<div id="attachment_1732" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Together for the moment</div>
The much-anticipated return of La Liga began with a scintillating match between the new galácticos of Real Madrid and the pesky Deportivo La Coruña, who always gives Madrid a run for their money, literally.&nbsp; Because of the continued suspension of Pepe and the tendinitis suffered by Sergio Ramos, the Real Madrid defense was not at full strength, and Ezequiel Garay and Álvaro Arbeloa started in their positions respectively.&nbsp; All of Madrid’s big signings started, and they began in a fluid 4-2-3-1 formation with Lass and Xabi Alonso in central midfield and in front of the back four, Cristiano Ronaldo on the right of the three, Raúl on the left, and Kaká roaming in the middle behind the striker Karim Benzema.
Early in the match, Madrid played tentatively as expected, trying to figure the best strategy to incorporate the strengths of the new players.&nbsp; They created a plethora of chances but did not construct the decisive pass to generate a genuine goal-scoring opportunity.&nbsp; Then the magic materialized that los madridistas expected since the formation of this second galáctico team.
In the 26th minute, on another attacking situation, Kaká’s vision and audacity came to fruition.&nbsp; Cutting inside towards the “D,” Kaká sensed the diagonal run of Karim Benzema and slotted a pass to him that traveled first between Pablo Álvarez’s legs, then between Juan Rodríguez’s legs to spot Karim Benzema.&nbsp; Benzema then fired his shot first time, split through goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubía’s legs, and hit the post; Raúl cleaned up the rebound, and it was 1-0 Real Madrid.&nbsp; It was debatable whether Benzema was onside when Kaká played his through ball to him, but nevertheless, that was why Florentino Pérez sought out these world-class players: for this kind of ingenuity and flair.
No sooner than four minutes later did Depor expose Real Madrid’s defense with a training ground free kick routine.&nbsp; Depor caught Madrid sleeping, and Riki headed home the equalizer.&nbsp; Madrid gave both Riki and Alberto Lopo an ample amount of space, and Riki ended up scoring, but to have two players so open from a relatively short free kick was inexcusable.
Real Madrid scored five minutes later on a penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo.&nbsp; Lass made another decisive pass into the box for Raúl, and Aranzubía felled Raúl whilst trying to take the ball off his foot.&nbsp; Ronaldo took the penalty with his famous stutter step and beat Aranzubía to retake the lead 2-1. &nbsp;Ronaldo then showed his panache a minute later when he did a series of step-overs, breezed by the defender, and crossed a beautiful ball to Raúl in the box.&nbsp; Unfortunately, for Real, Raúl’s shot went straight into Aranzubía’s stomach, but Ronaldo’s individual brilliance lit up the Bernabéu yet again.
The combination of Lass and Xabi Alonso controlled the midfield, akin to their rivals Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández at Barcelona, and they were able to keep possession and take possession back whenever Madrid lost the ball.&nbsp; These two hold the key to unlocking opposing defenses; if they dictate the middle of the park, the front line will be able to be free to set up their one-two’s and other intricate positions.
The Real Madrid defense was caught ball watching in the first minute of the second half.&nbsp; Andrés Guardado worked the left flank and crossed to Juan Carlos Valerón, where he had the ability to control the cross, take the shot, and score from the top of the penalty box.&nbsp; No one was close enough to Valerón, and even when Ezequiel Garay attempted to close down Valerón’s shot, it was only in vain as Valerón blasted his shot passed a frozen Iker Casillas.&nbsp; Garay and Raúl Albiol did not have the chemistry required for a central defensive pair, and that was the kind of situation where Madrid missed the calm and positioning of Pepe.
Real almost gave up a third goal in the 57th minute when Guardado again paced down the left wing and sent a heavenly ball to Valerón.&nbsp; Valerón sliced through the center of the defense again but inexplicably sent his shot wide of the post.&nbsp; Casillas had no chance, and from the six-yard box, it was harder to miss than to score, but somehow, Valerón managed to do so.&nbsp; Depor paid for their missed golden chance when Lass scored three minutes later from just outside the “D”.
The final was 3-2 in favor of Real Madrid, and each of the new players had their distinct moments of skill.&nbsp; Their defense needs major improvement, and maybe when Pepe and Sergio Ramos return, these defensive gaffes will not occur as often.&nbsp; The statistics suggest that Madrid dominated the match with 59% of the possession, twenty-eight shots with eleven on goal, and ten corner kicks to Depor’s three.&nbsp; When watching the match, there was always a feeling that Deportivo La Coruña could get a draw or even win.
Real is definitely still a work in progress, and it will take more than one match to develop the chemistry needed to gel as a unit.&nbsp; Offense was not the problem last year, and they will likely surpass the eighty-three goals they scored in the prior season; however, they cannot expect to outscore teams on every occasion.&nbsp; Benzema, Ronaldo, Kaká, Xabi Alonso, et al. will not be the problems.&nbsp; If the back line continues to leak goals as if it were the Exxon Valdez, Real Madrid will not win La Liga or any other competition this campaign.

First Impressions of Real Madrid and the Second Galacticos Era - World Soccer Talk

First Impressions of Real Madrid and the Second Galacticos Era

<div id="attachment_1529" style="width: 311px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a rel="attachment wp-att-1529" href="http:\/\/www.laligatalk.com/real-madrid-vs-juventus-3-things-to-look-for/1523/cristiano_ronaldo/"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a>The Fist Pump...a sign of things to come?</div>
I should clarify, 3 Things to Look&nbsp;&nbsp;For-&nbsp;From a&nbsp;Madrid Perspective. This is a Spanish soccer website after all.
Although the preseason is young, several trends have emerged in Real Madrid’s performences and it will be interesting to see if they continue when Real take on the Old Lady of Italian Football, Juventus(Kick-off: Friday, July 31 2009, 20:30 CET).
Here are the&nbsp;3 to keep your eye on:
1. Pepe( Will Diego Run rampant?)
The biggest knock against the first group of Galacticos was their defense. The likes of Figo, Ronaldo, Zidane, Beckham, and a moderately in form Raul couldn’t make up for the fact that they didn’t have a defense or&nbsp;a strong defensive midfielder to do the dirty work (a la Mascherano). Poor Helguera was consistently shifted in and out of position to cover up Real Madrid’s huge defensive&nbsp;gaps from 2004-2006, until the club hit an al time low with signing of Thomas Graveson! Yes, you read that right, Real’s defense&nbsp;was so pitiful&nbsp;that Graveson was seen as a savior.
Perez has attempted to show his maturation from the first Galactico era with the signings of Albiol and Arbeloa. However, Pepe will play against Juventus and he will probably start during the season. Regardless of what others <a href="http:\/\/www.goal.com/en-us/news/88/spain/2009/07/28/1409643/player-ratings-real-madrid-4-2-liga-de-quito">say</a>, Pepe has looked shakey this preseason. He has been ridiculously lax when defending and is constantly forced to clean up his own mess. Something that might fool others into thinking that he has been defeming well, but I’m a more astute observer than that. On one &nbsp;particular instance in Madrid’s last game, Salgado tackled a Liga De Quito player from behind and the ball rolled into the box, Pepe hesitated as he moved forward and the attacker was able to regain the ball. Pepe eventually dispossesed the forward after the striker stumbeled. Had Madrid been playing against a&nbsp;truly&nbsp;quality side, Pepe would have been punished for his mistakes(Emphasis on the plural). Imagine Pepe hesitating against Deigo in the box? Take a look at the <a href="http:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVU8s0j3Dso">goal</a> that Diego scored the other day…exactly(This column would have been up an hour earlier had&nbsp;I not spent an hour marveling at Diego and&nbsp;replaying that&nbsp;clip over and over again)
2. Ronaldo’s Reactions
(Before I go on, it must be said that I can’t stand Ronaldo. I hate his antics, I feel he is too selfish, and I don’t understand what position he plays. He used to play as a winger, but then he turned into some sort of winger/striker half breed. Wayne Rooney spent more time on the wing than Ronaldo did in his final two seasons. I wish I could seperate that part of myself and report objectively, but I can’t. So I compensate with full disclosure of my bias. Ok enough of this tangent)
I sincerly believe that Ronaldo was bored at United, and that his disnterest paved the way for his exit. Ronaldo would score forty yard screamers and react nonchalantly, he felt no pressure. But on Wednesday, after scoring&nbsp;a preseason penalty, a Tiger Woodsesque fist pump followed. Ronaldo was so nervous when he was first presented to the Madrid faithful, he bobbled the ball while juggling.
You can chalk up&nbsp;Ronaldo’s nerves to it being early in the season. But it is clear that Ronaldo feels the need to justify his transfer fee, as do the rest of the Galacticos. And when the pressure mounts is it really far fetched to think that each one of them will feel the need to take the game into their own hands? These pressures could lay the foundations for team that becomes easily flustered especially when they go down early.
3. Every Madrid Player on the Pitch
Meaning, who is and who is not on the pitch. Pellegrini has a huge squad at his disposal-with more on the way. Clearly,&nbsp;he won’t use all 35 players during the season. With the start of the season approaching expect the rotation to tighten. Pellegrini has to figure out who will work best together, how to incorporate Raul(No matter who is there, Raul’s got to play. I feel like that is negotiated into each new coaches contract), and what to do with the left over pieces. Pellegrini even gave Guti a run last game. The formation that Pellegrini puts out against Juventus could reveal who has impressed him the most, and who will most likely be staying at the club past August.
Three games into the season is too early to judge a squad. Three games into the PREseason for a team missing one of its key components(Kaka), two new signings(Albiol, Arbeloa) with another major&nbsp;arrival possibly on the way(Alonso) is usually not even grounds for a remark. However, the Real Madrid vs. Juventus Peace Cup Semifinal represents the most interesting&nbsp; and important match of the Madrid’s preseaon. It is against a&nbsp;quality side(This is becoming increasingly difficult to say about Italian teams. Oh and no disrespect to Tornto FC, who Madird play on August 7th. Ok, ok full disrespect, in terms of world football, you guys stink), it is a match of some importance(loser goes home), and&nbsp;Giorgio Chiellini has been talking <a href="http:\/\/www.goal.com/en-india/news/139/italy/2009/07/30/1412740/juventus-defender-giorgio-chiellini-warns-cristiano-ronaldo">smack</a>. Ok, I’m getting ahead of myself, at the end of the day it is an insubstantial&nbsp;offseason match between two sides who haven’t been training for longer than 4 weeks. But at the&nbsp;very least it will allow us to take a break from the transfer market and concentrate on what we all love most for&nbsp;a minimum of&nbsp;two hours, football.

Real Madrid vs Juventus: 3 Things to Look For - World Soccer Talk

Real Madrid vs Juventus: 3 Things to Look For

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Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Torino have shelled out £100,000 to lure Dennis Law from Manchester City. Yes, it’s 1961 and the record transfer fee paid to or by an English club has broken the hundred thousand mark.
Shocking.
The previous record was £65,000 when John Charles moved from Leeds to Juventus in 1957.
Law will move back in a year for a fee of £115,000 to play for City’s rival in-town club, Manchester United. But, it will take until 1970 for the record to reach the £200,000 mark when Martin Peters moves from West Ham to Spurs. And seven years after that, it’s half a million pounds from Hamburg to pry Kevin Keegan away from Liverpool.
By 1979, the million pound mark will be obliterated with Trevor Francis’s £1,180,000 move from Birmingham to Nottingham Forest. Thankfully, it will take until 1986 for the record to break the two-mil mark when Mark Hughes leaves Manchester United for Barcelona for £2.3 million. But then we’ll only wait one more year for Ian Rush’s move from Liverpool to Juve to raise the bar to £3.2 million. I know. It’s insane.
Pause. Drink of water. Gulp.
David Platt’s move from Aston Villa in 1991 to Bari will hoist the record up to £5.5 million. A fee which will also see Paul Gascoigne move from Spurs to Lazio the following year.
Now comes the Premier League era. Things are about to get crazy.
Want yourself an Andy Cole? Only £7 million at 1995 prices.
And then it’s time for Alan Shearer to move from Blackburn to Newcastle. £15 million, my friends. 1996.
Nicolas Anelka from Arsenal to Real Madrid: £22.5 million, 1999.
Rio Ferdinand will change Uniteds: Leeds to Manchester for £29.1 million, 2002.
Where does it end?
Now, look at the sardonically titled graph above.
Everybody up until 1979 looks like they cost nothing. Through the long lens of time, it seems like Keegan, Peters, Law, etc went for pennies. Even the shock of Alan Shearer costing more than 10 million now seems like such a bargain basement price in light of Robinho’s £32.5 move from Real to Manchester City last summer.
Things looked really scary when City were rumored to be offering as much as £130m to try and lure Kaka away from AC Milan. But the move never happened and it looked like the 30-40m mark would hold steady.
But all it would take would be a specific series of scenarios for the stars to align and some ridiculous fee will come along and totally eclipse everything that’s happened so far.
Like, say a Spanish superclub gets all frustrated because their big league rivals go on a tear and snatch up the triple and are anointed the Best Club In The World by gushing pundits and supporters everywhere. Though they’ve set the standard for other outrageously rich clubs,&nbsp; spending millions over the years on Zidanes and Figos and Beckhams and van Nistelrooys, they’ve hit a massive rut. Unacceptable.
Say right around that time, one of the biggest stars in the game, who’d been linked with a big money move to the same Spanish superclub the summer before, who’s clearly been itching for a move as he’s won just about everything possible with his own English superclub as well as the top individual awards… well, say he’s had just about enough of the dreary Mancunian weather and longs for the Iberian climate of his youth. His club losing the Champions League to a Spanish side might just be the hair that breaks the winger’s back.
But he’s so damn good, his current superclub sure don’t want to give him up.
What would it take to scoop this superstar up? About £80 million?
That’s a ridiculous price. Even by recent standards, a jump that high in the valuation of any one player is unthinkable.
I don’t even want to imagine that eventuallity.
I’m still getting over Dennis Law’s whopping transfer fees.

The British Transfer Record Spirals Out Of Control - World Soccer Talk

The British Transfer Record Spirals Out Of Control

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If you would believe various pundits, the annoying debate that many football fans have been subject to this year and last – Ronaldo vs. Messi – will come to its conclusion in the UCL final in Rome.&nbsp; On the biggest stage in club competitions, the two most complete players in attacking football will meet head to head.
The winner will be crowned the best in the world, the loser will claim second place.&nbsp; Fans of the loser will say he was robbed, the winner’s supporters will smugly proclaim that the final underscored the gulf in quality.
To boil the final down to this issue would be a mistake, and would ignore the other much more important battles that will happen on May 27th.&nbsp; While Ronaldo and Messi are both elite, I doubt the Champions League trophy will really go to whoever plays better on that day.
First of all, neither the Argentine nor the Portuguese has an impressive record against clubs from England and Spain, respectively.&nbsp; An injured Messi was pretty much ineffective against Barcelona last season in the semis, and Ronaldo was marked out of the game by Barcelona, notably Gianluca Zambrotta, who ironically teed up Paul Scholes for the long range, tie-winning goal.
This year in the final however, I see more of a Barcelona’s attack vs United’s back four.&nbsp; Vidic and Ferdinand, as it has been repeated so often, are the best two in the game.&nbsp; Evra looks to be back on form.&nbsp; The only suspect position, and I use that term only in comparison with the other members of the back-line, is right-back for United.
This is not to take away from the offense, but the free-flowing stuff of last season has been slowed down, maybe by Berbatov’s inclusion (didn’t the United vs. Arsenal meeting last week look like the 2007-08 campaign, with Berba notably on the bench?).&nbsp; This season the defense has really outshone the offense, not just in the club but in the whole EPL, 4-0 loss to Liverpool excluded.
Barcelona’s attack is frightening, but currently weakened.&nbsp; Henry and Iniesta both are having problems with fitness, Dani Alves and Eric Abidal (unfairly) are suspended, and Rafa Marquez is out for the season.&nbsp; These weaknesses in defense force makeshift changes and weaken the midfield, already less flowing and lethal when Iniesta has to play as a forward for the injured Henry.&nbsp; If neither Iniesta nor Henry play, Pep Guardiola will have to change his “Tridente” formation for the first time this season (or else play out-of-form Bojan or Gudjohnsen), which brings me to my next point.
Everyone playing Barca since late September has known that they will run a 4-3-3 with Messi on the right, Henry on the left, and Eto’o in the middle.&nbsp; The midfield will include Xavi, Iniesta, and Keita or Yaya Toure.&nbsp; Dani Alves plays at right back (in reality reality he is an attacking midfielder), Puyol and Marquez stay in the center, unless Pique plays in which case Puyol moves out left.&nbsp; It’s a formula, and it has worked, but against master tacticians, it won’t.&nbsp; It literally came within seconds from failure against Chelsea, but a combination of slack finishing, suspect calls, and a non-existant clearance from Essien allowed Iniesta one chance that he buried in style.&nbsp; Hiddink knew how to shut down Barcelona, and my bet is that Sir Alex will too.
The Scot should be able to field a United side that can take advantage of both the weakness in attack simply by keeping the defense as he has all season, and exploit Barcelona’s defense problems.&nbsp; The right and left wings will be open all night to&nbsp; players with pace now that Alves and Abidal are gone, and judging by the Chelsea game, the midfield looks like it can be muscled out by the likes of Carrick and Anderson.&nbsp; Most importantly, if Puyol moves out left or right, the center will be horribly exposed.
Barcelona are hobbling right now, and certainly cannot field a full strength team.&nbsp; Messi on his day is the best in the world, but he cannot make up for the obvious defensive weaknesses.&nbsp; If Iniesta and Henry do return for the final however, it might not matter how weak the defense looks.&nbsp; If Barca show up to Rome limping in both the attacking and defending third though, I feel that Sir Alex’s carefully planned team will be celebrating at the end of the night.

ALL POSTS TAGGED "cristiano ronaldo" - Page 12

Cristiano Ronaldo

First Impressions of Real Madrid and the Second Galacticos Era

Leagues: La Liga

Real Madrid vs Juventus: 3 Things to Look For

General

The British Transfer Record Spirals Out Of Control

General

This Year's Champions League Final Will NOT Be Ronaldo vs Messi