El gran classico

Sundays el gran classico promises to be a spectacular occasion in this glorious sport we love. If not for the football on show then certainly for the records it will break and create. This match will pit the first Spanish team to win the prestigious treble versus the most expensive Spanish team ever assembled. It will also produce the most costly amount of players ever to grace a football pitch – over £500 million worth of talent.

After the summer arrival of new Madrid president, Florentino Perez – a return that heralded a summer of unprecedented spending at the Bernabeu – Madrid sit top of la liga going into this huge clash at the Camp Nou but things have not been as straightforward as the table suggests. Firstly it should be said that Coach Manuel Pellegrini has done a fantastic job of guiding his newly formed team to the top of the table finding consistency in a very short space of time. Coupled with the fact that he has done this without his best player, Cristiano Ronaldo is even more amazing. You would think the Madrid fans would be happy with the new coach but this is Madrid after all.

Pellegrini has led this Madrid side to, statistically, one their best-ever starts to a Spanish league season. Not since three points were introduced for a win in the 1995/96 season have Madrid picked up 28 points from their opening 11 games. Yet despite that, the former Villarreal coach has found himself dangerously close to the Bernabeu exit on a few occasions already this season.

Thankfully Perez did not do what he has been famous for in the past and give in to temptations of being knee jerk in reaction, instead continuing to back his coach and allow him time to continue and grow the project that has been started.

Madrid are not producing the performances the money they spent warranted but then Rome was not built in a day. Pellegrini is still yet to perfect his formation and system of playing. They are still not able to dominate and control games with possession properly instead relying on the use of the direct counter attack. Given time however and pellegrini will look to perfect this problem. It should be remembered that it was this same coach who perfected with great success a tactic to suit Villarreal.

The Chilean has taken some bold decisions to resolve some of the problems that the team encountered earlier in the season. Guti and Raul, two of the biggest personalities in the dressing room, have been marginalised to bring about greater cohesion both tactically and psychologically – ever since the pair found themselves on the sidelines, Madrid have gone unbeaten. The return of Ronaldo from injury is vital to any hopes of a Madrid win too. With him they are a far more efficient and successful team as the stats would favour. Seven wins out of seven with him, four out of nine without him.

While Madrid are going through a period of transition right now, so is Barcelona. The team that blew everything out of their way last season to claim a historic treble look a different animal this. Some might say a weakened one.

Barcelona are no question the favourites to beat Madrid because they are the more settled team and the complete antithesis of Madrid. There is no better team at controlling and dominating a game than the Catalan club but they are with their problems as well.They are not as fluid and dominant as they were the previous but then again how do they top last season? To win the treble was a great effort and after the confederations cup in the summer maybe a few of their players are running out of steam this year.

Swapping Eto’o for Ibrahimovic was a bold move. It has certainly changed their style of play and certainly slowed down their speed of play which has probably suited opposition rather than the kamikaze attack Barca possessed last season. It will also be the first time the two best players in the world come up against each other since the European cup final and this will definitely add that extra incentive and spice to proceedings.

Sundays match between these two will not tell us who will win the league but it will be a great indicator of where both these teams are. A repeat of the 6-2 last season might not be on the cards but you can be sure that the eyes of the world will be on this box office clash that will not cease to disappoint. When has it ever?