The End

“All clubs lose. Nobody stays undefeated. Today you win, tomorrow you lose, this is football. But when Real Madrid loses, everybody is happy”. Those were the word of Jose Mourinho back when he was coaching Real Madrid. Yes, Real Madrid’s season is over. Yes, Real Madrid are going out trophyless. Yes, it has been a really bad season. Yes, we will rise again..

Since when were we satisfied with ‘he tried’? Since when was ‘trying’ enough? Some people have been trying to lift the fan base’s morals by saying ‘well yes, at least Bale was trying’ or ‘Casillas is trying to do his best’. Trying to do your best isn’t & will never be enough as long as you’re a Real Madrid player. At Real Madrid, it’s do or die. One bad season for a goalkeeper who has been with us for 18 years, he gets slayed. One bad season for a player who won us La Decima & Copa Del Rey, he gets slayed. A few bad months for our best player in the last 6 years, he gets slayed. This is Real Madrid. If you can’t perform around the clock, every single day of the year, you get slayed. I’m not saying this is right or that I’m one of the people who slay our players whenever thet have a bad game, month or even year. We are all entitled, as fans, to criticize our players but there’s a very thin line between criticizm & abuse. But that’s all pointless now as it is time to reset, evaluate the season, resolve our main issues & go at it again next season.
Real Madrid started the season as favorites in all 3 major tournaments as they were destroying teams week in week out & even managed to maintain a 22 game winning streak. Then, January & Dubai happened. It all went downhill from there. The team’s flaws started to pop out, injuries started to take its toll on the team & it was evident that ONE injured player will in fact decrease Real Madrid’s chances in winning any trophy. Look at the 2014 team. Players complemented each other, a bench that was capable of changing the course of the game. Rotations that would help the starting XI to get their deserved share of rest & give the bench players a chance to prove themselves & even challenge for a starting place. For instance, Di Maria starting last season with ISCO on the bench. Yes, Di Maria started most of the games but Isco was very much capable of changing the course of a game whenever he was called upon, something that we lacked this season. Another example is Jese & Morata. Jese was our wonderkid, the reason why we actually won against big sides like Atletico, Sevilla, Athletic, Villareal & many other teams. One ACL injury later, he is no longer the same player he used to be. Any team that wants to compete on all 3 fronts, they NEED a strong bench, they NEED players who can influence a game, change the score when they’re losing or even lower the tempo of the game whenever they’re winning. An element which Real Madrid lacked this season with the absence of key players on the bench. 

Moving on, we get to the coach issue. The coach always gets the blame, it’s very easy to blame him whenever the team underperforms or doesn’t achieve the goals set by the board. ‘Ancelotti doesn’t rotate’? Who are you expecting him to rotate with if he doesn’t even have a strong bench?

‘Ancelotti doesn’t motivate his players’? Oh come on, how the hell would you even come up with such a sad accusation? None of us actually knows what happens in the locker room & I’m pretty a veteran coach like Carlo Ancelotti knows how to handle his players.

‘Ancelotti doesn’t criticize his players’? So for you to know that he criticize his players he needs to go out to the public & attack them in press conferences? No thank you. I know a previous coach who has done that & created divisions within the team & created enemies within his own squad. The coach’s critcizm should NEVER be out to the open, criticizm is done in the locker room & during training sessions & stays between the coach & his players ONLY. I’d love to see Anncelotti stay & see out his contract at Real Madrid especially after what he has done with this team. especially that he has ALL the player’s backing, especially that there isn’t ANY top coach available who is capable of handling the pressure at Real Madrid or even capable of handling a team full of stars like Real Madrid. People talking about personality & authority, we know what happened when we had such a coach. Ancelotti knows how to handle business without creating controversy.

The reason we lost isn’t on the referee, it isn’t on the weakness of our squad or the complete dominance of the opponent, it’s all on the players’ silly mistakes during decisive games, weak mentality going into those games and the VERY bad decision making. Given those exact reasons, it is exactly why it’s much harder to accept such a defeat, knowing that those silly reasons are why this great team ended up with a trophyless season when everything was looking in place in the beginning of the season. Stupidness actually started during the summer, the lack of signing influential players or good substitutes & moved on to losing easy points against opponents in La Liga because of several mistakes. Which takes me to another subject, which is how easy it is for our fickle fans to bash players whenever ONE single mistake is committed during any game, no matter if it was an easy one or a difficult one. You can’t blame one or two individuals in our failure this season, it was all a bunch of collective errors & the failure to shine in key games. Yes, there are players who are hurting the team more than helping them right now but the way some people express criticizm is completely wrong on so many levels. Asking for Iker, Bale or an other player to be benched or sold DURING the season is & will never be the solution. During the season you have to accept the board’s stupid transfers during the summer & make use of what you already have. HOWEVER, now that our season is over, we can move on to criticize, ask for players to be sold & others to be bought as much as you want. NOW is the time to act, NOW is the time to reinforce our squad, buy whatever players we want, spend as much as we want so that the excessive nagging about our players could stop next season, because that is just an embarrasment to Real Madrid as a club. 

One more point before I wrap this up & get back to tweeting regularly. It is no secret that our president Florentino Perez is economically oriented, gets whoever the hell he wants for whatever amount he wants but his staff aren’t helping him at all. Yes, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that he loves this club & tries his best to give the best to Real Madrid but when it comes to football matters, he usually messes up because it simply isn’t his thing. Whatever coach comes in & we all know we’ve had MANY coaches ever since Florentino was back in charge, they all had to adapt their formations & tactics on Florentino’s plans & signings during the summer, which doesn’t allow the coach to completely display his abilities. One question, why is a guy like Butragueño the sporting director? The man has been acting as a public affairs person more than a sporting director, he literally has no say in whatever players we sign. Bring in Zidane instead of him, we all know what Zizou is capable of when it comes to scouting, he was the main reason whe signed the almighty Raphael Varane, got the best out of Benzema, Marcelo & even Jese when he was the assistant coach last season. 

That’s all just wishful thinking, simple ideas of how this glorious club can stand up on its feet again after getting a few knocks this season. I myself can actually go on for days & days talking about this but I’ll just leave it here & comtinue the rest on twitter. 

Peace & Hala Madrid.

A Phoenix From The Flames.

30 December 2014, the day Real Madrid went to Dubai and never came back. The Champions of Europe & the World had travelled to Dubai to play a friendly against AC Milan which didn’t end well for Los Blancos after suffering a 4-2 defeat. Then, 2015 happened, putting every Madridista on their tip toes watching their team put on their worst displays since the 5-0 defeat against Barcelona.

January kicked in with a 2-1 loss against Valencia, followed by a 2-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid in the Copa Del Rey & then a 2-2 draw against Atletico as well, which was enough to see Real Madrid OUT of the Copa Del Rey. Ring the alarm. February came with a bang, as Real Madrid lost to Atletico in La Liga with a 4-0 scoreline at the Vicente Calderon. Madridistas went wild, players were under fire, Ancelotti getting abused & fans all over the world fighting, analysing & trying to find a logical explanation to what is happening with their beloved team. February followed by bad displays against Deportivo, Schalke & Elche yet Real Madrid managed to win each of the 3 games with a 2-0 scoreline. Start panicking. March came in, and little did Madridistas know, that they were about to see their team lose their La Liga supremacy & risk going out of the Champions League round of 16 as they started off the month with a 1-1 draw against Villarreal at the Bernabeu, a 1-0 loss against Athletic Club at the San Mames the following week and a 3-4 defeat to Schalke at the Bernabeu which probably cause a lot of heart problems to every Madridista watching the game all over the world.

Anyway, we all know the facts, we all know what’s at stake and that out team is a huge pile of confusion. My intention behind this article isn’t to tell you facts or a certain scoreline, it is simply to criticise every single thing that has happened the past 2 months & 2 weeks as it was unbearable. Let’s start of with the players. 

Casillas: By now, almost everybody knows how much I idolise Iker & how much of a hero he is to me. Watching him against Schalke was more difficult for me than watching him against the Netherlans in the 2014 World Cup as I simply could not believe my eyes. Almost 3 goals out of 4 could’ve been saved. 2012 Iker Casillas would’ve slapped this goalkeeper in the face & told him to focus, but I guess it’s late by now as people have almost had enough with Casillas & want Keylor Navas to be given a chance. Many people, including myself wouldn’t mind seeing Keylor start a few games, a bit of rotation & competition wouldn’t hurt anyone. However, give credit when it’s due. Casillas was probably the reason why we’re still in the Champions League right now as the final 10 minutes of the Schalke game was something else, he was on a completely different level, correcting our defenders’ mistakes and saving us from an early and shameful exit from the Champions League. A wounded soldier.

Arbeloa: Almost all of you already know as well that Arbeloa might not be my favourite Real Madrid player but I have tried to watch him play, tried seeing him get back into this team to save whatever he has here. But it was simply impossible. Whenever Arbeloa plays, I get this feeling of insecurity, a feeling that he is going to mess up in a way. And he does. Whether on the defence or the offence, Alvaro isn’t helping the team in any way. The right side is always exposed for opponents to attack, with no sense of an attacking force at all. With all honesty, I believe he should be sold this summer & bring in a suitable right back who could cover up for Carvajal when needed. A weak link.

Pepe: Not much to be told about our warrior as he was the reason we won whatever we did in 2014 and the main reason why out team has been so strong defensively. But without Ramos by his side, he can’t play with full force. He won’t be able to perform as in 2014 without him. He has been safe from the fans’ criticism as he is yet to commit a clinical mistake and has been putting his heart out on the pitch week in week out. A warrior.

Varane: My opinion about this guy will never change. The best young CB in the world. No matter our results, even if he commits a mistake every 3-4 games. We are blessed to have this man on our squad. However, I believe Raphael is holding responsibilities he is not ready to handle yet. His pairing with Pepe isn’t as the Ramos-Pepe partnership as it is very hard for any team in Europe to beat it. He committed a mistake or two in 2015 but nothing too serious probably except for the Aletico league game as that game was just unbearable on all expects and no single player was to be blamed in that game. A promising star.

Coentrao: It was obvious that Fabio was Mourinho’s preferred left back during his reign at Real Madrid as he was spectacular and was putting on some amazing displays. However, this changed under Ancelotti. Marcelo went to a whole new level of amazing and just made his competition with Coentrao unfair as he was shining in every game he played, especially with Coentrao’s multiple injuries since the start of 2014. Fabio is yet to convince me, Ancelotti or any of our fans that he deserves to start. He had a decent game against Schalke but started to fade out as the game progressed. Selling him would be ideal this summer for both parties. A forgotten star.

Kroos: People have been clinical of Kroos and that he should get some rest as he is playing too much and isn’t performing as before. Fact is, Toni’s problem isn’t physical, his one and only main problem is Modric’s absence due to injury. A fighter. 

Khedira: Khedira has always been Mourinho’s tactical secret in many of his games but this is not the case with Ancelotti as Sami hasn’t been able to offer Carlo’s team any proper solution whenever he participates. Khedira is the type of player Mourinho would start whenever he wanted to keep balance in the game or to defend in clinical situations but he wasn’t able to do so with Carlo. Selling him this summer would also be a viable option. A misguided player.

Isco: Isco was the only good thing in 2015 as he was trying his best to cut through defenders, cut off the opponents’ attack from the middle, trying to score. He was doing everything. However, even Isco was looking bad in the past 2-3 games, losing possession in a lot of occasions, mistimed passes and holding on to the ball for a longer time than needed. But still, better than most of players on the team. A sense of hope.

Let’s just cut everything else and go straight to the 3 players who are supposed to carry this team, who are supposed to score week in week out without even having any trouble. The BBC. I have no idea who these 3 players are in 2015 but I’m quite sure that they aren’t the same 3 players who won the Copa Del Rey, La Decima, European Super and the Club World Cup by destroying every single team that stands in their way. Fatigue? No. Tactics? No. Mentality? Yes. Their ‘untouchable’ position in the team has given them that sense of security that they’ll play in every game no matter what or how they perform in the previous game. The lack of competition with those 3 players in out team and Ancelotti’s dependence on them has caused them to lose focus in many of our games in 2015. Bale looking like a player who plays football for the first time. Not one single right first touch, not one single correct pass, not one single correct take-on, not one single correct cross, not one single correct play. Nothing. Benzema’s positioning making him look like a third division striker, losing every ball that he gets, not knowing how to pass the ball forward, incapable of getting past defenders, constantly losing shots on target. Confused. Cristiano showing some appetite to score more in the last 2-3 games but just can’t do it all on his own. Started 2015 in the worst way possible as way, not showing the player he was the past 2 years where he won the Ballon d’Or in 2 consecutive seasons, people saying he is ‘finished’. I don’t believe he is finished at all, he just need to regroup with Bale and Benzema, figure out how to get out of this mess and everything will be fine.

Now, whatever Carlo & the players decide to do is up to them. We are still in the Liga race, still in the Champions League and nothing is lost YET. It requires a champion’s spirit to win against Barcelona against Camp Nou and it would be a miracle if we reach the Champions League semi final or final with this team in this form. However, what I really want to talk about is our fan base. What in the world is wrong with you? What the hell is going on in your brains? Have you lost your minds? “Real Madrid’s fan base is one of the most fickle in the world of football. In the way that they are so quick to turn on their players. There has been times when Real Madrid fans have turned their backs on the like of Zidane, Ronaldo and Bale. And Casillas? Casillas, a player that they have seen come through the ranks and achieve immortality on the club level, on the Spanish nation European World Cup champion level? And not just being a good goalkeeper, not just a good goalkeeper. But being an inspiration. They’ve turned on him. I don’t hear that in Barcelona, even when Suarez was going through his times of missing open goals. Just because Bale doesn’t pass to Cristiano a couple of times literally, they turn no him like that. LOOK AT WHAT SUAREZ WAS DOING”. Those were the were the words of Ray Hudson. [SoundCloud link currently available on my TL to listen to it] And you know what? I completely agree with what Ray had to say. Everybody goes through a tough period. Everybody gets under fire for criticism. But what our fan base does to our players when they’re not performing well is just unbelievable. “Sell him, Sell him, Sell this one too, bench this one, hope this one breaks his ankles, hope this one dies”. Do you even listen to yourselves? Want to nag and protest about our players? Fine, I’m with you. We’ll protest, shout and scream every single day till someone at that club listens to us and does something about. Turn your backs on Carlo after a bad month or two? Are you even serious? This is REAL football, not some career mode on FIFA which you play on your PS or Xbox or whatever. Manchester United had to deal with Moyes for an entire season. Arsenal have been handling with Arsene Wenger for god knows how many seasons. Barcelona were unhappy with Enrique at first but look where they are now. My point is, we are in the middle of the season and our team is going through a rough phase. They NEED our support, they STRIVE when they hear us screaming their names and cheering for them. You can’t ask to sell or substitute a player or two or three or our coach when things are going bad, you can’t abuse this player or that just because they’re playing bad. Criticism is good when applied in a constructive manner, not criticism just for the sake of nagging. Holding handkerchiefs after the Schalke loss? Are you kidding me right now? We are in the Champions League quarter finals and just one point away from Barcelona in the title race. We’re not playing our best yes, but WE ARE STILL IN IT. And as long as we’re in it, you support, you scream, you cheer, you be a good fan. Asking for Mourinho back? Oh how much you would like that now, wouldn’t you? You all saw what happened to Chelsea last night so please, whoever was asking for Mourinho back, go support Chelsea just because they have the coach that you want and let us have our own team and figure out how we can get out of this mess alive. When thing is for sure in Real Madrid though, you can be a player who has won almost 20 trophies since 1999 and captain the team for a long time, and you would still be under fire. Real Madrid’s fan base will always criticise you when you have ONE bad season. It’s a shame really.. Yes, we are Real Madrid, we want perfection, we expect the best in the world, I agree. But being the best and wanting the best doesn’t mean you give up on your players, you fight for your own players, your stars, until they rise again and fight for whatever this team stands for.

Anyway, encouraging talks won’t matter now as I have tried a lot to talk some sense into our fan base but all for nothing. What matters now is what is coming next. Ancelotti and the players know what’s at stake. A Levante home game before our big final, the Clasico. If we can’t manage to grab those 3 points, we can say the the league is as good as gone. Ramos is back this week, Modric will play 60 minutes against Levante. Barcelona had lost against Real Sociedad in one week and then came back in the next week to demolish Atletico Madrid. Form is a matter of time and can be overcome in any second, just when our players decide it’s time to win. No more excuses of missing players. It’s all in our players’ minds, it’s up to them and how bad they want to win this game, how bad they want us to wave Real Madrid’s flags up high like before and not some stupid white handkerchiefs. Watch the game against Atletico in the Champions League final, watch the first Clasico of the season which ended in a 3-1 win, watch Zidane’s winner goal in 2002, watch whatever you want but I know one thing, our players need us. I have never given up on this team and neither should you or our players.

We are Real Madrid, we are capable of anything in any time of the day, week, month or year.  HALA MADRID!!

ma

Why Cristiano Ronaldo deserves the Ballon d’Or.

It’s that time of the year when Twitter explodes with fights, arguments & never ending discussions on who is the deserved winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or. Now we all know that ever since the two best things that has happened to football since Pele & Maradona appeared, it was always a matter of which one of those two will win it. Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? However, this year’s edition has had a certain twist to it with the appearence of an astounding goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer. Let me just skip all these introductions & get straight into the point of this article. It’s simple. We’ve got ourselves 3 outstanding players. However, one of them ended his season without helping his team achieve any collective trophy. Another one won the World Cup & the Bundesliga, where they practically had no competition what so ever. The third, on the other hand, was scoring week in week out, helping his team record a win after the other & win the long awaited La Decima.

I’m going to leave Messi out of this debate because the ones who actually believe that Leo should win the Ballon d’Or this year are either very biased Barcelona fans or just the regular Messi fan boys. Messi is still one of the 3 best players in the world but last season just doesn’t help him get anywhere near that award. Which leaves us with Cristiano & Neuer. I’m not going to lie, Neuer is an amazing goalkeeper, probably the best since 2012 but my question here is; Did Neuer really influence Bayern Munich & Germany as much as Cristiano influenced Real Madrid & Portugal?

Yes, Cristiano had a very bad World Cup but so did his entire Portugal squad and let’s not forget that they wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for his heroics against Sweden in the qualifier, scoring 4 goals in just 2 legs.

Yes, Neuer is a ‘sweeper keeper’ and does all of those tricks which no regular goalkeeper usually does but I could really provide a long list of videos where he made a lot of errors that lead to him conceding a lot of goals. Which eventually makes those ‘skills’ of his look very silly and VERY unnecessary. Cristiano, on the other hand was scoring on a daily basis, getting directly involved in his team’s wins.

Yes, Neuer won the World Cup but he really had so little to do during the entire campaign because of his excellent defending line which made sure that no one got close to his goal. Cristiano, on the other hand was breaking records. One after the other, where he single handedly lead Real Madrid through the group stages scoring 17 goals in just 6 games.

People are arguing now that the Ballon d’Or in a World Cup year should be given to a World Cup winner. My question here is; Why wasn’t it given to Casillas or Iniesta in 2010? The answer is simple. Messi was breaking records, scoring like crazy, had a much better year individually & helped Barcelona a lot that year. Yes, Casillas & Iniesta were stars in the World Cup & Spain wouldn’t have won it if it weren’t for their heroics especially in the final against the Netherlands but Messi’s accomplishments that year simply couldn’t be overlooked that easily. What’s so different about it this year? I’ll tell you what’s different. It’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

Many fans, journalists, coaches & players have portrayed Cristiano as the arrogant guy, the man who cares about himself & himself only. He scores because he wants to help himself, not his team. He is a narcissist because be puts on all the makeup & gel to look good in his ads. He changes shirts during half time because he’s just cool. But does all of this really matter? Do you even care if he goes on to the pitch wearing an Armani suit? To me [at least],It’s not about the looks, it’s about what this guy is doing to help his team.

I can go on for months & years talking about Cristiano but my point here is simple. Neuer topped all other players & deserves to be on there with Cristiano & Messi but his influence on his teams weren’t as influential as Cristiano’s. Whatever Neuer did, Cristiano was doing better. Whatever saves Neuer was doing, Cristiano was pulling it off with his never ending goals. Whatever stunts Neuer was doing, Cristiano was getting past those defenders one after the other.

UEFA Super Cup press conference with Ancelotti, Casillas and Bale.

Ahead of the UEFA Super Cup tomorrow, Carlo Ancelotti joined Iker Casillas and Gareth Bale in a press conference at 19:30 CET at Cardiff City Stadium. The presser started with questions directed to Casillas and Bale:

Casillas & Carlo.

Casillas started by answering questions regarding the UEFA Super cup trophy, his tough period he’s having lately and the current squad.

 Real Madrid has an obligation to win this trophy, we are the biggest team in the world, so the pressure is very high, but we are used to it. The UEFA Super Cup is an important trophy at stake, it’s a special one for Real Madrid. I have never felt unfairly judged by anyone. Everyone has ups and downs but it’s just temporary, wearing the Real Madrid jersey comes with a great responsibility. I do my best to help the team but I admit that I have not been at my best condition lately. However, I’ve had worse moments in my career and I overcame them, so I will try to do that again as I believe that this isn’t the worst moment during my career. Being criticized is normal, we’re always exposed to it whether we do good or bad. We need to be patient with the new comers, because it is always hard to get used to a new team and a new city, but I’m sure they will help us a lot. Our squad was already great, which we proved by winning two titles, but I think we are stronger now.

 Bale then came on to comment about his home coming experience.

 Coming home is a great feeling but I most focus on winning this important title not on my homecoming. I have worked hard during the summer to come back stronger than ever and now, I’m in great shape. No matter what happens tomorrow or who plays or scorers, the most important thing is winning the UEFA Super Cup. Participating in the pre-season with the team is much better for me, I’m feeling terrific and looking forward to start the new season.

Bale.

 Next on the agenda was Carlo Ancelotti, who spoke about Cristiano’s injury, the newcomers and Real Madrid in general. Carlo also mentioned that Casillas, Kroos, James and Bale will all start tomorrow.

 All our players are feelind good now. It is true that we have not won any game yet, but our work has been satisfactory. Some players have only had a few days of training, but they are all in a good condition. Cristiano has fully recovered from the injury he has had last season, he’s in great shape and completely ready to start the new season. James can play in any position in midfield, he can play on both wings, but he can also play behind our striker, or even as an offensive midfielder. We’ll see what works with James. Kroos will help us a lot, strategically & especially with his positioning on the pitch. He’s a remarkable player. Right now, Sami Khedira is a Real Madrid player. We are willing to use him to win titles. He is working hard to be able to help us. Di Maria has trained well since August 5 to play in this game. I do not know what will happen, but until now he’s still a Real Madrid player. We will have to wait until August 31 to see what happens. I spoke to Diego Lopez yesterday to thank him for his work in Madrid and I have wished him good luck. Iker Casillas will be our starting goalkeeper tomorrow and probably during the entire season but I won’t say now. Everyone in football makes mistakes and Iker has admitted in doing a few mistakes last season but we must not forget that he has had a great Champions League season least year. Casillas is very confident now.

My Real Madrid XI for 2014/2015

Probably many of you have several ideas for who Ancelotti should choose for next season but this is MY point of view of the formation.
The goalkeeper spot is probably the most debated spot for next season as people are divided between Iker Casillas & Keylor Navas. In my opinion, I think Ancelotti should go with Casillas & test him for a few games to see if he ever wakes up from his nightmare he’s been having the last 3 months but if not, then it’s Keylor’s time to step up & show Ancelotti why we signed him.
The defense line isn’t that much debatable as many of us would agree that the Carvajal-Ramos-Pepe-Marcelo back four worked perfectly last season & we would all want to see those four defend our goal next season as well. Many of you would prefer Coentrao over Marcelo but I believe Marcelo could offer much more on the flanks because of his attacking skills which can help Cristiano a lot on the left flank.
In midfield, I decided to go with Kroos as a sole central midfielder with James & Modric partnering up right in front of him to complete the connection between the defense & offense. It’s obvious that Ancelotti has planned a more possesion-based gameplan next season with the arrival of Kroos who is known as a mastermind in midfield especially that Xabi Alonso has aged and isn’t able to perform as he used to do in his previous seasons with Real Madrid. I didn’t include Di Maria in this line-up as I believe that Angel will actually be leaving us by the end of the transfer window.
In attack, non-other than the famous BBC, the Cristiano-Bale-Benzema trio that frightened Europe last season and lead us to our Champions League & Copa Del Rey glory. The connection between those 3 is insane & I highly believe that Falcao’s arrival would hurt this chemistry that is already there. Many of you weren’t that pleased with Benzema’s renewal but I took as a great push to the team because of Benzema’s great connection with Cristiano & Bale & the way he knows their every movements which helps in creating much more chances on goal.

What is your favorite XI?
Tweet me at @RM_Insider & let me know.

The Madridista Partition.

It’s been more than a year since Jose Mourinho officially resigned as Real Madrid’s head coach and echoes of his era are still ringing daily in every Madridista’s ear. MARCA opened up the Mourinho chapter once again after posting an interview with his former assistant manager Aitor Karanka. Here it goes:

Q. Do you think Mourinho divided Madrid?

A. No. What José did was try to do the best thing at any given time. Everyone talks, for example, about the thing with Iker [Casillas]. It wasn’t a decision that was taken overnight. We took our time and decided that it was the best thing for the team at that moment.

Q. Several players went from saying “Mourinho is the number 1” to calling for him to leave. Did you feel betrayed?

A.I’ve been a player and you often realise that you have a longer contract than the manager, that you’re going to stay, and you can change your mind. But there were also a lot less players than people might think. You can see it whenever Mourinho plays against a player who we had at Real. They talked about Özil, and when Özil played against him, he gave him his shirt. The majority of players speak well of José in interviews. They said it was almost as if we couldn’t go into the dressing room. Another of the many lies.

With those words, Real Madrid fans opened up the Iker Casillas/Diego Lopez argument, an argument which eventually lead to the question of whether Jose Mourinho actually did divide Real Madrid or not. Later in the day, MARCA posted a poll on their website asking their readers whether Mou divided Los Blancos or not. By 1 PM, more than 75% of the readers voted SI. If it were up to me, I would’ve closed the poll and simply put SI as the result. How Mourinho handled the Casillas situation caused quite a stir in Real Madrid’s fan base and actually pleased a certain group of people whom I have already discussed in a previous article. The problem with the Mourinho/Casillas issue is that it goes way beyond the matter of Mourinho’s player preference or not. There were rumors flying around [which made perfect sense to me] that Jose benched Casillas after contacting Barcelona captains and arrange a meeting with both teams’ Spanish players to bring peace to the Spanish national team after a series of incidents between them during El Clasicos in the Mourinho era. Mourinho is known to be a man of a complex personality, a person who cares only about what he thinks and believes, disregarding whatever history and culture a certain club has. How he dealt with the Casillas issue was one of the main reasons that caused several Madridistas to distance themselves from the Mourinho regime.

Jose even had problems with other players and “recruited” a few players to his side. Mourinho had issues with Ozil, Ramos, Casillas, Cristiano and who knows who else whereas he was known to have Diego Lopez and Alvaro Arbeloa by his side at all times no matter what he says or does. How would you expect a fan base to be united if their own players and coach have problems of their own within themselves. We all know what a great tactical mind Mourinho is but his tactics off the pitch weren’t his specialty.

The division in our fan base is insane. People now write “Anti-Mou” or “Mourinhista” on their Twitter bios, eventually clarifying their point of view on the whole Iker/Lopez situation. But this is way beyond Iker and Diego, this has got to do with the unity of our fan base, the people whom our players depend on in every single game they play.

Twitter has been known as the podium for every fan to speak up his mind and it’s actually going crazier by the minute. Last time I recall, us Madridistas were supposed to be defending our own team no matter what player comes in or goes out, supposed to stand behind the team which we all love, facing our oppositions with all of our hearts, not fighting each other. Lately all I’ve been seeing from several Madridistas is how Casillas should be sold or what a douche Mourinho is. I couldn’t care less.

 

Yes, I disapproved the Mourinho’s tactics on and off the pitch but never have I said a bad word about him, respect is NECESSARY when you talk of any member of the Madridista family no matter who he/she is.

 

@RM_Insider

 

The Casillas/Lopez Soap Opera Continues

One of Real Madrid’s soap operas is yet to end. The show that had been going on ever since Iker Casillas got injured in January 2013 is still ongoing until further notice. July 2014 and Florentino Perez is yet to find a way to please both goalkeepers and even the fans who have been split into two parties: A party supporting Iker Casillas and demanding that he stays at Real Madrid and another anti-Iker party or as they call themselves, the “Mourinhistas”.

“As long as I am Real Madrid’s coach, in normal conditions, Diego López will play before Casillas. I may be wrong, but I’m legitimate to have my own opinion. And my opinion is that I prefer Diego López. I accept that you may think that Iker is better than Diego. Let me have my own opinion and make my own decisions, I’m the coach. I have no problem with Iker Casillas. I prefer Diego López, simple as that.” -Jose Mourinho.

Those were the words of former Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, clearly stating his preference towards Diego Lopez. As a coach, he was entitled to his opinion, an opinion that created a division in Real Madrid’s fan base and eventually ended in a with-or-against-Mourinho argument.

Both goalkeepers are involved in a competition that extended way beyond the pitch, a competition that ended up on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook, causing problems which can eventually cause locker room divisions thus affecting the team’s harmony on the pitch. Just yesterday, Iker posted this picture on Instagram.

“I learnt that people could forget what you said & what you did but they’ll never forget how it made them feel”.

This picture isn’t an attack at anyone, it’s just an example of how Iker has been feeling lately, the thoughts going on his mind, the helplessness he feels after year and years of serving this club with everything he had. People might not agree with this but Iker Casillas isn’t the same Iker Casillas after he got injured in January, especially after he found himself benched by a goalkeeper which was let go by Real Madrid in the first place years ago. Diego Lopez came in to fill Iker’s boots which is a very difficult task for anyone to do. However, Diego was able to do so and managed  to win Madridistas’ hearts worldwide after showcasing some amazing performances throughout the year.

Casillas was attacked by many fans even after Mourinho left, accusing him of leaking locker room secrets to the media. Let me ask you a serious question: Do you really expect our captain, the person that has been in this team for as long as we all remember to leak news to the public? It’s no secret that Iker had conflicts with Mourinho but in no way would he try to harm the club that he adores and has been defending for the past 15 years.

The World Cup wasn’t in Iker’s favor as well as he lead a Spanish side which was probably the worst that we had even seen in forever. The entire squad wasn’t focused and lost the passion which they had in the 6 years that they dominated the international scene thus leading to even tougher criticism on Casillas.

Iker Casillas had a few good games whenever he was given the chance in the Champions League and the Copa Del Rey conceding just ONE goal in the CdR and making several saves in Real Madrid’s road to La Decima. Sadly, people overlooked this and focused on the single mistake he made throughout the competition which was the goal he conceded in the final against Atletico Madrid. Still not enough for some.

Let’s focus on the present dilemma. Newspapers such as MARCA and AS are reporting that Real Madrid have already secured the services of Levante goalkeeper, Keylor Navas who has an amazing season at Levante making the most number of saves (160) in La Liga and topped it in an even better World Cup campaign with Costa Rica. The Madrid based newspapers are reporting that Diego Lopez will be the one to leave Los Blancos and make way for Navas and Casillas to fight for the number 1 role next season. However, other media outlets are reporting that Iker still hasn’t made up his mind and Real Madrid are giving him time until August 1 to make up his mind regarding his future with clubs such as Arsenal, Monaco and PSG readying offers for the Real Madrid legend. Furthermore, rumors spread a few weeks ago that both current Real Madrid goalkeepers will be sold only to be replaced by Levante’s Keylor Navas and Espanyol’s Kiko Casilla.

The real problem here is how some fans got over attached to the Mourinho era and everything that had to with the Portuguese coach knowing that he had quite an unsuccessful reign at Real Madrid bringing in just one Liga, one Copa Del Rey & a Spanish Super Cup and crashing in the Champions League semi-finals in 3 consecutive season. This was also overlooked by “Mourinhistas” as they consider that Jose had a successful time at Real Madrid considering that ended the Barcelona dominance which extended from 2009/2010 until Mourinho defeated them in almost every Clasico last season. But is a Clasico win enough for you? Is this what we hoped for ever since we last won our ninth Champions League trophy in 2002? I think the answer here is a big NO! Real Madrid is a club of history, a club that has been known to dominate Spain and Europe regardless if it brought with it a Clasico win or not. People should realize who Iker Casillas is, what this guy resembles at Real Madrid and how he fought with everything he had for the club that he adores.

The whole Casillas/Lopez argument is getting really boring, people trying to bring up anything to defend their preferred goalkeeper and demean the other. The issue here is way beyond both goalkeepers, we are talking about the sake of our club that we all love the most, the club that we have been supporting for a lot of time, the club that made us go through feelings which nothing on this world has ever made us feel before. 

What is my take on all of this?

I personally believe that both goalkeepers should stay, regardless of who their possible replacements might be. The struggle between them both gave in a healthy competition which brought the best out of both goalkeepers to an extent that I believe that one of them might not even succeed as much without the other. We have two amazing goalkeepers who Carlo Ancelotti is able to manage in a healthy and peaceful way without the need to create problems which aren’t there in the first place.

 

 

@RM_Insider

Real Madrid’s Summer of 2014

It’s that time of the year again when all the transfer rumors start splashing out in every single newspaper. This summer has starter off at a good start with Barcelona signing Luis Suarez, Arsenal bagging Alexis Sanchez, Chelsea getting Diego Costa and that’s just to name a few. Real Madrid’s summer, however hasn’t been so fruitful yet considering that they aren’t in any rush after clinching La Decima just a few week earlier. Even with this slow start to the summer mercato, Real Madrid still have their eyes set on a few players here and there with some of their own players going to other

– Let’s start with the candidates whom Real Madrid might sign this summer.

First off, their’s the almighty German, Toni Kroos. Kroos rumors have been going on and on since the start of the World Cup now and most Spanish and German media outlets would agree that an agreement has been reached between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich for a fee between €25M & €30M. Some would say that this deal is done and dusted but I’m the kind of guy who like to wait for the ‘Comunicado Oficial’ from the club.

The second target is James Rodriguez, the player that shined throughout the World Cup with Colombia and has been headlining most sports newspapers (well, MARCA & AS mainly). James is currently the kind of guy whom every single club would like to have but sadly, James has no proper place in Real Madrid unless Angel Di Maria finds himself another club (we’ll get to that later on). Monaco have slapped James with a price-tag close to €70M or €80M which is quite ridiculous for a 23-year old player who is yet to prove himself (besides the World Cup).

Our third target this summer is Radamel Falcao, another Monaco player from Colombia who has been linked with Real Madrid for over 2 years now and an agreement is yet to be reached. The Falcao to Real Madrid rumors started to heat up again during the start of the summer with French and Spanish mentioning that Falcao is already in Madrid but it might turn out that he was just there because he already owns a house in Madrid during his Atletico Madrid days. Radamel would cost Real Madrid around €50M.

The fourth serious target is Marco Verratti, a young player who is highly thought of by Ancelotti where rumors spread in January that he might sign for Real Madrid. The Verratti to Real Madrid rumors spread again this summer with Italian journalists mentioning that Real Madrid have already made a €40M offer to PSG for Verratti where the Italian player would be earning €5M per season. This is a deal which is currently a bit vague especially that Madrid based newspapers haven’t hyped it up much just yet. (It is worth mentioning though that PSG’s owner, Nasser Al Khaleifi was having dinner in a restaurant in Madrid according to CADENA COPE)

The fifth target however is Wolfsburg’s Luis Gustavo. Everyone was watching Luis Gustavo with Brazil this World Cup and many people, including Real Madrid officials were impressed with what Gustavo was doing. Even though he isn’t as hyped up as our other targets, he still is a great talent who can add a lot to our midfield if Khedira and Illaramendi leave. El Confidencial mentioned that Real madrid and Wolfsburg have reached an agreement for Gustavo for €25M.

It is worth mentioning that several newspapers have linked Real Sociedad’s Antoine Griezmann with Real Madrid as well but no serious talks have been mentioned about this deal so far.

The usual photoshopped photo of every player linked with Real Madrid.

– Those were 5 of the serious Real Madrid targets. Let’s talk a bit about the players who might leave Los Blancos this summer.

It’s no secret that Morata has been looking for a club ever since the end of last season. According to Italian journalist Di Marzio, Real Madrid had reached an agreement with Juventus for Morata for an €18M deal with a buy-back clause included in his transfer which would enable Real Madrid to buy Morata back for €35M the following season (Morata’s medical will be assigned next week). With that deal looking imminent, I wish you all the best, Alvaro.

Another player which looks set to leave Real Madrid is Sami Khedira. Reports were published a few days ago that Khedira had refused a contract extension at Real Madrid and is currently looking for a new club. Two clubs, Chelsea and Arsenal have been going at it now to sign the German for a fee between €25M & €30M. It’s no secret that Mourinho is a big Khedira fan and is ready to hijack Arsenal’s plan. Time to choose, tank: Arsenal or Chelsea?

However, the man making all the fuss at Real Madrid has to be Angel Di Maria, the man who was instrumental in Real Madrid’s campaign last season helping them win the Copa Del Rey and the Champions League. It’s not quite clear yet whether Ancelotti plans on bringing Kroos as Di Maria’s replacement because of his better positioning or James after his fascinating display at the World Cup but the fact remains that Angel isn’t a player to get rid of especially after we saw of him last season. IF Angel decided to leave though, the 2 main teams running after him are Manchester United and PSG (thus brining us to Al Khaleifi’s dinner in Madrid last night). The price-tag that has been put on Di Maria is somewhat close to €60M.

Talks have been going on as well about Casemiro being linked with Milan, Inter, Porto and Benfica with all teams readying a bid to sign Casemiro who is currently valued at around €12M. Another player who is being linked with a loan move out of Madrid is Illaramendi with Athletic Club lurking around trying to sign the player especially if BOTH James and Kroos get signed up.

Casillas is another player who has been linked with Arsenal for some time now but the player specifically said that he plans on staying in Real Madrid and fulfilling his contract so let’s wait and see what happens with our goalkeepers issue.

A rumor by the Metro was spread today about Liverpool readying a €50M bid for Karim Benzema after their main star striker Luis Suarez signed for Barcelona.

The man behind La Decima.

– With all of that being said, I would like to add my own opinion to this whole transfer fuss.

Kroos isn’t someone who you can say no to and I would welcome him at Real Madrid with arms wide open especially after what he did with Germany in the World Cup. Kroos lining up with Xabi and Modric would be too much for football and would be something close to a dream. James and Verratti are just those fantasy players who are really really good but you can’t find place for them in your team especially if Kroos signs and Di Maria stays. Falcao would be a plus to the team but I think we would be better off without him after the performances Benzema has been giving the past few months. Carlo has had the same headache in the beginning of last season, trying to find the right balance in the team. We had a slow start to the season but eventually, Ancelotti found the right mixture of players who lead us to the Copa Del Rey and Champions League trophy. We all have our own ideas of the ideal XI next season but in the end it’s up to one man, the man that lead us glory, the man that earned out trust after just ONE year.. Carlo Ancelotti.

Here’s what I have in mind for our squad next season:

 

Real Madrid 2014/2015.

I know my ideal XI might no be so loved by many of you but that’s just a line-up to start the season, see how Di Maria performs in case he stays alongside Kroos & either Xabi or Modric.  In case Di Maria decided to leave, then it’ll be Kroos in his place with Xabi and Modric taking the double pivot behind him. I know we’ll miss that crazy runner element on the pitch if Di Maria leaves but Ancelotti is hoping for more than just running behind the ball, I think he’s aiming at keeping the ball and starting an organized offense which would not be forced to run around the ball and rather have the opponents trying to take the ball from us.

Let’s wait and see…

 

Who will we sign this summer and who will be the players leaving?

Tweet me and let me know..  @RM_Insider