In La Liga it’s clearer than anywhere else where the past ends and when the future begins. The Simeone era at Atletico is passing, and the last few months have been an agony and there are no signs that it will be any different from now on. The Modric-Kroos era at Real Madrid is also passing, and the Valverde-Camavinga-Tchouameni era is so far an unfulfilled promise.
Looking for the future? It’s in Catalunya. Xavi finally managed to turn Barca’s faith around.
Although young, Xavi is a strong conservative, who is banking on the style that made Spain world champions and Barcelona the most beautiful team of the third millennium. Xavi can’t shake from the echoes of tiki-taka. And Gavi and Pedri are, as we recently saw in the Super Cup final (played in Saudi Arabia) against Real Madrid, nothing more than copies of Iniesta and Xavi himself.
Lewa’s second youth
The Pedri-Gavi era is thus beginning and Barcelona has another ace up its sleeve: Lewandowski. The old polish is in his second youth, far from the clouds of Munich, in sunny Barcelona, which is good for knees that are no longer like they were in their twenties.
Barcelona are top of the table, having compromised their European season, but some say that will be an advantage for the coming stages of the La Liga.
Real Madrid are just three points behind in the standings, but they are looking ahead to February’s Champions League double, the replay of last year’s final against Liverpool.
He who makes the least mistakes wins
Looking back Barcelona is the team that made the least mistakes in the first sixteen rounds of La Liga, losing only one game. It’s the team that conceded the fewest goals, just six. And it’s also the team in the best form, capable of giving three goals to Real Madrid on the whistle.
Messi will most likely not return to Barcelona in the summer, as nostalgic Catalan fans still dream of. In the meantime Barca has built a new team that plays in the style of the old one and, taking advantage of the end of other eras, has the opportunity to win trophies.
And Xavi, after all, as I said, became a coach. Gone are the days when it was thought that great footballers could not be good managers. It’s an outdated saying. In the 21st century it no longer applies.
Xavi is just the latest name on a much longer list, where Zidane is still ahead of them all – and will probably end up in Madrid again, as Don Carlo is showing serious signs of fatigue and Florentino Perez likes to play the cards that have been dealt before.
The future is a mix of the distant past, the recent past and the present. All things considered Barcelona are favourites at the moment because Real Madrid, the most glorious team in European history, is suffering badly.
