When people ask me-the son of a Scot father and a Spanish mother who was born in Madrid-why I am a cule, I tell them because I became one in the mid 1970’s thank to Johan Cruyff and have remained one ever since because I love watching beautiful football and I count many Catalans among my Spanish friends.
I will be looking forward to this Saturday’s Clasico with the hope that the Barca that Luis Enrique is crafting will demonstrate that it has recovered some of the poetry in motion, and passion in scoring goals, preferably great ones, that had seemed to be in decline since the high point of the Guardiola era.
Evidently we are experiencing a Barca in transition , after the exit of such totems as Valdes, Cesc, and Pujol, with Luis Enrique honouring Xavi’s experience, challenging the other stars to be even better-Messi, Neymar,Iniesta- and showing real faith in the potential of the cantera.
The inclusion of Luis Suarez in the Barca team alongside the likes of Messi, Neymar, and Iniesta is a mouth-watering prospect. Suarez is a great player, who scores goals. It will be fascinating to watch how he works with the team, and the team with him. I am trusting that he has had the counsel of a good psychologist and has learnt to channel his energy into more creative activity than biting his opponent.
I hope also Suarez will be able to handle the taunts of the Madrid fans. But if things go well for Barca from the start , and the stars score goals, I would like to see some of the young bloods- Munir and Sandro Ramirez-be given their opportunity at the Bernabeu.
Ancelotti’s Real Madrid is not Ajax as we know. It was last season’s deserving European champion and currently looks to me the strongest team in La Liga, if not in Europe. Just look at how they reduced Liverpool to pulp. Even with Gareth Bale possibly out because of injury, the likes of Ronaldo, Benzema, Modric, Macerlo , Isco, Kross, and James Rodriguez deserve respect although they face in Claudio Bravo, Barca’s Chilean goalkeeper, another formidable player with a impeccable record so far this season, despite some real shortcomings in defence of other Barca players .
I will not be in Madrid on Saturday. I plan to watch El Clasico among British, Argentine, Catalan and other Spanish friends in Sitges where I am attending a festival of Irish and Catalan culture this weekend. I hope this match brings out the best of the players on both sides and is a noble contest that a worldwide audience can enjoy: fair play, and real spectacle of football at its most brilliant. I am really looking forward to it.
