I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 806: Chapter 57: Guardiola and Mourinho Face Off

Tottenham was eliminated without surprise, and next, it’s time for the real drama to start after their exit.

No one is really talking about Tottenham’s match; people are more eagerly awaiting the arrival of next weekend because of Manchester and Spain. European football will enter a true derby frenzy.

Considering the weakness of the other semifinalists in the FA Cup, the Manchester Derby between Manchester United and Manchester City is almost a premature final - similar to 1999, the Red Devils face the first step towards the treble challenge.

Similarly, for Spain, the two classic national derbies within four days will determine the ownership of both the league and King’s Cup trophies.

Historically, the maximum number of derby matches in a single season across the five major leagues is only four, specifically the 1958/59 season Derby de Madrid, the 1959/60 Spanish National Derby, and the 2002/03 Derby della Madonnina.

Therefore, for fans, having five Spanish National Derbies in a single season must be a historically crazy achievement.

For Mourinho, who is skilled in knockout stages, the national derby is also an important match to truly prove himself.

Once the ”World Series” between Barcelona and Real Madrid begins, it will be the most thrilling series of matches in people’s memory, further proving that in Spain, anyone besides Barcelona and Real Madrid is inconsequential.

At this moment, all those excellent clubs, super teams, and genius players are overshadowed by the ”Battle of the Century”, at least for the next two weeks.

In the coming two and a half weeks, exaggerated rhetoric, opportunistic practices, shortsighted comments, and provocations will consistently emerge. The goal of both sides in the battle is to utterly destroy their opponents while burying everyone else.

But this might also be beneficial for other teams. Athletic Bilbao’s coach Caparros said, ”The more matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the more other teams can focus on their own work peacefully.”

One thing is for sure: the number of matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona this season is already unprecedented.

They will face each other four times in 18 days, and the match results will determine the championship distribution of all competitions: La Liga, King’s Cup, and the Champions League.

The two teams had previously met twice on the European stage - Real Madrid twice repelled Barcelona - but such circumstances as this year have never occurred before.

This Saturday, Real Madrid will host Barcelona in a La Liga match.

Next Wednesday, the two teams will play in the King’s Cup final at Mestalla Stadium.

In the ensuing two weeks, they will contest home-and-away legs in the Champions League semifinal.

Continual confrontations may create an illusion: are they really having distinct conversations in La Liga, King’s Cup, and Champions League, or are their four encounters just a serial drama deciding all honors?

When two teams face each other multiple times consecutively, predictions inevitably arise: Will they reach an agreement to split the championship trophies across various competitions?

No, Hitler and Stalin may have reached agreements, but Real Madrid and Barcelona will never sign any agreement.

Once the whistle blows, these two teams will fight tooth and nail.

Will the final result be a winner-takes-all scenario?

Barcelona’s ”Godfather” Cruyff pointed out on Monday that to win all championships, Barcelona doesn’t need to win all four matches: they only need to win the second and fourth matches, namely by beating Real Madrid in the King’s Cup final and the second leg of the Champions League semifinal.

On the surface, he’s right. Last season, Mourinho’s Inter Milan faced Barcelona four times and only won twice but still reached the Champions League final.

However, if Barcelona fails to win the first and third matches, can they succeed in the second and fourth? If they lose two matches, will the other two matches be harder or easier? In certain matches, can players strategically allocate their energy and condition?

As Cruyff emphasized, Barcelona must compete in every match and then learn from the previous one while preparing for the next.

Isn’t it the same for Real Madrid? After all, there is only one Champions League champion, and even if the two teams gain rewards on various fronts, only one will ultimately stand atop Europe.

The series of matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona have spawned several intriguing questions: To what extent will one match psychologically, physically, and tactically impact another? Will coaches hold onto some aces to play at critical moments? In short, there will always be numerous questions before each ”Battle of the Century.”

How much difference will there be between the games?

How much will the results from the previous match change preparations for the next?

How much will the subsequent match impact preparations for the previous one?

Does Guardiola have more faith in his starting lineup, or does Mourinho believe Real Madrid has more available players, thus holding an advantage? Will Mourinho implement a rotation policy in these matches?

The first match seems least significant but could ultimately have the most impact, setting the tone for the matches that follow?