We could return to the first place in la liga if we win today. Valencia tied yesterday. Beckham isn't 100%, but he will play with a special protection in his ankle. Players that have traveled to Sevilla: Casillas, César, Michel Salgado, Pavón, Mejía, Raúl Bravo, Roberto Carlos, Borja, Cambiasso, Figo, Helguera, Guti, Solari, Núñez, Zidane, Beckham, Portillo, Raúl y Ronaldo. Possible team: Casillas Salgado, Pavon, Raul Bravo, Roberto Carlos Figo, Beckham, Helguera, Zidane Raul, Ronaldo Betis isn't this year in his best moment, but they have great players like Joaquin, Denilson, ... We will see if Real Madrid returns to the good play of December. Time of the game, 9:00 p.m C.E.T
disappointing first half - i'm not even sure if Madrid got off a shot. i am a little concerned by that kind of showing - everyone agrees that if the team has a weakness it's defense, so if the offense isn't creating chances... things improved in the second half and the team was a little unlucky not to score a second with a couple of headers cleared off the line.
This game (from what I read here at college) gives me both good and bad feelings... On the bad side, you would hope the team could get up for a big game with clear implications for the title race like this one, with Valencia's tie yesterday, and not come out as lazy as it seems they did. If they want to win a treble, they are going to have to find more motivation somewhere than it sounds they had today On the good side, in games like today's, where the team isn't playing well as a team, we have almost a get-out-of-jail-free card with the Galacticos: even if the team is playing like complete $hit, (like today), one moment of brilliance from a great player (like Ronaldo today) can bail the team out. Any of Beckham, Figo, Raul, Zidane, or Ronaldo, can just take a ball, beat a few people, and score a goal (sometimes RCarlos too). Not many teams have that luxury, and that is the best part of having these great players (that or the soccer they can play when they are playing well, one of the two). We are still right up there for the top of the league, and I'm glad we are hitting this rough patch in the period we have off of CL.
Pretty sad that a team with a shitload of multi-millionaires can't defeat lowly Betis who besides Joaquin have no firepower what so ever! Viva er beti manque lopera! Pichi
I would be also sad to see the players of Betis run more in the first 45 minutes against Real Madrid that what they had run all the season. And i would be sad to see a team that should be fighting to be in the champions league, or at least in UEFA, be near of the second division positions. Your team have a lot of problems to be speaking about the problems of other teams. And i hope that they don't lose the next three/four games like happened to Sevilla after play the game of their lives against RM. Well, speaking about the game. We play a really bad first half, i think that we didn't give two good passes in all the 45 minutes. We recovered the ball, and we lost it in only one second. One of the problems that we have is that Pavon and Raul Bravo are bad with the Ball, they have a lot of problems to star/begin the play when the other team put pressure over RM, on RM field. The last year we had Hierro and Helguera that are/were players that touch very well the ball. Pavon and Raul Bravo are faster, and we have gained in that aspect but we have lost in the creation of the play. Now we have to star the play with Roberto Carlos or Salgado, that are a lot ot easy to defend that if we start the play in the middle with the CBs, or Zidane/Beckham/Helguera must go to the defense to begin the play, with the problem that, then they have too many distance with the forwards. This is a problem that Quieroz must try to solve in the next games, or other teams will attack us for that side. This is a problem that we won't have all the games, it will happen mainly in the away games. And the only solution that i saw is sacrifice Pavon or Raul Bravo and put Helguera in that position, and put Cambiasso/Solari instead Helguera in the midfield. Well, i think that this was one of the reasons of that we lost the ball so easy. The second, we played too vertical, trying to attack too fast, we should have touch the ball quietly to force the betis players to run after the ball, and to try to stop his play. The third reason, we simply played horrible. In the second half we played better - it was very easy - and we controled the game well without "too many problems", Ronaldo scored a goal in his only chance in all the game, he as usual was 100% effective. And even, we could win the game in the last minutes with two good chances of Solari or Helguera. In summary, first half for Betis and the second half for Real Madrid. Although Betis was better in the first half than Madrid in the Second half. The worse news of the game was that Zidane will be injured the next two week. It means that he won't play against Valencia the two games of Copa del Rey, and he won't play the two next games in la liga. In sumary, the next 4 games. Very bad news because he is a tremendously important player for us in the creation of play, he is in the 99% of the dangerous plays that create the team. Yesterday was other example, even playing bad he gave the pass to Ronaldo in the goal. Without him we are more predictable in attack. Very very bad news.
I didn't see the game but over the years, Betis has been a tough, scrappy opponent for Real Madrid. The result does not surprise me. Take the road point and move on.
Hell, I'm glad they lost to Betis, or rather that Joaquin scored the goal against Madrid. Maybe if this happens more often, while also changing the player's name with either Reyes or Xabi Alonso...then maybe we won't be hearing rumors about players like Butt, seriously: what the fuçk?, coming over to Madrid, but more rumors of the Joaquin, Reyes and/or Xabi persuasion. Preferably ones that turn into reality.
Re: Match updates? Do you mean match reports? In Spanish: http://www.marca.com/edicion/noticia/0,2458,435778,00.html In English: http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-spain&prov=reuters&type=lgns
Re: Re: Match updates? I meant more of a periodic-updates-during-the-game thing, from someone who's got the opportunity to see the game. Lisa
you can actually listen to the games at cadenaser.com, maybe its me, but i like listnening to the games over reading updates.
I understand now Real Madrid matches are generally broadcast on RadioMarca. Marca and El Mundo do matchtrackers. I've done updates in the past, but time is at a premium these days, so it's a rare occasion anymore.
Re: Re: Re: Match updates? I would do this, but I have to go to the bar to watch the games - no dish at home.