Tonight’s second-leg King’s Cup tie between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou had a a rough edge to it that almost left a nasty taste. But edge-of-the-seat stuff nonetheless. Who said El Clasico was beginning to get too regular and boring? – I didn’t.
This was a reprise performance for both sides with clear echoes of last year’s encounter in which the game was reduced by the thuggery of Real Madrid on one side, and the theatrics of FC Barcelona on the other.
That said the game showed both the potential and limitations of the Mourinho project. Real Madrid were formidable in attack, and spirited, not least when things could not have looked worse for them at half time. Yet somehow the visiting team lacked the cohesion , solidarity and artistry of Pep Guardiola’s boys when in possession of the ball.
It was a game that Real Madrid could have won, but didn’t deserve to win. They are simply not as good as Barca. But this was not one of Barca’s better games. Cesc and Xavi were subdued, Pinto unpredictable as usual, and Alexis less menacing that he has been of late. A bruising match, made memorable by some Brazilian magic-Alves’s cracker of a long-distance goal- and the sense that this could be the game that finally punctured the myth of the ‘Special One.’ No doubt Mourinho will blame it on the ref. But such protestations poorly hide his lack of grace.
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