Total disillusion for Spanish club football?
Between Atletico Madrid and Valencia, one team will advance to meet Sporting Lisbon or Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League final. For the sake of Spanish football from a patriotic Spaniard’s point of view, it is believed that the pressure is on Bilbao to assure that the cup will go to Spain whatever happens in Bucharest on May 9.
As things stand, Sporting Lisbon are in a good position to leave Portugal’s Iberian neighbours empty handed in Europe this year. Going into Thursday night’s encounter in San Mames, the Lions lead 2-1 from their first-leg win against Copa del Rey finalists Athletic Bilbao.
If they can hold on to this advantage, Sporting Lisbon will be one match away from sealing a year of spectacular misfortune for Spanish club football in European competitions.
The 2011/12 UEFA Champions League and El Clasico team factor
Already, in the Last 4 of the Champions League, everything happened as if the stage for the final in Munich was never meant to host yet another version of El Clasico. On paper, Barcelona and Real Madrid were the best contenders among those left. Did extremely gifted players like Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil and Iker Casillas not deserve an appearance in the final of the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League?
The two eternal rivals were the public’s favourites to progress and take their never-ending disputes to the Allianz Arena on May 19. This did not happen. Instead, Chelsea and Bayern Munich got the better of Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. Jose Mourinho, who couldn’t find a better way to analyse the final line-up, declared on Wednesday night:
“The final of the Champions League will be played between the fifth team of the Premier League and the second of the Bundesliga, [who are] 10 points behind [the league leaders].”
Football is not always a respecter of persons. It is the cruel difference between luck and misfortune which sometimes decides the biggest games. In respect to everything that Barcelona and Real Madrid’s star players have achieved throughout their scintillating career, they certainly deserve the tag of “super men”. A bad night in the semi-finals of the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League should not take anything away from these hardworking men as Jose Mourinho believes.
“They are super men but Superman is a film,” the outspoken coach reminded at the press conference last night.
“Messi missed yesterday [against Chelsea], and today three [Real Madrid] men missed [against Bayern Munich] because this is football, and these things happen. People criticise and question why these errors happen, people that if they climb two floors on ladders are exhausted.”
In truth, what played the trick to deny Barcelona and Real Madrid from booking a Clasico Champions League final date? Could it be El Clasico itself – the thrilling one the world witnessed on April 21?
“Both of them [Champions League semi-finals winners Bayern and Chelsea] used their second squads this weekend, and they played versus Barca and Real, who played the most important match of the domestic season last weekend,” Mourinho explained.
“It is our fault. If we were not playing for La Liga we would have not lined up our best men last Saturday.”
Barcelona and Real Madrid have lost the right to contest for Europe’s most prestigious prize in club football this season. The final will be between a team from England and another from Germany as if world football has had enough of El Clasico’s hype. Eventually, the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League cup will go to London or stay in Munich on May 19.
Real Madrid can continue the last few weeks of the season quietly. They are all but sure of clinching La Liga. Meanwhile, Barcelona will seek consolation in the 2011/12 Copa del Rey final on May 25.
Los Blancos and the Blaugrana gave their all to go this far in Europe this season but each of these two pre-tournament favourites have failed to reach the ultimate platform at the misery of their disillusioned supporters.
When Barcelona crashed out from Europe on Tuesday, Madridistas, still excited by their team's recent Clasico victory at the Camp Nou, were jubilating. They were certain that Real Madrid's "moment of truth" had arrived. However, Bayern Munich had the last word at the Santiago Bernabeu, ending Mourinho's title double dream.
Now, the exclusion of Barcelona and Real Madrid stretches the topic further. It is not just about the Barca-Madrid rivalry but more about Spanish football in general. Looking at both team’s elimination from the semi-finals of this year’s Champions League, how good or bad is it for football?
