Not much to talk about
With a round of pointless international friendlies coming up, there is not much to talk about. Unless you consider Marcelo’s venture into social networking as something worth discussing. Then of course there is the whole Cantera issue that has been going on and on for weeks now and has started getting to me as much as to Mourinho. Apart from that we can maybe ponder over whether Pepe really taunted Ballesteros or not. But in essence there is nothing worth talking about. Before you start questioning the intent behind this post let me get started.
Eight of our players have been called up by their respective national teams for friendlies most of which would be conducted on Wednesday. Nacho and Varane play on Tuesday for the U21s. Casillas, Ramos, and Albiol are in Central America, Pepe in West Africa, Di Maria is in East Asia, and Kaká in North America. With so much travel and the fatigue that is bound to be incurred I am confident that we will have yet another injury crisis as the rest of the team prepares to face Bilbao at home in the weekend and Man City away next week. That said, we had some good news at the Valdebebas with Khedira training with the first team. Benzema, who is still recovering, trained on the sidelines and would most probably stay out of the team for the weekend’s fixture. Higuaín, Özil and Ronaldo too are their respective nursing injuries. I am unsure about who would and wouldn’t be ready for this weekend’s game but I am sure I can give you a better idea in a day or two.
Marcelo is now on twitter. After his latest entry into instagram the Brazilian left back is now catching up with the rest of his up to date team mates on the mini blogging site. You can tweet him @12MarceloV. Rumor has it that he followed Cristiano before even LilWayne. Staying on the social wire and with Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar uploaded a pic on instagram and facebook reassuring fans and warning teams that he would be back as soon as it was possible for him to see with both eyes. Knowing him, the world’s third best player, who now looks as though he got into a spat with bruce lee, should be ready to challenge Lil’ Lionel for the Pichichi this weekend.
Talking about trophies, Casillas, Ramos, and Alonso were chosen as the best goalkeeper, defender, and midfielder by the coaches in charge of the teams in the league last season. They collected their rewards in the weekend. Messi though continued to beat Ronaldo when it came to winning prizes. It now seems like a competition between the teacher’s pet and the class bully (considering how CR looks now).
Real have released an official statement about the exemplary behavior displayed by us post-game at Valencia. Levante’s overaged players complained about being taunted by Pepe in the tunnel and there were even rumors that Pepe and Ballesteros went at each other in the presence of CR while he was receiving treatment. I haven’t seen anything more petty in my life and will hence not deign to talk about it.
Till tomorrow,
Para Siempre Blanco!!
Hala Madrid!!
It is not only about football, at least not anymore
Its no longer about football alone.
Real Madrid lost 3-2 on the night and 5-4 on aggregate to eternal rivals Barcelona, ergo the Supercopa de España. Lionel Messi, as always, was the chief architect behind the Catalan success scoring two goals out of almost nothing, the second coming in the dying moments of the game, all this after setting up Andrés Iniesta for the first. Real came twice from behind through Cristiano and Benzema respectively but were unable to grab the third goal that would have turned the tie towards the better team on the night with barely anytime left. The match ended on a bitter note with two of our players sent off in Mesut Özil (who was not on the pitch at the time) and Marcelo (for a tackle on new boy Cesc Fàbregas). David Villa, who too was on the bench, was sent of as well with the game ending in a melee.
José Mourinho decided to field the same line up that lost 5-0 here in La Liga last season but for one change. New signing Coentrão started at left back, replacing Marcelo. Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, made a host of changes to his side as Xavi, Busquets, Pedro and Pique replaced Thiago, Keita, Aléxis Sánchez and Adriano from the first leg, thereby reverting back to his best starting XI available. Cesc Fàbregas was on the bench. The initial stages of the game saw both teams share equal possession and the ball sticking within 25 yards of either side of the half way line. Neither team was able to break through the opposite defense when Messi sublimely put Andrés Iniesta through on goal 1v1 with Casillas. The midfielder chipped in the ball to give Barça a 1-0 lead. Real now had to score two. But that would change within 5 minutes. Mesut Özil swung in a corner from the right which ultimately fell to Karim Benzema on the far post. The on-song Frenchman squeezed in a ball through a crowded area which was tucked into goal by Cristiano Ronaldo. There were doubts about Ronaldo being offside but replays acquitted him of such claims. It was CR7’s 100th goal for Real Madrid and his first at the Nou Camp. But for the goal and a shot that Valdes could only deflect on to the crossbar, the overall performance of Ronaldo last night was below par. He was trying too hard to flatter the Catalan crowd with his dazzling step overs only to hinder the attack of his own team. Real had the better chances of the game throughout the night but Lionel Messi was more efficient. Just before half time the little Argentine played a clever one-two with the demented Gerard Piqué to beat Iker Casillas yet again and give Barça the lead after 45 minutes of play. Messi was simply sublime last night one has to admit. Every run of his troubled our defense. One other sight which worried me especially was Coentrão’s defensive credibilities. The Portuguese at left-back was totally out of sorts and was found AWOL most of the times. Fortunately, since it was Pedro who played on the right, Barça failed to capitalize.
The second half began in similar fashion with Barça unable to play their normal tiki-taka thanks to the incredible pressure that they were under. Marcelo replaced Khedira and Coentrão moved to midfield alongside Xabi Alonso. Unlike previous encounters Madrid was not rough on them but made sure that the pressure they applied on those Catalans was immense. Xavi of all people stuttered. Piqué, Abidal, Alves were all forced to clear the ball and thus were taken out of possession. Messi hardly saw the ball. Madrid were better than any side that has ever faced this team. Özil almost pegged us level when he was put through with only Valdes to beat. The German tested the keeper but definitely should have done better. I felt there was too little sting in the shot. The game crossed the 80th minute mark. Kaká and Higuaín had come on for Özil and an out-of-sort Angel Di María. It was the Brazilian’s corner that ultimately fell to Karim Benzema through Pepe and Real were back on level terms and the match was going into extra time. Barça panicked. The fans were silent as Cesc Fàbregas came on to make his debut. Just two minutes was left for normal time to end. Fàbregas played Adriano through on the left and his cross was volleyed in by Lionel Messi to hand Barcelona the lead and an inevitable victory. The volley was too good even for someone like St. Iker.
Özil and Villa, both in the picture, were sent off from the bench.
The game ended but match didn’t end there. Marcelo made a completely unnecessary challenge on new boy Cesc which the catalans made too much out of. This invoked the Catalans and finally the inevitable brawl began. Marcelo was sent off but so were Özil, who was completely furious about some incident, and David Villa were sent off. Mourinho too was involved having a go at Tito Villanova in his usually cheeky manner capping off what has been one of the best two legged games that I have ever seen.
This defeat, as sour as it is, definitely is a sign of improvement. We were the better team over two legs and if we had been a little more efficient in front of goal we would have definitely walked out winners. The rivalry between the two sides is turning out be more bitter than ever. Piqué has had a few harsh words to say about José. The latter belittled the Supercopa by calling it a tiny little trophy. Its no longer only about football and that’s what is making this whole affair even more special.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
A Three Goal Draw or a Win
Come on you whites!
With the first title of the season at stake and with the odds favoring the opponent, Real Madrid travel to the Nou Camp to face Barcelona in the second leg of the Supercopa knowing that only a win or a high scoring draw is capable of changing its fortune. Despite being the better of the two sides, Real were only able to manage a 2-2 draw earlier this week at the Bernabéu thus handing Barça the advantage of having two away goals.
History though favors Real, who have a 4-0 advantage over Barça in the Supercopa head-to-head tally but all that will mean nothing tonight. In all of the previous 4 encounters Real have always won at home and have won away only once and that coming a couple of decades ago. Also, yet again historically speaking, this Barça side is much superior to any of the other sides that they have had. The odds are definitely well stacked against us. That said, it is emerging victorious from a tight spot like this that marks a champion. At the end of the day we will know how far away we are from becoming the champion ten months later.
A win tonight will definitely do wonders to the confidence of our players. If they can be as promising as they were on Sunday I cannot see why they can’t stop the Barça juggernaut. Attack is the best form of defense they say and more so in this case as Barça’s weakest link is their defense and with their best defender and captain, Carles Puyol, unavailable we can certainly make use of this opportunity to sneak in a goal or two which would definitely turn the tide against the home team. And by scoring first, both the morale of the players as well as the balance of the game would favor us. Whether we decide to park the team bus in front of goal or play without a change in the mentality is up to the manager. Personally, I wouldn’t mind doing the former. To me its all about winning.
Karanka, who attended the pre-match press conference, also concurred with my opinion, saying:
We know a title is at stake and that the first leg score forces us to win. We really want to win in Barcelona, especially after Sunday’s match. We’re only thinking about our game, about the our work and about how we played the other day. We can win the Super Cup if we play like we did in the first leg.
Real Madrid traveled to Barcelona yesterday with 22 men tabbed for duty. Granero, Morata and Tomás Mejías were the inclusions from the side that was picked to play the first leg. I don’t see too many changes in the starting line up from the first leg. Mourinho played his strongest side on Sunday and I don’t think that fact has changed since. Coentrão might just get a start ahead of Di Maria probably but I highly doubt it as Di María is more of an established player on the side. The Portuguese would definitely play a part in the game though. And if all goes well, Morata too would.
Barça on the other hand have decided to not reveal their squad until an hour before the game. Pique, Busquets, Xavi and Pedro are all expected to play the game after missing out on the first leg. Cesc Fàbregas, who finally signed for Barça after a zillion years of speculation, has been training with the squad and might even get to make his debut. The Catalans cite that former Arsenal captain is undefeated against Real Madrid (a club against which he has played only two games in the whole of his career) and that he can’t do anything but dazzle against the Whites. I suspect if he’d make any sort of an impact tonight. Even if he does come on it would just be to show him off to the home crowd. €26 million worth Alexis Sánchez might also feature for the same reason.
As always I will be rooting for a Real Madrid victory tonight. 2-1 to Los Blancos!
Until after the game,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
The season so far
This current crop of players are probably the best that we have had in a decade.
The season so far has been fantastic so to speak. Starting in an extremely positive manner, with an undefeated pre-season campaign and a confidence boosting stalemate against Barça, this season has all the indications of becoming the special second season that the special one enjoys no matter which club he manages. Even though a rejuvenated Karim Benzema is the highlight of the season so far, we must also grace the fact that the team seems to be in a much better shape (if that’s even possible) than it was last season.
The Squad
José has made five new additions to the squad that he had at his disposal a year ago by acquiring the signatures of Nuri Sahin, Hamit Altintop, former Castilla player José Callejon, Raphäel Varane and last but not the least Fábio Coentrão with the latter coming at 30 million Euros from Benfica. Pepe and Sergio Ramos signed five year deals keeping them at the club till 2016 and 2017 respectively. Zidane took over from Valdano as the Director of Football. Garay, Adebayor, Drenthe, Pedro León, Lass and Gago were seen as excess baggage by the newly appointed Sporting Manager of Football, José Mourinho. Garay left to Benfica, Adebayor went back to Manchester City. Mateos and Canales were loaned out to Zaragoza and Valencia respectively. Jerzy Dudek too is no longer a part of the first team following his retirement from football at the end of last season. Mourinho’s new designation saw him gain complete authority over who comes and who goes from the squad following Jorge Valdano’s departure last season. Mourinho’s authority extended over affairs of the youth team as well with the highly talented Pablo Sarabia loaned out to our neighbors Getafe in order to gain exposure to La Liga. Jesé, Joselu, Jesus, Nacho, Casado, Tomas Mejias all accompanied the first team players throughout the pre-season campaign and Antonio Adan as promoted to the first team where he will serve as St.Iker’s deputy. Notable absentees from Castilla were Morata and Sarabia who both were out representing Spain in the UEFA U-19 European Championship. They both made significant contributions to the side, with Sarabia captaining it and Morata being the top scorer of the tournament, and thus helping Spain regain the trophy that they had lost to France last year. Sahin and Altintop though were injured throughout the pre-season and still are and thus have to wait till they make their bow for us Blancos.
Pre-season
José Mourinho’s second season at Real Madrid, following a victorious Copa Del Rey campaign and a relatively less successful La Liga and Champions League campaigns, kicked off in style in the city of Los Angeles just like last season. The Whites would play the World Football Challenge which included games against David Beckham’s LA Galaxy, the Mexican side Chivas Guadalajara and Philadelphia Union before leaving the US of A. Following that would be trips to Germany, England and as far as China before returning to Spain for the Supercopa clash against our dearest Catalan rivals – FC Barcelona – in a two legged affair. Also, Galatasaray had agreed to play this year’s edition of the Santiago Bernabeu trophy.
Karim Benzema dropped 7 kilos, scored 8 goals and provided 4 assists in the magnificent pre-season that he had.
The first game of the pre-season was against the Lost Angeles Galaxy at the Home Depot Center and like last season we emerged victorious with an even better result compared to the 3-2 win a year ago. A goal from the debutant Callejón, Castilla’s Joselu, the ever-scoring Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema made Galaxy’s only goal just a consolation, thereby sealing a 4-1 victory. Callejón, Coentrão and of course Benzema all impressed in a game that saw Real dominate their opponent as expected. The French striker had finally started impressing the manager with the boss himself saying that Benzema was finally the striker he wants him to be. Followed by that good showing was a game against the Mexican side Guadalajara that saw our best player show us and the Mexicans why he is what he is. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a magnificent second half hat-trick to help Real notch its second win in as many games in the pre-season. Real Madrid 3 Chivas 0 read the final score. The final game on American soil would be the toughest. Real struggled to beat Philadelphia Union 2-1 thanks to early goals from Ozil and Callejon in the first half. Ultimately, Real Madrid topped the table of the World Football Challenge on goal difference. A win is a win they say.
Real then returned to Spain only to leave to Berlin, Germany where they would play Hertha in what would be yet another friendly. Despite going down to the home team by a goal a Karim Benzema inspired Real came out victors 3-1. The best goal of the game came from a trademark Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick. Benzema’s performance though was the biggest gain for us considering the fact that the first team has only two #9s in the side.
Next up was a game against Sven Goran Erikkson’s Leicester City, a game that apparently won us 1.5 million euros. The English crowd was as hostile as ever and, I better get used to saying this, yet again it was Karim Benzema who saved us the blushes with a goal and an assist to overcome them in a hard fought 2-1 win. Higuain was back for the game and Di Maria would join us in our trip to Asia.
China was our next destination. Guangzhou Evergrande and Tianjin Teda were our respective opponents in the two friendlies that the Whites would play there. Generally teams have known to struggle against Asian opponents on Asian soil as the conditions were hard and the opponents are perfectly used to playing in such surfaces and climates. But that was not the case here as the games turned out to be cakewalks. The former lost 7-1 whereas the latter lost by the same margin except that they couldn’t beat our defense with the game ending 6-0 and the pre-season ending in emphatic fashion. Los Blancos would return to Madrid to get the new season up and running.
Transfer speculations
Transfer speculations are never too far off from Real Madrid and this window was no different. Real were linked with several top strikers in the world none more so than Kun Agüero who had announced that he would leave Atletico for better football and a better future. Adebayor too was touted to return on a permanent deal with the special one himself admitting that a deal was possible. But Mourinho was quick to quash all rumors as soon as he was sure that Benzema would carry the burden of the striker role along with the ever-reliable Pipita. Real had bought all their signings very early in order to get things set by the time pre-season had started. Apparently, Mourinho wanted two quality players for every position on the field and once that was accomplished all that Florentino Perez had to do was close his cheque book. Gago, Lass and Pedro León are yet to be sold or sent out on loan.
I personally thought we would go on to buy a striker but then again with Benzema, Higuaín, Ronaldo and Callejón we have enough goals from the first team alone part from the ones that the likes of Jesé, Joselu and Morata could provide. I will not say that I am entirely happy with the composition of the squad. We do seem to be a quality striker shy of a great squad, but its Mourinho who calls the shots. If he is happy, then I am happy. I am happy.
Supercopa – first leg
And then the season started. What better way to get started than getting a go at a couple of Clasicós one would say but then I do not agree and Mourinho doesn’t either. The intensity of a clasicó is too much to have right at the beginning of the season when players are just getting ready to play and might be vulnerable to a niggle. But what has to happen, has to happen. The first game of the season actual, was the first leg against Barça at the Bernabéu against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. It was the fifth clasicó of 2011 with the teams sharing a couple of draws and a win apiece. Real Madrid played their strongest line up with Casillas between the sticks, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Carvalho and Marcelo playing at the back behind Alonso and Khedira. The front four consisted of Ronaldo, Ozil, Di Maria and Karim Benzema. Barça were without the services of Puyol while Pique, Busquets, Pedro and Xavi were relegated to the bench. €26 million signing Aléxis Sanchéz won a place in the starting line up along with Messi and Villa. New sensation Thiago Alcantâra along with Iniesta and Keita made up the midfield while Alves, Mascherano, Abidal, Adriano and Valdés made up the rest of the line up. Özil opened the scoring for us in a half that saw us dominate Barça more than any other team has done in the past three years. Signs were good for us when Barça leveled through an extraordinary goal from David Villa which would have defeated any goalkeeper in the world. Barça’s luck continued when Messi made the best out of Khedira’s unlucky touch which led to a 2-1 scoreline in favor of Barça at the stroke of half-time. This didn’t deter us and we came out as strong as we had done in the first half and continued to dominate the game and we deservedly pegged back level when Xabi Alonso’s drive from the edge of the box beat Valdés after fifty three minutes. Guardiola was made to make changes with both Pique and Xavi coming in despite not being completely fit. Benzema, yet again, proved inspirational by not only setting up Özil for the first goal and but also by keeping a check on Barça’s defense continuously throughout the game. The scoreline does not reflect the way the game was played and Real have a lot of work to do still as we travel to Camp Nou for the second leg. All signs indicate a positive result for Real but with Clásicós you never know.
Until next time,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
A new season, a new beginning and a new everything
Hola!
Instead of making yet another wannabe comeback speech let me just make it official. I am reopening this blog. I am going to blog again, maybe not as much as I used to, but definitely enough to keep up with the latest happenings of the club that we all love. Thank you all for not letting this blog go down while I haven’t been there. I shall make sure that I keep up my word this time around at least.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
The injury crisis syndrome
EDIN-g to real?
Sergio Canales – out for a month (ankle ligament sprain).
Gonzalo Higuain – out for a couple of months (back problem).
Kaka – Will not be fit until and after the winter break – that’s again – a month.
Gago – No one knows when he will be back – let’s say a month again.
Cristiano – injured – but will play through the pain.
Garay – just recovering from a major injury and getting back to full fitness.
And that makes it 3 potential starters down injured (Yes, I am considering Kaka as a potential starter). The injury crisis syndrome has hit Real Madrid and this probably is not the right time for it to strike. The latest casualty is Sergio Canales who is now out with an ankle ligament sprain for three to four weeks as he was injured for the second time this season in training. While Gonzalo Higuain, who also is injured, is yet to decide whether or not to go under the knife.
Humiliated, insulted, disgraced, shamed, battered, mauled, smashed, ass-kicked. The words might vary but the effect is the same. The five-zip loss at Camp Nou was just what the doctor did not order. And Valencia come to the Bernabeu tomorrow to face a reeling Real Madrid side who from being league leaders going into Jornada 13 are a couple of points behind the following Jornada. And what a world of a difference do those two points make! Also, with La Liga being a two-horse race majorly the five goals that were scored could ultimately decide La Liga. Florentino Perez has apparently labelled that defeat as the worst in our illustrious history. It was embarrassing but I’d rank it right up there with the 2-6 loss at home. If we can concede 5 with this team then that score doesn’t look bad at all. Anyhoo, that’s that and its only better that we move on.
Moving on will not be all that easy with the striker crisis that we are having right now. Benzema and Ronaldo are the only two first team forwards that we have. But then again they are not the exact kind of forwards that we would want to see up front if you get what I mean. Yes, they can get you tons of goals but they don’t stick to defenders on the front third of the field and persist until they get a chance. They tend to like it when they have the ball at their feet contrary to a real number 9 who just wants the ball in the net. There are rumors emanating from Spain about Real chasing Edin Dzeko now that we are out of strikers for the next couple of months and there is also the continuing talks about Llorente. But both of them will come at a price that we are not willing to meet. And that too majority of their games will be coming in the next couple of months. And a new signing will at least need a month to settle in. I might have felt different back then but right now I feel we must have hung on to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. He’s scoring a lot of goals in Germany now and did start scoring before we let him go. He might have helped now and back during the times when we simply lacked a number 9.
Alright then. Kaka is back out on the field. He’s started outfield training and is on course as per his recovery plans. The docs had said it’d take him up to six months to be back at his best and its been just 4. So there’s still some time left until we see him back again. Though I’ve learnt not to have high expectations about him I just can’t resist from being tempted to think he might just make a rollicking return and show us fans the real Kaka.
Apart from that I don’t think there is much to talk about. I will get back again tomorrow with the proper preview for the game and along with Jose’s comments and the squad list for the game.
Before signing off, congratulations Russia for 2018 and Qatar for 2022. I have set my sights on the latter and having taken a look at what’s in store there I’d surely love to make a trip there.
Until then,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Fideo to his friends
Angel!
Some called him overrated, some said he would never shine in the big stage. Some said Real have spent a ridiculous sum of money on a player who hasn’t proven himself. But Ángel Fabián di María, Fideo to his friends, has gone on to prove all his critics wrong or at least he is in the right path towards doing so. You might argue that it is too early in the season for me come to any conclusion about him. But then I find the remarkable way in which he has gelled into this team as a humongous achievement in itself and more over his 4 goals and 6 assists to add to his work rate has made him one of my favorite players in the world let alone Real Madrid.
Di Maria started his career at Rosario Central in Argentina, the same region of the world where Leo Messi hails from. After impressing for Argentina in the FIFA u-20 World Cup in 2007, Angel caught the eye of the menacing Europeans. Rubin Kazan had almost poached him when he reverted his decision to join forces with the Russians and in the end it was Benfica who won his signature with the Lisbon-based club’s President bringing him in to replace the veteran and club captain Simao who had then departed for Atletico.
He had earned a lot of praise and credit during his time at Rosario including the free-to-use “Next-Maradona” title with El Diego himself labeling the kid a little superstar. And he didn’t disappoint in Portugal as well. Like what he is doing now, Di Maria took no time to acclimatize to the conditions in Lisbon winning the love of the Benfica faithful. His hat trick against Leixoes won him the media’s praise as well. Above all that it was his performance against Liverpool in the Europa League last season that caught the eye of several big clubs. That led Benfica to place a 50 million Euros price tag on him so as to shoo away potential suitors. Just as the world thought Di Maria was going to stay at Benfica Don Florentino made an offer that they couldn’t refuse paying the Portuguese 25 million Euros plus a 11 million of incentives so as to land the Argentine as the first Galactico signing of last summer. It might have seemed like a mistake for us to have bought him before he could prove himself before the World Cup but so much was the confidence that our President had in him that he didn’t want to take the risk of losing him by waiting that long.
Di Maria made his Real Madrid debut against Club America in our first friendly of the season and scored his first goal against Hercules in the Alicante Cup, yet another friendly. But that wasn’t what made the Bernabeu faithful fall in love with the guy born on Valentine’s day. Real Madrid played Penarol in this year’s edition of the Bernabeu trophy. The stage was set for Di Maria to sizzle and what an impact he made! After taking himself past three defenders with some silky dribbling Angel sent the ball crashing into the roof of the net to seal Real’s 2-0 victory over the Uruguayans giving Jose Mourinho’s men victory on home debut.
That was just a sign of things to come. His sizzling goal against Sociedad, his winner at Auxerre and to top it all his stellar performance against Racing at home where he played as a left-winger, right-winger and a left-back at different points of the game has made Angel Di Maria a fan favorite and one of our most important players.
He has incredible pace and some neat touches that makes him escape even the bulkiest of defenders despite his lankiness. Fideo, which means noodle in Spanish, is definitely an apt name for this left footed player who can play on either wing or through the center depending upon the requirement. He can pass the ball well but his dependence on his primary foot i.e. the left does sometimes look like weakness and a tad predictable. His speed and acceleration though make him an ideal player for our counter attacking style of play. Another important attribute has got to be his willingness to help the full backs defend. I have seen quite a few wingers in my time but none track back as much as he does. Both as a starter and as a sub Angel Di Maria is an impact player. He is someone who is missed when not there and makes his presence felt when he has to.
I have no doubts that he will become a Real Madrid legend if he keeps up the promise that he is displaying (and of course stays at Real for a long time) but what I am right now worried about is whether we are over working him. He is a young player with a lot of hunger to play and win titles. But then he needs his time out. But with the intensity of the present day game and the number of games that a top team like Real Madrid plays, the players are bound to get tired/niggled. I am just hoping that Mourinho knows what he is doing but what I do is that majority of the times he does get it right. With Kaka on the road to recovery this is the ideal time for Di Maria to shine as the pressure of performing will not be as much as it will be once the legendary Brazilian is lingering on the sidelines. At the same time, if Kaka is still the Kaka of last season I see no reason why Di Maria won’t start ahead of him. And irrespective of that let us hope that we can bring more from our very own Angel.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Portugal 0-4 Spain
Spain were in wretched form
Portugal gained a measure of revenge for their World Cup exit at the hands of Spain by inflicting a heavy 4-0 defeat on their Iberian neighbours in tonight’s friendly in Lisbon. Goals from Jorge Carlos Martins, visiting defender Sergio Ramos, who put into his own net, Helder Postiga and Hugo Almeida sealed a deserved win for the Portuguese, who were knocked out at the last-16 stage in South Africa as Spain went onto win their maiden World Cup crown. One of the reasons for tonight’s match was to promote the two Iberian countries’ joint bid to host the 2018 World Cup, but off-field alliances were firmly put to one side in a hard-fought and entertaining encounter at the Estadio da Luz.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque started with ten of the side that began the FIFA World Cup final, with David Silva coming in for the ill Pedro Rodriguez as the only change. However, it wasPortugal who enjoyed the better of the first half with wide men Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani featuring heavily. Nani produced the first effort of the match in the second minute, his low 20-yard drive being turned behind by Iker Casillas, before Real Madrid star Ronaldo and Spain midfielder Sergio Busquets both picked up bookings in quick succession for crunching challenges on the other. Spain then twice went close through Andres Iniesta and Silva – who should have done better with a free header – before Portugal looked to have taken the lead in the 36th minute.
A fired-up Ronaldo cut inside Gerard Pique before scooping a shot over Real team-mate Casillas. The effort was going in but Nani headed the ball over the line from point-blank range and the goal was ruled out for offside. Ronaldo was far from pleased, throwing his captain’s armband to the floor, but the world’s most expensive player would have been happier eight minutes later after playing a key part in helpingPortugal take the lead. Martins had already gone agonisingly close to putting his side ahead just previously when his well-struck volley was headed off the line by Pique, but Spain did not survive a second time. Ronaldo showed great skill and strength to muscle his way past Busquets before firing in a thunderous shot from a tight angle that Casillas could only parry, and Martins slammed the loose ball home from near the penalty spot.
Both teams made a number of changes at the break, with Ronaldo among the players to make way and Spain striker Fernando Torres – who had been a doubt after suffering an ankle strain playing for Liverpool at the weekend – among those introduced. The first effort of the second half came from Spain, with Xabi Alonso attempting an audacious long-range lob that almost caught out Rui Patricio, but 60 seconds after that Portugal doubled their advantage. A good pass from Nani put Joao Moutinho in on the right and his low cross found its way into the back of the net via team-mate Postiga and Spain right-back Ramos. Postiga’s back-heel may have been going in but Ramos put the ball in whilst attempting to clear. Portugal should really have made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute but Nani’s attempted chip over Casillas was comfortably saved. Reigning world and European champions Spain attempted to rally, with Cesc Fabregas going close with a volley, but Portugal wrapped up a comprehensive win with two more goals in the final 23 minutes. Postiga made it 3-0 following good work by Danny and Moutinho before substitute Almeida completed the scoring after being put clean through by Pepe in injury time, a goal that sealed a third successive win for new Portugal coach Paulo Bento since he replaced Carlos Queiroz in September.
The doppelgänger
He not only looks like him but plays like him.
With the taste of sweet victory still lingering in my mouth I sit here thinking about how worn out the players might be after last night’s duel. The game was fierce, not so competitive and nail-biting and it was only late in the game that the tie was decided. With the Clasico looming we need to ensure that the wear and tear effect is not a factor. We do have a big squad and with quality players so finding replacements should not be a problem.
One such quality player on the fringe is Fernando Gago. The Argentine international is one of the senior-most players only by merit of playing for Real Madrid since 2007. Basically a defensive midfielder, the former Boca Juniors star has tremendous temperament and is naturally talented. He is a natural number 5 and can contribute both defensively and offensively by destructing opponent’s attacks and initiating our own by threading balls through to our strikers. And all these attributes of his makes us fans draw comparisons with another similar Argentine who made a name for himself here at Real Madrid in the same position that Gago plays right now. I’m talking about none other than the legendary Fernando Redondo. The style of play, the first name and the appearance all make Gago a doppelgänger of Redondo.
Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri was brought in to our side in the same season as a certain 17-year-old kid of the name Raul Gonzalez Blanco made his debut for the senior team in the 1994-95 season when, then our manager, Jorge Valdano lured him from Tenerife in hopes of building a team that could win the La Liga. The team eventually did win the league that season and Redondo slowly emerged as one of our key players and moreover became a fan favorite winning the hearts of several Madridistas. He was known for his commitment to the club more than anything else and displayed this through several examples throughout his career. Skills wise too he was simply sensational. Redondo in his time was arguably the best midfielder in the world. Laid back, hard-working and capable of making crucial passes, he was neither a goalscorer nor a showboating kind of player but he belonged to that different breed of footballers who can simply control the game better than anybody else on the field. More sort of a ventriloquist or an orchestrator you can say. He was calm and composed as well and ergo had all the essential attributes that a number 5 needs most. During the time when the world of football got to see the likes of Keane, Scholes, Guardiola, Effenberg, Rivaldo and several such legends performing on a weekly basis Fernando stood out and on his day made the aforementioned greats look like nothing.
Gago is talented. But whether or not he is as good as Redondo remains to be seen. Both Pellegrini and Mourinho did not want to sell him despite the player wanting to leave and that shows you his quality. The advantage of having a player like Gago is that he can play in either of the midfield positions and that I mean either the Xabi Alonso or Sami Khedira role. Yes, of course he cannot do the same things that either can. He does not have a passing range like Alonso does and cannot be as strong as Khedira both while attacking and defending. But Gago gives us another option just like Lass does with his versatility and like Diarra does with his experience. Gago, if you ask me, was at his best in the 2007-08 season under Bernd Schuster when he was given a lot of opportunities to excel. Its probably opportunities that matters to him and I hope he is given enough when he returns from injury.
The player is currently in Buenos Aires undergoing a recovery procedure on the knee that he injured in the beginning of the season. He will return to the Spanish capital on November 22 to begin the rehabilitation and recovery of his knee. Like Mourinho said earlier this season Gago along with Kaka would be our two new signings cometh the winter and I am pretty sure that he would be a welcome addition.
Who knows? Gago might just win us a champions league title just like how his doppelgänger did a decade ago.
Until next time,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Sporting Gijon 0-1 Real Madrid
Bring it on!
Real Madrid battled past 19 fouls, 6 yellow cards, a red card and an extremely hostile atmosphere at El Molinon to grab three points thanks to a solitary Gonzalo Higuain goal to silence Manolo Preciado and the Sporting fans and regain the top spot in the Primera Division table. It was once again Karim Benzema who played the super sub role as it was his effort that led to the eventual goal eight minutes from time. Iker Casillas proved for the umpteenth time that he is still the best goalkeeper in the world by making yet another top notch save from a David Barral header which could have easily been Sporting’s equalizer. We were jeered, booed and whistled continually by the crowd but the players remained focus to finish the job off which was particularly important considering all the happenings prior to the game.
Valdano said it all about the game when he remarked that the match had more fighting than actual playing in it. Preciado’s men’s attitude was crystal clear. They went for the players from the word go and it looked as though the only place where they wouldn’t foul was their own penalty box. But that failed to bother our men as they proved that they too had mettle and the first chance of the game came within the first ten minutes. Ozil’s lay off from Pepe’s pass found Higuain’s run perfectly but Pipita’s low drive across goal met the post and went straight to Juan Pablo’s hands. And that was as close as we would get in the first half as Sporting failed to let us settle. But we did trouble their defense constantly with Ronaldo and Di Maria doing a fair bit of dribbling going past three to four defenders at a time only to be fouled by all three or at least one of them. Real then tried the aerial route with Di Maria repeatedly crossing in from the right but sadly all of them were cleared easily by Sporting’s defense. One other disappointment were our set pieces. There were a lot of free kicks that we won and from a few good positions. The fact that we were not able to materialize any says a lot about that side of our game. Real continued to attack and Sporting continued to throw whatever they had at us. Hell, even their fans started throwing stuff. But Real saw them all off. The game was still 0-0 with a half to be played.
Following the interval, four minutes into the second half, Di Maria brought out the best from Juan Pablo from a wonderful shot that was going into the top corner after he had cut in from the right. All this reminded me of last season when Real were repeatedly denied by Juan Pablo as Sporting held on to a 0-0 draw. The game did have a lighter side to it, believe it or not, when Sergio Ramos was asked to leave the field for sporting number 4 on his jersey and number 3 on his shorts. How he ended up wearing Pepe’s shorts, I dunno. With 63 minutes gone Real brought on Karim Benzema for Angel Di Maria to give a different dimension to our attack. Di Maria was active when he was on the field but I am sure the management had the physical nature of this game in mind when they made the replacement. Juan Pablo continued to save the blushes for Sporting as he brought about yet another splendid save this time to deny Gonzalo Higuain who only had the keeper between himself and the goal. Sporting would have gone ahead a minute later when Sangoy fired just wide of the far post after being put through. But that was just an one-off chance as with quarter of an hour to play Juan Pablo was made to deny Real again this time through Benzema’s shot from outside the box. It did look like one of those nights when things didn’t go well and Sporting made a couple of changes bringing in Barral and De Las Cuevas for Carmelo and Sangoy.
The last ten minutes brought about all the exciting moments of the game. Firstly we went ahead in the 82nd minute when Karim Benzema powerfull headed Sergio Ramos’ cross which Juan Pablo could only scupper leading to Higuain tapping in from inside the six yard box. A minute later Iker Casillas showed the world why we call him St.Iker when he reacted in a lightning quick manner to deny a darting header from David Barral. That sapped out all the confidence that Sporting had of scoring. Lass came on for Higuain in the 84th minute to stabilize the defensive side of the midfield and Arbeloa replaced Ozil in the 88th minute further solidify the defense. Three minutes into added time Botia made a deliberate foul on Ronaldo to earn a direct red. Ronaldo clamored “Mas, Mas” in the bring it on sense but that was as much as what was left in the game. Our players celebrated the sending off as much as they celebrated the goal and the game ended 1-0 in favor of the good side.
Following the game Ronnie spoke about the coach:
The coach gave us the right instructions despite not being with us on the pitch. He deserves the victory. We scored late, but we scored. It was a tough game ad we showcased a good attitude. We had many chances on goal. We played to win and we don’t care about anything else that may have happened. We are proud of this victory.
And the captain spoke about the crowd and the coach.
The game was complicated for many reasons, such as the comments made before the match, the atmosphere at the stadium… We stepped up to the challenge and earned three vital points. In all fairness, the atmosphere tonight was hostile. The home crowd supported its team 100%, which is normal. We responded well to that. Regarding what was said, I limit myself to defending my coach. I respect other opinions, but I do not share them. I stand by my coach, who is the best.
But to me it was Higuain who summed it all up perfectly.
It was a very tough game given the atmosphere at the stadium and everything that happened on the pitch. We expected it, but we won and took three vital points. We knew Barcelona didn’t drop points yesterday and we had to win. This is a very important victory because points like these may decide the title. It’s important for us to be leaders when we play at the Camp Nou. I was substituted soon after scoring, but that’s up to the coach. What matters is I’m very happy with my performance.
It couldn’t have been better written. We needed three points from a crucial game. We knew that it would be tough. We also knew that it is games like these that win you titles. And we did a good job. The only worry coming out of the game would be that Carvalho picked up an ankle knock during the course of the game and the extent of the niggle remains to be seen. But I doubt if it would culminate to be anything serious.
Right then, the international break is on and with Portugal playing Spain and England playing France it should be fun to watch. The players have been given a well deserved rest for a couple of days and should be back by Tuesday. But that’s not gonna stop me from writing. Before I sign off here are the match stats.
Match Stats:
Lineups:
Sporting de Gijón: Juan Pablo, Lora, Gregory, José Ángel, Botía, Rivera, Diego Castro, Eguren (Luis Morán 88′), Carmelo (De las Cuevas 73′), Nacho Novo, Sangoy (David Barral 80′);
Real Madrid: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Ricardo Carvalho, Marcelo, Khedira, Xabi Alonso, Özil (Arbeloa 91′), Cristiano Ronaldo, Di María (Benzema 66′), Higuaín (Lassana Diarra 86′);
Goals:
0-1, 84’: Higuaín;
Referee: Turienzo Alvarez
Booked: Diego Castro Gimenez (11), Gonzalo Higuaín (35), Gonzalez Carmelo (45), Sami Khedira (45), Sebastián Eguren (72), Alberto Ramos (82), Miguel de las Cuevas (89), Luis Morán (89)
Sent Off: Alberto Botía (90)
Notes: 2010/2011 Spanish Primera División
Played at: El Molinón
Men of the match: Iker Casillas, Cristiano Ronaldo
Sporting Gijon vs Real Madrid | Preview
Feisty affair on the cards
Real Madrid will face Sporting Gijon at El Molinon later tonight in round 11 of La Liga in what would be a feisty and fiery affair in the Asturian town considering all the pre-match havoc caused by both the managers thanks to some fairly good bad-mouthing. Real Madrid have not lost at Gijon since Raul’s debut season under Jorge Valdano in 1994 – a season which saw Real end up as League winners. But that has nothing to do with the game tonight as we all saw last season when Gijon were able to successfully though scrappily keep Real from netting for 90 plus minutes in the corresponding fixture. They might deploy the same strategy this season as well but we can expect them to be a lot more physical than they generally are as this game has past the stage when it was a totally on-the-field battle.
Real Madrid go into the game as league leaders and are currently on a 5 match winning streak. They will be looking to get their sixth on the trot but will have to do so without the likes of Kaka, Gago, Canales, Garay, Mateos and Dudek. Apart from these injured players we will also be missing Jose Mourinho, though only from the touchline as the Special One is serving a two-match ban for his sending off against Murcia. And that I feel will be crucial. Mourinho as we all know is very active on the touchline continually issuing orders to his players and spurring them on and his absence will and should definitely be felt. Aitor Karanka will take his place and I am sure there will be a lot of communication between Jose and his number two irrespective of how far apart they are. Someone who will be there and for the first time with the senior squad would be Fernando Pacheco who won his first call up to the senior team following the injury to Dudek. I still wonder why Mourinho prefers having three goalkeepers in his squad list.
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Adan, Fernando Pacheco
Defenders: Carvalho, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Albiol
Midfielders: Granero, Xabi Alonso, Diarra, Pedro Leon, Khedira, Ozil, Di Maria, Lass
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuain, Benzema
Sporting on the other hand have no injury worries and should line up full strength, if they do have hopes of beating us. What Real have to worry about is the fact that even though Sporting clearly don’t have enough in them to beat the top teams in the league, they do have the ability to cling on for a draw. They don’t mind parking the team bus in front of their goal and they don’t mind making it look dirty. They have creditable draws against Villareal, Atheltic, Sevilla and Mallorca and lost to Barca just by a goal’s margin clearly indicating their attitude towards these big games – just don’t drop three points. It will probably be tougher for us considering the reception we are bound to receive. Alberto Lora, arguably their best player, both agrees and disagrees with me.
Strategically I don’t think there are any specifics that we need to attend to. We will be reverting back to our usual line up. And that’s one good thing about this season. Our strategy for every game has been standard. We are making our opponents do changes to the way they play unlike the last few seasons when we used to change our line up based on the threats. I feel that this solidarity plays a critical role in the development of the team as a whole. I am not against changing formations but it is always better to stick with one and persist with it until and unless the situation calls for it.
Los Rojiblancos meet los Merengues at 19:00 CET and the match will be refereed by Turienzo Alvarez and I hope he can protect our players from the physical endurance that they might face. We cannot risk going back home with injured players at this crucial stage. A draw does seem probable but I surely feel it isn’t possible. Real are on a roll and nothing is going to change tonight.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Guardiola over Preciado any day
Manolo you're a brat!
Pep Guardiola might have inflicted upon us Madridistas one of our worst memories of recent times but he sure gets the nod ahead of Manuel Preciado in my books. You must understand that it is not easy for me to say something that is appreciative of a cule but considering the recent war of words going on between Jose Mourinho and Preciado, I will have to say that Sporting have gone into my I-hate list right below Barcelona and the ever-harmless Atletico.
Even though the fact that I am bringing in Guardiola into the picture might seem as irrelevant as Borja Valero claiming that his past with Real will not affect him from joining Barcelona I must tell you that it is not the case. This battle between Jose and Manolo began when Sporting played Barca a few weeks back at the Camp Nou and fielded a weakened side in a 1-0 loss to the Catalans. And considering the fact Barca were handed an easy victory and Real had to fight their way for three points, Jose insisted that Sporting gave up the match even before kick-off by fielding the side that they did. And that triggered it all. Preciado denied Jose’s claims back then and prior to the game when the press re-ignited it all he went over board saying that he is not fond of Jose and that the special one is a villain and even more so a bad companion. He even threatened that if it were in his hands he would place Jose right besides Sporting’s radical fans considering the fact that Mourinho will be watching the game somewhere from the stands after the RFEF touch-line banned our manager for two domestic games following his expulsion in the King’s Cup game midweek. The governing body of Spanish football said that Mourinho was booked for formulating observations about the referee and he has been suspended for addressing the referee with disrespectful vocabulary as per Article 117. There is one thing that I don’t understand here. If what Jose said about the referee against Murcia was disrespectful I am not sure what you would call whatever Preciado has had to say about Jose. If you ask me Preciado too should be handed either a fine or a ban for making such instigating statements prior to a game.
Even though the whole of the world is waiting for Jose to react we will have to wait for that to happen has Real canceled the customary pre-match presser following the off-the-field battle between the two teams and decided to make peace with the opponents by issuing a formal statement on the club’s website. The club also condemned Preciado’s behavior. And all this makes this an even more feisty affair than it already is. It is very clear that the reception will be hostile and maybe even the players would a tad or two harsh on tackles and it is up to our men to stand up to them and make our manager proud. Last time out they parked a bus in front of their goal to stop us from scoring and this time around it will probably be the same considering the form that we are in. I am expecting at least a couple of red cards from the game.
In other news, Zinedine Zidane will be playing an even more vital role with the club after he was appointed as the presidential advisor to the first team. Apparently his task is to “assist in optimising first team working conditions.”A statement on the club’s official website read as follows:
Zidane will be readily available to the president and coach for all matters concerning Real Madrid’s first team, with whom he will keep in frequent contact. The former player will participate in Champions League events and functions. He will also travel with the team on a regular basis for said competition and will participate in the pre-match gatherings, training sessions and meetings with the head coach.
Forgive me for this abstract post but that is all that I could muster as I thought transfer rumors linking Diego Forlan to us and Karim Benzema to Juve are far more boring than what I had for you today.
Until next time,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Form is temporary, class is permanent.
A class act for sure.
Hullo there,
What comes to your mind when I say the name Karim Mostafa Benzema? Right now, it might range from “Cannot Score Goals” to “One of the most talented strikers in the world.” But to me when I hear that name I can only think of the phrase “Form is temporary, while class is permanent.” Need I say why?
When Real Madrid announced the signing of Karim Benzema for €35 million a couple of seasons back the footballing world was rocked. Real had just completed the acquisitions of Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo for huge sums of money and this move by Don Florentino made the world go ballistic. Real Madrid had signed one of the highest paid French footballers at that time, a 20-year old prodigy, a player who, arguably, had more similarities to Zinedine Zidane than anybody else. Real Madrid had just added Karim Benzema to their ammunition. And that, to many, meant that Real Madrid just added 30 more goals to their season.
Karim made an immediate impression on the fans by coming on as a second half substitute in Real’s first game of the new era against the minnows Shamrock Rovers in Dublin and scoring the solitary goal of the game that too in the dying minutes. Karim Benzema had just shown the world why Real Madrid had signed him, why Florentino Perez himself had gone down to France to convince the Frenchman to sign for his club rather than Manchester United or any of the other top clubs in the world which were after him. Trust me, there were quite a few.
Benzema made his Lyon debut (both domestic and European) back in the 2004-05 season when he came on as a second half substitute to create a goal for Bryan Bergougnoux in Lyon’s 2-0 win against Metz. He was 17 then and that was a sign of things to come for the young French-Algerian. In the next couple of seasons he made frequent appearances for the French giant scoring 6 in 34 overall. The 2007-08 season though would be his breakthrough season with Lyon losing big names like Florent Malouda, Sylvain Wiltord and John Carew. Manager Alain Perrin handed Karim the number 10 jersey and the youngster duly obliged with 31 goals in 51 games of which 20 came in the league and ultimately leading Lyon to their first ever double. Tthat made Benzema a superstar. Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas had to quell transfer rumors surrounding Benzema by placing a €100 million price tag on the striker. The 2008-09 season was not as special as the previous one with Benzema netting only 16 goals overall and Lyon losing their title. But Karim did make a stand-out contribution in Lyon’s Champions League knock-out phase tie against Manchester United earning the praise of Sir Alex himself ergo leading to rumors that Man United were after the youngster in the following summer after the departure of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo. But it wouldn’t be the case as Real Madrid snapped up the chance to buy the French international. His first season at Real was not up the mark. He was expected to score a lot of goals just like his childhood hero, the legendary, Luiz Ronaldo did in his first season for Los Merengues. But that wouldn’t be the case. Benzema did score a double against Xerez during the early stages of the campaign and that was that as Karim battled through the season trying hard to settle in Spain. Experts claimed that it was only fair to give him some time as he was young and settling in a completely new environment was just not an easy task. Also, considering the kind of form Gonzalo Higuain was in, Benzema stood no chance of a comeback. The season didn’t end well as he was dropped from the French National Team for the World Cup and was also indicted for his involvement with a prostitution ring.
He is now in his second season at Real and the expectations haven’t come down even a bit. The fans still expect him to score and his failure in doing so has just disappointed us. The questions raised about Benzema not working hard enough in training have too been answered both by the player and the manager from time to time and it is suggested that Benzema is gaining the confidence of both himself as well as the manager slowly. His penalty against Murcia was not the first time he had scored this season but it was a welcome goal as he needed it more than anyone else. And the resulting celebration showed how rejoiced his team mates were to see him slot home from the spot. Scoring is definitely not something completely new for Karim. He has done that at the highest level and has the capability in him to do it again. And I am pretty sure he will. Its just that the sooner the better both for the individual as well as the club. They didn’t say Form is Temporary, Class is Permanent for nothing.
Real will be hoping that the Frenchman is back to his best soon enough as it is El Clasico season. The date for the highly anticipated clash between the top two teams in Spain has been set. Real will travel to the Camp Nou to face the Champions in the first El Derbi of the season on Monday, 29 November. Yes, a MONDAY. The LFP announced the date yesterday and chose Monday of all days to ensure that the fixture does not coincide with the Catalunya elections which take place the previous day. But Ozil doesn’t care. We shouldn’t either. He said:
I don’t care when the Clasico takes place. I’ve never played on a Monday, but it is a beautiful game and our objective is to win it.
I don’t care either. All I care about is us winning. But that shouldn’t be our immediate priority. We have a game at El Molinon coming up this weekend against Sporting Gijon. We need three points to stay on top. Last season we couldn’t get them, lets hope its different this time around.
Until next time,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Real Madrid 5-1 Real Murcia
And finally the curse is broken!
Real Madrid avoided yet another calamitous Copa Del Rey exit with a resounding 5-1 win over Real Murcia at the Bernabeu. The match was full of incidents right from the sending off of our manager Jose Mourinho in the first half till Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso getting their names on the scoresheet. Real also ended up with 10 players with Alvaro Arbeloa being sent off towards the end of the game.
Mourinho made his line up more Spanish than ever by naming 7 Spanish players in his starting XI. The two others apart from the 9 already revealed yesterday were Diarra and Higuain with the latter being paired up with Benzema up front for the first time this season. Mourinho had reiterated that this was game should be used by the fringe players to prove their mettle and Esteban Granero made an immediate impact by scoring a blinder just four minutes into the game. Sergio Ramos, who started as a center half along side Albiol played a diagonal to Pedro Leon on the right. The former Murcia man laid the ball perfectly for Granero to curl in an unstoppable shot into the top corner from outside the area. El Pirata had a point to prove and that was one heck of a way to do so. And post-match he admitted it.
We were fortunate to score early. I am happy that I was able to help the team. I wanted to play well. We are Real Madrid and we know what is expected of us, but we are all professionals and we all try our hardest to earn a spot.
Real, I felt were far more dynamic than they were in the first leg of the tie. I don’t know if it was because of the change in strategy or because of the lack of players who prefer dribbling passing (like Ozil, Di Maria and Ronaldo). The passing was good and Real maintained possession well. Murcia needed the ball to score and Real clearly had other ideas. And having gotten the all important first goal Real were looking confident and comfortable. Granero and Pedro Leon to me were a class apart from the rest.
The match reached the half hour mark and Real had not created that many chances apart from the goal itself. There were fouls all over the park and two of our players were booked in the first 15 minutes. It was six twenty minutes later and then it happened. Mourinho, who was furious with the refereeing for a while now retorted both at the fourth official as well as Paradas Romero resulting in his expulsion from the game. JM was clearly outraged by what was going on in the center of the park and as he decided to express how he felt about the referee. As expected the post-match presser was full of questions with respect to the referee. This is what the manager had to say regarding the referee:
I cannot say he was a bad referee. I would make a terrible referee. All that matters is that we won.
Just look at this referee’s statistics. It is in his nature. I’m not saying he is good or bad. I am not one to judge him, but I do usually analyze referee statistics. This one has officiated about 50 matches in Primera and has shown more than 250 yellow cards; an average of more than six per match. He booked ten players in his last match. I knew once I was sent off that I couldn’t stay where I was, so I looked for the best vantage point and didn’t have a problem.
The sending off didn’t hamper the spirits of neither the fans nor the players. The Madridista faithful went on chanting Jose Mourinho and the players ensured that the team was in a comfort zone going into half time. The first attempt at that was when Higuain shrugged off a defender to shoot way over the bar from just outside the six yard box and the second attempt was the goal itself. Marcelo’s cross after a short corner fell straight to Higuain at the far post who slotted the ball in for Real to go 2-0 up on aggregate. There was a lot of confusion with respect to the legibility of the goal as Sergio Ramos was in an offside position when Higuain shot the ball. While the Murcianos felt that his presence affected the play, the referee felt otherwise. The goal stood and Real went into half time two goals ahead. Personally I felt that the goal shouldn’t have stood.
The second half saw Mourinho make two changes to the side that started the game. Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Canales came off for Xabi Alonso and Cristiano Ronaldo. The manager’s intentions were clear. He wanted the team get as many goals as they can. But he also mentioned that he was not at all happy with the way Sergio Canales played. Well, I don’t know how exactly he wanted the youngster to play. As far as what I could see he was doing fine. The only bad thing that I could get out of his performance was his positioning. It looked as though he didn’t know his place on the pitch. I am sure he didn’t have a free role in the team as we were playing with two up front.
Anyways, Real continued their domination of the game as expected. The first chance of the half fell to Pedro Leon after a penalty box scramble involving Ronaldo and Benzema. The Spaniard could only fire wide when he definitely should have scored. Cristiano Ronaldo had the next chance after some clever interplay between Pedro Leon and himself. Ronaldo shot on the volley but the shot went just wide of the post. The match was closing the hour mark when Sergio Ramos’ beautiful through-ball found Arbeloa’s run perfectly but the latter was unable to cut the ball back to our forwards. Even though we dominated the game the number of times we had tested Dani Hernandez was far and few. Meanwhile, Murcia brought on Chando for Abraham Quesada. Real almost had their third when Pedro Leon played a beautiful/cheeky lob to catch Benzema on the run perfectly. The Frenchman’s shot hit the underside of the crossbar and fell to Ronaldo who was offside. And I was beginning to think if Benzema would ever score!
In the next minutes there were three changes made. Two for Murcia and one for us. Miguel Albiol, Raul Albiol’s sibling, made way for Camara while Rosquette was taken out for Canadas. Real brought on Di Maria for Pedro Leon who won a well-deserved ovation from the Bernabeu faithful. And the Argentine immediately tested the keeper which was probably why he was brought on. And while all this was happening Mourinho was sitting in the front row issuing orders to Aitor Karanka as animated as ever.
The third goal did come and as expected Di Maria was the creator. Xabi Alonso found a free Di Maria on the right whose low drive with the outside of the left foot found Ronaldo inside the six yard box. All that the Portuguese had to do was be there. Someone who wouldn’t be there in our next Copa game would be Alvaro Arbeloa who was sent off after being booked for the second time in the game. Real were down to ten men for the last 10 minutes. From the resulting free-kick Murcia won a penalty. Yes folks, it was all happening out there. Xabi Alonso was adjudged to have handled the ball and Pedro stood up to take the resulting penalty. He sent St.Iker the wrong way and the score was 3-1. Real have had a history of being knocked out on away goals and this seemed like one of those days.
But that wouldn’t be the case. Angel “The Angel” Di Maria came to our rescue winning a penalty for us. And to everyone’s surprise it wasn’t Ronaldo or Alonso who were tugging to take the kick. Benzema placed the ball on the spot and stepped and slotted the ball home confidently delighting not only the fans but also the players and the media so much that the headline on AS read “Even Benzema Scored!”. Benzema though was more happy with the way he was feeling as each day passed saying:
Scoring is always important, but what is even more significant is that I feel better and better each day.
The Madridistas would feel even better soon as Real Madrid won a free-kick just outside the box after yet another hand ball. Xabi Alonso shot low and the ball went in off a Murciano. Xabi of course was given the goal. Even Xabi Alonso scored, I thought.
Game, set and match, Real Madrid.
My men of the match choices were pretty easy. Pedro Leon until he was there was involved in all of our plays. He was simply fantastic showing us fans why he deserves to play more regularly. He was replaced by Angel Di Maria who showed us why players like Pedro Leon are still on the bench. Both of them were sensational and made a huge impact on the game. I know that Granero too had a good game but I doubt if it was a MVP-esque performance. The same applies to Karim. Sergio Ramos was actually brilliant. The fact that he is able to adapt so quickly wherever he plays simply amazes me every time it happens. He made sure that Carvalho was not missed. Arbeloa and Marcelo virtually had no work in defense. All their duties were offensive ones. Diarra was solid. He played a good destructor. I’ve already spoken about Canales so I’ll skip him. Alonso and Ronaldo were simply Alonso and Ronaldo. Enough said. Higuain was elated by the fact that he scored finally. His reaction to the goal displayed relief more than joy actually.
As far as the overall match is concerned, one of the positives that we can take out of the game is that we did not lose possession cheaply. We had the ball and we looked like we wanted to have the ball. The ideal way to play knock-out football if you ask me. After the game Pedro Leon told us why he thought we dominated the game:
This team’s attitude is great no matter who plays. Murcia really fall back to defend, but the first goal made them change strategies. We were given more space to work with and the chances came one after another.
That sums the game itself actually. Real went ahead virtually even before the game had started. And that piled on the pressure on the Murcianos. They had to score to stand a chance. They moved forward and Real capitalized. As simple as that. Mourinho was appreciative of our opponents though, saying:
It was a good match. Murcianos can be pleased with their team’s performance. They put Real Madrid in a bind. Madridistas can also be happy because they got over the Alcorcon and Real Union debacles. Now we must wait and see who we draw in the next round.
Match Stats:
Lineups:
Real Madrid: Casillas, Arbeloa, Albiol, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Granero, Mahamadou Diarra, Pedro León (Di María 71′), Canales (Xabi Alonso 47′), Benzema, Higuaín (Cristiano Ronaldo 47′);
Real Murcia: Dani Hernández, Mario Marín, Gotor, Amaya, Góngora, Isaac, Urzaiz, Albiol (Cámara 65′), Rubén Rosquete (Cañadas 69′), Pedro, Abraham Quesada (Chando 60′);
Goals:
1-0, 4′: Granero;
2-0, 44′: Higuain;
3-0, 76′: Ronaldo;
3-1, 83′: Pedro (Pen);
4-1, 86′: Benzema (Pen);
5-1, 90′: Alonso;
Referee: Paradas Romero
Booked: Granero (10), Diarra (37), Canales (14), Alonso (80), Urzaiz (86), Miguel Albiol (23), Gongora (46), Mario Marin (56), Canadas (89)
Sent off: Mourinho (38), Arbeloa (30, 78)
Notes: Last 32 of the Copa Del Rey. Real qualify to last 16 on a 5-1 aggregate
Played at: Santiago Bernabeu
Men of the match: Pedro Leon & Angel Di Maria
Real Madrid vs Real Murcia | Preview
Yet another chance for Karim Benzema to impress
Year after year after year for about sometime now this has been a talking point every time a cup game comes up. Will Real Madrid take the Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad El Rey Don Juan Carlos I better known as the Copa Del Rey seriously or not? And every single time at least for the past few years even though the answer given to us prior to the game is a “Yes” it has inevitably always looked like a “No” when the game actually is played. And for the past couple of seasons it even seemed more like a “No chance in hell” than a “No.”
The last decent run we had in the competition was in 2003-04 when Real managed to reach the finals only to be defeated by Zaragoza in extra time. 3-2 was the final score in favor of Zaragoza. And ever since it has been more of an embarrassment. Valladolid, Zaragoza, Real Betis, Real Union and Alcorcon have all had the honor of eliminating us from the oldest competition in Spain. And this year Murcia have the opportunity to help us continue our dreadful run. The first leg at the Nueva Condomina ended 0-0 with Real coming as close as hitting the post once and despite Ronaldo and Casillas playing.
The second leg will be played tonight at the Bernabeu where Jose Mourinho and co still have a 100% record this season. And the manager has emphasized on the importance of the clash in last evening’s presser saying:
Our match against Murcia is the most important game in the season so far because it is the only one that could make us lose a championship. Losing one game in the Champions League is alright because there are five more to play. Losing one in La Liga is also okay because 37 remain. This match is even more decisive given the bad result we earned in the first leg. We will be eliminated if we lose and if we draw with the same number of goals. Our only option is to win the match; it is our duty to reach the next round.
And he is right if I may say so. After drawing a blank in the first leg we have no other choice but to go all out for a win tonight. Mourinho also stressed on the fact that the fans need to be at their best creating what he called a knock-out stage atmosphere at the Bernabeu. Frankly speaking, I felt that the crowd was fantastic in the weekend against Atletico despite the dull game on show. I am sure the fans will do what they have to do.
As far as team news is concerned the special one will not be able to count on Gago for the next three weeks and Mateos for the next two as both were ruled out with injuries on Monday. Also out are Garay, Kaka and Dudek. Answering about possible winter signings, our manager had this to say:
We will have two fantastic winter signings for free this year: Gago and Kaka. They still haven’t played a game. Things are going well and there isn’t much talk about the players we currently miss. They are very important to the team. Gago has to work hard and recover. It isn’t easy for a footballer not to play, especially when he has a lot of excitement. His time will come.
Mourinho has thus called up 20 players for the game. Lass returns to the squad after a long lay off. Isaac replaces Dudek as the third keeper while Alex also gets a chance to sit along side the senior team. Carvalho, Pepe, Ozil and Khedira have been rested for the game. The manager admitted that despite progressing to the next stage of the competition being a priority he will not be afraid to field our fringe players as he feels that this is a chance for them to prove that they deserve a starting place in the team. He went on to reveal 9 of the eleven starters for tomorrow.
The line-up will comprise Casillas, Arbeloa, Ramos, Albiol, Marcelo, Canales, Granero, Pedro Leon, Benzema and two others. The Copa del Rey should have special significance for Spaniards. We want people to be excited about winning the title.
I am guessing the other two will be Mahamadou Diarra and possibly Angel Di Maria as Ronaldo did not train yesterday and was given the day off. Also, in what has become a regulation, the manager continued to give Benzema hope that he would one day be a starter and that one day would be coming soon. As far as strategy is concerned I doubt if we will make any such changes. Most of the replacements made seem to be like-for-like.
REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Adan, Jesus
Defenders: Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Albiol
Midfielders: Granero, Lass, Xabi Alonso, Diarra, Pedro Leon, Di Maria, Canales, Alex
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuain, Benzema
Murcia coach Inaki Alonso won’t leave any of his players behind aside from the injured Jorge Molina, who will undergo surgery on Wednesday. Aguilera, who is also injured, gets the chance to travel with the squad.
The march towards the 18th title has just begun. Whether it ends prematurely or lasts until May depends on tonight. Lets hope its the latter.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
The Pass Master
Xabi Alonso: The Pass Master
Hola,
It is not often in football that you will be able to feel the effect of a particular player on a team as a whole. And that’s what makes Xabier Alonso Olano is one of a kind. Better known as Xabi Alonso to us and born to a man who represented Barcelona as a professional footballer, Xabi has become one of the mainstays of both Real Madrid and the Spanish national team thanks to his ability to control the game from midfield. Playing the role of a footballing ventriloquist, Alonso can run a show of his own kick starting attacks and dictating the pace of the game.
Spotted in the Sociedad youth system by former Real boss John Toshack, our very own pass master became the captain of Sociedad’s senior team at the tender age of 19. His best season for the Basque team though came in 2002-03 when they finished second in the league – two points behind, yes, you got that right, Real Madrid. Xabi though was rewarded for his sensational performance winning the Best Spanish Player award by Spanish sports magazine Don Balón. He also netted 12 goals in all competitions and made over 140 appearances for his childhood club. And thanks to that he earned his first international cap under Inaki Saez against Ecuador.
But his prime time would be else where. During Liverpool’s intermediate transition from being The Reds to La Roja, Xabi Alonso was signed by yet another former Madridista Rafael Benitez and brought to Anfield. Xabi’s impact was immediate as Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League in dramatic fashion at Istanbul against AC Milan on penalties after Xabi had netted the equalizer. Till date Xabi claims that to be the most memorable moment of his career. The season after he brought to Anfield the FA Cup as well. Alonso, alongside Gerrard, was the driving force behind the Merseyside team and even played a part in dismantling Real a couple of years back in a UEFA Champions League tie. A year later things changed. The apparent talk of the arrival of Gareth Barry unsettled Xabi and thus the Spanish international handed in a transfer request. Real Madrid was his preferred destination, a club where he wanted to play even before joining Liverpool. Real too had wanted Xabi back then but had failed to meet Sociedad’s asking price. But this time Florentino ensured that he had his man promising Xabi and he wanted to make him the pillar of his new Real Madrid drawing comparisons to Cesc and Arsenal, Xavi and Barcelona, Pirlo and Milan and so on and so forth.
Xabi arrived at Madrid and his first season under Manuel Pellegrini saw him settle into the Real Madrid side becoming a permanent fixture in the line up. And slowly people started realizing the importance of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid despite the presence of stars like Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema. The season went past without much success despite being close and then arrived Jose Mourinho.
Arguably one of the best passers of the game Xabi does not have a variety of skills. His style of play is to keep it simple, striking passes, rotating the ball around the field. His passing range is one of his most important asset, something which only top-notch midfielders have. Xabi can play a diagonal from the left to the right or a through ball dissecting the center halves. Alonso is stable and knows how to go about in different situations and what pace to set. He is also a good destructor intercepting key passes that our adversaries make. Alongside Sami Khedira, Xabi is turning out to be the lynchpin of this young and rejuvenated Real Madrid side and is forming a strong partnership. Xabi Alonso might not be as flamboyant as Zinedine Zidane or as tidy as Makelele or as inspiring as Raul but Xabi Alonso is definitely a force to reckon with. His effect on the team is such that it just cannot be seen when he is there but is crystal clear in his absence. His creativity, the ability to orchestrate a team the way a manager would want to makes him one of the best midfielders Real has ever had and will ever have.
Of all that we need from Xabi the most immediate requirement would be tomorrow night when Real play Murcia in the Copa Del Rey – a tournament that we have not won since 1993. The aggregate stands at 0-0 as we welcome them home for the second leg of the last 32 tie. As minor opposition as they might be they were able to keep us from scoring for one whole game at the Jose Rico Perez. And what Real lacked the most there, as Jose Mourinho himself later admitted, was Xabi Alonso’s creativity in midfield. This time around he would be there to help us and hopefully we will be able to evade the third division curse that has been cast upon us lasting over two years now. The season before last it was Real Union, last time Alcorcon. Will it be Murcia this time? Only time can answer.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Real Madrid 2-0 Atletico Madrid
Carvalho carried the team on this shoulders for most of the game. Here he is seen carrying Di Maria.
Real Madrid remain at the top of the Primera Division table after securing yet another regulation derby victory over Los Rojiblancos. Ricardo Carvalho scored his second goal in White and Mesut Ozil added to the scoreline from a clever free-kick with both goals coming within the first 20 minutes of the game. But as many suggest the game was marred by the lack of competition offered by the men in red and white stripes which is just another way of saying Real were at their dominating best and gave Atleti no chance of getting back into the game.
We are Atletico Madrid, and we go to the Bernabeu to win. This year we have self-esteem in place, and our goal is to enter the Champions League. For this we need things to work and to go our way.
So said Quique Sanchez Flores prior to the game. As ambitious as it might sound to you it is clear that Atleti are clearly not bothered about the league title. All that they are playing for is a top 4 finish which they probably will get even if they drop all points against the top sides in Spain. But then again the gulf in quality between the two sides seemed so large that even if Atleti had wanted to stay in the game they couldn’t have. Having said that this was probably one of the toughest games we have had to play season considering the fact that Atletico breached our defense on several occasions and St.Iker had to make more saves than he had had to make in any other game of this season.
Real kicked off the game in usual fashion with Di Maria on the right and Ronaldo on the left and looking dangerous right from the first minute of the game. Forlan as expected returned to the line up and several eyes were on De Gea as many expect him to succeed Iker as the Spanish National Team’s custodian. And he would be tested as early as in the third when Xabi Alonso swung in a corner from the left for Pepe to hand our neighbors the first warning with a header which somewhat went straight at De Gea. The 80, 000 fans were at their hostile best and so was Real as in a few minutes later Ronaldo showed quick feet to find Di Maria in the box whose darting shot could only be scuppered by De Gea with the rebound falling straight to an offside Sami Khedira.
The first goal then came. In the thirteenth minute, former Madridista Jose Antonio Reyes was dispossessed by Xabi Alonso in midfield and the ball fell straight to Ricardo Carvalho who kick started yet another Real Madrid attack by passing to Higuain and continued his darting run into the box. The Argentine while trying to get past a couple of Atleti players lost the ball only to fellow Argentine Di Maria whose slightly deflected pass to Carvalho was met by the Portuguese center half. Carvalho made no mistake and expertly finished the move to net his second goal for Real Madrid and clearly hammered the all important first nail in Atletico’s coffin. And within a couple of minutes Real should have doubled the lead through Pipita when Ronaldo sent him through. But he could only find De Gea’s long legs with his shot. Carvalho was on hand post-game to comment on the game, saying:
My goal was important. I got lucky. We are playing well and it was important to win this match. We cannot let points leave the Bernabeu.
And we didn’t. The final nail in the coffin would come a few minutes later, six to be precise. Sergio Ramos lofted a ball over Atleti’s defense for Cristiano who was marked by Dominguez. The defender fouled CR just outside the edge of their box on the right for the referee to award a free kick in favor of the Whites. Even though at first glance it just didn’t seem like a foul I have to say that Ronaldo is quick and even the slightest obstacle can bring him down pretty easily. And to everyone’s surprise the Portuguese did not line up for the free-kick. It was between Xabi and Ozil and it would be the German who would take it. Ozil’s low and curling drive defeated the Atletico custodian comprehensively going in at the far post. There were three important things to be noted with respect to this goal. Firstly, it was Reyes’ mistake again as he was Atleti’s first line of defense behind the wall and he failed to clear the low shot. To put it in a nutshell Reyes was clearly outsmarted by Ozil. Secondly, Florentino Perez’s reaction to the goal. It was clearly a “Suck on that, Gil!” kind of reaction something that you rarely see our President do. Our First Lady too seemed delighted with Ozil’s masterclass. And finally, the man himself, Mesut Ozil kissing Real Madrid’s crest. And that is what concerns me. I am a very, what you could call, conservative fan. I really do believe that kissing the crest is something that you should do only when you are Hierro-esque or Maldini-istic or Raul-ish kind of a player. Seeing Ozil do that did bring tears in my eyes as I see him as the future of this club. But if he does leave the club he would then become a cunt which I hope doesn’t happen. I hope you get my point here.
Anyhoo, moving on with the game (which was virtually over by then), Reyes the root cause for both the goals shifted the blame on to the team as a whole in what I feel was a clever move. Real’s hero of the 31st League title said during the post match presser that:
Their goals arrived from our mistakes. The first goal was a blow, but the second knocked us for six. It was hard for us to recover, but little by little we got back into the match and we had chances to get a goal.
Yeah, yeah. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas.
Even though we did not have that many problems defensively there was one thing which I noticed. Almost all of their chances were created from the wings, more from their right than the left. I know that Marcelo is far better than what he was last season, defensively that is. But then again is that enough? If he is going to struggle to keep Reyes and Simao quiet I doubt what would be the case when he faces the likes of Messi, Muller and so on. Patrice Evra apparently is interested in the job, but then again he is a cunt and we need no cunts. Little Marcel is learning a lot though, which he admits:
I am learning a lot playing next to Pepe and Carvalho. Playing with such experienced players boosts my confidence.
As the match neared the half an hour mark Atletico were piling the pressure on Real with several half chances. And then they almost had a penalty. Simao’s corner from the left eventually fell to Aguero on the half volley. Maradona’s son-in-law’s shot struck Xabi Alonso on the hand in what was a completely involuntary incident. Xabi clearly had no intention of blocking the shot with his hand and it did seem like a clear accident. And thankfully the referee either didn’t see it or didn’t give two hooping hoots about it. But since that was their only real chance of getting back into the game all that Reyes could do was blame it all on that single incident.
Then came the penalty against Xabi Alonso due to a clear handball. It could have been a penalty and a red card. The match would’ve been very different.
Different, my ass.
Reyes’ effort from the edge of our box was saved well by Casillas while we ourselves should have had a penalty for Simao’s 50:50 challenge on Di Maria inside their box. And that’s just about it. The chances just stopped coming towards the last fifteen minutes of the first half for both sides.
The second half started and Real immediately signaled their intent to score as many as they possibly can. Ozil cross from the left fell perfectly for Higuain to volley it against the post from just inside the box. The ball fell harmlessly for a goal kick. That was probably the only good chance that Higuain had throughout the game. It’d be harsh to say that Pipita had a poor game as the supply just was not there. Ozil was excellent throughout the game mesmerizing their defense from time to time. But he too couldn’t provide much to our offense. Di Maria had an average game considering the standards that he has set himself. But Ronaldo, I felt, was pathetic. He wasted possession by taking lame ass shots almost every time he had the ball in attack and all his crosses fell to no one. But the manager was happy with his performance or at least that is what he told the world.
Ronaldo is a team player. I can’t expect him to score all the time and steal the ball in the midfield and score. He is a difference maker. If he works as hard as he does, I cannot demand anything more from him. I am more than satisfied with his work. He is a great player and I am thrilled to habe him.
Well, even though it is sort of a round about way of saying “he works hard but just isn’t able to do anything” I should say that I unequivocally agree with JM. Ronaldo is indeed a difference maker. You can somehow feel it when he isn’t there in the game. His mere presence somehow seems to boost the rest of the players. The same applies to Kaka as well. I guess that’s what makes them superstars.
Before I start jizzing over them let me finish off what I started. On the hour mark, Atletico came closest to scoring a goal. Yet another corner from the left was cleared by our defense but only as far as Forlan who was outside the box. His Mendieta/Scholes like volley was low and hard and struck the post. A few inches to the right and it probably would have beaten St.Iker. A few minutes later Marcelo released Mesut Ozil with a superb pass from our own half. The German, tracked by former Madridista Filipe Luis, had his shot blocked resulting in a corner. A half-chance as it may be, it should have been finished off.
Atleti made the first change of the game bringing in Raul Garcia on for Tiago Mendes. And a few minutes later Real made theirs as Karim Benzema came on for Gonzalo Higuain. The game was starting to get a little boring so to speak and I started dozing off. Flores brought on Diego Costa for Sabrosa Simao to liven things up but hell it only got worse. Carvalho, who by far was probably our best player on the pitch, had to be taken off as he sustained a jagged left lower eyelid bruise with mild concussion. He was replaced by Albiol and things were no different. Momo Diarra too came on and for Di Maria indicating that the match would only get slower and might even come to a standstill.
Mourinho, speaking post-game, said that he wanted to make things slower and for us to get a hold of the game. He justified his move by admitting that Atletico were by far the team that gave us maximum trouble at home. Hell, this guy is always right and no wonder the game put me to sleep.
We were up against an opponent who obligated us to hold onto the ball and think defensively. We slowed the pace in the second half in order to control the game, not because of fatigue. We ended up with Diarra, Alonso and Khedira on the pitch; players who slow the pace and control the open spaces.
The team that has given us the most trouble at the Bernabeu was Atletico. We have played against some good teams like Milan, but when you’re up against Reyes, Simao, Kun and Forlan, you are up against four of the best players in the league. These four players create two-on-two plays and have great dynamic with one another. Good players and a good coach. These were three crucial points. You cannot beat Atletico by six or seven.
We could have scored five though, through Marcelo, Khedira, Benzema and Ronaldo respectively. But all the shots were saved by De Gea. Sergio Ramos had the best chance to extend our lead. Xabi’s cross came on perfectly for Ramos, who was completely unmarked in Atleti’s box, but he couldn’t hit the target with his header from close range.
And that was that. Real Madrid have not lost to Atletico Madrid in 18 games now over a 11 year time period. My man of the match choice was easy and pretty much universal. Ricardo Carvalho had a fantastic evening and surely he is on of our best signings of recent times. Valdano summed up pretty much whatever I want to say:
Carvalho deserves a lot of credit for his goal. His confidence is soaring. He even moved into attack in search of the goal. His defensive duties today were unbeatable and he left with a warm round of applause.
Match Stats:
Lineups:
Real Madrid: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, Ricardo Carvalho (Albiol 83′), Khedira, Xabi Alonso, Özil, Di María (Mahamadou Diarra 83′), Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuaín (Benzema 74′);
Atletico Madrid: De Gea, Valera, Ujfalusi, Domínguez, Filipe Luis, M. Suárez, Reyes, Tiago (Raúl García 69′), Simao (Diego Costa 76′), Forlán, Agüero;
Goals:
1-0, 13’: Carvalho;
2-0, 19’: Ozil
Notes: Week 10 of La Liga
Played at: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
Attendance: 80,000
Referee: Mr. Mateu Lahoz
Booked: Tiago (66), Mario Suárez (61), Sami Khedira (72), Ricardo Carvalho (76)
Man of the match: Ricardo Carvalho
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid | Preview
Ronaldo, back to his diving best, would be threatening Atleti in more than one way surely.
And finally its here. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid square off at the Bernabeu tonight at 22:00 CET in the Madrid derby – a game which in recent times has been more of a cakewalk than anything else. We haven’t lost to our dear neighbors at home over the last eleven years and will look to maintain that and our undefeated streak by clinching all three points at stake tonight.
Real come into this game with a 2-2 draw at the San Siro that sent it through to the next round of the Champions League with two games to spare. With the Copa Del Rey game coming up on Wednesday the players will have to roll up their sleeves and get ready to work as like JM himself suggested in last evening’s presser no derby is ever easy. Atletico do have the players to do the job for them and as they have suggested time and again (even if it isn’t against us) they can pull a surprise over any team in this world.
Atletico is a very talented team in attack, they have a great midfield, their defense will be very focused and it’s unfortunate that their goalkeeper holds the same passport as Iker Casillas. It’s a very talented team that will make us fight for our lives.
And the players should indeed fight for their lives especially if they want to play more regularly. Mourinho clearly has a single set of XI players whom he thinks are the best XI to be fielded. Even though there is ample talent on the bench it is up to those players to displace the starters. And JM agrees. The likes of Granero, Benzema, Pedro Leon, Albiol are all excellent players who are fit to play in all the top sides in the world. But this is Real Madrid. And to be more specific, this is Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid. The player has to prove himself to get a ticket into the starting XI.
Today’s starters will be tomorrow’s subs, and today’s subs will be tomorrow’s starters. There is no set protocol here. This is not the same team to be used for eleven months. This is a day-to-day team.
Twenty players were called up to face Atletico tonight. Kaka, Dudek and Garay are apparently the only ones still injured while Lass, Gago and Mateos have been dropped for tactical reasons. Real will definitely start with the same XI that started midweek. The 4-2-3-1 formation will be retained. Considering Atleti’s weakness in the center of the field our midfielders will get to operate more freely and should have no problems creating chances. The only problems that we might face should come from the wings with Reyes and Simao against Marcelo and Sergio Ramos. Our full backs should concentrate more on defending than usual.
REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Adan, Isaac.
Defenders: Carvalho, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Albiol.
Midfielders: Granero, Xabi Alonso, Diarra, Pedro Leon, Khedira, Ozil, Di Maria, Canales.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuain, Benzema.
Quique Sanchez Flores meanwhile will be forced to make some changes with Godin and Asenjo unavailable due to injury and Perea serving a one-match suspension. He can however count on the services of Jose Antonio Reyes and Jorge Pulido. Forlan who hasn’t scored for 11 games running was benched midweek against Rosenborg. He probably would be returning to the side. De Gea has widely been acclaimed as the next Casillas. He will definitely play a vital role if Atleti are to get anything out of the game.
A win would keep us on top of the table and keep the momentum that we have gathered going. That’s what matters the most – to keep things running.
Let’s go and get them lads!
This is definitely a short preview but what the hell it really does not matter.
Until next time,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
D-Day edging closer
Demented Dani: Is your Derby still sexier than me?
Hi all,
With just one day left before the Madrid derby kicks off I sit here thinking what would you call a Turkish-born German. Would it be a Turkan or a Gerkish? I think I’d call him Ozil. And Super Mesut is what I am going to start with. I had a dream last night. It was about Kaka returning to the squad one fine day. Probably Ozil might be 30 by then and Jamaica would have won a World Cup but nevertheless Kaka returned to the side and that’s what matters. No, I cannot tell you how many games he lasted before going back to the gym and posing on the cycle or the pool but I can assure you that he returned and did touch the ball in the game that came in my dream. Hypothetical but true. So yeah, what should be done if Kaka returns to full fitness? Must. Not. Laugh. Would Ozil be benched to honor the Brazilian? Considering the position in which Kaka generally plays it is no different from where Ozil is playing now. It will be a like for a crocked like sort of switch. But class wise maybe they are at par for sure. What should be done? Stupid question I admit. Obviously the player who works harder must be given the game. But what if both of them work equally hard? Hypothetical question I admit. Obviously if that happens we use the rotation system. Then, what if one of them is unhappy because of the fact that he is not playing despite working hard? Ridiculous question I admit. The player is being simply stupid.
In all seriousness, I cannot wait for Kaka to return. Return he will but I am more concerned about Kaka becoming the Kaka we all know. He is right now more of a pseudo-Kaka or the evil-twin-but-Jesus-loving brother of Kaka. I want the Kaka who can stroll past defenders as though they were never there. I want the Kaka who can score goals from anywhere on the pitch. I want the Kaka who can inspire even a lousy Atletico team to win a derby. I want the Kaka who can even knock sense into Louis van Gaal’s head. I want the Kaka who can silence Sir Alex. I want the Kaka who can even make Liverpool win the league. Is that possible?
Mesut Ozil though will not give up his place on the team that easily. He said:
My goal, obviously, was to play with the best team in the world, and Real Madrid is. I’ve worked very hard to reach this far and I hope to win titles with the Club. I wanted to be part of Mourinho’s Real Madrid. I am very happy. I believe we are on the right path. The whole team supports me; we are all united and we will fight to achieve our objectives.
Everybody helped me adapt. We are all very young and we continue to improve. There is a great atmosphere on the squad; we joke around all the time.
So what have you got that Kaka doesn’t have? The Brazilian can fake full fitness and play the World Cup. Can you?
I’ve got German discipline, but also the Turkish way of letting people do their thing.
Interesting answer. Can you make Atletico win a derby?
I’m a person, not a robot.
Haha. Good one Mesut. Cheers. Oh btw, you can have your place in the team. No hassles there.
OK. Time to shift my focus on the derby then. As you all know very well already, Real and Atleti face off at the Bernabeu tomorrow night at 21:00 CET. Albiol did the little preview that players generally do prior to the game for bwin this time. And like it has been for the past few years he picked out Kun and Diego as the danger men.
Aguero and Forlan are decisive players, but Atletico have improved on a collective and tactical level. We know we will have great chances of winning if we keep a clean sheet, especially given we play at home, where we have even more chances to score. But you never know what’s going to happen in a derby. I hope we win and take three very important points.
Clean sheet is what I am looking at. We need to make keeping clean sheets as a habit. Something that we were able to do until we faced Hercules. Milan was disastrous that way. If we can keep Aguero-Forlan quiet we can definitely keep most of the other attacks in the world quiet. And the person who would probably help us the most in doing that would be Ricardo Carvalho. The Portuguese center half met up with Forlan to play FIFA 11 in a promo-like thingy for EA. He said:
I will try to narrow spaces for Atletico’s strikers because both Forlan and Aguero are very hard to stop when they find enough room to manouvre. They can shoot on target at any time with both feet. I’m used to facing taller players in the Premiership. It’s different here, but I don’t experience any problems. I’m quick and I have to concentrate throughout the match.
And St.Iker too has a vital role to play. We need him to be at his best throughout this month. He spoke to the press after yesterday’s training session. He emphasized the importance of a derby game to Madridistas despite the fact that it has been dead rubber since 1999 and also had kind words for De Gea, their goalkeeper. He then spoke about Forlan and Kun Aguero but since I’ve covered enough about those two lads, I’ll move on. He finally spoke about the Clasico.
The Clasico is one month away. Both teams will have complicated games leading up to it. A clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid creates great media frenzy, but we have to play other games that are equally important to us. We hope to still be leaders by the time we play at the Camp Nou, but anything can happen.
Anything can happen. Anything. I mean ANYTHING.
One person who will be unable to help us beat Atletico would be Pope Dudek. Did I say Pope? I meant Pole. The Dudek suffers from lower back pain and will be subjected to medical treatment apparently. Massage maybe?
All said and done a Wonderful derby is awaiting us.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
De la Red, Green and Blue
My heart still beats... Real Madrid of course... I am not a ZOMBIE for heaven's sake...
Happy Diwali to all.
Its a Friday and we are now a day closer to El Derbi Madrileño. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will go head to head in our first Madrid derby of the season on Sunday at the Bernabeu at 21:00 CET. The last time we played Atleti at home we won (just like the previous zillion times that we played them) so I am guessing this one would be no different. Yeah, yeah Europa League champions blah blah. They’re still Atletico and we are still Real (As tempted as I was to type FOR real instead of still Real I am trying to refrain myself from sounding corny). I’ll be frank here and admit that I have no team news with me, so when it comes to that my guess is as good as yours.
What I am equipped with tonight is stuff about Ruben De la Red (No, you corrupt buffoons not Ruben De la Red’s stuff). As you all probably know by now Ruben De la Red has officially retired from all forms of football. The Spaniard had been diagnosed with a mysterious heart condition after this incident but still had his contract running with Real Madrid until this week when he decided to call it a day. As depressing as it was, the good news here was that Ruby would still be working with Real Madrid not as a player but as a coach shunting between Alejandro Menendez and Jose Mourinho so as to develop his abilities as a coach giving him a career alternative. This would apparently go on until his contract with Real expired. The former Spanish international then attended a press conference where he made a statement regarding the same along with Director General Jorge Valdano and the other top brass of Real Madrid C.F.
I am starting a very exciting stage in my carreer. I wish to send my support to all those players out there whose careers were also cut short. I am also very grateful to all the people who have supported me since I fainted. I’ve fought against this in vain and doctors advised me to stop. I always dreamt of becoming a football player and to be successful at this club, which is the greatest in the world. Real Madrid has watched me grow since I joined the Under-10 side and now it sees me retire from the game. I want to become a coach now. I may have a problem in my heart, but it still beats for Madridismo.
I am very excited and anxious to start this new stage in my career thanks to the Club. I will be able to continue to work at a place I regard as my home. I will try to learn the skills of a coach and I will give my all to be successful. I am very excited and will be eternally grateful to the Club. I’ve been watching football from a different perspective for quite some time now, while at the same time I’ve been preparing for this new stage. Real Madrid are currently one of the strongest teams in Europe.
He then mentioned about JM and his conversation with the boss. He said:
Jose Mourinho was very aware of my situation since day one and he was very clear when he spoke to me. He told me he counted on me if I was able to play, but if that wasn’t the case, he said he would be delighted to have me in his staff.
Valdano then appraised the press with De la Red’s exact job description:
This day marks a turning point in Ruben’s life. He ends his career as a player to focus all his passion for this sport on training. He is, from today, a part of Real Madrid’s Coaching Staff snd will start learning about what we do and how we come about it. He will also be part of Mourinho’s ‘lab’, in which every game is rigorously prepared. The objective is for Ruben to learn skills in order to apply them to whatever team he ends up being assigned to. He’s gone through all of the different teams the Club has and he will use that experience to continue to be a part of the world of football.
Javier Pastore and Gareth Bale are creating ripples in Europe. While Pastore is more of a Batman limiting himself to his Gotham City viz. Palermo, Bale seems to be like He-Man creating ripples around the universe as the next Lionel Messi/the next Ryan Giggs/Gareth Bale v2.0 and what-frikkin’-not. I am confident that we don’t need either of them and would do much better without them at least at this moment. One dude we could possibly do with is Romelu Lukaku. Recently CRon spoke about the Belgian Drogba to the press and seemed quite impressed by the Anderlecht man. We do need a number 9 and he is young. JM likes it young and fresh. Bah! Just fit the pieces and you’ll see the story.
Lass is being linked away for the umpteenth time this season. Ergo I choose to ignore.
And finally for those who are interested, Manuel Pellegrini has found himself another job. No guys, not as a miner in Chile. He will be managing Malaga. He replaced pornstar Jesulado who will be returning to Dickville to fulfill his dream of directing a porn film. Good luck Manu. We still love you. It wasn’t you it was just me.
Right then. We will soon be hearing about the Squad List for tomorrow from the club and probably even have a presser to talk about. But I’ll give that a raincheck as I am heading out to have a nice and filling dinner with my mates…
Ah, like you guys even care…
Later then.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
AC Milan 2-2 Real Madrid
The Road Runner (in white) and the Hungry Coyote (the old smelly cunt in red and black)
Real Madrid qualified to the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions League thanks to Pedro Leon’s 92nd minute equalizer last night at the San Siro. The substitute’s goal could well have been the winner if not for some poor refereeing and surprisingly poor goalkeeping from none other than St.Iker which saw Milan come back after going down to a Higuain goal just before half-time through a Filippo Inzaghi brace.
As expected Real fielded the same XI that faced Hercules last weekend while Milan made two changes to the side that started a fortnight ago in Madrid bringing in Ignazio Abate and Kevin-Prince Boateng for Luca Antonini and Clarence Seedorf. Real started the game positively created chance after chance testing Abbiati repeatedly mostly from range. Milan did put up a good fight literally with the likes of Gattuso, Pirlo and Nesta bullying around with us throughout the game. Gattuso, in particular, was totally fired up and was at his Wolverine best.
The first chance of the game fell to Gonzalo Higuain who received the ball on the edge of the box from Marcelo to drill a shot which was saved well by Abbiati for a corner in the 4th minute. Real continued to dominate and probably the best chance of the half (apart from the goal) fell to Angel Di Maria. The Argentine was set free of the defense when his compatriot flicked a Sami Khedira clearance only for the little Argentine to blow it despite faking off two of their defenders. He could not even hit the target. Higuain had the next chance with Di Maria involved again. This time the winger’s cross was headed goalwards by Pipita only to be cleared off the line by Pirlo. His clearance fell straight to Di Maria whose half-volley was yet again blocked by the Italian international. The Argentines were awesome in all in the first half and always looked like they were going to score. And score they did. Sergio Ramos’ stole the ball from inside our own half to start a counter attack. His eventual pass to Angel Di Maria let the angel fly free into the other half. Di Maria twisted and turned and then made a stunning dissecting pass to Higuain when everyone thought he was going to shoot. Pipita made no mistake finishing aplomb to score Real Madrid’s 700th goal in European competition. Real thus took a well deserved lead going into half time leaving Milan trailing and with a lot of thinking to do.
The second half was more open with both teams wanting to attack. Ronaldinho, who until then had had a poor game, was replaced by Filippo Inzaghi with the 37-year-old Italian coming in seeking an equalizer for Milan at the hour mark. Inzaghi was irritating our defense, our midfield, our forwards and our fans with his constant pestering of our players and foul play. Gattuso continued to assault our players and with Howard Webb, apparently England’s seniormost referee, doing almost nothing about it the former Rangers midfielder was at his best. Eight minutes on Milan would get their first. Pepe slipped while attempting a clearance of a long ball and Ibrahimovic was quick to latch on to it. The Swede’s cross was completely misjudged by St.Iker who spilled the ball only for a rushing Filippo Inzaghi to score and start off with his weeping celebration. I hate footballers who cry after scoring a goal and this man has a doctorate on such a celebration. Milan were back in the game and Real decided to change things around and attack a bit more. JM brought in Karim Benzema, the hero from the weekend, to replace the man who had given us the lead, Higuain At the same time Ambrosini replaced Pato showing the contrasting attitudes of the two managers. But it would be Allegri who would celebrate as Filippo Inzaghi scored again from an offside position to give Milan the lead in a game which they were trailing only ten minutes ago. Gattuso’s ball over the Real defense was received by Inzaghi who was waiting behind our last man. The Italian surged into the box and slotted it underneath a rushing Iker Casillas for Milan to lead 2-1 after 78 minutes.
JM then made his master move. Pedro Leon was brought on to replace Pepe leaving only three defenders in the playing XI. And the former Getafe man was fantastic. He ran continuously not ceasing for a second and fought for every ball in his region. With time running down it looked as though JM’s homecoming would end in a defeat and thus end Real’s current undefeated streak under Mourinho. But that was when JM’s subs came into light. In added time Benzema made a clever reverse pass to Pedro Leon who shot low and hard for the ball to pierce through Abbiati’s legs to save both Mourinho and Real the blushes leaving the San Siro crowd silent. It was Pedro Leon’s first goal in Real Madrid colors and afterwards he said:
The most impotant thing about my goal was that it helped the team. I’m happy with eventually drawing the match because we deserved to.
We had a very good start to the match; we played well and had many chances to score. We suffered more in the second half and Inzaghi’s two goals hurt us. We managed to draw the score in the end and took a very important point that mathematically qualifies us for the Last 16. We also remain undefeated.
Mourinho then brought on Albiol for Ozil immediately so as to avoid a disaster. Real thoroughly deserved to win the game but in the end had to settle for a draw. We played an excellent first half and probably should have finished off Milan when they were on the back foot. We wasted several chances and in the end we paid for it. The other thing I noticed was that Real was careless at times. Milan were given the ball too easily when we had to keep them under pressure. The manager was quick to acknowledge the fact that the game was rightfully ours in the post match presser. He heaped praise on Pedro Leon and Benzema and said that he will be forced to start Karim if he goes on playing the way he is playing at the moment and I concur. He also said something that really interested me:
My team has yet to learn and improve. It has to learn how to play Champions League knock-out stages, which showcase a completely different way of playing football. I believe tonight’s match was a fantastic experience for my men.
I believe we can play at this level at the end of the campaign. I have faith in all my men. I’m happy with all of them and I’m grateful to them all. Those aren’t just mere words. To thank them means to use them on the pitch. That’s why I will eventually use a rotation system. We have a fantastic squad and some of the benched players sometimes live each match more intensely than those on the pitch. I couldn’t be happier with my players.
And it couldn’t have been put in a better way. We haven’t played in a Champions League quarter final since 2004 and what he just said says it all doesn’t it? We really don’t seem to know how to play knock-out football. It speaks a lot about our Copa record as well.
Casillas had an awful day considering the standard which he usually sets. He lacked judgement and I realized that that’s a mistake even the best of players can make. Sergio Ramos was good. He kept Ronaldinho out of the game and forced him to make long balls and was pretty good in attack as well. Pepe I feel was not all that great. I don’t know whether it was the pitch or lack of concentration – the Portuguese was not as solid as he usually is. On the contrary Ricardo Carvalho was fantastic. We might have conceded two goals for the first time this season but I have to say that I was totally impressed with the way he controlled our defense. Marcelo I felt was playing like the Marcelo of last season. Attack more and defend less. It probably was because Ronaldo was on the left most of the time which meant that there was virtually no one there. Alonso was just Alonso. You just couldn’t see him but he was behind everything. Khedira I felt was not present in the fixture. It is very important that a holding midfielder makes his presence felt unlike Alonso. But it just was not his night. Ronaldo was OK. Then again, its only because of the standards he has set for himself. I felt that a few of his claims for a foul were pathetic. Ozil had a poor game. He virtually had no effect on the game and I was surprised to not see him subbed earlier. Its probably fatigue and that’s just my gut feeling. Di Maria and Higuain were fantastic. And I mean Fantastic. They virtually created all our chances. Di Maria would have been the standalone Man of the Match if only he had scored from the vital chance he had in the first half. But sadly that wasn’t the case. Benzema came on late and was really good. He created Pedro Leon’s goal from a zazzy reverse pass and worked really hard just like the other difference maker from last night Pedro Leon. Both the subs were running hard, going for the ball as though it was a matter of life and death. He had defensive duties as well considering the fact that he had replaced Pepe and he did that too with perfection. Hats off young lad.
Its easy to say that Pedro Leon would be my Man of the Match because of obvious reasons. But it wouldn’t be a whole hearted decision considering the fact that Di Maria and Higuain too were awesome. Yes, our official website handed them the honor of being the men of the match and I too will do so but will be adding the names Pedro Leon and Ricardo Carvalho along.
Its now time to shift our focus to the Madrid derby and Pipita came straight at it.
We achieved our main objective to reach the next round. We would’ve liked to confirm the pass as group leaders, but we have yet to play two more games and we will work very hard to achieve this. We are now very motivated to face Atletico Madrid. We managed to remain undefeated after such an important game and we want to keep this streak up.
And that we should. Its derby time!
Match Stats:
Lineups:
AC Milan: Abbiati, Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta, Prince-Boateng, Pirlo, Gattuso (Seedorf 84′), Ronaldinho (Inzaghi 60′), Pato (Ambrosini 72′), Ibrahimovic;
Real Madrid: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe (Pedro Leon 80′), Carvalho, Marcelo, Xabi Alonso, Khedira, Di Maria, Ozil (Albiol 93′), Ronaldo, Higuain (Benzema 74′);
Goals:
0-1, 45′: Higuain;
1-1, 68′: Inzaghi;
2-1, 78′: Inzaghi;
2-2, 92′: Pedro Leon;
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG)
Booked: Gattuso, Ibrahimovic, Prince-Boateng, Abate, Carvalho, Pepe;
Venue: San Siro
Attendance: Full house
Men of the match: Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain, Ricardo Carvalho and Pedro Leon
AC Milan vs Real Madrid | Preview
Let me go you prick!
This is no David vs Goliath kind of a game. Its more of a David on David or a Goliath on Goliath kind of a match up cause these two are equally big names. When Real Madrid face AC Milan in a European night at San Siro it just cannot get better. The two giants are statistically the top two teams in Europe and possess several of the top players of the past, present and the future. With this build up I go into tonight’s post where I will be previewing tonight’s clash at the San Siro between these two heavyweights (lightweights in case you feel its a David vs David kind of a game).
Jose Mourinho leads his troops into the city of Milan knowing that it is one battlefield where Madrid have never tasted victory. To put it straight Real Madrid have never won at the San Siro in 13 attempts. In fact ten of the games have ended in defeat. But then again, Milan have an equally poor field record against Mourinho’s teams losing eight out of the eight times that they have previously met over the past three years. But its an all new playing field tonight. History does not matter and neither do statistics. All that would matter is how ready the teams are to take advantage of the mistakes made by the other.
Mourinho spoke of Real’s poor record at the San Siro during yesterday’s press conference saying:
The fact that Real Madrid have never won in San Siro doesn’t add pressure. This is a hard place to play and win in. Madrid has had great teams and has not won. This is a tough field. TheTifosi help their team a lot. I am sure Milan fans are worried because Real Madrid can win here. We can win. It will be a great match; perhaps the most watched on European televisions. And the referee is fantastic. We are all obligated to perform well.
YES WE CAN. And if we do then the two games left in this phase of the competition would be dead rubber as Real would already be through as Group Leaders. But JM insists that shouldn’t be the case.
If we qualify for the next round tomorrow, some coaches may believe that the next two matches are not important and that they can put the Champions League on hold until February. Real Madrid is always required to play its best. We cannot play those next two matches thinking that we have taken care of business.
Milan on the other hand need a win tonight and possibly on the next match day as well. They are just coming out a loss against Juventus in the weekend in what was an important tie with respect to their title race. But Massimiliano Allegri insists when a team like Milan loses the criticism is almost ensured. This came from a man who has even fewer Champions League games in his pocket than Tottenham Hotspurs have:
We lost an important game in the league, but we had won the previous four. It’s OK to emphasise the fact when a team like Milan lose, and of course we can improve on many things, but there are also many positive signs that make me optimistic. This is a strong group of players, playing at a good level, so we have everything needed to win. We have to keep Real Madrid under pressure – we can’t repeat the technical mistakes we made in the first leg.
And under pressure we shall be. Returning from injury from them are key players like Massimo Ambrosini, Thiago Silva and Ronaldinho who can possibly make a difference. And Sergio Ramos was quick to acknowledge the talent that Milan possessed in their ranks and the difference that they could make. Speaking to the press ahead of the clash, the right back who missed the previous tie with the Rossoneri said:
No one questions the talent of players like Ronaldinho or Robinho. They are game-breakers, but I am more concerned about the entire squad. They have very talented and experienced players. We all have so much at stake.
AC MILAN SQUAD LIST:
Goalkeepers: Christian Abbiati, Marco Amelia;
Defenders: Luca Antonini, Marek Jankulovski, Alessandro Nesta, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Thiago Silva, Gianluca Zambrotta, Mario Yepes;
Midfielders: Ignazio Abate, Massimo Ambrosini, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Mathieu Flamini, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf;
Forwards: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Filippo Inzaghi, Alexandre Pato, Robinho, Ronaldinho.
As far as the absentees are concerned Massimo Oddo has been ruled out for four to six weeks after sustaining a left thigh problem in training on Friday. Daniele Bonera was replaced before half-time in their game against Juventus after picking up a knock to his left shin.
Like me Jose too does not care about the way they will come at us. But come at us they will with all the vengeance that their old bodies can muster. In the previous tie they preferred to use their old warhorses against our young guns and paid for it dearly. This time I am sure that will change. Thiago Silva will probably play and he should if you ask me. This is the time of the season when we need to be challenged and this is time to prove ourselves to the rest of the world. If I were to be Allegri, I’d play all the four Brazilians along with Ibrahimobitch and Captain Planet and the Planeteers and bring in the Swat Kats if I must to try and stop Real from giving my team a footballing lesson. But hell Allegri is not all that smart or at least doesn’t seem that way.
Amidst all this Sergio Ramos also spoke about Karim Benzema (a topic which I have covered enough about) and Howard Webb as well who will be officiating the game. Ramos called him his lucky charm but I am not sure Xabi Alonso would agree with his fellow Spaniard. The last time Alonso and Webb were on the same field Alonso almost left with a broken rib courtesy Dangerous De Jong. I sure hope we return with nothing less than tired legs back home. An injury at this point of the season can cripple the team’s form.
Talking about injuries, (in what could possibly be a move to unsettle Milan’s tactics devised by none other than Professor X himself) Angel Di Maria, I heard, apparently faced a late fitness test to determine whether or not he was fit to play tonight. The high-flying Argentine apparently suffered a bruised knee in training on Monday but was included in the squad as the coach was confident that he would recover in time. Pedro Leon or Karim Benzema were touted as being his replacements in case he had failed to recover in time.
The only ones still injured are Kaka, Garay and Gago. The latter is almost fine again as he trained with the squad on Monday. Lass, who had been injured for the past few weeks, is fine once again. But the Frenchman has not travelled with the side as Mourinho insisted that players not fit enough for a weekend game cannot be fit for a midweek clash. The rest 21 have all made the cut.
REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST:
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek, Adan.
Defenders: Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Albiol, Marcelo, Mateos, Carvalho.
Midfielders: Khedira, Alonso, Ozil, Diarra, Canales, Granero, Pedro Leon, Di Maria.
Forwards: Benzema, Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo.
I am confident that Real will be playing the same formation as they have been playing till this point of the season – the 4-2-3-1 convertible. But what can possibly change is who plays and who doesn’t. Knowing Mourinho I don’t think there will be any but something tells me that Arbeloa might just get a game. Apart from that I don’t think there will be any changes to the side. Ozil, Di Maria and Ronaldo should give their defense a handful and hopefully get the better of the Milanese cunts.
Moving on and in case you didn’t already know Ruben De la Red has officially retired from all forms of the game and will take up a coaching role with the side. The player had remained optimistic of eventually making a return to the game, but Marca reports today that De La Red has accepted a coaching role at the club until his contract expires. Reports suggest that Florentino Perez had promised De La Red that the club would not leave him after the incident against Real Union, and now as promised the club have given him a role which can develop his coaching abilities alongside Jose Mourinho and Castilla boss Alejandro Menendez. De La Red’s position is thought help him to progress into working with one of the youth teams at the club and help players progress through the ranks. Sad but I am happy for the player. He was arguably one of the best midfielders that Castilla had ever produced and definitely would have played a vital role in the team if not for the condition that he suffers from.
And that brings this post to an end.
Hoping for a Real win.
Until next time,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
IMHO
JM to CR: If you score tonight, I'll make sure that you score tonight.
Hola!
On a day when I slept as many hours as I was awake I sit down here to right MHO of all the cunt-ly and un-cunt-ly stuff that’s happening in the Madridosphere. Forgive me if that was a bit too corny. I am doing my fair share of marketing for my blog and being corny is one of the ways to attract hot young women to a blog where there is nothing related to them except for pictures of cute men in shorts. Bah! Screw it.
AC Milan host Real Madrid on Matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League tomorrow night at the San Zero knowing that Real needs three points to confirm qualification as leaders into the next round. Franco Baresi, the Milan legend, though, has no hopes of the smelly cunts avoiding a defeat. Baresi told Marca a lot of things about which I really don’t give a damn but what he did say about Real is what caught my attention. Baresi concurred that Real are indeed contenders to win the Champions League and that JM has built what he calls “a very competitive” side. He also said that the only difference between his Milan and our Real Madrid was the carelessness in defense as he said:
The Rossoneri have an excellent attack, but they are careless in defense.
IMHO Franco is seriously senile. What he says can and must be ignored. No defense which does not have a real goalkeeper cannot be deemed careless. Hell they cannot even be deemed as a defense. What’s the name of that smelly cunt who guarded their goal last time? Like I even care.
Ibrahimobitch though thinks otherwise.
Khedira spoke to bwin about the match yesterday and stressed that a clean sheet was all that was needed for us to win. He said that the team must help themselves all around the pitch and must not let Milan play their game. He also mentioned that considering their desperation for three points they might do anything to win tomorrow night even if that means using deodorants. The German said:
Milan have dangerous men, such as Ibrahimovic, Pato, Ronaldinho, Robinho, Seedorf, Boateng… They are all exceptional players, especially when you let them play their own game. Gattuso and Pirlo are also very dangerous. They can push you against the ropes if you don’t take them seriously. We will win if we concentrate hard on defending and if we help each other all over the pitch.
IMHO I agree with Sami. We will have to be at our best.
DYKT: Not only have Real Madrid won more European Cups than any other team, but they are also the winningest side in the competition (326) as well as its scoring team (699). Bayern are the second highest scoring team with 453.*
Real Madrid had their final workout today before heading to Milan. Gago and Lass were back training with the first team leaving Kaka and Garay as the only injured players in the squad. Considering the situation, I am waiting to see how Mourinho handles the situation when all the players are fit again especially the Khedira role. Sami has been a revelation in his position and both JM and FP are public admirers of the German. With Lass, Gago and Diarra all fit and ready to play it should be interesting to see who plays and who doesn’t. Lass btw has been linked with several English clubs over the past few weeks. IMHO I want Gago to be the number two there. As much as I love Lass, I feel that he seems to be having too big a mouth. Gago when at his best was sensational. I am sure JM can bring back the best in him. But then again, Lass is more of a utility player than Gago is. He can play at right back as well. So there is a lot of thinking to do and ergo I’ll leave it for JM to decide.
Moving on and away from European football, it has been decided that El Clasico will not be held on a Monday. Previously, there was an argument that El Derbi should be held on a Monday considering the fact that the cules had some election to deal with on the last weekend of November. But now it has been finalized and the game will be on Sunday but a little late in the evening. Reports emanating from Spain state that if the game kicks off at at 21:00 CET, the polling stations will have closed, solving the problem of the police providing security for the game and also allowing TV channels such as Canal + and Gol TV to show the match live at a more convenient time for their schedules. The announcement of the switch is likely to be made public later today. IMHO I really don’t care when the game is. All I am looking forward to is a Real Madrid victory.
Kun(t) Aguero has insisted that his Atleti have players capable of beating Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. IMHO I am beginning to thinking whether he is really as mad as Maradona is.
According to FP (in case you are wondering who that is – Florentino Perez), Mesut Ozil is the best player in the World. IMHO I don’t know how true the report is and TBF I don’t believe it. Just the gut which tells me that this report is hoax.
Gareth Bale is apparently a wanna-be Cristiano Ronaldo. And I am Batman.
Milan preview tomorrow.
Until later,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
*Trivia courtesy Realmadrid.com
Just another Madridista
Hala Madrid 
Levante 1-2 Real Madrid: The boy with the golden touch
It was ugly. It was brutal. It was wet. Hell, there was even blood! But yet we came out with three points in the bag in what was Mou’s first ever win at the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia. It was the kind of game that we would have lost if it had come earlier in the season. The conditions were harsh on us, the opponents even more so. Xabi Alonso missed a penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo played only one half of the game and almost all of it seeing through only one eye. Levante could have done us and ceased all our hopes of retaining the title. But then again that did not happen. Thanks to a certain Álvaro Morata and his first touch after coming on as a substitute which ended up in the back of the net.
It was raining cats and.. no.. hippos and mammoths in Valencia. The pitch was water logged thanks to the remarkable drainage system that was not present in the stadium. The referee felt that the game could still go ahead and it did as per schedule. After three weeks of suffering without a recognized left back, Fábio Coentrão returned to the line up with Arbeloa returning to right back. Sergio Ramos and Pepe were paired in the center despite speculations that Varane could be used to give the Spaniard time to recover from an injury that he is carrying. Essien partnered Alonso in midfield like the second half against Dortmund and had yet another excellent game. On a side note, I wonder if its just Mourinho who makes him tick. Callejon too started alongside Özil and Dí Maria just behind Ronaldo.
It took only three minutes for the war to begin with David Navarro elbowing Cristiano on the face while challenging his own team mate for an air ball. Cristiano, bleeding profusely, required five stitches to keep his left eyebrow from coming apart. He remained on the pitch and gave us the lead through a brilliant volley after catching Levante’s defense napping following a Xabi Alonso free kick. It took us around 20 minutes to adjust to the pitch as several times the ball refused to roll irrespective of how insistent players were. Once we went ahead we were happy to play long balls hoping to out run our opponents. We didn’t have that many memorable chances in attack but we did somehow manage to maintain a fairly decent amount of possession given the nature of the game.
Half time arrived and Ronaldo was substituted after temporarily losing vision in both his eyes. Surprisingly, it was Rául Albiol who replaced him and the center back took his place in the middle of the park with the team (or should I say lake) with the team shifting from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3. Levante made a change around the hour mark and it worked for them immediately. Ángel was brought on in place of El Zhar and the super sub expertly chipped the ball over an on rushing Casillas from a marginally onside position after being sent through by Martins. The goal came just after both our center halves had hit the cross bar from successive corners. Unfortunately, the scores were still level and we were without a striker. Kaká immediately replaced Arbeloa and we shifted to a 4-4-2 with Albiol taking his compatriot’s position.
The conditions being as abysmal as they were played 12th man for an aging team that would have struggled otherwise against the speed of our players. We couldn’t afford to make quick passes nor were we able to dribble. We therefore continued to resort to old fashioned long balls that made the game look more like water polo than football. That said, the team responded well to the challenge as Mourinho concurred in the post-match presser:
Luck favors the brave they say and it actually seemed true. In the 73rd minute, we were awarded a penalty after Callejon was fouled on the edge of the box by Juanfran. Xabi stepped up to take it and went for the bottom corner only to meet Munua’s dive. The score remained level and nothing seemed to work for us.
To critics it might seem as though Mourinho had no other choice. Its partially true. But then again Morata is no proven striker and the situation wasn’t ideal for any manager to try out youngsters. We desperately needed three points and for Mou to send out the kid when the team needed a goal more than anything else was real gutsy and it said a lot about our manager’s confidence in him. The kid responded brilliantly nodding home from close range from yet another Xabi Alonso free kick with his first touch. The goal knocked the stuffing out of the home team and the game ended in our favor. Following the game there was a lot of banter with Juanlu claiming that the referee favored us whereas Ramos felt otherwise. There are also rumors that Ballesteros and Pepe went head to head while visiting Ronaldo after the game. More on that tomorrow.
All that aside it was a game which could have gone either way but went in favor of us. We are still behind our rivals in terms of points and we need wins of all kinds if we have to catch up.
Until next time,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
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November 12, 2012 | Categories: Match Reports, Post-match Comments, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Álvaro Morata, Ángel Luis Rodríguez Díaz, Ciutat de Valencia, Cristiano Ronaldo, José Mourinho, Levante UD | Leave a comment