Ilusión y ganas
By the end of Saturday – or Sunday morning given the late kick off time – Real Madrid or Osasuna will be cup champions. Both coaches deserve success, but operate in vastly different environments.
It’s Copa final day. The special competition that just hits differently. The culmination of a tournament where teams often had to negotiate semi-professional teams on artificial pitches, before a midweek slogathon in January and February. And that was just to reach the two-legged semi-finals. Just arriving at La Cartuja is an achievement of no small significance.
But to fall at the final hurdle is the hardest thing in football. For poor Marcelino, it happened twice in three weeks in 2021. For Carlo Ancelotti and Jagoba Arrasate, two impressive coaches who clearly have a strong rapport, their emotions will be at opposite ends of the spectrum come the final reckoning.
Real Madrid are the clear favourites. The history, the financial clout, the wage bill, the international players at their disposal: everything points to only one outcome. Yet, as Arrasate said in his pre-match press conference on Friday, “it is the dream of all the people”. In a one-off cup final, anything seems possible. The underdog is given an intangible boost, as if David was presented with extra slingshots with which to fell Goliath.
Osasuna and their fans have waited a long time for this. 2005 was their first and only Copa final, and it ended with a bittersweet defeat in extra time. Real Madrid have waited long enough, too, far too long by their standards. With just two titles in three decades, the kings of Europe are just not very copero. Carlo Ancelotti knew this, and it was in the 2014 Copa that he was able to win his first trophy at Real Madrid. This would be his 10th. Another décima.
“The only way to win is to play a perfect match”.
Jagoba Arrasate pre-match.
Arrasate presented himself as calm and relaxed in his presser, enjoying the occasion and soaking it all in, while maintaining a healthy confidence. Some say this is the biggest game of his career. But for the former teacher, he has had much tougher examinations. Back in early 2021, Los Rojillos were in a terrible run of form and were stuck in the relegation zone, winless in 13 matches. On January 14th, sporting director Braulio Vázquez spoke to the press and robustly defended his coach, insisting he was the captain of the ship and the club were with him until the end: “if we go down, we go down together”. Ten days later, Osasuna finally tasted victory again and won three of their following five to ultimately end in mid-table. They haven’t looked back, demonstrating that patience can still be a virtue in football. If Osasuna win the Copa, expect to see that Braulio Vázquez video going viral again.
For Carlo Ancelotti, defeat would be seen as a failure. That may sound harsh, and disrespectful to Osasuna, but this is Real Madrid, the club who have won more European Cups than Copas this century. The subject of the Italian’s continuity in the Spanish capital has been an undercurrent all season, amplified when results go against them. This week feels definitive; Osasuna in the Copa final before the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City just 72 hours later will go a long way to deciding Carletto’s future.
“What’s at stake for me in the next 11 days? I’m playing a Copa final and a semi-final. Nothing else. My life isn’t on the line”.
A healthy dose of perspective from Ancelotti.
While Ancelotti is playing down the significance of defeat in the subtext, he is perhaps underselling himself in the event of a win. This Copa would be his second at the club, along with two European Cups, two Super Cups, two Club World Cups, one Liga and one Spanish Supercopa. He would be just one trophy behind his one-time assistant Zinedine Zidane and only four behind the legendary Miguel Muñoz. Ancelotti is the perfect coach for this club in so many ways. Those wanting his departure should be careful what they wish for.
As an extra incentive, if one were needed, Real Madrid have the chance to become the first club in Spain to win 100 titles. Some counts are different, but most reputable sources have them on 99 currently. It would be a third trophy in the season, and the chance to beat Barcelona to the century would be the icing sugar on the cake for Madridistas.
Osasuna face the biggest game of their history. For Real Madrid, it probably isn’t the biggest of their week. Not disparaging, just the reality of the scales at play. The beauty of the Copa is that these scales are levelled for 90 minutes, and anything can happen. Normally something beautiful.