Soccer talk over chocolate con churros

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Chocolate con churros is one of the most popular forms of breakfast in Spain, consisting of a heavenly hot chocolate drink and long pastries dusted with a bit of powdered sugar.

Syrupy in its consistency, the chocolate just slides down the back of your throat with ease when you take a small sip, and serves as the perfect vehicle to dunk your churros into, as it perfectly coats the pastry, forming a brilliant marriage of sweetness.

Having chocolate con churros is a daily custom here in Spain, but for me the experience was heightened by witnessing the other morning ritual that Spaniards keenly observe - dissecting the previous night's soccer games.

The chocolateria near my hotel was packed with patrons when I strolled in this morning, and the topic du jour was Real Madrid's loss to Sevilla at home on Sunday night.

Real has hit a rough patch, losing three of its last four games to drop into fifth place and nine points behind front-runners Barcelona, who crushed Valencia 4-0 on Saturday.

All of which led Real coach Bernd Schuster to admit his team has no chance of beating Barca when the two bitter rivals meet Saturday in the Camp Nou. What's more, club president Ramon Calderon was mercilessly heckled by fans after his team fell to Sevilla, and Real fans are calling for his resignation.

So, the Madristas are in crisis, and you can imagine how this went over in the chocolateria, especially with the Classico showdown against Barca looming.

In between sips and bites, customers were crowing about how their beloved blaugrana would wipe the floor with los blancos, predicting a loss would result in Schuster's termination.

"Adios, Schuster," predicted an elderly gentleman sitting at the table next to mine, leaving no doubt as to who he thinks is to blame for Real's crisis.

His friend, on the other hand, said the players are responsible because they don't have any "cojones".

Raul, the team's captain, needs to step up, said another customer.

The defence stinks. Too many injuries. Lack of confidence.

Everyone in the place seemed to have a different opinion as to why Real is struggling, but they were in complete unison in the belief that Barca will put the boots to them on Saturday.

Listening in on the spirited discourse that wafted through the air of this chocolateria, combined with the sweet scent and taste of chocolate con churros, wasn't a bad way to spend a morning.

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