Let’s be honest- watching Mourinho and Real Madrid thumping Spurs last night would have been an unsettling feeling for most cules. Not only has the wishful thinking that Barca might face Redknapp’s boys in the semi-finals evaporated (what a pity for us Londoners) , but its biggest rival looks like a tight army unit that has identified the main target and will relentlessly pursue it. Mourinho has clearly given up on winning La Liga and is hoping to pull off something of a record by taking yet another club to Champion’s League victory.
I fear that Barca this morning will be suffering to fight off what I call the Olivares syndrome. For much of their history Catalans have been suffering the consequences of the arrogance and brutish determination from Madrid once exemplified by the Count Duke and what my grandfather the doctor and historian Gregorio Marañon called La Pasion de Mandar (the passion to order and trample on people). Barca seem to suffer from potential feelings of inferiority whenever Madrid are on the roll.
It’s going to take all of Pep Guardiola’s genius as a tactician and motivator to bring the best out of his team tonight if Barca is to win as convincingly as Madrid did against Spurs. He must know that he has a much tougher fight on his hands against Shakhtar
There is nothing I find more boring and irritating than the reminiscing about the “poor” Catalans and what a terrible time the had, and continue to have from the wicked, wicked Castilians living in Madrid. Yawn, yawn, come on Cules, drop the chip-on-the-shoulder and start acting like responsible citizens living in the 21st century!
And whats worse, the predictable ramble above, comes from an Englishman born in Madrid!!!!!!
Well, its Real Madrid to win the Kings Cup in Valencia, Real Madrid (again) to win the Champions semi final, and the gloroious Blues from Chelsea to take the cup at Wembley! You can keep La Liga……
Well- I guess there is probably something even more boring which is to have a Chelsea Madridista fail to make any serious argument, or prediction. Or did Chelsea win tonight and Barca lose?
if Mr.Oppe is bored about hearing everything about or what surrounds catalonia, then he probably lost his way and ended up on the wrong blog.
madrid’s game was good no doubt but barca’s game was a challenge. if you would ask pep or me we would’ve asked for spurs rather than shakthar.
barca didn’t have it easy and had not much choice but to look at the second squad to really get through this.
oh before i rant on, let me remind Mr.Oppe and the “wicked” castilians that majority of barca’s players make up the spanish squad that brought the world cup to madrid. i’m pretty sure you knew that but was in denial. thats one case closed.
but barca knows its place and not only did they win by such a huge margin as to avoid any sort of disappointment in ukraine but they so badly want to play real madrid 3 times this year.
they’re dreams would come crashing down if spurs sends a few bricks flying into madrid’s window pane. a window pane that had to be fixed not so long ago.
madrid may be a stronger side since the last meeting but in football you never know what happens. goals, head to head stats, passing percentage all that can never compare to a good old ass-spanking.
Mr Burns, it is you who fail to produce any serious arguments, just biased and unfounded statements!
Since the Transition, please explain how the poor, poor Catalans have been suffering from the truly terrible “arrogance and brutish determination from Madrid”?
Even during the Franco regime, Barcelona football club won as much silverware as Real Madrid, so please explain how the Castilian arrogance during the dictatorship allowed the Cules so much freedom!
As I mentioned in previous comments, which obviously continue to be ignored by all Cules here, during the first 15 years of Franco’s regime, Barcelona Football club won 5 Ligas , and Real Madrid not even one…these are facts Mr Burns! It just seems you Cules continue to revel in your inferiority complex as the only means to defend your appalling record in the European Cup, compared to the Merengues.
And Mr Zico, just check on the birthplaces of your “Catalan” squad before making outrageous statements, like Mr Burns: Iniesta the Manchego, Pedro the Canarian, Villa the Asturiano..yes the World Cup squad was a Spanish squad with just a tiny sprinkling of Catalans. Probably explains why the Fascist Junta of Barcelona FC a few years ago had to quickly drop the arrogant idea of Barça players just speaking in Catalan to the press – as just 2 in the Squad qualified, the brutish idea was quickly dropped!
i didnt say they were all catalans did i?