Let’s forget, for the moment, the fact that Real Madrid and Barcelona had an absorbing 1-1 draw in their liga meeting on Saturday. Instead, let’s look inside the heads of two of the night’s protagonists: Barça midfielder Xavi Hernández and Real Madrid coach José Mourinho. “Everyone could see that Barça were the better team, that we totally dominated. Although that’s not so great given that it was them that gave us the ball and them that shut down at the back in their own stadium.” This was the verdict of Xavi after the game. He had a point in that Barcelona did dominate possession, during one phase enjoying 79 percent of it (according La Sexta television’s onslaught of statistics). … [Read more...] about Real Madrid, Barcelona, Orwell and the evil conspiracy
Xavi Hernandez
A nation united by World Cup glory?
When the Spanish football team touched down at Barajas airport with the World Cup trophy on July 12, there was a curious sight amid the jubilant reception. As the players descended the steps onto the runway, Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernández, two of the team’s key members, did so carrying their belongings wrapped in a Catalan flag. While Iker Casillas held the trophy aloft as he led his team past cheering airport staff and the press and onto a waiting bus, Puyol and Xavi looked ever so slightly timid as they together lugged their gear –and the senyera flag– across the tarmac. It could not detract from what was a highly moving scene for any Spanish fan, but it was a reminder that while the … [Read more...] about A nation united by World Cup glory?
La Roja steals France’s crown of dominance
Not even a partial strike by Spanish state broadcaster RTVE could prevent the latest triumph for Spain's national football team from being seen by the masses - it eventually proved to be the most-watched game in the station's history. The 2-0 win against France in Paris underlined the notion that there seems to be little that can stop Vicente del Bosque's La Roja at the moment. That said, an anaemic France offered very little to recommend Raymond Domenech's tenure at the helm of a badly listing team that was comprehensively sunk by a nation that had not won on French turf since 1968. Luis Aragonés found the net that day in a 3-1 win, and Del Bosque's predecessor left the incumbent a group of … [Read more...] about La Roja steals France’s crown of dominance