Tongues have never been as busy in Spain as they were on Wednesday morning, a statement that perhaps requires some clarification.
In Madrid, they were being bitten. In Barcelona they were being used to lick wounds. In Sevilla, the fun-packed Feria (the city's April Fair) is taking place, so itâÂÂs best not to speculate as to what kind of naughtiness may have been going on.
The mood in the Catalan camp is not a good one, after Chelsea did their defensive thang on Tuesday night to knock Barcelona out of the Champions League. The 2-2 draw saw the Londoners gain a spot of slobbering revenge for the events of Stamford Bridge '09, when the luck was very much against the English team, a fact that appears to have been overlooked by the local papers, from what LLL can gather.
The general vibe in the Barça media in response to a setback which leaves the Copa del Rey as the teamâÂÂs only realistic hope of a trophy is a mixture of disappointment, moaning, taking it on the chin and the usual dose of smugness, though perhaps in smaller quantities than usual.
The bravado is provided by the front pages of both Mundo Deportivo and Sport. The former reminds fans who may be feeling a little down in the dumps that âÂÂto be Barça is to be the best there isâÂÂ, while its rival bemoans the unfairness of football on the front cover
Of course, Chelsea would disagree, having handed Barcelona about 98% possession, had their numbskull captain sent off and even given away a penalty to hand their Spanish opposition a chance of beating them. Statistics underlining the dominance of Barcelona over Chelsea stuffed into both papers, but the Catalans were lacking in the area that matters most - goals. '47 chances, a missed penalty, four posts hit', bemoaned Sport, with Josep Maria Casanovas lamenting that âÂÂthey were up against a Chelsea side who were more efficient, had more luck and knew how to take the few chances they had.âÂÂ
Mundo DeportivoâÂÂs Santi Nolla leads the clarion call, with the reminder that âÂÂBarça fell with their heads held high, faithful to a style but less fresh than normal.âÂÂ
Madridistas would usually love nothing better than some serious taunting and pee-taking at their rivalâÂÂs expense, however Real MadridâÂÂs own future in the competition is by no means secure, with Bayern Munich taking a 2-1 lead into the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night. âÂÂDonâÂÂt you fail,â commands MarcaâÂÂs front cover, with a picture of a celebrating Cristiano Ronaldo next to poor Leo Messi from the previous evening.
MadridâÂÂs biggest concern will be a leaky defence that is generally not a its strongest in the Santiago Bernabeu, so there is the suspicion that if Bayern score it could be the end of the Spanish sideâÂÂs Champions League run. If fact, so spooked is the club that it has run the familiar âÂÂfans are the 12th manâ style campaign, something LLL has always been baffled by. After all, if supporters canâÂÂt raise themselves for a Champions League semi-final, when can they?
LLL is predicting a long night being forced to cheer on their team for the Real Madrid fans, predicting a 2-1 win after 90 minutes and penalties to follow. And the blog wouldnâÂÂt want to bet against a German team in that scenario.
