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!!
My heart is always with Real Madrid
Once a white always a white
Buenos dias to all and I hope your day isn’t as lousy as mine has been.
Let me get straight to the point here and its a fairly good one too. It seems to me as though Zinedine Zidane will join Jose Mourinho’s coaching staff real soon. Following weeks of kind exchange of words between our manager and the Aide to our President, it looks as though it has been decided that Zizou will play a more vital role in the club as rumor has it that Zidane will be joining Mou sooner rather than later. It all started earlier this month when, Mourinho told French TV channel TF1:
Zidane should be close to the pitch and less in the directors’ offices. I would like to see him more with me and less with Florentino.
Zidane was quick to respond and the best footballer ever known to mankind and other kinds said this in an interview to Direct Soir:
Speaking with Mourinho, one realises that he knows perfectly where he is going and how he is going to get there. I do not have the slightest doubt: Real Madrid needed someone like him.
And Zizou even went on to say that he would have loved to have been trained under The Special One at some point in my career. Following all this ruckus Marca now claims that the Frenchman would act as Mourinho’s “right-hand man” from the dugout. Zidane himself has admitted that he would like to participate more in the life of the club.
Following Roberto Carlos, Raul, Zizou, Guti and several other Galacticos, it is now DBecks23 who is still in love with Real Madrid. Three years after his departure, Antena 3 caught up with him in Los Angeles, where he offered his opinion on the current Real Madrid side, Jose Mourinho and who he feels should win the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
As much as I respect Barcelona and think it’s a great club, my heart is always with Real Madrid. I think this year, with the manager they have, Florentino Perez … I love Florentino. He is such a great man. He makes special things happen at the club. With him there and the players that they’ve got, I believe they will be number one this year.
You can find the whole thing here.
Finally to round off the post, Javier Pastore will stay in Palermo despite being linked with.. Well, what the hell. Its just rubbish. We all know that.
Until I get back to you with the Hercules preview tomorrow…
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Nothing much, what’s up with you?
Shame on you!
Well, International games really do take the piss out of us don’t they?
Over the past thirteen days Real Madrid has had only seven first team players available for training. These seven have been training thirteen days in a row with Castilla. And the only difference today was that Jose Mourinho returned to continue supervising the sessions after attending UEFA’s Elite Club Coaches’ Forum. The session lasted for an hour and thirty minutes, during which ball work took centre stage. The only incident involving any of the players was that of Marcelo leaving the session because of gastroenteritis as well as a slight pain on his left ankle.
Did you know that Marco Borriello had an option to join Real Madrid?
Boriello joined Roma from AC Milan on transfer deadline day after rejecting a loan move to Juventus in favor of a permanent deal, and agent Tiberio Cavalleri has revealed Real Madrid were interested in striking a deal until Karim Benzema’s move to MARSEILLE fell through. He said:
…the big hit came from Real Madrid. But Karim Benzema did not leave for Marseille…
Borriello, 28, opted to join Roma after being seduced by a text from Italian midfielder Daniele De Rossi and a heart to heart with club president Rosella Sensi.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Talking Benz, the Frenchman has been ruled out of his country’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Belarus tonight with an ankle injury. The striker has been troubled by his right ankle for several days and although tests today showed a slight improvement, it was deemed to be too much of a risk for him to play. He will continue to receive treatment with the French Football Federation (FFF) hopeful he may be fit for the game with Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday.
The fixtures tonight for Madridistas include: Germany against Belgium, Spain at Liechtenstein, France (sans Benzema and Lass) against Belarus, Portugal (sans CR7 and Pepe) against Cyprus. Higuain doesn’t play until Tuesday I presume.
Until tomorrow,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Turn Off Windows
Losing the Dutch Flavor
I am not talking about turning off Operating Systems or anything related to it. The geeks can move away from this page. I am though talking about the transfer window that will be turned off in a few hours from now and about Real Madrid’s contribution to the usual deadline day drama.
In what seems like a good move for the player but not so good for the club, Royston Drenthe has joined Hercules Alicante on a season long loan deal leaving only one recognized left-back in Real Madrid’s first team. With Marcos Alonso already sold to Bolton earlier during the window, Alvaro Arbeloa becomes the only backup we have for both the full back positions.
Though Skysports.com says that the Dutch player was free to leave Real after being told he did not feature in Jose Mourinho’s first-team plans I doubt if that was the case as all that little Roy needed was playing time and on-field experience as his fitness and his capability was never in doubt. But his taste in music? Well, let’s us leave it at that.
Also, the 23-year-old is thought to have rejected a move to Monaco while Fulham were also linked with the former Feyenoord man, who joined Real after being named player of the Under-21 European Championship in 2007. It is to be noted that Drenthe made just 10 appearances for Real throughout last season.
The official word:
Real Madrid C.F. and Hercules C.F. have reached an agreement regarding the loaning of Royston Drenthe to the latter club. The Dutch player will remain at Hercules until the end of the 2010/11 season.
The other contribution that Real have made to the deadline day is with the possible sale of Rafael van der Vaart.
Tottenham Hotspur, along with several Rafael/Sylvie van der Vaart fans, hope to discover tomorrow morning whether their dramatic last-minute bid to buy the Dutch midfielder in an £8m deal will be approved by the Premier League.
Good ol’ Arry, Sp*rs’ man-in-charge, was unable to confirm if the requisite paperwork had reached Gloucester Place before the 6 p.m. deadline as officials are still working to establish if the Van der Vaart deal made it in time after a late deluge of documentation for various deals had arrived right on the time limit.
So Rafa has finally decided that he has had enough with Real, has he? If the move does go through Real would apparently be losing about £10m as Redknapp revealed that Bayern had almost signed him for £18m earlier in the day when the deal collapsed due to reasons not known and all of a sudden the midfielder was available for just £8m enabling the North London club to go for the player. Redknapp said:
I thought he was going to Bayern Munich yesterday for about £18m and suddenly he become an awful lot cheaper and the chairman came to me and said, ‘Look, he’s available for around about £8m.’
I felt we’d already got a good squad; it wasn’t a case of really being desperate to get anyone in. It was only when he rung me around at about four o’clock and told me there was an opportunity here and did I want to do something? I said, ‘I don’t really want to spend your money but if you feel you want to have a go then, well, let’s push on and give it a crack and see if we can pull it off.
He also admitted that it was quite a coup, getting such a quality player at such a low price. And we all know how true that is.
He’s a quality player, a Dutch international, a great footballer. For that sort of money we felt he was a top player and he’ll improve us, for sure, so we made the effort but whether we can pull it off or not, I’m not sure now. It could happen; I wouldn’t like to say one way or another but we are hopeful it’ll go through. It was a last-minute job.
And it would be one helluva job once the FA confirms the legitimacy of the move. But how big a loss would it be for Real? Well, one he is a top quality player, a hard worker, someone who defied logic when he displaced Kaka from Real’s line up last season. And two, he has the much needed experience of playing in Spain and in La Liga which most of our squad does not have. On the contrary, he will not play much as there are more than enough players who can play in his position on our team. And also the fact that we have 26 players on the squad means that it has to be trimmed and since we could not find any potential suitors for the ones we wanted to see out, we had to go for this option. So since the pros and cons are canceling each other out I think it is better if we don’t speak about it.
Real are now officially oranje-less.
Well at least, we are Pepe-less no more. The Portuguese international who was injured during pre-season is now back in training. The central defender missed most of last season with the ACL and is yet to play a competitive fixture for Real in 2010. He is finally back to full training after spending the last few weeks training alone.
His arrival, marked the departure of the internationals from the Valdebebas. The likes of Casillas, Ramos, Alonso and Arbeloa would be leaving to join Spain who face Liechenstein before playing Argentina at Buenos Aires. Higuain and Di Maria have been called up to for the Albiceleste. Ozil and Khedira will join the German National Team whereas Benzema would be making his comeback with France under the governance of Laurent Blanc. Carvalho would join Portugal but will not be joined by both Pepe and Ronaldo. Marcelo who was supposed to join the Brazilian national team to train in Barcelona will stay in Madrid as he too is nursing an injury. And last but not the least Sergio Canales will join Spain’s U-21 side to face The Netherlands and Poland in what would be crucial games for the juniors.
Para Siempre Blanco!!
Hala Madrid!!
Ricardo Carvalho all set for Madrid
We've yet another Riccy on the cards.
Chelsea have confirmed they have agreed a fee with Real Madrid for defender Ricardo Carvalho. The move will see Carvalho
reunited with former Blues boss Jose Mourinho after working with the defender at Stamford Bridge and Porto.
The 32-year-old’s future at Stamford Bridge has been the subject of speculation for some time with Carvalho revealing earlier this summer he would jump at the chance of moving to Real. The Portugal international will now travel to Spain to hold talks and undergo a medical at the Spanish giants before signing a two-year deal. A Chelsea statement read:
Chelsea
Even though I feel £6.7 million for a 32-year old is too effin much, I guess Mourinho is planning to use Carvalho like how he made use of Lucio in his previous stint at Inter. Carvalho is a brilliant center-back and would definitely provide the solidity we need. With Pepe having been ruled out for 3 weeks following the match against the Galaxy, I guess Carvalho would immediately be put into action against Bayern Munich this Friday.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
The Exodus
In the same pace as Real Madrid signed players this season there have been exits over the past week with 4 players leaving Real Madrid. As prominent as the exit of the legendary figures Raul and Guti were the sale of Marcos Alonso and Adam Szalai, two of the brightest players produced by Castilla in the past few years.
Raul ready for 'new era'
Schalke seal Raul deal
Two days after announcing his decision to leave Real Madrid CF, striker Raúl González has joined FC Schalke 04. The 33-year-old signed a two-year contract with the German side who return to the UEFA Champions League group stage this season after finishing second in the Bundesliga last term. Raúl said:
Schalke is a new challenge. The Bundesliga is one of the strongest leagues in Europe. Our aim has to be to fight for the Bundesliga title. It will be difficult in the Champions League but we want to progress from the group stage. It will be an eventful season for Schalke.
As a three-time winner of the competition with Real Madrid, Raúl brings a wealth of experience to Schalke and coach Felix Magath is delighted to have him on board. Magath said.
This is fantastic news for FC Schalke 04. I’m delighted we’ve been able to bring a truly world-class footballer and goalscorer to the Bundesliga and to Schalke.
Guti agrees Turkish switch
Guti has agreed a two-year contract with Turkish side Beşiktaş JK after negotiating his release from the Spanish club.
Beşiktaş, who are managed by Bernd Schuster, have brought in Guti within 24 hours of his departure from the Santiago Bernabéu. Signed by Madrid as a ten-year-old in 1986. Beşiktaş’s new No14 scored 46 goals in 387 Liga games for the Merengues, claiming five Spanish titles and featuring in three UEFA Champions League-winning sides.
Bolton bag Alonso
Bolton have completed the signing of left-back Marcos Alonso for an undisclosed fee. The highly-rated 19-year-old defender joins on a three-year deal despite Real giving Alonso his debut for the first team in April last season, coming on as a substitute for Gonzalo Higuain in the 2-0 victory over Racing Santander.
Bolton manager Owen Coyle spoke of his delight at sealing the transfer, hailing the Spaniard as one to watch in the future. Coyle told the club’s official website:
He is an exciting young player who has undoubted quality and he will bring that into our mix. I think that we have a real talent on our hands. I have said before that when we are investing money in transfers that I want to do it with young, talented players. He isn’t the finished article yet – he’s a young player making his way – but you don’t get through at Real Madrid without having a bit about you.
Mainz tie up Szalai deal
Ádám Szalai has sealed his permanent transfer from Castilla to Mainz. The 22-year-old striker has penned a contract with the German side which runs until June 2013, with Madrid set to receive £500,000. Szalai, formerly of Stuttgart, was on loan at Mainz last season and impressed the club enough to earn a permanent deal. Mainz 05 general manager Christian Heidel told the club’s official website:
We have finally completed all paperwork that was still pending. We are delighted to have captured Ádám permanently as we are convinced of his skills as a player. He has impressed us when he was on loan at our club last season. He will be looking to make further progress.
Last season Szalai played 15 Bundesliga games for the club and will be hoping to make an impact next season.
It looks like Khedira will come here
Khedira for Real
According to Stuttgart’s sporting director Jochen Schneider, Real Madrid have confirmed their interest in Sami Khedira. After quashing rumors that Khedira is set to join Real, last week, Stuttgart have now officially changed their position. With Khedira now in the final year of his contract Schneider has hinted a deal could be brokered rather than losing him for free next summer. Schneider told kicker-Sportmagazin:
Months ago we have tried to thrash out a contract extension with (Khedira), we did not succeed. And now Real Madrid has officially indicated their interest in him.
The player though insists that nothing has been finalised with Real, although he has admitted that he is hugely flattered to be link with the Santiago Bernabeu. He said:
There is no agreement and there is also no decision on my future. I am delighted about such a club being interested in my services, but first of all I need to think things over.
I was having a very fairly and square chat with (manager) Christian Gross and Schneider. The manager was very firm on telling me how he would like to carry on working with me in the future. This was impressive. For now I am going on holiday and afterwards I am going to get back on the table discussing the future.
Heh, you just can’t say no to Real, can you?
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Sami Khedira to sign for Real Madrid?
Sami Khedira: 'Heading' to Real?
Marca have traditionally reported every single transfer that Real have made over the past few seasons a few hours earlier than the club itself have. Continuing the trend, they have now reported that Sami Khedira is set to sign for Real Madrid in the next few hours securing a €10 million deal from VfB Stuttgart.
The 23-year old midfielder had a magnificent World Cup campaign for Germany ever since replacing the German captain Michael Ballack in the center of midfield and capped the tournament by scoring the winner that secured the Germans the Bronze Medal in South Africa. Khedira formed an excellent partnership with Bastian Schweinsteiger in the centre of Germany’s midfield in South Africa, with his industrious displays drawing widespread praise.
Marca reported that the player was spotted at Valdebebas on Wednesday and that the move could see Khedira as Real’s third signing this summer following the acquisitions of Angel Di Maria and Sergio Canales.
As I said in my previous post, Khedira is out of contract at the end of the coming season and Stuttgart coach Christian Gross recently admitted the club will struggle to retain the midfielder.
Moving on Marca have also reported that, Pedro León will not be sent on loan back to Getafe after the player signs a six-year deal with Real on Friday. They revealed that the deal was done long ago but the personal terms were agreed only last night and that the player will undergo a medical next Friday to join Mourinho’s forces.
Meanwhile, according to AS, the agent of Khedira’s international colleague Schweinsteiger has instructed Bayern Munich to listen to any offers from Real for his client. Mourinho is considered to be a big fan of the winger-turned central midfielder and sees him as the ideal second choice to Steven Gerrard in midfield. With a move for Gerrard being rejected by Perez, an offer for Schweinsteiger seems likely. But that said, I wonder whether Real have so many gaps in the midfield for them to make so many enforcements.
Finally, a rough sketch of the pre-season schedule for Real can be seen here. We have some interesting games coming up that includes facing Bayern Munich and the return of Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos with Corinthians to play the Santiago Bernabeu trophy.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
One Pedro For Another | Ins and Outs | S02P02
Now that the World Cup is over the media has shifted its attention on the transfer window again. Real Madrid who have been active on and off this time around having acquired Angel Di Maria and having recalled Sergio Canales back from his loan spell at Racing are being linked as usual to every one who is on the market. I shall, though, limit myself to tangible rumors.
#1
Getafe confirmed the transfer of Pedro Mosquera from Real for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old was presented to the media and fans earlier today. Mosquera, who was the captain of Castilla for most of last season also made his First Team debut as well last season. But in all the midfielder managed only one appearance in La Liga. The move, reports say, comes as a result of lack of regular first team action and I am unsure about any buy-back clause included in the deal. I shall update this post as soon as I can with further details.
(more…)
Sergio Canales to be Raul’s replacement for next season?
Awaiting his homecoming
First some good news, Real Madrid have told Racing Santander they will be keeping Sergio Canales at the Bernabeu next season, dashing the Cantabrians’ hopes of taking their former player back on loan.
Canales was originally expected to spend at least another year on loan there. However, Racing president Francisco Pernia says he has always been resigned to the player moving to Madrid for the coming season. And at the launch of a campaign for season ticket holders on Tuesday he said:
In the written terms of the agreement between the three parties it says they wanted him for next season – we knew it was going to be like that.
Canales, meanwhile, is looking forward to starting life at the Bernabeu and linking up with new coach Jose Mourinho. The 19-year-old believes playing alongside our star players will help him settle in. He told Marca:
I will have to work hard and I know it will be difficult to get in the team, but I am excited and I can’t wait to get started. Mourinho has won everything and he will be great for Madrid. I don’t normally have difficulties adapting. I’m on open-minded person and I’m sure having so many great players alongside me will make things easier.
And now some bad news, well not really. Christoph Metzelder has come out and said that he wants Raul to join him at Schalke, and believes the striker would be a superb signing. I say so because it really doesn’t matter what Metzelder thinks. Until its Raul who is doing the talking I am not ready to believe this story.
Metzelder left Real earlier this summer after failing to make an impression in La Liga. Raul, at one time the club’s talisman, has also fallen out of favour and started just eight league games last term, scoring five goals. And now Metzelder wants to be reunited with a player once thought of as the most deadly finisher in Europe. Metzelder told Bild:
I understand him, I used to sit next to him on the Madrid team bus. Raul has the ambition to continue playing in the Champions League and is thinking seriously about Schalke. He has even been told which teams his sons will play in. He is in top shape. He was injured only once in my three years at Madrid. He has a great personality and his presence would be a huge boost for this young team.
Meanwhile, Real have been told by Bayern Munich to forget about signing Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger. Bayern sporting director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in quotes published by Sportinformationsdienst that:
Whoever is thinking of Schweinsteiger, (Philipp) Lahm or (Thomas) Muller can forget about calling us. We already said after the final of the Champions League that we weren’t going to let anybody leave, and we have shown that with (Franck) Ribery.
This comes following rumors that linked us with a bid for several of the German stars. I should have known that it was false especially after it came just ahead of Spain’s clash tonight against Germany.
Someone who would be arriving is Angel Di Maria. The Argentine is expected to be presented to the World as a Madridista this Wednesday or Thursday. Finally some Real Madrid action!
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Raul Gonzalez Blanco might just leave Real Madrid
Just as AS claimed a move to Schalke was imminent, Schalke boss Felix Magath confirmed today that the club is in talks with Raul. El Capitan with one year remaining on his contract at Real is said to be on the for a move away from the club this summer due to a lack of playing time. Several English clubs were after him during last season but Magath has now said he is hopeful of completing a deal and it appears as though the forward wants to delay any decision on his future for several weeks. Magath told Bild:
We are interested in him and are negotiating with his agent. The player has not decided yet and wants time, until the end of July, to make up his mind. It would be a huge signing for Schalke and the whole Bundesliga.
Christoph Metzelder, who left Real Madrid for Schalke on a free transfer this summer, is said to have encouraged Raul to make the move. Magath said:
We have Christoph’s friendship with Raul to thank for the chance of us signing such a player.
In other news, Cristiano Ronaldo now has a reason to smile, despite a disappointing World Cup after recently becoming a father. The Portuguese star announced on Sunday that he had exclusive custody of the baby boy, born in June to an anonymous American.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Stevie G, Angel D, Maicon and the rest of the football world | Ins and Outs | S02P01
Agreement in principle
So when José Mourinho said he was targeting three to four summer signings the press went ballistic. They had the whole world of football to choose from the three or four special players that the Special One was targeting. And now it looks as though they have decided upon three of the possible four signings while making the fourth slot as a variable which they could fill up with a player of their choice every week.
The three lucky winners chosen are Steven Gerrard, whose exit is apparently eminent after Benitez’s departure, Angel Di Maria, who has already signed a deal with Real Madrid in a secret meeting that was held months ago, and Maicon who has openly admitted that he will choose Real Madrid over Man City any given day. And the fourth spot till now has been occupied by the likes of Fernando Torres, Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba and David Silva among others.
#1
Let’s start with the rumor regarding Steven Gerrard who will be England’s captain in the upcoming World Cup. Gerrard is believed to be one of Mourinho’s leading transfer targets following his arrival at the Bernabeu and he recently said of the midfielder and his England colleague Frank Lampard that “both are two great players and always give everything.” Mourinho had attempted to prise Gerrard away from Anfield during his time at Chelsea, has now “hinted” that he could be interested in the England midfielder and the Spanish press reported on Friday that a €30 million bid is in the offing.
Three or four new signings
Kolarov: Touted to be Mourinho's first signing
Now that we have a new manager the focus automatically shifts to the composition of his squad. José as we know is very particular about his squad and the players he uses. His squads at Porto, Chelsea and Inter have been full of quality players if not full of stars and every player including the ones whom he didn’t like were given a role to play in the success story devised by the man himself. Given these factors we must now have a look at what our squad needs and what kinds of players would José Mourinho be looking at.
Several names have come up in recent weeks regarding transfers in and out of the Bernabeu. David Silva, Angel Di Maria, Daniele De Rossi, Alexander Kolarov and Maicon have been the more prominent ones in those rumors. With Mourinho being the kind of manager who knows who will and who wouldn’t fit into his side and game plan there is set to be some amount of tinkering that will be done to our side.
A left-back looks like a must even though Arbeloa seems comfortable defensively in that position and Marcelo made more assists than both Kaka and Guti playing there I doubt if those two would fit into into Jose Mourinho’s XI considering the stability that generally is at the back in all the teams that he previously managed. AS feels Alexander Kolarov from S.S.Lazio would be the first one to land here and says that Mourinho has been keen on landing the Serbian right from his Inter days. Another option for Mourinho is to get Maicon. The Brazilian full back has been linked with a move to Real for the second summer running. AS says that Mourinho is looking at a central defensive pairing of Sergio Ramos and Pepe as he likes his center halves to be aerially stable. That opens up both the wing-back slots. As far as the departures are concerned Drenthe might depart considering the lack of playing time he is getting.
The next immediate concern would be the midfield especially the defensive midfield role. With Lass having one of those mysterious injuries that footballers have, Diarra getting old and Gago no longer being defensive Mourinho will look at reinforcements in that part of midfield with one or two players. Daniele De Rossi is yet again in contention but the Roman talisman has made it clear that he would leave only if Roma wants him to leave. You know these Romans don’t you? City comes ahead of everything else for them. Mourinho can also bolster the attacking midfielder slot if he chooses to keep Canales at Real for the upcoming season. Guti’s future still remains in doubt.
The offense is one part of the field which wouldn’t be reinforced come next season. Valdano recently said that Benzema was used so rarely last season that he virtually is a new signing for the upcoming season. Raul’s future remains in doubt but Mourinho has held talks with the skipper today at the Valdebebas and has apparently discussed his future at the club and the role that Mourinho is willing to let El Siete play. The decision will be made after the vacation. On the other hand, David Silva would be a good signing and with Mourinho employing a 4-3-3 that can be converted to a 4-5-1 the two striker/midfielders could be Ronaldo and Silva. Di Maria is another option but the team management has made it clear that they wouldn’t sign him unless he comes cheap and despite this AS feels that we have already signed him.
But all what AS and Marca think really would not matter here on. We have Jose Mourinho. He does what he likes to. He brings in a player if he wants to and discards him if he is not required.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Bilbao pre-preview
We are down to the last two games of the season and it has been quite a long one already. We still do not know where La Liga title is heading and this week probably will be decisive as far as the league title is concerned as Real face Athletic Bilbao at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in 21:00 CET game on Saturday and Barça face off against Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.
King of Mallorca, the leader, our hope
He is one of the best professionals I’ve seen. He’s a winner, someone who does not want to miss a game. He says what he thinks, but he also has a mindset that is focused on the collective.
He is the first to arrive and the last leave training. I see him and say to myself, ‘I have to train harder’. He’s a wonderful guy, a total leader.
– Raúl González on Cristiano Ronaldo
When someone like Raúl has that to say about you then you are definitely worth all the money in the World. And Cristiano Ronaldo is! The Portuguese single-handedly demolished Champions League chasing Mallorca by scoring a brilliant hat-trick at ONO Estadi on Wednesday in a 4-1 win for Real. It was his first hat-trick for us and they were his 23rd, 24th and 25th goals in the league this season and made brought his tally to 5 goals this week alone. His first two goals were provided by Sergio Ramos and he spoke about them on Punto Poleda:
Our first goal against Mallorca came from a sort of play we pull off often. I noticed Cristiano was leaving his markers behind and the bounce of the ball suited his speed. The second goal was similar. The ball went straight in both cases and we luckily scored.
And both will play a very vital role if we are to win tomorrow night against Athletic – Cristiano in offense and Sergio Ramos in defense. As Higuaín put it Bilbao will not be an easy game and we need to show the World how much this title means to us yet again this weekend.
Athletic Bilbao have a long history of success and they deserve credit year in and year our. We need to win this game to show how bad we want to win the league. We hope to go to Malaga as the top team in the table even though all we are thinking about is winning our next two matches.
Warnings galore
As much as we are aware of the threat they possess their players have already sent out signs warning us that they are ready for us. First up it was Ander Itturaspe who said:
We will have plenty to say at the Bernabeu. They have players of the highest standard in the world in attack. They are players who, if they get their chances usually are not forgiving
And then David Lopez:
This season we have already played very well against good teams and we have shown that we know how to cause them worry. We already won against Real Madrid at home; why can’t we do the same there? We are going to do our very best to take the three points or a draw.
Yet another team with a European dream
Athletic Bilbao are looking to qualify for Europe next season. They are currently eighth on the table, one point shy of reaching their goal. Considering their dismal away record this calendar year it doesn’t seem like happening in the next game. Bilbao have won 10 of their 18 games as locals, losing just 4 but have taken only half of those points on the road. They’ve only won 4 away games this season though but none of them in 2010.
Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao have clashed 78 times in la Liga, resulting in 50 victories for the Whites, 15 draws and 13 wins for the Basques. Real Madrid defeated them 3-2 at the Bernabeu last season thanks to two goals from Higuain.
Lass and Marcelo return; a few worries for Bilbao
Marcelo returns to Manuel Pellegrini’s squad list to face Athletic Bilbao following last week’s suspension. Lass has recovered from his back injury and has also made the cut. Raul, Van der Vaart and Pepe are the only ones who will miss the match due to injuries. No Castillla player has been called up.
REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek
Defenders: Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Albiol, Garay, Metzelder
Midfielder: Gago, Diarra, Kaka, Lass, Guti, Drenthe, Xabi Alonso, Granero
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Higuain
Probable Starting XI: Real Madrid
As far as Bilbao are concerned apart from having a few long term casualties on their injury list including the likes of Ion Velez and Aitor Ocio there are doubts over the fitness of a few regular first teamers such as Koikili, Pablo Orbaiz and Javier Martinez.
ATHLETIC CLUB SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Iraizoz, Armando
Defenders: Koikili, Ustaritz, Amorebieta, San Jose, Iraola, Iturraspe
Midfielders: Yeste, Gabilondo, Susaeta, Gurpegi, Javi Martinez
Defenders: Toquero, Llorente, Muniain, De Marcos, Etxeberria
Probable Starting XI: Athletic Bilbao
And here we go again…
Transfer speculations have begun all over again as the opening of the transfer window nears. Edin Dzeko, Steven Gerrard (!), Juan Manuel Vargas have all been linked to the club while Van der Vaart (to Liverpool) and Higuain (to Chelsea should they fail to get Torres) have been linked out of the club. I guess its time to start Season 2 of Ins and Outs.
Prediction: Real Madrid 4-2 Athletic Bilbao
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
It isn’t easy – Mallorca pre-preview
No time for Siestas.
It is not going to be easy. I am not talking about tonight’s game of course. I am talking about the post I am about to make here. Today I have Mallorca (D’oh!), Stats, History, the squad lists, Joan Laporta, Esteban Granero, Karim Benzema, Manchester United, Angel Di Maria and Dani Parejo before I round off this pre-preview with my prediction.
Lots at stake for both teams
Real Madrid face off against Real Club Deportivo Mallorca at the ONO Estadi in the final game of the midweek matches tonight in the 22:00 CET kick-off. Mallorca has been the surprise team of the current season as it sits in fourth place in the table with three matches to play. The Bermellones need to win to retain their hold on the final Champions League berth even though they only need two points to clinch European action while Real have to do so in order to stay in contention for the title as Barça breezed past Tenerife last night with a comfortable 4-1 win.
Terrific home form
Their current position in the league table can be attributed to their home form. ONO Estadi has been a key factor to the team’s success. Mallorca are the best home team in La Liga after Real Madrid and Barcelona having won 14 games, drawn one and lost two on their own turf. Only Sevilla and Barcelona have returned home with three points in tow.
History favors Bermellones
Gregorio Manzano’s men haven’t lost in six straight matches and most recently defeated Athletic Bilbao 1-3 at San Mames. Real too are on a good run considering the fact that they haven’t lost since the dreadful night against Barcelona at home. But playing at home, history is in favor of Mallorca against Real Madrid. The teams have met on 24 occasions where the hosts have won 12 times, drawn seven and lost five. Last season, however, Real earned a victory.
Drenthe makes the cut; nothing to worry for Manzano though
The eighteen players named by Manuel Pellegrini for tonight’s match has only one change from the one that was named against Osasuna. The Dutchman Royston Drenthe has recovered from a strained/torn left thigh muscle and has been given the green light to play and he replaces Marcelo who is unavailable after seeing his fifth yellow card on Sunday. Castilla’s Juanfran, who made his first team debut over the weekend, made the cut once again. Raul, Van der Vaart, Lass and Pepe are still unfit and will stay in Madrid.
Pellegrini should play the same side that he fielded against Osasuna at the weekend despite the poor performance. Garay will replace the suspended Marcelo. Granero must retain his place but what about Kaka? Isn’t he better coming off the bench? Nah! He will start.
REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST:
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek.
Defenders: Arbeloa, Garay, Albiol, Sergio Ramos, Metzelder.
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Gago, Drenthe, Granero, Guti, Kaka, Diarra, Juanfran.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuain, Benzema.
Probable Starting XI: Real Madrid
Manzano doesn’t have any injury problems to cope with ahead of the game. He will be without Tuni and Ivan Ramis who are sidelined by injury.
MALLORCA SQUAD LIST:
GOALKEEPERS: Dudú Aouate, Lux
DEFENDERS: Mattioni, Josemi, Nunes, Rubén, Ramis, Ayoze, Corrales
MIDFIELDERS: Varela, Julio, Martí, Mario, Borja, Pezzolano, Bruno China, Castro
FORWARDS: Aduriz, Keita, Víctor, Webó
Probable Starting XI: Mallorca
Winning is mandatory
Joan ‘Cunt’ Laporta feels that his Cules have done their job and it is now up to Mallorca to do theirs against us tonight. He wants Mallorca to give him more joy so that it would ease some pressure off them as they prepare to meet Sevilla away at the weekend.
Our team has done a good job and has put pressure on Madrid so that the Mallorca game is now a decisive match. I think the Sevilla game will be crucial. Hopefully Mallorca can give us a wonderful joy, they are having a season worthy of the Champions League and if they are as good as we saw in San Mames then Madrid will be under a lot of pressure.
Esteban Granero spoke to Marca about what is left of the season and his contribution to the team to date. He had the same thing about we having to win the rest of our games and that we have to make Barcelona feel the pressure. But more importantly he spoke about his position in the team. He said:
I know there is a lot of competition on this team and earning a spot in the starting eleven is very difficult. I think that every time I have played I have earned that right. The same goes for when I haven’t. I control whatever good or bad things happen to me.
Exactly the point that I made in a post a couple of weeks back. If he is the best in training he has the right to replace anyone in the side. Prove your worth Pirata! We love you!
Karim Benzema while speaking to bwin prior to the game, stressed on the importance of winning not only this game but the other two as well. That is true especially considering the fact that Barça won last night meaning that they are now ahead of us by four points. The Frenchman also said that his confidence is returning slowly now that he is seeing some action again. The former Lyon man is also confident that Barcelona will slip up sooner rather than later. Either ways it has to be in either of the next two games. Even if they don’t all we must aim for is to lose the title by a single point just to emphasize the fact that they gap between us and them isn’t that much at all. Considering the fact that we’re a fairly new team that shouldn’t be a bad feat at all at least not a failure.
No regrets
Likewise feels Benzema with regard to his first season with Real Madrid. He to L’Equipe:
I can’t see my first season at Real as a failure. Of course, I would have preferred it to go more smoothly, but I played. And when you see a man like Raul on the bench you learn a lot. I didn’t come for one season. I signed for six years and everyone at the club trusts me.
He also added that he has no regrets about turning down Manchester United in favor of us. He said that he is here to prove a point which is really good to hear. The guy is young and wants to stay and prove his worth at a club which he has dreamed about all his life. Give him some space I’ll say. He said:
Do I regret not signing for Manchester United? No. I dreamt about Real, that’s all. It was a first season to learn. I didn’t know what a season abroad was. Now I know, and next term, from the very first day, I will be at my very best. I don’t want to leave. I don’t think the club wants to see me leave. I want to make a name for myself.
Shut your TV Andres!
Responding to Andres Iniesta’s comments that Madrid play unattractive football, Sergio Ramos decided to give Casper a piece of his mind.
Madrid do not play poorly. I am very happy with our style of play and someone who does not like it can very easily turn off the television.
And finally, when asked about his imminent contract extension, Ramos said what all Madridistas would have loved to hear.
My principal objective is to play well. I am very happy at Madrid and if they call me to renew my contract, I would do it with my eyes closed.
Di Maria is already a Madridista and Parejo to return?
Absolute rubbish. At least the first one about SL Benfica’s Argentine winger Angel Di Maria already signing with Real Madrid goes. Not even Marca or AS are aware of such a deal and they generally are the first to report such stuff. It comes from a Portuguese news daily called Ole. The news either was lost in translation or is just another way of making more money from the sale of a player. Man City and other similar teams are after him but I doubt if he will fit into our side. We need a left sided player. No doubt. But Di Maria doesn’t fit the bill if you ask me. But even if we are to sign him I think we should wait till the World Cup. His worth will be proven then.
And as far as the news about Dani Parejo returning is concerned it is a possibility definitely simply because we have a clause that enables us to re-buy the player whenever we want for the next couple of years. He is in fine form but I think one more year there will really help him. But with the likes of Diarra and probably even Lass getting ready to leave in the summer I wouldn’t be surprised if we resign Parejo as a squad player.
Prediction: Mallorca 1-3 Real Madrid
The game will be a good contest between a team that is doing above its capability and another team which is managing to win even when under performing. But Real’s quality should see them through.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Osasooner rather than later – Osasuna pre-preview
Time to leave them sitting ducks
C.A. Osasuna a.k.a Los Rojillos are placed 12th in La Liga with 39 points, seven clear of the relegation zone and can confirm their status as a top-flight club with a win in tomorrow’s 19:00 CET kick-off against 2nd placed Real Madrid C.F at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
Osasuna with their über-cool 4-2-3-1 formation arrive in Madrid having scored the second fewest goals in La Liga – a meager 30 from their 34 games. Real Madrid on the other hand have scored more than any other team in the league – a humongous 89 from the same number of games.
More stats, Real Madrid have won 37 and drawn 14 of the 63 matches played against Gorritxoak. And at home the Whites have won 24 out the 31 ti,mes they’ve played them. And in the current season Osasuna have only notched points in six of their 17 matches away from home.
But all that will not matter when eleven of our men take on ten of theirs and Walter Pandiani. All that will matter is the performance on the pitch. And that means we need to be at our best in order to have any kind of chance of winning the league. Barça play Villareal at El Madrigal in the late kick-off on Saturday and going by what happened midweek against Inter, when they were tactically played out by Mourinho’s men, they wouldn’t be in the best of mindsets thus giving us a very good chance of going ahead of them in the table. Either way, irrespective of whether they win or lose, we must get to the 98 point mark. Its unequivocally mandatory. Kaká could not have agreed more with me. Speaking to bwin.com he said:
This weekend’s match is very important. It’s another final for us. Osasuna are seven points clear of the relegation zone and have a lot at stake. They need to win as well, which is why I think it’s going to be a good match. A one-point difference is very little in a competition as challenging as La Liga. We will have a good chance of being champions if we win our last four matches.
And with reference to the Barcelona-Villareal game:
Barcelona visit a Villarreal team that is fighting for a spot in Europe. They are in a special section of the table and it will be a very difficult match. We know just how tough it will be. I don’t think Barça will have an easy time at all. There are four matches left and we must do our share.
Team news now and Osasuna first. With Javad Nekounam’s availability still in question, Puñal may get the nod as the defensive midfielder along with Ruper or Vadocz while Monreal will suit up for Jose Antonio Camacho’s team after serving a one-match suspension. The exact squad list will be posted in the proper preview to the game.
Their strategy is quite simple and well known to all. They attack using their quick wing-backs and wingers. Keeping tabs on them will stop the supply to the brawny Pandiani thus preventing them from scoring. Ricardo is in fine form and we must remember that we haven’t scored against them this season. They are the only other team apart from Bilbao and Barcelona in Spain to have achieved that.
Probable Starting XI: CA Osasuna
As far as we are concerned we will definitely be without the services of Raúl, Pepe, Van der Vaart and Drenthe. The latter though participated in full training today but will definitely not make the cut. The other three are missing for obvious reasons. We also have a few niggled players in Diarra, Arbeloa (niggled left patellar tendon), Lass (lower back pain) and Guti (strained left hamstring) who completed specific recovery protocols in the gym. Saturday’s session, scheduled for 10:30 CET, behind closed doors will be when the final squad is decided.
I think Kaká, Benzema and Ronaldo will start. I am not fielding Guti, Arbeloa and Lass and am keeping Granero along with them on the bench again. But it isn’t me but Manuel Pellegrini who will make the final decision. So let us just wait and see.
Probable Starting XI: Real Madrid C.F
The game should be a walk in the park for us. More of a formality than a task. We are in the right spirit with a good win last weekend. We seem to have players in form. And more importantly this is a home game. I am sure we are up for it. If we play like we do every week we will come out victors. We just need to keep it simple.
In other news, as most of you must already be knowing, Russell Crowe visited the Valdebebas yesterday and managed to take quite a few snaps with our stars during his promotion of Robin Hood in Madrid. Also, Veterans of Real Madrid and AC Milan will be clashing once again this season, this time for a good cause. Click here to learn more about it.
Transfer news and I sincerely request all you young Real Madrid fans to not believe the rumors about Carlos Tevez or Wayne Rooney coming to Real Madrid. They are as fake as David Villa accepting a move to Barcelona. On the other hand, the rumor linking Mahamadou Diarra to Manchester United might just be true. Momo is getting no time to play here and might as well feel like plying his trade in some other country now that he is nearing the end of his career. With Metzelder already leaving, Raúl and Guti contemplating whether to honor their contracts or not and Diarra planning to move – Dudek might be the only real veteran in our squad. Casillas, Ramos, Xabi and Kaká all have experience but then again age wise at least these are the players with the real major experience. The latest news regarding Guti is the rumor about him playing in Dubai.
And as far as José Mourinho managing Real Madrid is concerned, you’ve got to admit that you are flattered by the prospective. He is a special man and with a special talent as a manager. But then again, it all comes down to what we want. Do we want to win irrespective of the way we play? Or do we want to win the Real Madrid way? If you don’t understand my point then take this for example. Chelsea was a good club playing some real good football that almost all football fans loved watching before Mourinho took over. The only thing that they did not do was win titles. And then came Mourinho. Fans all over the world started hating Chelsea complaining about their style of play and their tactics. But that wasn’t the only thing that changed. They started winning titles. Even though they missed out on the Champions League they did make it to the last four more than once. It all comes down to what we want. Going by the dry period and the investments from Florentino we must agree that we are in desperate need for silverware. But thinking again, we are Real Madrid and we have a brand. Is Pellegrini maintaining our brand name?
If yes, we have to give him time – at least one more season. He now knows where his team is lacking and what needs to be done to improve them. Who knows, we might just have our best season next year. Pellegrini’s team has only shown signs of improvement. Drastic improvements so to speak. The only thing that needs to be corrected from this season is playing in do-or-die situations. We don’t seem to have enough number of big match players. Not big name players but big match players. The ones who can step up to the next level when the situation calls for it. We do that and we might just be the next set of invincibles. Far fetched or just a possibility?
If no, then we fire him and silverware is still not guaranteed next season. Every manager needs his settling-in period – even the special one. Also, he will definitely tinker with the team composition as much as he wants to so that it fits his game plan. And that means more money spent. Then, his team needs time to adapt thus taking more time. It is only then that we will win titles under him.
Also, there is the major factor about the players wanting to play under him. He is a man who is known to have the magical power of controlling big egos. Pellegrini seems to be doing a good job as far as that is concerned and at the same time is keeping his players happy. Will Mourinho be able to do the same? Ask Balotelli.
Ultimately it all comes down to what we want. What do you want?
I want it sooner rather than later.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Recap
The last time I made a post was before the Valencia game. It feels like a long time back though it has been only a couple of weeks or by speaking football two match-days during which we beat Valencia comprehensively and then beat Zaragoza not so convincingly, something that has been a part and parcel of this season. And during these past two weeks a lot has happened and I am sorry that I couldn’t keep you posted as and when the shit came in. Not that you care. But anyhoo, the fact is that I’m in my last few weeks of my days as a engineer-in-the-making and it has been sort of tight, you know, with my end-semester examinations and stuff.
So what has happened since the Valencia win? The clever way out would be to say a lot. Yes of course a lot has happened. Firstly, Raúl and Kaká returned to training and both were included in the Squad List that traveled to Zaragoza. Especially with all the news about Kaká faking it (no pun intended), it was essential for Manuel Pellegrini and the player himself to see some action after a 45-day hiatus. Raúl meanwhile, was out since the Barça game but recovered just in time to make the cut. But neither of them started the game. Pellegrini preferred to use the same line up that he used against both Almería and Valencia with Guti and Van der Vaart playing alongside Xabi and Gago – a move that left Esteban Granero fuming. Apparently, the young Spaniard who hasn’t started a game since the win over Atlético (?) only because of his poor form was spotted venting his anger over the manager’s decision to leave him out again only to be consoled and pacified by the veteran Malian Mahamadou Diarra. The Offside had the incident well covered and to get a better insight of the situation click here. One interesting point that Corey mentioned was the fact that both Diarra and Dudek are considered to be great motivators for the rest of the squad. It is not only the manager who has to motivate the players, its also the senior members of the squad. If you look at Van der Vaart’s and Kaká’s celebrations after their goals against Almería and Zaragoza you will understand what I am talking about. And as far as the Granero situation itself goes, I feel that he has all the rights to be frustrated but it is only a fact that he has only himself to blame. Real Madrid is not about fielding stars – but only about fielding the best players on form in the line up. If Granero is better than Xabi in training then it is Granero who will play. And I hope he does get back his place in the line up.
Next came the game at La Romareda. Real were dealt with a blow with just 15 minutes into the game. The ever physical Zaragoza got their first victim of their game when Rafael van der Vaart went out injured to be replaced by a somewhat half-fit Raúl. The first half ended scoreless but within five minutes of the second half we went ahead thanks to the super-sub. It is a fact that El Capitan, who was injured again during his cameo, was to be replaced by Benzema just before he scored but thankfully it came only after we went ahead.
The second blow to Zaragoza came when Contini was shown a red card for an alleged elbow on Pipita. Real were ahead both on goals and on head count and when we thought we’ve sealed the game they drew level through Colunga who latched on to a through ball from Aguilar which dissected our defense to beat Casillas scoring into an empty net. It was a vital blow both to the game and to the little chance that we have of lifting the title. And we needed a miracle to win as Zaragoza decided to play 9 men in defense with only Colunga lurking forward.
And was Jesus’ own son who came down to save us. Kaká who hadn’t played a single game for 45 days and has just gotten back to full training was brought on by Pellegrini in the 78th minute. His first touch of the ball was a super shot on Roberto’s goal which was saved. And within 5 minutes of that shot, Cristiano spotted the Brazilian inside their box and supplied him with a good pass that he finished in a Kaká-esque fashion.
Real Zaragoza 1-2 Real Madrid. One point behind Barcelona.
A clinical examination and MRI later revealed that the captain has a Grade II sydnemosis ankle sprain that will keep him sidelined for at least four weeks basically ruling him out for the season while a similar examination and MRI on the left thigh of Rafael van der Vaart revealed that the player has Grade I-II tear on his left femoral biceps that will keep him sidelined for at least three weeks. It was also feared that Rafa might miss the World Cup but later it was revealed that he would recover sooner than expected.
On the other hand, rumors were all around that the captain has played his last game for Real as his season came to an premature end. Marca later reported that it is in the Captain’s hands to decide whether to stay or not. It is a similar situation with Guti as he too revealed that this season would most probably be his last with Real. But rumors have it that Guti will continue for one more season. Only time can answer these questions.
Someone else who is bound to leave next season is Metzelder who revealed sometime back that he will see out his contract here and would probably look at a career back home in Germany. Sttutgart, Wolfsburg and Schalke are potential suitors with the latter being the latest team on pursuit of the veteran defender. And that leaves only Dudek and Diarra as the two remaining veterans on the side.
Other rumors linking players out of the club are Bayern Munich’s interest in Arbeloa, and Arsenal’s interest in Lass. Both seem too far fetched to me as both have vital roles to play in the side. Thereby I am rubbishing all rumors that say that Lass is unhappy at Real. It is only fair to Gago that Lass sits out his time. Gago did it in the first half of the season and now its the Frenchman’s turn.
And as far as players coming in are concerned, we’re pursuing every big star in the World. Latest are Ronaldo’s recommendation in Patrice Evra, Ashley Cole, David Silva, Franck Ribery blah blah blah…
And that brings the end of this post. It was good to go through the past two weeks for they have been good – you know – especially with Barcelona getting kicked in Milan and stuff. Let us hope that things only get better in the future.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Exit Stage Right for Guti
In what would be heart-breaking news for a few but comforting for others Guti has admitted that moving to the Premier League is an attractive option after revealing there is no chance of him staying at Real Madrid. The 33-year-old believes that he has two more years left at a high level and wants to experience a new challenge before hanging up his boots. In an interview to Onda Madrid, the midfielder has confessed that this would be his last Clásico. He said:
Right now there is no possibility that I will stay at Madrid. This will be my last clasico. I have a year left on my contract but I think we can reach an understanding. I am sure that they will understand that my best option is to go.
Guti has always had a problem with something or the other every season. He has a contract for life with Real something that would renew itself it the player makes a particular number of appearances. But his place in the side this time around has been questioned and the blond bombshell has made fewer appearances than he would have liked.
With Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal and several other Premier League clubs on his trail, the veteran midfielder hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a move elsewhere. He said that he doesn’t want to make a big scene out of his plans to move on and that he wants to leave Real with dignity. And with dignity he will leave. He has had his ups and downs but has survived through several the various crops of players right from the time he made it into the first team. Like all the players generally say when asked about Guti, the man is special indeed. He always has something out of the ordinary. He can be both the best midfielder in the World and the worst midfielder in the World as well and that is Guti for you. He continued:
The most important thing is to leave a club like Real Madrid with dignity. I think that I have two more years left in me and my idea is either England, Italy or the Middle East. Anywhere outside of Spain will be good, but it does depend on the offers.
Finally, when asked about whether this decision was because of the lack of playing time, he said that he understands that going down the pecking order is part and parcel of a footballer’s career and that it can happen to anyone and went on to recommend that either David Silva or Cesc Fábregas would be the ideal players to replace him though given a choice he’d prefer to see Andres Iniesta. Some consolation that would be. I am not sure about whether we would indeed go out and get those players but as far as I am concerned Guti is irreplaceable. There are a few things which money can’t buy and Guti is one of them. It does not mean that I think Guti is better than those three. I know that as well. But Guti can be found only in Guti and in no one else.
Xabi Alonso who will experience his first Clásico at the Bernabéu on Saturday gave an interview for a second consecutive day to El Larguero. Out of all the pointless things he said, only this was something that can be considered relevant:
If we let Barça get comfortable we will have a tough time winning. We need to continue playing like we have been on both ends of the pitch. Getting past their first line of pressure to create plays from there is very important to our success.
It was Higuaín‘s turn to talk about the game next and this time it was to AS. Nothing much in it. The same stuff again and again.
Van der Vaart though did a bit of previewing himself pointing out that:
I think Barcelona’s best asset is their midfield with Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. That is where their plays a created and that is where we have to pay the most attention to.
He then revealed a little bit about the team’s prep for the game, saying:
It has clearly been a different kind of week. Everyone is talking about this match. We have tactical workouts and we have talked about the opponent a lot in the dressing room. These are three golden points at stake, but we know there is much more on the line, especially for the fans.
I know but I can’t help it. Too many quotes in this post as well. The players seem to be doing the previewing more than I myself can. But hell, its the Clásico. Weird things will happen. I promise you a proper pre-preview for tomorrow.
Until then,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Tiri, Nando and Sebastien
What better way to start the week in which Marcos Alonso made his long awaited first team debut than by hearing the news about the club trying to bolster Castilla. Last week Real Madrid confirmed the signing of John Neeskens from some random club in a random country somewhere North of Europe and now its Tiri, Nando and Sebastien who are being targeted. Goal.com reports that Real have apparently made an offer to Cadiz for three of their youngsters in their youth system viz. left-back Jose Luis Espinosa “Tiri”, midfielder Nando, and forward Sebastien.
The latter two youngsters play in Cadiz B in the Tercera Division, while Tiri has signed with the Cadiz first team. It is to be noted that Castilla got Javier Acuña from the Andalusian club in 2008. Brilliant isn’t it? I’ve always wanted to see a strong Castilla side that is capable of producing top quality players who are capable of replacing the stars in the first team whenever necessary irrespective of whether its injuries or form. I am well aware of the fact that its not our kind of football as we usually prefer to buy the stuff we need rather than sow and grow our own food. But what the hell this is also one form of buying only and thus we are not breaking tradition. We make home grown players instead of spotting them. Fair enough. Real have their own way of doing stuff. I mean no disrespect to the current players in Castilla, but I sincerely feel that the quality there just isn’t in proportion with what we have in the first team. I don’t mean stars but in general. A mid-table position is no good whatever the reason maybe.
In an interview to AS, Jorge Valdano, and I must say rightfully so, has said that irrespective of what the result of Saturday’s Clásico is at the Bernabéu La Liga race is still wide open. Valdano said:
I do not know if this match will decide La Liga as there will still be seven matches to play. It is true that it is a very important match, but La Liga does not end on Saturday. It could be a determining factor though.
Valdano agreed that the match against Barça has more value than a normal match because of the potential morale boost it could give hoped to come out the victors. The comments are in concurrence with what Pep Guardiola had to say earlier regarding this game.
And here’s the reason behind their theory. If Barça nick another win on Saturday, that will not put them ahead on points but they will also be ahead on the head-to-head record. After El Clásico, Barcelona face Deportivo (H), Espanyol (A) , host Xerez, visit Villarreal, host Tenerife, visit Sevilla, and finish against Valladolid at home. Considering the current form of the clubs and the quality of the league over all the only places where they might drop points, except all those games would be the ones against Sevilla, Deportivo, Espanyol and Villareal. Apart from those games they have a fairly easy run in.
Whereas if Real win they will go ahead on points and depending upon the scoreline will be either ahead or equal with them on head-to-head. Real immediately after the Clásico make the trip to Almeria, then play Valencia at the Bernabéu the following week, travel to Zaragoza, host Osasuna, travel to the Ono Estadi to face Mallorca followed by Athletic Bilbao at home, and finally travel to Malaga. And out of these the games against Valencia, Mallorca, Zaragoza and the generally freaky games that we have against Bilbao at home pose a threat.
Ergo its Even Steven. They might lose all their games and we will win all of ours.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Hazardous Friday
Eden Hazard: "If I do leave Lille then to progress maybe my destiny will be to go to Real Madrid or Arsenal."
It has been a fairly silent week compared to the standards set by Real and the Spanish press. There hasn’t been too much to talk about like there generally is void for a rumor or two here and there linking Real to some good player or the other. The build up for the Clasico too has been played down by both teams considering the fact that both the players and the managers from both teams have reiterated the fact that the league will not be decided come April 11 at the Santiago Bernabéu. So it has been a very dull week from a blogger’s point of view as well. Well, not exactly, but yeah when they say nothing what can I possibly say?
Hundreds of fans attended Real Madrid’s open-door training earlier today. Kaka, Drenthe and Guti stayed indoors while their teammates fine-tuned their ball skills. Castilla’s Ruben Ramos, Juanfran and Luis Hernandez were also too participated in the session. According to the home page, there were quite a few special goals scored in the evening. Pre-planned?
In what would be a very lame attempt if it was meant to be a cheap shot at Barca,Cristiano Ronaldo in an interview to TVE said this:
We have nine matches left and we need to think of them as finals and win them all. The league may be decided by the Clasico, but we cannot just win at home and then lose on the road. I am very confident about our chances.
But more than that, what I like about the interview was the part in which he said that he’d rather see us play poor and win the game unlike at the Camp Nou where we played some brilliant football in vain. I can see the Alex Ferguson that is inside him.
Sticking with the Clasico, Real and Barça are both making some transfer news and its mostly mind games that is being played by them. While Real Madrid have signed 16-year old John Neeskens, son of legendary Barcelona footballer Johan Neeskens from Catalan club CF Damm to the Blanco youth team, according to Marca, Barcelona are after very very highly rated Castilla midfielder Pablo Sarabia. Sarabia, who is a Spanish international at U-17 level, is out of contract from June 30 and has apparently already been contacted by Barcelona to test the waters over a possible deal. You better not lose him Valdano!
Karim Benzema’s agent Karim Djaziri has made it clear his client will not turn his back on Real for the lure of Milan. He told Tuttomercatoweb.com, whatever that is that Benzema intends to stay in Madrid because as he is very happy in Spain and that he has not heard from anyone especially Milan.
And the news of the day is from Lille’s Liverpool-target Eden Hazard. The 19-year-old Belgian is one of the most highly-rated youngsters in European football at the moment and has been strongly linked with a move to Anfield. However, it seems that he would prefer the Emirates or the Bernabeu as a destination should he decide to leave Ligue 1.
With Zidane having praised Hazard this week, Hazard has admitted that he was flattered by such praise and hinted that he could follow Zizou’s footsteps to Real Madrid. He told Foot Mercato:
Such praise makes me very happy, especially from Zidane. If one day I leave Lille, I will go to Real or Arsenal.
You better get him Valdano!
Lastly, Pepe could be fit for the final three games of the season as he is recovering faster than usual.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Get Silva for Silverware
An even shorter post today as I am totally swamped.
Raúl will leave the club at the end of the season if the club agree to pay out the last remaining year on his contract, according to AS. Why? His worst goals to games ratio in 16 years in the first team.
Its AS again. And Real Madrid have reportedly identified Valencia star David Silva as the prime transfer target for next season. They feel that it is our midfield that needs strengthening considering the possible departures of Guti, Lass, Diarra and Gago. They even went on to say that we almost signed him towards the end of last season.
Zinedine Zidane does not have any doubts about Kaká, thinks Franck Ribery was born to play at Real Madrid, feels Benzema has the talent, but he needs do what Madrid demands of him, thinks Raul is an example and that his attitude is phenomenal and finally even though does not know Pellegrini very well he would maintain him as the coach. Phew!
Milan want Sergio Ramos. Ramos is currently in talks with Real over a contract extension to his current 2013 deal, but the club have deferred a decision because he is asking for €6million per annum. Enough said. Give him what he wants.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Tuesday round up
Happy birthday Sergio Ramos,
It will be a shorty today. So let me get started straight away. And its Seydou Keita who has made the first cheap shot at Real ahead of El Clásico. The Malian midfielder while speaking to the press ahead of Barça’s game at Arsenal was asked about Real’s triumph at home against Atlético. Like the smug son-of-a-b*tch that he is, Keita’s reply was:
I did not see the match because I knew that Madrid were going to win. I don’t think that Madrid’s rivals play at 100 per cent. It’s a personal perception and Madrid’s players could also say the same occurs against Barca.
And when asked what his comments were based on he quoted Michel’s statements prior to the Getafe game when he said Madrid were going to win La Liga. How more lame can he get?
Retaliation was mandatory. And it was Raúl who did the honors. Not El Capitan but Raúl Garcia. And I must admit for a Rojiblanco it was a pretty smart one. He said:
If he knew the result of the derbi, he will also know who is going to win La Liga. What he said shows a lack of respect. I believe he has said that without thinking.
It was indeed lack of respect but since the feelings are mutual I don’t think we need to bother.
Its official. Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos got their fifth booking and thus will miss the Racing game via suspension. Real Madrid returned to training today to prepare for the weekend’s game at El Sardinero. Albiol was out with a niggle. While Benzema, Kaká, Garay, Drenthe and Pepe were still in the gym. The atmosphere in training was apparently celebratory as the team congratulated Sergio Ramos on his birthday and Xabi Alonso on becoming a father for the second time. Hala Madrid passes on its own congratulations.
And finally a Goal.com special to round off this post. Read this.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Freaky injury worries galore – Getafe pre-preview
Kaka to Diarra: "Welcome to the lame-ass-injury league." Drenthe: "DUDE, Wait for me!" Benzema (to himself): "Where the hell are Guti and Lass?"
¡Hola!
In what one can call a Madridista’s nightmare, Real Madrid are going through a phase in which all its players are either falling injured or having “gastroentitis”.
On Monday and Tuesday Kaká, Diarra, Benzema and Drenthe worked out in the gym along with Pepe. Lass also trained indoors on Monday but on Tuesday was sent home with gastroenteritis. Marcelo has missed every session this week as he has traveled to Brazil to attend to personal matters. And when we thought things couldn’t get worse Guti suffered a blow to his left quadriceps and now has a contracture on the muscle. Yesterday, things got even worse when we heard that an MRI performed at Sanitas confirmed that Lass has left ankle synovitis, which will require medical treatment and physiotherapy until it has healed. So that just means no Lass, Kaká, Benzema, Guti, Marcelo, Drenthe, Pepe and Diarra for Getafe leaving us with a very few choices.
And that means, Chelsea’s £10m target Rafael van der Vaart will get yet another deserved start at the Coliseum. He discussed what is left of the season for Real Madrid with AS. After speaking about the title hopes and the game against Gijón, he said this:
I love hearing that people want me to continue playing here. I want to stay on and help this team win titles. I returned home on Saturday with the noise of all the applause still ringing in my ears. I can play well when I play frequently. I am playing often now, but I know I can improve.
Abel Hernandez (Palermo, ITA) and James Rodriguez (Banfield, ARG). Ever heard of them? They’re linked with Real.
And over to Getafe, our most dangerous Derby rivals, a team even more dangerous than Barça themselves at least according to Marca. A busy week of Derbies starts when Real Madrid face Getafe at El Coliseum on Thursday at 20:00 CET. The derby against Atletico will follow at the Bernabéu on Sunday at 21:00.
Generally when I write a preview for any Real Madrid-Getafe game it’d generally have a lot of “its the return of…” or “… will play against his former club” stuff. But this time I’ve chosen not to do so. Getafe will be without Miguel Torres, Roberto Soldado and Cata Diaz – three of their most important players.
GETAFE SQUAD LIST:
Goalkeepers: Óscar Ustari, Jordi Codina
Defenders: Mané, David Belenguer, Mario Álvarez, Fabio Celestini
Midfielders: Jaime Gavilán, Juan Albín, Manu del Moral, Rafa López, Pedro Ríos, Daniel Parejo, Derek Boateng, Miku, Pedro León
Forwards: David Cortés, Javier Casquero, Adrián González
Real like I mentioned earlier are set to miss out on Lass, Kaká, Benzema, Guti, Marcelo, Drenthe, Pepe and Diarra. So that means Lady Gago might make a start. AS reports that Lass is upset because he was substituted during the break on Saturday and which is why he hasn’t trained this week naming several lame injuries as the reason. Guti, who was almost as pathetic as he was against Alcorcon, too might miss the game through a lame ass injury. But I have a strange feeling he won’t. And we all know why Benzema and Kaká are not playing these days. Pepe is genuinely injured. Diarra, well, who gives a damn about Diarra anyways. And that leaves little Marcel. I wonder what has gone haphazard with his life. I just want him to settle everything and get back to training ASAP. We need him.
Manuel Pellegrini will name the squad list later in the day, but it is kind of obvious who will make the cut now. All I want to know is whether he will risk Marcos Alonso tonight.
REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST (Unofficial):
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek
Defenders: Sergio Ramos, Albiol, Garay, Metzelder, Arbeloa, Marcos Alonso
Midfielders: Gago, Granero, Xabi Alonso, Van der Vaart, Mosquera
Forwards: Raúl, Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuaín
Barça won last night and Ibra scored, so strange things can happen in the league. And that means we are second and there is added pressure on us. We need to stay focused and have got to do the job against Getafe. The last time we played there it ended up being a nightmare. We lost 3-1. Schuster was fired. Sneijder, Pepe and Miguel Torres got injured. And Javier Saviola scored. By no means it is a happy hunting ground for us. We just have to go out there and win the game irrespective of all that has happened before. Its time to bury our past and look ahead. Three points is what we need.
As far as the line up is concerned, I would love to see Raúl start instead of Gago. But I don’t see that happening. Higuaín is in fine form. Ronaldo wasn’t all that good on Saturday but I don’t see that form continuing. Xabi has been pivotal and will continue to be. The defense has been good except for minor slip ups and more importantly luck has favored us. Lets hope the players utilize it and get us back to where we belong – the top of the table.
Probable Starting XI: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Albiol, Garay, Arbeloa, Gago, Granero, Xabi Alonso, Van der Vaart, Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo
Prediction: Getafe 1-2 Real Madrid
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Just another Madridista
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.
He then mentioned about JM and his conversation with the boss. He said:
Valdano then appraised the press with De la Red’s exact job description:
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!!
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November 5, 2010 | Categories: Comments, News, Press Conference, Transfer Rumours | Tags: El Derbi Madrileño, Gareth Bale, Javier Pastore, Jorge Valdano, Lassana Diarrà, Manuel Pellegrini, Rubén de la Red | Leave a comment