In’s and Out’s: Who should leave Real Madrid and who should replace them

 

The season isn’t over but Real must begin to focus their attention on the upcoming tranfer window. There are players who aren’t pulling their weight at the club and these players have underachieved this season or in their Madrid career. I will begin by listing those who must leave the club and those who could if things don’t change.

MUST LEAVE NOW

Danilo: Um where I do begin? Can he defend well? No. Is he a great offensive player? Not really. Does he score own goals? YES!!!!! This is a no=brainer!

Fabio Contreao: (YES HE IS STILL AT THE CLUB!) He is always injured and when he did play he was bad. (Sporting game where he gave up a dumb penalty. Again an easy decision.

Don’t need anymore

James Rodriguez: He is a very talented player but Real have plenty of attacking midfielders (Isco, Asensio, Modric, Kroos, Kovacic) and James is the least balanced of them all. He doesn’t like to track back, he doesn’t fir the 4-3-3, he needs the team built around him to maximize his talent. Zidane knows this and that’s why he hardly plays. You can’t shoehorn him into the lineup and expect consistent results. He played well against Napoli, then disappeared against Valencia. He is not a good fit for this current Real Madrid side.

Declined too much from expected form

Keylor Navas: He has made 6-7 mistakes this season that has directly led to opposition goals. His form has been up and down this season, and though he’s a good shot-stopper he has lost his confidence coming off his line. The goal-line clearance by Casemiro against Barca was due to a poor punch by Navas. He hasn’t been the same since his injury, and Kiko Casilla has been better this season. If the backup goalkeeper has been better than your starter, you have issues. Now some would argue to wait until he fully recovers his form, but Real can’t take the risk of letting a mistake cost them a trophy.

Karim Benzema: This one is really hard for me. I have ALWAYS been a fan of Benz, I have defended him against critics in the past. However with the team’s changing dynamics, Benz hasn’t delivered enough consistently. He has 5 league goals this season, Ramos has  6, Bale injured for 3 months has 6, Ronaldo in “decline” has 15, Morata a super-sub has 7! He is great in the CL, no doubt. He links up well with Bale and Ronaldo. However with an aging Ronaldo the team’s lack of pace is telling and Benz while gifted isn’t blessed with speed. In fact the team’s attacks can be bogged down when Benz plays poorly, as he loses the ball and seems disinterested.  This season this has happened FAR too often and without Bale and Ronaldo in top-form he can’t carry the scoring burden by himself. Morata has proven to be a different type forward that is capable of providing the same number of goals and being more consistent. But this is a tricky decision because Benzema is a unique player and makes the 4-3-3 work in optimum form. However Ronaldo’s lack of pace has made the team rather one-dimensional offensively. With crosses down the wings, and set-pieces creating the majority of the goals. In that sense a different striker might open more dimensions for Madrid’s attack.

Warning shot: I would listen to offers for this player

Raphael Varane: No player has infuriated me more than Varane this season. There are games where he’s the best defender on the pitch, other games he looks like Danilo at CB. I can’t take his maddening ups and downs! I wouldn’t want to sell him but he hasn’t developed the way any Madrid fan thought he would. He commits the same mistakes over and over again. He makes HORRIBLE passes that cost team goals, at Valencia the 2nd goal was a glaring example of this. He is caught out of position A LOT, leaving Ramos, Nacho to have to clean up his mess. Varane is talented, but he can’t keep defending like this. Nacho, Pepe are more consistent CB, and Ramos makes up for mistakes with his leadership and goals. But Varane’s lapses make it seem like he has taken a step back from his incredible 2012-2013 form. A club offers silly money for Varane I would listen if I were Madrid.

Who should come in?

Fabinho (AS Monaco right-back) This player would replace Danilo, a very good attacking right-back that plays for the Ligue 1 leaders at the moment. He can play as a defensive midfielder as well. He is 24 years old and has a bright future ahead of him.

Jesus Vallejo (on loan at Frankfurt, central defender) Seeing as Nacho can play at Left-Back Contreao would be replaced effectively enough. As for Nacho’s role, the young defender could learn from the best and develop while starting some games due to injury or suspension.

David De Gea (Goalkeeper, Man United) I think Perez will end up signing a goalkeeper and De Gea is the obvious target. He has been Man United’s best player for the past few seasons. He is remarkably consistent, knows the spanish league with his Atletico stint and would be a guaranteed starter as GK for a decade.

Frank Kessie (Atalanta defensive midfielder) He has been compared to Michael Essien, a brilliant young box to box midfielder. Only 21 years old, he can offer an alternative for Casemiro when he’s injured. Not to mention he offers more balance than James currently in the 4-3-3.

Pierre Emerick Aubamayang (Striker, Dortmund) He would be a perfect fir for the 4-3-3 as he would offer the pace that Real lack with Ronaldo’s decline. His goal-scoring record is awesome and he is a madridista which is a bonus! He would give Real the bit extra in the final third that they have lacked at times this season. However he’s not the only option that would fit…

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City striker) Now Pep apparently doesn’t like him. He doesn’t fit in the tiki-taka system supposedly. But Aguero has the same ability as Benz to connect with the attacking players and he scores more goals! His record at club level is magnicifent, his CL record is brilliant. He fits the 4-3-3 more naturally than Aubemayang and might be a more consistent version of him. One worrying thing is his injury history which isn’t great. However when he’s on there isn’t any striker in the world like him.

 

With these additions I think Real would cover their weakness at full-back, striker, and goalkeeper that currently hampers Real to a degree. Again Real don’t NEED these players but in an effort to remain successful they would certainly help.

 

 

 

Gareth Bale: Why he’s the spine of Real Madrid

In 2013, Real Madrid broke the bank by paying a then world record fee to sign Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur. It was considered by many at the time to be a desperate signing, as Real had failed to sign Neymar that same summer. That bitter blow many felt wouldn’t be compensated by signing Bale a player that had dominated the EPL the previous season but didn’t have the flair of Neymar. Bale’s supposed lack of technical ability plus his fee made him an easy target for many Real Madrid early on in his Madrid career. Even after his wildly successful first year where he netted 23 goals, 8 more than Neymar and scored winning goals in the Copa Del Rey and Champions League finals there was still doubts. His underwhelming second season where he only scored 17 times and Neymar had scored 39 that same season, only fueled speculation about him leaving the club. Reus, Hazard were linked but nothing materialized. In 2015-16 Bale had his finest season scoring 19 goals and playing a vital role in Real’s 11th  Champions League win. His deflected shot being the only goal in the CL semi against City, he also assisted the only goal of the game against Atletico and scored a penalty in the shootout. His influence has only grown at the Madrid, and this season he has been integral to the side when he’s fit. What he does for Real Madrid is much mor than just score goals, he sets the tone for the team’s style of play,

Bale’s pace is one of his best assets, it allows him to run into space and balls can be played to space rather to his feet. This has a great advantage as it is harder to defend Bale in space than when he has the ball. His speed also allows him to track back and help out defensively. Whenever Carvajal or Marcelo attack, Bale can step back and cover their position. As a former left-back he is a very solid defender and could do a very good job defending when it’s necessary. His runs with pace forces defenders to converge and defend him, which opens up space for others to attack. Without his pace Real become very dependent on crosses and set-pieces as the team doesn’t have that much speed. Ronaldo while a great player doesn’t have the speed he had 2-3 years ago, and Bemzema, Morata, Lucas aren’t as fast as Bale. The team is more stagnant in the attacking third without Bale’s speed.

His heading ability is one of the more underrated parts of his game. Since coming to Real he has greatly improved his heading abiliity. He scored 9 goals in 2015-16 from headers the most of anyone in Europe’s top 5 leagues. His goal that won Real the “Decima” was a header. His heading ability makes him a threat from set-pieces and when Real cross the ball in the box. He defends set-pieces extremely well which helps Real defensively.

Gateth Bale is a very verstaile player. He can play on both wings, as a striker, a second striker, a free-role, and even as a number 10. When Carlo managed Real he mostly played on the wings. Rafa gave him more of a free-role and played him as a number 10.His form began to improve after Rafa’s arrival. It might be one of the few things Rafa did right at Real was to give Bale the responsibility of being the offensive force of the team. As Zidane arrived and played in the wings again, Bale and the team flourished. Enjoying more offensive responsibility than he did in his first 2 seasons, Bale became a huge threat offensively. The team learned to rely more on Bale, and when Ronaldo missed games due to injury Bale stepped big time scoring winners against Rayo and Real Sociedad to help Real win their last 12 league games. This season when he has been fit he has been impressive scoring 6 league goals and 2 Champions League goals. In his latest return from injury he scored after 13 minutes on the pitch to help Real defeat Espanyol 2-0. He has the same number of goals as Neymar despite missing 3 months with an injury. He has truly become the completer player at Real Madrid.

Bale is also a really good big-game player. He has scored in 3 finals in his Madrid career winners against Barca and Atleti and in the Club World Cup final against San Lorenzo. He was the best player on the pitch when Real ended Barca’s 39 match unbeaten run in the Camp Nou. (He assisted Ronaldo’s winner and had a perfectly good goal disallowed.) He was Real’s best offensive player in the 2016 CL final. He is vital to the modern-day Real’s success. Before Bale arrived at Real, the team won 3 trophies since 2009, the next 4 years Real have won 7 titles. That is not a coincidence, his big-game ability has helped Real end the 12 year wait to win the Champions Leagiue. Ronaldo and Benzema had the best years of their careers after Bale arrived, because of Bale’s unseflishness and his great team spirit. As Real chase to win the league for the first time since 2012, and a unprecdented back to back CL trophies they will need their Welsh star to help them across the finish line.

10 years as a Madridista, how being a Real Madrid fan changed my life.

Around late January 2007, I was officially a Real Madrid fan. Although I didn’t know it at the time it would turn out to be one of the best things that ever came into my life.

I originally became a Real Madrid fan due to David Beckham. Growing up he was my favorite player, I loved his free-kicks, his passion and commitment to the team. When I found out he was coming to MLS in 2007, I began to follow Real Madrid. In part because Beckham never won a major title with Madrid at that point. Barcelona were the best team in the world in that era, with Ronaldinho, Deco, Eto’o, and a young Messi. Not many people gave Real a chance to win the league. They were 3rd place in the table, 6 points behind Barca with a game at the Camp Nou. It just seemed unlikely that Beckham and Madrid would have a happy ending.

However Real roared back and won a ton of classic games. An epic 3-3 draw at Barca, which gave Madrid the head to head tie-breaker against Barca. Coming back from 3-1 down to beat Espanyol 4-3, scoring a last minute winner at Recreativo, then came the mother of all miracles the Tamudazo. Real Madrid were trailing Zaragosa 2-1 in the 88th minute, Barca were beating Espanyol 2-1 at the Camp Nou at the same title. It looked like the title would be heading back to Barca, however Van Nilsterooy equalized for Madrid and 18 glorious seconds later Raul Tamudo equalized for Espanyol! Real had the luck they needed and went on to defeat Mallorca 3-1 on the final day to win the most unlikely league title in the club’s history. From then on I was hooked, even after Beckham left I remained a fan of Madrid ever since.

What made me fall in love with Real Madrid was the team’s fighting spirit. When I first followed Real they weren’t the most talented in the world, far from it. Barcelona had more talent than Real. Real made up for it through the team’s will and they nevcer gave up. They fought back when they were down a goal and found dramatic ways to win games. They fit what I wanted in a team that gave everything and won a lot. It is that fighting spirit which served me well through my darkest times.

In 2013 I was diagnosed with Hodgkins’ Lymphoma, I had to do 5 months of Chemotherapy and 1 month of Radiotherapy. The chemo was terrible, as they stuck needles in my hands for 2-3 hours pumping in fluids that made me instantly sick. I lost 20 pounds within 3 weeks, I felt pain every day for 5 months straight. It was hard to walk, hard to go to the bathroom, hard to get out of bed, hard to eat and drink without vomiting. It was the most physical pain I dealt with in my life. However because of the support I had from family and friends I felt at ease. Real Madrid was the other component of my recovery though. The team gave me joy through all the pain I felt. One day after my 2nd chemo treatment I watched Real face Barca in the Copa Del Rey semi-final, Real won 3-1 behind an inspired performance  by Ronaldo and Di Maria. I jumped up and down throughout the match, I felt normal for the first time since I began treatment. It made me so happy, it was impossible to describe. Real beat Barca 4 days in a league game where Ramos scored a late header off a Modric corner, which made all the pain I felt go away temporaily. However the most memorable game was against Manchester United, Real were trailing 1-0 when Modric came in as a sub and scored a brilliant equalizer. Ronaldo scored the winner and Real went through to the Champions League quarter-finals. The euphoria was immense, the effects of the chemo began to disappear again. Madrid games were one of my few respites away from the reality of the treatment. In my 7th chemo treatment, Madrid faced Dortmund in the 2nd leg of the Champions League semi-final. I was in the car sick as hell, looking at my phone when Benzema scored the first, suddenly I just went crazy screaming with happiness. Then when Ramios scored the second I was in another world, it was unbelievable I felt fine and kept hoping for the goal that would send Real to the final. Unfortunately when none came Real were knocked out of the CL, yet I was so proud of the team I forgot for the rest of the day that I was sick. Of course I felt terrible physically but emotionally I was in great spirits. Real had given me hope through these dark moments, even in failure the team fought hard. Just like me during those 6 painful months.

My friends Paul and Fady would come to visit me during my illness and we just talked about Real Madrid, as we are all Madridistas! That was important to my recovery as well, as some form of normalcy was still a part of my life. As I got better and returned to college, Real kept me fighting. My body wasn’t the same initially after chemo, neither has my vision which has lowered since the treatment. However with Real’s success of winning 2 Champions Leagues in 3 years it certainly made any difficulties I faced a lot easier.

What being a Real Madrid fan has done for me is been immeasurable, the joy it has given me, the friends I have made because of it, the strength it gave me when I needed it was vital to my life. I am a proud Madridista and I always will be. Gracias Real Madrid el mejor club en el mundo!