"A lot of noise and little Clasico": How local press reacted to FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid draw

The Catalan press is unimpressed with yesterday's El Clasico between La Liga giants FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The match ended ended with a goalless draw, which was the first case since 2002. The local press have reacted to the fixture, considering it as a failed one for both sides, as Barcelona couldn't cope with Real Madrid's game pressure. On the same time, Real, having some pluses in their game, couldn't score a winning goal and sit on the top of the La Liga table. SPORT's new edition has been printed with the headline "A lot of noise and little Clasico". Within it Didac Peyret has shared his thoughts about the clash, saying: "Announced as the most even Clasico of recent times, the match met its premise. Another thing was [the quality of the] football, which only appeared in drops in a game that lacked passion, protagonists and those memorable moments that remain in the retina of Clasicos." Peyret's colleague, Pichichi Alonso, wrote: "[It was a] sad draw for a Barcelona dominated in many moments of the match by Real Madrid, who suffered a lot in defense. Barcelona was uncomfortable with the high pressure of the Real Madrid players. [And] this forced them to look for the long ball from Ter Stegen to Luis Suarez or [Antoine] Griezmann to find a solution and be able to reach the top [of the pitch], although they failed." "Real Madrid was superior in the combinations, gaining possession in many moments of the match and playing in the opposite [half of the] field in most of this Clasic," it was added. Director Ernest Folch thinks though Real Madrid have "more football today",  they have lost the chance to beat their rivals. He told: "The Clasico leaves a curiously dissonant message [that is] little faithful to tradition: Madrid has more football today [i.e. plays better] but Barça has more punch. Apparently Real Madrid can make the most positive reading of the two because they came alive, and also as a visitor, and can say that this year, finally, they will not throw LaLiga [away]. But at the same time it leaves a disturbing question in the air: If Madrid did not win this Clasico, when will they win? They certainly missed a golden opportunity, which they [could have taken]." Meanwhile, Carme Barcelo promised "We’ll see you in the Bernabeu." Santi Nolla thinks during the clash Madrid could contribute more pressure to the game: "The club is usually a worker bee that produces super honey. Yesterday, FC Barcelona gave the feeling that it acted more like a wasp. They did not work to store excellence, but tried to knock down the opposition. Madrid won the battle of the pressure."  While Roger Torello claimed "The facts don’t lie: Barça lost the battle in the midfield", Fernando Polo spoke of “room for improvement”, saying"A club with several legends in its ranks gave, despite being at home, the image of a team somewhat at the mercy of a more energetic and better located Madrid. Barça could kill the counter [attack] but the feeling is that Valverde’s team lacked control. The age of some [of the players makes them] no longer able to cope with high pressure from the opposition on a sustained basis.” The Catalan giants will face each other again on March 1 next year.

Source: Forbes

Jurgen Klopp outlines what Takumi Minamino will add to Liverpool squad