El Clásico

[Photo from Google]

Real Madrid CF vs FC Barcelona

Saturday: 10-Dec-2011

Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid

Week 16 of La Liga

Brief history (La Liga clashes):-

The two giants met 163 times in La Liga, were Real Madrid has the upper hand with 69 wins; on the other hand, Barcelona won 63 time. Whilst the matches that ended in a draw are 31. Real Madrid has a higher tally in goals, as they scored 267; whilst Barça are 15 goals far (252 goals).

Is the "Mou" factor working?:-

Florentino Perez, Real Madrid's president, lured Jose Mourinho (Mou) to the Bernabéu in order to win trophies. That happened instantly when Real Madrid actually beat Barça in the Copa de Rey final 1-0; but, when it comes to the other clashes... Mourinho failed. The first encounter was in La Liga at the Camp Nou (Barça's home field), and Pep Guardiola's men thrashed Real Madrid 5-0. The second encounter was in La Liga also, it was the second leg. of the league. The game ended 1-1 and it was just four days away from the Copa del Rey final which Real Madrid won 1-0. One week later, on April-27th-2011 to be exact, both teams met in the first leg. of the UEFA Champions League semi final. The 1st match was held at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, and Barça defeated Real Madrid 2-0. There was talk about conspiracy when Pepe was sent off, but UEFA kept its ruling and suspended Pepe for the 2nd leg. The 2nd leg. ended in a draw (1-1). during the month of August in 2011, the two giants clashed twice in the Spanish Super Cup. Barça won 5-4 on aggregate.

The question is: Is the Mourinho Factor Working? My answer is no! Unfortunately for Real Madrid fans, Jose Mourinho doesn't have a "magic stick". Also, acquiring superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema, Özil, and others doesn't mean winning trophies. Even with Mourinho as coach, we all saw the results against Barça (which, by the way, is the match that matters in La Liga; in my opinion). Mourinho faced Barcelona seven times (as Real Madrid coach), and he only won ONE. Does the "one" in Special One stand for this?

Please have your say in the comment box below, I'll be back with my prediction for Saturdays main event soon.

Have a nice day!