Just saw the first half, team looks good (Lassana is just immense!) but one thing I noticed is we have no proper support on the right flank. Kaka keeps drifting into the center and most of the time the ball is held on the left side of the pitch, except for the handful of times Arbeloa went forward.
They definitely put on a show for you! Thanks for sharing your experience, sounds awesome....So RM, when are we Bay Area folks gonna get some love?
Good game last night, glad i stayed up to watch it. A short review: Benzema He was incredible in attack. He just needs to improve his shooting a little bit more (or just needs to adapt) otherwise he was great last night. Physically he seemed in much better shape then others. He made two assists and a goal, worked hard in his area and made some sweet passes to his teammates. Hopefully he will improve a lot more and i have no doubt he will have a great season. He seems to click with Ronaldo very good. Raul Well, el Grande Capitan scored two good goals. Pressuring the defense as always (it paid off in most of the cases), good passing. Overall he had a pretty good game. I find it weird though that he plays as a forward not as an SS, Benzema was playing more wider then him last night. Drenthe Mentally he has improved, physically he is in good shape, but he seems to lack intellect to plays this game. He showed alot of heart out there but he just got skinned on a few occasions they attacked his side. All he does in defense is run straight to the attacker and try to tackle, if the attacker has just a little bit of technical skills he get's past Drenthe. At least he is improving, but i just don't see RM material in him yet. Hopefully he will prove me wrong but i doubt it. Others Lass is a monster in the midfield. He and Pepe are the only ones that can win a ball without tackling. Granero was pretty good too. He run the show in the last 20mins of the game. He has a lot of things to improve (as do all the others) but so far so good i must say. Robben was pretty good too. Let's pray he can stay healthy and will improve his passing or his will to pass to others. Nothing more to say then what has already been said.
just watched the game for the 2nd time ...great to see the attack finally clicking somewhat. Less "1-2 touch" play and more selfish play this time around, but overall we did great. my player rankings: Casillas: 8/10 as always, a beast at post even in preseason form. He saved a crucial opportunity right at the begining, which could have changed the tone had they scored. solid as always. Arbeola: 5/10 he was the weakest in our defense this game. He missed a lot of balls running down the flanks, he seemed slower than usual, and most importantly, he nearly gave up 2 scoring goals in the first 20 minutes. I know it's preseason, but hopefully he gets going. At this point, i don't see him on the left....he is not ready. Albiol: 8.5/10 what a signing! he was superb. Solid like a rock, cool and collected, controlled the ball and passed it around in defense. he is tall, fast, and has a good eye for the play. He was the best defender in the 1st half. Metzelder: 8/10 another great outing from metzelder...he is really growing into the position. Albiol and Metz played superb at the CB position. Drenthe: 7/10 sorry folks, I know most think he is not RM material, but he is getting more confident and playing well in this game. He needs a little more "smart" play, and not be so aggressive at defending a player with the ball, but he ran well down the flanks, he was up and down all game, and had some great runs. At this point, unless marcelo shows something big, I'm guessing pellegrini will give him plenty of minutes in the season. Lass: 9/10 what a monster! the best player on the pitch today. This guy is arguably one of the most important pieces in our team. He controlled the midfield, defended well, was extremely fast, and distributed the ball masterfully! his long ball to Ronaldo (to set the 2nd goal, between Ronaldo and benzema) was zidane-ish. He recovered so many balls, and won so many one on ones, it was sickening. With the players we got behind him and in front of him, he will be special this season! watch and see Guti: 5/10 distributed the wall well for the most part, but he looks so slow....really slow! Took the free shot right outside the box and shanked it. I love him and respect what he has done for madrid all these years, but his wear and tear is starting to show. Kaka: 7/10 1st game so I didn't expect a top shape Kaka, but he did well. Showed his speed and tempo, and his attack mentality. He came back to defend when needed. His shooting and accurate passing were lagging a little, but that's expected. Overall, great outing, and there were a couple of plays where he showed the potential of what the trio of him, ronaldo, and benzema, can do this season. Ronaldo: 8.5/10 this guy is finding his rhythm, and he is looking more and more in shape. Had speed, great touch, and can take over a game. His play with benzema to score the 2nd one was a thing of beauty. Raul: 8/10 this man is still capable of being a great scorer, even in a star studded team like RM. He was clinical in both of his finishes, ran all over the place to put pressure on the defense, and controlled the ball well. Doesn't have the speed or control of Benzema or Ronaldo, but the man is surgical with his finish, and is always in the right place. Benzema: 9/10 he is still green and needs to work on his finishing and shooting, but lord, this guy has such great ball control, distributes the ball unselfishly as a forward, has superb speed and 1st step acceleration. IMO, he was the 2nd best player on the pitch behind Lass (and arguably Ronaldo). This guy will be such a threat all season! others: Xabi: 7/10 hasn't played with his teamates, and doesn't have the coaches approach to our game, but he showed some of his brilliant passing early. some of his long passes were dead on. can't wait to see him in there with kaka/ronaldo etc at the same time. Negredo: 7/10 I pray...I REALLY pray we don't let this guy go, or at least have a buy back clause for him. He is so big and powerful, has very nice ball skills, and can make something out of nothing. Still young and does a few dumb things, and needs to finish better, but the way he made the play to set benzema up for his goal was superb. I hope we get to keep him...he will be a lethal scorer in due time. Granero: 8/10 once again he showed he will be a great addition to this team (to shay Z's dismay). He controlled the last 30 minutes of the game, and has become our official corner kick taker. He had one shot on goal from outside the box that nearly went in. I am excited about this young man. Torres/Garay: 6/10
I think you left our one playeR I'm nOt sore at all. But I wont Berate you publicly for not mEntioning a certaiN player
NBA stars Chris Bosh and Steve Nash didn’t miss the first Real Madrid game in Canada. Nash is a good friend of Kaka’s and the Brazilian player gave him a signed Real Madrid shirt. Nash talked about Kaka in fluent Spanish. STEVE NASH “Kaka is a good friend of mine. He’s an incredible person. I have known him for many years and he is as great a footballer as he is a person. I’m a fan of the way he plays; he’s my hero.”
CRISTIANO RONALDO “I’m happy for the team. We’re improving game after game. Raul put in an outstanding performance as did Kaka. It’s easy to play well on this team.” ROBBEN “We played well and dominated the match. We knocked the ball around nicely against a team of true athletes. The new signings are great footballers and they prove it in every training session. We all like to score goals and I’m happy to have done so tonight. I’d like to stay with the Club. I believe in myself and I’m looking forward to helping the team.”
KAKA “I’m very happy about my debut. It was just a preseason game but it’s important to play as many minutes as possible. I couldn’t score a goal but the important thing is to create offensive plays. I’ve contributed to the game and I’ve felt at home with the rest of the players. Real Madrid appeal to many people and I’m happy to be a part of the Club.” “We’ve got to keep on working hard and improving. Let’s hope to keep up the good work throughout the season, although it’s important to play good football right from the start. Playing alongside these players is nice, but doing so for Real Madrid makes it more important. This is a strong group of players and we must be consistent during the whole campaign.” XABI ALONSO “I’m very happy about this first contact with my team-mates. During the preseason we should aim at attaining both offensive and defensive balance so it will show up during the season. The squad is made up of humble, easy-going people. I’m delighted with them. I’ll be participating more in each game.” ARBELOA “We’ve played well but we’re still in the preseason and we must take one step at a time. We have a great team but we must prove it throughout the campaign. I still don’t know which shirt number I’ll be wearing.”
ah yes! Robben: 7/10 did well in the few minutes he played, with fast runs down the middle and good pace change. Finished clinically the one opportunity he got, although the play was orchestrated by Benzema and his pin point pass. One thing I continue to see in him is that he tries to do too much by himself when close to the box; he tries to get pass 3 defenders by himself rather than wait for support. But overall, a very good outing for him
the game was awesome , I came all the way from NFL , i defintley saw many of u guys out their , i was wearing all the white madrid jacket , my friend had acmilan jersey. It was awesome game and memorable 2 days hala madrid