AC Milan vs Real Madrid | Preview
Let me go you prick!
This is no David vs Goliath kind of a game. Its more of a David on David or a Goliath on Goliath kind of a match up cause these two are equally big names. When Real Madrid face AC Milan in a European night at San Siro it just cannot get better. The two giants are statistically the top two teams in Europe and possess several of the top players of the past, present and the future. With this build up I go into tonight’s post where I will be previewing tonight’s clash at the San Siro between these two heavyweights (lightweights in case you feel its a David vs David kind of a game).
Jose Mourinho leads his troops into the city of Milan knowing that it is one battlefield where Madrid have never tasted victory. To put it straight Real Madrid have never won at the San Siro in 13 attempts. In fact ten of the games have ended in defeat. But then again, Milan have an equally poor field record against Mourinho’s teams losing eight out of the eight times that they have previously met over the past three years. But its an all new playing field tonight. History does not matter and neither do statistics. All that would matter is how ready the teams are to take advantage of the mistakes made by the other.
Mourinho spoke of Real’s poor record at the San Siro during yesterday’s press conference saying:
The fact that Real Madrid have never won in San Siro doesn’t add pressure. This is a hard place to play and win in. Madrid has had great teams and has not won. This is a tough field. TheTifosi help their team a lot. I am sure Milan fans are worried because Real Madrid can win here. We can win. It will be a great match; perhaps the most watched on European televisions. And the referee is fantastic. We are all obligated to perform well.
YES WE CAN. And if we do then the two games left in this phase of the competition would be dead rubber as Real would already be through as Group Leaders. But JM insists that shouldn’t be the case.
If we qualify for the next round tomorrow, some coaches may believe that the next two matches are not important and that they can put the Champions League on hold until February. Real Madrid is always required to play its best. We cannot play those next two matches thinking that we have taken care of business.
Milan on the other hand need a win tonight and possibly on the next match day as well. They are just coming out a loss against Juventus in the weekend in what was an important tie with respect to their title race. But Massimiliano Allegri insists when a team like Milan loses the criticism is almost ensured. This came from a man who has even fewer Champions League games in his pocket than Tottenham Hotspurs have:
We lost an important game in the league, but we had won the previous four. It’s OK to emphasise the fact when a team like Milan lose, and of course we can improve on many things, but there are also many positive signs that make me optimistic. This is a strong group of players, playing at a good level, so we have everything needed to win. We have to keep Real Madrid under pressure – we can’t repeat the technical mistakes we made in the first leg.
And under pressure we shall be. Returning from injury from them are key players like Massimo Ambrosini, Thiago Silva and Ronaldinho who can possibly make a difference. And Sergio Ramos was quick to acknowledge the talent that Milan possessed in their ranks and the difference that they could make. Speaking to the press ahead of the clash, the right back who missed the previous tie with the Rossoneri said:
No one questions the talent of players like Ronaldinho or Robinho. They are game-breakers, but I am more concerned about the entire squad. They have very talented and experienced players. We all have so much at stake.
AC MILAN SQUAD LIST:
Goalkeepers: Christian Abbiati, Marco Amelia;
Defenders: Luca Antonini, Marek Jankulovski, Alessandro Nesta, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Thiago Silva, Gianluca Zambrotta, Mario Yepes;
Midfielders: Ignazio Abate, Massimo Ambrosini, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Mathieu Flamini, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf;
Forwards: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Filippo Inzaghi, Alexandre Pato, Robinho, Ronaldinho.
As far as the absentees are concerned Massimo Oddo has been ruled out for four to six weeks after sustaining a left thigh problem in training on Friday. Daniele Bonera was replaced before half-time in their game against Juventus after picking up a knock to his left shin.
Like me Jose too does not care about the way they will come at us. But come at us they will with all the vengeance that their old bodies can muster. In the previous tie they preferred to use their old warhorses against our young guns and paid for it dearly. This time I am sure that will change. Thiago Silva will probably play and he should if you ask me. This is the time of the season when we need to be challenged and this is time to prove ourselves to the rest of the world. If I were to be Allegri, I’d play all the four Brazilians along with Ibrahimobitch and Captain Planet and the Planeteers and bring in the Swat Kats if I must to try and stop Real from giving my team a footballing lesson. But hell Allegri is not all that smart or at least doesn’t seem that way.
Amidst all this Sergio Ramos also spoke about Karim Benzema (a topic which I have covered enough about) and Howard Webb as well who will be officiating the game. Ramos called him his lucky charm but I am not sure Xabi Alonso would agree with his fellow Spaniard. The last time Alonso and Webb were on the same field Alonso almost left with a broken rib courtesy Dangerous De Jong. I sure hope we return with nothing less than tired legs back home. An injury at this point of the season can cripple the team’s form.
Talking about injuries, (in what could possibly be a move to unsettle Milan’s tactics devised by none other than Professor X himself) Angel Di Maria, I heard, apparently faced a late fitness test to determine whether or not he was fit to play tonight. The high-flying Argentine apparently suffered a bruised knee in training on Monday but was included in the squad as the coach was confident that he would recover in time. Pedro Leon or Karim Benzema were touted as being his replacements in case he had failed to recover in time.
The only ones still injured are Kaka, Garay and Gago. The latter is almost fine again as he trained with the squad on Monday. Lass, who had been injured for the past few weeks, is fine once again. But the Frenchman has not travelled with the side as Mourinho insisted that players not fit enough for a weekend game cannot be fit for a midweek clash. The rest 21 have all made the cut.
REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST:
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek, Adan.
Defenders: Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Albiol, Marcelo, Mateos, Carvalho.
Midfielders: Khedira, Alonso, Ozil, Diarra, Canales, Granero, Pedro Leon, Di Maria.
Forwards: Benzema, Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo.
I am confident that Real will be playing the same formation as they have been playing till this point of the season – the 4-2-3-1 convertible. But what can possibly change is who plays and who doesn’t. Knowing Mourinho I don’t think there will be any but something tells me that Arbeloa might just get a game. Apart from that I don’t think there will be any changes to the side. Ozil, Di Maria and Ronaldo should give their defense a handful and hopefully get the better of the Milanese cunts.
Moving on and in case you didn’t already know Ruben De la Red has officially retired from all forms of the game and will take up a coaching role with the side. The player had remained optimistic of eventually making a return to the game, but Marca reports today that De La Red has accepted a coaching role at the club until his contract expires. Reports suggest that Florentino Perez had promised De La Red that the club would not leave him after the incident against Real Union, and now as promised the club have given him a role which can develop his coaching abilities alongside Jose Mourinho and Castilla boss Alejandro Menendez. De La Red’s position is thought help him to progress into working with one of the youth teams at the club and help players progress through the ranks. Sad but I am happy for the player. He was arguably one of the best midfielders that Castilla had ever produced and definitely would have played a vital role in the team if not for the condition that he suffers from.
And that brings this post to an end.
Hoping for a Real win.
Until next time,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
In the engineer we believe
To me he is just an under-grown, malnutrition-ed cunt but to the rest of the football world: Lionel Messi is the best player in the World. Lionel Messi is Barça’s Messi-ah and the real Next Maradona. Lionel Messi makes the impossible possible. Lionel Messi is on fire. Lionel Messi has left everyone in awe of the best player ever. Lionel Messi has a human nature. Lionel Messi defeated Arsenal 4-1. Lionel Messi is both this and that. And the best of them all – Lionel Messi is God.
So how do we stop Lionel Messi is the question raised now. How will Real Madrid stop a player who already has 39 goals this season? Marca makes it look really simple by saying that the obvious solution, the anti-dote to control the menace of Leo ‘flea’ Messi is none other than Álvaro Arbeloa. They say the right way to control a lefty who plays on the right is by deploying a righty who can play on the left.
I am unsure about the lefty-righty theory they’re using but one thing is clear and that’s the fact that Arbeloa is miles ahead of Marcelo when it comes to defending. But it isn’t just about who is going to defend in the area in which he will attack. Its about the team as a whole. And only one man can influence that – El Inginiero Manuel Pellegrini. Sergio Ramos too, like me, believes in the engineer and while speaking about the Clásico said:
Barcelona have a style of their own. It doesn’t matter who plays because the whole squad has the same philosophy. We’ll have to have a clear idea of what it is we must do and play how Pellegrini wants us to.
That is exactly what we’ll have to do – stick to the engineer’s plan and implement it to perfection. Barça might be all about Xavi and Messi but we must not get carried away while trying to stop them thus letting cunts like Ibrahimović snatch a goal against us like last time out. This time we need to be wary of their unit as a whole. I am not taking anything away from our performance last time around. Except for the goal which should have been disallowed for offside, we did not give them too many chances. We were tight in defense and were sharp on the counter. And all this was away from home when we were just gelling as a team. We are way better now and still haven’t dropped a single point at home in the league. And we seem to have the knack of winning games in a dirty manner – something we haven’t had for a few years now but something that earmarks Champions. So the game is ours for the taking. We are clearly the favorites. Guti, while speaking to Marca, summed up whatever I am trying to say here beautifully:
We could have won the first leg match at Camp Nou. It is now time for us to defeat them at the Bernabeu. I think we can do it. We are strong at home and we will have the support of our fans. We have players who are capable of scoring at any given time.
But then again, we can’t just go out and play without a plan. It all comes back to the manager. The players are the ones who will perform but its the manager’s job to tell them how to do it. And I am sure Manuel Pellegrini knows what to do.
Xabi Alonso gave his thoughts about the game and Real in general in his interview to Marca.
In other news, Michel Salgado has told The Sun that he believes Real may move for Rafa Benitez this summer. I wish to move on.
Moving on, Rubén de la Red underwent a minor procedure day before yesterday to have a mini-Holster heart monitor (a portable device that will continuously monitor various electrical activity of the central nervous system) implanted subcutaneously. According to reports, De La Red will keep the device implanted during the next few months to monitor his heart condition. That’s good news. He will be a welcome addition to the squad for next season.
And finally news from the training ground. Kaká and Drenthe are still out of action. Marca reports that the Brazilian will not even make the squad list for Saturday’s kick-off as will Drenthe. Considering the form he was in before getting “injured” I’d not play him in such an important game after not playing for so many days.
That is about it for today.
Till tomorrow,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Getting close to some action finally
Benzema has done enough faking this season already. He is back!
This has been one of the driest weeks of my life. Not only that I’ve had to spend most of my day on clusters, OpenMPI and other shyte and the rest of the day in the gym, there has been hardly anything for me to blog about. Ergo, I allowed the news to accumulate and now I am here, not with loads of stuff, but with at least something to talk about.
And lets start with our home game against Sporting on Saturday (20:00 CET). Karim Benzema finally returned to training yesterday and there is a strong possibility that he might return to the squad for Saturday’s game as he trained without incident earlier today at the Valdebebas. Kaká replaced him in the gym and the player hasn’t been seen on the field this week and is most likely to miss out yet again. Likewise is Drenthe. Van der Vaart, Ronaldo, Alonso, Ramos all had a spell in the gym in the three days of training that we’ve had but all are set to be fit for the upcoming fixture. So that’s that and lets move on.
Gonzalo Higuaín will move in the summer, or so says Don Balon while the reason behind the selling being the fact that he was signed by Ramón Calderón – something that still itches Florentino Perez according to the tabloid. I will claim it to be a part of their news making strategy and coolly ignore them. I request you to do so too. Pipita is here to stay!
Don Balon also reports that Real Madrid might travel to Dubai this summer for money-sake. That must be some great news for Siddharth at Los-Merengues.com.
After a long time its finally good to see Rubén de la Red back in the news. The player was recently denied permanent disability status by the Social Security Commission’s medical tribunal on grounds that he may still be able to play football. And that means there is still hopes for a return. According to AS, the player is set to wear a holter (an ambulatory electrocardiography device) in the next few weeks to determine the strength of his heart. De la Red said:
It has been shown that I have possiblities. I am waiting for a call from the club to tell me the steps I need to take to continue. I hope to soon dispell the uncertainty about my condition.
Fabio Capello, one of the best in the business and two time La Liga Champion with Real, told GolTV why Pellegrini is doing a good job in a post previously occupied by him.
He has earned a lot of points and currently his team are ahead of Barcelona.
As though we didn’t know that.
Tomás Roncero spoke in AS about why Real Madrid would want Sergio Canales to spend another year on loan at Racing instead of donning white next season. In a well written article, he says that should Guti leave Real as rumored to try out a foreign league, then Canales playing in Real would make sense. But with Guti in hand, Canales would just be wasting his time here instead of gathering the actual experience of playing Liga football. But I am not sure what we should do if Guti stays and Racing get relegated.
Real want Sergio Agüero for next season. Oh, let me rephrase that, according to Marca Real are desperate to sign Sergio Agüero for next season.
Finally, our club’s doctor Carlos Díez has suggested to our players to get eight hours of sleep minimum every night. And this reminds me of my own bed time.
Night all.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
P.S: I have taken a new initiative wrt Hala Madrid. I am super excited. I’ll let you guys know about it ASAP.
De la Red on Cadena SER
Ruben De la Red was a guest on Spanish radio’s Cadena SER on Wednesday evening, during which he explained his current medical situation.
I am a footaller. I would like to have enough information in order to make a decision. If I have to give up football, it’s because there is evidence to justify it and because there is no other choice. My life changed from training daily, traveling and more to sommething totally different.
Right now I spend a lot of time with my family. I am enjoying spending time with my kid as well. Family is the best thing to have during difficult times in your life. No matter what happens, I want to continue working in the world of football.
De la Red and Granero on Onda Deportiva
Ruben de la Red, who hasn’t set foot on the pitch since fainting almost a year ago, joined Esteban Granero to Onda Cero’s radio show Onda Deportiva.
De la Red:
It is not easy to accept the fact that you cannot play when you don’t know what is wrong with you. You cannot fight against something when you don’t know what it is. We have to first figure out what it is and then make the appropriate decisions.
I would be in much worse shape if I didn’t handle it like think. I must keep a positive outlook and not dwell on it too much.
The worst is not knowing everything that is wrong. No one can tell me what I have and what is causing it. There is always an open door. I go to every match. I am still a member of the squad. I am injured, but not excluded from the team. I am just a player who is unavailable. I feel like part of the team and need to support my teammates.
I prefer to think about the diagnosis than playing. I don’t lose hope of returning, but I need medical proof so that the doctors and I can make that call.
Granero:
Perhaps we haven’t connected well at the Bernabeu, but we have played very well on the road. We were very serious against Espanyol and we created a lot of chances.
De la Red:
The team will become more solid as it plays more matches.
Granero:
Pellegrini knows what he wants and he expresses that to the team. He told me he has faith in me and that he will treat me like all the rest. I believe him and he has stayed true to his word. The rest all depends on the players’ work. We must be ready to give our very best.
How fair is it to expect Real to win it all this season?
Morning all,
It has been a tremendous week for Real Madrid. Following Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raúl Albiol is the young French international Karim Benzema who will be at the Bernabéu for the next six-seasons. We have now spent over €200m and that just isn’t the end. Florentino says two more signings are on their way. One of them might just be Franck Ribery who has just done the maximum a player could possibly do to join Real Madrid. And the other hopefully should be a defender. At this point anyone could join Real Madrid. ANYONE. And that is what makes this club so special. At one point we were loaning in mediocre players like Julien Faubert just to give a shot at the title and now its players like Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema who are giving out an SOS for us to go and get ’em. But are these the players whom we really need to get, if not better, then at least to equal Barcelona’s feat last season? There can be no doubts when it comes to the quality and the temperament of each player we have bought. The likes of Kaka and Ronaldo have done it all. But my question at this juncture is whether their strengths will get added or be nullified in the course of playing time.
The Galacticos, the real ones, didn’t succeed too well when they were overloaded with stars. When that era began it was only Zidane, Figo, Raul and Roberto Carlos and it was then that we won the Ninth title. (Luiz) Ronaldo joined and was crowned the Pichichi in his first season itself. We went only till the last 4 of the Champions league but still we managed to win the league. Hierro and Del Bosque were then sacked and that brought the demise of Real Madrid as a European super power. What Florentino failed to do at that point was get a real good replacement for the hole left by the two. He tried for Ayala and failed so he got players like Walter Samuel and Jonathan Woodgate who failed miserably. He tried out several managers and all of them were poor. The whole fiasco ended with the eventual resignation of Florentino Perez.
This time around he has brought in similar players. Kaka, probably the only person who can be compared with Zidane, then Ronaldo, definitely as good if not better than the great Luis Figo himself and a huge Ronaldo fan in Karim Benzema. We have the real Raul and a potential Roberto Carlos in Marcelo. Well, Marcelo is not bad. The change this time comes in with the signing of young Albiol and the presence of Pepe and Eze G (who was signed last season). This squad is definitely stronger overall than the one we had back then. And the rebuilding is still not over yet. Florentino has planned two more signings for us which means four more players will be sold.
The two upcoming signings will be the most crucial ones but and might just involve our players as a part of the trade. The two major rumors have been Negredo plus cash for Xabi Alonso and Robben and Van der Vaart/Sneijder plus cash for Franck Ribery. Personally, I oppose both the moves. I like Alvaro Negredo a lot and I can see him getting us the goals we need in the league. Also I don’t think we need Xabi Alonso. Arjen Robben though injury prone is just an amazing player. Rafael van der Vaart is just settling down and Wesley Sneijder is just out of form. So I really hope the two players aren’t Ribery and Alonso though Ribery looks sort of inevitable. Florentino wants him, he wants us, well it just has to happen. There are other rumors about the arrivals of Alvaro Arbeloa, Maicon and Ashley Cole as well. Both are cunts. So I’d be against them even if they do join Real. We’ll just have to wait and see.
With Javier Saviola and Jordi Codina already leaving the club the others who are likely to leave are Royston Drenthe (mostly to Fiorentina on loan), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Tottenham, Besiktas, Lyon are all after him), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Milan have him as their backup target), Christoph Metzelder (to Besiktas) and Gabriel Heinze (they said Liverpool but there is nothing concrete on that). Ruben De la Red being ruled out for yet another season might just see lesser number of midfielders being sold.
If Drenthe, Heinze and Metzelder leave as rumored then we will definitely have to strengthen our defense. Ivan Marcano from Racing was a good option, but Villareal have scooped him. We definitely need a reknown left back because I too see Marcelo as a potential left winger and not as a defender though he was brought into the club as one. Miguel Torres is a special player. His crosses for Raul’s goal against Sevilla and Van der Vaart’s goal against Villareal proves that he has a fairly good left foot. He has played on the left even under Capello two seasons back and it all depends on Manu Pellegrini as to whether he would continue to play the Lahm like right-footed left-back role. Center of defense will be a problem in case Metzelder leaves. We’ll be left with two proper center backs till Pepe comes back. And in case someone carries an injury crisis will strike. Gary is good but immediately into the starting line up would be too much of an ask from the young Uruguayan. St.Iker is there. But for the King’s Cup games and other lame ass games we might need a decent keeper. I’ve heard quite a lot about Antonio Adan. So I hope they bring him up through the ranks. Right back won’t be much of a problem. Jack of all trades Lass and Sergio Ramos are there to take care of the position. My only hope is that Sergio Ramos attacks lesser now that we’ve added that much needed flamboyance in attack. To sum it up we still need reinforcements, more so in defence rather than up front. I just hope the ‘two more signings’ Florentino hinted about is fills the holes in our team rather than overloading the already filled ones.
Now coming to the question that I posed initially as to whether it is fair to expect Real to emulate what Barca achieved last season this coming season I would say it is a big NO. No because the team has been shaken right from its foundation. It has been given a new lease of life by getting in players galactic by nature. To expect it to perform tremendously well as though it is an automaton that takes an input has five world class players and gives three trophies as output is simply ridiculous. But expectations will be there. I’ve just listed a few here…
- First a better Champions League story which means going farther than a first knock-out round exit or being throttled in the last 16.
- Next a little more care given to the Copa Del Rey in which we have been one of the poorest sides in Spain. Now that there are better players, players from last season can be given Copa Del Rey duty along with some bright youngsters and I’m they’ll fare well.
- Top two in the league has now become mandatory especially because of the lack of talent present in Spain at the moment except for a maximum of 5 or maybe 6 clubs.
- The icing on the cake would be a double on Barcelona (in which we clobber them 7-0 in one leg and 8-0 in the other) and a massive win at The Riazor (18 years due).
- One of strikers shoul get the Pichichi which I deem would be tough only because we have too many of them and the goals we get will split.
- And finally depending on our defense the Zamora Trophy for St.Iker. Am I expecting too much?
I’m not expecting the team to fulfill all six either. The last three are just something the fans would love to relish whereas the first three are the ones which we really have to look at achieving.
So basically to answer the question asked in the title of this post, I’d say that it is natural to expect such a dream team (on paper at least) to perform but we must understand that though supreme by talent they possess they too are humans and they will definitely take a little to acclimatize to their new home esp when three out of four are players coming in from other leagues. So patience, something that we Madridistas generally lack, is what is required. Florentino has done all that he can to pump in new blood to a team that was suffering severely and left in the dust by the previous office but we cannot expect the recovery to be magical. We will succeed if not now very very soon. Its destiny.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
It will be Real or nothing.
Guess who said that? Nope not me. Not any simple Madridista. Its Franck Ribery! YES…
FRANCK RIBERY
Franck Ribery has told Bayern Munich that he wants to leave the club and join Real Madrid. Ribery told L’Equipe:
I have made up my mind, I want to leave. It will be Real or nothing. I am waiting to see how things will evolve. Then, I would like to have a talk with Bayern’s hierarchy.
But Bayern’s general manager Uli Hoeness insists that Ribery’s announcement does not alter their stance. He said:
Franck wants to join Real? That doesn’t change anything to us. Real never did us any concrete proposition. The Real officials wanted to come to Munich, but we told them it was useless and they should save some plane tickets. We don’t need their money, and we will keep Franck come hell or high water.
That SOB. Anyhoo, I don’t have much time on hand right now, so I’ll quickly move on to my next topic. It has officially been announced that Ruben de la Red won’t be a part of next season’s injury because of that injury he sustained last season. The official statement read:
Real Madrid C.F. wishes to announce that Ruben de la Red will not rejoin the first team squad following the rigorous medical exams he has undergone over the last several months. Although the medical reports discourage De la Red from playing sports, Real Madrid C.F. will continue to search for solutions and has offered the player its assistance both personally and professionally speaking.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, according to MARCA, is set to move to Lyon.
Till later,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Rubén de la Red out for the season
Ruben De la Red has been ruled out of the entire 2009/10 season as doctors struggle to explain why he collapsed during a match in October.
The incident occurred during a Copa del Rey clash at Real Union in October, with the 24-year-old only regaining consciousness once he had returned to the dressing room. De la Red missed the rest of the campaign as a precaution and doctors are still unsure what caused the player to fall motionless to the ground.
The incident gained massive attention in Spain following the death of Sevilla’s Antonio Puerta, who collapsed in similar circumstances and died three days later just over a year ago in a league game against Getafe. De la Red revealed that he still harbours hopes of one day returning to the game but at present he has to keep going for checks every two months until doctors discover the extent of the problem.
He told Marca:
What I have doesn’t have a name and as of today there is no concrete answer.
DAMN!!!!!!
Hala Madrid!!
And the winner is Ruud van Nistelrooy!
Ruud van Nistelrooy was today presented with the Deporte Gredos de Guisando Award in recognition of his career in sports and humanitarian efforts.
“He’s a charming person,” said Jose Miguel Blazquez, Director of the Award committee who, along with Real Madrid doctor, Juan Carlos Hernandez, handed Van Nistelrooy the lucky jug. “Hopefully it will help me recover and have a good season. That’s the plan,” commented an appreciative Van Nistelrooy.
Past winners include singer Miguel Bose, actress Elsa Pataky, the current Primer Minister of Spain, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and Real Madrid’s own Raul Gonzalez and Iker Casillas.
Shortly after receiving the Deporte Gredos de Guisando Award, Ruud van Nistelrooy spoke to Realmadrid.com about the day’s events and new Real Madrid coach, Manuel Pellegrini.
It’s great to be working with Diarra. We are going through similar situations and have been helping one another a lot. Doing this together makes all the effort much easier. I am still working hard to recover and I still have a few days left before going on vacation. I started running again and am happy I was able to. Running for the first time in seven months felt great. Pellegrini did a great job at Villarreal over the last few years. All those who know him and have worked with him only have kind words about him. Let’s see how everything goes, but I am sure it will all go well. This is a new era and we all start from scratch. My only thoughts now are on my knee and recovering as soon as I can so that I can get back to work.
To add to this good news, Ruud, Diarra and Ruben de la Red had are back. The first two jogged at the Valdebebas on their own whereas De la Red played a charity match for Fabio Celestini’s foundation.
Hala Madrid!!
Rubén de la Red is just waiting for the green signal
Ruben de la Red is hoping to be given the green signal to resume his career in the next few weeks. The midfielder has been sidelined for the most of the current campaign after he collapsed during a King’s Cup match against Real Union on 30th October. He returned to Madrid the following morning after spending the night in a hospital. He has been out of action ever since.
The player finished his first set of medical examinations on 3 December. During the previous four weeks, he took several tests, such as electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, Holter ECGs, ergometry tests, nuclear cardiac megnetic resonances, coronary exams, electrophysiological studies and genetic studies.
He underwent further medical examination as a preventive measure and was discharged from the Sanitas La Moraleja Hospital on Friday and is currently resting in his home.
Carlos Diez, Director of Real Madrid’s Medical Services, summoned eight world renowned cardiology experts to assess the results of the tests. Their verdict was:
The player fainted due to efforts that had a probable cardiological origin.
This caused the our Medical Services to decide that de la Red should not do any physical activity until the results of the genetic tests arrive and ergo he is yet to be free to make a return to professional football and remains a frustrated figure.
One more test is set to be carried out in the next few months, with De La Red hoping that will provide medical staff with the positive results they are looking for. While speaking to El Pais he said:
They (the doctors) have told me this really is the last test and that in a month-and-a-half I will have the final results. All the results have been negative so far.
I hope he returns soon. I know we all do.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Official First Team and Castilla Photo 2008/09
Real Madrid had their official 2008/09 photo taken this morning. The first team was accompanied by Honorary President Alfredo di Stefano and Sporting Director Pedja Mijatovic. It is the first team photo with Lass, Huntelaar, Parejo, and Juande Ramos’ coaching staff.
First Team
Real Madrid Castilla had their official team photo taken for the second time this season on Thursday. Alfredo di Stefano Stadium hosted the event, which included Real Castilla President, Francisco Moreno Cariñena; President of Honor, Alfredo di Stefano; and Sporting Director, Pedja Mijatovic.
Castilla
Real Madrid’s academy is the heart and sould of the Club. Many important players in the history of Spanish football came from the youth system. One third of the current squad is made up by academy men -Raul, Guti, Casillas, Torres, Codina, De la Red, Javi Garcia, Parejo and Palanca-. This picture, taken a few minutes after they posed for the official team photo, proves it.
Real Madrid has always had a youth system and it was professionalized in the 1950s with initiatives such as the Social Tournament. De Felipe was the first of 50 academy players to become internationals for Spain. In total, they have all played 1,000 games for their country.
Spanish national coach Vicente del Bosque also came from Real Madrid’s youth system, just as Isidoro San Jose, Ricardo Gallego, Isidro Díaz or Rafael García Cortés, who currently work for the Club’s academy. But the most illustrious group of players to come from the youth system were those from La Quinta del Buitre. These men had the same values as legends like Ramon Moreno Grosso, Mateos, Velazquez, Santisteban, Benito and Camacho.
José Mª Gutiérrez “Guti” and Miguel Torres belong to different generations of players, but their run at the Club has been very similar. They both joined through the Social Tournament and they have played for every team in the Club. Iker Casillas joined with the Under-8 side and has become one of the most important players in the world. On the other hand, captain Raul joined when he was 15 years old, but his hard work and his devotion to the Club is such that it seems he’s been here all his life.
Jordi Codina, Javi Garcia and Ruben de la Red stood out on every team they played for and were promoted to the Second Division with Castilla. Dani Parejo is a quality player that has won an Under-19 European Championship and was briefly loaned out to Queens Park Rangers before Juande Ramos decided to bring him back to join the first team.
Miguel Palanca is a strange and curious case. He arrived at the Club last summer after growing up at Espanyol, but his devotion to Real Madrid is that of a true youth teamer.
That makes it three down with 22 more to go + El Clásico pre-preview
And right before the big game at the Camp Nou I hear that Ruben de la Red too is out for the current season. Though it isn’t out on the website itself, Sky Sports reports that Ramón Calderón himself has made a statement that the midfielder will take no further part in the rest of our fixtures this season. De la Red, 23, collapsed during Real’s Copa del Rey loss at Real Union in October with a suspected heart anomaly, although the player is still undergoing tests to determine a definitive diagnosis. That makes it three players down (Ruud van Nistelrooy and Mahamadou Diarra being the other two) with only 3 months into the season and only 14 games played in the league. Who the hell would have expected that? I think we are going straight into the record books for the team to lose the maximum number of players for the whole season before Christmas. This is ridiculous. I was hoping for a February come back for De la Red, so that he’d be fit enough to kick Panathanaikos’ (thinking like Mijatovic helps at times) arse, and then I hear this. By the looks of it we might end up with zero players on the squad and we might have to play the rest of the season with Castilla. Already the likes of Alberto Bueno, Agus, Chema Anton and Palanca have been called up for the big game at Barcelona. The rest of them like Gary or Kabamba or whoever would have to be called so much that the press would now complain that we are not using our first team players at all. Hell we won’t be having a first team if this injury crisis continues! Anyhoo, I was just kidding. I am very sure that both Sanitas and Valter di Salvo aren’t that bad and I am sure our luck is destined to change soon (sooner than we actually expect).
The El Clásico is finally here. The team travels to Barcelona tomorrow to face the league leaders who have an 9 point advantage over us. We are just off a Champions League home win (Zenit, 3-0) and they are just off a Champions League home defeat (Shakthar Donetsk, 2-3). Both teams rested key players. Yes we too did. Casillas was on the bench. Wesley Sneijder, Pepe, Gabriel Heinze, Ruben de la Red, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Mahamadou Diarra were all missing. But sadly the last few players are out injured and some are even out for the season. We have a new coach. They have the same old one. There is almost no pressure on us to win. We have already been written off and everyone is expecting a big win for the Cunts, oh sorry I meant the Cules which means that in case we play to our potentials and keep them from scoring (all lies on the hands of St.Iker) then it is only going to pile up more pressure on them.
The question is do we have the right players to shut them down and not concede early? Is Gago a match for Xavi? Can Sergio Ramos and Cannavaro keep Messi and Co. quiet? Would the foolishness of Arjen Robben and Marcelo be compensated by the ones still left on the squad? It remains to be answered. Talking about Robben, he happens to be in the form of his life. His goal and his general performance against Zenit seemed to be one of his best in White. We are destined to miss him alright, but one player whom we won’t miss is Wesley Sneijder who has been included in the squad that would be travelling to Barcelona. Are we rushing him back beofre he returns to full fitness? Is it OK to do so that too in a crunch and fierce encounter like El Clasico itself? Also included in the squad are Castilla’s Agus, Antón, Palanca and Bueno.
So what will our back four look like? Juande Ramos had experimented a few things the other night against Zenit. Metzelder on the right, Michel Salgado on the left and with Sergio Ramos and Cannavaro on the center, basically doing all that Schuster failed to do plus using some of Bernd’s own ideas. I actually like this whole idea of Metzelder playing at right-back. I am not sure how good he really was the other day. But against Barca for whom Henry would play right on the touch-line on the left we need a good defender to guard him. But Metzelder is as slow as I am. So that makes it a non-fool proof strategy. People say that Sergio Ramos is the right antidote for Messi and he should be given the job of guarding Messi throughout the match. I cannot disagree. The way he marked out Andrei Arshavin at their Euro encounter is definitely commendable. But that is not going to work. My question is will Juande surprise everyone by choosing youth over experience by picking Chema Antón to play full back. Though I know how less the chance of that happening is, I am just going through our possible options. Another possibility is Javi Garcia playing centre-back with Cannavaro. There is also Drenthe who has played and can play at wing-back positions and that would mean Sergio Ramos on the right and Royston Drenthe on the left to guard Messi. Frankly speaking neither Drenthe nor Marcelo are good enough defenders to take on him. But Sergio Ramos, I feel, is good enough to do the job tomorrow. My verdict: Sergio Ramos on Messi. Michel Salgado on the right. Cannavaro and Metzelder on the center. Canna can mark Eto’o. Metzelder is definitely too good a defender to mark Eidur Gudjohnsen in case he playes or even the cunt in Aliaksandr Hleb. Though this isn’t the right time for it, I personally would love to see Chema Antón play for us atleast until Miguel Torres returns.
A few of them (from both sides) are talking about a repeat of what happened two seasons back when we went to the Camp Nou and came off with a 3-3 draw when we were 5 points behind. We then went on to win the title after a better head to head record with them. Agreed, we are capable of such miraculous stuff. Though that is somewhat a silly comparison I don’t think we will have a problem taking up all the possible positives from the current situation. Sergio Ramos agrees with me here. Ramos recalled the highlights he has experienced in the Camp Nou including the goal he scored there two seasons ago in the 3-3 draw.
I would love to score again, and for it to be as meaningful to the team as the last one was.
Higuaín too, in an promotional event for ADIDAS, gave his impression of the Clasico. Higuain is one player on whom a lot of expectations lies on. He has to score. His partner up-front and El Capitan, Raúl is also in fantastic form. And I am quite sure he is going to score. He scored last week against Sevilla. He then became the top-scorer in European competitions thanks to this two strikes against Zenit. Raúl scored our opening and final strikes. The first came from a brilliant team effort, but he scored the latter on his own by brilliantly lobbing it over the goalkeeper. Prior to the match, Raúl and Inzaghi were tied in the ranking with 64 strikes a piece, but the captain now has a two-goal lead over the Italian, who is closely followed by Shevchenko (61) and Van Nistelrooy (60). It must be said that three of the players in the top 9 of said ranking are Real Madrid players: Raúl, Van Nistelrooy and Di Stéfano. Raúl is also the greatest goal-scorer of the Champions League thanks to 64 strikes. He is followed closely behind by his team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooy (60). Our bench strength though, when it comes to strikers isn’t all that good. Saviola showed what he is capable of by scoring that superb goal against Getafe, but still hasn’t been all that convincing. I just cannot wait to see The Hunter play for us especially after reading this.
Our midfield just needs to work harder. That is all that we can ask for. I would love to see Guti, Sneijder and Van der Vaart play on the same pitch. But that would be a risk considering they’re similar players with similar ambitions and also considering our squad strength I would not want to tire all the three at the same time. Van der Vaart or Sneijder to be on the bench.
All this leads to the question as to what kind of reinforcements we need in January. First and foremost, a winger. Andrei Arshavin, David Bentley and Aaron Lennon have been linked with us. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Marek Hamsik too are present on that list. Though Bentley and Lennon are more likely to not come here, Arshavin is a good possibility, considering our manager’s liking for him. The story of the week is the rumour that Middlesbrough youth product Adam Johnson is apparently on his way here. The guy does not have a place in their starting line-up and thus might be forced to move to REAL MADRID!! Darijo Srna‘s agent claims that Juande Ramos wanted to sign the Croat during his tenure at Spurs and that the interest might have switched to Real Madrid. Darijo Srna is the captain of the Shakhtar team which beat Barcelona at the Camp. The second obvious position is midfield. Considering the fact that both Diarra and De la Red are out for the season, we should definitely be looking at our options. One man who might just end up at Real is Ivorian Didier Zokora. Ramos revealed his admiration for the player and the player himself later dismissed the link. But you never know, Zokora might just end up at the Barajas come January. Guillem Balague links us with Lassana Diarra. One Diarra for another?? He has also spoken about the Clasico. You can check that out here. I also found an interesting article about why are Barcelona scoring so many goals by Sid Lowe of the Guardian fame. Since I have never seen them play this season atleast, I found it really interesting.
That is actually about it. The proper preview for the El Clasico is to follow.
Hala Madrid!!
Rubén de la Red injury update and interview
Rubén de la Red has finished the first round of medical examinations which he has undergone over the last four weeks.
After undergoing a battery of tests, Real Madrid’s Director of Medical Services, Dr. Carlos Díez, met with eight renowned cardiologists to analyze the results. The panel of experts concluded that Rubén de la Red should not resume any physical activity until the results of genetic testing have been received. Dr. Díez stated that:
Following the results of the genetic study, a conclusive clinical-diagnostic judgement can be made.
The player is optimistic during his recovery from the fainting spell he suffered against Real Unión in the King’s Cup and thanked the fans for their support during this time.
I know I’m in good hands. I feel in high spirits and I’m calm, but I’m also anxious to help my team-mates. I must be realistic. I acknowledge the current situation and I know the most important thing for me right now is to take things slowly. I have to think about Rubén, about the person and my health, before thinking about De la Red the football player.
We have to run all sorts of tests and wait for the results of a genetic study. I hope to forget about all this in the near future. I’m at home with my family every day, enjoying spending time with my son. I watch a lot of football.
The team currently sustains many injuries, but the Real Madrid squad is always proud and consists of a strong group of players. The team hasn’t said it’s last yet. We will face important teams like Sevilla, Barcelona and Villarreal soon and I’m sure my team-mates will live up to those challenges. Real Madrid have won two consecutive league titles and that didn’t happen by chance.
I can’t possibly individually thank all the fans from all over Spain who have given me their support. It will help me get better much sooner.
Crespo should do for now; We can wait for Schweinsteiger till May
Buenas Tardes,
Our game at Minsk kicks off in about an hour’s time. We are travelling with a depleted squad to face BATE Borisov to confirm our place in the knockout phase of the Champions League something which we should have sealed if not for the home and away loss to Juventus. But the task isn’t too tough anyway. We still can go through to the next phase by comprehensively beating BATE in conditions which we are not used to. But beating BATE means we have to score goals. And scoring goals generally means our strikers should be in good form and for strikers to be in good form we need to have striking options. But our major problem at this moment is the lack of strikers in our squad. We are going to Minsk with just one established Real Madrid striker in El Capitan. The other two are Saviola and Bueno. We had Higuain till towards the end of the Recre game where he severely sprained his ankle by himself. That was almost the last thing we needed. Our medical crew says he will recuperate within 10 days which means he is surely missing the Getafe game. Hopefully we will have him back for Sevilla, Zenit and more importantly Barcelona. Apart from that we have Canna, Robben who are very likely to feature in the near future out of contention for a place in the squad at the moment. De la Red has a problem in his heart and is out for God knows how long. I don’t want him back until he is perfectly fine and rightfully our management thinks so too. As we all know Ruud is out for the season which brings us to all the transfer speculations that has been surrounding the club.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has had a major operation on his knee and will not be able to play for Real Madrid again this season. This has made us look out for temporary replacements for the Dutch striker along with the winger for whom we’ve been looking for ages now. From young South Americans who generally make their way into the club in the winter transfer window till established stars like Hernan Crespo and Andrei Arshavin have been linked with us. Carlos Tevez too has been linked with us. The latest to join the list is Bastian Schweinsteiger who will be our target for next season in case he decides to not extend his expiring contract with Munich. Even the has been in Andriy Shevchenko who just moved back to Milan has been linked with us. Argentine Diego Milito, currently with Genoa, better known as the guy who scored lots of goals in our 6-1 loss to Zaragoza in the King’s Cup a few years back is also linked with a move to the Bernabeu. But the most probable move could be Crespo to Madrid because of the following reasons:
- He is out of favour at Inter. Mourinho prefers the likes of Balotelli, Ibra, Cruz and Adriano.
- He is not cup tied. He can play in the Champions league for us.
- He is very experienced and a goal scorer. He has played at the highest level throughout his career.
- He still wants to prove himself to Don Diego and wants to continue playing for Argentina in order to break Batistuta’s record.
- He has several Argentines to help him out here.
- Lastly, we already have Saviola who has played a lot with him and we can develop something with those two. It might help Saviola at least.
But the move has its own negatives. He is 33 years old. It must be a loan move. We cannot afford to have more old legs on our squad. We are rebuilding our squad and though experience will only help our youngsters we can’t accumulate old legs. He hasn’t spoken of it despite the press going gaga over it. We cannot play him and Raul together. Wouldn’t be any bit effective. Despite these reasons we are supposedly very eager to get him come January. Reports say we have even started talks with his agent.
Two of them who won’t be coming here are Andriy Shevchenko and Diego Milito. In the former’s case Milan ruled out Sheva’s exit and said that it was impossible for them to sell him. Diego Milito is happy that we want him but he is fine at Genoa. Suits him I’d say! Andrei Arshavin is keen to leave his club. He wants to come here. We have enough central attacking midfieleders. I don’t think we would need him now or any other time for that matter.
The latest rumor is that Bastian Schweinsteiger is our summer transfer target. Miguel ANgel Portugal was supposed to meet his representative but the meeting was called off because the Kicker magazine published about it on the papers. I am not all that fond of him. He’s a good player but never passes. It is not what Real need. I’d prefer Ronaldo over him anyday.
Carlos Tevez should be a Madridista soon. At least it looks that way. Ferguson is repeatedly saying that Tevez and him haven’t spoken about our interest. With Tevez being treated the way he is being treated I don’t see him staying at Manchester for long.
Last but the least, Joan Laporta has backed Schuster. I don’t know why. I really don’t. I am not going to bother to link you there. I don’t think it matters a bit.
Hoping for a comfortable win tonight and a clean sheet.
Hala Madrid!!
Just what the doctor didn’t order!
Real Madrid CF will be without the service of Arjen Robben for a little more than a month. The Dutch striker had to leave the pitch during the warm-up session prior to the match with Juventus. Medical examinations this morning determined Robben has a Grade II tear on his right leg’s soleus muscle. He won’t be able to play for 5 or 6 weeks.
According to AS, Ruud van Nistelrooy will need surgery in his knee and is out indefinitely and will supposedly take a long time to recover. The Dutch striker had experienced pain in his knees after the tie against Juventus on Wednesday. Doctors are unsure as to whether he would need a ligament operation or a cartilage operation. Either could see him out of action for a long time.
Sergio Ramos has swollen feet. So swollen that they refused to fit into his boots according to manager Schuster. He though is in the squad for Malaga on Saturday. A match time decision would be made regarding his presence in the starting line up.
Pepe is still out with a bruised left thigh. He though along with Miguel Torres jogged in isolation in training today. The latter too is recovering well from his injury.
Ruben De la Red is the last person on this list. He fainted due to low blood pressure in the 13th minute of the King’s cup match at Irun against Real Union. He is still recovering and the management is unwilling to take a risk by rushing him back. I don’t see a point in rushing him back. We have enough players vying for a place in midfield.
In the latest gossip column, Karim Benzema is apparently on the move. He wants to come to Spain and would like the club he plays for to be either Real Madrid or Barcelona. Reports suggest that Lyon may allow Benzema to leave the club, but it will be on their own terms and they are believed to be only prepared to listen to offers that could break the world record transfer fee. One criticism of Benzema is that he is not yet ready to step up and become a star at one of Europe’s biggest clubs, but the player himself thinks that is unfair.
Some people have said I cannot play at the highest level. How ridiculous. I have a lot to learn and am still growing. I am only 20 and am working hard to improve all the time.
And I agree with him. Lets see whether we even try to sign him. We need a striker, that’s for sure.
Also, we are ready to renew old rivalries with Manchester United as we enter the race for Adem Ljajic. The 17-year-old Partizan Belgrade midfielder, known as Little Kaka, impressed United’s coaching staff last month after undergoing a trial at Old Trafford. Ljajic has caught the eye of a number of clubs in recent months after shining for both his club domestically and for his country, in the recent European Under-19 Championship qualifying round. It is thought the Premier League champions are keen to secure Ljajic’s services on a permanent basis, but could now face stiff competition from Real.
Well that’s it for today’s post. Pretty concise I should admit. I am sorry. But I am just not in the mood for it.
Hoping for a resounding win against Malaga,
Hala Madrid!!
Sir Alex Ferguson Goes Pink, The Ronaldo Theory & The Search for the Right Right-Winger
How hard is it really to make Sir Alex Ferguson go pink? Ask me. Its too easy. Just summon your local newspaper and say that you like the way Cristiano Ronaldo plays and that you wouldn’t mind having him on your side and there you go. You can see the dramatic colour change in his face from a light shade of pink to a much darker shade. Anyhoo, it really doens’t matter. He has gone pink now again. He wants to fight with our President in a war of words atleast thats what they say. Last time our president spoke of him, he rightfully termed Fergie senile. Something thats very true which even the old guy himself knows. In reply to those comments Fergie told Sky Sports news that…
Calderon has got a few things to say every week. A lot of hot air comes out of that man, but I’m not getting involved. The nub of it is he is very disappointed he did not get Ronaldo. I’m delighted to say he’s still here and I will keep repeating that.
I really don’t understand. Calderon has enough troubles to worry about. Why is this man still ranting about stuff which happened months ago? I agree that we weren’t being any good as far as this issue is concerned, but why the hell should he still continue with all this? I swear to god he is senile.
I don’t care two monkeys about our relationship with Real Madrid to be honest with you. We have the player we want. They don’t have the player they would like. All that is going on regarding Calderon is to do with the fact that they couldn’t get Cristiano. Calderon promised so much that he would get the lad. Some of his comments are ridiculous. There is a complete arrogance about it all. There was no question of Ronaldo leaving anyway, absolutely no question.
Yes, it’s possible that these are the first shots of another attempt to get him. They do it all the time. We’re ready. We have enough ammunition ready. I’m only using one gun at the moment. I’ll get the gatling gun out in January!
I can’t understand how a person who has been Knighted can speak like this about another club that too in public. There are people in this world who consider him as their idol and I am sure that this is no lesson that an idol should teach his disciples. And the worst thing is he is doing all this because we liked the best player in his team? I don’t think this is good. I really don’t. If we are being termed as cheap for our pursuit of Ronaldo what about these comments and the other ones about Franquismo? If you had read my earlier posts then you’d also be knowing that he has got all his facts wrong. Even FIFA approved that our pursuit of Ronaldo was purely legal. Then what the hell is his problem??
And then there was The Ronaldo Theory about our signing of Gabriel Heinze. Although Ferguson believes Heinze is a good player in his own right, he believes Real signed him to use his friendship with the Portugal international as another reason for the winger to jump ship.
I knew what they were doing. I don’t believe they were interested in Heinze – good player though he is. The endgame was to get Ronaldo.
However, according to the Daily Mail, Heinze has laughed off Ferguson’s suggestion, stating FIFPro World Player of the Year Ronaldo is a smart enough player to decide his own destiny.
This theory of Ferguson about me going to Real in order to persuade Cristiano to come the following summer is a work of absolute fiction. I am a very good friend of Cristiano Ronaldo. This is true, but he always decides his own future. Cristiano is a clever person and he decides himself what is best for his own life. If he asked me a question about Real then, of course, I will answer, but I’m not a bad influence on him. Ferguson has spoken about me in the last months and I don’t understand this. I thought he had forgotten me. He’s the boss at United and any person who protests about anything is marginalised. This was my problem at times when I was there. Ferguson cannot stop my quotes because I’m not now at United. I’m actually convinced Cristiano would offer Madrid even bigger performances then he has at United. This is my opinion and it is normal that I have wanted him to come and play with us here in La Liga.
But a news release on the club’s official website stated that Heinze has denied whatever the Daily Mail had speculated.
Real Madrid defender Gabriel Heinze has denied that he made any of the declarations that have appeared in some of the English media. Heinze wants to make it clear that at no point has he made any statement to those media who made these supposed declarations of his.
How cheap can the English media really get??
In other news, there was this whole Sergio Ramos mix up thingy which went really wild. Ramos had told the media about his “loneliness” on the right wing and the next match he was made to sit by Bernardo. Seriously it was foolishness. Marca then reported that Raul was totally unhappy with Ramos’ actions and said that he greeted Ramos after being subbed against Bilbao with coldness unlike what the other lads got.
Michel Salgado meanwhile revealed that they ahd spoken to Ramos and that things were sorted out. But frankly speaking this is something which no fan would want to hear. To be fair to Ramos he has received very little help on the wing while going forward and the criticism he has received seems somewhat unfair. The Amauri goal wasn’t his fault, atleast that is what I feel.
We have talked, but the conversations that take place in the dressing room remain there. The matter is resolved and everything has been sorted out. He might have been wrong, but the important thing that remains with us is that he knew how to react. He has behaved like a man in front of his team-mates. We have all made mistakes at one time or another, so we shouldn’t give it any importance. In the dressing room we haven’t. What’s most important is that everything has been sorted out because then there won’t be any more returns to the story and because Sergio is a very important player for Real Madrid and we need him to be 100 per cent.
I completely agree with him. I’ve started to like him again these days, I must tell you.
But whatever said and done, what Ramos complained was true. He does not have Beckham or Robinho in front of him anymore. I cannot believe we are not able to find the right Right-WInger for our team. Come January thats one thing we have got to address. But one thing is for sure Alan Dzagoev prefers Chelsea over Real Madrid. What a cunt!
La Liga review praises Raul and suggests that he still has a couple of years left in him. I surely do agree.
We return to league play tonight against Almería, and Fabio Cannavaro will travel with the team after sitting out last week’s match against Athletic. Torres, Salgado, Van Nistelrooy and De la Red will stay in Madrid to continue nursing their respective injuries.
Talking about Ruben de la Red the midfielder said he could not remember anything about his collapse in the defeat at Real Union in the King’s Cup. Tests on De la Red showed nothing untoward but he will rest at home this weekend as a precaution and will miss the champions’ Primera Liga match at Almeria on Sunday, de la Red told the club’s web site.
A lot of people have called me, I didn’t understand all the commotion but now I have seen the footage I see why they were alarmed. Fortunately I feel quite well and I want to thank all those who were worried about me and the messages of goodwill I have received. I am going to watch the match against Almeria on television. They are three important points we need and we are sure to win. The team is strong and motivated.
Get well soon De la Red!!
And I am sure about the three points which we secure tonight.
Hala Madrid!!
Real Unión 3-2 Real Madrid
Real Unión Irún defeated Real Madrid 3-2 on Thursday in the White’s King’s Cup opener, but the tie is still anybody’s for the taking and will be resolved in two weeks in the Santiago Bernabéu. Rubén De la Red fainted in the first half and was stretchered off the pitch, but preliminary results suggest nothing more severe than low blood pressure.
Ten of Bernd Schuster’s starting eleven at Gal Stadium are mainstays on their respective national teams. Real Unión was without the services of Sergio Francisco, who was replaced by Goikoetxea.
A quick transition in the match’s opening minute was polished off by Juan Domínguez inside the box; a fantastic play by the hosts that gave Madrid a good idea of what was in store. But the Whites answered ten minutes later when Higuaín beat Otormín after receiving a trademark pass from Guti.
De la Red passes out
Play was stopped on the 13-minute mark after Rubén De la Red fell to the floor untouched. The stadium went quiet, but after the player was carted off and checked out at Bidasoa Hospital, it was determined that he had only suffered a sudden drop in blood pressure. Javi García came off the bench to take position in the midfield.
Jerzy Dudek made a magnificent save five minutes later on Carracedo’s free-kick and then again on the ensuing corner, but 20 minutes in Real Unión took the lead when Juan Domínguez headered home a excellent cross by Villar.
Javier Saviola thought he had pulled Madrid level but was flagged for offside (min. 27), at which point the pace slowed and both teams looked content to wait until the second half to take care of business.
Saviola equalises
Shortly after the second half kicked off, the match was halted due to lack of visibility caused by fireworks behind the host’s goal. Once the match resumed, Javier Saviola didn’t take long to pull Madrid even with a powerful bend into Real Unión’s net. The White’s early 20th century nemesis regathered and mounted another surge. Iñaqui Goikoetxea netted a Quero assist following an impressive attack down the right wing (min. 63). Eight minutes later, Heinze’s header was disallowed after the line judge ruled him offside.
Real Unión grew more confident as the match wore on. Gabaraín came off the bench and immediately tested Dudek. Barruet had another chance following a Domínguez corner kick (min. 75), and Goikoetxea sent a lob just over the crossbar less than a minute after Saviola was tripped inside the opponent’s box for what could have been a penalty.
Fans rushed the field as soon as the final whistle sounded. Real Unión played a perfect match, but there’s no reason for Real Madrid to return home discouraged. In two weeks they can turn the tie around and clinch a berth in the Last 16 of the King’s Cup.
TEAMS:
Real Unión: Otermin, Larrainzar, Mendi, Berruet, Carracedo, Joseba Agirre, Villar, Romo, Quero, Juan Dominquez, Goikoetxea;
Real Madrid: Dudek, Míchel Salgado, Metzelder, Heinze, Marcelo, Guti, Diarra, Drenthe, De la Red (Javi García 19′), Higuaín, Saviola;
GOALS:
1-0, 2′ – Juan Dominguez
1-1, 10′ – Higuain
2-1, 20′ – Juan Dominguez
2-2, 53′ – Saviola
3-2, 63′ – Goikoetxea
REFEREE: Mr. Daudén Ibáñez
BOOKED: Berruet, Carracedo, Joseba Agirre, Javi Garcia
PLAYED AT: Gal Stadium, Irun
HIGHLIGHTS: First Leg of the Fourth Round of the King’s Cup. Second leg to be played at the Bernabeu on November 12.
P.S: Rubén de la Red fainted in the 13th minute of the clash due to a sudden drop in his blood pressure. He was immediately treated by the Club’s medical staff. His teammates, players from Real Unión and fans on the stands expressed their support for the player as he was taken off the pitch on a stretcher. Rubén recovered indoors and was substituted by Javi García. He was taken to Irún’s Hospital Comarcal, where he is currently being medically examined. Rubén has already spoken to his family and is making great progress.
We still can’t beat them can we?
Note: This post has a lot of random ramblings about the defeat in Turin. I’m just venting my anger.
I know. You know. Hell everyone knows what I am talking about. Its Juventus. To Hell with the Old Lady. We got beaten by the team which is called the Old Lady and has an history of wearing Pink strips because their original strips was lost in a mix up. Pink! Gross!! This is a disgrace to football! Above all that what pisses me off even more is the fact that they had a bigger injury crisis than we had but then they had Del Piero. Is he good or what?! His shot left St.Iker Himself stranded. And what the hell was Pepe doing? Why did he have to pass to Nedved of all the 10000 years old Czech players?!? Damn it! And it was like a dream come true for Amauri. First champions league against the most successful club in the history of European football. Wesley Sneijder was brilliant, as usual. So was Rafael. How did Cannavaro leave Del Piero free but? Damn you Italians! And now we lie second in the table. Is that good or bad? Hell I don’t know. We can beat them at home. We can beat Zenit at home as well. BATE away is tricky but hell we are Real Madrid! So as Raul Himself predicted I think we would easily qualify for the knock-out phase. But what the hell is it with this Italian menace? Why are we losing to Italian teams?!? Bernardo do something!! I can’t stand this. Just cannot! HELL!!! AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!
Next up is Athletic at home on Sunday. Guti and Diarra are training. They’ll hopefully be back. Robben is fit again. Sneijder is back! Van der Vaart is doing good as well. Van Nistelrooy is suspended but an appeal against his red card has been launched. So we might just see him play. Raul at home is in devastating form. We’ll probably see a goal or two from him as well. In all a good win on store.
Sky Sports reports that a stellar line-up of Galacticos will return to Real Madrid if presidency candidate Juan Villalonga gets his way. I want to know more about this. Hopefully Gonzalo can help. Villalonga told radio station COPE…
Players such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaka should be at Real Madrid. I will copy with model that Florentino used.
I agree. But Florentino’s era fucked up pretty bad towards the end. At least Calderon has brought home trophies if not the big names. And Messi?? Hmmm.. We’ll have to think deep I guess. And this brings us to our second poll.
Start voting and lets see how it goes. My opinion? Well I will go with the third option. 😀
Before I conclude on Friday, the Spanish national team -current European champions-, Rubén de la Red, former youth system coach Juan Santiesteban and Real Madrid Under-17 player Álvaro López will receive trophies from the Madrid FA, which rewards those who “work towards football in Madrid” every year.
Rubén de la Red will receive the Puma Awards Golden Boots, awarded to a differtent player, coach and referee each year. The midfielder, along with Casillas and Sergio Ramos, will receive a special trophy for winning an official competition -the Euro 2008- with the national team. Former national coach Luis Aragonés will also receive one.
The Spanish national team and the Spanish FA will also participate in the Madrid FA’s tribute to sport merits in the Madrid football scene, during which Pozuelo de Alarcón Club will receive an award. Members of the Under-17 national team, who recently won the Under-17 Euro 2008 in Turkey, will also be lauded -their captain, Álvaro López, is a Real Madrid academy player-.
Real Madrid will be praised for winning the 2007/08 league championship. Getafe will also be acknowledged for their excellent performances in the UEFA Cup and for playing in the 2008 King’s Cup final. Rayo Vallecano will be mentioned for recently being promoted to the Second Division, the same as Navalcarnero, who reached the Second Division B this year. Tres Cantos Pegaso, Santa Ana, Colonia Ofigevi and Vallecas will also be noted for making their debuts in the Third Division.
Thats about it for now. I’ll bring more for you soon.
Hala Madrid!!
De la Red press conference
Rubén De la Red was enthusiastic when speaking about Saturday’s derby during Wednesday’s post-training press conference.
Only three days left for the derby… How do you see it?
I think it will be a beautiful and exciting game, like every derby. We hope to win.
As a former youth system player, it must be very special for you to face Atletico Madrid…
I faced them with Getafe, but it will be different this time. Real Madrid-Atletico clahses don’t compare to other encounters. The Vicente Calderón crowd always puts a lot of pressure on opponents. Things won’t be easy for us, but this motivate us players; it makes us want the three points even more.
Who is your favourite Atletico Madrid player?
They have a great squad, especially in midfield. They are all capable of turning the game around with one single attack.
You may be a starer in the match. This was unlikely a few years ago. How does it feel?
It’s just another game. I have to continue working as hard as I’ve done so far because it is giving me some excellent results. This game will be slightly more special because of what it means, but winning is what really matters.
What do you think about the possibility of playing as a defensive midfielder?
I only care about playing, I don’t care how. I want to help the team and I will try to do my best in that position if that’s where the coach wants me to play. I’ve played as a defensive midfielder before and managed to help the team.
Do you think it entails more responsibility?
I think we all have much responsibility on this team. There is a quality squad here despite the injuries.
Several other players, like Van Der Vaart, Guti, Gago and Sneijder, can play in your position… Do you feel you are the weakest player of the lot?
No. I work as hard as the rest and the coach decides who plays. I think I’m as good as anyone else. We all work hard to earn a spot on the team. The player who’s fittest makes the cut in the end.
Atletico have lost three games, two against strong opponents like Sevilla and Barcelona…
Atletico Madrid are a very good team. They are strong contenders for titles despite losing three games. No team is favourite at this stage because there are many matches left to be held. We will see who has chances of winning the league halfway through the second part of the campaign.
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
Ruud van Nistelrooy put the nail in the coffin on Sunday and spoke about thea team’s effort in their hard-earned victory. Higuaín and De la Red combined for the first Real Madrid goal of the evening, and the two expressed their satisfaction with the victory following the final whistle. Following Real Madrid’s 0-2 victory over Santander, Bernd Schuster commented on his team’s performance and the injury to Guti.
Ruud van Nistelrooy:
Racing played well, but we did too. Today we saw the Madrid we all want to see. It was a difficult match and the victory should boost out confidence. We must stay on track. The team was very solid in defense and took advantage of the opportunities it was given. Our strength in the first third and the team’s mentality proved crucial. Our chances improve when we play like we did. It is true that we played two poor matches, but we are improving. We did our job tonight, but it’s time to think about Wednesday. The fact that we played well is what I’ll take from this match. This is Real Madrid. We saw it with nine men against Valencia, and then two poor matches. Today we saw the Madrid we want. We know that the score isn’t all that counts. We aren’t leaving completely satisfied. We know we must improve and where. It is still September.
De la Red:
I am pleased with the goal and the effort. Today we saw that anyone on this team can play. The goal came off a great play by Gonzalo Higuaín, who provided the perfect assist. Racing put on the pressure, but we came out strong on all lines. It’s expected that we continue improving, so I am sure we will continue playing better as we have more matches under our belts. Every match is important when you wear the Real Madrid shirt and you have to win them all, which is why we don’t care who our opponent is. Coming in in the second half is always harder than just playing 15 minutes when there is already a certain rhythm that you must adjust to. We have to play serious football in order to win each match.
Higuaín:
I am happy we won and important and difficult match. The three points are all that count and we managed to take them. The first goal was finished off nicely by De la Red and gave us the lead. Van Nistelrooy’s calmed the match down and we managed to win an important game. We have important matches on the horizon, so we must continue doing what we are doing and winning. I am very happy because I have started all three matches this season, which means I must be doing a good job.
Schuster:
We did much better today. We improved without being in possession of the ball, which is even more significant on this pitch. We knew the key was to scored first, and we did.
It was just like last year. Real Madrid worked hard in every match. We weren’t going to lose or draw because of a lack of effort. We can still improve and continue searching for that final pass, but this is the side of Real Madrid I like to see.
The injury to Guti is unfortunate. We already have to injured players in that position, Gago and Sneijder, so I hope it is not severe and that he can return soon.
This was a big win with the matches we have coming up.
We are going back to Madrid with an important victory in hand and we play Sporting on Wednesday. This team will improve, which is why we work day after day. What I really look for is attitude, effort, and work ethic on the pitch. I can’t ask for more from my players.
Raúl did his job. Of course I would like to play him closer to goal, but on the road, when I have Van Nistelrooy and Higuaín, he still needs to help us. It would be different at home, but because we are on the road against this opponent, he needs to play further back.
Racing Santander 0-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid locked up their second win of the season with a 0-2 victory over Racing Santander in El Sardinero on Sunday. Goals by De la Red and Van Nistelrooy give the Whites seven on the year heading into a midweek clash in the Bernabéu against Sporting.
Real Madrid landed in Santander with doubts as to who would cover ground along the flanks. The solution was found in three forwards, Higuaín, Raúl, and Van Nistelrooy, and a midfield comprised of Diarra, Guti positioned along the right and De la Red along the left. In attack, Higuaín stuck to his typical right wing and Raúl to the left. The home side was without the services of Munitis, who was injured in training on Saturday.
Few chances on either end
The first half was an all-out struggle between both sides with little quality football to talk about. Real Madrid were unable to find any open lanes to Racing’s box, while Colsa fired the first warning shot for the hosts after a Serrano corner kick (4’).
López Muñiz played with ten men behind the ball in solid midfield play by Racing, who prevented Madrid from creating opportunities. Higuaín’s cross-shot was easily trapped by Toño (11’) as was De la Red’s strike from the top of the box following Guti’s free kick (19’).
Casillas hunted down a Racing shot 30 minutes in, then saved a well-struck ball by Pereira (36′) and another by Serrano (40’). The only Madridista answer came off the boot of De la Red, but grazed Colsa’s head and sailed over crossbar (32’). Moments prior to halftime, Guti abandoned the pitch on a stretcher after suffering a knock to his right calf and was replaced by Van der Vaart.
Door slammed shut in the second
The same 22 men who finished the first half appeared on El Sardinero turf for the opening whistle of the second period. Eight minutes into the half, a broken up play by the Madrid defense resulted in a counter led by Gonzalo Higuaín, who carried the ball to the Racing box and found Rubén De la Red wide open. The Spanish international squeezed the ball between Toño and the left post to give the Whites the lead (53’).
Luccin replaced Lucen in an attempt to add more firepower to Racing’s midfield. The hosts managed to reach Casillas’ box but were unable to beat the keeper. Valera and Tchité were also called on to find the equaliser, while Madrid slowed the tempo and Schuster subbed Robben in for Raúl (68’).
A minute later, Colsa swung in a cross for Tchité, whose header was unsuccessful in front of goal. The Madrisidistas’ response proved much more effective as Van Nistelrooy feinted around César Navas and curled the ball around the defender and between the keeper and the right post to put Madrid up by two (73’).
Racing had two more attempts before the final whistle, the first which Van der Vaart cleared off the line after a powerful Tchité header (77’). The second appeared to be dead on but deflected off Colsa. With the match in the bag, Higuaín sat for Saviola (83’) and Madrid locked up their second victory of the season.
TEAMS:
Racing de Santander: Toño; Pinillos, César Navas, Marcano, Christian; Lacen (Luccin 58′), Valera (Tchité 69′), Colsa, Serrano (Jorge Gonçalves 79′); Jonathan Pereira, Juanjo;
Real Madrid: Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze; Diarra, De la Red, Guti (Van der Vaart 46′);Van Nistelrooy, Higuaín (Saviola 86′), Raúl (Robben 70′)
GOALS:
0-1, 55′ : De la Red
0-2 75′ : Van Nisteltooy
Highlights: Matchday 3 of La Liga played.
Venue: El Sardinero
Attendance: 20,558.
De la Red on RealmadridTV
Rubén de la Red was the first guest on the Spanish edition of RealmadridTV’s new show ‘Grada Blanca’.
Much time has passed since you first joined Real Madrid…
Time flies. It seems like yesterday, but years have passed. I would have settled for less. When you start playing football, you have no idea of where you can end up. You have the constant thrill of training and improving. When you grow older you start to set goals for yourself.
Iker, Raúl, Guti… Do you take them as role-models?
The youth system players should learn from them, but what they have accomplished is very difficult. Torres, Javi García and I have to fight for a spot on the starting team every Sunday.
Four years ago you won the Under-19 Euro. The majority of the players of that squad didn’t make it.
The majority of players that participated in that championship currently play in the First Division. Some of them, however, are in the Second Division B or even in the Third.
How did you feel when you had the Euro 2008 Cup in your hands?
Goosebumps! I got to experience the celebration first-hand, and it was greater than I ever imagined. We couldn’t believe it at first, but once we arrived in Spain and a few days passed, we became ecstatic. Seeing the celebrations was more emotional than actually being there. There are many great players in Spain, but people would always say something was missing. They argued that we needed to win to prove we were among the best, as there are many international players in La Liga.
What do you recall from that day?
Scoring helped settle us down. It’s inevitable to be nervous in a final against Germany. The goal we scored before half-time made us confident and we didn’t believe we would lose under any circumstances. We managed to finally make it through the quarter finals by defeating Italy. It was evident that we were very confident against Russia and controlled the match from beginning to end. Once we reached the final we knew we couldn’t miss our chance. The team was starving for a title.
This has been a fantastic year; playing for Getafe opened a lot of doors for you.
All of us at Castilla wanted to play for first team. Sometimes I thought I wasn’t ready to play many matches as a starter. Sometimes other factors prevent players from having a chance to prove themselves. It has happened to me and it has happened to others. It is a lot easier once you adapt to the team’s pace. I was lucky to play for a side where all the players contributed equally and that is one of the main reasons why I was called-up by the national team.
You scored an amazing goal in the Super Cup…
I like to take shots from a distance. I tried my best and was lucky enough to score. Santi Aragón’s goal years ago was incredible and much harder: nine players against eleven, with a title at stake.
Do you believe Real Madrid has a solid foundation?
The team has won three titles in a short period of time, proving to have a skilful, united and determined squad. The team wants more titles and this sets a positive atmosphere for those of us who have recently joined the squad. It eases our adaptation process.
Has the squad changed much since you left?
I knew most of the players already because I played with them until last year’s 31 August. The relationship is good. I barely knew anyone at Getafe when I joined that team and had to adapt slowly. Here, the captains are the leaders of the squad. Every player has treated me well. The entire team is certain of winning more titles.
Is it worth celebrating?
No. I got back and set new goals for myself. We will try to do the best we can this season.
Is it a decision you would set in stone?
Yes. The club and I had good offers on the table, but Real Madrid put a lot of faith in me and wanted me to stay.
What a pity losing to Deportivo…
We lacked concentration during to key set pieces and a more rotund defense. The opponent also played well, so hats off to them.
The Champions League is just around the corner.
It is totally different. We play against the best teams in Europe and champions of other leagues. You don’t just represent your team, but your country as well.
Robben has gotten off to a good start.
He is a player who has a lot of speed and who can do a lot of damage along the wings. It is hard to steal the ball from him when he has open space to run in.
What took place in the dressing room during halftime of the Super Cup?
I don’t know. I was on the pitch warming up. Everyone steps up to remedy a situation like that one. We had a title at stake in front of our home crowd. [Valencia] fell back to defend and we pressured in attack. When one player rises to the occasion, we all follow suit. Players sometimes make the mistake of losing matches because they want to score when they are already winning. Real Madrid’s academy teaches you how to win and you get used to it.
How would you describe yourself at this stage of your career?
I have self-confidence. Playing a lot of matches in Primera Division last year really helped. A player needs confidence and has to be able to bring out the best from within. Everyone plays a different way.
Do you know what number you will be wearing.
Eighteen.
You can tell you really admire Guti and Raúl.
Of course I do. They have spent many years in the upper echelons of Real Madrid. Year after year they prove just how important they are, which shows just how strong their desire and will to play is.
Just another Madridista
Hala Madrid 
De la Red, Green and Blue
My heart still beats... Real Madrid of course... I am not a ZOMBIE for heaven's sake...
Happy Diwali to all.
Its a Friday and we are now a day closer to El Derbi Madrileño. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will go head to head in our first Madrid derby of the season on Sunday at the Bernabeu at 21:00 CET. The last time we played Atleti at home we won (just like the previous zillion times that we played them) so I am guessing this one would be no different. Yeah, yeah Europa League champions blah blah. They’re still Atletico and we are still Real (As tempted as I was to type FOR real instead of still Real I am trying to refrain myself from sounding corny). I’ll be frank here and admit that I have no team news with me, so when it comes to that my guess is as good as yours.
What I am equipped with tonight is stuff about Ruben De la Red (No, you corrupt buffoons not Ruben De la Red’s stuff). As you all probably know by now Ruben De la Red has officially retired from all forms of football. The Spaniard had been diagnosed with a mysterious heart condition after this incident but still had his contract running with Real Madrid until this week when he decided to call it a day. As depressing as it was, the good news here was that Ruby would still be working with Real Madrid not as a player but as a coach shunting between Alejandro Menendez and Jose Mourinho so as to develop his abilities as a coach giving him a career alternative. This would apparently go on until his contract with Real expired. The former Spanish international then attended a press conference where he made a statement regarding the same along with Director General Jorge Valdano and the other top brass of Real Madrid C.F.
He then mentioned about JM and his conversation with the boss. He said:
Valdano then appraised the press with De la Red’s exact job description:
Javier Pastore and Gareth Bale are creating ripples in Europe. While Pastore is more of a Batman limiting himself to his Gotham City viz. Palermo, Bale seems to be like He-Man creating ripples around the universe as the next Lionel Messi/the next Ryan Giggs/Gareth Bale v2.0 and what-frikkin’-not. I am confident that we don’t need either of them and would do much better without them at least at this moment. One dude we could possibly do with is Romelu Lukaku. Recently CRon spoke about the Belgian Drogba to the press and seemed quite impressed by the Anderlecht man. We do need a number 9 and he is young. JM likes it young and fresh. Bah! Just fit the pieces and you’ll see the story.
Lass is being linked away for the umpteenth time this season. Ergo I choose to ignore.
And finally for those who are interested, Manuel Pellegrini has found himself another job. No guys, not as a miner in Chile. He will be managing Malaga. He replaced pornstar Jesulado who will be returning to Dickville to fulfill his dream of directing a porn film. Good luck Manu. We still love you. It wasn’t you it was just me.
Right then. We will soon be hearing about the Squad List for tomorrow from the club and probably even have a presser to talk about. But I’ll give that a raincheck as I am heading out to have a nice and filling dinner with my mates…
Ah, like you guys even care…
Later then.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
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November 5, 2010 | Categories: Comments, News, Press Conference, Transfer Rumours | Tags: El Derbi Madrileño, Gareth Bale, Javier Pastore, Jorge Valdano, Lassana Diarrà, Manuel Pellegrini, Rubén de la Red | Leave a comment