Phenomenal Real fells Espanyol + Sunday round up
Hola,
It was a fantastic performance wasn’t it? A neat 3-0 win over a mediocre Espanyol side that sees us maintain the five point deficit behind Barca, who might just slip up next week, considering the injury and suspension crisis they are in. Cules won 2-1 against Getafe and went down to 9 men towards the end.
Real have thus won every single one of their home games in La Liga this season, conceding goals in just three out of the eleven played. The team is one victory shy of tallying 53 points in just 22 league games, which would be a new Club record altogether. Also, Los Blancos have netted 50 so far in La Liga.
Cooing about last night’s performance, Marca read: “Ramos gave a stellar performance, Raul gave a striker masterclass inside the box and Higuain netted an impressive goal in his comeback. This Real Madrid is giving out great signs of quality.”
It was a very good, confidence boosting performance, the second in a row. We were solid at the back and lethal up front that too without Cristiano Ronaldo. Granero and Sergio Ramos played very well in particular. Kaka looked like he was trying really hard to prove himself, something he needn’t do. Playing his natural game would probably do more good. He got himself a much needed goal. Marcelo is proving that he can defend but then again Espanyol weren’t fully equipped. If Marcelo can do it in bigger games against better players then that would be proving his capability. St.Iker, Guti and Raul were key. Guti though was taken off after 70 mintues as a precautionary measure considering the niggle he was down with. Raul was better than how he was at the Riazor. He looked sharper – a clear sign of hardwork in the training field. Pipita and Van der Vaart came on and showed how they can change games. The latter’s long ball and the former’s finish were laudable. Act of brilliance we can say. In all I am a happy man.
Real Madrid 3-0 Espanyol
Real Madrid were forced to earn a victory tonight to keep their distance with Barcelona intact and to remain undefeated at the Bernabeu in La Liga. Ramos, Kaka and Higuain scored the evening’s goals, while Casillas was undefeated for yet another game.
The starting lineup was the same as in last week’s match against Deportivo. Four minutes into the game, Granero took a free-kick from one of the sides and Ramos notched in a header.
Espanyol were well positioned and tried to fight back by keeping possession, but Real Madrid soon took over. Kaka forced Kameni to make a save with his fists on the 26-minute mark with a powerful shot from outside the box. One minute later saw Sergio come close to scoring from an identical play to that which resulted in the team’s first strike. Raul had a header on the goal-line and Kameni managed to miraculously clear it, but the ball landed at Kaka’s feet and the Brazilian netted the second goal for the Whites in a near-acrobatic way (29’).
Granero took another free-kick in the 35th minute. Albiol tried to finish it off but was off target. The midfielder tried to score from yet another set piece, but Kameni saved the day for Espanyol (41’). The goalkeeper was spectacular tonight despite his team’s defeat. One minute later he saved another header from Raul (42′). Benzema sent the ball over the crossbar and the captain had another shot that grazed one of the posts before the end of the first half. Coro and Marquez also tried to surprise Casillas right before half-time.
Real Madrid were the same in the second half and Espanyol improved. Roncaglia crossed the ball into Casillas’ box, but Verdu was too late to finish it off (50’). Marcelo responded with a crossed shot from outside the box (55′) and Kaka hit the crossbar after Benzema passed the ball back to him (59’). It was Espanyol’s turn to try to score through Osvaldo, who overtook Arbeloa and would have netted a strike if Casillas hadn’t been in his way (61’). Soon after Lass came on for Guti, Arbeloa failed to score from a brilliant pass by Granero (71’).
Benzema was replaced by Higuain, who netted the third strike following a magnificent control of a long pass and dribbling past Kameni’s right and then turning left before flicking the ball into the back of the net.
Real Madrid vs Espanyol | Spanish Primera Division | Round 21 | Preview
Real Madrid want to remain undefeated at home in La Liga and to cut Barcelona’s lead short. The Whites’ fight for leadership continues tonight against Espanyol at the Bernabeu (22:00 CET).
Several important Madridistas will miss tonights clash. Pepe, Metzelder and Garay are still injured, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s suspension still stands. Nevertheless, Lass, Higuain, Diarra, Van der Vaart and Gago have made the coach’s squad list and may play against Espanyol.
Real Madrid have been victorious in their 10 home league games this season, scoring 32 goals and conceding just six.
Espanyol are in the middle of the league table. They’ve earned six victories, five draws and nine defeats. They have failed to win their last seven games away from home, but they are sure to be extra motivated at the Bernabeu, where they haven’t won since the 1995/96 season. Important players such as Callejon, Chica and Ivan de la Peña (who will be operated on one of his tibias next week) will miss the clash. Coach Pochettino has called up academy players to complete his 19-man squad list.
ESPANYOL SQUAD LIST: Kameni, Cristian Alvarez, Pillud, Pareja, Baena, Marques, Sahar, Victor Ruiz, Marquez, Luis Garcia, Osvaldo, Didac, Ivan Alonso, Verdu, Roncaglia, David Garcia, Coro, Amat, Molina.
Both teams have clashed 151 times in La Liga, resulting in 86 victories for Real Madrid, 31 draws and 34 victories for Espanyol.
Referee: Mr. Turienzo Alvarez
Four players return – Squad list announced
Hola,
The squad list for Espanyol has finally been announced and we have some good news there. Garay and Metzelder are the only ones who are out with injuries with the former just suffering from flu that requires some rest. All is well otherwise. That means Higuain, Diarra, Lass, Van der Vaart and Gago have recovered from their injuries and will be able to play against Espanyol. And of course Cristiano Ronaldo’s suspension still stands.
REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek
Defenders: Ramos, Arbeloa, Albiol, Marcelo, Drenthe
Midfielders: Lass, Xabi Alonso, Kaka, Guti, Granero, Diarra, Van der Vaart, Gago
Forwards: Higuain, Raul, Benzema
AS says that Real will use the same line up as the one it used in Deportivo and that El Siete will start, something he hasn’t done since the Valladolid game in October when he grabbed a brace. This probably is a good move. Pellegrini wouldn’t want to rush in Pipita considering the fact that it has only been a few days since he has started training. Also, Guti and Arbeloa are set to undergo a late fitness test to see whether they can feature in the eleven or not. All that we will know only at kick off.
Espanyol haven’t won in the Santiago Bernabeu since 1995/96. De la Peña, Callejon, Moises Hurtado, Shunsuke Nakamura, Forlin and Tamudo are all I know.out injured. Chica is suspended. So that takes out five of the ten Espanyol players. Juan Tapiador though feels Real Madrid need to pay close attention to Coro, Luis Garcia and Osvaldo.
C’mon you Whites: Espanyol pre-preview
First and foremost a very happy birthday to Cristiano Ronaldo. May he live long and win more and more red cards… damn… I must have meant titles. Anyhoo, that’s all about Cristiano in today’s post. Perdone! Fans de Cristian!
Espanyol! I love Espanyol. They’re a very freaky side. One season they’ll topple us with a freaky Tamudo goal and in the other they’ll fall for a Raul brace or a Guti free-kick. They are entertaining as hell either ways. Moreover, they too hate Barca which makes them like us (Foe of a foe is a friend, isn’t it?). Moving on, Espanyol it is come tomorrow and we can have a jolly good time at the Bernabeu from 22:00 CET.
Manuel Pellegrini conducted his second to last training session on Thursday in preparation for this weekend’s match against Espanyol. Lass and Van der Vaart joined their teammates after jogging in solitary on Wednesday. Arbeloa, Guti, Metzelder and Garay, meanwhile, worked out in the gym. Pedro Mosquera, who has become a common sight around the first team’s training pitch, participated in yesterday’s session as well.
So basically, Sergio Ramos should partner Albiol in central defense again while Lass will drop in at right back and Marcelo on the left should Arbeloa stay in the gym until Monday. Van der Vaart or Gago most probably will replace Guti in central midfield and that will see Granero take up Guti’s role. But then again that is only if Guti is deemed unfit for the game. Higuain and Benzema to play upfront. You-know-who is suspended in case you didn’t know who was suspended.
A bit of everything
Buenos dias all,
Today we seem to have a bit of everything. Good news, Bad news, news that you might not give two hoots about, news that might make Roger Federer cry, news that might make Carles Puyol look like Brad Pitt (impossible), news that might make Guti’s back-heel as good as chocolate and sex – everything in bits and pieces.
I’ll start with Espanyol though – the team that we are scheduled to play this Saturday in the Bernabeu at 20:00 CET. They seem to have an injury crisis of their own. The season’s wear and tear has put Shunsuke Nakamura, John Forlín and Moises Hurtado in doubt for the clash whereas striker Jose Callejon cannot play this Saturday because of a clause that was included in the deal between the two clubs. Callejon is a Madridista FYI. He is interestingly the only Espanyol player to have played in all the league games this season.
The absence of the Andalusian will be a major setback for Mauricio Pochettino, as he will be forced to change his starting lineup with Fernando Marqués or Ferran Corominas as possible replacements. Moises Hurtado and Juan Forlin, both haven’t been training with their team-mates for days now because of the muscle injuries they are suffering. They too have very little chance of featuring for the Catalans. Forlín has injured his rectus femoris of his right leg and the wound is still somewhat tender. In a similar situation is Moises Hurtado is still having some discomfort in the hamstring of his right leg. Also, Shunsuke Nakamura has not trained because of gastritis. The Japanese player had also had discomfort in the hamstring of his right leg and is set to start physiotherapy in the coming days. John Pantsil, meanwhile, will be available. Pochettino too, like Pellegrini, has filled his training ground with youth team members Javi Lopez, Mahamat Azrack, Jordi Amat, Manu Molina and Alvaro Vasquez.
Post-match comments
Director General and Presidential Aide Jorge Valdano expressed his satisfaction after the 3-0 victory over Espanyol. Coach Manuel Pellegrini held a press conference after the 3-0 victory over Espanyol. Granero and Metzelder showed their satisfaction to the media after the victory against Espanyol. Kaka and Albiol talked to the press after the game against Espanyol.
Jorge Valdano:
Ronaldo might be anxious. He has scored two goals in two league games. He is very active on the offensive end and when spaces open up he is unstoppable.
It’s too early to say the tournament will be a head-to-head between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The second half in today’s game turned out well for us, but we had many problems during the first 25 minutes of the match. It took us a while to control the midfield, but the quality of our players is such that in the end it outweighs other aspects of the game, and if we manage to score the opener everything is easier. However, we’ll go through many tense games during the season in which we’ll have to fight for the victory till the final whistle blows.
Manuel Pellegrini:
It was a close game in the first half, even though we managed to score and Kameni made a good save before that. In the second half we had more scoring chances than them and netted two strikes. It was a well-deserved victory. I’m not sure the match outcome was too harsh for Espanyol because we deserved to win with more than one-goal difference. The condition the pitch was in made it difficult for us. Espanyol put a lot of pressure in the first half to overtake us and that effort affected them during the second half.
Every starter is aware he has to perform well. I have a lot of confidence in this squad. Today was Guti’s and Granero’s turn, but every member of the squad will have an important role.
Ronaldo is not under pressure. I think he is being over-examined. He is adapting to the league and the team. He has made three solid performances and has scored goals. He doesn’t have any problems. He looks calm.
Espanyol 0-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid proved to have plenty of depth on their squad as they defeated Espanyol at the new Cornella-El Prat Stadium with four novelties in the initial line-up. Granero scored the opener just before half-time while Guti and Cristiano Ronaldo netted the definitive goals in the second half. Iker Casillas celebrated his tenth anniversary since his debut in La Liga with a shutout.
Coach Manuel Pellegrini madefour changes in the starting line-up with respect to the first league game. Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul, Lass and Garay stayed in the bench while Granero, Higuain, Guti and Metzelder played from the start.
The first half was a constant give-and-take. Espanyol had several set pieces opportunities while Metzelder got close to scoring the opener after Granero’s corner-kick (4’). Espanyol had two excellent chances to score. On the first one, Casillas denied Moises (18’) and on the second one Arbeloa cleared the ball on the goal-line (34’). Guti took the leading role then and made several assists to his team-mates. Benzema received one of his passes but his shot with his right foot sailed wide (35’). The best play of the match came on the 38-minute mark. Marcelo connected a volley after a nice combination between Xabi Alonso, Guti and Kaka, but Kameni made a brilliant save. Twenty seconds later Granero netted his first goal of the season after some quick first-touch passes between himself and Kaka. ‘The pirate’ became the first goal-scorer of the Cornella-El Prat Stadium.
The second half saw De la Peña and Coro coming in for Ivan Alonso and Nakamura. In turn, Pellegrini reacted and Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul substituted Benzema and Higuain. The second goal of the evening came on the 76-minute mark. Kaka dribbled past his defender and cut the ball back from the goal-line. Guti was waiting for it and defeated Kameni with a low shot. Cristiano Ronaldo netted the definitive strike in injury time after yet another wonderful long pass by Guti.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid | Spanish Primera Division | Round 2 | Preview
The squad is excited about Real Madrid’s first away game of the season as Espanyol’s new stadium will see its first official match. Every international player made it onto the squad list except Gago. The Whites could end up topping the table at the end of the day.
It will be a special occasion for the Cornella-El Prat Stadium not only due to the significance of the clash but also due to the emotional one minute silence to be held in memory of Espanyol’s Dani Jarque. Raul will face his favourite victim. The captain has scored more goals (16) and won more games (17) against Espanyol than any other team.
The statistics show we’re in for a close game. Real Madrid tallies 27 victories, 18 draws and 30 defeats playing away against Espanyol. Last year, the Whites overtook their opponents 2-0 (goals by Guti and Raul). Espanyol’s squad includes two former Real Madrid youth teamers: forwards Luis Garcia and Juanmi Callejon.
SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek
Defenders: Arbeloa, Marcelo, Drenthe, Albiol, Garay, Metzelder
Midfielders: Diarra, Kaka, Lass, Guti, Xabi Alonso, Granero
Forwards: Raul, Cristiano Ronaldo, Van Nistelrooy, Higuain, Benzema
RIP Daniel Jarque
Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque has died, the club have announced in a statement. The 26-year-old passed away on Saturday evening when his heart stopped following a training session in Coverciano, Italy where the squad are on a pre-season camp. Club doctors and Italian paramedics tried to revive Jarque, a product of the Espanyol youth system, but without success.
Jarque’s death comes two years after the death, also from heart failure, of Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta, who died aged 22 after having collapsed during the opening game of the Spanish La Liga season.
A statement on the club’s official website read:
Tragedy struck Espanyol and the family of Dani Jarque this evening. The blanquiazul player died from a cardiac arrest. The doctor Cervera carried out CPR on the player and used a defibrillator, which showed that the arrest was non responsive. After a few minutes the first ambulance arrived from the Florence emergency services, who tried again with the defibrillator they carried. The medical services continued carrying out CPR, administering adrenaline and atropine for an hour, but the player’s heart did not react, so finally that determined his death. RCD Espanyol, broken with pain, wish to put themselves at the absolute disposition of the family of our captain Dani Jarque, to whom go our warmest thoughts.
Espanyol, who had been due to play Bologna on Sunday, have suspended their pre-season tour of Italy and will fly back to Barcelona. Jarque joined Espanyol at the age of 12, making his debut in 2002, and was handed the captaincy this summer.
Raul, Ronaldo and Pellegrini wished to express their grievances to Dani Jarque’s family.
Raul:
We found out about the death of a fellow footballer a few minutes ago, and as captain of Real Madrid and on behalf of the team, I want to express our sincere condolences. We will support the player’s family and the Espanyol family in any way possible during this very difficult time.
Cristiano Ronaldo:
It is very sad when a collegue dies. It is a part of life and we must be aware of it. It is a very sad day for us.
Pellegrini:
We wish it wasn’t true. It happened two years ago in Sevilla with Puerta and the news is very troubling.
Butragueño:
It was devastating news. We are very sad. We want to express our condolences to Espanyol and their entire family. The team has been deeply affected, but this could happen to any of us. We are all human beings and we are thinking about his family. We have told the organization that we will express the pain we feel during tomorrow’s match against DC United.
RIP Daniel Jarque.
Post-match comments
Juande Ramos and Sporting Director Pedja Mijatovic shared their views on the match with the press. Marcelo and Higuain were happy with the victory and said the team will never stop fighting for the league title. Both captains pulled rank against Espanyol and scored the two goals that gave the team three crucial points.
Juande Ramos
We knew the game wasn’t going to be easy because Espanyol’s spirits were high after their victory over Barcelona last week. They wanted another victory tonight before their fans. The first half was very tight, but they left more open spaces after Guti’s goal and that enable us to have more chances.
There are many games left in the competition and anything can happen when things are so tight. Tonight’s three points are very important; it was important for us to win a game after our defeat against Liverpool in order to go back to how we were before Wednesday.
Both sides wanted to win in the first half and the match was a bit crazy. Both teams played tighter in the second half and we benefitted from using Guti. We had two strikers positioned in front of Raul, who had to act as a link between them and midfield. I think his performance was magnificent and he sealed it off with a goal.
We’ve earned several good results in the past few weeks. The team was extremely excited about this before the match with Liverpool, which hurt us. We’ve tried to go back to normal in the last couple of days and that’s why tonight’s victory was so important. But we shouldn’t forget what I said about the Champions League tie being 180 minutes long. The result of the first part was 1-0. Real Madrid is capable of winning at any stadium.
I’m not worried about tomorrow’s Atletico-Barcelona match. It is our duty to win and we did that tonight.
Pedja Mijatovic
The team played a great game. We knew Espanyol would be strong after their victory over Barcelona, but we managed to calm them down tonight. We must now prepare for our next match.
Robben is a very important player for us and for all Madridismo. It’s always nice to see him play and I’m sure he will help us achieve our goals. Juande is very happy with him.
Faubert had some muscle problems a few days ago and we want him to recover well.
Guti has a contract with the Club and he proved just how important he is for us with that amazing goal. We all know he is a quality player.
Higuain
We are very happy because it was very important to win tonight. It’s good for us to make Barcelona aware of how close we are and let them know we won’t give up the league title. We are having a great streak and what happened on Wednesday shouldn’t distract us. We must now prepare for the derby and move on.
We used to be twelve points behind and we had to fight hard to make a comeback. All these games have been equally important. We should never lose faith and hope.
We are proving we can win the title. It isn’t easy to win ten consecutive games. We must remain calm. I think Barcelona know they can’t afford to make mistakes because we are currently just four points behind them. We will put pressure on them while we still have mathematical chances of winning the title. Wednesday’s defeat was a harsh blow, but this team is good enough to win in Liverpool.
Marcelo
I feel fine and I am training very hard to play for this team as much as possible. I think pressure is stronger each day, but we keep a cool head and we know we simply have to take all the points we can. That’s why it was so important to win here tonight.
The team is playing well. We’ve always believed we can catch up with Barcelona. We are closer to them now and I believe they must be a little nervous. I think we are doing a good job away from home.
We are fighting hard. We have to take three points in every game. It will be great if Atletico lend us a hand tomorrow.
Raul
Since our defeat in Barcelona we’ve achieved our goal in every game; taking every point to cut distances short between us and Barça. We are in a good position to make things difficult for them now.
We kept up a great pace tonight. The team played very well in every position, which is impressive having played a tough match on Wednesday. We will now rest and enjoy this. We’ll watch the Atletico-Barcelona fixture on TV. We shouldn’t forget Barça are a great team. They have a great coach and every game against them is difficult.
Guti
We are very happy with the game we played tonight. I scored when we needed a goal. Raul’s strike allowed us to relax a little. We are calm and we also hope Atletico win tomorrow.
Espanyol 0-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid achieved their goal of taking three points in Montjuic against Espanyol, who made things difficult for them by defending well until Guti scored from a brilliant free-kick. Raul scored the second strike a few minutes later and sealed the victory for the Whites.
Both sides presented somewhat different line-ups to those of last week. Juande decided to use Sneijder in midfield due to Gago’s injury, while Pochettino played Roman Martinez and Moises Hurtado also in midfield.
Espanyol were fiercer at the start of the clash and De la Peña looked for an opening from which to hurt Real Madrid, whose defence stood firm to thwart all of the locals’ ventures in attack. De la Peña served balls to wingers Nene and Luis Garcia. Espanyol had their first chance on goal on the 5-minute mark when Roman Martinez tried to head in a corner kick, but Iker Casillas saved the day. The Whites soon began to dominate the match thanks to Lass, who marked De la Peña closely and stole many balls from him. The French midfielder was supported by Raul, who fell back in order to get the ball from him and therefore became Madrid’s most creative man throughout the first half.
The captain created many of the best chances his team had. Robben came close to scoring from one of his passes in the 17th minute; he took a powerful shot facing the goal from outside the box that missed the left post by inches. Sneijder tried a similar shot a few minutes later but also missed. Real Madrid controlled the game but couldn’t find the way to break it, while Espanyol concentrated on trying to counterattack occasionally. None of their chances were dangerous save for a strong off-target shot by Nene that went over the crossbar.
The intensity of the match diminished before half-time and both coaches decided to make some changes to their line-ups. Guti and Marcelo came on for Sneijder and Higuain in the second half, and Tamudo replaced Ivan Alonso. Guti played a crucial role by scoring the game’s first goal from a free-kick on the 66-minute mark; the ball went through the top left corner of the goal.
A few minutes later, Raul scored from a powerful shot right outside the box that grazed the left post. The captain has reached Quini as the league’s fifth all-time top-scorer with 219 strikes. Raul sentenced a match in which his team took three crucial points that leave them just four points behind Barcelona, at least until the eternal foe faces Atletico on Sunday.
Lineups:
Espanyol: Kameni, Sergio Sánchez, Jarque, Pareja, David García, De la Peña, Nené, Moisés Hurtado (Lola Smiljanic 85′), Román Martínez (Coro 76′), Luis García, Iván Alonso (Tamudo 64′);
Real Madrid: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze, Lass, Robben (Saviola 77′), Sneijder (Guti 60′), Raúl, Huntelaar, Higuaín (Marcelo 60′);
Goals:
0-1, 67′ – Guti;
0-2, 72′ – Raúl;
Referee: Mejito Gonzalez
Booked: Pepe, Wesley Sneijder, Raúl, Moisés Hurtado, David García;
Notes: Matchday 25 of La Liga
Played at: Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, Barcelona;
Attendance: 30,000.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid | Spanish Primera Liga | Round 25 | Preview
Real Madrid will face Espanyol tonight at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium (22:00 CET). Juande Ramos’ men want their tenth straight victory in La Liga to put more pressure on leaders Barcelona, whom Espanyol defeated last week at Camp Nou.
Real Madrid and Espanyol share a common foe: Barcelona. This has brought them close together, but their friendship is set aside twice a year when they are forced to come face to face in La Liga.
Different situations
The Whites reduced their distance with Barcelona to seven points last week thanks to their victory over Betis and Barça’s defeat against Espanyol. The latter’s triumph seems to have made them stronger, but hey are still in the fight to avoid relegation. De la Peña scored his first goal in four years last week and could be lethal against the Madridistas with his renewed strength. Tamudo also seems to be getting stronger in each game since he recovered from his injury.
Guti or Sneijder
Pochettino will probably also line-up Lola, Chica and Rufete, who didn’t play last week. On the other hand, Real Madrid won’t be able to use Fernando Gago because he was injured with a sprained ankle against Liverpool. Guti will probably take his place, but Juande could also decide to line-up Sneijder with Lass. Robben, Higuain, Raul and Huntelaar will surely form the attacking front -the latter has scored three goals in the last two league games-.
Tonight’s will be the 150th clash between both sides. The Whites have defeated Espanyol 84 times and lost just 34 games. They have drawn on 31 occasions, the last time being earlier this season at the Bernabeu (2-2). The Madridistas haven’t won against them in Barcelona since the 2006/07 campaign (3-0) and they are forced to break this spell in order to continue putting pressure on Barcelona.
Gago and Faubert out due to injury
Juande Ramos will take 18 men with him to Barcelona to face Espanyol on Saturday at 22:00 CET. Fernando Gago and Julien Faubert will miss the clash due to injury, and Salgado has returned to the list. Codina, Drenthe, Parejo, Metzelder and Torres have been left out for coaching decisions.
SQUAD LIST:
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek
Defenders: Salgado, Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Pepe, Heinze
Midfielders: Marcelo, Sneijder, Robben, Van der Vaart, Guti, Lass, Javi Garcia
Forwards: Huntelaar, Higuain, Raul, Saviola
Its not just a field, its just Anfield!
It was a disastrous result wasn’t it last night? Whats more irritating is that it was sheer luck that they got the all important away goal right at the end despite both teams playing equally abject football. What this means is that we travel to Anfield in two weeks’ time a goal behind on aggregate with the slightest hopes of overhauling the daunting task that lies ahead of us. It is intimidating.
Liverpool minus Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres is as harmful as a Butterfly. If we are capable of losing to them at home just imagine how bad we really were. Arjen Robben was no where close to living to the tag line of ‘Real Madrid’s answer to Lio Messi’ despite many declaring him as our M.O.M. Guti and Heinze were pathetic and I mean pathetic. I cannot believe I am saying such a thing about Guti of all people. Raul and Higuain posed no serious threats. Lass was as usual hard working and he along with Sergio Ramos, according to me, would be the only two players who turned up to play a serious champions league game last night. Marcelo was good but he clearly didn’t have the experience required to play such a crunch encounter.
Caught by the Benayoun sucker punch
I don’t know what got into Juande’s head. I don’t know why he did not even bother to bring on Van der Vaart and Sneijder if not start them. If its form that he is looking at, then he must learnt by half time that we had left our form from the Betis game in the dressing room itself for we looked really bad. Nothing was working. Why did he try to be defensive? Why was he saving up Sneijder and Van der Vaart two of our best players?! He could’ve taken off Higuain or Raul or even Robben for that matter just to shake things up a bit couldn’t he? There are so many more questions that we can raise at this moment but one thing is for sure, its an uphill task now for us to travel to England and turn the tie in favor of us. Only one team in UEFA Champions League history – AFC Ajax in the 1995/96 semi-finals – have recovered from losing the first leg at home to progress. But then again we have had more than one setback this season. And every time we have come back stronger than ever before. All that I hope is for this to be yet another situation in which we’ve shown to the world the grit and the determination that we have.
But on the other hand, our players would be traveling to not some field. Its Anfield. One of the toughtest grounds to play football not because of the field but simply because of the crowd, The Kop so on and so forth. Do we have the players on whom we can rely on to go out and do the job for us? Chelsea couldn’t do it for sometime until last year (thanks to John Arne Riise), Barcelona too had a go but failed miserably*. Arsenal failed despite trying their best to overcome. Do we have the match winners on our side which those giants to complete the Liverpool job? We are bigger than any of the above clubs aren’t we? We are second to none when it comes to the best club in the world. We are Real Madrid and I am a madridista. I am not going to lose hope just because some short Israeli came home and snatched an away goal. We have Raul Gonzalez, the player with the most number of goals in Champions League history. We have the best keeper in the world in St.Iker. We have one of the best defenders of all time in Fabio Cannavaro. We can do this can’t we? Raul needs just two more goals to equal Gerd Mueller’s record number of European goals. We need just two goals with conceding a maximum of one or for that matter even without conceding to go through. Does El Capitan still have it in him for yet another memorable European night? He does doesn’t he? Not that I doubt his capabilities, I’d be a fool to do that for he has proven to everyone in this world as to how good he still really is. On the other hand Fabio Cannavaro’s last European goal came against Liverpool only – for Juve though. None of us would mind a repeat of the same feat come the return leg of the fixture.
But what also needs to be thought about here is the return of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. Both are world class players. Given a chance they know how to make their presence felt. And they would definitely play key roles inn deciding which way the tie goes. Also, Albert Riera will be suspended and that means Little Yossi should start barring any injuries he sustains in between now and Anfield. We have Gago out injured. He’s missing the Espanyol clash and Lluís Companys – which would be our last clash against them at the Olympic style stadium – but I doubt if he would be out for so long. We do not have any other injuries (of course barring Ruud’s, Diarra’s and Ruben’s). It all doesn’t depend on our form in the league. It only depends on how much our players want to achieve. Its human to lose hope but its insane to not try and get something out of nothing. All I want is an repeat of what we saw at the Camp Nou earlier this season. We might have lost but certainly did put up a very good fight that too despite fielding a second string side. If we can bring the mighty ‘in-form’ Barca to the edge we sure can knock the stuffing out of the Merseysiders. If Everton can beat Liverpool we can. If Man United can beat Liverpool we can. If John O’Shea can score against Liverpool, hell even Gabriel Heinze can! All we need to have now is hope. And I am hoping for the best to happen.
Irrespective of what the result of the return leg is,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
*There is only one compliment that I can think of from the stat, Barca gave away two away goals though they got themselves one goal at the Camp Nou. We gave away only one goal despite scoring none. Goals given is in the ratio 2:1 in favor of Barca.
Gracias Little Buddha!
Espanyol beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou last night thanks to two goals from Iván De la Peña. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the bald genius in Iván De la Peña for doing so. Not that I like him or anything. Just a token of gratitude.
Iván De la Peña: Little Buddha
Sadly it wouldn’t be as easy as it was when we play them next week.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Pepe, De la Red & Sneijder
Pepe has played in each and every match this season, and after Sunday’s showdown against Espanyol, the defender commented on the final 2-2 draw. Rubén De la Red and Wesley Sneijder expressed their disappointment about not being able to finish off Espanyol despite the good football played by Real Madrid in the second half.
Pepe:
We were a bit lethargic in the first half. We started off poorly but improved in the second half. We deserved the three poinrs, but at least we didn’t lose and managed to tally a point. We cannot look past any opponent. We have to play our game and take one match at a time. We must put this behind us and try to win every point possible. It’s a shame we couldn’t win today despite doing everything possible. We are heading off to international team camps, but we have to difficult matches shortly after returning. We have to come back strong and win each and every match. We have to be in top form for the derby. After jumping for a ball with Tamudo, I was knocked down and felt really dizzy, but I am better now.
We have to win at home, but if we don’t, we need to at least take a point. Many players are off to join their national teams, but next week we must prepare hard for our matches against Atletico and Juventus. I hope we continue winning as we have been. This league has gotten off to a strong start. Every team puts up a strong fight and we only managed to take a point from Espanyol. We’ll do whatever it takes to win in the Calderón against Atlético Madrid. I felt very comfortable out there. I am pleased for that very reason, but I wish we could have won all three points.
I got some minutes in and it felt good. I knew it was a tough match. Espanyol is a strong team. It’s not a bad score. We’ll be back from international duty on the 16th and we have some difficult matches ahead of us. I was eager to play after being sidelined for two months. I am very pleased with were I stand with the team. I am going to work hard with my national team in order to return as strong as possible.
Post-match comments
Convinced Real Madrid deserved more in the second half, Bernd Schuster was visibly disappointed about Arjen Robben getting hurt only 15 minutes after he took to the pitch.
We deserved to win in the second half. We were far superior and had enough chances to win the match. Kameni made some great saves and we weren’t accurate enough to score a third goal, but I think we deserved better in the second half. We have played the last few matches at a good pace. Fatigue was not a factor. I am pleased Sneijder is back. He recovered very quickly. It’s a pity because it wasn’t a great match for him to make his return. He came in when it was 2-2 and tried to help win it. I think he is in condition to help us out. This was his first day back, but he’ll be back to his old self after returning from his national team. There is nothing bad about a player trying to score from longe range, especially when it is a great shot like Van der Vaart, Higuaín or De la Red. The majority did go over the crossbar, but that’s a different story altogether. It wasn’t easy for Van Nistelrooy, Higuaín and Raúl in the first half. I knew it was going to be tough, which is why I didn’t start Robben. We lacked in depth and in finding the box. We tried with plays between the three lines and combinations between the forwards and Van der Vaart and De la Red, and with Ramos along the right, but I wanted to have the option of bringing in Sneijder and Robben, in the second half. It’s a shame he got hurt because I am sure the result would have been a lot better.
Real Madrid 2-2 Espanyol
Madridistas were treated to a spectacular show of football on Sunday in a back and forth match against Espanyol. Real Madrid’s seven-game stretch came full circle with an impressive record of six wins and one draw.
Raúl was back in the lineup on Sunday and Wesley Sneijder returned to the bench -only two months after being injured- for Sunday’s seven-match closer against Espanyol. Rotations have played a key role in Real Madrid’s impressive record of six victories and one draw record.
Moments after Pérez Burrull blew the opening whistle, Real Madrid brought fans to their feet as Van Nistelrooy magically controlled the ball and passed to an unmarked Higuaín, who was unsuccessful with a powerful volley (3’). Schuster’s men created another opportunity six minutes later when Raúl’s header following a cross by Segio Ramos sailed just wide of Espanyol’s left post (9’).
Although Real Madrid dictated the tempo, their near misses were neutralized by a goal by the Catalonian captain. The referee pointed conceded a penalty after Heinze tackled Tamudo just outside the six and the forward converted for his first goal in the Santiago Bernabéu (20’). The Whites quickly picked up the pieces, and three minutes after falling behind, Ramos crossed in a wicked ball that Raúl headed home with authority (23’).
Espanyol weren’t going to settle for a draw, and with De La Peña in fine form, the “Pericos” gained control of the midfield. They didn’t wait long for their reward. Nene received a stolen ball from the midfield and swung in a pass from the right flank which Luis García, who pushed the ball into the back of the net (30’). “Tintín” Márquez’s men again held the advantage and Madrid were forced to stage a comeback.
Raúl equalizes
Corage, motivation, and persistance are what make this Real Madrid great. Down a goal, the Madridistas had no choice but to attack Kameni’s goal, but not before Espanyol nearly tapped in their third. No team has won in the Bernabéu since 23 March 2007, however, which is the exact reason why the Whites headed into the dressing room with the score squared at two goals apiece. Ramos again put in a perfect cross for the captain, who dribbled through two defenders and beat Kameni for his fourth La Liga goal and his second of the night.
From the first third to the last and back, Real Madrid and Espanyol tried to break the deadlock. After replacing Van der Vaart after halftime, it was Robben who created the first two chances for the Whites. The first didn’t get passed the defense (46’) and the second was nearly fired home by Van Nistelrooy’s bicycle kick (47’). Minutes later, De la Red had an unsuccessful try from long range(58’).
Ramos’ provided the biggest threat of the second half. The Seville native sought his Higuaín with a long pass and the Argentine found Van Nistelrooy at the penalty spot, but the striker’s shot went straight into the hands of Kameni (65’). Five minutes later, Ramos made his way into the box, and after two step-overs fired a bullet over the crossbar (70’).
Welcome back Wesley
Wesley Sneijder was back on the pitch two months and three days after falling injured in Emirates Stadium in London. Eager to get in on the action, the midfielder did all he could to help carry his team to victory, but every Madridista effort was pushed back by the Espanyol defense.
Real Madrid notched six victories and one draw heading into the league stoppage, but next on tap for the Whites, a derby against cross-town rival Atletico Madrid.
TEAMS:
Real Madrid: Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze; Diarra, De la Red (Sneijder 68′), Van der Vaart (Robben 48′ (Drenthe 73′)), Higuaín; Van Nistelrooy, Raúl
Espanyol: Kameni; Sergio Sánchez, Jarque, Beranger, Pareja (Lacruz 48′); Moisés Hurtado, Nené, Román Martínez (Ángel 65′), De la Peña (Coro 78′); Luis García, Tamudo;
GOALS:
0-1, 21′ – Raul Tamudo (PK)
1-1, 25′ – Raul Gonzalez
1-2, 31′ – Luis Garcia
2-2, 47′ – Raul Gonzalez
Stadium: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Spain
Attendance: 65,000
Real Madrid v Espanyol | Spanish Primera Liga | Round 6 | Preview
Sunday’s clash against Espanyol is another date with history in the recent past of Real Madrid. The Whites can win their seventh consecutive match against a Catalonian side that hasn’t left the Bernabéu with a victory in over ten years.
The last time the Whites put together a seven-match winning streak was two seasons ago under coach Fabio Capello.
Rather than being discouraged by a season-opening defeat in the Riazor, Real Madrid were immediately back at the drawing boards to conjure up a recipe to win their next seven matches prior to next week’s league stoppage. Only one more hurdle remains, and it sits in the tenth spot in the table and is eager for revenge. A vendetta stemming from more than ten unsuccessful years in the Bernabéu against a Madrisita side that has not lost at home since 23 March.
Raúl: ‘Guest of Honor’
Espanyol’s last victory in front of a Madridista crowd dates back to 21 April 1996 (1-2), a match which counted on the presence of Raúl. The now captain scored the equaliser following a goal by Lardín, and he hopes to repeat the success on Sunday after getting a rest against Zenit earlier in the week. Number ‘7’ should get the start. After all, he has 13 goals to his name in 25 matches against the “Pericos.”
And there is more encouraging news since the pact made after the Riazor debacle. Cannavaro is likely to be in the starting lineup, which may mean nothing until you put it into context. Every match ‘Il Bello’ has started this season has ended in a Real Madrid victory (Numancia, Sporting, BATE, and Zenit), and the Italian is joined by Pepe, Ramos, and Heinze in a back line that Schuster has dubbed “the best defense in the world.” The defense that has yet to lose and that conceded its first goal in Russia should see most of the action with Marcelo having to serve a one match suspension and Torres sidelined due to a coaching decision.
Return of Sneijder
If the aforementioned isn’t enough to get your engines revved, this name should: Wesley Sneijder. The Dutchman will not be among the starting eleven, but one of last year’s best players will once again feel like a footballer after recovering from a torn ligament in his left knee which has kept him off the playing field for more than two months.
Sneijder was hurt during the preseason but recovered sooner than expected thanks to commendable work by the medical staff and the player himself. “I am thinking about giving him some minutes. Not calling him up was impossible after seeing him train the way he has. He would have killed me had I not. It’s scary to see how well and how fast Wesley recovered, and he is more than fit to play,” commented Schuster during Saturday’s press conference.
Familiar faces
Espanyol rely on the services of several men who trace their beginnings back to Real Madrid’s academy. Luís García and Sergio Sánchez are available to play, while Valdo is injured and Callejón stayed in Barcelona due to contractual stipulations prohibiting him from playing against his former club.
After having his second yellow card rescinded, Nene also has the green light against the Whites. It’s great news for the team who may be without the services of Pareja (injured right ankle), Finnan, Torrejón, David García, and the aforementioned Valdo. Expect to see De la Peña back in the eleven, although Espanyol fans are really counting on Tamudo, who hasn’t scored since 5 January.
Real Madrid 2-1 Espanyol
Recovering from the Champions League defeat against Roma was a must for Real Madrid tonight. The team needed to react and stand its ground more than ever, especially after Espanyol scored the opening goal. Higuaín and Raúl pulled rank and netted two strikes for the Whites, the latter scoring his 200th goal in La Liga. It was Casillas’ 300th match in the League.
Real Madrid had to react after their elimination from the Champions League in order to maintain their five-point cushion in the League. Espanyol’s intention from the very start was to dominate the encounter. They were the first to attack through a shot by Jonathan that was saved by Iker Casillas -who today played his 300th clash in La Liga.
The game gradually became more balanced thanks to Real Madrid’s efforts in attack, keeping possession more often, but Espanyol were slightly more confident and scored the opening goal from a set piece: Luís García received the ball from a short pass, crossed it into the box, and Valdo scored from the far post with ease because of a defensive mistake (29′).
Real Madrid were forced to react. Julio Baptista nearly scored from a free-kick, but his shot was spectacularly cleared by Kameni on the top left corner of the goal (37′). The Whites persisted and were eventually rewarded with a goal before half-time. Marcelo dribbled past Valdo down the left wing and crossed it to the far post, where Higuaín hit it with his knee. Kameni saved it, but the Argentine hit it again and scored (43′).
The captain’s 200th goal in the League
Drenthe came on for Robinho after half-time because the Brazilian had felt some pain throughout the first part. The Dutchman took the left wing, while Higuaín and Raúl remained as strikers, leaving the right wing free for any of them to cover. Espanyol’s game became somewhat stagnant, although they still had some good moments, like Lola’s powerful and dangerous shot from a far distance (53′). Ten minutes later, it was Guti who put Kameni to the test with a low shot (63′).
Wesley Sneijder came on and helped his team’s game flow better. Soon, Raúl received the ball from Guti just outside the box, fighting to keep possession with Jarque, who tackled him once he went over the line. A penalty was awarded from which the captain scored his 200th strike in La Liga.
Raúl Tamudo took the pitch, but even he was unable to improve Espanyol’s game. Real Madrid dominated the final minutes of the encounter with chances from Sneijder, Guti and Soldado. The team once again proved to be able to react when faced with adversity, and that it believes in its game and its men. Real Madrid will continue being leaders for another week with a five-point cushion at the least, depending on what Barcelona do tomorrow.
Lineups:
Real Madrid: Casillas; Torres, Pepe, Heinze, Marcelo; Diarra, Baptista (Sneijder, 63′), Guti, Higuaín (Soldado, 75′), Robinho (Drenthe, 45′); Raúl.
Espanyol: Kameni; Zabaleta, Jarque, Torrejón, David García; Moisés, Lola, Valdo (Coro, 67′), Luis García, Riera (Ewerthon, 83′); Jonathan (Tamudo, 65′).
Referee: Muñiz Fernández.
Booked: Zabaleta (13′), Moisés (18′), Drenthe (46′), Jarque (70′), David García (70′), Lola (89′). Raúl Tamudo was booked twice (92′ and on his way to the dressing room after the final whistle).
Goals:
0-1, (29′): Luís García.
1-1, (43′): Higuaín.
2-1, (75′): Raúl, from a penalty.
Highlights: Matchday 27 of La Liga. One minute’s silence was held prior to kick-off in memory of former councillor Isaías Carrasco, who was murdered recently.
Venue: Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
Attendance: 75,000.
Espanyol 2-1 Real Madrid
The cold and the wind helped put bring an end to Real Madrid’s unbeaten streak. Thanks to two goals by Spanish internationals Riera and Tamudo, Espanyol were able to win in front of their home crowd in Montjuïc. The Whites still sit atop the League table despite the loss.
The mountain of Montjuïc joined forces with Espanyol in Matchday 8 of the Primera Liga, as the wind swept off its side and wreaked havoc for the Whites. The Periquitos took the lead in the opening minute of the match when Riera found the back of the net off a corner, thus ending Casillas’ streak of three matches without conceding a goal. With the wind blowing against them, Madrid were forced to put Plan B into action. The first step was to keep the ball rolling on the turf and not in the air. The second, to start anew, with the equaliser being the only thing in mind.
Real Madrid began their hunt for Espanyol’s box with Raúl and Van Nistelrooy leading the charge in attack. Sneijder and Higuaín took their positions along the wings, and the Whites began creating football. But the hosts were in great form and impregnable in defence. Madrid’s captain had the first chance on goal and almost managed to slip the ball by Kameni. The Whites settled into the match as the minutes ticked off the clock, but no one could find the spark on such a frigid night in Olympic Stadium.
The teams went into the half with the score unchanged since minute one, but loyal to their style and by sticking to their gameplan, Espanyol took the pitch for the second period determined to put the nail in the coffin. Raúl Tamudo scored the goal of the night with a beautiful lob that Casillas could do nothing to save, earning a standing ovation for the Periquito faithful.
Although down two goals, Real Madrid never threw in the towel. Drenthe was subbed in for Sneijder and Soldado replaced Higuaín minutes later. Espanyol, however, played better football throughout the entire second half and came a Casillas save away from striking gold for the third time.
Once in injury time, Sergio Ramos was able to bring the Whites within one by hitting home in what was his 100th match with Real Madrid. The Seville-native’s aerobatic strike provided one last gasp of air for the visitors, who had two more chances to pull even before the final whistle.
Espanyol proved why they are in the hunt for a spot in European competition next season. Two sensational goals brought down League leaders Real Madrid who, despite losing, remain the top team in the First Division.
Lineups:
R.C.D. ESPANYOL: Kameni, Clemente, Valdo, Zabaleta, Luis García (Jonatas, 87’), Riera (Lacruz, 92’), Torrejón, Jarque, Moisés, Tamudo (Jonathan, 83’), and Lola.
REAL MADRID: Casillas, Ramos, Cannavaro, Metzelder, Marcelo, Diarra (Gago, 84’), Guti, Higuaín (Soldado, 72’), Sneijder (Drenthe, 61’), Van Nistelrooy, and Raúl.
Goals:
1-0, min. 2. Riera header.
2-0, min. 52. Tamudo lob over Casillas.
2-1, min. 90. Ramos inside the small box.
Referee: Fernando Teixeira Vitienes.
Booked: Zabaleta, Kameni, Jonatan Soriano, Van Nistelrooy, Guti, and Ramos.
Notes: Matchday 8 of the Spanish League.
Attendance: 40,000.
Just another Madridista
Hala Madrid 
Post-match comments
Director General Jorge Valdano described Real Madrid’s performance against Espanyol as “solid and serious.” Manuel Pellegrini was happy with the victory against Espanyol. Kaka scored the team’s second strike against Espanyol. The Brazilian was happy with the victory and said he feels better on the pitch. Higuain, Granero and Marcelo were very satisfied with the team’s performance against Espanyol. Sergio Ramos and Raul Albiol gave excellent performances in defence, helping Real Madrid to concede no goals against Espanyol. The former even scored the opening goal.
Valdano:
Pellegrini:
(more…)
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February 7, 2010 | Categories: Post-match Comments, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Esteban Granero, Gonzalo Higuaín, Jorge Valdano, Kaká, Manuel Pellegrini, Marcelo Vieira, Raúl Albiol, RCD Espanyol, Sergio Ramos | Leave a comment