My wife had to suffer me as a couch potato on Saturday night as I switched on my satellite TV and watched first Almeria vs Barca followed by Real Madrid vs, Athletic de Bilbao. It hurts me to tell you that having briefly sacrificed my marriage, I temporarily fell asleep in the first match, and temporarily switched to a movie while watching the second.
Why? Well, the first match was not a match in its true sense at all, not a friendly, not an exhibition, not a competition. It was a parody, verging on farce. It was as if eleven amateurs and a bogus coach had been conscripted from a beach game and told to play Barca for ninety minutes, not as players but as extras for a movie. Almeria showed an extraordinary unwillingness to tackle, let alone devise any effective counter-offensive. Its players seemed to lack any motivation, inspiration, skill, imagination-their system petrified, their strategy difficult to justify. Faced with such a total lack of serious opposition, Barca’s goals seemed unreal, as if played out on some imaginary turf, against ghosts, or on some training ground without a coach present. Pity, because some of them should have been goals to remember and an 0-8 victory should be recorded in the history books for different reasons.
In general terms, Almeria proved a very poor test for Barca ahead of much tougher opposition, in Greece on Wednesday, and at the Classico next Monday. Over at the Bernabeu, by contrast there was a tough contest- a real game of football- with Real Madrid showing touches of real mastery and Bilbao both strong in mind and body and skilful. Lllorente was an ever present threat. But it was a match which , for all its excitement, had elements that simply annoyed me like the increasingly narcissistic Ronaldo play acting, and the banned Mourinho taking an increasing direct hand in conducting the team, via his assistant. But far worse was the sight of the inflated chorus of the Ultra Sur element, chanting Mourinho’s name and their Spanish flags in a way would seem to make the consensual, respectful spirit of last summer’s World Cup campaign a distant memory.
This was a week in which El Buitre told us that Mourinho has the full backing of Real Madrid because he was a winner, and Charly Reixach warned that Mourinho might get a worse welcome from local fans on his return to the Camp Nou than Figo did. I am going to the Classico , but plan to eat my ham in a good bocadillo , while still hoping , against the odds, that we shall see some good, fair and decent football. I leave Pep Guardiola with one piece of advice: don’t allow yourself to be provoked by Mourinho and keep your dignity. The world loves you more as a person and a coach than they do Mourinho- and a majority of global viewers will want to see Barca at its best, and winning like your best poem in motion.
Very good observation on the Almeria game Jimmy.
Absolutely scandalous that 0-5 at HT, the coach (Lillo) seemed perfectly happy with the 11 that had served him so poorly in the opening 45 mins. Furthermore, it appeared that the home team were playing a formation that was completely alien to them.
Barca took full advantage, punishing them at every opportunity. This against a side whom they normally struggle against in the away fixture. I believe before yesterday it was 3 successive draws was it not?
Aside from the little matter of the Champions League on Wednesday, the cules will be gearing up for El Gran Clasico next Monday. This is a most intriguing match up this year.
Mourinho has a bit of a sign over Guardiola, and his teams tend to play well when at Camp Nou. How the faithful would love to see the Blaugrana get one over the translator.
I’m predicting a frenetic opening period, peppered as usual with the play acting of Ronaldo, and the theatrics from the away bench. Real come into the game in great form as do Barca. Let us hope that the beautiful passing football for which we are renowned wins the day and continues Peps remarkable record as manager, that of never having lost a Clasico
Whats wrong with a few fans waving the Spanish flag at the Bernabeau? As Barcelona and Cataluña are also represented by this flag, and were very much part of the Spanish team that won the World Cup, what’s the problem? As if there are no Catalan flags on display at the Camp Nou!!! Come on Jimmy, as a forestero, why take up this banal, chip-on-the-shoulder, moronic attitude so much part of the Provincial Catalanes?!!
As for the Clasico, again you have pinpointed the ultimate battle of the game: José v Pep. Its not about the players, as both teams play wonderful football at the moment in the Liga of 2 clubs, it will be the clash of the managers and there is only one winner here, the Master Mourinho, undoubtably the best manager in the world. He will take Pep to the cleaners next Monday.
Finnally, now that you brought up the “welcome” that the Barcelona fans gave to Figo, I shall remind those who forgot what happened. Figo was unable to take corners as he was showered by debris, including a pigs head, and the game had to be abandoned for a short while. If you think the then unsporting attitude and violent behaviour of the Barça supporters is worth surpassing then it just confirms the blindness apparently inherent in the majority of Cule supporters. As a result of that appalling event, the stadium was to have been closed for 2 games, a punishment never enforced given the “influence” the Barcelona Junta has over the President of the Liga, Villa, which became just another of the favours that have gone Barça’s way during the last few decades!
a week left and i’ve never been more worried in my life about a football match before. i really shouldn’t be. but what’s most worrying is that on the other side the two most important pawns (ronaldo and mourinho) in this grand chess game hate barcelona with a passion and its more personal than club glory that matters to them. whereas in barcelona, no one is bigger than the club and if they feel that a player is stepping out of his boundaries, the exit door immediately gets pointed. they (ronaldo and mourinho) could care less for what barcelona and their fans stand for.
i see them both as a dark side that have signed over their soul to the devil to get what they ultimately want i.e. to get one over barcelona.
but come next monday, the whole of spain and possibly the world (that have been taken over by the less exciting more commercial EPL) will stop for 90 minutes to watch immortals guided by their coaches and witness what true football is all about.
and there is nothing wrong in standing for your beliefs, your culture, your heritage even your own language. i come from a similar background far away from here and i feel barcelona represents me and my rights and i can relate to them. it happens in most countries, but none have the balls to do anything about it other than barcelona.
coming back to football. mourinho is no doubt a good manager as he has more experience than ‘Pep’ but how one get across to his players decides who wins and in this case ‘Pep’ wins. as for ronaldo, well he is an ambitious, hard working individual with a never say die attitude. BUT messi on the other hand is a god-fearing, one of a kind who as defied all odds by achieving almost everything. and the only way mourinho can stop him is by using 4-5 defenders.
but let’s not forget xavi, iniesta, pique, pedro and villa and the man of the moment puyol.
this is one match i wouldn’t dare to miss and i hope it will be a good one with good sportsmanship from both sides.