Barca must speak on the pitch to silence the noise
There's no three without four. Although a draw is enough to qualify for the cup final, Barça will be looking to give Madrid the ultimate blow tonight with a fourth consecutive Clasico win. They will need to play much better than they did in the first leg at the Bernabeu, where they won despite Los Blancos dominating the game. Xavi does not want a repeat of that situation and so his main objective will be to retain control. It will be more difficult than ever due to the absence of two midfielders as decisive as De Jong and Pedri. But this Barça have shown that they can overcome all adversity and are extremely competitive in any circumstances.
Today's Clasico at the Spotify Camp Nou closes a quartet of duels that marks the change of cycle in Spanish football. The Blaugranas have already won the Super Cup, have a 12-point lead in La Liga and are just one step away from the Copa final. A domestic treble would be an extraordinary success for a project under construction, which has been able to isolate itself from all the noise of the 'Negreira case' to focus on strictly sporting matters. "In the dressing room we only talk about football", Xavi insisted yesterday. And on the pitch, too. Because it is on the pitch where it is shown whether a team deserves to be champions. And this Barça must do it again to silence all kinds of campaigns.
NERVES AT PSG WITH MESSI
To whistle Messi seems to me to be sacrilege. The best footballer in history came into this world to make all fans happy, regardless of creed. Even his rivals have surrendered to the evidence: Messi is unique and unrepeatable. But Messi, although it sometimes seems otherwise, is human. And he cannot win games on his own. He needs a team to help him become a champion. He doesn't have that at PSG. That's why the criticism from a minority of French fans is unfair. These whistles also come in a complicated context.
Messi has still not renewed his contract with PSG and Barça have started a move to repatriate him. Laporta's declaration of intent to bring back the star player has stirred the feelings of Messi and his entourage. And it has annoyed the French club, who feel 'offended' by Leo's lack of response and are getting nervous. There is still a long way to go before there is a real possibility of Messi returning to Barça... but what only a short time ago was absolutely impossible now seems less so.
