Hey, Alfaro is not that bad , but he is one of the reasons why Ramos has been moved to CB. He doesn't have ball control. http://www.marca.com/edicion/noticia/0,2458,603695,00.html This is from Ramos himself, said in March: "I wouldn't mind playing as CB". He says that after his injury he just wants to play anywhere, right after just being tested in training as CB. He explains that he has already played as CB before in the youth teams, but that he used to play upfront and that the club kept on bringing him down the field until "I ended up defined as RB a couple of years ago". It is how I saw him play for the longer time, and he is good even on the attack. A similar case to Puyol, Ramos is a very fit machine, he can attack, recover, come back and defend. I like players that can do both. Ramos attacks better than Salgado and is also quite good defending. He is so good that he can do CB, but I feel like he is being slightly wasted there. An attacking team like Real should have him on the side to make for a better show (like I'd do with Puyol with my eyes closed, both in Barca and the NT), but then again it is a matter of opinion, and the coach.
In a similar interview Ramos said something like "most coaches I talk to tell me that I'll end up playing as a central defender." If this kid ends up as solid as Puyol is in the middle and we are fortunate enough to get him, no complaints from me. As you said, Ramos is a gfited athlete: fast, strong, good on the ball. I continue to believe that bringing him in to be the central defender of the future is a good move. Hala Madrid