Real Madrid thrash Girona, Barcelona issues, Champions League returns, meeting Vicario...
Looking back at a big weekend in Spain, ahead to the Champions League and reflecting on a recent interview with Tottenham's impressive goalkeeper
Apparently there was a big game on Sunday night. They call it football but it’s a different kind. We focus on the round ball variety here – and it was a busy weekend of action.
With quite a lot to talk about, I thought it would be better to look at a few topics in this post. And we’ll start with a huge game in Spain on Saturday…
Real Madrid make big title statement
It was billed almost as a title decider. Real Madrid and Girona have been the two best teams in LaLiga this season and Saturday’s clash at the Santiago Bernabéu seemed significant – even in early February.
I had looked into attending, but being half-term in the UK, flights were prohibitively pricey. And I have just been to Spain, so I opted for the next best thing – I took in the match at LaLiga’s Watch party in London.
Madrid’s defence featured winger Lucas Vázquez at right-back, actual right-back Dani Carvajal as left-sided centre-back and midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni alongside him. Ferland Mendy was the only one of the four in his usual position, at left-back, and the quartet were playing in front of Andriy Lunin, who is either Madrid’s second or third-choice goalkeeper behind the injured Thibaut Courtois and sometimes Kepa Arrizabalaga as well.
Yet Los Blancos were rarely troubled and, further forward, their big players stepped up. Vinícius Júnior fired Madrid ahead after six minutes with a stunning long-range effort and later in the half, the Brazilian put through Jude Bellingham with a wonderful pass for the second goal.
Bellingham went on to score twice and has made it to 20 goals at Real Madrid in just 29 games. That sees him draw level with David Beckham for goals at Real – but the former England captain needed 155 matches and four seasons to reach that mark. It has been a hugely impressive start to life in Spain for the 20-year-old, who is now set to miss two to three weeks with an ankle injury.
It is hard to see beyond Madrid in LaLiga now. Carlo Ancelotti’s side are five points clear of Girona, having beaten the Catalans 3-0 and 4-0 this term, and have lost just once in 24 games overall. Given their injury problems, it is credit to the Italian’s tactical tweaks and squad management that they are in such a commanding position.
Barcelona issues not going away
I went to watch Barcelona at Montjuïc in late January and Xavi’s side lost 5-3 to Villarreal in an extraordinary encounter. After the match, the coach announced he would be stepping down at the end of the season, seemingly hoping to lessen the burden of pressure on these players.
But Barça’s issues remain. Back at Montjuïc on Sunday, the Blaugrana conceded three more to a Granada side down in 19th place and averaging only a goal a game before their trip to the Catalan capital. Goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen may be back, but Barça’s defensive woes persist.
And it is much more than that. In an interview in Portugal, sporting director Deco said this week that the club’s entire playing model needs to be scrapped. “The new direction is essential and the president agrees with me on this,” he said. “A profound change is needed. There is a method that is exhausted. We have to discover someone who will break with the past once and for all and move towards a new paradigm.”
Playing styles need to evolve, of course, but moving away from what has made the club successful in the past seems premature – especially when the chief exponent of that model, Pep Guardiola, is dominating European football with Manchester City.
The problems at Barça are wide-ranging and while many originated from the mismanagement and reckless spending of the previous board, the current administration have hardly helped.
During the game against Granada, it was reported that president Joan Laporta threw trays of canapés in the air in a fit of rage. That sums up the chaos engulfing Barça on an off the pitch right now. There is much to be sorted out.
The Champions League returns
The Champions League returns this Tuesday and Wednesday as the knockout stages begin and having won the trophy for the first time last season, Manchester City will be the favourites again.
Repeating a title is arguably even more difficult than winning it first time around, but City remain the team to beat and such is their strength, it is hard to see too many clubs that can compete with them for European football’s biggest prize.
Liverpool are not in the competition this term after finishing fifth in the Premier League last season, while Bayern Munich are off form and Paris Saint-Germain appear no closer to getting it right in Europe. Barcelona are struggling, too, so that leaves Real Madrid once again as probably City’s biggest rivals for the title.
In the last 16, City face FC Copenhagen and Real Madrid meet RB Leipzig. No shocks seem likely there. Of all the ties, Inter-Atlético and Barcelona-Napoli are probably the pick of the bunch.
Meeting Guglielmo Vicario
I was lucky enough to interview Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario recently and for a Spurs fan, that was pretty fun! The piece is in February’s FourFourTwo magazine, which came out on Thursday. You can pick up a copy here.
It was an absolute pleasure to chat to Guglielmo for almost an hour, to hear about his career journey, how he dropped down to Serie D in Italy when he wasn’t playing at Udinese and to listen to his ideas and values.
When he speaks, the importance of family and hard work shine through. Plus, as you may have guessed, the Tottenham style under Ange Postecoglou is non-negotiable. They want to win – but playing their way.
Vicario spoke about his idol Gianluigi Buffon, about what it means to represent Italy, on how his family took in Ukrainian refugees, how he wants to make history at Tottenham and more. Check it out if you get the chance.
It was definitely one of the most enjoyable interviews I have done – and there is a lot more to come from this impressive young man.