Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has admitted that watching Barcelona's recent problems in La Liga has been enjoyable. The Catalan side previously held a comfortable lead at the top of the table but have since allowed Atletico and Real Madrid to close that gap by going four games without a win.
Having been dumped out of the Champions League at the hands of Atleti, Barcelona now sit even on points with Diego Simeone’s men and are just one point ahead of bitter rivals Real Madrid with four games to go.
And according to Sergio Ramos, this recent slump in form by Luis Enrique's men has been extremely enjoyable for those in the Real Madrid camp.
“Of course I enjoy things going badly at Barcelona, I like it because it benefits us,” Ramos told COPE.
“I do not wish bad things on anyone, though. I enjoy their struggles for sporting reasons. Everything that is bad for Barcelona is good for Real Madrid.”
Zinedine Zidane’s Madrid stunned the Nou Camp when they defeated Barcelona 2-1 earlier this month, ending a run of 39 undefeated matches and also beginning the start of a poor run of form for the Catalan giants. Having gone up 1-0 through a Gerard Pique, Karim Benzema equalised with a spectacular overhead strike before Cristiano Ronaldo scored a late winner to silence the Barcelona crowd.
Ramos, who was sent off during the match after receiving two yellow cards, added that his side's win over Barcelona was what kick-started their poor run of form.
“Us beating them at Camp Nou was a big blow for them. A Clasico is always about more than just three points, it is the game of the season, it was tough for them mentally,” he said.
“They could have decided La Liga, but we reduced the gap instead. Of course, that leads to doubts.
“The league was theirs to lose, they have everything in their own hands, so you can say they lost the title if they don’t win it”.
The Real Madrid captain also spoke about the ongoing feud between Gerard Pique and Alvaro Arbeloa, which was reignited after Arbeloa made fun of Barca’s defeat to Real Sociedad. A war of words on twitter has since followed, and Ramos believes Pique should know better than to take part in such childish behaviour.
“You cannot avoid these kinds of debates. But an experienced player like Pique should avoid these sorts of childish things,” he said.
“I think a little humour never hurts, but there is a time and place for such actions and always, of course, without disrespecting either party.”
Both sides are in for relatively easy draws this weekend as Real Madrid travel to 16th placed Rayo, while Barcelona host 18th placed Sporting.
