Glass man on target for rejuvenated Madrid

Juande Ramos took the reins of Madrid with a week to go for El Classico. Though he tasted victory in the first match in charge against Zenit, the heartbreaking El Classico loss was no consolation. But the way i look at it there were a lot of positives out of the the match. This definitely translated the following week when they played Valencia. Wesley Sneijder's superb strike made sure that Real went into the Christmas break on a high. The two weeks break would also see Madrid get some replacements to their shrinking roster. Huntelaar would be the one to get the goals for Madrid and it would be Lassana Diarra signed from Portsmouth who will be the cover for the injured name sake.

Controversy has already kicked off with regards to the Madrid Sporting division headed by Mijatovic making a mistake in dishing out almost 40M on two players who have both played in UEFA cup competitions with their respective clubs. UEFA Champions league clause would mean that only one of the two can play for Madrid post January in the Champions League. After yesterday's match against Villareal i know for sure that Ramos would be a fool not to pick Lass. It is not that Huntelaar made a bad start yesterday, but i think Madrid don't have an issue in scoring goals with Raul, Higuain and Saviola and it is the defensive midfielder position that does not have cover other than the young Gago.

With Higuain out for a week with tonsillitis, it was sure that new signing Huntelaar who is fully recovered from the ankle injury would get to step on the Bernabeu in front of his new fans. He played well for the time he was on the pitch. The Dutchman used his size well and held the ball up well, and could have capped off his debut with a goal when he controlled the ball well but his shot was superbly saved by Diego Lopez. Juande Ramos had his first line defense back, with Heinze finally off the injury list, Pepe and Cannavaro in the center and Ramos at RB. As is the case with the match against Valencia Robben was to start on the right wing and Sneijder on the left side. The difference in the center was that Juande Ramos did not put the entire responsibility on either Gago or Lass. Instead he lined up both of them side by side and had Raul and Huntelaar up front. This move actually worked well for the Madrid midfield as Gago and Lass were just breaking up each and every move.


The first half saw some superb slick passing from Madrid and it was clear who everyone was looking for to pass to and yes it was one of the games that Robben was unstoppable. He was creating too much of trouble for the Villareal defense. Sneijder was also getting into some good positions but was not able to get a good shot off. I was really impressed with the way Gago and Lass played together, and if Madrid forwards could take their chances it would have been an almost perfect match. Seeing Lass play, i am not sure he can exist on his own as the defensive midfielder, because he looks almost a prototype of Gago. He is extremely quick, not that great in the air, but has a good range of passing and ball recovery is also good. It will be interesting to see if Juande Ramos will indeed give him the sole responsibility in that role and add Guti or another play maker to the midfield.

Juande Ramos has a specific plan in place and i think Madrid would buy a winger this January, and i am pretty positive that it will be a left sided midfielder. There is a conscious move to play Robben on the right and he seems to be enjoying the responsibility. The only problem in playing a left footed player on the right is that, his attacking moves become predictable and he has to cut inside in order to get a shot away or a cross. It was evident for the Villareal that Robben would have to cut inside and bring the ball on to his preferred left foot before he attempts anything. With Madrid seemingly struggling to convert or create any final chances it was Robben's predictability that finally paid off. He dribbled past the wing back and then cut inside past one center back and past another sliding in defender and finally placed a stunning shot past Diego Lopez who did not stand a chance. As the flying Dutchman later said it was his best goal in the Madrid shirt.


It was a nerve end to the match for Madrid and Juande Ramos as Villareal came at them with everything they have. It was some good defending from Madrid and the brilliance of Casillas that saved the night. Royston Drenthe made a substitute appearance and again showed positive signs of how far he has come as a player. Cannavaro was superb against Valencia and he was good in the first half of the match, but his marking was suspect in the second period. Pepe on his return was extra ordinary till the end when he made a comical clearance. Sergio Ramos showed signs of what he was becoming famous for. He never looked foolish and ably supported Robben in attack on the right wing. Heinze for a change was solid did not make any mistakes with his usual stupid hustles. Nihat and Rossi were completely kept in check by Pepe and Cannavaro, and Gago and Lass kept Cazorla under control. A few more weeks in Lass and Huntelaar are bound to gain more match fitness and with Higuain expected back next week, Juande Ramos has more players to try out.

There is definitely discipline and organization that has come in to the Madrid play, but they surely need to get some one take up the goal scoring responsibility. Higuain seems to be the most likely candidate having already scores 11 goals in the league. Barca maintained their 12 point lead on Madrid after their hard fought match against Mallorca and Valencia won against Atletico, this mean that Madrid's victory put them one point below Valencia on third, but for all practicality there is no catching up to Barca. With almost two months to go for the Liverpool game, i think this should be the ideal season for the players and the coach to focus on getting past the first knock out stage jinx.