Liveblog: Almeria v Real Madrid

Hala Madrid! Los Merengues travel to Andalucia to take on eighth-place Almeria. The match will be shown on Sky Sports Xtra at 7pm tonight here in the UK. Corey already has a preview of the match, so go over, check it out, then come back here in 5 hours time to witness our beloved Blancos try to distance themselves even further from the evil Catalans of Barcelona.

Tonight’s squad will look a bit different from last week’s, partially through Gago’s suspension upon collecting his fifth yellow card of the season, and because Ruud has picked up a knock, so he’ll likely be rested though he’ll be on the bench if required for spot duty. It would be lovely to see Soldado play up front tonight, because Saviola has been useless as Ruud’s replacement. Diarra is back in the squad after Mali’s exit from the African Nations’ Cup, and Metzelder is likely to be out for 2 months after the possibility of surgery for his plantar fasciitis was raised.

This is the squad I’d like to see: Casillas, Torres, Ramos, Cannavaro, Marcelo, Diarra, Baptista, Guti, Robinho, Raul, Soldado. My preferred subs would be Balboa, Drenthe and Sneijder. We’ll see how it turns out though. See you all in 5 hours!

PREGAME: Real visit Almeria for the first time since 1980… it’s been that long for the Andalucian side since they were in the top flight.
PREGAME: ok, it’s Casillas, Salgado, Ramos, Cannavaro, Torres, Guti, Diarra, Sneijder, Robinho, Raul and Ruud.
PREGAME: We’re about to start… let’s get this show on the road!
3min: Almeria are starting out playing pretty tough on the ball. It’s been bouncing around in the midfield… no clear chances yet. No good movement yet either.
6min: Brutal giveaway by Guti on a lazy backpass to Cannavaro… Almeria steal the ball but waste the opportunity by not even getting a shot on goal.
7min: Oh! Great play by Raul… takes in a long pass from Cannavaro, and whilst guarded by 2 defenders, just barely chips over the top of goal, with Almeria’s keeper, Alves, totally out of place.
8min: Almeria must really think that Torres is the weaker fullback, as they’re overloading the right wing now… 4 guys and Real brings the midfield in to compensate…
10min: Sneijder muffs on a free kick and Almeria clear their half… Ugh, I know Baptista wasn’t that great last week, but surely he’s a better option than Sneijder.
12min: Another foul on Sneijder by Juanito… but it goes awry and Almeria again come away with the ball… Salgado clears it off the left wing for a throw-in.
13min: Almeria are really playing wide, forcing Real to spread the back four apart… Bruno and Juanito are trading the ball around, but Bruno’s last cross was an easy take for Casillas.
14min: The Sky commentators have just mentioned, during an injury stoppage, that Schuster has had Real working on defensive set plays for the last 2 days… about time, i say!
15min: Sergio Ramos gets a yellow card, a cheap one i think, for a supposedly high challenge, but he was in fact jumping (almost skipping) to block a cross or shot from the Almeria left wing… damn it, where was Salgado?
16min: GOAL! Juanito gets the ball barely over the line before Casillas punches the ball out after the quickly taken free kick… Cannavaro either slips or gets pushed in the back just before the cross and can only head the ball in Juanito’s direction. Tough to blame just him, the defense wasn’t paying attention. Almeria 1-0 Real Madrid.
18min: Real come back for a chance, but they can’t get a ball on target.
20min: Almeria is pushing hard, showing Real no respect at all… far less room for Real to work in than against Villarreal last week.
21min: Almeria just look quicker on the ball right now… though Real have pushed in and won a corner…
23min: Almeria has just got loads of pace… Negredo rounds Casillas but can’t get a shot on goal as Salgado blocks one out for a corner… Nothing doing but Real can’t clear and they concede another corner…
24min: Ooh, a long pass by Cannavaro is just beyond the diving stab by Ruud…
25min: A yellow card on Melo, a late tackle on Ramos… they’re not letting Real have any time on the ball… we’ll see if they can maintain this pace though… as long as Real can keep it close, they should be able to pull back at least a goal in the second half.
26min: Comes to nothing though. A weak header that Casillas easily catches.
28min: Yellow card on Diego Alves, as the keeper came outside the penalty area to block Ramos from continuing a great counterattack by Real… and a yellow on Casillas who ran all the way to the other end to protest. Ugh. What a stupid card to take.
30min: The problem with having centrebacks up forward for free kicks into the box is that there’s no one back to defend if possession is given back quickly… that’s what happened here when Diarra had to challenge for a high outlet pass and gave up a free kick.
31min: Good cover by Cannavaro on a nice outlet for Negredo… clears it for a throw-in.
33min: Guti is getting absolutely no time on the ball to pick out his seeing-eye passes…
35min: Negredo and Cannavaro is looking like a good matchup… apparently they did have some time together on the pitch last year when Negredo was at Castilla…
36min: It’s getting chippy out there… Almeria is pressing hard on defense, and going in fast into tackles. I wouldn’t say it’s reckless, but Real are just not getting any time on the ball.
36min: Oh! Robinho gives away a great opportunity after getting in behind Bruno, the rightback… his right-footed cross goes straight to Alves.
37min: And now Negredo is the one with the chance, though his long shot from outside the box goes wide.
38min: Almeria are being a bit cheeky on their free kicks… loading up as if they’re going into the box for a header, and then putting it back for a long shot…
41min: Ugh, Casillas throws out to start a counter, but Real is either sleeping or just being lazy… intercepted ball.
44min: Real is really not getting any good possession… Almeria are getting the better of just about everything… headers, passes, etc…
45min: Yellow card on Sneijder for a challenge on Melo. Almeria win back possession and immediately push forward, and Sneijder clips Melo’s back foot…
45+2min: Guti gets a shot away, but it skips along and slows for an easy save for Alves to his left. It was a good attempt though, Guti looked like he was going to square for Robinho, but turned for the shot at the last second.
HALFTIME: Almeria are really sticking to their game plan, according to the Sky studio commentators, and it’s working well.
HALFTIME: Cannavaro has slipped more than once… he slipped as he followed through on his long pass to Raul, he slipped on the Almeria goal, I saw him slip while chasing Negredo or Bruno out to the touchline… He must have put on the wrong cleats.
HALFTIME: The Sky studio analyst blames Cannavaro for the goal… well, the whole defense, but he singles out Cannavaro for slipping. I dunno… maybe you can fault his shoe selection, but it’s not like he was marking Juanito who walked in untouched to take that shot… Cannavaro was marking someone else on that play.
HALFTIME: That said, there haven’t been that many actual opportunities for Almeria, while Real just missed getting the opener from Raul’s missed chip, and Robinho squandered a fantastic chance… so as long as Real keep it tight, I’m confident of a comeback.
HALFTIME: Misplaced confidence? Maybe… we’ll see.
HALFTIME: Ruud looked like he was struggling with his ankle at the end of that half… i dunno why he was playing anyways, Schuster should sub him now.
HALFTIME: Looks like Higuain will be coming on… for Ruud? Probably…
46min: it is Higuain on for Ruud… why not Soldado? The commentators have also mentioned Baptista as a possibility… not sure if it’ll be Raul in behind Higuain or vice versa…
46min: Oh… Penalty given! Cannavaro gives one up… Negredo to take…
47min: GOAL! Negredo gets Casillas going the wrong way from the spot kick. Almeria 2-0 Real Madrid.
48min: Again, Almeria were just quicker to the ball than Real… Salgado, in fact, so slow that Ramos had to cover the cross from the Almeria left wing, and Cannavaro was one-on-one with Negredo and basically obstructed him in the box.
49min: Argh! Almeria really is quicker to the ball… everyone on Real is looking a step slow… especially Salgado who gets caught upfield again, and Almeria are able to get an outlet for Negredo… Diarra is looking sluggish too.
49min: Sneijder’s passing is horrid. Period.
52min: Not sure if Real are hoping to play the same way as against Villarreal, but Almeria isn’t defending like Villarreal, so why are they so slow? They need to get quicker… now. This is giving a blueprint of how to beat us.
54min: Oh! Great save by Alves on Raul’s header… the cross from Robinho was perfect and Raul hit it across the goal but Alves got sideways full-length for the save.
55min: Oh, Robinho goes around Bruno like a pylon and dances his way inside for a shot on Alves. Well saved.
55min: The Almeria fullbacks might be getting tired… Robinho’s getting more chances now…
57min: Negredo is a handful, but it speaks volumes that it’s always Cannavaro marking him, doesn’t it? Ramos has the size and speed to keep up, but I presume not the defensive awareness needed…
59min: Poor poor poor free kick attempt on goal by Sneijder. Get this guy out of there.
61min: Higuain has done jack-all. Baptista looks like he’s coming on…
63min: Real are now starting to get better possessions… Almeria is starting to tire out… Real’s getting a bunch of corner kicks in succession, but not getting any success in the box… one particular effort flashed across the 6-yard box, but Ramos was too far to get his head on it.
64min: Baptista comes on for Salgado… interesting… maybe a 3 man back line?
65min: Corona goes off for Jose Ortiz.
66min: Higuain looks like he’s moved from the centre-forward position to the right wing…
67min: Almeria are starting to bend a bit, but they’ve definitely not broken…
69min: A yellow card for Ramos… not sure for what.
69min: Oh! Higuain lays the ball in for Raul, but he’s just a step too slow as the Almeria defender is able to tap it out for a corner…
72min: Injury stoppage on Almeria’s Pulido…
73min: Ugh… Higuain gives the ball away on an ill-advised pass behind Sneijder…
73min: Balboa’s coming on! Woot! I wonder for who…
74min: Oh! Crusat races in, almost a breakaway, after a Guti giveaway… Torres cuts him off from going more centrally, and in the end, it’s a weak weak shot that Casillas saves easily.
75min: Guti picks up a yellow for obstruction… he’s been weak.
75min: Balboa on for Sneijder… Finally!
76min: Oh! Balboa races out on the right wing and crosses in but Raul’s header goes over the bar… Balboa should’ve just squared the ball on the ground for a tap-in, would’ve been much easier…
77min: Real’s pushing in now… Higuain volleys in, but Alves makes a great save. And another chance, but not only is Ramos offside, but it’s a great goal line clearance.
79min: Uche on for Negredo.
80min: Oh! Higuain’s touch deserts him after his touch on receiving the pass leaves him without the ball… he had broken in behind Almeria’s back line…
80min: Wow, loads of corners for Real, but it’s always the same… a high ball into the box and Alves punching it away…
81min: Another sub for Almeria… Ortiz off for Soriano.
84min: Robinho must have Teflon on his boots… that’s the only reason why he keeps slipping like that… slipping just as he got in deep, at the Almeria goal line.
85min: Torres gives up a free kick to the left of the Real penalty area… Casillas pushes it away, pretty late, he may have been waiting for a deflection before moving…
86min: Almeria are still playing hard, still pressing really well… they’re by far the most fit team that I’ve seen us play this season.
88min: Oh! No offside flag on Baptista, who gets to the right corner of the 6-yard box, but only hits side netting.
89min: So much slipping going around, and it seems to be only Real players. What is going on?
90min: I don’t know what it is, but Real are still just kinda strolling with the ball… they kinda jog up with it, whilst Almeria seems to run full out, even this late in the game.
90+1min: 4 minutes of extra time.
90+2min: Real’s also been knocked off the ball a lot, or knocked down on one of their own challenges. What’s up with that? Uche just shrugged off a challenge from Ramos, i think, and passed the ball back across the field…
90+3min: Guti gets a chance, but his left-footed drive from just outside the penalty area curls just wide.
90+4min: And it’s done. First victory ever for Almeria over Real Madrid, final score 2-0.
POSTGAME: No post-match commentary on Sky Sports cuz they’re showing the Betis-Deportivo match right away.
POSTGAME: Well, for the second straight match, Real concede 2 goals, but alas, they didn’t score any themselves, so they end up on the wrong end of the 2-0 score.
POSTGAME: I’m hard-pressed to find much to say about this match… Almeria set the tempo for the match, set it high and kept it there. Just pure unrelenting pace, in all phases of the game. Real didn’t or couldn’t match.
POSTGAME: Negredo showed his old team his worth as he led the Almeria onslaught. Great showing by the rest of the Almeria team though, Crusat, Bruno, Juanito, Melo, etc.
POSTGAME: I don’t understand why Sneijder and Ruud were in this match. Sneijder first of all still hasn’t found his early-season form, and Ruud wasn’t 100% from the beginning.
POSTGAME: It’s also interesting that Soldado wasn’t given a chance as the centre-forward after Ruud was taken out. Higuain has yet to prove he’s capable of the job, and Raul is better suited “in the hole”…
POSTGAME: Anyways, Real still have a 9 point lead over Barca, though the Catalans play tomorrow. Almeria jump over Sevilla to 7th place on 32 points, one point behind Racing.
POSTGAME: I know Schuster said this week that we’re the only team that can afford to slip up, and that we did… it’s been said that the only team that can beat us is us, and that may have been the case tonight. We were just not up for the full-out pressing style that Almeria played.
POSTGAME: What I’m afraid of is that this is exactly how teams need to play to beat us. We weren’t really terrible, just slower than them. The silver lining is that few teams can manage the pace for 90 minutes like Almeria did.
POSTGAME: Ok, let’s see how things went individually… Casillas was surprisingly a tad late diving over on the first goal, so perhaps even he was guilty of napping on the Almeria free kick… but there’s nothing you can really do about penalty kicks. It’s just luck if you manage to save that.
POSTGAME: Salgado was bad. Made one good run forward, getting a shot on target, but the rest just left his back line open for counterattacks, particularly from this team since they like to run so much. Ramos was quite fairly decent, nothing to write home about though. Cannavaro was decent too, in my opinion. He had the unenviable task of marking Negredo, and he did relatively well though conceding that penalty was probably unnecessary. He did have a couple really nice passes over the top to the forwards, that’s the first time I’ve seen that skill… Torres was nondescript. He was ok, but did get beaten a couple times on his wing.
POSTGAME: Diarra looked like his head was still in Ghana, he was beaten to the ball on numerous occasions. Guti had more success in the second half as the pace slowed just a tad, but Almeria didn’t give him much space to operate. Sneijder was crap. Just crap. Wayward passes, horrible free kicks… don’t start him, Schuster! Finally, Robinho was one of the few who posed a threat, but sometimes he did a bit too much fancy dribbling and just should’ve done better to pass the ball to a better-positioned teammate.
POSTGAME: Raul had a couple chances, especially that chance at the beginning of the match that was chipped over… Ruud wasn’t 100%, that much was clear… he was ineffective when he was in, though.
POSTGAME: Higuain wasn’t an inspired choice, didn’t really have an impact aside from a volleyed chance that Diego Alves did well to save. Balboa showed his class by creating a couple chances with his pace… he really needs more playing time, I’m sure he could be a difference maker. Baptista didn’t seem to do much during his short stint on the pitch.
POSTGAME: So all in all, quite a dismal match to have watched. Almeria were first on the ball, first one the pitch, first on the scoreline… but Real are still first in the table. Let’s hope this is just a temporary slip-up. Aight, i’m out.

Category: Liveblog, Team News

Tags: Almeria, Liveblog, Team News

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