And that's that.
*Sigh*
First things first:
greenpixiehair, congrats. :). I'll never agree anyone should see Ozil cry, but Barca was by far the better team today, and y'all deserved the win. Messi was good, and bb Bojan played well for the bit he was in, from what I saw :). Oh, and Puyol was quite classy after the match, so props to your skipper.
1. To get it out of the way, yes, I hope this is a huge wake up call for the team; having faced a bunch of not so good teams, I guess it was inevitable that we would get at least a little complacent, and hopefully this will be the bucket of cold water we need that will get us back in gear, hungry not just to win, but to play well and to win emphatically. And, hopefully, repay Barca back in kind in April :).
However, that does not excuse the fact that:
2. This was a horrible, horrible game, and I am disappointed. Not just that we lost; that's just something that happens sometimes, even to the best, but playing like you chased down a box of Benadryl with a screwdriver is not something that just happens, it's something that you do when you get complacent from winning against a bunch of lower-level teams, and it's not acceptable when world-class players show up at the pitch and just forget to clock in. I'm disappointed in the team right now, not because they lost but because they didn't even bother fighting - except Ronaldo and Marcelo (whoops, and Pepe too), and man, my heart just breaks for them. I know we had to lose sooner or later, but this is just not how I'd pictured it going down, and against Barcelona...:(.
However:
3. To quote from a comment I made last night:
Seriously, though, I had no idea just how much I was going to love this club - I'm not going to say I *love* them more than Tigres or Liverpool, because those mean a lot to me, and I'm not more loyal to them (hell, Tigres has been my club for life, and they've never really won a damned thing besides interliga, and that barely), but I don't know that the other two inspire so much - passion? IDK. It's just love and passion and the sense that I've lucked into finding something really wonderful and amazing and right with them. Umm. And I feel kind of odd saying that, because I'm a complete noob and everything, and I usually like to know more about a team and their history before I declare my undying loyalty for them, but THIS TEAM IS AWESOME AND I LOVE THEM.
Still relevant.
I try not to emo about it as much as I used to, but y'all know my life is kind of stressful atm - has been for the last year, though it's slowly getting better, and it's difficult to deal with sometimes. But getting up every weekend- coming home from work every Wednesday- and having the privilege of watching this team go out and try to give the most beautiful play of the most beautiful game has really been amazing. It started out as just escapism, but it quickly turned into something more.
I could say much the same thing about LFC and Tigres (my two little engines that couldn't quite, at least not yet, but never have given up), but Real Madrid has been something really special the last couple of months. It's been learning to know the players, why they want to win-why they want to play, and coming to respect and each and every one of them for their passion and their dedication to the game, if nothing else; it's been learning to know Mourinho, watching how he always takes the brunt of the press and works so hard at shaping these men and boys into this amazing team, and coming to admire him, even with his arrogance and his show-off antics; it's been learning to know the other fans, and loving them, their enthusiasm, and their helpfulness and friendliness to n00bs like me. It's been amazing, and I'm so happy I've gotten the chance, and I owe this club my gratitude for it. I haven't been a fan for long, but I hope to be one for the rest of my life.
So I'm not happy with this game, not at all. I'm not happy with how we played, and I'm not happy with how we handled the stress of the game. But I'll wear my kit to class tomorrow and be proud to do so, even if I get shit from the Barca fans at my uni, because this is just one game, just one loss, and we're going to do better next time.
And if we lose next time? I'll wear my kit again, and happily. Win or lose, they're my club for good.
In short?
¡HALA MADRID!
First things first:
greenpixiehair, congrats. :). I'll never agree anyone should see Ozil cry, but Barca was by far the better team today, and y'all deserved the win. Messi was good, and bb Bojan played well for the bit he was in, from what I saw :). Oh, and Puyol was quite classy after the match, so props to your skipper.
1. To get it out of the way, yes, I hope this is a huge wake up call for the team; having faced a bunch of not so good teams, I guess it was inevitable that we would get at least a little complacent, and hopefully this will be the bucket of cold water we need that will get us back in gear, hungry not just to win, but to play well and to win emphatically. And, hopefully, repay Barca back in kind in April :).
However, that does not excuse the fact that:
2. This was a horrible, horrible game, and I am disappointed. Not just that we lost; that's just something that happens sometimes, even to the best, but playing like you chased down a box of Benadryl with a screwdriver is not something that just happens, it's something that you do when you get complacent from winning against a bunch of lower-level teams, and it's not acceptable when world-class players show up at the pitch and just forget to clock in. I'm disappointed in the team right now, not because they lost but because they didn't even bother fighting - except Ronaldo and Marcelo (whoops, and Pepe too), and man, my heart just breaks for them. I know we had to lose sooner or later, but this is just not how I'd pictured it going down, and against Barcelona...:(.
However:
3. To quote from a comment I made last night:
Seriously, though, I had no idea just how much I was going to love this club - I'm not going to say I *love* them more than Tigres or Liverpool, because those mean a lot to me, and I'm not more loyal to them (hell, Tigres has been my club for life, and they've never really won a damned thing besides interliga, and that barely), but I don't know that the other two inspire so much - passion? IDK. It's just love and passion and the sense that I've lucked into finding something really wonderful and amazing and right with them. Umm. And I feel kind of odd saying that, because I'm a complete noob and everything, and I usually like to know more about a team and their history before I declare my undying loyalty for them, but THIS TEAM IS AWESOME AND I LOVE THEM.
Still relevant.
I try not to emo about it as much as I used to, but y'all know my life is kind of stressful atm - has been for the last year, though it's slowly getting better, and it's difficult to deal with sometimes. But getting up every weekend- coming home from work every Wednesday- and having the privilege of watching this team go out and try to give the most beautiful play of the most beautiful game has really been amazing. It started out as just escapism, but it quickly turned into something more.
I could say much the same thing about LFC and Tigres (my two little engines that couldn't quite, at least not yet, but never have given up), but Real Madrid has been something really special the last couple of months. It's been learning to know the players, why they want to win-why they want to play, and coming to respect and each and every one of them for their passion and their dedication to the game, if nothing else; it's been learning to know Mourinho, watching how he always takes the brunt of the press and works so hard at shaping these men and boys into this amazing team, and coming to admire him, even with his arrogance and his show-off antics; it's been learning to know the other fans, and loving them, their enthusiasm, and their helpfulness and friendliness to n00bs like me. It's been amazing, and I'm so happy I've gotten the chance, and I owe this club my gratitude for it. I haven't been a fan for long, but I hope to be one for the rest of my life.
So I'm not happy with this game, not at all. I'm not happy with how we played, and I'm not happy with how we handled the stress of the game. But I'll wear my kit to class tomorrow and be proud to do so, even if I get shit from the Barca fans at my uni, because this is just one game, just one loss, and we're going to do better next time.
And if we lose next time? I'll wear my kit again, and happily. Win or lose, they're my club for good.
In short?
¡HALA MADRID!