"Even Messi ..." When Omar Da Fonseca begins a sentence in this way, it is that the time for great clasicos is over. Former PSG or Monaco striker, the 60-year-old Argentinian analyzes the clash between Real and Barça this Sunday evening (9 p.m.), which he will comment on like every year on BeIN Sports. But with a certain nostalgia ...
Has the replacement of coach at FC Barcelona really changed anything?
OMAR DA FONSECA. Of course not. In life, apart from a dictatorship, one cannot impose or establish rules. In any field, it is the sum of individualities which makes it possible to obtain a collective. At Barça, we gargle to say that it takes possession ... But it's mediocre!
Is it a player problem?
Barça football is playing in the opposing camp, dribbling, overflowing, fast transmissions, surprising your opponent ... Pique, Busquets, Rakitic have this aspect in them. But time means that a player like Busquets can no longer move as before. He no longer does any pressing. It lacks tone, speed. It doesn't matter who the coach is, whether Guardiola or Klopp. Even Messi ... Before he was capable of twenty accelerations and now it's limited to ten per match at most.
Does Real Madrid suffer from the same evils?
It's a bit the same. We put a label on players like Modric, Marcelo, Kroos, but they are no longer capable of the previous games. I am told that they must be respected. But it's not disrespectful to say that you prefer fish to meat or vice versa. Look at Real Madrid, with one or two exceptions, it's the same eleven as it was five years ago!
Barça and Real therefore face a renewal problem.
Football is the only economic sector where you have to change things when everything is going well, even very well. How to thank Modric or Busquets? It is not easy but it is necessary. Already, the first leg ( Editor's note: 0-0 ) was a sign. The wear of time is compulsory. For us spectators too. There is less adrenaline.
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What scenario can we expect?
The clasico remains an extraordinary match, which goes well beyond 90 minutes. The suspense is real at the head of the Championship. We will see an interesting match, because the antagonism, the difference between two clubs, two environments still exist. The match remains attractive. I just hope they will play to win. I want to review the clasicos from before.
Is it possible with Real Madrid becoming the second best defense in the Championship?
Zidane was more or less obliged. Without Hazard, who was already injured at the start of the season, he wanted to close the shop to compensate for the few goals scored. Real Madrid have scored nearly 20 fewer goals than Barça, which is very unusual. After Benzema, the top scorer is Sergio Ramos, who is a penalty shooter. Isco, Modric, Kroos do not score goals. So when you have few scorers, you become very neutralizable.