Real Madrid Castilla 1-1 Puertollano
Puertollano entered Alfredo di Stefano Stadium like a team possessed to end Castilla’s home winning streak. There were plenty of scoring chances for both teams, and when everyone least expected it, Rodrigo fired home the first goal from the top of the box. But Honorio answered back in added time to pull the visitors level. The draw pushes Castilla’s home undefeated streak to six.
MATCH SUMMARY
Real Madrid Castilla: Adan Nacho, Marcos Alonso, Gary, Mateos, Fran Rico (Cordero, mi. 54), Juan Carlos (Sarabia, min. 77), Luis Hernandez, Rodrigo, Mosquera, Samuel (Cristian, min. 54).
U.D. Puertollano: Noe Calleja, Asier Ormazabal, German Cordoba, Eloy Pomar, Raul Medina, Juan Carlos Ortiz (Honorio Gallego, min. 72), Roberto Garcia, Bedsente Gomis, Acoran Barrera, Jorge Juan Pelegrina, Jose Luis Martín.
Goals:
1-0, min. 80: Rodrigo.
1-1, min. 90: Honorio.
Notes: Week 27 of Segunda Division B Group II.
Played at: Alfredo di Stefano Stadium.
Tenerife 1-5 Real Madrid
Real Madrid earned a crucial victory at Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez Stadium on Saturday eight years after their last visit. The Whites displayed magical football against a Tenerife side that gave them a lot of room to play open, vertical football. Gonzalo Higuain scored a brace and Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul followed suit with one goal apiece. With the win, Real Madrid set a new club record for the most points earned over the first 24 weeks of play.
Higuain is the poster child of efficiency. The Argentine forward needed just two shots to add another two goals to his season tally; the first with his left foot and the second with his right. Two moves that did away with the suffocating pressure applied by Tenerife, who knew that their only chance of pulling off the upset was by leaving it all on the pitch.
The first of the night was a by-product of a steal by Marcelo along the left flank, followed by a Zidane-patented pirouette by the Brazilian and a brilliant pass to Higuain, who slipped the ball past the keeper. Tenerife almost pulled level with a shot by Nino, but Casillas was too quick to the ball. Higuain wasn’t done yet, and Garay’s cross found Pipita, who sent a shot across the grain and into the back of the net for his 14th goal in league play.
Tenerife struck back early in the second half when Ayoze headered home a ball that Casillas appeared to have a solid grasp on, but Real Madrid didn’t take long in answering. Kaka capitalized on an Higuain assist with shot that strayed away from Aragoneses’ legs. Higuain nearly had a hat-trick, but his lob caromed off the crossbar. Cristiano Ronaldo added his name to the score card with a penalty kick resulting from a handball by Luna, and Raul put the icing on the cake with a flick following a cross by Van der Vaart… A sheer display of might by the highest scoring team in Spanish football and a team that has set a new club record for points over the first 24 weeks of La Liga.
Tenerife vs Real Madrid | Spanish Primera Division | Round 24 | Preview
Real Madrid return to Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez Stadium on Saturday for their first league match there in eight years. Tenerife are 19th in the table and in desperate need of a win, while the Madridistas seek their sixth straight win and a new club record for points over the first 24 weeks.
Los Blancos traveled to the Canary Islands without Benzema (sports hernia), Drenthe (strained left thigh muscle), Arbeloa (suspended) or Guti. Castilla’s Marcos Alonso and Mosquera received the nod from Manuel Pellegrini and made the trip with the first team.
The 23,000 venue will be a complete sellout as the Whites come calling. According to Mikel Alonso, “Real Madrid is a difficult opponent, but we are playing at home where we will try to capitalize on our arsenal of weapons that we no doubt possess.” It’s a special match for the midfielder, who will go head-to-head against his brother Xabi.
Although Nino and Alfaro are the two men to keep an eye on, Tenerife’s game plan calls for solid communication between lines. Pellegrini is well aware of the potential threat, stating on Friday that “if we take our foot of the gas we will have a very hard time.”
On the line for the Madridistas is their sixth straight league win, a feat they have yet to accomplish this season, and the possibility to set a new club record for points over the course of the first 24 weeks.
Pellegrini press conference
Manuel Pellegrini said his team has much respect for Tenerife, whom he believes may play a tough game. The coach also praised Cristiano Ronaldo for last week’s performance.
Tenerife:
We regard tomorrow’s match with the importance it deserves. Tenerife may not be well positioned on the table, but they managed to complicate things for Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla when they played against them.
It would be a grave mistake to believe we’re guaranteed to take three points. I hope we concentrate hard on the match and that we respect our opponents as they deserve. We will have a tough time against Tenerife if we drop our performance level. It happened to other teams.
Ronaldo:
Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance last weekend was brilliant. He made crosses, scored goals, provoked penalties… He did everything one could ask of a player. I am very happy for him because he always works very hard. I think he is in top physical form.
Tenerife pre-preview
Happy Birthday Pepe,
Pepe turned 27 today. Woah! TWENTY SEVEN. I never knew he was that old. Anyhoo, the injured Portuguese was surprised at the Valdebebas today by his team-mates and he told us about it and a lot more. The lot more part doesn’t matter. But this is what he told us about the surprise:
Upon arriving today, my team-mates told me I had to come out for the coach’s team talk. I thought it was a bit strange because I never join them for that. I asked the coach about it and he told me I had to be there because I am part of the team. I started to talk to everyone and I didn’t notice Raul, Iker, Sergio and Guti were missing. They suddenly came up behind me singing Happy Birthday. It was a very moving surprise.
Spaniards love Spaniards. Ramos likes Navas and Cesc likes Canales. While Navas is being strongly linked with a move to the Bernabeu this summer, Canales is already heading there. This is some real good news. Wooo. Ramos said that he would choose Navas over Ribery any day whereas Cesc had this to say about Canales:
It’s good to see a Spanish team spending money on Spanish guys. I’ve noticed that [Canales] has scored some nice goals, but I haven’t seen him enough to know him really well.
Sticking to Spaniards, Vicente Del Bosque announced his squad for Los Rojos’ midweek clash against France in France. Five Madridistas and one other Madridista on loan made the cut.
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Reina, Diego López
Defenders: Sergio Ramos, Piqué, Puyol, Marchena, Albiol, Capdevilla, Arbeloa
Midfielders: Senna, Xabi Alonso, Busquets, Xavi, Cesc, Iniesta
Forwards: Mata, Silva, Navas, Villa, Torres, Güiza, Negredo
Pablo Hernandez, Fernando Llorente and Iraola are the key players missing from the squad. It is being rumored that this will be Del Bosque’s squad for South Africa but the coach says the door is still open for other players.
And now – tomorrow’s game.
Sergio Ramos press conference
Sergio Ramos analysed Real Madrid’s forthcoming matches against Tenerife and Olympique Lyonnais.
Tenerife:
It will be essential to win in Tenerife. The league title is at stake for us and we want to win. We must respect our opponent and take three points to stay in the fight for the title. We have to win and then wait to see what Barcelona do. Tenerife deserve to be in the First Division. I expect there to be a great atmosphere at their stadium.
Lyon:
I’m sure we will defefat Olympique Lyonnais at the Bernabeu.
Jesus Navas:
Navas is a great player and he is ready to join a great place.
Thursday round up
Hola,
All I’ve got today is random stuff for you. All related to Real Madrid but random stuff. Realmadrid.com’s statisticians are back with a bang as they’ve got not one but one stunning stats for us today. Cristiano Ronaldo has been making the news in the past week or so and today he was speaking at the launch of the new Nike Mercurial Superfly Boot in London. Drenthe is out injured but he is still confident that Real can do the job at Tenerife this weekend. We have two of our players back from the gym and into the field back in training. And then there is David Villa who has rubbished whatever Bernd Schuster had to say yesterday. And finally we have a former Madridista who has announced his retirement at the end of the season and a very interesting transfer rumor. So without further adieu let me get started.
First of all the stats of the day brought to you by Realmadrid.com…
- Off the 266 teams that play in Europe’s 16 football leagues, not including Russia which has yet to commence, Real Madrid is the only team to have won all eleven of its home matches. Shakhtar Donetsk have also won all their games at home, but the Ukrainians are only sitting on eight so far.
- With 23 league matches in the books, Real Madrid lead the standings for the Spanish FA’s Fair Play Award. The Whites have been booked with 52 yellow cards and five reds, for a total of 60 points. Barcelona and Deportivo are second with 62 and Malaga is fourth with 103. Yellow cards count for one point, two yellows resulting in a sending off count for two and a direct red card counts for three. The club with the fewest points at season’s end is rewarded with the Fair Play Award. Since its inception, Real Madrid have won the award twice; first in 2001/02 with 86 points and two years later with 76 points.
I don’t have much to add to these but I must say that the second stat has taken me by surprise.
Lass press conference
Lass Diarra has completely recovered from his injury and is ready to face both Tenerife and Olympique Lyonnais.
Injury:
I feel much better. I’ve completely recovered. I’m having a positive season and I’ve only missed four or five games as a starter at this great club.
Lyon:
We are concentrating on our match against Tenerife, but we are also waiting to face Olympique Lyonnais. We want to play a great game at home.
Benzema:
I’m sure Benzema will do great things on this team. He has completely integrated to the squad. We just want him to recover from his injury. Ronaldo has adapted very well to the team and he is scoring many goals for us. Regarding Xabi Alonso, I have no problem with playing alongside him. We understand each other. The coach decides if I must play or not. I’m always glad about my team’s victories, even when I’m watching a game from the stands.
Schuster used to play for Barcelona
Hi all,
Let me start the day’s post with news from the Valdebebas. Real Madrid continued getting healthy players back. Lass trained without incident on today after spending the first session of the week indoors. Gago returned to training having spent the last 24 hours recovering gastroenteritis. Also on hand were Castilla’s Juanan, Cristian, Mosquera and Marcos Alonso. The French midfielder appears to have made a full recovery from the back pain that prevented him from participating in yesterday’s session. Guti, Benzema, Drenthe and Gago however, headed back to the gym following Pellegrini’s morning discussion.
And now about Bernardo Schuster. The fat German has been talking a lot of late. His most recent rant coming from today’s Marca where he has revealed that while he was managing Real there were players in the squad that did not want him to sign David Villa from Valencia last summer. The German in comments to Marca said:
I would have brought Villa, but there were a lot of people who did not want him to come.
Higuain press conference
Gonzalo Higuain discussed his progress since joining Real Madrid and the team’s recent performance during Tueday’s press conference.
Goals:
Scoring makes me very happy. I try to grow as a player and person every year. I have improved a lot over the last three years, but there is still room for growth.
Future:
I don’t see myself playing for any other team. I am very happy here and there is no reason to think about a future elsewhere. I hope I spend many years here.
Pichichi:
Finishing as the league’s top scorer would be incredible, but my goal, which I stated at the start of the season, is to do better than last year. You earn respect and the credit you deserve by what you do on the pitch, which is where a player needs to do his talking.
If you cannot decide then let us decide
Its really a petty issue. Its something that is common in school football. In that case its the guy who can dribble past three of his own team mates in training who is chosen to take the spot kick. But how should it be decided in international football? We cannot use the same rule, can we? Frankly, we never come across this problem in world football. Its either the top scorer or the captain who is given the responsibility in most of the teams. But as far as our team is concerned our captain is our goal keeper most ly and the other one is, well, not playing enough. So whom should it be?
Should it be Kaka? A brilliant and confident spot kick taker. Calm as well and has not missed a single one yet. Should it be Ronaldo? We all know what he is capable of. But we all do know that he can miss at some really crucial times. But what the hell. Its Cristiano Ronaldo! Or should it be Xabi Alonso? The power he generates with his right foot is at par with some of the best in the world. If he misses the kick he generally does score on the rebound. Or should it be Gonzalo Higuain? He was in charge of it last season and did helluva good job. He’s our main striker as well. Does that give him the right?
Well that was the problem which we faced towards the end of the game against Villareal. Ronaldo won the penalty. Xabi and Cristiano apparently had an argument over who would take it and Xabi had the final say. Ronaldo did not celebrate with his team-mates after Alonso eventually converted it. The exchange between the two was later broadcast by Spanish TV station Canal+ but Higuain is not attaching too much importance to it. He said:
These are circumstances of the game. Xabi had the vision of scoring his first goal for Madrid and nothing more.
Just keep it going lads
Hola,
I am sorry guys. My OS got completely screwed up and I had to live without a computer for two days which meant I missed both blogging and more importantly the Villareal game. So I just managed to post the pre-match press conference, the official preview, the report and the post-match comments as usual today and now that my computer is back I can assure you that I shall maintain whatever I had been doing for the past month successfully. A post per day.
I cannot say much about last night’s game itself as I have just seen the highlights and not the match itself. I am glad that we proved a point. And I am sure that this doesn’t mean we will rest on this win for and not look ahead. We have now scored more goals than Barcelona – 2 more to be precise – though they have conceded 4 less than us. Higuain is just two short of Messi in the race to win the Pichichi. Cristiano Ronaldo continued his splendid form and has definitely been the signing of the season for any club in the world. 18 goals in 19 appearances speaks for itself. That too on a day when his home town was affected by a devastating flood, to come up with such an all round performance is no easy task. He played a part in every single goal of ours and is showing signs of getting back to his Manchester United best. Kaka grabbed a brace and that should do some good to his confidence levels. Xabi Alonso scored his first goal in White from the spot late on (something which I thought was won by a very astute Cristiano Ronaldo). People might wonder why Pipita didn’t go for his hat-trick, instead why did Alonso take the penalty – but then again Alonso scoring meant two things. First, he opened his account as this was his first goal in White. Secondly, we now hold firm the record of having the most number of distinct goal scorers in the side. Pipita I guess took one for the team. It was sad to see Raul, Guti and Benzema miss out on the party. If they too had contributed to the success it just would’ve been the perfect night. Anyhoo, alls well that ends well and this is indeed well.
Post-match comments
Director General Jorge Valdano was delighted with Real Madrid’s 6-2 victory over Villarreal at the Bernabeu. Manuel Pellegrini was very happy with his team’s victory over Villarreal. Sergio Ramos played his 200th game with Real Madrid tonight and was proud of being part of the Club’s history. Cristiano Ronaldo addressed the media after the team’s victory over Villarreal and had words of support for his countrymen in Madeira. Gonzalo Higuain scored two goals against Villarreal and gave a splendid performance.
Valdano:
Real Madrid were patient when Villarreal defended fiercely, and when their defence opened up, they had an overwhelming number of chances on goal. We scored six strikes, but we could have netted more.
This victory speaks for the style of the team and its coach. Our job is to win games because this league will be resolved with very few points between the top two teams. The players’ ambition was obvious when they kept trying to score goals when the team’s lead was already large.
Pellegrini managed many situations tonight very well. I think bringing Diarra on was an intelligent decision. Kaka played a great game. Higuain is tremendously fast. He is also helped by the good crosses he gets from players like Cristiano Ronaldo.
I hope this score ends all debate. We should just focus on training every day and taking each game as if it was our last.
Real Madrid 6-2 Villareal
Real Madrid made a great impression against Villarreal, defeating the visiting side 6-2 with strikes from Ronaldo, Kaka (2), Higuain (2) and Xabi Alonso. Nilmar and Senna scored Villarreal’s goals. The Whites are the top scoring side in La Liga and the team with the most goal scorers in the competition.
Lass made the starting lineup next to Xabi Alonso, who served the first assist of the match by passing the ball to Marcelo. The Brazilian controlled it with his chest and tested the reflexes of goalkeeper Diego Lopez (12’).
A free-kick was awarded a few minutes later and Ronaldo scored with a beautiful shot that went through the top right corner of the goal; there was nothing Lopez could do to save it (18′). The Portuguese star celebrated his strike by lifting his shirt to reveal another in support of the people of his island, Madeira, which is suffering from terrible floods.
Higuain was tackled inside the box one minute later. Kaka took the penalty and scored (20´). Villarreal didn’t give up the fight and Senna kept their hopes up with a brilliant set piece goal on the 31-minute mark. The visitors had another chance before half-time when a cross by Nilmar ricocheted off Albiol.
Villarreal had the first chance in the second half when a powerful shot by Bruno grazed one of Casillas’ posts (50’). Real Madrid responded with an effort started by Arbeloa down the right wing, followed through by Ronaldo and brilliantly finished off by Higuain (55’).
The Whites had even more chances. Lopez saved the day in a one-on-one with Ronaldo (65’) and a couple of minutes later, Nilmar scored a second strike for Villarreal (67’). It nevertheless took the Madridistas just four minutes to net yet another goal when Marcelo, practically on the goal-line, served an assist for Higuain, who scored again. Kaka (79’) and Xabi Alonso sealed the victory for Real Madrid (the latter from a penalty).
Real Madrid vs Villareal | Spanish Primera Division | Round 23 | Preview
Real Madrid look to defeat Villarreal tonight at the Bernabeu (21:00 CET) to keep their two-point distance with leaders Barcelona. It will be Sergio Ramos’ 200th game with the Whites. He has so far played in 149 league games, 34 Champions League clashes and 4 Spanish Super Cup encounters.
Van der Vaart, Metzelder and Dudek returned to Manuel Pellegrini’s squad list, but Benzema and Drenthe are injured and will therefore miss the match. The Frenchman has pubalgia and the latter a contracture. Pepe and Guti are the other absences on the squad list.
The Whites have a chance to become the least-scored upon Real Madrid side if they don’t concede any goals (they would equal the record established in the 1964/65 and 1971/72 campaigns, during which the team conceded just 15 strikes in 23 games). On the other hand, if the Madridistas take four points in the next two matches they will reach a new Club high 24 weeks into the championship.
Villarreal are currently tenth on the league table due to an uneven run. They’ve earned three defeats and two victories in their last five league games, as well as a draw against Wolfsburg in the Europa League. Cazorla, Rossi, Gonzalo Rodriguez and Godin will miss the match at the Bernabeu due to injuries, so youth teamers Musacchio, Kilo, Matilla and Marco Ruben may get a chance to play.
SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek
Defenders: Ramos, Albiol, Arbeloa, Metzelder, Marcelo, Garay
Midfielders: Diarra, Gago, Lass, Xabi Alonso, Granero, Kaka, Van der Vaart
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul, Higuain
Referee: Mr. Muñiz Fernandez
Pellegrini press conference
Manuel Pellegrini addressed the media prior to tomorrow’s match against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Comparison with Barcelona:
I cannot compare my team with a side that has won titles. I said this team has earned the best numbers in 15 years in order to defend a project that everyone had been praising until we lost on Tuesday. It now seems to be a disaster. The figures we are earning support what we do. I never intended to disrespect other players or teams; that’s just an interpretation some people made.
Lyon:
Nobody was happy with the defeat in Lyon. Most people were happy with the team’s performances in Coruña, Xerez and Barcelona [Espanyol]. The Club’s project is global. The team’s numbers will be obvious by the time the season ends.
Our system didn’t change at all against Olympique. Lass had only played one game, the previous one, after missing two weeks. The rest played in their usual positions. There are no differences between Lass and Diarra; they have the same characteristics.
Granero press conference
Esteban Granero made no excuses during Friday’s press conference and insisted that the team is ready for its upcoming matches.
Criticism:
The criticism we have received since Tuesday is out of place. We maintain the same style of play week in and week out, and it corresponds to what the coach wants and the idea the club has. There wasn’t much difference between the match against Lyon and the way we have been playing in La Liga.
Our game plan on Tuesday was the same. We were counting on a lot of mobility and aggressive play. That’s not to say that we played well. We played poorly which is why we lost. We had a bad day in the midfield and we weren’t very solid providing the final assist. Growth is never progressive. There is always a setback at some point. We need to turn the page, win our Liga match, prove who Real Madrid is and move into the quarterfinals.
Coach:
We have total faith in our coach and his methods. We don’t want someone else. We hope [Pellegrini] stays for many years. We are sticking by his side and we believe in his style.
We are already special
Finally I have some time to spare for you Madridistas out there. It has been a busy day for me and I assume you too have been busy. But I do hope you spare some time to read this post of mine cos this one does have some stuff in it. So lemme get straight to it.
Marca claims Real Madrid have begun to assess the possibility of bringing Jose Mourinho to the club from Inter Milan in the summer. Even though the fans oppose it, even though Jose Mourinho himself opposes it – nevertheless in a usual Jose Mourinho manner – Marca is still stubborn about the prospect of Mourinho replacing our dear beloved Manuel Pellegrini as the new manager of Real Madrid next season.
As I expected, the majority of the Madridista Republic – a massive 78% of the the 13,000 Madridistas who participated responded to the poll saying that they would not sign the Portuguese gaffer clearly indicating that Manuel Pellegrini’s current handling of the team is satisfying and that no one wants to Real to be known as the team that toys around with managers as much as they toy around with their players. I figured that the rest of the Madridistas, the minority 22%, are just in for the big name signings and ergo can go to hell.
When the special one was asked about all these rumors, he said this:
I don’t enter this game. There are two difficult things to accept in the world – one is that I speak mainly only in press conferences, I give few extra interviews. I understand in England I would talk about Chelsea but I decided that I will only speak in press conferences – and so dishonest papers invent. Another thing that is not accepted – I haven’t and I don’t want to have a social life. I don’t like it and on this level I want respect.
And as far as what he means here goes, I have to admit that I’ve got no clue. Your guess is as good as mine.
Higuain’s misfortune has been growing bigger and bigger for the past few weeks. First he got injured right after a great spell with the team. He did come back with a beautiful goal against Espanyol but then he has looked completely out of sorts in the last few games or so.
Garay press conference
Ezequiel Garay has become a leading figure on Real Madrid’s defence. The player said the team wants a victory on Sunday to continue to stand strong in La Liga.
Villareal:
The league is very important to us. It will be complicated to defeat Villarreal. We want to take three points against them. A victory would be good to get over our Champions League defeat.
Title hopes:
We must focus on each game at a time. We naturally want to be leaders on the table. We want Barcelona to know we’re following right behind them if they drop points this weekend. We want them to know they may lose the top position.
Defensive stability:
The entire team is responsible for our solid defending. It is important for us not to concede any goals.
Thursday round up
Turbanator Salvation
Buenos venidos all,
It was a thrilling day. India won the second test against South Africa in Kolkata that helped them retain the number 1 spot in Test Match cricket and draw level the series in an nail biting encounter that saw the uprising of a new hero in the oldest format of the game. The name is Hashim Amla, and he is not a terrorist. Harbhajan Singh though was India’s hero though picking up five crucial wickets in the decisive second innings including the final wicket that resulted in India winning the match by an innings and 57 runs.
Before you close the window and move out, let me make myself clear. This post is about Real Madrid. Its more about Real Madrid than anything else. The above was just another way of me getting into what I really want to tell you people.
Real Madrid’s next game is Sunday’s 21:00 CET home clash against Villarreal. The importance of this crucial game goes without saying as we’re just two points behind Barcelona and with their injury crisis in mind this period will be the one that decides whether the title will be heading back home to Madrid or whether it will stay in Barcelona.
Sergio Ramos joined Real Madrid in 2005 at the age of 19. He has now played a total of 199 matches (including 26 goals) for us, the last being the one against Lyon. Sunday’s match will be his 150th in La Liga since moving to the Bernabeu. It is important to note that the defender, this year, joined Raul, Guti and Casillas as a team captain. The game will also be his 200th game overall for Real Madrid.
Arbeloa press conference
Alvaro Arbeloa directed himself towards Madridista fans during today’s press conference by expressing the team’s sentiment regarding their chances in the Champions League.
Lyon game:
We didn’t do anything that we intended to do. It wasn’t a good match. They were very physical and tactically-speaking our hands were tied. It was one of our poorest performances of the season, but there is a solution.
Our opponent got the best of us and we fell into their trap. They knew how to slow us down and we weren’t able to make the necessary changes to adapt ourselves to the game. The tie however is wide open and we are convinced that we can turn it around. We will try to play like we had been up until last night. We are very optimistic.
Final:
We don’t feel too much pressure because of where the final is being played. We aren’t thinking about the final in Madrid every time we set foot on the pitch. We cannot be eliminated this year. We are the most disappointed of all, but we know we can turn it around.
Disappointing to say the least
So much for the hopes and expectations that I had on this team. Even though I have not lost it yet I still feel ashamed, disappointed and above all deeply hurt. This club means so much to me. The Champions League, this season more than any other means so much to me. I must admit that I did not have the same expectations last year when we got Liverpool in the draw. I understood that our squad was not prepped for such a match at that point of time. The depth just was not there. But this season and that too right now, I had very few doubts about us going into the Gerland and coming out with a favorable result.
I expected a tough game. But then I thought, when the going gets tough the tough would get going. But it didn’t look that way. Real succumbed to Jean Il Makoun’s once in a blue moon strike from range to trail 1-0 on aggregate at the end of the first leg. Real failed to get an away goal – the one that makes a difference almost all the time. And that means we have to win by at least 2-0 to avoid extra time and more importantly we must not concede a single goal. Lyon I am sure will not sit back and rest on the lead. They will give it a go even in the Bernabeu. They will make sure that they can do all that they can to make sure that we stay down. They will try and be even more physical. They will use every single set play to the max and exploit our aerial prowess. We will miss Xabi Alonso. We surely will. We will miss the organizational look that he brings to the side. We will miss his passes, his experience and above all his presence. I am not so sure about Marcelo, though. No offense meant. I am unsure as to who will bring in that edge that Xabi Alonso brings to the side. Whether it would be the attack oriented Rafael van der Vaart, the unpredictable Guti – considering the fact that they recover on time – or would it be either of the defensive options in Lass or Gago. And moreover I wonder how much sense it would make to play Mahamadou Diarra yet again. No doubt that he has the experience to play at this level. But to come in all of a sudden into a match of this magnitude is a lot to ask from any player. I question Manuel Pellegrini’s decision to bring the Malian international in as much as I question his decision to not bring back Albiol. Sergio Ramos was in fine nick, but for how long would you make him stay there? We should have played our best four defenders which would be the one that we played after an hour into the game – after we went down 1-0. And as far as the goal is concerned I do not know why even a single player didn’t bother to challenge Makoun while he strolled down the park to hit that thunderbolt he hit from his right foot. I blame the on field players for the goal. St.Iker could have done nothing. But the defenders or the midfielders surely would have been able to do something about it. And then there is the attack. Cristiano Ronaldo is trying too much. He tried too hard to do everything on his own against Xerez until he starting interchanging the ball with Kaka and that brought him two more goals to his impressive tally. But against Lyon he didn’t do that. He tried to do it singlehandedly for us but it didn’t work out. Kaka was better of the two. Pipita looked completely out of sorts just like the Xerez game. He needs time I guess. Benzema looked Benzema – not the one we signed from Lyon but the one which plays for Real Madrid. Everyone has their fair share of the blame. But now is not the time to sit and worry over what has happened. It is time to move ahead but not forget the past but to use the past to make sure we don’t repeat the same mistakes again.
I believe that we can make a comeback. I believe that it is destiny that we will break the knock-out round jinx this season if not any other. I really do. We were not good at all last night. At least as far as the standard expected in the Champions League is concerned. With the strike force that we possess we just had to score. Lloris might have been in the form of his life and maybe Il Makoun’s strike just had to reach the back of the net, but we just had to score. No excuses can be given here. We just have to show our grit and determination. The Madridistas watching the game should show them why the Santiago Bernabeu is one of the most intimidating grounds in world football.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Post-match comments
Director General Jorge Valdano analysed the team’s defeat against Olympique Lyonnais after the match was over. Manuel Pellegrini analysed his team’s defeat for the media in a press conference. Ronaldo and Kaka are optimistic with the team’s chances of reaching the next round. Alonso and Ramos keep their hopes up of turning the score around in the return leg at the Bernabeu. Arbeloa and Albiol believe concentration is the key to winning at the Bernabeu.
Valdano:
It’s been a bad night overall, especially given the final score. We had ups and downs during the match, but we weren’t ourselves.
The score forces us to really concentrate during the return leg at the Bernabeu. The absences of Marcelo and Alonso will be very important because they help our game flow better. This squad is nevertheless large and capable of winning the match.
Olympique rarely stepped out of their half of the pitch in the final minutes, but they made things very difficult for us for a long time, especially in midfield.
Pellegrini:
This isn’t a good result for us because we lost and failed to score an important goal. I nevertheless think it is possible for us to make a comeback if we play in an orderly fashion at home.
Hope and excitement musn’t be lost just because of a deafeat. We always knew the game would be difficult. The important thing is not to despair, find balance and try to net a strike to the very end.
We played well, especially in the final minutes, during which we were superior. I think we responded well.
Olympique had a strong start to the match and played a very physical game. We weren’t very effective. Lyonnais have a solid aerial game and used it as much as they could throughout the clash. Diarra was a starter because he is very tall and helped us in aerial plays.
Just another Madridista
Post-match comments
Jorge Valdano expressed his thoughts on Real Madrid’s solid performance against Tenerife. Manuel Pellegrini leaves Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez Stadium a very happy coach after Real Madrid earned their sixth straight game in La Liga. Several Real Madrid squad members offered their thoughts on their 5-1 win against Tenerife.
Valdano:
Pellegrini:
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February 28, 2010 | Categories: Post-match Comments, Spanish Primera División | Tags: CD Tenerife, Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, Gonzalo Higuaín, Jorge Valdano, Manuel Pellegrini, Marcelo Vieira, Raúl Albiol | Leave A Comment »