Real Madrid welcomes Racing Santander to the Bernabeu after an international break which saw all of Real’s international players qualify for this summers World Cup. Albeit with “Hand of God” type plays and stubborn defending in the case of Portugal. But they are there, so now attention is turned to the league program, and a struggling Santander side that sit 17th in the table. While it seems like a good tune up match before El Clasico, this will not be an easy contest, with Santander giving teams a hard fight, although they always seem to lose out in the end. If you have followed La Liga for a few years you will know that Santander is one of those teams that flirts with relegation every year, only to bounce back in a big way, either a late run that saves them, or more recently, a mid-season change in form that gets them into a European place.

Racing recently fired Juan Carlos Mandia, whose questionable lineups and tactics got them in to a hole. The management was smart enough to see there was not going to be much of a change in form under Mandia, so they removed him early enough for a new coach to get that change in form going. And that new coach is well known to Real Madrid fans. Miguel Angel Portugal, former technical director (Valdano’s job) of Real Madrid, and also a former coach of Santander, has been put in charge until the end of the 2011 season. Congratulations to him for getting the job, but his first game back will be a bittersweet one I am sure.

Pedro Munitis captains the side and exemplifies the fighting spirit of the side, despite its poor form. The little man runs around the field like a chicken with his head cut off (sound like someone we know?) but also has enough quality to make plays happen, and is usually involved in anything good Santander does offensively. He recently talked to Marca about visiting the Bernabeu and new coach Portugal. Its worth a read if you have the time. Also the official site has put together some interesting statistics if you care to have a look.

At home, Santander has been weak this season. 10 goals in 10 games usually will translate to more then 7 points, but shipping 19 goals will do the trick. The interesting thing to note about Santander is that they are very strong away from home, picking up 6 of their 7 points on the road with a goal differential of 0 (7 to 7). You could look at that as the park the bus when they are on the road, or you could consider the results. They beat Malaga and drew Almeria, Atletico and Zaragoza on the road, which sounds like a team that is fighting off relegation.

Defensively they have been horrendous, despite some big names in the back. On-loan Barcelona player Henrique, former Espanyol player Marc Torrejon, former Huelva player and South African, Nasif Morris, Lazlo Sepsi, Pablo Pinillos and Moraton are all probably names that resonate with La Liga fans. An injured Ze Antonio, Jose Angel Crespo and Christian Fernandez rounds on the defense, but the inconsistency of partnerships and the relative lack of organization from new arrivals has hurt Santander after loosing Eze G to Real in the offseason.

Its hard to say who Portugal will use against Real, but my money is on Torrejon and Henrique as the central partnership. The two have had less then half a season to gel, so they probably still have some communication errors, but Henrique is a classy performer and Torrejon is a hard man, although lacking in some of the positional grace Henrique has. Having not seen them play together, I could only say that neither is particularly strong in the air based on their heights, so crosses in to the box may be the best way to score on them.

Flanking them could be Crespo, Pinillos, Christian Fernandez or Lazlo Sepsi. Sepsi and Christian Fernandez are both left backs, which means its a toss up based on who performs better in training this week. Sepsi has four starts to Fernandez’s 6, so that may be an indicator of who gets the nod, but I know little about either player. At right back, Pablo Pinillos is getting up there in the years at 35, so he is swapping with the Sevilla loanee Crespo when he needs rest. After an international break you would expect Pinillos to be more then rested for the trip to the Bernabeu. I will say that when you are that old, your legs do not have the kind of speed they need to play at a high level, so a Marcelo type could race past him pretty effortlessly in the right situations. He is an experienced campaigner and second captain of the side though, so he will have a majority of the organizing duties.

Santander have statistically allowed very few early goals (0-15 minutes) and late goals (76-90+), but have shipped 8 in the 16-30 minute range, which means that once they get settled in to a game, they get too comfortable and opportunities present themselves. As you can read about a little further down the post, Esteban Granero has commented that Real will be looking for an early goal in this game, which makes sense, but it cannot be to early.

The midfield may be the reason why the defense has had such a torrid time, with the double pivot Mandia preferred often providing little coverage for the defense, but also little going forward. Papa Diop has looked out of his depth after moving up a division in the summer, while Medhi Racen has only shown fits and starts of the solid form he demonstrated last year. Gonzalo Colsa has been a more consistent performer, and is one of those players in La Liga, a dime a dozen I suppose, that is so good at the horizontal passing game that helps maintain possession. He can move forward effectively though, with a cannon of a shot on him, so he would be considered a priority for Xabi and Lass to mark.

Out wide Santander has two players who often flatter to deceive with their undeniable talent but lack of consistency. Oscar Serrano is also one of those stereotypical La Liga geniuses who can turn it on and look like a world beater, but most days looks disinterested in the game, and frustrated by a physical battle. A Capi of Betis or Jesuli of days past for Celta Vigo is the type of player I am referring to. Often disappointing, but when he is one, he is a hell of a player. He showed his considerable talents with a well taken goal against Barcelona, but despite having little pressure on his position he often goes on walk abouts in the middle of matches. Arana is a journeymen, also making the move from the Segunda this summer, and having seen a little of him, I would not consider him to be overly dangerous to the point where Marcelo could probably mark effectively at left back. Maybe Im underestimating Arana though?

Off the bench there is the other temperamental genius in Luis Garcia, he of the phantom goal which took Liverpool to the Champions League final a few years back against Milan. After indifferent form with Atletico, he was very publicly booted out to Santander where he has appeared off the bench 5 times already. He has a nice resume of clubs, but he seemed to have lost his creativity after injuries with Liverpool. I would not consider him all that dangerous either, but you never know. Toni Moral, another journeymen who played with both Barcelona and Real’s B team, also rides the bench often for Santander. A winger with some pace, the only reason his name resonates with me is because he had an obnoxious pony tail in one of the older FIFA games.

Also in support for the midfield are two youth team products with promising futures. Edu Bedia is a Spanish youth international central midfielder who 12 times last season. I believe he is currently injured right now, but he has a handful of caps for the u-20 and u-21 team. Also in the ranks is Sergio Canales, a very promising 18 year old winger/striker who has two substitute appearance for Santander this season. It has been rumored that Real have scouted the player in an attempt to bring him in to the Castilla setup next year. Santander has a fairly productive youth academy, with striker Ivan Bolado also one to watch out for.

Up front Munitis and Tchite had a fearsome partnership going last year, and with Nicola Zigic they were scoring boat loads of goals. Tchite is a quick player with decent feet but his finishing has always been suspect. In two seasons with Santander he has only scored 14 goals, and has two to his name this year. But along with Munitis there is an element of pass and trickery on the counter attack that Real’s back line must be aware of. Munitis himself is a highly skilled playmaker, and his abilities on the ball have not wained with his age. If he is to drop deep and then run at the defense, Lass would have to track back to mark him as this sort of movement could pull a center back to far out of position, leaving gaps for Tchite to run in to and receive the ball at his feet.

In support of Tchite and Munities is Alex Geijo, a Swiss journeymen with a rather paltry goal return from his time with second division outfits Xerez (at the time) and Levante. On-loan striker Xisco (Santander has 5 loan players, not quite as many as Xerez but still a lot) also fills out the ranks for Santander. He has had an up and down couple of years, and so far the move to Santander has not worked out for him.

In goal Santander can count on the always reliable Tono, who has played with Santander since 2005.

Its a crap shoot considering a new coach is getting his first game with the team, but here is my predicted lineup.

—————-Tono—————–
Pinillos—Torrejon—Henrique—Fernandez
Arana——Lacen—–Colsa——Serrano
———-Munitis———————
——————Tchite————–

When attacking, they will look like a 4-2-3-1, but defensively it will be a 4-5-1, with Munitis pressuring the center midfield players just as much as Lacen and Colsa will. Expect fast counter attacks and a heavy barrage of long balls from out the back for the quick strikers to try and get to the end of.

Real Madrid News:

Granero interviewed about the Santander match.

SQUAD LIST:
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek
Defenders: Arbeloa, Albiol, Garay, Metzelder, Pepe, Marcelo
Midfielders: Gago, Diarra, Drenthe, Xabi Alonso, Van der Vaart, Granero, Kaka
Forwards: Raul, Benzema, Higuain

INJURIES:

Cristiano Ronaldo: Arthritis-bone edema in right ankle. Training with the team.
Guti: Bruised left quadriceps. Medical treatment and rest. Compression bandage.
Van Nistelrooy: Strained left triceps surae. Medical treatment and physiotherapy. Gym work.
Lass Strained right adductor. Medical treatment and physiotherapy. Gym work.

Albiol hyper-extended his left knee in Spain’s victory over Austria on Wednesday, so he will probably be rested as a precautionary measure. The guy has played a lot of minutes so far this season and he is starting to break down physically, so a rest is in order. He has been past fit for the match, but I would still like to see him rested in favor of Garay and Pepe. I also think Ronaldo will not make this match, as he still needs time to recover physically. A substitute appearance against Zurich in the midweek is not out of his grasp though. Sergio Ramos is suspended for the match after seeing red in the Madrid derbi. Other then that we have no other injury concerns, unless one of the international is carrying a knock.

Lass and Ruud worked out in the gym and they will miss the match due to minor strains.

With a few injuries to account for, the lineup should shake out like this:

————-Casillas————-
Arbeloa—-Pepe—-Albiol—-Marcelo
———-Xabi—-Diarra———-
—–Kaka————Granero—–
——–Higuain–Benzema——–

Id like to see Granero used, and it has been rumored that Guti will be included in the match squad. Since Guti is “injured” again, we will have to wait another week. Both players have had the international break as rest and trained normally, but so has Marcelo so he may be preferred to either of them to start. I would not mind using Marcelo at left back simply to accommodate one of them in the midfield though, with Arbeloa at right back and Albiol in center with Pepe, dropping Garay. Most likely Marcelo will be used at left back and one of VdV, Granero or Guti will be in the midfield though. Id like to experiment with Garay at left back none the less, or give Albiol the rest he deserves and use Garay in the center.

Higuain and Benzema will be the probably starting pair, although both Raul and Ruud had the break to train normally as well so they are certainly in contention. Benzema was hardly used by France and Pipita only played one game with Argentina so both are not overly fatigued. Van der Vaart is also an option of the bench.

In terms of beating Santander, there is no one way to beat them that needs to be highlighted because they are a poor side with a number of frailties. The midfield battle should be won by Real, and their wide players should be easy to contain. Other then limiting chances on the counter, Real may want to lure Santander out of their own area more often by playing deeper the usual at home. Its probably going to be a ten man defense a majority of the time, so varying the approach is a much. Chances need to be created for the strikers, not just the midfielders, so crossing, through balls and little chips over the defense is what will un-do Santander. Varying the attack will keep them on their toes, but something we have not seen much of this season is quality of service.

Other then Guti, can you recount a time when a player fed a striker with a great ball, or presented a clear cut chance? It has not happened all that often in Guti and Ronaldo’s absence, so we need to start connecting with our forwards more. The midfield dominates the game and scores a majority with of our goals, with the strikers getting goals off rebounds or interplay between themselves. Its part of the evolution of the team, but it needs to happen soon because against Barcelona we will have to be better then how we have played recently. The first half of the Milan and Atletico games were promising, but again, chance creation for the strikers is a must.

Im not going to say that its the midfields fault completely that the forwards get not service though. Movement off the ball also needs to be improved in the coming weeks. To often Kaka and Granero/Marcelo end up passing the ball backwards because the forwards are standing absolutely still. They need to make better runs, usually in a horizontal motion in behind the defense, in order to get open for passes. Or they need to find a way to get more involved in the play. Benzema and Higuain do well pulling out wide, but often Benzema drops to deep for his and the teams own good, and Pipita can be to stationary sometimes. The same goes for Raul.

The game is not on GolTV yet again, so we will have to rely on streams from nefarious sources. Am I the only one who has noticed that many of the streaming sources have become increasingly unreliable in the past few months? Is this the death of the illegal streaming community many of us rely on to see games because our moronic cable provides and television stations continue to overlook Real Madrid games, or football as a whole? I dont want to predict a doomsday scenario, but it seems to me that its getting harder and harder to watch an entire match without interruption these days.

None the less, leave your match comments here on Saturday. It has been a long time since we had a live blog, but I assure you when a game is actually on television, I will do my best to provide you with one. HALA MADRID!

And check back tomorrow for the podcast to be posted here as well as on the OwnGoalNetwork and iTunes.

After a tough and rather frustrating loss against AC Milan now behind us, we return to domestic action with a match against Sporting Gijon on Saturday at the El Molinon up in Asturias. But this match will be no cake walk, as Gijon are one of the in form teams in La Liga right now, having knocked off two of the early pace setters in Mallorca and Atheltic Bilbao in the past two match days. Up to an impressive 7th in the table, they are certainly prepared for the match with Real, and Manuel Preciado has had the week to prepare his men for the game. Manuel Pellegrini on the other hand is working with an injury hit squad that had a huge morale dip after a poor showing against Milan. A fault of their own of course, Pellegrini will need to the squad to respond with a dominating performance against Gijon this weekend.

Gijon has to be every La Liga fans soft spot team. A small town in the north of Spain that has only two foreign players (although Bilic has been in Spain for awhile now), many of whom are canteranos and a vibrant fan base certainly makes these trips enjoyable. Gijon are a plucky side, capable of swift counter attacks but also use to moving the ball around effectively. They may lack a sharp edge at the tip of their attack, but goals from midfield have so far seen them progress up the table nicely. I watched them play against Athletic last weekend until the GolTV feed fell through. That seems to happen all to frequently these days, but none the less, they were solid against a very physical team at home, and they were able to move the ball quickly through Bilbao’s midfield and exert pressure on the defense that lead to their goals. Defensively they are organized, although they are beatable along the ground with through balls and width to pull them out of their compact shape.

I mentioned I liked Gijon already, but I will say it again. Along with Getafe, they are a small team I can really get behind. Some of the other teams in this league are just sort of there, like Mallorca or Santander. Gijon has a fluency and style in their play, along with great support, use of their cantera system and a very Spanish feel to the club that makes you enjoy their triumphs and feel their losses. No such quarter will be given though on Saturday, as I am firmly in the corner of Real as they come in looking for points.

Gijon Team News:

Botia has returned to the back line to partner Gregory, which means Sporting has two very strong and tall players to marshall the back line. Botia I think was given a raw deal at Barca, because he is surely better then Marquez. But then again, you cant argue with Pep’s judgement on youth players so far. Still, Sporting has a pretty good defense despite conceding just one less then they have scored. The goal difference is misleading because Sporting have been anemic in front of goal more then shipping goals at the back. Their goal differential is 6-2 at home though, so they have Roberto Canella, a personal favorite and possible Real Madrid signing in the future, commands the left flank very well for a young player and he provides a solid platform for second leading goal scorer Diego Castro to attack continuously.

On the right Alberto Ramos Lora and Luis Moran form a quick tandem down the right flank. Ramos attacks a lot at home, so Marcelo will have his hands full. Luis Moran also is smart enough to cover for his full back from time to time, meaning they have good chemistry. In the center of midfield, former canterano Alberto Rivera leads the line for Sporting and has been impressive this year for Sporting. A piece of trivia for everyone, he was the youngest ever player to don a Real Madrid shirt in an official game, at 16 years old. Not quite Munian status, but still impressive. He is partnered by hard man Michel, and they will look to put pressure on Xabi Alonso to prevent any fluency in the midfield.

Up top, they have another former canterano in David Barral. He never played a game with Real, but he found his feet with Gijon and has a decent strike rate. But he is been largely used as a ball chaser and diversion for the much more dangerous midfield to work with space. De las Cuevas, the Atletico product, has scored four goals in two games and will use his skills in the hole to wreak havoc on Real. As seen last weekend against Valladolid, our center backs still are not talking enough to handle a ‘hole’ player, as both concentrated on Diego Costa, allowing Marquitos to slip in for a goal. A terrible back pass by Xabi Alonso put them on the back foot sure, but these issues went on all game long. It will be on M. Diarra to look after De las Cuevas and nullify his input.

I cant seem to find the squad list for Sporting. Marca and AS rarely post those things, like wise Sport. Sporting’s official site was little help either, but there are no injuries or suspensions that I know of to the starting lineup that beat Bilbao last weekend, so they should look something like this:

———–Juan Pablo————
Lora—-Botia—Gregory—-Canella
——-Michel—-Rivera———
Moran—-De las Cuevas—-D. Castro
————Barral————-

We can expect to see Mate Bilic and Carmelo off the bench during this game, as they tend to be Preciado’s favorite substitutes. Sporting has a good side, and if they had a striker who could finish a little better then they might actually sustain their run through out the season, because the midfield supply is there. They will prove a worthy test for Real and a draw is not out of the question.

Real Madrid News:

Lass will be unavailable this weekend as he returned to France to deal with personal issues. This may explain his poor performances over the past month, because he was pretty terrible. In his place we will probably see Mahamadou Diarra (yuss!) but Gago is recovering from his injury, and along with Metzelder, has rejoined the squad for training. This game me be just out of both players reach, but next week they should be ready for action.

Guti should be fit for the match but he will probably start from the bench. Ruud is also working out on the pitch, but he is still a month or two away from returning, while Ronaldo continues gym work in a bid to be ready for the Atletico game in November. Higuain aggravated a strain he had from playing with Argentina last weekend, so he missed the Milan game. He will not be fit for this game, and Benzema will not be either.

Due to all of the injuries, we have had little personnel variation in the past few weeks. Now we are going to have to make some changes. Here is the squad list:

Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek
Defenders: Arbeloa, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Drenthe, Albiol, Garay, Metzelder
Midfielders: Gago, Diarra, Kaka, Guti, Xabi Alonso, Van der Vaart, Granero
Forwards: Raul, Acuña

The surprise is of course Acuna. If you want to read about his previous exploits, go here. I dont know whether to be excited or not that a Castilla player is in the team. I dont rate Acuna as compared to out other forwards, such as Szalai or even Ruben Ramos. But his previous experience in the Segunda I suppose gives him the nod. He was playing as a winger for Castilla last season, and has had a few injuries already this campaign, but lets hope he is able to make an impact on Saturday.

Without any striking reinforcements, Gijon is going to see a very robust midfield. Which might actually work out for the best:

—————-Casillas——————-
Sergio Ramos—-Pepe—-Raul Albiol—-Marcelo
——Granero—-Diarra—-Xabi Alonso——
—-Guti———————–Kaka——
—————–Raul——————–

A five man midfield seems to be our only option given all of the injuries. I would say that the only other option we have, and it might be a good one, is to use one of Drenthe or Marcelo as a winger to provide a little width to the team. It also would help deal with Lora and Moran on the right flank (left flank for us). In that case, here is my lineup:

————–Casillas—————
Sergio Ramos—Pepe—Albiol—Marcelo
Guti——–Diarra—Xabi——Drenthe
—————Kaka—————-
—————Raul—————-

Either formation is suitable, and I personally think the second one is what Pellegrini will lead to. Tactically it makes more sense because it will negate the heavy attacks down the left flank as well as provide Kaka with a platform to finally shine. A two man center midfield of Diarra and Xabi would also give Xabi more room to work, as he has had trouble working with Lass occupying some of his space. Diarra would sit just as deep, and would move forward less. Raul as a lone striker to me is always a problem as he does not have the attributes, but who else do we have for the job? Negredo…oh right we sold him!

This match is all about Raul. He has been in great form since the international break, and lets hope it continues. He has had a terrific season so far, silencing many of his detractors, and like Valladolid, Gijon is a team he historically scores a boat load against. Im happy to see the captain playing so well, because he really never deserved the criticism so many put to him. Through out all of the injuries, the “old man” is still fit and ready to go on Saturday, and his international exodus seems to have reinvigorated his career.

I could see Acuna being used off the bench, and I think it would be an interesting move if we blended both lineups. Remove Guti for Drenthe, put Drenthe on the left, Kaka in the center and Granero a little wider then originally positioned. That may just provide us with enough width, only loosing out on the through balls Guti provides that could be imperative for a lone striker and attacking mid. But, the crossing from the wings may provide Raul with a better chance on goal. Granero would also provide more defensive help for Ramos, which is a must because Gijon has very good wingers and fullbacks who love to pressure and attack at home.

This match will not be easy, and since we have lost our strike force to injury, it will be even more difficult.

History is on our side for this match, as we have traveled to Gijon 38 times, of which Real Madrid has won 16, tied 12 and lost 10. It is not the most favorable record, but many people forget that Gijon was a very strong team in the early days of La Liga, and it was until modern times when they began to yo-yo between the primera and segunda. They are actually second all time in the historical La Segunda table. Of course last year we won 4-0, Raul scoring twice, and way back in the 97/98 season we won 2-0, goals from Raul (a cracker) and El Moro. Lets hope for more of the same on Saturday.

The outside of the foot chip:

A Raulina from last year at the Bernabeu:

It should be a great match, and it will finally be on GolTV at 3pm eastern time on Saturday. Mahamadou Diarra has spoken of the match as a must win, saying “A great team can not lose twice in a row in four days, that would would be very bad for us”. Indeed it would be, so lets look for a response from this team on Saturday.

Im going to a review of the match on Sunday, so I will be writing down my thoughts, concerns and impressions during the game. Feel free to leave your comments before or during the match here, and tell me what you think of my two formations. Also, check out this weeks podcast, which is a short one. I missed the Champions League game against Milan so I had little to say this week, but its a good listen anyways.

EDIT:

Confirmed Lineups are below. For once, I got the opposition lineup 100% correct! Woohoo for me! Garay is the interesting selection for Pellegrini, but I cant say I blame him, Albiol has played every game this year so far. Drenthe starts in front of Marcelo also, so it looks like formation #2, with Kaka as the mediapunta. Should be a great game!

I dont get Valladolid. On paper, there team looks pretty good, just like Malaga. They have some very interesting players and some up and coming youngsters that would get most managers into a top half finish. Not Jose Luis Mendilibar, who seems to be holding back many of the players with restrictive tactics, weird formations and aura of defeatism around the team. Not to mention not playing some of the new players he added in the summer. It seems strange to me, but maybe with a few more bad results he may change his mind.

To date, they only have one win against newly promoted Zaragoza, although that in itself is an accomplishment considering how well Zaragoza has done. Draws against Almeria and last match day Atheltic Bilbao seemed fair enough, but loosing heavily to Mallorca and getting nicked of three points by Osasuna at home were not good results. Valladolid’s confidence is low right now, and Real has historically taken advantage of such ebbs in form by hammering our neighbors. From 2000 to 2004, when they were relegated, Real Madrid were able to put up numbers like 7-2 and 6-1 and in the 07-08 campaign, 7-0. Valladolid have only one three times and drawn three times in the history of the two facing one another at the Bernabeu. Raul has scored, get this, 15 goals against Valladolid, including two hat tricks. The last time Valladolid picked up a point at the Bernabeu, Cuauhtémoc Blanco was playing for them…

Despite that 7-0 drubbing, the past three seasons Real have only recorded only two wins in six matches. Valladolid won one last year and the remainder were hard fought draws in Valladolid. There is a grit about the team that one must admire, and I suppose that is a hallmark of Mendilibar’s team to be praised. But it is time for the team to take it to the next level. Their grit has not been on show so far this season with the inconsistent displays, and a goal difference of -5, with only 7 goals scored but 12 conceded.

Up front they have three new signings who have not jelled with the rest of the team yet. Manucho, the Angolan, was brought in from Manchester United, and while his physical nature and quality in the air is notable, he posses little challenge to the average defender. He has only made 2 starts this season, with a further two games off the bench, scoring one goal, but if I was Pepe, I would not be all that concerned with him. Diego Costa is another new player that was brought in from Atletico Madrid in a trade for Sergio Asenjo this summer. Costa is a skilled player, but unlike most Brazilians, he learned his trade in Europe, having played in Portugal at a young age, and with Albacete last season on loan. Because he matured in Europe, he is also not stereotypically Brazilian in that he is easily moved off the ball. His foot skills are commendable and he is a hard worker, but his finishing is often wayward and he looses concentration in matches, which is why Atletico let him go.

Diego Costa should start up front alongside Fabian Canobbio, who is a seasoned Liga player. Canobbio was groomed as a winger but has played more centrally, often behind the striker for Valladolid and can be considered their main weapon. He has a very strong shot and is a quick player that will run at defenders. Besides Manucho, Nauzet Aleman and Haris Medujanin are sometimes used as forwards. Aleman as the point player and Medujanin in the hole, each is dangerous in short bits. Medujanin had a bit of a hot streak last year with some inspired performances, but his form is very inconsistent so he is often used off the bench. Aleman has been effective off the bench, and his start against Valencia ended in him scoring one goal and being a nuisance when playing alongside Diego Costa. With injuries to the midfield, he may partner Costa.

Also in the striking core is former Castilla hot shot Alberto Bueno. He has only made one substitute appearance so far this season and is still finding his feet at the club, so we probably wont get to see him at the Bernabeu this weekend. To bad, I really liked that kid. Bueno can be used in the hole or on the wing, and I think that Mendilibar feels most comfortable using him on the wing as of right now. Its an odd move since he also has the excellent Marquitos who signed from Villarreal this offseason as a winger. With injuries, one of Bueno or Marquitos should start on the right side of the midfield.

Valladolid often uses a lone man up top, either Manucho or Diego Costa, supported by a hole player, Canobbio. He is then flanked by Sisi and Jonathan Sesma, Valladolid’s best players. Each is your stock Spanish schemer, like Crusat at Almeria, Pedro Leon at Getafe or a poor man’s Iniesta. Unfortunately for neutral fans, Sisi is a serious doubt for the match with an injury. Sesma should play though despite also having a mild injury (barring a fitness test), and in Sisi’s place we will see either Marquitos or maybe even Bueno. Canobbio is also a doubt for the match with a niggle, os Medujanin could play in his place as well. Valladolid are a little banged up in the front and have some suspension problems at the back. Mendilibar may have to rethink the five man midfield if he has so many injuries.

The midfield, which constitutes two defensive midfielders and the three man attack that often drops deep in to a 5 man midfield, should feature Alvaro Rubio and Borja in the center of the pitch. Both are defensive players by trade, and they will be tasked with keeping Kaka at check and pressuring Xabi Alonso while on the ball. Borja was a Castilla graduate who actually play a decent amount for Real in two seasons, usually off the bench. He is a good player, and he should be respected. Rubio will most likely start alongside Borja, although the few times Mendilibar has went for a game he used Medujanin in the midfield surprisingly. Baraja is an option as he will most likely play in defense, and the Portuguese player Pele is also fit again and will probably start from the bench. Pele is a strange case because I thought he was a decent youngster at Inter Milan, but he has hardly gotten a game in the last year and a half.

In the defense, Valladolid has some problems as two of their starters saw red in the last match against Bilbao. Nivaldo and club captain Alberto Marcos are both suspended for the match, leaving the defense light on numbers. Antonio Barragan is also a doubt for Valladolid, which means that the left back spot should go to the young Basque Yuri Berchiche, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. He started the first game against Almeria and did well, so he should be able to step in for Barragan (not much older himself) if needed to. Nivaldo will be a big loss, because he and Prieto brought a certain physical presence to the back line that they will need against Real. When he did not play last, Valencia put 4 past Jacobo…

Alvaro Rubio may move back in to the center of defense to partner Luis Prieto, but I would assume Baraja would do a better job seeing as how he played there against Valencia this season. Cesar Arzo is also available, and seems the more logical choice, but he has so far not made the squad since the match against Osasuna. I can only assume he is injured because he is a more suitable replacement for Nivaldo then defensive midfielder Baraja would be. Right back will be maned by Pedro Lopez and in goal Mendilibar prefers Jacobo over the Paraguayan Justo Villar, who I think is the better keeper.

My predicted lineup for Valladolid is highly tentative because of all the injuries and suspensions Valladolid has.

————–Jacobo——————
J. Lopez—-C. Arzo—-L. Prieto—-Berchiche
——–Alvario Rubio—Borja———-
Sesma———Medujanin———Aleman
————–Diego Costa————–

Squad List:
Jacobo, Fabricio, Pedro López, Nivaldo, Baraja, César Arzo, Luis Prieto, Yuri, Borja, Haris Mendunjanin, Pelé, Álvaro Rubio, Nauzet, Asier, Marquitos, Bueno, Héctor Font, Manucho y Costa.

Mendilibar interview here.
Favored son Alberto Bueno interview here.
Nazuet Aleman interview here.

Real Madrid Team News

Squad List:
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek
Defenders: Ramos, Pepe, Arbeloa, Marcelo, Albiol, Garay, Drenthe
Midfielders: Diarra, Lass, Granero, Kaka, Van der Vaart, Xabi Alonso
Forwards: Raul, Higuain, Benzema

Metzelder was taken to a hospital for tests on an ankle injury on Tuesday and is expected to be out of action for between a week and ten days. Guti will begin a specific recovery programme after suffering a twisted left ankle and is out for the match. Arbeloa has trained on the pitch this week but the clubs physio is still unsure if he is fit to play yet. Gago, Van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo are all also working towards recovering from their injuries. Lord knows who will return from international break with injuries…

Lass should be ready to go after he played for France this past weekend against the Faroe Islands. Higuain and Dudek both trained in the gym after returning from international duty but both should be fine for the weekend. Kaka was rested by Dunga so he should be full of energy, and Benzema only played combined a full game, so he should not be to tuckered either. Pepe and Albiol probably are a little fatigued, but with Metzelder out and Garay having a few problems leading to him working in the gym, both will have to start the match.

Much has been discussed in the past two weeks about the Sevilla defeat and the problems of set piece defense, Pellegrini’s tactics/formation and his rotation policy. I see Valladolid as a clean slate for him. He does not have Ronaldo, so he needs to become creative in order to put players in more spots on the field then the center of the pitch. Surely he learned that Marcelo and Ramos can not solely provide width in the attack while being left along to defend. I hope he did at least.

Another interesting point that I discussed in the podcast is whether or not a Castilla player is ready to make the bench yet. Marcos Alonso, Luis Hernandez, Christian and Szalai (Real Madrid C’s Salinas as well) trained with the first team in the past few weeks. Is Pellegrini looking to say Marcos Alonso or Szalai as a realistic alternative to a thin striker core, or a problematic left back spot? I hope he gives some of the young guys a chance, and a home match against Valladolid early in the season seems as good a time as ever. Then again, players like Drenthe, Granero and Higuain all could use this match to prove their worth to Pellegrini, so youth team player call ups may still be a further down the road.

With all of this swirling around my head, much like Valladolid’s lineup, I cant really decide on a set lineup for the match. Even down a few players, we still have numerous options. Ill be realistic more so then optimistic then.

—————Casillas————–
Sergio Ramos—Pepe—Albiol—Marcelo
—–Granero—Xabi Alonso—Lass—–
—————Kaka—————-
———-Benzema—Raul———–

Subs: Dudek; Arbeloa, Garay; M. Diarra, Van der Vaart, Drenthe, Higuain

I suppose Higuain should start over Raul, but Higuain is a little tired from his travels from South America so it may be best to rest him for this match and give him a start next weekend. Benzema scored twice in two games for France so he deserves a chance, but can he succeed with Raul as his partner. Methinks not, but Pellegrini will probably persist because Raul has been diligently training all week.

Mahamadou Diarra probably should start over Lass, but we know who is favored in Pellegrini’s eyes. Granero is the default since Guti is out, and lets hope he can play as wide as he did in the preseason in order to keep Valladolid spread out a bit. Lass needs to sit deep with Xabi in order to win balls back, I do not like him venturing forward all the time, it limits his defensive contributions which is exactly what he is on the field for. Makelele use to move forward once and awhile, but then everyone laughed at him and he ran back to the center circle. No seriously Mak did move forward, but he picked his spots. Lass just goes for it every time, and he needs more discipline there. I put that on Pellegrini. Unless Manuel is telling him to move forward, which does not seem logical to me.

De la Red and Granero did a joint interview where the two talked about the team and De la Red’s illness. It was nice that Ruben still believes in an eventual return, and that he is still a part of the squad, going to all the home games and visiting with the team frequently. Read the interview in Spanish here and in English here.

My prediction for the game was a blowout, a 5-0 or so. Valladolid are without some of their best players, so this one will be easier then it looks. Real, despite not having Ronaldo, still should have enough offense to overwhelm Valladolid even if they do park the bus.

Here is the weekly podcast. The player is below, but visit OwnGoalNetwork for some great football coverage. Also, here is the iTunes link to subscribe to the podcast. My microphone was a little quiet and hollow this time out, I will have to work on that for next time.

I can not do a live blog because while I will be watching the game on my laptop, I will be in the library studying all weekend. I have tests in Statistical Analysis and International Business Negotiations next week, so I need to be prepared. I have a Corporate Finance test the following week, so I may brush up on that too. UGH GRAD SCHOOL SUCKS! Anyways, ill check in on the comments of the match. As always, HALA MADRID!

And here is some training picks. I have not put any up in awhile, enjoy.

Yes Thats Szalai In Training!

Los nervionenses host Real Madrid in the Sanchez Pijuan this Sunday in the first game between top teams in La Liga, and its sure to be a cracker. Both teams are in great form, with Sevilla only conceding once (4 League wins) since their opening day defeat to Valencia, and Real has won all of its games in the league so far, scoring the most and conceding the least. If we could somehow throw Barcelona on the field at the same time, Spain may explode with goals. Not a very good joke, but the best way to illustrate my point is to show the stats, so here you are, a comparison of the two team’s goal production and form (click on the pictures for a better view).

Sevilla

Real Madrid

As you can see, they are pretty even in terms of goals scored and conceded as well as form, but notice that Sevilla scores early and then controls the game while Real has scored a majority of its goals in the second half, with an astounding 6 in the final throws of a game. Real again showed that they were a second half team with 3 in a 6 minute span against Marseille, while Sevilla spread their goals out across second half, but looked decisive when Rangers tired. Both teams are in tremendous form, with Real yet to drop a point and Sevilla only having the lose to Valencia as a blemish to their record. Both offenses are firing on all cylinders, and the defenses have remained water as of yet. Something has to give this Sunday then….

Sevilla Team News:

I really can never attest to hating a team, it just is not logical. How could one hate an entity, a badge or a stadium? Many of us Real fans hate Barcelona for various reasons, and of course the feeling is mutual. The same goes for the Basque teams and Atletico (all teams I suppose). But with Sevilla, I feel the hate that their fans have for Real, its palpable in the Sanchez Pijuan at times, and I think its because Sevilla knows its on the up, and Real was the easier of the two teams to know off the top. Probably is not the case any more, but this match is hot blooded just like our tradition Madrileno derbis or El Classico is. This is a big game for both teams, and I have to say I am not as confident in the win as I have been all season.

The team has shown itself to be more then capable of winning on the road, but it has yet to show that it will play its own game (even that is a little fuzzy) on the road, instead of nullifying the opponent and then exploiting their weakness. With the reception certain to be hostile in the Sanchez Pijuan, Real will probably be a bit rattled in the early going. But fear not, because there is a way to beat Sevilla, and its all to simple I am afraid. Win the midfield battle, and you rob them of the possession they need to run a complex offense and the wing play that their forwards rely on for service.

Jimenez has a large and deep squad at his disposal, with several quality role players. Sometimes you look at a team like this and say to yourself, “How are some of these guys not getting upset with such little playing time like they would at a Real or Barcelona?”. Not really sure, but Jimenez is man managing them well so far. Sevilla has a great keeper in Andres Palop, one of the many who were rejected by Valencia only to become exceptional players once they left the Mestalla. I still rate him higher then Villarreal’s Diego Lopez, although I think Del Bosque has his mind made up for the WC already in terms of keepers. Palop is a match winner for Sevilla, and other the claiming a corner or center, there are very few flaws to his technique. Sound like anyone you know who wears gloves to work?

In the defense I see frailty more because of my own prejudice then actual performance this season. While Konko has been terrific this year, and likewise Fernando Navarro, I do not rate Squillaci or Escude all that highly. I watched Squillaci play a lot when he was with Lyon, and he always seemed to have the worst judgement when competing for a ball. All to often he would end up fouling the player because he took the physical route to a tackle, as opposed to the more elegant route of stripping a ball or a toe poke. He is hard nosed in a sense, but he is also beatable in a physical duel because he is not all to impressive physically. Although 6 feet tall, he is not great in the air, unless you count climbing on players backs, and he is slow to go down for a slide tackle. Escude in the same sense is not impressive physically, but he reads the game well. They make a good partnership, but they can be found out.

Konko is a quick player, something of a poor mans Dani Alves if you will. He attacks a far bit and combines well with Jesus Navas down the wing. Limiting his contribution offensively may be key to limiting the attacks of Sevilla. As wing play is so important to the team, keeping Konko and Fernando Navarro in their own half will help limit the amount of danger from the wings. Sergio Sanchez provides covers at right back and Dragutinovic at center back. I always liked Sergio Sanchez as a player, and his moved to Sevilla was no surprise, but I do not see him winning the starting job from Navarro, such is the difference in style that Sergio Sanchez may be to negative and immobile a player to fit in. Adriano also provides an option at left or right back, and is one of those role payers who seems to do a great job whenever called on. He started against Rangers and scored, so we may see him in the midfield this weekend.

The center midfield acts as a ball collection machine and organizes play, if nothing else. That is unless Renato is playing. Traditionally Jimenez will use Didier Zokora and one of Romaric, Lolo or Duscher to keep the opponent from having to much freedom in the midfield. The double pivot also helps in closing down some of the space left on the wings by the attacking fullbacks. Against Bilbao Jimenez sensed Chaparro was going to a brute and kick Sevilla to death, so he used Renato in the center of midfield, and he ran circles around them. Lolo was deployed to do the kicking, and he looked pretty good. I imagine Lolo and Zokora will reprise their partnership against Real, as they did against Rangers, and keep things simple in the center. Zokora is a good passer from right to left and vice vera, but force him to put a ball on the ground in to space for Luis Fabiano, and well your asking to much. Lolo I can not say much of his passing skills, but his physical style has endeared him to the fans as he will put in a tireless effort to win the ball back. If Lass is to 50-50 for this game, I want Mahamadou to do battle with these two.

Renato is an option, but I think Jimenez, despite being at home, will keep his cards close to his chest and use him as a second half substitute. Fazio could also fill in, but he is more of a stop gap player still, able to cover multiple positions included center back. I do not expect the central midfield to be overly ambitious, so it is up to Pellegrini on whether he wants to put stress on them, or simply match them man for man and try to push play through somewhere else. The wings are where Sevilla thrives, with the mercurial Jesus Navas and the talented youngster Diego Perotti providing a majority of the chances for the strikers. Both are very dangerous with their speed in skill on the wings, where Real still look a little uncertain in the defense. Jesus Navas use to be a fun player to watch, but his final ball was lacking, but he has improved that aspect of his game, as evident by the Rangers match where he provided Kanoute with a pin-point pass that should have been a goal. Navas also has improved his finishing, with a well taken goal against Bilbao. Although a prototypical winger, he has been cutting inside more often to find chances for a shot, showing that his game is maturing and become less one dimensional. I really like this player, and wish he was with the Spanish NT.

Perotti is less a traditional winger more of a play maker. Not flashy tricks or creative movement, but he remains an elusive dribble with a great final ball and a knack for being in good positions. He also seems blessed with an incredibly accurate shot, able to score from acute angles like his goal against Zaragoza this year. Perotti is still young though, so he does drift out of games when not getting the service he needs from the center midfield, and he typically is replace by Diver Capel (whoever came up with that is brilliant!) in the 60th minute or so. Capel looked so promising but last year he lost his form and showed that like Navas, he can have not just off days, but off months. Capel’s inconsistent play has made him a super-sub if you will, although I have seen nothing to dictate he will get off the bench anytime soon. The likelihood that Adriano starts this game ahead of Perotti means that Capel might not even see playing time. Such is the fall of his stock after being linked with Real and Tottenham for 15 million and several Spanish call ups as a 19 year old. Perotti may do well to take note of what not to do with your career in Capel’s case.

Adriano might start on the left because while he is good at going forward, he may provide a safer option on the flank. Although I think Adriano started against Rangers to give Perotti a bit of rest and keep him from getting hacked to death by the Scots, a little squad rotation will not be in order for Real. Up front Jimenez has four attractive options, although Kone seems to have fallen off the planet and the Real Madrid haunting Javier Chevanton is nothing more then a squad player now. We all know of Luis Fabiano, Kanoute and especially Negredo, and they provide a unique challenge for Pepe and Albiol to deal with, because they will have to use more of their physical attribute then their positioning and cunning in anticipating plays to deal with these three big men. My money is on Fabiano and Negredo starting, as Kanoute was in against Rangers as part of a rotation, and he did not look like his former self despite scoring a tap in. Thus, my expected lineup:

——————Palop———————
Konko—Squillaci–Escude—F. Navarrao
J. Navas—-Zokora—-Lolo—-D. Perotti
———-Luis Fabiano—Negredo———-

Real Madrid Team News:

As of writing this, Ronaldo left the field injured against Marseille. He suffered from traumatic arthritis with bone edema on the right talus bone and a Grade I sprain on the internal lateral ligament of the right ankle. Not good news, and he has to be a doubt for the trip to Seville, although he has until Saturday instead of Friday to prove his fitness. My guess is that he is not pushed into this match, even though it is an important one. We should have Arbeloa back for this match, which is good because Sergio Ramos still is not fully fit for a full game, and Lass should be fine to play after some pain in his right shoulder kept him out of the Marseille match. Gago has a Grade I-II injury on his left thigh muscle and will miss three weeks. Oh darn…

Metzelder and Ruud continue to work out in the gym recovering from their respective injuries, and no time table has been set for either of them to return yet. Because of the busy schedule we have had, a few players were actually rested against Marseille, including Higuan and Granero. Granero’s bench spot was more for his “strop” out of the stadium against Tenerife, but Pellegrini should not be so petty as to keep him off the field for to long. Granero was upset with his own performance, admire his passion for his play. He is still young and the pressure’s of the Bernabeu can get to you. Patience will seem he come through a rough patch of form.

If Ronaldo can not make the match, we have a tactical rethink on our hands, but it also guarantees another game for the revived Guti. He was excellent against Marseille, and I think he will again have a strong game against Sevilla. The three man midfield worked well (worked well as in minus Gago) but it still needs some fine tuning, say in keeping up with the quick breaks that Kaka and Ronaldo like to lead. To often Xabi, Guti and Gago/Lass are way behind play, so Ronaldo, Kaka or the strikers get out numbered. A quick break does not have to end in a chance, it can lead to further possession by pushing the opponent deep in to their own half, and the midfield needs to get above the center circle in order to provide outlet passes to do just that.

The wing backs will need to be very focused on their defensive responsibilities as well, because Jimenez probably will not require Adriano/Perotti or Navas to drop back as often to help defend as they are at home. Marcelo played very well against Marseille so he will probably get the start, and he will have his hands full with Navas. Abriel is not a natural winger blessed with pace like Navas is, so this is a more meaningful challenge, and the two players are like for like in a way. Sergio Ramos will also have his hands full with Adriano or Perotti, although I think for the most part he will be able to handle them, as long as he is fit. He seemed to be a little behind the pace of the Marseille game, probably because he did not have much of a preseason and is still getting in to match shape. He has looked good though so far, so lets hope that continues.

I have been impressed by Kaka and Ronaldo sure, they have been excellent. Xabi and Granero have done a good job for us so far as well, while Benzema has looked good at times, and lost at other times. Garay and Arbeloa, in the few appearances they made were solid, but the player who impressed me most out of the new recruits has been Albiol. Is it any wonder that we have conceded just 2 goals so far this season in the league, 4 goals in total? It has been Albiol, and he has been masterful. And now that Pepe has returned, we have a very formidable center back partnership that will only get better with time. The fact that Eazy G and Metzelder, when healthy, have also played their part and been solid as well is a welcome addition to this squad, after years of trouble in the defense. We could still use work back there, but we are not conceding, and this is so important to winning games.

My lineup for Sunday is as follows:

————-Casillas————–
S. Ramos—-Pepe—Albiol—-Marcelo
—-Guti—-Xabi Alonso—-Lass—-
————–Kaka—————
———Benzema—Raul———-

I think we will only see one change, which is forced in the absence of Ronaldo. Sevilla fans breath a sigh of relief. But, this is now Kaka’s offense to run, and Guti’s passes will be instrumental. I dont want to see Lass moving any further forward then the center circle! He has gotten to ambitious with his runs and has lost a lot of his defensive game because he is always out of position. Sit back and win the ball for us, let Guti and Xabi do the probing and prodding! At least Gago is injured for three weeks, so we wont see him mucking up the midfield.

With Higuain missing sitter after sitter, or in general shooting for the moon, there is no way to justify his inclusion in the starting lineup. He should have scored twice last night, instead he continues to dig himself a deeper hole and make all of us Higuain fans look like idiots. Benzema played well in parts of the game, but I still worry about his compatibility with Raul up front.

On the Podcast I predicted a 3-2 win for Real. I wont even bother guessing the scorers, I never get them right anyways, but here is to a Real Madrid victory. HALA MADRID, HALA MADRID, HALA MADRID! I will be in New York on Sunday, so I am trying to decide between Nevada Smith’s and getting back to my apartment for the game. Since its a 3pm eastern time game, I will probably just head back to Connecticut for the match. Anyone interested in a liveblog, or would you prefer I actually do a review of the match this time? Taking nothing away from Dancy’s work of course. Let me know in the comments.

The podcast is posted here for everyone to listen to, but it would be nice if you guys go over to the OwnGoalNetwork and drop a few lines there, as Kevin has done the bulk of the work for this little venture and we owe him our support. Check out La Liga Weekly and let me know if you guys like the setup of the site and all of that, just for future reference. The podcasts are hosted here, the iTunes link is here, and the OwnGoalNetwork is here.

Another week, another La Liga game to cover. Seems to be almost mundane until you sit down and watch the game and remember football as beautiful in so many ways. But enough of the poetry that I found myself writing, we have a match preview to dish out to the Madrid faithful out there. This Sunday at 3:00pm at the Santiago Bernabeu, in a rare double-home game occasion after last weeks much talked about “win” against Osasuna.

Deportivo come into this game on the heels of two heavy losses to Sevilla and Barcelona. Such is the stupidity of the La Liga schedule that Deportivo, like every other team, has to run the gauntlet against the five “best” teams in La Liga all in a row. It means that struggling teams can go five weeks without picking up a point, a huge blow to their league position. It also means that the stronger teams (well the first in the chain being the exception) face an opponent that is increasingly battered and beaten with each passing week.

As is the case with Deportivo, who face Real with two crushing loses, and no end in sight most likely, as they face Vilarreal next weekend. By the time they face Mallorca on February the 8th they could drop to 11th place! Right now they are 3 points away from jumping into a tie with Vilarreal, if Vilarreal looses points. They have had a decent season this year, after a great surge up the table last year that was somewhat unexpected. They again are working with a somewhat bare bones squad, considering their financial situation. A quick look at their squad list reveals a few things. 1. A few veterans of the Super Depor days, but even then, they were not the leading lights of that golden era of the club and 2. Alot of grizzled campaigners that have been around (either in years or in teams).

I personally miss Caparros as the coach of Depor. Not that I have anything against Miguel Angel Lotina, but Caparros is a bright coach, and Athletic have been improving slowly with him. The again, Depor’s greatest ever, Jaba Irureta, has been slumping as of late in his career, so I guess life away from Depor is a mixed bag for coaches. But I am getting side tracked on silly tangents. The current coach is Miguel Angel Lotina, who is not a man with revolutionary ideas, but he has kept teams competitive, even in relegation. That is really how Deportivo plays; very competitively. We should now, they gave us an exercise in hustle and persistence when we lost to them earlier in the season. Schuster’s lack of tactics were exposed…

Old School

This game will thus pit two of the more stodgy, conserv
conservative coaches of La Liga against one another. It will be an interesting battle between two tactical minds, who rarely like to see their team bounding forward, in free flow. The again, in Lotina’s case, he has never really had the talent to play such a game. And in Juande’s case, he has to start at the back with Real, working on defense before he gets the more lucid passing style and goal scoring circus fans unrealistically demand from the team every game.

Deportivo News:

The Depor squad has two huge losses. Aranzubia is suspended after a red in the Barca game and Guardado is injured. Those two are probably the best players in the Depor squad, so they will be huge losses. This complicates things a bit for Lotina as he had ushered out bad-boy keepers Dudu and Munua, who had a bit of a punch up last year. Munua is still with the squad, but I really dont see him playing, so Fabri, the 21 year old from the Depor academy will step in most likely. It wont be his first game for Depor, but the Bernabeu wont make it any easier from him.

At the back they have a statistically average defense, kind of like Real’s defense, with 27 goals conceded. Thats the same amount that Real has conceded. So you could look at it as the defense’s being equal. But when you think a little more constructively, you realize that 1. Real has conceded just 1 goal since the Camp Nou defeat. On the other hand, Deportivo has conceded 3 against Valladolid, 1 to Recreativo (even more goal shy at 17 for), 1 to Getafe, and 3 and 5 to Sevilla and Barcelona respectively. Sevilla also put 5 past them on aggregate in the Copa del Rey, as to further compound their defensive misery. Real has a great chance to take advantage.

Ze Castro, on loan from Atletico, started the season well, but he has since been in indifferent form. One would suspect that the reason he is on loan from Atletico is because he is rubbish, or close enough to it. But a club like Deportivo really has no options any more with their financial situation. In equally indifferent form is Alberto Lopo. A very reliable player, he scored against us in the win at the Riazor, and is known to pop up from corners now and then. His size and physical pay often put off strikers from dealing directly with him, although a player with pace like Etoo had little trouble burning by him last time out.

Out wide there is Filipe Kasmirski, an odd name for a Brazilian player, who was at one point on-loan at Castilla. He has had a good season, and it was rumored that Depor could cash in on him this summer. He attacks and defends well, so Robben may have more troubling jinking his way around him then most of his foes in La Liga. Sergio Ramos will also see a fair bit of him during the game, if Depor end up countering. On the right is Manuel Pablo, the Depor captain even though Lopo or Sergio takes over those duties when he is not playing, which is often. He is one of the survivors of the Super Depor days, but he was never a key player in those teams. He is a little older these days, so his pace may have left him a bit, meaning his long strides forward will almost always warrant a hole to exploit at the back.

Lotina’s midfield against Barcelona, at least on paper, looked like it was doomed to fail from the start. Juan Rodriguez, once a Malaga man, was used instead of De Guzman, and Sergio and Verdu were used as very deep central midfielders. Valeron did not start, and his ability to intelligently distribute was missing. Valeron is, or at least was a great player before his knee injuries. I am sure he still has the same vision and touch, but is a notch slower, and his fitness will probably never be what it was. I would suppose we could see him as a sub. Its to bad too, because Valeron, De la Pena, Guti and Mendieta were all a great generation of enterprising, and highly talented midfielder maestro’s that have suffered from inconsistency, indifference, or a lack of appreciation of their talents.

De Guzman is a pretty good defensive midfielder, he is tenacious in the tackle, but is not as refined a player as say Lass has shown himself to be. De Guzman looks like he is trying hard to win the ball, and he labors alot to pass the ball where he wants it. He is a free agent this summer, so I suspect his mind is elsewhere and Lotina may be keeping him on the bench for a reason. Verdu is a cule, but a tidy central midfielder in that. He kind of reminds of Albert Rivera. Unheralded but effective. He really does not concern Real as an offensive weapon, but he can spread the ball around pretty well. Sergio is a veteran, nothing more to say there. He may return to Espanyol in the summer, so again, Depor has midfielders who are swirled up in transfer speculation. Not that it would effect Sergio much.

Guardado will be missing on the left so Lafita will definitely start there, and he should, he is Depor’s top scorer with 5 goals. He also has some transfer buzz around him, but its mostly unfounded because he is a streaky player, like Monaco’s Alex Licata in many ways. Lafita will provide a challenge for Heinze as he will cut in often and look for shooting opportunities, which Heinze is miserable at closing down, often choosing to throw his body at the ball instead of staying on his feet and simply charging the ball down or putting the shooter off. On the right, Christian, another cule, is okay I guess. I really dont have much of an opinion of him to be honest.

Up top Bodipo is a dangerous player. Since his days with Santander way back when, he has popped up to score goals that his team would never deserve. He has alot of pace and some tricks to use when in full flight. Pepe will have a tough deal with the lad, as it will be like for like in a speed race most often. Riki will offer a more physical option of the bench, but he, like many Depor strikers before him, seems to be in and out of form more times then an old man goes to the john. Riki reminds me of Diego Tristan, the bad Diego Tristan, not the guy who scored two incredible goals against Barcelona in 02 or the guy who scored for Spain against Italy in a friendly. The Mallorca Diego Tristan. Utter rubbish.

A 4-3-2-1 is the formation we should see on Sunday, and it will be imperative to as usual with the Spanish game, get a handle on the central midfield area which is always crowded at the Bernabeu. Bypassing the midfield early on with the width of Robben will be helpful, and Sneijder or Van der Vaart will need to exploit the space between the three man midfield and the outside backs in order destabilize the formation.

Real Madrid News:

Deportivo had one shot all game against Barcelona, and it was off target. They do not exactly possess a potent attacking force, which may prompt Juande into a more lax center midfield pairing, although my money is still on Gago and Diarra to combat the three man midfield. It seems a little cautious, but Juande likes a solid platform to build the attack from. Gago’s vast improvement means he helps out the best he can, but we need to see much better build up play fro Sneijder or Van der Vaart. Sneijder has been limited somewhat in his tactical instructions and positioning by Juande. Maybe the shackles come off a bit in this game, after Osasuna was nothing short of a labored (some say unjust) win.

There has been some talk of Parejo possibly making his debut this weekend. I dont see how thats possible given that Parejo is still training in the gym with Guti and Dudek and seems another week away from a possible return. If he was to make his debut that would be great, but I dont see it. Playing Javi Garcia just seems impossible these days, as there is little trust in the player. The possibility of leaving Drenthe out of the squad again is high considering Marcelo played well in his cameo despite the boos.

Raul should continue to pair Higuain, and will be hoping he could at least equal Don Stefano’s goal tally with a brace. The usual substitute appearance for Huntelaar should be expected, although against a shaky defense it might make sense to give Hunter the start and see what he can do and give Raul a rest. We all know he will break the record, so we should not worry about it.

An unchanged defense, and come to think of it the team will probably stay the same for some time until Juande is either forced to change through and injury or suspension or things start to reverse.

Gametime is 3pm, should be on GolTV. I do not know if we will get a live blog from Steve, if not I will have a comments post up for while I watch the game.

Historically Real has a very good home record against Sevilla, and will look to continue that tradition on Sunday. Three points for Los Merengues is of the utmost importance to thier title challenge as they will need to keep pace with Vilarreal and Valencia while staying in touching distance of Barca before El Clasico. I personally can see Barca dropping points to Valencia, but with all the financial uncertainties that have crept up again around the Mestalla, will those lads have the stones to brush it aside and fight for 3 points? I dont really know, but I will say that Real’s players have not been in much of a fighting mood this year so this title could be Barca’s to win if they stay consistent enough.

But I have not given up hope on Real challenging for honors just yet. Despite a horrific injury list and some pretty miserable displays, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Real has yet to kick in to full gear and start ripping teams apart like they did in 3-4 spurts last year. Which means that it is bound to happen at some point, and when it does, we will be close to Barca and ready to pounce. That’s my great hope, and until now it seemed like it would happen at any time. But with all the injuries, it needs to happen now, as games against Sevilla and Barca will go a long way to deciding the title.

Real Madrid News:

I posted a list of all the injuries a few posts back. There is alot, but Cannavaro, Robben and Higuain all trained this week and will most likely be available for selection. Whether that is from the bench or not is yet to be seen, but my guess is that Canna and Higuain start, and Robben starts on the bench. Saviola scored against Getafe, but he and Raul were pretty poor, but we all know that Raul will always get the nod over Saviola to partner Higuain. Whether it makes sense tactically and form-wise or not.

With Torres re-injured, Sergio Ramos will move back out to the right side, which works well because Cannavaro is gonna step back into the center back role. And we will have Marcelo at left back, with only Metzelder and Salgado as defensive reserves. We have a full staff of defenders, but with injuries to Torres and Heinze, we loose our two utility players. The long term injury to Diarra has still not been declared as needing surgery, usually on Saturdays the medical report is submitted and my guess is we will know then. EDIT: Diarra will be out for 3 months, not the whole season, which is a good thing. Gago and Javi Garcia are the only fit central midfielders in the team, defensive or not, so I expect Gago to start. Javi Garcia may partner him in the center to shield the defense, which would allow Gago to stroll forward a little more often and distribute from beyond the center circle.

If Javi Garcia is not played, he will of course be on the bench and will see time towards the end of the game. Guti would be a smart third addition to that midfield permutation, but Schuster will look to take the game to Sevilla at the Bernabeu, so I expect Guti and Van der Vaart to start in the midfield. Guti’s rather disappointing performances are due to his increased defensive responsibility and his lack of freedom when moving forward. Van der Vaart should justify his selection with a creative display where he is the link between the winger/forwards and the rest of the team. Again, his positioning has not always allowed for his best performances, but even so, we should be seeing more from him.

I think Drenthe will start again, because he has done better every game, even though he still cant cross to save his life nor dribble past a defender without relying heavily on his speed. But there has been minor improvement, and thats really all we can ask from him. Robben will see time no doubt, he is our offensive spark and only starts on the bench due to his frail nature and Schuster’s need to instill confidence in Drenthe by not yanking him out of the team the second Robben is fit. That may go a long way with Drenthe, but we all know Robben will start against Barca as long as he is fit.

Raul and Higuain will dovetail up front, which actually is not all that bad. Higuain’s natural penchant for pulling defenders out wide will help Drenthe and Sergio Ramos with some of the wing play. It also means there is space for Van de Vaart to run into the box and Raul has space to operate. But most importantly, Higuain can run the channels as well which again allows Raul plenty of space. What I have noticed recently is that when Raul drops deep for a ball, he rarely ever has time to turn and feed his strike partner. That use to be his game, where he would get the ball to Morientes/Ronaldo/Suker etc and then run around like a mad-man until he got free and was fed through for a shot. That needs to return, how that happens I dont know.

With that being said, my key to the game will be exploiting the wings as usual. Spanish football, if you have not noticed, is a very patient, technical game where control is won and lost in the center of the field. Which ever team can out possess the other team will undoubtedly create more chances, and then have a higher percentage to win the game. This forces the other team to counter attack, something that Barca has been doing this year, although they sort of dont give up the ball which works well too. So when Sevilla and Real play, the game will be decided by who has the midfield control. BUT! The wing play will create chances because the midfield play is gonna be crowded as hell, and thats where the key is.

Sevilla News:

Manolo Jimenez rotated his squad a bit for the Partizan tie mid-week, well aware of the Real game approaching. He still got a good result, so that goes to show Sevilla has quality in depth. That being said, it is hard to pin point exactly who will start for Sevilla. It seems that Jimenez likes a French center back pairing in Squillaci and Escude. I know Squillaci well as I am also an avid Lyon fan and saw him play many times. He is beatable, especially on the ground, where he finds himself in knots all to often before he throws himself into a rash tackle. Escude is the more calm of the two, with good positioning but a rather tame tackler. Neither of them is exceptionally good in the air, but that does not really matter much against us.

Drago may come in to the team if Jimenez feels that Squillaci is not up to speed for the Real attack. But considering the anemic attack we have that may be a bit over board. The reason why is that Fazio is being used as the defensive midfielder now and he is more of a center back anyways, so Jimenez may weigh the pro’s and con’s of that. David Navarro will definately be at left back, and I would assume Mosquera at right back. Drago can slot in to either RB or LB, but my guess is that he could come in at RB for Mosquera. Like I said, Jimenez shuffles his pack often so who really knows.

Fazio will be the DM unless there is a reason to play Duscher. Maresca should be his midfield partner, and again, this is unless there is a reason to play Romaric. The center midfield pairing is not really what worries me though, its their wingers. I have long sang the praises of Jesus Navas, who I want Real to sign so badly as our right winger. Di Maria be damned, Navas is exceptional. And he will give Marcelo a torrid time of it if he is in the mood. The same can be said of Diego Capel, who always gives Sergio Ramos a tough time, them being local lads and friends. I am sure if Capel is not getting the better of Ramos he will switch wings with Navas for a bit to give it a go at Marcelo, but they tend to stay on their sides.

The space they create from their direct running means that a center back is constantly pulled out to help cover them. This means Gago picking up runners into the box is absolutely essential. With Fabiano suspended and Kone injured, Jimenez does not have alot of strikers to choose from. Kanoute will start, and my guess is that Renato may be behind him in an attacking role. It seems the most probable thing, but he could also throw someone else out their I am not aware of. I think Chevanton is injured as well.

Game time is 3pm eastern tomorrow, we may have a live blog from Steve, but if not you can comment on the game here. HALA MADRID!

Real Madrid vs. Atheltic Bilbao
Sunday 3pm eastern time Santiago Bernabeu Madrid

Ruud is back in training, with a view to making the bench for the clash with Bilbao. I am pretty sure Metz started training a week or so ago as well, although he probably wont make the bench for this one as he needs some time to regain fitness. With those two back, Schuster has a full sqaud to pick from, and I will say that if Balboa is not in the squad list it will be an utter tragedy. Not because of my man crush, but because he acquitted himself well with his minutes against Santander and deserves more time.

As for a lineup, I expect something fairly similar to what we saw in Santander, although Diarra may drop our for Guti/Baptista. I pray to the lord Robben is not started and Higuain partners Raul up front, such is the lack of anything Robben provides us on the field. The back four should remain the same and Casillas in goal. Look for Gago to be busy against Javi Martinez and need some help from Sneijder defensively.

Bilbao does not have a squad list out either, but based on their recent form its an obvious thing to say they are a dangerous team, who started clicking into gear during the second half of the campaign. Llorente could cause our defense problems as none of them seem to care much about jumping for high balls on set pieces or crosses. Exteberria always runs Madrid riot, but without Yeste Bilbao will have to rely on a young guy name Markel Susaeta for the creativity out wide.

I am expecting a 2-0 win for Real, with Raul and Robinho getting goals. Real is on a roll, and knows that they will have their destiny in their own hands with the title. Playing after Barca and Vilarreal doesnt hurt either, so the title could be staying in Madrid come Sunday. Everyone get out their to cheer on Los Blancos as they march towards another title! HALA MADRID HALA MADRID HALA MADRID!

4/13 Sunday 1pm eastern time Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

Yes, its that dreaded scenario for Real fans, where we have to come up against one of the struggling teams of La Liga, which means we usually stumble to get a result. I for one am not as uneasy about this game, because even though Murcia defeated Valencia last matchday, they face a daunting task of getting a result against a revived Real at the Bernabeu. Home comforts never hurt when your looking to consolidate your position in the league. Here is the remaining fixtures we have for the year.

Apr. ‘08
Sun. 13 13:00 ET Real Madrid v Murcia Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
Sun. 20 11:00 ET Racing Santander v Real Madrid Estadio El Sardinero
Sun. 27 11:00 ET Real Madrid v Athletic Bilbao Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

May. ‘08
Sun. 4 11:00 ET Osasuna v Real Madrid Estadio Reyno de Navarra
Wed. 7 14:00 ET Real Madrid v Barcelona Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
Sun. 11 11:00 ET Real Zaragoza v Real Madrid Estadio La Romareda
Sun. 18 11:00 ET Real Madrid v Levante Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

The bolded matches are the possible losses, while the italic are possible draws. I think if we get 7 points from those 4 games (out of 12), the title will be ours. Becuase I completely expect maximum points against Murcia, Zaragoza and Levante. Santander is very much winnable, while Bilbao at the Bernabeu eases the fears of a loss, if it was at the San Mames I would put it down, Bilbao being very much in form right now. Barca of course is a toss up, but I always want a win against the Catalans. So a win in the Basque country has been hard to come by for us recently, Osasuna will be a tough opponent, but I expect a draw at the least. Zaragoza and Levante will probably be relegated by the time we entertain them so theres no motivation there.

As for this weekends game, everyones favorite anti-Madrid coach Javier Clemente has been running his mouth off ever since he was fired for being a crappy coach for Serbia. Here is his input on the upcoming game:

Merciful (ed. note: HAHA yeah right) Javier Clemente, far from sizing his controversial declarations on the liking of Real Madrid, returned to attack against her in the microphones of Radio Mark. “Of the fields of Spain, where worse they have treated to me has been in Santiago Bernabéu.

But the behavior of 20 or 30 bad-mannered ones does not determine the education of all the stage “. “I have always gone with equipment of less level than Real Madrid: Spanish, Tenerife… with all and always have said to me that we go with the bus and that we are going to do cerrojazo.

What I cannot do is what my critical say and not to put it. So so that they do not give coñazo them to my players, we are going to go with the bus, the BIRD and with which it is necessary to try that Real Madrid does not do any goal to us “, added. “Just as Madrid complaint when in Bilbao or Seville they throw things to them, that same one I have done I, and nevertheless when I speak, all the presidents of the rocks of Madrid move”. The technician of the Murcia even got to say that “they have removed a knife to him” in the Bernabéu. “If there is some wants that they give the medal him of Real Madrid to say trivialities, that they had gone to them when I have gone to the field of Madrid and have removed me a knife and I have had to be running to the Theater box. In the tribute to Juanito, I had myself to march

He claims he will not park the team bus in front of the net, but I dont believe it, this guy wants nothing more then to see Real loose points, regardless of whether Murcia get relegated or not. To say I like Clemente is a lie, I despise him and everything he “stands” for. But my personal struggles with him aside, we have a slightly in form team to consider in this weeks preview. Murcia did themselves a world of favors when they beat Valencia 1-0 at La Condomina. I didnt watch the match, but I suppose it wasnt a very tight midfield battle, as possession was 60-40 to Valencia. The shots for both teams were the same, and this time Murcia was able to finish, Ivan Alonso getting the goal. Many were impressed with Dani Aquino’s play, especially his movement and passing. Sounds good to me, we will probably buy him this summer, and I cant wait to see him play against Madrid.

Murcia’s Defensive Strategy

Murcia’s leading goal scorer is Ivan Alonso, but he is suspended due to yellow cards accumulated, likewise for Alvaro Mejia. Which is to bad because it would have been nice for Mejia to get a standing ovation from the Bernabeu faithful for his good service for Real, but it was not to be I guess. Also out for Murcia is Pablo Garcia, who is out of form, has a minor niggle, and is technically not suppose to play against us because he is on loan at Murcia. If he was to play against us, we would be compensated 600,000 euro! Wow, give the negotiating team some credit, thats an impressive clause they snuck in there.

So with the absences aside, Murcia has a fairly healthy team. I expect a lineup as follows:

————–Carini—————-
Pignol—Arzo—Pena—Curro Torres
Abel—Kabous—Movilla—De Lucas
———Baiano—–Aquino———

Probable, but dont hold me to it. Curro Torres and Pignol may both play, but usually it is one or the other out there. Considering that Curro Torres has alot of experience, I would play him out of position anyways. Movilla steps in so that Arzo can move back to center back in the absence of Mejia, while Baiano comes in for Ivan Alonso, I suppose Goitom will be on the bench to start.

Its a very practical lineup, Kabous and Movilla hard working players, while De Lucas is crafty, but not in an extraordinary way. Abel is a little under rated, he may cause a few problems for Marcelo, so I expect Heinze to start at left back. Aquino will look to impress I am sure, while Baiano has been just off form all year, not nearly the dangerous player he was for Malaga and later Celta. But he should never be taken lightly.

If I can remember to get the team sheet for Murcia I will put it here:

I really dont have much more to say about Murcia, so I guess I wont, on to the Real news!

Here is an increased section on stats for everyone to take a look at, as numbers are whats important here on the Offside:

Real Murcia Summary

G W D L F A GD GFA GAA PpG Pts Rank
Home Record 15 6 3 6 16 15 1 1.07 1.00 1.40 21 16
Away Record 16 1 5 10 12 33 -21 0.75 2.06 0.50 8 18
Overall Record 31 7 8 16 28 48 -20 0.90 1.55 0.94 29 19

Last Five
G W D L F A GD GFA GAA PpG Pts Rank
Last 5 5 2 0 3 8 10 -2 1.60 2.00 1.20 6 14
Last 5 Home 5 2 0 3 5 5 0 1.00 1.00 1.20 6 16
Last 5 Away 5 0 1 4 4 13 -9 0.80 2.60 0.20 1 18

Monthly Summary
G W D L F A GD GFA GAA PpG Pts Rank
August 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 2.00 1.00 3.00 3 1
September 5 1 2 2 5 5 0 1.00 1.00 1.00 5 10
October 3 1 1 1 1 2 -1 0.33 0.67 1.33 4 13
November 4 0 2 2 1 6 -5 0.25 1.50 0.50 2 17
December 4 1 2 1 5 6 -1 1.25 1.50 1.25 5 11
January 4 1 0 3 5 10 -5 1.25 2.50 0.75 3 14
February 4 0 1 3 1 4 -3 0.25 1.00 0.25 1 19
March 5 1 0 4 7 14 -7 1.40 2.80 0.60 3 19
April 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1.00 0.00 3.00 3 1

Performance
Highest Gate: 24000 Valencia
Lowest Gate :10000 Valladolid
Average Attendance: 18000
Aggregate Attendance: 72000
Biggest Home Win: 4-0 Espanyol
Biggest Away Win Valladolid: 1-4
Heaviest Home Defeat: 0-3 Getafe
Heaviest Away Defeat: Barcelona 4-0, Real Betis 4-0
Highest Aggregate Score: Recreativo Huelva 4-2

Win Streaks
Current Win Streak 1 game: Valencia
Current Unbeaten Streak 1 game: Valencia
Longest Win Streak 1 game: Valencia
Longest Unbeaten Streak 3 games: Racing Santander, at Athletic Bilbao, Osasuna
Current Losing Streak 0 games
Current Winless Streak 0 games
Longest Losing Streak 6 games: Villarreal, at Almeria, Valladolid, at Real Betis, Getafe, at Recreativo Huelva
Longest Winless Streak 10 games: at Barcelona, at Real Zaragoza, Levante, at Atlético Madrid, Villarreal, at Almeria, Valladolid, at Real Betis, Getafe, at Recreativo Huelva

Goals Won/Lost By
Games won by 1 goal margin: 4
2 goal margin: 1
3 goal margin: 1
4 goal margin: 1
5+ goal margin: 0
Games lost by 1 goal margin: 5
2 goal margin: 7
3 goal margin: 2
4 goal margin: 2
5+ goal margin: 0

Real Madrid Team News:

The major news out of Valdebebas is that Ruud is running around again. The goal is to get him ready for some minutes against Osasuna, so that he can have a part to play in El Clasico. Sounds like a good idea to me, but we must be cautious of rushing his return. His Dutch doctor will give the all clear if he is ready, and Ruud is doing double sessions in order to be ready. Have to love the commitment there.

Today, training was a little different, as Real’s first team played a little friendly against the Castilla team. It was a great showcase of the talent on hand, and these were the lineups:

————Codina————-
Torres—Pepe–Canna–Marcelo
—-Baptista—Diarra—Guti—-
–Higuain—Saviola—Robinho–

vs.

———Felipe Ramos———-
Velayos—Gary—Krystof—Chema Anton
—Parejo—Mateos—Mosquera—
—-Callejon—Szalai—Callejon—-

There was no score listed, but it was a productive session none the less. The rest of the players did some gym work and jogging, as everyone gears up for the final stretch of the season. Metzleder also looks set to play some part in the end of the season as he is near recovery, so good for him. As for our formation, given that in traing a 4-3-3 was practiced, I suspect to see something to that affect. I would replace Saviola with Raul and Robben for Robinho. Sneijder may come in for Baptista, but I do forsee Gago for Diarra, it wouldnt make sense as Murcia will probably deploy two holding midfielders. But Diarra provides a tough spine Gago just doesnt have. Definately a Diarra-Baptista partnership may be a little over kill for a team that wont attack that much.

And of course, Casillas will come in for Codina, if that was not obvious. When the team sheet comes out I will put it here:

Here are some of the recent pre-match interviews:

Cesar Arzo Had This To Say About The Match:

Caesar Arzo assured that he is afraid of the arbitration of Iturralde González, the one in charge to direct the Real Madrid-Murcia of the next Sunday. “All we know what it happens there in case of doubt, something that is and will be thus and we will play against thirteen: the eleven of Madrid, its liking and the referee “, declared. The defense of the Murcia follows therefore the footpath opened by Merciful Javier with the purpose of warming up the party.

Everyone always whines about ref’s decisions going in our favor, but I dont see it to often. Usually its the other way around, as referees are more conscious not to award to many call towards us for fear of retaliation about this supposed favoritism. Im not buying it, play the game Cesar.

Julio Baptista:

Appearance in press conference of Julio Baptist. The Brazilian responded on the situation of his Robinho companion trusting that “he returns to be soon level to the maximum”. Also, one was satisfied with his work and he hopes to be able to recover the titularidad with effort: “Respect the opinion of mister and whenever me of the opportunity I am there”.

How you see Robinho?
Robinho is working to return to the level that was; it always is in a good level, but if he is cut with an injury to all he later costs to us to recover the rate. It is contented and works to return to the maximum.

Think that he advanced too much his return after the injury?
It was around a month recovering, but the bad thing of the injuries is that sometimes you try to return to help the equipment and you suffer yourself; he was playing, he was suffered and now he will return to be at the same level.

Why you think that now no longer you are titular?
I have made good parties, but mister decides that plays and he thinks that I am not giving my maximum level or that another player is better. I respect to him and only I can work, and whenever they give me the opportunity there I will be. Perhaps Schuster sees you more loose physically? Before beginning the season I was with the Arsenal until May, soon me pilló the Selection, and we say that I arrived here having played many parties and without stopping. Perhaps that caused that it found me very hard at the beginning, but now pays a little the invoice of not having to pains rested those months. With tranquillity it will be solved.

It affects to your future your suplencia?
The decisions of the trainer do not have to do with my future; I have demonstrated that I can play here and help to give successes to Real Madrid. My work well is done.

You would ask to him Aragonese for Raul?
Everybody asks to him the same. It is a thing of the trainer, he no longer wants to speak of the subject; Raul is a great one and if he continues demonstrating it in each party would have to be in the Eurocopa, but only Luis can decide it.

He visits the Bernabéu Merciful Javier and he has already begun to speak…
It is necessary to respect all the trainers; it has a special way to see the things, wants to put off center to us with his commentaries, but we have a line of work marked in giving the maximum level and demonstrating that we want to gain Liga.

You will see the Getafe-Bayern?
It is a party to be pending; it will be a pretty encounter and it would cheer to me if the Getafe passed the eliminatory one, would be a great success arriving so far for them. Good looking by 2-0.

It dresses the party Barcelona?
Only ví fifteen minutes, that they have won; the conclusion that coat is the success of English soccer with three equipment between the four European semifinalists. But Barcelona although winning continues being tooted by its liking. That happens in all the clubs; we have lived it here or in other sites. He is a little while complicated for them, but we only thought about our work. I do not watch the neighbor, only to us because the things are due to wash in house.

How you see the situation of your Ronaldinho compatriot?
Ronaldinho is grandísimo player and preparing itself very well it has talent to do it everything. He has been the best player of the world and can return to be it.

You would change points in Liga to be able to be in the Champions?
Liga is a different competition, you can equivocarte and rectify; Liga de Campeones does not allow errors. I am contented with our position and hopefully in the next years we do not commit errors in the Champions and soon we dispute a end.

A short preview, I know, but both squads have little injury/suspension problems and this is not exactly what is capturing the hearts of the Spanish public right now, Getafe as I write this is up 2-1 on aggregate, so lets hope they can keep it up, Aupa Geta!!!! I am going to predict a 3-0 result, I do not think we will have a tough time breaking down Murcia, whether they park the bus on the field or not, they just dont have a strong defense. Even without Ruud, I forsee Robinho bagging two on a sub role and Raul getting the first. I also think that Vilarreal will drop points at Almeria, probably 2 but you never know, maybe 3. It will be a good weekend for all Madridista. Ill be watching the game, feel free to comment on it here. HALA MADRID!

Training Pictures:

In what was the beginning of our plunge into mediocre form, we take on Mallorca at the Oni Estadi this Saturday at 4pm. If you remember, the last time we visited the island, we were handed a shockingly bad loss by Mallorca, the only bright spot being Higuain’s wondeful strike (yes, a clean shot that went in). This time around, we will be looking for vengeance and a further cushion on our lead over Vilarreal. If the game against Sevilla is anything to go by, then we should be very ready to take on Mallorca and win the game.

Of course, all teams play their best when Real comes to town. Its just how it goes, in England the little teams fear the big guys and often play not to loose, but in Spain, the little guys fear not Real or Barca, they simply look for the scalp. So we will have to be very aware that Mallorca wish to make it 3 for 4 this year over us, and our win was a shocking 4-3 comeback win full of Madridismo. Gregory Manzano, Mallorca’s under rated coach had this to say to Mallorca’s official site about the not so distant squabbles he and Bernadine had:

“We said a pair of words that are of two professionals who remain in the field. I with Bernardine Schuster do not have any problem. Seven days ago in Palm I congratulated to him by the good march of its equipment in Liga. Now, if it has something with me, it will be its problem ”

“I will receive to Schuster as to all my companions with a greeting and wishing a happy stay him in our wonderful island”,

Fair enough, I never like to get to much into these things, even though it adds some spice to the match. But since I just published the comments and agknowledged the squabble I guess I am just as guilty as the rest of the press! Now that we have a Mallorca blogger here on the Spanish Offside, we should definately ask the opinion of their fans about the upcoming game. But we shall not do a Roma fan impression and be uninformed assholes who argue everything to the death. If their will be banter, just as I have said before with regards to Barca or Atleti, keep it intelligent and poignant. Thank you.

This is not considered a must win for the Merengues, but it certainly would not hurt to string together two wins. Vilarreal are an inform team, much to the detriment of Barcelona, and we need to keep a decent lead or else risk being over turned before the finish line. We have 8 games remaining, 4 at home 4 away, including a vist from Barca. 18 points is needed atleast to secure the title, but I would much rather take all 24 points left on the table and call it a season.

Mallorca Team News:

Mallorca remain a dangerous team, with a few very potent attacking threats, although they lost Pereya to a late, late Russian transfer recently. This will be the second week in a row two of La Liga’s top marksmen square off. And Guiza is definately back in shape after injury and back in form for sure, single handedly picking apart a Valencia team that had in the previous match day got a win at the Bernabeu. He is also in strong consideration for the final squad for the EURO, a great accomplishment for something of a journey man striker. Although I think his socring abilities are undoubted, his selection over Raul still baffles me, regardless of my Real Madrid ties.

I have waxed lyrical about the Ibagaza-Arango show before, way back when we first met in October/Novemberish ? Whenever it was, these two are dangerous playmakers who score their fair share, each getting a goal in the aggregate loss to Mallorca in the Copa del Rey. Although the hype recently has been to applaud Gago for his improvements, with these two on the field, I worry he will be over run pretty quickly. Ibagaza and Arango are usually listed as wide players, but they tend to float much like Guti, so Sergio Ramos and Marcelo/Heinze will not always be able to pick them up, thus it is imperative that Gago is able to either cut their supply off or stop them before they penetrate the defense.

Speaking of their supply, it comes from a formidable midfield 3 of Basinas in the holding role, and Jonas and Nunes to either side. While both appear in wide positions often, they are to my estimation set up in the same type of formation we used against Sevilla, with the rotating three central midfielders and the roaming wide players, the only exception being they use one striker (did we count Higuain as a striker?). Such a dynamic and entertaing system seemed to baffle the lightweight Valencia midfield (lightweight because Maduro was withdrawn in the 26th through injury). Although it must be said Mallorca scored before this change was made, for the rest of the game Mallorca were smarter and more efficient with the ball, pegging another one on their hosts through Guiza.

This lightweight midfield I alluded to was Baraja in the center all by himself, with Silva, Mata and Arizmendi around him. So similar to Gago in the middle with Robben, Sneijder and Guti around him, we shall be careful not to repeat the mistake of Koeman. I am calling for Diarra in this game, whether it be for Gago or Guti. The double pivot makes sense to me because Diarra can jam up the middle while Gago man marks one of the playmakers. Sneijder has more expectation then, but we shall assume he can cope. Basinas is a tidy player, but not a world beater and I think Sneijder possess enough to get away from him and Nunes/Jonas.

As for Mallorca’s defense, they have conceded 42 this year which can be considered average, they possess some La Liga vets but they never overly convince me of being solid. If we could draw them out of their deep, zonal like play they could break easily. Hector was played against Valencia, and I think he may be the weak point for Mallorca at left back. Likewise, Fernando Navarro has never convinced me, while Ivan Ramis is a young gun. Varela is the only player I think has true quality for the defense. But of course, Manzano could use Molinero in place of Hector, while Sergio Ballestros could come in to one of the center back positions, although I believe he remains injured.

And of course Miguel Moya, one of the better young keepers in the league, has stolen the starting jersey from German Lux, and he is a very agile shop stopper. Hard and low is as usual the game here.

Injuries are as follows: Vivar Dordao is out for awhile, and it looks like Gonzalo Castro and Lio Scaloni will miss the match too.

There is not a team sheet out yet, but when there is I will post it here:

EDIT TEAM SHEET:

Moyà, Lux, Ramis, F. Navarro, Basinas, Varela, Borja, Webó, Ibagaza, Tuni, Güiza, Molinero, Nunes, D. Navarro, Arango, Trejo, Jonás y Héctor.

Ballestros returns, I expect to see him in the center with Navarro, while Hector may get the start after his good performance against Valencia.

Real Team News:

The only injuries we have are Ruud and Metz, with Pepe and Guti training with the group today, Schuster has practically a full squad to pick from, which means the likes of Salgado, Balboa and Soldado will be left in Madrid. The main questions for the selection this Saturday is will the midfield trio continue and who plays on the left wing, Robben or Robinho?

Brain busters I know, but it remains to be seen what Schusters intentions are for this match. Will be throw out the three man midfield he had against Sevilla and risk being over ran by a powerful Mallorca midfield? Will he continue to start the ineffective Arjen Robben over Robinho? Will Higuain continue to play even though he cant hit the broad side of the barn? Will Jill and Suzy make up after fighting for Stone’s affection? We will see on As The Madridismo World Turns!!!

As for an expected lineup, I do not really know. Its pretty variable given that its an away game, and I cant really make up my mind as to who I want to see where. So I will let everyone else give me their expected lineup and we can go from there.

No matter who lines up, we need to defend well in the center of the park, be it center backs or center midfield. The fullbacks will only have to deal with the occasional midfielder drifting out wide or an overlap, so they will be free to attack. Heinze takes that threat away on the left, so maybe Marcelo is a better option. Ibagaza commented that it was important to ‘mantain possession in the middle of the park’ and thats exactly what Mallorca worked on in training this week.

So we will have to be very active in breaking up plays and counter attacking. Or we simply must hold on to the ball all the time, im talking 70-30 possession in our favor. The name of the game here is efficiency. High passing efficiency, high possession amounts and a solid finish ratio will win this game, as Mallorca will certainly come at us. Finishing chances is not Higuain’s game, so lets hope he is on the bench in favor of say Saviola, who has been terrible but is a natural finisher. But that seems a bit of a boast for a guy who has featured less than even Soldado.

All in all, I expect a win, 2-1 for the good guys. Im hoping Raul shows up Guiza just like he did Fabiano, and also I would be extatic if Pepe played the entire game without injury.

EDIT TEAM SHEET:

CONVOCATORIA:

Porteros: Casillas y Codina.

Defensas: Pepe, Ramos, Cannavaro, Marcelo, Heinze y Torres.

Centrocampistas: Diarra, Gago, Guti, Baptista, Sneijder y Robben.

Delanteros: Higuaín, Saviola, Robinho y Raúl.

No convocados: Soldado, Drenthe, Balboa, Dudek, Salgado, Metzelder y Van Nistelrooy.

Bernadine:

Bernd was questioned on whether he would shake Manzano’s hand:

“Of course I will. Gregorio is a friend and a good colleague and it is only the press that are making something more of all this as we prepare for the game,” he continued.

“I would not ignore anyone and in Son Moix I will wish him luck. I think he is a good person. We should not make too much of all this.”

“If one knows how to treat someone then they will be treated in the same way. I am like I am, a transparent person. If people look at me face-to-face and speak to me they will se that,” he said.

“I do not want to deceive anyone. When I am happy I can accept almost anything, but when I am not I do not know how to disconnect.”

“I am trying to change. I know that I have to change my image. In the last two press conferences, against Valencia and Sevilla, nobody had any complaints.

“There are certain journalists that are trying to make me say something or provoke a reaction and I know that from their look or the tone of the question.

“When we lose I am the first one to feel responsible. I spend ten minutes in the changing room before heading down to the press room where people start to look to exploit me.

Pepe:

Are you fit to play against Mallorca?
I am fine. It was just a bruise I got while playing against Valencia. I am fine now.
You haven’t played on a regular basis due to injury, but people love you when you do play.
I am extremely grateful because playing for Real Madrid and gaining peoples’ confidence isn’t easy. All that matters now is that we’re first and closing in on winning the league.

Did you feel fit to play against Greece before you took the pitch?
Like I said, I was hurt while playing against Valencia. I spoke to the doctors and they told me it was a bruised tibia. I followed the treatment they recommended and that’s why I played with the national team. The pain then came back, but I am fine now.

Some club members think it’s the players who didn’t participate with the team during the preseason who are getting injured the most. This summer you will be able to participate, so do you think it will result in fewer injuries?
Honestly, I have never been injured this frequently. Very rarely was I hurt with Porto. I don’t think I had a bad preseason. Football players aren’t machines and we can get hurt. Missing matches isn’t fun, but that’s life. We have to continue working hard in order to avoid future injuries.

So you think next year you won’t get injured as often?
I do because this year everything was new to me. Next year should be better. I won’t get hurt as often and I’ll see more playing time.

In your last press conference you criticised Kun Agüero for saying he was happy when you were eliminated, but Higuaín said the same thing the other day.
After Agüero said what he did, I said I was upset that a ‘co-worker’ would say he is happy because we were eliminated. Higuaín said he would feel happy, and that’s what upsets me. He’s a teammate. I have my opinion and he has his.

Would you like to see a Spanish team win the Champions League?
I do. It would be good for Spain and for Spaniards. When a country has a lot of its teams playing in the Champions League it just makes its football that much greater. That’s why it’s good for the Spanish League.

Would you have liked to see Benfica with the UEFA?
Of course. It would be great for Portugal. They were a rival last season and I would have loved it.

You play Mallorca on Saturday, the same team that eliminated you from the Copa. Is there any sense of revenge?
It’s just another match that we must win. We need to be focused, but revenge isn’t the idea. This is the league, and it’s a lot different than the Copa del Rey. We have to defeat Mallorca if we want to be league champions.

Are you jealous of other teams still in the Champions League?
It’s a shame we’re no longer in it, but the competition we have now is all that matters. We should only be thinking about the league, and we’re going to fight hard for it.

Did you see the Manchester match the other day and your compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo? It appears as if Real Madrid are going to make another push for him.
There are a ton of signings every day, but we have a good squad and it’s up to the club to decide once the season ends.

Is Cristiano Ronaldo the best player in the world right now?
He’s mentally and physically strong, he’s an important player for his club, and he scores a lot, and that’s why I believe he’s the best in the world right now.

What does it mean to you when you hear that Real Madrid will not sign any defenders next year?
That they are pleased. It’s hard to concentrate when the press speaks about four or five new signings every day. The club hasn’t said anything, and we know nothing is true. I have faith in Real Madrid and they speak to us and tell us to remain calm. That’s why what the press says has no bearing.

But Schuster has asked for two or three new players for next season.
Yes, but not now. Wait until the league ends to discuss it. We don’t need anyone now except our injured players. We’ll see what the future holds.

Can so much talk about signings make you lose focus?
No because we don’t talk about it. It’s just you. We are calm and confident.

Ibagaza:

Ariel has commented to mass media that are at a good moment of form and also it has assured that the key to be able to win to Madrid is “to control the ball”.

After a training session in which a special interest in maintaining the ball in the center of the field has been seen, Ibagaza has affirmed that to train that facet it is important because “in the long run, the great ones end up having the possession and if we did not play with the ball, it becomes very difficult to win. For that reason we must try to clear the ball to them and to play the con to advance to us in the marker “. Since Saturday they will receive the leader of the classification, the Argentinean has requested “concentration in all the lines” besides to assure that “we will play with the desperation of Madrid”.

Ibagaza emphasized that “were many players who Saturday will not be but anyway, any player of Madrid can roll to you at any time”.

Borja Valero:

“Soccer is not mathematical, just as we can lose with the last one we can win to first. Now they touched three very difficult rivals to us but we have begun and we hoped very well to follow equal “. It recognizes that “after being 11 years it would enchant to me there to play” clarifying that now “what less it matters to me are to demonstrate things to Madrid but to demonstrate them to the Majorca”.

With respect to if it sees champion from league Madrid, affirms that “I hope that if. If I must choose between Madrid or Barça, I prefer to Madrid because there am been long time and I have the white heart there, but if it is by us are going it to have complicated so that we are going away it to put very difficult ”

With respect to as of both joint one is better, it affirms that “we are at our better moment of soccer after the other day, but they have returned to take moral and safe that they come with many desire, but Madrid is not doing its better east soccer year”.

Training Pics Are Back!

Look At All Of Them!

This Sunday, at 4pm eastern time, Sevilla will be visit the Bernabeu in a important match for both teams end of season prospects. Sevilla is making a hard push for atleast a UEFA cup place after a shaky start to the campaign under Juande Ramos. Under Manolo Jimenez they have looked like a much better side, and although a little inconsistent (not that Real isnt either), they have the quality to stay in the top 6. Probably at the expense of Espanyol, although Santander could always fall away too.

Real comes into the match on the back of a run of 5 defeats in 8 league games, hardly La Liga title winning form. Bernadine Schuster has been questioned about his position at the club, coaching style and how he makes his mustache so stiff in the morning by the press for the past few weeks, so he is looking for a resounding win to ease the pressure. My money is on him staying next year, I dont think he has done all that bad, but some want his head already. There has as usual, been talk of a supposive crisis in the walls of the Bernabeu, for which this writer is again annoyed about.

Arjen Robben had this to say about the supposive crisis:

‘Yes, it was a big disappointment, but we played well and deserved to win,’ ‘We had a lot of chances and just failed to take them.

‘I don’t think we are in crisis.’

I dont either Arjen, the media is so quick to label a prolonged run of bad form as a crisis. A crisis is if the players are not being paid by the team (Levante), or the coach is axing players left and right (Valencia) or the president of the team has overspent on transfers the past 10 years that the club is up to its eyeballs in debt and cant field a competitive team (Deportivo). The problems of Real Madrid and also Barcelona (the Ronaldinho episodes recently) are almost always over stated, so lets move past this supposive crisis talk.

But this doesnt mean I will let the team off the hook. They have failed to impress me at all in the second half of the season, and even in the first half they were stringing together narrow wins on sub-par perfomances. You cannot be up for every game this is true, but it seems we are easily ruffled by oppossing teams these days. A win is a must here, as even a draw melts our once solid lead on Barca to 2 points. And with the clash at the Bernabeu looming we probably want 1. A 4 point cushion and 2. Some sort of good form going into the game.

We usually step our game up against what I like to call the ‘mid-majors’ (a NCAA basketball term I borrows). The wins against Espanyol, Villarreal and Atletico highlighting my point. But Valencia is hardly a mid-major, and its tough to keep Sevilla in such a category right now because of their European explouts which all of Spain (well not Betis fans) is proud of. But enough with the dilly dallying, we want a win on Sunday.

Real Madrid Team News:

Obviously Ruud and Metzelder are out, and will be for another month atleast. Canna had a rough go of it against Spain, but I do not know if he picked up a knock yet, although it seems likely. The number of international players we send away has been dwindling season by season, and especially with La Furia, its minimal. So tired legs cannot be much of a complaint as even the Argies and Robinho played games on the continent this week.

As far as minor knocks go, all 13 internationals returned back fine. Drenthe and Torres who played for their u-21 teams trained with the group the the 11 full internationals did recovery work in the gym. The group that trained was Dudek, Codina, Míchel Salgado, Towers, Drenthe, Guti, Robben, Balboa, Saviola, Higuaín, Raul and Soldado plus Torres and Drenthe. Friday will see all players training on the pitch. Assuming the only problem we have with the squad right now is exhaustion from intenrationals, here is my proposed lineup:

———-Casillas————–
SR—-Pepe—-Canna—Heinze
—-Guti—Diarra—Gago—–
Robben—–Raul—–Robinho

Hooray, something new! This seems all the more likely with Higuain and Soldado failing to score despite decent performances and Schuster not liking to use Baptista as much as he did the first half of the season. The other likelyhood is a start for Saviola alongside Raul, something I have seen coming after Schuster’s comments on the Rabbit recently. He is giving each striker a chance to prove themself, and Soldado didnt take it and Higuain is half of the way there. So it seems Saviola is up next, but in such a high pressure game it makes more sense to play Robinho with Raul and Robben on the left.

I know I have it as a 4-3-3, because essentially thats what it is, but you will see Robben on the left, Robinho more central or to the right a bit, and Sergio Ramos patrolling the right flank. This will also give Guti a springboard for attacking movement with a double pivot behind him, although sometimes Gago shirks his “water carrying” duties to move further forwad. All in all, a good lineup, but you will all wonder why I leave Sneijder out. The reason is he has been effective as a sub and thats how he should stay for me.

Also, the selection of Canna seems curious given his recent struggles, but Schuster rarely abandons his man, so Heinze will be on the left and not the middle with Pepe. Marcelo would be ripped to shreds by Jesus Navas, then again Heinze probably will be to, so Torres for me would be a better option but it wont happen.

Sevilla Team News:

Although I am sure Ryan can give the best coverage of injuries, suspensions etc. here is my knowledge. Seydou Keita and Freddi K both didnt make it to the Mali vs. France B game this week, Keita with knee problems and Freddie K with an unknown phsyical ailment. Pedro Mosquera is fit after playing with Columbia, and Chevanton (so dangerous) has recovered from his injury but may not be phsysically fit enough for the game. Jesus Navas and Diego Capel are both fit and ready to go, which I never like to see unless they have white jerseys on (hint hint there Pedja, Portugal and Schuster).

Drago has had a small operation in Germany over the break to correct some recurring problems, much like Ruud had, so he is out of the game. And that is probably it on the injury front other then a few long term injuries that I do not know about. Ryan, fill in the rest please.

As for tactics, the reliance on Freddie K and Luisabiano is evident, except they have both stayed healthy and scoring goals. Infact Luisabiano (new nickname for him) is the Pichichi right now and unless Raul keep putting in 2 goal performances and Luis stops scoring cold it will be his. Its a good proving ground for him as the rumors of his move to Real intensify. Also, both Diego Capel and Jesus Navas have an outside chance of making the EURO squad, outside, but this is another oppurtunity to prove one self.

Defensively Sevilla has been weak this year because of the loss of capitan and backline butcher Javi Navarro (althogh the real butcher of Sevile, Pablo Alfaro left awhile ago for Santander). His loss has meant Mosquera has had to partner the usually reliable Julien Escude, while Daniel Alves has blown hot and cold and Drago/Crespo have been interchanged into the lineup often. Hell even Adriano is playing defensively again as well as the idea being put forth of him playing in center midfield.

The midfield impresses me, Seydou Keita is so vastly under rated and it disappoints me. Poulsen is getting attention now, and although he is a dirty player well worth Francesco Totti’s spit, he does his job well. Enzo Maresca, Luis Marti and Renato are solid alternatives in the center of the pitch. Sevilla are not hurting in midfield, although Enzo Maresca’s Zidane-esc head butt means he is out on suspension.

Jesus Navas and Diego Capel are two young Spaniards with a bright future. Both are fast, skilled and frequently fouled, Capel the most in La Liga I believe. I would take either player in the summer if offered, such is my fanatic obsession with the two. Along with Silva and a D2 player from Tenerife, Iriome, very promising young wingers.

Of course Adriano can play on the left wing, and Tom de Mul on the right. Both have not had steady runs in the team but both are good players. At extreme cases Chevanton and Kone can be deployed wide.

They will bite hard in defense and Poulsen will do battle with Diarra. And they will conter fast up the wings and look dangerous on crosses. We have a very good opponent on our hands, I would say 4th best in La Liga even thoug they are in 6th.

My expected lineup for Sevilla is:

—————Palop—————
Alves—Escude–Mosquera—Fazio/Crespo?
Navas—-Keita—-Poulsen—-Capel
———Fabiano—Kanoute——–

That left back spot remains a mystery, with Drago out. Maybe David or even Boulahrouz? I just dont know, but the rest of the team is pretty certain as long as the two Malians can recover from their knocks. If not, look for Kone and Marti to replace them.

Andres Palop’s pre-match comments:

Andrés Palop is not entrusted in the supposed crisis that is undergoing in the last weeks Real Madrid and noticed that “it is always a dangerous equipment and with much quality”. And it is that the guardameta is conscious that the defeat suffered by the white equipment before the Valencia does not have to make fall in the confidence to the Seville, that Sunday visits Santiago Bernabéu. “Real Madrid I see him like an equipment that always are dangerous and with much quality. You cannot fiarte from one week to another one, because he is able of the best thing and sometimes of the worse thing. The last week did not do started off badly and ended up losing, but it is an equipment to which we have much respect because, although there is lost a little goal with the injury of Go Nistelrooy, goes all the year first.

We know that if we make the things affluent we can stand up to him expensive “, indicated. The Valencian remembered that safe in an occasion, he does not know what is to win in the Bernabéu with Seville. “In his stage he costs to us more to win to him. The only occasion in which we have done it being I here was in Supercopa of Spain and is a reference that is already very far. With the full field, as they are going it to have, they push enough and never I have been able to win there in League “, emphasized. But Palop is optimistic. “If we left winners of there would be an injection of quite important moral, would be thus to win to him to the leader in the Bernabéu, after listening that he is already everything sold.

For us it would be very important, but we know that Real Madrid gambles Liga and that is going to be difficult, although go with the intention to remove all our game “, aimed. Another data to consider for Palop is the motivation of Raul who seems to be at a great moment of form. “This Sunday I am going away to face him and I see in a while him good, because it is marking goals and being important for its equipment. We have always considered to him, but at national level it must to him value the selector “, already commented the cancerbero on the habitual controversy around the absence of ‘ 7′ in the national selection. Palop is conscious that if Seville falls Sunday the objective to enter Liga de Campeones “is going away to put very difficult in case the Athletic one wins in Vilarreal”. But that does not mean that it gives by lost that aspiration because it sees the placed “affluent” equipment and is left “time to obtain it”.

“It is certain that, in key appointments, we have lost, but the Valencia was also key and we gained it. The equipment is prepared amply to obtain to that objective of Liga de Campeones, but it is difficult, because there are important equipment also fighting for that reason. If Sunday we won, we will be again to two points, if the Athletic one loses in Villarreal, that can be “, it insisted. Therefore, it assumes that the shock before Real Madrid “has much importance” for Seville. “If we are not able to remove something positive and the Athletic one has made a good result, the things will be put very difficult”, added.

Bernadine did an interview with Marca today:

Bernd Schuster, discussed trainer of Real Madrid, took care of Juan Manuel Gozalo in the ‘ Futboleríá of ‘ Direct Marcá. In an extensive one it interviews the German technician it showed his more amiable side, and answered without tapujos nor average inks all the questions that considered to him. The German technician, in mouth of all by the bad results harvested by the white equipment the last weeks and by the loss of confidence of the white director, said of clear form and full that “recently Ramon Calderón said to me that although we do not win Liga I will follow in Real Madrid, because this is a project and we are making an equipment. He lacks the second part to do the east equipment summer… and I am convinced that we will do it with the title of League. I have the total confidence of my president and I do not need more “.

The relations with his ‘ jefes’ “I take with Miguel Portugal Angel fantastically well… what ask to him him? I have a very good relation from the first day with my president, Mijatovic and Portugal. But I understand I play of the critics… and she does not worry to me too much. In Real Madrid the good thing is to read and to listen to little “, clarified on the relations with his ‘ jefes’. It recognizes that it can be mistaken “I am very well, because I have the very clear things. Although I recognize that as much I eat my players we can be mistaken. Sunday we were mistaken in two or three things and we paid it expensive “, recognized Schuster in Radio MARK. It affirms that it is not difficult for its players “I am not difficult for anybody, the players can always speak with me and I tell everything them.

It is certain that for the outside I am a little more closed. All this is inventions that appear when the things come bad. Only because we lose one or two parties the line is never lost, although yes it is necessary to improve “, clarified on his supposed inaccesibilidad to his players. “No player of my equipment has doubts on me”, sentenced. He knows very clearly Real Madrid 2008-2009 “I know very clearly the equipment that I have and in which we must improve”, explained the German on the future draftees of Real Madrid.

Roberto Soldado has an interview on Onda Cero Tuesday and here is what he had to say:

The forward of Real Madrid admitted that Schuster does not speak much with them. “usually he does not say anything, we spoke more with Manolo Ruiz to us (second trainer)“, commented the player. Soldier can leave the equipment at the end of at sight season of the few minutes which he has enjoyed this season to the orders of the German.

The own soccer player admits this possibility. “it is not necessary to be very intelligent to know what is going to happen with me”. On the other hand, the forward continues seeing enabled Madrid to hold in Liga. “It is necessary to have calm because already the Barça to two points was put and we knew to react with tranquillity”.

Schuster doesnt speak to the team much…? Why do I get the feeling he isnt as well liked as everyone says he is. Not speaking to your players much? Well maybe not to Soldado cause he clearly doesnt fancy him as a player, but the squad in general, I dont like that to much. Well anyway, no training pictures on the Real website, because in true Real fashion, if the football team does poor coverage dries up and basketball coverage is all thats on the site. If I find some training pics I will put them up.

As far as a score, I have stopped doing that and we have been loosing, so here it goes. 3-2 to Real, with Raul getting one and Robinho the other two, while Capel and Fabiano net for Sevilla. I forsee a red card in the match as well, no names though, my psychic powers are limited.

Until Sunday, Adios and HALA MADRID!