2 Games, 6 Out Of 6

By El Maestro

La Liga is only two weeks in and there is already a lot to talk about, apart from the two front runners being undefeated. Atletico Madrid only have 2 points, Valencia are in last place, Alaves and Leganes have picked up points in each their games, and Las Palmas is surprisingly 1st in the table scoring 9 goals and only conceding 3 (hammering Valencia and Granada in the process). Lots to talk about, but I’m here only to talk about Madrid’s start to La Liga.

It’s only been two games, but Real Madrid has had a great start to La Liga. A fantastic 0-3 victory against Real Sociedad in San Sebastian and a hard fought win in the Bernabeu versus Celta. Many will say they were expected wins, but it’s alway important to start the league campaign on the right foot. In fact, this is only the third time in seven seasons that Madrid’s won it’s opening two fixtures. They say it’s always better to finish a season strong, but every point in a league title race is important whether it’s August or May. If you don’t believe me, we can just turn to last season where we lost the league by one point, dropping 4 points in the first five games of the season. Not saying that’s the only reason Madrid lost, because we also dropped other important points throughout the year, but it shows how important it is to start well a league campaign. But enough about enough about league statistics, let’s talk about our team’s performance.

As I said before, Real Madrid opened the season with an outstanding performance in the north of Spain. Despite injuries to CR7, Pepe, Navas, Modric and Benzema, it only took Bale 73 seconds to open the scoring with a powerful header after a great cross by Carvajal. Bale added a second towards the end and Asensio scored his first La Liga goal wearing the white jersey with a fabulous chip. However, what I really enjoyed was the overall performance by the entire team. Not since Mourinho’s second season had I seen Madrid open a league season with an organized and consistent performance.

Something I can’t say about Madrid home opener a this past weekend. Berizzo came with a great game plan and had his Celta side well organized. Even after falling 1-0 behind with Morata scoring his first Madrid goal, Celta didn’t shy away and stuck to their game plan. Leading to Orellana’s equalizer minutes later. Despite the bad performance, Madrid didn’t panic by going all out in attack (big team going after the small team), kept the the defensive and midfield shape, and managed to grind out a win with a fantastic goal by Toni Kroos. Not a pretty game, but what’s important is that Real Madrid has 6 points out of a possible 6 (tied with Las Palmas and Barcelona).

Player Grades:

Casilla, B+: Hasn’t had much to do, but he’s been solid and consistent. Made some mistakes against Celta, but had good performances in the European Super Cup against Sevilla and the La Liga opener.

Carvajal, A+: Like Casilla, struggled at the weekend, but I’m not going to let that overshadow his good start to the season. I don’t know if he took lessons from Arbeloa this summer, but his defending has improved drastically. Adding already to his important attacking ability as a right back.

Varane & Ramos, A: Both have done well as a partnership. Varane seems to be regaining his old form he had under Mourinho and Ramos hasn’t been red carded yet (we can consider that a miracle).

Marcelo, B-: The weakest link. I’m probably being nice by giving him a B-, but he’s struggled early on. Most of the attacks come through his side and he’s struggled to stay organized. Hopefully he’ll improve after the international break.

Casemiro, A+: Started the season the same way he finished last year. The most underrated player on this team and the key to Madrid’s success last season. With his performances, he’s surely one of the best holding midfielders in the world.

Kroos, A+: He’s had a big influence not just in attack, but helping the team in defense.

Kovacic, A+: I give an A+ not just for his performances, but also for his work ethic and determination. It’s been rumored this entire summer that he was going to be loaned out or sold, but he cut his vacation days short after playing Euro 2016 with Croatia to start the preseason from day one and impress Zidane. His hard work has paid off and Zidane has rewarded him with starts in the Super Cup and league opener.

Morata, A-: I’ll give him an A for effort. He does have a good work rate, but he needs to improve on his finishing.

Bale, A+: Like last season, he stepping up with Cristiano and Benzema still injured.

Asensio, A++: It’s not a mistake nor am I exaggerating. While many youngsters get carried away, he’s come in by working hard in training and not saying a word. He’s been able to manage the pressure that comes with Real Madrid and has repaid Zidane’s confidence in him with two world class goals. I’m enjoying his performances and hopefully he won’t let the media attention get to his head.

Modric, A-: He’s only played one game, but he looked like his usual self. Let’s hope he avoids any injuries during the international fixtures.

Reserve Players: There have only been four players that have come on as substitutions. They all get passing grades, but just some key points about them.

James: Has done very well when he’s come on and seems to be getting back to his old self. Don’t be surprise if Zidane starts him after the break.

Lucas: Hasn’t changed since last season. Doesn’t complain, consistent when he comes on, good in attack and defense, and always hard working. Traits that all Real Madrid fans enjoy seeing.

Isco: He’s becoming more direct and not stalling the play like he use to during his first two seasons.

Mariano: He played less than 20 minutes against Celta, but he’s showing great hunger and desire that every youth teamer needs. He’s taken advantage of his opportunities during the preseason, scored 2 goals, and has even shown better movements on the field than Morata. Now the question is whether he can do in the regular season and the minutes he will play.

Now time for the international break. Let’s hope no one gets injured and the team doesn’t lose its form when La Liga kicks up again in two weeks.

HALA MADRID! 

 

European Super Cup 2016

By El Maestro

It wasn’t a pretty game, but is was enough to get the win. Real Madrid’s performance went from high to low and almost saw that first title of the season slip away until Ramos appeared in the 93rd minutes to equalize it at 2-2. A game which started with a very surprising lineup:

Casilla

Carvajal       Varane       Ramos       Marcelo

Kovacic       Casemiro       Isco

Vazquez       Morata       Asensio

Along with Cristiano, Bale, Kroos, Pepe and Navas, Zidane left on the bench Benezema, Modric and James. Despite all this, Madrid showed early promise and saw Asensio open the scoring 21st minutes in with an outstanding shot from 35 yards right into the top corner. From then on, it looked like Madrid would steam roll through Sevilla and take home the trophy by halftime, but they took there feet off the gas and allowed Sevilla to have more possession. Sevilla was able to create more chances and eventually got there reward just before halftime with the equalizer from Franco Vazquez. In the second, Sevilla had more possession, but neither team really created many opportunities. Then the game came to life in the 70th minute when Sevilla were rewarded a penalty after Vitolo was taken down by Ramos. The penalty may have been questionable, but that didn’t stop Konoplyanka from converting it and giving Sevilla the lead. From then on, Madrid threw everything forward and the inclusions of Benzema, Modric and James gave the team a better dynamic up top. Regardless, Madrid could not break through Sergio Rico and it looked like the trophy was going to the south of Spain. Then a great play between Vazquez and Carvajal allowed Lucas to cross the ball and find a wide open Ramos to head the ball in to tie the game at 2-2.

Extra Time:

Real Madrid dominated the entire extra time period and there chances of winning increased three minutes in when Kolodzieczak was shown his second yellow card after a hard foul on Lucas Vazquez. Madrid was in complete control from then on and looked to have taken the lead through Sergio Ramos (again), but it was called off after Ramos pulled his defender back to gain an unfair advantage. Madrid went all out to win the game in normal time while Sampaoli’s men looked to take the game to penalties. At one point, penalties looked inevitable until Carvajal stole the ball from Konoplyanka and sliced through the Sevilla defense to score an incredible solo goal in the 119th minute to win it for Real Madrid. As I said at the beginning, it wasn’t a great game, but it was enough to bring the European Super Cup back to Madrid for the third time.

Quick Player Notes:

Casilla: Couldn’t do much on the first game and made the necessary saves when he was called on.

Defensa: Apart from Sevilla’s opening goal, great and solid performance from the four in the back.

Midfield: Solid performance, but it wasn’t until Modric’s inclusion that allowed the team to improve.

Lucas Vazquez: The most consistent player on the field.

Morata: Still waiting for him to return from his vacation.

Asensio: Very impressive. Went from high to low, but stepped up when the team needed.

Benzema: Didn’t play in the preseason, but the team created more spaces and opportunities when he came on.

HALA MADRID!!!

Rafa Benitez

By El Maestro

Since I’ve been out for some time, I would like express my full opinion about Rafa Benitez’s tenure as Real Madrid manager. Especially because the last article I wrote about him in 2015 was me putting all my faith in him. Unlike many, I was all in favor of his signing after the club decided to sack Carlo Ancelotti. I knew Benitez was known as a defensive coach and many felt he wasn’t the same manager that won the Champions League in 2005 with Liverpool. However, there were two things that even his critics praised him for:

1. Considered one of the best tactical managers in the world.
2. Known for instilling discipline in all his team.

Two things that Real Madrid lacked under Carlo Ancelotti. I know that the players were happy with Ancelotti and Benitez is not known for his personal touch, but to me it raises red flags when a team is extremely happy with their current manager; especially after a trophyless season. I was happy with Benitez’s beginnings at the club and it even reminded me of when Mourinho first arrived (though he would not be happy with that comparison). Upon arriving in Madrid, he started working his first day instead of taking a lengthy vacation. He stayed a full week at the training ground, monitored everything at the club, and even spoke to some of the key players in the dressing room. He was giving me some good impressions and I felt the club was going in the right direction. I could care less about whether the players liked him or not as long as the team was winning and playing consistently.

The start of the season looked promising. They weren’t playing well, but the inclusion of Casemiro in the holding midfielder position gave the team a defensive stability that made them hard to break down. He was even using meritocracy to reward hard workers like Lucas Vazquez, Kovacic and Nacho. As well as benching out of form players such as James and Isco. It all looked well until that dark day in November when el Clasico came around. The day I realized Rafa Benitez wasn’t even the same manager that coached Napoli. It wasn’t the 0-4 defeated the condemned Benitez, but his pants dropping moment when he benched Casemiro to fit in James, Benzema, Bale, and Cristiano in the lineup. As a result, the team lost it’s stability and we all had to watch as Barcelona ran wild in the Bernabeu. After that game, everyone knew his days as Real Madrid manager were numbered and eventually led to his sacking in early January.

Zero Dignity:

Rafa Benitez is a coach with years of experience and has managed several top teams (Valencia, Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea, and Napoli). He’s won a Champions League, two La Liga titles, one UEFA trophy, and many more. However, the thing that surprised me the most about his time in Madrid was the little dignity he came and left with. One thing is to arrive the day of your presentation crying and give special treatment to Cristiano. It’s a completely different thing for an experienced world class manager like him to drop his pants and give in to his players, the president, and the media. To put it in better terms, Benitez was a rich man that went broke and then won the lottery. Instead of taking advantage of that second chance, he spent it all and threw it all away again. He was hired after failing to qualify Napoli for the Champions League, tried it his way, realized it wasn’t working, thought it would be better to give in to the players/president/media, and found himself back on the streets. On top of that, he had the nerve to call out Florentino after being sacked when he was saying there was a campaign against him just a month earlier. His lost ways were ultimately shown months later when he took over Newcastle in March and failed to keep them in the Premier League, adding relegation to his impressive coaching resume. Regardless, I don’t hold any grudge on Rafa and I hope he is able to bring Newcastle back to the Premier League, but his time in Madrid was simply a huge disappointment.

Positive Note:

I will say this about Rafa. Even though his managerial stint was disappointing, la Undécima was won on some of his early ideas. Casemiro was starting again, Lucas Vazquez had a more important role, and James and Isco were coming off the bench.

Who first decided to start Casemiro? Rafa Benitez

Who signed and gave Lucas Vazquez his early chances to play? Rafa Benitez

Who saw that James and Isco were not in good form? Rafa Benitez

P.S. –  I was not wrong when I said Benitez would succeed in Madrid because the real Rafa Benitez never showed up!

Thank you Espartano!

By El Maestro 

There has been so much talk about La Undécima, Zidane, potential signings and even Benitez, it’s gone almost unnoticed that the Champions League Final was Arbeloa’s last match as a Real Madrid player. With his contract up at the end of the 15/16 season, both sides agreed not to renew his contract and go there separate ways at the end of the season. With that in mind, I do want to take this moment to talk about the captain without the armband.

All I can say is thank you for being a true professional. In today’s modern game, it’s so difficult to find players with that kind of dedication and professional toward. Every player wants to be a starter and there frustration is normal when they’re not playing. However, nowadays even average players seem to turn their backs on there manager and team when they’re benched. In this case, not just did Arbeloa not turn his back, he was always loyal to the club and every manager he had at Real Madrid. Haters always link him to Mourinho, but Arbeloa defended Pellegrini, Ancelotti, Benitez, and Zidane. He defended the club when the attacks came from Barcelona, Florentino Perez, the youth academy, and all his teammates including Casillas. Look at how he supported Cheryshev after the cup blunder against Cadiz. That shows you the kind of teammate he is. Apart from defending his team, he didn’t complain when he was benched, worked hard everyday at training, and always did what he could to help his teammates on the field.

Despite everything, many ‘piperos’ still connect him to Mourinho and hold Arbeloa as one of the people responsible for bringing down Casillas (laughable). Arbeloa took a lot of heat for defending Mourinho, but the great thing is that he didn’t care about his personal imagine. All he cared about as a professional athlete was Real Madrid and doing what he could to help the team win. He was one of the first people to arrive every morning, trained hard everyday, did what his managers told him to do, and defended the club and everybody in it. In other words, he is a true example of what a professional is suppose to be.

Thank you Espartano for everything and we’ll all miss you, but you’ll be back soon enough.