FC Barcelona or Real Madrid, who will win the Liga 2012?

Three celebrates, three think its too early

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid find no third in the Liga to bug their plans of winning the title. But by having each other, they can hardly wish for additional challenges. In fact, the big margin of quality separating the big two from the rest is one of the main reasons why the rivalry between the two clubs reached a do-or-die level. This is a league where a draw for any of the two teams can cause the collapse of the season. The chance of reversing the damage and balancing the books of points is very slim compared to other leagues in other countries.


However, there is one main difference this season that makes this league way more interesting. If you go back to last time Real Madrid won the title, you will notice that the strong fight they put till the end (in two seasons) came hand in hand with a catastrophic collapse for FC Barcelona on and off the field. Then you move forward to the seasons FC Barcelona won and you notice that even though Real Madrid had superb seasons, FC Barcelona were on a very high level and almost unbeatable. In my opinion, this is the first season where the two teams are playing on the same level – each utilizing own strength and suffering own weaknesses. While Barcelona is still the best team collectively and (for most positions) even if you compare individuals one-by-one in the starting eleven, Real Madrid squad provide more depth and diversity. The fact that both teams have their backs to the wall (No more: we are building a team for future) put more pressure and make the mental strength, squad moral, and club’s environment deciding factors, more than ever.

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Shakespeare attacks both Barcelona and Real Madrid in champions league semi final

My Match preview: Published on THE OFFSIDE/Barcelona  - Latest Edit

I'm here...Have no fear

I know you’re feeling sick

Of all the clasico games

Of people waving sticks

And bloggers calling names

Kindly, drop no tear

Don’t worry, have no fear

And welcome the one and only

Mr. William Shakespeare

Shakespeare shouts with anger:

“Can you stop being lame?!

Forget that name forever

Cool Shakes is now my name!”

Crowds applaud:

Shakes in the house!

Shakes in the house!

Lets tell the story

Of the Lion and the mouse

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FC Barcelona - Real Madrid the clasico of football and hyperbole

Barcelona hosts Real Madrid for this season Clasico, the Jewel of Spanish La liga. This is an edited version of the article I wrote for Barcelona Transfers Blog Dec 12, 2008,  recording the history of Rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid.  Trying to show the two sides of the story, Barcelona's and Real Madrid versions, I made a roundup collecting quotes from different resources where the mentioned rivalry is covered.

RIVALS FOR EVER!

To warm up before a game like el clasico, its not enough to discuss squads and tactics, not even the media coverage following the event on everyday, and may be every second, bases. That will be good enough for a champions league final may be, but not for a game injected by that amount of passions, emotions and memories, el clasico that represents not only a battle of rivals but also a clash of wells that was documented in history and “immorted” in poetry.

That’s why, and in order to live the event to the extreme, we need to tour back and live the birth of this eternal mêlée.

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Fc Barcelona player Daniel Alves proves diving is essential to protect fair play in football.

From Busquets at FC Barcelona, to Ronaldo at Manchester united then Real Madrid. From the Drogba of Chelsea to Eduardo once at Arsenal. From Krasic at Juventus to all the other players of all the teams we follow. Diving is the curse that usually address them all and mark disgrace bruises on their talent and quality. The question is: Can we generalize and say that all diving acts are wrong? Or is there a room to classify diving in two categories: Fair and unfair?

 Advocatus Diaboli

Football and Diving

The fast spontaneous answer is that there shouldn't be any place for diving in world football. Done and dusted. Yet, Daniel Alves was able in seven days to make anyone who has an attention for details reconsider.

In the first match, Dani was at the receiving end of a knock by Zaragoza player Leonardo Ponzio. The rules are clear: Red card. And that's what happened, Ponzio was suspended. Fair enough.

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Football ramble:On bandwagon fans and Glory haunters

From Manchester and Arsenal, to Liverpool and Chelsea across the English Premier League the term “bandwagons” rings in every direction. From Juventus and Roma to Milan rivals the claim that “there are no glory hunters supporting our club” is a claim written on every supporter chest and echoing in each corner at Serie A. And let’s not start talking about La Liga, and mainly the two poles of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.  Bandwagon fans and Glory haunters, Who are those people?

"A bandwagon fan is a phrase used among sports fans and sports writers to describe a fan that only roots for popular and successful sports franchises, then when they fall and are unpopular they switch to the new team. Sometimes people may change teams due to many factors, such as bad management, scandals involving the team, poor draft decisions, or unfavorable conditions in the current residence (which often could cause them to adopt their hometown's rival team as their own)... Bandwagon fans are usually despised by fans who consider themselves die-hard". (Source)

Before getting into the threat this slice of football fans can present for big –popular- clubs, it is relevant to go back in time to figure how the big-popular- clubs became big and became popular. It usually starts with one or handful football entrepreneurs collecting players and organizing a team like many in the city or the region. The team develops and shows enough promise to be recognized by the neighborhood that starts following the team regularly. At that early stage, if the team fails to secure continuous improvement, the followers start to vanish, attracted by other clubs with more potential in the same surrounding. The club ends up being one of numerous small clubs worldwide with few hundreds of followers competing on local minor rivalries and unrecognized competitions. 

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