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El Clásico - Sunday 29th November
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24-11-2009 5:25pm#1
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It's finally here - El Clasico.
Well, the countdown has begun to El Clasico on Sunday - although it actually began in late July when the Spanish fixtures computer spewed out the date of the clash.
Spanish league leaders Real Madrid travel to bitter rivals Barcelona for perhaps the most emotional derby game in the world.
Neither side ever needs any extra motivation for this match but, as often in the past, the first encounter between the pair this season appropriately brings together the top two teams in La Liga.
However, the question that any football-loving Martian might rightly ask is why should two clubs that are 630 kilometres apart, according to my road atlas of Europe, be such deadly enemies?
Many of the other great match-ups in Europe - think about Inter v Milan, Lazio v Roma or even Fenerbahce v Galatasaray - take place between teams in the same city, but the sheer animosity and tension surrounding this Spanish derby transcends distance.
"Two languages, two peoples... two countries?" wrote Andy Mitten, the author of Mad For It: From Blackpool to Barcelona, Football's Greatest Rivalries.
Within one frontier, he perhaps should have added.
It's as much of a clash of ideologies and history rather than a kickabout between the 22 men, two-thirds of whom are not even Spanish, who will face each other on the football field.
"Derbies overseas often have a more overt political and religious context," added Mitten, and he couldn't be more accurate about the emotions that stir behind Spain's big match.
The motto of Barcelona is 'More than a club' and the reigning Spanish and European champions have aimed for most of their 110-year history to be exactly that, even if they were founded by a Swiss immigrant, Hans Gamper.
Keeping it simple, as there are plenty of books on the subject, Barca broadly represents the autonomous regional aspirations of Catalonia against central control from Castile which in their opinion, and many others of all political persuasions, is embodied by Real Madrid.
Football fans from Castile and Catalonia have only been at each other's throats since 13 May, 1902 - the date of the first match between the two clubs, which Barca won 3-1 at what was then just plain Madrid FC - but the legacy of disharmony between the two regions goes back centuries.
And it wasn't long before Madrid-Barcelona matches became more than a game.
Firstly, Madrid got the Real - royal - prefix in 1920 and they then became the favoured club of Europe's longest-lasting 20th century dictator Francisco Franco, who came to power in 1936.
For much of Franco's 39-year dictatorship the Camp Nou was the only place in Spain where Catalan could be openly spoken and the police wouldn't intervene.
"The Catalans feel Catalan first and Spanish second, and to prove it they have fought wars and made revolts against Madrid. Until recently, they always lost. This century, for instance, in the civil war of the 1930s Catalonia held out longest against General Franco, but then suffered under his yoke until he died in 1975," commented Simon Kuper in his award-winning Football Against The Enemy.
BBC presenter Gary Lineker, who is still a derby-day hero at the Camp Nou after scoring a hat-trick in Barca's 3-2 win over Real in 1987, added: "You can't make a comparison with the Everton-Liverpool derbies or the north London matches I played in for Spurs against Arsenal where you have two teams from the same city and a split crowd... you were playing in front of 120,000 people and there were no away fans."
Having been at many of the derbies in the Camp Nou since 1997 - including the infamous match in 2001 when a pig's head was thrown at the 'traitor' Luis Figo - I can testify that there is nothing at any other ground in the world that I've been to which can equal the cauldron of noise from the 98,000 Barca fans (the current capacity of the Camp Nou) baying for the blood of the Real Madrid players when they walk out on to the pitch.
Not even the reverse fixture in the Santiago Bernabeu generates such an intimidating atmosphere.
"The windows of our coach would routinely be smashed by bricks on every trip to Barcelona. That was truly frightening. On the short trip from the hotel to the Nou Camp we'd all cower down on the floor as the driver put his foot down," recalled former Real player Steve McManaman.
Despite the fact that some of the ancient political grievances have ebbed away with the advent of democracy, enhanced by further self-governing rights being granted to Catalonia three years ago, the match continues to be a focal point for both clubs' fans.
Barca's 6-2 thrashing of Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu indirectly led to the events of last summer which we all know about.
Samuel Eto'o (centre) and Sergio Busquets (right) celebrate Barcelona's 6-2 win at the Bernabeu in May
The day after that match in May, after sitting quietly on the fence for a few months, Florentino Perez let his friends in certain Spanish media know that imminently he would be announcing the fact that he was looking to return as Real president.
Once he returned unopposed, Perez then embarked on his €270 million spending spree which saw Real sign Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and another four top-class internationals.
It's debatable whether he parted with the almost-obscene amount of money in order to win a historic 10th European crown or just to avoid another humiliating defeat at the feet of Real's eternal rivals.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philminshull/2009/11/why_el_clasico_is_the_biggest_derby_of_them_all.html0 -
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As an Everton and Barca fan sunday is going to be some day of football for me
Looking forward to it! Can't wait!
I think Barca will edge it by a goal. It will be really interesting though as a test for Real Madrid and their big signings to see where they are in terms of progress..0 -
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Third_Echelon wrote: »As an Everton and Barca fan sunday is going to be some day of football for me
Looking forward to it! Can't wait!
I think Barca will edge it by a goal. It will be really interesting though as a test for Real Madrid and their big signings to see where they are in terms of progress..
He got his revenge though, with this..
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I was looking at old El Clasico videos and found this. Has to be one of the best individual performances I've witnessed, a standing ovation in Madrid says it all, just sublime
Casillias reaction after the second goal says it all. Just shrugs his shoulders in sheer acceptance of the fact that there was simply nobody alive who could stop Ronaldinho in that form0 -
I'll never forget that game. For those two seasons he was better than any player I've ever seen in my lifetime, I don't think Zidane, Ronaldo, or any player in the past 2 decades has been that consistently brilliant for 2 seasons in a row. Absolute magic really, it's a pity someone with so much natural talent - he was the most rounded player in the team, would waste it all. It's a shame when there are players like Park Ji Sung who work their asses off to be professionals, and alter their lifestyle accordingly.
He shouldn't be played as a forward anymore, that's where A.C Milan are struggling with him, his passing is still absolutely laser like, and he can hold the ball up fantastically still, he should be played as a deep lying CMF, in the Xavi role. He can spray the ball around just as well as any player on the planet, but he is expected to play in positions where he needs to run at defenders (his pace and dribbling skills have gone to sh*t)
Anyway, back to El Clasico, there is a big debate in Madrid as to whether Real start Raul or Higuain. With Higuain they have an in form, young striker (and imo the best player at the club bar Ronaldo), or do they go with Raul, a player who usually turns it on against Barca, and who's experience will be valuable with so many El Clasico debuts...
Here's another nice video for my fellow cules!
I absolutely love the Camp Nou mosaics, mainly because the red and blue look alot more prominent then teams who only have one solid colour as their team's main colour.
Edit - Just watched that video, I really miss Ronaldinho and Deco at their prime. That team didn't hold onto the ball as well as the current Barca, but they were much more incisive when push came to shove. Their plan A wasn't as good as the current side's is (ie - hold onto the ball forever), but their plan B was quite significantly better.
If I was to choose a hybrid (with all these players in their prime) of the two teams I'd go with;
Valdes
--Alves
Marquez
Puyol
Gio----
Toure
Deco
Xavi
Messi
Eto'o
Ronaldinho
That'd be a fantastic team, and in time I can see Ibrahimovic displacing Eto'o from that position, what a front line filled with magic that would be - Messi---Zlatan---Ronnie.0 -
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Explains why Benzema looks a little fat, too much time on Fifa 10 and not enough time training like Xavi..
Balague PreviewBarcelona v Real Madrid: el Clasico preview
Despite all the hype and furore surrounding the return of Florentino Perez to the Real Madrid presidency – a return that heralded a summer of unprecedented spending at the Bernabeu - I think that most level headed Madridistas would have been absolutely ecstatic if you`d suggested to them that their team would be sat at the top of the La Liga table – above FC Barcelona – when the bitter rivals clash at the Camp Nou - Live on Sky Sports 1 Sunday @ 6pm...
After all, even the most die-hard would have recognised that this no ordinary Barcelona side that Madrid were attempting to challenge and that if they could even get to within touching distance of last season`s European and domestic treble winners, then Florentino`s newly assembled star studded line-up had done pretty well to find some consistency in such a short space of time. Throw in the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo has been missing for over half of Madrid`s league fixtures, combined with a few well worn clichés about Rome not being built in a day – and you`d think that everyone in Madrid would be absolutely delighted with the progress that Pellegrini has made so far. You might think that, but of course, Madrid being Madrid, or maybe we should say, football being football, you`d be wrong.
Pellegrini has led this Madrid side to, statistically, one their best-ever starts to a Spanish league season - not since three points were introduced for a win in the 1995/96 season have Madrid picked up 28 points from their opening 11 games - yet despite that, the former Villarreal coach has found himself dangerously close to the Bernabeu trap door on more than one occasion.
People inside the club had even suggested that he could be sacked if Madrid lost to Barcelona at the Camp Nou! However, they are now having doubts about that: which is symptomatic of a knee jerk school of strategic planning. The problem is, for Pellegrini`s detractors, it`s not the results that are the problem: it`s the manner in which they`ve been obtained. The home win over Racing Santander at the weekend sums up Madrid at the moment: it was uninspiring, maybe even a little fortunate if you count the visitor`s incorrectly disallowed goal, but they got there in the end.
This is not enough for those who believe that if you spend astronomical amounts on players, they ought to be producing out of this world performances the minute you put them in the same coloured kit. All of which helps explain why the Madrid sports daily Marca feels that it is necessary to attack the Madrid coach on a daily basis and ,even when Madrid win to go top of the table, as they did on Saturday, the front page on Sunday declares: VICTORY (DESPITE PELLEGRINI).
Yet this criticism of the coach is excessive, because the team has been improving and after an entirely forgivable initial settling in period he is getting closer to finding his ideal team, formation and system.
The Chilean has taken some bold decisions to resolve some of the problems that the team encountered in their earlier fixtures: for example, Guti and Raul have been marginalised to bring about greater cohesion both tactically (they are using a more direct style that suits Benzema, Kaka, Higuaín, Cristiano…) and psychologically: ever since the pair found themselves on the sidelines, Madrid have gone unbeaten and look like more of a team, putting in their best performances to date against Milan after that humiliating cup exit to lower league opposition. Higuaín has effectively come into the side as Raul`s replacement and – after finally getting the chance he so thoroughly deserves – is repaying his coach with 4 goals in 3 games (a goal every 58 minutes which is considerably better than Raul`s 194 minute strike rate).
Even the president should be happy with the selection, as Higuain is making Karim Benzema, Perez` €35 million striking investment, look a lot better than he did alongside Raul. On Saturday, they looked much more solid at the back and Pellegrini made the best use of his midfield yet: deploying Xabi Alonso as the only defensively minded player at the back of a diamond that included Drenthe and Granero on the left and right, with Kaka effective at the forward tip.
That is not to say that Madrid are not without there shortcomings, and their style of play and system at the moment still means that they do not have the players or the formation to control a game or dominate in possession: they are reliant upon a direct, counter attacking approach as soon as they win the ball back.
The return of Ronaldo, who should be fit for el Clasico, is vital. His absence has certainly been felt in as much that Madrid have won only four of their nine competitive matches since Ronaldo has been sidelined - compared to previously winning all seven with the former United man in the team. All of which underscores the fact that Madrid, despite their points tally, are still reliant upon individuals and still not the finished article as a cohesive unit – which bring us round to their opponents in this weekend`s massive fixture.
Because, despite a recent dip in form, FC Barcelona are one of the finest teams around and when it comes down to controlling possession and dominating a game, there is nobody better than Guardiola`s side: which is why I make them favourites to beat Pellegrini`s team at the weekend.
Madrid can hurt Barcelona on the break, they do have the individuals who can inflict damage upon any team – but unless they are able to control the game for any length of time, they will be punished. We`ve already seen this on previous occasions this season when Madrid were beaten by quality sides (Sevilla and AC Milan) and it is fine surrendering possession to weaker opponents – as they did in the home game against Tenerife, for example – but if they do that at the Camp Nou, they will spend ninety minutes chasing shadows.
Barcelona aren`t without their faults either at the moment and they are not playing at the same level that enthralled us last season. It`s all relative, but we might even say that they are going through a mini-crisis: drawing their last three away fixtures and we`re hearing criticism of Guardiola for the first time in the Catalan press.
These are challenging times for the Spanish and European Champions and they face a daunting run of fixtures in the coming weeks: by the time you read this they will have hosted Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday - knowing anything other than a victory could create serious problems - followed by the visit of Madrid to the Nou Camp for `El Clasico` next weekend. Before the Christmas break, Barcelona face a tough trip to Deportivo la Coruna and a derby against Espanyol in La Liga, as well as a freezing winter trip to Dynamo Kiev in a match that could decide whether they progress in the Champions League. Plus they travel to Abu Dhabi for the World Club Cup. All of which add concern to the fact that the team have appeared mentally and physically tired in recent weeks. On top of that, they have injury worries over Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and, although both could be cleared to feature in midweek, the fitness of Barca`s two leading scorers ahead of el Clasico has got people worried behind the scenes at the Camp Nou.
I had a private chat with Pep Guardiola last week and there are worries about Ibra who has been unlucky with injuries and was in the same situation at Inter. The former Inter striker has been pivotal for Barcelona until now and one of the keys to his success is that more than 50 per cent of the goals he scores have been the first goal for his team – which partially explains why the team are drawing games in his absence.
However, that is jot the complete picture: Barcelona have been making far too many individual mistakes that are proving costly and they have been struggling against physical teams. Since Valencia showed everyone else the way, teams have been pressuring the Barcelona midfield, smothering Xavi and breaking up the endless triangles the Barcelona midfield pass the ball around to mesmerise the opposition. In the draw with Athletic Bilbao at the weekend, Barcelona even resorted to long balls: a horrendous mistake when you are playing without a recognised centre forward and the entire front line are dwarfed by the opposition.
Yet, despite the fact that teams have come up with a way to make life difficult for Barcelona, I don`t think that Real Madrid are the kind of team that will play in a way that has caused them to struggle. They have neither the personnel nor the inclination to play that way at the moment and their style could pay right into Barcelona`s hands. This game reminds me of the circumstances surrounding the build-up to last season`s reverse fixture at the Bernabeu: Real Madrid had closed the gap on Barcelona, the team in white had won an astonishing 17 of their last 18 league games and the pressure on Guardiola`s side was supposed to be unbearable. Yet we knew then – just as we suspect now – that Barcelona were, and still are, the better team.
Guardiola`s side may have dipped recently, but we know that they can - and will respond to pressure – that they can raise their game when the time comes and that they have the system to beat Madrid. Pellegrini`s side, on the other hand, are still a work in progress and despite my defence of them earlier, if Barcelona produce a performance even close to anything like their best, they still have a long way to go to be at the level of their Catalan rivals as a collective unit.
That doesn`t mean we will see a repeat of last season`s humiliating 2-6 defeat at the Bernabeu, but it does leave me suspecting that Madrid fans will need to be patient for a little longer before we can truly say that they are ahead of FC Barcelona.0 -
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I couldn't be more psyched up for this game to be honest. The nerves are slightly getting to me. This has got to be one of the biggest clasicos in the past few decades, it's so big that cinemas all across Spain are showing it live. It's mental, I can't remember any game of football that had so many absolutely brilliant players playing on the same pitch - Messi, Ronaldo, Xavi, Kaka, Ibrahimovic, Benzema, Iniesta, Alonso, Henry, Higuain. That's 10 absolutely world class attackers. It's going to be absolutely amazing (even if it ends 0-0, I'll find it fascinating, might be an anticlimax for the neutrals though).
I was just looking at the Fifa World Player of the Year history, and 14 of the 18 awards have gone to players who at some point in their career played for either Barcelona or Real Madrid. Absolutely unbelievable....
VISCA BARCAAAAAAA!!!
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I was looking at old El Clasico videos and found this. Has to be one of the best individual performances I've witnessed, a standing ovation in Madrid says it all, just sublime
Casillias reaction after the second goal says it all. Just shrugs his shoulders in sheer acceptance of the fact that there was simply nobody alive who could stop Ronaldinho in that form
That pass at 1.25 is magnificent, there's other replays that show his face, looking back towards Valdes when he plays the pass.:D:D:D
Casillas' reaction reminds me of David James' after that free kick of ROnaldo's, although in this case, is describing an entire player, and not a free.0 -
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Tellin ya, I'm sh*tting it now though. If we lose the biggest clasico of the past 10 years I'll be pissed off for Christmas 2009.
Thinking the team will now be;
Valdes
--Alves
Pique
Puyol
Abidal----
Busquets
Xavi
Keita
----Iniesta
Zlatan
Henry/ Pedro---
Bench : Messi, Toure, Bojan, Marquez, J Dos Santos, etc.
It'll essentially become a 4-4-2 because Iniesta will drop into midfield and do as he pleases. Messi to come on in the 2nd half if we are struggling with Madrid's parked bus and bruising approach.
Result : 2-1 to barca- Goals from Zlatan, Keita, and Benzema.0 -
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I am getting the usual pre game jitters on this and my pessimism default is at me. I think Real will sneak this 1-2
That said, if Barca win it will be a big win, 3-0 or something.
The beers are chilling and a gang are calling up to my place for it
Can't wait.0 -
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT24MMQUBS8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87LlzzHYeI0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FR2CVqZPc0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBe9D5EOxMk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEJCdj9dY0
Picking that over the clasico is the definition of football blasphemy... :P 
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