Barca 5-0 Real Madrid El Clasico

El Clasico has become arguably the most highly anticipated match not only within the circles of everyone associated with the Spanish La Liga, but also in the whole football universe. This is a match in which anyone attempting to predict the result prior to the match objectively and rationally would throw in bombastic predictions such as a thrilling 3-2 victory for one of the sides or an explosive 4-4 stalemate. On paper and on an ideal world, this match would produce that kind of result, but too bad, football matches are not being played on paper and that this world is too dynamic to be considered ideal. So there we go, Jose Mourinho's and this season's very first El Clasico did not really provide fans around the world with the aforementioned explosive results as many would have predicted, but instead of a result befitting a match which is likely to be the determining factor of which team wins the La Liga title this season, it ended just like a match between the champions and a relegation fodder. 5-0 for Barcelona, the defending champions.

One could not help but think that it was Real Madrid B or even C team that was on show last night against the mighty Barcelona. But a look at the team sheet revealed that it was indeed Real Madrid's full strength team that was up against Barcelona last night and the massive 5-0 victory of Barcelona over Real Madrid only further substantiated the already much substantiated fact, and I dare say the status quo that Barcelona is the best team in the whole world. Prior to the match, nobody, even among the Barcelona faithful dared to predict this victory, let alone the margin and the sheer easiness in which it was achieved and it was mainly owed to the fact that a certain Portuguese manager who is known among the Barca faithful as “The Translator”. Yes, the Mourinho effect is that big and also further enhanced by the fact that teams managed by the self proclaimed “Special One” have all been famous for their rock-solid defense.

It is a very well known fact that Real Madrid have been a rather imbalanced machine with superb attacking firepower but porous and pathetic defensive line. Thus, the marriage between Mourinho and Real Madrid seemed to be a match made in heaven. With Mourinho's knack of strengthening and disciplining the defense of his team, and Real Madrid's already burgeoning firepower, it would seem that it is finally the time that Real Madrid becomes the perfect titan which is more than capable of overturning Barcelona's imperious hegemony.

Whatever happened last night, it was not to be as Real Madrid were totally torn to shreds by Barcelona. They were outclassed in every single department, and instead of playing the free flowing attacking football that their fans are yearning so much, they were reduced to frustrated figures on the pitch and it showed throughout the game during various incidents such as Cristiano Ronaldo's needless shove on Pep Guardiola, Barcelona's manager as well as Sergio Ramos' tantrums during injury time towards Carles Puyol. Basically, a look at the cards accumulated by Real Madrid's players simply explained Real Madrid's mental state throughout the humiliating match.

From here on, it remains to be seen whether we have seen this season's champions already after that match or not. Barcelona have leapfrogged Real Madrid in the La Liga standings and are 2 points clear at the time of writing at the summit of the league. With this defeat, whether Jose Mourinho wants to admit or not, Real Madrid's morale is surely at an all time low and despite the much cited fact that Real Madrid is still far stronger than the rest of the La Liga sides, there is no guarantee that they will still win the remaining matches after losing the El Clasico.

The same can of course be said to Barcelona, however. After this match, Barcelona will be buoyed by this massive victory, and unlike Real Madrid, their morale is sky high right now and they seem set to continue on to stroll easily past the rest of the La Liga sides and that the next El Clasico at the Stantiago Bernabeu stadium seems set to become a dead rubber match in which the Real Madrid players have to be prepared to stand as the infamous “Pasillo guards” to honor the champions, as humiliating as it could be. But like what has been mentioned earlier, there is also no guarantee that Barcelona would not capitulate against the rest of the La Liga especially to tricky sides such as Valencia and even Real Mallorca, and of course, the Mourinho factor lingers on and he will look to pounce on Barcelona with mind-games through the media or otherwise to bring down Barcelona and the acid test will be how Pep Guardiola responds to Mourinho's jibes from now on.

All in all, great Clasico to start this week and despite the no-contest victory by Barcelona over Real Madrid, La Liga will remain a very interesting two horse race between two biggest teams in the whole world.