Not much to talk about
With a round of pointless international friendlies coming up, there is not much to talk about. Unless you consider Marcelo’s venture into social networking as something worth discussing. Then of course there is the whole Cantera issue that has been going on and on for weeks now and has started getting to me as much as to Mourinho. Apart from that we can maybe ponder over whether Pepe really taunted Ballesteros or not. But in essence there is nothing worth talking about. Before you start questioning the intent behind this post let me get started.
Eight of our players have been called up by their respective national teams for friendlies most of which would be conducted on Wednesday. Nacho and Varane play on Tuesday for the U21s. Casillas, Ramos, and Albiol are in Central America, Pepe in West Africa, Di Maria is in East Asia, and Kaká in North America. With so much travel and the fatigue that is bound to be incurred I am confident that we will have yet another injury crisis as the rest of the team prepares to face Bilbao at home in the weekend and Man City away next week. That said, we had some good news at the Valdebebas with Khedira training with the first team. Benzema, who is still recovering, trained on the sidelines and would most probably stay out of the team for the weekend’s fixture. Higuaín, Özil and Ronaldo too are their respective nursing injuries. I am unsure about who would and wouldn’t be ready for this weekend’s game but I am sure I can give you a better idea in a day or two.
Marcelo is now on twitter. After his latest entry into instagram the Brazilian left back is now catching up with the rest of his up to date team mates on the mini blogging site. You can tweet him @12MarceloV. Rumor has it that he followed Cristiano before even LilWayne. Staying on the social wire and with Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar uploaded a pic on instagram and facebook reassuring fans and warning teams that he would be back as soon as it was possible for him to see with both eyes. Knowing him, the world’s third best player, who now looks as though he got into a spat with bruce lee, should be ready to challenge Lil’ Lionel for the Pichichi this weekend.
Talking about trophies, Casillas, Ramos, and Alonso were chosen as the best goalkeeper, defender, and midfielder by the coaches in charge of the teams in the league last season. They collected their rewards in the weekend. Messi though continued to beat Ronaldo when it came to winning prizes. It now seems like a competition between the teacher’s pet and the class bully (considering how CR looks now).
Real have released an official statement about the exemplary behavior displayed by us post-game at Valencia. Levante’s overaged players complained about being taunted by Pepe in the tunnel and there were even rumors that Pepe and Ballesteros went at each other in the presence of CR while he was receiving treatment. I haven’t seen anything more petty in my life and will hence not deign to talk about it.
Till tomorrow,
Para Siempre Blanco!!
Hala Madrid!!
The Pass Master
Xabi Alonso: The Pass Master
Hola,
It is not often in football that you will be able to feel the effect of a particular player on a team as a whole. And that’s what makes Xabier Alonso Olano is one of a kind. Better known as Xabi Alonso to us and born to a man who represented Barcelona as a professional footballer, Xabi has become one of the mainstays of both Real Madrid and the Spanish national team thanks to his ability to control the game from midfield. Playing the role of a footballing ventriloquist, Alonso can run a show of his own kick starting attacks and dictating the pace of the game.
Spotted in the Sociedad youth system by former Real boss John Toshack, our very own pass master became the captain of Sociedad’s senior team at the tender age of 19. His best season for the Basque team though came in 2002-03 when they finished second in the league – two points behind, yes, you got that right, Real Madrid. Xabi though was rewarded for his sensational performance winning the Best Spanish Player award by Spanish sports magazine Don Balón. He also netted 12 goals in all competitions and made over 140 appearances for his childhood club. And thanks to that he earned his first international cap under Inaki Saez against Ecuador.
But his prime time would be else where. During Liverpool’s intermediate transition from being The Reds to La Roja, Xabi Alonso was signed by yet another former Madridista Rafael Benitez and brought to Anfield. Xabi’s impact was immediate as Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League in dramatic fashion at Istanbul against AC Milan on penalties after Xabi had netted the equalizer. Till date Xabi claims that to be the most memorable moment of his career. The season after he brought to Anfield the FA Cup as well. Alonso, alongside Gerrard, was the driving force behind the Merseyside team and even played a part in dismantling Real a couple of years back in a UEFA Champions League tie. A year later things changed. The apparent talk of the arrival of Gareth Barry unsettled Xabi and thus the Spanish international handed in a transfer request. Real Madrid was his preferred destination, a club where he wanted to play even before joining Liverpool. Real too had wanted Xabi back then but had failed to meet Sociedad’s asking price. But this time Florentino ensured that he had his man promising Xabi and he wanted to make him the pillar of his new Real Madrid drawing comparisons to Cesc and Arsenal, Xavi and Barcelona, Pirlo and Milan and so on and so forth.
Xabi arrived at Madrid and his first season under Manuel Pellegrini saw him settle into the Real Madrid side becoming a permanent fixture in the line up. And slowly people started realizing the importance of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid despite the presence of stars like Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema. The season went past without much success despite being close and then arrived Jose Mourinho.
Arguably one of the best passers of the game Xabi does not have a variety of skills. His style of play is to keep it simple, striking passes, rotating the ball around the field. His passing range is one of his most important asset, something which only top-notch midfielders have. Xabi can play a diagonal from the left to the right or a through ball dissecting the center halves. Alonso is stable and knows how to go about in different situations and what pace to set. He is also a good destructor intercepting key passes that our adversaries make. Alongside Sami Khedira, Xabi is turning out to be the lynchpin of this young and rejuvenated Real Madrid side and is forming a strong partnership. Xabi Alonso might not be as flamboyant as Zinedine Zidane or as tidy as Makelele or as inspiring as Raul but Xabi Alonso is definitely a force to reckon with. His effect on the team is such that it just cannot be seen when he is there but is crystal clear in his absence. His creativity, the ability to orchestrate a team the way a manager would want to makes him one of the best midfielders Real has ever had and will ever have.
Of all that we need from Xabi the most immediate requirement would be tomorrow night when Real play Murcia in the Copa Del Rey – a tournament that we have not won since 1993. The aggregate stands at 0-0 as we welcome them home for the second leg of the last 32 tie. As minor opposition as they might be they were able to keep us from scoring for one whole game at the Jose Rico Perez. And what Real lacked the most there, as Jose Mourinho himself later admitted, was Xabi Alonso’s creativity in midfield. This time around he would be there to help us and hopefully we will be able to evade the third division curse that has been cast upon us lasting over two years now. The season before last it was Real Union, last time Alcorcon. Will it be Murcia this time? Only time can answer.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Hercules CF 1-3 Real Madrid
Karim Benzema (#9) produced a stellar performance in the 13 minutes that he was given.
Real Madrid remain at the top of the table and will remain there until next week at least as a late brace from Cristiano Ronaldo helped Los Merengues stage a marvelous comeback after going a goal down just three minutes into the game. Trezeguet’s header in the second minute was neutralized eight minutes into the second half when Calatayud spilled Ronaldo’s shot from range only for Angel Di Maria to tuck in the rebound. Real had to wait till the eighty second minute to take the lead through Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese was assisted by Karim Benzema who played a pivotal role after coming on late in the second half. Ronaldo sealed the victory with another goal through yet another assist from Benzema three minutes later making sure that Jose Mourinho’s men left the Jose Rico Perez with all three points in the bag.
Jose Mourinho made seven changes to the side that started against Murcia midweek in the Copa Del Rey with Carvalho, Marcelo, Khedira, Alonso, Ozil, Di Maria and Higuain replacing Albiol, Arbeloa, Diarra, Granero, Canales, Pedro Leon and Benzema respectively. Real stuck to the usual 4-2-3-1 formation with the trio of Ronaldo, Ozil and Di Maria playing behind Higuain. Hercules deployed a similar formation which saw Trezeguet play the central role up front just ahead of Valdez, Tiago and Thomert.
Hercules dominated the first couple of minutes and were given a dream start when Cortes’ cross from the right was met by a waiting David Trezeguet. The former Juventus man’s looping header defeated Saint Iker raising questions as to why there wasn’t a single white shirt challenging for the ball inside our own box. And as a result Real Madrid went down by a goal for the first time this season. A comeback was mandatory if three points had to be taken.
The fan support for the Alicante club was tremendous as the crowd tried their best to make sure that Real never really got into the groove. Credit, though, must be given to Hercules for not trying to sit on their lead and for making it a compelling contest. I felt that Real were losing the ball quite easily unlike the previous games. Hercules though didn’t capitalize on it and continued to give the ball back. Real slowly started looking like the side that beat Santander 6-1 and started making use of the superior possession as the game progressed. Hercules were happy to have little possession of the ball and it looked as though their plan was to counter attack Real on the break. But the tiring legs of Trezeguet and the Valdez’s agility was well matched by the Portuguese central defenders.
With a little over twenty minutes gone Real had their first real chance on goal. Cristiano’s shot from distance was parried by Calatayud and his save fell right into the feet of Higuain whose low curling shot went straight to the keeper. And almost instantly Hercules almost had their second goal. Cortes released Tiago Gomes on the right hand side of midfield and Gomes’ searching cross fell to Thomert on the other side of the box. Thomert somehow managed to cross the ball over to Trezeguet to the center of the six yard box and thankfully his header was directed straight at Saint Iker. Close call and yet again Trezeguet was left unmarked. JM clearly was upset.
Trezeguet seemed to provide Hercules with what Real currently lack. Aerial Prowess. Throughout the game one can see several crosses from the likes of Di Maria, Alonso and Marcelo fall into no man’s land as only Ronaldo has the ability in our front four to meet such crosses. Higuain as we all know cannot head to save his life. Either Real should stop wasting possession by crossing or go out there and get a real #9.
Half an hour had gone by and some good passing by Real led to Higuain crossing for Ronaldo to shoot into an open goal only to be blocked Cortes in a last ditch effort. It wasn’t the best of chances but that was all that we had. Hercules’ wide players and especially Thomert was posing a serious threat to the Real defense. Sergio Ramos unlike Arbeloa was concentrating more on attacking duty that defensive ones. Real on the other hand had failed to make any use of the possession that they had and the game was nearing the halfway mark. It looked as though Hercules were playing to Esteban Vigo’s script. A minute was added on to the first half and Real’s last attack would be Marcelo’s low shot which went wide. It was half time and the Alicante crowd went frantic.
The second half started with no changes made by either side but that wouldn’t last long as Olivier Thomert was stretchered off after the Frenchman had pulled a muscle or so it seemed. Sendoa replaced him and in the meantime Di Maria had tested Calatayud twice within a span of 60 seconds. A minute later the Argentine got the better of the custodian as Cristiano’s shot from range was too hot for the keeper to hold. But the spill would be costlier. Di Maria tucked in the rebound and Real were level with a little more than 40 minutes to play. Real should have rightfully gone ahead when Xabi Alonso’s beautiful long ball left Ronaldo one on one with the keeper but the number 7 was adjudged to be offside when in fact he wasn’t.
The match was sixty five minutes old when Xabi Alonso was booked for stretchering off Abel Aguilar. The player was hurt but was fit enough to continue and Vigo then decided to make his second change of the game. One veteran for another and Francisco Rufete, the former Valencia and Espanyol winger was brought in for the goal scorer Trezeguet. Real continued to dominate possession and had several half chances but it looked like one of those days when you dominate a game but still end up with nothing. A few minutes later an Ozil corner was headed straight at Calatayud (I just love typing that name) by Sergio Ramos and that was as close as we could get. Hercules then brought on former Madridista Javier Portillo on for Nelson Valdez who was injured by the ball and had to be stretchered off.
A change was on the cards as Karim Benzema suited up on the sidelines. He was brought in for Pepe (when everybody thought it would be Higuain who would be taken off) showing how intent Real were on bagging three points. But why Benzema I am sure many Madridistas wondered. The French striker was coming under immense criticism for underperforming and was coming out of a poor show against Murcia in the King’s Cup game. And just then the number 9 played a quick exchange with little Marcel inside the Hercules box and took a shot which Calatayud spilled straight to the waiting Cristiano Ronaldo who was happy to slot home his 11th goal in 8 games this month alone. Benzema had made an immediate impact against a team at a ground in which he scored a brace only a couple of months back and his team mates clearly showed how happy they really were with him.
JM immediately brought in Arbeloa and Albiol for Ozil and Higuain with Marcelo moving to midfield and Sergio Ramos was playing right back again. The clock struck eighty five minutes and a Sergio Ramos stole the ball from Hercules and released Di Maria who set Benzema free into their box. Ronaldo was waiting inside the box and Benzema made the right pass for the Portuguese to score his 12th goal of the season making October 2010 the best ever month in his illustrious career. Benzema’s second assist in ten minutes of coming on. Game, set and match Real Madrid. Ronaldo should have and could have scored his third of the night when a combined effort from Di Maria and Benzema put Ronaldo through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat which he did but shot high over the bar. It wouldn’t matter as Real completed a well fought victory over a very good side which fought right till the end.
Mourinho had this to say about the match:
The first half was very complicated because our opponent was aggressive. I didn’t like Hercules’ goal because I talked to my players about efforts such as the one it came from. We were practically alone playing football during the second half. We increased our defensive efforts. The most important thing is we took three points that keep us at the top of the table for another week.
Hercules are having a good run in the championship and they have players who are very good at playing this sort of game. Their fans were very supportive of them, adding intensity to their game, which relied on fast ventures in attack. We took risks and everything tastes better when you risk and also win. We had to win this game.
He was quick to appreciate Benzema’s performance and also commented on the fact that Mano Menenzes did not call up Marcelo for Brazil’s upcoming friendly against Argentina in Doha.
Benzema didn’t score, but he created three goals: the first, the third and a possible fourth Cristiano could have netted. He was an extra help in attack and became a new problem for Hercules to solve. He completely changed the game’s dynamics. He may not have scored, but his influence on our game was enormous. This performance will be good for his morale. I am very happy for him.
Marcelo has been playing fantastically well since the start of the season. He has more time to recover because he hasn’t been called-up by Brazil. This is better for us but worse for Brazil, who miss out on having a full back of his quality. This may help him play the whole season at this level.
Director General Jorge Valdano shared his satisfaction with the victory.
We played a tough match tonight. Hercules defended well and had strong counter-attacks during the first half. We controlled the game better in the second part and won thanks to our insistence. This is the first time we’ve had to turn the score around this season and it will be useful to boost our confidence and to carry on working the way we do.
Hercules scored early in the game and we grew anxious. We controlled the game better after we scored our first strike. We pulled through thanks to our insistent attitude.
The players then commented on their performance with Ronaldo heaping praise on Benzema as well as talking about his current rich vein of form. He revealed that it was Mourinho’s half time talk that changed things around. Di Maria too was delighted with the win and said that the team will shift its focus to Milan.
Cristiano Ronaldo:
I’m in great form and having a phenomenal run. I scored goals and I’m happy because we are still leaders. The team played well after half-time, doing the never-easy task of scoring three goals. I am also very happy for Benzema. He played a decisive role and assisted me in our third goal.
Mourinho gave perfect and correct orders during half-time that changed the team. Everything has to work on the pitch, it isn’t enough to attack well. Everything we did in the second half was perfect and that’s why we won.
Di Maria:
I am very happy. Winning was what really mattered. We deserved it because we changed in the second half and did our best to win. These are the games that help you win titles. We had to win whatever the cost. I’m happy because the fans support me. I always try to do my best. I play to help the team do well. I’m happy for the victory and we will start to think about Milan tomorrow.
Along with Xabi and Iker, Benzema too spoke to the media post-game. While the captain was appreciative about the roles of Mourinho and Benzema, Xabi insisted that the team should now try and seal their passage to the next round of the Champions League with a win over Milan midweek.
Benzema:
Whenever we speak, Mourinho always tells me I can do much for the team on the pitch. People will realise I am a good player, I just need to play. Before the game, I told the coach I was going to work to play more.
Casillas:
The important thing is we continue to win and to be at the top. Real Madrid were different in the second half from the team they were in the first. Our mentality changed. Our reaction to losing against a difficult opponent was also important. We played at a small and complicated venue.
We are all very happy for Benzema. He deserved to play this well after having to listen to endless comments about him during the past week.
Mourinho is a phenomenon because he controls each half very well and always knows how to say the right thing at the right time. Our reaction in the second half was due in part to what he said in the dressing room and to the successful substitutions he made.
Alonso:
We know every point dropped could eventually be decisive. That’s why these three are so important. We will also try to seal our pass to the next round in the Champions League in Milan this week.
In all it was a good win. A new kind of victory somewhat so to speak as this was our first comeback win of the season. The rarer the better I’d say. I am very happy with Benzema’s performance in particular. He came on and worked hard for the ball and almost whatever he did was productive. I hope he continues to work the same way and give Pipita a good run for his money. Its time to focus on Milan now as Real heads to the San Siro on Tuesday. A win there would take us through. A draw should also do. But I am looking at revenge and hence I would love for Real to get all three points when they get back home.
Match Stats:
Hércules: Calatayud, Cortés, Pamarot, Rodríguez, Peña, Abel Aguilar, Fritzler, Tiago Gomes, Valdez (Portillo 82′), Thomert (Sendoa 51′), Trezeguet (Rufete 70′);
Real Madrid: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Carvalho, Pepe (Benzema 77′), Marcelo, Alonso, Khedira, Ronaldo, Ozil (Arbeloa 85′), Di Maria, Higuain (Albiol 85′);
Goals:
1-0, 3′: Trezeguet
1-1, 53′: Di Maria;
1-2, 82′: Ronaldo;
1-3, 85′: Ronaldo;
Notes: La Liga, Matchday 9.
Venue: Jose Rico Perez
Referee: Mr. Clos Gomez
Booked: Carvalho, Marcelo, Alonso;
Man of the match: Karim Benzema
The Red Carpet
Its thanksgiving season isn’t it. This is the time of the year when the World of Football thanks the best players and coaches over the past year or so by showering accolades on them. Blah Blah Blah.
Good day to all,
And today its all about the awards and the nominations that our players have earned. Let me get straight to the point.
Firstly Iker Casillas, Xabi Alonso, Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo have been included in the 23-man shortlist of finalists to win this year’s Ballon d’Or. The winner will be anounced in Zurich on 10 January 2011. FIFA announced the nominees on Tuesday, following an agreement between the entity and France Football to merge their Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player awards. It is to be noted that there is no Englishman in the final 23. On December 6th, FIFA and France Football will announce the three players to receive the most votes from male and female national team captains and coaches, as well as representatives from the media appointed by the French magazine.
Secondly, Jose Mourinho has been included in the 10-man nominee list for the 2010 FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football. The winner of the award too will be announced in Zurich on 10 January 2011.
And finally Xabi Alonso was presented with the Lan Onari award on Monday by the President of the Basque autonomous region, Patxi Lopez. The Lan Onari acknowledges the merits of Basques who have achieved extraordinary distinction through their dedication, perseverance and initiative in the course of their professional activities.
Over to the Valdebebas and Jose Mourinho allowed those players called-up for the King’s cup match at Murcia to have the day off. On the other hand, Xabi Alonso, Ozil, Marcelo, Carvalho and Adan (who was called-up) were requested to train with Castilla. Real face off against Hercules at the Jose Rico Perez on Saturday in what will be a crucial clash with respect to the title race despite being so early in the season. It is indeed important to win clashes like these as in the end it is games such as this one which make the difference. Right now Real sit on top of the league by a marginal difference of one point over Villareal for which we might have to thank Hercules. Their 2-2 draw against the Yellow Submarine earned us the advantage. Villareal will be hoping that something similar happens to us.
Going by the Murcia game we are not in the finest of form though the game last weekend may suggest otherwise. We have an important clash in the Champions League next week and we must ensure that we are in fine nick when we travel to the San Siro. A win at the San Siro will ensure us a spot in the knock out stages and that should help us concentrate on the league until February.
Also in the news is the talk about the Clasico being conducted on a Monday. The players don’t like the idea of it and we fans don’t want it that way either. Ideally I would have preferred a Saturday but that has been ruled out. So I am hoping that it will be on a Sunday. Talking about derbies, LFP has announced that the time for the Madrid derby at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday 7 November. The game will kick off at 21:00 CET.
And that’s about it. Short and sweet wasn’t it.
Anyhoo until another day,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Alonso press conference
Xabi Alonso addressed the media during a publicity act. The midfielder analysed the team’s performances of late, adding the team wants to defeat Deportivo to thirll their home crowd.
Xabi Alonso: "We are ambitious so as to improve on a daily basis"
Season so far:
I think we are trying to do our best, but we can still improve. We can do a better job collectively speaking. The more games we play, the more we get to know each other and the better we grasp the coach’s intentions, the more we will become stronger and competitive side. We are currently under construction and the team is working well. We are happy with our performances and we are ambitious so as to improve on a daily basis.
Squad:
The balance we have between defence and attack is good. We don’t concede goals, so I hope we keep this up. We’ve had many chances to score, especially against Ajax, although we only won 2-0. We could have won against Mallorca and Levante. The scores we earn shouldn’t tarnish the work we do. I hope our aim improves, but I’m not worried about it. We will start scoring many strikes again one of these days. Goal scorers have streaks and ours will soon get their’s.
Mourinho:
Our relationship with Mourinho is very honest. Everything he tells the media he’s told us beforehand. We have a clear idea of what we must do and the atmosphere in the dressing room is very good. Our coach has a very strong personality and a clear way of working both on and off the pitch. He tries to motivate us both on an individual and a collective level. He wants each of us to do our best.
Deportivo:
We want to win against Deportivo by performing well. We did very well against Auxerre. We controlled the match and created good ball movement. We lacked more chances on goal because they were fierce in defence, but we did a good job nonetheless. We try to speak out on the pitch so that our fans enjoy watching us play both at home and away. I’m sure the Bernabeu crowd will respond positively to our game.
Responsibility:
I always try to be as reliable as I possibly can and to help my coach and team-mates. I tend to think you are neither phenomenal when you have a great game nor a disaster when you don’t. You have to find a middle ground and remain calm. All of us in this project accept the responsibility and the pressure that come with playing for Real Madrid.
Alonso press conference
Xabi Alonso will face Real Sociedad, the team where he began his career, on Saturday.
"There will be three points at stake against Real Sociedad, so we will be opponents for 90 minutes"
Sociedad:
There will be three points at stake against Real Sociedad, so we will be opponents for 90 minutes, although I’ve always been and always will be a Real Sociedad supporter. It’s always nice to go back home. They’ve always greeted me well over there.
Key players:
Ozil is a very good footballer. He has good timing, works from the back and has great vision. His work on the team is fantastic and I believe he may become an important player in the future. Cristiano Ronaldo is not anxious. He just wants to help the team and I’m sure he will score again. Karim Benzema is a quality striker. He may be introverted, but his devotion to the team is solid.
Mourinho:
Mourinho isn’t a defensive coach. His Chelsea was demolishing. We want to win our games with authority and to become a competitive team. I hope we keep up the tendency we showcased yesterday. The coach focuses on small details when he analyses our opponents and every player he has ever coached speaks highly of him. Everything he says in the press has been previously said to us.
You scratch my back and I scratch yours
Crucial international fixtures
As the international week rounds off to a conclusion at least temporarily the Whites participated in their second training session of the week at Valdebebas on Tuesday and were joined by four academy players. The seven first teamers not on international duty viz. Dudek, Adan, Marcelo, Pedro Leon, Pepe, Mateos and Granero worked out under Jose Mourinho’s supervision along with youth teamers Alex, Juanfran, Morata and Sarabia.
The internationals on duty will play their last matches today; Germany, France, Portugal and Spain’s Under-21 play qualifying games for the Euro 2012, while Spain and Argentina meet in Buenos Aires for a friendly.
And Gonzalo Higuain, who will play a part in the friendly, offered his thoughts on the Spanish national team.
Iker is the best keeper in the world. He is incredible. He is making history. Nothing is impossible in football. Spain has been the best team for a while because they have earned it. They are a cut or two above all the rest. Their football is some of the best ever seen, but Argentina is capable of beating anyone.
Spain and Argentina have faced each other 12 times, resulting in five victories for each and two draws. The last time they played each other our very own Xabi Alonso scored a brace in the 2-1 win. The midfielder too had kind words for the Argentine National team:
Even though there aren’t points involved, the game against Argentina isn’t a friendly one, as it was proven in the game in Madrid. We aren’t fighting for points but we are fighting for things equally important, like prestige. We have to defend the world champion star on our national team shirts and the game will be watched by millions.
The enticing friendly will be played at River Plate’s Monumental Stadium. Most probably, the starters from Friday’s win would be rested for the clash to avoid fatigue as it is just a friendly.
In other news, Karim Benzema is fit again and will travel to Bosnia with the French National team in what would be a crucial game. Sergio Canales too plays an important game as Spain must win against Poland in order to qualify for the play-offs.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Xabi Alonso press conference
Xabi Alonso discussed the team’s intentions for their first official match on Sunday.
Xabi Alonso: "We want to win and make people happy. The squad has been working very hard in order to be confident and earn a victory"
The team’s condition:
The team is still evolving. The internationals rejoined the squad throughout the preseason following the World Cup. The coach needs time for the players to act out his new ideas on the pitch. We have to continue working, but we will improve with time. Winning is the only thing that counts at Real Madrid. The schedule is very tight and we will play almost every Tuesday or Wednesday.
Intentions:
We want to win and make people happy. The squad has been working very hard in order to be confident and win the game against Mallorca. It is very important to being the season with a victory and avoid mistakes. We will have time to talk about the Champions League draw and the teams we are facing, but now we are only focused on the match against Real Mallorca.
Mourinho:
Every coach has his own methods, but Mourinho has a very special way of working; standing united accomplishes positive results. Mourinho is very straightforward with his ideas and he also plays his ‘own game’ off the pitch.
Role in the team:
I have to balance out the midfield: I have to keep the ball rolling fast and control the game. It is not very different from what I have been doing in the past. Canales is very natural, he is a good guy and he has adapted to the team very well. He really wants to learn and he also has great potential and foresight. He is very young and lucky to play at Real Madrid. He has a very promising future.
What they say about Raul
Real Madrid squad members agree that Real Madrid is bidding farewell to a one-of-a-kind captain, player and legend. Here is what they had to say about Raul.
"Raul is an icon and will forever be a part of Real Madrid"
Iker Casillas:
Raul is a symbol of Real Madrid. A great captain is defined by ups and downs, knowing how to always make the best of any situation. Raul is an example of professionalism and he helped me grow as a player and person. The incredible histories of clubs are written by great footballers, and Raul is one of them.
Cristiano Ronaldo:
Playing by Raul’s side has been an honor. I always dreamed of doing so as a kid. It was an honor to share the same dressing room and I wish him all the best.
Xabi Alonso:
Raul represents the values of Real Madrid. He is a symbol and a part of this club’s history. It isn’t easy to play for Real Madrid for 15 years, but he did because is a magnificent player.
Kaka:
Raul is an amazing player and an important member of this club. Raul will forever be a part of Madridismo and his leaving is a sad day for fans and teammates.
What they say about Guti
Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas, along with his teammates had nothing but kind words for departing teammate Guti on his last day as a Real Madrid player.
"One of the greatest footballers and a role model for Real Madrid academy players is leaving and we will really miss him because he is an exceptional person"
Florentino Perez:
As President of Real Madrid, I wish to thank Guti for everything he’s done for the Club these past 24 years. Spending a lifetime defending and fighting for our team shows the degree of loyalty and passion he has for Real Madrid. I will never forget the incredibly important offer Guti received from great club AC Milan when I entered office for the first time in 2000. He nevertheless chose to remain with us.
Guti was and is a different player who has exceptional talent. That’s why he has always had a special room in the heart of all our fans worldwide.
His career has unquestionably become part of Real Madrid history. His contribution to the title success the team has had these years proves just how lucky Madridismo has been to have him. Real Madrid will forever be his home.
I had the chance to talk to him this mornring and, as President, thanked him in the name of all Madridistas for everything he’s given us, for his talent and for the imagination he’s showcased on the pitch.
Guti begins a new stage in his life and I’m sure he will continue to prove his quality. I wish him luck in this new venture. He knows Madridismo will never forget him.
Iker Casillas:
Guti is a great player, a great person and a great captain. He leaves us now but he will always be part of Real Madrid. As a footballer, he has always been one of the most talented players I have ever seen in my life. As a person, I have known him from the past 10 years. He is very kind-hearted and I consider him to be a good friend. I am never going to forget his moves, passes and superb matches. He will always be part of Real Madrid’s history and I will miss him very much.
Spain 6-0 Poland
Fernando Torres made a scoring return from injury as Spain overpowered Poland 6-0 in their last warm-up match before departing for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.
Xabi Alonso (extreme right) too got on the scoresheet.
Torres came on after 66 minutes and showed no ill effects from the injury which had seen him miss the end of the season with Liverpool, but Andres Iniesta went off with a thigh problem, the Barcelona midfielder’s fitness was the only concern for coach Vicente del Bosque.
Iniesta was involved as Spain cruised to a comfortable 2-0 lead at half-time. The Barcelona star brilliantly set up Spain’s first two goals in the opening 15 minutes for David Villa and David Silva, and was in a class of his own for much of the first half, but was forced to depart before the interval after feeling a teak in his thigh. It looked to be just a precaution, but with just over a week until Spain’s opening game, Del Bosque was not prepared to take any risks.
Xabi Alonso scored a third for Spain with a deflected effort early in the second half, before further strikes from Cesc Fabregas, Torres and Pedro rounded off an impressive victory late on. Murcia’s La Condomina stadium enjoyed a carnival atmosphere as Spain’s fans came to bid farewell to their side ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Del Bosque opted for a dynamic 4-3-3 formation, with Villa up front, flanked by Iniesta on the left and David Silva on the right. Liverpool striker Torres, still recovering from a knee injury which required surgery in April, was kept in reserve, but the attacking quality on display was still impressive.
Iniesta was the man to inspire Spain early on. The Barcelona midfielder missed much of the season with a thigh problem, but was back to his very best in the opening stages of this match. The 26 year-old escaped down the left flank after 12 minutes, beat his marker and sent in an inviting cross for the advancing Villa, who slid in to turn the ball in from close range, although the last touch may have come off a Poland defender.
However, there was no doubting the second goal, which was created by a moment of genius from Iniesta. The Barcelona midfielder took up possession on the edge of the box, looked up and, crowded out by four Poland defenders, scooped an extraordinary pass over them all to Barcelona team-mate Xavi, who squared for the unmarked Silva to slot home with ease.
Iniesta continued to look lively, but was feeling his thigh in the lead-up to half-time and departed shortly before the interval. The second half was an even more one-sided affair.
Alonso made it three with a deflected low drive after Xavi had squared a well-worked free-kick seven minutes into the second period. Del Bosque rang the changes after that, with Jesus Navas, Sergio Ramos and Fabregas all coming on. And Fabregas was quickly involved, slotting home the fourth two minutes later with an angled drive past Tomasz Kuszczak in the Poland goal.
Torres then came on to huge cheers and was also on the scoresheet within nine minutes, slotting home Pedro’s low cross from close range to make it 5-0. Pedro make it six with a lobbed effort with nine minutes left which Kuszczak tried to palm away but the ball had already crossed the line. The Manchester United keeper denied Navas a seventh Spain goal shortly afterwards.
Spain 3-2 Saudi Arabia
Substitute Fernando Llorente rescued Spain with an injury-time winner in a 3-2 friendly victory over Saudi Arabia in Innsbruck, Austria.
Xabi Alonso got himself on the scoresheet
Osama Hawsawi gave Saudi Arabia a shock lead and although David Villa and Xabi Alonso scored to turn things around, Mohammed Al-Sahlawi’s 74th-minute goal appeared to have denied the European champions. However, Athletic Bilbao striker Llorente netted a minute into time added on to save the blushes of Vicente Del Bosque and his team – tipped by many to challenge strongly for glory in South Africa.
Villa had the first chance of the game in the eighth minute – but his 20-yard shot was well off target. Saudi Arabia responded almost immediately, with Naif Hazazi’s effort from the right side of the penalty area going wide of Iker Casillas’ goal. Spain defender Sergio Ramos came close in the 13th minute, when he headed Xavi’s corner just wide from 12 yards.
However, the Saudis went straight up the other end and were given an opportunity to take the lead when defender Gerard Pique fouled Mishal Al Saeed. Abdoh Autef took the free-kick, but his curling left-foot effort from around 18 yards out hit the Spain wall. In the 17th minute though, Saudi Arabia did make Spain pay as they took a surprise lead.
Spain conceded a corner and Autef’s delivery was perfect for Hawsawi to head low past Casillas from 12 yards. Del Bosque’s side responded to the setback positively, with Villa bringing an excellent save out of goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah. However, Villa was not to be denied as he brought Spain level just past the half hour mark.
Andres Iniesta’s cross from the left was perfect for Villa – and the Barcelona striker clinically headed past Abdullah. Pique could have got on the scoresheet himself two minutes later, but his connection with Xavi’s cross was poor and Abdullah saved easily. Xavi was the provider soon after, as Ramos hit the post from 12 yards. Then in the 38th minute Villa was off target from 18 yards.
The Saudis held on until half-time – but the pattern of play did not change when the contest resumed, with Spain looking the most likely to take the lead. The breakthrough came in the 59th minute, when Alonso’s well-struck low effort from 25 yards was precise enough to beat Abdullah. A glut of substitutions followed, with Jesus Navas, Pedro Rodriguez, Carlos Marchena and Joan Capdevila coming on at the expense of Iniesta, Ramos, David Silva and Carles Puyol.
Saudi Arabia replaced goalscorer Hawsawi and Naif Hazazi with Yahia Al-Shehri and Al-Sahlawi as they sought an equaliser. And Al Nassr striker Al-Sahlawi did not take long to make an impact, picking the ball up from his fellow substitute and beating Casillas with a crisp low shot from 18 yards in the 74th minute.
The lively 23-year-old tried his luck again five minutes later after Alonso had fouled Al-Shehri, but his dead-ball effort went over the bar. Llorente, a 70th-minute replacement for Villa, shot wide from 18 yards in the 83rd minute as Spain pressed for the winner. They looked set to be frustrated by some determined Saudi defending, until Llorente headed in Alonso’s corner.
The focus shifts to South Africa
With yet another thrilling season of La Liga completed and having crowned FC Barcelona as Champions yet again the focus now shifts to South Africa where the FIFA World Cup 2010 will take place. Madridistas taking part in this edition of arguably the World’s biggest sporting event will include Iker Casillas, Raul Albiol, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, Kaka, Gonzalo Higuain and Rafael van der Vaart. Lass and Benzema will miss out on helping France due to an injury and a strategic decision respectively while Metzelder too has been excluded from the Germany side chosen to represent the country.
The World Cup kicks off on June 11th with Spain being tipped as the favorites to win considering their impeccable run in to the trophy having not dropped a single point during qualification. Like all the other players, Albiol too is excited about the World Cup. Speaking to the press with reference to the same he said:
Spain are favorites, like some of the other teams are. We have to prove this. We must be humble and work hard to win our games. Every Spaniard dreams about winning the World Cup.
Compatriot Xabi Alonso though is keen to avoid the favorites tag. Alonso told GQ:
We have a good opportunity . We don’t think if we’re favourites. What does it mean to be favourite? It doesn’t add anything. The team is in a good way, but we learned at the Confederations Cup that if we had a bad day we were out of the race.
In this sort of competition you have to be really consistent and it’s very important that the players arrive in good shape. This year we have a lot of determination and conviction; there are reasons to believe that we can win the World Cup.
Argentina, Brazil, The Netherlands and Germany go in as the other favorites while Portugal, Italy and France are not as strong as they were in the previous versions of the prestigious trophy.
The road to the World for the various Madridistas can be summarized as follows. The Reds began preparing for the championship on 24 May. Casillas, Arbeloa, Ramos, Albiol and Xabi Alonso joined their Spanish team-mates in Las Rozas. The team’s preparation will follow three stages: Spain, Austria and Spain again. Higuain’s national side started preparing for the World Cup on 20 May in the sports grounds of the Argentinean FA. The team will travel to South Africa on 28 May. Kaka’s team met on 21 May at Atletico Paranaense’s training facilities. They will leave for Johannesburg five days later. Their flight will have a stage in Brasilia, where the team will be received by President Lula da Silva. Cristiano Ronado and Pepe are currently with Portugal, who got together on 14 May. The team will leave for Johannesburg on 5 June. Van der Vaart’s national team will remain in Seefeld, Tyrol (Austria), between 19 and 31 May. They will face Hungary in their last pre-World Cup match on 5 June.
No surprises as far as which team I will be supporting. It will be Spain and Hala Madrid will follow The Reds throughout their campaign right from their pre-World Cup friendly on 29th May against the Saudi Arabians.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
The 23 men who will win the World Cup for Spain
Vicente del Bosque confirmed his final selection of the 23 men who will travel to South Africa on Thursday afternoon in which he named the Barcelona duo of Pedro and Victor Valdes who have never won a cap for Spain, along with Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez. All five Madridistas who made the preliminary squad have made the cut.
Valdes joins the squad as third-choice goalkeeper, behind Iker Casillas and Pepe Reina, having edged in front of Diego Lopez and David De Gea in Del Bosque’s plans. Pedro, 22, is also included after scoring 22 goals in all competitions for Barcelona this season and the forward joins Jesus Navas, Juan Manuel Mata, Fernando Llorente, Fernando Torres and David Villa in Del Bosque’s attacking ranks.
Torres and Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas have both been named in the squad despite nursing injuries that prevented them from featuring at the conclusion of the Premier League season.
The coach was forced to cut seven players and most notable among those was midfielder Marcos Senna, who played a key role in the country’s success at Euro 2008. Fellow Villarreal star Santi Cazorla and Fenerbahce striker Dani Guiza also miss out despite their participation at Austria and Switzerland. Osasuna defender Cesar Azpilicueta and Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo make up the remainder of the seven players that have been culled from Del Bosque’s preliminary squad.
Del Bosque announces the provisional squad
Vicente Del Bosque has named injured trio Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas and Andres Iniesta in his initial 30-man World Cup squad, while uncapped Barcelona forward Pedro and goalkeeper Victor Valdes is also included. Other than that there are no major surprises in the provisional 30.
Torres, Fabregas and Iniesta all played an important role in Spain’s Euro 2008 triumph and impeccable qualifying campaign for this summer’s finals, and Del Bosque appears willing to gamble on their fitness. Iniesta and Barcelona team-mate Xavi have both been injured of late, while Fabregas missed the run-in to Arsenal’s season and Torres has also been on the sidelines for Liverpool.
But Xavi has recently returned to the first-team fold with the Catalans and Fabregas confirmed that he is “on schedule” with his rehabilitation from a cracked fibula. Torres and Iniesta have also expressed their belief that they will be fit and raring to go for the finals.
Sevilla winger Jesus Navas is included after another impressive season, and he has reportedly been receiving treatment to try to overcome the well-documented problems with travel anxiety that had looked likely to hamper his chances of playing at the World Cup.
Del Bosque has selected five goalkeepers in the list, with uncapped duo Victor Valdes of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid youngster David De Gea likely to be battling out with Villarreal’s Diego Lopez to see who will be joining Iker Casillas and Jose Reina in the final squad.
Aside from the players who have featured regularly for the European champions in recent times, Del Bosque has also named Barca winger Pedro, Osasuna defender Cesar Azpilicueta and Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez in the list, though there is no place for talented youngsters Bojan Krkic and Sergio Canales, or Spain’s record scorer Raul.
Spain provisional squad:
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), David De Gea (Atletico Madrid), Diego Lopez (Villarreal), Jose Reina (Liverpool) Victor Valdes (Barcelona).
Defenders: Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid) Cesar Azpilicueta (Osasuna), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid).
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergi Busquets (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao) Marcos Senna (Villarreal), David Silva (Valencia), Xavi (Barcelona).
Forwards: Santi Cazorla (Villarreal), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Juan Manuel Mata (Valencia) Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona), Dani Guiza (Fenerbache) Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla), Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC) and David Villa (Valencia).
Post-match comments
Director General Jorge Valdano praised his team for earning a crucial victory in Mallorca tonight. Manuel Pellegrini was very satisfied with his team’s victory. The coach pointed out his men performed better in the second half. Mallorca coach Gregorio Manzano declared that the difference between Real Madrid, Barcelona and the rest of the Primera Liga is “astronomical.” Afterwards, Manzano acknowledged the superiority of Los Merengues and in particular Cristiano Ronaldo. Delighted with the victory and his hat-trick, Ronaldo shared his thoughts on the match with the media. The Real Madrid squad was delighted with the victory.
"We improved considerably in the second half and won a difficult game"
Valdano:
We were somewhat uneven in the first half, but we showcased our dominating skills in the last 45 minutes. We concentrate on the job at hand and we always show our professional character and excitement to win this title.
Cristiano Ronaldo showcases the Club’s trademark winning spirit. He is an extraordinary player, but I don’t think it’s fair to say the team depends on him.
We will have to win our match this weekend regardless of what happens between Barcelona and Sevilla. We must play a serious game, like we did during tonight’s second half, and wait for our chance.
Pellegrini:
I think there was a considerable difference between our performances in the first and second halves. We suffered a lot in the first against Mallorca’s counterattacks. We were better organised in the second part and managed to tip the scales towards us.
We knew we were going to have a rough time. We all know what Mallorca are capable of, especially as locals. We luckily managed to win the match and to do so decisively.
We all know Cristiano is an extremely important player. This team plays in regard to the quality of its men and Cristiano is one of them. He plays a crucial role. Nevertheless, the team responded well when he missed two months because of an injury.
We need to defeat Athletic Bilbao and Malaga to reach the 98-point mark. There’s much at stake for both sides. We feel strong and confident both on and off the pitch, but we still don’t depend on ourselves, so we have to avoid mistakes and wait for Barcelona to make some.
Manzano:
For 60 minutes we played a very good game. We kept the order, nullified Madrid and we created chances but the second goal affected us in terms of mindset. Then, we opened up looking for an equalizer and Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in individual actions. He is very dangerous with the ball at his feet.
It is very difficult to take the ball off Madrid, despite the enormous physical effort we made. The difference between Madrid and Barcelona with the rest of the teams is astronomical.
Xabi Alonso press conference
Although he is confident that Real Madrid will win out, Xabi Alonso made it clear that the team needs to keep its cool until the season comes to a close.
"We have four matches left until the league ends and we are planning on winning all of them"
Barca-Villareal:
We have to focus on ourselves and no one else. We have an important match this weekend against Osasuna, which is followed by Mallorca, Athetic and Malaga. We also depend on what Barcelona do, but we are only concerned about winning our matches. We have to prepare regardless of how their elimination from the Champions League affects them.
Title hopes:
We are fighting for the title. Both teams are strong and winning a lot of matches. We cannot worry about their results. We just hope they slip up and soon. We have to play our football no matter what they do.
Kaka:
The fact that Kaka is back is great news, but it’s a shame that Rafa is unavailable.
Xabi Alonso press conference
Xabi Alonso talked about the forthcoming match against Almeria and the team’s defeat on Saturday.
"We only think about defeating Almeria"
Response:
We want to respond on the pitch. Losing to Olympique Lyonnais was also a hard blow, but we earned a good victory against Valladolid in our following match. The best thing we can do to recover is win on Thursday. The Clasico was an important match and things didn’t turn out as we expected. Barcelona took all the points and we were hurt by that.
Almeria:
We want to take things slowly, but we no longer depend on ourselves. Almeria are a complicated opponent and many teams have dropped points at their stadium. We don’t want to be one of them. We think about winning the match. That is all that’s on our minds.
Title hopes:
There are 21 points still at stake. Many things can happen. We’ve done many positive things this year, but this is still a new project. The Club has new players and a new Board. There will be enough time to draw conclusions in the future. Right now we must focus on winning all our games to try to take the title.
Exit Stage Right for Guti
In what would be heart-breaking news for a few but comforting for others Guti has admitted that moving to the Premier League is an attractive option after revealing there is no chance of him staying at Real Madrid. The 33-year-old believes that he has two more years left at a high level and wants to experience a new challenge before hanging up his boots. In an interview to Onda Madrid, the midfielder has confessed that this would be his last Clásico. He said:
Right now there is no possibility that I will stay at Madrid. This will be my last clasico. I have a year left on my contract but I think we can reach an understanding. I am sure that they will understand that my best option is to go.
Guti has always had a problem with something or the other every season. He has a contract for life with Real something that would renew itself it the player makes a particular number of appearances. But his place in the side this time around has been questioned and the blond bombshell has made fewer appearances than he would have liked.
With Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal and several other Premier League clubs on his trail, the veteran midfielder hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a move elsewhere. He said that he doesn’t want to make a big scene out of his plans to move on and that he wants to leave Real with dignity. And with dignity he will leave. He has had his ups and downs but has survived through several the various crops of players right from the time he made it into the first team. Like all the players generally say when asked about Guti, the man is special indeed. He always has something out of the ordinary. He can be both the best midfielder in the World and the worst midfielder in the World as well and that is Guti for you. He continued:
The most important thing is to leave a club like Real Madrid with dignity. I think that I have two more years left in me and my idea is either England, Italy or the Middle East. Anywhere outside of Spain will be good, but it does depend on the offers.
Finally, when asked about whether this decision was because of the lack of playing time, he said that he understands that going down the pecking order is part and parcel of a footballer’s career and that it can happen to anyone and went on to recommend that either David Silva or Cesc Fábregas would be the ideal players to replace him though given a choice he’d prefer to see Andres Iniesta. Some consolation that would be. I am not sure about whether we would indeed go out and get those players but as far as I am concerned Guti is irreplaceable. There are a few things which money can’t buy and Guti is one of them. It does not mean that I think Guti is better than those three. I know that as well. But Guti can be found only in Guti and in no one else.
Xabi Alonso who will experience his first Clásico at the Bernabéu on Saturday gave an interview for a second consecutive day to El Larguero. Out of all the pointless things he said, only this was something that can be considered relevant:
If we let Barça get comfortable we will have a tough time winning. We need to continue playing like we have been on both ends of the pitch. Getting past their first line of pressure to create plays from there is very important to our success.
It was Higuaín‘s turn to talk about the game next and this time it was to AS. Nothing much in it. The same stuff again and again.
Van der Vaart though did a bit of previewing himself pointing out that:
I think Barcelona’s best asset is their midfield with Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. That is where their plays a created and that is where we have to pay the most attention to.
He then revealed a little bit about the team’s prep for the game, saying:
It has clearly been a different kind of week. Everyone is talking about this match. We have tactical workouts and we have talked about the opponent a lot in the dressing room. These are three golden points at stake, but we know there is much more on the line, especially for the fans.
I know but I can’t help it. Too many quotes in this post as well. The players seem to be doing the previewing more than I myself can. But hell, its the Clásico. Weird things will happen. I promise you a proper pre-preview for tomorrow.
Until then,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
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!!
Post-match comments
Director General Jorge Valdano expressed his pleasure with the team’s performance following the 3-2 derby win. Manuel Pellegrini offered his impression of the derby victory during the post-match press conference. Atletico Madrid coach Quique Flores was left to rue injuries to Juan Valera and Jose Antonio Reyes as they lost the city derby to Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. Xabi Alonso scored Real Madrid’s first goal of the evening and provided the precision pass that Arbeloa fired home to give the Whites the lead. Higuin later added the third, which proved to be the game-winner. Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Gago, Sergio Ramos and Esteban Granero appeared in the mixed zone following Real Madrid’s victory on Sunday to discuss the significance of the match.
Valdano:
Derbies are always unique. We were a little antsy at first, but in the last ten minutes of the first half and the entire second half we were a whirlwind of energy. The final score doesn’t reflect all the chances we had. We scored three goals again. This team’s scoring streak is quite impressive.
We need to continue winning. We need to go to Santander with the same attitude and our players need to maintain their rhythm. Real Madrid have had an admirable season. We have scored 84 goals and have notched 74 points with nine games to play.
I am very pleased for Arbeloa. He scored a beautiful goal that gave us the lead at a very tough stage in the match.
Pellegrini:
It was important to play well after the restart. We scored three goals and had chances to score more. We had a clear idea of what we wanted and I think the penalty allowed Atletico to gain confidence.
We were somewhat static during the first half, but we controlled every action after the restart. Perhaps we didn’t have clear opportunities during the first twenty minutes, but we they were intense opportunities. The football we played was enough to beat Atletico, which is all that counts.
Atletico are a good team that are competing in three competitions. We had to work hard. What interests me more than the point difference is the way we played and earned a fair victory.
The fact that Cristiano Ronaldo is so aware of the shots that could have been scored is just part of his game. I believe in him and Higuain. They don’t think about being the top scorers, although I hope they finish like that.
We had to beat Atletico and now Racing and Barcelona await. I have complete faith in the squad and in whoever is on the pitch.
Quique Flores:
We have been affected by the departure of Valera and Reyes and especially by the fact they scored so early in the second half. From there, the game has been different.
The start of the second half has been the key. Time would have been our friend had we managed to maintain our concentration and our handling of the situation. But all the goals could have been averted. A stationary ball, an error and a cross. We made a decent effort and we were quite close to achieving something positive.
Real Madrid 3-2 Atletico Madrid
The home stretch of the season kicked off with nothing a derby against Atletico Madrid. Although a tough road block to overcome, winning was all that counted. The Colchoneros gained the upper hand thanks to Reyes, but second half goals by Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa and Higuain handed Real Madrid the victory and, once again, the top spot in the table.
Real Madrid were patient in the early going and dictated the tempo with good touches and control of the midfield. But precisely when the Whites appeared to have a handle on the match, Tiago opened a lane for Aguero, who passed to Reyes along the right flank, where the winger curled a tight shot into the corner of Casillas’ net.
It was still early and Real Madrid pushed forward towards De Gea. Higuain and Van der Vaart sent to wayward shots into the stands following crosses by Marcelo. Cristiano Ronaldo later received the ball in the midfield, blew past four defenders and nearly struck gold by sent the ball just wide of the post.
Atletico looked at ease on the pitch, but Real Madrid had the majority of the scoring chances and during the last 15 minutes of the first half laid siege on the Colchonero box. Marcelo’s acrobatic strike was magically cleared by De Gea, Tiago cleared an Higuain shot off the line and Cristiano sent a header off target while all alone in front of goal.
Real Madrid continued their surge forward in the second half and Xabi Alonso scored the equalizer with a repeat performance on the match against Sporting. Albiol sent in the corner and the midfielder, who found himself alone on the far post, found the back of the net.
Seven minutes later, Xabi Alonso sent a long ball to the right flank where a galloping Arbeloa controlled with his chest, dribbled past Dominguez twice and beat De Gea. But there was still more. After Aguero’s header sailed straight into Casillas’ gloves, Higuain capitalized on a defensive mistake and knocked in his 23rd league goal.
Atletico crawled within one after Xabi Alonso was called for a hand ball in the box and Forlan successfully netted the ensuing penalty, but Real Madrid continued looking for more and held on for the 3-2 win. The first final was passed with flying colors and only nine remain.
Lineups:
Real Madrid: Casillas, Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Albiol, Marcelo, Xabi Alonso, Gago, Granero (Guti 84′), Van der Vaart (Raúl 78′), Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuaín (Diarra 91′);
Atlético Madrid: De Gea, Valera (Perea 42′), Ujfalusi, Álvaro Domínguez, Antonio López, Paulo Assunçao, Tiago, Reyes (Jurado 47′), Simao (Salvio 80′), Forlán, Agüero;
Goals:
Referee: Undiano Mallenco
Booked: Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa, Perea
Notes:
- Week 29 of La Liga
- Real Madrid are 10 for 10 in 2010 and have notched all 30 points possible. They have scored 37 goals so far and conceded just over one per match (1.20).
- Nine matches are left and Real Madrid have already set the record for points earned by this stage of the competition, but also on the horizon are the 107 goals scored in 1989/90, a mark the current squad can equal by scoring 26 more goals.
- Real Madrid have scored three or more goals in each of their last ten league games. The only precedent for this took place in the 1951/51 season, when the Whites scored so frequently in seven straight matches. With the three goals against Atletico, the Madridistas overtake the Rojiblanco record of nine matches with three or more goals scored set back in 1941.
- Real Madrid will hold a voluntary training session on Monday only 12 hours after their impressive derby win. Preparations for Racing are scheduled to commence at 10:30 CET.
Played at: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Forcing the fifth booking – Atletico pre-preview
Ramos (foreground) to Xabi (background): "Do something like this and we'll be cleared for the Clasico!"
The whole world has already started up build up for the upcoming Él Clasíco at the Bernabéu. I say so because more than El Derbi Madrileño itself the fact that is bothering everyone is whether Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos would force a fifth booking that would see them suspended for the visit to Sergio Canales’ Racing Santander at the Sardinero next week instead of risking an appearance at the title deciding game on April 10/11.
What we must not forget is the fact that Atlético Madrid are the only Spanish team still alive in all three competitions even though they aren’t exactly in contention for the league title. They will play in the Copa del Rey final and they recently qualified to face Valencia in the quarterfinals of the Europa League. None of their players are suspended for the derby against Real Madrid and Tiago was the only one niggled but is now deemed fit to play.
ATLETICO MADRID SQUAD LIST:
GOALKEEPERS: Asenjo, De Gea
DEFENDERS: Valera, Antonio López, Juanito, Ujfalusi, Domínguez, Perea
MIDFIELDERS: Tiago, Camacho, Jurado, Assunçao, Salvio, Reyes, Simao, Rubén Perez
FORWARDS: Forlán, Agüero, Ibrahima
José Antonio Reyes and strikers Sergio Agüero and Diego Forlán are in fine form despite Atlético’s current eighth position on the table. Their league form has been full of crests and troughs but Thursday’s victory against Bilbao can only indicate that they’re in fine nick. But what Real Madrid can rely on is the fact that Atlético have never performed in a weekend clash that has fallen after a midweek game. But they are only five points away from reaching Europa League qualifying position, which seems feasible given the fact that they are yet to host games against three relegation threatened sides and have to clash with direct opponents as well.
Their coach and former Madridista Quique Sanchez Flores took over in October and the changes in style he made are just beginning to pay off. The team is more creative in attack now and better on a tactical level. Youth teamers De Gea and Dominguez have become key players and Ibrahima has pulled rank in crucial moments for his team. Then again, the fact that they’ve only won two games (Valladolid, Xerez) and drawn three (Valencia, Tenerife, Racing) on the road favors us.
But St.Iker was spot on with his description of our local rivals. Speaking in a fair play event in the city recently, he said:
Atletico are unpredictable. They are capable of playing the best football around. They’ve pulled through in their decisive games this season. The three points at stake are vital to us to continue aspiring to win La Liga.
Casillas also accepted that Daniel Parejo did nothing wrong in a clash that led to Getafe’s first goal on Thursday night despite Pellegrini labelling him disloyal. He said:
When you dedicate yourself to this sport there are some heated moments and yesterday was one of them. I have nothing to complain about with regard to Parejo. He did what he had to do and he wasn’t at fault at all. He took the ball off me cleanly and the rules are clear. A player doesn’t have to kick the ball out if the referee is right there on the spot.
And frankly our players would’ve done the same thing as Parejo did in a similar situation. Fair play people.
After missing matches against Sporting and Getafe, Mahamadou Diarra has recovered from his injury and is available for action on Sunday. But Pellegrini and co. will be without Garay, Benzema, Drenthe, Kaká and Lass – all of whom remain in sick bay. Castilla’s Mosquera and Marcos Alonso have also been called up. Garay was injured during Thursday’s game and will miss up to 10 days.
REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST:
GOALKEEPERS: Casillas, Dudek
DEFENDERS: Albiol, Arbeloa, Ramos, Metzelder, Marcelo, Marcos Alonso
MIDFIELDERS: Gago, Diarra, Guti, Xabi Alonso, Mosquera, Van der Vaart, Granero
FORWARDS: Cristiano Ronaldo, Raúl, Higuaín
As far as my advice to the team is concerned, I don’t have much to add. The Madrid derby is as freaky as it can get but one thing is clear Atlético can never beat Real in the Bernabéu.
Probable Starting XI: Casillas, Arbeloa, Albiol, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Gago, Xabi Alonso, Granero, Van der Vaart, Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuaín;
Prediction: Real Madrid 4-2 Atlético Madrid
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Just another Madridista
Hala Madrid 
Real Madrid 5-1 Real Murcia
And finally the curse is broken!
Real Madrid avoided yet another calamitous Copa Del Rey exit with a resounding 5-1 win over Real Murcia at the Bernabeu. The match was full of incidents right from the sending off of our manager Jose Mourinho in the first half till Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso getting their names on the scoresheet. Real also ended up with 10 players with Alvaro Arbeloa being sent off towards the end of the game.
Mourinho made his line up more Spanish than ever by naming 7 Spanish players in his starting XI. The two others apart from the 9 already revealed yesterday were Diarra and Higuain with the latter being paired up with Benzema up front for the first time this season. Mourinho had reiterated that this was game should be used by the fringe players to prove their mettle and Esteban Granero made an immediate impact by scoring a blinder just four minutes into the game. Sergio Ramos, who started as a center half along side Albiol played a diagonal to Pedro Leon on the right. The former Murcia man laid the ball perfectly for Granero to curl in an unstoppable shot into the top corner from outside the area. El Pirata had a point to prove and that was one heck of a way to do so. And post-match he admitted it.
Real, I felt were far more dynamic than they were in the first leg of the tie. I don’t know if it was because of the change in strategy or because of the lack of players who prefer dribbling passing (like Ozil, Di Maria and Ronaldo). The passing was good and Real maintained possession well. Murcia needed the ball to score and Real clearly had other ideas. And having gotten the all important first goal Real were looking confident and comfortable. Granero and Pedro Leon to me were a class apart from the rest.
The match reached the half hour mark and Real had not created that many chances apart from the goal itself. There were fouls all over the park and two of our players were booked in the first 15 minutes. It was six twenty minutes later and then it happened. Mourinho, who was furious with the refereeing for a while now retorted both at the fourth official as well as Paradas Romero resulting in his expulsion from the game. JM was clearly outraged by what was going on in the center of the park and as he decided to express how he felt about the referee. As expected the post-match presser was full of questions with respect to the referee. This is what the manager had to say regarding the referee:
The sending off didn’t hamper the spirits of neither the fans nor the players. The Madridista faithful went on chanting Jose Mourinho and the players ensured that the team was in a comfort zone going into half time. The first attempt at that was when Higuain shrugged off a defender to shoot way over the bar from just outside the six yard box and the second attempt was the goal itself. Marcelo’s cross after a short corner fell straight to Higuain at the far post who slotted the ball in for Real to go 2-0 up on aggregate. There was a lot of confusion with respect to the legibility of the goal as Sergio Ramos was in an offside position when Higuain shot the ball. While the Murcianos felt that his presence affected the play, the referee felt otherwise. The goal stood and Real went into half time two goals ahead. Personally I felt that the goal shouldn’t have stood.
The second half saw Mourinho make two changes to the side that started the game. Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Canales came off for Xabi Alonso and Cristiano Ronaldo. The manager’s intentions were clear. He wanted the team get as many goals as they can. But he also mentioned that he was not at all happy with the way Sergio Canales played. Well, I don’t know how exactly he wanted the youngster to play. As far as what I could see he was doing fine. The only bad thing that I could get out of his performance was his positioning. It looked as though he didn’t know his place on the pitch. I am sure he didn’t have a free role in the team as we were playing with two up front.
Anyways, Real continued their domination of the game as expected. The first chance of the half fell to Pedro Leon after a penalty box scramble involving Ronaldo and Benzema. The Spaniard could only fire wide when he definitely should have scored. Cristiano Ronaldo had the next chance after some clever interplay between Pedro Leon and himself. Ronaldo shot on the volley but the shot went just wide of the post. The match was closing the hour mark when Sergio Ramos’ beautiful through-ball found Arbeloa’s run perfectly but the latter was unable to cut the ball back to our forwards. Even though we dominated the game the number of times we had tested Dani Hernandez was far and few. Meanwhile, Murcia brought on Chando for Abraham Quesada. Real almost had their third when Pedro Leon played a beautiful/cheeky lob to catch Benzema on the run perfectly. The Frenchman’s shot hit the underside of the crossbar and fell to Ronaldo who was offside. And I was beginning to think if Benzema would ever score!
In the next minutes there were three changes made. Two for Murcia and one for us. Miguel Albiol, Raul Albiol’s sibling, made way for Camara while Rosquette was taken out for Canadas. Real brought on Di Maria for Pedro Leon who won a well-deserved ovation from the Bernabeu faithful. And the Argentine immediately tested the keeper which was probably why he was brought on. And while all this was happening Mourinho was sitting in the front row issuing orders to Aitor Karanka as animated as ever.
The third goal did come and as expected Di Maria was the creator. Xabi Alonso found a free Di Maria on the right whose low drive with the outside of the left foot found Ronaldo inside the six yard box. All that the Portuguese had to do was be there. Someone who wouldn’t be there in our next Copa game would be Alvaro Arbeloa who was sent off after being booked for the second time in the game. Real were down to ten men for the last 10 minutes. From the resulting free-kick Murcia won a penalty. Yes folks, it was all happening out there. Xabi Alonso was adjudged to have handled the ball and Pedro stood up to take the resulting penalty. He sent St.Iker the wrong way and the score was 3-1. Real have had a history of being knocked out on away goals and this seemed like one of those days.
But that wouldn’t be the case. Angel “The Angel” Di Maria came to our rescue winning a penalty for us. And to everyone’s surprise it wasn’t Ronaldo or Alonso who were tugging to take the kick. Benzema placed the ball on the spot and stepped and slotted the ball home confidently delighting not only the fans but also the players and the media so much that the headline on AS read “Even Benzema Scored!”. Benzema though was more happy with the way he was feeling as each day passed saying:
The Madridistas would feel even better soon as Real Madrid won a free-kick just outside the box after yet another hand ball. Xabi Alonso shot low and the ball went in off a Murciano. Xabi of course was given the goal. Even Xabi Alonso scored, I thought.
Game, set and match, Real Madrid.
My men of the match choices were pretty easy. Pedro Leon until he was there was involved in all of our plays. He was simply fantastic showing us fans why he deserves to play more regularly. He was replaced by Angel Di Maria who showed us why players like Pedro Leon are still on the bench. Both of them were sensational and made a huge impact on the game. I know that Granero too had a good game but I doubt if it was a MVP-esque performance. The same applies to Karim. Sergio Ramos was actually brilliant. The fact that he is able to adapt so quickly wherever he plays simply amazes me every time it happens. He made sure that Carvalho was not missed. Arbeloa and Marcelo virtually had no work in defense. All their duties were offensive ones. Diarra was solid. He played a good destructor. I’ve already spoken about Canales so I’ll skip him. Alonso and Ronaldo were simply Alonso and Ronaldo. Enough said. Higuain was elated by the fact that he scored finally. His reaction to the goal displayed relief more than joy actually.
As far as the overall match is concerned, one of the positives that we can take out of the game is that we did not lose possession cheaply. We had the ball and we looked like we wanted to have the ball. The ideal way to play knock-out football if you ask me. After the game Pedro Leon told us why he thought we dominated the game:
That sums the game itself actually. Real went ahead virtually even before the game had started. And that piled on the pressure on the Murcianos. They had to score to stand a chance. They moved forward and Real capitalized. As simple as that. Mourinho was appreciative of our opponents though, saying:
Match Stats:
Lineups:
Real Madrid: Casillas, Arbeloa, Albiol, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Granero, Mahamadou Diarra, Pedro León (Di María 71′), Canales (Xabi Alonso 47′), Benzema, Higuaín (Cristiano Ronaldo 47′);
Real Murcia: Dani Hernández, Mario Marín, Gotor, Amaya, Góngora, Isaac, Urzaiz, Albiol (Cámara 65′), Rubén Rosquete (Cañadas 69′), Pedro, Abraham Quesada (Chando 60′);
Goals:
1-0, 4′: Granero;
2-0, 44′: Higuain;
3-0, 76′: Ronaldo;
3-1, 83′: Pedro (Pen);
4-1, 86′: Benzema (Pen);
5-1, 90′: Alonso;
Referee: Paradas Romero
Booked: Granero (10), Diarra (37), Canales (14), Alonso (80), Urzaiz (86), Miguel Albiol (23), Gongora (46), Mario Marin (56), Canadas (89)
Sent off: Mourinho (38), Arbeloa (30, 78)
Notes: Last 32 of the Copa Del Rey. Real qualify to last 16 on a 5-1 aggregate
Played at: Santiago Bernabeu
Men of the match: Pedro Leon & Angel Di Maria
Share this:
November 11, 2010 | Categories: Copa del Rey, Match Reports, Post-match Comments | Tags: Álvaro Arbeloa, Cristiano Ronaldo, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Esteban Granero, Gonzalo Higuaín, José Mourinho, Karim Benzema, Pedro Antonio Sánchez Moñino, Real Murcia, Xabi Alonso | 1 Comment