Football fans were offered over 630 minutes of Clasico last year in 7 different clashes, and they still have 180 minutes of Clasico ahead of them before the end of January 2012.
Surely, the feeling ahead of the imminent pair of Clasicos this time is not the same as before. Some seasons ago, a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona was regarded as an extremely special gift.
It was also considered as rare, as the two giants were most at times expected to face each other only in the two halves of La Liga. In other words, each side often had only two chances per season to better its record in the Spanish derby’s history.
Everything has changed now, and El Clasico has surprisingly turned into the most frequently played clash in Spanish football, recently. Between April 2011 and December 2011, Real Madrid and Barcelona met twice in the league, once in the Copa del Rey, twice in the UEFA Champions League and twice in the Spanish Super Cup.
Counting the 2 showdowns that are set to follow in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals this season, it makes it 9 Clasicos lined-up in a 9-month period. This is equal to having a Classic every month. Surprisingly and more or less pleasurably, El Clasico is no longer a “rare” fixture.
How beneficial is this pile of clashes for spectators and the teams’ players themselves? Answers to this question would surely be different. But undoubtedly for some people, the recent strange additions of Clasicos to the calendar has eliminated the exceptional taste that used to be felt at the mention of what is actually on of club football’s most followed matches.
With all these derbies in the last few months, it is fair enough to think that both Real Madrid and Barcelona have had too many chances to show who Spain’s most dangerous club is in the on-going football era. Yes, if this pile of encounters had been predicted years ago, one would have easily anticipated a recurrent exchange of power between the two league contenders.
Somehow though, the games we all witnessed proved otherwise. Looking at the results that emerged, it was clear that it was Barcelona who managed to impose themselves quite comfortably - winning three Clasicos, drawing three and losing only a single one.
Knowing that Real Madrid are powered by superstars such as Jose Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas, such head-to-head facts are hard to accept. Indeed, genuine facts of the past cannot be altered; but in any case, Los Cules are aware that nothing can make them permanently favourites.
They’ll once again have to give their very best twice in a space of seven days against Real Madrid, if ever they wish to avoid a bitter Copa del Rey exit. Possibly, what increases the excitement ahead of the approaching Clasicos is the fact that Barcelona will be looking to take their revenge for the defeat they suffered in last season’s Spanish Cup final - while Real will be looking to clarify their image and correct the mistakes that penalized them in their last Clasico matches.
So still, there are many diverse points making the upcoming Copa del Rey showdowns noteworthy. Nevertheless, there is no denying that the charm of El Clasico is undergoing a heavy transformation, if not disappearing.
El Clasico is no longer the unique match that decides who is the better side between Real Madrid and Barcelona. In fact, it is now a regular contest of payback, in which the titans involved never finish settling their businesses.
Should Real Madrid manage to win over the two legs, then they would not be stamping their authority over Barcelona. Instead, while they would be recording a major historic victory, they would be heating the spirits of their enemies, who would eventually attempt to retaliate in April - when the two teams meet again for the 10th time in 12 months.
It is true that Spanish football fans have already had enough to enjoy. This, nonetheless, does not mean that there couldn’t be more to expect. In truth, 2012 could be as bizarre for Real and Barca as 2011. A pair of meetings in the UEFA Champions League again this season could even add to the programs of both powerhouses.
But too much of everything is bad and one can never tell… More of those again this year could rapidly make fans lose interest in El Clasico itself.
Dangerously for Spanish football, the country’s highest ranking fixture could already be losing its value, implicitly… At least, this is the case for goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who reportedly told Mundo Deportivo:
“When there are few (clashes), it's agreeable, (but) when there are a lot you get tired (of them). In my opinion, as we’ve played so many games, (El Clasico) sometimes feels a little decaffeinated.”
It was also considered as rare, as the two giants were most at times expected to face each other only in the two halves of La Liga. In other words, each side often had only two chances per season to better its record in the Spanish derby’s history.
Everything has changed now, and El Clasico has surprisingly turned into the most frequently played clash in Spanish football, recently. Between April 2011 and December 2011, Real Madrid and Barcelona met twice in the league, once in the Copa del Rey, twice in the UEFA Champions League and twice in the Spanish Super Cup.
Counting the 2 showdowns that are set to follow in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals this season, it makes it 9 Clasicos lined-up in a 9-month period. This is equal to having a Classic every month. Surprisingly and more or less pleasurably, El Clasico is no longer a “rare” fixture.
How beneficial is this pile of clashes for spectators and the teams’ players themselves? Answers to this question would surely be different. But undoubtedly for some people, the recent strange additions of Clasicos to the calendar has eliminated the exceptional taste that used to be felt at the mention of what is actually on of club football’s most followed matches.
With all these derbies in the last few months, it is fair enough to think that both Real Madrid and Barcelona have had too many chances to show who Spain’s most dangerous club is in the on-going football era. Yes, if this pile of encounters had been predicted years ago, one would have easily anticipated a recurrent exchange of power between the two league contenders.
Somehow though, the games we all witnessed proved otherwise. Looking at the results that emerged, it was clear that it was Barcelona who managed to impose themselves quite comfortably - winning three Clasicos, drawing three and losing only a single one.
Knowing that Real Madrid are powered by superstars such as Jose Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas, such head-to-head facts are hard to accept. Indeed, genuine facts of the past cannot be altered; but in any case, Los Cules are aware that nothing can make them permanently favourites.
They’ll once again have to give their very best twice in a space of seven days against Real Madrid, if ever they wish to avoid a bitter Copa del Rey exit. Possibly, what increases the excitement ahead of the approaching Clasicos is the fact that Barcelona will be looking to take their revenge for the defeat they suffered in last season’s Spanish Cup final - while Real will be looking to clarify their image and correct the mistakes that penalized them in their last Clasico matches.
So still, there are many diverse points making the upcoming Copa del Rey showdowns noteworthy. Nevertheless, there is no denying that the charm of El Clasico is undergoing a heavy transformation, if not disappearing.
El Clasico is no longer the unique match that decides who is the better side between Real Madrid and Barcelona. In fact, it is now a regular contest of payback, in which the titans involved never finish settling their businesses.
Should Real Madrid manage to win over the two legs, then they would not be stamping their authority over Barcelona. Instead, while they would be recording a major historic victory, they would be heating the spirits of their enemies, who would eventually attempt to retaliate in April - when the two teams meet again for the 10th time in 12 months.
It is true that Spanish football fans have already had enough to enjoy. This, nonetheless, does not mean that there couldn’t be more to expect. In truth, 2012 could be as bizarre for Real and Barca as 2011. A pair of meetings in the UEFA Champions League again this season could even add to the programs of both powerhouses.
But too much of everything is bad and one can never tell… More of those again this year could rapidly make fans lose interest in El Clasico itself.
Dangerously for Spanish football, the country’s highest ranking fixture could already be losing its value, implicitly… At least, this is the case for goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who reportedly told Mundo Deportivo:
“When there are few (clashes), it's agreeable, (but) when there are a lot you get tired (of them). In my opinion, as we’ve played so many games, (El Clasico) sometimes feels a little decaffeinated.”
