The battle is about to finish, but there is still one match to play, next Tuesday May 3rd, to be precise. But it is not just a game; it has almost turned into a major state issue since the last announcements by the coaches of both teams Real Madrid and FC Barcelona which have been heating up the situation. Apart from the choppy match we could see last Wednesday in Madrid’s stadium which ended 0-2 for Barça with Mourinho being expelled from the game for bad behaviour having to sit on the stands, the same happened to Pinto, Barça’s second goalkeeper who was also sent off without even being put in the game, as I said, the interesting matter lies in their crossed announcements.

Staying in one of the apartments in Barcelona during these days is such a spectacle! We have been witnessing what can only be described in a verbal tennis match of one of the biggest rivalries and there is still a week left for us to “enjoy” the show both teams offer us.
After Mou has been constantly attacking the referees, putting forward his team was a victim of bad refereeing, he finally attacked Pep Guardiola personally, but being the classy gentleman that he is, Pep “exploded” and said “Mourihno is the fucking boss at this press conferences. Let’s see what happens on the field.”

While Mou opted for quoting Einstein by saying: “A dude called Albert, Albert Einstein, who once said that the only motion force greater than that of vapour, or electricity is willpower. And this dude, Albert, was not stupid. This is what I say to my players to motivate them”. To what Pep Guardiola, also in his own unique manners, responded with the singer-songwriter Lluís Llach, a Catalan symbol very admired by Pep himself: “We have fallen many times as a team and as a country (referring to Catalonia) and we have got up again. My country is so small that from the top of a belfry my neighbour’s belfry can always be seen”.

After the first round match at Madrid’s home, Pep continued in his own style, pledging for prudence whilst Mourinho seemed to have gone mad. “I would be ashamed if I had won a Champions League like Guardiola has”, to what Guardiola has not answered yet.

So, one represents provocation, the other, prudence, cockiness vs elegance., fear vs football. We will have to wait until next Tuesday to know who will make it to the final of the Champions League. Let’s see if Mourinho with his mediocre tactics of “let’s try to draw 0-0” wins, as he did last week at the Copa del Rey, or if it will be Pep this time who will impose perfect football overall.

Lucky you if you have Barcelona accommodation and can experience this amazing atmosphere caused by the last match of the season between the two teams among their supporters.