Will It Make Any Difference?



So Real Madrid have finally confirmed the worst kept secret in football and Bernd Schuster has gone, to be replaced by the ex-Tottenham (and ex-10 other clubs) Juande Ramos. Whether the Real players will be anymore inclined to play for their new manager than they did for their old one remains to be seen.

This weekend Real travel to the Nou Camp where, on current form and performance, they should be beaten soundly and laughed off the pitch like a travelling vaudeville act. Unfortunately football has a way of hitting you round the face when you least expect it and there's nothing like the chance to impress a new manager at the ground of your biggest rivals when it comes to landing a sucker punch.

Barcelona are imperious at the moment and are looking to extend the nineteen match unbeaten run that they continued on last weekend with the latest demolition of one of their potential rivals for the La Liga title - Valencia. Before that it was an away exhibition of counter attacking football at Sevilla. In Etoo, Henry and, the current best footballer in the world in my opinion, Lionel Messi, Barca have a three man attack that is currently the most potent in Europe. On Sunday they will play against a defence that looks vulnerable every time it is put under pressure having managed to lose against Roma (twice), Sevilla and struggle against city rivals Getafe in recent weeks, they also contrived to be knocked out of the Copa Del Rey by Real Union, a side so small that they play at the same level as the Real Madrid reserves- conceding six goals over the two legs.

If Barcelona win this match on Saturday at the Nou Camp it will end Real Madrid's title hopes for the season and we haven't even reached Christmas. One of the great ironies of Schuster's sacking five days before the two sides meet is that he was the favourite to get the Barcelona job in the summer but the club appointed from within and the ex-Barca favourite Josep 'Pep' Guardiola was promoted. Guardiola was one of Cryuff's 'Dream Team' in the early nineties, a team that included, Hristo Stoichkov, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Albert Ferrer and which won back to back titles in 1990-1 and 1991-2 as well as the 1992 European Cup at Wembley.

There's no reason to think that Barca can't win the Champions League for the second time in four years next May in Rome. They have quality in depth in all areas of the pitch with the exception of goalkeeper where Victor Valdes still remains a curious choice as Number One, they've also provided two of the quartet who dominate the Spanish national team: Xavi and Iniesta, the other two being Cesc and Torres.

As for Real Madrid they find themselves with yet another new manager, success is no guarantee of keeping your job at the Bernabeu as several managers have found out over the past ten years, and defeat in Barcelona will put Juande Ramos under pressure right from the start. I can't wait.