Well I think we all pretty much agree that this is our best chance of winning a trophy this season and with the 4 day break I would expect to see most of our full team out for this one. Ronaldo will be given a rest as it's obvious he ain't fully match fit and Zidane maybe because of his age(despite him being the best player). Good news is that we won the first game and so Bilbao will have to come with different tactics rather than set out their defensive stalls. If they take the game to us like the first leg then the game will be much more open. I know Garcia is still suspended for this game but am not sure if they picked up any suspensions. I'd like to use more wing play again for this game because we looked very threatening in the first leg. I hope from this game we can put our miserable home form to bed and really destroy Bilbao. This is how I expect us to play. -----------------------------Diego Lopez------------------------------- Cicinho---------------Ramos----------Woodgate------------------Bravo- ----------------------Gravesen---------Guti---------------------------- Beckham--------------------------------------------------------Robinho ----------------------------Baptista------------------------------------ ---------------------Soldado------------------------------------------- I think Cassano will feature from the subs bench. Perhaps Caro will use this as an oppurtunity to play him as part of his match fitness programme. If our current home form is anything to go by then this game will be difficult although we did beat them 3-1 earlier in the season. I'm looking for a similar approach to the game as was shown tonight. I hope the players take this seriously and realise it's their best chance of glory.
my prediction: flat performance, alot of whistling from the ''supporters'' casillas makes some saves and if they play: ramos and zizou will be are best players becks will hit aimless long ball after long ball, then get his blonde locks in a twist when he loses it and run around in a manner not too dissimilar to a headless chicken baptista will continuously lose the ball and look like the football pitch is alien to him robinho will look good the odd flash, and like baptista the next ronnie will stand there for 80 mins doing fvck all, may pop up with a goal carlos will go on extravagant runs forward leaving the defense exposed caro will have no real clue what his best team is and wil continue to swap players positions before and during the game not too predicatable huh?
The Villareal game was good in the terms that with a healthy Woodgate, Real finally have something that looks like a dependable back four. Also, with Robinho's steadily improving performances and Zidane's good physical shape (finally), the midfield is looking better too. Only up front do Madrid look questionable. I think a 4-1-4-1 with two creative AM's and a single striker (Soldado) will be the best possible lineup. Just from what I saw in the last week (Bilbao and Villareal), a good lineup could be: Cicinho --- Helguera -- Ramos --- R. Carlos ----------------- Gravesen -------------- Beckham ---- Zidane ---- Guti ---- Robinho ----------------- Soldado ---------------- I'd say give Cicinho a chance starting at RB, and Salgado a chance to rest. Beckham will always start in this RM team no matter what we all say. Give Woodgate a rest until the weekend. Gravesen has looked solid as DM and is looking more like he did a year ago than at the beginning of the season . Soldado is my #1 for striker in Ronaldo's absence. Balboa could potentially sub for Beckham. Cassano might get 10 minutes if the game is looking decided by then. And Woodgate could always come in as a sub in case the CB/DM's need to be moved around. Sevilla is next, so they can afford to concentrate on winning this one from the start.
Not to forget that this is a home game so there will be no tactical change for the entire 90 minutes. All substitutions will have too wit until the 80th minute to get a chance and the if we are trailing we will probably bring on a defensive player. We will also have no rhytmn to our play as whn we play at the Bernabeu there is a general sense that "oww well it's a home game, we'll score soon."
I don't think Cicinho is going to bench Salgado. At least not now. We also can't forget that Cicinho never played in Europe and that he may need some time to adjust. I hope that he is given the time that was not given to Robinho.
Welcome to the "Let's Victimize the Brazilians" Club. Face it, Robinho has had plenty of time to adjust physically and mentally. He needs to change his own gameplay to suit the Real Madrid style and not pull a C. Ronaldo.
Cicinho played well against Villrreal considering it was his first match. I don't think he can bench beckham though. Maybe in the future he can bench salgado but I think for now he'll be a sub man.. I feel sorry for Diogo
please, its been close to 6 months since he's moved over here. how much time does he need? And to ELADO, it stupid to say that anyone is picking on the Brazilians. Let's see , we haven't been scoring goals recently. Who makes our goals? Our attack!!! Who makes up our attack?? Baptista, Robinho, Ronaldo...,Are they Brazilian?? Yes, but if it was 3 Serbians, or 3 Englishman, we'd still all be complaining. Unfortunately, our last coach left us with these players, so now we must use them. And they WILL get their blame. Who else do you want us to blame? Let's see. We didn't concede a goal today, so I can't wholheartedly blame our D (although Casillas is greatly responsible for that as well.) Our midfield?? Ok, Guit went crazy and shouldn't have. Is that what you wanted to hear? Blame a Spaniard? There you go. ZZ was the best on the field, can't touch him. Helguera was questionable at DM. Cicinho looked ok, I'm excited about him. But we didn't score!!! And that's our "best players in the world" Brazilian attack. So deal with the criticism. You want it to stop? Then for starters call Baptista and tell him to stop smoking before games, to wake up and play some football!
I think resting Zidane and Salgado for the first half at LEAST is a pre-requisite. No accident that Zidane is playing well now that he's had a break. (time off from the injuries may be a blessing in disguise) Cicinho---Woodgate--Ramos/Helg---Carlos -----------Helg/Ramos---Guti----------- Beckham--------Soldado--------Robinho ----------------Baptista---------------- Perhaps switch Soldado and Baptista - Even if he barely has a good touch in the game, Baptista does push people around in midfield and make room for others. I also know that Beckham will almost certainly play, no matter what.. put him in, if he disrupts the rhythm of the team like usual, well we'll still either get a couple of chances from his crosses, or if he's playing badly, put Balboa in for the second half. A good game from Beckham (with the requisite and correlated weak team performance as a result) wouldn't surprise me actually, ending the game with our defense saving our ass and us winning by an undeserved goal or two.
This is the King's Cup, RM has the lead & are playing at home. This is the time to rest the veterans. -----------------------Lopez-------------------------------------- Diogo---------Mejia------------Pavon----------------Bravo---- -------------Garcia-----------------Gravesen------------ -----Cicinho---------Javi Garcia-------------Cassano --------------------Soldado-----------------------------------
Frankly, the Copa Del Rey is the most likely trophy we are pursuing this season. I hope they will do their best.
I think Sergio Ramos should be rested. After all, and aside from the fact that he has been worked like a horse all season, he has been our best player this season and should be rewarded with a rest. I hate to see him get burned before the Arsenal match.
We cannot afford that. he may get some time off (few minutes) switching with Woody and Helguera, but until woody is 100% fit, Ramos will have to at least start every match.
Why don't you ask the PSG fans how good Ronaldinho was 6 months after he went to France. If you can't understand how big the change is for a player and if you can't see the growth Robinho is showing, you should consider a different sport. But let's not bring this discussion into this thread.
If Real would start this team we could easily lose this game. Its the biggest chance to a title this season and you want those as a back four? Resting a few of the veterans at the same time is good but to rest all of them is not very good.
Rest the veterans for what? The World Cup? RM is not going to win La Liga or CL. Does the Copa Del Rey champion win a CL spot?
We will get a CL spot. Every player and leader of the club knows it will be a serious purge if that didn't happen. No amount of poltics can spin that failure enough to excuse anyone.
Amen. The CL is the competition that defined Real Madrid as Kings of Football, that run of 5 in a row is probably the greatest achievement of the club. If we aren't in the CL, there will be a lot of turmoil. The UEFA Cup is simply not good enough, I'm sure that if we were in it we would win it (well even thats an optimistic statement) but its galaxies away in prestige. Being in the UEFA Cup is an honour for some clubs, but a joke for Madrid.
we rest for the CL spot. both of the last times we won the CL we have come low down the league. 4th or something i think, cant remember. so lets be positive. our play is improving, even if we cannot catch barca we can give europe a shot
yeah I remember some years back when we ended up fifth and won the CL, I think the spanish FA bumped the 4th team out and put is in for the next years CL. Also, if you look at recent times, Madrid has never won a double (cl and liga) since those legendary late 50's.
We have as a good a chance to win the CL as any other team in still in that competition. You look at the teams that tournment the past few year and you see Porto and Liverpool.
Nobody is trying to blame the Brazilians, but it is tough to argue that our Brazilian contingent hasn't been pretty disappointing this season. Ronaldo and RC are both clearly past their best, with RC in particular becoming something of a liability - while he always used to have the pace and stamina to constantly track back after attacking, he's lost that somewhat as he's aged, and thus has become something of a defensive liability. Ronaldo, while he's admittedly saved our hides a few times this season, is nevertheless an easy target for people's wrath because he simply looks like he isn't trying. I don't know what Baptista's deal is, but Robinho has at least shown quite a bit of promise and I think will eventually adapt well to Europe and to Real Madrid. We've already had a number of these conversations and they usually end up getting very ugly after a while. The Brazilians at Real Madrid are not infallible. Far from it. Then again, neither are the Spaniards, and we'd do well to keep that in mind, because the "Brazilians vs. everyone else" arguments are starting to get irritating and tiresome. Nobody's out to get either group, and really, there shouldn't even be a question of 'groups' considering the fact that these are Real Madrid players first and foremost. ELADO, you need to chill out. I'm sick of deleting posts.
This would be my lineup: -------------Soldado----- Robinho------Cassano-------Cicinho --------Gravesen---De la Red R.Bravo----Ramos---Pavon---Diogo --------------D.Lopez And regarding the brazilians, what irritates most people (apart from their questionable play) is the fact that they have formed their own little exclusive clique to the point where Roberto Carlos (a team captain) abandoned the captain's table to join his fellow brazilians. The criticism doesnt stem from a hidden anti-brazilian sentiment. People are reacting to what they have perceived. Before the season people were excited to have so many Brazilians because they are the epitome of beautiful football. Now, they are disillusioned with them because of their antics.