Not for the first time, it’s the pasillo, rather than the potential end of the Primera title race, that dominates the headlines in the Spanish capital. It was being discussed in squeakily excited terms by the Madrid press as
far back as the winter, when Real Madrid were 10 points clear at the
top and calculations were being done whether or not Barcelona would have
applaud their rivals on to the Camp Nou pitch ahead of their recent
clash, as they did in 2008.
Instead, the talk now is of whether it will be another club not
exactly enamored with all things Madridista going through the ritual -
Athletic Bilbao.
If Málaga beat Barcelona at the Camp Nou in
Wednesday's 8pm kick-off, Real Madrid will be officially crowned league
champions for the 32nd time without kicking a ball, as their match at
San Mamés doesn't get under way until 10pm.
Málaga doing their duty and rolling over will spare some Athletic fans
missing the first five minutes of the match, with rumours suggesting a
group of supporters would boycott the opening stages of the fixture in
order to avoid the accursed ‘pasillo’. This isn’t simply because they
don’t like Real Madrid, it is also a protest against the capital club's
president Florentino Pérez, who barred the Santiago Bernabeu from being a
potential Copa del Rey final venue due to all important toilet repair
work at the stadium, and certainly not due to the fact he didn't fancy
seeing a certain Catalan club having a party on his patch.
The chance of winning la Liga even saw José Mourinho breaking his
radio silence and giving Aitor Karanka a bit of a rest in the pre-match
press conference. However, there may be more quiet to come in the next
few weeks if things go alright on the night. “I’ll do what I always do,”
said the Madrid manager, who is on the brink of winning four league
titles in four countries, “I’ll be as quiet and hidden as possible.”
 |
| Jose - hidden and quiet, just as promised |
No comments:
Post a Comment