Spanish giants bid to recover credibility

Football often takes itself too seriously, but for once the Champions League has produced two semi-finals that deserve the word historic.

For five years Spanish football enjoyed an aura of supremacy that seemed unchallengeable. In reality there was always an element of hyperbole to it, notably the hype surrounding El Classico, but their brand of total football was the one to aim at.

Three hours of blistering German attacking last week disposed of that theory. The question now is if and how the two Spanish sides can at least recover credibility if not their previous standing.