Five months is evidently a long-time in La Liga. Those of us who watched FC Barcelona’s 5-0 victory over Real Madrid last November could be forgiven for wondering last night at the Mestalla whether it had really just been an illusion.
Let’s be blunt. The Barca that played the first half of the King’s Cup put on probably one of the worst exhibitions under Pep Guardiola’s governance since his infamous first league match as boss when they lost against Hercules. This was a team that seemed to have lost the will to play, let alone win. They seemed to have no rhythm or strategy, while their vision and energy resembled that of a group of individuals suffering from bad hang overs. Only Pique seemed fired up from the outset, and that was probably because Shakira was watching him from the VIP box.
Mourinho’s men meanwhile did as they were instructed- playing rough and tough, they defended and disrupted, and occasionally counter-attacked, with lightning speed and ever threatening, in a way that showed up, by comparison, the woeful shortcomings of their opponents when it comes to scoring options, and the extent that Pujol’s inspiration in defence is missed. This was no Clasico but a scrappy duel between a deflated genius and a thug.
God knows what Pep told his players in the dressing room, but Barca came out in the second half and began to play- well, up to a point. But then the longer the scoreline stayed at 0-0 the more likely it seemed that Real Madrid would end up winning. One just had to look at the subs bench to understand why.
Some images will endure from this lacklustre final. The squabbling that broke out at one point between Barca’s front three –Pedro, Messi, and Villa; the ruthlessness of Pepe all over the pitch- Mourinho’s special emissary; the way that the Barca fans failed to rally round their team after Real Madrid scored their goal; and the contrast between the whistling of the National Anthem by the more fanatical Catalanistas and the extended embrace Casillas and King Juan Carlos gave each other just before the Spanish international raised his first major trophy since the World Cup.
This was a night when FC Barcelona showed rather less nobility than it could have done, on or off the pitch, as if it had been corrupted by a Mourinho bug. On this form card, Barca this season may just clinch la Liga but they won’t return to Wembley. Magic and goal scoring ability needs to return to the Guardiola camp, as a matter of urgency.
A Clasico if there ever was one. It had everything: woodwork, aggression, beauty, tension, tactical masterstrokes (Morinhou), goals disallowed, sending off (another VIP game against 10 men), and one of the most beautiful goals to grace a final. I was in a room in the middle of the remote Sierra of Aracena with 15 friends, young / old, Spanish, Mexican, German & English all riveted to our seats for 120 minutes – a classic!
And hats off to the all time great Morinhou, took the Madrid team on last summer, they were well beaten at Camp Nou, fought with 10 men to gain a worthy draw last Saturday and now, the ultimate, in front a TV audience of 1/2 billion in 140 countries, won the Cup and their eternal Catalan rivals humiliated. If Morinhou yet again denies Barça access to another Champions final, he will surely be a persona non-grata in the provincial capital!
Having re-read the blog, the Catalan Press and the radio “Tertulias”, I do wonder if there is a single Cule supporters understands the word “objective”, or even humble enough to admit the best team won!
Lets me blunt too:
– Real Madrid where superb. Tactically superior, more dangerous (Barça did not have a single shot on target during the first 45 minutes!), more motivated to win and far more threatening as a team
– Scappy duel between a genius and a thug/ Lack lustre final?! Where you watching the Copa del Rey from Valencia?…. come on, it was a hard game between two rivals. A tense, exciting, dramatic and epic encounter. Aggression was from both sides. Some of Barcelona’s tackles and cheating to get the opposition a card was disgraceful.
– The appalling whistling of the National Anthem in front of the King, and lack of support of their team. Just shows what third rate support they attract..
Why don’t you just admit the best team won in an enthralling game?
How is it tactical genius to set out a team that denies space and uses questionable force to strangle a team? It’s an obvious tactic. And it’s not new or innovative. It’s the last resort of a team that has no other options.
Mourinho is no tactical genius. Neither is Pep. Mourinhos flair is for the manipulation of the press and match officials. 2 sendings off for his team this week but neither were for the main perpetrator of football violence. Pepe did what he was instructed to do, he did what he was allowed to do via the pressure jose applied prior to both games.
Ultimately it was a drab final. A team with no ambition to play football. Slowly strangling the life out of a team that is running out of ideas.
The most poignant shot of the night was of a visibly shaken Messi, he genuinely looked like he was unable to find a way through this anti football strategy being pedalled as tactical genius. And for barca, this must be a worry.
This is what is so hard to accept fom the fanaticism of Barça supporters. To say Mourinho is not a tactical genius is flying in the face of reality: Oporto 7 Cups / Chelsea 6 / Milan 5 / Madrid 1. In 4 differnet leagues he has won everything. Its Pep who is just beginning. The Master Mourinho has a 10 year track record, unsurpassed by any other trainer, living or dead. And you say all he has is flair for the press and influencing officials?!! Its not even worth trying to convince!!
One of the most enthralling finals seen. Just read the internaional press instead of the bigoted Catalan rags, who had the game, the day after, as their 7th lead story!!!
So why not just admit you were well beaten by your rivals, watched by a record 20 million in Spain alone, and just leave it at that. The Cule`s always go on about how fair and sporting they are…so lets hear it for once!!!
real madrid this real madrid that blah blah blah blah.
sure they are a good team but shouldn’t they be a good team being the “royal” team. i mean how embarrassing would it be if you were getting beaten by catalans who you seemed to have bullied over the years.
damn right you have to win, win by hook or crook.
who’s the best man to do it?? MOURINHO!!!
he’s the man with a plan, a plan conceived in hell to take out the gods. but i pity real madrid because mourinho finds himself to big of an asset to any club and will leave before his 4 year contract.
the copa del rey well that was typical mourinho to frustrate the opponent. not saying it was a bad tactic but is it really what real madrid fans want to see in the years to come?? madrid beating their opponents through dirty tactics, cattanacio style of play and arrogance?? in my time i have never ever seen Iker play like what he played after madrid scored. time wasting was never in his blood and now well has been injected by force.
Mr.Oppe, it has taken your team to beat barca 3 years, the last time your guys won the copa was in 1993, the first trophy of the season and the players cant seem to even hold on to it properly.
i don’t think real have made history instead they have accomplished their main goal and that is to suppress barca, like they have always done in the past.
I wish you Cule’s analysed the facts instead of just re-iterating hysterical (Catalan) urban myths!
– Dirty tactics?
* Fouls committed: Barcelona 26 Madrid 24
– Cattanacio?
* Shots on Goal: Barcelona 3 Madrid 5
* Woodwork: Barcelona 0 Madrid 1
– Oh yes, lets compare the results of the 3rd place team at home and see who is “Cattanacio”:
* Valencia 0, Barcelona 1 (March 3)
* Valenica 3, Madrid 6 (April 23 – 2 hours ago)
– Suppress Barcelona?! First 17 years of Franco’s regime:
* Ligas: Barcelona 5, Madrid 0
Still waiting for a Cule to congratulate Real Madrid for winning the Copa….!!
congratulations to real madrid, but i still don’t see why real madrid had to use its financial power to try and beat barca and how they can get away with it. i’m sure your going to be upset if man city came along and beat chelsea at every game just cos theyre going on a bigger spending spree than that russian billionaire. but thats sadly how football has to be won i guess. if you can’t produce superstars wou might as well buy them. right??
all i want to say is doesn’t matter if we were beaten. there’s always next year and we just have to pick ourselves up to get there.
Hi Zico..thanks for the ongratulations! At least there is one sporting Cule around…….
As for money, well both Real Madrid and Barcelona have spent fortunes for decades on players. Barça each year buys 5 or 6 players, so one cannot really differentiate between either club. Both have had their galactico moments, remember Barça have bought titles through: Maradona, Ronaldo, Kluivert, Van Basten, Koeman, Rijkaard, Lineker, Et’oo….
This manner of obtaining european and national titles, by buying the best players from other clubs, was really started by the Spanish & Italian leagues way back in the 60’s, and its only in the last decade that the Premier has caught on.
Personnally I think it does football no good.
If Barça had not bought Villa, Man City Silva, then Valencia would be competing for the Liga, same true for Sevilla, Ramos to Madrid and Dani Alves & Keita to Barça……
Am looking forward to Round 3 of the Madrid / Barça marathon…………!! Are you???