Now is the time for Real Madrid to get up off the canvas and win the next big game. Should we change the line-up? A central defensive pairing of Samuel & Pavon requires a screen of two mid-fielders. Boy did we miss Helguerra on Saturday night. I will argue to you that the scoreline would have been much closer with Helguerra's sure-footed presence. The home crowd will stiffen the RM resolve & I expect a win.
----------Casillas--------- Salgado---Samuel---Meija---Rob Carlos --Figo---Zidane---Guti---Solari---- -----Ronaldo----Raul-------
Undeniable scientifically proven football logic: the loss against Barça could either be really good for Madrid leading to this game, because they want to get some sort of 'revenge' for their bad game.....or it could be really bad because it brought the motivation down a few notches. I've been watching football talk shows way too often.
this is actually very interesting as last season i was their defeat in el derby which brought about the turn around in their season: this time last year barca were defeated at camp nou by real, and things looked terrible for them coming off a bad run, however, since the defeat we have seen a different barca, ever since they are undefeated at home i think. maybe this defeat for could be that same blessing in disguise as it was for barca last season, a catalyst to kick-start the season - lets hope so!
They draw against Roma but then won only one of three matches in Bundesliga. Thier last game was a loss against Schalke 3/0. The players must do thier best to bouns back, nothing will help to forget the Classico loss like winning this match. Its vital for our qualification. Can't even speak bout the Barca game . Is it as Marca declared: El Principio Del Fin? Just one thing. It frustrates when you read or hear some people giving up on thier club! some even write them off of gaining any damn thing this seson. Strange how they have no FAITH. Yes, there are huge mistakes. We all hope what broken get fixed ASAP. In only one fixture Barca lost against Betis and El Madrid outclassed Albacete, the gasp between the two got tighter and suddenly people started to talk of a possible win against Barca, and keeping it 'till climing the top of table. In only one or two weeks lot of things changed so how about, as ya said, a long season and who knows :/ Hala Madrid!!!!!!
Cassilas Salgado-Mejia-Samuel-Bravo Figo-Guti-Zidane-Raul Owen-Ronaldo Solari replaces Zidane or Raul if they are as ineffective as on Saturday night. Bit of a toss-up between Samuel and Pavon... a sign of just how rubbish Samuel has been. I'd actually say Pavon is better on form. Absolutes: Beckham and RC must sit and show they deserve to play Mejia is better than Pavon or Samuel... we need 1 fast defender who is comfortable with the ball on his feet Owen must play alongside Ronaldo if we don't want our single forward getting swarmed by 3 defenders everytime he gets the ball
I agree with everything... except that i never thought of Mejia as beeng fast at all. He is very composed on the ball though... my favourite type of defender. Unfortunately.. we all know it's not going to happen.
Agreed, illuminatus. Though Mejia is faster than Pavon & Samuel. anirbanblah, you sure called it correctly about Barcelona being able to play the ball in the space behind our midfield, but in front of our central defenders. Ronaldino had a feast there. Also, did you see how Real Madrid formed up the first 20 minutes of the Barcelona game? We had 8 players behind the ball, in two neats rows of 4. I was amazed - they looked just like Getafe. Still it seemed to help absorb all the pressure RM was under. Kind of surprising to see a rigid formation though.
Leverkusen against Schalke remained me of Real madrid in September and October. They dominated processions, but could not score. The scoreline was not as bad as people think. I think they will go for a draw this week.
A draw for RM would not be good. If we win by better than 3-0, we automatically go through. If we win by a narrow margin, it would be near impossible, but not mathematically impossible, to not go through.
i think the score will be 2-2. We are getting this match live in Australia btw what happens when the 3 teams are still equal after the 6 matchdays.What are the tie breakers and what order are they in??
If all three teams are tied at the top, the results against the fourth team (Roma) will be ignored, and then the teams with most points go through (after that it's probably best goal differential if the teams are still tied, but I doubt they would be)
I guess it would make sense to then also use the head-to-head results, I just thought because it wouldn't be the first tie breaker anymore, that it wouldn't be used in a possible tie after removing the 4th team from the equation.
Here is one article's description: Group B, which includes nine-times European champions Real Madrid could also be resolved if Real beat Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday by more than 3-0 to secure the advantage in their head-to-head match-up which is decisive in case of a tie. However the complicated mathematics involved in the group which has Dynamo Kiev, Real and Bayer Leverkusen all on seven points and AS Roma on one, mean that it is likely that both qualifiers will only be known after the last matches on December 8. However if Real win, they are almost -- but not mathematically -- certain of their place.
Bruised Madrid to face Leverkusen in Champions League MADRID, Spain (AP) - Real Madrid faces Bayer Leverkusen in a crucial Champions League match Tuesday, with both teams looking to make up for humiliating weekend losses in their domestic leagues. http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3184468
Damn, I actually agree with you this time, well…… almost, I would put Moro instead of Owen, He shines in tough games.
They'd better get the win in this one though, because as opposed to the game against Barça, the run for that competition most likely will be over with a loss.
casillas Salgado-Mejia-Helguera-RC Guti Figo-Solari Zidane Ronaldo-Raul keys are to make Raul play as a forward and not an offensive mid dont let beckham and samuel play the prez wants owen to score for better publicity- but if we depend on him and he can't we r screwed if morientes is recovered have him play for ronaldo- while ronalod works on the treadmill give the spanish players a chance play to win not to make money Arriba España
- Helguera might play this one. - Regardless of how strange it could look for some ppl. But I'll never believe in Bravo to play LB in such a game no matter of how Carlos off-form is. Mine is: Cssillas (!) Salgado-Helguera(Mejia)-Carlos Figo-Guti-Zidane-Raul(Sloari) Owen-Ronie (Moro is watching, ya heared!) Don't really know how Ronaldo will perform this time against Leverkusen's Juan+Roque Junior. I think we've seen how good they are in the loss in GErmany.
From what I've seen, I don't really like Bravo as a leftback either. Defensively he *might* be equal to Carlos, especially if you consider his form (like saturday, in my opinion it was his fault) but offensively he doesn't bring the same. So if they were both fairly equal in one department, I'd go with the one who was definitely better in another. I think you also have to wager in that the Madrid players did absolutely nothing in that game, I'm sure that was also in part thanx to Leverkusen's game, but I didn't see any motivation to work a sweat at all. I don't think that will be the case again in Madrid, especially after Barcelona.
I believe you can take off this *might*, Oscar . Carlos gets some dips in form, but still only a dip in form not a total lack of ability. Now, I dont wanna be so hard on Bravo but u know Oscar it aint right to line up someone who is not even better, if not worse in any case. No competition no motivation, meaby thats it. Carlos speed could help alot when we lack it in our deffence. Also his contribution in offence is just exactly a good help deffensivly as u know thier right side will be under pressure. Let alone having Bravo will, in away or another, put our back 4 in some seriouse troubles. Though I have to agree on Carlos current form . But hey, Bravo never found THAT form as a left back after getting back from loan, he spent almost most of the time playing CB. The thing is, when u speak about our deffence, the "fault" is always there. Carlos couple a days ago, Samuel against Albacete, R.Bravo against Bilbao.... True. Meaby it just because what was said then before the game (Ronaldo, Rq Junor and Juan). Or am I trying to find a motivation for Ronie to find a performance such as Vs Albacete? meaby so :googly: Actually they let in (23) goals in Bundesliga, ranked 14 in goals against stats. In CL they concided 6. We con, 7. Hope thingz go well. ------------------------------------------ EL MUERTO ESTcemVIVO By- Tomas Roncero (AS) Fin de un ciclo? En el Madrid la respuesta es tajante el ddespude la debacle del 20-N: "No". Se argumenta que hace sunos dse valoraba que el reactivado proyecto de GarcRemno habperdido un partido desde el 3 de octubre. Valoran que en el Barcelona "corren como demonios y es imposible que estasmarzo". Se utiliza como referente la remontada de 18 puntos protagonizada por los azulgrana la temporada pasada. Por eso and Florentino luchaba ayer por convencer a su entorno de que esto todavtiene que dar muchas vueltas. El objetivo est Maa las 22:30 horas and el Madrid ya debe estar clasificado para los octavos de la Champions. Y el calendario de Liga aprieta and pero no ahoga viendo los prrivales: Levante, Villarreal and R Sociedad y Racing. El objetivo es sumar los 12 puntos y esperar a que el desgaste fdel Barle pase factura. Una voz autorizada sentencia: "Este muerto estvivo". PS: Oscar, don't u miss Iberian and some other guys? he used to post regulary. Anything about 'em?
I would say you bench Figo on this one. Not that I have anything against him. He is your busiest player, but almost busy doing nothing with his fruit less runs. Put Becks on the right wing, and then throw dice as to who should start, because all of your four strikers can benefit from Beck's crosses. I wish Morientes win the dice though.
Are you kidding me?! I'm a big Becks supporter but even I think he needs to get back into that pre-Wales form. Besides, along with Casillas, Figo has been our best player all season! While he's lost a step from a few years ago, he can still blow by defenders on the wing to create chances for Raul + the strikers, and he's technically superior. A great example is Raul's goal against Dinamo - I don't think Becks would have had the pace or skill to make that happen.