Following Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Manchester United in Washington D.C. last night, there was a lot of kind words being exchanged in the post match press conferences. United Manager Jose Mourinho listed out nine of the world’s top players, all of which play for either Real Madrid or Barca. Mourinho admitted that the best players in the world reside on the two teams that comprise the El Clasico rivalry.
Barcelona Manager Ernesto Valverde had a lot of praise for his opponent too, saying that the Red Devils will be contenders in both the UEFA Champions League and in the English Premier League.
“Obviously it hasn’t been well lately, but I mean they won the Europa League. This year they are going to be in the Champions League. Their presence by itself is impressive. They impress. I think they are going to be a really hard team to beat,” Valverde said.
“For me, they are contenders to win and they are going to be hard to beat in the Premier League and the Champions League. I wouldn’t want to face them in the Champions League.’
These two teams currently sit in first and second place in the International Champions Cup standings. Yes, it’s just a preseason exhibition competition, but Barca are on top of the table with six points, while United are just one point behind in second. If Barca wins the El Clasico in Miami the day after tomorrow, the ICC title belongs to them.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV.
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