Don't be fooled by the dramatic scoreline. Against a more quality side, with all do respect to the visitors, Real Madrid, should probably have lost. It seems like a bold statement for me to make but I have plenty of evidence to back it up. If you caught the match you'll understand exactly what I mean.
Madrid opened the scoring within the first minute. Ronaldo blew by a series of Xerez defenders and drilled one low across the goal line at the near post. I was astonished. With such a quick start, Madrid had it wrapped up before it started practically. I couldn't be more wrong. For the next 7 or 8 minutes. Madrid was toying with the minnows playing keep ball in the attacking half. The game could have been put out of reach in 6th minute when Ronaldo's rebound fell to Raul, who managed to hit the goal keeper from inside the six. That rebound then fell to Kaka who miraculously missed from about 8 yards.
Now you are starting to ask yourself so what seems to be the problem here? Well it starts about now. Xerez seemed to get into a bit of a groove. Completing some passes and formulating their own attacks. For a team that costs hundreds of millions of dollars playing against a team that Ronaldo could buy himself, Xerez possession statistics were lofty in the first half. The started to dominate the play in a good middle portion of the first half. Perhaps Madrid scored a little too early and was resting on the one goal lead after 10 minutes of play. It was very discomforting for any Madridista. After the first goal came so quickly and other chances went begging in the opening minutes, everyone was in the mood for a show that did not arrive. So I began to look at where it was breaking down. What is they key to keeping possession and creating chances? The center midfield. So my focused turned to Lassana Diarra and Fernando Gago who was filling in for an injured Xabi Alonso. I didn't have to look very hard to find the problem. I've never been one to hide my attitude torward Gago. He simply just gives the ball away time after time. It was so evident that he was coughing up possession that my college teamates who I was watching the match with began to count the amount of times Gago lost it. I was strictly disappointed when I saw he made the starting XI instead of one of personal favorites, Mahamadou Diarra. However, Gago wasn't the only center mid who was blowing up. Lass had a dreadful game by his standards. The commentator even said he looked a bit rusty (although he has nothing to be rusty from...). Though, completing significantly more passes than his partner, the ball seemed to trickle off his foot very often. Okay, so everybody has a bad game. I understand that, but there is no excuse for stupidity. It's not so much that Xerez created many chances. Lass just gave them the chances by fouling time after time. What is Real Madrid's biggest weakness? Set plays. Lass gave them at least three chances by himself in the first half to launch a bomb into our penalty area. The first foul he gave away on the top of the box, knicked the joint of the cross bar before Casillas reluctantly watched it go out for a goal kick.
It was obvious that Madrid needed a change. I was hoping it was going to come as early as halftime. I was let down again. Finally, in the 60th minute Granero was standing at the midfield line. I was overjoyed. "This is exactly what we need, a midfield change" I thought to myself. Instead Pellegrini decided to take off Raul. I'm a huge fan of Granero's works but Raul wasn't who I wanted to come off. So the game dragged on a little bit longer. I thought Granero added something to the game. He always does. We got this guy for 4 million? That's a steal... It's almost 70 minutes at this point. Guti is now the one that appears at the midfield line. "It must be Gago. Guti can sit a little higher than Lassana and create." The electronic number board goes up and it shows 14 for 8. Kaka? Bewildered again. I sighed and slouched back into the couch.
Clearly against the run of play Madrid finally broke open Xerez's jugular when CR9 headed home a delicious corner ball delivered by the "pirate," Granero. I was a little relived. In the second half up until this point Madrid had been outworked. The poor Xerez right winger derived close to 6 crosses, all of the awful. With some decent service the strikers might have made a meal out of the back line. However, the second goal seem to break the backs of this minnow side. Three mores goals were punched in between the 78th minute and final whistle. Guti took advantage of a Benzema whiff, smashing the ball through the Xerez goalkeeper on the volley from around the penalty spot. Benzema who was bothersomely silent up until this point, recieved a ball on the edge of the area. He scissored right, went left and struck a bullet that took a deflection before reaching the far corner of the goal. Finally Ruud van Nistelrooy made his La Liga return a memorable one when he nutmegged the keeper in the closing moments of the match. He replaced Ronaldo in the 79th.
Also noted in this game was the return of star right back Sergio Ramos. He was notably not his best but still solid at the least. The Xerez keeper did well to parry away his thumping header from a corner in the first half. I have to give a lot of credit to Xerez who were not intimidated by big names. They were very hard working. They attacked with confidence and in numbers and worked as a unit to get back, at least 9 players behind the ball on every Madrid onslaught. It's a mystery to me why they have failed to even produce a goal this season. It will surely come for them. This match means Madrid have taken the max points available to them in their opening three matches. As a Madrid fan I enjoyed the result, but not exactly the performance.
Thanks from us here at FTF,
Bobinho
Madrid opened the scoring within the first minute. Ronaldo blew by a series of Xerez defenders and drilled one low across the goal line at the near post. I was astonished. With such a quick start, Madrid had it wrapped up before it started practically. I couldn't be more wrong. For the next 7 or 8 minutes. Madrid was toying with the minnows playing keep ball in the attacking half. The game could have been put out of reach in 6th minute when Ronaldo's rebound fell to Raul, who managed to hit the goal keeper from inside the six. That rebound then fell to Kaka who miraculously missed from about 8 yards.
Now you are starting to ask yourself so what seems to be the problem here? Well it starts about now. Xerez seemed to get into a bit of a groove. Completing some passes and formulating their own attacks. For a team that costs hundreds of millions of dollars playing against a team that Ronaldo could buy himself, Xerez possession statistics were lofty in the first half. The started to dominate the play in a good middle portion of the first half. Perhaps Madrid scored a little too early and was resting on the one goal lead after 10 minutes of play. It was very discomforting for any Madridista. After the first goal came so quickly and other chances went begging in the opening minutes, everyone was in the mood for a show that did not arrive. So I began to look at where it was breaking down. What is they key to keeping possession and creating chances? The center midfield. So my focused turned to Lassana Diarra and Fernando Gago who was filling in for an injured Xabi Alonso. I didn't have to look very hard to find the problem. I've never been one to hide my attitude torward Gago. He simply just gives the ball away time after time. It was so evident that he was coughing up possession that my college teamates who I was watching the match with began to count the amount of times Gago lost it. I was strictly disappointed when I saw he made the starting XI instead of one of personal favorites, Mahamadou Diarra. However, Gago wasn't the only center mid who was blowing up. Lass had a dreadful game by his standards. The commentator even said he looked a bit rusty (although he has nothing to be rusty from...). Though, completing significantly more passes than his partner, the ball seemed to trickle off his foot very often. Okay, so everybody has a bad game. I understand that, but there is no excuse for stupidity. It's not so much that Xerez created many chances. Lass just gave them the chances by fouling time after time. What is Real Madrid's biggest weakness? Set plays. Lass gave them at least three chances by himself in the first half to launch a bomb into our penalty area. The first foul he gave away on the top of the box, knicked the joint of the cross bar before Casillas reluctantly watched it go out for a goal kick.
It was obvious that Madrid needed a change. I was hoping it was going to come as early as halftime. I was let down again. Finally, in the 60th minute Granero was standing at the midfield line. I was overjoyed. "This is exactly what we need, a midfield change" I thought to myself. Instead Pellegrini decided to take off Raul. I'm a huge fan of Granero's works but Raul wasn't who I wanted to come off. So the game dragged on a little bit longer. I thought Granero added something to the game. He always does. We got this guy for 4 million? That's a steal... It's almost 70 minutes at this point. Guti is now the one that appears at the midfield line. "It must be Gago. Guti can sit a little higher than Lassana and create." The electronic number board goes up and it shows 14 for 8. Kaka? Bewildered again. I sighed and slouched back into the couch.
Clearly against the run of play Madrid finally broke open Xerez's jugular when CR9 headed home a delicious corner ball delivered by the "pirate," Granero. I was a little relived. In the second half up until this point Madrid had been outworked. The poor Xerez right winger derived close to 6 crosses, all of the awful. With some decent service the strikers might have made a meal out of the back line. However, the second goal seem to break the backs of this minnow side. Three mores goals were punched in between the 78th minute and final whistle. Guti took advantage of a Benzema whiff, smashing the ball through the Xerez goalkeeper on the volley from around the penalty spot. Benzema who was bothersomely silent up until this point, recieved a ball on the edge of the area. He scissored right, went left and struck a bullet that took a deflection before reaching the far corner of the goal. Finally Ruud van Nistelrooy made his La Liga return a memorable one when he nutmegged the keeper in the closing moments of the match. He replaced Ronaldo in the 79th.
Also noted in this game was the return of star right back Sergio Ramos. He was notably not his best but still solid at the least. The Xerez keeper did well to parry away his thumping header from a corner in the first half. I have to give a lot of credit to Xerez who were not intimidated by big names. They were very hard working. They attacked with confidence and in numbers and worked as a unit to get back, at least 9 players behind the ball on every Madrid onslaught. It's a mystery to me why they have failed to even produce a goal this season. It will surely come for them. This match means Madrid have taken the max points available to them in their opening three matches. As a Madrid fan I enjoyed the result, but not exactly the performance.
Thanks from us here at FTF,
Bobinho
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