Raed
Dr. Raed St. Claire
Eff all for leaving Mo's forum. I missed you.
I will post on both websites. By the way, nice forum you got there Bojan (owner of the website right?).
Before I go on about the players we are going to invest in, I would like to touch on one subject I noticed in this Madrid team - Trust. Going through all the ups and down, from managerial changes to presidential issues the bond was absolutely torn apart. I saw it on the pitch and I saw it in the management. Players did not communicate very well, players did not trust their teammates, some were ignored, some kept to themselves, some were withdrawn and some just suffered this horrible campaign through no fault of their own.
The Hunt for example would scrape for service, however more often than not, he was left out and ignored by his teammates who looked for familiar faces despite his killer instinct in front of the goal. There was absolutely no communication between Pepe and Cannavaro this season. Robben never gave the ball away to anyone, we all know how selfish he is but there was on continuous occasions he would never pass the ball to obvious choices. Raul only trusted himself. There is no thorough understanding among the whole team. Juande Ramos did a fantastic job in instilling some unity through a well worked system until we were really found out by Liverpool and Barcelona. It was sad to see players like Lass and Ramos get stripped off the ball while crying for support and movement.
If Juande is to leave, then bring me a manager that will instill belief a la Capello.
Either way, I honestly couldn't careless about the names brought in. I was always a firm believer that football starts at the feet and when I was asked about my obsession with dribblers I couldn't answer it back then, but this Real Madrid team was awful. Technically the players were garbage. As much as I love Gago he couldn't dribble further than 10 meters with the ball as he has no ability to. What we lacked was someone comfortable on the ball, someone who knows how to beat his marker in order to get away from their opponents. Basic football.
That is what we should be looking at Madrid. It was no coincidence Zidane gave his shirt to Riquelme, he gave it to him because Riquelme protected the ball as an attacking midfielder with brilliant vision. We can't rely on storming other teams with quick passes the way we did, that is simply not going to work. We need a maestro down the middle one way or another. This whole winger bullshit can be taken somewhere else, not Madrid.
Watch Grenaro, watch Negredo, watch Mata, watch De la Red, Jurado, Parejo, and compare them to the players we have. Drenthe couldn't keep his balance (not to mention he is a dumbass). VDV doesn't do anything. Gago technically is horrendous. M. Diarra improved a lot but is still untrust worthy with the ball on his feet. It is not about defending attacks, what we lacked was technical skill in midfield. At the core of every single successful team this year was a group of midfielders able to keep the ball at the feet comfortably.
Our academy produces technically sound players, who are comfortable on the ball with their feet, and when we replaced them with foreigners, we missed out on the fact that none of them are comfortable with the ball or have the brains.
That is not to say we did not buy or have gems. Marcelo for one scored goals, and provided a lot of assists to Raul because he was able to move the ball up on his own when no space for a pass was found. Robben did well (although god knows how much I dislike him) because he dicked players left and right with his ability to weave through. Higuain scored goals out of no where because as an Argentine, he was able to move the ball around. Lass is a joy to watch and so effective because of rush midfielders and strip them of the ball but also maintain possession as he is a fantastic footballer. A little more direction and he is my main man. Torres had an outstanding contribution during Capello for his ability to the move the ball up and create width with proper crosses in. Overlooked for some odd reason, but I'd trust him considering how the game lacks LBs.
Me and Beast were talking about how we lacked a player down the middle who was able to control the ball comfortably and so eloquently. De la Red was supposed to be that player but unfortunately he suffered cardiac problems and we are awaiting further developments.
Edward's assessment of Pepe is exaggerated. New age defenders are in the mold of Pepe, they are comfortable on the ball first and are able to clear the ball whilst maintaining possession. The moment I see Real Madrid defenders hoofing the ball because they don't know what to do with it, will be the day I pluck my eyes out. Partner him up with a more cautious and composed defender and they will be sublime together. Defending 101, pressure and sweep. Puyol and Marquez, Terry and Carvalho, Rio and Vidic and the list goes on.
This is the spine of the team:
Casillas
Ramos Pepe CB Torres
Lass
Robben MF MF Marcelo
Higuain Hunt
Hard workers, comfortable on the ball, exciting and effective. It is a 4 4 2, but this is a simple illustration as to how we can compete in Europe.
Out with:
Heinze, Cannavaro, VDV, Drenthe, Saviola, Salgado, Faubert (clown).
Sorry if my first post was too very offensive or with a sharp tone, I haven't discussed Madrid in so long and it is boiling up inside.
I will post on both websites. By the way, nice forum you got there Bojan (owner of the website right?).
Before I go on about the players we are going to invest in, I would like to touch on one subject I noticed in this Madrid team - Trust. Going through all the ups and down, from managerial changes to presidential issues the bond was absolutely torn apart. I saw it on the pitch and I saw it in the management. Players did not communicate very well, players did not trust their teammates, some were ignored, some kept to themselves, some were withdrawn and some just suffered this horrible campaign through no fault of their own.
The Hunt for example would scrape for service, however more often than not, he was left out and ignored by his teammates who looked for familiar faces despite his killer instinct in front of the goal. There was absolutely no communication between Pepe and Cannavaro this season. Robben never gave the ball away to anyone, we all know how selfish he is but there was on continuous occasions he would never pass the ball to obvious choices. Raul only trusted himself. There is no thorough understanding among the whole team. Juande Ramos did a fantastic job in instilling some unity through a well worked system until we were really found out by Liverpool and Barcelona. It was sad to see players like Lass and Ramos get stripped off the ball while crying for support and movement.
If Juande is to leave, then bring me a manager that will instill belief a la Capello.
Either way, I honestly couldn't careless about the names brought in. I was always a firm believer that football starts at the feet and when I was asked about my obsession with dribblers I couldn't answer it back then, but this Real Madrid team was awful. Technically the players were garbage. As much as I love Gago he couldn't dribble further than 10 meters with the ball as he has no ability to. What we lacked was someone comfortable on the ball, someone who knows how to beat his marker in order to get away from their opponents. Basic football.
That is what we should be looking at Madrid. It was no coincidence Zidane gave his shirt to Riquelme, he gave it to him because Riquelme protected the ball as an attacking midfielder with brilliant vision. We can't rely on storming other teams with quick passes the way we did, that is simply not going to work. We need a maestro down the middle one way or another. This whole winger bullshit can be taken somewhere else, not Madrid.
Watch Grenaro, watch Negredo, watch Mata, watch De la Red, Jurado, Parejo, and compare them to the players we have. Drenthe couldn't keep his balance (not to mention he is a dumbass). VDV doesn't do anything. Gago technically is horrendous. M. Diarra improved a lot but is still untrust worthy with the ball on his feet. It is not about defending attacks, what we lacked was technical skill in midfield. At the core of every single successful team this year was a group of midfielders able to keep the ball at the feet comfortably.
Our academy produces technically sound players, who are comfortable on the ball with their feet, and when we replaced them with foreigners, we missed out on the fact that none of them are comfortable with the ball or have the brains.
That is not to say we did not buy or have gems. Marcelo for one scored goals, and provided a lot of assists to Raul because he was able to move the ball up on his own when no space for a pass was found. Robben did well (although god knows how much I dislike him) because he dicked players left and right with his ability to weave through. Higuain scored goals out of no where because as an Argentine, he was able to move the ball around. Lass is a joy to watch and so effective because of rush midfielders and strip them of the ball but also maintain possession as he is a fantastic footballer. A little more direction and he is my main man. Torres had an outstanding contribution during Capello for his ability to the move the ball up and create width with proper crosses in. Overlooked for some odd reason, but I'd trust him considering how the game lacks LBs.
Me and Beast were talking about how we lacked a player down the middle who was able to control the ball comfortably and so eloquently. De la Red was supposed to be that player but unfortunately he suffered cardiac problems and we are awaiting further developments.
Edward's assessment of Pepe is exaggerated. New age defenders are in the mold of Pepe, they are comfortable on the ball first and are able to clear the ball whilst maintaining possession. The moment I see Real Madrid defenders hoofing the ball because they don't know what to do with it, will be the day I pluck my eyes out. Partner him up with a more cautious and composed defender and they will be sublime together. Defending 101, pressure and sweep. Puyol and Marquez, Terry and Carvalho, Rio and Vidic and the list goes on.
This is the spine of the team:
Casillas
Ramos Pepe CB Torres
Lass
Robben MF MF Marcelo
Higuain Hunt
Hard workers, comfortable on the ball, exciting and effective. It is a 4 4 2, but this is a simple illustration as to how we can compete in Europe.
Out with:
Heinze, Cannavaro, VDV, Drenthe, Saviola, Salgado, Faubert (clown).
Sorry if my first post was too very offensive or with a sharp tone, I haven't discussed Madrid in so long and it is boiling up inside.
