Time for the most important match in the world- EL CLASSICO

kas agree on only 3 players and if so who? (ANSWERED AS I POSTED IT) ten cate refused to name names

Valdes and Messi I'd agree with. The other was more difficult imho

Great performance by Madrid and they're worthy champs, but the La Liga powers need to take a look at what they'll need to do to win the CL again in the long run... at least Onree scored in a big game (even if he was absolute shite otherwise)

Ten Cate would have had at least one black player in mind because he always has a special soft spot for at least one black player....

WG

The-Frank-Tavern wrote:

RicardoJol wrote:

The-Frank-Tavern wrote:who, in your opinion, were the 3 Barca players who Ten Cate said on SS looked like they actually cared last night?

What exactly did Ten Cate say on sky? He is a very emotional man

he said basically they'd let rijkaard down tht he didn't deserve that. the probs were too many big egos and last night only 3 players looked like they genuinely cared

He said 3 or 4 I think. He was absolutely foaming at the mouth.

I'd be surprised if he meant Puyol given his defending for at least two of the goals last night.

they had the wrong person on the what went wrong question though, its the sh¡t training they are getting now he's gone which is part of the problem

The best part was when Ten Cate said the players should be ashamed and owe Rijkaard an apology.

All this sounds like the rumours of Ten Cate being the "bad cop" to the players, compared to Rijkaard's "good cop", were true!

Guillem Balague was sitting next to him, and even he was scared.

Brilliant from SPORT's cartoonist

he also said they'd made a mistake not essentially changing a few players when they were at the v top and continued with what they had.

Have to say Diarra was immense last night. If he played like that even half the time I wouldn't mind him staying. Also, Marcelo did very well. Don't think I would have given him an 8.5 like Super Madrid but he was very good.

Also - Higuain is now averaging a goal every 95 minutes. Maybe he's not such a bad finisher, maybe he just needs continuity.

Mattheus wrote:Guillem Balague was sitting next to him, and even he was scared.

Superb! It is good to see someone show his emotions!

Jaime wrote:Have to say Diarra was immense last night. If he played like that even half the time I wouldn't mind him staying. Also, Marcelo did very well. Don't think I would have given him an 8.5 like Super Madrid but he was very good.

Also - Higuain is now averaging a goal every 95 minutes. Maybe he's not such a bad finisher, maybe he just needs continuity.

I was very surprised by Diarra as well. Not so much about his defensive performance, because I think he's shown that enough times in his time with us. But the way he bombed forward with the ball a la Patrick Vieira and his distribution were top notch. I think it's always useful to have a player with his characteristics in the squad at the least, but if we're intending to give the returning canteranos a real chance then Diarra should probably go. I just think it would be stupid to for example sell Diarra for something like 25 million, only to buy Essien for 30-35 as some rumors claim.

Higuain is still at a stage where his finishing can improve. Judgement day on his finishing should be within the next two seasons. If after that he doesn't improve, then I don't think he ever will. But he has shown enough signs that he if he's confident enough, he'll banging goals in.

kas wrote:

The-Frank-Tavern wrote:

RicardoJol wrote:

The-Frank-Tavern wrote:who, in your opinion, were the 3 Barca players who Ten Cate said on SS looked like they actually cared last night?

What exactly did Ten Cate say on sky? He is a very emotional man

he said basically they'd let rijkaard down tht he didn't deserve that. the probs were too many big egos and last night only 3 players looked like they genuinely cared

I posted something similar a few days back. Rijkaard does not deserve some of the criticism he's getting. The players, meanwhile, deserve most of it.

Firstly, well done RM

Ten Cate looked genuinely upset by the lack of will and effort from Barca and the treatment of Rijkaard. Balague's face was a picture, he just glanced at Henk every now and again wanting to get his point across but knew he shouldn't open his mouth

Totally agree with Kas in his comments. The players are mostly at fault for what has occured, if there is no will there is no way to succeed as they say.

Madrid take the pasillo out of Barça in the mother of all embarrassments

After giving Real a guard of honour, Barça followed up with a display so complete in its patheticness that it summed up their season
________________

Poor little Football Club Barcelona. It couldn't have been more embarrassing if Mrs Barcelona had joined his mittens with a length of string, tied his sensible shoes in great big girly bows, ironed a nice crease into the front of his trousers and packed a My Little Pony lunch box with cling film-wrapped ponging peanut butter sandwiches, an apple because it's good for you, a couple of cartons of Um Bongo and a note saying "Mummy Loves You". If she'd wiped his tearful, snotty-nosed face clean with spit on a hankie and theatrically waved goodbye at the school gates. Right in front of the cool kids.

It was Real Madrid versus Barcelona, the clásico, but it was all about the pasillo - the guard of honour that beaten Barcelona had to hand the newly-crowned champions. As the chant runs, it was time for "¡Barça, cabrón!" to "¡Saluda al campeón!"; for Barça, you bastards, to salute the champions. To bow down before Ming. And everyone was completely obsessed: Madrid were obsessed, Barça were obsessed and the media was certainly obsessed. If Madrid could win the league by Week 35, Week 36 would be spent really, really rubbing their nose in it, like a puppy who's just pissed on the carpet. Jeff Lebowski's carpet.

For months they'd been going on about it, first as an act of wishful thinking, then with a growing and incredulous realisation that it could actually happen, and then with a heavy hearted recognition that it wouldn't. Only, dramatically, it did.

After weeks when it seemed Madrid would never wrap it up in time, then seemed liked they would, Barça became so haunted by the nightmare that they tried to throw the league so early as to avoid it, only for Villarreal's inconsiderate winning ways and Gonzalo Higuaín's late goals to ruin their plans - prompting cringing cowards Samuel Eto'o and Deco to get conveniently suspended for last night's trip to the Bernabéu, staying at home and pulling the covers up dead tight instead. Because that'll keep the monsters at bay.

The pasillo was everywhere. A bunch of actors dressed in Barcelona shirts performed one at the entrance to Santiago Bernabéu metro, fans wore T-shirts declaring "I saw the pasillo", and Marca's cover helpfully showed the Bernabéu pitch with dotted lines and the headline: "Barça, line up here."

Some Madrid fans only came for the humiliation: one mother and son turned up, watched the pasillo and left because there's school tomorrow and lunches to pack. Meanwhile, the Barça press published television schedules with Tele5 rubbed out and the Catalan newspaper Sport advised readers not to switch on until 10.05pm when the ordeal was all over.

Only it wasn't much of an ordeal. And it certainly wasn't all over.

Because in the end the pasillo was much a do about nothing. All noise and no nuts, as the Spanish have it. Barcelona lined up in perfect formation - well, there's a first time for everything - with Frank Rijkaard at the head, applauded Madrid, shook hands and didn't get abused by the Bernabéu. Thirty seconds of minor shame later and those Madrid fans who didn't fancy braving the rain and the late scramble for the metro departed satisfied. Which was a shame. Because if, like Max Mosley, they came for the humiliation then, like Max Mosley, they really should have stayed for the beating; because if the pasillo was inevitably a bit Jimmy Krankie, what came next was more Ronaldo's hot date - plenty of noise and plenty of nuts; because if Barcelona stepped aside to allow Madrid through before the game, they did exactly the same during it.

For 90 long minutes. Barcelona should at least have salvaged some pride, offered the last waltz from a once-great team. Instead, they were your drunken dad at a wedding.

Forget the guard of honour, the match was the spit-soaked hankie on the cheek. What really, really humiliated Barcelona wasn't standing and applauding, it was that the pasillo was followed by a paseo - a walk in the park. That Madrid ran out 4-1 winners and lead Barcelona by 17 points, that Barcelona can no longer get second place and could only watch as Ruud van Nistelrooy and Higuaín scored with their first touches, as Mahamadou Diarra ran rings around their midfield and as the Bernabéu roared "¡olé!" That Joan Laporta listened to fans - Madrid fans - chanting: "Laporta please stay!"

Madrid's first goal came thanks to a foul and their second via a free-kick won with another death-defying leap from Sergio Ramos, but that couldn't disguise the fact that Barcelona, rather like Madrid's celebrating players this week, were completely and utterly hammered.

"They were better than us in everything," admitted Víctor Valdés, while Rijkaard shrugged: "we suffered". Worse still, it was a performance so complete in its patheticness, so utterly gutless, that it summed up Barça's season, "the final brick in our wailing wall" as El Mundo Deportivo put it, "the final stab in the supporters' back", according to a mourning Sport, whose front cover this morning is completely black and reads: "Tragic End: You have dishonoured the Barcelona shirt".

It was the story of their season. Leo Messi spent 90 minutes trying to win all on his own - which beats trying to win with his team-mates. Valdes's best dive was when Marcelo "kicked" his knee and even then he clasped the wrong one.

Carles Puyol Uga-Uga'ed and gave away a penalty trying to protect his face like there's anything to protect, while Eric Abidal couldn't cross his legs if he'd downed 18 pints of lager and encountered a massive queue for the bogs.

Gianluca Zambrotta's only redeeming feature is that string of sausages and his mate the crocodile. And Rafael Márquez couldn't go any slower if he worked at the post office. Eto'o was in a huff, Deco didn't fancy it and as for Ronaldinho, maybe he was in the gym.

You didn't realise Xavi was playing until he got sent off for being dumb. Yaya Touré was knackered. Giovanni Dos Santos was irrelevant, Bojan was isolated, and a neat finish from Thierry Henry couldn't hide his listlessness. Eidur Gudjohnsen was hauled off after 23 minutes, like it was his fault. Rijkaard sat there lost. And all the while Johan Cruyff, the man who once whinged about the entourage and now is the entourage, hung over them all wielding the sword of Damocles from a conveniently safe distance.

Results Betis 1-1 Valladolid, Getafe 4-2 Almería [Getafe are safe with an amazing comeback], Recreativo 0-2 Villarreal, Deportivo 1-0 Levante [With a great protest from unpaid Levante before kick-off, superbly seconded by Sergio.], Valencia 1-0 Zaragoza [Valencia safe; Zaragoza not yet], Mallorca 2-1 Osasuna [Mallorca's last-minute winner scored while an Osasuna player was down. Good. That'll learn 'em. Or, alternatively, it won't], Racing 0-3 Sevilla [Sevilla now level with Atlético in the final Champions League place], Madrid 4-1 Barcelona [And, brilliantly, Sport's made-up television schedules were still more accurate than the real ones].

Tonight Espanyol versus Atlético.

With two games to go Madrid champions, Villarreal second. Now confirmed. Murcia and Levante down.

The fight for the final Champions League place (4th downwards) Atlético 58 points (game in hand), Sevilla 58pts, Racing 56.

The fight to avoid the last relegation place (18th upwards) Osasuna 40 points, Recreativo 40pts, Zaragoza 41pts, Valladolid 43pts.

Sid Lowe

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/05/08/madrid_take_the_pasillo_out_of.html

"Gianluca Zambrotta's only redeeming feature is that string of sausages and his mate the crocodile."


wtf?

I didn't understand that reference either. But the rest of it was spot on.

Hands up if you have beaten your arch rivals yesterday!

Great match by Real. What impresses me most is the very precise, and most importantly, direct passing game. Real under Schuster really play some nice football, especially against the 'bigger' sides in Spain. The match against Villareal early this season was a masterpiece, for example, yesterday's match was very very good also.

Real still need more balance in their squad though, if they seriously want to challenge Europe. They need to sort out the midfield in particular, as discussed often here already.


And Barcelona.....well, this spanking could be a blessing in disguise. Lost both classicos this season, 17 (!) points behind Real in the league now. It's most obvious that some big changes are necessary, and that they simply can't continue like this. A new manager, a new team, a new beginning, that's what has to happen this summer.

Get rid of the deadwood, and bring in some hungry young players who are willing to sweat blood for the club.

Anyone willing to just sweat sweat will do for a start...that's how bad it's been this season.

kas wrote:Anyone willing to just sweat sweat will do for a start...that's how bad it's been this season.

Never should have getten rid of Van Bommel...

He isn't a world beater, but he does add grit and determination

blutgraetsche wrote:Hands up if you have beaten your arch rivals yesterday!

blutgraetsche wrote:Great match by Real. What impresses me most is the very precise, and most importantly, direct passing game. Real under Schuster really play some nice football, especially against the 'bigger' sides in Spain. The match against Villareal early this season was a masterpiece, for example, yesterday's match was very very good also.

Real still need more balance in their squad though, if they seriously want to challenge Europe. They need to sort out the midfield in particular, as discussed often here already.

When the team has played well, they have been very good. It's been really inconsistent. For most of the season we have just seen glimpses of a good team and there have been more poor performances (even though we were winning) than those like last night or in the Mestalla or in the Madridgal. The test for Schuster next year will be to make performances like last night, the rule and not the exception. And we are all a bit impatient, I know I have been. With a new manager, a lot of new players (again) it was going to take time. That is the most exciting thing for next year is that finally we should have some continuity. The core of the team will be back, they will know the manager and understand his ideas so we should be able to hit the ground running next season.

And Barcelona.....well, this spanking could be a blessing in disguise. Lost both classicos this season, 17 (!) points behind Real in the league now. It's most obvious that some big changes are necessary, and that they simply can't continue like this. A new manager, a new team, a new beginning, that's what has to happen this summer.

If they bring Guardiola though (which seems more and more likely), there won't be any significant difference in the way they play (much to the disappointment of golsud)

Get rid of the deadwood, and bring in some hungry young players who are willing to sweat blood for the club.

As Real Madrid supporters know, this is easier said than done.

I'd be careful about going too far overboard. you still have a collection of v good players. clearly there are some bad "apples" so get rid of those (Ronnie, Eto'o(?), Deco(?)) and the players who simply don't fit the system - Gudjohnson, Henry. then bring in a few hungrier players who fit the style of play required.

Rijkaard genuinely seemed lost last night so I fear a new manager is required but massive changes aren't needed just some fine tuning to bring those there back in line.

If Ten Cate leaving caused some of these problems, then rijkaard is at fault for this for not replacing him with a similar personality.

I posted a while back, trying to fathom just why Schuster's Madrid are successful...because the squad isn't balanced and there's no fixed lineup or system in place. And that's exactly why they have done well - teams just don't understand what to do against it. I really don't think it's some managerial genius from Schuster because at Getafe, Levante, etc. he played a standard formation. Of course, credit to him for making an unbalanced formation work, but I still think it's Madrid's accidental unpredictability which has won them the league. So many different types of performances over the season.

----------------------

"As Real Madrid supporters know, this is easier said than done."

Not really...Madrid's transfer policy was awful and anybody could see the players they were bringing in were not the right ones. And the constant manager changes didn't help either.

We have to get rid of the drunks like Ronaldinho, the mercenaries like Deco, the unprofessionals like Marquez, the acomodados/pussies/losers like Xavi and the finished ones like Thuram. Get a proper manager and not inexperienced ones (Guardiola/Laudrup/Blanc) or overrated ones (Scolari/Valverde).

It's not going to happen though

that kas and the best GK by a mile, didn't i see somewhere he's had more shots against him than any other keeper but still they have the best defensive record.