From Bigsoccer: Reaction to which Real Madrid player will win world player of the year
(the feeling was Ronaldo because of the world cup instead of Zidane, Raul and Roberto Carlos)

I don't know how Ronaldo can win world player of the YEAR based on one month's performance.

I'd love to see the awards go to either Raul or Roberto carlos... they just get ignored year after year and contradictarily, i thinki it's because they are so consistent. Raul doesn't have the screaming streaks like a Ronaldo or an Owen or an Inzaghi these days, but I doubt if any other forward has consistently achieved as much over the last 3 years.

And Roberto Carlos, just suffers from being surrounded by players who are equally spectacular but who obviously are in the highlight reel more often because they are forwards or midfielders... Zidane, Figo and Raul at club, and Rivaldio and Ronaldo for country.

Dark horse for European footballer of the year: Pablo Aimar... remember you heard it here first :)

Real Madrid versus Villarreal
Jornada 7: 27th October


Okay, i finally saw a replay of the game and it was definitely an improvement on last week against Santander.

Positives:
- The team fought for the ball and didn't get overrun like the last game.
- They didn't lose concentration or intensity.
- They dominated possession and midfield.
- Raul looked sharp after coming off the bench. His understanding with Morientes was superb and it was good to see them playing together after so long.
- Zidane had a superb game, he controlled the midfield, tried to get involved in the action, scored a superb goal... a virtuoso performance.
- Casillas didn't have to make too many saves, but when he did have to make saves, he was superb. Cesar is going to find it hard getting that many games this year.
- We played well but lost the game due to genuine bad luck. Cambiasso missed a shocker, shooting wide at an empty goal, rushing into his shot a little. Then Roberto Carlos hit the post right at the end of the game.


Negatives:
- Too much ball watching instead of anticipating the game. This happened both offensively (like when Cambiasso played Zidane through in the second half), and defensively with opposing players, especially Palermo being left unmarked and with too much space.
- No width down the wings, we missed Figo. Neither McManaman nor Solari were fast enough
- Lack of speed in transition, with the midfield sometimes being over elaborate
- Bad final ball. Despite all the midfield possession, Reyna was not tested enough, and the service to the forwards was not consistently good enough. The ball was played in from of the defence too often leaving the forwards with too much to do.
- Both Guti and Ronaldo played badly. They lacked speed and inventiveness. Their runs were not particularly intelligent or penetrative. They had zero understanding with each other. And they both played too deep.
- Ronaldo still looks a little slow and off the pace, needs to work on the fitness and get more involved in the game. There were many occasions when he had a hint of space and a fit Ronaldo would have taken on the defenders, in a blur of speed, but not the Ronaldo we saw yesterday.

The best player: Zidane
The worst: Guti and Ronaldo

From Bigsoccer: Post on Van Gal's Strategies for FC Barcelona

What's happened to Patrick Anderson? Surely he could add some stability to your defence. Right now, Puyol seems to be the only decent defender you have, and that's not sustainable in a 3 man back line.

I also don't see the point of playing Mendieta out wide, he's far more effective in the middle of the pitch. I feel part of the problem is that the most effective place for both Mendieta and Riquelme is the same... the hole behind the strikers. But now one is being wasted out wide and the other is warming the bench. With Saviola and Kliuvert wasting the amount of chancs they are, it's not enough to create the chances out wide. You need someone to create in the centre and complete chances, and while I think Xavi is good, I don't think he's good enough.

Having Xavi, Gabri and Cocu (or Motta/Gerard/Geovanni/Rochemback) in the midfield won't exactly strike fear in anyone's heart. But if you do have someone play in the hole, the flanks become a problem, with no really world class class natural winger other than Enrique. In a sense we also have this problem in Madrid on the left wing, but we play a 4 man defence and Roberto Carlos therefore gets enough freedom to go on his maurading runs. Figo also drops to the left and lets Salgado move forward on the right, and finally Solari is extremely good. So we don't exactly miss the likes of Savio and Munitis (despite what happened this weekend).

Hmmm... problems in the balance of the squad for Van Gaal. Can't complain though :)



[10/17/2002 11:36:33 AM | Anirban Blah]
Advice to Real Madrid fan(atic)s visiting Madrid.

I was in Madrid last november (2001) specifically for the Madrid-Barca game and I couldn't get a ticket at the gate (they were only being sold to socios) or even from a scalper... I was very lucky to have a friend who knew someone who worked at the ticket office, and even then we managed only a lateral ticket on the 3rd or 4th tier. But the people are really helpful and friendly, and if they see that you are really really passionate and knowledgeable about the club despite being a foreigner, they will always help you.

The museum is not as elaborate as the one at the Nou Camp, but I think it is definitely worth visiting. It's great to walk along and see all the trophies, including the first few European Cups, along with video clips of the goals. Then there is a room with the 2 newest European Championship trophies (I guess it would be 3 now :)), and the video clips and sound there is very nice, because they not only show the goals but also the celebration that happens after that, on the pitch, with the players arriving at the airport, Hierro and Michael lifting the cup, and the huuuuuge crowds at the Plaza de Cibiles.

... and after you have seen the trophies and soaked in the club's history, walk out to the stands (you will not be allowed to the pitch) and just sit in one of the seats. Soak in the atmosphere at the stadium, the seats, the turf, the scoreboard, the players dugout, the Real Madrid signs, and how the walls are so steep that even the topmost seats are almost on top of the pitch unlike Camp Nou where the slope is almost 45 degrees ... if it's the first time you are stepping into the Bernabeau, it's a wonderful introduction, and its wonderful to compare it to the noise and magic of a packed stadium when you watch a game a few days later.

The other thing you must try to do is watch a training session, these don't happen at the Bernabeau but at the training facilities that are a little further (to the North if I remember correctly). That gives you the chance to see the players close-up.


With regards to merchandise, I bought my stuff at the Real Madrid store at the shopping centre outside the stadium. There were actually 2 stores selling only Real Madrid goods, and I thought the choice was amazing, except for the watches. I thought of buying a Zidane jersey too, but I bought a Raul one instead, because even if he is not as great a player as Zidane, to me Raul is a greater Real Madrid footballer, and a symbol of the club.

And Madrid is a simply awesome city, there's so much fun and passion and stuff to see or do. It's got a lot of tourists but somehow doesn't feel as touristy as other great cities like Prague and Barcelona. The key, i think, is to make friends or have friends in Madrid, and to live how they live. When you're out partying at night, try not to have a plan, go to a few bars, have a few canjas and a few tapas, and when the mood is right go to a club. And be prepared for a magical time in one of the nicest cities in the world.

Damn... writing this post makes me want to go back to Madrid... I sometimes wish I was an EU citizen only so that I could get a work permit to go live and work in Madrid for a year or two... that's what my dream life would be like... live in Madrid, become a socio, attend all home games, travel out of town on alternate weekends (the away game weekends) to all the amazing little towns in spain, and have a wonderful summer vacation somewhere on the southern coast. That, in the words of my old Irish flatmate would be "living the dream"!