Obsessed with the classic

There are still two weeks to go until Barça visits the Santiago Bernabéu, but everything is already revolving around El Clásico: the international matches, the analysis, and even the bar chats. Hardly anyone seems interested in the fact that both teams will play Girona and Getafe beforehand, unless it serves as a test to check the fitness of some players who are doubtful, recovering from injuries, or are injured. The obsession with El Clásico is here to stay.

Real Madrid can't afford another blow against their arch-rivals after being thrashed in all four matches they played last season and this season, in the first round of matches against a team with a strong presence, Atlético Madrid scored five goals. A loss to Barça in bad fashion would be a huge blow to a project that is just starting, that of Xabi Alonso, who would be devastated. Meanwhile, Flick's team, who went into the international break on the back of back-to-back defeats to PSG and Sevilla, are victims of the expectations they generated last season with a style of football that captivated with its directness and commitment, pure rock and roll, but which is now lacking in refinement. A poor result against Real Madrid would only increase the doubts.

It feels like the Clásico on the 26th could make all the difference, and judging by recent precedents, we might not be so far off the mark. If football is a state of mind, as Jorge Valdano coined it, we know, because the protagonists—the players—have acknowledged it, that the first clash between the two sides each season leaves a mark that's hard to erase. It can be the difference between believing in it or being plagued by misgivings and distrust that digs a hole in the mentality not only of the team, but also of the fans.

The obsession, then, seems justified, but both would do well to focus on the immediate future: Girona and Getafe, the subsequent Champions League matches, and not to stretch out, for example, players like Lamine Yamal, who is only 18 years old, has a groin problem that isn't going away and for whom it's already assumed he could play a few minutes against Míchel's team to be ready for the Bernabéu. Because as important as the Clásico is, it wouldn't hurt to keep in mind that it's only three points and there's a world ahead of us.