Real Madrid vs. Barcelona[La Liga Day 26; 3/02/13; 10 AM EST] [R]

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona

03/02/2013

La Liga Day 26

10 AM EST

Venue: Santiago Bernabeu

Let's kick some Cule ass again:

Let's kick some ass.

^ Would gladly trade a 10-nil loss to the Cules in this match for a guaranteed 2-2 against United.

I know this is the sentiment, but I feel like these things are mutually exclusive. Even though we aren't taking this match all that seriously, the result will have some impact on the team's morale. We need a decent showing (not even necessarily a win, just a good match) in this match to have the team in optimal shape mentally for Tuesday.

That said, I'd basically rest every player Mou plans on playing in Manchester.

Also, necessarily...

I'd rest a few guys to keep em fresh, that being said I wouldn't mind seeing them come on around 60 minute mark. If we can keep it tight until then and the likes of Ozil or Di Maria come in with fresh legs they could be devastating.

it's quite hard decision to be made by Mourinho. I will play these guys: Lopez, Arbeloa, Carvalho, Pepe, Coentrao; Modrič, Khedira (or Essien); Ronaldo, Kaka, Callejon and Benzema.

This is an interesting proposition. While I think our paths have crossed and we're currently looking more likely to assert dominance over the next few years (particularly as long as we can ink Ronaldo to a long-term extension this summer), I'm not sure we can really kick them down that far. They still have the core of a really good team - for now. I think it's also abundantly clear that Tito is a much better manager than Roura. But unless they manage to make some real moves in the transfer market, I see them starting a real decline. I personally thought the 2-1 last year to clinch the league for us was a changing of the guard.

Here's something else to consider: their best players are all youth team products. If you try to list the 15-20 best players La Masia has produced throughout its entire history, you probably have 7 or 8 of them playing in their first XI right now (Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Pique, Cesc, Biscuits). Four of those guys are arguably four of the five best players La Masia has ever produced, and it produced them at roughly the same time. Forget how statistically likely it is that you can continue to find players of Messi's caliber to sign up at a young age - how statistically likely is that spontaneous production ever happening again?

The point is this: The 2008-2012 Barcelona run of dominance is probably a historical aberration. The production of dominating youth team players that will win multiple European championships is extremely unlikely, and will probably never happen again. Two of their team's core players/club symbols (Xavi and Puyol) are declining quickly. None of their youth team products coming up right now are particularly impressive, with the possible exception of Alcantara. They're going to start needing to use the transfer market (ironically, my understanding is that historically Barca always held themselves to be the more cosmopolitan club with the approach of bringing in foreign players when we emphasized the cantera more - their fans only became holier-than-thou about a team of youth players when they found success that way). Given their spurious financial situation and their utter failures in the transfer market over the past 5 years, their future is very much up in the air. They need a complete overhaul of their defense, and ever since Eto'o left, they haven't really found a solution at striker.

I will say, however, that a strong Barcelona is ultimately good for us as well.

Good post!

This is so horribly wrong.

Just rest first team and dont come to such bizzaro script idea`s.

Play Kaka, Essien, Modric, Callejon, Morata, Carvalho, Albiol etc.

Even if we beat them 10-0, it's still jsut 3 points and with the UTD game ahead, it's not worth the risk of our players getting injured.

Since the raging divers are in bad shape, our chances to win this match are big.
However, I expect (and hope) that Mou will play with a B formation, giving players like Özil, Xabi, Ramos, Varane and Coentrao some well earned rest.

This should be our line-up against them:

------------Diego

Arbs--Pepe-Carvalho-Marcelo

Khedira (46' Xabi) - Luka

Calleti - Kaka - Cristiano

---------Pipita (60' Benz)


A draw would be fine, but Messi has to play in this one

See, that's a "Bazinga" worthy post.

I have a feeling you guys will rest all your starters. Including Ronaldo..

Why risk injury?

It`s my first bizzaro pity rep actually.

So thank you very much.

To destroy Barcelona. Cant you see genius in this "plan"?

I expect to see Ronaldo start, the guy is a machine. I would rest Ozil, Alonso, Varane, and Di Maria for sure. Keeping on them on the bench would be good, I'd like to see a couple of them come in the last 30ish mins.

Destroy Barca. Hope they drop enough points for us to catch up. The same shit happened to us in the past, and to them as well. These are professional athletes: they know their job, people have accomplished more with less. This tide of good form must be capitalized upon, and we must strike while the iron is hot. A strong showing will carry over to the CL, whereas a weak showing may affect the team more than imagined, outside of the benefits of giving key players rest.

And don't forget, the moral is to the physical as three to one. This is Real Madrid. No one goes out there to play and lose.

Di Maria is suspended, he will get his rest.

This injury risk is so overstated, I mean it's real but come on now. How many times do players do things like injure themselves in warmups? Do you tell him not to warmup now? Or maybe Valencia has told Banega to stop driving his car because he might get run over again?

At this point our players need sharpness and confidence more than rest. I admit it's a fine line but clearing the bench and resting our starters isn't the answer here.

I just find it ironic we're suppose to be the superior club yet you have people obsessing over destroying them again, instead of seeing them as being inferior, finished/done with and looking toward achieving La Decima.

That's the small-minded mentality we all expect them to have...... not us.

It is a possibility. Why take it?

Period. It is just that a period. If we truly are superior why is your focus so much on making an impression on them rather than making an impression on our history?

Again, for me these actions I expect more from those suffering Madriditis, not Madridistas. It is they who obsess over getting one over on us, while we trample them and move forward... because they want to be us (bigger) while we are us (biggest)... no?

So beating barca, effectively tiring out our players Saturday would help that cause? If we haven't looked the part wouldn't it be smarter to play it safe and not make a silly gamble?