“It was a threat and they took it as such in the locker room”. Yesterday, Real Madrid's landing in Munich brought back many memories on the expedition. Just 10 years ago, on April 29, 2014, the city where they were going to “burn up the trees”, as Rummenigge had warned, saw the white team achieve one of the great victories in its history in the European Cup , the first in the Bayern camp, the one that opened the portal to La Décima and the one that “changed everything”, they now admit in the club, on the path of a prodigious decade.

Only Carvajal, Nacho, Modric and Lucas Vázquez remain from that squad. Although he did not play in any official match that season, he did train with the first team, but the spirit of that night is still present in the coaching staff and in the Madrid management.. “Rummenigge says that the trees are going to burn, but right now I see that it is raining,” said Carlo Ancelotti ironically in the preview of that second leg.. Curiously, both have had a great friendship since the German's time at Inter in the eighties, and the manager ended up in tears when he had to fire Carletto from Bayern in 2017.

Today, ten years and five Champions Leagues after 0-4, the transalpine player once again guides the whites to the assault on the German city. Before hell for Madrid, now a “respected” rival, but without the philias and phobias of other times. All thanks to that win.

The emotional slab

The whites reached that tie after losing three years in a row in the semifinals. An emotional slab that ended Mourinho's era. The first was against Barça, but the last two, against Bayern and Dortmund, were the most painful. The reader will remember that penalty shootout at the Bernabéu, in 2012. The pitchers were Cristiano, Kaká, Xabi Alonso and Ramos. Only the Donostiarra scored. Things of destiny. Mourinho, kneeling on the grass, couldn't believe it.

In 2013, Madrid lost 4-1 in Dortmund and tried for an epic at home, but football denied them. The following year, with Ancelotti now in charge, chance crossed him again with Bayern, to which he was linked by an eternal condemnation of confrontations in Europe: defeat in the semifinals of 75-76 and 86-87, victory in the quarterfinals of 87-88, victory in the semifinals of 99-00, defeat in the semifinals of 00-01, victory in the quarterfinals of 01-02, victory in the round of 16 of 03-04, defeat in the second round of 06-07 and defeat in the semis of 11-12. That is, of the nine qualifying rounds, Madrid passed in four and was left out in five. It might not be a dramatic percentage, but the phobia came when analyzing the duels on German soil. The whites had not won any of the ten games in Munich.

“That phrase touched the soul”

Perhaps for that reason, because he knew that the statistics were in his favor, in 2014 Rummenigge said a phrase that stuck in the minds of that locker room.. «We must give them a hot bath. “In Munich even the trees are going to burn.”. Bathroom and fire. “That phrase, that threat, reached the soul of the squad,” they remember today in Valdebebas, where the pressure to achieve La Décima was enormous.

“Obsession”, as they define it, for that Champions League, Rummenigge's phrase, Guardiola's comments calling them “athletes” and the three semi-finals lost with Mourinho enraged a squad full of hunger that consummated its revenge, against Bayern and against Luck, April 29, 2014 at the Allianz Arena. Two goals from Ramos and two from Cristiano, two of those who had missed in that round in 2012.

«The Champions League owed me one after those penalties. I was worried because I was prepared, but it is a dream to play in the final,” he warned, without knowing what fate had in store for him.

Ancelotti's request to Bale

“It is better not to say anything,” Rummenigge replied in the stands.. “It has been a debacle”. The international media spoke of “humiliation” and “ridiculousness”. In Valdebebas, the coaching staff still remembers Ancelotti's request to Bale: “90 minutes of sacrifice for Lisbon”. The Italian changed the system with respect to the first leg and went to 4-4-2 with Bale and Di María on the wings and Cristiano and Benzema as nines. The Welshman's effort helping Carvajal was key.

A couple of years later, Guardiola admitted that that second leg was “my biggest mistake as a coach”. A match that led to Kroos signing for Madrid that summer and that became a turning point towards a glorious decade, with the three consecutive Champions Leagues as its culmination.

It was also a giant blow for Bayern, who during these years have not been able to beat Madrid. After four games and two ties, they have gone 12 years without winning against the whites, who have won their last three visits to Allianz (0-4, 1-2 in 16-17 and 1-2 in 17-18) .

Super Tuesday at the Caja Mágica will see Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz come together, marking their first time playing in the same tournament since November 2022 in Paris-Bercy. Nadal, the five-time champion of the Madrid Masters 1000, will face off against Jiri Lehecka, while Alcaraz, the winner of the last two editions, will have a rest day before his next match. Nadal expressed his respect for Lehecka’s skills, acknowledging his powerful serve and hard shots from the baseline. However, Nadal will have to navigate the challenge of recovering within a short timeframe, as he plays in the night session. Despite this, Nadal remains positive and looks forward to watching a football match after his own game.

Nadal’s journey in the tournament has been marked by overcoming hurdles, as he faced a tough match against Pedro Cachín, ultimately triumphing in three hours and four minutes. Nadal sees this as a step forward in his preparation for Roland Garros. He acknowledges the progress he has made since being in Manacor, where he struggled physically and lost to academy juniors. However, Nadal also raises doubts about the challenge of playing two consecutive days, noting it as unfamiliar territory in his recovery process.

In his final year in Madrid, Nadal is determined to take to the court and perform in front of the audience, whom he has always praised as the best. He emphasizes the difference between this year and previous ones, knowing that his body is more unpredictable after a two-year hiatus from playing. The schedule for the day had initially been planned to allow Nadal and Alcaraz to watch a football match but was changed due to the length and intensity of Nadal’s match. Instead, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Bublik will open the day’s matches.

To survive a season in which there is nothing more at stake than pride, Barça needed intelligence. A lot of it. Three times they utilized their superior expertise to outplay Valencia, scoring goals from corner kicks, recovering from their own mistakes with a header from Fermín and a hat trick from Lewandowski from a set piece. [Narrative and statistics (4-2)]

The culés were determined to celebrate Xavi’s continuation on a disappointing night that saw a series of errors from both teams. Valencia attempted to resist, relying on finding weaknesses in the culé defense whenever possible. This is where Peter Federico exploited Cubarsi’s coverage of Cancelo’s mistakes and challenged Ter Stegen with little success, much to the Catalans’ relief.

Fermín, on the other hand, had a clearer view as he soared through the air to head in a precise cross from Raphinha. It took Barça 22 minutes to decipher Baraja’s plans, and now they only had to manage them. However, things unraveled in the most unexpected way.

Despite being one of Barça’s most reliable players, Ter Stegen’s 12 clean sheets did not prevent him from making a poor clearance outside the penalty area, which ended up becoming an unintentional assist for Hugo Duro to meekly score. The game restarted, and before they knew it, another blow came. This time, Araujo overwhelmed Peter Federico, leading to a penalty that Pepelu did not miss. In just ten minutes, due to unforced errors, Valencia seemed to have the game in their grasp.

Xavi addressed the vulnerability on the left wing by sending Koundé to defend, while demanding an increase in intensity. Cancelo attempted a shot to the near post that Mamardashvili saved. The signs suggested that Valencia would struggle to hold their ground, as confirmed when Araujo’s header hit the post. Mamardashvili’s subsequent error unleashed the onslaught from Barça.

Yarek relied on him to relieve the pressure, waiting for the end of the first half. However, when Lamine Yamal pressured him, the Georgian goalkeeper made an error by using his body… and his hand. The VAR had to intervene, but Mamardashvili knew that his game was over. Valencia, relying on Jaume Domenech, had to endure.

Controversy and a siege

This was confirmed when, after the break, the siege continued. De Burgos failed to see a penalty in a clash between Iñigo Martínez and Peter Federico, and Lewandowski scored the equalizer, once again capitalizing on a corner kick, with a controversial offside position and Fermín’s influence.

Xavi had bolstered the Basque defense and midfield with Sergi Roberto. This adjustment was necessary as Raphinha, Fermín, and strategic plays engaged Barça in every match. Valencia had few weapons to overcome even the slightest setback.

They ran, fought, and tried to force errors, but with a disadvantage, it was an overwhelming task, even for the unyielding Hugo Duro, with little assistance from a Puerto Rican loaned from Real Madrid. Nevertheless, they attempted to hinder Barça’s progress to no avail. They had no choice but to withstand the relentless onslaught of corner kicks.

Jaume saved Araujo’s shot, Yarek saved Gündogan’s shot, but Pedri had to intervene to prevent Diego López from scoring when facing Ter Stegen. However, Valencia had no options left. Lewandowski emerged once again, scoring with another header, and delivering a final blow with a free kick that condemned them.

“Few here thought that I could be in this press room”. In the second response to the press conference, Carlo Ancelotti sent a message to those who listened to him. The Italian coach vindicated himself before playing in a new semi-final, the third in a row since he returned to Real Madrid. That’s how overwhelming the weight of history is, as he himself recalled when analyzing Bayern. “We have a lot of respect, they have had a spectacular tie against Arsenal and we have to look at that, the quality and history of this club, which is more or less the same as ours. And the history in the Champions League counts for a lot,” he declared.

There is one doubt above any other in their lineup this Wednesday: the name of the player who will accompany Antonio Rüdiger in the center of defense. And from his answer to a question about Tchouaméni, it seems that he could be the Frenchman, who would take the place of Nacho and Militao. “Tchouaméni will play. Where? “I don’t know,” he commented.. The Italian is not going to seat either Valverde or Kroos, and it would be very strange to see him do without Camavinga, so the only position that remains free is that of central defender. “Is Tchouaméni undefeated as a starter? Well, we won in Manchester on penalties without him,” he joked. “He will play,” he insisted.

The coach announced that he will not improvise. “There are two types of coaches, those who do nothing and those who harm their team. “I try to be among the first,” he admitted with a laugh.. “I know that I have been unfair in all the games, that is my role. “I can’t think about that.”

“I went to bed with regret”

Furthermore, the transalpine player explained the situation of Jeremy de León, the Puerto Rican footballer who has traveled with Madrid to Manchester and Munich despite not being called up.. Questioned about the theories of some fans, who believe that he does it out of a kind of superstition, Ancelotti was clear: “It is not because of a cabal. There are 19 players available and we need 10 and 10 to train. “We took Jeremy because talking to Raúl they told us that he trains well, is very serious and has a lot of quality.”

Previously, Fede Valverde had explained the reasons that led him to say “no” to taking a penalty during the shoot-out against Manchester City. “I went to bed with regret because I could have had the opportunity to leave that mark on Madrid, but I am one of those who likes to qualify no matter what and there are times when one has to put that pride aside and say ‘I’m not as prepared as I thought.’ Fatigue played tricks on me and the best thing that came to mind was to tell the coaching staff that I was not prepared to take the penalty. In the future I would love to prepare so that this does not happen again and be mentally prepared to shoot,” he reflected.

Monte Carlo Ancelotti’s redemption in press conference

The issue is not just Madrid winning the Champions League, it’s the predictability of their victory. It’s the sense of inevitability that looms over the competition. From the moment they miraculously triumphed in Manchester to the final showdown at Wembley, we live through the process day after day, feeling frustrated that there are no Bayerns or Mbappés to challenge them, leaving us with little hope. It’s almost like it’s better to skip the games and go watch a movie instead.

As anti-Madrid fans, we all knew that Madrid would clinch La Enésima the moment they started resisting any form of challenge.