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Chitchat The Official TCSS Thread
- Thread starter Alamaking
- Start date
'Don't leave after 80 minutes,' Luis Enrique tells Barcelona fans
By Samuel Marsden
espnfc.com
BARCELONA -- Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has advised supporters not to leave the Camp Nou after 80 minutes as he talked up his side's chances of producing another Champions League comeback against Juventus on Wednesday.
Luis Enrique said: "If we score the first goal, Camp Nou will score the second and the third will come on its own."
Barca overturned a four-goal deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in the last round, scoring three goals in a remarkable final seven minutes to win the second leg 6-1 and set up a quarterfinal tie with the Italian champions.
Now they find themselves in an eerily similar situation after last week's 3-0 loss in Turin, but the precedent set by that PSG win sees them go into the tie believing they are capable of turning things around for a second time.
In a news conference on Tuesday, Luis Enrique said: "Don't leave after 80 minutes.
"We will give everything until the end. We had that night against PSG and now there's another chance to experience a historic night.
"We will do everything possible and we need everyone together until the 95th minute. We've already seen Barca score three goals in five minutes, so everything is possible."
Luis Enrique knows every player will have to be at their very best to turn things around, although he suggested Lionel Messi is capable of making the difference even on an off-night.
"We have nothing to lose," the Barca coach added. "We have one option, which is to attack, attack and keep attacking.
"Anything can happen in football. The more players at their best, the better our chances, of course, but Messi at 25 percent can add a lot of things, he's different."
Prior to the PSG comeback, Luis Enrique predicted Barca would have to score six goals to progress -- which they did -- and this time he revealed he's set his team the objective of scoring five.
"This time we have to score less goals, only three, but keeping in mind [Juve] could score, our objective tomorrow is to score five," he said.
That may prove difficult against a side who have conceded just twice in nine Champions League games this season and who, according to coach Massimiliano Allegri, want to score two goals themselves.
"If he says that then I will have to redo my calculations and make our objective six," Luis Enrique joked when told of Allegri's comments.
Barca will be at close to full strength for the match, with Sergio Busquets returning from a suspension and Javier Mascherano fit to return having missed Saturday's win over Real Sociedad with a calf problem.
Arda Turan also trained on Tuesday, with only Aleix Vidal and Rafinha unavailable for Juventus' visit.
By Samuel Marsden
espnfc.com
BARCELONA -- Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has advised supporters not to leave the Camp Nou after 80 minutes as he talked up his side's chances of producing another Champions League comeback against Juventus on Wednesday.
Luis Enrique said: "If we score the first goal, Camp Nou will score the second and the third will come on its own."
Barca overturned a four-goal deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in the last round, scoring three goals in a remarkable final seven minutes to win the second leg 6-1 and set up a quarterfinal tie with the Italian champions.
Now they find themselves in an eerily similar situation after last week's 3-0 loss in Turin, but the precedent set by that PSG win sees them go into the tie believing they are capable of turning things around for a second time.
In a news conference on Tuesday, Luis Enrique said: "Don't leave after 80 minutes.
"We will give everything until the end. We had that night against PSG and now there's another chance to experience a historic night.
"We will do everything possible and we need everyone together until the 95th minute. We've already seen Barca score three goals in five minutes, so everything is possible."
Luis Enrique knows every player will have to be at their very best to turn things around, although he suggested Lionel Messi is capable of making the difference even on an off-night.
"We have nothing to lose," the Barca coach added. "We have one option, which is to attack, attack and keep attacking.
"Anything can happen in football. The more players at their best, the better our chances, of course, but Messi at 25 percent can add a lot of things, he's different."
Prior to the PSG comeback, Luis Enrique predicted Barca would have to score six goals to progress -- which they did -- and this time he revealed he's set his team the objective of scoring five.
"This time we have to score less goals, only three, but keeping in mind [Juve] could score, our objective tomorrow is to score five," he said.
That may prove difficult against a side who have conceded just twice in nine Champions League games this season and who, according to coach Massimiliano Allegri, want to score two goals themselves.
"If he says that then I will have to redo my calculations and make our objective six," Luis Enrique joked when told of Allegri's comments.
Barca will be at close to full strength for the match, with Sergio Busquets returning from a suspension and Javier Mascherano fit to return having missed Saturday's win over Real Sociedad with a calf problem.
Arda Turan also trained on Tuesday, with only Aleix Vidal and Rafinha unavailable for Juventus' visit.
Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller: It was 10 against 14 in Real Madrid defeat
By Mark Lovell
espnfc.com
Bayern Munich attacker Thomas Muller said he felt his side had played "10 against 14" in their Champions League defeat at Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Bayern lost 4-2 in extra time at the Bernabeu to go out of the Champions League quarterfinals 6-3 on aggregate.
The Bundesliga leaders were angered by several key decisions by Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai, feeling that the sending off of Arturo Vidal was unjust and that two of Cristiano Ronaldo's three goals were offside.
Muller told reporters: "If you look at the way things went, it is extremely difficult when you are playing with 10 against 14.
"The [goal that made it] 2-2 was the worst situation -- the assistant referee had a great view. That killed us."
Germany international Muller stressed that Bayern "did not put in a perfect performance," but added: "We were in great shape mentally after we went 2-1 up and still had 11 players on the pitch.
"But then the officials took the wind from our sails. You cannot just go home and say 'things like this happen' after what happened here.
"Perhaps Arturo could have been sent off before -- but definitely not in the situation where he picked up his second yellow card."
Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was also frustrated by the way in which events had turned out, saying his team had been "robbed."
"After 90 minutes, we won 2-1 in Madrid and I have to pay a massive compliment to the team for their performance over the 120 minutes," he added.
"There are six officials on the pitch. Six officials. We had a red card which wasn't even a foul. We conceded two goals which were clearly offside. Robert Lewandowski was adjudged offside when clean through on goal.
"This is the first time I've felt really angry. Angry because we were robbed. Literally, we were robbed."
Rummenigge added that "we all witnessed a game that made history" and said: "Uli Hoeness and I have experienced many battles that remain etched in the memory.
"The 1999 final [against Manchester United] in Barcelona, unfortunately a defeat that hurt us a lot. We lost the Champions League in less than 120 seconds then.
"In 2012, we lost after extra time and penalties to Chelsea. Tonight was another game like this."
Meanwhile, reports in Spain alleged that police intervened after three Bayern Munich players stormed into the referee's dressing room following their elimination.
But a UEFA spokesman told ESPN FC the governing body had not so far received any information regarding those reports.
By Mark Lovell
espnfc.com
Bayern Munich attacker Thomas Muller said he felt his side had played "10 against 14" in their Champions League defeat at Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Bayern lost 4-2 in extra time at the Bernabeu to go out of the Champions League quarterfinals 6-3 on aggregate.
The Bundesliga leaders were angered by several key decisions by Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai, feeling that the sending off of Arturo Vidal was unjust and that two of Cristiano Ronaldo's three goals were offside.
Muller told reporters: "If you look at the way things went, it is extremely difficult when you are playing with 10 against 14.
"The [goal that made it] 2-2 was the worst situation -- the assistant referee had a great view. That killed us."
Germany international Muller stressed that Bayern "did not put in a perfect performance," but added: "We were in great shape mentally after we went 2-1 up and still had 11 players on the pitch.
"But then the officials took the wind from our sails. You cannot just go home and say 'things like this happen' after what happened here.
"Perhaps Arturo could have been sent off before -- but definitely not in the situation where he picked up his second yellow card."
Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was also frustrated by the way in which events had turned out, saying his team had been "robbed."
"After 90 minutes, we won 2-1 in Madrid and I have to pay a massive compliment to the team for their performance over the 120 minutes," he added.
"There are six officials on the pitch. Six officials. We had a red card which wasn't even a foul. We conceded two goals which were clearly offside. Robert Lewandowski was adjudged offside when clean through on goal.
"This is the first time I've felt really angry. Angry because we were robbed. Literally, we were robbed."
Rummenigge added that "we all witnessed a game that made history" and said: "Uli Hoeness and I have experienced many battles that remain etched in the memory.
"The 1999 final [against Manchester United] in Barcelona, unfortunately a defeat that hurt us a lot. We lost the Champions League in less than 120 seconds then.
"In 2012, we lost after extra time and penalties to Chelsea. Tonight was another game like this."
Meanwhile, reports in Spain alleged that police intervened after three Bayern Munich players stormed into the referee's dressing room following their elimination.
But a UEFA spokesman told ESPN FC the governing body had not so far received any information regarding those reports.
Juventus never afraid of Barcelona comeback as defence stands firm
By James Horncastle
espnfc.com
There is a saying that Juventus veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon likes to bring up when his side are warned about tough European away trips: "I have never seen the crowd score a goal."
Barcelona's Camp Nou was supposed to be different. "I am sure that if we score the first goal, the Camp Nou will score the second and the third will come of itself," manager Luis Enrique had insisted on the eve of a Champions League quarterfinal second in which Barcelona needed to overcome a 3-0 deficit. After all, it had taken just seven minutes for them to find the back of the net three times against PSG to complete a miraculous, "more complicated" comeback from 4-0 down (6-5 on aggregate) in the previous round.
But on Wednesday night, Juventus keep the crowd quiet, kept Lionel Messi quiet, and put in a wonderful defensive display to hold Barcelona to a 0-0 draw that sealed their progress to the semifinals.
Whatever your opinion of this Barca side -- and, after their exit, people have been every bit as quick to declare this the end of an era as they were in 2013 -- the club went into the game with a perfect record at the Camp Nou in Europe. Enrique had won every single match on home soil in the Champions League since getting the Barcelona job, dispatching visitors by an aggregate scoreline of 18-1 this season.
Understandably after their history-making exploits in the last round many were of the belief that nothing was impossible for this Barcelona team. The bookies immediately reinstalled them as favourites after their Lazarus act against PSG and Enrique didn't hesitate last week when asked if Barça could do it all over again. "We can score four against anyone," he proclaimed.
Barca are the top scorers in Europe's top five leagues with 143 goals; the MSN trio alone account for 92 of them and Luis Suarez and Neymar were both on the scoresheet when Barcelona beat Juventus in the final two years ago. Which is why Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri felt his team had to score twice, even with a 3-0 lead from the first leg, just to be on the safe side. His Milan side had beaten Barca 2-0 at San Siro and then lost 4-0 at the Camp Nou in 2013.
Mentally, games like these are so hard to prepare for because teams get caught between a gameplan of defending a lead or trying to add to it. In the build-up, Buffon cast his mind back to 2004 when Deportivo didn't seem to have a hope of overturning a 4-1 loss at San Siro but upset holders' Milan 4-0 at the Riazor. Then, of course, there is one-word that strikes fear into anyone defending a 3-0 lead: Istanbul. Milan, again, falling to Liverpool on penalties in 2005 after going in to the break three goals up.
Both those comebacks shocked the world. But Barca turning the tables on Juventus just wouldn't have the same resonance. Not after PSG. Everybody knows that, regardless of their flaws, this Barcelona team is capable of it. How many times in the last week did you hear: "If any team can do it, it's Barcelona?"
It stopped Juventus fully enjoying last week's 3-0 win. Peers reminded the players exactly what they were up against: Fabio Cannavaro recalled how the pitch at the Camp Nou is so big it seems to go on forever and that the ball never goes out of play; after losing 6-1, PSG's Marco Verratti apparently told Leonardo Bonucci something similar. "You can't press them. The spaces are enormous."
Bonucci, however, was completely unfazed. "But in 2013 you went there and drew 1-1," he replied, "and the pitch was as big then as it is now." If you want an insight into Juventus' character, there you have it. Unlike PSG and many other teams before them, they never once allowed Barcelona to get into their heads and unnerve them. Do that, and you're dead. "They're like sharks," Giorgio Chiellini explained. "They sense when you're afraid and they finish you." Juventus were never afraid.
From start to finish, Juventus believed. Shortly after Wednesday night's result, Bonucci published a video on Instagram from before the quarterfinal draw. "If on Friday the 17th we get Barcelona we'll knock them out," he says. "Signed Leonardo B." Bonucci was as good as his word.
If Allegri had wanted his side to score twice, it wasn't out of fear of conceding, it boiled down to three things: experience, realism and the confidence that his side could do it. In the end they didn't and although Allegri lamented the fact Juventus didn't take their chances, failing to make the most of some of their counter-attacks, the assuredness with which the team defended ensured he wasn't made to regret it.
"Everyone had a great game today," he marvelled. "When [Andrea] Barzagli came on, we could have played a whole day and not conceded."
Juventus haven't conceded in the Champions League for 531 minutes; only two teams in the Champions League era -- Ajax in 1995-96 and Arsenal in 2005-06 -- have got to this stage with as good a defensive record and it is only the third time Barça have been shut out in both legs of a knockout tie in that time as well. Neymar left the field in tears; Messi looked like he had been in a boxing match; Suarez was toothless.
While nights like Wednesday will be remembered for the defence, a recruitment strategy centred on making Juventus more of a skill and finesse team has paid off as they are now able to go to places like the Allianz Arena, Bernabeu and Camp Nou and feel comfortable passing while keeping the ball under pressure. Miralem Pjanic won't get the same headlines as Bonucci and Chiellini, but he put in a fine performance, cleverly launching attacks and releasing Juan Cuadrado to take the heat off the defence.
For Allegri, though, his team's biggest strength lies in "never getting carried away, but having the enthusiasm in good and in bad to face certain games and certain moments of the season, to face whatever's the most important thing that tomorrow brings and the unpredictable that can happen during a game. It's there that you need to be lucid and cool, without allowing anyone or anything to budge you."
Barcelona could not budge Juventus. And, on this form, the signs are that the remaining semifinalists -- Real Madrid, Atletico and Monaco -- will struggle to knock Allegri's side off their stride too.
By James Horncastle
espnfc.com
There is a saying that Juventus veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon likes to bring up when his side are warned about tough European away trips: "I have never seen the crowd score a goal."
Barcelona's Camp Nou was supposed to be different. "I am sure that if we score the first goal, the Camp Nou will score the second and the third will come of itself," manager Luis Enrique had insisted on the eve of a Champions League quarterfinal second in which Barcelona needed to overcome a 3-0 deficit. After all, it had taken just seven minutes for them to find the back of the net three times against PSG to complete a miraculous, "more complicated" comeback from 4-0 down (6-5 on aggregate) in the previous round.
But on Wednesday night, Juventus keep the crowd quiet, kept Lionel Messi quiet, and put in a wonderful defensive display to hold Barcelona to a 0-0 draw that sealed their progress to the semifinals.
Whatever your opinion of this Barca side -- and, after their exit, people have been every bit as quick to declare this the end of an era as they were in 2013 -- the club went into the game with a perfect record at the Camp Nou in Europe. Enrique had won every single match on home soil in the Champions League since getting the Barcelona job, dispatching visitors by an aggregate scoreline of 18-1 this season.
Understandably after their history-making exploits in the last round many were of the belief that nothing was impossible for this Barcelona team. The bookies immediately reinstalled them as favourites after their Lazarus act against PSG and Enrique didn't hesitate last week when asked if Barça could do it all over again. "We can score four against anyone," he proclaimed.
Barca are the top scorers in Europe's top five leagues with 143 goals; the MSN trio alone account for 92 of them and Luis Suarez and Neymar were both on the scoresheet when Barcelona beat Juventus in the final two years ago. Which is why Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri felt his team had to score twice, even with a 3-0 lead from the first leg, just to be on the safe side. His Milan side had beaten Barca 2-0 at San Siro and then lost 4-0 at the Camp Nou in 2013.
Mentally, games like these are so hard to prepare for because teams get caught between a gameplan of defending a lead or trying to add to it. In the build-up, Buffon cast his mind back to 2004 when Deportivo didn't seem to have a hope of overturning a 4-1 loss at San Siro but upset holders' Milan 4-0 at the Riazor. Then, of course, there is one-word that strikes fear into anyone defending a 3-0 lead: Istanbul. Milan, again, falling to Liverpool on penalties in 2005 after going in to the break three goals up.
Both those comebacks shocked the world. But Barca turning the tables on Juventus just wouldn't have the same resonance. Not after PSG. Everybody knows that, regardless of their flaws, this Barcelona team is capable of it. How many times in the last week did you hear: "If any team can do it, it's Barcelona?"
It stopped Juventus fully enjoying last week's 3-0 win. Peers reminded the players exactly what they were up against: Fabio Cannavaro recalled how the pitch at the Camp Nou is so big it seems to go on forever and that the ball never goes out of play; after losing 6-1, PSG's Marco Verratti apparently told Leonardo Bonucci something similar. "You can't press them. The spaces are enormous."
Bonucci, however, was completely unfazed. "But in 2013 you went there and drew 1-1," he replied, "and the pitch was as big then as it is now." If you want an insight into Juventus' character, there you have it. Unlike PSG and many other teams before them, they never once allowed Barcelona to get into their heads and unnerve them. Do that, and you're dead. "They're like sharks," Giorgio Chiellini explained. "They sense when you're afraid and they finish you." Juventus were never afraid.
From start to finish, Juventus believed. Shortly after Wednesday night's result, Bonucci published a video on Instagram from before the quarterfinal draw. "If on Friday the 17th we get Barcelona we'll knock them out," he says. "Signed Leonardo B." Bonucci was as good as his word.
If Allegri had wanted his side to score twice, it wasn't out of fear of conceding, it boiled down to three things: experience, realism and the confidence that his side could do it. In the end they didn't and although Allegri lamented the fact Juventus didn't take their chances, failing to make the most of some of their counter-attacks, the assuredness with which the team defended ensured he wasn't made to regret it.
"Everyone had a great game today," he marvelled. "When [Andrea] Barzagli came on, we could have played a whole day and not conceded."
Juventus haven't conceded in the Champions League for 531 minutes; only two teams in the Champions League era -- Ajax in 1995-96 and Arsenal in 2005-06 -- have got to this stage with as good a defensive record and it is only the third time Barça have been shut out in both legs of a knockout tie in that time as well. Neymar left the field in tears; Messi looked like he had been in a boxing match; Suarez was toothless.
While nights like Wednesday will be remembered for the defence, a recruitment strategy centred on making Juventus more of a skill and finesse team has paid off as they are now able to go to places like the Allianz Arena, Bernabeu and Camp Nou and feel comfortable passing while keeping the ball under pressure. Miralem Pjanic won't get the same headlines as Bonucci and Chiellini, but he put in a fine performance, cleverly launching attacks and releasing Juan Cuadrado to take the heat off the defence.
For Allegri, though, his team's biggest strength lies in "never getting carried away, but having the enthusiasm in good and in bad to face certain games and certain moments of the season, to face whatever's the most important thing that tomorrow brings and the unpredictable that can happen during a game. It's there that you need to be lucid and cool, without allowing anyone or anything to budge you."
Barcelona could not budge Juventus. And, on this form, the signs are that the remaining semifinalists -- Real Madrid, Atletico and Monaco -- will struggle to knock Allegri's side off their stride too.
With La Liga title at stake, Real Madrid meet Barcelona in El Clasico
By Graham Hunter
espnfc.com
Across the hundreds of countries that will broadcast it live, Real Madrid against Barcelona is usually known as El Clasico. Fair enough, too, as it's a genuine all-time classic of football rivalry. But in parts of Spain, particularly where traditionalists meet and shout at each other in smoky cafes over canas of cerveza, jabbing their stogies forward with each repeated argument, this match is also called "El Derbi."
In British terms, a derby match requires to be when a city is split asunder. When families divide down the middle, where red plays blue or green-and-white plays blue, where clubs that inhabit the same metropolitan area have distinct personalities: it might be north vs. south, rich vs. poor, dominant vs. fallow, aristocrat vs. working class. However, you'd need to be obtuse or pedantic not to allow a Barca vs. Madrid clash to be dubbed a "Derbi" in this country. It's the game that divides Spain in a way that similar matches in England very rarely divide a country. A city, perhaps, but not the nation.
No matter the identity of your "first" club, here the majority of football fans will have a sympathy one way or the other: Viking or Culé, Merengue or Blaugrana, Madrid or Barça. Naturally, derbies are harder to predict because the motivational or psychological impact is so gigantic that "form goes out the window" isn't a cliche: it's a truism. Therefore it's a pleasure to be able to bring you some certainties ahead of this Clásico-derbi at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday night.
First -- and this you should already be firmly aware of if you've even got a passing interest in Spanish football -- should Madrid win, then they're champions in all but the pure arithmetic. There's a bundle of factors, wrapped up together neatly and tidily, telling us that this is true.
Since Zinedine Zidane took over in January 2016, his Madrid teams have significantly "out-pointed" Barcelona. Not just this season or over the past few months ... but for a year and a half.
Barcelona, by Andres Iniesta's own blunt admission, are hugely erratic on the road. Inconsistency personified. If Madrid were to establish a six-point lead with a game in hand, plus the head-to-head advantage of having done better across the two Clasicos, then you can bet your livestock, that James Dean motorbike you bought at auction, your collection of Penny Blacks and the children's college fund that Los Blancos will see that advantage home.
If.
But, let's return to the meat in a minute. For the moment, the side plate. Another certainty is that this is a momentous ringing of the bell not just for Luis Enrique, but for Spanish football. Spin it however you like but "Lucho" has been a major player on the Spanish scene for the past 26 years. (Yes, it's been that long since he scored the winner for Sporting Gijon over Barcelona.)
Wearing the white of Madrid, he played in 11 Clasicos -- including both a 5-0 defeat and a 5-0 win -- and then jumped ship to carry Barça's threat to his old club on 18 occasions, winning eight of those and only losing three.
He's played 29 of these classic matches as a footballer, plus five as Barca manager where his record is two wins, two defeats and a draw. More importantly he's won the title in each of his two seasons thus far meaning that not only will there be sections of the Madrid support who still loathe him as a "traitor" (and a hugely enthusiastic one), but some where he's feared, too.
There have been instances in living memory of a man coaching Barcelona across two distinct periods (Louis Van Gaal and the legendary Helenio Herrera are examples) but neither was a successful idea and it's a little hard to see the concept being repeated. So while it's impossible to be definitive on this point, it's a decent-odds bet that this is Luis Enrique's last ever Clasico. We shall see.
More certainties?
Well, however beautiful, thrilling or definitive this match is, you can also bet your bottom dollar it'll be stained by some kind of social media nonsense from the participants or some former players. Part of the reason that it's a "Classic" -- and part of the reason the world now loves this match so much, having only shown a passing interest until the mid-1990s -- is the ill-feeling between the two. Whether you count that as sporting, cultural, political or social doesn't really matter too much.
Sporting occasions cause us to bill and coo and praise the participants for hugging and consoling each other in moments of triumph and defeat every so often. But boy, would we tire of living this kind of Mary Poppins existence if that was happening all the time.
They call it "mala leche" here. (I know: "bad milk." What kind of rubbish phrase is that?) Ill feeling, dislike, jealousy, revenge motifs: we all love them in sport and this match has them in spades. So to try and state that relations are at, or anywhere near, an all-time low would be wrong. However the two clubs aren't in one of those spells where it's grown-up and everyone gets along quite well either. Nor do they have the Romeo and Juliet of the Clasicos, Xavi and Iker Casillas, any longer.
In fact, right now there are parts of the Barcelona and Madrid squads and entourages that are like little kids who've just discovered a bad word. Kids who know that it'll cause shock among the adults if they shout "bum" out loud are far more likely to continue to seek the buzz of a reaction than one who sees general disdain and boredom in reaction to his attempt to shock. That's what much of the tit-for-tat stuff fizzing about between players (notably Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Alvaro Arbeloa, Casillas) and ex-players on social media feels like right now.
The public and the media are waiting on the edge of their seats for the next war of words, the next schism, the next "who won the battle of the insults" on Twitter before, during or after Sunday's clash. Then there will be a response, either fake outrage or genuine anger, and so some player will produce his version of shouting "bum!" across Sunday evening and night.
But, back to the meat.
For the past few weeks, it's looked as if the Barcelona squad are coming to the end of a cycle, when a decline in playing philosophy has met a natural (and overdue) fullness of stomach. Some of these guys, both players and staff, have been tiger-hungry for the last decade or more, hurdling challenges, winning trophies and treating complacency like a mortal enemy.
That cannot last indefinitely. It's not human. Meanwhile, Madrid have developed two significant attributes: a group belief that no matter the circumstances they are never beaten, as well as a very deep squad in terms of performance.
Zidane has established a meritocracy on the training ground where a simple algorithm seems to state that if you train well enough for long enough, you'll play. If you play well, you'll be asked to play again. If enough of us do this, we'll win everything. It's so bloody simple when you say it or write it, so damn difficult to create and maintain.
Thus, mainly for those reasons (although not exclusively), it looked to me as if Madrid would be a good bet to hasten the end of Barcelona's trophy cycle by winning relatively comfortably on Sunday. Yet some doubts crept in again during the Champions League matches this week.
Madrid are brutally muscular on the road. Freed of the need to "entertain" the home crowd, they entertain (me at least!) with clever, vertical, risky attacking football when they play away. At the Bernabeu, it can often look as if the need to play the "Madrid way," showing verve and panache in putting teams to the sword -- they can't just win -- weighs on them quite heavily.
It was slightly the case against Atleti a couple of weeks ago and it was very certainly the case against Bayern in midweek. In fact, against Carlo Ancelotti's team, Madrid gave a performance that should worry their fans. Sluggish, unable to win the ball, unable to keep the ball for long: they were timid. Just atypical of almost the entire Zidane regime.
They also had to work hard for 120 minutes, which partially negates the extra 24 hours' rest that Spain's champions-elect had, compared to Barcelona, because of playing on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the reigning champions performed with confidence, organisation, flair and athleticism against Juventus to not much evident return -- apart, perhaps, potentially the return of some self-belief and pride.
Hardly terrible ingredients to have thrown into the mix ahead of a test of fire in the Spanish capital.
There's no Neymar for Barcelona given his suspension, but equally there's no room for maneuver at centre-half for Madrid if there are fitness problems for Nacho and Sergio Ramos. It still feels to me that the ginseng nature of this occasion, sending energy and stamina through veins, will likely benefit Madrid enough for them to claim the win they need to be all-but-champions. But Barcelona will love the odds-against, "nobody believes in us so let's cause a ruckus" nature of this opportunity.
Now if Lucho's team win, it becomes a seismic moment. Madrid still have tricky European semifinals to play, while their upcoming trip to Vigo, where they've lost a couple of times in recent seasons, suddenly doesn't look such a "sure thing." The pressure would most certainly swing back sharply towards the league leaders; whether it would swing against them in a debilitating sense would depend very much on their level of tiredness, nerves, injuries, suspensions and fortunes in the Champions League.
Madrid to win by a goal: that's my instinct. But I have, ever so occasionally, been known to tip a result incorrectly. So, there's only one remedy. Tune in yourselves and bear witness.
By Graham Hunter
espnfc.com
Across the hundreds of countries that will broadcast it live, Real Madrid against Barcelona is usually known as El Clasico. Fair enough, too, as it's a genuine all-time classic of football rivalry. But in parts of Spain, particularly where traditionalists meet and shout at each other in smoky cafes over canas of cerveza, jabbing their stogies forward with each repeated argument, this match is also called "El Derbi."
In British terms, a derby match requires to be when a city is split asunder. When families divide down the middle, where red plays blue or green-and-white plays blue, where clubs that inhabit the same metropolitan area have distinct personalities: it might be north vs. south, rich vs. poor, dominant vs. fallow, aristocrat vs. working class. However, you'd need to be obtuse or pedantic not to allow a Barca vs. Madrid clash to be dubbed a "Derbi" in this country. It's the game that divides Spain in a way that similar matches in England very rarely divide a country. A city, perhaps, but not the nation.
No matter the identity of your "first" club, here the majority of football fans will have a sympathy one way or the other: Viking or Culé, Merengue or Blaugrana, Madrid or Barça. Naturally, derbies are harder to predict because the motivational or psychological impact is so gigantic that "form goes out the window" isn't a cliche: it's a truism. Therefore it's a pleasure to be able to bring you some certainties ahead of this Clásico-derbi at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday night.
First -- and this you should already be firmly aware of if you've even got a passing interest in Spanish football -- should Madrid win, then they're champions in all but the pure arithmetic. There's a bundle of factors, wrapped up together neatly and tidily, telling us that this is true.
Since Zinedine Zidane took over in January 2016, his Madrid teams have significantly "out-pointed" Barcelona. Not just this season or over the past few months ... but for a year and a half.
Barcelona, by Andres Iniesta's own blunt admission, are hugely erratic on the road. Inconsistency personified. If Madrid were to establish a six-point lead with a game in hand, plus the head-to-head advantage of having done better across the two Clasicos, then you can bet your livestock, that James Dean motorbike you bought at auction, your collection of Penny Blacks and the children's college fund that Los Blancos will see that advantage home.
If.
But, let's return to the meat in a minute. For the moment, the side plate. Another certainty is that this is a momentous ringing of the bell not just for Luis Enrique, but for Spanish football. Spin it however you like but "Lucho" has been a major player on the Spanish scene for the past 26 years. (Yes, it's been that long since he scored the winner for Sporting Gijon over Barcelona.)
Wearing the white of Madrid, he played in 11 Clasicos -- including both a 5-0 defeat and a 5-0 win -- and then jumped ship to carry Barça's threat to his old club on 18 occasions, winning eight of those and only losing three.
He's played 29 of these classic matches as a footballer, plus five as Barca manager where his record is two wins, two defeats and a draw. More importantly he's won the title in each of his two seasons thus far meaning that not only will there be sections of the Madrid support who still loathe him as a "traitor" (and a hugely enthusiastic one), but some where he's feared, too.
There have been instances in living memory of a man coaching Barcelona across two distinct periods (Louis Van Gaal and the legendary Helenio Herrera are examples) but neither was a successful idea and it's a little hard to see the concept being repeated. So while it's impossible to be definitive on this point, it's a decent-odds bet that this is Luis Enrique's last ever Clasico. We shall see.
More certainties?
Well, however beautiful, thrilling or definitive this match is, you can also bet your bottom dollar it'll be stained by some kind of social media nonsense from the participants or some former players. Part of the reason that it's a "Classic" -- and part of the reason the world now loves this match so much, having only shown a passing interest until the mid-1990s -- is the ill-feeling between the two. Whether you count that as sporting, cultural, political or social doesn't really matter too much.
Sporting occasions cause us to bill and coo and praise the participants for hugging and consoling each other in moments of triumph and defeat every so often. But boy, would we tire of living this kind of Mary Poppins existence if that was happening all the time.
They call it "mala leche" here. (I know: "bad milk." What kind of rubbish phrase is that?) Ill feeling, dislike, jealousy, revenge motifs: we all love them in sport and this match has them in spades. So to try and state that relations are at, or anywhere near, an all-time low would be wrong. However the two clubs aren't in one of those spells where it's grown-up and everyone gets along quite well either. Nor do they have the Romeo and Juliet of the Clasicos, Xavi and Iker Casillas, any longer.
In fact, right now there are parts of the Barcelona and Madrid squads and entourages that are like little kids who've just discovered a bad word. Kids who know that it'll cause shock among the adults if they shout "bum" out loud are far more likely to continue to seek the buzz of a reaction than one who sees general disdain and boredom in reaction to his attempt to shock. That's what much of the tit-for-tat stuff fizzing about between players (notably Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Alvaro Arbeloa, Casillas) and ex-players on social media feels like right now.
The public and the media are waiting on the edge of their seats for the next war of words, the next schism, the next "who won the battle of the insults" on Twitter before, during or after Sunday's clash. Then there will be a response, either fake outrage or genuine anger, and so some player will produce his version of shouting "bum!" across Sunday evening and night.
But, back to the meat.
For the past few weeks, it's looked as if the Barcelona squad are coming to the end of a cycle, when a decline in playing philosophy has met a natural (and overdue) fullness of stomach. Some of these guys, both players and staff, have been tiger-hungry for the last decade or more, hurdling challenges, winning trophies and treating complacency like a mortal enemy.
That cannot last indefinitely. It's not human. Meanwhile, Madrid have developed two significant attributes: a group belief that no matter the circumstances they are never beaten, as well as a very deep squad in terms of performance.
Zidane has established a meritocracy on the training ground where a simple algorithm seems to state that if you train well enough for long enough, you'll play. If you play well, you'll be asked to play again. If enough of us do this, we'll win everything. It's so bloody simple when you say it or write it, so damn difficult to create and maintain.
Thus, mainly for those reasons (although not exclusively), it looked to me as if Madrid would be a good bet to hasten the end of Barcelona's trophy cycle by winning relatively comfortably on Sunday. Yet some doubts crept in again during the Champions League matches this week.
Madrid are brutally muscular on the road. Freed of the need to "entertain" the home crowd, they entertain (me at least!) with clever, vertical, risky attacking football when they play away. At the Bernabeu, it can often look as if the need to play the "Madrid way," showing verve and panache in putting teams to the sword -- they can't just win -- weighs on them quite heavily.
It was slightly the case against Atleti a couple of weeks ago and it was very certainly the case against Bayern in midweek. In fact, against Carlo Ancelotti's team, Madrid gave a performance that should worry their fans. Sluggish, unable to win the ball, unable to keep the ball for long: they were timid. Just atypical of almost the entire Zidane regime.
They also had to work hard for 120 minutes, which partially negates the extra 24 hours' rest that Spain's champions-elect had, compared to Barcelona, because of playing on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the reigning champions performed with confidence, organisation, flair and athleticism against Juventus to not much evident return -- apart, perhaps, potentially the return of some self-belief and pride.
Hardly terrible ingredients to have thrown into the mix ahead of a test of fire in the Spanish capital.
There's no Neymar for Barcelona given his suspension, but equally there's no room for maneuver at centre-half for Madrid if there are fitness problems for Nacho and Sergio Ramos. It still feels to me that the ginseng nature of this occasion, sending energy and stamina through veins, will likely benefit Madrid enough for them to claim the win they need to be all-but-champions. But Barcelona will love the odds-against, "nobody believes in us so let's cause a ruckus" nature of this opportunity.
Now if Lucho's team win, it becomes a seismic moment. Madrid still have tricky European semifinals to play, while their upcoming trip to Vigo, where they've lost a couple of times in recent seasons, suddenly doesn't look such a "sure thing." The pressure would most certainly swing back sharply towards the league leaders; whether it would swing against them in a debilitating sense would depend very much on their level of tiredness, nerves, injuries, suspensions and fortunes in the Champions League.
Madrid to win by a goal: that's my instinct. But I have, ever so occasionally, been known to tip a result incorrectly. So, there's only one remedy. Tune in yourselves and bear witness.
Neymar could play in Clasico pending Barcelona late ban appeal - sources
By Samuel Marsden
espnfc.com
Barcelona maintain the slimmest hopes that Neymar could play in Sunday's Clasico against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
After an unsuccessful appeal of Neymar's three-match ban, Barcelona confirmed they will take their case to Spain's Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAD).
TAD met on Friday, but Barcelona did not file an official appeal in time for it to be looked at during the meeting.
Sources have confirmed to ESPN FC that Barca did finally file the appeal later on Friday, which is within the 15-day deadline, in a hopeful attempt to delay the start date of the ban.
The logic behind the delay is that once the appeal has been made, Barcelona feel Neymar's ban is effectively suspended until TAD makes a decision.
TAD would have to call an urgent meeting on Saturday to review the appeal; it usually gathers just once a week. If TAD does not meet Saturday, it could allow Neymar to feature in this weekend's game against Madrid, which could have huge implications in the La Liga title race.
A source told ESPN FC that Barcelona could be willing to risk playing Neymar, although no decision will be made until they see how TAD respond.
Neymar was sent off as Barca were beaten at Malaga on April 8 after picking up two yellow cards, earning himself a one-match ban.
His first booking was for obstructing the taking of a free kick by tying his laces, and the second was for a late challenge on Roberto Rosales.
He was later awarded an additional two-game suspension after referee Jesus Gil Manzano included in his post-match report that the Brazilian had "sarcastically applauded" the fourth official as he left the pitch.
The dismissal was Neymar's first in his four seasons with the club, and he became Barca's first player to be dismissed in La Liga since October 2015.
Barca travel to the Spanish capital three points behind league leaders Madrid but could go to the top with a win.
However, a defeat to Zinedine Zidane's side would leave them six points off the pace, having played one game more and with just five matches left to play.
By Samuel Marsden
espnfc.com
Barcelona maintain the slimmest hopes that Neymar could play in Sunday's Clasico against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
After an unsuccessful appeal of Neymar's three-match ban, Barcelona confirmed they will take their case to Spain's Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAD).
TAD met on Friday, but Barcelona did not file an official appeal in time for it to be looked at during the meeting.
Sources have confirmed to ESPN FC that Barca did finally file the appeal later on Friday, which is within the 15-day deadline, in a hopeful attempt to delay the start date of the ban.
The logic behind the delay is that once the appeal has been made, Barcelona feel Neymar's ban is effectively suspended until TAD makes a decision.
TAD would have to call an urgent meeting on Saturday to review the appeal; it usually gathers just once a week. If TAD does not meet Saturday, it could allow Neymar to feature in this weekend's game against Madrid, which could have huge implications in the La Liga title race.
A source told ESPN FC that Barcelona could be willing to risk playing Neymar, although no decision will be made until they see how TAD respond.
Neymar was sent off as Barca were beaten at Malaga on April 8 after picking up two yellow cards, earning himself a one-match ban.
His first booking was for obstructing the taking of a free kick by tying his laces, and the second was for a late challenge on Roberto Rosales.
He was later awarded an additional two-game suspension after referee Jesus Gil Manzano included in his post-match report that the Brazilian had "sarcastically applauded" the fourth official as he left the pitch.
The dismissal was Neymar's first in his four seasons with the club, and he became Barca's first player to be dismissed in La Liga since October 2015.
Barca travel to the Spanish capital three points behind league leaders Madrid but could go to the top with a win.
However, a defeat to Zinedine Zidane's side would leave them six points off the pace, having played one game more and with just five matches left to play.
Tottenham should not be dismissed as chokers -- they can learn from FA Cup
By Mark Ogden, Senior Football Writer
espnfc.com
LONDON -- Deep inside stoppage time of this FA Cup semifinal, Harry Kane saw his free kick squirm beneath the body of Thibaut Courtois, roll towards the line and then hold up long enough for the Chelsea goalkeeper to grasp the ball and deny Tottenham a late goal. If anything summed up this current Spurs team, it was that moment.
The free kick was eye-catching, powerful and destined for the back of the net, but it could not get over the line.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham are looking good and full of promise, but they are becoming worryingly short on delivery. They are developing a habit of not getting over the line.
Chelsea's 4-2 winning margin flattered Antonio Conte's men, but the Premier League leaders highlighted the difference between the two sides right now by taking their chances, and by scoring twice in the space of five minutes late in the game, ruthlessly getting the job done.
"We dominated the game, but they were more clinical than us," Pochettino said. "Now we will try to be calm, watch the game again and try to improve.
"We are in a process of trying to improve, if we cannot win the FA Cup this season, we will try again next season.
"It's true that 4-2 looks like a big result for Chelsea, but I feel proud of my players. They gave all that they have."
Experience and trophy-winning nous won the day over youthful potential, as it often does, but it would be foolish to dismiss Tottenham as a team of chokers on the back of this painful defeat.
Spurs continue to be mocked for "finishing third in a two-horse race" when missing out on the title to Leicester City last season, and their failure to progress beyond the group stages of the Champions League this term has added to the evidence of a team that falls short when the heat is on. But it is too early to suggest that this Tottenham side will go down as one of the great "nearly" teams of their generation, one that promised so much, but ultimately failed to live up to the hype.
There is too much talent within Pochettino's squad for Spurs to be written off, but as Chelsea proved so powerfully in the second half, there comes a time when the best teams go in for the kill and take care of business. That is the quality that Tottenham must develop and it may take the addition of one or two players with a winning pedigree this summer for Pochettino to complete the jigsaw.
Spurs may have their long-term future secure with the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Kane, the scorers of their two stunning goals at Wembley, but they do not possess the depth or knowledge of their opponents. When Tottenham were looking for inspiration in the second half, Pochettino sent on Georges-Kevin N'Koudou from the substitutes' bench. Chelsea? They turned to subs of the standing of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas to make the difference, and they did, by some measure.
Tottenham dominated for long periods of this game, though, enjoying 63 percent of possession over the 90 minutes, and they created the chances to make their dominance pay dividends. But they could not get their noses in front, with Kane and Alli each cancelling out goals by Willian, before Hazard put Chelsea 3-2 ahead on 75 minutes -- five minutes before Nemanja Matic made it 4-2 with an unstoppable left-footed strike from 25 yards.
Spurs had been floored, like a fancied young heavyweight who had given a seasoned old pro too many chances to knock him down. This defeat will hurt like the knockout blow that it is, but how they respond to this latest setback will define Pochettino's reign in charge. They either learn from it, grow and become the winning machine many believe they are on course to be, or they allow it to damage their mentality, increase the pressure and, ultimately, see the team break up with the big names determined to win, but do it elsewhere.
That is the danger for Spurs.
Leeds United threatened to emerge as a new force in English football with their dazzling young team under David O'Leary at the turn of the century, reaching a Champions League semifinal in 2001, but when they failed to win trophies, financial problems set in, and the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Harry Kewell, Alan Smith, Jonathan Woodgate and others left to pursue glory elsewhere. Spurs are in a much healthier shape off the field than Leeds were back then, but big players want to win big trophies, and they will not hang around forever.
As of now, they are merely the team that suffered Tottenham's seventh successive FA Cup semifinal defeat and are continuing the club's recent tradition of promising much, but delivering little. But Pochettino, who has yet to win his first trophy as a manager, is right to point to the team's upwards trajectory and draw a line under the past.
"This is my first semifinal, I cannot change the past," he said. "The past is in the past, this is the present and we are trying to make a better future.
"This is an exciting team. Two years ago, it was difficult for us to reach the level of the big teams, but now it is important to be clever and build the team for the next few years."
Pochettino must ensure that the building process is a successful one, by adding the necessary experience and finding the way to turn Tottenham into winners. They still have time prove they are the real deal, but they cannot endure another season of being so near, yet so far away, from a major trophy.
By Mark Ogden, Senior Football Writer
espnfc.com
LONDON -- Deep inside stoppage time of this FA Cup semifinal, Harry Kane saw his free kick squirm beneath the body of Thibaut Courtois, roll towards the line and then hold up long enough for the Chelsea goalkeeper to grasp the ball and deny Tottenham a late goal. If anything summed up this current Spurs team, it was that moment.
The free kick was eye-catching, powerful and destined for the back of the net, but it could not get over the line.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham are looking good and full of promise, but they are becoming worryingly short on delivery. They are developing a habit of not getting over the line.
Chelsea's 4-2 winning margin flattered Antonio Conte's men, but the Premier League leaders highlighted the difference between the two sides right now by taking their chances, and by scoring twice in the space of five minutes late in the game, ruthlessly getting the job done.
"We dominated the game, but they were more clinical than us," Pochettino said. "Now we will try to be calm, watch the game again and try to improve.
"We are in a process of trying to improve, if we cannot win the FA Cup this season, we will try again next season.
"It's true that 4-2 looks like a big result for Chelsea, but I feel proud of my players. They gave all that they have."
Experience and trophy-winning nous won the day over youthful potential, as it often does, but it would be foolish to dismiss Tottenham as a team of chokers on the back of this painful defeat.
Spurs continue to be mocked for "finishing third in a two-horse race" when missing out on the title to Leicester City last season, and their failure to progress beyond the group stages of the Champions League this term has added to the evidence of a team that falls short when the heat is on. But it is too early to suggest that this Tottenham side will go down as one of the great "nearly" teams of their generation, one that promised so much, but ultimately failed to live up to the hype.
There is too much talent within Pochettino's squad for Spurs to be written off, but as Chelsea proved so powerfully in the second half, there comes a time when the best teams go in for the kill and take care of business. That is the quality that Tottenham must develop and it may take the addition of one or two players with a winning pedigree this summer for Pochettino to complete the jigsaw.
Spurs may have their long-term future secure with the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Kane, the scorers of their two stunning goals at Wembley, but they do not possess the depth or knowledge of their opponents. When Tottenham were looking for inspiration in the second half, Pochettino sent on Georges-Kevin N'Koudou from the substitutes' bench. Chelsea? They turned to subs of the standing of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas to make the difference, and they did, by some measure.
Tottenham dominated for long periods of this game, though, enjoying 63 percent of possession over the 90 minutes, and they created the chances to make their dominance pay dividends. But they could not get their noses in front, with Kane and Alli each cancelling out goals by Willian, before Hazard put Chelsea 3-2 ahead on 75 minutes -- five minutes before Nemanja Matic made it 4-2 with an unstoppable left-footed strike from 25 yards.
Spurs had been floored, like a fancied young heavyweight who had given a seasoned old pro too many chances to knock him down. This defeat will hurt like the knockout blow that it is, but how they respond to this latest setback will define Pochettino's reign in charge. They either learn from it, grow and become the winning machine many believe they are on course to be, or they allow it to damage their mentality, increase the pressure and, ultimately, see the team break up with the big names determined to win, but do it elsewhere.
That is the danger for Spurs.
Leeds United threatened to emerge as a new force in English football with their dazzling young team under David O'Leary at the turn of the century, reaching a Champions League semifinal in 2001, but when they failed to win trophies, financial problems set in, and the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Harry Kewell, Alan Smith, Jonathan Woodgate and others left to pursue glory elsewhere. Spurs are in a much healthier shape off the field than Leeds were back then, but big players want to win big trophies, and they will not hang around forever.
As of now, they are merely the team that suffered Tottenham's seventh successive FA Cup semifinal defeat and are continuing the club's recent tradition of promising much, but delivering little. But Pochettino, who has yet to win his first trophy as a manager, is right to point to the team's upwards trajectory and draw a line under the past.
"This is my first semifinal, I cannot change the past," he said. "The past is in the past, this is the present and we are trying to make a better future.
"This is an exciting team. Two years ago, it was difficult for us to reach the level of the big teams, but now it is important to be clever and build the team for the next few years."
Pochettino must ensure that the building process is a successful one, by adding the necessary experience and finding the way to turn Tottenham into winners. They still have time prove they are the real deal, but they cannot endure another season of being so near, yet so far away, from a major trophy.
Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos deserved Clasico red card - Gerard Pique
By Samuel Marsden
espnfc.com
Gerard Pique says there is no question Sergio Ramos deserved to be sent off as Barcelona beat Real Madrid in Sunday's Clasico, with Barca sporting director Robert Fernandez calling for Ramos to face an investigation for the way he reacted to his 77th-minute red card.
Referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez took the decision to dismiss Ramos after he lunged in two-footed on eventual match-winner Lionel Messi by the halfway line.
Ramos didn't go quietly, though, and left the Santiago Bernabeu pitch gesturing, applauding and directing comments at someone.
"I am sure when he gets home he will realise it was a red card," Pique told reporters after Barca's 3-2 win took them to the top of La Liga.
"It was clear: he went in with both feet off the ground, nowhere near the ball. There's no argument. What happens is that [Madrid] are used to having very permissive referees here and when there isn't one, that's how they react."
Pique added that he thought Ramos' complaints after the red card were directed at him, but he didn't hear what was said.
"I didn't hear him, I saw that he was pointing at me, I suppose he was referring to the red card," the Barca defender said.
"When he gets home and sees the replay he will regret [his reaction], because it's a clear dismissal. It's a straight red card."
Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone after Pique's comments, Ramos said that he did not regret what had happened and insisted that he felt his challenge only merited a yellow card.
On his reaction to the dismissal, he said: "I wasn't recriminating the referee for anything, no. I was talking to Pique, not to the referee. Sometimes referees get things right, other times they don't. It was a key moment. But my reaction was to Pique, not the referee.
"[Barcelona] have a way of understanding football and they always talk about the referees and maybe that ends up bearing results.
"We're not going to talk about the referees, though, that's not our style. It's not our sport. I wasn't directing [gestures] at the referee, but at Pique, who is the one who always likes to talk about referees."
Questioned on Pique's comments that referees often favour Madrid, Ramos added: "Permissive [refereeing] was their game against PSG.
"Pique likes to talk about referees. I said to him [when leaving the pitch] that with so much pressure and complaining in every tweet, it's going to end up having an effect."
However, Ramos said that he doesn't have a bad relationship with Pique -- who he partners in the middle of Spain's defence -- although said he can't be expected to embrace him after such a highly charged Clasico.
Fernandez, meanwhile, said the situation was remarkably similar to the one that sees Neymar currently serving a three-game ban
"Ramos' dismissal was completely fair and if I'm being honest Casemiro shouldn't have still been on the pitch after the first half," Fernandez told Movistar.
"Then Ramos applauded [as he left the pitch]. I suppose the [RFEF's Competition Committee] will take note ... it's a very similar situation to Neymar's. I don't know who he was directing the applause at, but they should take note."
Ramos' reaction to his red card was not included in the referee's post-game report, with only a reason for the dismissal given.
In contrast, after Neymar was sent off against Malaga, the official from that game, Jesus Gil Manzano, did mention the Brazil star's reaction in his report.
However, the difference in this case is that Ramos maintains his gesturing and applauding was directed at Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, not Hernandez Hernandez.
By Samuel Marsden
espnfc.com
Gerard Pique says there is no question Sergio Ramos deserved to be sent off as Barcelona beat Real Madrid in Sunday's Clasico, with Barca sporting director Robert Fernandez calling for Ramos to face an investigation for the way he reacted to his 77th-minute red card.
Referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez took the decision to dismiss Ramos after he lunged in two-footed on eventual match-winner Lionel Messi by the halfway line.
Ramos didn't go quietly, though, and left the Santiago Bernabeu pitch gesturing, applauding and directing comments at someone.
"I am sure when he gets home he will realise it was a red card," Pique told reporters after Barca's 3-2 win took them to the top of La Liga.
"It was clear: he went in with both feet off the ground, nowhere near the ball. There's no argument. What happens is that [Madrid] are used to having very permissive referees here and when there isn't one, that's how they react."
Pique added that he thought Ramos' complaints after the red card were directed at him, but he didn't hear what was said.
"I didn't hear him, I saw that he was pointing at me, I suppose he was referring to the red card," the Barca defender said.
"When he gets home and sees the replay he will regret [his reaction], because it's a clear dismissal. It's a straight red card."
Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone after Pique's comments, Ramos said that he did not regret what had happened and insisted that he felt his challenge only merited a yellow card.
On his reaction to the dismissal, he said: "I wasn't recriminating the referee for anything, no. I was talking to Pique, not to the referee. Sometimes referees get things right, other times they don't. It was a key moment. But my reaction was to Pique, not the referee.
"[Barcelona] have a way of understanding football and they always talk about the referees and maybe that ends up bearing results.
"We're not going to talk about the referees, though, that's not our style. It's not our sport. I wasn't directing [gestures] at the referee, but at Pique, who is the one who always likes to talk about referees."
Questioned on Pique's comments that referees often favour Madrid, Ramos added: "Permissive [refereeing] was their game against PSG.
"Pique likes to talk about referees. I said to him [when leaving the pitch] that with so much pressure and complaining in every tweet, it's going to end up having an effect."
However, Ramos said that he doesn't have a bad relationship with Pique -- who he partners in the middle of Spain's defence -- although said he can't be expected to embrace him after such a highly charged Clasico.
Fernandez, meanwhile, said the situation was remarkably similar to the one that sees Neymar currently serving a three-game ban
"Ramos' dismissal was completely fair and if I'm being honest Casemiro shouldn't have still been on the pitch after the first half," Fernandez told Movistar.
"Then Ramos applauded [as he left the pitch]. I suppose the [RFEF's Competition Committee] will take note ... it's a very similar situation to Neymar's. I don't know who he was directing the applause at, but they should take note."
Ramos' reaction to his red card was not included in the referee's post-game report, with only a reason for the dismissal given.
In contrast, after Neymar was sent off against Malaga, the official from that game, Jesus Gil Manzano, did mention the Brazil star's reaction in his report.
However, the difference in this case is that Ramos maintains his gesturing and applauding was directed at Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, not Hernandez Hernandez.
Looks like the Fat Spanish Waiter has managed to achieve what JFH and Ian Holloway could not at QPR.
Well done to the Toon Army!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39618289
Well done to the Toon Army!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39618289
Looks like the Fat Spanish Waiter has managed to achieve what JFH and Ian Holloway could not at QPR.
Well done to the Toon Army!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39618289
Kudos to Benitez. I can't stand him, but he deserves respect and accolades for what he has achieved at Newcastle. Well done also to Chris Hughton and Brighton for their promotion to the Premier League!
Kudos to Benitez. I can't stand him, but he deserves respect and accolades for what he has achieved at Newcastle. Well done also to Chris Hughton and Brighton for their promotion to the Premier League!
Agreed. Credit to Benitez. He could have walked away after they got relegated but didn't. A team of Newcastle's calibre and history shouldn't really be playing in the Championship. The irony in all of this is that their two local neighbours will probably replace them in the Championship next season - Middlesbrough and Sunderland
Agreed. Credit to Benitez. He could have walked away after they got relegated but didn't. A team of Newcastle's calibre and history shouldn't really be playing in the Championship. The irony in all of this is that their two local neighbours will probably replace them in the Championship next season - Middlesbrough and Sunderland
They are playing each other tomorrow. They might as well just cancel the match and go for a beer at the pub.
Chelsea take giant stride towards title with convincing win vs. Southampton
By Mark Ogden, Senior Football Writer
espnfc.com
LONDON -- Three quick thoughts from Chelsea's 4-2 Premier League win over Southampton on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge.
1. Chelsea take giant stride towards title
Some wins are bigger than others, simply because of the implications for the victors and the other teams affected by the result, and this 4-2 victory for Chelsea against Southampton was one of those that was heavy on significance for Antonio Conte's team.
Nine days after suffering their 2-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford, which gave Tottenham renewed hope of a late surge towards the title, Chelsea bounced back with a win that now heaps huge pressure on Spurs to match them with three points at Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
But regardless of what Spurs achieve at Selhurst Park, Conte and his players will know that they passed a genuine test of nerve against Southampton.
And with a favourable run-in, Sunday's trip to Everton looks to be the only real obstacle in Chelsea's way in the final month of the campaign. After visiting Goodison Park, Chelsea wrap up their league campaign with three home games against Middlesbrough, Watford and Sunderland and an away trip to West Brom.
It is not exactly daunting, but it would have been had Chelsea failed to defeat Southampton. Such an outcome would have given Spurs real optimism, but this result snuffed out their flickering hopes and set Chelsea on the home straight to the title.
They may have conceded for the 11th successive league game when Oriol Romeu cancelled out Eden Hazard's opener before Ryan Bertrand scored a second in stoppage time, but Gary Cahill's header and Diego Costa's first goal in six league games, quickly followed by a second, secured a comfortable win for the leaders.
Chelsea now have a seven-point lead at the top with four games to play -- they are going to take some stopping now.
2. Fabregas posts a reminder of his class
Cesc Fabregas has endured a frustrating season under Conte at Chelsea, with his appearance against Southampton only the 10th time the former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder has started a Premier League game this term.
But the Spaniard issued a reminder of his class by orchestrating a crucial Chelsea victory after being selected ahead of Pedro to play alongside N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic in the team's engine room.
Conte's view of Fabregas is that the 29-year-old does not offer enough from a defensive point of view and he has been forced to kick his heels on the sideline for much of this season, with AC Milan making a big effort to tempt him away from Stamford Bridge in January. Fabregas chose to stay and fight for his place, but he has been out of the team more than he has been in it since the transfer window closed.
Against Southampton, though, he began the move for Hazard's opener with a stunning pass for Costa, who squared the ball for the Belgian to score after five minutes.
And when he floated a cross for Costa to head in Chelsea's third on 53 minutes, it registered Fabregas's 103rd Premier League assist, which places him second only to Ryan Giggs, who took more than 20 seasons to clock up 162.
Fabregas may head to new pastures in the summer, but if that is to be case, he proved he can still have an impact at the top level in this game.
3. Saints can still play a role in the race for the top four
Southampton may have suffered their second successive convincing defeat against a top-four club by following their 3-0 home loss against Manchester City with this result against Chelsea, but Claude Puel's team were much more threatening at Stamford Bridge than against Pep Guardiola's team recently.
Against City, Saints appeared as though they were already thinking of their summer holidays, but on this occasion, they gave Chelsea a scare before the league leaders pulled away with goals either side of half-time.
Southampton are safe from relegation and out of the running for European qualification, but with games still to play against Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal, they can have a big say in which of those clubs misses out on a Champions League place.
Puel's team are industrious and imaginative, with pace going forward, and they will trouble all three of their Champions League-chasing opponents.
If they perform as they did against City, Southampton will lose each game, but as they showed in the first half against Chelsea, they have the ability to make life difficult for anybody if they are allowed the space to play their attacking football.
By Mark Ogden, Senior Football Writer
espnfc.com
LONDON -- Three quick thoughts from Chelsea's 4-2 Premier League win over Southampton on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge.
1. Chelsea take giant stride towards title
Some wins are bigger than others, simply because of the implications for the victors and the other teams affected by the result, and this 4-2 victory for Chelsea against Southampton was one of those that was heavy on significance for Antonio Conte's team.
Nine days after suffering their 2-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford, which gave Tottenham renewed hope of a late surge towards the title, Chelsea bounced back with a win that now heaps huge pressure on Spurs to match them with three points at Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
But regardless of what Spurs achieve at Selhurst Park, Conte and his players will know that they passed a genuine test of nerve against Southampton.
And with a favourable run-in, Sunday's trip to Everton looks to be the only real obstacle in Chelsea's way in the final month of the campaign. After visiting Goodison Park, Chelsea wrap up their league campaign with three home games against Middlesbrough, Watford and Sunderland and an away trip to West Brom.
It is not exactly daunting, but it would have been had Chelsea failed to defeat Southampton. Such an outcome would have given Spurs real optimism, but this result snuffed out their flickering hopes and set Chelsea on the home straight to the title.
They may have conceded for the 11th successive league game when Oriol Romeu cancelled out Eden Hazard's opener before Ryan Bertrand scored a second in stoppage time, but Gary Cahill's header and Diego Costa's first goal in six league games, quickly followed by a second, secured a comfortable win for the leaders.
Chelsea now have a seven-point lead at the top with four games to play -- they are going to take some stopping now.
2. Fabregas posts a reminder of his class
Cesc Fabregas has endured a frustrating season under Conte at Chelsea, with his appearance against Southampton only the 10th time the former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder has started a Premier League game this term.
But the Spaniard issued a reminder of his class by orchestrating a crucial Chelsea victory after being selected ahead of Pedro to play alongside N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic in the team's engine room.
Conte's view of Fabregas is that the 29-year-old does not offer enough from a defensive point of view and he has been forced to kick his heels on the sideline for much of this season, with AC Milan making a big effort to tempt him away from Stamford Bridge in January. Fabregas chose to stay and fight for his place, but he has been out of the team more than he has been in it since the transfer window closed.
Against Southampton, though, he began the move for Hazard's opener with a stunning pass for Costa, who squared the ball for the Belgian to score after five minutes.
And when he floated a cross for Costa to head in Chelsea's third on 53 minutes, it registered Fabregas's 103rd Premier League assist, which places him second only to Ryan Giggs, who took more than 20 seasons to clock up 162.
Fabregas may head to new pastures in the summer, but if that is to be case, he proved he can still have an impact at the top level in this game.
3. Saints can still play a role in the race for the top four
Southampton may have suffered their second successive convincing defeat against a top-four club by following their 3-0 home loss against Manchester City with this result against Chelsea, but Claude Puel's team were much more threatening at Stamford Bridge than against Pep Guardiola's team recently.
Against City, Saints appeared as though they were already thinking of their summer holidays, but on this occasion, they gave Chelsea a scare before the league leaders pulled away with goals either side of half-time.
Southampton are safe from relegation and out of the running for European qualification, but with games still to play against Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal, they can have a big say in which of those clubs misses out on a Champions League place.
Puel's team are industrious and imaginative, with pace going forward, and they will trouble all three of their Champions League-chasing opponents.
If they perform as they did against City, Southampton will lose each game, but as they showed in the first half against Chelsea, they have the ability to make life difficult for anybody if they are allowed the space to play their attacking football.
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