With the Rodri deal: Barcelona prepares a French-style catastrophe for Real Madrid
A World Cup clash awaits the Clasico
Real Madrid have been handed a warning about the bleak scenario awaiting them this season. Cast your mind back to the 2026 World Cup semi-final. France looked set to conquer the world with an unstoppable attacking quartet, then crashed into a Spanish wall and fell without ever realising what had hit them.
Analyst Marcos López, on the programme "El Sanedrín" via "Carrusel", said that the night Luis de la Fuente's side, driven by Rodri, crushed the French will live long in the memory. It exposed a footballing truth: a terrifying attack counts for nothing against a dominant midfield.
López sees the upcoming Clásico shaping up much like that encounter. Barcelona boast the best midfield in the game, with Rodri's imminent return set to strengthen the reigning champions further. Real Madrid, by contrast, wield a fearsome attacking arsenal in Mbappé, Vinícius, Bellingham and Diomande, yet they still lack the piece that has eluded them across two barren seasons: the midfielder who dictates the rhythm of a match.
He put the question bluntly: "We are all talking about Real Madrid's sweeping attack, but is it better than France's attack at the World Cup? Teams with four brilliant attackers need a solid structure, not just defensively, but in midfield, and that is what Real Madrid do not currently have."
Tomás Roncero, deputy director of the newspaper "As", tried to soften the comparison. Reducing such an ambitious sporting project to a single match would be a mistake, he argued, even as he admitted that Spain against France showed how a midfield can overpower four great attackers. Mourinho, he warned, has "the biggest arsenal in Europe" this year.
Bruno Alemany completed the picture with a direct swipe at the planning in Madrid. "There is something I do not understand," the analyst said. "You try to sign the best player in the world in his position, and when he refuses you do not sign a replacement and you do not have an alternative plan. From a sporting planning perspective this is illogical." He was pointing to Madrid's failure to land Rodri or anyone of his profile, a misstep that could hand Barcelona a decisive edge in the battle for domestic supremacy.
