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A
possible shift in the balance of power towards Real Madrid and away
from Barcelona was reflected on Monday in the views of two of the
clubs’ most famous former players.

Real’s 1-1 draw
against Barca in La Liga 10 days ago and their 1-0 win in the King’s
Cup final suggested Jose Mourinho has learned from his team’s crushing
5-0 defeat at the Nou Camp this season and found a way to contain their
arch-rivals.

Real’s first trophy
in three years has eased the pressure on their Portuguese coach, with
two days to go until the clubs meet for a third time in Champions
League semi-final first leg at the Bernabeu.

“Madrid are in a
fabulous moment,” honorary Real president Alfredo Di Stefano wrote in
sports daily, Marca, his rant against the side’s counter-attacking
style from the first ‘clasico’ seemingly long forgotten.

The nine-times
European champions shrugged off any tiredness from the Cup final to
rout third-placed Valencia 6-3 away in the league on Saturday, but Di
Stefano warned against complacency.

“We have to continue in the same vein and not rest on our laurels, and to fight on as if we still hadn’t won anything,” he said.

“Inspiration alone isn’t enough to create unforgettable art. It requires a great quantity of fight and tenacity.”

Third title

Barca maintained
their eight-point lead at the top of La Liga with a 2-0 win over lowly
Osasuna on Saturday, and with five games left look to have a third
consecutive title in the bag.

In contrast to
Real, however, Barca laboured to their victory and coach Pep Guardiola
appeared to be on the defensive before and after the match when
speaking to the media, saying Real were now the favourites in the
Champions League.

“No one passes from
being favourite to the weaker side in 10 days,” former Barca forward
Johann Cruyff wrote in daily El Periodico.

“The draw in La
Liga delivered the title and Barca lost the Cup by the narrowest of
margins. Ah! It’s because Barca did not shine! If this is the true
measure of Barcelona, there is a problem.” The Dutchman went on to give
Guardiola a rap on the knuckles for the 40-year-old’s change from his
usual placid approach to make sniping comments about the refereeing in
the first two ‘clasicos’ among other complaints.

The Madrid-based media have jumped on these complaints to portray Guardiola as struggling with the pressure, and a bad loser.

“Barca must do what
they have done thousands of times before and forget about getting drawn
into a war of words or scuffles,” Cruyff said.

“Instead of worrying about who will referee, if the grass (at the
Bernabeu) is long, they should think more about getting behind their
rivals and into goal-scoring positions.”