Betis Review, Getafe Preview, Opinion Piece

By: Corey | September 29th, 2007

So I did not review the Betis game. I watched it, I was not impressed for the most part, but hey they won again so you can not be all doom and gloom right? Im not, The Beast’s goal was how do you say Joga Bonito.
I was watching a stream of the game in class with my Mexican buddy, peering over his shoulder as my professor rambled about SAT scores and what they mean.

When Baptista scored I threw my arms up in the air and yelled out GOAL! I know, embaressing right? Nah, the class went silent and he asked me what I was doing. I said I agreed with his arguement and was very passionate about it and didnt say goal, I said great. He bought and kept on lecturing. Smooth moves. Heres the goals in the Betis game:

REAL MADRID 2 - REAL BETIS 0
Uploaded by juangolf

Raul tried to stay on his feet, he fought to get a shot off, and he didnt ask for a penalty. Raul is like Jesus. And Baptista’s goal is a 10/10, just beutiful, see Schuster give this guy a chance.

Next up is Getafe tomorrow, Sunday, at 1. As Steve said, there wont be live coverage on SKY, but I watch streamed anyways so hopefully I can pick the game up, I wont be doing anything tomorrow I dont think. Getafe as we all know is strugglin at the moment, maybe because they keep loosing their coaches to the big guys, and their players are not more then a collection of journeymen and big club discards that have a point to prove. But then again, thats what really endears them to the fans, they are a club of modest means punching above their weight.

This is for Ryan, please dont watch this video its terrible, but its the only non-live version of the song I could find. These kids should not own a video camera, terrible shit.

Getafe Team News
I expect Braulio to start, he bagging the only goal in the loss to Valencia during the midweek. I am pretty sure Ruben de la Red wont be playing, the same with Granero. So Javi Casquero may have a new partner in Celstini, the ex-Marseille player being a decent “water carrier”, and Manu del Moral may start in an attacking midfield role. The defense should remain the same, really the only changes are forced with the two ex-Real players most likely not being allowed to play against their former team, although I am not positive about the clause existing in either of their contracts. If not De la Red starts, he has looked good so far.

Getafe have been creating a couple of chances a game, but they are strong defensively and will be a handful at home for Real. We struggle in the Coliseum Afonso Perez, so I personally am a little nervous about this game. Getafe have there backs to the walls right now, they need a win to start there season, and one against Real always does the morale good. I expect them to defend deep and hit hard on the counter even though they are at home, but they will be solid in the center of the pitch, Celistini is a terrier, so someone like Guti may be left on the bench in favor of Sneijder in the middle.

Real Madrid Team News
Bernd Schuster has decided Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Gonzalo Higuaín should rest against Getafe and has therefore excluded them from his 18-man squad list. Míchel Salgado, Roberto Soldado and Jordi Codina have also been left out due to coaching decisions. Pepe and Metzelder are still injured and won’t go to the game either.

SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek
Defenders: Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Marcelo, Heinze, Torres
Midfielders: Diarra, Fernando Gago, Robinho, Robben, Guti, Drenthe, Sneijder, Balboa
Forwards: Raúl, Saviola, Baptista

Soldado misses out again, let me just say this “Inter”. I was reading Chris’s preview of the Roma-Inter game where he expresses his distaste for Inter, when I shared with him my distaste for all things Inter. From now on, when im frustrated with something instead of saying shit or fuck to myself i just say “Inter”. So for future reference, Inter is not a good thing.

I expect some change, mostly on the flanks. The defence will remain the same with Metz and Pepe still out. Which means we get to see Torres yet again, he deserves it. In midfield Diarra will be there, Guti probably wont be though. Atleast I wouldnt have him out there. I would have Sneijder with Diarra for a strong central partnership, with Robben and Robinho on the flanks. Getafe are a solid team, very little showmanship, so its gonna be a war, not a dance. Saviola will start again, how Schuster plays him after a largely invisible showing is beyond me. Schuster = Inter right about meow.

He does so well with most of the selections, but he makes some real big errors sometimes, which is why the campaign to make me, Corey Fiske, coach of Real Madrid next year. Ill deliver titles, beautiful football, and interesting quotes for the press while I haggle with Calderon and Pedja and Portugal about players and finances and a better bench for the home team so that when you stand up you dont hit your head on the roof thingy. You know what im talking about.

Anyways, here is my lineup:

Casillas
Torres Sergio Ramos Canna Heinze
Robinho Diarra Sneijder Robben
Raul Saviola

Baptista should get a run out, while Guti may be employed on the left/center depending on how the Dutchmen do during the course of the game. Saviola will be anymous most likely, so the Beast will be brought in to back up Raul, but Soldado would be better here as Raul plays in the hole better then up top. Resting RVN again? His injury must have been more serious then first though. Anyways, look for the score to be 1-0 or 2-1 in favor of the good guys, this game will be tight but we can pull it off.

Opinion Salad

So I watched the West Virgina vs U of Southern Florida game at the bar last night, and I loved it. The team spirit and determination of Southern Florida was something to be admired. Heres a little dity on them http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=3041718&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab5pos1. With 85% or something like that of Florida’s top prospects going to Southern, they have a team (squad is a purely European term, this is American football we are talking about now) that is based on localy, homegrown talent. All of these players have a connection, they play for the school and for the state as a whole, and the unity in the locker room must be incredible.

So my question is, Real Madrid, the high and mighty institution of sport that it is, has a squad that includes Casillas, Torres, Guti, Raul, Soldado, Balboa and Codina from the youth team. And Salgado, Sergio Ramos are the other Spanish players on the team. 8 Spanish players, thats it. (Balboa is basically Spanish but he plays for the Equitorial Guniea, also he is in the squad, which im excited about!) Are we Inter, where we have no national players? No, we are not scum like them, we need to start buying more Spanish players, promoting more youth team players, and buying less South American talent.

Brazilians and Argentines are great, but they are foreigners, and cant lock into the team the same way a young lad who’s father has taken him to the Cibelas fountain before to see the team celebrate a title can lock in to the team.
Im being nationalist maybe, but the backbone of the team should be Spanish, homegrown, and dedicated to the club. With that, watch the squads unity and morale improve over night. Foreign players will always play for Real, and I welcome them with open arms, but I want more Spanish players then foreign players ,and right now theres an imbalance. We are a Spanish team, we should have a squad the mirrors that.

Of course theres a whole slew of reasons why theres so many foreign players on the big teams these days. Obviously its very fashionable but also very practical to have talented Brazilians on the squad. The Dutch are travelers as well, and I really enjoy the foreign players we have (minus Saviola and Cannavaro), so dont think im a xenophobe and hate all things not Spanish. This is not true, I simply am asking for more of a balance. Maybe we can return to winning consistenly like we were in the late 90’s early 00’s, with a large contigent of Spanish players and a sprinkling of foreign talent too. Southern Florida can do it, so can Real Madrid.