Real Madrid vs. Deportivo de La Coruña Recap

By El Maestro

After a slow start to the campaign, Real Madrid seem to bit by bit be getting their grove back. A 5-1 thrashing of Deportivo with a hat-trick by Ronaldo, Di Maria and Pepe helped stay within eight points of Barcelona with the Clasico a week away.

With a Champions League game on Wednesday, Mou decided to keep Arbeloa and Xabi on the bench and start Modric, Ozil, Varane and Ramos at right back. The first 20 minutes were not very productive from Madrid who found themselves down after 15 minutes when poor defending allowed Riki to slip his shot past Casillas for the 0-1 lead. However, Madrid would respond just five minutes later when they were rewarded a penalty after Di Maria was taken down by Manuel Pablo and transformed by “La Maquina”. After that, Madrid started to find their form and take control of the game. Real Madrid would eventually take the lead after a fantastic pass from Modric was put away by Di Maria.

Real Madrid would then make it 3-1 just before the break when Ramos’ shot was stopped but not cleared away and headed in by Ronaldo for his second goal of the game.

Before the restart, Mou took off Ozil for Kaka, who was playing his first minutes of the new season after his great performance in mid week in the Santiago Bernabeu trophy. The 2nd half was much of the same: Madrid dominating and Deportivo trying to limit the damage. Real Madrid was finally playing their attacking free flowing style of play that had not been seem much this season. Mou would then use his second substitution to take off Modric and put in Xabi Alonso, who made his presence felt just minutes later after his wonderful free kick was head in by Pepe to extend Madrid’s lead to 4-1.

Then with ten minutes remaining, Madrid would be rewarded another penalty after a hand ball was called on Evaldo. Ronaldo would once again step up and make it to score his 6th league goal and first hat-trick of the season.

Real Madrid will now turn their attention to Wednesday’s match against Ajax and then on next Sunday’s decisive clash against Barcelona in the Camp Nou.

Rayo Vallecano vs. Real Madrid Recap

By El Maestro

After the amazing comeback against Manchester City in mid week and light problems that prevented the match to be played on Sunday, the game finally took place on Monday where Real Madrid were looking to turn their La Liga form around. Playing against a strong defensive Rayo side, Mou came out with an attacking and creative lineup, starting Essien, Modric and Benzema in the usual 4-2-3-1 formation. The first thirty minutes were very entertaining from Madrid who were strong in all areas and created some opportunities to score. With 13 minutes gone by, Real Madrid would open the scoring after a fantastic team goal.

A great clearance by Ramos was back healed by Marcelo to Ronaldo, who put a nice through ball for Di Maria. He then would take on the Rayo defense and make a good pass to find a wide open Benzema for the simple tap in.

Di Maria and Modric would then have their own chances to extend the lead from long distance and one on one, but the Argentine’s shot just went wide of the post and Modric could not get it past Ruben. Despite Madrid’s good start, their form began to go down after the half an hour mark, which allowed Rayo to find more openings and almost equalized in the 32nd minute when Delibasic’s header was stopped by Casillas, but not cleared away. The loose ball was pounced on by Labaka who’s shot got past Iker, but stopped on the line by Xabi Alonso. Madrid did create one more great opportunity just before the break when Di Maria provided another good pass for Benzema, but his shot was kept out by the keeper.

The 2nd half was not as entertaining as the 1st, but it did have its chances. After five minutes of play, Rayo had another golden opportunity to tie when Arbeloa’s back pass crossed the path of Leo Bapistao, who only had Casillas to beat, but could not control it and was cleared away. Later, Benzema scored what was believed to be Madrid’s second goal after break loose on the right hand side and beating the Rayo keeper, but was called back due to a foul committed on Di Maria. However, Real Madrid would eventually make it two after they were rewarded a penalty and transformed by Ronaldo who got his third goal of the La Liga season. Madrid did create other chances, but could not finish them and the game ended 0-2. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but they won in a difficult stadium, played like a team and stay within eight points of Barcelona.

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City Recap: !Remontada en el Bernabeu!

By El Maestro

This is Real Madrid!!! This is the Champions League!!!

What a match. After the disaster is Sevilla and rumors that Mou had lost the dressing room, Real Madrid dominated Manchester City on all cylinders. The score says 3-2, but the overall match was a one sided affair.

Before the game, Mou was again shocked the world by starting new arrival Essien in a trivote and leaving Sergion Ramos on the bench for Varane.

From the first whistle, it was clear that Real Madrid had a different mentality in this game. The midfield was more creative than ever, Di Maria looked liked the Di Maria of last year, and Ronaldo was hungrier than ever. In the 1st half, Madrid should have been up by a few goals. Ronaldo had a great opportunity to score inside 15 minutes, but was stopped by Hart. Hguain had three chances, but once again failed to finish them. City did not even have one shot on target, and would lose one of their premier midfielders in the 39th minute when Nasri picked up an injury. Despite Madrid’s dominance, the game went into halftime 0-0.

Real Madrid started the 2nd half the same way they finished it: dominating, but not finishing.

After more than 15 minutes, Mancini would use his second substitution by surprisingly taking off Silva, the only other creative midfielder he had on the field, and putting in Dzeko. Despite playing for City, Silva would leave the field with a standing ovation from the Bernabeu.

With the score still tied, Mou would use one of his substitutions to give the team more creativity by taking off Essien, who had a good outing, for Ozil. Then in the 70th minute, the drama would begin.

20 Minutes of Insanity: 

After fighting off three Madrid players and a give-and-go with Tevez, Yaya Toure would break loose and put in a good through ball for Dzeko who slipped it past an early diving Casillas to give City the 0-1 lead on their first attack of the game.

Then the game started to open up. With everything on the line, Mou used his final two substitutions to take off Khedira and Higuain for Modric and Benzema.

Real Madrid were determined not to go down without a fight, and would equalize five minutes later when Marcelo’s shot was slightly deflected and got past Hart. After so many opportunities, Madrid finally got on the board.

However, Madrid would receive another sucker punch in the 85th minute when Kolarov’s free kick bounced in the area, was not cleared away, and went straight into the far side of the goal.

It was two mistakes in one:

1. Xabi dove for the ball, but could not clear it.

2. Casillas didn’t cover the far post well.

Yet City would receive a sucker punch of their own as Madrid would level the scoring just a minute later after a wonderful move by Benzema. It was all coming down to the wire, there had to be a winner. Then in the 90th minute, the Bernabeu would explode.

After receiving a pass from Marcelo, Ronaldo would cut inside and shoot. His shot would go over the head of Kompany and dip right in front of keeper. Hart could not do anything about it and Ronaldo would give Real Madrid their first lead of the game in stoppage time. The same person who said he was sad, would be the same person who would make Madridistas all over the world happy.

And Mourinho as well

What a great way to begin the new Champions League campaign. With three points and exciting drama.

Just a quick note for next time: PLEASE FINISH THE OPPORTUNITIES YOU ARE PRESENTED WITH! 

!HALA MADRID!

Sevilla vs. Real Madrid Recap

By El Maestro

Very bad. This new league season has started the exact opposite as people expected. Instead of Real Madrid being neck and neck with Barcelona, they find themselves eight points back with already two losses, a draw and only one win.

Madrid got off to the worst start possible when Sevilla took the lead in the 2nd minute after poor marking allowed a wide open Trochowski to slam his shot into the net. A goal that could have been prevented if Di Maria had stayed with him, or if Casillas had not bobbled the easy ball that lead to the corner. Either way, Madrid were down 1-0.

The rest of the game is hard to describe. Sevilla played rough and aggressive, which made it difficult for Madrid to get anything going. In the 1st half, Madrid’s best opportunity was when Higuain managed to break loose of Sevilla’s defense only having the keeper to beat, but his shot went into the fifth row of the stands.

In the 2nd half, Mou tried to give the team a new spark by taking off Di Maria and Ozil for Benzema and Modric. The substitutions worked for the first 15 minutes as Madrid seemed to be loosening up, but then it was all downhill. Real Madrid would create two dangerous opportunities to score. First came Modric’s shot from outside the box which was tipped by the goalie and hit the post. The other was when Palop mistimed Xabi Alonso’s free kick and presented Ramos with an open goal, but couldn’t control his header and sent it over the bar. Mou then made a last gasp effort in changing Madrid’s play by taking off Arbeloa for Callejon to give the team more attack, but it was no use.

The game was ugly and unattractive. Neither team team played well. It consisted of very few opportunities. However, Sevilla took advantage of the only clear chance they had and that’s the name of the game. The team that makes their opportunities wins.

Real Madrid have not looked well in any of their four La Liga games, including the victory against Granada.

Team:

Casillas: On his performances alone, Madrid have dropped 5 of 8 points.

Defense: Look weary.

Midfields: Flat, lack creativity.

Di Maria & CR7: Not 100%.

Ozil: THE SEASON BEGAN A MONTH AGO, COME BACK FROM IBIZA!!!!!

BENZEMA: Hasn’t found his form.

Higuain: Looking like “El Pipita” from the second leg of the Supercopa.

I don’t know what the problem is, all I know is that Manchester City come to the Bernabeu on Tuesday. So I suggest they forget about the last month and now focus on moving forward. The game against City will be a more wide open affair, which will give Madrid more spaces to work with. Start the Champions League season with three points, and then win the next two league games before taking on Barcelona in the Camp Nou on October 7th.

Even though Madrid are behind eight points, the league is not over by any means necessary. Yes, eight points is a lot, but it’s only September and not even one Clasico has been played. Not to mention Barcelona still need to travel to places like Sevilla, Valencia or Bilbao where they can drop points. All Madrid can do now is get their act together, go on a win streak, beat Barcelona in the Camp Nou and cut the lead bit by bit.

Falcao, Future Blanco?

By El Maestro

Last week, Falcao’s father made some interesting comments saying that his son’s dream is to one day play for Real Madrid. It’s strange that he would say this knowing his son plays for cross town rivals Atletico, where in only one season he has become a fan favorite and was a huge part in the colchoneros European success. Not just is he Atletico’s best player, but he has taken La Liga by storm. In a league that is completely dominated by Ronaldo and Messi, Falcao managed to finish as the third highest leading scorer with 24 goals and netting a total of 36 in all competitions. He’s also started the new campaign the same way he finished it, scoring a hat-trick in their week two match against Athletic Bilbao. Also not forgetting his incredible performance in the European Supercup where he completely destroyed Chelsea’s defense and scored another hat-trick in an eventual 4-1 victory.

However, my question is if the opportunity is presented, should Real Madrid sign Falcao? That would mean selling Higuain and paying almost 45 million euros or more for the Colombian striker. I say Madrid should go forward with this if Higuain’s finishing does not improve. In other words, if he has performances like against Barcelona in the Spanish Supercup where he went 1/5.

I love “El Pipita” and he has done a lot of great things for Real Madrid. He’s also been a clear example of hard work as he was an 18 year who many didn’t know much about, and has built himself up to being one of the best strikers in the world. Now, if he wants to continue, he has to finish his opportunities. This has always been his problem ever since arriving in the Spanish capital. He has improved, but he still struggles. I’m not saying he has to be 10/10, but if you are a Real Madrid striker and given five clear chances to score against Barcelona, you better at least make three. Falcao also had five clear opportunities against Chelsea, but he made three of them. What I want to see from Higuain is the goals he scores from the chances he is given in a game, but I’m not just talking against teams like Granada, Athletic or even Valencia. I want to see what he does in the big games against Barcelona, Manchester City and in the later rounds of the Champions League. Their we will get our answer.

Now if Madrid does decide to sell Higuain, they should get someone who resembles him. A true number ‘9’ striker who is always in the middle and hungry for goals. One key element this striker should have is high pressuring of the ball. This is probably the only ability that separates Higuain from other strikers, as he is one of the very few who run all the way to pressure the keeper the second the referee blows for the start of the game. It’s also the reason why Madrid tends to play better when Higuain starts against Barcelona

With that said, if Madrid were to go after someone, they should sign Falcao. He can pressure the ball high, has more talent than Higuain, is a better team player and can create goals for himself. In fact, last year Higuain was the teams second leading scorer with 22 goals in La Liga behind Ronaldo and one goal ahead of Benzema. With Falcao’s finishing ability and players like Ozil, Modric and Xabi behind him, can you imagine how many goals he would score with Real Madrid?

Of course this procedure wouldn’t happen until June, and two things can happen by then.

1. Falcao could go into a huge rut and Higuain could drastically improve on his finishing.

Or

2. Both Higuain and Falcao could continue to do what they’ve been doing up to this point (Higuain missing and Falcao scoring).

Either way it will come down to Higuain’s performances. However, if Madrid does decide to sell Higuain, Falcao would be the ideal replacement.

Real Madrid vs. Granada Recap

By El Maestro

After claiming the Spanish Supercup against Barcelona on Wednesday, Real Madrid were looking to turn things around and get their first win in La Liga. For the starting 11, Mou made three changes: Callejon for Di Maria, Benzema for Higuain, and new signing Modric for Ozil. From the start, Madrid look to have a different mentality as they were more focused and determined than in the previous two matches. They almost had a dream start in the early minutes when Callejon broke through Granada’s defense, but his shot was stopped by Toño. Madrid continued to push forward and would take the lead in the 25th minute when Ronaldo scored his first league goal of the season after slipping the ball through the keepers legs from a tough angle. Despite the goal, Madrid’s performance began to go down and did not create any clear opportunities for the rest of the half.

At the start of the 2nd half, Mou decided to give the team more energy by taking off Callejon for Di Maria who was an instant hit as he provided the through ball to Ronaldo who scored his second goal of the game and put Madrid up 2-0. Granada would them go down 10 men after Borja Gomez’s tackle on Ronaldo forced his second yellow, and “La Maquina” to pick up an injury and be taken off. Real Madrid would eventually make it 3-0 when a great team play was easily put away by Higuain, who scored his third goal of the season. Replay does show that Benzema was offside before making the pass to “El Pipa”, but it was just a simple mistake and it wouldn’t have made a difference either way.

Madrid finally picked up their first three points, but that wasn’t enough for Mou who was not happy with his teams full game performance. Despite the slight improvement, Real Madrid did not play complete 90 minutes of football and must up their form as the first Champions League game against Manchester City gets closer.

Modric: His first start and already he’s showing his worth. Crisp passing, sharp vision and confidence. He still needs to work on team chemistry, but the future looks bright. Despite only playing 57 minutes, he takes home my ‘Man of the Match’ award.

Ronaldo is not happy: After the game, Ronaldo made some interesting comments when asked why he didn’t celebrate his two goals. He said he was not happy and the club knows why. Now unlike the Spanish press, I’m not going to pay too much attention to this. I’m not going to buy anything the ‘piperos’ are selling, nor give my personal opinion about what the problem is because I don’t know what it is. All I’m going say is I don’t think the issue is so big that “La Maquina” would want to leave the team, knowing that the transfer window ended on Friday, and that it will be resolved.

Cristiano! Cristiano! Cristiano!

!Hala Madrid!

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona Recap: !Campeones de la Supercopa!

By El Maestro

Amazing! Amazing!

If just three days ago we were referring to Madrid’s performances as ‘unacceptable’, today was for everyone to tip their hats off. I’ve always said Real Madrid respond well to adversity.

From the start, Real Madrid came out to pressure Barcelona in their own half and had a great opportunity to get the first goal in the 7th minute, but Higuain’s shot was kept out by Valdes. However, Higuain would get another chance just three minutes later when Mascherano’s bluff allowed “el Pipita” to face Valdes once again. Only this time he would put it through his legs to score the goal that would give Madrid the title.

After the goal, Real Madrid continue to wipe the floor with Barcelona constantly attacking and creating opportunities. Then in the 18th minute, the title would seem to look even closer when  Khedira’s long ball was back healed by Ronaldo over Pique’s head and put away to give Madrid a 2-0 lead.

Real Madrid could have been up 3-0 when it was thought that Xabi’s free kick was headed in by Pepe, but was called off for an apparent push on Mascherano. Then, for the the first time since 2008 when Xavi auto-red carded himself in Madrid 4-1 victory, Barcelona would go down 10 men after Adriano (last man) took down Ronaldo and stopped a clear goal chance.

Higuain would then have two great opportunities to extend the lead and finish the game off, but could not take full advantage of them. Despite Madrid’s dominance, Barcelona would cut one back after “El Enano” managed to curve his free kick over the wall and past Casillas on their only shot at goal in the 1st half. Instantly, Ronaldo would almost regain Madrid’s two goal cushion when he blasted his shot from almost 30 yards, but missed the goal by inches.

The 2nd half was more of an even affair, with Madrid maintaining the game plan and Barcelona beginning to loosen up. There were very little dangerous opportunities until the 62nd minute when Pedro broke through only having the keeper to beat, but Casillas managed to keep it out.

Suddenly the game began to open up. Madrid would have a great chances when Khedira took on four Barcelona players, but was stopped by Valdes. Then it would be Jordi Alba to break through Madrid’s defensive line and rounding Casillas, having an empty goal, but could not control the ball and was taken away by Ramos. With less than eleven minutes to play, Hguain would have another one on one opportunity to score, but couldn’t keep it on target and it the post. In stoppage time, Messi would have two chances to score, but failed to capitalize; one stopped by Casillas and the other missing by little. After 90 minutes of hard fought football (soccer), Real Madrid overturned the 3-2 scoreline from the 1st leg in the Camp Nou and won the Spanish Supercup. A triumph that will no doubt give the players confidence for the season and especially the next time they face Barcelona.

!Hala Madrid!