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!!
Olympique Lyonnais 1-0 Real Madrid
Neither the match nor the outcome was exactly what Real Madrid had bargained for. Olympique Lyonnais took the first leg of the Round of 16 tie with an authoritative first half and an early second half goal by Makoun. But all is not lost and the teams will meet again on 10 March in the Santiago Bernabeu.
There were few changes to the starting eleven that took the field last Saturday in La Liga. Albiol replaced Garay and Mahamadou Diarra stepped in for Lass. Real Madrid created few clear cut scoring chances in the first half, while OL pressured the Madridistas with or without the ball resulting in several near misses on goal by Govou, Delgado and Lisandro.
The French forward had the first look on target with a volley that struck off the side of the net. Two minutes after Higuain failed to reach a heal pass by Cristiano, Cesar Delgado sent a shot over Iker’s crossbar. Lisandro also tried his luck with a shot that sailed wide. Two of Real Madrid’s few chances were products of a cross by Marcelo that never found a finisher and a strike by Granero from the top of the box that Lloris trapped with little trouble. Lisandro had another go from distance to no avail and Delgado closed out the first half with a volley that struck off the right post.
Pellegrini changed up the defense by replacing Marcelo with Garay, thus displacing Ramos to the right wing and Arbeloa to the center of the back line. But the sleet that fell on Stade Gerland was the prelude to the glass of cold water that would soon drench Real Madrid. One minute into the second half, Granero turned the ball over in the midfield and Makoun steered it to the top of the box, where he struck a bending ball into the corner and beat a stretching Casillas. Real Madrid were forced to mount a comeback and Kaka layed out for a header following a Granero free kick, but Lloris made the save.
With lines maintaining close contact and control of the midfield in hand, OL presented more danger with Lisandro as its primary threat. The Argentine first sent in a low shot that barely missed the post and followed it up with an assist to Cissokho, who found himself one-on-one with Casillas. Lyon wouldn’t settle for a victory by the bare minimum while Real Madrid couldn’t find any space to contemplate the equalizer. Higuain had a rare opportunity all alone in front of Lloris, but his shot caromed of the keeper’s glove.
Stade Gerland gave a warm welcome to Karim Benzema, who stepped onto the pitch in search of glory, but it never came. Sergio Ramos’ header sailed high, Kaka’s pass into the box went untouched, and Cristiano’s last ditch effort didn’t find its target. OL resisted Real Madrid’s late surge to hold on to the win, but both sides still need to suit up in the Bernabeu.
Just another Madridista
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:
Pellegrini:
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February 17, 2010 | Categories: Post-match Comments, UEFA Champions League | Tags: Álvaro Arbeloa, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gerland, Jorge Valdano, Kaká, Manuel Pellegrini, Olympique Lyonnais, Raúl Albiol, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso | Leave A Comment »