Jornada 8: Deportivo de la Coruña - Real Madrid. November 2th [R]

I watched the match and it ended 0-0. Played in a driving rain storm (every time I see a match from Galicia it rains!) which made it pretty hard to play good football. Still both teams moved the ball around pretty well but neither really created too many chances. A tie was a fair result for both teams in my opinion.

Madrid played better today than they have in recent matches but without Raul they lack some bite in attack. Ronaldo has a poor first touch, he received a beautiful ball flighted over the defense by Hierro and was alone against the goalie but he couldn't control the ball! As I mentioned in some other threads he doesnt play well with his back to goal and Madrid's style of play requires him to do that.

Figo was slightly better than he was against Roma and Madrid's wide play created danger against Deportivo especially through Solari on the left but they missed that final pass and often were too slow in their buildup. Depor's Mauro Silva and Sergio also effectively controlled Madrid's attacking midfield play. I'd say Madrid's best players were Solari, Makelele and Hierro and their poorest were Ronaldo and Cambiasso (he's been off form the last few matches).

 

Agreed.

I disagree!!!!! Casillas was man of the match it was a crappy game played in the middle of a hurricane, Depor should won they deserved more than just one point.

 

Mario said,

" I disagree!!!!! Casillas was man of the match it was a crappy game played in the middle of a hurricane, Depor should won they deserved more than just one point."

Well all the reports I've read on the game said a tie was a fair result. here's one from Diario AS:

http://www.as.com/futbol/cronica.html?p=0075_00_08_0007_0013

Martin Cutler said Madrid's buildup was too slow. Although I didn't see this match that has been a problem for Real Madrid in other matches I've seen them play this year. How do they speed up their play? According to AS, Madrid without Raul isn't the same team. Maybe that's the missing piece? Tying Deportivo in Galicia is still a good result so I'm content but Real Madrid does need to improve their play very soon.

Final question why did del Bosque wait until the 85th minute to send on Guti against Roma and vs Deportivo Guti didn't come on till minute 90. Guti needs to play more!

 

Agreed... BTW, am I the only one who thinks that Miñambres played better than Figo?

 

I didn't see the Real Madrid vs Deportivo game so i can't comment on that but Figo's play this season has been substandard. The first few weeks of the new season he did all right so i don't think we can blame his injury problems at the end of last season for his current problems. But after those first few games, his play has really deteriorated. For me he holds the ball too much and is one of the chief reasons why Madrid's buildup is so slow. Although McManaman doesn't play as a true winger I wouldn't mind seeing him or even Solari play on the right instead of Figo for the time being.

 

A good performance by the team I felt, especially keeping in mind the state of the pitch, that was very slow and waterlogged and bad for the sort of passing game we play.

Very tactical midfield battle, and the sort of game where one sloppy mistake could cost you the match, and it was good to see that after the mistakes of the last few weeks, the defence played with concentration and sat deep in their own half. With a slow defence, trying to push up the defensive line is suicide, and it has hurt us this season.

There were very few chances and the chances that were there were quite equally distributed. I actually felt that Madrid had slightly the better chances, especially when Ronaldo miscontrolled a long high through ball from Heirro and when Roberto Carlos' free kick cannoned off the keeper towards the end. That Ronaldo miss was a shocker, his first touch just deserted him, with Raul on the field there was no way that it would have been anything but a goal. Casillas made one great save off his legs, and was lucky when a free kick dipped and hit the crossbar (very seaman-like keeping ) but on the whole neither team threatened too much.

Player feedback:
Hierro: Great first half, superb anticipation and distribution. But faded as the match went on, and his age and slowbness really showed once as he was left beaten just outside the box in a dangerous area in the second half

Cambiasso: Poor game. His distribution and passing have really taken a dive the last few games (although this was admittedly not a great pitch for passing). Makalele is obviously tackling better than him, but right now, Makalele is also passing better than him which is not a good sign.

Ronaldo: Another poor game, and clearly still not at his sharpest or quickest. First touch let him down at his best opportnity. Seemed more mobile than in the last match against Villareal, and tried to get more involved. Still struggling to adapt to our style, to act like a targetman, often playing with his back to the goal.

Figo: Yet another terrible performance. The right flank was terrible until Minambres came on, and yes, I do think he played better than Figo. I agree 100% with Merengue when he says that Figo is one of the reasons why our buildup is so slow... he hardly ever seems to get past defenders this season, but he still insists on holding on to the ball instead of some quick first time passing, eventually ending up with a dive in the right corner. His crossing hasn't been brilliant either. Figo really needs a spell on the bench to recover his fitness and form. However, his workrate was high and he did play well defensively.

Solari: Our best player on the pitch today. Blemished his report card somewhat with a blatant dive in the penalty area but was a traet to watch. Was fast, incisive and created loads of problems with his trickery. The left flank always seemed the most threatening option for us, and he linked up well with Zidane. He faded in the second half but that was largely because Depor started putting two defenders on him everytime he had the ball. He really should have cut down on the dribbling then but that doesn't take away from what was a superb performance. I really think that on current form he is a better option than Figo on the right wing, once Raul is back.

Summary: People can talk about a crisis but an away draw at the Riazor, on a bad pitch, without Raul, and having played on equal terms, that's a good result for us, as well as a good performance.

The future: Solari must play on the right wing instead of Figo. Figo needs the rest, and Solari looks sharper, quicker and more dangerous. I can't wait for raul to be back, it's a different team when he is playing. We can have all the stars in the world but without Raul, the team feels incomplete and that shows on the pitch. And give Ronaldo time. I know that he isn't fitting into our system but he's far too good a footballer to not figure it out eventually.

Hala Madrid!

 

Given that Santiago is leftfooted (ala Rivaldo and you know that means he only uses his left!!!) I dont see this in VdB's scheme of things.

 

Yes but he did replace Figo quite a few games last year, playing on the right and he did do a good job. He's not as left sided as someone like Savio or Denilson or even Rivaldo. Besides, what's the option? I still feel that solari on the right wing is better than minambres in the first team, and Figo really really needs a break.

Since we bought him from you guys, he's had one good season, one crap season, and it looks like the third season is headed the way of the second... not good for the second most expensive footballer in the world

 

Hmm,

As I understand it, the ideal mdifield set up is:

Raul
Zidane Figo
Makelele Cambiasso

So, if you want to replace Figo with Solari, why not just stick Zizou on the right and let SS play on the left?

It is also important to consider that Hector Cuper will probably take his fellow Argentine back to Milan this winter, as part of the Ronnie deal. I am worried that VDB will make Solari an integral part of the midfield, only to have him taken away in 2 months.

Zidane can really play anywhere in midfield, but he is not really a wing: he won't keep swinging crosses in. VDB is very clever to use ZZ is on the left. RC can do the running and crossing along the touchline and Zidane is free to move into a more central role temporarily.

Assuming everyone is healthy, I would like to see:


Ronaldo
Raul
Zidane Figo/Minambres
Makelele Cambiasso
RC Salgado
Helguera Hierro
Casillas

 

I think Zizou should always play in the middle, behind the two main strikers. To try and force him to play on the wing would just kill him, and we'd end up with a showdown like Rivaldo versul Van Gaal in the old days at Barca, or his play could suffer like Mendieta at Lazio or Linekar at Barca.

Also, I know that this goes against everything the media has said and that everyone knows, but I feel Del Bosque will not let Solari go to Inter this winter. He's too good a player to let go for 10 million, he's a very high quality substitute to have on your bench, he's been a really good player the last year and a half, and there's a big gulf in quality between him and Macca (although very few people think so).

By the way, I think Minambres is definitely not at the level where he can start consistently for Madrid.

 

then ask for Chivu! Florentino will bring anyone you want

 

Real Madrid v Oviedo (R)

I saw a significant portion of the Copa del Rey match v Oviedo (which Madrid won 4-0 using it's 2nd team). Miñambres played at right back and McManaman played the right side midfield position. They made a good combo and McManaman, in particular played well, including hitting a brilliant cross which Tote headed in for a goal (Miñambres also set up a goal with a low cross for Portillo to knock in).

Against Oviedo, Madrid played quicker than they have been playing recently. I think using more direct players like McManaman, Tote and Flavio Conceicao helped speed up their play. I'd like to see McManaman come in to play on the right in place of Figo for the time being. Plus let's give Solari some more chances on the left.

 

It seems to me that Zidane, Figo an the other starters are always trying to do the beautiful move sacrifying speed of play...

 

All you fair weather Figo fans should check today's result.