And Were Off!

Real kicked their season off with a friendly against Lask LINZ as they celebrated their centenary. 100 years for the Austrian club, congratulations to them. But they were to be disappointed on the day as Real came out on top. I did not watch the match, as I couldnt find a good stream for it, although I didnt try that hard. I will try and watch the Emirates Cup and thats about it, preseason friendlies are simply training exercises, and this one was no different.

MATCH REPORT:
Lask Linz – 2: Cavlina, Gansterer, Baur, Kablar, Wisio, Panis, Klein, Salmutter, Saurer, Freudenthaler, Mayrleb. También jugaron: Zaglmair, Piermayr, Hamdemir, Pichler, Budimir, Mario Mijatovic,Poyraz, Rasswalder, Schreiner, Wemmer & Martin Ivos.

Real Madrid - 3: Dudek, Salgado, Javi García, Heinze, Torres, Diarra, Guti, Baptista, Robben, Raúl, Higuaín. También jugaron: Felipe Ramos, Van Nistelrooy, Saviola, Sneijder, Parejo, Antón & Callejón.

Referee: Drabek Diezmar. Booked Mayrleb (9’) and Guti (10’).

Goals:
1-0, 13′: Saurer.
1-1, 20′: Baptista.
1-2, 44′: Raúl.
1-3, 83′: Saviola.
2-3, 91′: Mario Mijatovic.

Highlights: Real Madrid’s first game of the season. Venue: Linzer Stadion. Attendance: 20,104. Linz LASK celebrated their 100th anniversary.

So we saw a lineup that was missing only Metzelder, Iker, Ramos and De la Red who are still on vacation and Drenthe, Marcelo and Gago who are at the Olympics, but was also devoid of Pepe, Canna, Robinho, Codina and Soldado. Actually thats alot of first team players to be missing when you look at it. Don’t be alarmed though, Pepe is just fine, he just had a slight muscle problem and was left out as a precaution.

Looking at the lineup, it always pains me to see Dudek in a Real jersey, as I have never rated the keeper, besides his heroics in the CL Final a few years back (and the UEFA Cup final with Feyenoord). A big game player maybe, but I still want him sold. We also saw a backline of Salgado, who did his best Sergio Ramos impression, which coincidently was his best Salgado impression circa 2002, and didnt do all the bad according to what I saw in some forums.

Javi Garcia paired with Heinze in the center of defence, which I expected would happen at some point this preseason, but not so early. But given Pepe’s injury, it was a logical choice, and besides beign responsible for the first Linz goal, he looked pretty comfortable. He actually played the whole game, and was partnered with Heinze, and then later Chema Anton. Torres played on the left, proving he will once again be a utilty man in the back, which is fine, its why I love him as a player (calling a no-homo clause from now until June 1st when I express love for a player, any team).

The midfield was also interesting, because we saw Glass Boy on the left, Diarra and Baptista forming the “Brute Force Tandem” and Guti drifting in from the right as the playmaker. A typcial midfield setup for Schuster, who has the ability to throw the same formation out there with three different sets of players, which he probably has a big boner over. I know I do. Baptista scored, which leads me to believe (pray) that he is retained this year, he is another player that I really like, athough like Soldado or Codina, is certainly not going to see the playing their talent deserves.

The midfield was a little disjointed, but its the first game of the season, so whatever. Robben was on the field to prove himself and he did, with two assists and an assured performance. If he doesnt get injured and ditches the pointless dribbles, then he is a great player. If not, then he is Glass Boy forever. The midfield saw the introduction of Sneijder, Parejo and Callejon all getting playing time. Good, Schuster may keep these lads around for the year, but I expect both to be loaned out, while Chema will probably be retained.

The attack was pretty potent, with Raul getting a goal, as well as Saviola (whoo?), while Higuain had another miss to trump all misses, which seems like a consistent theme for him. A functional performance though, Ruud also played, and we will hope to see some more goals this preseason from all of our strikers. Maybe even one or two from a guy named Roberto??? Me thinks no, but Im a dreamer.

A decent performance, and we are all glad to see Real playing again. The season starts in a month, with the Super Cup and then Jornada 1. Cant wait, until then, Hala Madrid!

Schuster Post Match Presser

Bernd Schuster was satisfied with his men’s work and with the final result in the clash with Linz Lask.

How would you summarise the match?
I first want to congratulate Lask for their first 100 years and I hope they continue for another 100. The party was beautiful. The match was nice after the long interval of the Euro and the holidays. It was important for us to get back into the game and, especially, to finish the match without any injured players. I thank Lask for how cleanly they’ve played because sometimes teams get a little too motivated for these games.

How do you regard Austrian football?
Austria was a great host of the Euro. The championship came a little too soon for this country’s football, which still has to grow a little. The Euro nevertheless motivates Austrian teams and I expect them to improve.

Do you draw any conclusions from games like these?
We wanted to see the team play as intensely as it’s been training so far. I think our pace was good except for the first 15 minutes of the match.

What did you think of Robben’s performance?
He is anxious to prove just how good he is, but we know. He’s been working as hard as everybody should from day one. He is fresh and fast, adding a special spark to our game. He seems to be slightly ahead of the rest in these games.

What did you think of Lask?
I didn’t expect their coach to leave two of their best players out, but I must say I’ve taken this game very seriously. I watched their previous match because a team like Real Madrid should take a 100 year-old club like Lask very seriously. I knew they usually play with a tight and narrow midfield and only one striker.

Did you know the team before you started preparing for the match?
Yes. It’s important for us that everything turned out alright, with the party and the fans cheering on all the time. It’s been very similar to a normal match.

Who is Real Madrid planning to sign?
Everybody knows we want to sign Ronaldo, but the process doesn’t seem to come to an end. The other signings we make depend on that one.

How is Cannavaro coming along?
Very well. He is a pro and we expect him to be able to play again at the end of August.

Did any Lask players surpise you?
I must say I only look at what my team does, so it is rather strange for me to notice anything exceptional from other sides.

Bernadine will have Metzelder, Ramos, De la Red and Casillas back from vacation tomorrow, and they will begin training with the rest of the squad. Hooray!

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

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