As manifested by Manuel Pellegrini yesterday, Real Madrid never give up and “will try to catch up with Barcelona until season’s end.” The entire squad will try its best to win every agme in order to reach the 98 point mark at the end of the campaign.
First of seven finals
The Whites managed to cut Barcelona’s earlier five-point cushion in just seven weeks, between Matchdays 19 and 25. Their calendar is less cumbersome than Barça’s; the latter have still to face Espanyol, Villarreal and Sevilla away from home. Real Madrid also won four of their league titles not being leaders with seven games left in the season (1931/32, 1957/58, 1979/80 and 2006/07). Both Pellegrini (2006/07) and the Club (1980/81) know what it’s like to win the last seven games in an edition of La Liga. We mustn’t forget either that the Madridistas managed to win 12 straight games this season before the Clasico.
Manuel Pellegrini has called up the 16 men available to him at the moment (Raul, Metzelder, Drenthe and Kaka are injured, and Garay is suspended), as well as youth teamers Mateos and Juanfran.
REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek.
Defenders: Arbeloa, Ramos, Albiol, Marcelo, Mateos.
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Gago, Lass, Diarra, Guti, Van der Vaart, Granero.
Forwards: Benzema, Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo, Juanfran.
Almeria have only lost two home games this season, against Valencia and Athletic Bilbao. Barcelona and Mallorca (this season’s most surprising team) only managed to draw their encounters.
Almeria are in mid-table positions, but their coach said this week they won’t lack motivation for the match given they will face Real Madrid and a victory would guarantee them a place in the First Division next season. Coach Lillo will be able to use all his men save for the injured Chico.
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April 15, 2010 | Categories: Match Preview, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Estadio del Mediterráneo, UD Almería | Leave a comment
UNLEASH THE KRAZEN!
The worst hangover a Madridista can have is the post-(title-hopes-deciding-Clásico-loss) one. And what makes you feel even worse is to see a host of players on the injured list just when you think that the whole team is finally recovering from injuries and suspensions. This week is one such and I am still recovering from the hangover. And before I could recover we seem to have yet another game to play, this time against Almería at the Estadio del Mediterráneo.
The week started in a lousy fashion as usual. Sunday was given off to the players and they returned to training on Monday when the news came out that an MRI performed on Raúl González at Sanitas La Moraleja revealed that the player has post-traumatic inflammation of his right meniscus; an injury that is expected to keep him sidelined between two and three weeks. El Siete along with Rafael van der Vaart, Kaká and Pepe worked out in the gym while the sole consolation was that Royston Drenthe seemed to have recovered from his injury. The wing-back was seen jogging at a normal pace along with his team mates.
The same day Valdano went on air with Cadena Ser and reassured us fans that the team is committed to winning the last seven games. He emphasised the fact that should that happen the 98 points we finish with will be historic. But what he didn’t mention would be the fact that if Barça too go undefeated they will end up with 101. But that isn’t how a Madridista thinks is it?
He then spoke about his hopes about our €56 million summer signing Ricardo Kaká coming back and making a big impact in the remaining seven games of which he might play only four or five probably.
Once Kaka returns we hope he can provide some answers… big answers. He has improved quite a bit. Let’s see if he is able to help us down the final stretch.
What he then said was the best part of the whole interview. While Marca had gone on and on about replacing him at the helm, Valdano simply killed all the nonsense talk, saying:
We are not looking for a new coach. Despite last weekend’s disappointment he always stays calm and has the strength to continue. Every Monday is the same for him whether the team wins or loses. He always confronts each week with peace of mind, which is quite a blessing when coaching a team like Real Madrid.
And that restored some peace in my head. It didn’t hurt as much as it did earlier in the day.
Then came Tuesday and yet another MRI was performed. This time it was on Christoph Metzelder after he abandoned Tuesday’s training sesssion. It was confirmed that the player is suffering from acute tendinitis in his right patelar tendon ergo is expected to miss two to three, during which he will undergo medical treatment and physiotherapy. Rafael van der Vaart returned to train with the rest of the group as did fellow Dutchman Royston Drenthe whereas Kaká and Raúl continued to train indoors. While Van der Vaart was expected to make the cut for tonight’s game the other three weren’t.
Wednesday was the usual closed door session and the focus had officially shifted to Almería. Juanma Lillo took over from Hugo Sanchez in Week 16 and the team now sits in the middle of the league table. With 37 points, Almería are nine clear of the danger zone with seven matches left to play. This year they have lost only two times at home, where they earned an important victory against Atlético Madrid and drew against Barcelona.
Though we won 4-2 in the home game against them since changing their name to UD Almeria they have not lost at home to Real Madrid. One victory and one draw against the Whites in the last two years show how tough the ground really has been for us. Almeria though are without a win in their last three league matches making predicting this game’s outcome a bitch.
Almeria tend to rely on a 4-2-3-1 game plan in order to capitalize on their fast attacking midfielders and players who can make things happen when in possession of the ball. They may not be the biggest men on the pitch, but they play technically sound football and present a danger on the counterattack. Corona, Crusat and Piatti bring order and speed to the midfield and can reach the opponent’s box when needed. Uche is the team’s top scorer with seven goals to his name this season. On the defensive front, goalkeeper Diego Alves rises to the occasion week after week and makes his back line feel very secure of itself.
Lillo has a full-strength squad to choose from aside from the injured Chico.
Real Madrid are coming out of their first loss at home this season. Los Merengues lost 2-0 to Barcelona in what might turn out to be the turning point in this season’s title race. It was the first time this season that we dropped points at home and the tide now favors Barcelona as far as La Liga is concerned. Sergio Ramos pointed out perfectly in his preview for the game in bwin.com that it would be a mistake to dwell on our last match because the league is still in play. Mathematically we are still in it and the last seven games will show us the real difference between the likes of Juande Ramos, Schuster etc. and Manuel Pellegrini. Last season we lost several consecutive games on the trot after the loss to Barcelona in the Clásico even though we were still in the race. This time we are in a similar situation and are now six points behind with a game in hand. The title race in England, Germany, Italy and France have shown us that anything is possible in football and we must be ready to take it when they come by. Ramos concurs:
We need to capitalize on the opportunities we are given. Almeria haven’t spent many years in Primera Division, but they always show up to play and we have a lot of respect for them. They aren’t by any means a pushover, but we have our weapons and hope to earn the win.
And that is what we must do. Respect but demolish Almería.
Manuel Pellegrini announced the names of the 18 men who will travel to Almeria later this evening for tomorrow’s match. Real Madrid Castilla’s Mateos and Juanfran made the final cut, while Garay was left out due to suspension and Raul, Metzelder, Kaka, Drenthe and Pepe remain unavailable due to injury.
REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek.
Defenders: Arbeloa, Ramos, Albiol, Marcelo, Mateos.
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Gago, Lass, Diarra, Guti, Van der Vaart, Granero.
Forwards: Benzema, Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo, Juanfran.
Probable Starting XI: Casillas, Arbeloa, Ramos, Albiol, Marcelo, Gago, Xabi Alonso, Granero, Van der Vaart, Higuaín, Ronaldo.
Prediction: Almería 1-3 Real Madrid
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
13.007491
80.252158
April 15, 2010 | Categories: Comments, News, Pre-preview | Tags: Christoph Metzelder, Estadio del Mediterráneo, Jorge Valdano, Raúl González Blanco, Sergio Ramos, UD Almería | Leave a comment
Just another Madridista
Hala Madrid 
MRIs Galore – Almeria pre-preview
UNLEASH THE KRAZEN!
The worst hangover a Madridista can have is the post-(title-hopes-deciding-Clásico-loss) one. And what makes you feel even worse is to see a host of players on the injured list just when you think that the whole team is finally recovering from injuries and suspensions. This week is one such and I am still recovering from the hangover. And before I could recover we seem to have yet another game to play, this time against Almería at the Estadio del Mediterráneo.
The week started in a lousy fashion as usual. Sunday was given off to the players and they returned to training on Monday when the news came out that an MRI performed on Raúl González at Sanitas La Moraleja revealed that the player has post-traumatic inflammation of his right meniscus; an injury that is expected to keep him sidelined between two and three weeks. El Siete along with Rafael van der Vaart, Kaká and Pepe worked out in the gym while the sole consolation was that Royston Drenthe seemed to have recovered from his injury. The wing-back was seen jogging at a normal pace along with his team mates.
The same day Valdano went on air with Cadena Ser and reassured us fans that the team is committed to winning the last seven games. He emphasised the fact that should that happen the 98 points we finish with will be historic. But what he didn’t mention would be the fact that if Barça too go undefeated they will end up with 101. But that isn’t how a Madridista thinks is it?
He then spoke about his hopes about our €56 million summer signing Ricardo Kaká coming back and making a big impact in the remaining seven games of which he might play only four or five probably.
What he then said was the best part of the whole interview. While Marca had gone on and on about replacing him at the helm, Valdano simply killed all the nonsense talk, saying:
And that restored some peace in my head. It didn’t hurt as much as it did earlier in the day.
Then came Tuesday and yet another MRI was performed. This time it was on Christoph Metzelder after he abandoned Tuesday’s training sesssion. It was confirmed that the player is suffering from acute tendinitis in his right patelar tendon ergo is expected to miss two to three, during which he will undergo medical treatment and physiotherapy. Rafael van der Vaart returned to train with the rest of the group as did fellow Dutchman Royston Drenthe whereas Kaká and Raúl continued to train indoors. While Van der Vaart was expected to make the cut for tonight’s game the other three weren’t.
Wednesday was the usual closed door session and the focus had officially shifted to Almería. Juanma Lillo took over from Hugo Sanchez in Week 16 and the team now sits in the middle of the league table. With 37 points, Almería are nine clear of the danger zone with seven matches left to play. This year they have lost only two times at home, where they earned an important victory against Atlético Madrid and drew against Barcelona.
Though we won 4-2 in the home game against them since changing their name to UD Almeria they have not lost at home to Real Madrid. One victory and one draw against the Whites in the last two years show how tough the ground really has been for us. Almeria though are without a win in their last three league matches making predicting this game’s outcome a bitch.
Lillo has a full-strength squad to choose from aside from the injured Chico.
Real Madrid are coming out of their first loss at home this season. Los Merengues lost 2-0 to Barcelona in what might turn out to be the turning point in this season’s title race. It was the first time this season that we dropped points at home and the tide now favors Barcelona as far as La Liga is concerned. Sergio Ramos pointed out perfectly in his preview for the game in bwin.com that it would be a mistake to dwell on our last match because the league is still in play. Mathematically we are still in it and the last seven games will show us the real difference between the likes of Juande Ramos, Schuster etc. and Manuel Pellegrini. Last season we lost several consecutive games on the trot after the loss to Barcelona in the Clásico even though we were still in the race. This time we are in a similar situation and are now six points behind with a game in hand. The title race in England, Germany, Italy and France have shown us that anything is possible in football and we must be ready to take it when they come by. Ramos concurs:
And that is what we must do. Respect but demolish Almería.
Manuel Pellegrini announced the names of the 18 men who will travel to Almeria later this evening for tomorrow’s match. Real Madrid Castilla’s Mateos and Juanfran made the final cut, while Garay was left out due to suspension and Raul, Metzelder, Kaka, Drenthe and Pepe remain unavailable due to injury.
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek.
Defenders: Arbeloa, Ramos, Albiol, Marcelo, Mateos.
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Gago, Lass, Diarra, Guti, Van der Vaart, Granero.
Forwards: Benzema, Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo, Juanfran.
Probable Starting XI: Casillas, Arbeloa, Ramos, Albiol, Marcelo, Gago, Xabi Alonso, Granero, Van der Vaart, Higuaín, Ronaldo.
Prediction: Almería 1-3 Real Madrid
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
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April 15, 2010 | Categories: Comments, News, Pre-preview | Tags: Christoph Metzelder, Estadio del Mediterráneo, Jorge Valdano, Raúl González Blanco, Sergio Ramos, UD Almería | Leave a comment