The Preview Of The Derbi

By: Corey | October 17th, 2008

So this is the preview of the Derbi Madrileno, which is the conclusion of the two week long series of posts for the derby. Its been a nice two weeks, because even though I usually take off from blogging during international breaks, I thought it was important to have a steady build up to this weekends derbi. If you missed it, Al of the Atletico Madrid Offside and I have been co-posting to keep people abrest of the going ons before the derbi. Of course the big talk the past few days has been the pathetic stadium ban for Atletico with CL games, as well as Englands supposive refusal to play a game at the Bernabeu.

Well the English have back tracked, putting their feet in their mouths (and asses), but there is still no announcement on a friendly (do we need to play the traveling circus anyways?) not to anyones surprise, while the bumbling, stumbling governing body of UEFA has decided to halt the ban until after the Liverpool match to accomidate the traveling fans (who will be racially abused anyways because thats what Spain is about…), and may even consider dropping the ban. Im all for stamping out racism, but is this the way to do it? Make a hard line, some what over the top decision, only to back down when the spotlight is on you? Seems all to often this is how footballs governing bodies operate.

Enough of the beauracratic crap for now, lets get to the match. This is the second Madrid derbi of the year, not that there are a whole lot of Madrid derbis every year, seeing as how all the Madrid based teams are pretty small outfits except Getafe with their recent rise. This derbi comes at an interesting time though, not only for the media driven attention both clubs have yielded, but also because its a pivotal time in both teams seasons. For Real, a win here will put us in good standing in the table, possibly allowing for us to leapfrog Barca, who face a tricky trip to Basque country. For Atletico, it is right smack in the middle of their miserable run of games where they will face Real, then Liverpool at home in the CL, then travel to Vilarreal for another top of the table clash.

Atletico also have the hangover of a pretty bad thrashing at the hands of Barca, so mentally they may be a tad worn down, but theres no better tonic to get a team going again then a derby. Real on the other hand are coming off a taxing schedule of 67games in a 1 month span, a 1-1 draw with Espanyol being the 7th game of that run. Full points were garnered up until the Espanyol game, putting Real in a good position in the CL as well as keeping them with in touching distance of leaders Valencia. Valencia for there part have looked good, but they have not yet played a top La Liga team, with 2 wins against mid-table clubs in Almeria and Depor and 4 wins against relegation fodder.

Get Back Here

Title credentials aside, this game is the sole focus of a city, and for many a fan in Spain who either support one side or the other. This rivalry has existed since the inception of the two teams, who were founded a year apart, 1902 for Real, 1903 for Atletico. Los Colchoneros have always been seen as the smaller of the two Madrid teams, mostly due to Real winning more titles. Atletico has had periods of great success too, as Atletico Aviacion in the 40s all the way up to their last Primera title in 96. The derbi itself was played out in Kings Cup matches in the early days of Spanish football, with the first official derbis occuring when the professional league was founded in 1929. Atletico are of course the third best team in La Liga history, just in head of Bilbao.

The derbi itself has brought so many beautiful moments along with some very unsavory things as well. The political undertones have lessen to a great extent these days, but it is well known that Atletico are the left wing supporters as compared to Reals more right wing supporters. This is more of a historical precedent dating back to pre-Civil War times, and it must be said that at one point Atletico were a puppet team of General Franco as Atletico Aviacion. But these things are not longer true, as besides the socio-economic demographics of the locations of the two stadiums, the political leanings seem to be mixed. It can truely be said that Rayo Vallecano is the club of the people, the left wing symbol in Madrid these days, not necessarily Atletico.

Atletico’s coach is Javier Aguirre, the Mexican tactician who lead Osasuna into the CL before taking over Atletico a few years ago. He has spent heavily to get the team that he wants, and he has so far gotten the squad back to the CL and competing for the knockout rounds. I dont think I like him per say, I dont really have an opnion of him. Although shouting obscentities at Mathieu Valbuena never endears a coach to neutral fans. Tactically he is pretty rigid, with a 4-4-2 his perferred formation, with a defensive midfielder paired with a central midfielder and two outside midfielders flanking them. The outside midfielders are not wingers, as they track back quite a bit, but in Luis Garcia they have someone who will tend to drift in more often then not, while the talents of Maxi Rodriguez and Simado Sabrosa are best utilized further forward then they are played.

Simao and Maxi should be fit for the match, so it will be interesting to see who Aguirre goes with out wide. Luis Garcia is on his day a very tidy player, who led a (I want something else to get me through this) semi-charmed kind of life (baby, baby) at Liverpool after so-so spells all over La Liga. My thinking here is that while Maxi played against Barca but left the field in the 20th minute, Simao has been out for a few games, so Luis Garcia may retain his place. Miguel Das Cuevas will be an option of the bench too, the Spanish youth international benefiting from Jurado (former Castilla talent) moving on loan to Mallorca along with fly in the ointment Cleber Santana.

I must also point out that while they may not see time in the Derbi, Atleti possess the 16 year old sensation Keko as well as 19 year old talent Joshua for the wings. Joshua plays on the left but also can play as a striker, while Keko is a right attacking midfielder and is very talented. Both were on the bench against Barcelona, and while the injuries lessen for Aguirre, he may still have one of the two in reserve for the derbi. To keep other young talent Nacho Camacho occupied on the bench atleast.

Atletico’s ability to spread the field is important, as they do not exactly have a dynamic central midfield. Paulo Assuncao is a reliable midfielder, capable in his duties of shielding the back four, but he lacks any sort of attacking prowess. Raul Garcia is a little better at that, but again, I dont see him as the sort of threat our midfield would worry about. Ever Banega is a more capable yet more erratic midfielder who will probably start on the bench for los colchoneros (thats the matresses in Spanish by the way). Assuncao and Garcia provide a solid platform with which Atletico can attack on, but they add very little to the overal attack themselves, save for a few pot shots.

So this is what I mean by spreading the field. Without the width, Atletico’s attack is suffocated, as Aguero and Forlan (or Pongolle) will have to drop deep to get a sniff at the ball. If they dont drop deep, look for some hopeful punts up field. This is the key to this game, and its also a reason why deploying Diarra is not essential. Gago and De la Red will do just fine. Of course the use of someone like Nacho Camacho or Maniche would switch up the midfield a bit. But so far Aguirre has shown little faith in the hot shot Camacho, who I really like, due to his age and inexperience.

Maniche on the other hand has come back from the dead, with some stirring performances for a coach most thought he couldnt even stand the sight of. Maniche has a bit of a niggle, and he may be declared fit for the match yet. Last I checked he was set to go, but I suppose from the bench, which would leave my Gago-De la Red partnership still on the table. But if Maniche is playing, Diarra is a much better option then Gago to shield the defence as well as keep Maniche from getting in behind him for a shot. Diarra’s medical status is still uncertain though, so we will see if he is even able to go.

As for the strikers, enough cant be said about Aguero. He is a very potent finisher for such a young age, and he can dribble his fair share as well. He will look to link with Forlan or Pongolle, who are really just out their to pick up the scraps that comes his way and see what they can do with them. It would be foolish to say that anyone other then Aguerro is the focus of the attack, and thus it sort of nullifies the contributions of Pongolle mostly. Sinama is a player I like, because he is very technically gifted, but he also loves to get stuck in. He has something like 13 fouls against already this season, along with the four goals he has scored, meaning he will barge over a defender to get on to a through ball.

Aguero on the other hand has something like 3 shots on target out of 10, with 2 goals (in La Liga). So when you look at that stat, you have to think that unless he is presented with a half chance in the box he will take it, otherwise he is not as accurate as some may tend to think. Nullifying his chance to pounce on a defensive mistake is the best bet for Real to leave with a clean sheet. By constricting Atletico’s play into the center where there is a lack of creativity, it will cut off the supply to the strikers. After that, it is most important that we clear all balls into the area, as that is where the Atletico strikers are dangerous. Of course keeping Forlan and Aguero from running at the center backs will important, but if they are droping deep this problem will be lessoned.

Defensively Atletico has improved a whole lot. Perea is a good defender,but he was often left hanging in the wing by Ze Castro or Pablo the past few years, which made him look less then efficient. With Jonny Heitinga next to him, he has a much more positionally reliable partner, allowing Perea to make quick bursts forward to rob the ball off a player or clear a short pass to the striker at midfield. He is excellent at that, and he is also very good in the air. Heitinga is also great in the air, but his lack of pace means that if his positional sense is key, otherwise Perea is racing to cover Heitinga’s weak side.

Ujfalusi is a much better left back then Seitaridis ever will be, as evidence by his long career of solid play in Serie A. Ujfalusi really cannot attack much, as he is slow and unskilled offensively. But he will sit back and look to keep Robben from getting in full flight, because if he is, he cannot stop him, he is just to slow. On the right side, Antonio Lopez, off-and-on Spain international, has had a good start to tthe season, combining his natural attacking energies with some solid defending. The again he had a miserable time with Messi, and was one of those cuplable for the Barca rout, but who doesnt have ttrouble with Messi? Pernia is another option at right back, but his form has dropped off considerably.

Due to the 4-4-2 that focuses on a solid core with 2 stationary center midfielders, as well as Ujfalusi being somewhat of an auxillary central defender with his lack of forward movement, Antonio Lopez will look to get forward as much as possible then, hopefully to nullify the presence of Sergio Ramos, but also because Simao is a very capable defender when he tracks back.

As for keepers, having been a life long fan of Olympique Lyon, I rate Gregory Coupet very highly. Leo Franco is not a bad keeper either. Greg is a world class keeper, but having moved teams and league os late in his career, I feel that he will not adeqautely adjust because he is on the down slope. Of course Pato at Getafe moved to Spain late in his career too and has done excellent, so maybe Coupet will turn it around. I expect to see Leo Franco though, as Coupet was in net for the Barca thrashing, and although the goals were not all his fault, so many is never tolerable.

Real Madrid News:

What? I Didnt Touch Him!

Miguel Torres tore a thigh muscle in his left lef in Spain u-21’s victory over Switzerland to qualify for the u-21 Championships. He will be out for around three weeks, which leaves a little short defensively now as well, seeing as how Javi Garcia has been moved up to the midfield role with the injuries we have sustained there. Guti has been ruled out of the match, which is not much of a surprise, as his injury was suppose to keep him out until atleast next week. This means that Van der Vaart will definately be playing, as Robben is also still doubtful. Robben will probably be able to play, but we still dont know.

Diarra also still a doubt, but like Robben, I feel he will be ready. Gago has been training with the squad during the break and he is fully fit for the match, so it looks like he will partner Ruben in the center, with VdV further ahead. Ruben had talked to the press about moving back in order to accomidate the team, but I dont forsee that being needed with Gago fit as well as being able to utilize Javi Garcia. Using both Javi Garcia and Gago behind Ruben might be interesting, with VDV providing limited width for Raul and Ruud. But without Robben, VdV may just stick to his usual attacking midfield role also, and then we could see the three pronged attack of Higuain, Raul and Ruud again.

Defensively we will have the unchanged back line of Ramos, Pepe, Canna and Heinze. Metzelder and Marcelo are the only defensive reserves we have with Javi Garcia being on the bench for midfield coverage. I would like to see Marcelo out their, but Maxi Rodriguez could give him a torrid time, so the grit of Heinze may be a better choice. Ramos will also have a more difficult game, as Simao is very capable of tracking back to defend him, something he is not that use to. Luis Garcia would probably just let him go in the hope of getting free if the ball squirts his way.

Two strikers or three strikers? This is the question of the day, because this decides the midfield as well. Given Atletico’s porous defence against Barca, one would suggest letting two strikers go at them. Because hey, that should be enough. But they have been drilling for two weeks on defense, and I think highly of Atletico’s defenders, so a three pronged attack may help alot. Higuain, Raul and Ruud provide an interesting problem for any defense, in that they are all some what interchangable positionally, and that they dont really spread the field to much, allowing the wing backs more space when going forward.

UPDATE: Diarra looks certain to be ruled out along with Torres and Guti. Robben has passed a fitness test and will be on the bench, meaning the three pronged attack will be deployed.

My predicted scoreline is 3-2, with Raul netting yet another winner for us. Should be a great match. Steve will have a liveblog, dont forget Saturday 2pm eastern time. HALA MADRID!

The Customary Pre-Match Meeting of the Presidents