I mean, look how unbalanced we got after Makelele left – and now, it seems we’ve found at least a decent replacement. Remember all the craptastic people we’ve brought in before – does anyone remember why we even thought Thomas Gravesen was worthwhile? – and now that we have Diarra, why are we in a rush to get rid of him? It’s not like Diarra and Gago are the double pivot of last year, both have shown much better skills this year going forward, more than Makelele has ever displayed.

Ramos needs to feel loved? Fine, let’s do it. He would be the perfect guy to have as our defensive anchor. Would Alves really be a replacement? Surely he’s not as good defensively or in the air, so what we’re looking at is a right winger? No thanks. We made a mistake by alienating Hierro – let’s not do it again with Ramos.

Robinho is awesome. Let’s face it, there was a stretch this season where he was by far the best player on the pitch, San Iker aside. When everyone else seemed to be revelling in their own mediocrity, Robinho kept us going. We need to keep him too, he’s only now getting settled in.

There are four players that I’m most concerned about leaving at the moment. I really agree about Diarra, especially when it comes to gritty away games like Osasuna (who may or may not be a problem, next season, depending on how they finish their current campaign). I’m also worried about Ruud – there has been some speculation about his pursuit of further European glory, possibly in the form of a Serie A title. I don’t know if any of you heard the rumour of possibly trading both of the above for Zlatan Ibrohimovich. Not sure how I’d feel about that…

But the player I’m most concerned with is Sergio Ramos. I don’t want Dani Alves – he’s a talented player, but given the option of a Brazilian mercinary and a Furia Roja, who has the potential to serve out his footballing careet in white, the choice is not only obvious, but emphatically so. Ramos has felt a lack of support from the team this season (reportedly – but you can also see his frustration on the field) and has come under fire for his card accumulation. Steve might be right to draw parallels there, but it doesn’t help that he seems to have become a marked man by the refs. This might not have been his strongest year, but I believe we’ve yet to see his best.

Lastly, Robinho. With Robben’s rise to fame (and avoidance of injuries) he seems to have become Schuster’s first choice on the left. Personally, I think he’s fun to watch but the whole dribble into the net syndrom (which seems to be improving) is still a problem. And Robinho is hardly one to play second fiddle to anyone, and that seems to be how he’s finishing the season. When he came out yesterday he seemed slothy and unmotivated. We can’t rely on Robben, injuries considered – and I don’t want to risk an unsettled Robinnho. My opinion, anyhow.

Somehow the Copa del Rey just does not have the same cache as winning the FA cup, despite its being the oldes football competition in Spain. That’s why I think it needs revitalising with one-off ties (like the FA Cup) and a bigger prize (CL spot) – then you would truly see a fascinating competition, not just the chance of a run-out for your substitutes.

elmeromero, yeah, I don’t think huge changes are needed – don’t fix what ain’t broke. but at the same time, if we can upgrade the defense with someone like Garay, that would give us some great depth at a position where you need stalwarts like we had in Hierro.