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!
REAL MADRID SOCIAL CLUB 
