Madrid triumph in Copa del Rey final

Last night Real Madrid lifted their first piece of silverware in almost three years with victory over Barcelona at the Mestalla. It was by no means a vintage el Clasico but was a very interesting tactical battle between the two great Spanish sides.

Once again Jose Mourinho proved to be Barcelona’s nemesis; as he was with Inter Milan last year in the Champions League semi-final. Following the 5-0 humbling in the Camp Nou he has clearly become relatively obsessed with finding a way to stop the Catalans with the squad he has. Ever since the game against Spurs a couple of weeks ago he has been clearly tinkering with his formation in an attempt to get it right for these games against Barca.

He has deployed Pepe in a free role with the aim of breaking up Barca’s intricate passing in front of the defence. He has also been given the freedom to join in the counter attacks which he does very effectively. The Portuguese defender has an incredible engine which also makes him ideal for the role.

The Madrid game plans worked perfectly in the first half as the play was being continually broken up. They had the better of the early exchanges and dominated much of the first half. The Barcelona players simply look exhausted; the high pressing we saw against Arsenal was not in evidence last night. Some of their players are also struggling with form which made Madrid’s job slightly easier.

As the game got older it became a little stretched with Madrid not able to maintain their pressure as well as they had done in the first half. This played into Barcelona’s hands and for the first time in the game they began to create holes in the Madrid defence. There was a goal ruled out for offside when Pedro finished nicely after a lovely run from Messi. It seemed like Barca were growing into the game as they entered extra-time.

The introduction of Adebayor began to pay dividends as he was able to hold the ball up and bring Ronaldo into the play more. One of the many great things about this Barcelona side is their ability to remain calm when under pressure and they continued to probe and ask questions of the Madrid defence.

However, when Mourinho’s plans are executed to the letter he usually comes out on top and he did so again when Ronaldo powered in a header deep into extra-time. They had almost scored in the first-half of added time when the Portuguese forward broke on the right but narrowly missed the target. When Di Maria played a one-two with Marcelo he was free down the right and picked out Ronaldo in the area who headed the ball into the back of the net.

The upcoming semi-finals in the Champions League are now very delicately poised. Real will take a lot of confidence now going into the game next Wednesday but will also be aware that Barcelona will now be very fired up for the games. Their level of performance has dropped in recent weeks and a couple of the players were really out of form; David Villa looks a shadow of his normal self. These two games should be very, very interesting.

Madrid thump sorry Spurs

Last night’s game in the Santiago Bernebeu turned into a nightmare for all associated with Tottenham Hotspur. It had all looked so promising until half an hour before kick-off and then things began to unravel. The withdrawal of Aaron Lennon just before kick-off because of a sore throat set the tone, Peter Crouch’s stupidity made it worse before Ronaldo finished them off with the 4^th with three minutes remaining.

When Crouch was sent off the game was effectively over; with Madrid one goal ahead already it meant Spurs had no out ball and failed to retain possession time and again. Whilst Assou-Ekotto, Dawson and Sandro excelled with a rear guard action the rest puffed and panted but failed to get near the level required to compete at this level.

It was a pity for the London side as the game could have been very different but for their brainless striker. Whether you think the referee was harsh or not, someone of his age, and experience should not be lunging at defenders away from home. The game was then Madrid’s for the taking and with attacking players like Di Maria, Kaka, Ozil and Ronaldo you are going to be punished.

In the dressing room at half-time Mourinho clearly gave Madrid a rollicking which was needed. They were too lethargic in the first half and lacked the killer instinct you associate with the top sides. Their second half performance was a marked improvement but they will need to improve vastly if they are to win the Champions League this season.

Whatever the outcome at White Hart Lane next week Tottenham should be very proud of their achievement’s in Europe’s elite competition this season. They were out of their depth last night but circumstances went against them. The experience will make their younger players stronger and more determined to play in this tournament year in year out.

Meanwhile for Madrid, another ‘el classico’ possibly awaits them in the next round; which would mean four games in 19 days between themselves and Barcelona – brilliant!

Real Madrid vs Spurs – a preview

The last eight of the Champions League, the business end of the season; this is what every football fan waits for. This year Tottenham have made their debut in Europe’s elite competition and tomorrow will play Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernebeu for a place in the semi-final.

Both sides had bad results at the weekend but most noticeable was Madrid’s loss at home to Sporting Gijon. It brought an end to Jose Mourinho’s imperious and quite phenomenal home record; he had not lost a home game since February 23, 2002. Meanwhile Spurs’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League took a major setback with a goal less draw with Wigan.

It appears that Cristiano Ronaldo will not feature tomorrow night after much speculation in recent days. His manager and fellow countryman Mourinho has indicated he will speak with his talisman today to determine whether he can play any part in the game. It would be a significant loss but with the likes of Di Maria, Kaka and Ozil they still have fabulous options.

The game will be a huge occasion and another fantastic opportunity for Spurs. They have overcome some big obstacles already this season and this is surely the biggest test of their side. It looks unlikely they will be in the competition next season after another poor result domestically but they should go into this tie full of confidence. The Premier League side are underdogs yet again but it will not faze them, with the impressive Sandro likely to feature again they will not get a better chance to beat Madrid.

It should be a great occasion for both sides in a wonderful arena, let us hope the game lives up to expectations.