De Desastres de Madrid

This is an aftermath of Real Madrid’s elimination from the Champions League.

Real Madrid were eliminated from the Europe’s elite competition in the pre-quarters by Olympique Lyonnais (commonly known as Lyon) by a scoreline of (1-2; 0-1 away and 1-1 at home). It took the whole footballing world by a shock, and its after-effects were felt even ‘near’ me. This gave me the stimulus to write this blog/article.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Kaka’, Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos (who played the game) in addition to Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso will surely be listed in the world’s best playing footballers in present-day listings. Coupled with an immaculate coaching staff under the leadership of shrewd and eminently known Pellegrini, one may call it a near-dream team. President Florentino Perez’s arrival last season meant that Real Madrid is going to aim for the sky this year… and as usual fall on the ground hurt. Such ‘big-name’ players won the support and loyalty of many fans across the globe, and most of them believed that the team will be a fearsome team to compete with, in Europe and Spain alike.

Coming to the ground reality, Real Madrid has been eliminated from the Champions League right in the pre-quarter stage. Nor are they dominating the Spanish League, even though they are having a tug-of-war with their fiercest title rivals and current European Cup holders Barcelona. They have been a letdown for most of their ‘high-expecting’ fans. Many of my own friends are dazed by the present condition. This is an attempt to reconcile their dashed hopes and convince that their expectations were ‘Utopian’.

One has to touch the technical aspects of the game, as it was that crucial 180 minutes which caused this catastrophe (if you ask a Madridista), especially the second leg. One has to be extremely critical of the tactics used by Madrid on and off the field. They bought in star players like kaka’, Ronaldo and Benzema at the cost of Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and (a season earlier) Robinho. They discarded numerous other players in their line up like Cannavaro, Salgado under the pretext of injecting fresh blood in the squad by inclusion of Marcelo, Arbeloa etc. If one asks me, Real Madrid faltered at this step itself. Robben and Sneijder still are the best creative players on this planet. There is no better winger known than Robben at this time in Europe, and the spark of creativity that Sneijder brings in the team is beyond words. Replacing them with Ronaldo and Kaka’ was a blunder. Ronaldo at times will be the most dangerous person in the planet, but one must agree that he is tactically naïve. A good organized defense is what all is required to contain him. Kaka’ is another person who I am observing right from 2003, when he shifted his base to Milan. In the Milan team, he was played in such a tactically astute position by Ancelloti that it was impossible to mark him out of the game. He is the player on whom the attack of the team was oriented, and it was not possible for any other dominant player to share the resources with him. It was evident from the fact that he struggled to partner Ronaldino when he was in Milan. It will take time and huge technical inputs from Kaka’ to partner other dominant players like Ronaldo and Benzema in Madrid.

The person that has been missed out is Gonzalo Higuain, the young argentine striker. Frankly speaking he is one of the most over-rated person whose performances against big clubs and big matches are mediocre. Agreeing to the fact that he can show his real potential and skill against smaller clubs and weaker opponents, he doesn’t have the capability to lead the Real Madrid line-up. After a forgettable first season with the club, the youngster has definitely grown up and matured. Yet he is incapable to lead the line of a team that has Champions League glory in its sight.
Then lays the mid-field… Real Madrid has produced some of the world’s best midfielders’ like Figo, Zidane, and Clarence Seedorf not to forget the legendary Alfredo di Stéfano. It will be appalling to compare any of these middies to their contemporary counter-parts. In the match, Grenaro failed to create a link between attack and midfield. Diarra was left alone in the defensive midfield, leaving an open midfield. The match saw Lyon gain a lot of space from the midfield and exploited it to their benefit.

It will be blasphemy if we don’t mention the defense. Casillas is one of the best rated goalkeepers in the world currently, and only a few can match his caliber. Yet he lacks the skills of organizing his side’s defense. Unlike Buffon or Kahn, he is not a solid presence in the defense and is never seen interacting and managing the lines of his defenders. One reason why Cannavaro struggled during his stint is his lack of co-ordination with Casillas. Ramos, can be said as one of the best wing backs with an attacking flair, but not the best when it comes to defending an organised attack. Other than making fearsome and cleavaging runs in to the opponent’s flanks, he was literally ineffective when it came to defense ‘as a team’. Even though the description may look exaggerative, one must understand that Ramos is regarded as one of the best center-backs in the world.
Finally the coach, Manuel Pellegrini, who rose to fame after leading the yellow submarines (Villareal) to glory. Yet his credentials of managing a top level clubs were always in doubt. In the second half of the match, he failed to respond to the tactical reshifting done by Lyon from a sole striker to three way strike role, which eventually lead to Lyon’s domination and equalizer. Even though he lacked options on the bench, as Benzema was not playing, his introduction of Mahamadou Diarra raised a few eyebrows.

Nevertheless, to conclude, money has never bought success to a club. History is testimony to the fact that the strongest tactical team coupled with astute players and a little bit of luck is what you require for glory. Be it Mourinho’s Porto, who had team players like Deco, Valente, Victor Bala’, Carvalho etc. or Ferguson’s masterstroke for Man Utd., who had just added Carrick to their ranks. You require some luck and urgency like the one Liverpool had in the Istanbul spectacle, or some superhuman player in the side like Kaka’ for Milan and nearly Morientes for Deschamp’s Bordeaux. Finally football is a game, played on field and that 90 minutes is what matters, irrespective of anything else, be it how much one has invested in it or be the amount of effort you have put in it.
I end by quoting Knute Rockne: ‘Football is a game played with arms, legs and shoulders but mostly from the neck up. Generalities don't count and won't help you in football. ‘