When giants slouch you don’t point out the imperfectness of posture. But when their verticality is under threat by tied up laces they are oblivious to, there is morbid anticipation for the fall. Everyone is hoping for it. Real Madrid is that giant.
Sergio Ramos was lurching back into the tunnel dismissed for a red card offence against Manchester City this midweek in the Champions League knockout stages; he couldn’t even have the dignity of a captain sinking with his ship. He saw the capsizing of his vessel from the dressing room. The 13-time Champions of Europe had holes poked into them by a familiar rival with a different garb, Pep Guardiola. His tactics laid low like torpedos that struck at the break of dusk, upending whatever momentum the Madrid side garnered through Isco's opening goal.
Now, manager Zinedine Zidane must face his second strictest test in the space of 4 days, against Guardiola’s former club, Barcelona. It’s El Clasico, but not as you’ve come to know it.
There’s a dark cloud hovering above both camps leading up to one of the most eagerly anticipated matches in the football calendar. On paper, Real Madrid (53 points from 25 games) may just be a win away from usurping Barcelona who sit at the top of LaLiga with 55 points; but look deeper and you’ll find that the circumstances surrounding this match on Sunday night are nothing like that of the past. Once where there was grace there is systematic ignominy.
Ramos’ dismissal is important to mention as with him, Manchester City finally tugged off the last remaining inches of the clinging cape of invincibility Madrid wore, from their collective shoulders. They were made to look mere mortals again. The panache was missing, the flippancy was rare, the intimidation was a mere label as cheap whisky passed as a pricey one. The thrill was gone. This will be another El Clasico without Cristiano Ronaldo. And this team misses him on a spiritual level, more than they will care to admit.
Ronaldo brought with him the spirit of the antagonist, the anti-hero, the dastardly, the win-at-all-costs. Real Madrid with their collective cynical orchestra amplified it into a crescendo. There was a menacing edge the most successful club in Europe used to play with. It was as if no matter the theatre of football presented before them, they’d inevitably have the back-door access to saw the ropes that held up the curtains. Simply, they knew how to win, and their gameplan unfolded like an elaborate hunt. The prey was a bonus, it was the process of sniping away at opponents’ heels and getting under the skin that they relished too. A Ronaldo-less Madrid suffers from a crisis of identity.
Karim Benzema, Raphael Varane, Casemiro, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, will be out to reclaim lost pride against a Barcelona side who aren’t quite the pinnacle of all that is good about football anymore. Understanding the chronology of events is important.
Barcelona PR team are embroiled in a face-saving exercise. A public argument between sporting director Eric Abidal and talisman Lionel Messi sprung reports in the Spanish press about an ultimatum less than a week ago: President Bartomeu goes or Messi does.
This started with the former left-back alluding to certain disruptive powers in the dressing room that made their former manager Ernesto Valverde’s job untenable, forcing his hand.
In response, Messi demanded on Instagram for Abidal to name names: "Those in the area of sports management must assume their responsibilities and be culpable. When talking about players, we should give names because otherwise, we are making everyone dirty.”
Rumour mongering spilt over to the press, as SER Catalunya reported that president Josep Bartomeu hired a third-party private investigating firm (I3 Ventures) to gather information to discredit Messi and Gerard Pique as leverage in discussions scheduled for the 18th of February, 2020. ESPN confirmed the long-standing involvement between Barcelona’s board and the private investigation company dating back to 2017. I3 ventures also allegedly attacked the dissenting players on social media with their army of dummy accounts for optics. Barcelona has since vehemently denied any dubious modus operandi with the firm.
To water down the claims, Barcelona released a statement saying the relationship is strictly for “monitoring of social media with the aim of analysing both positive and negative messages about the organisation itself."
The further you read SER’s report the murkier the circumstances get. Club legends Guardiola, Puyol and Xavi have also been alleged targets of a smear campaign when they spoke up against the day-to-day administration of the club.
The fact that these two clubs, the once-beacons of European football still occupy the top two berths in the Spanish league is entirely down to the sum total of their talents. On paper, or on the pitch, they are too good not to be sat where they are.
The closest team to Barcelona and Real Madrid are the surprise package of Real Sociedad, who are lagging behind with a deficit of ten points - as are Atletico Madrid and Sevilla. Then come Valencia and Getafe. This is to say, even on their bad days, Barcelona and Real Madrid are better than the 'pretenders'. But also, that they are the standard-bearers of a league that has been underwhelming for the past two seasons. There is a direct correlation. Through the years, El Clasico has always set the benchmark, as the level every Latin American or Andalusian footballer aspires to play. The responsibility of lifting the league lies squarely on the shoulders of those who take the field at the Santiago Bernabeu tonight.
On the pitch, Quique Setién, a believer in the Guardiola brand of football will look to spring the same kind of trap as Manchester City did. The Barcelona manager spent time with Guardiola and his coaches during the summer adding to his understanding of Madrid’s weaknesses and Barcelona’s strengths.
Zidane and his charges will have to wise up to the sucker-punch counters that take the wind out of them. Madrid’s Toni Kroos and Casemiro will have to be at their monopolising best with possession. Benzema must function as the focal point. Ramos must not get sent off.
If every one of those players turn up, this match could shake a league out of its collective slumber.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/39f9Zdd
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