It seems like the first clásico has just barely ended, but we have another one coming up tomorrow already, the Copa del Rey final. I really want Iker to win a Copa del Rey before he retires.
But first up… a couple more scenes from Saturday’s game. I loved how Antonio Adán stood behind Mou in the bench area, mirroring his moves. And when Messi ran into Pepe’s ass, I adored how Xabi just nonchalantly stepped over him as he lay on the ground (so boss), waiting for someone to notice him. Unfortunately, the play just continued.
And some more pre-game scenes – Pepe hugging everyone in sight, and Xabi directing the troops.
Loco, loco, loco: According to Marca, Gerard Piqué had some choice words for Madrid’s players in the tunnel after the game, including his national team teammates Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas (the others present were Carvalho, Pepe and Adebayor). As they made their way back to the locker room, separated by that thin wall, Piqué shouted, while staring at the madridistas, “Long live Spain! Long live the Spanish Liga! Eight points, eight points! Españolitos, we’ve already beaten you for your Spanish Liga, we’ve showed you!” He then went on to scream, “Españolitos, now we’re going to win the Cup of your king!” AS has also reported this incident as well.
I’m hoping this isn’t true, because that would be disgusting behavior from someone who plays for the Spanish national team (and the last time I checked, he’s still a Spaniard), and unsportsmanlike behavior from any athlete. If it were anyone else but Piqué, I would have doubts about the veracity, but I can see Piqué doing this (again, I’m hoping he didn’t).
(By the way, the article mentioning this was accompanied by a picture of Piqué patting Cristiano on the ass.)
Update: El Mundo Deportivo, meanwhile, reported that Pepe had spit on some of Barcelona’s players. If that’s true, then I’m very disappointed in Pepe, because we don’t need that type of unsportsmanlike behavior from our players, and I expect better from those who wear the escudo on their chests.
Update II: Piqué has stated via twitter that the information is completely false, and that he would never say such stupid things. I’m glad it turned out to be false, and that he cleared it up!
The plan for today looks like this: Madrid will hold their last training session at 11h. Then they’ll head to Valencia at 19h (the delegation will include all the injured players, as well as the canteranos who have participated, which means Juanfran, since MFC Álvaro Borja Morata Martín is on national team duty), where they’ll stay at the Palau de la Mar hotel. Mou has prohibited all outsiders (meaning anyone who’s not a player, part of the technical team, one of two press officers or security) from entering the hotel, and only FP himself and Miguel Pardeza are exempted. Mou has also ordered the hotel to clear out the minibars as well, with only bottled water to be available to the players. Well then, I hope Marcelo is rooming next to Cristiano, or he might go thirsty!
Mou will speak to the press from the Mestalla at 20:30h on Tuesday afternoon.
New shoes: several of the players sponsored by Adidas will wear new boots for the final, and as you can see, they’re personalized for April 20. Here we have Xabi and Ángel di María’s boots. Of course Xabi doesn’t go beyond the name and number (no flags, no special slogans, no initials, no names of others), staying true to his classic self. Ángel has the names of his parents embroidered on his boots.
Celebrate good times… Real Madrid has set up a special fan zone in Valencia on the riverbed of the Turia between the Puente de las Flores and the Puente de Calatrava to welcome all of their fans who will be in the city for the final. One of the main attractions will no doubt be the life-size replica of La Cibeles that Madrid has used in the past for Liga celebrations (and which used to sit on the old Ciudad Deportiva), only without the protective fence. There will also be a fan zone hosted in a huge tent in Vilamarxant, Raúl Albiol’s nearby hometown, despite his absence from the game.
A great initiative: more on what can be expected on Wednesday: Madrid’s peñas have started an initiative for all of Madrid’s fans who will be in the Mestalla tomorrow to attend with Spanish flags. Via social networks and emails, they’ve asked the fans to wear Madrid’s shirt and bring along the rojigualda, under the slogan “one madridista, one heart and one flag.” They’ve also emphasized their desire not to see any violence and called for sporting behavior. The reason behind this initiative is because the national anthem, to be played before the start of the game, has the high possibility of being booed by certain fans. In the 2009 Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, also in the Mestalla, the national anthem was booed and pro-independence flags were displayed.
I miss El Moro: we’ll get a little preview of the Copa del Rey final, when a group of former Barcelona and Madrid players will play each other today in Valencia’s Ciudad Deportiva. They are two of the three teams in a mini-tournament (the third team is made up of journalists) to promote fair play. Among the former madridistas we have the likes of Buyo, Contreras, De La Red, Santillana and Morientes, among others.
I hope this doesn’t mean we won’t get any of those special “inspirational” photos: Iker spoke to Madrid’s web site and the things he said that I liked are as follows:
How many plaid shirts does he own?
on why he wants to win the Copa del Rey: it’s a very important trophy, and Madrid can’t afford to go 17 years without winning it. This trophy will become even more important if Madrid wins it. For us, it’s something important, vital and on a personal level, I’ve never won it during the 11 years I’ve been here.
on what the players are feeling: in the locker room, we believe the moment to lift up many trophies has arrived. We’re focusing on that, but we know that it’s not going to be easy and that it’s going to be a vibrant and emotional game between the two best teams in Spain. Anything can happen, but we have the hope of achieving it and playing our football well, our game. In the end, we hope to be able to lift up this Cup.
on whether the team is more motivated because they’re facing Barcelona: the motivation always has to be the same, regardless of the rival you’re facing, and even more so when it’s a final that will determine whom the first trophy of the season goes to. All that already is extra motivation for this game.
on the first clásico: this game was a very good point of inflection for us, and gave us more morale. In spite of everything, it all comes down to whether the ball will enter and if we can score more goals than them.
on what advice he’d give to his teammates: advice? To enjoy themselves. They have to know that behind them, there are a lot of people that love Real Madrid, who are making the trip to Valencia despite the high price of tickets, that there are 18,000 or 20,000 people that will be there. We hope they’ll be visible by wearing something white to differentiate them from the rest, so that we can see them from the field. We have to win it for them, for the club and for ourselves.
on the fans: the support of the fans is fundamental in order to win. I can’t wait to go out onto the field and see the south end of the Mestalla with all our followers wearing white, with their scarves and shirts…We thank them for being there because they had to change their Semana Santa vacations to be with us. I also ask of them to respect the opponent and the opposing fnas. If we’re the best team in the world, we have to have the most educated fans in the world. Anything to help and support the team is great, but you have to respect the opposing fans.
Notice how he’s touching el larguero in the photo, as he usually does before games and after his team scores.
Cantera news: Álex has been recalled from the U-19 team that will dispute a mini-tournament this week in Porto, Portugal (his Castilla teammates MFC, MSFC and “Piecitos” were also called up), but not due to anything bad. He has been “promoted” to the U-20 team after injuries to several players in this last weekend of club football, which means that he will be heading to Italy instead for a friendly on Wednesday in Mantua.