Craig Burley thinks that Real Madrid has a chance of making it to the final over Man City. The song is called "1:24."
There is more to the term "miedo escenico" than just "stage fright", though. It is a combination of self-doubt, powerlessness and a sense that you are trying to subvert a destiny that has already been written. The former Real Madrid forward/philosopher used it to describe what happens to opponents at the Bernabeu when they find themselves falling victim to the early signs of a comeback by the home team. It has become part of the narrative not just of the club, but all of Madridismo.
It is also what Manchester City will be facing on Wednesday night when they travel to the Spanish capital to defend their 4-3 advantage from the first leg.
It is nonsense, and so the coach should tell himself and his players about it. There is no such thing in a rational world. His players were in the final of the competition a year ago. In the first leg, his players outshot Madrid 16-11 and had an expected goals that was a whole goal higher than their opponent. The size of the pitch will be the same at the Real Madrid as it is at the English club. Go out and play the game.
Don't worry about the noise you heard. There is no beast under your bed. Not in your closet. Not in your head.
The problem is that sports are not entirely rational to begin with, and if you believe in something, you can make it happen. Whether you're doing your hardest not to, like Man City, or whether you're milking it as much as possible for it to be true.
The phrase "90 minutes is a long time in the Bernabeu" was supposedly invented by Juanito, Real Madrid's cult hero of the 1980s. They did, winning all three of them.
It is a neat anecdote from nearly 40 years ago. The history of the club includes it. Derby County, Celtic, and Anderlecht all had poor records before. In 1985 and 86, the teams went 1-2 away and 2-0 at home. It starts to mean something. We saw it again this season.
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Real Madrid went into the second leg of the Paris Saint-Germain game down by one. They were 2-0 down on the aggregate when they conceded at home, and a hat trick by Benzema made it 3-2. There was a twist in the game. They won the first leg at home, but were only able to get away with three points. The game went into overtime when Rodrygo found the net, and Benzema scored to seal the spot in the semifinals.
We saw it in the LaLiga season. Vinicius scored with three minutes to go and they beat Sevilla. Down 2-0 with eight minutes to go, the team snatch a draw. Valencia was down by a goal, four minutes left, and they won.
Is that a thing of the past? Hoodoo? The ghost of Juanito? Is it possible to manifest destiny? The point is that they believe in it so much that Carlo Ancelotti pushes buttons by joking about it. He said that he was pretty calm when asked what he was thinking when his team was in a position to win the title in Lisbon. We have 60 seconds. That can be a long time.
And it was. Real Madrid romped to a 4-1 win in extra time to win their 10th European Cup.
The weird thing about the Bernabeu is that if you are up by three goals, you can still get booed by the crowd if they don't like how you are playing. The idea was that this is Real Madrid, there is a certain way to do things, and it is less about the result than how you get there.
It feels like this narrative has been replaced by one of manifest destiny, inevitability and how belief can carry you over the line. Real Madrid won their 35th LaLiga title over the weekend.
Is it real at this point? Is there any evidence that Real Madrid has more dramatic comebacks at home? I have not checked. Someone else can do that. It is part of the narrative and enough people believe it is real that it will impact the game.
Real Madrid won their 35th LaLiga title with Carlo Ancelotti as their manager.
We can explain it in different ways. This side is filled with experienced veterans who have been there before. They don't get scared or rattled. In a knockout competition of a low- scoring sport, they have the ideal combination of a shutdown goalkeeper ( Thibaut Courtois ) and individual match winners, most notably presumptive Ballon d'Or winner Benzema, as well as Luka Modric and Vinicius. The crowd can make a racket.
patience is good andlack of urgency is bad, but they are both sides of the same coin. When Real Madrid chase games, even when they don't succeed, the vibe is usually one of patience. This gets to the players. All bets are off and local media and fans can be as vicious toward their own players as anywhere on Earth if they lose.
We are clutching at straws. Juanito was correct that time does get warped at the Bernabeu when Real Madrid are behind. It is what Real Madrid will believe, and it is what City will want to keep out of their players minds. He will want to make sure the ghost of Juanito doesn't show up in his players' heads, reminding them how long 90 minutes in the confines of the Bernabeu can last.
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