Whenever supporters of Real Madrid and Barcelona whine, bleat and stomp their feet about how they are so, so, so hard done by when it comes to referees, La Liga Loca always reminds such complainants of the notion of 'swings and roundabouts' in football and how everything tends to even itself up at the end of the season.
Of course, this largely falls of deaf ears, with the same supporters wandering off muttering âÂÂVillaratoâ and âÂÂAnti-Villaratoâ under their breaths.
But the philosophy came into play in BarcelonaâÂÂs double header with AC Milan. Alexis Sanchez was denied a decent penalty shout in the first leg, but the Catalan club got a favourable decision in the second. Alessandro NestaâÂÂs naughty tug on Sergio Busquets, a player who doesnâÂÂt need much encouragement to go to ground, was spotted by the referee, who (eventually) pointed to the spot.
The happy-go-lucky Zlatan Ibrahimovic was not impressed. âÂÂI now know what Mourinho meant about coming to the Camp Nouâ the Swede grumbled. Meanwhile, the Madrid managerâÂÂs âÂÂspokesmanâ Eladio Paramés tweeted âÂÂafter the first 45 minutes we now know who is going to win the Champions League.âÂÂ
LLL says simply "themâÂÂs the breaks."
Barça were the better side over the two matches and will now feature in their fifth Champions League semi-final in a row, a feat that has Sport tickled pink, with the paper declaring PepâÂÂs Dream Boys âÂÂKing of the ChampionsâÂÂ.
âÂÂBarcelona are officially the best team of the 21st century. Three titles and five consecutive semi-finals show this,â boasts LluÃÂs Mascaró, who is already looking forward to a Clásico-themed final and what could be a major, major back pedal should Barcelona eventually come out second best. âÂÂThe winner of this âÂÂmother of all finalsâ would be the âÂÂchampion of championsâÂÂ. The loser would suffer a difficult to overcome sporting and psychological reverse.âÂÂ
The may be a distinct lack of similar tension in Wednesday nightâÂÂs Champions League clash between Real Madrid and APOEL, with the Spanish side 3-0 up from the first leg and hosting their Cypriot rivals in the Santiago Bernabeu, where the home team only tend to lose to sides rhyming with âÂÂCarcelonaâÂÂ.
So, plenty of opportunity for mischief, especially from AS, who have this week been peddling the story that Kun Agüero will be coming to Real Madrid over the summer, with Gonzalo HiguaÃÂn and â¬10 million going to Manchester City, where the former Rojiblanco player is reportedly not happy.
When probed on this possible move, José Mourinho poo-pooed it completely, claiming it was a false story and that âÂÂif I comment on false front pages (all the time) then nothing will get done.âÂÂ
There is a hanging-in-the-balance theme to the three la Liga teams in action in the Europa League on Thursday. Atlético Madrid are heading to Germany to take on Hannover in a clash where a slender 2-1 advantage is held by the âÂÂHombres!â of Diego Simeone.
Valencia are on the brink of oblivion, with poor Unai Emery facing a game in an angry Mestalla against AZ Alkmaar, who have a 2-1 lead from the first leg. Meanwhile, European heroes Athletic Bilbao will be defending a 4-2 advantage in San Mamés against Schalke, with Marca predicting a giant tribute from the home fans for the former Real Madrid man, Raúl. LLL has a feeling that this may be a dream that wonâÂÂt be coming true.
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