Why the Spanish Super Cup matters for Real Madrid’s title defense
By Hasan Karim
The Spanish Super Cup is upon us. Many may think this is just another preseason friendly, but Hasan Karim is here to tell you why this match matters for Real Madrid’s upcoming season.
With preseason now over, Real Madrid will face their first competitive fixture back in Spain. The reigning La Liga champions will be traveling to Catalonia to face eternal rivals, Barcelona. El Clásico is always a special affair, whether it be a preseason game or a competitive fixture, there is always something on the line when the two clubs collide and this tie will be no different.
The match already has numerous implications: this will be the first competitive home game for Ernesto Valverde as the new coach of Barcelona, it will be their first competitive home game since the departure of Brazilian superstar Neymar. There are also other factors in this game including the suspension of Luka Modric and who his replacement will be.
Why is this match a must-win fixture for Real Madrid?
Confidence
This will be the first competitive El Clasico of this coming season. The teams have already met during preseason in an encounter in Miami which Barcelona ran out victors. Though the preseason encounter had no titles at stake, there were some bragging rights that could be taken with a win.
However, for the game at the Nou Camp this coming Sunday – there is more than just bragging rights on the line, there is a trophy and more importantly, there is a confidence boost for the coming league campaign. Barcelona has not had the most enjoyable of transfer windows, having lost one of their biggest stars in Neymar to PSG, they are looking a little more vulnerable. Despite bringing in Nelson Semedo at right-back, the team has not strengthened in other areas that they needed. Real Madrid brought in some considerable future prospects in the way of Dani Ceballos, Marcos Llorente, Theo Hernandez and Jesus Vallejo.
Those names added in with the already impressive talents such as Isco and Marcos Asensio have not only given the future a bolster but it has also brought the squad average age down to 25.8 years.
Despite the sales of Alvaro Morata and James Rodriguez, Madrid does not look an awful lot weaker than they did last season. The strength in depth, momentum and confidence in the squad is what saw them charge all the way to a double last season. Their recent win over Manchester United in the UEFA Super Cup should have Real Madrid fired up for this encounter and a win over Barcelona at the Nou Camp will boost the confidence levels of this already confident Madrid team enough to push them into a strong beginning to the title defense.
Not only would it boost Real Madrid but it would also knock Barcelona back, something that would only benefit Madrid even further when they kick-off their La Liga title defense. A loss, however, may cause the team to lose a bit of that confidence and it would also give the Catalans a huge boost in confidence. With many looking at this Real Madrid side as one that could dominate football for some time, a victory over a team with that strength would give any team a confidence boost.
Momentum
With victory for either team bringing a confidence boost ahead of the upcoming campaign, it is also worth noting that a victory would also bring a strong sense of momentum. For Real Madrid, the momentum would only further the hunger for the team to retain the La Liga crown. With a victory over Manchester United earlier this week on the back of a lacklustre preseason, there is already a sense of momentum within the Spanish champions.
A victory against Barcelona as well as lifting the 7th trophy of Zinedine Zidane’s managerial reign would certainly put Real on a roll. It is a boost that would certainly be welcomed by the team ahead of the long campaign to retain what the won last year after a few years without a league triumph where they watched Barcelona and Atletico take the league crown.
A loss, however, would certainly cause problems for Real, with Barcelona looking less like the team that has dominated Spanish and world football over the last few years, a victory in the opening competitive game for the new season is something they would happily take in their current period of transition.
Should the take a victory over their capital rivals, they will feel that they have not fallen as far behind as many believe they have. Both clubs will be looking at this fixture as a means of gaining the necessary steam to kick-start the campaign and also draw first blood in the first of many battles for dominance across the season.
Consistency
For all of the achievements and record breaking statistics, Real Madrid and most importantly Zinedine Zidane still have detractors. With their Catalan rivals having had so much success over the last few years, mainly under Pep Guardiola and most recently Luis Enrique, there are many who expect Real Madrid to match the achievements of those aforementioned coaches by consistently winning as much as Barcelona did under those respective coaches.
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For Real Madrid, another trophy in this game will only further the confidence and belief both within the team and the fan base that the power in the Spanish game has shifted. With Real currently boasting arguably the strongest and best team in the world as well as some of the best potential future talents, the team appears to be on the verge of a dynastic period. A victory would allow for them to continue to strive toward more accolades which will cement them as the team to beat in both Spain and on the continent.
With the back-to-back Champions League kick-starting that belief for the team, Barcelona will try to do everything they can to reassert their status in both Spain and also in Europe, that could very well start with the game on Sunday at the Nou Camp.
With all the implications and factors considered, the game on Sunday will be nothing short of a spectacle as it always is. With two teams full of superstars with the ability to create moments no other teams on the continent can rival, it is sure to be a big one.
Next: Real Madrid sign Isco on a contract extension with a huge release clause.