Real Squad Preview 09/10

Big post here, so may want to get your eye drops out so you dont have to blink much while you read it. I did a post a while ago about the ins and outs of the defense, and was to follow that up with a midfield and forwards post as well, but I never got around to it. So I will restart that idea and do a run down of the 40 man squad (that number keeps fluctuating) and see who may be out by the start of the season as well. Here is a listing of all of the players listed with squad numbers:

1 Iker Casillas
M6 Lassana Diarra
G25 Jerzy Dudek
M Mahamadou Diarra
G30 Antonio Adán
M5 Fernando Gago
G29 Felipe Ramos
M14 Guti
D18 Raúl Albiol
M8 Kaká
D26 Chema Anton
M31 Pedro Mosquera
D12 Marcelo
M17 Daniel Parejo
D15 Royston Drenthe
M9 Cristiano Ronaldo
D Ezequiel Garay
M10 Wesley Sneijder
D24 Javi Garcia
M37 Marcos Tebar
D16 Gabriel Heinze
M23 Rafael Van der Vaart
DGary Kagelmacher
F19 Karim Benzema
D3 Pepe
F28 Alberto Bueno
D21 Christoph Metzelder
F35 Palanca
D26 Agus
F7 Raúl
D4 Sergio Ramos
F20 Gonzalo Higuaín
D2 Míchel Salgado
F Klass Jan Huntelaar
D22 Miguel Torres Gómez
F Negredo
D27 Javier Velayos
F11 Arjen Robben
M Rubén De la Red
F Ruud Van Nistelrooy

Lets get rolling with the keepers then. Those in bold I want to stay with the team, and those who are not will obviously be moved on. In the case of a cantera player, if they are bolded it means they may stay with their rescpective youth team, not necessarily the first team.

This is a huge post, with a lot of information and analysis. Read it once, then sit back and absorb it. Read it again, and think for yourself what you would do. Read it a third time and make those moves with your explanations and post them. Lots of room for debate here.

Goalkeepers:

1 Iker Casillas
25 Jerzy Dudek
30 Antonio Adán
29 Felipe Ramos
Tomas Mejias

Idealism is the key to the goal keeping situation at Real Madrid. Because lets face it, barring injury, no one will take the #1 jersey from Iker Casillas until he is at least 36, if not older. Its a difficult situation from the Castilla keepers because they are pretty good, but they have the best in the world in head of them. Jordi Codina found that out, and I completely understand his move to Getafe. It seems like a good fit, and he is a La Liga quality keeper, so why not move on to further your career. He should not be to banged up about never breaking into the starting role, as Casillas is, like him, a cantera player, so that softens the blow. Best of wishes to Codina!

Dudek is worthless, I hated this guy since the day we signed him. I knew he would never play, but it was also because it was such an obvious sign that the management did not trust Castilla players to backup Casillas, which is stupid. I could see one of Felipe Ramos or Antonio Adan going out on loan since Castilla is not promoted to the Segunda, while the other will probably be Casillas backup. This means that the Castilla keeper spot will be open next year if one of Ramos or Adan is loaned and the other promoted to the first team, so with the injury to Felipe Ramos, Tomas Mejias could move up to the Castilla #1 and Felipe Ramos may go out on loan after he recovers. Adan should be the second or third keeper, but I do think that Dudek will be here for another year. Booo.

The cantera is full of keeper riches. Real Madrid C obviously has two very talented keepers in Tomas Mejias and Aitor are both very good keepers, with both winning caps and junior levels for Spain. So one of them will have to make the move up next year. Also, I suppose that Real will bring in a goalkeeper in the off season if one of Adan or Felipe Ramos is loaned or stays with the Castilla team.

Center Backs:

D3 Pepe
D21 Christoph Metzelder
D18 Raúl Albiol
## Ezequial Garay
## Christoph Schorch
## Agus Fernandez
## Gary

So let me first say that while Fabio Cannvaro was an excellent player, he is simply to old to play with Real for another season. He has been a stalwart for our club over the past three seasons, but I think it was time for him to go back to Italy. We have Garay coming in with some question marks and Albiol also on the squad, so I think we will be adequately covered for Cannavaro’s loss. Albiol is a good addition as long as he keeps the own goals in Valencia. He may not have the dedication to the badge, but he is a consummate professional and I expect him to fit in well next to Pepe as a starter. A half way decent center back partnership for a year? I might have to go out on a limb and say we should be better in the center this year, but thats really sticking my neck out there.

Pepe is gonna recover from the Getafe game incident, and when he does he will definitely have to get use to a new partner. He will also most likely be the one to take Garay under his wing even though they are only a few years apart. With Pepe, Albiol and Garay we have three very good central defenders that all have room for growth. We also have Metzelder as a seasoned vet who will be used off the bench often. I think there might be room for a fifth central defender who has a Castilla team number to be called up once and awhile i.e. Gary or Schorch. That Castilla player could be #4 if Metzelder is not retained. If he is, then there will be no room for that youth team player on a full time basis.

If a player like Gary is finally signed to a permanent deal, then he could be promoted to the first team, but since he is on loan with Castilla, he cannot play for Real. I did not know that until I looked it up, which makes sense as to why he never was played by Schuster last year. But this year he is fully owned by Real, so I expect him to move up or leave for good. He was pretty solid when he made his debut against Osasuna, and I think we should be patient with him and he could pan out. Mateos will be sold, as he does not have La Liga quality. Schorch is sort of an unknown quantity. I have personally never seen him play, as Castilla games are pretty hard to catch, but he has high ratings. I do not know what his situation is for next year. He shaved his head recently though, so there is some news.

Agus did not do well on his loan last year to Celta, and although he has been ever present for Castilla this term, he will be released/sold in the summer because of his age. He is approaching 23, so he needs to start playing somewhere else. I cant say he was of the required quality Real needed, but I wish him luck in the future. He will spend the preseason with the first team, which is probably more for him to be showcased for a move away then for him to earn a first team place. Castilla is gonna have a tumultuous offseason with center backs, although the arrival of Matteo Mussachio will help things a bit. He is a highly rated youngster fro River Plate that Real signed this past year. Expect big things from him, unlike Juan Forlin of Boca Juniors, who has had little impact this season and returns to Boca.

I think Metzelder stays, although I would rather he not see to much playing time. His performances at the end of the season have either been really good, or as in El Clasico, pretty average against an opponent with a lot of pace. A good backup, but he himself has admitted that leaving might make sense for his career, although he enjoys playing for Real. A youth team player would be nice, but given that Gary and Schorch really have no experience, and have not made moves towards the first team last season, I have a hard time believing a coach and/or the management will be so trusting of either of them.

Wing Backs:

D4 Sergio Ramos
D2 Míchel Salgado
D22 Miguel Torres
D27 Javier Velayos
D16 Gabriel Heinze
26 Chema Anton
12 Marcelo
D Marcos Alonso
Daniel Opare

Its pretty obvious that Gabi Heinze must go as far away from Madrid as possible. I dont think any sane Real fan likes this guys playing style, and his horror defending has been costly the past two seasons. There is interest (not sure if its genuine) in him from the EPL, so if an offer comes in, take it! Miguel Torres to me is the best left back we have available. He is good at just about everything, although not outstanding in anything at the same time. He brings solidity and consistency to the left back position, something we really need given Sergio Ramos’s up and down season, and the always chaotic central defensive pairing. He is not the ideal player for that position, but with a lack of signings for that, and the mistrust of Marcelo as a defender, Torres seems like a good bet.

I see Miguel Torres being the starting left back and Marcelo being his back, although Marcelo also can be used on the wing. Marcelo is still a left back in my eyes, he simply needs to mature and become more responsible in his positioning and the timing of his runs. A good backup for sure, either at left back or on the wing. Likewise Drenthe, who is also a left back still in my eyes. But he will probably be gone, so I dont count on him. Its nice to have utility players like that, as if Torres himself is not one already. Which leads me to the right back spot.

Torres is also a great backup at the right back spot. So if he is my starter at left back and my backup at right back, we are stretched a tad thin here arent we? The solution is simple. Use youth team players as cover! There is absolutely no need to buy Maicon or Maxwell from Inter Milan, or Philip Lahm from Bayern etc etc etc. Good players they are, but we need to stop looking for quick solutions and start developing long term plans. Which is why I say we go with Ramos and Torres as starters, Marcelo backing up Torres, Torres backing up Ramos, and two youth team players being used in emergencies at either spot. Javier Velayos as a right back I believe is first team ready. He made the bench against Vilarreal and Osasuna, so Juande saw something in him that should merit a workout in the pre-season with the first team. I would not sign a right back given our plethora of options there.

Daniel Opare is not ready, and I know alot of fans have been clamoring for his inclusion, but I dont think he is ready yet. He has not had a full campaign under his belt with Castilla, so give him more time. Velayos on the other hand is in his second season as the starting right back for Castilla, and has been one of the best players of the side. Give him a chance this season. At left back, Chema Anton lost his place in the Castilla team to Marcos Alonso and looks almost certain to be released this summer. I dont see him making it to the first team now, his form has dropped off considerable from reports. He played in 25 games this year, but something fishy must be going on if he was to loose his place to a Juvenil A player. He is only 20, so he has time, but I fear the worst for his Real career. Marcos Alonso, who really made the step up the C team to Castilla with aplomb. Although not first team ready yet, he is one to watch.

Michel Salgado of course needs to move on as well. He has been a great servant to the club, and while we know he wanted to retire with Real, he probably should go play in Saudi Arabia for a year or two before retiring. He will have a testimonial match for sure, and I can see him getting involved in football administration some day. He is still with the first team for the preseason, and maybe he will stay for one last season, but I cant see him playing much? His experience in the squad is great, but I want to see Michel playing out his career, not riding the bench. He should leave to enjoy his last few years, but he probably feels very committed to Real, which I also respect.

The key here is to make it clear to Torres he will be the starter for Real at left back. If he knows that going in to the season, expect big things from him. Ramos at right back, and the depth coming from Marcelo and Salgado/Velayos. Heinze has not been sold yet, so I fear he may end up being the left back, but I will keep my fingers crossed for him to leave. I have high hopes for Velayos, and of course I think Pellegrini and his coaching staff can improve Marcelo’s defending, seeing as how its already pretty miserable. As with the center back position, I think we have a good amount of depth and we should look pretty good here this year. A new left back like Filipe or Canella would be great, but lets give Torres a chance to prove himself there.

Center Midfielders:

24 Javi Garcia
18 Ruben de la Red
6 Lass Diarra
## Mahamadou Diarra
8 Fernando Gago
14 Guti
17 Dani Parejo
31 Pedro Mosquera
## Marcos Tebar
## Javi Modrego

Does anyone know the meaning of the word cluster fuck? Excuse my profanity, but the central midfield is officially a mess this offseason. 6 Players will be available for coach Manuel Pellegrini this offseason to fight for two spots. And with rumors circulating of a possible purchase of Xabi Alonso from Liverpool, it seems like it may only get worse. I think everyone can agree that Lass Diarra stays after having a terrific half season with us. His ball winning skills are exceptional, and his passing is not half bad for a DM. He could be the starter for Pellegrini next season without a doubt.

Alongside him was Fernando Gago. He did not have a good season, and this having been two and a half seasons at Real, it may be time to cut our losses. His ball winning is iffy, his positioning is often suspect, and his passing range is both limited and inaccurate at the best of times. He had something like 6 assists this season though, which makes you wonder if he really is developing or not. Its hard to argue with 6 assists, but its his inability to make the simple pass that often frustrates the most, along with his lack of physical presence. Watching him play alone as a DM is nerve racking, but alongside Lass or Mahamadou brings out the best in him. I think he stays because of De la Red being out, but if Xabi Alonso was to be brought in then I say sell him.

Javi Garcia also is probably looking at a future away from Real. His performances have often been down right terrible as a defensive midfielder, and shaky at best at center back. He seems to be very nervous when he steps on to the pitch in the white jersey, something he did not have when playing at Osasuna. As a canterano I love him, but his quality it not there, so I think its adios for him. He can be a good La Liga player for sure, he just needs to be calm and focused when he plays. Other canteranos include Javier Modrego, who played a decent amount of games for Castilla, and may be with them next year too, and Pedro Mosquera, who was passed over in favor of Marcos Tebar at the end of the season, so I expect him to be sold to a Segunda side.

Marcos Tebar looked pretty good when he played 40 or so minutes against Osasuna at center back. He is a composed player on the ball and reads the game pretty well. As vice captain of the Castilla team he also has a great deal of leadership and responsible professionalism under his belt. Unfortunately it seems that he got his debut to late into the season to convince any that he merits staying around another season, so he will be loaned or sold also. At 23, he needs to be playing regularly, so its a wise career move for him. I wish him luck though.

Ruben stays, period. If he is healthy enough, he also starts alongside Lass 99% of the time. Period. Because he is not healthy enough, we will probably start looking for another player to replace him. My vote is Granero.

Guti of course stays as well. As vice captain it would be hard to sell him off with little sentiment lost, but I think he has a great role to play in his final years, much like Raul. Under Bernd Schuster in 2008 he had something like 20 assists, and this year despite playing half as many game, he go 10 or 12 I believe. He might not be an obvious pick for Pellgrini, but his passing and vision are unsurpassed. Alongside Lass in the center of the pitch, or as a stand in for say Kaka, he can still be a match winner. His vertical game would compliment someone like De la Red really well, but all for not. He is definitely helped out by someone like Mahamdou doing a bulk of the defensive work and also doing most of the horizontal ball movement. Kaka may be asked to do that to help free Guti for a touch, which would then free Kaka for a run. It could all work very well.

Mahamdou Diarra stays because despite his injury (I would not worry about that he is a beast) he is still better then Lass as a defensive midfielder. He may not harass opponents with such speed, but he breaks up plays well, tackles like an American football player and is excellent in the air. Lass does not have an skill in the air, although he still tries which I give him credit for. And his size can lead to him being pushed around, although its a rare sight. Mahamdou still offers a wider array of skills to Lass besides speed, so keep them both, and use the Makelele-Conciecao midfield when needed, it will be a sight to see.

Dani Parejo is sort of a problem area. He has a ton of potential, and if you really want someone to replace De la Red, Parejo is the man. I still like Granero, but Parejo is worth giving a chance to impress beyond 10 minute cameos. He is very gifted with the ball at his feet, either passing or dribbling, and he sits pretty deep before bursting forward much like Guti and De la Red molded their games around. If he is not to get a good amount of time, loan him to a Liga club so that he can, because this year he needs to play in order to develop. Develop he will I am sure, but its more a matter of giving him the space to do it with Real or letting him go so he can turn into a great player, albeit at another team.

Wingers/Attacking Midfielders:

10 Wesley Sneijder
23 Rafeal Van der Vaart
35 Palanca
11 Arjen Robben
15 Royston Drenthe
8 Kaka
9 Cristiano Ronaldo

With the addition of Kaka and Ronaldo, which is no small feat, we have ourselves a pretty accomplished attack. I see both of them starting, and Robben being a sub on the left for Kaka to spread the field more, while Sneijder could also substitute in for Kaka in a like for like position, although the two have different playing styles. There really is not to much to debate over the four players that will be used in these two positions. Guti could cover for Ronaldo, or Sniejder, while both Kaka and Sneijder could be used more centrally along with Guti, or behind a single striker. The options are limitless when you also consider that both Higuain and Benzema can play wider then say Raul or Negredo, and Ruud likes to drift out wide to start his runs or hold up the ball too.

But the players leaving is of more concern. Van der Vaart was pretty miserable past October. Not sure if his wife having breast cancer effected his play significantly, or being used out of position from time to time, or the change of coaches. It was a tumultuous year for him, and I cut him some slack because he is a quality player. But he only showed it in flashes with Real, and he has to be on his way out. If Kaka and Ronaldo did not arrive this summer, I would be all for giving him a second chance. But the pool of depth has been raised to such a level that it is not worth waiting for him to have a good game every now and again. We should recoup what we paid, just like Huntelaar, so thats a positive.

Drenthe also needs to be moved on. Two seasons of little more then hustle and disappointment from the lad means that, yet again, the improvement in the quality of players at his position makes his career unsustainable at Madrid. He could very well blossom with a loan somewhere, or it may be wise to just sell him while teams still think he has an upside that a bad loan might take away. I dont doubt his talent as a left back, but as a winger he does not have the technical ability to succeed at a club like Real. Speed is not the only attribute that makes a player successful in the modern game, so he really needs some tactical work on positioning, field vision and timing of his runs. He could also work on his dribbling and crossing, while his defensive skills have gone by the wayside since joining Real. I admired his determination and commitment whenever he played, but he just did not cut the mustard.

Finally, Palanca. We saw what he was capable of against Barcelona of all teams, and I think that was a perfect microcosm of the payer. Brilliant one game, ordinary the next. He lost his luster after a few games with the first team and finished the season with Castilla, where he had a hard time impressing again. Not sure if thats mental or an indication of his real level. I see him staying with Castilla for next season, but being one of the alternates for the first team yet again. I am sure some teams are probably interested in him, including his former employer Espanyol. But he is really the only like-for-like replacement for Ronaldo on the right side, so he may see some action.

Strikers:

7 Raul
## Benzema
## Van Nistelrooy
20 Higuain
19 Huntelaar
## Negredo

I do believe there is room for five strikers at Real, especially with both Benzema and Higuain able to play a bit wider then conventional forwards. That and Benzema really is unproven and cannot be counted on in the same way Higuain or Raul can. Add to that Ruud’s untested fitness, which at his age becomes a problem despite him always being a great professional with a level of fitness. Raul can be considered in the same boat, as he will tire more quickly now. And Negredo was great for Almeria, but we still dont know how he will perform for Real yet and you have a good reason to have fives strikers.

Ruud and Raul can be considered old, but they still have the goods as far as I am concerned. They may not start 30+ games this year because Ruud’s fitness is in question and Raul’s abilities are not needed in every game. But, both are proven finishers, Raul is the captain of the team and Ruud is very good at stretching an opponent with his off the ball positioning and runs. The experience the two have will always outweigh what Negredo, Higuain and Benzema bring to the table until the themselves get some experience. Expect to see them more often then not in the Champions League.

That being said, I dont think either is a guaranteed starter of course, but I would not be so quick to write either of them off. Raul will always be in contention because he works the hardest on the training ground, and he is the field general. That is invaluable to a coach who can only shout from the sidelines. Higuain had a great season, and he is indeed the future Madridista idol I do not doubt that. He should be considered our #1 striker for the upcoming season, but he still will have a tough time displacing Raul. Higuain needs to find more consistency in his scoring, and his finishing can improve, but this all happens with more game time. I see Higuain as a starter, but who will be his partner?

I cant see Benzema being a starter, even if he gets off to a good start. I think Negredo, if he is kept, will start alongside Higuain a majority of the season. Its the Morientes-Raul partnership, just like Lass-Mahamadou is the Makelele-Conciecao partnership. Its proven effective as a partnership, but the two players need time to work together. Likewise Benzema with the rest. The striking situation really is up in the air, because besides Raul and Ruud and Raul and Higuain, there are no tested partnerships. It will be interesting to see who is paired with who in the preseason friendlies as an indicator of who will play where. Let me also say this. Ronaldo should not play as a striker! We have five forwards as of right now, I do not foresee us letting any go, so why should we add a sixth and leave our right side open? AS is silly to think he will play as a striker unless its a dire need.

Huntelaar is most definitely out, either to Stuttgart or Tottenham. Negredo could move to Tottenham as well, but I find that a rather peculiar move considering Negredo’s desire to play for Real. I think its just paper talk and Good Ole Arry mentioning a few names he likes to the press. The point is, we either keep Negredo or we keep Huntelaar. Since Hunter is no even in Ireland, I have a feeling he wont be kept. But I would be very disappointed if we let Negredo go, even for 20 million euros. A five man striker core is not a bad thing when you have two old guys, two new guys and a an up-an-comer.

So thats it for my squad preview. Like I said earlier, there is a lot of debatable points here, and I think that is really the fun in it. Keep it constructive and objective of course, but lets have fun with this and really hammer out some solid lineups and an ideal 25 man roster. As you can see, after all of my trimming, my squad consists of 25 players, but it is still in flux. For example, Gary, Palanca, and Velayos could be added to the first team squad or kept on the Castilla list for example. And Gago, Salgado, Dudek and Drenthe are all up in the air in terms of staying or leaving. Let me know what your squad may look like. Next week, I will have a post up on my formations with the squad I chose.

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Category: Team News