Monday Morning Papers: Round 24
Marca.com
Atletico Madrid: 4-1 Valencia. Not even the referee can contend with the Super Atleti of Quique.
Real Madrid: The fathers of Garay and Higuain reveal the secrets of their sons. “Our pibes (kids) came out alright.” Garay’s father: “He’s not an aggressive player, but he makes up for it with his positioning and technique. He was very timid. You had to get out his words with a bottle opener.” Higuain’s father: He was very thin, but even at 6 years old he pumped up when he scored goals. Now he has the physique for everything. “Higuain is at the level of Rooney”, the Real Madrid sporting directive hallucinates with their goal scorer. Ezequiel and Pipita: more than friends they appear to be: they’re neighbors, they watch the Barca matches together, they love cumbia music and both are fanatics for the Playstation.
Barcelona: Pressure for his colleagues: Laporta has a toast with the referees over cava wine after every match. Xavi: “This thing with the refereeing rings to the heavens.” Pique: “I won’t say everything I’m thinking because it would be excessive, but it’s intolerable.”
Manchester United: beats Aston Villa 1-2 with a goal by Rooney, giving the Carling Cup to Manchester United.
Xerez: the first case that covers the BBVA insurance, socio (member) number 77 dies at the Chapin Stadium.
Scoreline: Racing 0-2 Almeria, Canales’s good game isn’t enough against the Andalusians, Xerez 1-1 Espanyol, Villareal 1-0 Deportivo, Valladolid 1-2 Mallorca, Sporting 3-2 Osasuna, Sevilla 0-0 Athletic.
Reaction: If you wanted to hold up one issue of Marca to document its pathology then this would be it. Pump up Atleti’s expectations needlessly. Insinuate itself into the fabric of Real Madrid’s players and family. Create grander expectations for a player (Higuain) that they were all to willing to dump mere months ago. Document the fear and the paranoia of the opponent: cheapening them (Barca). By the way, over at As.com this week, the paper is quoting Higuain as saying, “Of Barca we shouldn’t even speak about. This League title is dependent on us.” Really.
Mundo Deportivo
Barcelona: This is the way Pep motivates: Stimulates the players with an “Informe Robinson” before playing Malaga. The video narrates the fruitless search by Inaki Ochoa for his 15 compatriots. The coach wanted to breed a level of comradeship, and the force a shared will to succeed. Cesc, in Barcelona: Enjoyed the last days of test runs for F-1 on the circuit, enigmatically said that after the Premier League season ended, “10th of May, I’ll be here.”
Espanyol: 1-1 draw to Xerez. Espanyol can’t beat the bottom team in the league.
Real Madrid: Higuain asks for the same money that they pay Benzema.
Reaction: Don’t think that it’s just the Madrid papers that stoke the fire. Look at Mundo Dep spouting on about how Higuain wants more the same money as Benzema. It’s obvious that Higuain is going to require more money than the Frenchman, but it is also clear that the club is still keen on giving that option to “their” player (Karim), as Pipita is a holdover from the Calderon signing. It also looks like the Argentine is giving them no choice but to resign at an inflated price. The paper also slights Espanyol obviously, which is a burr in my hide, but whatever will they do when the inevitable happens and Cesc finally leaves Arsenal for the Camp Nou? Watching the Arsenal match at Stoke City this week and gauging Cesc’s reaction to teammate Aaron Ramsey horror leg-break this weekend and you couldn’t help but wonder if the Catalan is tired of the lack of protection that English referees give players in that league. He’s Arsenal captain sure and it was evident in the response, I’ve been saying he’s been captain material for four years now, but he might just trade jobs for home sooner rather than later at this rate.
