RealmadridTalk

Real Madrid Vs Racing Santander | La Liga Preview, Podcast & Live Streams

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:56:47 -0600

Nothing but a win.

I usually don't like international breaks but this one has been thrilling! France Vs Ireland, Algeria Vs Egypt and Portugal's quest to qualify for the World Cup without Cristiano Ronaldo have been all thrilling, emotional and amazing. My team is Italy and they only played a few friendlies so my attention was instead on how our Madridistas were performing.

I'm not going to talk about these games, because La Liga is back but If you want my take on the France game, listen to what I had to say on this week's podcast which can be found below.

In this round of La Liga, Real Madrid take on Racing Santander at home and Barcelona face Atletico Bilbao at the San Mames. These are the last two games before EL Clasico so it would be interesting to see If both teams will be thinking about that encounter and lose focus (they still have a Champions League clash each) or will completely concentrate on their current games.

Santander first...

The Verdiblancos are one of the teams that I consider dangerous and surprising but their form this season has been terrible. They sit 17th on the table and have only won ONE game. They do, however, have a decent away record but it is worth to note that they are not generally motivated and their performance during the game is quite inconsistent. They tend to score in the last 15 minutes of the game so we have to keep that in mind.

Club President Francisco Pernia sacked their coach Mandia and hired Real Madrid's former director Miguel Angel Portugal a couple of days ago. This could either make or break the team, but I think they'll not be largely affected by such a major change.

Santander have a few good players including Tchite who is in form after scoring and helping his team beat Salamanca in Copa Del Rey. They also have dangerous wingers in Oscar Serrano, Munitis and Luis Garcia who all have pace and are talented with the ball.

Their weakest point could be their defense. They have conceded 19 goals so far making them the third most scored upon team in La Liga. The weird thing though is they have some good names at the back. One to mention in particular is Henrique (on-loan from Barca), also Nasif Morris (who played for Huelva), Moraton, and Torrejon (whose name sounds like a computer virus!).

Their midfield consists of Arana, Lacen, Colsa and Serrano. There is also the inconsistent Luis Garcia who played for Liverpool and Atletico Madrid and Moral who happens to be a former Castilla player.

Don't ask me about who will start because they have a new coach and I haven't been following them but I'm confident that their two most dangerous men Munitis and Tchite will feature upfront. They can form a good partnership so Pepe and the boys will have to mark them very well.

Now Los Blancos come!

Real are coming off a harsh exist from Copa Del Rey and hectic matches played by their international players so many would expect an average performance from Pellegrini's men. Add to that the injuries to Ronaldo, Van Nistelrooy, Lass and Guti (yes he received a knock from Higuain plus he is still being punished) and there is also Ramos who is serving his suspension.

The two injures that could complicate things for us are Lass' and Ramos' as they are key players in their respective positions and not having them will impose a great tactical change in our lineup.

With that in mind, Pellegrini will have to move Arbeloa back to the right-back position which means either Marcelo or Drenthe will feature on the left. In the center we might see Pepe and Garay or Albiol depending on the later's fitness following his knee injury with Spain. Another possibility is Metzelder whom I could see starting even though many people think it is unlikely.

In midfield, we should see Alonso and Diarra the first performing his role as our creative mind and the second replacing Lass. I have my doubts over Diarra as to how effectivey he can handle Santander's fast midfielders but when it comes to solidity and not pace, Diarra will surely win. My only hope is that Gago doesn't start because in all honesty I don't have faith in him anymore.

If Pellegrini wants Marcelo on the wing he will obviously use Drenthe in the back, but I think he might move Marcelo to the left-back position and start with Van der vaart or Granero instead. I wouldn't mind if either started because they both deserve more chances especially Rafael who tried as hard as he can against Alcorcon.

With three midfielders we should also see another yet attacking-minded midfielder in Kaka. He has been playing better than before and I'm sure he will continue to do so, and against a pathetico Santander side he shouldn't have any problems compared to the strong defensive sides he used to face in Serie A.

Upfront, we should see Benzema who was benched against Ireland and Higuain who only played one game for Argentina so they are both fresh...... and YES, Pellegrini could also use Raul and it isn't something that I will rule out, but I would love to see those two continue upfront.

If Raul starts that's fine, the most important thing that the team plays well collectively and we win convincingly.

On the podcast I predicted a 3-1 win for Real with Ruud scoring twice but since he is out (I had recorded the podcast before the squad list was published) I'm going to say Benzema will :)

I'm very excited about Ronaldo's return and I hope we'll see him against Zurich. The Clasico will be played on the 29th at 19:00 CET so he still has nine days and a few hours to get ready!

Don't forget to listen to the podcast below. I host Kevin and Corey and we talk about Henry, Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo and Santander. I apologize for my crappy hosting skills (hey I'm improving) and the sound quality.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast using this feedburner link, or you can either download this episode or listen to it below.

INJURY UPDATE: Cristiano Ronaldo Hasn't Recovered Yet & Will Miss Santander Game

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:40:58 -0600

This is just in from Realmadrid's official website :

After being observed throughout the day by Real Madrid's Medical Services and Dr. Van Dijk, as well as undergoing a clinical examination that included x-rays, it was decided that Cristiano Ronaldo should continue his recovery protocol until the final pre-established date which is next Friday, at which point he can resume group training.

There has been some good news and a positive atmosphere in the past few days surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo's recovery and it seemed he was close to a full recovery and a come back as soon as next weekend, but Ronaldo's Dutch doctor, Dr.Van Dijk, has decided that it would be safe for Ronaldo to stop group training and return to his special recovery protocol.

I won't deny that his announcement has made me feel a bit down, because in all honesty, I would like Ronaldo to be ready as soon as possible. However, I don't want him to be rushed and for that reason I respect Dr. Van Dijk decision and consider it as the right thing to do at the moment. He is a specialist and he knows better than anyone else who Ronaldo is doing.

It is a fact that Cristiano recovers quickly and this is a good thing, but I don't expect him to play against Santander at at all because he, If things went well, would resume training on Friday, though I wouldn't rule seeing him feature against Zurich. The most important thing is that he makes a full recovery and it doesn't matter If he makes it for the Clasico or not although having him against Barca is of course a huge plus and a moral boost.

As I said, unless he is fully recovered, Ronaldo shouldn't be pressed to play.

What do you think?

Hala Madrid!

On Guti, Pellegrini & International Games | RealmadridTalk Podcast Episode 8

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:52:31 -0600

The image above is of a shirt that I'm going to keep until I die. When I was in Madrid, meeting with a Director at Real Madrid and doing a private tour of their offices, the club gave me the famous white shirt with my name and number "1" on it (which means I'm replacing Casillas soon, so we'll be losing the next 100 games!). It was a very nice gesture from the club and it gives you a sense that they respect and care about what I'm doing.

Anyway, there is no La Liga action this weekend as national teams clash in friendly as well as crucial matches. It is a fact that football clubs, especially those that have important players, don't like international games as they fear their players might get injured. On the other hand, the players feel the urge and necessity to defend the colors of their national teams. It is a complicated situation especially for a player like Ronaldo, who If hadn't played with Portugal the other day, wouldn't have complicated his "minor" injury, but he did and he has been ruled out for another two weeks.

The good news, however, is that he is recovering well and could be ready as soon as the Santander game, which means he should be totally fit for Real's most important game this season -- EL Clasico against Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

As far as our other players are concerned, Lass and Benzema will play with France against Ireland for a spot in next year's World Cup. The game will be held at Dublin's Croke Park Stadium on Saturday at 21:00 CET

Saint Iker, Ramos, Alonso, Arbeloa and Albiol will face Gago and Higuain (and surely beat them) as Spain take on Argentina in a friendly match commemorating the Spanish FA's 100th anniversary on Saturday (20:45 CET). It will be a special match for Casillas as he will earn his 100th cap with the national team.

Kaka and Pepe are also away on international duty. The first will face England in Brazil on Saturday (18:00 CET), while the Portuguese will try to help his team qualify for the World Cup as they take on Bosnia at the Da Luz Stadium on Saturday (21:00 CET).

The last player on international duty is Rafael Van der Vaart who will face my favorite national team, Italy at 20:50 CET.

As any other Madridista, I hope that non of our players gets injured, but we all hope that someone like Messi, Xavi or Henry gets smashed up! It would be awesome to hear that one of these assholes will be out for something like three months!

Last but not least, I have something extra for you. You guessed it, it is the RealmadridTalk Podcast. Good news is Corey and Mark have recovered from their respective injuries (even though Corey has caught a flu) and they were able to join me and Kevin as we discuss Ronaldo's injury and what the hell is going on with Pellegrini and Guti as well as what the fuck Marca and AS want!

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast using this feedburner link (Apple hasn't yet approved us!), or you can either download this episode or listen to it below.

DID YOU SEE...

Zidane's amazing free kick in a charity match?

Or me playing soccer in Real Madrid's away kit?

That's me playing in five a side soccer game. Sorry for the quality, my 8 year old brother shot it with an iPhone.

Me again and Yahia (aka John) in a Barcelona shirt. He got a punch in the face afterwards.

So, Become a fan of myself and the blog on Facebook and expect some awesome stuff too!

Hala Madrid!

Marca and AS are set to sack Manuel Pellegrini

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:37:45 -0600

NOTICE: We have a new home on Facebook, so If you are a Madridista, please go there and become a fan. Expect some awesome stuff too!

Breaking news: Florentino Perez is going to sack Real Madrid's coach, Manuel Pellegrini, because newspapers Marca and AS told him so. They even told him when to do it; after EL Clasico against Barcelona.

Ridiculous!

I have a lot of respect for journalism and media (I'm a journalist myself), but what Marca and AS are doing is nothing but disgusting. The pressure they put on Real Madrid is unnecessary, and in my opinion, they are one of the problems that Real Madrid have.

Constructive criticism, done at the right time, is one thing and what those two newspapers are doing is another thing. At the start of the season, when Real were scoring at least three goals per game, they were hailing how great this squad was going to be.

Enter Sevilla. They beat Real -- Marca call's for Pellegrini's head.

After only one defeat?

Milan beats Real at the Bernabeu. The pressure increases. Alcorcon trash Real Madrid 4-0.

Marca screams: "Pellegrini GO NOW!".

They even invent a story. They report that Pellegrini was given only two weeks to turn things around.

And he did.

Real turn things around, they produce spectacular performances, beat Getafe and Atletico Madrid while draw AC Milan in a game they totally dominated at the San Siro.

The same newspapers hail Higuain, Kaka, and Benzema, but not Pellegrini because he wasn't the reason we won; he is always the reason we lose.

They then shift their attention to the Guti case. They report that he was moving to another club in January even though Valdano "begged" Guti to return to the squad. They even went on to compare it to the case of Riquelme.

Now you Marca and AS listen up. If Guti disrespected the coach (I'm sure he did -- not unusual), then you AND Guti, ~~shut the fuck up~~. Whether Pellegrini is a great coach or not, HE MUST BE RESPECTED. Period!

Not only Pellegrini. Everyone at the club. Even the secretary (such a nice lady -- she helped me a lot) MUST BE RESPECTED.

If I were Pellegrini I would keep leaving him out of the squad. There has to be discpline, authority and a code of conduct. There has to be someone who is running things there. It shouldn't be Perez, Valdano, Marca, AS or OleOle.

It should be Pellegrini.

They have made a lot of decisions for us, especially when it comes to hiring and sacking coaches. If you have been a fan of Real Madrid for over six years you'd know that we sacked a lot of coaches -- thanks to the "healthy criticism" from the Spanish media.

I certainly hope that Perez will deal with the pressure. If he is really a smart man, then he shouldn't do the same mistake twice. We've really been through this and have always taken the easy road by sacking the coach and we failed. Why don't we stick to what we have at least for one season?

When the new project was introduced, Perez had nothing but wonderful words to say, especially on Pellegrini. He said he was the right man, and If he sacks him now then it means all of what he said was crap. Just a sample of a nice presentation written by a Marca journalist.

Let's be smart. Let's have faith, and let's go through this together -- Together We Can, Together We Stand.

Hala Madrid!

Real Madrid 1-0 Alcorcón | The Cycle Continues

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:59:09 -0600

A frustrated Bernabeu

Out of Copa Del Rey, Real Madrid are. Alcorcón deservedly progressed to the next round, heck they even got a standing ovation from the fans in the Bernabeu. It must have been an amazing feeling for their players because half, if not all of them, went through Real Madrid's ranks or are Real Madrid fans themselves.

I was surprised to see Lass as a right-back but I understood that Pellegrini didn't want to risk with a defensively-weak Marcelo on the left and as a result played Arbeloa there (who is a better left-back than Marcelo even thought it is not his natural position).

Good call, but If Ramos was only excluded for a technical deciscion (I doubt it though) then It would be a horrible call.

Gago and Diarra in central midfield. Pathetic. You know why? I have seen every single game that Gago has played and he rarely impressed. Not that he is bad, he is just not Real Madrid material and we have better options, so why play him when you have Granero and Van der vaart?

Diarra was slow but that's fine. It is him. At least, he is good at something; tackling. Gago is neither a proper defensive midfielder nor a creative one.

Bad call. Granero should have played instead of Gago.

Kaka in front of Diarra and Gago with Raul going back to build up games. Because Pellegrini messed up with our central midfield, this won't work.

First, you have Kaka in front of an always confused and under-performing Gago and a defensive Diarra and behind three strikers who don't have enough talent to hold the ball and do something with it.

Higuain, Ruud and Raul are all good, similar strikers, but what's the point of playing all of them?

What's the point of changing from a successful formation of 4-2-2-2, to a 4-3-3 that depends on a talented forward line more than a talented midfield?

You are not Barcelona. You don't have Henry, Ibrahimovic and Messi upfront.

Bad call.

Here is what should have happened there.

With Diarra and Granero in central midfield, Marcelo could have played on the wing with Kaka roaming around and going forward (he would have had more freedom since there was another attacking-minded midfielder and only two forwards upfront). Another option could have been Van der vaart who came in the second half and played his heart out. He tried hard and even scored too.

Upfront, it wouldn't have been much different in terms of selection, but I would have kept Higuain because he is faster and more mobile than Raul and Ruud.

Alcorcón didn't help either. Instead of playing their game, they parked a bus in front of their goal. I don't blame them, I would have done the same thing had I been their coach. My opponent must score 5 goals to advance, why would I need goals? They need them, so let me make it impossible for them.

Thing is, it wasn't impossible to score 5-0 goals even with Alcorcón playing defensively. We lacked creativity in midfield. We had the effectiveness upfront, but we didn't create proper chances (only a couple of decent chances in the first half -- and Higuain's last chance in the second half), instead we relied on random balls or crosses.

I'm not surprised. It was crystal clear. That lineup was never meant for playing creatively.

Now that it is over, we need to move on. The fans were furious in the Bernabeu and when Lass was taken off, they booed Pellegrini. Lass was and is our best player and taking him off for Marcelo was a weird decision which Manuel justified by saying that the French midfielder was working so hard that he feared he would get injured.

Take Gago instead for Godsake!

Anyway, as I said, we need to move on. Marca is calling for Pellegrini's head, but I hope they won't have their wish. It is not the solution as I said before. We can do something great this year, with this coach as well.

Next game is after internationals get done with their business.

Hala Madrid!

Real Madrid Vs Alcorcón | Live Stream & Match Comments

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:04:14 -0600

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"We need to make Alcorcon feel like they are up against the entire Bernabeu"

That's it, that's what Pellegrini said. We need to make them overwhelmed right from the start. From the first whistle, just like we did against AC Milan and Atletico Madrid. No mercy, no second thoughts, and attack in its best form. To give you a visual idea of what I'm referring to, watch the video below; Real Madrid 4-0 Zaragazoa (you surely remember that game!)

But what I find weird is Manuel's decision to exclude Casillas. We are up against a team that MUST not score no matter what in order for us to have a CHANCE at qualifying, and with Dudek protecting our den, I'm more worried than ever. He is not match-fit, and he is simply, subjectively, objectively, or whatever, not like Saint Iker. The later does miracles and I'm not even being biased.

There are only 16 players on the squad list. On paper, they should be able to beat Alcorcon and another Segunda B team combined together, but as we learned two weeks ago, and as I have always said, football is played on the pitch and not on paper.

Nevertheless, we can come up with a good lineup from the available players. I'm going to give you mine and explain why I chose each player.

Dudek

If I had to choose between Adan or Dudek, I would choose the Polish, not just because he is better, he can be damn lucky too (AC Milan - Liverpool CL final 2005) -- and damn stupid too (fingers crossed).

Arbeloa

Simple. Ramos is out, Salgado is in Engalnd. Who else can play here, me?

Pepe

I have a love-hate relationship with Pepe who once said having sex before a game gets you ready and motivated. His form has been quite good and so it makes sense to give him the nod since Metzelder is excluded too. I hope he gets a quicky before the game!

Albiol

Garay hasn't played that much and quite honestly I would stick with the same guys who have played this season and thus I choose Albiol (he is able to play after serving his suspension) to partner Pepe. Thing is, we'll rely heavily on communication and organization at the back, and hopefully (hopefully) our fixed backline has got it!

Marcelo

If Ramos was available, I would surely move Arbeloa here (hey, I had been asking Pellegrini for that on the podcast until he did!), but since Ramos and Drenthe are both out, it makes sense for Marcelo to returns to his less favorite position.

Lass

... is class.

Granero

Aha! Alonso is out? Good. He hasn't been in his best form yet, and I would be interested to see if Granero can steal his spot. EL Pirata is a creative midfielder (also a winger) who can make killer passes, and as he proved with Getafe and Real in the start of this season, he can score goals too.

Other options would be Diarra or Gago. We don't want to defend, but rather score a shower of goals so it doesn't make sense to play with two defensive midfielders (Lass and his bro, Diarra), and it doesn't also make sense to play Gago because we don't want to lose the game 10 minutes after the kick-off.

Kaka

His form has improved since the game against Getafe and I expect him to continue to play well. Many attribute his rise in form to the omission of Raul from the starting lineup, so it would be interesting to see how he will cope with the possible return of the captain to the starting eleven.

Van der vaart

He is similar to Kaka, I know, and I was going to move Higuain here, but I think Van der vaart's motivation to prove himself could help us win. He has looked eager to impress and with his shooting ability and pace we could have an edge in midfield.

Higuain

It's Pipita.

Van Nistelrooy

Pellegrini is most likely to play Raul, but I would like to see Ruud here. I now he is coming back from injury, but he is the kind of player who can score as soon as he smells (yes smells!) a scoring chance.

.... a few thoughts

In order to win, we need to dominate. And when we dominate we need to be creative and effective. If the team plays as it did against Milan and Atletico, I wouldn't be surprised If we scored five goals. It is not impossible and can be done. There are 90 minutes in a game and they are enough for us. We just need to score from the start.

Real Madrid Vs Alcorcon Live Streams

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Hala Madrid!

Atletico Madrid Vs Real Madrid | The RealmadridTalk Podcast Episode 7

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 08:43:45 -0600

Attention: We have a new home on Facebook, so If you are a Madridista, please go there and become a fan. Expect some awesome stuff too!

Atletico Madrid Vs Real Madrid - Matchday 10 - La Liga | 07/11/2009 - 22:00 CET | Vicente Calderon

The last time Real lost to Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon was back in 1999. Since then, we have won 29 times, drawn 20 and just lost 23. We have scored 112 goals and they scored 109. And you don't wanna bench Raul for this game, because he has always found the back of the net against the team where he started playing as a child.

However, whether Raul should play, after being benched for two consecutive games, or not, will of course be up to Pellegrini to decide. Personally speaking, I would continue with Benzema and Higuain upfront, because they deserve to have a chance and they haven't disappointed. Higuain scored two goals against Getafe and Benzema scored a historical goal against Milan in the San Siro.

With that being said, I wouldn't mind seeing Raul start as long as he gets replaced If he doesn't perform well. What I care about is our performance and it doesn't matter who starts as long as they deserve to.

The only injured player we have is Ronaldo who will be examined again in the Netherlands after 14 days. It is good to know a surgery is not needed because that would mean a three-month recovery time.

Guti will sit this one out as well. Pellegrini insists it is not a punishment and rather an injury issue. The club hasn't officially confirmed that nor has the player, so you don't know who to believe. My guess is, it is yes a punishment because I can imagine Guti disrespecting the coach and If I were Pellegrini I would exclude him for no more than three months.

The weird case is that of Albiol. He was sent off against Getafe and Real tried to appeal his suspension but they failed. Now guess what? He is in the squad list. This is either a mistake from the teach team or another try from Pellegrini to appeal his red card.

In addition to Ronaldo --Diarra, Drenthe and Adan will miss the game due to technical reasons while Metzelder and Garay are back into action.

Atletico have been having one of their worst seasons as they sit 18th on the table with just 7 points. They have also just fired their coach and installed Quique Sanchez Flores.

They have won one match so far, drawn four and lost another four, and conceded 19 goals putting them as the team who has given up most goals in the league. However, they haven't yet lost in the Vicente Calderon where their single win and three draws occurred.

They did show some good football against Chelsea the other day with Aguero being the key man. He is always dangerous and with the addition of Forlan up front they will surely cause us troubles.

As I always say, these kind of games are special. It would be wrong to assume that because we have owned them in their stadium for the last 10 years means we will surely win. They remain a great team and could turn things around, however, that gives us more motivation to do well, we just have to use that motivation and play well on the bench.

And for those who have been asking about the RealmadridTalk Podcast, It is back! I apologize for not producing the podcast in the last two weeks, as I was traveling and the other guys were busy, but we are back again!

In the 7th episode of the RealmadridTalk Podcast, Kevin and I talk about the Milan game and preview the Derby. Ignore the over use of the word "like" and my excessive passion for Real Madrid, but do pay attention to what I had to say about the team, Pellegrini, Guti, Raul and find out my preferred lineup and my prediction for the game.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast using this feedburner link (Apple hasn't yet approved us!), or you can either download this episode or listen to it below.

Manuel Pellegrini Follows Adam Bader's RealmadridTalk

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:02:58 -0600

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Casillas: Shhhh, we owned you, you bastards!

..... maybe because he stumbled across one of OleOle's ads in the stadium or he has heard of me. Either way, Pellegrini did everything I wanted him to do last night; he started with Benzema and Higuain, played Arbeloa as a left-back and most importantly, played his game. Read my preview and you'll see that my thoughts were exactly his. I'm not surprised, it is obvious and common sense, but I'm very happy to see him experiment and the reward was a great improvement in our collective performance.

We had over 13 shots on goal. We raped AC Milan in the first half, we totally owned them. Hadn't they had Pato on the team, they wouldn't have been able to be as dangerous as they where yesterday especially in the second half.

Kaka was everywhere. He had a lot of freedom and motivation to play well, and for that he was literally raped by the Milan defenders. I'm not trying to criticize the referee here but I thought there were some unnecessary and harsh tackles on Kaka. Some might say this is the price of being a dangerous player and I agree, but what's the referee doing there?

For the first time in three years, captain Raul sat on the bench for the SECOND CONSECUTIVE GAME. this is a WOW. This gives you an idea of how much preference Capello, Schuster, Ramos and Pellegrini have given to him. Many complain that he slows and limits our game, and I sort of agree, because he is a unique player that you need to build the lineup around him. He doesn't have pace, he can't dribble nor make create something out of nothing -- he just scores smart goals exactly like Inzaghi.

With Benzema and Higuain upfront, however, we were able to play in a different way. It was a different team. Kaka seemed compatible with those three too. This is why I was asking for Raul to be benched -- just to experiment with different strategies and see what works best for the team. What do we have to lose? Raul is always there, so If this experiment fails (which it didn't) we can always have Raul back.

So what can we take away from last night's fantastic game? Here are the positives first

Arbeloa is a better left-back than Drenthe or Marcelo and he can still improve. He managed to contain (with difficulty) one of the most dangerous strikers in the world, Alexander Pato.
Lass is class and I dare to say he is one of the best players in the world. He has been incredibly consistent since his debut (touch wood) and this one is the untouchable - not Raul or someone else.
We owned AC Milan at the San Siro. Critics complain that Real have failed against big teams. Well, we have showed an improvement. We were able to own AC Milan last night and we could have won deservedly.
We are slowly showing quality, spirit and style. The Alcorcon defeat was harsh, but the victory over Getafe and the fantastic performance against Milan last night shows that we are capable of reaching our top form.

Now it is time for some criticism...

Alonso hasn't adapted/not in form yet. He is actually effecting the team negatively. The only game he shined in was the Valladolid clash. I still expect a lot from him, but If he continues to perform poorly, I would demand that Granero be given a chance.
Marcelo is a good winger, but not as good as someone as Robben or Ronaldo. This is no brainer, but I wouldn't consider him our primary option. I know Pellegrini doesn't think so as well, however, I thought he should have been taken off in the second half as he was out of breath and most importantly IDEAS.
Pepe and Albiol need to play more with each other, or to put this in another way, we need to pick two center backs and let them get used to each other. It is important to have a strong defense which its defenders understand each other and can communicate clearly.

In a nutshell....

It was a great display. We played well and we should have won. I hope Pellegrini sticks with this formation for a while, but he has to drop any under-performing players and give some of the bench guys a little playing time.

Hala Madrid!

RANDOM NEWS - FACTs

Albiol's appeal for his red card was not accepted and so he'll miss the derby.
Although Ronaldo has been unofficially declared as fit to play, the club made a statement to say he is still injured, possibly as a way to keep him away from playing with Portugal.
Benzema's goal against Milan was the team's first since Joseito's in 1956.

AC Milan Vs Real Madrid | My thoughts on the clash of clashes!

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 06:07:59 -0600

I originally wrote this article for Soccerlens, which has my thoughts on tonight's crucial game.

Having watched the last game at the Bernabeu and how Real Madrid failed to hold on and beat a relatively old, but collectively-strong AC Milan, I thought I’d share with you my thoughts on the return fixture and how Los Blancos can win it. There are four (4) key areas where Real Madrid will need to improve:

1. Bench Raul, think objectively, be fair, and start with Higuain upfront

It doesn’t matter if Raul is the captain or Perez’ girlfriend, If he isn’t performing well (which is the case now), he needs to be benched. The rubbish talk of Raul being the leader who instructs and helps others on the field is just plain useless.

Start Gonzalo Higuain instead. Not because he scored two goals against Getafe, but because he has some characteristics (which Raul doesn’t have) that can exhaust Milan’s Nesta and his friends. Pace and powerful shooting are just two. Dribbling? Yes sir, he got that. The only unique thing about Raul though, is his experience and good-positioning, but for this game, Higuain is the right man.

I know you might be asking, who should be playing with Higuain in attack? That depends on how Pellegrini wants to play, but I would add Van Nistelrooy If I wanted a great finisher and someone with experience.

Benzema is a good option too, but he is under-performing. Still, I would prefer him over Raul. No, I don’t hate Raul, it is just that Benzema can do well against Milan, the captain can’t. Period.

2. A strong and EFFECTIVE midfield is the key

Alonso, Lass and Kaka. Who else do you need? That looks like FIFA 10, but for Pellegrini, it is real. The problem though is apart from Lass, Kaka and Alonso haven’t been that great, at least they haven’t been Alonso and Kaka yet. Just their shadows.

Kaka knows Milan well. OK, that’s rubbish. He needs to use what he knows on the pitch. It is undeniable that Kaka is a great player, but he needs to step up his game and this is a good chance to improve. He loves spaces, but I doubt he will get many if Milan play their game, which bring us to the next point.

3. Play your game and force Milan to adapt to it

I think Barca is more than a night club, but I do like them because they do their own thing, play their game and FORCE you to adapt to it. They are just really good at that, and that’s why they usually win.

Real needs to control the tempo of the game. Alonso has to do it. Lass will be there to help out, but it will mainly depend on Alonso. When Real plays with style, dominate and force Milan to react to it, it will be very easy for Los Blancos to win.

They sort of managed to dominate in the first half of the first leg, but they lacked effectiveness in front of goal. But with Higuain or Van Nistelrooy upfront, scoring goals shouldn’t be a hurdle If you can assist them.

4. Communication and proper organization at the back is essential

Here is the other difficult part (in addition to playing with style and dominating). Since we sold Cannavaro, we have been missing a leader in the back. Pepe isn’t one. And Ramos needs who leads him. I can only think of Casillas, but we need a defender who shouts as loud as he can, who can awake Marcelo and Ramos from their day dreams, and who can organize and lead his teammates.

There is no quick and perfect solution at the moment, but Pellegrini needs to address this issue to his defenders. We’ve conceded off set-pieces, counter-attacks and even corners in a silly way. Sevilla scored two silly goals, Pato got away with a sneaky one and who knows If we don’t figure it out tomorrow night how Pato will get way with another one.

We need to be organized and awake all the time. We also need to be strong. Ramos on the right, Pepe and Albiol in the center is fine, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable seeing Marcelo or Drenthe on the left. I would prefer to play Arbeloa out of his position and put him there. Pellegrini experimented with him against Getafe and the former Liverpool man did a good job. What do we have to lose anyway?

Hala Madrid!

Real Madrid 2-0 Getafe | Higuain Beats Getafe Again

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 06:11:26 -0600

In addition to being a journalist and the Realmadrid blogger, I'm also a life hacker. I optimize everything and love to do experiments. If you don't do the same, life will be just darn difficult and boring.

Pellegrini seems to be similar, at least last night. Benching Raul, starting with Benzema and Higuain and playing Arbeloa on the left was an experiment and I loved that. As a matter of fact, I had been demanding that we try Arbeloa on the left and I think he did a good job. He was more solid than Marcelo which is not strange considering that Marcelo is attack-minded.

The question is, however, can Arbeloa perform better than that in the left-back position and most importantly does he like playing there? This is very important. The last thing you want to do is to play a player in a position he doesn't like. It happened to me, and it happens to many, and it is bad for all parties.

Many fans are claiming that the team is much more better without Guti and Raul; it is the same in fact. We still don't have style, but when you exclude Guti and Raul (when they are under-performing) and play in-form players (like Higuain and Lass) or vice versa, the team is better. That's common sense.

I know how the captain felt last night. He always wants to play. Who doesn't, and he was reacting to the game from the bench, he was looking everywhere, and in his head -- he wished he was there. I liked that, but sorry it was Higuain's turn.

Albiol was undeservedly sent off. He should have been booked instead and I think many of you agree. He complicated the game for us, but we managed to win. You see, If you have that spirit, nothing will get you down.

Ramos moved to the center-back position with Pepe while Arbeloa took on the right-back position and Marcelo was back in his left-back area.

This change meant that we were not able to attack along the flanks that much, because we were minus a winger, but that wasn't a big difference anyway. Getafe were organized and hard to break, the only thing you can do against them is to play with one touch football, accurate passing and great finishing. Another way is through counter-attacks, but they were really careful. They were not brave enough especially before we scored.

Higuain and Benzema still don't understand each other and that's totally normal, they need more time together, but they DID show some compatibility. What Higuain can't do, Benzema can and they can both set up and assist each other.

Benzema assisted Higuain's second goal, while the Argentine scored his first off a Marcelo cross. Beautiful goals, If you ask me.

The important things for us were:

Get the three points and continue undefeated at home.
Experiment with Arbeloa on the left and Higuain partnering up Benzema upfront.
Recover some of our spirit following the Alcorcon game and we succeeded at that. We won with 10 men.

This win will undeniably allow the team to breath a little bit, and the fact that Barcelona screwed up last night (Pique scored an own goal in the injury time to help Osasuna get a 1-1 home draw) means the Spanish press will be busy elsewhere (not that the draw was a huge setback for Barca but we are only 1 point behind now)

Next is Milan and at the same time of writing this, I'm also watching Arrigo Sacchi on Sky who has said something interesting. He said If Milan play collectively, it will be hard for Real to win. If we compare each of our players to theirs, we have the upper-hand, but they do play well as a team.

RANDOM NEWS

Real Madrid to appeal Albiol's red card (AS)
Ronaldo is certain to miss Milan's clash (Realmadrid.com)
Guti is set to be excluded from Real's Champions League squad (Marca)

Hala Madrid!

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1. Bench Raul, think objectively, be fair, and start with Higuain upfront

2. A strong and EFFECTIVE midfield is the key

3. Play your game and force Milan to adapt to it

4. Communication and proper organization at the back is essential

Real Madrid 2-0 Getafe | Higuain Beats Getafe Again

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