El Derbi Madrileno

With the title race in so close contention, all eyes are on the April 11th mega clash between Spain's largest titans, Real Madrid and Barcelona. The match will surely be the most decisive factor in a title race that is tighter than a fish's asshole, and that's water tight people (stole that off my coach). However, there is another derby among us. Last season, when Real Madrid was going into the Christmas break, we were 5th place in La Liga, below one of our most hated foes, city rivals, Atletico Madrid. One of my Barcelona friends took a shot at me and told me "How could you ever say you're the best team in Spain when you're not even the best team in Madrid." Personally, I've been so insulted in my life. Pathetico Madrid? Please. They haven't beat us in a decade and there are those who are say this Derbi isn't only about who gets the bragging rights in city for weeks to come after the match but a lot more to it. It's been said that Real is the Royal club, the club of the crown, the middle class and up ward. It provides a demographic of a wealthy and proud people in the North of Madrid, Chamartin. Whereas Atletico have been seen as more of the working class of people in the city. My friend provided me with a video I thought all of you might enjoy. To give you some more insight to the match. It's more than a match. It's what separates mediocrity from greatness. Guess which one we are?

http://partofthegame.tv/#/videos/series/1428/



How'd ya like it? Just a little background and insight to this massive match. We call them Pathetico but they are the only Spanish club still competing in all three competitions this season. I guess you can't really call that an accomplishment to still be in La Liga because you can't get knocked out but they're in the final of the Copa del Rey, and still bumping heads in the Europa League where they are too face Valencia in the next round in an all Spanish affair. After a slow start to the season, the Colchoneros have clawed their way up the table and currently hold the position of 8th on the table, still scraping to get back to a European competition for next season. Like Casillas said, Atletico are unpredictable. They tied Chelsea earlier this season 2-2 in the Champions League and then go and flush out a result like 1-1 vs Tenerife and a 2-0 loss to Malaga but hand Barcelona their only defeat of the season. You never know what you are going to get. When we went up 3-0 at the Calderon this season I thought it was game over but they pulled two late ones back and Casillas bailed us out of a draw if not a travesty called a loss.


Kaka proved his worth in his first Capital derby with that magic shot that broke the deadlock only 4 minutes into the game but won't feature in this edition of El Derbi Madrileno because he is struggling to get over an injury. His misfortune has almost come as a blessing in disguise for Van der Vaart who has found some hot form in the Brazilians absence. Ronaldo will get to play in his first city derby. Let's hope he is more well behaved in this city derby than in the Manchester derby. I think he was sent off at least twice against Manchester City. So behave yourself Ron. Lassana Diarra was not fit enough to make the squad list so maybe he can sit on the bench and reflect on his poor performances because he's been nothing short of not good enough. I hope Gago can hold the rebirth of form he's been gifted by the good lord. He just has to remember to keep it simple. Garay is a bit of a glass man for me. I'm beginning to realize that. He'll be missing the match due to a new injury (sigh). Ultimately that means Ramos will play center back along side Albiol, Arbeloa on the right and Marcelo can put his defending to the test. Drenthe and Benzema are sill injured. Will we ever see Benzema again? Here's the line up I picked out for the match.

Like I've said above, you never know what you are going to get from Atletico. They have players that do damage. Forlan was last season's Pichichi winner. Everyone hypes up Aguero who was spectacular when Atletico beat Barcelona but I think he is a little overrated. D Simao is always a dangerous face. It's not like I want to admit they have some pretty fine talents but to ignore some of their key players would be pure stupidity. don't get me wrong, Aguero is a very good player but If I had to pick him or Pipita, definitely Pipita. Atletico's awful defending is what has let them down time after time this season and with the way we've been scoring at home, we should be able to crack this. In their last 16 visits to the Bernabeu, our striped neighbors have only won once. Tragic for them, humorous for us. Messi didn't score on Wednesday so Higuain and Ronaldo have made up two goals a piece in the race for Pichichi. I would really love to see everyone talk about Messi all season only to have him be outscored by Pipa when it's all said and done.

We need the three points obviously with the title so tight. While our other Rivals will be squaring up against Mallorca who have won 12 of 13 matches at home, we still are to face the Islanders at their place but we'll take it a match at a time. It's always a better match when it's a derby. Three points, La Liga, and bragging rights are all on the line and I want them all!

HALA MADRID

Anything Barca Can Do...

Hey everyone. I apologize for not being quick with the pen as of late. My school work has engulfed me and spit me up time after time this week. I'm mentally drained. That being said I do what ever it takes to watch at least a little bit of every Real Madrid match if all possible. I started watching the match of a crappy online feed in my Cultural Studies of Media class. Quietly hiding behind my laptop, and swearing under my breathe whenever I was unsatisfied with what was going on or the feed froze. And even though my class ended 20 minutes into the first half, I raced home to shoot on the TV before I had to leave a training session of my own around 40 minutes. Miraculously, through the terrible feed and the gaps in which I missed, I managed to see all four Real Madrid goals! Real Madrid 4, Getafe 2. If someone were to tell me that Real Madrid would score four goals at the beginning of the day, I'd take it. Two goals from Pipita, two goals for CR9, a blunder from our wonder keeper, and another lucky deflection which lead to the Getafe goal based on the highlights.

I've been tuning into the footballing world as much as I can lately but I have been hiding under an academic rock all week. I did notice Kaka didn't make the squad list still (sigh) and Lass also had to pull out (yesss, sorry but he's been an absolute flop lately and it's starting to bug me). In light of little Diarra's absence, I think we've seen some what of a renaissance of Gago. He came on at the weekend against Gijon and was solid and also played fairly well today. Definitely moved way up the line on the pecking order for defensive center midfield on my list. I might even slide him into one of my sliding line up. I can't believe I'm actually saying that. But what's good for the club is good for the club. Also judging off the first half alone, I thought Van der Vaart was also great. He had the assist on both of Pipita's goals and has just been a driving spark behind the team in a past few games. It's truly impressive how two of our midfielders who have been a total selection question in two different parts of the season just burst back onto the scene. Van der Vaart and Gago have both been pretty much on their way out of Madrid. The Dutchman in the summer and Gago as recent as January. The Argentine probably would have left if City had not been total amateurs about the transfer. We put them in the same midfield today in the absence of players like Lass and Kaka, who are ranked as much better players in the footballing world, and VDV and Gago play just as good if not better than our big buys. Interesting.

Ronaldo broke the dead lock with a sublime free kick. With all the rain and choppy online screen no bigger than a game boy screen, I couldn't tell if the handball was in or outside the penalty area. However, it wasn't like I was concerned though with CR9 and VDV over the ball. Ronaldo simply sublime from about 19 yards out. It was fallowed by a loud whisper cheer. Attracted some attention but I don't care if anyone knows. It doesn't get much more top corner than that. The Getafe keeper must have just been exhausted first half. He faced an absolute onslaught first half. He definitely should have done better with Ronaldo's second goal but a cracker of a goal nonetheless. A couple step overs and a bullet from a sharp angle. It doesn't get any prettier than that. I flew out of my see with a "Wow!"

Casillas, common man. I love you to death but that was stupid. An to get mad at Parejo for scoring? I would have done the same thing. It's not like the tackle was dirty. It was solid and he capitalized on your mistake. Rolling around on the ground isn't going to make things any better. Ask Ronaldo.

I really can't tell you much else because I didn't see the whole match so comments will be extremely valued. It's a college Thursday night and I have a reason to celebrate now. I'm over the hump and ready to have some fun.

Hala Madrid!

Bobby

Three Points The Hard Way

Always pissed off before pleased. If it wasn't the awful Real Madrid play in the first half, the annoying TV commentators set me off. That guy must hate Real Madrid. How many times did I have to hear "bunch of individuals." Whatever, it's still three points in the bank and a world of topics to be talked over as Real Madrid battle back at the fortress to win 3-1 over Sporting Gijon. Plenty of action though! Down a goal, and then up a goal in the blink of an eye. Controversy and chaos. Ronaldo plays with a block of ice in his hand to reduce swelling on a little bump on his precious face? Crazy. This puts us three points above Barcelona but they haven't played yet. Zaragoza will be awaiting the blaugrana's arrival. Goals from Van der Vaart, Xabi Alonso who got his first goal from open play (immediately fallowing the corner), and another for Pipita!

I guess it takes a strike of lightning to light a fire under our asses to get us going. A questionably offside David Barrel creeped in untouched and smashed the ball into the roof of our own net, stunning the Bernabeu faithful and the shirts in white at 53 minutes. My heart sunk. Barrel, a former Madrid product, was brave enough to celebrate by signing his name on the pitch. It was quickly erased. Before I could even get upset or angry, we equalized and our tempo shot into the sky like a Chinese firework! I thought to myself when our own goal was penetrated that maybe just maybe this will provoke a response. It did. Ronaldo's dipping free kick, 2 minutes later, caused a lot of trouble for Colinas who fumbled the rocket onto a platter for Rafael Van der Vaart who trapped it with what looked like a volleyball bump before thrashing a left footed volley into the net. I'm a biased supporter but that was definitely a handball. Am I going to complain? No. But let's just say we'll call it even for Xavi's dive against Espanyol. Goal for a goal right? Another two minutes later, after winning a corner Ronaldo jumped higher than the cross bar to win the initial header which found Xabi Alonso at the far post to nod past the line from close range. And just like that, we're on top.

I make it sound glamorous but it was far from. The first half was abysmal. I take no credit away from Gijon who were very well organized defensively in half number 1. We created next to nothing and Ronaldo was a tad bit selfish (and I don't often call him that). What did we do to solve the problem? Lass out, Guti in. I said it at half time to my friends watching the match with me. I told them that had to be the change. I think Lass barfed up the ball every time he got it. Just dreadful. For those of you that chose to grade our players, please fail Lassana Diarra for me. I said it in the preview, no Lass. Didn't listen to me did you Manuel? He clogged everything up, ran into dead ends, fouled, and did things he shouldn't be trying. How many times must he be told? Another lacking performance from Granero as well. The one shot he took has even landed yet. He needs to improve. Xabi Alonso wasn't his great self today, aside from netting the winner. Just a step off. Gave it away too often. Our best holding center midfielder of the evening was (I can't believe I'm gonna even say this because it's against what I so avidly preach) Gago. He came on, kept it simple. He didn't play tag, running from player to player fouling. Everytime he got it, he just distributed. Well done. When he does that he looks a very good player. Guti I thought was instrumental after coming in. Helped connect everything. He was composed and his all seeing eyes opened up attacks for us. Liked him.

Man of the Match you ask? Van der Vaart for me. Kaka will have to work to break back into my Real Madrid team. Tremendous outing from the Dutchman. He's really finding good form. His goal probably should not have stood but none the less, he got one when we most needed it. But how bout that back heal? Cracked a wide smile on my face. He was lively and upbeat throughout the match. He almost scored an acrobatic header earlier in the first half but I felt like he was the driving force behind Madrid today. Put Ronaldo in the passenger seat. Ronaldo had an off game for me. I mean he was involved. His free kick caused the rebound that VDV scored from and he also won the header from the corner that Xabi Alonso scored from, but he took some shots he probably shouldn't have. He was little to obvious on trying to draw that penalty. Coughed it up a few times trying to do some fancy stuff. He won't be pleased. And neither will his make up artist who has a bump to try and hide for the cameras (:]) Don't get me wrong, I'm not picking on him. But with a player of his caliber, you have to expect more. And for future refference, leave the ice on the sidelines...

Let's turn our focus to the back line. No Albiol? Mystery to me. If anyone can clear that up for me, I'd love to know. Really kind of mucked things up I think. Garay was not good at all today. The whole back line was leaky and here's what I think. Without Albiol, Ramos has to play center back. He likes to play the left sided center back but so does Garay. Garay must have felt out of place on the right or something because he looked very uncomfortable. I thought Marcelo made a few good tackles actually but spent most of his time attacking as usual. Arbeloa, eh so-so. But none were good. Especially Ramos, the gladiator didn't have a dominating game. He almost gave up a goal single handedly by casually scuffing a routine pass back to Casillas. Our prize keeper saved the day though. Well done San Iker. We dominated the match completely our a defenders still managed to give Gijon some pretty damn good chances.

Always glad to see Pipita net one. Took it beautifully too. Scurried away from some defenders and caressed the ball past the goal keeper with his left foot into the corner. Another one for Higuain. Another one toward Pichichi. Catch Messi buddy, catch him.

A win is a win. Another ugly job but 3 points nonetheless. Puts us on top for the time being on points and adds two more goals to goal differential stats. And as my girlfriend put it when I text her about the result, "good now you won't be bitchy." Haha that's a good way to put it. The season long home winning streak continues!

Hala Madrid!

Bobby

Three Point Necessity

Real Madrid vs Sporting Gijon played out a to a goalless stalemate the last time the two sides met earlier this season at El Molinon. This must not be the case at the return leg in fortress Bernabeu this Saturday. It's almost common knowledge now to know that we are tied on points with Barcelona but lead them by goal differential simply because head to head cannot count as of yet because we haven't played them a second time. Another goalless draw would put us undoubtedly two points behind and most likely caught up to on goal differential by an ever dangerous Barcelona who I always assume are unlikely to fail. The Catalans who progressed in Champions League to meet the likes of Cesc Fabregas and co., take on a lowly Zaragoza. Real have issued their squad list which has excluded Benzema, Drenthe, and Kaka once again. The squad list looks very similar to the last against Zaragoza and for another time this season, Marcos Alonso was included. Benzema and Drenthe both touched the ball in training this week but obviously aren't up to speed. I'll be anxious to see if this injury has acted as a rebirth for Benzema. He has never really had a good streak of games to get settled in. He has one good game fallowed up by a few absent performances (whether he was on the field or not). I really think he was brought in to kind of crowd Pipita out as our main striker but little did some daft people realize, Higuain is quickly becoming one of the best strikers in Europe and the world, despite his Champions League miss.

Van der Vaart should expect to get another full game. He mentioned that after the clash vs Valladolid that it was only the second time he played a full match. Even I didn't catch on to that. He was unpopular in the beginning of time and suffered injury hardships but has still proved extremely useful. Even when Kaka returns I'm more than content with either of the on field or even (dun dun dun dunnn) both? Just a wacky thought but you never know. Granero will also probably get some good time. I'd rather Lass sat. If one of the Diarra's should be playing it should be Mahamadou. A friend named Bassam published a great article about the two Diarra's on http://www.real.theoffside.com/. Xabi Alonso should no doubt be the holding midfielder if we decide to go with one but it's games like these where we can possibly try thing like starting our Malain. It's not like I don't trust Diarra in there. After all we won back to back La Liga's with him anchored in there and then after a few games last season his tragic knee injury sidelined him for the season; we lost La Liga. I know I know that's not the only reason, Ruud was gone two and a bunch of other disectable aspects of our failure but this isn't the article for that. I'm not even gonna focus on that. It's history, Can't change it now. Here's my line up to face Gijon.

I don't expect Pellegrini to agree with me, he rarely does but I still back him 100% for the job. I don't care what the press writes. I'd like to see Marcos Alonso get a few minutes for Arbeloa, who hasn't been himself lately if we can establish a good lead. That's the only way the boss will even contemplate putting a cantanero in. I left Granero out, not for any particular reason. I know he will probably start. I sacrificed him for big Diarra. People were talking about seeing Xabi Alonso do more box to box work so I thought "hey, why not?" I'm not underestimating Gijon, but they only have 2 wins since the turn of the year. Obviously we'll still have to keep an eye on Diego Castro Gimenez who has 9 goals and Cuevas who has tallied 5. Also, Ronaldo beware of Gregory, the guy has 10 yellow cards and I know you'll go ape-sh*t if you get knocked (:])

Hopefully we can pull out this result. It should be a routine win but La Liga is everything but routine.

HALA MADRID

Bobby

Another Year, Same Old Sad Song

Frankly it's another disgrace. Laughing stock of Europe once again. It's almost as if I've built an immunity to the pain and just leaped forward to being extremely pissed. Let's see what we've accomplished. Never beaten Lyon away, never beaten Lyon at home, lost every time to Lyon away, drawn every time to Lyon at home, and haven't progressed passed the round of 16 since I was 14 (I'm now twenty). It's been over half a decade. The sad part is even if we would have managed to keep Lyon scoreless in the first leg, we still would have gone out. Let me remind you that this surely hinders us in next season's Champions League group stage draw. Maybe instead of drawing with a big team like Milan, we'll Draw someone easier like Manchester Utd or Chelsea (sarcasm). I really don't even know where to begin. What do you say? At least we can focus on La Liga now? I guess that's the only positive you can take from it. The final at our own ground will be played in our absence. In what many saw as our primary objective has gone up in flames. We'll be ridiculed and harrassed for our spending and you can't say we don't deserve it. If we can't beat Lyon we can't expect to beat those who progress to the next round any how. Save us the embarrassment of being beaten 5 or 6 to nil by an Inter Milan or someone. Unfortunately, Pellegrini's future is in dire questioning. If I had my way I'd keep him but for those of you who know the club also know it's out of our hands.

Is it just me or does anyone else think that we were two totally different teams in the two halves? First half, we came out roaring! Our goal was a work of art from Guti, Ronaldo ran onto it and smashed it through the legs of Lloris, 1-0. We got a goal in 6 minutes! That means we have 84 + stoppage times in two halves to get a second. I wasn't even drastically upset after Pipita missed that open net by hitting the post because I just got the feeling we were gonna get one, but from then on out, everything took a turn for the worse. I'd like to personally send a F*ck you to the both the referee and linesman for not granted us a clear penalty which they both had an exceptional view of. Match decider right there. It's like all of our energy was burned up in the first half. Lyon were man handling us second half. We had hardly any possession second half (before Lyon scored) whereas Lyon only had 37% or something like that in the first half. OL only had 1 shot, off target, in the first half. I just can't believe we're out, again.

Ronaldo was great in the first half, microscopic second half. I can say the same for Higuain and Kaka. It's as if someone broke into our locker room at halftime and shaved down the trident. Everyone was remarkably poorer in the second half. Except for Lass who was awful in both halves. Thanks for your services bud, but if you don't regain any sort of form, I'm in favor of selling you. It's a shame that Xabi had to miss this. Arbeloa, an ugly performance. When we actually did get the chance to string a few passes together and regain momentum and possession in the second half, he lets the ball role past his foot an out of bounds. It happened more than once too. Today you could visibly tell he is not a natural left back. When receiving passes from Garay, he turned up field using his right foot, most of the time sprayin the ball upwards and out of control. I must have been 8 years old when I was told to open up using my back foot, in this case, the left foot. You're a professional! And for Real Madrid! I don't care what foot your better with. I actually missed Marcelo at left back today. Yeah, I DID just say that. No surprise that Pellegrini pulled him off for Diarra.

Guti said it after the match today "No sabemos jugar en los partidos importantes." For those of you who can't read Spanish it's "We don't know how to play in important games." I can't agree more. Sure we have El Clasico twice a year. However, playing Sevilla and Valencia are not the same as playing Champions League matches. We lost to Milan at home, we tied them away. That could be considered a big game, yet no wins. We have one big game left this season, a month from tomorrow we play Barcelona. We say that we have this great team but look at our resume from this year, a win against Valencia away, and Sevilla at home am I forgetting anything? We're more of a disappointment than success again. If those are our wins, look at our faults. Loss to Barca, knocked out of the Champions League to Lyon, loss to Milan, losses to Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla away, draws at Gijon, Osasuna, Copa del Rey exit to Alcorcon (need I say more?).

We have one competition left, La Liga. We already knocked ourselves out of the other two. We actually have a chance of saving ourselves a bit of pride from what we have left by winning the 32nd. We're top of the league now but on goal difference alone. If Barcelona we're to tie us on goal differential as of right now, they would go top because the next tie breaker is head to head in which we lost. We have to sweep our shit together, once again forget what's in the past, and ride on with our La Liga form. Tonight should have hurt our players. If they are not crushed, they don't deserve the shirt, few do. By the way Cris, I've lost all respect for you for kicking Raul, you little prat. Forever a Real Madrid supporter, I will be built up be let down. When you always expect greatness, you're often times disappointed. I knew this burden before I chose my club. It's just adding on to sad chapter in Real Madrid History. The dark ages of our club are among us. We need the white shirt to shine more than ever now.

Bobby

Another Epic Battle at the Helm of Fortress Bernabeu

Usually on the eve before the second leg of a Champions League Round of 16 match I'm turning over the scenarios and what it will take us to get through to the next round rather nervously but strangely enough I'm calm, collected, confident. Quite a different mood from my fright in the night previous to the Stade Gerland match. After what I saw on Saturday and later comprehend, I feeling as if we're taking the momentum from the comeback and the energy from the fans and are confident (not cocky) that we can progress. It's a feeling unlike the last 5 years going into this second leg. I have reason to be upbeat. Maybe it's because the objective is very clear. Win by two goals. There's no if, ands, or buts about it. However we only need one goal in 90 minutes to force extra time but I'd rather just get the job done in 90 minutes. Sorry if the preview is coming to everyone a little late. I've been very busy running around at home because of spring break. Let's get started. Shall we?

Let's look at some positives going in. Obviously momentum from the big win this weekend a little extra from the fashion in which that game was one. Also the team seems united. When you bring a bunch of new players together no one can expect gelling right away (unless you're stupid). Not only do the players have to learn each others playing styles and habbits in order to perform well but the need to learn their personalities, become close friends. I think we are beginning to see that more and more. When the team all gathered together in one huddle after the Sevilla game that's when I knew things are tight knit. Also, the fans will be as amped as ever after what they witnessed on Saturday. How do I know this? Well, I'm a fan, duh. Not only is the team as one but there are currently very few injuries in the squad. Benzema and Drenthe are the only ones out with their respectable knocks and other than that the squad is out on the training pitch rather than in the gym. Drenthe won't be missed because he hardly plays and I can't say Benzema will that missed either because our offense seems to be working on all cylinders without him.

So with the thought that we need two goals to progress in mind, we have to think offensively but a the same time we can't afford to get scored against because for everytime we let one up, we have to add on one to the amount of goals we have to score. Obviously Xabi Alonso is unable to play due to yellow card suspension so what do? Obvious plug in for me is either of the Diarras. If lass just distributes and does the actual job of a holding (not attacking dude) I think he is a better option only because Mahamadou is more of a bruiser. Ah hah! In that case we might need the number 6 instead because it is sure to be a physical battle. I think we have learned a valuable lesson from Sevilla in what our offense can do with all the right tools. Offense is the best defence at times. It is crucial that we score early. It would settle nerves and put us in a rhythm to get another one. We haven't failed to score at home all year. We have 90 minutes to at least get one. There are a few games away in which we failed to score, Lyon being one of them. Here is my line up for the match tomorrow.




Very similar to the post substitution Real Madrid we saw this weekend. Arbeloa takes the place of Marcelo who is also suspended and I have M. Diarra as the holding midfielder. To me he is more of a Xabi Alonso like player than Lass is and we need the physical presence. I figured why not go so offensively when we need goals. We needed goals this weekend, and roughly these are the guys that got us there. Pellegrini had an A+ performance this weekend. As for subs, I can see Granero and Raul both featuring at some point and Lass or big Diarra coming off the bench depending who gets the start. After the first leg, many fans said we lacked midfield creativity because Guti and Van der Vaart were injured. Well they're back now and if they bring to the table what they did on Saturday, we'll be in business.

As for Lyon, since we last saw them three weeks ago, they've not conceded a goal in Ligue 1. They have two wins and a 0-0 draw against Boulonge this past weekend. Lyon have no players suspended for the match but Brazilian international Michel Bastos, who played for Brazil at left back in their recent friendly against the Republic of Ireland, will be missing with a thigh injury.

The objective is clear. The team is ready. Us supporters just sit and await our faith anxiously. It will be a nervy 90 minutes for me personally. I transform into a monster when Madrid plays. You probably don't ever want to watch a match with me (:p).

HALA MADRID

Bobby

Sank the Submarine

Los Blancos responded well to their more than disappointing Champions League loss to Lyon. The score finished 6-2 but it didn't always look like the Merengue were running away with it. The men in yellow cut the lead back to just one goal on two separate occasions giving me one or two reasons to bite my nails. However, our prolific strike force's torpedoes eventually sent the submarine to a watery grave below fortress Bernabeu. Although I was furious at giving up goals this game proved that we can overcome setbacks and adversity to eventually triumph. Hopefully we can take the lesson learned and transform it into a similar performance when OL come back to visit in March.

Summer spending payed off again. Four of the six goals were scored by new faces. Dos for Kaka, uno for Ronaldo, and Xabi Alonso tallied his first goal in a Real Madrid Uniform. May I offer him my congratulations. The game also acted as a stat booster for many. Ronaldo not only scored, he marked 2 assists and also drew the penalty that Xabi Alonso took (twice lol). Pipita returned to scoring form with 2 pieces of cheese. He is in 3rd place running for Pichichi with 14 goals, 2 goals off the leader, Messi, if my memory serves me correctly. Marcelo added to his assist total with his cross for Higuain's second which makes 6 goals created for the young Brazilian this season. In all fairness I think los blancos should have won by a few goals more. Ronaldo and Kaka both failed when 1v1 with the keeper and Ronaldo's breakaway was wrongly called offside. Madrid seem to rise to the challenge everytime it was thrown at them. When Villarreal scored we made it a bigger gap. When they scored again, we did the same. When Kaka converted the penalty I texted a fellow Madridista, and said "2 goals from deadballs. I want 1 from open play." Madrid then rose to that challenge as well.

Refereeing decisions were a question in this match. Many people seem to think that the penalty Ronaldo drew was a dive. Honestly I thoughts he got clipped from behind but honestly people, was it a match changing decision? No. On Higuain's first goal, when Arbeloa played the ball up the line to CR9, he did appear to be off by a step. However, later in the match as I said above, Ronaldo was called off when he was most certainly on. Though he had been flagged, play continued and he dribbled around the goalkeeper and passed the ball home. These decisions were not all correct but nonetheless wouldn't have changed the result.

We were a totally different team from what I saw in France. We were so lively. Runs in behind the back line on so many different occasions. The ability to find players was 20 times what it was on Tuesday. Creativity was a major boost. I think it raises more questions about our away form. I mean sure, our European away form has been good other than this loss, but we beat Zurich and Marseille away and only tied Milan. It's not like we beat the best team in our group. Our La Liga away form hasn't been pretty at all, a loss to Sevilla, a loss to Barca, a Loss to Bilbao, and Draws at Gijon and Osasuna where we failed to score both times. The only real significant away win that we've recorded was our thriller against Valencia, and if you think about it it that's probably the best team that we've beaten all season. We still have lots of hype to live up to ladies and gentlemen, but I'm gonna stop being pessimistic on a day with reason to be optimistic. Just pointing a few things out.

Let's start with what I was not pleased with, Lassana Diarra. Many player have hot and cold games but Lass has had and cold minutes. He is the fastest changing Dr. Hyde and Mr. Jekyll. He fouls too much. Right after Marco Senna scores from a well taken free kick, he goes and clatters some yellow shirt from behind a yard or two off the top of the arc. Needs to be smarter. Needs to stop dribbling. He looks a much better player when he plays it quick. I'm surprised Pellegrini hasn't said something more about it. Arbeloa played a good game but what bothers me is he always gets beat on a give and go (one-two). Track your defender, don't get caught ball watching. Wingers will get a free cross every time. For once, Marcelo wasn't horrific on defence but he can always do better. I can definitely call it an improvement from the Lyon game. Ramos, all I can say is class. I know he is a right back but he is a damn good center back as well. He too was beat by a one-two on Villarreal's second goal, scored by Nilmar, but that counter attack should have never happened. Too many opportunities to shut it down. We need to make sure we don't put too much emphasis on offense that we forget we have a goal of our own.

I don't know if it's just me, but Pellegrini seems to make subs very late on in matches. I know in this case it was okay because we needed to establish a gap in scoreline when the Yellow Submarine doesn't go away, but the subs hardly get any time to adapt to the match. Raul, Van der Vaart, M. Diarra, I can't even tel lyou how they played really. I'm never going to complain when we get a result like 6-2, but I don't even know what to say about them. I can say that today is the first time where I thought Guti wasn't missed as much. We had plenty of creativity. Granero may not get the credit for today but I thought he was solid. Quiet, but solid. He keeps the play moving in midfield. He doesn't do anything out of his element but links together big pieces like Higuain, Ronaldo, and Kaka. Benzema wasn't missed either today. Higuain found form again and it didn't look as if we would have needed him today anyway. With that said, I'm still sure it will be a boost when he returns to the squad.

This win will be in the back of Barcelona's head. When Villarreal visited them, the two shared the points. Now that we are within 2 points of the blaugrana and we are tallying up 6 goal performances in a still perfect record at home, where they still have to visit, they can definitely feel our hot breath on their necks. This match puts a smile on my face once again and I can look at the crest and know that we haven't failed it last time we took the field. Well done. Next up we have Tenerife away. We are expected to pick up 3 points there. Malaga visit Barcelona but I don't think the Catalans will drop anything there.

Hala Madrid!

Bobby

Behind Enemy Lines

Real Madrid are set to take on French Club, Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon for short) on Tuesday at the Stade Gerland where Les Gones can brag to be rather secure. The meetings between the two sides have never swung in the favor of Los Blancos. For two season in a row, 05/06 and 06/07, Madrid was placed in the same Champions League group stage as Lyon. For those of you who know the format, understand there would have been 4 matches between the outfits in that time period. Madrid didn't win a single match of the four and failed to even score in France at all. Madrid lost in Lyon 3-0 and 2-0, frustrating days to be a Madridista to say the very least. The return legs at the Bernabeu proved to be better results, both draws, but still disappointing. Real will be looking to put the past behind them and put on a performance in the country to the Northeast. This is a special Real Madrid team who has already broken the club personal best record for number of points at this time in the season and even triumphed at the Riazor breaking a 19 year curse. The squad has unimaginable potential with its limitless talent. Big money spending this summer has brought in the best of the best with primarily this competition in mind. To be even more specific, this stage of this competition. Speaking of curses right? Real Madrid has failed to progress past the Round of 16 in the Champions League for the last five seasons falling to Juventus, Arsenal, Bayern Munchen, Roma, and Liverpool in that order. Last year was the most terrifying exit yet where Los Merengue were thumped 5-0 on aggregate, losing 1-0 at the Bernabeu, and a tragic 4-0 in Liverpool ( I could go into the story of the other 4 defeats but it hurts bad enough just to mention it). We need to emerge from one of the darkest periods in the club's European history in a desperate drive to reach the final in the capital city of Spain and the fortress of a ground we call home, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. All of this in pursuit of La Decima (the tenth).

Let's take a look at some key facts. When Madrid so unconvincingly played Lyon a couple seasons back, Lyon was in the heart of their 7 year reign as champion of Ligue 1. OL won the crown every year from the 2001-2002 season to the 2007-2008 season. This season, things are different and on paper, Madrid's line up is far superior to Lyon's (but in actuality that means nothing. This is football, anything is known to happen). Last season they finally handed the title over to Bordeaux and handed their leading goalscorer, Karim Benzema over to us for 35 million. Not only was Benzema Lyon's big gun but the top scorer in the French league last season too. Benzema is fighting fitness rather optimistically to make the trip to France on Tuesday. However, Karim isn't the only former Lyon player in our team. Mahamadou Diarra was part of the Lyon side that thrashed us 3-0 in 2005 but the fallowing season scored a goal against Lyon for us in the 1-1 draw in Spain.

After a slow start to their 2009-2010 campaign, OL have climbed back into 4th place, only 6 points off of leaders Bordeaux (at 2:40 AM Sunday). Lyon's leading league scorer is former Porto striker, Lisandro "Lilo" Lopez, with 9 goals, fallowed by Bafetimbi Gomis on 7 goals who was picked up from St. Etienne this summer. But, the front men arn't all we need to worry about. Aly Cissokho, who was also signed from Porto after a failed move to Milan is a pacy individual who can serve dangerous balls into the box from the flanks. Also the Bosnian youngster Miralem Pjanic is one of the hottest up and coming stars in Europe and a threat from midfield.

In the Champions League this season, Lyon haven't been beaten at the Stade Gerland and only conceded 1 goal there in the group stage. This comes up against Real Madrid's impressive away record in the Champions League (definately not La Liga) this season. Real are unbeaten in their travels and already trumped French outfit Marseille, who are only a point and a place behind Lyon in Ligue 1 with a game in hand (again very early on Sunday morning) 3-1 in France earlier this season.

Real Madrid's two biggest signings this summer know one or two things about knocking Lyon out of this competition. In the 2005/2006 Champions League, Kaka and AC Milan bumped OL out of the Quarter finals. In 2007/2008, Ronaldo and Manchester United sent the French crashing out in this stage of the competition and went on to lift the trophy against Chelsea in the Moscow final.

It seems like for the first time in practically forever, Madrid might be able to start arguably its best XI. Benzema will most likely miss due to injury but many, including myself, would rather see Pipita as the starting striker leading the line. Guti is expected to recover from his ankle injury and any question marks about Albiol and VDV have been erased because they were able to rest against Xerez. The only real question that I cannot answer is how many holding midfielders we will go with. Pellegrini has been switching back and forth between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-1-3-2 for the last 4 matches and personally I think we do better with the single pivot (aka the 4-1-3-2 because of the one holding center midfielder, which allows us another forward). So I designed 2 starting line-ups I'd like to see with the two different formations:



I'm much more in favor in the single pivot because it allows us to attack better with more combinations up top and more players in area to aim for on crosses from Ramos and Arbeloa thundering up the flanks. Kaka now has two forwards to sit behind like he does for the Brazilian National Team. Also with my 4-1-3-2, I can allow Ronaldo to work off Higuain, leaving the right midfield open for Granero who has been great lately. If we go with the double pivot, Granero might not see the field and Lass, who has been not himself or impressive at all (if I'm being nice) will be on instead.

I developed a checklist starting from with the most important things we need to take away from this match.

1. Obviously a win. That way we can take the tie back to the Bernabeu where we have been exceptional (minus AC Milan) this year.

2. Away Goals. The away goal rules always ousts somebody every season. With our players, not scoring is unacceptable. We can put a dagger in their hearts before the second leg if we can manage 2 or 3 goals on tuesday.

3. A clean sheet. If we can tuck'm away at one end and keep'm out on ours, we'll be in fabulous shape.

4. Stay out of yellow card trouble. I know one or two players are in danger of yellow card suspension. I just can't tell you who off the top of my head, Lass maybe?

It should be an interesting tie. I'm more confident about this round of 16 match than I have been with all the rest for the last 5 years. It's a must win, a do or die. If we don't progress pass this stage, it will be eyed as a disaster for the club. All the players on the team have continued to state that we can win this competition. Don't let us down after you've hyped us up. I wanna rip the Champions League crown right off the head of Catalonia with a thick chunk of hair. Hala Madrid!

Bobby

Pellegrini Selection Headache To Come aka Bobby's Chalk Session

Selection Headache? What Selection Headache? We're scrounging for players. We had 4 Castilla players in the squad list for Deportivo and the world's most expensive player is still out another game with suspension. The only player that even returned to training today was Gago and we planned that he'd be at Manchester City by this point. Exactly! (Huh?) At this point your probably a bit confused (wtf Bobby...) but let me explain. The match against Deportivo showed some crucial team depth and not only did we win at Riazor, we put on a performance. To go even further, not only did we put on a performance, we did so with a stretched line-up. Anyone notice that we played more covincingly against Depor, who were then in 5th place, than we did against Malaga who are low in the table. The catch is that against Malaga, which was a home game, we fielded what is arguably our best XI. Or is that our best 11? It poses a lot of questions. Goal.com put an article out this week about if Real Madrid plays better without Ronaldo. Should Granero be a starter? What happens to two-goal Benzema when Pipita recovers? Is the Lass/Xabi Alonso a good center midfield partnership? Are we playing the best formation suitable for this team. When everyone is available, who gets bumped to the pine? Can we alternate players with the Champions League on the horizon? Let's take a look.

Where do we start? How many questions did I just ask? Let's begin with what is arguably our standard formation, and starting XI with everyone healthy (excluding Pepe, get well soon).

I'm not stating that this is our best line-up. I'm just trying to get into Pellegrini's head. If all these players were available and everyone was well rested, I get the feeling that this is the starting XI we would see. So bring on the questions. Does Real Madrid play better without Ronaldo? Well all of us would hope not. We spent a fortune on him this summer and for our starting line-up to be more affective without him would be a nightmare. My answer to this question is no. If that relieves anyone, good. Here's why. Ronaldo is a unique player. He has everything a footballer would dream of. He has pace, moves, a rocket packed behind 90% of his shots, set play abilities only few can match, and more. Many think he is selfish, too self centered but that is not that case. Ronaldo has become more of a team player at Madrid than he was at Manchester United "With great power, comes great responsibility." -Uncle Ben (Spiderman). Ronaldo wouldn't be as useful if he didn't take responsibility into his own hands at times. It would be wrong for him to not use the God-given talent that he possesses. He can change the game an in instant! You're probably asking yourself where I'm going with this because everything I've said so far really isn't team orientated. Well here you are. To have Ronaldo in the side is a blessing. With brilliant players around him, he can feed off of their talent in forms of their great passing and through balls to latch on to, movement off the ball, ability to draw free kicks and penalties, quality corners to score from, good service from the flanks. He is just an Ace in the hole that can benefit from what Madrid has to offer. Therefore he boosts team performances. So when he goes missing and we still play well... what's that about? Let me reiterate Ronaldo can benefit from the Team's Talent. When Ronaldo is not there, the team is still capable of playing great football. The game plan might change a little, but whenever you lose one of the greatest players on the planet for a match, your team will need to make some adjustments. That is common sense. The matches like Deportivo just show Madrid is good enough to cope without Ronaldo as well as with Ronaldo. It's more of a testament to our depth than it is a problem with CR9. Now I do understand things may not run as smoothly at times when Ronaldo is on the pitch. But this team has to be able to adapt to Ronaldo. In a sense the word "gel" appears once more. I know people are getting tired of hearing it, after all we're past the midway point of the season, but the injection of Ronaldo can be a lot to get used to. And even though we are this far along into the campaign, our buddy CR9 has only played in 16 games, only starting 14, including the Champions League. Whereas a team (excluding a Copa del Rey we'd all like to forget) we've played 26. So once again I call for patience, something that is hard for us to embrace as Madrid fans, especially after all the recent Barca success. Have faith my friends. There is still a lot more to come from Real Madrid.

Pirata! Easily one of my favorite signings. The kid continues to impress. Everytime he comes on, he makes a difference. He has found the net on 3 occasions this season as a midfielder and only finds himself in the starting line up around half the time. In La Liga, he has 3 goals and 2 assists. Kaka has 3 goals and 3 assists. Not much of a statistical difference with a gap in the amount of minutes played. Granero often times doesn't get the playing time he deserves with our big name midfielders, but everytime he plays, his name grows larger. He was exceptional against Depor and is expected by many to be in starting line up when Espanyol visits this weekend. There are places open for the 22-year old with Van der Vaart still spending training in the gym and Ronaldo serving his second suspension of his two match ban. I just get the hunch he'll have a good day against Espanyol. It may not seem right if he doesn't get the start when the more prominent names start to return to the squad list. For me, if he is not starting, he's the first one off the bench every time. He is a very well rounded player that offers more than a solid midfield player. He also delivers good corners, allowing our taller players to be in the box to win headers. He is a great Madrid Academy product. Gracias for the goal on Saturday.

So what do we do about the Lass/Xabi Alonso center midfield partnership. The midfield seemed very effective this weekend with just one holding midfielder. This was only recently brought to my attention. Do they work well together? Do we need two holding center midfielders or can one be sacrificed for the addition of another forward? That would make us a little top heavy so maybe those playing on the outsides would have to tuck in and drop a little more defensively and with two forwards, the attacking center midfield, most likely Kaka, would have to drop slightly as well. So we've gone from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-1-3-2 like we did against Deportivo. So it may look like this roughly when going from an attack to losing the ball and having to defend:


The advantages of this would be:

1. Allowing us to play both Higuain and Benzema in the same formation. Or as a second striker, Ronaldo and put in VDV or Granero on the right hand side.

2. It would give us more power offensively and more combination options in the attacking third.

3. It would provide two forwards to hit when building out of the back opposed to one main target forward which could become easy to mark.

4. Kaka has now two forwards to sit behind like he does with Brazil.

Disadvantages:

1. It would send either Xabi Alonso or Lass to the bench because one holding midfielder would have to be sacrificed for a forward. That wouldn't fit squad demographics considering we have 4 defensive midfielders in the team. Xabi Alonso, Diarra, Lass, and Gago.

2. It might make the team too top heavy and offensive players may not get back (cough Guti) , leaving us open and more vulnerable to counters.

3. With so many players in the offensive half, we might have to limit our wing play from outside backs. Sergio Ramos and Arbeloa would have to stay at home more often.

Striker questions? The fallowing analysis of the striker situation has been conducted as if Pellegrini decides to stick with a 4-2-3-1. So now that Benzema is finally up and running, Higuain is near recovery and could return for the match this weekend against Espanyol. If Pipita is just returning, I vote that he doesn't get 90 minutes against the Catalan side. I want to see him return as much as the next Madridista but Benzema now has some confidence and it's smart not to push Higuain to his limit on his return. I know the squad has quality enough (as showed at the Riazor) to win without Pipita in the starting XI, especially against Espanyol. Here is my plan. Benzema starts against Espanyol, Higuain comes in for him around 65 minutes in the second half. Then, the next weekend Higuain starts and Benzema replaces him. This would be important to rest Benzema at this game so he be fully fit to face Lyon on the 16th. No one knows the French club like him. Maybe Diarra, but he hasn't been there in years, when Benzema has just played for them last season. So afterwards, because Benzema played in the European midweek, Higuain then starts against Villarreal at home. This all goes accordingly provided both strikers remain healthy and on form. So with the extra Champions League games, perhaps rotation could be an option for the time being.

That's all I have for you today. I left plenty to discuss and left plenty out that is worth discussing. Would be interested to hear the thoughts of a lot of you. I enjoy hearing what you have to say.

Bobby

Daniele De Rossi? Why? & The Canales Front

So it's late at night and go on to peruse the latest football news via the Internet and ultimately, against my greater judgment, I end up on Goal.com to see what they may have plagiarized or muckraked off any not creditable source. We, Madrid, seem to be the media frenzy already, usually in a negative way. More people want to see us fail than succeed so they decide to toss as much flammable ingredients to the fire as possible. I have one word for these people, "haters." Simple as that. Anyhow I came across an article on Goal.com about Daniele De Rossi to Real Madrid?

Uhhh wait... So I tried clicking the article and it's under maintenance so I'm hoping someone hacked their system under the influence of some foreign chemical unbalance and decided to sabotage the website by publishing the link (highly unlikely). I went to Catholic school (even though I'm not Catholic, long story) as a youngster but I would pray to several different gods just to make sure this didn't come true. De Rossi?

Wait! The page decided to load and it is a measly 5 sentence article... pathetic again from Goal.com. Why would you even publish that on your top stories? It is true that President Perez is a fan of de Rossi (one of the few bits of information available in the article) and tried to sign him in his first presidency and that Calderon was also interested but the price tag was a little hefty. But in all honesty where would fit another defensive/holding midfielder with Xabi Alonso and Lassana Diarra amongst the squad and a returning Mahamadou Diarra this week sometime because Mali was knocked out of the ACN. Don't forget Gago is still lingering around somewhere too. Sure, De Rossi has a pretty nice long range shot, but Xabi Alonso has been known to score from midfield. It's gonna take a little more something special that what De Rossi possess to get me even vaguely interested. I've been really down on him ever since he threw that awful elbow into Brian McBride in the last World Cup. Not to mention he would cost a fortune and already stated he wanted to finish his career at Roma. I know Kaka said he wanted to finish his Career at Milan but De Rossi is certainly no Kaka, despite what people have been saying about the Brazilians form lately. For me, it would be an absolute ludicrous decision if it ever amounted to buy him.

Let's switch gears. It's no secret that ever since Sergio Canales superb double performance in Racing Santander's 2-1 win over Sevilla, all eyes have been transfixed him. The teenager has said that at the moment he wants to wear the green and black. However, that's not enough to stop the super sharks (big clubs) from circling around the tank waiting for their chance to attack this fresh young talent. Santander president, Francisco Pernia, has spoken about the issue and mentioned that big clubs including English outfits, Manchester City and Chelsea, as well as ourselves, and several other big clubs have revealed interest. He seemed in favor of the loan back idea that the boy's father has considered. In which a club will buy Canales and then loan him back to Santander for a set period of time, most likely 1 or 2 seasons. Then after that period is up he joins with the club that bought him. This is what Real Madrid did with Garay for those of you who are unaware.

"Madrid don't give money away so when they call Racing, that's because they are in some way interested in going down that road," -Pernia

Hopefully the opportunity so sign this kid falls into the right hands and by the right hands I mean our hands. Giving him two years back where he is comfortable and getting regular first team time will develop him into an even hotter commodity. And by the time his loan spell is up, he will be ready to tackle a bigger task. At Madrid we can put him on a trampoline aimed in the direction of greatness. It's the perfect place to create your legacy for any Spanish player (and by Spanish player, I mean a player that actually considers himself as Spanish and regualry speaks Spanish. Im not trying to get under anyone's skin here...Barca, Bilbao, Depor and others... easy now). He is a Santander native. However there is connection between the northern Spanish city and Real Madrid. King Alfonso XIII, who granted Real Madrid it's "Real Corona" (royal crown) loved spending his summer holidays in Santander. For those of you who didn't know, Santander also has a corona on it's logo. The king even built the Palacio de la Magdalena as his Santander residence. Hardly football related but interesting.

These were just a couple thoughts I had while suffering through my spells of insomnia. It's about 4:15 am. I have class in a few hours. Goodnight readers. Hala Madrid.

Bobby

Frustration at its Peak: Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Real Madrid

To say that I am disappointed, sad, angry, frustrated, or let down are all understatements. I really don't know where to begin, so expect an unstructured rant-like review. You have to give props to Bilbao though. They executed their game plan perfectly. Banged and crashed until they got a goal early and then sat back and just defended with 10, and a lot of times 11 behind the ball. The worst part is Madrid must have been in on the plan because they gladly let it happen. This will be sure to add to an already blazing political/football fire. The rivalries burn on...

Madrid didn't even complete a pass before Athletic scored the only goal of the match from a free header the Lassana Diarra so kindly flicked on from a corner for Bilbao's none other than Llorente, who nodded the ball at ease past Casillas and into the net. San Mames erupted like volcano. Perhaps that was the sound of an alarm clock for Real Madrid. Los blancos decided maybe it was time wipe the sleepys out of their eyes and decide to show up. Too little too late though. If you want to be a championship winning team you have to wake up before you walk out of the tunnel at least. Real went on to dominate the rest of the match. Shot after shot was peppered away by Biblao's goalkeeper, Gorka Iraizoz, who must have went to church twice this week because he was blessed, no less than inspired by the lord today, easily my man of the match.

I wouldn't be so crushed about this game if we would have played as poorly as we did at Osasuna, but Madrid had 31 shots. The football was crisp, it was inventive, there was lots of energy, desire, but there was no goals. Madrid had 71% of the possession. We plugged away time after time only for the ball to be recklessly slashed or bombed away by a red and white striped player. They weren't even clearing balls up toward Llorente, the target forward, most of the time. They were just shooting missiles over our back line for the center backs to collect and restart the attack. After the goal was scored in the third minute, the Basques never even had another shot on target. Bilbao just frustrated us to the point of no return. You could clearly see the fluster on Madrid's faces, particuarlly Ronaldo who tried to take matters into his hands a few too many times. He even let the crowd get to him when he faked throwing a ball toward them.

I'm contemplating sending Pipita a "Get Well Soon" card, but then I changed my mind and went with a "Get Well Now!" card instead. Benzema was just absent today. He had his one effort that dinked off the post but other than that, I think Raul played a bigger part in the match and he came on in the 77th minute. As for other poor performances, I can't help but point the finger at Marcelo, shocking. He just got bullied by big Basque players all match. He looked like a marble in a pinball machine bouncing off everything he got near. I would have made the Guti for Marcelo substitution much earlier. For as soon as Guti came on, he created a unique combination which lead to one of our better chances. It was nice to have Ramos back in the line up. He had some buzz about him today. Lass... not so much. I've seen much better performances from him. Other than that. I really don't have much to complain about the players did well minus the opening three minutes. Kaka perhaps is still just a step behind. Maybe should have done better on that half volley from inside the area the went just wide of the near post and definately should have done better with the square ball accross the box.

Here is where I saw an issue. Bilbao fouled us 20 times. I would have to say at least 90 percent of those fouls were in the attacking half considering that's were about 90% of the game was played (for you math geniuses that's 18 fouls but of course this is an estimate). That gives us 18 set plays to work with. Now add another 9 corners to the equasion. That's 27 set plays that we we got nothing out of. At the beginning of the year, defending set plays was a big problem. Now it may be the attacking set plays that we should be capitalizing on that present a problem. I can hardly remember us scoring from a set piece situation in La Liga other than Garay's winning header at Valencia. Hopefully I have overlooked some. I didn't like free kick play with Ronaldo to Xabi Alonso. your at the edge of the area. Just have a go. Although that same play did work for Guti and Sneijder against Atletico Madrid a couple years ago; it didn't have the same result tonight. The Ronaldo run over and Guti shot was better, at least that one was on target. I was in a grim mood after the final whistle, only to hold back frustration tears when Barca smashed Sevilla 4-0 in a slow boring game that seem to drag on. Sevilla looked awful. Five points back looks mighty depressing from my angle.

In the end, I waited for this match all week and was mortified at the result after seeing the quality of play that Madrid produced. It just kills me to know that if we would have been awake for the first 3 minutes, we would have at least taken a point despite our lack of scoring. A team that looks so promising also looks so frustrating because of the expectations us Madridistas hold our players too. However, if you want the best, you can't expect anything less.

Bobby

Crucial Absences and About Time Returns

Mallorca will be a vital test for Real Madrid on Sunday. The Islanders are currently enjoying a good run of form and an evenly great first half of the season as they sit pretty in La Liga's 4th place spot. Real Madrid will miss Sergio Ramos and Lassana Diarra through suspension while Kaka is expected to return along with veteran Guti who has been surrounded by fallout controversy with Manuel Pellegrini this season. He has always been a strong personality. However, it appears that Pellegrini is the one who holds the reigns and has a firm grip over the squad.

Perhaps the most crucial absence of weekend will be right back, Sergio Ramos because it will stir up more trouble than you might think. Here's why. Usually there are two possible replacements for the Spanish international. There first of which is Alvaro Arbeloa. However, for those who have been fallowing the club, Arbeloa has been playing left back since mid November. The second replacement Pellegrini uses for Sergio Ramos is Lassana Diarra. Although he is a midfielder by trade, Pelle has slipped the number 10 into the right back spot on several occasions. As I already mentioned, Lass is also suspended. So what to do...

1.) An obvious option would be to move Arbeloa, who was truly inspired against Osasuna, to right back and slide Marcelo or Drenthe into the vacant left back position. However many people are life-threateningly against putting either of them at left back because they both lack defensive qualities.

2.) Another option would be to give a go to a youth player. Many have tipped Marcos Alonso who was on the squad list to Valencia, to do a job, but the match against Mallorca may be a little too much pressure to throw him into. As mentioned above, Mallorca are in good form this season and with the title race being so close, this may not be a chance we want to take. Perhaps he could get minutes against a team that are not pushing for a place in European football next season.

The absence of Lass is not as vital considering there are plenty of midfielders that can do the job for Real. There are many options, Granero, Gago, or Guti, who hasn't played since the beginning portion on the season. There is much controversy between supporters on whether or not they would like Guti to return. There is a great article on http://www.real.theoffside.com/ (where you can also find a great Mallorca preview) regarding the Guti situation. I know Guti is tremendously talented. Butespite the spats between him and the coach, if we need him, we need him. I'm not going to hold a useful player out of the squad because we don't get along when the title is within two points. If I were Pellegrini, (if there is still a grudge or dispute still at hand, I'm not sure, its been a quiet topic), I would put relationship matters aside to earn 3 points. Then rebuild the relationship because in the end the two may need each other to achieve the same goals.

On another note Kaka will be returning. He was not selected by a coaching decision by Pellegrini last weekend because he had hardly trained and needed more time to get up to speed. Whether or not he will start tomorrow is unsure because Van der Vaart has done a sufficient job filling in for the Brazilian playmaker. On another note Garay, trained in the gym today. Hopefully he is available for the squad list. The team is already stretched at center back due to the season ending injury to Pepe. Maybe we will see the return of Metzelder if Garay is not fit. If not Metzelder and not Garay, we don't even have to option to push Sergio Ramos back into that spot. Castilla's Juanan has been in training this week with the first team. Seeing as he was born in Palma de Mallorca, I'm sure he is chomping at the bits to get on the field. This presents the same concern as did the Marcos Alonso, too crucial a game?

This is the line up I suspect Pellegrini to go with given that Garay is healthy.

------------Casillas------------
Arbeloa-Albiol-Garay-Marcelo
Ronaldo-Alonso-Granero-VDV

------Benzema--Higuain------

I don't expect Kaka to start. I could be wrong. I have been before, but I think he will be an early second half sub for Van der Vaart who has been playing regularly in his absence. Granero is in place of Lass. I think that Pellegrini will choose the "Pirate" because his ability to handle the ball at relative ease and his composure in possession.

Now here would be my starting XI.

------------Casillas------------
Arbeloa-Albiol--Garay-Marcelo

-------Alonso---Granero-------

VDV---------Kaka-----Ronaldo
------------Higuain------------

I continue to preach that Kaka's best position is the poaching spot behind the striker(s), the same role he plays for Brazil that he triumphs in. I have Ronaldo on the left, but as always he is free to roam, so Marcelo will be the one getting forward on the wing the majority of the time. The other side is just the opposite. Van der Vaart will play more of a fixed role on the right wing where Arbeloa won't be charging forward as much (unless he reconstructs his Osasuna performance). Higuain is the is the forward in whom Ronaldo will join on a regular basis. Benzema would replace Higauin early to mid second half.

Sunday will certainly test the depth of Real Madrid's depth in back line and somewhat in the midfield. Madridistas everywhere will be anxiously awaiting the return of Kaka. Can Marcelo defend at left back? The Mallorca team is full of former Madrid cantaneros and will be a vital match for our pursuit of the trophy.

Bobby