Paseo de la Castellana

Real Madrid - Athletic Bilbao: 4-1: Another Remontada

2012-01-23T13:47:00.001+05:30

Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu
Gameweek: 19

Starting Line-ups:

Screen-cap from: WhoScored.com

So I start off this review by inserting a cheesy build up here where I lie and add how Real Madrid bounced back from the Clasico defeat and rallied after being 0-1 down in 13 minutes to win the match 4-1, blah blah blah. Truth is, I don't consider this as bouncing back from the 1-2 defeat at home because apparently the Clasico is another ball-game for Real Madrid since last season, and the problems of the Clasico are the problems of the Clasico. Anyway we are not here to discuss about the Clasico we are here to discuss about the attitude that has been missing from the Clasico, that attitude of not losing hope and winning matches despite going a goal down.

Everyone knew this match wasn't going to be easy especially when the away team were on a six match unbeaten run in all tournaments and hadn't conceded a single goal in those six games either. And it started off that way, aside from a tame shot from Granero with his left foot and a cross by Marcelo that was spilled by Gorkha Iraizoz, Real Madrid hadn't done anything of note before Athletic broke on the counter and Javi Martinez's cross was brilliantly turned in with his right foot by Fernando Llorente.

Before Real Madrid had woken up and scored the goal, quite a few interesting things happened in the game. Granero was in his "If I score a goal I will get noticed" mode and had taken three shots (all on target but fairly tame)—the only three shots that were on target for Real Madrid in that time-frame. Kaka hit the side netting. Cristiano crossed and created the same situation from which Llorente scored but Benzema who was on the end of this cross made an absolute mess of the finish.

Then it happened; De Marcos was freed up by a sweet chipped pass from Iker Muniain after he had sucked in every defender and even Iker Casillas. De Marcos had the goal at his mercy. But he misses, he misses in front of an open goal, giving Real Madrid a lifeline. Real Madrid finally woke up, Marcelo came charging down in attack, played the final one-two with Benzema, found his way in the box and slotted home brilliantly with his left foot to equalize.

The game became more interesting after Real Madrid equalized and it became a fairly eventful match. Both the teams exchanging attacks, attacking and countering each other, was fun to watch.

Mesut Özil turned on his silky skills and was causing trouble for Athletic, even got De Marcos booked for pulling him down after getting nutmegged. Kaka too had brought his A-game, even made a Zidane-esque rouletta turn and was a constant source of headaches for the Athletic defense with his runs. Fernando Llorente missed a glorious opportunity to put Athletic 1-2 up. Kaka brought down in the box, a definite penalty but not given. Iker hurting himself after coming out from the box, covering for his defenders were some of the events before the referee called for half-time.

The match restarted for the second half and inside 35 seconds Kaka had won a penalty for Real Madrid, Ituraspe bringing the Brazilian down. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and slotted the ball in the left-corner, Iraizoz despite guessing the right direction was never going to stop that, and Real Madrid were now in the lead 2-1.

This was not the first time Real Madrid had taken the lead after going a goal down in a match, the qualities are all there, that amazing attitude that despite going a goal down they keep coming at the opposition like a machine until they win. And that was it, Real Madrid never looked back after taking the lead.

Granero had finally settled down and was doing the right things instead of taking shots from distance, he was winning the ball back and distributing it immediately and effectively, even started a counter after winning the ball back and had an decent game, even looked solid defensively—which is not his playing style mind you. Granero had a total of 42 touches in the game, completed 28 passes with 96% accuracy—highest in the match.

At the 61 minute mark, Fernando Llorente was taken off for Toquero (reason being that Fernando was just back from injury). The big man was a constant threat and was causing Raphael Varane all sorts of problems, even Sergio Ramos had difficulty dealing with Llorente sometimes but he managed to control Llorente. After Llorente was taken off I heaved a huge sigh of relief, I knew then that Athletic Bilbao will be easier to tame. No disrespect to young Iker Muniain who had a brilliant game but Fernando Llorente was the real goal threat, with him off I was fairly confident no one could score against Real Madrid, and what do you know it turned out just like that.

It had only been a few minutes since Fernando Llorente was taken off, Real Madrid hit on the counter, Mesut Özil was one on one with the goalkeeper and was hacked down in the box by De Marcos. Benzema slotted in the the ball but the whistle had been blown, no advantage played and a penalty was given. De Marcos who was already on a yellow was shown the red and rightly so. Athletic Bilbao down to 10 men and looking at the possibility of going two goals down.

As usual, Cristiano steps up to take the penalty, and sends Iraizoz the wrong way this time, 3-1 it is, game over surely. Just after the goal Karim Benzema—who didn't have such a good game.....who am I kidding, he was poor in the game, his finishing and final ball were all off, was fairly invisible too; was subbed off for Gonzalo Higuain.

Gonzalo Higuain had an amazing chance to put Real Madrid 4-1 up after he had rounded Gorkha Iraizoz but hit the post after some brilliant covering by the Athletic defense who had recovered well by covering the goal and leaving very little space for Gonzalo Higuain to aim at from a tight angle.

Lassana Diarra who was brought in to replace Granero had a truly awful game after coming on, Muniain made a complete fool of him. Muniain nutmegged, bridged and always got past Lass too easily. Lassana Diarra had a sparring with Toquero too, where he kicked Toquero with the ball nowhere near, Toquero did kick him first but this is no way to react, if the referee had seen that, it would have been a red card.

Aside from a wonderful Özil backheel in the box, a remarkable run from Marcelo down the left wing, and stallion like run from Sergio Ramos from the center of defense, nothing else is worth reporting before the Callejon goal five minutes from time.

Real Madrid had hit on another counter, Özil to Higuain who played a sensational ball from near the halfway line to Callejon who slotted home from a very very tight angle after his first touch was a little heavy (deliberate perhaps to beat the defender on pace). And that was that, 4-1, three points in the bag.

The scoreline might be a bit too harsh on Athletic Bilbao as they weren't really as bad as the scoreline who will probably be thinking what if they hadn't missed their chances. But in all honesty the three points were completely deserved by Real Madrid who created clear chances and took them. A good morale boosting victory, just what was needed after the depressing week.

Hala Madrid!

[Exclusive] Twitter Q. & A. With Real Madrid Castilla's Alex Fernandez

2011-11-07T23:36:00.000+05:30

Hola Madridistas, I apologize for our continued absence due to all of us having school or college, don't think that's going to change any time soon. But, we do have something for you, it's not the full thing that we were hoping for but something is better than nothing, right?

Pamela and I (mostly Pamela) run a fanpage of sorts of our academy's midfield genius—Alex Fernandez, the handle of that twitter account is @AlexFdez8Fans. Alex (@AlexFdez8) himself has been following that account since the first day. Hope you will too.

Anyways we decided to ask Alex a few questions about his Madridista memories, how it's been playing for Real Madrid, training with the first team etc etc.

Sadly he had to take permission from Real Madrid before answering our questions, and Real Madrid denied him permission, but he still agreed to answer to two of our questions because he had agreed to answer our questions before and he wanted to keep his word. He's such a nice guy, here's what he sent us:

"Hola, perdon por no haberte contestado pero tenia que pedirle permiso al club,me han dicho que no puedo responderte a tus preguntas. Te puedo contestar solo dos preguntas,eligelas y mandamelas.Un beso,gracias y lo siento."

We gave it a lot of thought and picked two questions out of fifteen where we thought he didn't need to be diplomatic and he could answer with his heart. Here's what Alex had to say:

Spanish [Original]:

Q.: ¿Cual es tu primera memoria del primer equipo cuando crecias? ¿Y quien era tu idolo en esos tiempos?

Alex Fernandez: Mi primera memoria era el Madrid campeon de champions en glasgow y el gol de Zidane es lo q mejor recuerdo de mi infancia como Madridista. Mi idolo siempre fue Fernando Redondo pero ahora Xabi alonso o Steven Gerrard.

Q.: De no haber escogido del futbol, que otra carrera le hubiera interesado?

Alex Fernandez: Algun otro deporte.

English [Translated]:

Q. What is your best memory of the first team when you were growing up? Who did you look up to as a role model?

Alex Fernandez: My best memory as a Madridista is the one when Real Madrid won the Champions League in Glasgow and also Zidane's goal (against Bayer Leverkusen). Fernando Redondo has always been my idol, out of the players playing currently I admire Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard the most.

Q. If you hadn't chosen football, what would you be doing?

Alex Fernandez: Playing some other sport.

Well there you have it, like I said before, it's not much, but it is something. We were expecting sort of a spicy answer from Alex regarding what he would be if not a footballer haha, but still we are extremely thankful of Alex for answering our questions. Hope this doesn't land him into any sort of trouble.

Also we would like to thank @Galapago555 or Mr. Turtle or Señor Tortuga as we all call him for all the translations he has done for this post, all this could not have been possible without him. As they say in Spanish, Señor Tortuga eres un crack!

We wish Alex all the luck in the world may he have a bright, trophy laden career with Real Madrid. Hala Madrid!

Super Copa: Real Madrid-FC Barcelona: First Leg Preview

2011-08-13T14:04:00.001+05:30

The Super Copa is very close at hand. League winners—Barcelona, will be facing current Copa Del Rey champions—Real Madrid, in a two-legged tie of the Spanish Super Cup. So far, both teams have completed rather contrasting pre-season tours/friendlies; with Real Madrid winning all seven of the matches as opposed to Barca's 3 wins out of six. The Catalans looked far from impressive during said pre-season friendlies, with most of their first team players, either out injured, or resting from the Copa America.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, had a perfect pre-season, and Mourinho's men looked all but ready to start off the new season. Playing time was properly distributed among the whole team that was called up for the pre-season tour, barring the injured Nuri Sahin, and a lot of goals were scored. Real Madrid scored 27 goals in 7 games, while conceding 5. Not bad.

However, the pre-season forms of both teams don't say too much of what to expect from both teams as the season commences, because as stated earlier, Barcelona were with most of their first team players, and Real Madrid didn't face the toughest of opponents during their voyage. So whatever game plan Mourinho has going into these games should be independent of what form the Catalans were in, during pre-season.

Without further ado, let's look at the starting lineup I think will be used come Sunday. Let me preface this by saying that I do not expect us to go all out in this game. I say this because, one of the many things we achieved last season was a good defensive structure against Barca. One that they found difficult to break down no matter how many passes they strung together. So I expect us to maintain that structure, but what has to change is the way we handle the ball when we are in possession.

The Champions league Semi-final 1st leg from last season was a typical example of what we should not do (when in possession) this time around. Last season we depended on kicking the ball up to the forwards without linking up play from the midfield. Needless to say it failed woefully.

What I expect this time around are build ups. Pep Guarliola's men press aggressively, so build ups must be quick, and direct. It's easier said than done, but we should at least try. But as always, don't expect us to win the possession battle. Enough said, now to the starting 11:

GK: Iker Casillas: I don't think I need to explain why I've chosen him. First choice goal keeper, captain, and best keeper in the world; these things speak for themselves.

RB: Alvaro Arbeloa: If recent reports, have been anything to go by, then Sergio Ramos will probably miss the first leg of this tie. In his absence, we have an able-bodied back up in Alvaro Arbeloa. The Spaniard is tactically astute, and has a very high concentration level on the pitch. Mourinho never shied away from singing his praises, and they were well deserved too. One of his drawbacks, however, is his reluctance to attack and we can be rest assured he won't be attacking a lot against Barcelona.

CBs: Pepe & Ricardo Carvalho: I think Pepe is going to be playing at centre back this time around, mostly because with Sergio out, we would have to throw Raul Albiol into the fray. Seeing as Albiol doesn't have the full confidence of the coach, Pepe will have to play in defense. His obvious partner would be Carvalho. The 33 year old centre back, is sure to start this game.

LB: Marcelo: The Brazilian full-back has matured (football-wise) a lot over the past one or two years. He went from the player most Madridistas didn't want to have on their team in the big games, to one of the most important players for team. He could easily be rated the best attacking left back in the world, now, and with good reason too. He scored our last goal against Barca, in the Camp Nou, and while it wasn't enough to see us through o the final of the Champions league, that goal must have given him some confidence, on an individual level, at least. He still has the tendency to lose concentration every now and them, but whatever he lacks defensively, he makes up for, going forward. A definite start for him.

DMs: Sami Khedira and Xabi Alonso: The best player on our team is Ronaldo, but our most important player, is Xabi Alonso, without a doubt. Barring some weird happenings, Alosno is sure to start this game. His calmness on the ball, coupled with his pin point passing, are enough to seal a spot for him in the starting 11, come Sunday. In fact, how well we play, will depend (to a certain extent) on how well the Spaniard plays.

Sami Khedira is going to be a lot more involved in our attacks this season. Judging from our pre-season friendlies, he's going to be playing higher up the pitch than Xabi Alonso, which means, he'd be more involved in goals; scoring, and assisting. I see him starting on Sunday, especially with Lass out of the team, and Nuri Sahin still injured. He will play a huge role in how well we pressure Barcelona high up the pitch.

RW/DM: Fabio Coentrao: The big question is: Who will start, Di Maria, or Coentrao? In my opinion, Coentrao will be starting this game. Why? Because with the Portuguese, we kill two birds with one stone. Seeing as he can play in the middle and on the wings, he could slot into the middle and form a trivote with Sami and Alonso when we defend, switch to the wings, to provide some width when we defend. On paper, it's a brilliant idea, but whether it can be properly executed, is an answer that can only be made available to us, on the field. If this happens, then it's safe to say, Fabio Coentrao will be a very important part of this team, come Sunday; even more important that Alonso. His work ethic will be tested, and his tactical discipline too. Will he be caught out of position often? Can he keep up with the constant movements of the Pep Guardiola's men? It's a tough task, but the 30 million price tag would be a steal, if he can pull this off.

CAM/CM: Mesut Ozil: I expect the German to start this match ahead of Kaka, for the obvious fact that he's currently the better of the two. He has had a strong pre-season, and thanks to the German National team coach, Joachim Loew, he was rested during the week, while most of his teammates were on international duty. He links up well with the attackers, and is very comfortable on the ball. I do not see why he shouldn't start this game.

LW: Cristiano Ronaldo: The highest goal scorer in one season in la liga's entire history, looks set to start this game. Ronaldo had a good pre-season, scoring 7 goals in 7 games. He has continued with his scoring form from last season, and would probably be the first name on the team sheet, going into this game.

ST: Karim Benzema: To be honest, I do not think Benzema should start against Barcelona. Yes he has been in good form as of late, but his style of play might not suit the game we would have to play against Barcelona. With him, we need a lot of possession; something we won't have too much of against Barca.

But how do you reward somebody who has worked so hard to make the starting 11 this season, and has done so well during the pre-season friendlies, so much that he is the the highest goal scorer with 8 goals in 7 games? You reward him by trusting him in games that count. His first real test this season will come in the form of a home match against Barcelona. I Hope he passes in flying colours, because if he does well, the whole team does well.

It could be argued that playing him will be a mistake, but (in my honest opinion) it is a mistake that must be made. I think he should start on Sunday, at least.

________________

Well that's it folks. This is the lineup that I think will work against Barcelona, but as cliched as this may sound, it is still the truth; "Nothing is for sure in football". I expect a cautious game from us regardless of who starts for Barca, because let's face, this is not a matter of "will power", it's about what has to be done. Like I said, we've established one thing against Barca, and that's our defense, so we cannot just throw all that away because we look like favorites after a more "impressive" run of pre-season friendlies. That's a misleading theory, to say the least. We must take one step at a time, if we're going to eventually supersede Barcelona.

Hala Madrid!

Pablo Sarabia Joins Getafe: The Complete Story

2011-07-05T23:24:00.000+05:30

Pablo Sarabia is considered to be one of the most talented and promising players in Real Madrid's youth ranks. He is so highly-regarded that scouts from all over Europe attended several Castilla games this season to watch him play.

Clubs such as Arsenal, Benfica, Braga, Barcelona, Manchester United and many more were keeping a close eye on him. His agent had admitted that Arsenal, along with a couple of Italian outfits, had expressed an interest, and that Real Madrid were aware of that, but he later stated that Sarabia wants to triumph at Madrid.

Pablo joined La Fabrica as a 13-year-old in 2004, moving up through the youth ranks over the years, until he made his professional debut in the Segunda B against Alcorcon with Real Madrid Castilla in 2009. He improved immensely under Alberto Toril who was promoted from Juvenil A's coach to Castilla's in the second half of the 2010-2011 season.

With Castilla, Sarabia made 49 appearances and scored 15 goals. He made his first-team debut last season in a 4-0 win over Auxerre at the Bernabeu in the group stages of the Champions League after coming on for Cristiano Ronaldo. On his debut, he looked comfortable, didn't get lost chasing the ball or forget orders and also showed some great passing and dribbling abilities, all signs of his maturity despite only being a teenager with very little high-level experience.

On Sunday, July 3, Real Madrid officially announced the departure of Pablo Sarabia. In a brief statement, the official announcement reports that an agreement has been reached with Getafe, reserving the right to buy him back:

Real Madrid C. F. and Getafe C. F. have reached an agreement for the transfer of RM Castilla player Pablo Sarabia. Real Madrid CF reserves the right to repurchase the footballer.

Sarabia had a contract with Real Madrid until the summer of 2013; however Real Madrid cashed in on him for a reported €3 million, also inserting a buy-back clause in the deal. The buy-back clause can only be activated after he completes 2 years of his 5-year-contract with Getafe.

There's a lot that can be written on the complexity of the issue of non-usage of Real's cantera graduates, but most of the problem primarily lies at the doorstep of Florentino Perez and his over-the-top 'I know it all' tendency.

Also, Mourinho is under pressure to deliver and taking risks with youngsters is certainly not included in his plans. No matter how hard he tries to make fans think he cares about developing our youngsters, he doesn't, which is unfortunate because this generation of La Fabrica players is the best in years, and I, along with many other Madridistas, would hate to see what happened to Mata and Parejo happen to them.

However, I don’t think this will be the case with Sarabia. In recent years, we've had De La Red, Granero and Parejo leave to Getafe and come back at a later date, under similar circumstances to Sarabia's move. De La Red and Granero were able to make it back and Sarabia will be hoping to do the same.

With Getafe, Sarabia will get plenty of playing time in the Primera. This will give him the opportunity and time to fully develop. He has all the raw talent and ability. Playing regularly at such a high level will aid him by providing him the confidence and experience he needs. Hopefully, he will impress Perez and Mourinho (or whoever is the manager when Sarabia starts dazzling), and we’ll see him wearing the white shirt again.

Good luck, Pablo!

Keeping It Real—Why Promoting a Canterano Might Backfire

2011-05-25T15:37:00.000+05:30

Joselu: Scored on debut

"Ten youth teamers debut this season"—Just as the last match of the season in Liga BBVA had ended for Real Madrid with a 8-1 victory over Almeria; Real Madrid's official site ran a post with the above mentioned headline, to remind us all of the greatness of Jose Mourinho—the big risk taker who despite having the pressure of winning every trophy invested in not two or three but TEN youth teamers.

What Real Madrid's official site wanted to convey didn't sit well with me, this post of ten youth teamers debuting was a way to please the fans who have been wanting to see the youth teamers with the first team, wanting to see another Raul, another Casillas, another De La Red; this post reminded me of what these debuts meant for Jose Mourinho—another way to please the fans.

I won't deny it, never have, never will—I'm not the biggest Jose Mourinho fan (but still I'm glad he is continuing with the team because he marked an amazing season with the club.). So there, you can use this against me, say that my hate for Jose Mourinho is the reason I see this as a way to please the fans. But you can't change the facts, can you?

Juan Carlos, Mateos, Antonio Adan, Pablo Sarabia, Alvaro Morata, Alex Fernandez, Nacho Fernandez, Tomas Mejias, Jesus and Joselu made their debuts for the first team this season according to the post, but lets not count Alex Fernandez because all he got was a little above 30 seconds at Racing and not single touch of the ball. So that means only nine canteranos properly debuted this season.

What makes me question Jose Mourinho's actions, and say that all these debuts were just to please the fans is because out of these nine, only two players have made more than one appearance—Adan and Nacho. Not counting Morata as despite the Levante tie in Copa del Rey being dead and buried, he only got a substitute appearance.

Sarabia: Impressive on debut

Had Mourinho been genuinely interested in using them, surely more canteranos would have gotten more than one appearance and Nacho wouldn't have been the only outfield player to get a start and play a full game; especially when Pablo Sarabia impressed in the 30 minutes he got to play against Auxerre and has been performing brilliantly for the Castilla week in and week out.

Many of these canteranos in the beginning got in the team because of Jose Mourinho's helplessness. Mateos was given a professional contract at the start of the season because, Pepe and Garay were out injured, and there was no back up in central defense.

Adan got a start because Casillas wasn't called up for the game and Dudek broke his jaw, then later Dudek's injury saw Adan make more appearances. I think you catch my drift, by the end of the season, Mourinho had realized what the impact a canterano appearance makes on the fans, still Nacho's start was more due to suspensions.

I'm not saying, I'm not thankful of Mourinho to start so many canteranos, but I'm not particularly thrilled about their future if they were used as a tool to make the fans happy. The last player to get promoted to the first team was Mateos, he was loaned out to AEK Athens in the January transfer window. I'm sure had he stayed here longer, he wouldn't have notched up 90 minutes in a season.

Talking about Mateos isn't fair, because surely there was no way he would have started over Carvalho, Pepe, Garay or Albiol. But we can definitely use Sergio Canales as an example; Canales was supposed to be going on loan this season before Jose Mourinho himself requested to keep him with the squad for the season.

We all saw what happened with him. If Sergio Canales—who had a decent season in La Liga before joining, wasn't trusted by Mourinho to get enough minutes, I don't see a way how the canteranos who play in Segunda B can gain his trust if they are promoted.

The way that Jose Mourinho has acted, promoting the canteranos is not an option that will be any good for the canteranos, because once they get promoted officially they are no longer eligible to play for Real Madrid Castilla, which will mean they're most likely to notch up 300 minutes a season at most, if they're lucky enough.

Will they be used like Higuain?

I won't complain about the canteranos getting 300 minutes if they are sent in crunch situations, like Gonzalo Higuain was when he was new at Real Madrid, during the time when the scores were level or when Real Madrid were behind; he was sent in to get a goal, get a result; that is positive reinforcement for a young player.

But how the things have gone so far, these 300 minutes will most likely come when the game's result is beyond doubt; which will hardly help build any character, they'll never be ready for the first team like this. It's better they stick with the Castilla or join another La Liga club with a buy-back clause, because that is a strategy that seems to be working.

I feel that I am being a little too harsh on Jose Mourinho, it's not exactly his complete fault that he doesn't trust the canteranos, it's a little too hard to put the blame on him when you know what kind of pressure to succeed is on him.

The man who has to be blamed for this is none other than Florentino Perez, had he not sacked Vicente Del Bosque, there wouldn't have been a period of instability at the club, and the managers would have taken the risk to give chances to canteranos.

Hala Madrid!

Wolfsgang Stark & FC Barcelona: Pre-Match Team Meeting

2011-05-01T10:07:00.001+05:30

"Go! Get HIM!

If you are following me on Twitter, you probably know that I ran a sting operation to get my hands on the "exclusive" Barcelona pre-match & post-match team talk, and am going to publish it as 2 part post. Our reporter was in Catalonia a few days before the match, and this is EXACTLY what he saw and heard.

Location: Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper

(Pep Guardiola is rejoining the team huddle after a phone call, Pep looks pleased with himself, and starts talking with the Barcelona players.)

Pep: Just got of the phone with Michel (Platini), he had called to say he was sorry about picking the Portuguese referee without asking us first, and he was saying he would do just about anything to make it up.

Puyol: *growling like a caveman in approval*

Valdes: Has he made arrangements so we can play our game?

Pep: Yes, he has, our "special player" would be arriving to train with us soon, jejeje. Pique what are you doing? Hang up the phone and come back, we are talking here.

Pique: I was just telling Shakira to get a nose job, a bigger nose would be so much more sexy, don't you think? It looked so good on Ibra.

Pep: Didn't I tell you we don't take his name here, he broke my heart. Anyways, all of you do your stretching, then we'll start the practice with a little diving followed by some face-clutching till our friend drops by. By the way where's Villa, I don't see him.

Xavi: He's with Ramos and Arbeloa, they sent me a text saying he got drunk last night and they had to pick him up, and he's with them, they even sent me a photo, look.

Pep: He isn't their teammate, it's your duty; did you go pick David up? What did you tell them?

Xavi: I told them we are the only team that wants to play football.

Pep: ..........

Xavi: I'll go pick him up.

[Xavi leaves to get Villa while the team continue their training, they take turns diving, clutching their face and ganging up on a person, who our reporter assumes is supposed to be the referee.]

[Some time passes, our reporter notices a grown German man wearing a Lionel Messi kit reach the gates of Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper and is stopped by the security and is being thrown out when Pep Gaurdiola notices the man and intercepts. Apparently the security guards were throwing him out because they had banned him from the premises for stalking Lionel Messi during training.]

Pep: Wow, you came a lot earlier than expected, were you close by? And why were the security people stopping you from entering.

Wolfsgang Stark: Yes, I was near Messi's hom.....I was close by. By the way where's Lionel Messi, he's like the best player EVER, I want to meet him. I don't know man, they did that the last time I was here too, I was just going to the player's shower after the training to meet Messi, that's all, I still don't get why they threw me out. Now when am I getting to meet Messi?

Pep: Umm...........yeah, I can't figure it out either........you'll be meeting Messi soon enough, when we'll talk game strategy in a while.

Wolfsgang Stark: OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! REALLY?!

Pep: .............yeah.

[Pep and Wolfsgang Stark oversee the training (video), Xavi and Villa join the group, Pep and Stark wait for them to finish "practice" before they start the discussion.]

Pep: Okay, huddle up people, here's the "special player" I was talking about.

Puyol: *sniffs Wolfsgang Stark*

Wolfsgang Stark: Hi Leo! I am your biggest fan, can you sign my shirt, my shorts, anything?!

Pep: Can we focus?

Wolfsgang Stark: Alright. *whispers* I love you Leo.

Pep: Can I call you Wolf? Okay Wolf, as Platini might have already told you, to play our beautiful game of football, we have some special requirements that only you can provide. *winks* Aside from those we require shorter grass to play, but those bastards in Madrid just won't cut the grass, and that's why we only drew in the league, see:

Xavi: We were the only team that wanted to play football, but couldn't because of the jungle, you need to help us save people's lives, and also save the game of football Wolfgang!

Wolfsgang Stark: I'll be glad to help the team of Leo, do you want to me get rid of Pepe? He got all over in the face of Leo, he needs to pay for his actions.

Pep: Good, good, you already know what to do, less work for me. Excellent.

Wolfsgang Stark: Can I get Messi's shirt right now?

Messi: *runs away*

[They are all sent to the showers, Wolfgang Stark follows Lionel Messi.]

Real Madrid-Barcelona: El Clasico (1/4): Points Worth Noting

2011-04-17T17:53:00.001+05:30

Pepe to Messi: "Are you crazy?"

Last night Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid brought an end to the winning streak of Pep Gaurdiola's Borecelona....err....Barcelona in El Clasico as well as their streak away from home.

Jose Mourinho's men fought hard, were the better team, created the better chances despite being "outpassed" and "outpossessed," earned themselves a draw with 10 men on the field. It didn't help that the referee was, as usual against them. This draw as stated by Marca's headline, "feels like a win".

There are always many match reviews available on the internet of such games and it's always better to do something different, so that's why I have decided to discuss point by point the things that happened in the match which were worth discussing.

Barcelona's Football is as Negative as it Can Get

Barcelona had 76% possession of the ball according to ESPN Soccernet, and as far as I remember the commentator repeatedly reminding how Barcelona had completed more than twice the number of passes than Real Madrid while having an orgasm. The bias of Mediapro's commentator didn't enable him to watch the match properly as he was praising Barcelona for playing square balls and back passes while lined up at the half-line unable to create anything worthwhile except for a good showing for number of passes completed.

Keeping possession while attacking is 'good attacking football', but keeping possession for the sake of not giving it to the opposition should be considered as a negative tactic, just like taking the ball to the flag or rolling in defense is, people need to get rid of their bias towards FC Barcelona.

The Trivote Worked Wonders/Pepe is Amazing in Midfield

Bassam of Real Madrid Offside and I have had a discussion about using the trivote many time, we had Granero as our choice with Khedira and Xabi Alonso, but after Granero was suspended both of us had agreed on Pepe as the third man in the trivote over Lass; Lass got injured we got our wish, and it turns out what we wanted was the right thing all along. We wanted Real Madrid to close down spaces, press high up the field and not give time to Barcelona's midfielders time to pick out passes that can open up defenses. Pepe did just that; he hounded the Catalan midfielders down, won tackles in the middle of the park, and helped start many of Real Madrid's attack; hands down the best player on the field.

The trivote should be used again in the remaining Clasicos without any change or bringing in Lass, Lass just isn't the same as Pepe. Pepe's much more cleaner and disciplined than Lass.

Dani Alves & Adriano Were Kept Quiet

After watching a few Barcelona games, I had realized how important Dani Alves is for Barcelona. When going forward, Dani Alves always bombs up the field making dangerous runs, getting into good positions and getting involved in many attacking plays with quick one-two passing. Due to the compact shape of Real Madrid and breaking quickly on the counters, Dani Alves didn't venture forward in attack too much and that made it one less player to deal with while defending. Not only Alves, the left-back Adriano didn't make many attacking runs either.

Full-Backs Can't Be Red Carded

Yes, that's right, according to the fourth-official in the game, full backs can't be red-carded. In the press-conference after the game, Jose was talking about how Alves should have been red-carded for a second bookable offense when he brought down Marcelo in the box conceding a penalty and that's when he said:

"I asked the fourth official why there wasn't a second yellow and he told me it's because he's a full-back."

All these times, all these times when Sergio Ramos got red carded, all he had to say was, "I'm a full-back b****!" and he would have stayed on, I ask for the Spanish FA and the UEFA to apologize to Sergio Ramos for giving him red cards in La Liga, Copa del Ray and Champions League.

Neither Ozil Nor Di Maria Should Start The Next Clasico

Both Di Maria and Mesut Ozil have been immense for Real Madrid this season but none of them are suitable to start the El Clasico just yet. Di Maria has got the nerves and Ozil is not someone who can keep up the same intensity over the 90 minutes.

Last night Di Maria's touch and control deserted him many a times, the same Di Maria would have latched on to those similar balls and would have tore up the defense of some other team but he just couldn't keep the ball close to him and always ran into trouble. Di Maria just isn't ready mentally.

Ozil was brilliant when he came on last night, dribbling past defenders, passing the ball well, getting involved in the play. The problem with Ozil starting is that in order to last the 90 minutes he will stop pressing in attack and will not track back, and the success we had in shutting out Barcelona's midfield was the fact that everyone put in their defensive shifts properly, even Cristiano Ronaldo was tracking back helping in defense many times. If Ozil switches off we have a problem.

Picking someone to start out of the two is a little difficult, so I'll just go ahead and put the weirdest idea in your head about starting Benzema and Higuain along with Cristiano Ronaldo

But as far as Jose Mourinho goes, I know he'll start Ozil. Won't be a bad idea if Ozil does a complete job and puts in 60-70 minutes and then Di Maria comes on in his place as an impact substitute.

I nearly predicted the correct line-up (The mistake I made was picking Higuain over Benzema) nearly 12 hours before the game on Twitter, let's wait and see if I predicted the correct line-up this time as well. Best of luck to the players for the remaining Clasicos! Hala Madrid!

Should Real Madrid Give Any Priority To La Liga? [Guest Post]

2011-04-08T22:40:00.001+05:30

Note: The following post was supposed to be done as a debate post but Saheli (@riverscollide) did such a wonderful job writing this I decided it was better to publish it as her post, keep in mind this was supposed to published on Sunday April 3, I screwed up and delayed the post.

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Last night I observed the difference between my mentality of a Madridista and the mentality of a Cricket Fan. With Real Madrid, I've always adopted an 'it ain't over till the fat lady sings' attitude and with the latter, it has always been 'oh crap, India is going to lose' even before the start of the second innings. The way things unfolded last night, I’m beginning to think a swap of mentalities is in order.

Needless to say, Real Madrid's performance was quite dreadful, with Adebayor being the biggest flop of the day as he missed countless chances. Subsequently, Barcelona’s 1-0 win away at El Madrigal means that they're now eight before ahead of us with eight games left to play in the league. Mathematically Barcelona are still not champions, but a conversation with Deepak made me think, is it time to give up on the league and focus instead on the Champions League and the Copa del Rey final instead?

For Madrid, April is a make-it or break-it month with six extremely crucial games left to play. We will first host Tottenham on 5 April for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter finals. Next, we will travel to San Mames to play Athletic Bilbao in the league, followed by the return leg of the UCL at White Hart Lane. Following that, there will be two intense encounters with Barcelona – once at the Bernabeu, and once at the Mestalla for the Copa del Rey final. The month then rounds off with an away trip to the Mestalla to face Valencia.

Out of the three competitions, realistically we have a chance of winning two. At this juncture, it is safe to assume the outcome of La Liga is out of our hands: it is Barcelona's title to lose. Based on last night's display, we realise exactly how much we miss Xabi Alonso's creative spark in the midfield. We have played and won without Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, but last night was a testament to our lack of creativity in the midfield. Perhaps creativity is a wrong choice of word; rather we lacked a midfielder who could control the game, like a conductor conducting an orchestra.

Real Madrid have already confirmed that Ronaldo, Marcelo and Benzema will be available for the clash against Tottenham. Gonzalo Higuain clocked in more than twenty minutes last night after being out for more than four months. So it is safe to say we will have a relatively full squad with the exception of Kaka and Gago. Now the question that arose in my conversation with Deepak is this: is it time to let go of the league and focus solely on the Champions League and the Copa del Rey?

My short answer is yes. Let me elaborate with a long one.

It is true that once we stop pursuing the league, Barcelona will be able to breathe a sigh of relief. But if the last three years have taught us anything, it is this: Pep Guardiola is a pragmatist. He will not stop pursuing the league until Barcelona have won mathematically. This will not happen in April – since Barcelona will play only three games. Right now Barcelona have 81 points, compared to Real Madrid’s 73 points. There are still 24 points up for grabs for both sides in the league.

Assuming Barcelona wins all three of their April league games, and Real Madrid lose all three, they will extend their lead by 17 points. Only then will it make them champions by the end of April – based on the assumption that Madrid has to lose all three of their league encounters. However, if Madrid doesn’t drop all nine points in April, Barcelona still have to play two more games to win the league title. Confusing? Yes. Bizarre? Ditto. Bottom line is this: it’s highly unlikely that Barcelona will be able to win the league by the end of April.

So technically, Barcelona will still be fighting on all three fronts. Whereas if Real Madrid decides to forfeit the aggressive pursuit of the League and instead focus on the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, it would mean resting key players like Ozil and Di Maria during league games.

I am not saying that we should throw away the remaining games; more on that later. Mourinho did say before the Gijon match that he can’t rest the key players because the La Liga hinged on the outcome against Sporting. Now that it is over, I think Mourinho should shift his focus onto the other two competitions. This way, our starters would have played less minutes prior to meeting Barcelona than their starters.

The counter argument is that if we lax our pursuit of the league title, Barcelona can also do the same. And yes, we know that Barcelona reserves are more than capable of winning games by themselves, like they did last night, without either Xavi or Iniesta in the squad. Compared to their second string team, I think it is safe to say, based on last night's display, our second string team sucked. We still do not have the cohesiveness that Barcelona have built up over the season.

However, we should not concern ourselves with what Barcelona will or won't do. We should focus on ensuring that our starters are in their top forms for the two (or maybe four) crucial encounters against the Catalans. Barcelona are not unbeatable and neither are they invincible. Their players tire as much as any other La Liga players. Right now, our aim should be to field a fully fit team for the games against Tottenham and the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona.

I am not suggesting that we throw away the league and let Barcelona wrap it up before April. Instead, I think this will be a perfect time to bring on the canteranos and expose them to the first team. Morata, Alex, Juan Carlos, Juanfran, Sarabia have all tasted first team action this season – and they've been on top notch form with Castilla. With Castilla's playoff position more or less secured, I’d love to see them get some playing time.

This will be a win-win situation for us: it will take the pressure off our regulars and it will also give us a glimpse of what our future is like, since it is my earnest desire that one day we will build a team around our Cantera. Apart from the Canteranos, this will be a good time see which of our reserves should stay and which of them should go: Canales, Pedro Leon, Garay etc; by playing them against Bilbao and Valencia. As for El Clasico, I expect Real to field a fully fit team since it is a matter of pride and we want to ensure a repeat of 6-2 does not happen again.

However, given that we'll be facing them again in three days, it is time to prioritise. Do we want to defend our honour at the Bernabeu or do we want to win the Copa del Rey to ensure we do not finish trophyless this season? For Barcelona it is a win-win situation – they either get to humiliate us at our own turf or they win the Copa del Rey. For us, it’s time to sort out our priorities.

To wrap it up, we can pursue the league but it might backfire terribly on us and leave us trophyless at the end of the day. Because pursuing the league means devoting resources away from Champions league and Copa del Rey to focus on something that is almost a lost cause. It is a simple division of labour – pursuing the league means Ozil, Di Maria et al will be playing more minutes, thus risking them to either fatigue or injury.

Of course this doesn’t mean that we're going to easily win our Copa del Rey and the potential Champions League Semi-final ties against Barcelona – at least we will go into the respective games with a fully fit squad.

Mourinho has beaten Barcelona before with Inter and that victory came after two group stage defeats against the Catalans. We should also keep in mind that this is the first season that these new signings and Mourinho are working together. While expectations are sky high at the Bernabeu (and sometimes quite unrealistic to be honest) and among Madridistas, as long as we put up a good fight, losing to them won't be the end of the world. My only wish is that we do not throw away the encounters like we did in November: now that was just plain embarrassing.

April: A Stressful Month Ahead For Madridismo

2011-03-31T13:02:00.002+05:30

April is finally here and it’s arguably the month that will make or break Real Madrid’s season. It’s hard to believe that last time Real Madrid were treble candidates was 11 years ago and that the team is in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 7 years. Most Madridistas are excited at the prospect of watching Los Merengues play possibly every 3 days in April but, to be completely honest, the likelihood that we could all be seeing a psychotherapist or a cardiac specialist at the end of the month is not that low.

The Schedule:

Date	Opponent	Competition	Venue
2 April	Sporting Gijon	La Liga	Home
5 April	Tottenham Hotspur	Champions League (quarter-finals): 1st leg	Home
9/10 April	Athletic Bilbao	La Liga	Away (San Mamés)
13 April	Tottenham Hotspur	Champions League (quarter-finals): 2nd leg	Away (White Hart Lane)
16-17 April	Barcelona	La Liga	Home
20 April	Barcelona	Copa del Rey final	Away (Mestalla)
23/24 April	Valencia	La Liga	Away (Mestalla)
27 April	Barcelona or Shakhtar Donetsk	Champions League (semi-finals): 1st leg	Home
30 April or 1 May	Zaragoza	La Liga	Home

There was a lot of fuss about a possible in strike in La Liga which would have postponed round 30 to June but thankfully, the issue is resolved. In April, Real Madrid have to play 9 games: 5 at the Bernabeu (4 if Spurs knocks them out of the Champions League) and 4 away. They will play 2 consecutive Clasicos and another one after 1 week if they reach the Champions League semi-final and Barcelona manage to knock Shakhtar out of the competition.

What could happen?

It wouldn’t be totally unrealistic to say that, at the end of the month, Real Madrid could win or lose every single competition they are in. In my opinion, this season is already a success: the players are actually playing as a team (which is really weird since we’re talking about Real Madrid), they have progressed in every competition and the home record is just fantastic.

If the team wins every match, the chances of it winning the competitions look great. Sadly, I just don’t see that happening. I mean, winning 3 Clasicos after losing the previous 5 ones sounds very far-fetched.

"I'm Flo Perez, I do whatever I want. Get over it."

The worse that can happen is that Real Madrid lose everything, Florentino Perez goes crazy and does something that hurts the team; this includes, but is not limited to: sacking Mourinho; selling all our players or trying to buy every football player on the planet, alive or dead.

You've been warned!

Real Madrid Player Ratings: Season So Far

2011-03-21T11:51:00.001+05:30

Ratings are on a scale of 1 to 10.

Iker Casillas:

Our captain has been his usual reliable self. So far this season, he has conceded 28 goals and kept 25 clean sheets in all competitions. He has made some questionable decisions like his rash tackle on Jose Callejon that resulted in his sending off against Espanyol, but he has also managed some remarkable saves that helped us maintain leads and win games.

Rating: 8

Sergio Ramos:

Not the Sergio Ramos we have gotten used to in recent years. After coming back from the World Cup as one of Spain’s best performers, much was expected from him. To be honest, I've been disappointed in some of his performances this season. His attacking isn't as effective as it used to be, and his sense of positioning is awry following a foray forward. Gets booked for needless reckless challenges (14 yellows and 2 reds so far) & was dropped by Mourinho a few times this season. He’s been much more impressive in the games he played as a CB in. He has scored 2 goals (a penalty and a header) and is starting to look a lot better in his past few games. Let’s hope we get to see the real Ramos soon.

Rating: 6.5

Pepe:

A rock at the back, has contributed immensely to Real Madrid’s improved defensive record. Pepe distinguishes himself from his counterparts by his embodiment of both speed and physical prowess and there is no doubt he is one of the best center backs in the world, and this is why Perez should give him the pay raise he deserves. He has even scored a goal against Real Sociedad (deflected Cristiano’s free kick into the net). Although he has had some issues with injuries and a few forgettable and aggressive games, Pepe is in good form this season and hopefully will not let the contract talks affect his performances.

Rating: 8

Ricardo Carvalho:

Carvalho is in the form of his life. Although he’s 32, he can competently shore up the center defense. He’s powerful in the air, physical, combative & has superb technique. Reinforced the defense, significantly strengthened the squad and has displayed brilliant leadership skills on the pitch. He has scored 3 goals so far (including our first of the season) and is rated by many as our best summer signing. Those €8 million spent on him were nothing.

Rating: 8.5

Marcelo:

I always wanted Real Madrid to get rid of Marcelo but only tolerated his series of poor performances because of his age and because I hoped he would develop into someone useful for this team. This time has finally come. After an average 2009/10 season, Marcelo is having his breakout season. His tackling has drastically improved and so has his sense of positioning, but of course, he still has a lot to work on. He is paying back Mourinho’s confidence in him with defensive steel (not quite steel, but you get the point…) and terrific attacking runs.

He has scored 3 brilliant goals and assisted another 5 so far. With hard work and consistency, Marcelo will develop into the best left back in the world in a few years (he already is the best attacking fullback in the world, just needs to work on his defensive blunders).

Rating: 7.5 Overall. (Defense: 6, Attack: 8)

Alvaro Arbeloa:

Arbeloa’s performances this season have impressed Mourinho. As usual, pretty solid defensively but doesn't venture forward much. He scored a great goal against Ajax in the Champions League. This is what Mourinho had to say about him: "Arbeloa is the type of player that may not impress people because he is not Maradona or Zidane or another player, but when he's played he's never a 6. He is always between 7 and 9." This perfectly sums up Arbeloa as a player.

Rating: 7

Xabi Alonso:

The architect. He’s been a leader on the pitch. His long range passes have been second to none (he completed 58 out of his 62 attempted passes against Lyon). He sprays the ball in all directions, orchestrating the tempo of the game. He protects the back four, assists and constantly delivers dangerous set pieces. He is the fulcrum of this team. I can only think of one bad game he had this season, and that’s the one against his former team, Real Sociedad. Xabi is an indispensable player on this team.

Rating: 9

Sami Khedira:

Khedira was one of our summer signings. We got him for about €10 million from Stuttgart. He was said to be a good midfielder that has great stamina, a good range of passing and impressive technique on the ball. A cross between the defensive and box-to-box midfielders, he’s playing the role of the ballast in Mourinho’s system, his role is to prevent the formation from getting top heavy and ensure that the front four do not become isolated from the back six. He has great stamina.

He’s dealing well with the responsibility of shackling opposition playmakers and tracking runs from deep in order the shield the center backs from being overrun. So far, he’s been doing a decent job, nothing extraordinary; he’s still young and has a lot of time to develop into a great player. He had a great game against Atleti yesterday. I think we’ll see an improved Sami next season after he’s fully integrated with the team.

Rating: 7

Lassana "Lass" Diarra:

"I want to demonstrate that I can play in this team. Last year, I did not play at my best. I feel like a Madrid player and I know that with him [Mourinho] I have to fight everyday in training, because any player has his chance and that is something to take advantage of.'' This is what Lass had to say at the beginning of the season. I think he’s been doing well this season. He needs to work on his consistency though. He’s had some pretty good games. His bite in the tackle & limitless stamina make him tough for opponents, but he still makes some uncalled-for tackles in dangerous areas, which could end up hurting the team.

Rating: 6.5

Esteban Granero:

On the pitch, El Pirata has been level-headed and a calming influence. He is working hard for the team. He comes in to train with Castilla when the team is given days off and his intelligence and passion are well-known. In the few games he’s played this season, his passing has been sublime (he completed 50 out of the 55 he attempted against Hercules in about 70 minutes and 15/15 against Lyon), and his ball retention abilities wonderful. His work rate has been admirable and it should be noticed by anyone watching him play.

He scored the equalizer against Almeria and got us a point after coming on late in the second half. He also scored an astonishing goal against Murcia in CdR. El Pirata definitely deserves more playing time and will hopefully get some after his solid performances against Hercules and Racing.

Rating: 7.5

Mesut Ozil:

Ozil's €15million move to Madrid saw the club make the best signing in years. Ozil has walked off the pitch to standing ovations from the fans at the Bernabeu several times this season- a testament to his wonderful skills as a player. He manages to find his teammates on the pitch without effort, and his style and flair with the ball can be breathtaking. His control is exceptional and his creative passes can unlock any defense.

He was dealing with some fitness problems and inconsistency at the beginning of the season (couldn't manage to play a full game and faded after 70 minutes), but he has definitely improved. He has scored 10 goals, assisted 16, and created countless other scoring opportunities so far. His style of play resembles Zizou’s, and with time, Ozil can turn into a player as great as his idol.

Rating: 8.5

Ricardo Kaka:

After coming back from a serious injury, Kaka has failed to impress Mourinho and the fans. Madrid faithful are getting frustrated with his performances. I think Kaka's problem is that not only has he gone off the boil slightly, but it's hard to shine in team full of stars, especially when people like Cristiano are scoring goals for fun and others like Ozil are playing brilliantly.

Kaka is still a quality player, no one can doubt that. He just needs to find form again, if he'll find that at Real Madrid is another question. Would it be better to move to another club to get consistent football and become a key player in the side? I don't know, it could work for him though, and since we have 2 of the brightest young talents in world football in his position (Ozil and Canales), I think Real Madrid should cut their losses short and ship him off. This will also increase Sarabia’s chances of making it to the first team.

Rating: 5.5

Angel Di Maria:

Ángel was brought in from Benfica in the summer for €25 million. Lots of clubs where interested in him, but we managed to sign him. He was so highly regarded that when Simao, a talismanic Benfica captain, left the club, it was claimed that Di Maria was perfect replacement. A very skillful winger, with great dribbling skills, Di Maria has been dazzling us with his tremendous skill and pace. His work rate is fantastic – he has no problems tracking back and recovering lost balls. All he needs to do is stop diving and improve his decision-making. He sometimes lacks concentration and dwells on the ball for too long, which should improve as he gains more experience. He has scored 8 goals and assisted 18 in all competitions this season. He will be a major player in our future team.

Rating: 8

Cristiano Ronaldo:

A revolutionary player, a super professional, a machine. He has ambition, physicality and efficiency. His irrepressible energy, predatory instincts, passion for the game and faith in himself are the qualities that make him one of the best footballers on the planet. Shooting ability, passing accuracy, vision, pace, aerial prowess, set-play wizardry; he possesses it all.

He started out slow this season, failing to score in his first few league games, but regained top form against Deportivo where he scored a brace, and has been fantastic ever since. He has been terrorizing defenses all over Europe. He has scored 37 goals (38 according to Marca), assisted 13 (could have been a lot more if Benz wasn’t missing those easy chances at the start of the season), and is the top scorer of the team.

Even his attitude has changed this season: he has been calm, playing with a smile on his face most of the time, hasn’t been whining about referee calls not going his way, and has reduced his diving. He seems to love playing under compatriot Mourinho. He got injured after scoring a hattrick against Malaga and aggregated this injury in the derby yesterday and will be back in mid-April. Hopefully, when he comes back, we will see a fully fit Ronaldo firing on all cylinders.

Rating: 9

Gonzalo "Pipita" Higuain:

Before his injury, Pipita was having another great season. He scored Real Madrid’s 700th Champions League goal and had 10 goals and 3 assists in 18 games. He had cemented the poacher spot in Mourinho’s starting XI ahead of Benzema, and mastered his role: He drifts to the wings to create space for Cristiano and di Maria to drive through the middle, can hold the ball up to bring teammates into play, plays on the shoulder of the last man, which stretches the opposition defense, freeing space for the midfield to squeeze forward, and has great awareness in the box. His injury is supposed to keep him out of the field for 4 months, but his goal is to return in time for the CdR Clasico final.

Rating: 7

Emanuel Adebayor:

The signing of Adebayor saw Mourinho get the striker he had been wanting after Pipita’s injury (not his first choice though). Adebayor said that he already feels settled at Real Madrid. His first goal came against Sevilla in the CdR and his first league goal came in a 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu. He also scored against Racing. He’s been a decent 2nd choice striker. Real have the option to buy at the end of the season, but this relies on Adebayor’s performances which haven’t looked that sharp so far.

Rating: 6

Karim Benzema:

It was speculated that Benzema’s lack of form as well as poor performances were unimpressive to Mourinho and that the he could well be on his way out of Madrid in this summer’s transfer window. After Pipita’s injury, Benzema had the chance to prove he’s worthy of the White shirt, but he failed. I think he realized that he was the only real option for Mourinho since he was the only striker left on the team, and felt the pressure of having to perform week-in-week-out. The pressure of scoring goals seemed to have been thrusted upon him. His pace seemed diminished, he looked lost on the pitch, had an awful first touch, and was shorn of all the accuracy that had made him one of the most potent forwards in Europe. His confidence was shattered. One can’t help but wonder what Mourinho had to say to him after the arrival of Adebayor. He turned from zero to hero.

He has been in top form these past few weeks, netting a pivotal goal against Lyon (only 40 seconds after coming in for Adebayor in the second half), braces against Malaga, Racing Santander and Hercules, another one against Lyon in the second leg, and 1 against Atletico yesterday, taking his total tally to 21 in all competitions this season making him the team’s second top scorer.

Benzema says all this is thanks to Mourinho, but Mourinho thinks that "the main person responsible for the change is Karim himself” and says that "Zizou has worked psychologically with him several times.” If Benzema can keep this sudden gain of form going and continue to contribute with goals and assists, then he could make the summer search for a striker completely reduced to paper-talk.

Rating: 7 (Only because of his inconsistent performances in the first half of the season.)

Injury Update: Cristiano Ronaldo Out For 10-15 Days! Okay, Everybody Remain Calm!

2011-03-05T22:52:00.000+05:30

Real Madrid hosted former coach, Manuel Pellegrini, and his Andalusian side, Malaga, in a match where only one team showed up. A hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo, a brace from Karim Benzema, and singular goals from Angel Di Maria and Marcelo were enough to extend their perfect home record with a 7-0 win.

That wins means that Real Madrid still has a 100% home record. Maximum points have been collected at home. However, the win still means that they trail by seven points behind a Barcelona side that came out with a 1-0 victory over Valencia the night prior to this game.

As a side note, Manuel Pellegrini admitted after the match that he had rested some of his first team players for that game because they had played on Monday, and will host Osasuna on Sunday. Apparently, he was complaining about the same thing that somebody else had complained about just some days ago, and was almost crucified for it. It really is a "hypocritical" world we live in.

However, in all the hullabaloo that was the 7-0 thrashing, Cristiano Ronaldo had to be taken off the field and into the dressing room because of an injury he sustained when he completed his hat-trick for the night.

The team's official website then came out with an announcement this morning:

"A magnetic resonance done at Sanitas La Moraleja Hospital has determined Cristiano Ronaldo has a Grade I muscle injury on the left biceps femoris muscle. The player will miss 10-15 days. His recovery is being monitored."

This new development now means that the Portuguese will definitely be out of this Sunday's clash with Racing Santander, and could even possibly miss the second leg tie against Lyon two weeks from now. Bad news.

It doesn't come as a complete shock, however, considering how many minutes he has played this season. Jose Mourinho has put so much trust in the Portuguese winger this season, that before the match against Malaga, he had played a total of 3771 minutes out of a possible 3780 minutes in this season. He also happens to have scored 43% of the team's goals.(He has scored 28 goals his season according to Marca). That's a lot for one player, and one could have easily anticipated this injury a while ago.

That said, with or without Ronaldo, the team should be able to produce results. Now Mourinho is tasked with the duty of tweaking the squad/formation a little to adapt to Ronaldo's absence.

I'd hate to be in his shoes now, but with the number of squad members on the team (25), there should be quite a few options. He could do a like for like replacement, and give Pedro Leon a shot on the wings, or move Ozil to the wings, and slot in Kaka in the middle. Or he could switch to a 4-3-2-1 formation, and play with three central midfielders and a lone striker. He could even go for a 4-2-2-2, with Adebayor and Benzema in front.

Also, Fernando Gago has been reported to be out for three weeks due to a knock he had during training. This is particularly interesting because Lassana Diarra is suspended from the trip to Racing on Sunday, and Sami Khedira is still out due to the injury he sustained against Lyon. This leaves Xabi Alonso as our only natural defensive midfielder. The team has played with at least two holding midfielders so far this season, so this could be a game were Estaban Granero will be trusted to partner Alonso.

On the whole, we will be seeing a lot of changes to the line up in the coming week. It will be interesting to see how Jose Mourinho approaches the next few games, but I do hope Ronaldo gets back in time for Lyon match. That might just be our most important match of the season.

Speaking of Ronaldo, if you're a La Fabrica enthusiast, and want to know about our future (and hopefully better) Ronaldos, read Deepak's piece on how they've fared so far.

I would also like to welcome our newest writer, Pamela. She has agreed to help us in keeping the blog active.

As always, you can follow us on Twitter: @Muna_092 , @rmcanterano and @Pamela_.

Hala Madrid!

Muna

The Impact Of Alberto Toril On Real Madrid Castilla

2011-03-02T10:32:00.003+05:30

After Allejandro Menendez was sacked as the manager of Real Madrid Castilla, Alberto Toril the former Real Madrid Castilla and Espanyol player was promoted from the Juvenil A to coach the Real Madrid Castilla.

That move of promoting Alberto Toril seems be the one of the wisest decision the club has made in a while, and it shows with Alberto Toril stacking up 8 wins in 8 matches.

Alberto Toril having worked with and led Pablo Sarabia, Alvaro Morata, Alex Fernandez and Daniel Carvajal to a triplet with Juvenil A, constructed the squad around them and relegated players like Pablo Gil, Raul Goni, Mandi and Raul Ruiz who were signed from other clubs by Allejandro Menendez to the bench.

Alberto Toril even promoted Victor Merchan and Denis Cheryshev to the Real Madrid Castilla, and also brings 17 year old Jese Rodriguez—who is tipped as a great talent who's style is considered a mixture of both the Ronaldos (R9 & CR7), to the Castilla sometimes for a few appearances.

The philosophy of Alberto Toril is clear, he doesn't only want to win, he wants to win in style, which is clearly visible in his last interview to RealMadrid.com after defeating Cacereño 2-0 in the last game at home. He said:

"Estoy contento con el resultado, pero hemos perdido el estilo de partidos anteriores y hay que recuperarlo."

Which loosely translates to:

"I'm happy with the result, but we lost the style of previous games and we have to recover."

People who follow me on Twitter, know that I am a self confessed Alberto Toril fan, and why shouldn't I be? The man transformed Real Madrid Castilla from a mediocre mid-table team which was rotting away in tenth, eleventh or twelfth position to a team, which is not only sitting pretty in promotion play-off places but is also looking like a prime promotion candidate.

Here's a few stats to show the magnitude of the good work Alberto Toril has done for Real Madrid Castilla since taking over.

Attacking Flair With Defensive Stability

When Alberto Toril managed only his second game, which they won 5-0; the official Real Madrid site had a line which made me chuckle, "Castilla becomes friends with the clean sheet again."

Under Menendez, the Castilla managed to score 21 goals in 19 matches where they failed to score in 7 matches. The Castilla of Alberto Toril has already outscored the Castilla of Allejandro Menendez; playing 11 fewer games, they have scored 27 goals in 8 matches.

The biggest improvement under Toril isn't the free-flowing attack, but the rock solid defense. Under Menendez, the Castilla conceded 24 goals in 19 matches and kept only 6 clean sheets (2 of them are from 0-0 draws), while under Toril the Castilla has conceded a mere 3 goals in 8 games, and have kept 5 clean sheets in 8 games, which is just one less than what Menendez managed in 19 games.

Away Games: From Toothless To Ruthless

Real Madrid Castilla under Allejandro Menendez won only 1 of their 9 away games, and drew 2 games, collecting just 5 points out of a possible 27. Under Alberto Toril, Real Madrid Castilla won 4 of their 4 away games, collecting all 12 points.

Under Allejandro Menendez, Real Madrid Castilla managed to score only 5 away goals and failed to score in 5 of their 9 away games. The turnaround in fortunes was visible from the first game as Alberto Toril's whose first game in charge was an away game to Coruxo which the Castilla won 4-1. Since then Alberto Toril's team has scored 10 goals, and have scored in every away match.

The defensive ability away from home has improved under Toril as well. Under Menendez, the Castilla conceded 14 goals in 9 games and could only manage to shut out their opponents 3 times (out of which 2 games were 0-0 draws). While under Toril, the Castilla has conceded only 1 goal in 4 games, shutting out the opposition 3 times.

Home Games: Strengthening The Fortress

Under Allejandro Menendez, the only source of points on the board for Real Madrid Castilla was home games, and despite that the home record under Menendez isn't even close to impressive, collecting just 19 from a possible 30.

In the 10 home games that Allejandro Menendez managed, Real Madrid Castilla only managed to stack up 6 wins, drawing 1 and losing 3. While Alberto Toril has managed 4 and won all of them.

The most shocking stat at home is that under Allejandro Menendez, the Castilla only scored 16 goals (failing to score on two occasions) in 10 games which is 1 less than what the Castilla has managed in just 4 games (17 goals) under Toril.

Despite Alberto Toril setting out a more attack minded team compared to Allejandro Menendez, Castilla under Toril has conceded only 2 goals (0.5 goals conceded per game) at home keeping 2 clean sheets in the process, while under Menendez the Castilla leaked goals at the rate of 1 goal per game, conceding 10 goals in 10 games, and kept only 3 clean sheets.

Conclusion

The change in fortune is all due to the fact that Toril promoted players from within the academy instead of signing players from other clubs like Menendez did. I have pointed it out time and again that this generation of La Fabrica which includes Carvajal, Alex, Sarabia, Morata and Jese is one of the most talented generations to come out from La Fabrica in a while, Toril having worked with them, realizes that and that's why Real Madrid Castilla is now finally playing to it's full potential.

Due to the recent results the canteranos of La Fabrica are getting noticed by everyone. And by everyone I do mean everyone, many scouts from big and small English clubs and other Spanish clubs have been spotted watching the Castilla games.

Not only this, Alvaro Morata is finally scoring the goals that Jose Mourinho ordered him to score during the winter break to get into the first team, and is now "being promised" a spot in the first team at the start of next season by Jose Mourinho. Although I still doubt the "promise" of Jose Mourinho. But on the other hand Mou is speaking about him, that means Moratito is finally grabbing his attention.

Although it may be a little to early to say, but I think with his philosophy of 'not just winning but winning with style' and ability to bond with the players (like Alex Fernandez said in his interview), Alberto Toril might just become the manager of Real Madrid's first team in the future. Boy, I sure hope so.

Hala Madrid!

Lyon - Real Madrid Champions League Review, Florentino Perez, & The Riazor

2011-02-23T23:10:00.002+05:30

Real Madrid visited the Stade de Gerland, in Lyon, on the 22nd of February, 2011, to begin the journey of ending our round of sixteen curse. Mourinho didn't make many changes to the line ups we're already used to, but he went for a more defensive approach by dropping Marcelo and inserting Arbeloa.

Real Madrid: Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe, Alvaro Arbeloa, Sami Khedira, Xabi Alonso, Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo and Emmanuel Adebayor.

Lyon: Hugo Lloris, Lovren, Cris, Cissokho, Reveillere, Toulalan, Kallstrom, Cesar Delgado, Michel Bastos, Gomis and Gourcuff.

The first half was pretty lackluster, and somewhat disjointed on the path of Los Blancos. No real chances were created and no attempts made at Hugo Lloris until Angel Di Maria's long range shot in the 30th minute which was later followed by Ronaldo's freekick. Apart from those chances, the first half was all about Lyon. We had the possession, but they ran all over us each time they had the ball. They didn't have too many chances themselves, but that was partly due to the hard work of our back four. They were kept on their toes all night.

The second half saw a more lively performance from the away side. Quick passing and incisive runs that we had expected from them right from the first half; and very tight pressing each time they lost the ball. The second half also came with some gifts of pure bad luck. Cristiano Ronaldo's well taken direct free kick hit the post and narrowly missed Sergio Ramos' head, and just a few minutes after that, Serio Ramos' header went of the post, and missed the on rushing head of Ricardo Carvalho.

Mourinho then thought it necessary to make a change. He pulled off Adebayor, who happened to be having a forgettable night, and brought former Lyon striker, Karim Benzema. 40 seconds after he came in, he. along with Ozil, managed to wrestle the ball off a Lyon player (Delgado, I think) before the German controlled the ball perfectly to slot in a beautiful pass to Ronaldo who didn't need more than one touch to play in Benzema who had already made a dashing and intelligent run into the box. The French man controlled the ball like the star striker that Perez intended to buy, before slotting it home through Lloris' legs.

The crowd went wild......oh wait, no, the whole Stadium went silent, including the player who scored the goal. Benzema did not celebrate the goal out of respect for his former club (classy). The Frenchman's goal made for wonderful poetic justice because he is now the first Madrid Player to score a goal in Stade de Garland, after having called that same place his home, just over a year ago.

Another highlight of the game was Florentino Perez' reaction to the goal. The old man was obviously under a lot of pressure knowing what the fate of his team has been in that stadium in the past. After Benzema scored, he stood up with his hands in the air, then held his head (maybe he remembered where he was) then put his hands back up in the air.

I know this Sir Florentino has made a lot of mistakes in the past, but his reaction to the goal showed how much love he has for this club. In one of his interviews before the match, he admitted that he let his ego affect his judgment during his first stint as president, but that he is now a changed man. On a more unrelated not, he even hinted at the possible signing of Dani Parejo(Getafe), and Jose Callejon (Espanyol). Okay, I'm going off point.

Back to the game..... Real Madrid seemed to take their foot off the pedal after the goal(even though it was never really on the pedal in the first place), before Lyon striker, Gomis slotted home a deflected set piece play, that left him alone with Iker Casillas for the equalizer.

Before the equalizing goal for Lyon, Mourinho had taken off Mesut Ozil for Marcelo, and an injured Sami Khedira for Lassana Diarra. Apart from the play that led to Benzema's goal, Mesut Ozil did not have much more to take home from the game. He was sub par. After that goal, it was Lyon, Lyon, Lyon all the way to the final whistle.

All in all, it wasn't the kind of performance we would have expected from the team. A 1-1 draw away from home is never a bad result in the Champions league, but a win would have been much better to go home with.

Some stats revealed that the whole team ran for 110.6 kilometers with Alonso covering the most distance (11.5km). Di Maria came second with 11.13 km, Ramos third with 10.5km and Carvalho was fourth with 10.1 km.

A 0-0 scoreline in the Bernebeau will mean Real Madrid goes through; 1-1 will mean extra time/penalties, 2-2 and above will mean Lyon goes through, and of course any of the two that wins or loses will go through or go home respectively.

Ronaldo is one yellow card away from being suspended, including Raul Albiol.

Real Madrid has never been eliminated from Europe after having drawn 1-1 away from home, so there is hope, but after my pre clasico write up, about how playing on a Monday was in Real Madrid's favor, (historically speaking), and still going on to lose the way we did, I have now realised that records are meant to be broken. Whatever happened in the past does not affect what will happen against Lyon in the Bernebeau. All that matters is that we try our best to win.

The second leg will be played on the 16th of March at the Santiago Bernebeau stadium. You can only expect the stadium to be packed like it was against Sevilla in the Cope Del Rey semi final match (2nd leg), for the singular reason that it's our chance to break the curse of the round of sixteen.

Moving on, Real Madrid will face Deportivo La Coruna in the Riazor this saturday 26/02/1011. Thanks to the beauty that was Guti's backheel, we were able to break the curse of the Riazor last season. Real Madrid had never beaten Depor in the Riazor since 1992 before last season. Obviously, the stadium is a tricky one to play in, so we must paly hard to get a good win.

That's all for now. We apologise for not posting stuff as frequently as possible. There's never much time to squeeze out from my day, to write anything, and I'm sure the same is the case for Deepak. We would also welcome any guest posts we can lay our hands on. Thank you.

Muna

Follow us on twitter @rmcanterano and @Muna_92

Hala Madrid!

Alex Fernandez's Interview To Real Madrid.com

2011-02-19T15:03:00.001+05:30

As long as Real Madrid's official site do not start publishing the interviews of canteranos in English, you'll have to live off of poorly translated articles via Google Translate. And god forbid, if it's a video interview, you can forget about it completely.

But my wonderful friend on Twitter who runs RMCastillaLive there, has translated the interview of our young central midfield genius—Alex Fernandez and has allowed me to publish it on the blog, for everyone to read. So if you have a twitter follow RMCastillaLive and while you're there you can follow me(rmcanterano) too.

I hope to get more interviews of people related to La Fabrica soon. But for now, enjoy, feel the Madridismo and the passion.
________

Name: Álex Fernández
Team: Real Madrid Castilla Player
Age: 18 years
Position: Midfielder
Joined: Infantil A (2005/2006)

On Arrival To The Academy:

Good, especially had a lot of dreams, not all players can enter this club, it's very difficult. You have to work a lot; there are many sacrifices even for parents. And well, my best memory I think is my family's happiness, being able to enter the club that my brother was already in. And well with the hope of someday being able to play together, and in the end it's been for Real Madrid's second team.

The Best Moment:

I would say last year with the Juvenil A team, being champions with Alberto Toril and some teammates that are with me at Castilla now. I think it was the greatest year I have had as a footballer, and the truth is I will never forget it.

The Move To Castilla:

The step to Castilla has been a very big step. It was hard to adapt but I think it happened because I had a good year with Juvenil A and because of the everyday work, after all if you work hard at Real Madrid you are rewarded.

International With The U-19:

I'm lucky for being called up with the Spanish National Team, but I think it's because of the everyday work. It's hard to get in, but I think everything is going well for me at Real Madrid as well as the National Team, and I hope it stays that way.

A Year To Grow:

Having many minutes at this level gives you experience to, if you are lucky, someday play in upper levels and well, have a foundation. I think Segunda B is the beginning of the professional career.

His Brother Nacho:

He is a role model, at home, in the locker room, outside the locker room. I think he is my model to follow and the truth is I’m really happy to be able to achieve one my dreams that was to play with my brother at Real Madrid.

Álex As A Player:

I don't think I stand out neither a lot or in something in particular, rather I would say I'm a complete player; I have a little of everything. I attack and defend, but it's not like I'm a player of a specific thing.

Feeling ‘White’:

I'm a Madridista since I was little and I think that's a plus when playing for this team. And the truth is that for any boy that is a Real Madrid fan playing for Real Madrid, I think that is, footballistically speaking, having everything.

A Kiss To The Crest:

I think winning that final meant moving on, moving on as a footballer, moving on together as a team. The moment you score and you feel, I don't know, you feel plethoric, and many things come to your mind, your family, your teammates and especially the Madridista feeling. I think there were many Real Madrid fans there and all my teammates hugging me and I kiss the crest because I feel the colors, I felt the goal like I had never done it in my life. I think it meant the 2-1 for us, and it was very important for the team and for Real Madrid.

His Dream:

Win a Champions League trophy with Real Madrid.

Alberto Toril:

Well, I think it's how close he is to us. I see a team of people with some that play less, and others that play more and even then they are all happy. Alberto is a person that gets close to his players and I think it also influences the fact that he is a former player, he knows very well the world of football and having a coach that played at top level is the best that can happen to a footballer.

Castilla's Winning Streak:

Well, we were confident on the coach's work, on our work and we have been going one week at a time. We haven't been thinking in long terms, we have been going slow. The victories have been achieved and we hope to continue moving in that direction. We are very happy, Alberto has place a lot of trust in us, the team is happy which is what really matters, there are good vibes, and that is the dynamic, I’m sure we will keep on winning.

The Pre-Season With The First Team:

Well, I think it was an achieved dream, one of the several ones I have. Playing along with players like Cristiano, Kaká or such, it's the best that can happen to a footballer, especially like me, who has been a Madridista since he was little. And I'm very happy, thanks to José Mourinho and Aitor Karanka who trusted me. The truth is I tried my best in the pre-season and, hopefully, in the future they can count on me.

____________
Hala Madrid!

More To Come: Real Madrid Posts In The Future

2010-12-15T13:05:00.000+05:30

I have been horribly cut off from the matches, my computer and my television, following what my neurologist calls as "stress in the brain with a hint of migraine," he says that I have been overusing my brain and have been thinking too much, so in order to calm my brain down, I have been forbidden to do anything (of course I sneak in a few activities, like writing this post), even drive my ass out of the house.

So seeing as how Mourinho didn't have the guts to take all the blame (he was completely at fault) and poured it all over the players (who were at fault as they showed no fight, but to be clear we lost because Mourinho got it wrong); I had planned a tactical analysis on the El Classico. Which as seeing my condition will be delayed, so I'm confused whether to actually publish it or not. Need your opinion.

Pablo Sarabia, Alvaro Morata and Antonio Adan, all got their first team debuts in the past week, which as a big positive; Jose Mourinho has now give 5 canteranos a debut (Juan Carlos, David Mateos, Antonio Adan, Pablo Sarabia and Alvaro Morata), but I still won't call it utilizing the academy like the rags AS & Marca or the others are; a post on that too; the Jose Mourinho ass kissing should stop.

That's about it, I'll undergo a CAT scan followed by an MRI in the coming week, as the medicines aren't working as they should (I'll most probably change my doctor); it's nothing serious, but still wish me luck.

Will jump on these posts as soon as I get fit! In the meantime, if you want updates and random blabbering from me, follow me on twitter: @rmcanterano

Hala Madrid!

PS: Seeing as Muna is busy with college and stuff, I'd really appreciate if anyone is willing to do a guest post for me. If you are willing mail me: d3epak91@gmail.com

Pablo Sarabia & Alvaro Morata (Might) Make The List For Auxerre

2010-12-07T22:38:00.000+05:30

According to the Madrid based AS; Alvaro Morata and Pablo Sarabia have both made the list of 19 players to be called up for the last group stage match in the Champions League against Auxerre. To be very clear, Real Madrid haven't yet released the official list on their website, and AS have based this list on the players who have been training for the match.

Now this is all well and good but, Alex Fernandez (Ginger) was previously called for the match against Ajax but he didn't even make the bench for that game, which was disappointing to say the least.

Mourinho has been teasing us by calling up canteranos for games and training but he doesn't even let them make the bench, let alone get a few minutes of playing time with the first team.

I seriously have had enough of this teasing, give them their chances Mou, I wish to see these canteranos play for the first team even a few minutes would be appreciated.

PS: I know I haven't done news pieces in a while but I felt happy reading this, thought I'd share!

Hala Madrid!

Sergio Canales Suffering From The Esteban Granero Syndrome: Loaning Canales Out Is A Good Idea

2010-12-02T12:18:00.002+05:30

Sergio Canales & Esteban Granero—two different players but two very similar stories, both of them won the hearts of many Madridistas in the pre-season with wonderful performances but started to fade away as the season progressed, both of them lost the support of many Madridistas and the manager but a few Madridistas remained faithful, kept asking to give them more chances.

Esteban Granero started the pre-season very well, got a wonderful response from the Bernabeu crowd in his first home game of the pre-season. He started the first few matches of the season, did well, but then when he was started to be played out of position, his performances dipped and he found himself on the bench.

Granero did not take his benching well, not in terms of his attitude but in terms of his confidence and form. Granero's confidence dropped drastically when he got benched, and whenever he did get the opportunity he tried to do too much.

By trying too much, I mean he tried to play unlike his natural game, he tried dribbling past players, took on long shots from ridiculous distances and started ignoring passes in search for glory just to prove to the manager that he is useful to the team as an individual; but he failed miserably.

Although I love Granero for his determination to get back on the starting eleven, I always criticized him for trying to achieve that by not playing his natural game, which got him in the team in the first place. This is the only place I thought Pellegrini failed—restoring Granero's confidence and telling him to keep it simple.

Jose Mourinho has certainly calmed Granero down and has got him playing like he used to; but Jose has has created a new "Granero of last season" in Sergio Canales.

Sergio Canales like Granero did very well in pre-season, everyone loved him (at least I did) because of his quality of dropping very deep to get the ball, his hunger for the ball was commendable, he used to fight very hard to get back on the ball if the team had lost the ball, play fabulous little one-twos and linked the midfield to attack very well and apart from all these qualities his ability to pick out a "Guti-esque" pass saw him find a place in every Madridista's heart as they had just lost their Pim-Pam to Besiktas.

But after the signing of Mesut Ozil, the season started with Canales finding his chances limited and like Granero, Canales too is trying too hard to get in the team, deviating from his game, that saw him come to Real Madrid, he is trying the "killer-ball" way to much, just so that he can rack up wonderful assists and get in the starting eleven instantly, and hence he is playing poorly.

Mourinho isn't doing him any favors by dropping him from the team, dropping him will only lead to destroying his poor confidence further, instead Mourinho should talk to him, let him know that what he was doing in the pre-season is the reason that he wanted him to stay in the first place and give him a few more chances. It's not a case of case of Mou can't bring him back his confidence it's much more of a case of he doesn't want to because he has a lot to deal with at Real Madrid.

A player of Canales's qualities and abilities can be very useful for Real Madrid as he will drop back and join the attacking players with the midfield—one thing that I don't find Ozil doing right now (Ozil's very young and can work that into his game, once he does, he'll be even more lethal). Canales is a great talent, and what happened to Granero was awful, loaning him out in the winter would be the best thing to do for his own good as he's just getting ignored right now. What do you think?

Post Clasico Blues: Words Of Encouragement To Fellow Madridistas

2010-12-01T11:33:00.000+05:30

I know this is probably one of those times when thoughts of suicide begin to creep into your whole being. When you're wondering, "Where the hell did it all go wrong?" If that's the case with you now, then you're not alone.

Every true Madridista would feel the same way. It started with the embarrassing 5-0 loss to Barca; then the Madridistas at the Camp Nou who abused their own players on their way out of the stadium; the one match ban on Mourinho; the fines placed on Iker, Ramos, Alonso, Dudek, Mourinho and even the club itself; and the fact that Higuain might need a surgery before he plays again.

As if that was not enough, we have two of our defenders in Ramos and Carvalho suspended from the next game against Valencia. Series of events like these make me want to pick up my father's hand gun from his wardrobe and start shooting everybody in the neighborhood. However, it's necessary to sit back for a moment and analyze this outbreak of unnerving events. Calmness is required.

For those of you who want to see some of our supposed fans cursing out at the players, here's the link.

Firstly, this is in no way a review (although Canterano is working on a review). Reviews for this game can be found everywhere on the internet, however, this is a call for Real Madrid fans to suck this all up, and move on.

What happened on Monday night was an epic fall, a break down, a crash landing, and a collapse. It could not have happened worse than that, but here's the good news; from now on, the team can only improve. Sure, this loss has affected the players psychologically, and mentally, but once they can get through this, we'll be going for gold.

This is the height for Barca, they cannot get any better than this, so they'll do well to enjoy the time they're now spending in dream land, because after that, it's back to the real world and who knows, it maybe downhill from there. This is also when I'm happy we have Mourinho as coach. This is the time for him to wield his motivational prowess and get the squad and its fans back on their feet. What happened that day was a disaster, but it's now history.

During Mourinho's press conference after the match, he said:

"You must be anxious to return to work and win the next match. I wish the Valencia match was tomorrow and not Saturday. After such a bad match you must go right back to work, play and win."

Now that's what I mean. Get up and play. Mourinho got humiliated at the Camp Nou during the group stages while he was at Inter Milan, but later restricted the cules to watching the rest of the Champions League from their ridiculous sofas at home. The team can only learn from this, and like I said before, from now on it's forward ever and backward never.

After this kind of match, it's only normal to feel nostalgic about Manuel Pellegrini's Real Madrid side that played a much better game against Barcelona last season, but sometimes, tragic advents like this have to occur for significant rectifications to ensue.

About the Ramos and Ronaldo incidents; while some of you saw two players disgracing the white outfit, I saw two players with a lot of passions and emotion for this club. Pep Guardiola had no business holding the ball away from Ronaldo. Why does everybody suddenly bring up all this fair play crap once Real Madrid is involved? For crying out loud, Barca was two goals up, the provocation from the Spaniard was totally uncalled for.

If players and coaches think they can screw with Madrid players anytime they like, NEWSFLASH: They'll kick your ass on the field if they have to.

The team was down, adrenalin was flowing, and tempers were rising, so the least any of the Barca boys could have done was carry on with the game that was already going so well for them instead of playing all the childish provocation games that sure messed up the already ravaged atmosphere in the Camp Nou.

That said, Ronaldo should have known better than to shove Pep on the shoulder, HE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN OUT HIS TEETH INSTEAD.

Ramos' tackle on Messi was not justifiable in anyway. He should not have done it, but did his supposed Spanish teammates have to be all over his face when it happened, considering that the referee was already sticking out a red card?

Then father Puyol had to fly around like a bloody sissy, to do what? Get Ramos sent off twice? I was watching the game, and I thought that whole scuffle at the end was a good way to end a miserable night.

However, that's not what the great Real Madrid represents, and Ronaldo and Ramos must learn to keep their emotions in check. Learn from Saint Iker and former captain—Raul. He did not get a red card throughout his career, not because he never got angry, but because he could control himself.

The whole world seems to have bowed down to Barca, and even though they deserved that win, nobody is getting a "congratulations" from me. They played well and won the game quite deservedly, but it ends there.

I started out as a Real Madrid fan, and I'm going to finish as one. This is just a test of loyalty. Many fans have been lost, but in the end only the real ones will remain. In De La Red's words, "My Heart Beats Madridismo," and it will continue to be so forever.

Hala Madrid!!

Muna

Sergio Ramos & Xabi Alonso Red Card Fiasco: Cards Aren't The Real F*****g Disgrace

2010-11-26T12:15:00.001+05:30

Due to my continuing health problems, I couldn't watch the Ajax-Real Madrid game live and had spent the whole day relying on written/verbal accounts of the game (the repeat telecast was delayed too), What I had read was that UEFA were going to investigate two very ridiculous and obviously deliberate red cards of Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso.

At that point of time I hadn't watched the game but still thought that looking into red cards for time wasting was a real waste of time and resources, and was thinking of writing a post with the heading, "U in UEFA Stands For Useless: UEFA To Look Into Ramos & Alonso Red Cards."

But after watching the repeat in bits and pieces (important pieces), I was inspired to write something else. As the match ended the Sky Sports commentator said, "Real Madrid take sportsmanship to two new lows!" I was furious at the blatant double standards of the English commentators! So I decided to speak my mind on the hypocrites that are, the English commentators and UEFA.

Before I tackle UEFA, I'll talk about the lowly scum that is the English media and the "expert" commentators that work in it. The example that I'm going to use will sound like me bitching about FC Barcelona while in fact I'm just merely pointing out the hypocrisy of the commentators. I know there are many cases of this hypocrisy but I'll use this as it'll sting much more.

Last season when Internazionale faced FC Barcelona in the semi-final, the Barcelona players were diving like fairies getting Inter's players booked the commentators said, "Haha they are skilled in this part of the game as well" and laughed off the whole matter (most probably said at the San Siro).

So according to these commentators, getting your own players red carded for time wasting in a match that was already decided at 4-0 to protect those players for the knockout phase is cheating and un-sportsman like behaviour but diving in a very close match to get the advantage for your team isn't. Bravo!

And now UEFA; even the though the action hasn't been taken yet, just the fact that UEFA set up an investigation to look into the whole matter is idiotic at best.

The punishment dealt out (one match ban) for the law that was broken (time wasting) by two players is enough according to the rule books (even Real Madrid's Official Announcement says that this investigation isn't according to the rule books) as there's nothing more to it. It would have made much more sense to investigate had Ramos and Alonso made cynical tackles or dived to swing advantage in their team's favor, manhandled a manger after losing, I think you guys know where I'm headed with this.

Valdes manhandling Mou

UEFA's bias against Real Madrid becomes so much more obvious when there have been cases regarding Barcelona that screamed for an investigation, be it Valdes knocking out Copenhagen's N'Doye (straight red even in the eyes of the biased commentators); Busquets diving to get Thiago Motta sent off in a very close game (they investigated Arsenal's Eduardo's dive against Celtic but Busquet's, NO) or Valdes manhandling Jose Mourinho while the former celebrated knocking out Barcelona and making it to the finals (Drogba called the disgrace as it was and he got suspended, Valdes, NO).

All of these "crimes" deserved punishment let alone an investigation, but UEFA have to look into the two red cards to Real Madrid's players as with 3 minutes remaining had Xabi Alonso or Sergio Ramos not wasted time, Ajax would have scored 5 goals and the result would have been much different!

If these cards were to two Barcelona players, none of this would have been taking place, they would have ignored it along with the other misdemeanours from the Catalan club. Last word of advice to Michel Platini, if you can't be un-biased leave the post, and if you don't want to be un-biased at least try to hide your bias, this is getting ridiculous. Lastly if you would use these resources into the real crimes and things that really matter (which you call "Playstation Football") the game would surely improve a lot!

Last thing I want to say, if Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso (Iker and Jerzy too apparently, according to UEFA's official statement) get a punishment that would be a Drogba-style f*****g disgrace!

Fun Facts: Real Madrid Vs FC Barcelona—El Clasico

2010-11-15T16:46:00.000+05:30

One of the biggest matches of the year, if not the biggest, was previously scheduled to take place on Sunday, the 28th of November. However, news from Spain has brought it to our understanding that the match has been postponed from Sunday to Monday, the 29th of November, because of some elections taking place in Catalonia. The move has rankled many and titillated a few.

David Villa called it “weird” while Maxwell called it “unusual.” I called it "RIDICULOUS." Playing El Clasico on a Monday is one of the most absurd things one could expect in the game of football. It's probably the biggest match of the year and for it to be played on practically the busiest day of the week is a degradation of the match if you ask me. However, there are some fun facts to note going into this game that has "Real Madrid Will Win" written all over it.

Firstly, there have been 160 Clasicos played since La Liga started in 1929. 102 have been played on Sundays, 48 on Saturdays, four on Wednesdays, two on Mondays, two on Thursdays, and one each on Tuesday and Friday. Funny enough, the only two times the clasicos were played on a Monday, Real Madrid ended up winning the league.

The first one was on the 30th of March, 1964. Real Madrid won the game by two goals to one, with Gento and Puskas scoring for Madrid and Zaldua for Barca. That time, it was Easter that forced the rescheduling of the game to avoid poor attendance at the stadium, and it worked, because 85,000 fans came to watch Miguel Munoz’ Real Madrid side demolish the home team. Real Madrid went on to win the league with Barcelona as the runners-up.

The second one took place on April 3rd of 1972. Barcelona won this time around by one goal to nothing. A controversial Asensi goal sealed the deal for the Catalunyans. Even though this was preceded by a one-one draw earlier in the season, the whites went ahead to win the league with Barcelona ending in third place.
It’s also interesting to know that no Spanish team has won the league title more than two times in a row since the 1994-1995 season. The last team to win the league more than four times in a row was Barcelona. They held the league title from 1990-1994, for four straight years.

Also, the last time Barca beat Athletico Madrid (2006-2007) in the Vincente Calderon, Real Madrid won the league.

The first leg of this encounter is by no means the end of the world, but for the past six to seven years, either of the two teams that won the first leg of El Clasico went on to win the league.

These are fun facts, and as a Madridista, I find them very exciting. Nevertheless, these stats don't confirm a victory for Real Madrid in any way. Besides, it only takes a day to begin a story. The two teams are as great as ever and it’s almost impossible to predict a winner. If this match lives up to its expectations, it might come down as the biggest match of the decade, not only because of the size of the stadiums involved, but also because of the individual rivalries to look out for.

I, for one, was very disappointed to hear that this game was going to be played on a Monday, but history has given me solace. Let's just hope the match is played in good spirit and free of external influences.

Muna

Match Notes: Champions League: AC Milan - Real Madrid: 2-2: Robbery At The San Siro

2010-11-05T10:28:00.004+05:30

Savior: Pedro Leon

The whistle for full time blew at the Estadio Giuseppe Meazza, agony on the face of the Milanese players and delight on the faces of Real Madrid players, and a sense of triumph in Jose Mourinho's reaction, I just could not comprehend all this, I had the expression of a man, who was shot and found out that 67% of his belongings were stolen by the mug who shot him.

As I stood near the screen furious at the referee, furious at the linesman, furious at Pepe, and a little furious at San Iker (well not exactly, the man's bailed Real Madrid out so many times, it's hard to be furious at him), I just couldn't understand why the Milan players were looking sad about conceding the second goal to Pedro Leon, when they were second best the whole game, I just couldn't understand why Jose Mourinho wasn't pissed at the team because of the ridiculously long celebration for the second goal and why he was more interested in getting Raul Albiol on!

I just couldn't understand the point in Real Madrid players being SO happy after the second goal, yes, they salvaged a point but still, they just got robbed of 2 points by Milan and the referee, you don't see a man happy that only 33% of his possessions could be recovered from the thief, do you?

Gonzalo Higuain after scoring RM's 700 in CL

I don't know, I still feel cheated, Milan didn't have the class to attack properly, I just didn't understand why Pedro Leon didn't pick the ball and started the game quickly so that Real Madrid could start the hunt for the third, neither did I see that hunger in Jose Mourinho to get back what was rightfully his as he was more interested to get that fourth defender back on the pitch.

I was a little scared when Real Madrid were drawn into the group with AC Milan, I was scared not because they are a good team, no, that wasn't the case at all, I was scared of the dirty tactics they would apply against Real Madrid at the San Siro, even last season, they had made the ground so greasy it was hard for our fast players to keep their footing, and of course there is the dirty tackling tactic, I just didn't want the Real Madrid players to get injured. Safe to say, Milan didn't disappoint in that department.

The match got so depressing at the end, it doesn't even deserve a proper review, all it deserves is the random points of the match, I think are worth noting:

Gonzalo Higuain was impressive in the game, dropping back very deep in the midfield to get the ball, was working very very hard on and off the ball, deserved another goal, when he skipped two defenders in the second half, but couldn't finish as he slipped off the super slippery turf or when Pirlo cleared his header off the line. If there was a player who deserved that 700th Champions League goal, it was Higuain.
Pepe looks awesome sometimes and sometimes he looks very poor, in the first goal that Real Madrid conceded, Pepe wasn't in that much pressure that he needed to try that clearance, and to be honest he would have slipped on any other turf too as he was stretching when he was clearing. In all fairness, it wouldn't hurt to try the pairing of Albiol and Carvalho.
Carvalho is super awesome, genius signing from Jose Mourinho.
Sami Khedira doesn't get much credit for his work from the Spanish press, but Sami Khedira and Xabi Alonso are making a wonderful partnership which will only get better with time.
Angel Di Maria is a wonderful player, but he lacks to see what's more logical at the time, he tries ridiculous passes sometimes, but in all fairness, the pass to Higuain was genius, Di Maria will become more logical as he matures with time, his star will only rise.
Gattuso, Abate, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and even Filippo Inzaghi, should have had two yellow cards, ridiculous challenges from all of them. Zlatan fouled Xabi Alonso many times in the early goings of the match, should have a yellow then and the second for tripping Sergio Ramos. Inzaghi should have had the first yellow as soon as he came on, cynical shove in Xabi's back should have earned him the first card. Abate tripped Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half when he played a wonderful one-two with Ozil, and that should have been Abate's second yellow. Poor refereeing from Howard Webb.
Inzaghi shouldn't have the second goal, miles offside, it's safe to say, the linesman was blind. FYI, UEFA uses 5 officials for a game.
Karim Benzema has now officially shaken off his lazy tag, looked lively, dropped deep, chased balls; which was really wonderful to see! He was showing improvements in training already, now that is translating on the pitch, the pass for Pedro Leon showed his amazing understanding.
The Biggest Positive: Jose Mourinho's team shows a lot of character, and didn't get disheartened when they went 2-1 down and dug deep to get the equalizer.
The Biggest Negative: The team wastes many many chances, the game should have been put to sleep in the first half, but they couldn't, might come back to haunt them. A positive from the negative; the team creates a whole load of chances.

There's this one last thing I want to say, and it is for AC Milan:

Hala Madrid!

Also published by me on paseocastellana.com

Ruben De La Red Retires, But Will Coach In The Academy Next Season

2010-11-03T19:47:00.001+05:30

Ruben De La Red has terminated his contract as a player with Real Madrid (which was due to expire in June 2012).

When Florentino Perez arrived at the club, he had promised the canterano a role in Real Madrid if he cannot be deemed fit to play. As I reported earlier Ruben De La Red was at the verge of getting his coaching diploma, so it was looking likely that Ruben would retire soon enough and become a coach.

No update on weather he's completed the coaching course or not is available, but it is claimed by Marca and Sky Sports, that Ruben De La Red will coach a branch of the academy, whether it's the Castilla, Real Madrid C, or Juvenil A; hasn't been made clear.

In the remainder of the season, Ruben De La Red is allowed to work with either Jose Mourinho (Real Madrid) or Allejandro Menendez (Real Madrid Castilla) to pick up some coaching techniques.

I sincierly hope that he sticks around with Jose Mourinho because Menendez is a tool. I have a slight suspision that Menendez will be moving on next season and De La Red might just get the Castilla job.

I seriously hope he does, so that after Jose Mourinho moves along De La Red can jump in the main team and guide them towards a Champions League trophy and becomes the youngest ever manager to win it........sigh.........I wish. Best of luck for the rest of your life Ruben, the world missed out on one of the greatest players, but I wish you become one of the greatest managers. Hala Madrid!

Champions League: AC Milan - Real Madrid: San Siro Preview By Muna

2010-11-03T14:15:00.000+05:30

As all of you can see, I have been very very irregular in updating my blog, and it's been a long time since I have written anything, but not to worry, I had talked to Munachismo a long time ago about contributing on the blog, he too unfortunately was kept busy by his school work, so even he couldn't contribute, but now he's free so he's willing to help me out, and I'm greatly thankful to him. You might see a post or two from me soon enough, but in the meantime enjoy this one from Muna.

------------------------------------

Mourinho and his men put up a very thrilling display in the first leg tie against the Italian giants. An encounter that sent the Madrid faithful home with a lot to be proud of. Well, the second leg is at hand and as usual, we’re going down to Italy.

It’s going to be a more tricky encounter considering that the players would be up against a very emotional Milan crowd and more importantly, some tactical changes would be expected from Milan coach, Massimo Allegri.

AC Milan

Here’s AC Milan’s squad list for the game: Abbiati, Zambrotta, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini, Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf, Robinho, Pato, Ibrahimovic, Amelia, Sokratis, Jankulovski, Abate, Flamini, Ronaldinho, Ambrosini, Inzaghi, Boateng.

In the first game, the Italian club began with a formation that looked like this:

--------------------Amelia-----------------
Zambrotta --- Nesta -- Bonera--- Antonini
--------Gattuso --- Pirlo --- Seedorf-------
Pato ------------- Zlatan -------- Ronaldinho

The biggest concern Milanistas had with the midfield trio of Pirlo, Gattuso, and Seedorf was their age and level of speed. Fortunately for us, their fears were made a reality because our rather young midfield outran them throughout the game.

However, I expect Allegri to make some crucial changes to this line up. I’d expect one of the three central midfielders to be replaced with Kevin Prince Boateng ( probably Seedorf) and Robinho to make the cut; he would probably replace Ronaldinho or Pato. Pato is the most likely one to be replaced because his form as of late has disconcerting. Besides, he was marked out of the game by the Madrid defense in the first game.

Thiago Silva will also make the cut after missing the first leg of tie because of an injury. He might give our attackers a run for their money.

Then again, there’s also the issue of motivation. AC Milan came out of a very disappointing loss against Juventus during the weekend and there are two things that could result from that. The first one is that they could lose some confidence in themselves which would lead to sloppy football on their part come Wednesday.

The second one is the direct opposite to the first. They could be more motivated than ever and want to give it to us hard, just to prove a point.

Quite frankly, I think the second one is the case because from what Massimo Allegri has been saying to the press, I can tell he’s pretty confident. Here’s one of his most recent quotes:

"We made too many mistakes in the Bernabeu, and they scored lucky goals."

Yes, they made many mistakes, but blaming luck for the goals we scored is laughable. I think this guy is a good coach, but if he comes out with the same tactical set up he had in Spain, hoping for luck to change sides, then he's in for a very unpleasant surprise.

Real Madrid

Squad list for the game tomorrow : Casillas, Dudek, Adan, Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Albiol, Marcelo, Mateos, Carvalho, Khedira, Alonso, Ozil, Diarra, Canales, Granero, Pedro Leon, Di Maria, Benzema, Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Kaka, Gago, and Garay are still injured; with Gago being the closest to full recovery and Lass was left out for "coaching decisions." If I were to take a wild guess, I’d say Mourinho is punishing him for his comments during in France during the last international break. For those of you who don’t know what he said, here’s a quote from him:

“I seem to play one in every two games. I want more minutes, and if I am unhappy, then I will draw my own conclusions. I’m not willing to be a spectator. I want to play.”

Well, if this is what he really said, then he cannot say he did not see this coming.

Last time against Milan, Mourinho set up the team like this:

----------------Casillas-------------------
Arbeloa --- Pepe -- Carvalho --- Marcelo
---------Khedira-----Alonso--------------
------------------Ozil---------------------
Di Maria--------------------------Ronaldo
-----------------Higuain-------------------

Two defensive midfielders with Khedira playing a more attacking role than Alonso. By my judgement, Arbeloa had a relatively poor game, considering that every other person was on fire. Sergio Ramos would most likely start tomorrow, but I must say, Sergio’s form has been disheartening recently. I was not impressed at all with his performance during the weekend against Hercules. We can only hope for his form to improve.

I don’t expect too many changes, but rumors have it that Mourinho might be playing the formation he used against Auxerre, which is playing three defensive midfielders with two wingers and a striker.

This would mean Ozil would have to make way for one of M. Diarra or Estaban Granero. This approach would be a more defensive one than our previous games but I won’t complain a lot since this is an away match against one of the big boys in Europe.

But if that formation is not adopted, then expect to see the same players we’ve been seeing for some games now.

I hope I’ve done a decent job here. It’s definitely not one of the best previews you’ve seen, but I think it’s good enough to keep the blog rolling. Hopefully, this would be the first of many other posts from me. I’m predicting a 2-1 win for Madrid. Finally, we can only wish the players a safe journey back from Italy and a good game to embellish it. Hala Madrid!

Muna.

Madridista Corner: Who Should Win The Ballon d'Or?

2010-10-30T23:14:00.002+05:30

Due to my poor health recently (which has kept me from watching quite a few matches), and my busy schedule in college I haven't been able to take some time out to write a full fledged post, I start a few but due to the lack of time, I have to leave posts unfinished and by the time I come back, the post seems irrelevant (Mou's 0-0s, Pedro Leon's exclusion, etc).

I may not have been able to update the blog often, but I surely can update the Twitter account for the blog because it takes lesser amount of time, and I tweeted about the Ballon d'Or and I had a lively disucssion on my hand, and that's how I landed upon the topic for this post.

The 23 men short-listed for the Ballon d'Or are: Xabi Alonso (Spain), Daniel Alves (Brazil), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Côte d’Ivoire), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Diego Forlán (Uruguay), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Júlio César (Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Maicon (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Müller (Germany), Mesut Özil (Germany), Carles Puyol (Spain), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), David Villa (Spain) and Xavi (Spain).

Now on Twitter everyone agreed that Dani Alves shouldn't have made the list, I guess even Dani Alves agrees that he shouldn't be on the list, and that's one of the reason why all of the contributors for this post agreed that the awards are a bit of a joke, can't say I blame them.

Last year the exclusion of Robin Van Persie and a lot of inclusions didn't go down well with me, and this is year too, the nominations are a bit dodgy, and that too has been taken up by the contributors (Asamoah Gyan nominated, really? What were these guys smoking?).

Ex-Real Madrid boy—Wesley Sniejder got a whole lotta love from the contributors, and why shouldn't he? He led Internazionale to the treble, helped the Netherlands to a second place finish in the World Cup, there should be questions asked as to why NOT give him the award if anything.

Then Xavi Hernandez of the enemy camp got love from the Madridistas as well, heck, last season I wanted Xavi Hernandez to get the Ballon d'Or last year after securing 6 trophies with Barcelona as he was (IS) the most important player for the Blaugaranas, but as the award's is always given to the flashier player and who's more famous, Lionel Messi won it. Although I don't think he should get it this season.

My pick for the Ballon d'Or this season is San Iker, and on this topic, people bring the topic of what he did in the season, I counter it with the fact that Real Madrid conceded the fourth least goals last season, then people play the trophies card, I say World Cup and back it by saying, "Andres Iniesta did NOTHING last season and he's nominated just because he scored a few goals in the World Cup and one in the final, if he's on the list, Iker should be getting this award because if it wasn't for Iker, Spain wouldn't have made it to the finals (thanks to Pique)!" AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA PERFECTLY OWNED!

Sorry got a little carried away, now I'll let you read the views of my Madridista friends on who should win this year's Ballon d'Or.

Saajid: (Twitter: @ILoveReal): Iker Casillas

I think Iker Casillas should win the Ballon d'Or. He was crucial to the progress of Spain in the World Cup and was pretty good at club level. The last time a goalkeeper won this award was in 1963, when Lev Yashin won he award. No other goalkeeper has been considered the best footballer in the world since and I think that Casillas is actually the best in the world right now. Being a goalkeeper myself (amateur, of course), I can see the amazing work this guy has done for both club and country. Captaining the best football club in the world and Spain to its first World Cup ever is no easy feat; San Iker did it fantastically well.

Pamela: (Twitter: @Pamela_ ): Iker Casillas

When talking about who should win the Ballon d'Or, IMO, we should look for consistent performances as well as achievements over the entire year. Given his team won the treble, his country reached the World Cup final and he scored 5 important goals along the way, it's easy - Sneijder. But, for the past years, it was always a World Cup winner. Honestly, I don't see Iniesta getting this award after missing a big part of Barcelona's season due to injury, nor do I see Xavi winning it with his 7 goals in 53 games. If it wasn't for Casillas's brilliant saves, Spain wouldn't have won, so if it has to be a World Cup winner, San Iker deserves it.

Kaushik: (Real Madrid Offisde, Twitter: @kaushiklakshman): Wesley Sneijder

Generally there is always a clear winner for the Ballon d'or. Obviously this isn't the case this year. For me two players stand out. Wesley Sneijder and Xavi are the two with the fattest chance of winning the award. Xavi is widely regarded as the orchestrator of Spain's World Cup winning team. He also had a good season in La Liga where he was instrumental in Barcelona's title winning campaign. Sneijder on the other hand seems to have accomplished the rare task of leading a team to a treble season for Internazionale, also going to the finals of the World Cup where they went on to lose for Spain. Both have an equal chance, but knowing FIFA who gives excessive importance to World Cups (Yes, the time when Zidane deserved the award and Cannavaro ended up with it), I think Xavi will bag the award, as much as I want Sneijder to.

What I am more interested to find out though is who gets the inaugral Coach of the year award where Jose Mourinho and Vincente Del Bosque are in a similar competiton.

Tanuj: (The Real Madrid Fan, Twitter: @realmadrid_rock): Wesley Sneijder

First up, the whole concept of combining FIFA World Player of the year and Ballon d'Or seems ridiculous considering most of the contendors did well at the World Cup and not throughout the year. If both the things are taken into consideration then Wesley Sneijder would be my favourite to get the award. Sneijder had a superb year in Inter colours where he went about creating chances for Milito and Eto'o and also grabbing goals for himself through free kicks and even the most outrageous of distances.At the World Cup, Netherlands had both Wesley and Robben on different flanks and both the players have the capability to stretch the defence which they clearly did versus Brazil.

Ashay: (Another Prick In The Wall, Twitter: @prickinthewall): Xavi Hernandez

This is the first edition of the prestigious Balon D'Or and the fictitious FIFA WPOTY awards combined. As such I expected to see some players make it totally on reputation, and I wasn't disappointed. However some inclusions like Asamoah Gyan were downright shocking. It's as if they had to make up the numbers with some representation from Africa.

As for my choice, I really want Xavi to win it. Xavi has been THE player for club and country for the past 3 years. At the moment in world football, I yet have to see a player who has been as consistent as Xavi has been for both club and country in the past 3 years. He has won every team award from 2008, starting with the league title, Copa Del Rey, UCL, Euro 2008, World Cup 2010. And it's not just the sheer amount of titles he has won. He has been the lynchpin in every team he has played for in the past 3 years. I do not see any other player in that list who deserves that award more than Xavi does.

Midhun: (Facebook): Xavi Hernandez:

I think he has been the most influential footballer for club and country over the past two years. His vision is immaculate, and offers great balance to any midfield and easily controls the tempo even though the fact that both Barcelona and Spain play the same brand of football means he hasn’t had to adapt to different styles unlike great footballers of previous era. Sneijder will be a close second.

These are the views of a few Madridistas, and without planning, the six of these are divided in groups of two supporting three different players, what about that?! You might have something to share with us and that's why the comment system is provided at the end, would love your feedback. If you want to be a part of the "Madridista Corner" send me an email on rmcanterano@gmail.com. Gracias.

Real Madrid-Ajax: 2-0: Take a Bow Mesut Ozil

2010-09-16T17:19:00.001+05:30

Midfield Maestro

After being booed by the fans for the uninteresting and unimpressive style of football against Osasuna at the weekend, Real Madrid set off in their quest for "La Decima," facing four time champions—Ajax.

The jeering by the fans seemed to have worked as the style of football presented to the fans at the Bernabeu certainly improved against Ajax, the speed of play isn't "Real Madrid" yet but the defense has been super solid.

Sergio Ramos had picked up a knock just before the game and Alvaro Arbeloa had to step in, Jose Mourinho, dropped Karim Benzema and gave the start to Angel Di Maria, Mourinho started the match with a 4-5-1: Casillas, Arbeloa, Carvalho, Pepe, Marcelo, Khedira, Xabi Alonso, Di Maria, Ozil, Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuain.

Martin Jol's Ajax were missing their captain—Luis Suarez and central defender—Jan Vertonghen through suspension, they too lined up a 4-5-1 with El Hamdaoui the lone man upfront: Stekelenburg, Van der Weil, Alderweireld, Ooijer, Anita, Enoh, Emanuelson, De Jong, De Zeeuw, Sulejmani and El Hamdaoui.

The pattern of the game was set in the starting minutes of the game, Real Madrid dominated the game, took a lot of long shots and wasted a lot of chances. Despite the horrid finishing there were a lot of positives for Real Madrid in the game.

Goooool del Pipita!

Goals:

1-0: Anita (OG): 31': The first goal was scrambled in from a corner kick taken by Xabi Alonso, the goal was first given to Gonzalo Higuain, but after a few replays the goal was called an own goal by Ajax defender Anita.

2-0: Higuain: 74': The second goal was a result of some brilliant play between Ozil and Di Maria, Ozil was set free in the box by a pass from Di Maria, Ozil set himself up well, took a good shot only to be denied by the brilliant Stekelenburg, but the ball came back to Ozil, who this time played the ball across the goal for the waiting Gonzalo Higuain, who taps the ball in.

Match Notes:

Despite Angel Di Maria showing flashes of brilliance in the game, he had troubles getting past defenders. He also lacks a passing brain, taking a shot whenever he saw the slightest of opportunity instead of passing it to his teammates in better positions.
Cristiano Ronaldo has something wrong in his head, he was very selfish and very wasteful, he too like Di Maria took unnecessary shots. Plus it wasn't his day, he missed a simple tap in after Higuain played the ball back to him.
Gonzalo Higuain is an odd creature, when he hasn't scored his first of the season (or for 3-4 games in a row) he looks dull, sulks and moans a lot, but when he does get his goal, he starts looking amazing and sharp and there is a glow on his face, if you haven't noticed. Such was the case yesterday, he came to life after scoring Real Madrid's second.
Mesut Ozil was once again the man of the match, brilliant performance from the German playmaker earned him a standing ovation from the crowd at the Bernabeu.
3 MATCHES, 3 CLEAN-SHEETS
Ricardo Carvalho is just the person Real Madrid needed in defense.
Needless to say, the finishing has to improve otherwise it will come back to haunt Real Madrid.
Marcelo is amazing, was more than a handful for the stand in Ajax captain—De Zeeuw, even got him yellow carded. It was a decent showing from him at left back defensively, if he can keep this up and improve his defending, we will be looking at one of the best left backs in the world.

Quote Of The Game

"Sooner or later a few teams are going to suffer for all the chances we create." - Jose Mourinho

Highlights:

Statistics:

	Real Madrid	Ajax
Shots (on Goal)	35(14)	8(1)
Fouls	7	7
Corner Kicks	11	3
Offsides	3	1
Time of Possession	64%	36%
Yellow Cards	1	1
Red Cards	0	0
Saves	1	13

The trimmed version of this post can be found on my Fan vs Fan blog—Paseo Castellana.

Peek-a-Boo: A Look At My New Fan Vs Fan Blog

2010-09-12T12:07:00.001+05:30

Good news everyone, I am supposed to be moving to my own domain on Fan Vs Fan, and that photo you see above is supposed to be the new banner for my blog there, you can find me on "paseocastellana.com" too from now on. :)

Although me moving there does not mean I'll not be here, I love it here, I get regular comments on this blog, and I love you guys, so I'll be double posting, so you can read it here as well as on Fan Vs Fan, you can leave the comments anywhere you like, I'll reply to them like always. Hala Madrid!

Is Marca Correct? Alvaro Morata To Start Against Osasuna?

2010-09-07T19:07:00.001+05:30

Alvaro Morata

The recent news in Marca claims that the 17 year old striker we all know and love—Alvaro Morata will make his debut against Osasuna, and not by coming off the bench, but by actually starting the game.

News of Alvaro Morata making the bench against Osasuna wouldn't have been a surprise because he has been a regular in the training sessions with the first team and also the fact that Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo are injured, leaving Jose Mouriho with only striker for the Osasuna game.

Call me a skeptic but I do not believe Marca, I do not believe that Moratito will actually START against Osasuna despite all the bull-crap that Marca has to say about Jose Mourinho in favor of playing two strikers at home (Santiago Bernabeu).

Marca really really really really really don't like Manuel Pellegrini and they haven't even tried to hide that fact over the duration of the last season and even now when he's gone.

They have stated how Jose Mourinho is much more awesome than Manuel Pellegrini and how Jose "thinks" more about La Fabrica than Manuel ever did, by stating that Juanfran, Mosquera and Marcos Alonso only got a few minutes and that too by the 28 gameweek and how Jose Mourinho will start a 17 year old canterano in just his second game of La Liga. (link)

If you look at the transfers made this summer you'd know that Jose Mourinho has done more harm than good to the canterano's chances in the first team. The difference in treatment give by Marca to the two managers is evident, and this supposed news is just a way to make Jose Mourinho look better.

Now I'm not saying that Pellegrini was amazing in giving chances to the canteranos, but Jose Mourinho is no better, because it's just circumstances that are forcing him into using the academy, you've read it all summer, if he'd had it his way, he would have signed a third striker instead of looking at the academy.

Please don't state Mateos's rise to the first team as a sign of Jose being better for the academy because Mateos's inclusion in the squad is also circumstantial, if THREE central defenders hadn't got injured do you think Mateos would have got a professional contract?

Because of what has happened so far under Jose Mourinho, I can only see as far as a 4-5-1, with Gonzalo Higuain the lone man upfront, Angel Di Maria and Pedro Leon on the wings, Sergio Canales or Mesut Ozil as the attacking midfielder and Xabi Alonso & Sami Khedira the anchor-men in midfield, and no room for Morata.

But with that being said, circumstantial or not I am really happy that Alvaro Morata has got his chance to impress, and I hope that he makes a lot out of this circumstance, even if it's an appearance from the bench.

I know I'm not wrong but still I would love to be proven wrong by Jose Mourinho for the sake of Alvaro Morata! Hala Madrid!

Pablo Sarabia To Sporting Braga In January

2010-09-04T11:52:00.000+05:30

Photo: AS.com

The transfer that all the Madridistas were fearing would happen now has a time and date according to the Spanish daily AS. AS on their website claim that the Spanish U-19 International and Real Madrid Castilla player will be transferred to Sporting Braga of Portugal in the January transfer window.

Pablo Sarabia will be sold for €3 million with a 2 year buy-back clause in his contract, Pablo Sarabia recently renewed his contract with Real Madrid at the end of July.

The contract would have been renewed a lot earlier had it not been for Pablo's agent, and I seriously believe that it is again his agent thinking about what's "better" for Pablo. Pablo has time and again expressed his desire to stay at Real Madrid but his agent always has had different things in mind for him.

If this transfer really does happen, it's not just his agent, even Allejandro Menendez has to blamed for it, Allejandro has benched Pablo Sarabia time and time again after performing so well for the Castilla, even in the last game against Coruxo, Pablo Sarabia only got 17 minutes worth of playing time.

And if this transfer does complete, I don't like the chances of Pablo Sarabia playing for Real Madrid again despite the buy-back clause, Mesut Ozil, Sergio Canales, Pedro Leon, Angel Di Maria, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo are no where close to retirement in the next 2 seasons.

I hope this transfer doesn't happen, but that's a tall order so I'll hope for what's easier, I hope Pablo Sarabia outperforms them all so we can see him playing for the first team soon. Hala Madrid!

Real Madrid Castilla: 2010-11: What's Happening In Segunda B

2010-09-02T17:24:00.000+05:30

As I had promised, the Real Madrid Castilla post, I wasn't in favor of doing the post because Corey at Real Madrid Offside had already made an elaborate post on the Castilla and I wouldn't be able to match it, but it's been a long time since that post came around and there have been changes made in the Castilla too, hence this post, I'll just cover the transfer movements and give the final team.

In:

Goalkeepers: Jesus Fernandez (Numancia), Issac Becerra (Espanyol B)
Defenders: Pablo Gil (Albacete), Raul Goni (Zaragoza)
Midfielders: Mandi (Ponferradina)
Strikers: Joselu (Celta Vigo) (*Joselu was signed last season but was immediately loaned back to Celta)

Rodrigo Moreno

Out:

Goalkeepers: Filipe Ramos (Deportivo La Coruna)
Defenders: Gary (Germinal Beerschot), Marcos Alonso (Bolton), Opare (Standard Liege), Cordero (Xerez)
Midfielders: Pedro Mosquera (Getafe), Tebar (Girona), Rodrigo (Benfica, on loan to Bolton), Miquel Palanca (Elche)
Forwards: Adam Szalai (Mainz), Javier Acuna (Recreativo Huelva), Samuel Alonso Saiz (Sevilla Atletico)

Tomas Mejias

Promotion To Real Madrid Castilla

Goalkeepers: Tomas Mejias
Defenders: Casado, Daniel Carvajal
Midfielders: Alex Fernandez, Antonio Martinez, Denis Tcherichev, Victor Merchan
Forwards: Alvaro Morata

Promotion To The First Team

Antonio Adan and Mateos have made the jump from the Castilla to first team, none of these can play for the Castilla in the season.

No Promotion, But Change In Group

The Spanish FA made some classification changes in the Segunda B division and because of that Real Madrid Castilla is classified in Group 1 opposed to Group 2 last season. Allejandro Menedez's team could only manage a mere eighth position and fell way short of the promotion play-off zone in Group-2, maybe this time they can get better results. These are the teams who the Castilla will be facing this season:

Celta B, Montaneros, Getafe B, Guadalajara, Leganes, Deportivo B, Lugo, Rayo B, Universidad, Conquense, Pontevedra, RSD Alcala, Vecindario, Coruxo, Atletico B, Cacereno, Cerro Reyes, Extremadura UD and CD Badajoz .

Squad List

These are the following players who will be with the Real Madrid Castilla this season:

Goalkeepers: Tomas Mejias, Jesus Fernandez & Issac Becerra.

Tomas Mejias (GK) was supposed to be the starter for the Real Madrid Castilla this season, but his 4 month lay-off means that is certainly not hapenning, Jesus Fernandez will be the first choice in his absence.

Defenders: Nacho, Luis Hernandez, Juanan, Velayos, Casado, Pablo Gil, Carvajal & Raul Goni

Last year Allejandro Menendez played a back line of Nacho, Mateos, Gary and Marcos Alonso, only Nacho is the one who survives, Nacho is considered one of the top talents of the academy, he did train with the first team in the pre-season too.

In the Coruxo game, Menendez lined up Luis Hernandez, Jorge Casado, Nacho and Juanan, but with the late arrival of Raul Goni (21) who has experience of the Primera division too, I expect the defense line to change.

Midfielders: Mandi, Raul Ruiz, Victor Merchan, Fran Rico (C), Denis, Juanfran, Juan Carlos, Pablo Sarabia, Alex Fernandez, Javi Hernandez and Zamora

Fran Rico has been made the captain of the Castilla, is one of the most brilliant players in the team, injuries have plagued his career so far. Alex Fernandez is the one who looks likely to start more games this season, he's a brilliant playmaker and also travelled with the first team to USA.

Mandi has been bought to replace the former Castilla captain—Pedro Mosquera, however Menendez didn't start Mandi in the first game against Coruxo which the Castilla won 3-2. Menendez's midfield consisted of Alex Fernandez, Juan Carlos, Juanfran and Fran Rico.

The surprise of the first game was, Pablo Sarabia coming from the bench, Juan Carlos was given the nod in the first game, although I believe Juan Carlos and Pablo Sarabia will be rotated and will share playing time, both of them can start simultaneously when Juanfran gets called by the first team.

Forwards: Cristian, Joselu, Ruben Ramos and Alvaro Morata

I really like Joselu, he started the pre-season with the Castilla very brightly even scored a lot of goals and he will defenitely be a starter for the Castilla.

With the adavent of Alvaro Morata in the Castilla, the top scorer of the Castilla—Cristian was benched by Allejandro Menendez. Not too sure who'll start more often, we'll have to see what happens.

I don't trust Allejandro Menendez much, but I do hope they make it to the Segunda division this season.Hala Madrid!

Official: Samuel Alonso Saiz Joins Sevilla Atletico On Loan

2010-09-01T23:41:00.000+05:30

Samuel Alonso Saiz, better known as Samu, one of the striker who I backed to be the third striker for the Real Madrid first team has joined Sevilla Atletico (the B team of Sevilla) on a year long loan, the Andalusian outfit will have an option to purchase Samu after the season.

Ever since Samu started playing football, Samu has played for Real Madrid, out of the 19 years of his life Samu has spent 11 of those years with Real Madrid.

Samu holds the record for the most number of goals in the Benjamin category—117 goals. Samu is the leading scorer of all time in the Real Madrid youth teams (Alevin y Benjamin).

Like the better players in the academy, Samu did not spend any time in Real Madrid C and made the jump from the Juvenil A into the Real Madrid Castilla. Samu could only manage to start a few games for the Castilla last season but he managed to score 5 goals and string up a few assists.

Samu has reportedly moved away in pursuit of playing time as he would see his playing time reduced by the jump of Alvaro Morata from Juvenil A and the addition of Joselu who was signed from Celta Vigo last season.

I really don't see that being a strong reason for loaning out Samu, I never trusted Allejandro Menendez much, and he's signing players instead of promoting players to plug the holes in the Castilla, utterly disappointing.

It's a shame to see Samu being sent on loan, it's an even bigger shame that loyalty and class now count for nothing in La Fabrica, this is a sad day, still I end this post with Hala Madrid!

I apologize for my absence, I have been really busy with college and stuff, but to make it up, I'll publish a Castilla post tomorrow.

Life Lessons Through Football: FC Barcelona Learn It The Hard Way Through Ibrahimovic & Chygrynskiy

2010-08-29T11:49:00.004+05:30

Super-Flop

The season before the last one, FC Barcelona won everything there was to be won, they won the Copa del Ray, the La Liga and the Champions League, but due to Florentino Perez's arrival at Real Madrid and the signings he made, turned the spotlight on Real Madrid.

FC Barcelona didn't like that one bit, they didn't want the spotlight to be taken away from them, so they started critcizing the philosophies of Real Madrid, while making two mega money signings themselves in the form of Dmytro Chygrynskiy & Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Barcelona paid €25 million for Dmytro Chygrynskiy and €45 million plus the star man of last season—Samuel Eto'o (€30-35 million) for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

But as fate would have it Chygrynskiy & Ibrahimovic both flopped and fell out of favor at the Catalan club.

FC Barcelona sold Dmytro Chygrynskiy to Shaktar Donetsk for €15 million suffering a loss of €10 million.

And after a long soap-opera in the summer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic finally bid farewell to Barcelona as he is now going to join AC Milan for an year on loan and then AC Milan HAVE to purchase Ibrahimovic for a mere €24 million, with FC Barcelona suffering a loss in the range of €50 million.

FC Barcelona were already covered in the central defender deaprtment, so it didn't cost them to find his replacement but they did spend €45 million on David Villa to replace Zlatan.

Now I agree that David Villa is an amazing signing and is better than Samuel Eto'o, but they have spent nearly €100 million on a player that wasn't even required to be replaced.

Now I agree Real Madrid did a lot of stupid things last season, and two namely being Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben, but Real Madrid weren't the "hexacampeons," Barcelona were, why change a system that wins you things?

Even if Barcelona wins 6 trophies in a season, they'll always be jealous of the club in Madrid that wears the royal whites, and this jealousy has cost them more than €100 million, and it doesn't help when your club has to take loans to pay off the salaries of the players.

Kids, now every experience in life teaches us a lesson, this experience teaches us that jealousy is a bad thing and you should not let what others do determine the things you do.

Okay now enough with the life lessons, lets have a laugh at the expense of our dear rivals! And did you hear, Gerard Pique handed in a request to join AC Milan too, I wonder why.........

Hala Madrid!

Real Madrid's Third Kit For The UEFA Champions League 2010-11 Is Purple!

2010-08-24T14:42:00.002+05:30

Photo Courtesy: footballshirts.com

The third kit of Real Madrid 2010-11 season has been leaked on the Internet, footballshirts.com published it on their site a few days ago, I believe this is the real kit because they even posted the leaked pictures of the home and away kits of this season and they were right on both the occasions.

I am still hoping that this time they are wrong because I just don't like purple on the kit.

Home

The kits that Real Madrid wore last season (2009-10) were amazing, and it bums me out that the kits don't looks so good this season.

I like the pattern for the shirts this season though, rays coming out of the club crest but it's just that the colour combination isn't that good, only the home kit of 2010-11 looks good.

Away

The away kit would have looked good too if Adidas hadn't put that green strip on it, it looks completely out of place and ruins the whole look of the shirt!

Internazionale Away

Well at least Real Madrid's home and away kits aren't as bad as their rival Barcelona's ugly green away kit which looks more like a clown costume than a football kit, but then again, it suits them.

I wish that this leaked third kit is a fake and a serpent or dragon or something ends up on the shirt and it looks as awesome as the Internazionale away kit, don't you? Hala Madrid!

Possibble Formation Of Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid

2010-08-23T22:46:00.002+05:30

I ran out of ideas for more posts after completeing the Mesut Ozil post, so I asked people for ideas on the blog's Facebook page, I decided to go with the idea of one "Real Madridista" for this post, because most of them seemed to agree with his idea.

Considering the players Jose Mourinho has at his disposal at Real Madrid, it is obvious that he will make them play offensively, despite the no-brained opinion of a clown by the name of Gerard Pique.

Real Madrid will probably use a formation which is hard to explain through the conventional formations. It is much more dynamic, it keeps on changing, like the resonating structures of Benzene.

Lets not get into Resonance, Benzene or Organic Chemistry because I suck at it and I only know the basics, okay, lets talk football.

For the sake of the post, I have chosen a team of: Iker, Sergio, Carvalho, Albiol, Marcelo, Xabi, Khedira, Leon, Ozil, Cristiano and Higuain. I have kept out the players who are injured (barring Raul Albiol). This team should not be taken as the final team, it is just for the purpose of explaining and reasoning how Real Madrid will play, it might be that Arbeloa plays at left-back and Di Maria starts over Pedro Leon.

4-3-3

The reason I believe that Jose Mourinho will apply this formation is because this is the formation that he has applied in most of the pre-season friendlies and also the fact that he purchased two wingers.

You can see Cristiano Ronaldo on the right wing, but Cristiano won't be just on the right, his mobility is what makes the formation so versatile.

Cristiano will move from the right wing to the left, then behind the striker and will also pop up as a striker. Pedro Leon (or Di Maria) will keep on switching between the wings giving Sergio Ramos or Marcelo a chance to bomb on forward.

Ozil will take up the role of the playmaker operating behind Higuain and will also be swapping places with Crsitiano Ronaldo and Pedro Leon.

Some expected Sami Khedira to play a sweeping role in midfield tucking in just ahead of the back four running and winning balls, but that is not the case. In the pre-season friendlies, Khedira played ahead of Xabi Alonso, winning the ball forward in attack. We have all seen Sami's stamina in the World Cup and know that he'll be back helping in defense as well as attacking, the role that Pellegrini had for Lass last season (the job which Lass sucks at).

Xabi Alonso will sit deep, winning balls along with Khedira in the midfield. Xabi is probably the most important player in the team, he is the one who is supposed to distribute the ball to the attacking players, as we saw in the Bayern Munich game, when Xabi Alonso (Xabi didn't have a bad day, he was just tired) is struggling the whole attack suffers.

4-4-2 Diamond or 4-1-2-1-2

The diamond formation was used by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea too. Jose Mourinho might even start with this diamond formation.

Even if he doesn't, the shape of the formation will change during the game and it will be a diamond at some point in the match with Cristiano Ronaldo joining Higuain as the striker.

Ozil will take the top of the diamond and Xabi Alonso and Khedira will take turns to be the lowest point in the diamond, Pedro Leon will join on any one side of the diamond.

The width will be provided by the full backs—Marcelo and Sergio Ramos.

3-5-2

I was intrigued by Jose Mourinho's claim of using a 3-5-2 formation with Real Madrid when needed. At first I couldn't figure it out, I was thinking along the lines of a Higuain-Benzema partnership, and Cristiano Ronaldo on the wings, but it didn't even convince me. I thought Jose might be kidding because Cristiano doesn't like to track back, and for this formation to work, he has to!

But after a few pre-season games, it became clear that it will be a Higuain-Cristiano pairing if the 3-5-2 is applied. The photo I have used shows the formation changing into a 3-5-2 during the game, where Marcelo will take the role of the left-sided winger. If this formation is to be applied when Arbeloa is playing left-back, substitutions will be made.

I do not believe that Real Madrid will start a game with a 3-5-2 but the 3-5-2 will defenitely be a "Plan-B" against stubborn, defensive teams who just want to sit behind.

Hala Madrid!

I would like to thank my friend Mary, for helping me out in this post, I had lost confidence on this post, and she is the reason this post is published, thanks Mary. :)

UEFA Homegrown Player Rule: Real Madrid Don't Have A Thing To Worry About

2010-08-20T22:14:00.000+05:30

There is certainly some confusion on the Internet about the "homegrown" rule or the "Protection of young players" rule that UEFA have implied from this season onwards, I too got a few questions because of the last post about how the homegrown quota would be fulfilled if Granero is sold.

I knew a little about this rule, had the idea that Marcelo and Higuain would be considered as homegrown players, but there was more to it so I did a little research and found out that Real Madrid are more than covered in the homegrown department.

This is how UEFA defined homegrown players on their website:

UEFA defines locally-trained or 'homegrown' players as those who, regardless of their nationality, have been trained by their club or by another club in the same national association for at least three years between the age of 15 and 21. Up to half of the locally-trained players must be from the club itself, with the others being either from the club itself or from other clubs in the same association. The UEFA rule contains no nationality conditions whatsoever.

According to this definition, these players can be called homegrown players: Iker Casillas (GK), Sergio Ramos (DF), Esteban Granero (MF), Marcelo (MF) , Antonio Adan (GK), Xabi Alonso (MF), Sergio Canales (MF), Alvaro Arbeloa (DF), Raul Albiol (DF), Ezequiel Garay (DF)*, Gonzalo Higuain (FW), and Pedro Leon (MF).

*I am not too sure about Garay, but he did complete 3 seasons with Racing Santander before he turned 21, so he can be considered homegrown.

The ones in bold font have completed 3 seasons between the age of 15-21 in the Liga BBVA with different teams, but will be classified as homegrown players because of the condition stated above. The rest of them have completed 3 seasons with Real Madrid between the age of 15-21.

UEFA have set a limit of 25 players to be used in the European competitions, and out of these 25, eight of the players have to be homegrown. Real Madrid currently have 12, out of which 7 are trained by Real Madrid, thus also fulfilling the criteria that 50% of the homegrown players should be trained by the club they represent.

A few of the players are going to be sold, and if Real Madrid fall short in the homegrown department which is highly unlikely, they can name a few players of the academy in the list of 25, as there is no rule that obliges the club to play a certain number of homegrown players on the field.

So there you have it, Real Madrid are well covered in the homegrown department, I hope this clears the confusion created by the rule. Hala Madrid!

If you want to read more about the rule, visit UEFA's Official Web-Site.

Mesut Ozil's Signing Opens The Exit Door & Shortens Opportunities

2010-08-17T23:49:00.004+05:30

Mesut Ozil—Nuevo jugador.

Real Madrid agreed a deal worth €15 million for one of the brightest attacking midfielders in the world. No doubt Ozil for €15 million is a smart bit of business, but looking at the team and the circumstances it's €15 million too much.

I have been torn in the middle ever snice I came to know about that the signing of Mesut Ozil became official, part of me wants to celebrate at the fact that Real Madrid have signed a great player who is just 21 and has a great future in front of him.

But the part of me that is winning and trumping every argument is the one that says Ozil wasn't a neccessary signing for this season. I believe this one is the rational part of me, which knows that there are already three playmakers in the team and there was no requirement of a fourth one despite Kaka being injured for 4 months.

Rafael Van Der Vaart

But now as the number of midfielders at Real Madrid has increased to a ridiculous number and the squad size has become greater than 25, it is obvious that some of the midfielder will be shown the door to make funds and reduce the squad number, and because of another play-maker coming it is only a matter of days that Rafael Van der Vaart will be shown the door.

I feel that it is unfair that Van der Vaart is the one that will be the one sold despite him being so passionate about the club and giving one solid performance after the other last season.

Van Der Vaart's quality isn't hidden from anyone, and it won't be a surprise that he would succeed with whichever club he signs, and the Real Madrid management will be seen with an egg on their face.

If selling Van der Vaart isn't a bad enough thought, the management have overlooked the fact that no one will be willing to pay €20 million or more as speculated at the start of the summer as everyone knows that Real Madrid are in a need to sell him after they inflated their squad with Mesut Ozil's signing. I expect €5-10 million less from the sale of Van der Vaart now, Real Madrid are no longer in a commanding position.

El Pirata

The other one that looks on his way out of Real Madrid is Esteban Granero, after a good start to last season, El Pirata faded away, and Jose Mourinho does not look interested in keeping the Canterano, Sevilla were reportedly interested in reuniting him with Alvaro Negredo, expect Granero to leave for €5-8 million.

And that is not the complete impact of the Mesut Ozil signing, the current young attacking midfielders in the academy (Alex Fernandez & Javi Hernandez), Dani Parejo and Sergio Canales, they will all see their opportunities of making it at Real Madrid cut viciously short.

Sergio Canales

Mesut Ozil's just 21, and the canteranos are just a few years younger than Mesut. Sergio Canales is 19, there is just no age difference between the two attacking midfielders, so it is obvious that Sergio Canales will see his chances cut short, and that is one thing no Real Madrid fan would like.

Sergio Canales has won many fans over with his performances last season and in the pre-season. It would be disappointing to see Sergio Canales on the bench, this will surely hamper his growth as a player.

The Canteranos don't even get their chances with older players at the team, it will make it even more impossible for them to break in the first team with a younger player in the team.

Real Madrid could have got Mesut Ozil for free next season but economically Mesut Ozil's signing is still a wonderful one. Mesut Ozil is one of my favorites but it's the effects like the possible exit of Van der Vaart & Granero, the reduction of the chances for the canteranos and Sergio Canales which reduce the sweetness of this transfer.

What do you think of the transfer?

Hala Madrid!

Official: Real Madrid Sign World Cup Star Mesut Ozil

2010-08-17T20:35:00.001+05:30

Real Madrid have made it official on their website that they have signed Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen.

According to the newspapers Real Madrid have paid €15 million for the 21 year-old playmaker. Mesut Ozil was the best play-maker in the World Cup.

Mesut was persued by FC Barcelona and Manchester United in the summer but Real Madrid beat them to the punch and have signed a player with immense skill who has a lot of years of football in him.

Ozil will undergo a medical on Wednesday.

More of my views on the Mesut Ozil transfer to follow. Hala Madrid!

Source: Real Madrid Official Site.

Florentino Perez Thinking Of Shutting Down La Fabrica For Good [Satire]

2010-08-16T22:19:00.001+05:30

"We don't need an academy, creating players is overrated!"

Real Madrid President—Florentino Perez today in a press conference declared that Real Madrid will be shutting down their academy for good, and that the players in the academy will all be all sold for prices less than the price of the cellphones they have on them.

Arsene Wenger & Michel were the first ones to respond to the news and they quickly bought players of all ages, shapes and sizes by the dozen.

The news was taken surprisingly well by the fans of Real Madrid who said they were happy that they wouldn't have to moan all the time about a certain player from the academy not getting time in the first team and how it is unfair that some random 19 year old chick from Argentina is getting chances before a good prospect of the academy.

The Canteranos were the ones most pleased with the news because they think that now that they'll play at different clubs without a buy-back clause, Real Madrid will actually value them and pay some attention to them after they create a name for themselves with different teams, they are 100% sure that Real Madrid will spend millions to buy them and they would get to play for the team they supported since they were little kids after a season or two at max!

This is what Florentino Perez said when he was asked for the reasons of this decision, he said (English translation),

"I didn't even realize there was something like the academy at Real Madrid, I thought they had shut it down after Iker Casillas graduated from there. Besides it's not like these kids were talented enough to succeed at Real Madrid, you have to be as talented as Drenthe and Gago to make it at Real Madrid!"

Florentino Perez further went on to say:

"Trophies are the only thing that counts in my books, it's not like the Juvenil A did the double of the European Championship and the Domestic League last year! The academy can be considered a successful one only if almost all the teams in the academy ended up with a trophy or more and ours didn't, it's just a waste of our time and money and it is best to pull the plug on this sham, let these "players" be mediocre like Juan Mata somewhere else!"

I myself was at the press conference when Perez declared that the Canteranos were going up for sale, I tried to buy Pablo Sarabia but unfortunately I fell €5 short and missed out on making a huge profit. :(

Official: Girona Sign Marcos Tebar: Tebar Is Cheaper Than An iPhone

2010-08-15T14:20:00.001+05:30

Marcos Tebar

Real Madrid have let the 24 year old central midfielder—Marcos Tebar join Girona in Liga Adelante for a free.

But because of the rules of the Spanish FA, Girona had to pay a nominal fee to Real Madrid, which is a mere €100.

Yes, you read that right, it is just €100 and No, I didn't miss a k or kilos or 3 zeros. Yeah, just a hundred.

According to Girona's official website they are very happy to have him back (Tebar was on loan to Girona last season) because he is very much a part of their plans.

I want to thank him for his 12 seasons he gave to the club and wish him the best of luck, may he guide Girona to a promotion in the Primera division! Hala Madrid!

Source: Girona FC Official Website (Spanish)

Bayern Munich - Real Madrid: 0-0 (P: 2-4): Gracias San Iker

2010-08-14T13:59:00.002+05:30

Photo courtsey: @kaushiklakshman

Whenever you hype up something in your head you are bound to be disappointed, such was the case of the supposedly biggest game of Real Madrid's pre-season's campaign.

The fatigue due to travel was clear on the players who played for their countries in the mid-week international friendlies, and because of that the team wasn't able to perform well as a whole.

But if there was a man on the field who looked as sharp as ever, it was the man with the captain's armband—Iker Casillas. San Iker produced one brilliant save after the another, saved 3 penalties (one in regular time) to win Real Madrid Franz Beckenbauer's testimonial match.

Couldn't imagine what the scoreline would have read if it wasn't for Iker Casillas.

If you thought Arjen Robben was pissed because of the 2 saves made by San Iker in the World Cup final, can't say what was going through Franck Ribery's mind.

I could have done my usual match review but the match had nothing to be reviewed, it was too boring, the players were so tired that they didn't even bother to press Bayern Munich to win the ball back. Xabi was too tired and wasn't efficient in winning the ball back like he usually is, his distribution was okay, but Xabi Alonso'll certainly be better after some rest.

Sami Khedira and Xabi Alonso's partnership needs time and like I said Xabi was tired, that didn't help their case either, I'm positive that this partnership will improve though.

Sergio Canales hardly got on the ball, well the attack as a whole struggled because the ball winners were struggling, none of the players in attack, be it Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain or Sergio Canales looked in form.

Gonzalo Higuain missed a clear header from Pedro Leon's cross in the early goings of the game, Pipita also had a tougher chance when Cristiano Ronaldo crossed across the face of goal.

Only Pedro Leon was the one who looked like any danger to the Bayern Munich defense, good match from him, he even tracked back a lot and helped out Sergio Ramos, a LOT.

Garay might be out for a few weeks

Sergio Ramos was in vacation mode in the LA Galaxy game and he was too tired in this game as he travelled to Mexico in midweek, Franck Ribery gave Sergio Ramos headaches, and he even conceded a penalty by tackling Franck in the box, even when Sergio tackled Franck, he lost the ball by passing or clearing poorly, a game to forget for Sergio Ramos.

The central pairing of Carvalho-Garay and Carvalho-Albiol were okay, not much to be said about that.

Another negative from the game is that Garay has dislocated his right kneecap, he will undergo an MRI scan and then the extent of the injury would be determined after that, the moment I saw his knee buckle, I had a feeling he might be out for a few weeks.

Marcelo looked okay, can't say much, but this was a better defensive performance for the Brazillian.

The substitutes didn't change much, but Karim looked good, even crossed one for Cristiano, which would have been a goal was it not for the Bayern keeper—Kraft. Di Maria looked good too, I think he'll come good, just needs more time with the team, I have to stop being so critical of him. Van Der Vaart had an opportunity to score but he could only find the side-netting.

I was thankful that time wasn't added on after the 45 minutes of the half and that the game didn't go to extra time and went straight to penalties because I don't think it was humanly possible to watch one more minute of that game.

The team has to back up their arrogance with their performances and if they want to win the number of trophies that they predict for the season then they have to step-up their game and performances such as these shouldn't be repeated.

It was a ridiculously large trophy!

Real Madrid can be let off the hook, by saying that the team was tired and at least they didn't look so pleased with themselves after they were handed the "trophy," but then they should give a strong performance against Standard Liege on Tuesday after they are rested! Hala Madrid!

Yellow Legal Pad: Ricardo Carvalho

2010-08-12T15:11:00.003+05:30

If you have seen How I Met Your Mother's every single episode, you will be familiar with the yellow legal pad that Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) uses to make a list of pros and cons, so as a tribute to one of my favorite TV shows ever, I have decided to call all my pro and con list posts (from now on) as the "Yellow Legal Pad." I hope you guys like the idea for the name of the post.

Real Madrid finalized Ricardo Carvalho's deal two days ago, Carvalho is due his medical with Real Madrid, and after a medical Ricardo will hold a press-conference at 13:00 CET. Ricardo Carvalho has been around for a long time and everyone knows what he can do, but still lets look at what he brings to the team.

Pros:

Ricardo Carvalho has played more than 10 years at the top level in England and Portugal, and such an experienced player would be a welcome addition to the young defense of Real Madrid, Ricardo can provide excellent guidance to the defenders.
Ricardo Carvalho has already played with Pepe in Portugal and has worked with Jose Mourinho at Porto and Chelsea.
He signed for just €8 million, which is acceptable for one of the best central defenders in the English Premier League.
€25 million won't be spent on Thiago Silva.
What he lacks in strength he can more than make up with hard tackles, love the way he wins the ball.

Cons:

Carvalho's 32 years old and seems like a temporary fix as he's only been given a 2 year contract.
Last two seasons of Ricardo Carvalho have been plagued with injuries and played only 33 league games of the 76 in those two seasons.
Not quite sure of it, but it is likely that Raul Albiol will lose his place in the starting eleven.

With all that being said, I believe that Ricardo Carvalho's signing is a very good one, looking at all the aspects of the deal, his deal was the better than those who were linked with the Real Madrid and the best thing about the transfer is that ridiculous money wasn't spent. It's great to have Ricardo Carvalho at Real Madrid! Hala Madrid!

Official: Real Madrid Agree Ricardo Carvalho Deal With Chelsea

2010-08-11T01:56:00.000+05:30

Real Madrid have agreed terms with Chelsea for the transfer of Ricardo Carvalho, according to AS & Marca, the deal is believed to be around the region €8 million. The terms of the transfer haven't been disclosed yet.

The transfer is a bit of a shocker as Jose Mourinho had denied the signing of Ricardo Carvalho just a few days ago in an interview by saying that he won't sign Carvalho due to his age.

More on the transfer soon.

Bienvenido Ricardo! Hala Madrid!

Sources: Chelsea FC Official Site, Real Madrid Official Site (Spanish)

Remind Me Again, Who's This Thiago Silva You Talk Of?

2010-08-10T15:22:00.000+05:30

I think I've seen this guy before, no, probably haven't!

So I've been hearing this name a lot lately, Thigao Silva. It's being used a lot recently by AS & mostly Marca, he's said to be this central defender who'll cost €25 million to Real Madrid, honestly I've never heard of him before!

He's costing €25 million, therefore I presume, he's someone world-class, is captain for his club & country, has mad ball skills, he just looks at the players and they are dispossessed of the ball and is probably so young yet so experienced that the club that owns him don't want to let him go, I'm guessing he's just 17 years old!

I'm just fooling around, I know who Thiago Silva is, I'm just trying to make sense of the €25 million price-tag on a player who's 26, who's club's defense can be ran ragged if 10 men aren't defending or how this guy wasn't even on the list from which the players were selceted for the World Cup by Brazil.

When you repeat a lie for a long time it starts to sound like the truth, and such is the case of Thiago Silva's transfer rumor, Marca (obviously) were the first one's to start this rumor, they repeated it long enough so that more and more sources started to believe it was true and they started running with it.

You ask, why I'm so sure?

Well for starters, one thing I've learnt this transfer window is that it is great that Jose Mourinho has a say in all the transfers, and the other thing is that Jose Mourinho isn't stupid, but obviously Marca is. Jose Mourinho said no to the ludicrous demands of Morrati and Internazionale for Maicon, who's a world-class player and reduced his offer to €22 million for Maicon.

Now explain to me, why a man who isn't willing to go any higher than €22 million for a world-class defender who is a regular for the Brazillian national team would pay €25 million to a virtual unknown (comparatively speaking, of course)?

Got an answer?

I have it, he won't! So Marca should stop wasting our time and theirs too, and come up with something better than this Thiago Silva bull-crap.

And Eduardo Inda, the €17 million for Romelu Lukaku are a good start by the way, you dumbass!

Hala Madrid!

LA Galaxy-Real Madrid: 2-3: The Gonzalo Higuain Show

2010-08-08T16:46:00.003+05:30

Pedro Leon scored his first goal for RM

Real Madrid have ended their two match tour of North America with a win and with the same scoreline. Real Madrid defeated LA Galaxy 2-3 at the Rose Bowl in front of an audience of 89,000.

Line-Ups:

Real Madrid: Dudek (Casillas: 46'), Sergio Ramos (Arbeloa: 46'), Albiol (Pepe: 46'), Garay, Drenthe (Marcelo: 46'), Lass (Gago: 46'), Mahamadou Diarra (Xabi Alonso: 46'), Granero (Cristiano Ronaldo: 46'), Di Maria (Pedro Leon: 46', Alvaro Morata: 88'), Van der Vaart (Canales: 46', Alex Fernandez: 90'), Benzema (Higuain: 46')

LA Galaxy: Ricketts (Perk: 46'), Berhalter (Leonardo: 63'), Franklin (De la Garza: 63'), Gonzalez (Jordan: 76'), Dunivant (Lewis: 70'), Juninho (Klein: 63'), Stephens (Cazumba: 70'), Birchall, Donovan (Kirovski: 63'), Mathis (Bowen: 25'), Buddle (Magee: 46')

Goals:

40': 1-0: Dunivant: Horrible set-play defending from Real Madrid allowed Dunivant to put the ball in the goal after a lot of confusion.
45': 2-0: Landon Donovan (P): Drenthe kung-fu kicks Juninho, gives the penalty, Donovan sends Dudek the wrong way and slots in coolly.
52': 2-1: Gonzalo Higuain: Gonzalo Higuain gets a sublime pass from Cristiano Ronaldo, Pipita scores in between the keeper's legs and the comeback is on.
62': 2-2: Gonzalo Higuain: Pipita recieves the ball back in the box from Gago, after Garay's header is saved and cleared out of the box, Gonzalo Higuain switches from the left to the right foot and curls it from the outside of his right foot, sublime finish.
71': 2-3: Pedro Leon: Gonzalo Higuain combined with Sergio Canales and started the move, brilliant return back-heel pass from Canales sets Higuain free, Perk saves, the ball falls to Pedro Leon who is outside the box, remontada, Pedro Leon scores his first goal for Real Madrid.

Highlights:

Post-Match Interviews:

Jose Mourinho: "I liked the team's mentality" (Source: Real Madrid Official Site)
Sergio Canales & Pedro Leon: "Mourinho is very professional" (Source: Real Madrid Official Site)

Injury Update: Pepe

Kepler Laveran Lima Ferreira, "Pepe" finished the match against the LA Galaxy with discomfort on his left soleus and has possibly sustained an injury. Further tests are pending.

(Source: Real Madrid.com)

Notes:

I don't like the kick-offs so early in the morning, and I hate it even more when I miss one half of the game due to that, but after reading a lot about the first half, I'm glad I missed the first half, if I had seen it, it would have been a very crappy start to my day. Don't worry though, I won't be so off about the first half in this post, as I know quite a bit about that half now, thanks to the highlights, the comments on Real Madrid Offside, AS, Marca & Defensa Central. I like to give researched information to my readers.

Set-piece defending was awful in the first half, quite unlike a Jose Mourinho team, might be due to the fact that Sergio Ramos and Raul Albiol have only joined a few days ago and might still be in vacation mode. And also the fact that Drenthe can't defend.
Royston Drenthe can't defend, the kung-fu kick on Juninho that resulted in the penalty is one of the many examples of that. I can't defend Ricky anymore, he has to be sold, not loaned like I advocated previously.
Rafael Van der Vaart can create, and he needs someone to finish the chances he makes, Di Maria and Benzema need to improve their finishing.
Granero's ideal position isn't on the wing, neither is it as a playmaker just behind the striker, he will be much more suited in a withdrawn central midfield role just ahead of the defensive midfielder.
Cristiano Ronaldo is for the lack of a better word amazing, the Cristiano Ronaldo that passes the ball to his team-mates is a treat to watch.
Gonzalo Higuain is a phenomenal forward and those who said Pipita isn't Jose Mourinho's type of striker have to start eating their words because Jose Mou has been nothing but full of praise for the Argentine's link-up play and smart forward runs.
Sergio Canales is ________________. (Fill in the blank with your favorite adjective that you use to describe someone who is awesome!). I can't get enough of him, I want to see him play again and again, he was one of the reason I didn't want the match to end!
I have a very strong feeling Pedro Leon will start over Angel Di Maria when the season starts.

Next on the pre-season schedule, Bayern Munich, European timings, I won't miss this. I hope Real Madrid give a better performance defensively in Germany. Hala Madrid!

Eugenio Martinez Bravo Has The Right Ideas For Real Madrid

2010-08-07T13:07:00.001+05:30

Eugenio Martinez Bravo

Those of you who have been reading my stuff for a long time, know that I don't like dealing with the money issues or the politics related with Real Madrid. But when there is something related to the academy, you can expect me to know about it.

The man in the photo on the right is Eugenio Martinez Bravo, president of the Plataforma Blanca group, Eugenio tried running for the post of president last time around, but couldn't as he wasn't able to come up with the money required to stand in the Presidential election.

Eugenio Martinez is called the "White Laporta," a title I hope is because of him advocating for the proper use of the academy and not because of the corruption, lies, politics and the independence bull-s**t.

Eugenio has taken up some really great points in his interviews which I have read, and I am very impressed by this man, if these points are taken up by the management it would be really good for Real Madrid, I'll be covering those points in this post and will state the sources at the end.

Short-Sighted Sporting Model

He has said that Florentino Perez's model is short sighted not because of the age of the players but because no player has stayed for a long time in the club in the past few years. And he backed up his arguments by stating the numbers and showing that despite signing 53 players since 2000 and spending a whopping €1 billion putting on a debt of €700 million only Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas are the remaining player since the start of 2005-06 season.

Eugenio blamed Florentino Perez completely for such a disaster but I don't believe that only Florentino Perez is to be blamed here because Ramon Calderon was the president from 2006 to 2009, but you have to agree the numbers are shocking and something needs to be done.

Treatment Of Managers

Another point that was taken up by Eugenio was the way managers have been treated at Real Madrid, he criticized the way that Del Bosque was sacked by Florentino Perez and also pointed out that Florentino didn't learn from his mistakes when he dealt with Manuel Pellegrini, and I'm sure no one will argue over the fact that Real Madrid don't even think once let alone twice when it comes to sacking managers and this has to change.

More Spanish Players

With Kaka and Benzema turning out to be flops, Eugenio said it would have been wiser if Real Madrid had tried to sign either David Villa, David Silva or Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), this point I don't agree much, because he didn't say anything about the success of Cristiano Ronaldo. This point is debatable because Kaka and Benzema are good players, it wasn't expected that they won't succeed.

Mis-treatment Of The Canteranos

Eugenio also raised a point that I also stress many times, about how the academy players should be given preference over players like Gago and Drenthe in the first team, would it not make much more sense to give some academy players a chance instead of some untested foreigner?

He also said that money won't be made if Real Madrid chase and buy the Cristianos and Kakas from the Manchesters and Milans, it would be better to produce the new Cristianos and Kaka. He believes the academy has the potential to do so.

Eugenio also doesn't like how the Canteranos are used as currency for other signings (eg. Rodrigo for Angel Di Maria), he says the buy-back clause is okay but he would prefer to give them a chance at Real Madrid. And he stated his displeasure of the recent sales of the Canteranos by saying, "One day the major signing of Real Madrid will be Marcos Alonso."

Eugenio Martinez Bravo is waiting for his moment and he will run for presidency of Real Madrid in the future and when he does I hope he wins the elections, he is the man with the right ideas for Real Madrid. Hala Madrid!

I've just covered the sporting part, if you want to read more about Eugenio Martinez Bravo and how we wants the changes at Real Madrid, here are the sources for this post (all in Spanish):
Plataforma Blanca
Defensa Central
Menorca

Kaka Should Have To Earn His Place In The Squad After His Surgery

2010-08-07T00:47:00.001+05:30

Does he deserve to wear this kit?

After reading thoughts of Corey on Real Madrid Offside and the comments there on the issue of Kaka's surgery and all, I felt inspired to do a post of my own.

Kaka came to Real Madrid last summer as the favorite signing of all Madridistas, many people liked him better than Cristiano Ronaldo, one of them being me.

Only in one season at Real Madrid, Kaka's popularity between the Madridistas has dropped dramatically. Over the last season Kaka didn't show the form that is expected from a player worth €65 million, stayed injured for long stretches in the season and showed he cares more about AC Milan than he does for Real Madrid.

And Kaka did nothing to help his case as he went to play the World Cup for Brazil ignoring his injury which could have ended his career.

Because of his 3-4 month lay-off due to the recent surgery many fans want Kaka to be sold and want as much money that can be recuperated. Can't say I blame them, who would like to see a player collecting a big-fat pay-check who shows no responsibility towards the club and has no passion for the club they he plays for?!

I don't doubt Kaka's quality, no one does, everyone knows deep inside that IF he fully recovers from all of his injuries (left knee's meniscus injury which he underwent surgery for, sports hernia, and the pubic injury) , he can be really important for the team.

I want Kaka to stay because class never dies and also the fact that no team would pay close to what Real Madrid spent on him and they would take a heavy loss financially if he is sold.

The lay-off of Kaka isn't worrying me because I am pretty confident that both Van Der Vaart and Canales can do a dandy job playing as a playmaker and they won't make us miss "the Kaka that plays for Real Madrid." What is worrying me is the policy that Real Madrid applies for star players like Kaka, the players filling in for the star are always relegated to the bench despite doing a good job.

I want to see Rafael Van der Vaart and Sergio Canales being given a fair chance to start for the team even after Kaka returns fully fit from injury, Kaka should have to fight for his place just like Gonzalo Higuain did at ths start of the last season, no more star status, it should all be on merit.

The reason why I say this is because Kaka has lost the respect he got from the Madridistas and if he starts for Real Madrid due to his star-power, they won't like him even further and more and more fans would start asking for his sale.

Kaka needs to change on and off the field, he needs to show the same passion for Real Madrid like he had for AC Milan and start performing like he did for them because the Madridistas have made it clear, "If you don't have passion for the club, you don't belong in the club!" Hala Madrid!

Club America- Real Madrid: 2-3: The Era Of Jose Mourinho Is Here

2010-08-05T16:39:00.002+05:30

Sergio Canales is a crack!

Squad Number Changes:

Cristiano Ronaldo # 7.
Karim Benzema # 9.
Esteban Granero # 11.
Sergio Canales # 16.
Angel Di Maria # 22
Pedro Leon # 21
Xabi Alonso # 14.
Antonio Adan # 13 ~~wore the # 13 shirt, didn't see what Dudek wore so might be they shared the number for this game.~~
Jerzy Dudek #25 [Edit: Thanks to DyDy]

First half squad: 4-3-3 / 4-5-1
Dudek (GK), Juanfran (RB), Garay (CB), Pepe (CB), Marcelo (C) (LB), Lassana Diarra (CM), Gago (CM), Sergio Canales (AM), Cristiano Ronaldo (RM), Pedro Leon (LM), Benzema (ST)

Second half squad: 4-3-3 / 4-5-1
Adan (GK), Nacho (RB)—Morata (Sub: 84'), Garay (CB), Pepe (CB), Drenthe (LB), Lassana Diarra—Tebar (Sub: 69') (CM), Mahamadou Diarra (C) (CM), Granero (AM), Cristiano Ronaldo—Alex Fernandez (Sub: 84') (RM), Angel Di Maria (LM), Higuain (ST)

Goals:

Sergio Canales: 34': Great link-up between Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema sees Benzema in the box, who slides the ball right for Sergio Canales to score. 0-1
Gonzalo Higuain: 63': Brilliantly wighted pass from Cristiano Ronaldo frees Gonzalo Higuain who doesn't fail to score. 2-2
Cristiano Ronaldo: 80': After having a brilliant game, Cristiano Ronaldo signs off with his characteristic free-kick.

Highlights:

Post-match Interviews:

Jose Mourinho: "Real and I have similar winning DNA"
Sergio Canales: "I am never going to forget my debut"

Notes:

I was hoping to do a better post than this, even tried watching the game, watched it but was distracted by my family members, power cut saw me lose 20 minutes at the start of the game. But I did manage to see all the goals live and let me tell you the goals that Real Madrid conceded were not good, poor defending, I was disappointed. Mourinho will definetly be furious over that.

The attack was brilliant as usual, don't understand why Karim Benzema drifts wide all the time when he is supposed to be the lone man up-front, he was almost always on the left wing, his link-up play was brilliant though. Sergio Canales was magnificent, I love him, defenitely a steal at just €4.5 million (+ €1 million for bringing him one season earlier).

Between the two new wingers, I liked Pedro Leon better, Angel Di Maria can do better, or I hope so.

Cristiano was just plain awesome, I don't know why people say he can't pass, because boy can he pass! They'd make more sense by saying he doesn't want to pass.

The most delightful thing was the contribution of the canteranos in the game, I was most impressed with Juanfran, an attacking winger who looked right at home in defense, Marcelo should take notes. Nacho who replaced Juanfran in the second half looked comfortable too. Tebar, Morata, Alex Fernandez all got a run in, I wanted to see more of them, but it's a start all right.

I'll be catching the LA Galaxy game and will do a proper review for that! Hala Madrid!

Mesut Ozil's Signing Might Make Dani Parejo's Return Improbabale

2010-08-02T17:00:00.001+05:30

Mesut Ozil

If reports in AS are to be believed then Mesut Ozil will be the first signing of Real Madrid next season (2011-12), who'll join for free after seeing off the last year in his contract with Werder Bremen.

21 year old Mesut Ozil caught the eye of many big clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea with amazing performances in the World Cup. Although Mesut Ozil can't talk with any teams before January 1, 2011, in Germany it is believed that Real Madrid are the front runners in the signing of Ozil.

Mesut Ozil is a good player and would be a good addition to the club and all but what would happen to the playmaker from the academy who plays with Getafe and just turned 21 in April—Dani Parejo?

Even withouht Mesut Ozil, Real Madrid have 3 playmakers—Kaka, Rafael Van Der Vaart and Sergio Canales, and that makes it really difficult for all of the players to get enough playing time. Lets take for granted that Rafael Van Der Vaart will leave next summer and Mesut Ozil will join, it still doesn't make it any better for Parejo.

Dani Parejo

Dani Parejo's immensly taleneted and it isn't every day that Alfredo Di Stefano calls some Canterano his favorite, last season should not be used to judge Parejo's quality as Parejo was mostly travelling with Spain U-21 and missed a lot of games for Getafe. Despite being away so much Dani Parejo started 16 games and made cameos in 12, scored 6 and assisted 4.

Dani Parejo has been impressive in Getafe's pre-season so far and will be much more regular with Getafe this season. With Getafe qualifying for Europa League last season, it will be a good platform for Dani Parejo to prove his quality, and I'm pretty sure Dani Parejo will be up for the challenge.

It's not that I don't like Mesut Ozil or I doubt his quality, it's just that I would love to see more Canteranos being given the chance, Real Madrid produce a LOT of talent, and it would be nice to see them in action FOR Real Madrid not AGAINST them. I would like to see Dani Parejo come back rather than Mesut Ozil signing for the club. Hala Madrid!

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Note: I hope you like the Opinion+News Update post. I find it rather un-interesting to just write a news piece, would definitely love the feedback.

WTF!: Rodrigo Moreno Signs For Benfica

2010-07-31T23:22:00.003+05:30

Rodrigo Moreno: Star of the quarry

Rodrigo Moreno signed with Real Madrid's academy last season from Celta Vigo and had been quite a revelation in Madrid since, being promoted from Real Madrid C to the Castilla in a matter of months.

The 19 year old right sided winger was born in Rio de Janerio but had taken up Spanish nationality. He just featured with the Spanish U-19 team and was their star performer in the recently concluded U-19 European Championship.

According to the Portuguese newspaper's ("A Bola") website, Rodrigo Moreno has been sold by Real Madrid for a mere €6 million, Rodrigo will sign a 5 year contract with Benfica.

If the news of him leaving Real Madrid wasn't bad enough, adding insult to injury is the clause in his contract which will enable Real Madrid to buy him back for €12 million.

Rodrigo will be presented as a Benfica player on Tuesday at Estadio da Luz during the match against Tottenham Hotspur in the Eusebio Cup.

The transfer makes very little sense for Real Madrid.......no wait......the clause makes a lot of sense, because after one good season with Benfica Rodrigo's value will shoot up to €25-35 million and Real Madrid will get him back for ONLY €12 million, isn't that just really awesome?!

Source: A Bola

Official: Sami Khedira Signs For Real Madrid

2010-07-31T12:47:00.002+05:30

Xabi Alonso has a new partner in midfield. Terms of the transfer of Sami Khedira have been agreed with Vfb Stuttgart, but the terms of the transfer haven't been disclosed. The newspapers are speculating the transfer to be around €12-15 million.

Sami Khedira will undergo his medical at 12:00 CET on 31 July, then he will head off to Los Angeles to join the team on their USA Pre-Season tour.

Does Maicon's Signing Make Any Sense To You?

2010-07-30T18:42:00.001+05:30

Get a room!

The newspapers all around the world have been filled with "Real Madrid's interest in Maicon," "Maicon's dream of joining Real Madrid," and "Jose Mourinho's desire to be reunited with Maicon!"

What I don't understand is, WHY? Why Maicon, when the biggest priority was the left-back position?!

I've rattled my head around the transfer and Maicon and I haven't come close to convince myself that Maicon's signing would be useful to Real Madrid, so I just thought to pour my mind out and ask around for answers.

The only worthwhile explanation for Maicon's signing that I could think of was that Jose Mourinho wants to play Sergio Ramos in the center. Well, Sergio Ramos was originally purchased to replace Hierro in the center of defense. Sergio Ramos would be amazing in the center, he's the perfect combination of speed and strength and is brilliant aerially, he can be the best central defender if he chooses to play in the center.

But if Sergio Ramos plays central, either Pepe or Raul Albiol will lose their place in the starting 11. Most probably it'll be Albiol who'll end up losing his place because Pepe will get preference as he has already worked with Jose Mourinho in Porto.

Benching Raul Albiol would be one of the harshest thing to do, it'll be like benching Gonzalo Higuain! Albiol was one of the most consistent performers for Real Madrid and was constantly improving aerially as the season progressed.

And to be really honest the defense did quite well last season, despite people questioning Real Madrid's policy of buying only offensive players (and simultaneously forgetting that Garay, Albiol and Arbeloa were the new defenders who joined last season.). And changing a system which is already working fine, seems to make very little sense.

If you think that all the above points have weak points and can be countered, I'll present to you a reason which when read with the above reasons makes them even stronger, and that is: "The Price-Tag."

Maicon is 29 years old and has been priced at €30 million by Internazionale, and that is a reason alone to stay away from him, his signing is also directly against Real Madrid's new policy of staying away from players who's clubs demand exorbitant sums of money.

Maicon's a good defender, no doubt, but he can't play left-back, is old (comparatively) and at €30 million he's too expensive. Signing Maicon is a luxury not a necessity. If you think otherwise, let me know!

Hala Madrid!

Follow me on Twitter—@rmcanterano & join the Facebook page.

Official: Marcos Alonso Completes Bolton Switch

2010-07-28T11:54:00.000+05:30

Source: bwfc.co.uk

Bolton Wanderes have completed the transfer of one of the stars of the academy and they know it.

Owen Coyle seems to be pretty pleased with himself after completing young Marcos's transfer, Coyle said,"I have said before that when we are investing money in transfers that I want to do it with young, talented players. He isn't the finished article yet - he's a young player making his way - but you don't get through at Real Madrid without having a bit about you."

The confidence that Owen Coyle has in Marcos Alonso means that Marcos Alonso will get a lot of playing time in the first division of English football.

The English media had made quite an issue about Marcos Alonso's transfer by saying that Marcos Alonso didn't feel happy that he was being used as currency for the Angel Di Maria deal, for those who bought that, let me tell you that this is just typical English media bull-s**t.

The reason for me saying that is Real Madrid ALWAYS wanted to send him with a buy-back clause which all of you have been familiar with, and secondly Marcos Alonso is trusted by everyone in the club, and that is the reason why he got his debut last season with the first team, so there is no such case of "Real Madrid using him as currency."

I have already expressed my thoughts about Marcos Alonso's transfer to Bolton, you can read them here. Hala Madrid!

Farewell Raul & Guti, We'll Miss You

2010-07-26T12:27:00.002+05:30

Raul & Guti, whenever you hear those two names, only one thing comes in your mind and that is Real Madrid. But now both of them are leaving, one for Schalke 04 in Germany and the other for Besiktas in Turkey.

Never had I imagined in my life that Real Madrid would have to say goodbye to these two in such a way, I always thought both of them would retire at Real Madrid. It's not just 2 players leaving, it's the end of an era.

I never believed any of the media sources completely when they said Raul & Guti will be leaving so I didn't have time to prepare for this, this is all so emotional.

I don't think I need to write about what type of players they are because everyone knows it, this is just a thank you for all the years they gave to Real Madrid, a thank you for all the memories.

I wish Raul & Guti best of luck for the rest of their careers may they win their respective league titles and may Raul score a lot more Champions League goals with Schalke so he can cement his name forever as the top-scorer of the Champions League. Once again Raul & Guti, gracias!

Video Of The Day: A Cockatoo Nymph Singing Himno Del Real Madrid

2010-07-25T12:50:00.000+05:30

It's not really perfect, but it's good enough. It would be cooler if the bird was wearing a Real Madrid scarf of some sort but what the heck, that bird is adorable!

Official: Pablo Sarabia Renews With Real Madrid Till 2012-13

2010-07-23T22:15:00.003+05:30

Real Madrid have tied one of the best player in their academy with a contract extension till the 2012-13 season. Many European clubs have also shown their interest in signing the young left sided winger in the summer but the latest inductee of the Spanish U-19 National Team prefers to continue at Real Madrid.

Pablo Sarabia returned to the Castilla squad today and even featured in the first half of the practice game against the first team, along with Juan Carlos (top scorer of Castilla last season) on the right wing, he was the most potent threat that Castilla possessed in the first half. Real Madrid's first team won the match 1-0 courtsey of Sarabia's team-mate Alvaro Morata.

Source: realmadrid.com

Marcos Alonso's Transfer To Bolton Can Be A Good Thing

2010-07-23T14:05:00.001+05:30

As the days of the transfer window have rolled on, more and more players from Real Madrid's academy have been linked with a move away from Real Madrid. Rodrigo, Sarabia, Alipio, Marcos Alonso, Opare and Mosquera have all been linked with many clubs.

Out of these Mosquera has already signed with Getafe and Opare has joined Standard Liege and if you believe Marca, Marcos Alonso will follow suite and will sign a 3 year contract (option to repurchase in the 2 & 3 season) with Bolton in a couple of days.

Now Marcos Alonso is one of the pearls of the academy, so I don't read the transfer as "sale" but much more as a "loan" deal, and unlike a certain Mr. Xavi Hernandez, I am correct in reading it as a loan deal because maximum of the players sold with buy-back clauses return to the club. And yes, that "loan" part was a pun at Xavi's comment: "Fabregas is on loan at Arsenal!"

There is always a risk that the managers are not willing to take at Real Madrid (for obvious reasons) in switching a player from Segunda B straight into the first team. So what better way to prep them up for Real Madrid than sending them to the first division clubs in Spain, England, Germany, Italy (none of the players from the academy have joined an Italian club in the last few years) and even Portugal?!

Marcos Alonso was linked with Benfica & Bolton, and I'm glad that Marcos Alonso and Real Madrid have chosen Bolton for him, the reason(s) for me saying that is:

English League is way better than the Portuguese League, no offence.
Marcos Alonso doesn't have a guarantee to start at Benfica but will start for Bolton, which means more playing time which in turn means more experience.

Call me an EPL fan or whatever but I just write what I see, the English League is much more physical than the Spanish League and it isn't only Physical like the Italian League, it is much faster, it is the perfect place for a young defender to get some experience. The EPL plus the guidance of Owen Coyle might just make Marcos Alonso even better.

Although it would have been nice to see Marcos Alonso in the Real Madrid first team this season, but seeing him at Real Madrid next season with much more experience of the first division isn't such a bad bargain. This transfer will be a blow to the Castilla but first team comes first.

What are your views about Marcos's transfer?

Hala Madrid!

Too Good To Be True? Ruben De La Red Back In Training

2010-07-22T17:02:00.002+05:30

Yes it's Ruben in the training kit. :')

Yes, you are not mistaken, that is indeed Ruben De La Red wearing the new training kit of Real Madrid and no, that is not a one off event.

De La Red fainted and was stretchered off the field in the Copa del Ray clash against Real Union. It has now been an year and eight months since De La Red has participated in training or a match.

Ruben De La Red passed the regular medical tests which the whole team underwent before the pre-season training commenced, Ruben has been with the team since last Thursday.

Please don't start dreaming about the prospect of him and Xabi Alonso playing together yet because the club doctors have not yet given him a green light to train normally or play matches. Ruben is just doing some light physical excercises with the team to stay active. But at least it's better than nothing, I'm just happy to see him back.

Meanwhile Ruben De La Red hasn't been wasting any time and has already finished the 2A Level of the National Coaching Course, and will start the Third and final level on 26 November and will be done with it in 3 weeks and will get a diploma that will allow him to coach in any of the 53 countries that fall under UEFA.

I hope that Ruben De La Red doesn't have to start coaching for a good 10-15 years, and that he can finally return to play next season. Get well soon, we miss you Ruben! Hala Madrid!

Fantasy Football Season Is Upon Us

2010-07-21T13:37:00.000+05:30

It is such a shame that the Liga BBVA official website doesn't have a Fantasy Football Game but lucky for us both Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League do.

I have been playing the Fantasy Premier League for 2 seasons now, this season I decided to make a Fantasy Football League by the name of the blog for the readers, who doesn't like a little competition?!

For those who are familiar with the Fantasy Premier League, I'll just paste the League Code, for you to join. The League Code is: 162497-82984.

But for those who are new to Fantasy Premier League, first register on this page (link) and start making your team of 15 players from the 20 teams in the Barclays Premier League, you will have a 100 million budget to make the team. The team should consist of 2 Goalkeepers, 5 Defenders, 5 Midfielders and 3 Forwards.

After you've made your team, you will see a lot of options on the left hand side, where you'll find a "Leagues" tab, go to the "Leagues" and you will be on a page where you can see your performances in the Leagues that you've joined, you will also find a tab "Create/Join," click on that and you will find an empty box for you to join Private Leagues, there you enter the code 162497-82984 to join the Paseo de la Castellana League.

If you still need help, leave a comment below and state what problem you're having.

I will also be making a league for the Champions League so you can buy Real Madrid's players for your teams, but that will take a while, as Fantasy Football hasn't begun on UEFA.com.

Best of luck and Hala Madrid!

We Need Another Striker: Pick Someone From The Academy Mr. Mourinho

2010-07-21T00:38:00.002+05:30

I like to remind people how Mata too was from the academy!

I strongly believed Alvaro Negredo should have been bought back to replace Rudd Van Nistelrooy in the winter. Imagine what is going through my mind when the reports of Raul being linked to Schalke 04 are being circulated. And by the look of things, it seems that the captain has set his sights on Germany.

If the news of Raul moving away isn't bad enough, there aren't any strikers linked with Real Madrid to replace him. Of course Marca says, "Real Madrid are interested in signing Mario Gomez" but we all know that's a lie and it's just Marca being typical Marca—corrupt institution interested only in selling their papers.

It has been a very long summer, and never have we once heard about Alvaro Negredo and his buy-back clause, there should have at least been a "rumour" on Goal.com about it, but no, nothing, it seems that Real Madrid have forgotten about Negredo.

I had stressed about bench strength in the Pedro Leon post, I have a similar argument in bringing back Negredo, we will be left with only 2 strikers (Cristiano Ronaldo features as a winger in Jose Mourinho's plans) if Raul does join Felix Maggath & Cristoph Metzelder at Schalke.

Alvaro Negredo didn't have such a poor season at Sevilla to be forgotten completely, he started 25 games for Sevilla and came off the bench in 10, scored 11 goals and set up 5, those numbers are not shabby at all.

Alvaro Negredo was sold to Sevilla last season because he would have not got many opportunities at Real Madrid, but now the situation is now completely different, Negredo will get as much chances at Real Madrid as he would at Sevilla with Raul moving to Schalke.

And in the new system with wingers that Jose Mourinho wants to play with, Negredo might just be more useful, as he played in a similar system last season (not exactly similar as it was 4-4-2 mostly but the width was provided by wingers) with Sevilla, and linked up pretty well with either of the wingers but notably Jesus Navas.

Plus Alvaro Negredo will bring something different to the team with his strength, I still remember how Negredo manhandled Raul Albiol at the Sanchez Pizjuan and forced an incredible save (best piece of goalkeeping I have ever seen) from Casillas after he passed the ball to Perroti.

Although I strongly believe that Alvaro Negredo should come back, I wouldn't mind if some other striker from the academy is promoted instead.

Now I'm shady on the stats for the strikers but I know that Raul Ruiz and Cristian Lopez are the starting strikers for the Castilla, and also the fact that Cristian was almost always on the score-sheet at the end of the season. Samuel "Samu" Alonso Saiz, is another striker and one of the nomads of the academy and played for Juvenil A at the start of the season, Real Madrid C for some time and then Real Madrid Castilla at the end of the season, and is now permanently a part of the Castilla.

Samuel Alonso Saiz

Samu although short in height is one of the brightest players and definitely the best striker of the Castilla if not the academy, now the reason why I didn't make such a bold claim of the best in the academy is the reason that a Juvenil A striker by the name of Alvaro Morata, who might be promoted to the Castilla this year and is featuring in the recent practice sessions is also one of the stars of the academy.

Javier Acuna who had started the season brilliantly with the Castilla last season could have been one of the candidates to be promoted but he suffered from a horrible ankle injury and lost the last 6 months of the season.

Jose Mourinho has already made clear in his interviews that he is interested in signing only 2 more players, a midfielder most probably Khedira and a defender. The "Special One" knows what he's doing, and will probably choose what's best for the team.

The chances of Negredo coming back are slim, but I do hope he comes back, if not, I'll be more than delighted to see new strikers coming up from the academy. Hala Madrid!

Real Madrid's Confirmed Pre-Season Friendlies 2010

2010-07-19T22:53:00.000+05:30

Real Madrid have not yet disclosed all the pre-season friendlies they will play on their, these are the pre-season friendlies that Real Madrid will play according to Marca:

Still to be determined: 31 July
Club America (not confirmed): 4 August: Mexico/Spain (not confirmed)
LA Galaxy: 7 August: U.S.A (Away)
Bayern Munich: 13 August: Germany (Away)
Standard Liege: 17 August: Belgium (Away)
Hercules: 21 August (Away)
Corinthians: 24 August (Home) (Trofeo Santiago Bernabeu)

I suppose Real Madrid will be facing more teams on their USA tour, but as I said some of these matches aren't confirmed, so be on the lookout for any change in schedule.

Also, according to Real Madrid Zone's "sources" Real Madrid are planning to go to Malaysia and will play a match with the Malaysian National team, not too sure about their sources, but if you live in Malaysia, I would like you to confirm it for me, ask around, see if there are any preperations going around.

Eagerly waiting to see Real Madrid play under Jose Mourinho! Hala Madrid!

Pedro Leon's Signing Is Just What Was Needed

2010-07-19T19:19:00.000+05:30

I'm a little late due to some personal issues but here is the Pedro Leon post that I promised.

Last season whenever we looked at the bench to change the flow of the game, we had an old Raul, two out of these three holding midfielders—Lass, Mahamadou or Gago, a low on confidence Granero, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Guti and Benzema.

Out of these Guti, Benzema and Rafael Van Der Vaart were the players who could change a game while making an appearance from the bench.

Kaka remained injured for long stretches, Benzema got injured too. And to replace the injured Kaka either Guti or Van Der Vaart started the game, which meant further reduction of bench strength, attacking wise. All that we are left with was 2 holding midfielders, an unconfident Granero and Raul (despite the captain having passion, you still can't call him a player who can change the game).

It really doesn't help when the best options on the bench are defensive players as I've never seen a team chasing a game win by bringing on defensive players, and that's why I think Pedro Leon's signing is just what was needed! We now have a player that can turn around games, is two footed, can play on both the flanks & the center, has the passion and the drive to succeed, is also a proven performer in the Spanish league and at the age of 23, he has many years left in him.

Pedro Leon signed with Getafe last season from Valladolid and helped them finish sixth in the league and qualify for the Europa League with 8 goals and 9 assists, and was hands down their best player.

Although it is expected that he will be a bench player, it wouldn't surprise me if Pedro Leon would fight his way in the starting 11 and with the rumors about Kaka requiring surgery, it is quite possible that he might get his opportunity early! Bienvenido Pedro! Hala Madrid!

I really don't dig the music in this video, but it's a good compilation of what Pedro Leon can do:

Official: Pedro Leon Signs For Real Madrid

2010-07-16T22:08:00.000+05:30

Pedro Leon was presented at the Santiago Bernabeu after he signed a 6 year contract with Real Madrid today. Pedro Leon's transfer was finalized with Getafe for €10 million.

The 6 year contract means that the rumors about Pedro Leon being used as a make-weight in the Jesus Navas deal have been falsified.

This is just a news update, I am preparing a post on Pedro Leon, more soon. Hala Madrid!

Read Pedro Leon's first interview as a Madridista on realmadrid.com

Real Madrid's Pursuit For Sami Khedira Is a Step Forward In The Right Direction

2010-07-15T22:54:00.001+05:30

Those of you who have been following Real Madrid's transfer updates would be familiar with a similar trend in the process of signing a player.

Firstly the media links Real Madrid with millions of players, the second step is the player's acceptance of his love for Real Madrid and how he's always wanted to play for the club. Next, the President of the "target's" club issues statements about how the player is not for sale, and simultaneously hangs a hefty price-tag on the player which is 20-25% above the actual price of the player.

Now there are different things that happen depending on whether the player is an actual target or not. If the player was not a real target, the rumors slowly die down and the occasional Madridista's tweets and/or comments on blogs, forums etc. about how he/she would like to see the said player wearing the royal whites pop up in a Google search.

And if a player is a real target, then the President (Sporting Director etc. etc.) of his club issues a statement about how they haven't received any bid from Real Madrid (75% of the time, this is a sign that there is interest in the player), the negotiations begin, the player gets restless and goes on dropping hints in interviews that his signing is a matter of time, Real Madrid get the player but pay more than the market price.

Every Madridista is happy that the new player has arrived but nearly everyone believes the price is a little too much on the higher side then it should be. The cycle continues.

This trend started to change last season, when Real Madrid said no to Valencia's demand of more money for David Villa, Real Madrid told Valencia to shove him up theirs and moved on, although the "Plan B" hasn't panned out exactly like they would have expected but it is not such a bad transfer looking at Benzema's previous records and his age. The good thing here is that they have learned to say no to teams's exorbitant demands for players.

The change in pattern seems to be continuing as Real Madrid have already denied to pay €50 million to Bayern Munich for Bastian Schweinsteiger, €30 million to Athletic Bilbao for Javi Martinez, and €30 million to Liverpool for Steven Gerrard. Now we can all agree that all of them are wonderful players, but are definitely not worth the money their teams are asking for. The smart thing to do is communicate with the teams and get the prices down, but neither Bayern Munich or Athletic Bilbao are in need to sell their players so they probably wouldn't lower their prices, like Valencia refused to budge last year.

Going after Sami Khedira is a brilliant decision as at €8-10 million, he isn't half as expensive as the aforementioned players and is a pretty decent player, one of the brightest talents of Germany—so my Bayern Munich supporting friend tells me!

For those who are skeptical about Sami Khedira joining Real Madrid, this isn't the first time that Sami Khedira has caught the attention of Real Madrid, 2 seasons ago when he was busy winning the U-21 World Cup with Germany he caught the eye of Real Madrid for the first time. Sami Khedira had a brilliant World Cup with Germany recently and add to that the fact that even Jose Mourinho himself pondered about signing him last season at Internazionale, the interest in Sami Khedira was bound to rekindle.

I am just happy that Real Madrid are looking at cheaper alternatives instead of throwing money on the players, I hope this trend continues and they learn to spend money more wisely and don't get conned by the selling clubs.

Now if you are still not convinced by Sami Khedira, you better start liking him, like I did with Angel Di Maria (I might smile and accept his signing but still I am not happy about this signing, he's too expensive for someone unproven and might cost us a few of the Canteranos), because if you believe what AS & Marca have to say, Sami Khedira was in Madrid yesterday and also visited the Valdebebas, and that the completion of Sami's transfer is a matter of hours.

More on Sami Khedira after the completion of the transfer (75% of me believes the signing is done)! Hala Madrid!

Real Madrid Cantera Update: Daniel Opare & Pedro Mosquera Bid Farewell

2010-07-13T13:06:00.000+05:30

It's been a very long time since I last posted a Cantera Update, these should be frequent this time around. It's really tough to give a decent build-up to such kind of posts, from the next time around, it'll be straight to the news.

News that is pretty old, which I won't cover in this segment is that the Real Madrid Juvenil A lost the finals of the Copa del Ray against Athletic Bilbao's U-19 team, The Juvenil A were chasing the treble after winning the European competition and the league.

» Pedro Mosquera Signs For Getafe

22 year old Pedro Mosquera has officially signed for Getafe, the Real Madrid Castilla captain Mosquera debuted for the Real Madrid first team at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez in a 4-2 victory over Getafe last season. The details of the transfer haven't yet been released and only Getafe's official site has confirmation of the transfer. Mosquera will be presented at Getafe on 13 July.

It's not official but the reason of the deal might be the signing of Pedro Leon. In an interview published on both AS & Marca according to the Getafe manager—Michel, the signing of €7 million man (more like €10 million but Getafe owe €3 million to Real Madrid due to Roberto Soldado's signing with Valencia)—Pedro Leon has been completed by Real Madrid pending the decision of Jose Mourinho. Nowhere has it been written that Pedro Mosquera is part of the Pedro Leon deal, I'm just connecting the dots.

Source: Getafe CF Official Site (Mosquera's presentation announcement), AS (Michel's interview regarding Pedro Leon), Marca (Michel's interview regarding Pedro Leon)

» Daniel Opare Signs For Standard Liege

One of the most versatile players of the academy—Daniel Opare(19) has left the Castilla to sign for Standard Liege in Belgium. According to Castilla's coach—Allejandro Menendez, Opare was a great talent but just couldn't settle here in Spain. Opare debuted for the Ghanaian national team at the age of 17.

Source: Standard Liege Official Site (French)

» Daniel Carvajal Offered Promotion & New Contract

Daniel Carvajal, another pearl of the academy has signed a contract till 2014 with the club. Daniel Carvajal is a tremendous right-back and was an important part of the double winning Juvenil A. He has also featured with the La Rojita (U-16, U-17) and will feature with the U-19 team in the summer as well. After his brilliant performances with the Juvenil A last season, Carvajal has been promoted to the Real Madrid Castilla, and might feature in the first team training sessions and on the bench next season.

Source: Defensa Central

» Jesus Fernandez Signs For The Castilla

Real Madrid Castilla are strengthening their squad before the new season, and in the process, they have signed 20 year old goalkeeper—Jesus Fernandez from Numancia. I couldn't find any information on Jesus Fernandez, or about how good he is. We'll have to wait for the pre-season friendlies to see what actually he can do.

Source: Defensa Central

More on the wonderful academy of Real Madrid next week (hopefully)! Hala Madrid!

Real Madrid's Player of the Season: Xabi Alonso

2010-07-06T13:15:00.000+05:30

The season after spending truck-loads of money on players comes with a lot of expectations, and when you're Real Madrid people expect good football, trophies and a whole lot more from you. The expectations are so much that despite securing 96 points in a season and scoring 102 goals and conceding a mere 35 goals in the process your season is still deemed a failure.

I beg to differ, the last season wasn't a complete failure before the sacking of Manuel Pellegrini, but with Manuel Pellegrini sacked Real Madrid are back at square one, and with a new coach all the work of gelling and playing to a system will have to be done again.But still, last season Real Madrid regained the style with which they play football (2008-09 season was an utter disappointment, the football was very ugly that season after losing Mahamadou Diarra and Ruben De La Red for the season) and with that attractive attacking football also came a defensive stability despite missing arguably the best central defender they have—Pepe.

Now I know many people have different players as their Player of the Season, some have Cristiano Ronaldo, some have Gonzalo Higuain, some have Sergio Ramos, and some like me also have Xabi Alonso as their Player of the Season.

The reason why I chose Xabi Alonso as the Player of The Season is that I always feel that enough credit isn't given to the best midfielder in the world, be it in the Spanish National team, Liverpool or Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso does all the work be it passing, breaking up plays, winning balls back, covering up Gago/Lass's (Busquet's in Spain) mistakes and with all that Xabi also brings a much needed level of calmness in the center of midfield.

Xabi Alonso is one of the smartest players to wear the royal white jersey, he's always aware of the runner and can play one-touch football very nicely. Xabi's short grounded passing is like running a warm knife through butter and his long sweeping, attack changing accurate balls are just magnificent. Xabi Alonso's passing range is the envy of many midfielders. I'm sorry I get carried away whenever we talk about Xabi Alonso's skill, that's why I also have added the video of Alvaro Arbeloa's goal against Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu to show you what I mean.

All the people who watched Xabi Alonso this season, know how important he really is, we can do without Cristiano or Kaka or Higuain but we can't live without Xabi Alonso. All season long Xabi Alonso has sat back more than he usually does (covering for Gago and Lass), broke up many of the opposition's plays, sat back so Sergio Ramos could bomb forward, linked the defense with midfield brilliantly, made assists like the one above to bail out the team and is the biggest reason for just conceding only 35 goals last season.

Xabi Alonso is the best £30 million ever spent. I hope he gets a better midfield partner than Lass or Gago this time, Mahamadou would do just fine though.

Hoping for some trophies to match our performance next season! Hala Madrid!

(If you have anyone other than Xabi Alonso in mind, don't be shy, speak up, comment below)

Welcome To The New Blog

2010-07-06T10:38:00.000+05:30

Those of you who are familiar with my old blog (which I have discontinued, but not deleted) Real Addicts: Addicted To Real Madrid know how I write, how I wish to change the negatives I had, and how this blog is supposed to be a fresh start, to blogging without being unprofessional and calling people names (which honestly they do deserve, but never mind). This blog will have all the news relating Real Madrid, match previews, reviews everything (which I'll be able to cover, obviously). That would be all.

Hala Madrid!