Santander League: Madrid vs. Bara: the thorny path to the classic | LaLiga Santander 2019

Difficult games against Levante and Eibar and the return of the Champions League with potholes the days before the crucial duel at the Bernabu.

Speak, with a smile, Zinedine Zidane: I know that in March and April is where everything is played, but at m I only care about the here and now, the day to day, the game against Levante. Speak, without a smile, Quique Setin. I will not book anything, nothing conditions me neither the Champions nor the following matches. With or without a smile, they lie. Better written, and since this is simply football, they don't tell the truth.

The trainers of Real Madrid and Barcelona s think beyond this saturday. It's not that they don't think about the present, that they do, but it is unlikely to think that they don't in the next few days. Exactly, in the next seven days. Not even Madrid is going to be easy win in the field of Levante nor to Bara surpass the Eibar even at the Camp Nou. But, this being the most immediate, the horizon is drawn much worse.

In the middle of next week the Champions returns, demanding for both of them, and they close the circle on Sunday, at the Bernabu, against each other in the party that is going to decide, especially in case of victory of the whites, the League. That March 1 could be the beginning of the end for one of the two depending on how the circumstances occurred. In a qualifying order, it should first be fixed in Madrid.

Zidane's 'tetris'

Zidane is no longer injured (except those known for Asensio and Mariano) so that you have all the ingredients to make the salad that converts each alignment lately. Sometimes it works out well and sometimes, as recently, not so well (Real Sociedad in Copa and Celta in Liga).

We are fitting more goals, that means that we have not been so good, Zanne yesterday zanj, which the field of the Levant is not bad at all (not lost since 2012). That s, almost always suffers, so tonight does not look like a ride. But the worst will come later. On Wednesday the Champions returns, the round of 16 return, where the team fell last year against the Ajax, And he does it in a big way. In front, the Manchester City of Pep Guardiola, a team with a brutal offensive potential (and almost the same defensive weakness, that s). Finally, the writing: the classic on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabu.

Zidane must distribute his cards between these three matches. Rodrygo, Vinicius, Isco, Bale, Lucas Vzquez, Modric, Kroos, Valverde, Casemiro … A number of combinations that escapes even mathematics. A system of three strikers or four midfielders, including five as in the Super Cup of Spain. Everything is open, more seeing the background, indecipherable, of the French, oblivious to the critics that have caused that constant carousel of changes. l believe in rotations, believe in players entering and leaving the lineups and will not change. In case anyone doubted it, just listen to him yesterday. I live with my ideas, he affirmed.

A horrible precedent

What nobody wants to remember in Madrid was the horrible week that destroyed the whole season last year. In 10 days, I lost twice with Barcelona (semifinals of Cup 0-2 and League 0-1) and was devastated by Ajax in the round of 16 (1-4). Does anyone remember what was the match immediately prior to that succession of misfortunes? S, in the field of the Levant, with victory (1-2).

A point behind Madrid walks the Bara, convulsed by the future of a directive, and a president, as a minimum errticos. Sometimes you think that certain things affect us, and that is not the case, said Setin, who already has his last signing, but does not even complete a call with players only from the first team. Receive the uncomfortable Eibar from Mendilbar, but then travel to Naples, to San Paolo, to an uncomfortable scenario and against an opponent who print a rhythm that Bara has a hard time reaching. The Bernabu, that s, is land conquered lately, but that is no use.