El Clasico: Deciding Factor?

            The next big game for the weekend took place in Barcelona’s Camp Nou, and the La Liga leaders took on Real Madrid in El Clasico. Right now, it’s a very close race for the title, and a win for either team would have been a major boost to the top of the table. It’s later in the season, and a win against the other title contender could be potentially decisive in the long run. To begin, Suarez truly showed his value today, scoring a decisive goal in a game that holds a lot of weight in the league. While he has had good performances throughout the season and has been a good player for Barcelona, he has only recently began to become a key role in the team’s attack, and this game begins to seal this position. His goal against Real Madrid gave a glimpse at his confidence and scoring ability that Barcelona bought him for, and if he can continue this growth, Barcelona will benefit greatly.

            The game also was a show of the contrast (and conflict) between the two teams relative superstars. Messi has proven to be at his best this season in all parts of the game, reaffirming this by adding another assist to his record through one of his famous free kicks. Ronaldo, criticized as being old and losing his edge, again proved his finishing skills with a goal for Real Madrid. I would agree that Messi is playing his finest soccer to date, and Barcelona really has something going for them in the attacking third. However, no matter what kind of criticism Ronaldo receives, he obviously is still an amazing footballer and he gets the job done.

            Despite recent weeks for Real Madrid, they were finally able to show some of their skill and efficiency. Losing 3 games recently and falling behind to Barcelona in the table, Real Madrid needed to regain confidence and show a good performance to get back on their feet. This is exactly what they did, playing confidently and working the ball throughout. There were times when Real Madrid took complete control over the game, and it looked as if they could still be in the game until the final whistle. Even with the game’s outcome giving Barcelona a four point lead in the table, I don’t think that this decides the league winner. Real Madrid showed strength today, and Barcelona will have to work to keep up their performances and stay ahead of Madrid.

Premier League Match-Up

            Big games happened across Europe today as Manchester United took on Liverpool and Barcelona faced Real Madrid. To start, it was an important battle in the Premier League, and two top teams were looking to better each other and get a leg up in the league. From the very beginning, United looked to be the better team, taking the lead early at just 14 minutes. Juan Mata was able to capitalize on a precise through ball by Ander Herrera. Also on the United side, Mata again scored off of a fine scissor kick from a ball played by Angel Di Maria. Overall, Manchester United proved to be proficient in their attacking, making use of their opportunities.

            Things were much different on the Liverpool side of the game, and it showed in the final score. Shortly before halftime, Adam Lallana found the ball inside the box and was given the opportunity to bring his team level with United, but he failed to convert and Liverpool went into the half down a point. Things didn’t brighten up much after the break either. Halftime substitute Gerrard lasted less than a minute before being sent off with a straight red card for stomping on United’s Ander Herrera. They were able to make a small, final fight back at United as Daniel Sturridge snuck one in late in the game.

            United played a good game, and they were the obvious winners. Going forward, this game may prove to be very important to the title race, putting Manchester United ahead and dropping Liverpool. As to Liverpool’s performance, they hurt themselves and could’ve (and should’ve) played much better. They were not able to finish opportunities that they were given, and frustration definitely built up and impacted their performance. It is impossible for Gerrard’s sending off to not have any influence on the team, and his actions were very poor. I can understand getting carried away with a tackle and getting a yellow card, and that’s all part of the game. Getting sent off for violent conduct against another player is much different, however, and it really just makes you and your team look and play much worse. Gerrard lost his professional legitimacy on that occasion in my opinion, and it may have sealed the deal of his team’s loss. Either way, it certainly didn’t help, and United were by far more professional and better in every way.