Another Win In The Derbi Madrileno

We won the Derbi Madrileno in tremendous fashion, with a late show that ranks up there with the best in terms of emotions and excitement. It was a great game for the neutral spectator, while it was more of situation where I was trying to keep my heart from exploding from all the excitement. To top it all off, the ref did a great job at sucking. He was awful, and it really makes you wonder where have all the good refs gone?

At. Madrid
Leo Franco
Heitinga
Ujfalusi
sub Luis García 74′
Pernía
sub Simao 49′ Goal 93′
Perea
Paulo Assunção
Maniche
Banega
Raúl García
sub Antonio López 38′
Agüero
Forlán

Real Madrid
Casillas
Sergio Ramos
Pepe
Cannavaro
Marcelo
Gago
De la Red
sub Javi García 81′
Sneijder
Van der Vaart 71′
Higuaín Goal 100′
Raúl
sub Drenthe 88′
Van Nistelrooy Goal 1′ (Sent Off)

As voted upon by the majority of you, there was an agreement that player ratings was a nice format for a match review, as it gives a reflection of the teams performance as well as the individuals. Also, it saves me time, as I will admit I much prefer previewing then reviewing. Plus, with the excellent live blogging we have, the play-by-plays are covered by Steve. Check that out here, it gives you a handle on what happened in the game, and Steve’s views of the game are the same as mine.

Player Ratings:

Casillas: 7 – He did well, although he didnt have to much to do. He may have not bee fully culpable for the Simao goal, but he could have atleast set the wall up better so that we as not unsighted.

Ramos: 3 – Simao gave him a rough time and his attacking play was less then spectacular. When he was called into duty he wasnt really there, and that is disturbing as he will be needed against Juve, who have left back troubles of their own to exploit.

Cannavaro: 8 – He played well, and but did have a strange error that you usually dont see from the veteran that almost presented Atleti with a goal. I have to say, an extension sounds like a good idea, as he really does marshall the backline so well, and his fitness levels still seem to be good, even with him not retiring from international duty yet. He knows his career will be over soon, and he is giving it his all day-in day-out. Cheers Fabio!

Pepe: 5 – At times he looks really good, he has an uncanny ability to take the ball off a players foot with a quick step in. But then again, he slides around to often, and he looses his positional advantage when he springs for a high ball but completely misses. Canna will help him with that, but he needs to just chill out a little more before he goes for the ball.

Marcelo: 6 – Kind of the same thing as Pepe, he needs to work on his positioning. Why is Schuster not doing something about that? It is more of a learned trait, but with Canna back there it helps him stay focused on his man. Attacking wise he did well, although his crossing and/or final pass really needs some work.

Gago: 8 – He looked like he never was injured, and he did a greta job today. He does not offer the physical presence of Diarra, but his ball winning and lane blocking has improved vastly, while his distribution is decent and when coupled with Ruben, they look like brother from a far.

De La Red: 7 – Love this guy.

Sneijder: 7 – His passing was excellent, but he was not the spark the team needed offensively, especially with out Robben and Guti. His playmaking credentials are still up in the air, especially with out someone else as an outlet of creativity, so we will see.

Higuain: 9 – He did well, he enjoys the big games it appears. Was cool to slot home the winner, and his movement was excellent all match. If only his finishing was a little better he would have beat compatriot Leo Franco on a few occassions.

Raúl: 5 – Ran around alot, and cheered his mates on, but in the three striking system he is never going to give you vintage Raul.

Van Nistelrooy: 6 – Pouching is his thing, as the goal was pretty easy, but he is always in the right place at the right time. The red card was bad, his tackle was studs up and a desperate lunge, so in the essence of the law, it was a yellow, as it was only ankle high. But with the context of the match, and the ref needing to level things again after the Perea red, he was off. I applaud him for his commitment to make that tackle though, he is only a striker.

Van Der Vaart: 6 – Did not really contibute much, but I think the three pronged attack crowded up the pitch which did not allow him much space.

Drenthe: 7 – He is always full of energy when he comes on, and he “won” the penalty for sure. I think he may have been looking for it, but then again he definately didnt dive, as there was alot of contact there. But, please, please start having a purpose when you have the ball other then just running full steam ahead!

Javi García: 6 – Besides the professional fouling he was sent out their to do, he was pretty absent. He needs to work on his first touch, as he looks so nervous when he is on the ball. Short passing aside, I expect more from him, especially considering this is his big chance to stake a spot in the team.

Bernd: Considering he was without Robben, the three pronged attack was the best move to keep pressure on the Atletico defense. But while the midfield he put out is what I have been dreaming of, it didnt really work out. Guti will hopefully recover soon, while are only width is from Robben. Schuster needs a player or two in the winter market, especially with Ruud facing a 2 match ban.

Schuster:
“The team proved that it can change the course of a match in its waning moments, but we could have won it a lot earlier. There were some dicisions taken to offset others, but we overcame those challenges, which is typical of this team.”

“I don’t think [Van Nistelrooy] deserved a red card. That’s where it all started. We had the game under control and no reason to make it more difficult for ourselves.”

“I was worried about the crowd because they were relentless; a twelth man, but we managed to keep them somewhat quiet with a quick goal, and that was key because Atletico feed off their crowd.”

“This was a good victory, especially with a penalty in the final minute. There is a common saying in football. A match isn’t over until the referee blows his whistle. Today we saw just how true it is.”

Van Nistelrooy:
“Justice was finally served and we were able to win. We scored early and everything seemed to be going perfect. Things didn’t really go how I wanted after I was sent off. I suffered a lot in the dressing room, but Drenthe did well and provoked the penalty. Starting off the way we did was key. It’s now time to begin thinking about Juve. We have to win. This victory really boosts our moral. The team has an great spirit about it. We never give up and it tends to pay off.”

Higuaín:
“Defeating the arch rival was great. The team knew how to stay focused and overcome adversity. We came out on top and won a a great match. I managed to score in the Calderón again and I am so happy. It was a physical match. Atletico is a very talented team and they played well. I took the penalty because no one else could and I am very happy to have scored.”

Drenthe:

How did you feel after provoking the penalty?
Causing a penalty in the last minute is always great. We were up the entire match and it was a real downer when they equalised. Fortunately we got the penalty and won. It was important to me, especially because I had only been on the pitch for ten minutes and I got to help my team.

Was it an obvious penalty?
It was. Absolutely.

Did you speak to Heitinga after the match?
I don’t know him and we didn’t speak. He may be Dutch, but he plays for Atletico and I play for Real Madrid. Everyone defends what’s in his best interest.

Would you have liked to take the penalty?
I was so thrilled just to have provoked it. There’s a chance I wasn’t prepared to take it at that moment. It was taken well, and that’s all that matters.

Were you congratulated by your teammates?
Of course. They all congratulated me. They even thought it was funny after seeing how I reacted on television. This after all is a team sport, so my gain is theirs as well.

Juventus is also a physical opponent, but the team’s moral must be through the roof.
It will be a difficult match. Juventus is a great team and I know they want to do well in the Champions League. They went through a tough patch and had to play in Second Divsion, so I know they want to regain prominence. Juve has great players, although Buffon, who I consider one of the best keepers in the world, is out. But we also havea good team and we will do whatever it takes to win.

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

Subscribe   The Offside RSS Feeds

Print

Share