Barca-Madrid rivalry to continue for forseeable future

FC Barcelona proved once again on Wednesday night that they are still the side to beat in Spain as they claimed the Spanish Supercup with a 5-4 aggregate triumph over bitter rivals Real Madrid. However, if Real Madrid showed anything over the 180 minutes of tense and exciting football that decided the Supercup, it is that they will once again provide the major challenge to the Catalans this season. The distribution of money for television rights in Spain, in which each club negotiates its own individual deal, means that the "big two" each earn almost four times more than their nearest rivals - Valencia or Villarreal. That money is spent on world class players and this summer has allowed Barcelona to pay a total of 65 million euro to buy Cesc Fabrigas an Alexis Sanchez. Real Madrid have also been active over the summer, signing Nuri Sahin, Fabio Coentrao, Rafael Varene, Hamit Altintop and Jose Callejon. Along with Malaga, who have the benefit of being owned by an Arab multimillionaire, the three clubs have occupied over 60 percent of the spending in Spanish football this summer. The last two seasons have seen Madrid finish second to Barcelona in the BBVA Primera Liga table, but on both occasions Madrid have ended the campaign over 20 points ahead of Valencia. Last season saw Madrid score six goals away to Valencia and do the same away to Sevilla, who finished fifth. They also won away to fourth placed Villarreal and sixth placed Athletic Club. In short, it is almost impossible for any side that is not Barcelona or Madrid to get anywhere near the title, something which is not healthy for the Spanish game. With Barcelona and Madrid so dominant, the two sides are playing each other more and more often: this season they have already played twice in the Supercup, while last year saw the "marathon" of four "Classicos" in three weeks. Familiarity may not breed contempt, but it does allow personal conflicts on and off the pitch to become magnified as shown in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal which led to Mourinho being handed a four game touchline ban for his post match commented, and in the ugly scenes at the end of the Supercup, when both sides squared up following an ugly challenge by Madrid defender Marcelo in front of the dugouts. Their dominance means that as well as their two scheduled league matches, the two sides could well meet again in the later stages of the Copa del Rey or the Champions League: a possible 8 matches over the course of the season. Part of the problem comes from Mourinho's tactics; unable to match Barcelona's passing game, Madrid rely on a display of physical power to accompany the skill of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Mesut Ozil in attack. Recent games have seen players such as Pepe, the bete noir of the Camp Nou, Marcelo, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos, all criticized for play that has at times boarded on violence. In response, Barcelona have at times turned to over-reacting to ensure they get decisions following strong challenges, which has led to both clubs swapping accusations. Barcelona accusing Madrid of violence and Madrid accusing Barcelona of cheating. With the pro-Madrid and pro-Barcelona press also getting involved, it is little surprise that people over-react, as seen by the rocks thrown at the coach carrying the Barcelona directors to the Santiago Bernabeu last Sunday. The bad news is that there will be little let up in the tension and that the other 18 sides in Spain's BBVA Primera Liga will become increasingly marginalized. The good news is that we have another campaign of football ahead of us in which fans can compare to contrasting styles and enjoy tense, high-voltage football.