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!!