Cristiano Ronaldo is back just in time for El Clasico on the 29th and now we get to see what real impact his absence has had on a team of which is not an emotional leader.
As Madrid has gone “committee” in filling in for Ronaldo will a young buck step up and say “I want my minutes” or will he simply waltz back onto the pitch and we’ll all pray that he isn’t too rusty? In a Derby like this I think it’s hardly a good idea to just shake your team up by putting someone back in who’s been gone for so long (I don’t care how much you paid for him or whether you could actually afford it or not!)
Ronaldo can only have two impacts: 1) He plays extremely well and looks fresh and rested and Madrid absolutely destroys Barca or 2) He looks awful because he’s so rusty and Barca walks away a winner.
I’m not really seeing how we can have any in between.
Also, there’s the whole “is Leo Messi going to play thing” and that really just puts Barca on edge. IF Barca wins it will be close because Messi is still actively hurt in some way whereas I truly believe that Ronaldo is perfectly fine now. However, no one really knows except those two players so all we can do is sit back and watch.
Barca being uneasy is not really going to help them since they are the defending European Champions and any sign of weakness will be quickly jumped upon by other squads, but that “pounce factor” might be a little smaller than with other clubs…
Because Kaka, Benzema, Xabi, and Ronaldo are all playing their first derby with Barcelona. I mean, you don’t get the enormity of the game (especially when you’re a hired gun and you clearly play for money) until you get there and see all those people who want to see you burn. Only then will it click.
Potentially, it won’t click for the Madrid boys because the more I write about them the less heart I see in them. They don’t have “it”…the “it” that wins championships.
Barca – 1 Real Madrid – 0
