Real Madrid (old thread)

[Beast]

That's the impression I got reading pages 1611 and 1612...

Just because we are 10 points behind in the league doesn't make a 2nd CL win on the trot any less impressive.

No I didn't , you read wrong as usual

I said the CL is of massive importance to us but not to Barca or the catalans which is the truth

I don't care when you or others started to watch the liga but it's always been the case for Catalans (their failure in it contributed to this fact plus the political significance )

For Real the CL will always be the` trophy .. for Barca it's always been the league title
Won't find any one to signify it better than Pep Guardiola: "The league is the most important title, the CL the nicest one. The cup maybe has least prestige but no team gives it away."

Hope this explains it .. end of story

 

[Beast]

Well, it seems that Real Madrid will win La Liga this season (unless they epically collapse). Can't say it's not deserved; their past two seasons with 96 and 92 points would have been enough to win it pretty much any other year. If they do make it this time, can't really say it isn't deserved.

IMO, this is the best Real Madrid side since La Quinta del Buitre, definitely way better than the Galaticos. Much as it may be hard to admit, Mourinho is doing a great job at Madrid (embarrassing antics apart).

I will pretend you didn't say that ... i will force myself to turn a blind eye on that

 

[Metaphysical]

I will pretend you didn't say that ... i will force myself to turn a blind eye on that

I know right?

the Galacticos were a footballing dream (they were also many other negative things but let's not get into that just now).

a bunch of great players who barely bothered in training and showed up to matches with only the tactical plan of "be awesome" - and then WERE awesome. and won stuff.

if you've ever played the game, THAT is the dream. to just be so good you didn't even have to be arsed. Zidane could have played while smoking and drinking cognac half the time. like Berbatov does now (Berbatov's nowhere near as good but has a similarly languid style).

I mean it was a formula that could never last, and when it comes to analysing "the greatest" n' stuff it counts against them, but even the most hardened culé would have to admit it was really kinda awesome. we then did our own version of that under Rijkaard with Ronaldinho, which blew up in our faces just like the Galacticos blew up in Madrid's. but they were both awesome. totally awesome.

 

[Manuel Traquete]

I will pretend you didn't say that ... i will force myself to turn a blind eye on that

From an individual point of view, the Galaticos were better. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that the current team's best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, wouldn't even be among the three best player in your Galatico side.

But as a unit, your current side is much better, it's not even remotely close. There's no way in hell that the Galaticos ever matched the kind of consistency (in all competitions) and even scoring prowess that you've been managing under Mourinho. More talent doesn't necessarily mean a better team, and in this case it certainly does not.

 

[mitkoa7x]

I know right?

the Galacticos were a footballing dream (they were also many other negative things but let's not get into that just now).

a bunch of great players who barely bothered in training and showed up to matches with only the tactical plan of "be awesome" - and then WERE awesome. and won stuff.

if you've ever played the game, THAT is the dream. to just be so good you didn't even have to be arsed. Zidane could have played while smoking and drinking cognac half the time. like Berbatov does now (Berbatov's nowhere near as good but has a similarly languid style).

I mean it was a formula that could never last, and when it comes to analysing "the greatest" n' stuff it counts against them, but even the most hardened culé would have to admit it was really kinda awesome. we then did our own version of that under Rijkaard with Ronaldinho, which blew up in our faces just like the Galacticos blew up in Madrid's. but they were both awesome. totally awesome.

From an individual point of view, the Galaticos were better. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that the current team's best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, wouldn't even be among the three best player in your Galatico side.

But as a unit, your current side is much better, it's not even remotely close. There's no way in hell that the Galaticos ever matched the kind of consistency (in all competitions) and even scoring prowess that you've been managing under Mourinho. More talent doesn't necessarily mean a better team, and in this case it certainly does not.

This team is backed by the refs, while the galacticos were backed by their own awesomeness.

 

[Maria]

both got yellows for their actions - both villains. it's a FACT!

Messi got a yellow and a fine for this:

While this wasn't even worth a yellow:

=>Messi is the biggest villain in the world of football. I don't know how is he even allowed to step on a football field anymore.

 

[Beast]

I know right?

the Galacticos were a footballing dream (they were also many other negative things but let's not get into that just now).

a bunch of great players who barely bothered in training and showed up to matches with only the tactical plan of "be awesome" - and then WERE awesome. and won stuff.

if you've ever played the game, THAT is the dream. to just be so good you didn't even have to be arsed. Zidane could have played while smoking and drinking cognac half the time. like Berbatov does now (Berbatov's nowhere near as good but has a similarly languid style).

I mean it was a formula that could never last, and when it comes to analysing "the greatest" n' stuff it counts against them, but even the most hardened culé would have to admit it was really kinda awesome. we then did our own version of that under Rijkaard with Ronaldinho, which blew up in our faces just like the Galacticos blew up in Madrid's. but they were both awesome. totally awesome.

Yes yes

From an individual point of view, the Galaticos were better. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that the current team's best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, wouldn't even be among the three best player in your Galatico side.

But as a unit, your current side is much better, it's not even remotely close. There's no way in hell that the Galaticos ever matched the kind of consistency (in all competitions) and even scoring prowess that you've been managing under Mourinho. More talent doesn't necessarily mean a better team, and in this case it certainly does not.

Look those were different times , many of you are so young and sometimes lost in memory what was Europe and La liga like during those times

They wouldn't achieve that number of points or goals achieved by the current team , that is true
but if there were playing now as young as they were they could smoke everyone Barca style
Barca & Real current teams wouldn't come close to achieve (not saying win .. they could win but definitely not as many as they did now ) what they achieve now
the difference ? competition ..
By that i'm talking about a young strong Juve , Milan , Deportivo ,Valencia ,United , Arsenal etc
If you take the old Valencia team and time shift them to this season they would be 2-3 points (probably ) away from Barca & Real waiting for a collapse ditto for teams like Depor of that era and Socidad
you are talking about a 20 something Del Pierro , Nedved , Trezguet , Edgar Davids , Thuram ,Ferrera,Zambrotta under Fabio Capello , a Milan with Sheva,Nesta,Maldini,Dida,Seedorf,Pirlo ,Rino,Rui Costa , a Mature and young Man U team with Ruud , Roy Keane,Scholes, Becks..etc Arsenal with Henry ,Bergkamp..etc

totally different times any of those teams if they are time shifted to now they would be main runner for the CL title and their league title .. it's not guarantee however that Real & Barca would smoke all the other teams back than
So while i'd day Real Madrid comes second after Barcelona now i cannot guarantee what the two teams will look like having to face such competition when the level of talent is a lot tighter than it is now

 

[Chainsaw]

But as a unit, your current side is much better, it's not even remotely close. There's no way in hell that the Galaticos ever matched the kind of consistency (in all competitions) and even scoring prowess that you've been managing under Mourinho. More talent doesn't necessarily mean a better team, and in this case it certainly does not.

Regarding the consistency of the current team I suggest you to wait a little longer before making conclusions. With CL coming up we may as well see a significant drop of form by them which I definitely expect. But regarding that Galacticos team, to a certain point I agree with ya. Some people just like to make a myth out of the past. Fortunately that 'past' wasn't too far away so I personally had the chance to witness it myself. That Galacticos team was more a 'luxury' than a dream team. Let's not forget, the arise of the Galacticos came at the same time as the arrive of Joan Gaspart as the president of Barcelona who turned the club into a circus with all the hideous decisions he made at the helm of the club. Even with the situation that Barca had at the time that Dream Real Madrid team was not as dominant as many people expected, both in Spain and Europe. In 2002-03 their closest rival in almost the whole season was Real Sociedad who eventually finished only 2 points behind Real at the end (Barca finished 6th in that season). In a period that Italians and English teams were struggling in Europe, being left behind of German and Spanish teams (Bayern and Valencia particularly) the Galacticos still couldn't live up to the expectations, being the dominant team in Spain and Europe in a period that many of the big names were struggling in Europe.

So in comparison of the consistency of the two teams I agree with you, only IF this consistency continue till the end of the season. Still long way to go.

 

[Beast]

Regarding the consistency of the current team I suggest you to wait a little longer before making conclusions. With CL coming up we may as well see a significant drop of form by them which I definitely expect. But regarding that Galacticos team, to a certain point I agree with ya. Some people just like to make a myth out of the past. Fortunately that 'past' wasn't too far away so I personally had the chance to witness it myself. That Galacticos team was more a 'luxury' than a dream team. Let's not forget, the arise of the Galacticos came at the same time as the arrive of Joan Gaspart as the president of Barcelona who turned the club into a circus with all the hideous decisions he made at the helm of the club. Even with the situation that Barca had at the time that Dream Real Madrid team was not as dominant as many people expected, both in Spain and Europe. In 2002-03 their closest rival in almost the whole season was Real Sociedad who eventually finished only 2 points behind Real at the end (Barca finished 6th in that season). In a period that Italians and English teams were struggling in Europe, being left behind of German and Spanish teams (Bayern and Valencia particularly) the Galacticos still couldn't live up to the expectations, being the dominant team Spain and Europe in a period that many of the big names were struggling in Europe.

So in comparison of the consistency of the two teams I agree with you, only IF this consistency continue till the end of the season. Still long way to go.

Who were struggling in Europe ?? English teams ? LOL...
You forgot Leeds taking out Super Depor ? Valencia beating Arsenal barely by agg. score ? Leeds were semi-finalist ffs ??
refer back to the Italian & English teams results
wonder what competitions you were claiming you watched !

 

[Manuel Traquete]

Yes yes


Look those were different times , many of you are so young and sometimes lost in memory what was Europe and La liga like during those times

They wouldn't achieve that number of points or goals achieved by the current team , that is true
but if there were playing now as young as they were they could smoke everyone Barca style
Barca & Real current teams wouldn't come close to achieve (not saying win .. they could win but definitely not as many as they did now ) what they achieve now
the difference ? competition ..
By that i'm talking about a young strong Juve , Milan , Deportivo ,Valencia ,United , Arsenal etc
If you take the old Valencia team and time shift them to this season they would be 2-3 points (probably ) away from Barca & Real waiting for a collapse ditto for teams like Depor of that era and Socidad
you are talking about a 20 something Del Pierro , Nedved , Trezguet , Edgar Davids , Thuram ,Ferrera,Zambrotta under Fabio Capello , a Milan with Sheva,Nesta,Maldini,Dida,Seedorf,Pirlo ,Rino,Rui Costa , a Mature and young Man U team with Ruud , Roy Keane,Scholes, Becks..etc Arsenal with Henry ,Bergkamp..etc

totally different times any of those teams if they are time shifted to now they would be main runner for the CL title and their league title .. it's not guarantee however that Real & Barca would smoke all the other teams back than
So while i'd day Real Madrid comes second after Barcelona now i cannot guarantee what the two teams will look like having to face such competition when the level of talent is a lot tighter than it is now

This is a good point. I do agree that both La Liga and the Champions League were stronger/more competitive back then. This is because football is becoming more and more money-drive, hence the best players are all concentrated on a select few teams and there's less diversity.

I still maintain though that I find this current Madrid side stronger as a team. I never got a feeling of invincibility from the Galaticos, they were never clearly above the field in Spain or Europe. They had great talent, maybe even more than the current Barca side (debatable), but their quality as a team never matched the quality of their individuals imo.

Regarding the consistency of the current team I suggest you to wait a little longer before making conclusions. With CL coming up we may as well see a significant drop of form by them which I definitely expect. But regarding that Galacticos team, to a certain point I agree with ya. Some people just like to make a myth out of the past. Fortunately that 'past' wasn't too far away so I personally had the chance to witness it myself. That Galacticos team was more a 'luxury' than a dream team. Let's not forget, the arise of the Galacticos came at the same time as the arrive of Joan Gaspart as the president of Barcelona who turned the club into a circus with all the hideous decisions he made at the helm of the club. Even with the situation that Barca had at the time that Dream Real Madrid team was not as dominant as many people expected, both in Spain and Europe. In 2002-03 their closest rival in almost the whole season was Real Sociedad who eventually finished only 2 points behind Real at the end (Barca finished 6th in that season). In a period that Italians and English teams were struggling in Europe, being left behind of German and Spanish teams (Bayern and Valencia particularly) the Galacticos still couldn't live up to the expectations, being the dominant team in Spain and Europe in a period that many of the big names were struggling in Europe.

So in comparison of the consistency of the two teams I agree with you, only IF this consistency continue till the end of the season. Still long way to go.

I mostly agree with this. The Galaticos were actually great to watch and one of the most talented teams ever, but as a team they're overrated imo. I don't even find them the best Madrid team of the past two decades, that's La Quinta del Buitre imo, maybe the best team ever not to win the Champions League.

 

[dalitis8]

From an individual point of view, the Galaticos were better. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that the current team's best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, wouldn't even be among the three best player in your Galatico side.

But as a unit, your current side is much better, it's not even remotely close. There's no way in hell that the Galaticos ever matched the kind of consistency (in all competitions) and even scoring prowess that you've been managing under Mourinho. More talent doesn't necessarily mean a better team, and in this case it certainly does not.

Difficult to say which Madrid was better. This one, or the Galactico version.

Judging by results alone, the current version are better by virtue of a far superior work-rate, athleticism and consistency. Judging in terms of talent and champagne football, the old team wins the day by a massive margin.

Another factor that complicates things, is that La Liga (and indeed European football) were more competitive a decade ago, with more quality spread between clubs. Like I said, almost impossible to say.

But another factor that falls into the hands of the current side, is that they have many years ahead of them, while the Galacticos were done and dusted in a relatively short space of time. After Zidane arrived, they only won one Liga and one CL.

 

[dalitis8]

Who were struggling in Europe ?? English teams ? LOL...
You forgot Leeds taking out Super Depor ? Valencia beating Arsenal barely by agg. score ? Leeds were semi-finalist ffs ??
refer back to the Italian & English teams results
wonder what competitions you were claiming you watched !

By struggling he means to say that English teams were not nearly as good as in the period between 2005 and 2011, when we had to take on them.

Circa 2000, La Liga was superb, easily the best league in the world at the time.

 

[Beast]

By struggling he means to say that English teams were not nearly as good as in the period between 2005 and 2011, when we had to take on them.

Circa 2000, La Liga was superb, easily the best league in the world at the time.

I would say a lot better than the team that won the CL title (as in Man U ) ..the difference is the competition was vastly superior
it wasn't just la liga.. look @ Arsenal -United-Leeds , B Munich & Leverkusen .. Juve-Milan , Depor-Valencia-even Barca when you reached the semi-final and of course Real
there was not telling who will win the the damn thing.. all teams were strong and with stars.. the combo of Becks -Ruud in United .. Henry-Bergkamp.. etc
They were quite good but so was the competition .. if you look to United line up for example or Arsenal or Juve or Milan you will see who scary they were with top of the line managers

 

[Beast]

This is a good point. I do agree that both La Liga and the Champions League were stronger/more competitive back then. This is because football is becoming more and more money-drive, hence the best players are all concentrated on a select few teams and there's less diversity.

I still maintain though that I find this current Madrid side stronger as a team. I never got a feeling of invincibility from the Galaticos, they were never clearly above the field in Spain or Europe. They had great talent, maybe even more than the current Barca side (debatable), but their quality as a team never matched the quality of their individuals imo.



I mostly agree with this. The Galaticos were actually great to watch and one of the most talented teams ever, but as a team they're overrated imo. I don't even find them the best Madrid team of the past two decades, that's La Quinta del Buitre imo, maybe the best team ever not to win the Champions League.

They were on top of things , you had to be very resourceful and catch them on a really bad day to get a result , like Juve did (damn Penalty kick from Figo ) or how they waltz past United and this was a brilliant United team /ditto Valencia

 

[Chainsaw]

Who were struggling in Europe ?? English teams ? LOL...
You forgot Leeds taking out Super Depor ? Valencia beating Arsenal barely by agg. score ? Leeds were semi-finalist ffs ??

wonder what competitions you were claiming you watched !

Those were the best examples you could come up with??! By struggling I mean being in the run for the title, not beating teams here and there, only reaching QFs or the semi finals (at best) as their biggest achievement! Super Depor never had it to fight for the CL. They were Super Depor mostly because of their success in the league and that they were a hard-working team with lots of chemisty in their team. They were a tough opponent to face in that period, but I can't really call 'em a dominant or the team to beat at the time. You should know better that Depor was never that great to be in the run for the CL title. In the Galacticos era Bayern, Real and Valencia were the teams to beat in Europe. The rest of the teams were just behind them. You don't seriously think that Leeds United team was that strong to fight for the titles do you?! Where did they finish in the PL in the season they reached the semi final of the CL?