Real Madrid: The post-Mourinho era
- Thread starter bosox4283
- Start date
Disgusting robbery by Real Madrid yesterday earning a non penalty in which Pepe pulls the defender down... and that was two minutes after extra time was supposed to have passed.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1BzMCLaAUg[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1BzMCLaAUg[/media]
I wanted to wait for a few official matches to get under way before getting too concerned, but I have to say that this current Madrid saquad seems very disjointed, unbalanced, and defensively shoddy.
To start with the positive; The Spanish acqusitions have all been very good, Isco has been a constant threat in every match with his quickness, deft touch and clasy finishing, Illara seems to add a good combination of defensive steal and solid passing in the middle of the park helping keep possession, Nacho has been solid if understated, while Carvajal has been excellent in his work-rate offering width, and support from the back. Many of our best attacking plays and movement have actually occured through him, and despite his almost constant pressence in attack, he recovers well and has seldom been beat down his line. He actually reminds me a lot of Jordi Alba.
However, there have been several problems in the center of the park. Those who earlier commented at the foolishness of letting Ozil go have been proven right. Most of our attacking plays have either been created on the wings via Carvajal and Di Maria or through long hopeful balls. Isco has been marvelous but he does not seem to get the ball typically played to him deep in the midfield and does almost all of his creation in the final third. With Alonso injured and Ozil gone we really lack that deep lying playmake who can get things moving. Additionally, I can't help but say that Perez once again sold the wrong player in Higuain. Benzema has been wasteful at the best of times and invissible more often than not. It is never a positive thing when your central striker seems to be the fourth or fifth most likely player on your squad to score at any given moment.
However the single biggest issue that this current Madrid squad has faced is the absolutely shitty defending of Sergio Ramos. I have already lost count as to how many times he has been easily beaten by the players he is supposedly marking, how many times he has looked like a guy aimlessy walking about when the cross comes in five feet away from the striker, how many times he has had to commit a clear foul as he either lost possession (like he did for his first yellow last night) or completley misjudged a tackle. He has been awful. Pepe has been better (far from high priase) but likewise has not been all together great as well. It is still only Spetember, but we could probably make a lengthy highlight reel of Diego Lopez saves this season.
To start with the positive; The Spanish acqusitions have all been very good, Isco has been a constant threat in every match with his quickness, deft touch and clasy finishing, Illara seems to add a good combination of defensive steal and solid passing in the middle of the park helping keep possession, Nacho has been solid if understated, while Carvajal has been excellent in his work-rate offering width, and support from the back. Many of our best attacking plays and movement have actually occured through him, and despite his almost constant pressence in attack, he recovers well and has seldom been beat down his line. He actually reminds me a lot of Jordi Alba.
However, there have been several problems in the center of the park. Those who earlier commented at the foolishness of letting Ozil go have been proven right. Most of our attacking plays have either been created on the wings via Carvajal and Di Maria or through long hopeful balls. Isco has been marvelous but he does not seem to get the ball typically played to him deep in the midfield and does almost all of his creation in the final third. With Alonso injured and Ozil gone we really lack that deep lying playmake who can get things moving. Additionally, I can't help but say that Perez once again sold the wrong player in Higuain. Benzema has been wasteful at the best of times and invissible more often than not. It is never a positive thing when your central striker seems to be the fourth or fifth most likely player on your squad to score at any given moment.
However the single biggest issue that this current Madrid squad has faced is the absolutely shitty defending of Sergio Ramos. I have already lost count as to how many times he has been easily beaten by the players he is supposedly marking, how many times he has looked like a guy aimlessy walking about when the cross comes in five feet away from the striker, how many times he has had to commit a clear foul as he either lost possession (like he did for his first yellow last night) or completley misjudged a tackle. He has been awful. Pepe has been better (far from high priase) but likewise has not been all together great as well. It is still only Spetember, but we could probably make a lengthy highlight reel of Diego Lopez saves this season.
Nick Kaufman said:
Me cago en diez. I read about this non-existant penalty all week, and this is the frst time I have seen it. Absolutely embarrassing. Now, watch Elche miss promotion by three points and Real Madrid edge Atletico, my team, for 2nd by 2 points.
Edit: And screw Ronaldo for that overly enthusiastic celebration. He's the ARod of soccer.
Zomp said:
I think you are a ManU fan, and I'm an Atletico fan. So, there is little chance we see eye to eye on this one. And, honestly, I didn't realize I was so fired up when I wrote that post -- I got a bit carried away.
In any case, for Real Madrid to steal a victory against Elche, a team that was just promoted to 1st division for the first time since 1988/89, the celebration seemed, to me, exaggerated. Plus, there is no anti-Real Madrid baggage at this point. Last year, Ronaldo received the brunt of a lot of criticism, both fair and unfair. There was talk about how he was sad at the start of the season and there was a lot of talk about his contract negotiations. Now, he just inked a huge new contract and the team, despite not being in top form, is two points off the lead and easily won its first match in the Champions League. With all that said, Ronaldo celebrated the goal as if it were the goal to give them La Liga title.
In my view, Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world, and he's so hard to like. In that sense, he reminds me of ARod: immensely talented and hugely annoying.
Derby match right now is absolutely toxic. Madrid and Atletico are engaged in a dive off, which I'm not sure Atletico will make out well in, but they currently lead and real looks disjointed an awful. I really wish City had landed Isco, he looks so dynamic. Too wide though, he's crowding Ronaldo out of space.
Diego Costa is out of his mind right now, he's not long for this match. It's super chippy and the ref is card happy
Diego Costa is out of his mind right now, he's not long for this match. It's super chippy and the ref is card happy
Zomp said:
Fantastic player that goes to the richest teams for top dollar who is hated by the majority of the rest of the world?
Dernells Casket n Flagon said:
Unlike most other fantastic soccer players who stay on shitty teams for less money...
Seven matches in and we have already droped five points. I did not get a chance to watch much of the match other than the final thirty. But what I saw certainly was not inspiring. Things are not over, but I think that we have to assume that a minimum of 90 points is needed to win the league. We can not afford many more slip ups.
Thank you all for participating in the CR7 Boys Underwear Competition – it's been a real pleasure to see all of your photos.
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 22, 2013
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 22, 2013
Thank you all for participating in the CR7 Boys Underwear Competition – it's been a real pleasure to see all of your photos.— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 22, 2013
The lack of comment with your post says it all really!!!
The lack of comment with your post says it all really!!!
So, who was more scared yesterday, Ancelloti or Undiano, the referree? I go with Ancelloti. I suppose that Madrid has not been playing that well this year, but he completely changed his starting 11 for this game, opting for a much more defensive line-up.
Real Madrid may be the best team in Europe right now. They have not lost in 25 matches: 21 victories and 4 ties. They last lost on October 26 to Barcelona. This team looks very, very good right now.
bosox4283 said:
That's a remarkable run and drives home that once again the margin for error is razor thin in La Liga . The only thing preventing me from labeling them the best in Europe is that the current Cup holders are demolishing everyone and everything. I believe Bayern's loss at home to MCFC is their only one in all competitions.
More remarkable, I think, is the play of Modric. His deal looked to be a major bust a year ago, and now he's playing better than he ever did at Tottenham. Part of it must be getting acclimated to a new league and a new team mid-season. But would the other part be the transition from Jose to Ancelotti?bosox4283 said:
I don't know enough about the fine details of the system they're running, but I believe I saw a piece on ESPN a few weeks ago that pointed out that he's being used perfectly in this new system and that guys like Isco were supposed to make Modric an afterthought, but he's now thriving.
Vinho Tinto said:
Technically their loss in the DFL-Supercup (4-2 to Dortmund), waaay back last July 27, counts as part of all competitions this season, but yeah, that's their only other loss.
Yeah sorry. The camera zoomed in on Busquets after the goal. Its better that it was Bartra, considering he clutched his face trying to get a madrid player sent off when no one touched him.
Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
Just rewatched it. Think about how far ahead Bale is when he finally catches up with the ball, and then consider his path to the ball is much longer than the defender as he has to go around him out of bounds and the defender has a relatively straight path. That speed is absolutely unreal.
Real Madrid must win its three remaining games to have a chance to win La Liga. They are playing right now because its 34th game was postponed to give them more time to prepare for the semi-final Champions League match against Bayern.
In the 9th minute against Valladolid, Cristiano comes off with an injury. Maybe he and the team think that, because La Liga is a long-shot, that Cristiano should not risk a more serious injury and ensure that he is in top form for the Champions League Final versus Atletico on May 24th. Or maybe he's really injured. We'll see.
In the 9th minute against Valladolid, Cristiano comes off with an injury. Maybe he and the team think that, because La Liga is a long-shot, that Cristiano should not risk a more serious injury and ensure that he is in top form for the Champions League Final versus Atletico on May 24th. Or maybe he's really injured. We'll see.
Don't worry, though, Sergio Ramos also can score goals: he's now scored five(!) goals in his last four games.