The titters are only just dying down around Spain after the double teaming by Marca and AS on Monday which saw both papers claiming that the Pichichi top goalscorer prize was the only contest that really counted this season - aside from the Copa del Rey, of course.
The curious campaign certainly raised a chuckle in Catalonia and particularly in the offices of Mundo Deportivo, where Josep MarÃÂa Casanovas opined that âÂÂwhen it comes to the Ballon dâÂÂOr, MessiâÂÂs titles will be worth twice as much as the goals of Ronaldo.âÂÂ
What the Madridista press were desperately trying to do was avoid the thorny topic of Barcelona being hours away from winning a third league title in a row, and the second under the presidential reign of Florentino Pérez II.
Both Capital City papers managed to dodge the Barça bullet again on Tuesday, with Madrid announcing the signing of Turkish midfielder Nuri Sahin from Borussia Dortmund the day before. âÂÂMourinho believes that the team needs other virtues as well as its stars,â says MarcaâÂÂs editorial in a nod of approval and an tacit admission that the paper had never heard of the 22-year-old, much like everybody else.
The harsh reality is that if Real Madrid fail to beat Getafe in a 22:00 kick-off on Tuesday night, then Barcelona will be league champions no matter what happens in the PepâÂÂs Dream Boys' clash with Levante on Wednesday. The other certainty is that Barcelona city centre is likely to be destroyed by hoodlums as has happened on at least ten occasions over the last three years by LLLâÂÂs inaccurate reckonings.
These wise guys won't be celebrating if Ronaldo finishes top scorer...
TuesdayâÂÂs Santiago Bernabeu clash looks a dead cert home win for Madrid - despite the fact that Ronaldo is expected to be shooting on sight all evening - but the same was said about the recent defeat to Zaragoza. WhatâÂÂs more, José Mourinho already appears to be taking the match a little less seriously than usual by resting Iker Casillas for the game and including Pedro León in the squad. If Karim Benzema trots out onto the field then it will surely be GetafeâÂÂs lucky night, something that many of the crowd wonâÂÂt mind at all claims MÃÂchel the Manager.
âÂÂI know that there are a lot of Madridistas that want Getafe to win,â joked the soon-to-be-fired Getafe boss.
Atlético MadridâÂÂs European charge was going far too well of late, which is why the Rojiblancos opted to blow SaturdayâÂÂs match against Málaga with a 3-0 home defeat. QuiqueâÂÂs Crumblers have the chance to foul up all over again with a midweek trip to Racing, who are looking for one win to ensure that their Primera passport is renewed for another year.
Although forward Diego Costa is suspended for the encounter in Santander, that doesnâÂÂt necessarily mean Diego Forlán is set to be restored to the starting line-up, at least according to the little hints from Quique Sánchez Flores, who noted that âÂÂthere are a couple of players who can partner Kun.âÂÂ
Málaga are another team that could well see themselves safe with a win over Sporting, but the whopper of a game on Tuesday evening is DeportivoâÂÂs clash against a visiting Athletic Bilbao.
The normally down-in-the-dumps Deportivo boss, Miguel Angel Lotina, is even more emotional this week after what he feels was an incorrect injury time penalty call that cost his side two points against Sporting. The manager of the the third-from-bottom side had a prod and a verbal poke at the weekendâÂÂs referee and sarcastically made a gesture for the Sporting fans to applaud the man-in-the-middle as he stropped off the pitch.
âÂÂI donâÂÂt regret anything, the journey, the line-up, the changes, what I said...I donâÂÂt regret a word,â blustered Lotina, who is still awaiting a disciplinary decision on whether he can sit on the Deportivo bench on Tuesday night. Deportivo goalkeeper, Dani AranzubÃÂa, was less thrusting and predicted gloomily that âÂÂif we donâÂÂt beat Athletic then everythingâÂÂs lost.âÂÂ
The big challenge that Deportivo face in La Riazor, aside from having to rely on Riki for goals, is that Athletic have an awful lot to play for with a European spot looking a strong possibility.
Although Madrid is set to be the centre of attention, Deportivo are the team to watch this midweek - something LLL is writing for the first time in the its 77 year history.
