Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar will face Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Falcao - Barcelona versus Real Madrid just got bigger and better
- Barcelona continue summer overhaul with signing of Luis Suarez
- Liverpool striker transfers to Nou Camp in £75million deal
- Barca have signed two new goalkeepers and Ivan Rakitic this summer
- Real Madrid set to splash out on Radamel Falcao and Toni Kroos
- Biggest game in world football about to get bigger and better.
A bead of sweat drips down the side of Luis Suarez's face. For 70 minutes of this clash he's had his ankles kicked and hacked at by Pepe. But now there's a gap he can run into. Lionel Messi spots his ghost-like movement and fires a low ball towards the space. With a dip of one shoulder Suarez leaves Sergio Ramos for dead and now he can see the whites of Diego Lopez's eyes. He pulls the trigger and the ball beats the goalkeeper, arrowing towards the far post. 99,000 people at the Nou Camp hold their breath. Millions more are frozen, transfixed, eyes glued to their TV sets.
The biggest game in world football has just got bigger. When Real Madrid play Barcelona, the planet stands still. They are always superlative affairs, featuring the sport's finest players. Tests not only of physical and technical ability, but also tremendous mental strength.
And amid the galaxy of stars that will be on display, one of football's brightest has been plucked from the Premier League and neatly placed into a vacant position on the right-hand side of Barcelona's attack.
Legends: Barcelona versus Real Madrid is traditionally the biggest game in world football
Raising the stakes: Luis Suarez's arrival at Barcelona means that the Clasico will be even bigger next season
Trident: Suarez is likely to line up alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar in a fearsome three-pronged attack
Luis Suarez's move from Liverpool to Barcelona has long been in the pipeline, but only now it has been officially declared does the terrifying reality of what it means in footballing terms become clear.
Suarez will fit in alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar in what could prove to be the finest front-line in football history.
Except, in the Spanish capital, Suarez's acquisition is only viewed as the latest aggressive step in a never-ending arms race. Real Madrid are closing in on the signing of Radamel Falcao, Monaco's Colombian star. He has spent the last few months recovering from a knee-injury, but when fit he is arguably the most lethal striker in the game.
Target: Real Madrid want to add Monaco striker Radamel Falcao to their attack in time for next season
The end: Falcao's arrival could force Karim Benzema to leave the Bernabeu in search of first-team football
Anything you can do: Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale make up two parts of Real Madrid's attacking options
While Karim Benzema's overall game has improved under Carlo Ancelotti, he doesn't offer the brutal and clinical edge that Falcao wields with such impunity.
As well as Falcao, Madrid are close to adding German midfield diamond Toni Kroos to their armoury, which is already bursting at the seams.
When Barcelona play Real Madrid for the first time in the coming season, you will be able to construct a side from the two benches that would be able to challenge for the title itself.
Spanish league fixture scheduling is stacked. Clasicos rarely take place too early in the season, because La Liga want the game to have some significance with regards to the standings in the table.
And, with Suarez banned for four months, we may be holding our breath for a Clasico until the end of October. As La Liga's star signing this summer, the idea that Barcelona will be allowed to play Real Madrid without him is almost ludicrous.
So when the two teams meet, the players will have had time to get up to speed. These are the two sides that could be facing each other at the Nou Camp, or Santiago Bernabeu.
Dynamo: Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Toni Kroos is wanted by Real Madrid
Tough task: Luis Enrique is the man charged with returning Barca to the top
Instant success: Carlo Ancelotti won the Champions League in his first season at Real
Lynchpin: Javier Mascherano is likely to return to a midfield role for Barcelona next season
The match is a mouthwatering proposition.
Luis Enrique has already suggested that Javier Mascherano will be moved from defence into midfield. Given his fantastic performances in Argentina there at this World Cup, it would be no surprise if he follows through with this plan. That would pit him up against Kroos, the man he will be trying shackle on Sunday night in the World Cup final.
However, even if that battle could dictate the ebb and flow of the game, all eyes will be on the two diamond-encrusted attacks.
Despite Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo being the sole Ballon d'Or victors for the past few years, it is Suarez who will be in the spotlight, the first time these two teams meet.
Formidable: Sergio Aguero and Pepe are Real's defensive partnership
No nonsense: They bring a physical approach to defending
Bring it on: Suarez's battle with Ramos and Pepe is likely to be a full-blooded one with little room for shirking
Pepe and Sergio Ramos are provocative defenders, who love nothing more than getting stuck into their opponents. Just look at their treatment of Diego Costa last season.
And as fiery as the now-Chelsea striker is, Suarez resides on a different level of snark. It would be no surprise if Barcelona insisted the Uruguayan undertake a psychology course before the game, to ensure the red mist that has plagued him doesn't descend again.
In the heat of the action, Suarez has bitten three opponents. He has racially abused another. When he was 15 he was accused of headbutting a referee. Neither the referee, Giorgio Chiellini, Branislav Ivanovic or Ottman Bakkal have a patch on Pepe when it comes to getting under a rival's skin.
Speaking in pure footballing terms, Suarez has the beating of Madrid's defence. But, as we know, Clasicos are rarely just about who is better with the ball at their feet.
Neymar will be hungry to prove himself after his World Cup campaign was ended early by Juan Camilo Zuniga's brutal challenge. Cristiano Ronaldo too, after his summer barely even began because of injury. Ronaldo will turn 30 this season and it could be his last at the top of his game. He will make it count.
Gareth Bale is eager to build on his last-gasp Copa del Rey winning wonder-goal against Barcelona. Last season Bale found it hard to make an impact in the biggest games, but ended up scoring that goal at the Mestalla, as well as crucially nodding home against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final. Bale will now be expected to do more in these matches, as well as continuing to produce decisive moments.
We were given an incredible Clasico at the Bernabeu in March, with Messi scoring a hat-trick as Barcelona won 4-3. If the defences couldn't control the forwards back then, how can they cope with Suarez and Falcao thrown into the mix?
When Barcelona and Madrid take to the field next season, we could well be watching the six best attacking players in the world go at it hammer and tongs. Injuries - and suspension - apart. And it's impossible to decide who will win - apart from anybody lucky enough to get a ticket.
Making his mark: Bale scored 15 goals and assisted 12 in his first season in La Liga
The best: Last season Messi scored 28 goals in 29 La Liga games and set up a further 11
Improvement needed: Neymar scored nine goals and assisted eight during his first season in La Liga
Prolific: Last season Ronaldo scored 31 goals in 31 La Liga games and set up a further nine for his team-mates
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2689700/Suarez-Messi-Neymar-versus-Ronaldo-Bale-Falcao-footballs-biggest-game-just-got-bigger.html#ixzz37GoPrWIU
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment