Comments on: It Wasnt Pretty As They Say

By: john

john — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:57:10 +0000

I’m all for Ribery, even over Ronaldo. No, he probably won’t sell as many jerseys, but if we had Ribery AND Robben attacking from the wings, I can only imagine that would have defenses at sixes and sevens as they say, and leave things ripe for attacks from the midfield, where we already have so much talent.

Ribery over Ronaldo? Way more of a team player. Always shows up for big games. Couldn’t possibly cost as much as the gelled up Portuguese prince. Sold.

By: Madridista Mac

Madridista Mac — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:01:47 +0000

Hi guys, Happy New Year to all…

I’d prefer Benzema too over the Apache (great player though he is)… I’m not so sure how things will turn out next year too on the striker department if we bring in Benzema or Villa (as some are saying) in the summer: that will make us end up with Raul, Ruud, Higuain, Huntelaar + Benzema/Villa. I’ve already assumed that Saviola will be leaving this summer. Are we assuming that Ruud will never be the same again? Is the dressing room ready for Raul as a benchwarmer? Does Huntelaar become a 25m Euro White Elephant on the bench (if he manages to find his scoring boots, does that make him like Michael Owen)?

All this talk is on top of the questions over 2 Diarras, Guti, Parejo and possibly if Sneijder is put in the middle of the park (ditto for VDV) once Juande finds his winger. Which brings us to the player we REALLY need at the moment….

A winger too. Left sided or right-sided is ok for me since Robben is proving himself on the right side too (despite ball hog that he can be). But before we even get there, I’d like to see more appearances for Palanca as the substitute winger (instead of Drenthe)… But looking long term: is Ribery a good choice?

A French Connection in Madrid this summer of Benzema + Ribery sounds good to me…

By: john

john — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:13:27 +0000

Good point, Nihit.

By: Nihit

Nihit — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:59:17 +0000

Well John, Man Utd will actually not get anything out of the deal (if it happens). All of it will go to MSI and their owner Kia J. But still i too would prefer Benzema since we already have the hard working, decent pace and creativity but not so amazing finishing type of player in Higuain. There’s no one like Benzema in Real right now which means apart from a Right winger he should be a priority.

By: john

john — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:57:45 +0000

I agree with Corey completely on this one, and for basically the same reasons.

A. I’d prefer Benzema, and I do think spending loads of money on other strikers would get in the way of that transfer.

B. The amount of money and the club that it goes to. For now, I’d prefer to let Man U get their funds from some other team.

And I’ll add C to the list – though Tevez has creative moments, and he’s a tremendous worker, he has the same tendency as Robben to dribble with his head down, severely limiting his play making capabilities. Yes, his drive is remarkable, but we need players that will open up play, not just pound head first into the box.

By: Donovan

Donovan — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:56:40 +0000

I agree with you Corey, Benzema over Tevez any day. It would cost alot but he will be worth every penny. Is there any news on that right winger that was promised by Pedja? I dont see us signing a quality player this winter transfer period thats not cup tied. I think we should just give Palanca a chance and maybe see how Parejo does on that wing until summer transfer window opens and then go full assualt on signing someone like Ribery.

By: Corey

Corey — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:06:29 +0000

I follow the Premier League only because thats the only thing they show on Fox Soccer Channel, so I have seen Tevez play. He is good enough for Real, but his price is a little alarming, considering we wouldnt be buying the players rights, only paying a shady firm for him to play for us. I dont view that as good business.

The other thing is that if you had to choose between Tevez and Benzema, why wouldnt you pick Benzema. I also follow Lyon extensively, they are my second team if you will, and I think he is the most promising player in the world right now. He may cost double what Tevez will, but the lad wants to play for Real, he has said so himself. And he is not just a poacher, actually he often creates goals for himself as he plays up top on his own. His poaching skills are not as developed as Raul or Ruud, but his pace and skill with dribbling and holding the ball up as well as (huge plus) drifting out wide from time to time means he is a very attractive prospect for Real. If Real was to sign only one player this summer, I would want it to be Benzema.

By: OhYes

OhYes — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:41:59 +0000

Of course Tevez doesn’t seem to have great finishing skills.. he has barely played any games for ManU this season. That guy is great though, he just needs some time out on the field.

Whenever he is put on the field, he does some nice things, though. He scored a hat trick not too long ago.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:50:17 +0000

Hello ladies and gents, apologies for being AWOL – went to Toronto and NYC for the holidays and just partied the whole time – no rest for the wicked. I haven’t been able to catch any highlights of the last match so I can’t comment on the debuts of Lass and Huntelaar.

However, being in England, I have quite a bit of opportunity to watch the likes of Lass and Tevez, and believe me, I think Tevez would be great for Madrid. He’s been overshadowed at Man U by CRon, Rooney, and now Berbatov, as well as Nani and Park to a lesser extent, but he was absolutely essential to West Ham staying in the Premier League 2 years ago. With the lack of any creative genius on the pitch for Real, I think Tevez would be a pretty sweet addition.

I also don’t think that the Huntelaar signing precludes signing either Tevez or Benzema – or possibly both. They’re different types of players anyway… Huntelaar and Benzema are poachers in the Ruud mold, and Tevez and Higuain are more like Raul or Rooney.

Both Ruud and Raul will have to take lesser roles in the coming years, simply due to their age and availability. Look at our situation now – better to have problems in team selection than to have no one to select. Eventually, i can imagine having Higuain, Huntelaar, Tevez/Benzema and one of the Castilla products as our main strike force.

By: Evo

Evo — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:04:33 +0000

Unfair to judge on one game, but I thought Lass looked brilliant in his debut.
Tevez would be great at Madrid – I think he’s a very hard worker, unpretentious and creative. My only concern is that again we will lack pace up front if he paired with any of the strike combinations we have. Not sure why Arshavin is not an option anymore.

My main worry about the game on Saturday (and from what i have seen from all the games under Ramos so far) was that up front we looked reliant on Robben to start everything. It’s the same squad formation that Capello suposedly got the sack for, for being too defensive. We could end up going back to the days where we were unable to create stuff up front – a problem we never had under Schuster.