Five Things We Learned From El Clasico

We were treated to another dose of El Clasico on thursday and as promised, it was an entertaining match. Dribbles, shots, fouls, passes and goals were all part of the menu. Below are five things we learned from the clasico;

1) Barca Is Still The Best: After last season’s disappointment, many people declared the end of Barca’s era of dominance. But the clasico reaffirmed Barca’s footballing superiority over pretty much the rest of the world. For long stretches, Madrid were left to chase shadows and could barely touch the ball. At the end, Madrid had 27% possession to Barca’s 73%. Most people believe the game was closer to a 4-1 or 5-1 rather than a 3-2 and madrid have Valdes to thank for the flattering scoreline.

2) Iniesta Is The Man: For long he has been underrated and lived under the shadow of Xavi. However, the world is beginning to seat up and take note of the genius of the little man. His dribbling is second only to Lionel Messi and his football intelligence is top of the class. His runs terrify defenders. His sudden change of position destablizes them and his passes are like a master key for any lock. Its no wonder he is a contender for UEFA player of the year.

3) Santa Claus Exists and He Is In Barcelona: For those searching for Santa, he wears the number 1 jersey in Barcelona with the pseydonym Victor Valdes. This santa is so generous he hands out gifts (to barca’s opponents) before, during and after christmas. Although he is a very good goalkeeper and makes
stunning saves from time to time, his career has been strewn with howlers and Barca’s opponents are usually grateful to him. On thursday, he was madrid’s best player.

4) Forget Ronaldo, Casillas Is Madrid’s Messiah: Make no mistake, there are two reasons Madrid are still in contention to win the super cup. Its a tale of two goalkeepers; Victor Valdes and Iker Casillas. Their performances couldn’t be anymore different. While Valdes was handing his opponents a lifeline, Casillas was making sure the scoreline wasn’t any more embarassing than it was going to be. In this sport, the man between the sticks is often overlooked but Casillas reminds us of his importance. While his more recognised teammates are busy chasing shadows, Casillas makes sure the men that run the show are not putting the ball in his net.

5) Mourinho Hasn’t Found Barca’s Formula: Mourinho is often praised for his tactical genius. While that is undeniable, what is debatable is that he has found an answer to the machine that is Barca. In over ten games, Mourinho’s madrid has won just two. Barca has won much more and in most of those matches, Barca dominated madrid. Mourinho maybe the best coach in the world, but against Barca, he is average.

That is it people! We look forward to the return leg of this fixture.

Posted from WordPress for Android…… by Efemena Ozore