It's just a nut house in the transfer market right now. Then again this is nothing new really, because it's always like this after a season. Perez of Los Merengues, however, is doing nothing new either. Absolutely nothing. In fact, as he burns the Madrid club's funds away in the search of his galacticos nuevos one is assured that history will likely repeat itself. If that's how the Madridistas want it, fine. Let them travail the circle of suffering once more. I thought better of Florentino when he stepped down as president of Real Madrid in late February of 2006. He appeared a man willing to take the fall for a road of ruin that was his legacy. But this ... this is just unbelievable.

As a culé it's somewhat unsettling to see that the Nemesis has already secured the services of Pellegrini as coach, as well as Kaka and...

I had a gut feeling this might happen. Nothing is ever sure in this sport, but something told me Barça would be out for blood. Chelsea, doubtless, had something to do with the unbelievable clarity of the Calatan club's play, and the match's result. Iniesta and Xavi were quite literally electric with possibility--Masters of Reality those two. They touched the ball and the situation altered, space appeared, a body would vector in, and the Pass would slice through. Toure backed them up solidly, overseeing the hole and pouncing on threats. I should stop with the names because it really was the entire squad who were responsible for that mauling of Real Madrid. The squad were firing smoother than a Porche 911, and their passing was otherworldly, such was the precision and timing. Runs with and without the ball were continuous and creative. The caliber of play was rare, even for the Blaugrana. It was a good day ...

Barça are well and truly pissed after the Champions League match. The Catalan club came to play and the other side decided to stand in front of goal as a group, and limit their movement to their own third of the pitch primarily. Yes, it was a Chelsea supporter's wet dream and one helluva poor football match for most anyone else on planet Earth.

So where does that leave Barcelona? The next encounter at Stamford Bridge isn't until 6 May. Oh wait, there's Real Madrid on Saturday! Perfect. All this Catalan rage has to find an outlet somewhere, so what better place to trash than the Bernabeu and its team?  After that farce of a game on Tuesday, heads will definitely have to roll. Real Madrid may see this as an opportunity to shorten Barça's lead in La Liga, and maybe under normal circumstances it might be reasonable to...

What is it about this rivalry between the Blaugrana and Los Merengues? Their joint history has been anchored on culture (Catalan vs Castilian) and politics (Nationalist vs Republic). Nowadays, there may be more similarities than differences, but the old rivalry will never diminish which is just as well. Why, you ask? For the simple reason that I think Real Madrid are, well, Real Meh.

On the other hand, life without a Nemesis makes life for a Giant rather dull, so I guess one should be grateful for the simple fact that a 'Real Madrid' exists. And at some intellectual level I do. It does take two to play the game, after all. But that doesn't mean I have to like them, or that I can't wish a crushing defeat upon them with every match they play. Or that the gods of football will rain misfortune upon them and their kind for ages...

I'll keep this short since there were no surprises and FCB won as expected. Real Madrid kept the score down due to their highly organized 11-man defense, something that was expected given their gutted squad and morale. It's difficult for any club to play in this situation, and an effective counterattack can make you pay if you try to breach such a packed box. But, fortunately, that club was FC Barcelona, and taking on a packed defense is the norm for them. Hence, no huge score, but another victory, and another clean sheet. As one commenter pointed out, had Real Madrid had a healthier squad, they might have lost by a margin of 4-1 or 5-2. This because los Merengues may have tried to take it to the Blaugrana, and they would've been seriously punished for it. Anyway, good game. Real Madrid gave it their best shot with what resources they had, but in the end they are yet another three points for the ...