There’s something a bit different about this La Liga Clasico

By Dermot Corrigan

Tomorrow brings the first La Liga Clasico without either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo since December 2007 — but that is not even close to the strangest talking point ahead of the game.

Barcelona kick off tomorrow with city neighbours Espanyol for company at the top of a very unusual looking LaLiga table. A Clasico defeat may drop Real Madrid into the bottom half of the table. Alaves, Valladolid, Sevilla, or Atletico Madrid could also lead the standings by Monday morning.

Such levelling off in LaLiga has been helped by a more equitable TV deal and better financial management throughout the division in recent years.

However this season’s unpredictability is more to do with both Barca and Real suffering the consequences of years of substandard squad planning.

New Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui has had an awful time so far, with Tuesday night’s shaky 2-1 Champions League victory over Viktoria Plzen their first win in six games. Recent weeks have also seen Lopetegui’s side go more than eight hours without scoring, a nagging reminder that the club’s all-time record goalscorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, was not replaced when he left last summer.

There is strong speculation that Lopetegui only remains in the job as Madrid president Florentino Perez has not yet been able to find an acceptable successor. Antonio Conte could soon be appointed whatever happens in the Clasico, should lagging contractual issues with former club Chelsea finally get sorted.

If that cannot happen, there are growing rumours that Jose Mourinho could immediately return to the Bernabeu, were he and Manchester United to decide a change was best for both.

Lopetegui cut a morose figure both during and after Wednesday’s game against outsiders Plzen, with his team looking low on energy, ideas and confidence, and there were loud whistles at the Bernabeu when the game ended.

“The important thing was to win this game, the lads really needed it, and so did their coach,” the Basque coach admitted afterwards while still looking glum. “It should have come much earlier, but we have had to come through some adverse situations. This could be a turning point today.”

In football, it is better to have a calm atmosphere, but we will keep taking steps forward. We have a big game on Sunday, that excites us and motivates us a lot, and we will prepare well for it.”

Although performances on the pitch have not suggested that Los Blancos’ big players are fully behind their new boss, when speaking in public, dressing room leaders including Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos have professed faith in the former Spain national coach’s methods.

Some of the less kind local pundits have this week wondered whether this is due to fears that renowned whip-crackers Conte and Mourinho would require more discipline and give less leeway than Lopetegui. If so, the rumours might just scare a big performance out of Madrid tomorrow.

“When faced with adversity is when we show our true worth,” Ramos said this week. “After this bad run, we are on the right path to come out of this — working hard, and being united, is the key to success.”

Meanwhile, Ernesto Valverde’s Barca have also had their own stumbles — including a first ever defeat at suburban Madrid side Leganes, and unexpected draws at home to Girona and Athletic Bilbao. Big blaugrana players like Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez — all now in their 30s — have been inconsistent so far.

Captain Messi breaking a bone in his arm against Sevilla last weekend was the latest misfortune for his side. The €105m 2017 signing Ousmane Dembele seemed the most obvious replacement in the XI, but has dropped out of favour. Valverde instead opted to recall Rafinha for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Inter Milan, and was rewarded when the Brazilian scored the opener in a comfortable 2-0 victory.

The coach refused to accept his side must be favourites for the Clasico given Madrid’s recent woes. “Clasicos do not care at what moment they come,” said Valverde.

“No matter what has been happening in the build-up, both teams put everything onto the pitch. We have nothing won yet. We know what we will face, what Madrid will ask of us.”

While the political situation in Catalonia is quieter now than 12 months ago, some protests are still planned for tomorrow, both inside and outside the Camp Nou.

A previously little-known group called ‘El Comite de Defensa de la Republica FC Barcelona’ have announced a plan to fill the stadium pre-game with yellow balloons, using the colour associated with Catalan independence. Less importantly, last weekend’s Barca AGM was dominated by arguments over minor changes to the club crest.

The absence of Messi and Ronaldo has not stopped the LaLiga authorities from promoting the Clasico worldwide as part of their continuing campaign to match the Premier League’s global marketing dominance. #ElClasico big screen events are planned at locations from Miami to Tashkent to Dar es Salaam to Bogota, while the game will also be shown live in cinemas in Belgium and Poland.

Fans in Ireland who want to watch live will need to subscribe to new online platform Eleven Sports, who have exclusive rights for the game.

YouTuber Spencer Owen has been hired to present the coverage, which appears to be aimed firmly at a younger market.