Warning: This is going to be a LONG post. Read on at your own risk.
Dec 22, 2007
Me: Hello, S cable? Is this D? It’s me again, calling up from blah. I am still not getting Star Sports. ESPN I am getting though.
[D not-so-patiently tells me the same thing he has said atleast 10 times before]
D: Madam, you will have to get a set-top box for that.
Me: [desperately looking for an alternative] But…but…now am getting Star movies, ESPN, and all other “blocked” channels apart from Star Sports.
D: Madam, do you want Star Sports or not?
D: *sigh* YES
[A while after I request my dad to do the needful (shell out the moolah basically) when D comes over, my dad very casually asks me about this sudden urgency to get a set-top box installed in the span of one day. I then began the laborious task of explaining the great event that was El clásico (English: The Classic)…
Knowing me, my dad walked away, but patient that you are, read on: The flash points of the rivalry between the two most successful and influential football clubs in Spain, and arguably in the world—Real Madrid CF and Barcelona FC—are the twice-a-season clásicos, the first of which (this season) was on 23rd December.
These lines from Wikipedia [where else 🙂 ] should sum up my ridiculously lengthy, drawn-out explanation about the historic rivalry and El clásico in a nutshell.
Just about every football fan in Spain, however much they love their own club, has an in-built preference for one of the ‘Big Two’. A supporter of Real Madrid seems a very distinct creature from a supporter of FC Barcelona. It might not be going too far to say that the strife and struggles between the two clubs accurately mirror the very essence of twentieth-century Spanish history.
That should give you an idea of the enormity of the situation and what a big deal it meant to yours truly 🙂
Striving for an “objective” analysis of the match, here we go.
Walking into this match, Real Madrid were already the winter champions, which meant that even a draw would have been a satisfactory result. A loss would have greater moral impact than anything else, while a win—as always—would be THE most favored outcome.
It is amazing that I am surrounded by people who do not place a great deal of faith in Real Madrid—be it colleagues or renowned soccer columnists (read Phil Ball). His pre-match article was anything but encouraging for a Madridista and didn’t give us even a little credit, if at all anything, making us sound a tad barbaric:
It’s never a nice thing to admit, but a large percentage of Madrid must have breathed a collective sigh of relief on Saturday night at precisely 22.43 local time when Messi fell to the floor in the Mestalla and started pointing at his knee.
So the hype surrounding the match took the form of news of Messi’s injury and rumors of Ronaldinho’s exclusion. I felt a pang of disappointment as it is always a treat to watch the young dynamite at work, even if it’s in a match against us. In a pro-Catalan voice, the columnist reiterates:
Real Madrid may fear Messi, but Eto’o has habitually given them grief, right from the day he packed his Bernabéu bags and left for Mallorca. His scoring record against them is impressive, as if he needs to constantly vindicate himself in their presence. The fact that they wouldn’t take him on has permanently riled him. He’s always dangerous, but against Real Madrid more so.
I wonder what Mr. Ball had for breakfast that day 😮
On the D-day, the host stadium, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary, looked well…all Barca. A magnificent camera angle showed the perfect crest/insignia of the club formed by the spectators—breathtaking. The stadium looked like a hotspot, predominantly in the Catalan colors of red/maroon, blue, and yellow.
Rijkard summoned the best Barca squad possible, replete with Ronaldinho and all. Their bench warmers were an elite club too, boasting of Henry and Zambrotta! The players looked surprisingly chirpy and sporting, which was rather disconcerting. Samuel Eto’o was all smiles and Deco looked pleasant. Perhaps, it was to play down the entire hype surrounding the event, which mostly results in disastrous consequences for the fans. A smiling Eto’o though!!?!? Just when a frown marred across my face, a chest bump by Raul and Pepe put me at ease.
So the match started off at a racy pace; I was positive that if it continued this way, I would soon be exhausted merely watching it. Soon it was difficult to determine which of the two teams would net the first. There were corners galore for Barca, while Madrid seemed to be pushing really hard. With no one feeding goals to the strikers, the pichichis looked non-existent. To add to my woes, of all the days, Raul was playing in the hole today, when he has been scoring consistently playing up front. The passing was a bit awry for both teams (Diarra looked clueless!)…and then it happened. The beast scored the first goal of the match and the scoreboard, much to my delight, read 0-1. The passing was really good; the first touch, excellent; and the finish, sublime. Valdes could only watch, and I don’t really blame him for that.
The scoreboard remained the same until half-time. The body language of the players indicated the story so far—Barca looked slightly disoriented coming out of the dressing room, while the Real players were streaming out, eager to get on the field. The second half saw more opportunities, corners, but no goals. Frankly, Iniesta was the only Cule who was impressive, threatening, and eager to score; the rest in the impressive list, including Xavi, Deco, Milito, were all drab. Puyol’s poor passing was, as usual, delightful to watch! Rijkard then brought on fresh, young legs—Bojan and Giovanni. Bojan showed a spark almost immediately and earned the opposition’s respect quickly. Giovanni looked eager and fresh but his inexperience was reflected in some passes that went straight to the opposition.
However, the disappointment of the match was Ronaldinho. Two years ago, this man was wrecking havoc for Real Madrid. He was Rijkard’s frontman and almost single-handedly won Barca two consecutive league titles. World player of the year. Ample goals scored even last season, although Barca lost the title. There was nothing he could do wrong. This sensational player (I like Ronaldinho; did I forget to mention that?) looked hapless and desolate on the field. Everything seemed to be going wrong. The freekicks that once evoked terror in my heart were now simply another chance to waste time now. They say he’s mostly leaving the club after this season. Although a Madridista, I wished him a better game than this 😦
Enough moaning now: time to glorify our galactic goalkeeper. Oh Iker! what would we have done without you!! The scoreline would’ve read 5-1 surely had it not been for my favorite goalkeeper. He even blocked what would have surely passed off as two penalty shots! Can we expect anything less from him? Not that he gives us a chance 🙂
*knocks on wood fervently*
And now for the surprise package that left me exhilarated! Real’s famed for its legendary, ever-ready-to-crumble defence. Even world player of the year Cannavaro—undoubtedly among the best defenders today—hasn’t clicked. El clásico saw the best defensive display by Real Madrid in at least the last three seasons that I’ve seen. Pepe, my man of the match with Iker, was brilliant throughout. Cannavaro displayed his legendary suave tackles and Heinze seemed to be getting into the groove after patience-testing injuries. Now there’s hope!
Having said all that, in my opinion, Messi or no Messi, we would’ve surely not been defeated thanks to the very evident toiling on the field and the four-man wall nipping most of the chances of a goal in the bud.
In retrospect, i don’t even take offense to the words of my good friend, the columnist:
Madrid have already assured themselves of a lead going into the Yuletide rest. They’d obviously prefer a seven-pointer, but that seems unlikely, despite the leader’s good form.
Hark! Mr. Phil Ball! Do you hear the sweet (last) laugh of Los Blancos who indeed go ahead with a seven-pointer? 😀
Trivial beginnings 