In keeping with the frenzied atmosphere which has greeted Inter's triumph at the Nou Camp (the best 1-0 defeat of all time? You decide), it seems fitting that both victor and vanquished feature in my picks for this upcoming weekend. But this is no sop to popular demand- both sides are involved in the standout games in their respective leagues this weekend. Read on for those, as well as the return of a certain F. Mayweather...Villarreal v Barcelona, La Liga, 9pm Saturday.
I'll say it loud and I'll say it proud: Real Madrid are going to win the league. But, I hear you cry, they lost El Clasico! I thought that was the only game that matters in the La Liga title race this year? Well friends, I thought so to. But it turns out that Barcelona, for all that they are the best club side since Arrigo Sacchi's AC Milan, have, to put it simply, hit a wall. They're shattered. Puyol, Pique and Xavi, the spine of the team, haven't had a summer off since 2007. Messi, like any genius, can still be marked out of the game. We saw as much on Wednesday. But there's no rest, no respite for Guardiola and his men, instead there's an away trip to Villarreal, a side who have lost 1 in their last 5, and haven't dropped any points at home since the end of January. A side who were in the relegation zone back in November but who are now just 4 points off a Champions League spot.
Real Madrid? They play Osasuna at home.
Floyd Mayweather v Shane Mosley, 2am Sunday.
Whilst Manny Pacquiao dips his toes into the waters of domestic politics, Floyd Mayweather is, somewhat bizarrely, being nice to Shane Mosley, pleasant even. It's all a far cry from the presumably staged brawl we saw a couple of months ago. It's hard to know what to make of this version of Mayweather, but his antics this week, along with his much-publicised mission to 'clean up boxing', suggest that he has finally matured. Notice I said suggest. Because, in another comment that was unsurprisingly passed over by the docile American media outlets, Mayweather described himself as better than both Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammed Ali. This, clearly, is laughable. But it serves as yet another example of Mayweather's arrogance, his lack of respect for the sport and the opponents it sends his way. His conduct towards Mosley suggests that he considers him to be nothing more than an inconvenience.
He might be right. It's been a long 15 months since Mosley dominated Margarito, a fight in which he looked sensational, but a layoff of that length is troublesome, especially for a man who will be 39 this September. Mosley is the only fighter (with the obvious exception of Pacquiao) who possesses the tools to trouble Floyd, maybe even to put him down, and the boxing world will be praying that he does just that. Mayweather is younger and faster, which will give him the fight over the 12 rounds, but if Sugar Shane manages to put him on his ass, it might just make Floyd think less about his ego, and more about his legacy. And we all know where that train of thought will lead him.
Lazio v Internazionale, Serie A, 7.45pm Sunday.
Someone else who knows all about legacies, as well as capacious egos, is Jose Mourinho. Indeed, following yet another excellent press conference on Wednesday, I've become convinced that the Portuguese tactician has the potential for an outstanding chat-show host career, should he desire one. In fact, Floyd Mayweather wouldn't make a bad choice for his first guest. But I digress.
This is an interesting game, for all sorts of reasons. Victory for Inter is of course imperative, as Roma should manage to pick up 3 points from Parma, who have tailed off badly since the beginning of the year. That game, which takes place at 5pm on Saturday, will have a crucial role in how Sunday's match pans out.
Now normally, an away trip to a Lazio side for whom a win will guarantee safety would be something to approach with trepidation. Yet, and I'm sure some of you will have got there already, this is no ordinary away trip. Having watched their hated rivals steal the derby, and having endured another season of under-achievement, I'm sure that the last thing the Lazio fans want to see is their players hand Roma the title by beating Inter. And what the fans (don't) want, the club (doesn't) want, in an unspoken, yet glaringly obvious sort of way. This is not a state of affairs peculiar to Italy- grab the nearest Liverpool fan (they'll be at the bottom of a bottle of whiskey, I should imagine) and ask them if they'd accept defeat to Chelsea if it stopped Manchester United winning the title. Of course they would.
Much depends on Parma's performance. The Lazio administration is hoping that Guidolin and his team do everyone a solid and manage to win, but I should emphasise that this is not something to be relied upon. Roma themselves will of course be aware of Lazio's dilemma, and nothing less than 3 points will be accepted.
What I'm trying to say is that this is going to be interesting, and should offer a valuable insight into the Italian footballing psyche. Lazio of course cannot be seen to be rolling over for Inter, but watch what the fans do should it be 1-0 to their team after 80 minutes...
