Cup Final: Same Final, Same Outcome

By El Maestro

Almost 11 short months ago, I wrote that we should all get use to failure after the horrendous end to last season, thinking that Madrid would go back to being that club where players ran the show and the coach was a nobody with no personality. Well, today I am happy to say I was wrong (for now) after the Copa victory in Mestalla. My opinion before the game was that this final would make or break Madrid’s season heading into the semifinal match up against Bayern. The win is a huge boost, but we also shouldn’t get too ahead of ourselves because it was the worst final I had every seen in any competition. The game didn’t live up to expectations and neither team played well at all. Excluding the first 10 minutes, Madrid could not get anything going in attack and Barcelona could not break Madrid’s defense. Despite this, Real Madrid was able to strike first at the 11th minute mark after Di Maria took advantage of Barcelona’s poor defense and beat Pinto to open the scoring.

The 2nd half was slightly more interesting and saw more opportunities from both sides. Madrid had chances to put the game away, but the finishing that always seems to allude Madrid during el Clasico appeared once again. Then Barcelona tied the game with less than 25 minutes left when they hadn’t even challenged Casillas in goal. What’s worse, it came from a corner with Bartra beating Pepe.

Pepe: Your playing a team who’s average height is about 5’7 (1.70) and you allow one of their few 6’0+ (1.83+) players to beat you on area plays. And yet people wonder why Varane is doing on the bench.

Either way, this is when the final really began. Barcelona began to awake while Madrid struggled to regain control of the game. Then came Bale’s moment of glory as we witnessed one of the greatest plays in history. With less than 5 minutes left, Bale took the ball from his half of the field, tried to speed past Bartra and was fouled in the process. Regardless, he stayed on his feet to still blow past Bartra and put it through Pinto’s legs to put Madrid back on top.

Barcelona did have one last chance to tie when Neymar found himself alone in front of goal, but his shot somehow hit the post and went straight into Iker’s post. Déjà vu, the same outcome as three years ago with only four differences: different score line, coaches, lineups and both CR7 and Messi were not present on the field.

Lets just hope Ramos doesn’t drop it this time.

Now time to think about Bayern:

As I said earlier, this was a very important win, but we also shouldn’t blow it out of proportion. Even with the lead Madrid was not able to take full advantage, they let Barcelona back in the game and did not have any bright ideas in attack. Lets also not forget that this is the worst Barcelona side in the last decade and that Bayern Munich is the reigning European champions with one of the deepest squads in the world. Along with this, Bayern has a coach on their bench.

Yes, I have ridiculed Pep and he’s still no Mourinho, but the man knows how to coach and get the best out of his ‘top’ players. Of course, he has slowed Bayern down by implementing his possession style, which has drawn criticism from even his own board of directors. Bayern is not the same electric, quick and straightforward team they were last season, but they still have the same core players and Pep does have a better tactical analysis than Ancelotti.

The good news is since they are playing a side that is known as the best team in the world in this moment, Madrid will surely play both matches to their full potential (at least I think so). However, I believe this fixture will not be won on the field, but by the tactical battles on both benches. Ancelotti finally took the monkey off his back after beating Barcelona, but now he has a whole week to prepare for the 1st leg in the Bernabeu. Which ever coach is most prepared will play in the final in Lisbon.

Opportunity Lost

By El Maestro

The chance to finish Barcelona…………. and its gone. In a span of 24 hours, I went from thinking Real Madrid could actually win the treble to wondering if they could really win the league. They had the opportunity to extend the league lead with Barcelona to seven points and virtually knock them out of the race, but now La Liga is more alive than ever.

Despite 7 goals and four lead changes, I didn’t think the game was a great as it is being blown out to be. Barcelona played their usual and ‘boring’ Tiki-Taka style, while at times I had no idea what Madrid was doing. They did persevere and fight back after Iniesta’s opening goal, but it wasn’t enough to take the three points. Madrid still are a point ahead of Barcelona and are now tied on point with Atletico, but give up the league lead to the ‘Colchoneros’ due to the head to head encounters (Madrid 2-3 Atletico). Either way, this is a big blow, not just for Madrid, but for Ancelotti, who let yet another big game get away.

What I most did not like was how Madrid let Barcelona back in the match after overcoming the early goal. In two minutes, Real Madrid went from being down to being ahead and completely rattling Barcelona. Regardless, Madrid did not take full advantage of this opportunity. Excluding Benzema’s chance that was cleared off the line by Pique, they did not create any dangerous opportunities to extend the lead. Along with this, the defense was very poor and that sloppiness eventually led to Barcelona’s equalizer, something that will reflect well on Ancelotti.

Ancelotti: I don’t want to take anything away from Carletto. He’s done a good job this season and the fact that Madrid are alive in all three competitions backs that up, but (like I said earlier) this was a huge blow for him. Before the game, I thought this was very important for Ancelotti to show that he can win the big games for Madrid. Although he has a great resume, I have questioned his tactics and game management skills. The team is still in great position, but Madrid has struggled this season against direct opponents.

Barcelona: Lost both league matches.

Atletico Madrid: Destroyed them in the Copa del Rey, but lost at home for the first time in the league since 1999 and drew in the Calderon after taking the lead.

Juventus: Won the first fixture, but lost control of the game in the second half to a 10 man Juve. Then drew in Turin after being ahead.

Lets also not kid ourselves, this team is not playing anywhere near the football Ancelotti had promised. Despite the winning streak before the Clasico, Madrid had only shown that full intensity in the 1st leg fixtures against Atletico and Schalke. After that, the rest of the games have mostly been won either by grinding out results or at half speed. In fact, during this streak, they drew in El Sadar, San Mamés, and El Calderon, which are all stadiums where leagues are won. I will say this, the only two games where Real Madrid played at 100%, they were lights out. They can beat any team in Europe with that intensity and way of playing, but that has to be shown week in and week out. If they still want to win trophies this season, they are going to have to get their act together and start showing that form every week. Starting by going to El Sánchez Pizjuán on Wednesday and taking all that frustration out on Sevilla.

Undiano Mallenco: Of course I was not going to end without talking about the referee, but (don’t worry) I’m not going to blame him for the lost. Regardless, I do want to talk about his performance. First, I found it interesting that the same referee who officiated the first encounter in the Camp Nou was the man selected to take charge of the second Clasico of the season. The same ref that missed that clear penalty when Ronaldo was taken down by Mascherano. Like the first match, he made sure to include his part by calling three penalties that were not (RM 1-2 FCB). Ronaldo was taken down by Alves just at the edge of the box and Neymar dove when he felt Ramos’ presence behind him, which concluded in Ramos being sent off.

Despite this, I am not going to bash him because I honestly thought they were penalties in real time. It wasn’t until I saw the replay a few times that I realized they were not, although he sent off Ramos and did not give Alves a yellow for that challenge where he denies an offensive attack.

However, the third penalty was complete BS. Yes there is contact, but that is never called. Ironically, he calls that, but he doesn’t call Ronaldo’s penalty in Barcelona. Not to mention he let Busquets escape without a card after stepping on Pepe’s face; an action he did not even apologize for.

CR7 v Messi: Lets be honestly, neither really showed up for this game. I know people will tell me they scored a combine 4 goals, but both did not do anything on the field. Three of those fours goals came from the penalty spot and Messi’s 2-2 equalizer just fell to him after some bad Madrid defending. They were both clutch from the penalty spot (important for world class players), but neither did anything special.

 

Nevertheless, Real Madrid should look more at themselves than the referee. We already knew what Villar and the federation were up to when they picked Undiano to officiate both Clasicos, but Madrid should have been able to put Barcelona to bed after taking the lead in both occasions. Now the team needs to refocus and get ready for the match against Sevilla because even the slightest slip up at this point of the season will have big consequences.

Back to Uncertainty

By El Maestro

I know I’m a week late with this post and Madrid played Sevilla on Wednesdays (best game on the season), but I haven’t had time to write and I really want to voice my opinion about last weekends Clásico defeat.

A week that had so much promise ended with a terrible 2-1 lost in the Camp Nou. Since the beginning of the season, my biggest criticism of Ancelotti has been his uncertainty with this squad by constantly switching formations and lineups. However, against Malaga and Juventus, it finally looked like the Italian was finally getting his ideas straight as the team appeared to be coming together at the most critical time. Especially after the 2-1 win over the Italian champions in the Champions League. As Madrid looked to be on the rise, Barcelona seemed to be going the opposite way. They had drawn in their league and Champions League fixtures against Osasuna and Milan, many had concerns over their style of play and certain players were struggling with injuries. Along with this, Atletico had lost to Espanyol, which meant Madrid was within striking distance of the 1st place position (Atletico: 2, Barcelona: 3). The game was going to be difficult either way, but it seemed very winnable if Ancelotti put out a proper 11 and played the way we had played in the previous Clásicos.

However, that confidence we all had before the game turned into nerves when we saw Ramos in midfield and Bale at the 9 position. A lineup so absurd and ridiculous, not even the biggest footballing expert could explain. In fact, I had to surf through different websites, channels and even switch televisions to make sure the lineup I was seeing was correct. At one point, I couldn’t help to think Mourinho was laughing when he saw this.

Diego Lopez

Carvajal        Varane        Pepe        Marcelo

Khedira        Ramos        Modric

Di Maria        Bale        Ronaldo

“Yet they thought I was crazy for putting Pepe in midfield.”

As expected, the 1st half was a complete and utter disaster. Barcelona took the lead inside 20 minutes through Neymar and Madrid could not get anything going. It wouldn’t be until before the hour mark (60th minute) that Real Madrid would start to get their ideas straight and take control of the game. Finally, the opportunities began to present themselves, but Madrid could not take advantage of them. Valdes’ good hand stopped a powerful shot from Ronaldo and then Benzema’s long-range effort hit the crossbar. Then came the most controversial moment of the game when Ronaldo was clearly pushed from behind inside the penalty area by Mascherano. It was very clear to everyone, except to the referee.

Sadly, the error would prove costly minutes later when Alexis Sanchez made it 2-0, after capitalizing on some poor defending and Diego Lopez’s bad position to chip it into the back of the net. A wonderful goal that put Madrid in a lot of trouble. As club policy, Real Madrid didn’t back down and continued to fight until the final whistle. At last, Madrid would at least make it 2-1 in 91st minute after a great counter attack put the young canterano Jese clear on goal to score, but it was a little to late. Real Madrid now finds themselves 6 points back of Barcelona and 5 of Atletico with their 5-0 win over Betis.

Carletto:

Despite everything that happened (even with the no penalty call), the game solely came down to Ancelotti. If many called Mou “defensive” against Barcelona, then Carletto took it to a completely different level. As I said earlier, I’m sure no one could explain why he started Sergio Ramos in midfield and Bale at 9. Either he really thought it would work or he had too much to drink in the hours before the match. Ancelotti pretty much threw the first half and didn’t make any changes until ten minutes into the 2nd half when he took out Ramos for Illarramendi.

My question is why resort to such a defensive formation when there was no need. Real Madrid already had it’s own attacking style built under Mourinho, which led to winning 4 of the last 7 Clásicos (with only one lost). They had completely lost that enormous pressure when playing Barcelona and it almost seemed as if that pressure was starting to get to the culés. Not to mention, he didn’t take advantage of the fact that Barcelona was a wounded warrior. They had just dropped their first league points of the season, their style of play was inconsistent, Messi and Pique were struggling with injuries, Mascherano was not on good form, Neymar was playing his first Clásico, they didn’t have a pure 9 striker and Jordi Alba was out. For all we know, the game could have been very different if Ancelotti had told Carvajal and Marcelo to attack from the beginning, started Isco for Pepe, pushed Ramos to center back and started Benzema (or at least CR7) at striker. However, Carletto had a different opinion and it didn’t go the way he had planned it. Nothing else we can do. I’m sure he will take note of this and know what to do and what not to do the next time.

In terms of La Liga, it’s only early November and there is plenty of time to regain that lost ground. A lot can happen from now until May.

Barcelona vs. Real Madrid 2nd Leg Recap

By El Maestro

Off to the final. Well done lads.

In May, Real Madrid will be playing the final of the Copa del Rey after crushing Barcelona 1-3 in their own back yard. Unbelievable display by Jose Mourinho’s side.

It was a night like no other: Real Madrid completely dominating Barcelona in the Camp Nou, Ronaldo going through the Cule defense like butter, and Varane shutting down Messi.

However, it was not an easy start for Madrid. From the get go, Barcelona was the team that came out strong and almost took the lead through Mess in only the 2nd minute, but his shot went just wide. Real Madrid struggled to get two passes together in the opening minutes, but the game would change in the 12th minute when they were rewarded a penalty after Ronaldo was taken down by Pique. ‘La Maquina’ would step up and beat Pinto to make 0-1.

Now the tie switched in favor of Madrid. After the goal, Real Madrid started to open up and managed to get some plays going, while also maintaining their strong defensive formation. Barcelona kept attacking in search for the equalizer, but thanks to Madrid’s defense, they only had one shot on target in the 1st half, which was an Iniesta shot that went straight into the arms of Diego Lopez.

In the 2nd half, everything would come together. Twelve minutes after the restart, Khedira’s long clearance, that looked like nothing, fell to Di Maria with open space going one on one with Puyol. Di Maria dummied Puyol (who was left doing the banana spit) and shot at goal, which was stopped by Pinto.

The rebound fell to Ronaldo, who easily put it away for the 0-2 lead.

With two away goals, Barcelona now needed three to go through. However, Real Madrid would do what many had been asking them to do against Barcelona for year: FINISH THE GAME OFF. In the 68th minute, Varane would make it 0-3 after beating Pique in the air and calmly heading Ozil’s corner into the back of the net.

A goal he would celebrate with ‘The Only One’.

Unfortunately, Real Madrid would take their foot off the gas pedal, when they could have easily scored 5 or 6 goals from that point on. The only bad part was Barcelona would get a goal just before stoppage time after a wonderful ball by Iniesta found Jordi Alba, who put it past Diego Lopez to make it 1-3.

Despite that one goal, Real Madrid played an absolutely perfect game. Atletico Madrid will be the opponent In the Copa del Rey final (Madrid Derby).

Now the only thing that has to be determined, like every season when the finalist are announced, is where the final will be played?

Possibilities: Santiago Bernabeu, Vicente Calderon, Camp Nou, Mestella or La Cartuja.

!Hala Madrid!

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona 1st Leg Recap

By El Maestro

After witnessing one of the greatest Clasicos in recent history, the tie will now shift to the Camp Nou where the 1-1 draw in the 1st leg will be decided. The game was a tale of two halves: Real Madrid dominated the 1st half and Barcelona the 2nd.

Real Madrid came out flying in the early minutes and were presented a great opportunity when Ronaldo was taken down just on the edge of the box and were rewarded a free kick.

Ronaldo took a wonderful shot and it looked like it had beaten Pinto, but somehow the Barcelona keeper manager to get a hand on it to stop it from going in. Real Madrid still continued to attack, and created numerous opportunities. Minutes later, Essien deflected cross, which looked to have no harm, forced to get a reaction from Pinto who sent it for a corner. In the 19th minute, Benzema crossed to Ronaldo, who was in good position to score, but ‘La Maquina’ could not get a his head on hit. Later on, Callejon  broke Barcelona’s offside trap, and crossed to a well positioned Ronaldo, but Pique cut it off before it could reach him. Madrid would have another chance, this time Benzema, but the Frenchman could not control the ball and hit the side netting. Barcelona also created chances of their own in the 1st half, such as a dangerous free kick by Xavi that it the cross bar. A wonderful lob pass by Iniesta to Jordi Alba that was not well hit by the former Valencia left back. Finally, just before halftime, Carvalho almost gift Barcelona the 0-1 lead with a terrible back pass to Diego Lopez that was stolen by Cesc and presented Xavi with a open goal, but incredibly Varane rushed back to keep it out.

The misses continued for Real Madrid in the early minutes of the 2nd half, when Benzema was given another opportunity to score, but sent his shot over the bar. Unfortunately, Madrid would pay for those misses in the 50th minute after a terrible ball by Callejon was touched by Messi and put Cesc alone in from of goal to beat Diego Lopez for the 0-1 lead. Despite conceding a goal, Real Madrid did not panic and continued to push forward. Soon after, Mou tried to give the team more creative in midfield by taking off Callejon for Modric. In the 60th minute, Real Madrid would then miss their best opportunity (other than the goal) when Ozil’s cross rolled through Barcelona’s defense and found Ronaldo with a wide open goal, but somehow missed.

I don’t know if it’s because Ronaldo didn’t expect the ball to come and it surprised him, but either way the score was still 0-1.

Minutes later, Barcelona almost put the tie out of reach when Pedro found himself one on one with Diego Lopez, but his chip just went wide. Then when it looked like Barcelona was going to leave with a dream result, a wonderful cross by Ozil was beautifully headed by Varane, who beat Cesc and Pique in the air, and got the ball past Pinto to equalize the match at 1-1 with about nine minutes to remaining.

In the final minutes, both sides had opportunities to win the game. Just before stoppage time, Jordi Alba would have a great chance to score when he broke through Madrid’s defense, but his shot was kept out by Diego Lopez. Then in the last minute, Ozil’s corner was about to find an open Carvalho in the middle, but it would be headed away by Dani Alves before it could reach the Portuguese defender.

Now we will have to wait until February 27th for the Copa del Rey finalist to be decided.

!Halal 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!

Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: 1st Leg of the Spanish Supercup

By El Maestro

Very good result. After 90 minutes, Real Madrid leave the Camp Nou with a doable 3-2 scoreline. Once again, Mou shocked everyone when he came out with Callejon instead of Di Maria, which reflected somewhat what he had in mind. The 1st half was a very boring and unattractive encounter as Barcelona dominated possession, while Madrid struggled to get anything going, but neither team had any shots on target.

The 2nd half was when the game really began. Barcelona continued with its style as Madrid began to loosen and get some ideas going. Despite Barcelona’s dominance, it would be Real Madrid who would open the scoring after a wonderful corner by Ozil was headed in by none other than “La Maquina” Ronaldo, who scored for the fourth straight time in the Camp Nou. However, the lead wouldn’t last long as just a minute later Pedro would even the score after braking loose to beat Casillas.

Although images clearly show that Pedro was offside.

After the goal, Mou would try to explode Madrid’s firepower when he took off Benzema and Callejon for Higuain and Benzema. Both sides continued to go back and forward until the 68th minute when Barcelona were rewarded a penalty. “El Enano” would score the penalty to put the Cules up 2-1. Things got even worse just a few minutes later when Xavi extended the lead to 3-1 after a marvelous run by Iniesta. It was going all out window and the title was almost put on ice when Messi had a great opportunity to make 4-1, but Casillas managed to keep the ball out. Ironically, that save would start Madrid’s counter attack that led to them reducing the deficit to 3-2.

The counter attack didn’t go as planned since Ronaldo’s pass was cut off by Adriano, who then touched it back to Valdes; then the unthinkable. Valdes lost control of the ball, which allowed Di Maria to pounce on it and score.

Both teams made last gasp effort to snatch an extra goal, but neither was successful. Now the tie switches to the Santiago Bernabeu where it will be decided on Wednesday.

Memo to Iker: When I saw Messi shoot his penalty to the right and Iker go left, I wanted to run up and put a ‘For Sale‘ around his neck.

Now, all you readers are probably wondering: What problem do I have with this? It was a penalty. Penalty kicks are 60%-40% in favor of the kicker.

That is true, but the thing is Messi is the most predictable player in the world when it comes to penalties. He is in love with shooting the ball to his right hand side. Last season, his three misses against Sevilla, Valencia and Chelsea; and his goals against Mallorca, Milan (in the group stage), and even against Espanyol where he scored two from the penalty spot all went to his right side. If Messi were to shoot 10 straight penalties, 9 would go to his right.

With that said, you would think Casillas, who is considered by many the best keeper in the world, would catch on. With all the practices and free time he’s had to study film, it’s only logical he pick up on Messi’s routine. Now it makes me wonder Iker’s commitment off the field.

Casillas is not a mind reader, but if he had studied, he should have had common sense. It’s a crucial penalty that would give Barcelona the lead. Surely he would have thought that Messi would go to his safe side.

All I want from Casillas is for him not to forget that moment and next time remember where to dive. He might not save it, but at least we know he is doing his homework.

!Hala Madrid! !A Por La Supercopa! 

Supercopa de España 2011 (Ida) – Game Recap: Let’s look on the bright side…luck only gets you so far…

by von Doom and el Maestro

First, let us get this out of the way.  We are mad.  Really mad.  What should have been a 5-2 drubbing of Farsa, an emphatic statement of the new Madridista project, this MOU team, instead ended with a dull 2-2 thud, and the collective groan of Madridismo as they said “Great.. here we go again..”

Or is it?   Despite the 2-2 scoreline, it is clear to anyone with a set of functioning eyeballs that Real Madrid wiped the floor with the Farsistas this evening.  However, Madrid was not able to take advantage of the numerous opportunities they were able to create for themselves on the pitch.   So, yes, while we are mad,  we are more mad at the lack of finishing, rather than being mad because they played badly.  Looking forward to Wedenesday’s return leg in the heart of Can Farsa (that’s Camp Nou  to the fake-ass poser culerdo bandwagon fans), other than the psychological intangibles of playing in the Camp Nou, and the weight of recent history (well, we won’t even go into the whole question of dodgy refereeing..yet)  we do not really see what Farsa can throw at el Madrid on Wednesday that would change the flow of play or suggest that what we saw today will not be repeated on Wednesday.  (Well, other than the fluke goals, of course..)

The culerdo hordes will counter that Xavi and Pique did not play in the first half, and that Puyol and Busquets did not play at all.  Fine.  But so what?  Would the inclusion of Xavi changed anything today?  No.   Did his entrance to the game in substitution for Thiago really change anything?  No.   Would Puyol and Busquets have made a difference?  Puyol, not really.  Busquets..hmmm…  In any case, what the culerdos should be worried about is the shocking lack of depth on their side, whereas Madrid’s bench is deep enough that Mou has enough bodies to field two “A” level sides.

Inevitable culerdo gloating aside, the 2-2 result is misleading.  Let’s get one thing ABUNDANTLY clear.   The scoreline had nothing to do with the so-called superiority of Farsa over Real Madrid, because quite simply it was not there.  It was simply a combination of individual brilliance (Villa’s SICK goal) and  luck (Pepe’s unfortunate slip and fall against Messi that left Iker exposed for the  second goal).

To those of us who don’t take hits on the blaugrana bong and actually saw the game, what we did witness was a crushing display of attacking, aggressive football. In other words, what Madrid football should be.   It is quite obvious that Mou studied the game film from the series of Clasicos last spring, learned and adjusted.  It also quite obvious that any gap that existed after the embarrassing 5-0 blaugrana beatdown of last November, is effectively gone.  What we did see is a further glimpse into the longer term “Proyecto Mourinho”, one based on depth, tactical versatility all tempered by a high workrate and a certain aggressive, attacking nous.  While Farsa seems limited and one-dimensional with their possession based 4-3-3, el Madrid can now effectively give an opposing manager fits with the insane amount of tactical options and lineups now available to Mou.

For example, Mou was able to use Pepe as a hybrid central/defensive mid and brought in Coentrao to great effect as a tandem in the midfield with Xabi anchoring at the back that effectively shut down the flow of the ball in the midfield and effectively stifled the short passing game that Farsa depends on to bore their opponents into making a mistake.  Khedira (and later Callejon) did a masterful job of keeping Iniesta in check and other than the unfortunate Pepe slip up, Mou’s lineup effectively kept the Farsa offense in check, going as far as basically landing level in that key Farsa stat, ball possession (52-48% in favor of Farsa).

Mou continued to use Ramos and Marcelo as laterales to bring the attacks up from the back to link up with CR7 and Ozil at 3/4s to take a whopping 20+ shots on goal to Farsa’s 2.   Keep in mind that Mou can also use Coentrao and Altintop as laterales as well.  Considering the multi-faceted skills of the new signings, the tactical possibilities available to Mou are now really mind-boggling.

Despite the adverse score line, I think this is an encouraging result for el Madrid.  They have shown that not only can they go toe-to-toe with Farsa, but effectively shut them down, with (save for Busquets and Puyol) pretty much Farsa’s entire “A” side on the field in the second half.   Additionally, culerdos will not have the excuse of Mourinhista anti-futbol whining this time around.  Mou’s planteamiento was aggressive, attacking, and very much in Farsa’s face.  If this game were to be played 100 times, el Madrid would have won this game on 98 of those occasions.  But futbol is cruel like that sometimes, and the gods of randomness and luck sometimes have their say.

Looking forward to Wednesday, if you love drama, we can think of no better way to exorcise the demons of recent history by going into the mouth of the devil, beating ese Farsa diabolico and snatching the Supercopa from the smug hands of those obnoxious culerdos in their own house. We are pretty sure they will be sore losers (as always) and turn on the sprinklers again…

A brief word on some of the protagonists:

CR7 – Other than his brilliant header in the Copa final last April, Ronaldo continues to come up short in games against el Farsa.  It is not for lack of trying, CR7 is a gamer and the consummate professional, but we feel that perhaps he puts a little bit too much pressure on himself and plays a bit tight.   Loosen up, son, the goals will come.

Ozil and Xabi – the heart and soul of el Madrid.   No other words necessary.   Encouraging to see Ozil’s increase in fitness as compared to last season, as he was looking fresh deep into the game, despite the aggressive run-heavy style Mou imposed on the match.   Xabi’s solidity in the back as the field marshal of the team is what allows Mou the luxury of projecting Pepe forward from his central position to “press” the Farsa midfield to great effect and in the second half allowed Coentrao the freedom to venture in and assist Pepe in his “enforcer” duties.

Benzema –  less touches – more shooting.  Squandered two clear chances due to excessive touches.  However, it is clear to us that Zizou had some kind of sit down with him this summer.  Karim is a different player from last year, when many in Madridismo were ready to write him off as a bust.  BENZE-CRACK is born again (so to speak) and is on a royal tear..let’s hope he’s rewarded with a goal on Wednesday.

Coentrao – a legit multi-position stud, once he came into the game, he (in combination with Pepe) shut down the Farsa midfield.   The Coentrao + Pepe combination is very promising.  We, in the Social Club are getting hard just thinking about unleashing these two in Liga and Champions.

Memo to Florentino:  Your ridiculous decision to not sign Manolito (that’s Adebayor to you bandwagoneers) came back and bit you in the ass.  This game was perfect for a player with Manolito’s attributes.  His inclusion in the game would have added a dimension to the Madrid attack that Farsa had no answer for this evening. How many crosses did CR7 shoot into the box, many of which were clumsily handled?   Jersey sales are one thing.  Winning titulos quite another.  Money is not everything.

And finally – no Clasico is complete without a word on the officiating.

 

Victor Valdes is a massive douchebag.  Not news really, but  an admittedly brilliant effort on his part was undone by his unsportsmanslike conduct versus CR7.  So totally unnecessary.

We are curious Farsistas – what b.s. are you going to invent to excuse that move?

Valdes’ bush-league trip on CR7 in the second half should have resulted in a penalty and an automatic red card.  To the credit of Farsa, Pedro should have also been awarded a penalty for Marcelo’s tackle from behind the area later on in the game.   Perhaps Teixeira did not call Marcelo’s penalty to atone for his egregious earlier non-call on Valdes.  In any case, in a perfect world, it would have been a 3-3 scoreline, but the drama going into the Camp Nou on Wednesday would have been quite different.

Considering this, one can understand the frustration of Mou and Karanka in the post-game presser, as the tossing of Valdes (and subsequent suspension in the return leg) would have been a huge tactical advantage for el Madrid, as the quality drop off from Valdes to Pinto is quite noticeable.  But whatever, UEFArsa is what it is, and I think Mou has made his peace with it, and will adjust accordingly.

A por ellos este miercoles… a por la Supercopa.. ¡Hala Madrid!