El Clasico Preview: Sunday, December 23, 1pm EST

By: Isaiah | December 22nd, 2007

I’ve written one El Clasico preview before and I titled it “Mucho Morbo: Barcelona-Real Madrid”. I don’t think there’s ever a moment that the word morbo is an inappropriate description for El Clasico Español. Check out that previous post for a definition of morbo, if you don’t already know what it means.

Ever since I began watching the beautiful game (back in high school), I’ve been strucky by how amazing the games between Barca and Real Madrid are when they’re played at the Camp Nou. There’s just something about them that doesn’t exist even in the Bernabeu. Maybe it’s the crowd size and my personal bias &bnsp; there are 18,000 more seats in the Camp Nou and I love Barca &bnsp; but somehow the games have always seemed better and the atmosphere that much more festive and nervous. Regardless, it’s not a good time to die. Despite all that, despite the fact that almost all of Latin America, Spain, and probably the rest of Europe too is going to be glued to TV sets during the game, Soccernet makes no mention of the game in its headlines. Not on the front page nor on the European section. Wow. Nice way to respect two of the greatest clubs on earth, you jackasses. Soccernet Press Pass at least discussed it, if only in the retarded fashion we’ve come to know and love.

And now that we are all acutely aware of how much the head-to-head scores are, it behooves Barcelona to take it to Real Madrid, score a couple of goals, and not allow RM to get any precious away goals. That, of course, is the whole question. How to stop the leading offense in La Liga? Well, it doesn’t hurt to have the leading defense, which Barcelona just happens to have. So you want your best players on the field right? Well, let’s look at the probable starting lineups:

Barcelona: Valdes, Puyol, Marquez, Milito, Abidal, Toure, Xavi, Iniesta, Gudjohnsen, Gio, Eto’o
Real Madrid: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Marcelo, Diarra, Sneijder, Baptista, Robinho, van Nistelrooy, Raul

How different this game would look if Messi were on the field, right? How could you ever dare put Marcelo out there and allow Barca to run rampant on you? Well, Gio has the skills to do the same, so if Schuster wants to play run-and-gun, I’m all for it. Let’s see who comes out on top…But why no Ronaldinho? He is usually fantastic in Clasicos, so why not play him? All the reports coming out of Spain’s “journalist” rags (Marca, Sport, EMD) suggest he’ll be on the bench. El Pais, which I generally trust as it’s an actual newspaper, has him on the bench too. Seriously, Rijkaard? If Ronaldinho doesn’t start against Real Madrid, I think that means we’re going to sell him in January. Deco starting on the bench might make sense, seeing as how Guddie has been playing so well recently (Wow, who saw that coming? Not me!)

The missing part for Real Madrid seems to be Guti, but he’s apparently fit enough to start on the bench. Robben too should be available, but I don’t think they’ll start. Drenthe and Higuain have been left at home in Madrid, but Saviola makes the trip.

So how does all of this stack up? This whole thing has been discussed virtually to death in a previous post’s comments, but since it’s El Clasico, let’s do it again.

I’d first like to handle the question of an Henry-Eto’o forward line because it seems to be the popular choice for many cule faithful. I don’t believe that playing a pair of forwards who have never played together in a match before is a good idea when you’re talking about taking on a very good team. Were this Levante, I’d be all for it, but this is Real Madrid, not a team you can experiment on. I wouldn’t mind seeing Henry come on in the middle of the second half as a replacement for Gio or Ronaldinho (if they start) and swing out a little wide on the left, but that’s running right into Sergio Ramos and not taking advantage of Marcelo/Heinze in the proper fashion. Gio should get 90 minutes, assuming he can handle it, and we should try that weaker left side of defense all night. I trust Gio, but I don’t trust Eto’o-Henry since I’ve never seen them play together before, much less score mightily. Naturally it’s tempting to say that Abidal would handle Sneijder, Toure would handle Baptista, Milito would handle Ruud, Marquez would handle Raul, and Puyol would handle Robinho, and Henry would occupy Sergio Ramos out wide, allowing for a midfield lineup of Iniesta and Xavi to provide lethal balls beyond Diarra and to the feet of Gio and Eto’o, who can take on any defender one-on-one. However, I do not think Barcelona should open themselves up to the counterattack quite so readily. Henry won’t track back enough on Sergio Ramos to really stop that overlapping run that is so dangerous. I don’t see it as a viable starting option; wait until Sergio Ramos is too tired to make several full-field sprints in a row and then you put Henry on and let him work some magic on the flanks.

The matchup to watch, defensively, is Milito-Ruud. I think that Milito can lock Ruud down for most of the game, but will rely heavily on Abidal and Marquez to come to his rescue when Ruud pulls that half-chance laserbeam brilliant nonsense shooting out of his ass. You can’t give him a moment’s rest or he’ll make you pay and I see Milito and Marquez getting yellow cards for fouling the crap out of him. Also, Puyol will definitely get a yellow when Robinho dives, but I won’t complain too much because Puyol will somehow avoid getting a yellow on several of the previous tackle; Robinho can be such a little bitch when he gets frustrated and he’ll start diving when he finds himself locked down tightly. He just happens to be good at it, with those fast stepovers, and then the little arm wave as he crashes down. Not that certain Barca players haven’t ever dived before, but you know, Robinho makes a habit of it. And I’d have to say he’ll be the only one out there with that habit. The rest of RM seems to be some quality, hard-nosed players who like to push you and foul the bejesus out of you rather than flop. The same is true for Barcelona, I think. RM fans may disagree, but who listens to them anyway? Oh, right, the refs.

I’d prefer to see Heinze start for RM because I think that Gio can take advantage of Heinze’s desire to go forward, lack of positioning, and inability not to foul. He’d pick up a yellow card early, that’s seems certain. Marcelo may bring less defensive capability to the side, but Gio isn’t going to track back to cover him, meaning Xavi or Gudjohnsen will have to cover him rather routinely. This does open an avenue to put balls into the corner at Gio’s feet, but can Gio really beat Canna on a regular basis off the dribble? I’m not convinced, really. And that’s where Heinze is truly a suicidal player: Canna will know that Marcelo is out and will make position adjustments to make that work, but with Heinze, he’ll know that he’s got an extra defender on the wing, but the reality is that Heinze will be out of position most of the game, thus causing Canna to lose a step getting over and that, in a game against a quality side like Barca, can kill you very rapidly. Schuster is probably too smart to start Heinze, but may feel pressured into it because of Barca’s powerful forward line. We’ll have to wait and see on that one.

There were lots of holes in the Madrid armor last weekend during the Osasuna game, but they weren’t exploited, obviously. Barca have a stronger defense and thus can commit extra players to the attack, something that could prove instrumental in taking down the Spanish Evil Empire. Still, you have to watch the buildup from RM and I don’t think there’s any way that Barca get out of this game without conceding at least one. Note that Oleguer is not on the field, so no red card from him this time just when the team is getting into its rhythm. Damn he killed the last game and only the brilliance of Messi and Ronaldinho brought us back. So start him!

Official prediction: 2-1 Barca. Goals by Eto’o, Iniesta, and Ruud.

Where to watch: GolTV, GolTV on TVU Player (download required), Live-Footy (download required). If anyone knows where else to watch, please post it in the comments and I’ll add it here. I only know where I can watch it, here in the US, so if you’re in England, Spain, Latin America, the Pacific, or anywhere else, let us all know what channels will be airing the game, just in case someone does know.

Some Related Barcelona Posts:

Category: Barcelona, La Liga, Preview, Team News

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sergica

world champions city…
http://sergica.miniville.fr/se...
Ciaran

Oh Woe is Barca... Albert Jorquera is out for 6 months.
Who to replace him though. Talk so far has mentioned Ustari(Getafe), Diego Lopez(Villareal), Barbosa(Recre), Westerveld(ex-Sociedad) among others.
I wonder who we'll bring in. I hope we bring in someone who actually offers something rather than just another number...
Kevin

New coaches change a lot. On the one hand, Mourinho would be good for Ronaldinho, because he would say "Shape up or you're gone." Even with the XL shirts, the 'Dinho Paunch is evident. But Bobby's right. Dour football is not what the lads are cut out to play.

The problem is simply that they need a coach that will get the fire stoked, and keep it stoked. Schuster manages to keep his players working and focused, almost all the time. They have the occasional clunker, but not as often as Rijkaard's players.

On the other hand, a disciplinarian would be too far in the other direction.

I do know that a new coach would fix a lot of the complexities we're seeing in the side right now. I will guarantee you that when the starting lineup for El Clasico was announced, Schuster grinned, because he knew exactly how to play against that side, even if they had shown up ready for business. That they weren't is almost completely attributable to coaching. That's one of the biggest parts of the job. Arsene Wenger has some of the same trouble at Arsenal, who were held against a woeful Portsmouth side. They were close, but lacked that focus to really put the knife in. They thought they were going to walk, and Wenger probably didn't disabuse them of that notion.

I'm at a loss as to who the new guy would be. I'd take Mourinho over Rijkaard in a heartbeat, even though Mourinho wouldn't be perfect. He'd fix a lot of the clubhouse stuff, and a lot of the attitudes.

Deco is still a monster player, but he's unmotivated, like a lot of the players are. You'd think that they were professionals, and championships, etc would be sufficient motivation. But it isn't. That's where great coaches come in. 2005 was a great season, one that is hard to top. But the side was spectacular. It's been downhill ever since, however. In 20/20 hindsight, Rijkaard didn't know how to reload. The lack of focus was evident last year, and it's even worse this season, despite the excellent performances we've seen.

But with the players we have, everyone should be at least seven points in our mirror, rather than the reverse. I'm betting my Soci card that both Rijkaard and Ronaldinho are gone by season's end, Rijkaard first, then Ronaldinho. It's Messi's team now.
Bobby G

Deco may have more to offer Barca at this point, but with all the attention on Ronnie-Sammy-Leo, he's been coasting along for too long. He has to raise his game to the level of 2005-06.

I'm not sure about Mourinho: great coach, but not necessarily a Barca coach. His approach tends to be dour , he wants to win and doesn't care how. This was clear at Porto, where he didn't have a lot of attacking options. When he moved to Chelsea, where he had lots of attacking options, he tended to play tough, dull football. He's a coach in the Capello mould.

Barca could certainly use some toughening, but I'm not sure we can stand playing dull football.
jake

I think that if Mourinho does end up coming, Deco will definately stay. He still loves him after he played under him at Porto, and recently said how great it would be if he came. To me, that seems like Deco and Rijkaard dont get on too well. (Deco said how happy he would be if Mourinho was hired).
Ciaran

With the amount of money Ronnie still would command it seems hard to imagine he will still be here next summer. Deco is also quoted as saying that his time could be nearing an end too. And with Edmilson, Jorquera, Thuram and Sylvinho all set to move on, there could be lots of changes. We normally don't do much in Jan though.
Man I'd take Edgar Davids again like a few seasons ago
jake

As much as I love Ronnie and Rijkaard, and all that they have done for the club. I think we should get rid of Rijkaard first, because I have a feeling that Ronnie might perform under a new coach. Its worth a shot, because something has to be done to fix this. I think that by the end of the seeason, at least one of them will be gone. I hate to say all this, and Bobby's right, they both deserve a place in the hall of fame.
Bobby G

Ciaran, you're exactly right. I have long argued that we need a midfield spoiler to buttress our back line. On Sunday, we were were too often overrun in the middle of the park. Especially worrying: too often, Sergio Ramos was able to join the Madrid forwards in attack. None of our players were able to pick him up. Yaya played well going forward. But he wasn't able to break up too many Madrid attacks.

I also agree with Kevin: it's time to lose both Ronnie and Rijkaard. The Brazilian was a passenger on Sunday. I'm not sure the problem is with his form: I think defenders have learned to read him, and he hasn't added any new tricks to his game. Rijkaard seems to have run out of ideas, too. He took too long to ring in the changes on Sunday.

I'm loath to condemn two Barca heroes on the basis of a single game. But Ronnie hasn't been playing well for months and months. And Rijkaard hasn't really looked like a man in charge (or a man with a plan) for almost as long. Both deserve a place in the Barca hall of fame. But both would probably benefit from fresh pastures and challenges. But I'm now convinced that their contribution to the Blaugrana cause will diminish.
Ciaran

At times i wish we had a second defensive midfielder in the squad so to add some bit of strength in the centre. Playing further Iniesta further forward until we buy a replacement for Ronaldinho, seems the way forward but Xavi/Yaya/Deco in the centre seemed weak.
Just cause I always turn him into a legend in FM, my personal prefernece is Miguel Veloso of Sporting.
Kevin

Zambrotta was great in the side, Ciaran. Dani Alves' name keeps coming up in relation with the Blaugrana. He'd be good. They need some spine out there, somebody not shy about leaving the boot in from time to time.

And the rumors have started again: Ronaldinho out, Rijkaard out, either/or, etc, etc. Frankly, they both should be gone. One is used up in Barcelona, the other has completely lost control of the dressing room.

Who would replace 'em? Dunno. But we're a better team without Ronaldinho in the side right now, which I never thought that I would say. Ever.
Ciaran

We miss Zambrotta. Did we sell him in the summer and replace him with a different player who looks like him? Puyol isn't a right back. He is a workhorse of a central defender but cant play football. Dani Alves, Cesc Fabregas and Cristiano Ronaldo amonst others in the summer
Nolan

I still think you focus too much on the bad and not the good with Marquez...yes you can blame him for the goal, but without him constantly covering for Puyol and even Abidal a couple of times, the score would have been a lot worse. Marquez has the biggest screw ups of our defense, but that's because he does the most.
Corey

it wasnt ugly, but it wasnt the most exciting encounter this weekend in La Liga. But I give credit to Schuster, I think he beat Frank.

And Pepe played like he was worth 40 million, he was great. Hopefully he keep it up.
Kevin

Nolan, I admit to having a small case of the Marquez blinders. Can't help it. When you watch the Blaugrana in the Camp Nou, and can really focus on a single player for a spell (you really can't on TV) it really forms impressions. And I'm just not a Marquez fan. If he's doing his job, we at least get a draw. I guess if he were brilliant even as much as he were awful (as opposed to the lopsided tilt to the "poor" side of the scale), I'd be more charitable. Of course, I was screaming at the telly when I saw the starting lineups. No way Ronaldinho should have started. Ditto for Deco.

It wasn't just an individual loss, to be sure. Everybody played a part. And certainly, Baptista hit a once-in-a-lifetime shot. It's funny, ESPN showed highlights of the match during my workout, and it pretty much ruined the workout for me. It's a tough one to get over. I just wish the lads had shown better. If you're going to go down, at least go down with a bang, rather than a whimper.
Bobby G

We were freaking awful -- I haven't seen us play this bad in a long time. That's the end of our chances in La Liga. We'd better win the Champs League now.
Sherry

http://www.uefa.com/fanzone/Te...

vote your team of the year 2007 by uefa.com
Sherry

i'm very sad yesterday...my milan and barca have lost

uggghhh
Nolan

Kevin for the most part I agree with you but I don't get the Marquez hate, Marquez was our best defender....he should have done better on the goal but he shouldn't have had to - Milito, who was way too reckless all game, screwed up our offside trap and the fact is Marquez had to cover for the rest of our defense all game. He was the only person able to stop Robinho. You are too harsh on the man, when he's bad he's awful but when he's good hes' brilliant.

I like Rafa and am biased but I would always put the team over an individual player (why I was one of the first to join the "bench Ronnie" camp), but any screw ups today was more because of the poor play by the rest of our defense...although the main problems were in the midfield.
Kevin

Nobody showed except for Iniesta. Everyone looked tense, and Rijkaard was outcoached. Ugh.

It was a painful game to watch. Casillas was very good, but when you're hitting the shots directly at him, it's easy for him to be very good.

But hopefully, good things will come from this loss, including some careful mirror checking by the lads. What's funny is as soon as I saw the lineup, my heart sank. Conservative, and got us off to the bad start I expected. Marquez??!! Marquez??!! Corey was right. We created very few real chances. Both defenses were strong, except for the aforementioned Marquez Moment.

Interesting that Rijkaard subbed in the kids instead of Henry. As teams figure out how to play against us, Xavi becomes increasingly useless, which is worrisome. He's slow off the mark, and when you press him, he disappears. Deco was invisible, and Ronaldinho did his usual trying to beat three defenders, losing the ball, falling down and throwing up his hands. Eto'o started fast but faded.

Man, we missed Messi. The biggest thing about when he's in the side is the give-and-go. He's so quick and so aggressive, and so willing to make the right pass and keep the ball moving that he's contagious. Everyone starts to do it.

The good news is that last year, we were crap in the first match, and very good in the second. So now we go win in the Bernabeu. Seven points is a big gap, but both teams will almost certainly leave points on the table, so the title isn't over yet.
Isaiah

Corey, god. Ugly, right? We created nothing? Pepe was awesome -- worth the 30 million from your POV right there, right? -- and we never EVER challenged Heinze.

I'm done with soccer for the year. See you in 2008, folks. We'll make up this difference, including our wonderful 0-2 win at the Bernabeu! Woooo!
Corey

We won, 7 points up, and it wasnt even that your finishing sucked, it was also that you created very few chances, not that we did either. Not the best game ive ever seen, but I wont forget it.
Nolan

Ugh, I'm out of things to say. It might as well have been Iniesta vs Madrid.
Joe

Isaiah, take a few days break. I think we could all use it after today.
Isaiah

Well fucking goddammit fuck fuck fuck. Pepe was the man of the match, there's no doubt about it, but YOU HAVE TO FINISH YOUR FUCKING CHANCES.

Fuck, I'm done for a few days.
tenaciouslee

Not quite a "half-chance laserbeam brilliant nonsense shooting out of his ass," but a pretty ridiculous pass through nonetheless. Seems like the one time Barca's defense was caught offguard, RM made them pay. Here's hoping for a better second.
Isaiah

Halftime thoughts: Wow. Another game in which Barca can't put away clear chances. You have to put away your chances. Goddammit, it's so frustrating to have a team that builds so beautifully, gets good spacing, dominates the midfield, and can't put anything away when they have the chances. We have something like 10 balls in the area to 1 and they have 1 goal and we have 2 shots on goal. Casillas is saving their bacon, but I couldn't tell if he fouled Iniesta in the box or not. Looked very close, but no replays were forthcoming, so I'm not sure.

A note about the ref: For the most part pretty fair, but can't seem to understand what 10 yards means on freekicks. RM is continually encroaching on that and he says nothing. I say he's fair, in that he seem so to be evenly applying his nonsensical adjudgement of fouls.

Eto'o isn't playing well and we're really, really missing Messi. Iniesta on the wing is an interesting move, but I think Gio should come on for Deco and Iniesta should move to the middle. We really need to take advantage of Heinze. Whenever he's been challenged, he's been caught out.

Great goal by Baptista, but you have to get back on defense. Marquez was caught flat footed even though you could see the move coming from, well, 5,000 miles away.
jake

so glad to see ronnie and deco start.

Lets Go Barca!!!
Isaiah

BOTH Ronaldinho and Deco will start. The starting lineup:

Barca: Valdés; Puyol, Márquez, Milito, Abidal; Touré, Xavi, Deco; Iniesta, Ronaldinho y Eto'o.

RM: Casillas; S. Ramos, Cannavaro, Pepe, Heinze; Diarra, Sneijder, Baptista, Raúl; Robinho y Van Nistelrooy.

This one is going to be sweeeeeeeeet.
Isaiah

Kevin, I just have to disagree with you about the Henry-Eto'o starting lineup. I think it's far too risky at this point. I just really want Ronnie to start because I think he'd have a fantastic game.

I don't defend Guddie very much, but he's been very good recently and maybe he can fill that same role today. He won't be playing the shooter like he was last year because Eto'o is back. That's a distinct difference from last year, indeed.

As for selling Ronnie, I just don't see a reason to do that...but your economic points make sense. However, Gio plays the same position as Messi and I don't really see a way to keep Gio long term...

Deco has been talking a lot and I've decided not to listen to any of it. Mourinho would be terrible for us, I think, it's just that he and Deco have a personal relationship in which they won the Champions League. That's all.

Corey, thanks, we will win. :)
Corey

May the best team win today Isaiah
Kevin

Oh, and this is an unfortunate story on the eve of the match. True, but unfortunate. Wonder if Deco will see action today?

Deco wants Mourinho return at Barcelona
tribalfootball.com - December 23, 2007

Deco would be delighted if Jose Mourinho was to return to Barcelona as coach.

Deco told Portuguese broadcasters SIC: "He (Mourinho) would come here and would impose his work style. What people [Barcelona fans] want is to win trophies."

Deco was part of Porto's 2004 Champions League-winning team under Mourinho, who is not universally popular at the Nou Camp after remarks he made while Chelsea coach.

However, Deco is confident the fans would welcome back the man who was part of the Barca set-up under Sir Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal.

"Some polls here (Barcelona) show that people would be glad to have him (Mourinho)," said the Brazil-born Deco, who is expected to start on the bench against Real Madrid and made no secret of his desire for Mourinho to take over from Frank Rijkaard.

Deco said: "I would be happy because he is a great coach, a good friend with whom I had happy moments. If it happens I would be very happy."
Kevin

I think the biggest reason for the Henry/Eto'o start is to get the match off to a good start. Remember, Real is going to be breathing a sigh of relief because Messi isn't in the side. The lads tend to finish the way they started, and I just don't see anything good coming from a Gudjohnsen start, a feeling exacerbated by watching last year's loss at the Bernabeu. When he wasn't offside, he was blowing chances. The pace of play was too fast and intense for him, and he lost a lot of balls off his feet. I can't see this year being any different. With an Eto'o/Henry start, at least you get Real on the back foot. And with that strike force, Ramos would be too nervous to get too far afield.

I think Rijkaard would me making a mistake to stick with the starting eleven of the Valencia match, as much as I'm pretty sure that's what he'll probably do. Real ain't Valencia, and they could find themselves down a couple of goals because of the "blown chances" psychological bummer before you know it.

Then again, Eto'o/Henry would be a risk, and Rijkaard is jumpy and risk-averse these days, particularly given the "lose El Clasico at home, lose your job" stuff that's swirling around.

One interesting thing about this year's squad and last year's, was how quickly the ball moved last year. Don't know if anyone else watched the replays of last year's matches on GolTV, but it was a lot of one-touch, pinball-type football that allowed them chance after chance after chance. They just didn't convert. I know that Gudjohnsen isn't really the striker that Rijkaard had him playing as, which will be the defense offered by his supporters, but the chances he missed would have been converted by Eto'o or Henry in their sleep.

This year, I just don't see that same ping-ping kind of sharpness from the side. Some has been due to injuries and people feeling their way back, but not all of it. Everybody's playing with the ball too much.

Now, Eto's wasn't in the house for El Clasico last year, and I believe he will definitely make a difference. But as a lone striker he will be too easy for Cannavaro to foul and take out of the match. But we'll see in a few hours....

And in the "most recent" rumor mill, Dos Santos' agent has been shopping him around to Premiership sides, which I'm sure is just a negotiotiation ploy to speed up the contract talks, and raise his price. Txiki, et al would be insane to let him go. Hence my cries of "sell Ronaldinho." They can use the money to REALLY lock up Dos Santos and Krkic, the future of the side.
jake

I guess its not too smart to play Henry and Eto'o together from the start, as much as I would love to see it. Maybe a substitution can make it happen.
ronan

come on barca!
Eirik

Channel 618 on Comcast Digital!

I'm not sure who to root for. I think Barca is making a mistake by not starting Ronnie. I wouldn't be surprised if RM scored a goal late first-half, and Rijkaard being pressured to put Ronnie in the game.

Messi not playing is a big disappointment. Deco not starting is a big disappointment. I hope this game isn't... a big disappointment.