Make It 33!

By El Maestro

It’s finally confirmed; Real Madrid are officially La Liga Champions for the 33rd time in the club’s history. It’s been a long road and at times and at times it looked like it wouldn’t happen, but Madrid finally brought home the La Liga title for the first time since the 2011/2012 season.

A journey that started back in August with a 0-3 away victory against Real Sociedad, Real Madrid won it’s opening 4 league encounters before facing their first hurdles. They drew three straight fixtures; two at home against Villarreal and Eibar, and one away at Las Palmas. However, Real Madrid recovered from that and returned to winning ways hammering Betis 1-6 away. In fact, after the week 7 draw to Eibar, Madrid would win 10 of the 12 remaining first round fixtures; including a 0-3 hammering of Atletico Madrid in the Vicente Calderon. They drew 1-1 to Barcelona in the Camp Nou and suffered their first lost of the season in all competitions 2-1 away at Sevilla.

More issues arrose in the second half of the season after a defeat away to Valencia, a home draw to Las Palmas, and coming back to beat Villarreal away 2-3 after being down 2-0 in the second half. After a 1-1 draw at home to Atletico Madrid, the league title looked to be in Barcelona’s hands who would depend solely on themselves if they beat Malaga later that day. However, Barcelona would go on to lose to Malaga, keeping the title in Madrid’s hands and ending the league lead to three points.

The last minute lost in el Clasico was hard, but not a crushing blow as Real Madrid were still in the driving seat if they went on to win their remaining league fixtures. It wasn’t easy and it required some important late goals to beat the likes of Valencia, Sevilla, and Celta. But Real Madrid won its remaining six fixtures, including the one against Malaga on Sunday, to clinch La Liga. Despite all the ups and downs, Real Madrid persevered and stayed mentally strong to win La Liga.

Now it’s time to on the Champions League Final in Cardiff on June 3rd.

33 LIGAS! HALA MADRID!

 

Real Madrid 3 – 0 Atletico Madrid! Almost There!

By El Maestro

Like Gary Neville in his game commentary: UN-BE-LIEVABLE.

What a performance. A 3-0 win, with a hat-trick by CR7, to virtually finish off the tie heading to the return leg next Wednesday in the Vicente Calderon.

There really isn’t much to analyze. Real Madrid dominated Atletico Madrid from top to bottom. Madrid may have won 3-0, but it could have easily finished 7-0. Despite Atletico’s impressive defensive record coming into the series, Madrid shot 7 times on target while the “Colchoneros” only shot once.

It was a near perfect performance by every wearing the Real Madrid shirt. Keylor Navas came up big by stopping Gameiro’s one on one, the defense kept Griezmann and Atletico’s other attacking threats quiet for the 90 minutes. the midfield was outstanding, and CR7 was CR7 as always.

With all the criticism Ronaldo has received this season, it’s worth noting he’s scored 8 goals in Madrid’s last three Champions League fixtures. A hat-trick against Atletico Madrid and 5 total goals against Bayern Munich. At the beginning of the season, Zidane wanted to reduce Cristiano’s minutes early on so he could be in top shape towards the final stretch of the season and it looks like it’s paying off.

Real Madrid almost have two feet in the Champions League Final, but they still need to take the 2nd leg in the Calderon serious. They may have played a fantastic game, but Madrid has also been known for taking their foot off the gas. Realistically, Real Madrid shouldn’t have any major issues in the return leg, but they just need to make sure they do their job to officially book their place in the Champions League Final on in Cardiff.

HALA MADRID! 

 

 

Real Madrid 3-0 Atletico Madrid Recap

By El Maestro

Real Madrid Starting 11:

Keylor Navas

Carvajal    Varane    Ramos.   Marcelo

Kroos    Casemiro   Modric

     Isco    Benzema    Cristiano

Substituions: Nacho for Carvajal, Asensio for Isco, and Lucas Vazquez for Benzema

Atletico Madrid Starting 11:

Jan Oblak

Lucas    Savic    Godin    Luis

Koke    Gabi    Saul    Carrasco

 Gameiro    Griezmann

Substitutions: Gaitan for Saul, Gameiro for Torres, and Carrasco for Correa

Goals: Cristiano Ronaldo (10, 72, and 86 minute)

Champions League Semi-Final 1st Leg Preview: Real Madrid – Atletico Madrid

By El Maestro

A fourth straight season taking on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. We all remember how the last three encounters went.

Champions League Final 2013/2014: Real Madrid 4 – 1 Atletico Madrid

Champions League Quarter-Finals 2014/2015: Real Madrid 1 – 0 Atletico Madrid (total 2 legged aggregate)

Champions League Final 2015/2016: Real Madrid 1 (5) – 1 (3) (won on penalties)

There encounters, three victories for Real Madrid.

Real Madrid look to become the first team to win two straight Champions Leagues since the competition was rebranded in the early 90s, while Atletico Madrid hope to finally bring home the only trophy that has eluded them for so many years. There really isn’t much to explain when it comes analyzing both teams.

Atletico may not have the same quality players as Real Madrid, but they should never be underestimated. Defensively, we all know that they’re a well organized side that’s hard to score goals on. In attack, they have arguably one of the five best players in the world in Antoine Griezmann, Saul has stepped up in midfield to score some crucial goals this season, Koke looks to have regained his old form and have been a pivotal figure in driving the midfield and both Yannick Carrasco and Kevin Gameiro have given the team additional goal providers.

On paper, Real Madrid are clearly the better side. However, the question is which Real Madrid will we get. Will it be the one that ran riot against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena or the one that let Barcelona back in the La Liga race.

Despite Madrid’s impressive record against their local rival in the Champions League, it’s Atletico that’s had Real Madrid’s number in all Spanish competitions. Real Madrid may have beaten Atletico 0-3 in the Calderon in the first league encounter back in November, but before they hadn’t beaten Atletico in La Liga since the 2012/2013 season. In that time, Atletico beat Madrid four times in La Liga, eliminated them from the 2014/2015 Copa del Rey, and won the 2014 Spanish Super Cup.

That being said, it’s Real Madrid with the psychological advantage in the Champions League. Real Madrid want to become the first team to win two straight Champions League titles, but all the pressure in this tie is on Atletico Madrid for three reasons:

• Real Madrid have more chances of returning to the semifinals next season than Atletico Madrid.
• Real Madrid don’t need to worry about bragging rights since they already beat Atletico on three different occasions.
• Atletico Madrid hate Real Madrid more than Real Madrid hate Atletico Madrid. Henceforth, the pain of losing is much greater for Atletico Madrid players and fans.

Real Madrid are the favorites in this series as a result of their squad and record against Atletico in the Champions League. However, once the game starts, it’ll be a war on the field and both sides will do everything they can to be in the final.

Let’s just hope it’s Real Madrid playing the final in Cardiff on June 3rd.

HALA MADRID Y NADA MAS! 

 

 

Easy Votes at the Expense of Real Madrid

By El Maestro

On Sunday, the game that was suppose to see Celta Vigo take on Real Madrid the Estadio de Balaidos was postponed as a result of stadium concerns. Extreme weather on the Friday before the game had caused some damages to Celta’s home stadium and after a report presented by Vigo’s City Council, Balaidos was not deemed safe for the game to go on.

However, since the game was postponed, all the focus has been on Real Madrid and Vigo’s Mayor Abel Caballero. A battle that was started on Monday by Mr. Caballero and has continued through Tuesday when he said he was disappointed by Real Madrid’s behavior, and even accused them of being arrogant and inconsiderate of the dangerous conditions.

https://twitter.com/elchiringuitotv/status/828624719087796224

Something that prompted a response from “los Blanco” who slammed Vigo’s Mayor by virtually calling him a liar and saying his claims were completely false.

https://twitter.com/realmadriden/status/828695411766489088

Opportunism at its Fullest:  

In terms of the game being postponed, there is nothing to argue. Vigo’s City Council made a report stating the potential liability and it was wise to cancel the game. In fact, it was Abel Caballero who announced on Saturday afternoon that the game would not be played. Even though the league office didn’t officially cancel the match until later that evening.   

Regardless, Abel Caballero’s behavior this week was nothing more than an opportunity for him to reinforce his political image. He claims that Real Madrid tried pressuring the city to play the game at any cost. Something that, as previously stated by Madrid, is completely false. Not just that, no one at club, from Florentino Perez to Zidane to the players, has even said anything publicly in regards to Sunday’s postponed fixture.

So why would Abel Caballero make a big deal about this? It has nothing to do with media reports, closed door conversations, or public statements.

Very simple, it’s all a political stunt. By challenging Real Madrid, Spain’s most successful and hated football club, he is:

1. Winning easy votes.
2. Strengthening his political image amongst fellow colleagues.  
3. Gaining some global awareness.

Quick Memo:

If Celta Vigo really wanted to play the game, they would have done everything in their power to fix the stadium damages. Maybe the game still wouldn’t have been played, but they would have worked until the last minute to play the game.

How Good is Zidane the Manager?

By El Maestro

The 3-0 victory over Real Sociedad on Sunday have been able to license some critics, especially after increasing the league gap to 4 points after both Sevilla and Barcelona dropped points over the weekend (both now leveled with 42 points). Regardless, questions are still being asked about Zidane as a manager after Madrid’s previous poor run of results that included 1 win in 5 games (not including Sunday’s win) and being eliminated from the Copa del Rey last Wednesday to Celta Vigo. It may seem ridiculous to pose this question after Zidane’s recent success, but I think It is something that should be asked. 

Is Zidane really a great coach or just a figurehead in the locker room? What does it actually mean to be a great coach or figurehead?

Great Coach:

• Tactical awareness and reading of the game.
• Able to make tough decisions.
• Man manager.

Figurehead:

• Given into the core players.
• Inconsistency with meritocracy.
• Struggle to make tough decisions.

This is a personal opinion and it pains me to say it because I have a lot of respect and admiration for Zidane, but unfortunately I think he falls more under the second category. People will point to the 3 titles he’s won in 2016, the 40 game unbeaten streak, and Madrid’s current position in the league table. That’s true, but I could also name a number of coaches that had similar success at big clubs and then did very little after leaving those teams.

• Vicente Del Bosque: Won 2 La Liga and Champions League titles, but only had one coaching stint after leaving Real Madrid in 2003 and being hired by the Spanish national team in 2008. That only coaching stint was in 2004 with Besiktas where he was sacked before the end of the season.  
  
• Frank Rijkaard: Won two La Liga titles and one Champions League trophy with Barcelona. Despite his success, his only coaching position since leaving the “azulgranas” have been one season with Galatasaray and two years with the Saudi Arabian national team.
• Roberto Di Matteo: Won the Champions League in 2012 with Chelsea, but was then fired early on the following season. Since then, he coached Schalke 04 for one year and took over Aston Villa in the summer before getting the sack in early October.  

Zidane does deserve credit for what he’s done with Real Madrid up to this point, but he’s also managing a team that is considered by many one of the three best teams in the world. Real Madrid can win 90% of their games on talent only and without Zidane having to showcase his coaching skills. However, when Madrid go up against a well organized side and can’t rely solely on their talent, that’s where Zidane shows his tactical limitations.

When it comes to reading the game and making the necessary changes, a lot of his substitutions are mostly like for like and are sometimes made too late in the game. Let’s use last Wednesday’s game against Celta Vigo. Real Madrid needed to score two goals, but were struggling to create many opportunity and were being outmatched in midfield. Despite this, not just did Zidane not make a change at halftime, he didn’t make his first substitution until about the 75th minute of the second half. It wasn’t even a tactically, he just made a like for like switch taking off Marco Asensio for Lucas Vazquez.  

He has shown some great man management skills and all the players have backed him publicly, but Zidane is so close that it almost looks like he’s given into the core players and even the media; affecting his ability to make tough decisions. This doesn’t mean that the likes of Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Cristiano, etc are the ones running the show, but that Zidane’s idea of keeping the locker room happy and friendly may be by showing full confidence in the core players. It’s not a bad idea, but what do you do if they continue to struggle and those on the bench are actually doing better? Something that has shown to cause a divide in dressing rooms around the world between regular starters and bench players. What are some current examples of this?

• Cristiano Ronaldo: It’s evident that he doesn’t have the speed he use to have, but Zidane continues to put him on the left wing because that Ronaldo’s favorite position. Something that the Frenchman has admitted publicly to the press. Even though his best games this season have been playing as a number 9 strikers.
  
  
• Number 9 Striker: I found this interesting statistic last week before the return leg against Celta Vigo and it will alarm a lot of people.
  • Benzema: 1 goal every 136 minutes
  • Morata: 1 goal every 126 minutes
  • Mariano: 1 goal every 44 minutes
    
  • Yet Mariano can barely get a game under Zidane. Is it his trust in Bezema and Morata or the fact that he’s afraid of the locker room’s and/or media reaction even if he plays Mariano in front of Morata?

• Goalkeeping Situation: Keylor Navas was key in Real Madrid’s success last season, but he hasn’t been the same this campaign since returning from his injury. He’s made several notable mistakes that have put Madrid in bad situations, has conceded many soft goals that could have easily been stopped, and his areal play has been off and struggles to come off his line. Not to mention that Kiko Casilla has done a very good job this season every time he’s been called to action, especially in the cup tournament this month where he’s made some crucial saves to keep Real Madrid alive in the games. Navas has still been solid in goal this season and isn’t currently a liability for the team. However, if he continues to struggle and starts becoming a liability, will Zidane have what it takes to sit Navas in favor of Casilla.
• 2015/2016 Season: It all ended well for Zidane last season, but let’s not forget that his coaching tenure started off by playing all the creative playmakers (CR7, Benzema, Bale, Modric, Kroos, James, and Isco) and leaving out a holding midfielder. A change he made two months later after some injuries and poor player performances made him have to start Casemiro. From that moment on, the team was more balanced and played better.  

Good things to point out:   

Despite some of these issues, there are some good things Zidane has managed very well.

1. Getting Ronaldo to rest more often this season in order for him to be better physically fit in the final stretch of the season.
2. His handling of James Rodriguez. At times it hasn’t been perfect, but Zidane has been able to get a good version out of the Colombian this season.  
3. Has slightly improved tactically this season, which we saw in the Madrid Derby in November and even properly executing a 3-5-2 formation. Something that has not gone unnoticed and even received praise from fellow colleagues Jorge Sampaoli and Eduardo Berizzo.

Zidane still is a young manager learning the trait. Up to now he’s done a very good job, but he needs to improve on these weaknesses if he wants to manage Real Madrid for many years. He already has good man management skills, but now he has to improve on his tactical awareness and decision making if he wants to become an even better coach.

 

Lack of Attitude My Ass

By El Maestro

What do Zidane and a broken record have in common: they both repeat things over and over. Hearing Zidane’s post game press conferences this season after Madrid draw reminds me of the 1993 movie Groundhog Day where Phil Connors (played by Bill Murray) wakes up every morning on the same February 2nd day to the same song and radio transmission. This season, every time Real Madrid has dropped points, Zidane has used the same excuses.

• Lack of attitude.
• Lack of Intensity.
• Lack of focus.
• Lack of energy.
• Etc.

I understand that Zidane is trying not single out any of his players, but the reason behind Madrid’s struggles is very simple. It’s not a lack of attitude or the fact that the star players have a guaranteed place in the starting 11 each week. It’s the fact that there is a lack of balance in the team. Where does that balance lie: holding midfield position. In other words, since Casemiro has been injured, the team has lost its shape. Of course you still need your best players in defense and attack, but a holding midfielder is what gives a team its balance between defense and attack. A holding midfielder takes pressure off the defense, allows the attacking midfielders to be creative, and let’s the forwards focus more on attacking.

I find it funny how so many fans can fall for the “lack of attitude” argument. Lack of attitude can occur with big clubs when they take on more moderate teams, but only on a few occasions. Once the same negative results are repetitive, then the problem must surely be somewhere else. Let’s think about, how can the same group of Madrid players have little motivation to beat a strong Villarreal side (4th last season) in the Santiago Bernabeu (ended 1-1), and yet find that lost inspiration to thrash Legia Warsaw at that same venue. If it is a lack of attitude, then Zidane is a bad coach or these players are the worst professionals of all time, which I don’t think is the case. When Barcelona or Bayern Munich won the treble, do people think they won it simply because they had better attitude than the other team, NO! It’s because they were well balanced and organized, which allowed them to play better than their opponents. We can even use Real Madrid’s Zidane team from last season as an example. During Zidane’s first two months in charge, Madrid wasn’t playing well and had dropped 7 points to Betis, Malaga, and Atletico Madrid. It was also during that time that I heard the same excuses of lack of attitude, intensity, etc. It all changed in early March when Casemiro was included in the starting 11. From that moment on, the team regained its balance and were playing much better. Ironically, I didn’t hear the old excuses of “lack of attitude” from that point on. The holding midfielder is more important than people think, but don’t ask me. Just look at some of the top teams across Europe: Bayern Munich (Xabi Alonso), Barcelona (Busquets), PSG (Krychowiak), Manchester City (Fernandinho), Atletico Madrid (Gabi)

However, the problem is not that Casemiro isn’t playings, it’s the fact that there is no one to replace him. Zidane is still determine to put Kroos in that position, but he’s shown on numerous occasions he can’t play as a holding midfielder. The only midfielder that is a better fit in that position is Kovacic. He’s not a natural holding midfielder, but he can do the job very well. The other option would be to put one of the center backs in that position, though it won’t be possible now because of the injuries. Regardless, Zidane still continues to put Toni Kroos as a holding midfielder. Let’s just hope two things:

1. Casemiro get’s back soon.
2. Zidane comes to his senses and signs another holding midfielder in January (hoping FIFA doesn’t uphold the transfer ban on Madrid).

HALA MADRID!!!

 

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!!!

The Weeks That Have Gone

By El Maestro

Unfortunately, due to work and other matters I had to attend to, I have not been able to write about the recent topics that have transpired in the past few weeks: Madrid losing to Atletico, La Liga started again, Casillas is still in goal, Di Maria and Xabi Alonso both left the club in two distinct ways and El Chicharito.

Di Maria and Xabi:

I first want to start with the recent departures. Di Maria was about time and for a great deal: €75 million plus €15 million in incentives. To a Manchester United side that won’t be playing European football this season. However, what has people talking is his farewell letter that was published in a Spanish newspaper. My honest opinion, I’m glad he’s finally out. He was a great player and instrumental in last seasons double winning run, but he was a huge headache. He and his agent were always asking for raises every year and his attitude for the first part of last season was completely unprofessional. By the way, I think it was observe to ask for another raise just for playing six great months. He already got a pay raise in early 2012 and then took the entire 2012/2013 season off. If he wanted to make world class money at Madrid, he should have kept his mouth shut and played this season the same way he finished the one before. Maybe it would have been a different story if he had done that.

Xabi Alonso on the other hand was a huge surprise that came out of no where. Already, there are people who are saying his departure is worse than Di Maria’s as it came days before the close of the transfer market. While it’s true it was not the best timing, Xabi leaving the club and taking a pay cut to go to Bayern makes me think something is up. Of course he wanted to have more minutes, but it doesn’t make sense that he would choose to leave now when it was obvious his playing time was going to be reduced with the signings of Kroos and James in July. He even started both games against Atletico and didn’t play the European Supercup because he was unfairly suspended. Xabi is a serious professional and all this makes me believe that he possibly sees something in the dressing room we don’t see.

Regardless, thank you both for your services and we wish you two the best at your new clubs.

Atletico, Cordoba, Real Sociedad and Casillas in goal:

Shambolic would be the best word to describe Madrid’s performances in the last three games. They only created one clear opportunity on goal against Atletico in the 2nd leg, beat Cordoba because they had no firepower in attack and lost to Real Sociedad after blowing a 0-2 lead in Anoeta. To make it simple, this squad is going no where if they don’t get their act together. If Sociedad can score four unanswered goals, imagine what a team with top players can do.

All this with Casillas in goal (just to let Marca know). It would be irresponsible to blame Iker for these games, but his performances have been under par. He could do nothing to stop Atletico’s only goal, but he had a bad outing against Cordoba and should have done better in la Real’s first and third goal. If he continues this way, the question will be whether Ancelotti has the personality to bench him or will he crumble under the pressure?

El Chicharito:

Lastly, the transfer market ends today and Madrid have finally signed a striker. Javier ‘Chicharito Hernandez arrives on a one year loan deal from Manchester United. Believe it or not, I actually like the move. Naturally, I preferred Falcao, but Chicharito might be exactly what Real Madrid needs. He didn’t play much last season, but he’s a pure number 9 striker and can come off the bench. The best thing about him is that he’s a natural goal poacher, which is what this team is looking for. He’s not the most talented player, but he always seems to find the open spaces and be at the right place at the right time. Exactly like Raul, but with more to offer on the field.

Bienvenido Chicharito