Barcelona and Real Madrid, the battle for supremacy moves from home to Europe

The Champions League is back and it's not only football fans that are excited and relived to see the most prestigious and famous tournament in club football blasting out it's wonderful action, drama and goals in the group of 16 knock out stages. A certain Pep Guardiola will be more than happy to see his boys travelling to Germany to beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 last night as they attempt to become back-to-back champions.

Compared to his biggest rival in Spain, Real Madrid's own 'special one' Jose Mourinho, Mister Guardiola has had a relatively quiet time in the press so far this season. Since the Copa Del Rey 'el clasico' series which Barcelona won, the pressure all seemed to be on Mourinho. There were tales of training ground bust ups including arguments with two of Spain's 2010 World Cup winning hero's and Madradista's Sergio Ramos and club and national captain Ilker Casillas. There were rumours that Mourinho wanted out of Real and was looking for a return to England where the press and public took to him like one of their own, so much so he's been linked with the vacant England managers position. During this pressurised time Mourinho has showed why he is so special, Real have been winning, and winning a lot, and winning more than their bitter rivals. These recent events in La Liga now see Guardiola facing some difficult and previously unasked questions.

Are Real Madrid now the best team in Spain?

The league title looks to be going back to the Capital after the three years it's spent in Catalonia. Real Madrid have amassed a 10 point league over Barca. This means that even if Barcelona win all their remaining games (something that looks highly unlikely on current form) Real can afford to lose 3 games and still finish as Champions come May (providing they win the other games - which is much more likely). So, why have Barca gone off the boil domestically? Head-to-head in the various clasico's they seem to be far more accomplished a side, but during the season they have struggled to turn possession and fluidity into points. Real on the other hand, outclassed in recent clasico meetings, have powered through teams with dynamic efficiency and bags of goals. Barca won the battles, but Real are winning the war.

The total football inspired by Johan Cruyff, nurtured in La Masia and polished and perfected by Pep Guardiola wins plaudits the world over. Mourinho's huge squad stacked with talent doesn't win the same respect, but certainly churns out some staggering results and scorelines. Cristiano Ronaldo's sixth hat-trick of the season in this past weekend's 4-2 win over Levante has certainly helped in the 'goals for' department, but Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema have smashed their fair share in too. Real are exciting, powerful and dangerously fast on the break and domestically this means they exploit teams in seconds. Barcelona pass you to death, Real break you to death.

The return of the Champions League means that Guardiola and the Catalan press (who have already conceded the league to Real) can try to deflect attention from home issues and allow themselves the opportunity to show that they are still the best team on the biggest stage. La Liga is a two horse race every season, but recently Barcelona have dominated Europe with three Champions League titles in the past six years and Real not even qualifying for the knock out stages in some of these. If Real can force themselves into the reckoning come the 19th of May in the Fußball Arena in Munich, then they will have well and truly knocked Barca and Guardiola off their dominant perch.

Either way, 'the special one' has done a job on Barcelona many didn't think he could, and domestically at least, his team is the most clinical and efficient. The interest now lies with how both teams perform in Europe in the next few months, something Barcelona (and their press) will be keen to make their own to restore some of their 'untouchable' gloss.

Capello's successor

Many coaches or managers in the world game will look at the vacant England's managerial seat and think twice about applying for and even taking it.  It's a well paid job - one of the best paid coaching positions in the world, which consists of watching Premier League matches on the regular, getting England's best players together and preparing them for international tournaments at luxury hotels and training facilities.  There is the occasional trip to the FA HQ but that can be tacked onto a day at the shops.  All this doesn't sound too bad! 

The negative aspects of the job is where lots of managers will lose interest.   The coverage the open seat has caused in the British media is already manic.  The papers are awash with 'what really happened in that meeting', bookmakers are taking bets on all possible new comers, and twitter is rife with people declaring that the FA should employ 'one of our own'.

These three downsides are enough to turn anyone off.  The media and press will look to build you up before smashing you to pieces on their back, and more likely, front pages with exposes about private lives, financial history's and kiss-and-tells from anyone willing to sell a story.  The bookies will be sharpening the swords for the new boss as soon as they take the job, on when they will get fired and whether they will win the Euro's or get knocked out in the group stage.  The British public will expect the world, literally, in the form of the World Cup and before that European domination this summer.  If it's a foreign coach, they're on to a loser from the start as the FA and the polls say they'd prefer an English coach.  That's not a great way to do business for a new hire.  Limiting yourself off the bat to a shortlist, and a very 'short' list at that, of viable English candidates is professional suicide in most cases, why is football any different?

Looking at the possible English candidates you see why employing a local boy might not be the best bet.  Yes there's Harry Redknapp, a man who has won the FA cup and coached one season in the Champions League, but is he the answer?  He has said previously that he'd like to manage England one day, but maybe the time isn't right for him just yet, he's enjoying his time at Spurs and they're having a great year so far.  There is talk of him seeing out the season at White Hart Lane and taking a 'part-time' role with England.  Nothing spells amateur more than 'part-time'.  'Arry is popular now amongst pockets of the general public, hated by others (Gooners), but if he loses a couple of games that will quickly change, and has he got the necessary tactical knowledge to compete on the international stage? 

If it's not Harry for whatever reason then who is left?

Woy Hodgson - He's too busy banging his head against the wall at West Brom and couldn't even get Liverpool to play football.

Psycho Pearce - His nickname is Psycho and he hasn't done much in the professional managerial game

Alan Pardew - like so many people who we're never in the running have, has ruled himself out.
Alan Curbishley - Charlton hasn't been the same without him...
Big Sam - Want to beat Spain? He'll help us do it physically at least!

Trevor Brooking - He's old and knocks around at the FA, maybe he could be 'caretaker' manager 'cos he looks more like a janitor than anything else.

There aren't maybe that many foreign coaches interested because of the press and pressure. But at least have a good look at whats on offer before limiting ourselves to the few options in the English game.