I admit you have to be careful and take a drink of brave-juice before you publish your firm disagreement with the football views of two genuinely brilliant and visionary legends of the sport, but both Johan Cruyff and Alfredo Di Stefano drew very different conclusions from mine at the end of Saturday night's Clasico in Madrid.I suppose t
hat for two missionaries of the game, there are more important concepts than short-term results and winning the next trophy -- which, for Barca and Real, is the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night on neutral ground, at the Mestalla in Valencia. Between them, Di Stefano and Cruyff won as many trophies as Lionel Messi has goals this season (49 so far), and did so with the beauty, majesty and creativity of football deep in their souls.
Cheap Barcelona Jerseys But when Real Madrid's greatest player and honorary president, Di Stefano, described his team's performance against Barca as "like a mouse against a lion," it was more about anger than analysis.And Cruyff? Well, to me he represents the epitome of football greatness -- style, invention,
Gucci Women Boots, wit, eccentricity, generosity and stubbornness. Without this Dutchman, Barcelona might easily have become only Spain's third- or fourth-best team behind Madrid and perhaps Valencia, Atletico Madrid or Athletic Bilbao. His playing, coaching and developmental importance at Camp Nou during the past 37 years has been that significant, in my opinion.
But I have to allow myself to disagree with him this time. Cruyff said that "in disguising itself as a 'little'" club and defending aggressively all over the pitch, Real Madrid reminded him of the Netherlands' "shameful" performance in the World Cup final "when they dedicated themselves to attacking Spain more than playing football." He also argued that if Real manager Jose Mourinho is tired of always playing with ten against eleven when he faces Barcelona -- a reference to the Special One's claim that officiating tends to go against his team -- then "if he uses Pepe in the same position with the same tactics in the cup final [as he did on Saturday] then he'd better prepare his team to play with nine against eleven because the most normal thing is that Pepe will be sent off this time."Problem is, Di Stefano and Cruyff are both talking more about Madrid's history and tradition rather than fairly examining the team in the here and now.This past Saturday, Barcelona again showed that it is a much better footballing side than Madrid at the moment.
Real Madrid Jerseys Los Blancos approached Saturday's match with five consecutive Clasico defeats, including a 5-0 disaster in November. Mourinho has been at the club for fewer than nine months, and with three enthralling battles against Barca to come -- Wednesday's cup final, plus home-and-away games in the Champions League semifinals -- he could still lead Real to its first Spanish Cup in 18 years and its first European Cup title in nine years.
The pitch will be faster in Valencia because the grass is cut much shorter (it will have been mowed eight times between Sunday and the Wednesday kickoff). This will play into Barcelona's strength, as its passing should be quicker and more accurate.
Soccer Jerseys As a result, Madrid's tackling will need to be even more precise to avoid fouls, booking and ultimately red cards. But there will be something extra about the cup final. I spent Monday interviewing Newcastle United's excellent fullback Jose Enrique. He said that he will happily play out his career in England because he adores the atmosphere there. "It is so, so much better than in Spain," he said.True, but Wednesday night in the Mestalla will see an even split between Madrid and Barca fans. In case you weren't aware, this is not the norm. At a Camp Nou Clasico, there will normally be a couple of hundred Madrid fans, and vice versa at the Bernabeu. But each club will take well over 20,000 supporters to the neutral venue. So we can expect the atmosphere to be thrilling.
Barcelona fight for Real not only for a pride, but
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