Real Madrid vs. Rayo Vallecano Recap

By El Maestro

 

Crisis, what crisis? That’s the question Real Madrid answered today with a 6-2 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano. Though it looked like a comfortable victory, the game was actually more complicated than it seemed. Rayo head coach, Juan Ramon Sandoval, said in the pre-game his team was going to attack from the first minute and that’s exactly what they did scoring 15 seconds into the game after a bad clearance by Casillas. Following the goal, Madrid began to full out attack but struggled to create opportunities while Rayo were looking to take advantage of the gaps in search of their second goal. With 28 minutes gone by Mourinho was then forced to make a complicated decision by removing Lass and inserting Ozil to give Madrid more of a spark in attack. Immediately Real Madrid began to play like clock work which eventually lead to Ronaldo’s equalizer and Higuain’s go ahead goal just at the brink of halftime. In the first few minutes of the 2^nd half, a wonderful counter attack lead to a penalty, which was converted by CR7. The lead would then be shorten as Michu took advantage on some weak defending to score his second goal of the game. Things then got interesting when Di Maria was sent off a handball, but Madrid didn’t shy away and continued with it’s usually game plan. This effort was then rewarded when a corner kick found Varane who scored a magnificent goal. Real Madrid then put the game out of reach with a world-class goal by Benzema and if Rayo still believed they any hopes of a comeback, CR7 made sure to diminish it by transforming another penalty for the last goal of the game. At the end it was a brilliant team victory and despite the numerous problems that occurred mid week, I was very impressed with how the players were able to cope with the press, especially after going down 10 men.

 

Starting 11

 

Casillas: Made a beginners mistake in the 1^st goal.

 

Ramos: ?

 

Varane & Albiol: Despite barely playing, they formed a solid partnership.

 

Marcelo: Struggled the first few minutes, but managed to keep his side under control and was a threat up top.

 

Lass: These are not his types of games.

 

Xabi: Was very much involved and is a key to Madrid’s creativity.

 

Di Maria: Good, but has to stay focus.

 

Ronaldo: La Maquina.

 

Kaka: His best game since signing for Madrid.

 

Higuain: Was more of a team player and took advantage of his opportunities.

 

Subs

 

Ozil: Changed the game with his entry.

 

Khedira: Kept the midfield under control after going down 10 men.

 

Benzema: BENZEMAN!

 

Real Madrid’s next opponent in Liga will be Espanyol after a Champions League meeting against Ajax in midweek. Despite the victory, Madrid still has some minor aspects they need to work on. Allowing a goal in the first minutes of the game and conceding another off a corner is always concerning and presents a weakness that teams will try to exploit. This is going to be a big test for Real Madrid, as they will be traveling to a stadium that is very complicated to win in and one of the most hostel environments in all of Spain. A victory would be a huge moral booster as they begin to play more complicated teams, but any complications could sink Madrid back into the problems they had before. Mourinho knows the importance and will be looking to get the best out of his players in order to bring back the three points from Barcelona. Still, the most important thing is Madrid was able to get the victory over Rayo and will be looking to carry on that trend as they continue their climb up the league table.

People, It’s Only Been 2 Games: COOL IT!!!!

By El Maestro

 It really pulls my leg how Real Madrid drops 5 points in 2 games and the media is talking about a major crisis. If people actually think the media does their job with professionalism in regards to analyzing Real Madrid then they are more clueless than Ra.mos in college. Yes Madrid has played horribly against Levante and Racing, but to talk about a crisis and if Mourinho’s job is in jeopardy is going over the line.

First of all lets get something straight, the reason there are so many people against Real Madrid is because they are the most successful club in history. Madrid is like the pretty boy in high school who gets the attention of all the girls just by walking the halls; normally most guys would start to loathe him. When a team wins so many titles and has a long line of dominance most teams and fans start to be envious. This is seen in road games when opposing fans treat Madrid with disrespect and explains why teams would prefer to loose money than sell their players to them.

In Mourinho’s case, it’s how his behavior is interpreted that turns people against him. When Mou speaks to the media, what he says can sometimes get overly blown out of proportion. His comments saying he wouldn’t coach Malaga or refusing to talk to certain reporters after they had walked out on Karanka the day before really got a lot of national attention. Many feel he is crossing the line, but looking into those comments who is Mourinho disrespecting? What world-class coach would go to Malaga right now? The only reason Pellegrini is coaching Malaga is because the new owner is paying him handsomely and when reporters go to a team press conferences they are there to get the inside scope whether it comes from the coach or the assistant. People also don’t understand how special Mourinho really is as a coach and if they don’t believe it see what Inter de Milan has done since he left.

What Real Madrid experienced was just a small stumble and that’s it. Mourinho hasn’t lost the dressing room and players aren’t starting to rebel, this is something all teams go through at some point in the season. It’s only been four games and we haven’t played against any team that is above us in the table. In fact, it’s possible Madrid can go from 7^th to 1^st placein one week and they would be the ones having the last laugh. Mourinho will not allow this to further continue and he even mentioned it in yesterdays press conference saying the people who are enjoying this will have nothing to be happy about after the game against Rayo. The players also don’t want this to keep going and they will be looking to make a statement. For now the media should just keep their mouths shut and forget this whole ordeal about a crisis. A league is not won in September and there is still a long journey ahead. Besides it’s better to have these problems at the beginning of the season rather than at the end.

Racing de Santander vs Real Madrid Recap

By El Maestro

 

Without a doubt this has been Real Madrid’s worst game season up to this point. Poor passing, no creativity, and if last week the problem was lack of finishing this weeks was what is there to finish. Through out the entire game Madrid only had one shot on goal, which was Callejon’s header that went straight into Tono’s hands in the 45^th minute. Today I saw a Real Madrid team with no ideas and no player trying to step up to create that spark. In fact, I would say the only player who’s presence somewhat changed the complexion of the game was Kaka when he came in the 74^th minute. Yes it is early in the season but a game like this is unacceptable. The only good thing that comes out of this is no matter what Farsa does today, we would only need one game to recapture the lead or if they were to lose today we would be tied in the league table. Still if Real Madrid wants to compete for La Liga they will need to come out with better performances than what they showed today.

Now I don’t want to make excuses and I’m not going to blame the referee, but once again very questionable. Called many unnecessary fouls, interrupted the flow of the game, and missed a hand ball call when Ronaldo’s free kick hit a Racing player in the arm. He also became the third referee in just one week to pardon a player from the opposing team of a straight red card when he let Racing defender Christian get away with a studs up tackle on Arbeloa. Normally if it was just one game we can just say he’s human and he made some mistakes, but all Madridistas know there have been numerous games where things like this happen. I don’t know if it’s because a lot of them are not that good, the Spanish federation has something to do with this, or they know and they don’t want to do anything about it. All I know is one thing: SPANISH REFEREES SUCK! (Except Mateu Lahoz).

Still let’s not blow the referee out of proportion; Real Madrid played not just the worst game of the season, but also the worst games since the final games of the Juande Ramos era. Certainly there must be changes in order to turn things around whether it is putting in Kaka, taking off Xabi Alonso, change formation, or simply just trying to get more out of the habitual starters. Another problem with this game is to pick out the players who stuck out.

Starting 11

 

Casillas: Had a vital save in the first few minutes of the game.

 

Arbeloa: Titular, Titular, Titular (Starter).

 

Varane: Had a great debut, did what he was suppose to do.

Carvalho: Strong in defense and kept Racing out of their area

 

Marcelo: Complicated himself in the back and wasn’t a total force in attack.

 

Lass: Had great control of the midfield.

 

Xabi: Poor passes and lacked creativity in the midfield. The team suffers when he is off

 

Callejon: Had the only shot on goal in the entire game.

 

Ronaldo: Not a very good game, might be putting a lot of pressure on himself. Chill Ronnie, you don’t need to prove anyone.

 

Ozil: Has had a slow start to La Liga after a brilliant first game in Zaragoza.

 

Benzema: Probably the best player in the game.

Subs

 

Di Maria: Created some attack on the right side.

 

Higuain: Not much of a spark.

 

Kaka: The game changed with his entry.

After two games on the road, Real Madrid now returns home to take on cross-town rival Rayo Vallecano. Rayo has started La Liga on a roll tying their first two games against Athletic Bilbao (in San Mames) and Zaragoza, and beating Getafe in the Coliseum. An important thing to keep in mind is there have only been four games played with another 34 games left. Though most Madridistas might be more concerned with Farsa, we all shouldn’t forget the team that is in 1^st place is Betis who has a five point lead on Madrid and is the only team that has was all their games. We also shouldn’t take for granted Valencia who yesterday had a brilliant performance against the Culerdos or Atletico de Madrid who’ve scored 8 goals in the last two games with Radamel Falcao leading the way with five. But for now Madrid will focus on Rayo and try to get themselves back on the right track. A comfortable victory would ease the pressure and allow them to be more relaxed, but they complicate themselves then it will be a rough game. Mourinho will make sure his players are ready and will ask for a stellar performance from each and every one of them.                                   

Levante vs Real Madrid Recap

By El Maestro

To start off I just want to say this is bad, really bad. Real Madrid just let 3 valuable points slip from their hands against one of the most modest teams in La Liga. Madrid blew numerous opportunities in the 1^st half to take open the scoring early and the complexion of the game changed in the 38^th minute when Khedira was red carded for pushing off Levenate player, Ballesteros, who was trying to pick up Di Maria. This caused Mourinho to make a substitution by putting in CR7 and taking out Benzema at halftime to move Coentrao to the middle. In the 2^nd half Real Madrid continued with their strong attack, but didn’t really create any real clear goal chances, while Levante took advantage of that extra man with more pressure and quick counter attacks which then lead to their goal. Poor passing, defensive lapses, and lack of finishing condemned Real Madrid to it’s first lost of the season. Of course we shouldn’t be overreacting to this one lost. We did go behind Farsa again in the league table and blew the two-point lead we had on them just a week ago, but we shouldn’t forget this was only the third game of the season. Yes all point are important especially with this Farsa team that many consider the best team of all time (FOR NOW!), but there are still 35 more games in La Liga and anything can happen.

Despite the loss, I couldn’t help to notice a strategy Levante had that Farsa does when they play Madrid. No it wasn’t playing tiki-taka or pressuring up high to recover the ball, but theatrics. During the game there were a number of Levante players who would go to ground easily and start faking injuries when they didn’t receive the contact in that area causing Madrid players to lose their temper. An example of that would be Khedira’s red card. Yes he did make a mistake by pushing off Ballesteros and he should have been smarter, but that play caused him to get his second yellow card. His first yellow card was given by a pure acting stunt by Levante defender Juanfran. When Juanfran was trying to clear the ball, Khedira was about to stick his leg in to get the ball but stopped when he notice he couldn’t get. Of course when Juanfran (who spent the entire week watching Dani Alves videos on how to fake an injury to get a Real Madrid player) noticed his knee slightly touch Khedira he saw the perfect opportunity to take what he learned into action, which eventually paid off.

Of course no Real Madrid game is complete without the referee. I will NOT say he was the reason for the loss today, but he called many unnecessary foul, cut the flow of the game, and didn’t call a penalty for Madrid when Levante defender, Iborra, touched the ball with his hand. The handball could have been hard to see but someone had to notice it whether the main ref or the sideline ref seeing the trajectory of the ball change when Iborra’s arms went up. He also did not red card Ruben Suarez after a tackle from behind on Ronaldo. It’s games like this that make soccer fans like Premiere League soccer more than La Liga.

Starting 11

 

Casillas: Good performance couldn’t really do much on that goal.

Ramos: Didn’t really do anything stupid.

Pepe & Carvalho: Not the best performances they’ve had.

Marcelo: Off night.

Khedira: Did well until being red carded.

Xabi: Not the best performance.

Di Maria: Good, but could be better.

Coentrao: Still developing in his new role.

Kaka: Good, but could have done more

Benzema: Madrid lost a spark when he was removed at halftime.

Subs

 

Ronaldo: Looked liked he was in desperate mode.

Higuain: Didn’t create that spark up top.

Ozil: Didn’t change much the complexion of the game.

Real Madrid’s next opponent will be Racing de Santander in midweek back in the Santiago Bernabeu. What we should all do is relax, forget about today’s game, and move forward. The most important thing is keep winning and staying behind Farsa’s tale in case of a trip up. Something important we shouldn’t forget is even if Farsa doesn’t stumble we still have to play them in December. Still there is a long way before that 1^st Super Clasico and by then the league table could have completely altered. But now it’s time to focus on Racing and Real Madrid must approach that game with all seriousness because if not then they could see the gap between Farsa go from one point to four in just three days.

Dinamo de Zagreb vs Real Madrid

By El Maestro

Real Madrid started the new Champions League season on the right foot beating Dinamo 0-1 in Croatia. If anyone thought this would be an easy game for Madrid then he or she was wrong because Dinamo came out to play. From the start it was the Croatian side that hit the ground running with a strong attack, then after the 5^th minute it was Madrid who started pit by pit to take over. On the contrary to last weekends game, the midfield today was excellent with Coentrao holding Dinamo’s attack in check & Xabi providing his creativity up top. The defense was much improved as well playing more organized and also showing it’s worth in the final 20 minutes after Marcelo was red carded. Despite the 0-1 victory, the concern once again was the lack of finishing up top. Throughout the game Madrid threw away numerous opportunities to score which would have eased the pressure and allowed them to play with more confidence. We shouldn’t be too concerned because with this attack the goals will come, but it is something to be aware of because in crucial moments these blown chances could prove costly.

The only controversial moment was the red card given to Marcelo for diving. What doesn’t make sense is not Marcelo being sent off (because players who dive should be punished), but why wasn’t Dinamo defender, Leko, not red carded as well for his tackle on Ronaldo when he went in hard with his studs up and caused him to bleed from his sock. I’m not going to bring UEFA into this, but I don’t understand how a Champions League referee could let something like this happen. Still this was a great win and a great team effort to kick off the road to la Decima.

Starting 11

Casillas: Made a crucial stop.

Ramos: Right back?

Pepe & Carvalho: Players go through, balls don’t.

Marcelo: Controlled well his side of the field on defense and was a threat in attack

Coentrao: Good defensively, offensively has to develop.

Xabi: Great passing, fantastic vision. He is clearly the brain of the team.

Di Maria: Good, but has to find his teammates.

Ronaldo: Always comes ready to play.

Ozil: Two straight off nights, something not usual in him.

Benzema: It’s almost like watching Brazilian Ronaldo & Guti in one person.

Subs

Lass: Helped structure the midfield after going down 10 men.

Higuain: YOU HAVE TEAMMATES!

Arbeloa: Always does his job.

Madrid’s next Champions League opponent will be Ajax in the Santiago Bernabeu in a fortnight. Another brighter note to this game is Madrid has a 2-point lead on both Ajax & Lyon who tied 0-0 in their opening game. With a victory Madrid would take another step forward in claiming the top spot in the group, but it won’t be easy. Though this isn’t the same Ajax team from the 90’s, they still have a very good squad and would be looking to pull the shocker. However the good thing about-facing them is we went up against Ajax the year before and we have a good recollection of how they like to play. It also helps to know that they lost two of their best players in goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg and Luis Suarez. Still no matter what they have, Mourinho won’t let his players think this is some walk in the park, especially playing at home. From the get go he will want high-pressuring, strong defending, and most importantly finishing opportunities. Realistically that game will be the 1^st big game of the season.

Real Madrid vs Getafe Recap

By El Maestro

Regardless of the sloppy victory, Madrid was finally able to capitalize on it’s opportunity to overtake Farsa in the race for La Liga title. Farsa’s shocking stumble against Real Sociedad allowed Madrid to pen a 2-point gap on their archrival and Madrid made sure to not let this golden opportunity slip away. Yet this achievement doesn’t take away Madrid’s performance today. The game wasn’t terribly bad but also not tremendously good. Up top Madrid did well with Benzema & CR7 leading the way, but they struggled in midfield and defense to contain Getafe’s attack and a brilliant Miku who scored both goals for the azulones. Poor passing, gaping holes, and out of position players allowed Getafe to take advantage and capitalize. In fact, we should be lucky we were playing Getafe because if we had played a top 4 contender we would have been biting our nails. Unfortunately the worst part of the game, which the media might tend to focus on, is the penalty call on CR7. Though many people might try to take into consideration Ronaldo’s history of diving, in the replay you can see Getafe defender Cata Diaz step on his foot to commit the foul. What the referee missed was the placement when the foul occurred just a few inches outside the box. Now just because the ref blew one call doesn’t mean he played a big part in the Madrid’s defeat of Getafe. Even Mourinho commented after the game saying if the penalty had not called it they still would have won. Throughout the game Madrid had created numerous chances to score, but once again finishing was a big concern, especially for Coentrao who missed 2 clear opportunities to score and had one goal disallowed due to an offside. The best thing is we have Jose Mourinho as coach and he will get them to improve on these aspects and make sure these games don’t occur again. Still from yesterdays game there were some players who have to step up their performance and others who just keep getting better.

Starting 11

Casillas: Had some good saves.

Ramos: Arbeloa, Arbeloa, Arbeloa.

Pepe & Carvalho: Good, but sometimes-looked out of postion.

Marcelo: Controlled well his left side and was strong in attack.

Coentrao: Had a good game as holding mid, just horrible luck.

Xabi: When he’s not in form the team struggles.

Di Maria: Improved, but has to look for his teammates.

CR7: Always steps up, one goal, and a magisterial pass for the 3^rd goal (& yet they say he plays for himself).

Ozil: Not the best game, but he will get better.

Benzema: Only Rooney is better than him……….. FOR NOW!

Subs

Kaka: Seems to be improving game by gam

Higuain: 10^th times the charm

Granero: Worst 3 minutes of his career.

Even though the game wasn’t spectacular and not what we expected, the most important thing is we won and have a 2-point edge on Barcelona in the league table. Madrid’s next opponent will be Dinamo Zagreb in what will be their 1^st game in the Champions League. On paper, Dinamo should be the weakest team in the group but like we all know in Champions League soccer there is no such thing as easy teams. For Madrid it shouldn’t be a tough task, but if they take them for granted they will go through a hard time and make Mou really angry. Of course Mourinho will not allow his players to ease up and will tell them play to their full potential. Champions League games tend to be trickier because usually they are going up against teams from different countries that they rarely play against and who have a different style a play than what they are a custom to seeing. Still, they will be ready and if they approach it by respecting the opposing team it should be a victory for los Blanco’s. After the Champions League opener, Madrid will travel to Valencia to play against Levante. Of course this should also look like an easy win for Madrid, but in these kinds of games are when big teams tend to stumble because of the superiority and the lack of motivation. But I have a feeling Mourinho has the perfect speech that will not just motivate them, but all Madridistas in the world. We have a 2-point lead on Barcelona.

!HALA MADRID!

Match Facts

9^th: Di Maria takes a rip that stays grounded but it bounces off the net, leaving Madrid still having aspirations for the goal

13^th: Benzema goal, hammered into the back of the net (Madrid 1-0 Getafe)

20^th: Getafe’s Valera and Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo both received yellows for their altercation

33^rd: Pristine passing gives Coentrao a clear shot at goal as he is left alone with the keeper, when the ball is released from his feet it spins about a foot away from the far goal post

37^th: Marcelo tries to head the ball away from danger on a cross, but the ball ends up almost being an own goal banging off the far goal post

39^th: Miku the Venezuelan scores the equalizer for Getafe, not too long before the half (Madrid 1-1 Getafe)

44^th: Getafe’s Casquero given a yellow for a huge fould to Coentrao on a goal scoring opportunity

49^th: Benzema puts a beautiful floater into the air and falls at the flying feet of Cristiano Ronaldo who attempted a breath taking bicycle kick that has the ball soaring off the post, landing at the feet of Fabio Coentrao who has a clear shot at goal but whiffs it hitting only the net

54^th: Di Maria centers the ball from close range to Coentrao who puts the ball away but the play is quickly waved off as offsides by the officials

55^th: Miku takes a rip from outside the box and puts it on target but casillas punches the ball out for the clear

57^th: Di Maria takes a long rip from outside the box but Moya saves it

57^th: Sarabia takes a chance at a break away but is impeded by Casillas as he comes out for the save

58^th: Ronaldo tripped up in the box by Catadiaz for the penalty

59^th: Ronaldo puts the penalty away to the right goal post slipping just passed Moya (Madrid 2-1 Getafe)

63^rd: Valera centers the ball just a tad high for Sarabia coming in to save Getafes efforts and it is caught by Casillas

65^th: Di Maria centers the ball just a bit fast passed Cristiano for another missed opportunity

68^th: Carvalho slides in against Rio who falls as the ball goes out of bounds, foul is called and Carvalho is given a yellow

69^th: Cristiano Ronaldo sends a perfect long grounder to the feet of Benzema, as Benzema brings in the ball and notices Moya is out of position he puts the ball away (Madrid 3-1 Getafe)

72^nd: Di Maria out, Kaka in for Los Merengues

73^rd: Guiza takes a close range shot, that is saved by Casillas, the ball is rebounded to the feet of the Venezuelan Miku, who jukes Carvahol out of his shot trajectory and places it in the back of the net (Madrid 3-2 Getafe)

77^th: Marcelo takes a lefty boot just off target far right

78^th: Benzema links up perfectly with Cristiano who just slides passed the defense getting a one-on-one with Moya, takes a shot but is saved

80^th minute: Colunga in, Pedro Rios out for Getafe

82^nd: Xabi Alonso tackles Getafe’s Rodriguez landing himself a booking

83^rd: Torres slides in at Kaka cutting him off from a fast break that could have led to a goal scoring opportunity landing him a booking

85^th: the referee, trying to get a rep like Mourinho, has ejected Getafe’s Luis Garcia Plaza

86^th minute: Higuain in for Ozil for Los Merengues

87^th: Kaka sends a beautiful pass to Higauin who shakes off two defenders and puts the ball in the back of the net in a shot from just outside the box (Madrid 4-2 Getafe)

89^th: Benzema with two goals has been taken out of the game, replacing him is Esteban Granero

93^rd: Game ends official score Madrid 4-2 Getafe

To All Leo Messi Butt Kissing Commentators: SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!

By El Maestro

To start off I just want to say even though Madrid lost, this was one of the best Clasicos I have seen in a long time. It wasn’t just the way Madrid played that impressed me, but how they were able to fight all the way to the final whistle. One thing Madrid showed in this Supercopa is Barcelona is no longer a few steps, but that they are now at an even level and leads me to believe Madrid is even closer to returning that famous manita (5-0) Barcelona handed to them last November. & if people don’t believe that ask Zaragoza what they think after taking a massive 0-6 beating in the opening game of the season in their own home. But one thing that really annoys me is not the criticisms going towards Madrid, or the acclaims Barcelona is getting or even the comparisons between Mourinho & Guardiola (No question, Mou is the BEST COACH IN THE WORLD.). What really puts me over the edge are the praises going towards Leo Messi. Yes, Messi is a phenomenal player and there is no doubt he is one of the top 5 best players in the world, but the only reason he is such a great player is because of two of the most underrated players in the world: Xavi & Iniesta. Two players who had to watch from their seats as the Golden Ball Award (which should have been for one of them) was snatched away from them only to be given to the man who they helped turn into the player he is today.

While many people will make the argument, my question is if Messi is truly the best player in the world (because of the way he plays with Barcelona) how come he doesn’t play the same way with Argentina? Because to be the best you have to play like the best with your club team as well as with your country. Surprisingly despite his popularity one place where Messi is not beloved is in Argentina. With that said, experts will start saying Argentina doesn’t have a good midfield to help him or he doesn’t play in his natural position when he is with them. At the same time, those same experts keep comparing Messi to Maradona, which brings to mind my next question. Didn’t Maradona, somewhat, win a world cup on his own? Now I don’t know much about the 1986 Argentinean squad because I wasn’t born at the time, but from what I’ve seen and been told that team was to some extent the same or just a little better than today’s squad and yet Maradona was able to lead them to glory. His talent also showed with his club teams, no more than with Napoli where he won with a team that without him would have finished middle of the table. Maradona made players around him better where ever he played, Messi on the contrary is a great player because he has great players around him. If right now, Malaga’s rich owner were to pay Messi’s buy out clause and sign him, he would be the same as in Argentina (NOTHING!!!!!).

In this sense I believe it’s more worthy to compare Kun Aguero to Maradona for 2 reasons: they actually play the same position & what Aguero has done up to this point is more comparable. Playing without a creative midfield & an out of form Forlan, Aguero was the reason Atletico finished the La Liga season in 7th. He’s also been one of the key players to their success in past years, which concluded with the Europa League title in 2010 (along with a healthier Forlan). Although Aguero has not achieved the same glory as Maradona or Messi, he always does what he can to make sure his team wins and one thing he does that Messi doesn’t is he actually shows up with Argentina when he’s called on!    

With this said if we are going to talk about the best player in the world that is without a doubt Cristiano Ronaldo. I am not saying this to be biased; I am saying this because it’s true. Though Messi can do incredible things, CR7 is more complete than him. Fabulous technical skills, cannon for a leg, takes great free kicks, a dynamic header, and the only person in the world who’s faster than him is Usian Bolt. But one aspect CR7 has that Messi lacks a little is he is a pure winner. Ronaldo will do all he can to make sure his team wins even if that includes being a little selfish. If the team is not playing well, he will put the entire team on his shoulders and try leading them to victory. He always has that attitude even when he plays for Portugal, a team that is the same or just a little worst than Argentina. I won’t say he plays out of this world with his country, but he’s always involved in the game and does much more for Portugal than Messi for Argentina. One of Ronaldo’s biggest problems in years past was the struggle he had against Barcelona, which was where many of his criticisms would come from. But those demons are now gone after his performances in the last Clasicos and scoring against them in 3 different scenarios. In the Santiago Bernabeu, Camp Nou, and Mestalla, which allowed Madrid to win their 1st Copa del Rey, title in 18 years. CR7 is better than Messi.

 Messi is a wonderful player, but people seem to be giving all the credit to the wrong person when in reality it should be going to other people (Xavi & Iniesta). Everytime Messi scores a goal, commentators go all out in kissing his behind and when he gives an assist they make sure all the attention is about him no matter how good the goal was. This was no more proven than in the Spanish Supercup. Watching on Goltv, I couldn’t help notice commentators Phil Schane & Ray Hudson praising Messi in every goal Barcelona scored, even in Villa’s upper 90 golazo when he just gave him a simple pass that any amateur soccer player could do. But one comment that really got me thinking was by Ray Hudson after Messi scored the 3rd goal to give Barcelona the Supercopa: “the God of Gods, the man who walks on water, Lionel Messi.” The funny thing is this goal wasn’t a spectacular world class drop your jaw brilliance from Messi, it was a simple cross in which found him alone & unmarked, and just so happened to put it in. Yes Messi played a big part in concurring the trophy, but in the 1st game Villa scored a world-class goal on his own & Messi scored because Pepe “slipped?” which allowed him to be one on one with Casillas. In the 2nd game Messi did give a good assist, but it was a brilliant finish by Iniesta chipping the ball over Iker, the second goal wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for a magisterial back heel from Pique, and the third goal was a great cross that found him. With that said I just have one thing to say to all these butt kissing commentators (Goltv, ESPN Deports, Fox Sports en Espanol. Etc.).

SHUT THE ………. UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!