Not for the first time politics rather that football drew out my earlier blog on last night’s El Clasico.
But on the night I did share the following further thoughts with my followers on twitter.
I counted only two Spanish flags- good to see Bermabeu stadium depoliticise nationalist issue with both teams paying respect to Adolfo Suarez
hugely enjoyable thriller at the Bernabeu between two great teams
pity Barca won with disputed penalties. this was a high octane match deserving of a clear win
This was a match lost by Real Madrid rather than won by Barca. Benzema could have scored hatrick. Valdes saved
Barca’s man of the match Andres Iniesta
di Maria best player of the match
Martino’s main tactical mistake , not bringing on Pedro and Alexis sooner
In the end Barca won-all that matters in El Clasico
In the cold light of the next morning, I have little to amend or add- other than both sides can claim with some measure of justice , mistaken refereeing, and that this was game that until Ramos’s sending off threw to the four winds any notion of management control or textbook tactics. As a consequence this was hugely exciting football-full of individual risk taking and full of memorable individual performances of which to those I twittered I would add Pique who put in his best performance of the season. I doubt whether either Real Madrid or Barca can risk such open play in the Champion’s League. And while the result is a huge morale booster for Barca, its supremacy over Real Madrid remains far from assured in what remains of the season.
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