Reality dismantles the propaganda that has been built up from Madrid around the Villarreal-Barça match in Miami.
The biased narrative of Tomás Roncero
Tomás Roncero explained in the newspaper As: "Barça will play 20 home matches and 18 away matches in this league. The team from La Cerámica will only play 18 at home and 20 away.
So, in advance, the competition is rigged because the calendar conditions aren't the same as for the other 18 participating clubs. The designers of this sham have been so naive that they've fallen into their own trap.
With Barça as the home team, there's no sporting favor being done for the blaugrana team. As the home team, we don't get any benefit from the move. As the away team, it's clear.
50,000 culés at Hard Rock Stadium plus the brave groguet fans who take advantage of the "all expenses paid" offer from Fernando Roig.
If out of the 19,000 season ticket holders of the Castellón team, let's say about 10,000 go, that would cost the Yellow Submarine about 10 million euros. That's much more than what they're going to earn for playing the friendly. The numbers don't add up…
If Barça plays as the "home" team in a match that was one of its most difficult away games against a Champions rival, it's clear that the sporting benefit would be huge. Not only could Madrid feel harmed (its public statement is devastating and irrefutable)."
The reality is quite different; Villarreal isn't a difficult away game for Barça. It's the stadium where it performs best. It hasn't lost there since 2007, but the narrative must be sold and the complaints made before the competition starts.
Any reason is good. From the few vacation days for Real Madrid's players to the Miami match. The important thing is to have excuses in case there's another trophyless season.
There's a lot of concern in Madrid about Barça playing as if at home while being the away team. There's even more concern about the Miami Dolphins playing at Bernabéu as the home team against the Washington Commanders. That'll happen in the NFL game that Florentino Pérez is so eager to organize.
18 years without losing in Villarreal
Barça has won in its last six visits to Villarreal. 12 wins, 5 draws, and 0 losses for Barça in its last 17 matches at La Cerámica. The blaugrana team hasn't lost at La Cerámica since the 2007-08 season.
It has lost three of its last four home matches against the Castellón team. The words of Fernando Roig, Villarreal's president, are justified:
"In our stadium, we haven't beaten Barcelona in recent years, and at theirs, we've beaten them several times. So, maybe, we have more chances. There, we beat them this year in the last league, just to mention one."
A coded message for Tomás Roncero and his gaps in documentation.
Barça strolls in Villarreal
The most recent Villarreal-Barça matches at La Cerámica:
1-5
3-4
0-1
1-3
1-2
1-4
4-4
0-2
1-1
2-2
0-1