The Real Madrid News / Reviews / Discussion Thread

I'm mostly concerned about the model, we should have an identifiable system and bring in players who compliment that vision. That is compatible with marketing btw but I'd like to see less square pegs in round holes.

 

Helguera criticizes Isco and says we lack a Makalele type player.

http://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2016/02/17/56c462fde2704ed1498b4587.html

 

He isn't saying anything new. Although I don't necessarily agree we need an exact replica of Makalele at the club to be successful.

I find it ironic he talks about Modric/Kroos needing some help in the midfield then goes on to trash Isco. His argument is that he doesn't score or assist and thats why he prefers James. So being one of the only players on the team to break down an opposing defense by dribbling or keeping the ball when pressed isn't important nor is tracking back and providing real defense.

Not saying Isco has been great but his interview seems to be a contradiction.

 

I think Helguera is correct in the essence i.e. a team's defending needs to start from the midfield, where he is lacking at is I think in the assumption that this can only be done by putting a destroyer type midfielder in the middle, one who would do nothing but win the ball back. That's the contradiction in his understanding IMO since such a midfielder is then equally easy for opponents to pressure when on the ball.

For me, in order to be stronger defensively, we need to sacrifice an attacker from amongst the BBC. This can be achieved without losing our offensive edge by playing a classic 10 as a 4th midfielder (thus both putting more bodies in midfield while achieving offensive thrust) rather than using him to replace on of the front three. All the while keeping the other midfielders in defensive positions. This would bring the best out of the midfield IMO, since these are the kind of midfielders that we have in abundance i.e. those who like to play centrally.

Frankly, I would be really keen to see something like the below being tried out -



Of course, the third attacker from the BBC who is dropped (Benzema in the above case), can always play if one of the starters is injured or off-form or just come on as a substitute for the starter who is not performing in that particular game. Maybe I'm too optimistic in thinking that Zidane can get away with resting/dropping/subbing any of the BBC though, or in thinking that that he might even consider it (remembering his words immediately after taking over from Benitez).

 

Redondo and Makele were not just destroyers they also had vision and were very technical players.
I don't understand how some here feel that spending on a player with these qualities is not beneficial to the team.
Barca has Busquets and they are playing the best football in the last two years and they are not a defensive team.
Modric who is perhaps our most technical player is also the one who defends the most and recovers more balls in the midfield. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture?

 

Been saying this for some time, makes perfect sense to play 2 out of 3 of the bbc for various reasons

- Reducing their minutes to help keep them fresh + minimising chance of injury
- Promotes competition between the 3 players for who will be selected for the most important matches
- Most importantly allows a 4 man midfield... the current crop in midfield simply are not good enough with 3 in the engine room vs tough opponents.

Although unfortunately common sense is rarely followed at Madrid. Seems perez and co are fixated on playing 433 because of the MSN, when its clearly not the best solution for this squad

Kante

 

That is another discussion but if I was in charge of this club I would invest in scouting and getting someone with those skills for long term success.
These are players who were groomed to be defenders first and develop attacking/possession skills second. Not the other way around, which is what we have.

 

Because of the fixation on the acronym BBC and the fact they only ever play 433 even though its clearly not working for this squad. As you show Ronaldo can play on the left in other formations but when was the last time ANY other formation was chosen other than 433? I agree Ronaldo is also a major factor, but watch, 433 will be here to stay to the end.

 

Under Carlo 442 wasn't used when the bbc were fully fit if I recall. Mourinho didn't manage the full bbc

a poorly run 3bn euro football club. 433 is the only choice of formation with a fully fit squad even when it doesn't work lol

 

If improvements can be made on the sporting side then it's not the best run club in the world is it. And yes I was referring to the sporting side and gave a specific example... The manager can't change the formation from 433 even if he wants to... Especially important when the 3 man midfield has failed time and time again. If it's Perez interfering with unnecessary politics then again it's a reason why the club is not well run

 

And right now I think this is beyond whoever the manager happens to be at the time, the problem has remained the same for years, with a little break in the middle ( maybe Moooo had a bit more say)

 

Before we start over-reminiscing about the old days of Makelele and Redondo (2 of my faves), recall that we lost more league games back then and had just as difficult of a time in some CL matchups. There was a time when Busquets didn't play so well either. I'd like to think overarching themes and evolution in tactics/management/players (physique, technique, specialization) have affected a lot of what we consider "midfield domination".

 

Not sure on the third point but hard to disagree on everything else.

 

Don't disagree with this but I think the problem is deeper. Flo had a sporting director before and it was not a recipe for success. The coach and director can talk all day about who they want but if the president has his heart set on a particular player it complicates things.

 

I'm curious about #2. How does the quality of our medical team fare? Does that group need to be shaken up? I remember hearing some sketchy reports a couple months ago.

 

Which is why we hope that Zizou's status (him being almost always talked about as the favorite "galactico" as well as being Flo's advisor for a couple of years) will change how things are working and Perez may let Zizou & the sporting director handle the "model" this time, becaue honestly I see this as the only possible way to shift our direction away from the failures over the past years.