling to keep Rooney on the straight and narrow.
By contrast Messi has been carefully nurtured by Guardiola from the very first day he took over as manager at Barca and read the Argentine star the riot act. I am told Pep warned Lionel that if he wanted to be the greatest footballer since Diego Maradona, he had to ditch his long night outs, and focus instead on turning up for training, on time. The result, as a Barca insider told me, is that “Messi exists only on the pitch”.
Funny old thing football. Last Sunday Camp Nou saw more poor chemistry, while the Bernabeau witnessed fabulous camaraderie as they romped to a 6-1 win and went above Barcelona in the league. So now there is a crisis at Barcelona (why are they so hopeless at home?) and euphoria in Madrid. And Messi? Apart from the goal, he again disappeared. So are we seeing the terminal decline of the Cule’s before the “Clasico”? Back in blighty, the Blues ruthlessly tore their London rival to pieces and go 4 points clear!