There are many months ahead filled with potential pitfalls-not least injuries and general exhaustion brought on by an increasingly manic schedule-but the opening La Liga games have provided some tantalising clues as to what awaits us.
Building on their performances in the Super Cup, both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have got off to an impressive start that suggest not only that La Liga will be a battle royal between them, but that they will also prove difficult to beat in the Champions League.
But first let us not forget that the second leg August Super Cup encounter between Real Madrid and Barca at the Camp Nou ended in another nasty brawl between the players, and Mourinho caught on camera almost poking Guardiola’s friend and assistant Tito Vilanova’s eye out.
FC Barcelona’s president Sandro Rosell continues to show extraordinary restraint in his reactions as does Pep Guardiola, both men calculating perhaps that Barca’s image and brand as mes que un club relies on a certain ethos of civility. Meanwhile, if Mourinho continues not only to be tolerated but also supported by President Florentino Perez and vocal Real Madrid fans it is because his psychological tactics are a mere sideshow to the reality of the team he has built up.
Easy as it might seem for cules to caricature Mourinho as a hooligan, there is no doubting that Real Madrid is playing much better than it did last season, and playing with style, cohesion, and real hunger for goals. They also have strength in depth which can allow Mourinho to plan for the long-haul with justified confidence.
All of the above can be applicable to Barca although psychologically it is more difficult to maintain hunger when you have had a feast-and Barca’s trophy cupboard is almost overflowing. The two summer signings, Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez have fitted into the team with the ease of missing pieces into a virtually completed puzzle (watching Fabregas score in his first two games alongside his Catalan colleagues has made poor Wenger’s situation look even more miserable while bringing huge excitement to the Nou Camp) , but Barca remains injury-prone and dependent on Messi as playmaker and goal scorer. It will be interesting to watch in what circumstances Guardiola rests Messi on the bench. He certainly wont want to be without him in the latter stages of the season.
In terms of quality and potential little separates Mourinho’s Real Madrid from Guardiola’s Barca and great games of football involving each team lie ahead both in La Liga and in the Champions League although further encounters between the two clubs could well turn even uglier, as Guardiola seemed to suggest after the last battle at the Nou Camp.
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