Incredibly Loud and Impossibly Close (to El Clasico)

(This piece refers to the 2nd leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals - ESPN match report)

For visitors to Barcelona who have wondered whether anyone actually goes to all the dingy 1950's-style snack bars with the seedy men and the video poker machines, last night I found the answer. When el clásico is not shown on public television, even the least appetizing spot transforms into a riotious football oasis and the Estrella Damn taps work overtime. In fact, I did some precise calculations (which resulted in my watching the game at a bingo hall, the last available spot, but no matter) and found that Barcelona's bar capacity is exactly tailored to match peak demand of a clásico.

The post victory scene was again surreal, particularly given the late hour (10pm on a Wednesday is a rather unusual slot for this match). I wonder what it was like in Madrid. I'll never forget the metro ride after my hometown sporting apocalypse, the 2004 Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl loss: an uncomfortable, eerie silence. No one spoke or even so much as looked at one another. Eagles fans knew we were outclassed but the rarity of the opportunity gave the loss a tremendous sting. Madrid fans probably feel a similar mix of disappointment, anger, and confusion.

I might as well comment on the footballing aspect now. My take on the rivalry after 5 meetings already this season remains unchanged: Madrid has talented players who produce moments of great brilliance but they are a far inferior team to Barcelona. They can't win the ball, they can't stop the ball, and they can't keep the ball. Miquel Delaney recently suggested in a brilliant article for Soccernet that Madrid have to change their system. I agree; they need a coherent team philosophy (not just a philosphy du jour as they have employed against Barcelona) and they need to develop players in the cantera to fit into specific slots rather than to be the next world great.

The play was messy on both ends. Higuain threatened early and almost benefited twice from adventurous goalkeeping by Pinto, who resembles David James more and more every day, and this is not a good thing. But Madrid were simply not chasing the game the way you might expect them to coming in 1-2 down. Ozil and Xabi Alonso, the creative fulcrum, were unusually quiet (and this is sloppy but I'm not even sure if Di Maria played). In the second half, Barca simply got lazy, which you might expect of them up 3 goals in a cup tie, and Madrid fought back. To their credit Ronaldo and Benzema played the whole game as if they had something to prove.

I was somewhat surprised that the game finished 2-2 because I thought there would be a final goal that would have in all likelihood decided the tie. After Madrid's second Messi tried his darndest to get on the score sheet and his sights looked sharper with each attempt. But Barcelona were looking overrun at the back, a rarity indeed with the preferred quartet of Puyol, Pique, Alves, and Abidal fully fit. It would have been interesting to continue for another 20 minutes or so.

Before last night, the tabloid chatter was all about Madrid on the ropes. Pepe to sit out the match (gasp). Ramos and Mourinho in dressing room spat (gasp again). Mourinho to get the axe if results against Barça don’t improve (full blown shock). Though it feels like the real decider between these two teams will come in the Champions League, where it's still all to play for, the scenario where Mourinho wins the league and is still fired - like Cappello in 2007 - suddenly feels possible. The neutral fan has to hope for a Champions League clásico final since the big stage seems to bring out the best in this rivalry. A por ello, as they say here.

El Millor Barça de la Historia

Another clásico, another tactical change by Mourinho, and another victory for Barcelona.

This time, Mourinho attempted to confound his sworn rival by crowding the midfield alleys and springing the counterattacks as fast as humanly possible, like a bag of potato chips that reads "Now 20% more crispy!" The counterattacks paid dividends with Ronaldo's opener but most of the time Madrid simply gave the ball away trying to advance a counterattack that was not yet ready. Their passes completed statistic must have been abysmal.

Meanwhile, for Barcelona the center of the pitch was difficult (except when Messi had the ball, because he didn't seem to mind) but the wings were wide open. Iniesta was a terror on the left with serene control and an ability to cut inside or outside to beat his defender. Barca created corner after corner from the flank, leading to the first goal and to an earlier header from Alexis that quite miraculously found its way to the upright.

There was a general sense of joy in the street after the match, cars blaring their horns as they screeched by. Like the first league clásico earlier in the season, this one hurt for Madrid because in Spain you can't wear the belt until you beat the people's champ, and Madrid is not over the hump however gaudy their league resume appears.

After the match, a friend of mine said he was now certain this was the best Barça in history. I know football fans hate to count their chickens before they hatch, I told him, but the signs have been evident for some time.