As I write this Messi has glided past three defenders to add his name to the score-sheet against Athletico Madrid. It’s the 26th minute and Athletico are already 3-0 down at the Camp Nou.
It’s a little embarrassing and not in the sense that Barcelona are romping home to another victory. That’s to be expected. It’s embarrassing in the sense that it’s come so soon after Real Madrid had fought back from a goal down (registered in just 14 seconds) to win 6-2. Just when reporters claimed Spanish football was in crisis both teams slipped up. Any hint of these two titans tripping up was an illusion, an act of misdirection that invited doubt and inspired confidence. It was a ruse and now we’re resuming normal service.
Real and Barca are remarkable footballing sides and there’s only so much that can be done to halt them without resorting to capital punishment. Perhaps Victor Valdes can wind back the clock and make mistakes more often?
Financially they’re on a different level and that’s down to their TV deals, they’re sponsorship and their profile. Some teams in La Liga cannot even afford to pay their players their weekly wages. This gulf in sporting terms may never be rectified, regardless of the arrival of some rich Arabs or Russian oligarchs. If a rich oil baron were to inject some precious fuel into a club would Real and Barcelona stop being the kind of club they’ve always been? Would it dramatically change the allure Real and Barcelona have built for over fifty years? I don’t think so.
And now Fabregas has hit the bar from thirty yards.
It’s a procession, my brother texted me to say that if he stopped watching this match nothing would change. On the one hand we’re witnessing a terrific footballing side; on the other we’re witnessing a league that has given up caring or doesn’t have an answer to Barca’s luxurious style and Real’s intimidating force.
You can argue it’s a cycle, that Barca’s/Real’s dominance will eventually end but we’re talking about cycle that’s been occurring for the last fifteen years. Only Valencia, Sevilla and Deportivo La Coruna have managed to make a dent in these relentless sporting machines. The latter’s relegated and the former is punching above its weight, mired in debt and selling its best players on a yearly basis. They haven’t been able to keep the consistency required to challenge the top two year in, year out.
The commentator just indicated that Barca “don’t waste a lot of energy” and that worries me. It’s like they’re barely even trying or perhaps they’re sending telepathic waves to each other, imperceptible to the human eye and simply unstoppable.
We’re in the 82nd minute and Messi has dribbled past two to slot home. How good would a team need to be to beat Barcelona and Real Madrid? Let’s put it this way, I don’t think such a team exists on this planet.
It’s 5-0 now. Messi hat-trick. Game over?
