Why not try this: -------Casillas Salgado Helguera Mejia Carlos ---Figo Zidane(Guti) Solari ---------Raul ----Moro Owen(Ronaldo) ???
There are good arguements for all your suggested line-ups. And I salute your optimism, especially yours, minuscapita. But I am giving you 2-1 odds that the line-up we see this weekend will be the exact same one that played Bayer.
i think the odds is more like Evens or even 1-2 lol. that is the problem, the players know they are easily going to make the team, hence not giving 100%
Actually I think the Galacticos do their best. Perhaps they are not as hungry as they used to be, but they all have pride. But everyone, even Ronaldhino, occasionally isn't clicking. The difference is that in RM it doen't get dealt with. Check it out. Raul Bravo screws up as a CB against Deportiva, I believe it was. He hasn't played since. Tough, but OK. Samuel has done everything but kick it in our net & nothing happens. That is not good enough.
I personally think That it should be: ----------Casillas---------- --Salgado--Meija--Samuel--Carlos -----Figo---Zidane---Solari-- ------------Raul--------------- -------Morientes--Ronaldo------ I thought that with Morientes on it freed more space up for Ronaldo. Although Ronaldo isn't in the best of form, with only him and Raul (Raul playing further back) when Ronaldo gets the ball he's swarmed by 3 defenders. But with Moro there they can't just all go to Ronaldo. Beckham could go on and the midfield could switch to: --Beckham-----Zidane------Figo-- ----------------Raul--------------- Samuel should still play imo as we know that he has the pedigree and has the abilty, he's just not showing it at the moment. Whereas with Pavon, it doesn't get better than what he's been showing.
Statements such as "the players know they are easily going to make the team, hence not giving 100%" are inaccurate. Some of these players are amongst the best ever and have been giving 100% most of their lives. They still do. The problem is trying to get the defensive job in midfield done by these creative, attacking players. Zidane, Beckham, Figo, Guti etc. are not capable of stemming the flow of the opponent players and gaining possession of the ball. They need somebody to regain possession and provide them with the ball, so that they can make things happen. At present, however, these players have to concentrate in first trying to impede the opponent, win the ball back and then start creating an attack. Aside from the lack of natural ability to defend, the ageing of the galacticos is also not conducive to playing this type of football. Hence, one cannot blame Figo for not being able to play the way he played two years back, if he has to stop the ball in the six-yard box from going into the net. The same goes for Zidane and Ronaldo. Thus, one needs to resort to heresies to get back to winning ways. If a player like Dunga were to be placed in the Real midfield, the team would be duly transformed. Hence, Helguera (not Beckham) could be used as DMid and Solari, instead of Raul, in LMid. If Raul has to play (for whatever reason), then the best team probably is: ----------------Casillas Salgado---Samuel---Mejia---RCarlos -----------------Helguera Figo------------Zidane--------Solari --------Raul-----------Ronaldo Owen, Morientes, Beckham and Guti could be replacements whenever necessary. Pavon and Samuel have both been useless and hence, it is ‘sassier’ to opt for a more experienced inutile (this justifies the purchase too)!
With this formation, the first meaningful resistance the opponent players receive is in the Real defence, which has two attacking backs! Thus, the central defence has to contend with the attackers and midfielders at the same time! There has to be someone in midfield who can impede the opposition and regain possession of the ball. That person is not Beckham or Guti.
Tinkering with the following formation accordingly is possible: ----------------Casillas Salgado---Samuel/Pavon/Mejia---RCarlos ------- ----------Helguera Figo------------Zidane--------Solari --------Owen-----------Ronaldo Such as the one in post #32 or the following: ----------------Casillas Salgado---Samuel/Pavon/Mejia---RCarlos ----------------Helguera Figo--------------Guti-----------Zidane ------Raul/Owen--------Ronaldo Beckham could come in at 70' (2H, 25') and replace Figo at RWM; Morientes whenever necessary.
I'd be actually interested in seeing something like this... a 3-5-2 ---------------------Casillas -----Salgado-----Samuel/Pavon-----Mejia -------------Helguera----Guti/RCarlos/Solari Figo/Beckham----------Zidane----------Solari/Figo ----------------Raul/Owen--Ronnie/Moro I think this lineup works well because it allows Helguera and Solari or RCarlos or Guti to use their attacking skill while not opening up the back completely. One of them joins the attack while the other sits back defensively, and they can switch or rotate or whatever. It also provides a cushion between the midfield and defense, because they are positioned to slow down the opposition's attack before it gets too close to Casillas, giving the backs time to mark up, find their positions, close down, etc. I think that with the defensive midfielders it also frees up Zidane to focus on attacking in the center of the field, which is where he is most dangerous. Also, all of our midfielders can play either wing or in the middle, making them switching around another dangerous option. I think that while the 4-4-2 is the favored formation across the world, and has been used successfully by Real for years, Garcia Remon might want to consider switching it up a bit.
Kaberon, join the club. I've been posting for months about the 3-5-2, drawing parallels to the Brazil 2002 team. But it will never happen dude even if it's blindingly obvious that that's the formation that suits us best. I'd love to know if Marca or AS have ever advocated the 3-5-2 or what the local fans in Madrid feel.
I am not sure using the 3-5-2 suggested will solve Real's problems. This is not the same 3-5-2 used by Brazil in WC2002. Brazil had two wing backs, whereas Real have attacking wingers. Thus, reducing the number of defenders and adding an extra midfielder in Real's team, when defence is the main problem, will not solve anything. Stretching a backline full of incompetent defenders and making them cover more area is probably suicidal. Real should keep four defenders, add a DMid and play a 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond. Thus, I feel, taking out an AMid (who, at present, tries to play as a DMid anyway) and replacing him with a genuine DMid is the solution to Real's problems.
well zidane is out for the next 3 games with back problems. garcia remon is saying that they won't be any changes except for replacing zidane. garcia remon looked like he might take some chances with the line-ups knowing that he's only there till the end of the season. but when the team looked a little better, he saw himself staying a little bit longer, he didn't want to hurt the"boutique" sales. I'd like this line-up for just a few games : casillas salgado mejia pavon r.carlos(I have nobody else) figo helguera guti solari raul/owen morientes it will be a good start to the changes to come next year because no matter what they say, this madrid cycle is over. and I hope that perez got the message because judging from his behaviour ( a la gaspart) on wednesday in his"palco vip", it's the end for this team.
We tried Helguerra as a def mid at the beginning of the season. It doesn't work. Somehow he has become a great CB, but a lousy midfielder. You guys remember the away game at Bayer don't you? No, if we have to play a def mid & Guti is off that night, we need to try Raul Bravo there. Or Arbeloa.
its looks like now remon is doing his first tinkering of the season. i would like to see players rested however not just because we have a crucial game midweek! also i suppose 3 of the changes are forced upon him, zizou,figo and guti so remon isnt doing that much!! lets just hope it all pays off the biggest catastrophe would be we lost at the weekend due to resting our players for roma, but then still didnt qualify, it doesnt bear thinking about does it!
You are right, GR does not have a rotation policy. I think Mejia in for R Carlos would also have been fine, but oh well.
I am bumping up this old thread from the dark days just before GR got the chop. Its funny how different, but also the same, the situation looks 6 months later.
i think that luxa did what remon did not have ball to do. he dropped figo, started all 3 of raul owen and ronaldo, and it payed off. best 2nd half of the seaon since 1997 or 1999 or something like that! maybe luxa was reading our posts