You Will Walk Alone in Madrid

You Will Be Alone, Very Alone in Madrid…

Liverpool comes to town in the last sixteen of the Champions League. I do not think in the past four or five years there has been a more impressive lineup of teams in the knockout stages of the tournament, allowing for some impressive ties. Its also got Europe abuzz because its a battle between the money grubbing EPL teams and the rest of Europe’s elite teams to restore some sense of balance in the ultimate cup competition. I could care less about that though, all I want is for Real to keep winning.

So for a proper preview of Liverpool, I must first point out the “squad depth” issue for Liverpool:

1 Diego M19 Ryan Babel
G43 Hakan Duyan M15 Yossi Benayoun
G41 Martin Hansen M Ryan Crowther
G30 Charles Itandje M Francisco Manuel Duran
G25 Pepe Reina M31 Nabil El Zhar
D5 Daniel Agger M8 Steven Gerrard
D17 Álvaro Arbeloa M Alexander Kacaniklic
D12 Fabio Aurelio M21 Lucas
D23 Jamie Carragher M20 Javier Mascherano
D32 Stephen Darby M28 Damien Plessis
D27 Philipp Degen M Zsolt Poloskei
D2 Andrea Dossena M Ray Putterill
D Ronald Huth M11 Alberto Riera
D4 Sami Hyypia M26 Jay Spearing
D22 Emiliano Insua F39 Nathan Eccleston
D36 Steven Irwin F Vitor Flora
D45 Mikel San Jose F18 Dirk Kuyt
D34 Martin Kelly F24 David Ngog
D Emmanuel Mendy F Dani Pacheco
D37 Martin Skrtel F Andras Simon
M14 Xabi Alonso F9 Fernando Torres

Yes, thats 42 players that are officially listed in the first team for Liverpool. Granted many of them are youngsters who have yet to see even the bench, but 42 players!?! Rafa likes a big, monstrous rotation squad, which explains the sheer volume of players. When I look at the squad, I sort of wonder what so many players can bring to the table. Maybe Rafa has an obsession with getting his hands on his many players he wants? Or maybe his secret weapon is actually Football Manager, and his squad depth reflects the game he is currently playing? Who knows.

Highlighting certain areas of the team is evident, but I decided to bold the players names who will in no way, shape or form participate in the CL matches, just to make my job a little easier. Starting from the back, we are all aware of Pepe Reina’s capabilities. Having played in Spain for a few years during the tumultuous years at Barca, he was an able shot stopper and commanded his defense well. His only flaw may be that he can not claim crosses well, which sounds oddly familiar for a Real fan. That has not really held him back in the crossing-happy EPL, and I would rate him as Spain’s 3rd best goalkeeper, just behind Iker and Palop. He will be a formidable foe to put the ball past, but if we get the kind of chances we had against Betis (except Hunter’s 1st), no keeper will be able to save them. Problem is we wont get those kind of chances.

In defense, there is the ageless Sami Hyypia, who is still dominant in the air and has great positional sense, but as with most older defenders, is rather slow. He is also pretty slow to spring back up after a slide tackle, something I have noticed after watching him in action. He could be a liability with his physical attributes, but his leadership on the field would be priceless. I do not think we play either game though, considering the three men in front of him for a starting berth. Jamie Carragher is to me like Jeremy Toulalan. Not blessed with any exceptional attributes or virtues to his game, but his sheer work ethic and concentration have enabled him to become a leader in his position. I admire Carragaher for that, as I think anyone should. He is not to quick, not to strong etc. but he will beat his man to the ball, or at least not let his man be to comfortable if he does get to the ball.

Carragher has the experience that Hyypia possess, so he is an automatic selection for Rafa. Higuain to me posses the biggest problem for Carragaher because when isolated, he is vulnerable to being backed up to far to the point where a striker can then have a shot. Higuain will need more tricks to actually outsmart him on the ball, but he could definitely back him down enough for a quick shot. Raul will look to avoid Carragher, as Raul wont be able to drift away from his mark as easily as with say Skrtel or Agger. I think Agger will probably be played at center back with Skrtel though, with Carragher on the right hand side, so Raul probably wont have to deal with him and Higuain wont have to that much either as Hunter wont be playing.

Agger is a skilled center back, with a rough side, but his physical presence is not that of say Pepe, so he can dish it out but he cant really take it. When I mean take it I mean he can be pushed off the ball and hassled, but he relies on his intelligent reading of the game to make quick interceptions more then physical beating an opponent. That “brainy” defending is dovetailed well with the more physical Skrtel, who is more physically inclined. It is a good center back pairing, and with Carragher a ’stay at home dad’ much like Heinze was until he exploded on to the scene against Betis, there is a solid platform for Liverpool to build on. Now Rafa could use any of the three at center back, but my guess is that all three line up.

The reason Carragher is preferred on the right is because Liverpool’s right back options have been iffy this season. Phillip Degen has barely played, probably because he sucks. And Alvaro Arbeloa, ex-Real trainee, has been in indifferent form. Arbeloa is a good player though, and I have a feeling that with even worse options at left back, either Arbeloa will play there or Rafa could stick Carragher at left back and use Arbeloa. When your left back options are Andrea Dossena and Fabio Aurelio, then your not going to inspire fear in the opposition. Liverpool’s weakness is at full back, and a fit Robben will be able to expose that. Marcelo can even do a job against Arbeloa, its just a matter of drawing the defensive line far enough away from their own box to do some damage. With the weakness of the Liverpool fullbacks, I wont expect to see much width and overlapping from them.

Considering Carragher can play anywhere across the back line, and Arbeloa can technically play on either side, this is my projected defensive lineup:

Arbeloa—-Skrtel—-Agger—–Carragher

You can swap Arbeloa and Carragher how you see fit, but either way, each will be on a flank. If only Degen or Dossena was put out there, ohhh the fun Arjen would have. Forgot about Insua too. I think he is injured, or maybe he just is not in Benitez’s plans right now.

In midfield, the big question is whether Steven Gerrard will play. He was not ready for the Man City game this weekend, and again Liverpool struggled, because since they play with very little width, they need a play maker to facilitate attacks. Lucas, Fabio Aurelio, Mascherano and Plessis are not the players to do that, so having Gerrard is vital. No duh. Based on what I have read, he will start from the bench. I think Gerrard is a good player, but with him on the bench, even with a substitute appearance, I see the midfield battle going Real’s way. Macherano is a very good defensive midfielder, and he will probably be looking to hep out with containing Robben, which only makes sense. But if you pull Mascherano out of the center in the slightest bit, you expose cracks.

Lucas has played alot this season as the 2nd central midfielder. To me, he is not good enough for this level yet. Lass and Gago will eat him alive. And so that is another question mark for Rafa. Does the more experienced yet usually underwhelming Fabio Aurelio start in the center simply to help with ball distribution and try to stem the inevitable Lass “Beast mode” showing we are bound to see? Gago can be man marked out of a game by Mascherano, and Lass’ offensive contribution is usually negligible, but that leaves Robben without a double team option.

Xabi Alonso will start alongside Mascherano, and he will be the supply man from the defensive line to the wide players and forwards. If Juande is smart, then Gago and Lass will keep him under wraps so that he does not get much of a chance to distribute. As he plays in a deep position, you can also have Raul putting some pressure on him when he is on the ball, as El Capitan always likes to track back and help the team. The main objective is to starve the attacking players of the ball so that they drop deeper to get it, which means they are further from goal, which allows our back line to push up and condense space on the pitch. We can then squeeze Liverpool for the ball, and they will give it up. Maintaining possession wins the game for us, even though Liverpool are a counter attacking team in the Champions League.

Considering Bentiez used a 5-2-3 against Portsmouth and an 4-4-2 against Man City, you really dont know what to expect. But with a 4 man back line, I expect to see two central midfielders, most likely Xabi Alonso and Mascherano, and two ‘wide’ players. Aurelio could be used at left back of course, and he could be used on the left of midfield, but that position seems to belong to Albert Riera. The Spaniard is dangerous when cutting in, which he does often, and he has given Sergio Ramos problems in the past. With Gerrard most likely out, he will be the danger man in midfield for Pool. Cutting off his supply of the ball is probably the best way to shut him down so Lass will most likely be played off-right in the center of the pitch to do just that.

Ryan Babel has proven to be frustrating at best I think for Liverpool. He has the skill, but he cannot finish a play, whether it be a pass, cross or shot. Often he runs into nothing, squandering a great break. Think of Robinho when he first moved to Madrid. He will start on the bench for sure, but will provide pace to the game latter on. Sergio Ramos eats this kind of player up for dinner, for example completely shutting Mark Gonzalez out of the game against Betis. But his fresh legs could prove to open up a match, so he will have to be considered dangerous as a sub.

On the right, Youssi Benayoun has been playing pretty frequently even though whenever I watch a game, or especially highlights, he seems like he is involved up until where he blows a chance. He is not a goal scoring midfielder, but he is tricky, so Heinze will have his hands full. Benayoun does not play very wide, so it will be interesting to see if Heinze is actually exploited as a weak point in the defense or not. It would be stupid not too, but then again, if I was Juande I would not fear Dirk Kuyt giving Heinze much trouble either. Benayoun should provide a few balls for Torres, but with the massive congestion in the center of the pitch, he wont be to effective when he drifts central. Heinze would do well to just keep an eye on Arbeloa if he manages to roam forward.

Kuyt has been playing on the left, but with Gerrard most likely out, he will play with Torres up front. With the sale of Robbie Keane, the forward line for Liverpool got a little thin, with young Frenchmen David NGog so far unimpressive. Nabil El Zhar can provide some width from the bench as well on the left, but I would suggest Benayoun unless Gerrard starts, in which case Kuyt will be on the left.

Up front, its Kuyt and Torres. Kuyt does not bother me. He is a predator and a hard worker, so we cannot be sloppy in the box, but then again Torres is more of a predator but he can make things happen himself. The partnership seems to lack the more traditional Heskey-Owen type role that was so pivotal to past Liverpool sides. Kuyt does not offer the creative play that Gerrard does, and he also does not have the potential for a ridiculous long range striker either. Torres is the danger man, Kuyt is more of a clean up man. Canna will be marking Torres I assume, but

Real Madrid News:

La lista de convocados la forman:
Iker Casillas, Dudek, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Metzelder, Heinze, Torres, ‘Lass’ Diarra, Gago, Sneijder, Guti, Robben, Marcelo, Van der Vaart, Raúl, Saviola e Higuaín.

I think the only change we will see for this match is that Marcelo will be on the bench and Sneijder will get yet another chance to improve (or stink up the field). Robben is an obvious starter now that Higuain moves up to froward since Hunter is not in the squad. Drenthe, Codina, Salgado, Javi Garcia, Faubert and Parejo are left out of the squad for obvious reasons, as besides Parejo, they are dead weight at this point. Faubert will probably never get a chance to play, while Drenthe does not have a future at the club right now after bad performances and fans booing him constantly.

So we will have the double pivot, one winger and one shallow play maker, and the Raul-Higuain partnership to lead us against Pool. Key battles for Madrid will be Heinze against Benayoun, Torres against Canna and Diarra against Xabi Alonso. I am confident Sergio Ramos will be able to handle Riera, so I didnt include that as a match up. If Gerrard indeed does play from the start, then Diarra will be man marking him at that will be a key battle.

Gerrard May Return for Match:

“Gerrard may be fit for Wednesday,” Rafa Benitez told Liverpool’s official website.

“He has to train on Monday and then we will let the doctor decide. It’s not an easy decision but he’s very close and hopefully he’ll be okay.”

Casillas:

“The support of our fans will be very important. On Saturday, against Betis, they were fantastic. We need them again against Liverpool this week,” he stressed.

“It will be crucial not to concede and to go to Anfield in two weeks with that advantage. The team is working well all over the pitch and that has translated into a defensive solidarity that we hope will be maintained on Wednesday.”

“Liverpool are good opponents for Real Madrid and it will be a great game. We expect to get through this round and to continue progressing in the competition as we are doing in the league at the moment,” he concluded.”

Pepe:

“It is a European classic and I think that it will be interesting for us to see where we are,” Marca quote him as saying.

“I think Liverpool will come here to defend and we will have to be very focussed on not losing the ball while keeping the pressure high and not allowing their best players any space.

“It will be a good duel with Fernando Torres and I expect that I will have to talk to Fabio [Cannavaro] a lot to organise the defence, but I think that we can stop him.

“Torres is a great player and has incredible quality. He is strong and quick and we will have to be at our best and always trying to think before he does.”

“We have always felt that we have a chance in the league to win it because there is still a long way to go,” he continued.

“Now we are seven points behind Barcelona and they have to come to the Bernabeu. We are back in things when many considered that we were already out.

Cannavaro:

Yesterday was perfect.
It was a good day for us, especially because the fans got to see a good match. We must continue playing like we are if we’re to win something.

Have you thought about rewarding Espanyol with anything?
We owe them a lot. It also happened in the first season. Strange things can happen in derbies. Espanyol played well, but I only want to think about Real Madrid. There is still a lot of work to be done and many matches to be played. We’re in good form and must stay on track.

Barcelona visit the Bernabeu in week 34. Has there been any speculating yet?
No. It’s too far away. We must only think about Wednesday and then Saturday. We cannot think about that match because there are many before it.

How is your new deal coming along?
Club matters are tough to talk about right now. It’s not the right time to discuss contract extensions. We have to wait. I just want to continue working as always. I am happy in Madrid and I play for the most important club in the world.

How would you feel right now if you played for Barcelona?
A little pressure I am sure. Once you get used to winning you think that you are not allowed to lose. The tension can sometimes mess with your head.

Did you think Espanyol would beat Barcelona?
Not after the way Barcelona has been playing this year, but that’s football for you.

What has Juande done for the defense?
The coach is doing a good job, but we’ve gone back to being a team. We made many mistakes during the first half of the season because we thought we could win just by wearing this shirt. We need to play as a team. The defense, the forwards… That’s what Juande has done.

Could you be in any better form heading into the Liverpool match?
We’re in good form. This year we were hit with bad luck earlier than last season in terms of injuries, a coaching chnage… The team is doing well and it has the fans’ support. We’re up against an historic team that is used to winning the Champions League. We must play smart, score and not concede any goals.

You will have to stop Fernando Torres.
He’s a striker who I admire very much. He’s gained a lot of confidence playing outside of Spain. He also won the Euro last summer with Spain. He’s one of Europe’s best strikers this season.
“Every player at Real Madrid ended 2008 slightly affected. There were things that we did not like and with the change of coach we wanted to do things differently, and we have.

“The team is playing very well and we are united.”

Juande:

Has something happened during training?
No. Everything was normal. All my men are ready to play.

What’s better, to score many goals or to concede none?
We’ll have to get the best result in order to be in the best possible situation in Anfield.

What do you think of the President’s optimism and his assertion that you will “soak” Liverpool?
I respond to what I say. Everyone else may say as they please. I can’t comment on that.

Do you think the team may be hurt by this state of euphoria?
I think there is more optimism than euphoria. We are calm and happy about how things have been for us in La Liga. Fans may feel euphoria, but the squad is controlling itself and I am satisfied with the state the team is in. This will be a tough and very difficult tie and we’ll have to work very hard to pull through.

Benitez is thinking about benching Gerrard. What do you think of that?
I don’t know what Rafa wants to do, how he’s been training the team or how fit the player is, so I can’t comment on that.

You’ve used the same line-up in recent games, but you can’t use Huntelaar tomorrow. Does that change your plans much?
Not at all. All my men are available now except for one and they all want to play. It will be easy to come up with a line-up; I can’t go wrong thanks to their excitement and drive to perform well.

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

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