In a classic there are always pending accounts. And if there is a title at stake, even if it is of second order, much more. In Riyadh it couldn't be any other way. Xavi Hernández and Carlo Ancelotti, sportsmanship through, smile, greet each other, respect each other and pose with the trophy at the Al Awwal Park stadium. But they want their teams to not give up today. Barça because it seeks to repeat its Super Cup champion title and possibly repeat a performance as outstanding as last season's. Madrid because they want to get even for that defeat and because they reach the final with a confidence that comes out of their ears.
It is not for less. The whites have accumulated 20 games without losing. Barça has conveyed many more doubts, always irregular in its football and lukewarm in the areas. But the final served as a turning point a year ago and the same objective crossed his path. To successfully navigate it, a Xavi, more Xavi than ever, appeared yesterday. The one that says “if you don't want style and philosophy, then two cups.” The one who comments that if you don't like people talking about the model, then model through and through. He asks his men ad nauseam to be faithful to the history of the club and that means not deviating from the canons that Johan Cruyff established. To do so, the coach considers that last year's final in which Barcelona won 3-1 is the mirror.
“The example of the previous campaign is the ideal, the one we have to try to repeat. We have to dominate with the ball and impose our personality. I think we came in a little worse than Madrid but when the game starts everything will be equal and there will be no favorites,” Xavi started.
The Barcelona coach did not want to confirm that he is going to repeat the formula of the four midfielders that was key a year ago, but he does consider that the football of that day is the guide. “The idea is very clear to me, we have to take the ball away from Madrid whether we play with three midfielders, four or five. Our idea is to surpass the opponent with our style from 30 years ago, the one instilled by Johan Cruyff. Last year we were very proud and this is the path we are looking for. We have to be faithful to Cruyffism.”
Meanwhile, Ancelotti does not deviate from his pragmatism and the competitive security that he sees in his players. Nothing upsets the Italian. He looks attentively, raises his eyebrow and answers the questions without ever speeding up his pulse. Self-control and tranquility at the service of the group. And so he has been in the world of football for countless years. Adding matches and winning titles. This Sunday he will try to lead his team to win the Super Cup on the day he will surpass Zidane in number of games as coach of Real Madrid. Only Miguel Muñoz will be ahead of him. “I have never seen a player like Zidane in training and later when he was my assistant he helped me a lot to adapt to the club and Spanish football,” Ancelotti gave him. If Madrid beats Barcelona today, the Italian will equal the Frenchman's eleven titles on the Madrid bench. “I will be happy if we win but titles are something to look at from time to time in the showcase. I always think about the day after, that whatever happens we have to continue.”
Xavi is very interested in how, Ancelotti is above all interested in what. “If we play better than Barcelona we will have a better chance of winning, but I will also be happy if we win even if we don't deserve it too much,” he stated bluntly.
It's not that Barcelona is now going to become the heavenly team for which its coach acted as a metronome, but it surely has more football than it has taught. And more so with Pedri recovered, with Gündogan in command and with De Jong providing his quality. But in Madrid they do have plenty of something, it's midfielders. All of them, and all of them good, are at the disposal of Ancelotti, who can opt for more muscle or more control depending on what the game demands. Because it can be a long match, with the possibility of extra time, and here the players who come off the bench must be vital, as was demonstrated in the Madrid derby. The whites suffered great wear and tear but have had one more day of recovery.
Joan Laporta and Florentino Pérez will see it from the box. Yesterday they met at a reception at the Spanish embassy in Riyadh. They are united by their interest in the Super League. For everything else ancient rivalry. Today, another chapter.
