RSS
ATOM
advertisement
Champions League Debate: Can The Real Madrid Madness Lead To A Comeback Against Lyon?
Goal.com’s Cyrus C. Malek reflects on a weekend of ecstasy in the Spanish capital, but warns of the necessity for a better performance on Wednesday…
| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.62 | Draw £105.00 | Levante £290.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.80 | Draw £90.00 | Levante £260.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.83 | Draw £100.00 | Levante £260.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.80 | Draw £100.00 | Levante £260.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.80 | Draw £87.00 | Levante £170.00 |
|
Mar 8, 2010 11:43:00 AM
By Cyrus C. Malek
As a youngster, my parents taught me that there is no shame in owning up to one’s mistakes and in a world in which accountability seems to have become an archaic notion of chivalry, I feel it is important to do a small part in restoring this ideal.
I thus begin by admitting that I was wrong. In making a prediction about La Liga's outcome this season, I made the case that Barcelona, despite holding just a five-point lead over second-place Real Madrid, would not relinquish their hold of first place on the way to claiming a second consecutive Primera crown.
In making this prediction, I cited that Guardiola’s side had learned from nearly wasting a 12-point margin last season and that what was now a mature team that had won six titles during the course of a single year, had the focus required to finish out the season on top. With the record-setting form Barca had already shown during the first half of the Liga season - four draws and zero defeats - and with only two competitions to worry about after their Copa del Rey exit, I could not see them slipping up (and for Madrid to concurrently capitalise) more than once.
After this past weekend, I have been taught a humbling lesson in making premature predictions. I am still unsure whether I overestimated Barcelona or underestimated the quality of competition in La Liga and injuries have also been a factor, but ultimately, I was wrong and I owe it to my readers to apologise as such. However, as a result of my oversight, football has benefited.
For any fan of the sport, regardless of team allegiance, Saturday’s match at the Santiago Bernabeu between Madrid and Sevilla was incredible. Billed as a pivotal match in which the Blancos would, in the words of the proudly exaggerative Spanish press, be playing “media Liga” [half their Liga season - the other half assumedly to be played against Barca in El Clasico], two Champions League sides faced off in what is a perennially intense and high-scoring affair.
The excitement that preceded the match was further compounded as just a few minutes into the first half, the Bernabeu erupted into a cacophony of cheers as the delayed Almeria-Barcelona final result was displayed on the stadium’s monitors. If Madrid could win their match, they would equal the Blaugrana on points and thanks to goal differential (tiebreakers in La Liga are by rule determined by head-to-head, but the reverse fixture of El Clasico has not yet been played), they would become the new Primera leaders.
Shortly afterward, the crowd grew hushed as Sevilla opened the scoring through a Xabi Alonso own goal.
Madrid continued to threaten after the Andalucians had scored, but in what had become something of a recurring theme over the past two years, a Merengue side that continuously threatened the opposition goal just could not seem to break through the defence, let alone beat the goalkeeper. When Ivica Dragutinovic’s free kick inexplicably nestled into the back of Iker Casillas’ net on what was a howling gaffe by Xabi Alonso (customarily, it is the keeper’s responsibility to call for the ball and since Iker did not, Xabi should have jumped to head away the clearance), it seemed like a very real possibility that Barca’s shortcomings would once again go unpunished.
But in a move that demonstrated his tactical prowess and affirmed Florentino Perez’s decision to have him coach the neo-Galacticos, Manuel Pellegrini made the necessary adjustments to put his team in the best position to win. Withdrawing Lassana Diarra and Alvaro Arbeloa, Pellegrini opted for a more creative midfield by adding two revindicated players: the talented Rafael van der Vaart and the visionary Guti to the mix. The changes yielded fruit almost immediately.
The first goal came off of a lucky deflection and a sceptic might speculate that if Madrid had been unable to score for a few minutes longer, how different the outcome of the match might have been as frustration would have taken its hold and whistles might have outnumbered the cheers at the Bernabeu. But for Los Blancos, the goal seemed to be inevitable and every win - no matter how convincing - always carries with it an element of luck. As Cristiano Ronaldo was the first to react to Marcelo’s deflected pass, so too did the Madridistas begin to rise in support of their team.
In Spain, the Bernabeu faithful are frequently criticised for their reserved nature, largely painted as uptight, tie-wearing, socialites far removed from the celebrations of the rowdy and vocal working-class crowds that frequent Atletico’s Vicente Calderon, Sevilla’s Sanchez Pizjuan, Athletic’s San Mames, and many more.
But on Saturday night, the drums of the Bernabeu were deafening and many Madridistas could be seen standing or jumping up and down, singing their support and wildly driving their team forward. The energy was palpable and the result? An electrifying match filled with emotion that culminated in a celebratory roar of triumph when van der Vaart slotted home the epic winner a minute into injury time.
The match’s aftermath has given way to a host of interesting storylines with Guti and van der Vaart seen as the protagonists. The fact that Guti seems to have gotten over his self-centred petulance that marked Madrid’s embarrassing defeat to Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey, is a testament to Pellegrini’s abilities as a coach. The Chilean showed his determination to keep egoism out of his squad during his time at Villarreal by relegating Juan Ramon Riquelme to the bench, and his management of Guti’s sense of self-importance has been played to perfection this season. Perhaps the brilliant midfielder has finally learned that no one individual is above the team.
On Saturday, his willingness to track back and challenge in defence demonstrated his desire to finally lead by example instead of allowing his reputed talent to precede him.
Van der Vaart’s case is perhaps even doubly admirable. Kept out of the squad during the pre-season and with the Madrid hierarchy intent on transferring him, the Dutchman went eleven consecutive matches without even being included in the squad list. Incredibly, and far more demeaning for a player of his quality, eight of those eleven matches were friendlies!
Yet, even at his lowest moments when Pellegrini had lost confidence in him and the rest of his Dutch compatriots, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar were completing an exodus from the Spanish capital, van der Vaart bottled his criticism, quietly declared his desire to stay at Madrid where his beautiful wife was undergoing chemotherapy, and announced that he would prove himself through hard work in training. Saturday’s match-winning goal has seen the Dutchman complete his deserved ascension to glory and his steadfast determination looks to have further paid off, as he is now a near-sure inclusion for the Dutch national team’s World Cup squad.
Even Marcelo silenced some of his doubters as the now-braided-haired Brazilian had a sublime if not underappreciated performance in defence. In a somewhat ironic turn of events, it was Arbeloa who picked up a yellow card against Jesus Navas and when Pellegrini withdrew the Spanish international, directing Marcelo to set up shop at the left-back position, one could not help but anticipate the mercurial Navas having a field day at the Brazilian’s expense. But instead, the Sevilla winger was barely heard from for the rest of the match as Marcelo stuck to him like glue while still marauding forward to offer creative play down the flank. How Dunga has not yet rewarded the youngster with a call-up to the Seleçao remains a mystery.
Yet, the ecstasy that has enveloped the Spanish capital in the past few days must not cloud one’s ability to think objectively. There are still some very legitimate criticisms to make after Saturday’s match and a similar performance on Wednesday against Lyon would see Madrid unceremoniously crash out of the Champions League.
Los Blancos cannot afford the sorts of mistakes they were permitted against Sevilla in their match against Lyon as, in the Champions League, such errors are punished without mercy. Madrid go into their match on Wednesday already losing - that is to say, they are already one goal down through the first leg’s result. If they have failed to score by halftime or concede a goal to the French side, the Bernabeu could once again become a very hostile environment for the home team rather than an engine of support and motivation.
Another cause for worry with respect to Wednesday’s match is the absence of both Xabi Alonso and Marcelo in the side as both will be serving out suspensions. Despite his own goal and error on the free kick against Sevilla, Alonso is the linchpin of Madrid’s midfield, directing the flow of the offence and seamlessly switching play from one side of the pitch to the other with accurate passing. On the heels of Saturday’s result, it may be a fair bet that Pellegrini will field both van der Vaart and Guti in the midfield to start Wednesday’s match, but who will occupy the central role? Lass seems like a possible choice, but his ability to manage the pace of the game is questionable. Could Mahamadou Diarra fulfil that obligation? Perhaps even the disgruntled Fernando Gago?
One thing is for certain: Wednesday’s Champions League match carries the importance of a final and will end up being the match that defines the success of Madrid’s season. Should Los Blancos manage to progress, Madrid could once again have won over a fan base that stands behind its team rather than critiques it from afar. If they do not, Florentino Perez’s multi-million euro project will be dubbed a failure and Pellegrini could very well be looking for a job, although he certainly deserves another year at the helm regardless of the outcome.
As for now, the dream is alive. But will it become reality? I’ve learned my lesson, so I leave the predictions to you. However, an interesting point to consider: the match preceding a Champions League encounter can serve as an important indicator for a team's form. Having said that, Madrid come off of an epic win this weekend to claim first place in La Liga while Lyon were disappointing in a goalless draw against second from bottom Boulogne-sur-Mer and missed their chance to go top in the Ligue 1 table.
I thus begin by admitting that I was wrong. In making a prediction about La Liga's outcome this season, I made the case that Barcelona, despite holding just a five-point lead over second-place Real Madrid, would not relinquish their hold of first place on the way to claiming a second consecutive Primera crown.
In making this prediction, I cited that Guardiola’s side had learned from nearly wasting a 12-point margin last season and that what was now a mature team that had won six titles during the course of a single year, had the focus required to finish out the season on top. With the record-setting form Barca had already shown during the first half of the Liga season - four draws and zero defeats - and with only two competitions to worry about after their Copa del Rey exit, I could not see them slipping up (and for Madrid to concurrently capitalise) more than once.
After this past weekend, I have been taught a humbling lesson in making premature predictions. I am still unsure whether I overestimated Barcelona or underestimated the quality of competition in La Liga and injuries have also been a factor, but ultimately, I was wrong and I owe it to my readers to apologise as such. However, as a result of my oversight, football has benefited.
For any fan of the sport, regardless of team allegiance, Saturday’s match at the Santiago Bernabeu between Madrid and Sevilla was incredible. Billed as a pivotal match in which the Blancos would, in the words of the proudly exaggerative Spanish press, be playing “media Liga” [half their Liga season - the other half assumedly to be played against Barca in El Clasico], two Champions League sides faced off in what is a perennially intense and high-scoring affair.
The excitement that preceded the match was further compounded as just a few minutes into the first half, the Bernabeu erupted into a cacophony of cheers as the delayed Almeria-Barcelona final result was displayed on the stadium’s monitors. If Madrid could win their match, they would equal the Blaugrana on points and thanks to goal differential (tiebreakers in La Liga are by rule determined by head-to-head, but the reverse fixture of El Clasico has not yet been played), they would become the new Primera leaders.
Shortly afterward, the crowd grew hushed as Sevilla opened the scoring through a Xabi Alonso own goal.
Madrid continued to threaten after the Andalucians had scored, but in what had become something of a recurring theme over the past two years, a Merengue side that continuously threatened the opposition goal just could not seem to break through the defence, let alone beat the goalkeeper. When Ivica Dragutinovic’s free kick inexplicably nestled into the back of Iker Casillas’ net on what was a howling gaffe by Xabi Alonso (customarily, it is the keeper’s responsibility to call for the ball and since Iker did not, Xabi should have jumped to head away the clearance), it seemed like a very real possibility that Barca’s shortcomings would once again go unpunished.
But in a move that demonstrated his tactical prowess and affirmed Florentino Perez’s decision to have him coach the neo-Galacticos, Manuel Pellegrini made the necessary adjustments to put his team in the best position to win. Withdrawing Lassana Diarra and Alvaro Arbeloa, Pellegrini opted for a more creative midfield by adding two revindicated players: the talented Rafael van der Vaart and the visionary Guti to the mix. The changes yielded fruit almost immediately.
The first goal came off of a lucky deflection and a sceptic might speculate that if Madrid had been unable to score for a few minutes longer, how different the outcome of the match might have been as frustration would have taken its hold and whistles might have outnumbered the cheers at the Bernabeu. But for Los Blancos, the goal seemed to be inevitable and every win - no matter how convincing - always carries with it an element of luck. As Cristiano Ronaldo was the first to react to Marcelo’s deflected pass, so too did the Madridistas begin to rise in support of their team.
Mayhem In Madrid
In Spain, the Bernabeu faithful are frequently criticised for their reserved nature, largely painted as uptight, tie-wearing, socialites far removed from the celebrations of the rowdy and vocal working-class crowds that frequent Atletico’s Vicente Calderon, Sevilla’s Sanchez Pizjuan, Athletic’s San Mames, and many more.
But on Saturday night, the drums of the Bernabeu were deafening and many Madridistas could be seen standing or jumping up and down, singing their support and wildly driving their team forward. The energy was palpable and the result? An electrifying match filled with emotion that culminated in a celebratory roar of triumph when van der Vaart slotted home the epic winner a minute into injury time.
The match’s aftermath has given way to a host of interesting storylines with Guti and van der Vaart seen as the protagonists. The fact that Guti seems to have gotten over his self-centred petulance that marked Madrid’s embarrassing defeat to Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey, is a testament to Pellegrini’s abilities as a coach. The Chilean showed his determination to keep egoism out of his squad during his time at Villarreal by relegating Juan Ramon Riquelme to the bench, and his management of Guti’s sense of self-importance has been played to perfection this season. Perhaps the brilliant midfielder has finally learned that no one individual is above the team.
On Saturday, his willingness to track back and challenge in defence demonstrated his desire to finally lead by example instead of allowing his reputed talent to precede him.
Van der Vaart’s case is perhaps even doubly admirable. Kept out of the squad during the pre-season and with the Madrid hierarchy intent on transferring him, the Dutchman went eleven consecutive matches without even being included in the squad list. Incredibly, and far more demeaning for a player of his quality, eight of those eleven matches were friendlies!
Yet, even at his lowest moments when Pellegrini had lost confidence in him and the rest of his Dutch compatriots, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar were completing an exodus from the Spanish capital, van der Vaart bottled his criticism, quietly declared his desire to stay at Madrid where his beautiful wife was undergoing chemotherapy, and announced that he would prove himself through hard work in training. Saturday’s match-winning goal has seen the Dutchman complete his deserved ascension to glory and his steadfast determination looks to have further paid off, as he is now a near-sure inclusion for the Dutch national team’s World Cup squad.
Even Marcelo silenced some of his doubters as the now-braided-haired Brazilian had a sublime if not underappreciated performance in defence. In a somewhat ironic turn of events, it was Arbeloa who picked up a yellow card against Jesus Navas and when Pellegrini withdrew the Spanish international, directing Marcelo to set up shop at the left-back position, one could not help but anticipate the mercurial Navas having a field day at the Brazilian’s expense. But instead, the Sevilla winger was barely heard from for the rest of the match as Marcelo stuck to him like glue while still marauding forward to offer creative play down the flank. How Dunga has not yet rewarded the youngster with a call-up to the Seleçao remains a mystery.
Can Renaissance man Rafa inspire Madrid against Lyon?
Yet, the ecstasy that has enveloped the Spanish capital in the past few days must not cloud one’s ability to think objectively. There are still some very legitimate criticisms to make after Saturday’s match and a similar performance on Wednesday against Lyon would see Madrid unceremoniously crash out of the Champions League.
Los Blancos cannot afford the sorts of mistakes they were permitted against Sevilla in their match against Lyon as, in the Champions League, such errors are punished without mercy. Madrid go into their match on Wednesday already losing - that is to say, they are already one goal down through the first leg’s result. If they have failed to score by halftime or concede a goal to the French side, the Bernabeu could once again become a very hostile environment for the home team rather than an engine of support and motivation.
Another cause for worry with respect to Wednesday’s match is the absence of both Xabi Alonso and Marcelo in the side as both will be serving out suspensions. Despite his own goal and error on the free kick against Sevilla, Alonso is the linchpin of Madrid’s midfield, directing the flow of the offence and seamlessly switching play from one side of the pitch to the other with accurate passing. On the heels of Saturday’s result, it may be a fair bet that Pellegrini will field both van der Vaart and Guti in the midfield to start Wednesday’s match, but who will occupy the central role? Lass seems like a possible choice, but his ability to manage the pace of the game is questionable. Could Mahamadou Diarra fulfil that obligation? Perhaps even the disgruntled Fernando Gago?
One thing is for certain: Wednesday’s Champions League match carries the importance of a final and will end up being the match that defines the success of Madrid’s season. Should Los Blancos manage to progress, Madrid could once again have won over a fan base that stands behind its team rather than critiques it from afar. If they do not, Florentino Perez’s multi-million euro project will be dubbed a failure and Pellegrini could very well be looking for a job, although he certainly deserves another year at the helm regardless of the outcome.
As for now, the dream is alive. But will it become reality? I’ve learned my lesson, so I leave the predictions to you. However, an interesting point to consider: the match preceding a Champions League encounter can serve as an important indicator for a team's form. Having said that, Madrid come off of an epic win this weekend to claim first place in La Liga while Lyon were disappointing in a goalless draw against second from bottom Boulogne-sur-Mer and missed their chance to go top in the Ligue 1 table.
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
|
Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
123 Comments
Advertisement
Inside Goal.Com
-
Capello remains one of the greats of the game
After tasting success wherever he had gone previously, the coach will look upon his time at Wembley as an incomplete job rather than a complete failure
-
Can Suarez repeat Cantona's grand comeback?
The divisive Uruguayan can look to history when he starts against United on Saturday for the first time since receiving an eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra
-
Key battles: Manchester United v Liverpool
The former Reds defender believes that the Uruguayan must put controversy to the back of his mind when his team face the champions
-
The importance of Champions League qualification
The Ruhr side's remarkable run in Europe's elite tournament saw their revenue unexpectedly soar last season, but some teams are structured to depend on such results to survive
-
Cartoon: Capello's managerial merry-go-round
Goal.com cartoonist Omar Momani gives us his unique take on the football news of the day ...
Advertisement
Advertisement
