Real Madrid Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

kinaldo

mink_man wrote: »

bad place for him to go imo!

He really wants to stay at Madrid, could be a big mistake in letting him leave.

eZe^

Apparently he went to the Milan, and got the same flight back without even leaving the airport. He then marched up to the Madrid management and staked his claim, and his desire to stay. Apparently all of them reached an agreement and he is now going to stay a Madrid player. They want to hold onto Robben too, its VdV they want to offload as quickly as possible.

kinaldo

It appears that Robben has gone to Bayern Munich while Sneijder has finally gone to Inter, both moving against their will.

Wonder what will happen to Van Nistelrooy now...

MisterAnarchy

So Madrid are now selling Robben ,who was their best player last year .
The year before that they sold Robinho who was that seasons best player.
They have now sold 2 of the best wingers in the world .Absolute madness.
You dont sell your best players .

starbelgrade

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

So Madrid are now selling Robben ,who was their best player last year .
The year before that they sold Robinho who was that seasons best player.
They have now sold 2 of the best wingers in the world .Absolute madness.
You dont sell your best players .

Man Utd sold Van the Man & Ronaldo at the heights of their playing careers.. both to Real Madrid. Neither had very little to do with the clubs & a lot to do with money & egos.

gimmick

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

So Madrid are now selling Robben ,who was their best player last year .

he was not on the pitch long enough lasy season to be their best player. He made a huge impact while he was on the pitch, but Higuian was head and shoulders above anyone else on that team last season, and the fools look like they have banished him to the bench

kinaldo

So Real Madrid make it 7 wins out of 7 this season, 5 in la liga and 2 in the CL, with 24 goals to boot, and only 3 conceeded.

Of those 24 goals in 7 games, Ronaldo already has 9, scoring in every game bar 1.

Eamon Dunphy couldn't bring himself to say anything positive about this, and instead made up that Ronaldo had only scored 4 in the league! (when in fact he has 5 out of 5 in the league).

And for him to suggest that the Madrid fans aren't happy with him is just ludicrous!

He was right about one thing though, Sevilla away from home at the weekend will be interesting...

kryogen

have you been watching? the madrid fans have not been bowled over by him just yet, and neither has his manager, he has publicly stated that ronaldo needs to stop showing off so much and show more respect to opponents.

he will be a big success there eventually though. madrid havent exactly played any teams that can pose them problems yet but they have been flattered by a couple of scorelines, i wouldnt go over board about them until they are really tested in fairness. if that team can gel though and all pull in the sam direction then they ill be there or thereabouts in domestic and european competitions this year

i will make one bitter comment about ronnie though. he gets some luck doesnt he! first goal tonight, ball bounced strangely and fooled the keeper leaving him with a tap in, the penalty and subsequent sending off was actually a perfectly timed ackle and the guy was very unlucky to go off/ ronaldo very lucky to get a penalty, and the 3rd madrid goal, a defender actually watches ronaldo amble from outside the box into a position at the far post and does not take a step towards him. just watches! schoolboy defending

that being said, i wish he was still at united and do think he will be a success at madrid. his personality demnds it. but he isnt a fan favorite just yet!

kinaldo

kryogen wrote: »

have you been watching?

Eh, yes. I follow Madrid as a second team, I was in Madrid and at the Bernabéu last week against Xerez, and I read the Spanish press.

Ronaldo could easily have had even more goals had he taken the last two penalties that Kaká converted (both of which were won by Ronaldo, I think...)

kinaldo

Phil Ball from the Bernabow

At some point early in the second half, Cristiano Ronaldo sets off from just over the half-way line and shoots a quick glance left and right to see if there is anyone worth sending a pass to.

Deciding, as he often does, that a solo gallop into enemy territory might be the better option, he accelerates alarmingly into a pack of blue-shirted Tenerife defenders, who are vaguely assembled around the centre of their own half of the pitch. The pack, logically expecting the Portuguese chap to drop either side of them to where the spaces lie, begins to disperse slightly, but Ronaldo simply continues to gallop at them with that oddly high-kneed action that he has, like a dressage horse that has tired of strutting and has just bolted for the hell of it. Spotting a diagonal breach that has opened up in the direction of the goal, Ronaldo simply whizzes through it, converting the five defenders into telegraph poles. As he hurtles into the area and hits the ball goalwards for the strike of the season, goalie Sergio Aragoneses decides to spoil the party by somehow diverting the ball over the bar.

About fifteen feet below me in the press area, the crowd rises as one and hollers its appreciation. Standing boxed in by the huddle is an old man, well into his seventies. The look on his face is worth the entrance money, even though I haven't paid it. What Ronaldo has just done - love him or loathe him, is awaken in this old Madrileño something of what he must have seen years ago and which he probably thought he wouldn't see again.

The simple street-wise ebullience of Ronaldo's play might not always convince the purists, but it gets people out of their seats. One assumes that this was the case when Di Stéfano was around, or Gento, or Puskas. Ronaldo's run was a golden moment, particularly after the tedium of a first half which must have been the worst in the Bernabéu this millennium. As César Menotti once said, 'It was great in those days to wake up in the morning and think, "Ah - Maradona's playing in the afternoon".

I'm beginning to think - and I'm not the only one - that the two-horse race hardly matters if every week we can see Ronaldo doing this and then Messi doing the other over at Barcelona. And then there's Kaká, for heaven's sake. Madrid's torpor in the first half was partly due to his absence, but more due to the fact that Tenerife had come with an intelligent game plan, which consisted of stopping Xabi Alonso from getting the ball. Granero and Lass are not in the same distributive class, and Madrid's midfield foundered. Kaká was on the bench, much to the ire of the press pack, who frothed and foamed about Pelligrini's rotational policy in the half-time bar, and how Florentino Pérez would eventually sack him because he wouldn't tolerate the best players not being constantly on show.

Kaká and Guti obliged by appearing for the second half, and the sudden simplicity of the game of football re-asserted itself. Guti may be inconsistency incarnate, but the instinctive elegance of his movements and the weird, architectural precision of his passing have to be appreciated live. He ain't the same on the telly somehow. Tenerife suddenly looked ordinary after looking the better side in the first half, and within two minutes Madrid were ahead, Benzema scoring his first home goal with a header from Alonso's precision cross.

Kaká is also great to watch. Hanging around behind the main focus of the attack, he drifts across the line and is difficult to mark. It's not that he's particularly fast, but he is fast with the ball at his feet - a performance car built for its 0-60 as opposed to its top speed. His change of pace is impossible to annul, particularly if there is space behind the player he is gliding beyond. He also goes for the empty spaces, avoiding contact wherever possible with the pack. His vertical style of play immediately unsettled Tenerife, and all the journalists around me began to tap 'I told you so' into their lap-top reports. He scored a great goal too, whipping in a shot from the inside of his foot with hardly a pull-back of the leg. Aragoneses had no chance with that one.

I was down in Madrid to do some publicity for my book, "White Storm", which has been translated into Spanish (Tormenta Blanca). So there's a bit more cheeky publicity, but anyway, you'll have to understand Spanish to read the new bits added to take in the present circus that's been going on since Pérez returned. I'm no fan of Real Madrid, despite the frequent accusations to the contrary, but what is always great about going to a game at the Bernabéu is that the whole city seems to be focused on the event - as if there were no difference between the city and its most famous team. Atlético fans may wince at that statement, but it fails to detract from its truth. The same is true of places like Bilbao, Newcastle, Seville - you could add to the list - but when you're outside the game with the folks scurrying around, the horses barging, the camera crews trailing their cables, you feel that you're at the centre of things, and how on earth could some other strange people be possibly living their lives without football. Daft but true.

One of the sports tabloids that interviewed me asked if I was a Real Madrid fan. I repeated to him the journalist Santiago Segurola's famous phrase when once asked the same question. Segurola is Real Madrid's main writer and observer, and yet he is originally from Bilbao and of course supports them. Asked if he supported them both, after his long association with Madrid, he replied 'No - it's biologically impossible'. Good phrase. I support Real Sociedad, and the same is true. They are still mildly appalled in San Sebastián that I've written a book about Real Madrid, but as I tried to explain, it doesn't kiss ass. Indeed, as this becomes apparent over the next few weeks, I may be chased out of the country, in which case ESPN will have to find itself a new writer again.

Sorry about the personal nature of the piece this weekend, but I guess that if you go along to top-flight matches every weekend and mingle in all chummy with the press pack, the whole rigmarole might start to lose some of its shine. I dunno. The fact of only doing it from time to time makes it more memorable, for me anyway. For example, after the game I wandered down to the "mixed" area, where you can wait for the players to come out and thrust a mike under their noses as they run the gauntlet behind a sort of low improvised barrier. I've never quite got over my awe of professional footballers, despite the dullards that so many of them prove to be if you're unlucky enough to have to interview them, but it's always the same when you suddenly see them in civvies, at very close quarters. They look ridiculously young and fragile somehow, as if they had no lives beyond your temporary perspective of them. Iker Casillas was first to walk out, and he looked oddly small and boyish, as if he was just off home to his mum. If he was, I hope she told him to shave off that ridiculous beard.

Next out were a couple of Tenerife players, but sadly nobody detained them. I felt kind of sorry for them, but they were probably relieved to just be able to go straight to the bus. Then Karim Benzema came out, hero of the moment with his first two goals in the "Bernabow" (why do the Brits continue to pronounce it thus? It's one of the great mysteries of our time).

A gaggle of Spanish journos, similarly blessed with linguistic prowess, fired off some tough questions at the poor lad in Spanish, at which point I decided to intervene. "Are you happy now?" I asked him in French. Spot the dumb question. He looked quizzically around for his interrogator, and failing to find him replied "Si si. Tres contento", which is the first time that such a meeting of French and Spanish has ever occurred in the history of football. The moment has been captured in a poorly focused shot, supplied for this weekend's piece by my very own cheapo camera.

There were other reasons for my trip down to Madrid. The game featured the two Alonso brothers, the famous Xabi and the not-so-famous Mikel, the latter also once of Real Sociedad, thence missing in action at Bolton Wanderers and now happily shoring up the defensive side of Tenerife's midfield duties. Curiously enough, this was the first time that the two had faced each other on opposing sides as professional footballers. Their father, Periko Alonso, who played for Real Sociedad's title-winning side of the 1980s and later for Barcelona, had flown down for the match the day before me.

The Basque press were strangely silent on the event, as if they were still reeling from the fact that Xabi has signed for Real Madrid. There was no problem with his playing for Liverpool - in fact it was largely celebrated. But the fact that he had actually signed for the enemy took some time to sink in up here. In some ways it still hasn't sunk in, and Alonso looks wrong in the all-white strip. Ronaldo does too. It doesn't suit them like it immediately suited Zidane and like it seems to suit Kaká. There's no sinister sub-text intended here. They just don't look right in the colours yet, but they're playing just fine.

Both players were brought up playing for a boys' team called Antiguoko, who may well feature later this year on the column. They've just earned 600,000 euros as part of the sell-on clause that they cleverly wrote out when they allowed Xabi to sign for Real Sociedad, at the age of sixteen. Every time Alonso gets transferred, Sociedad get a percentage cut, of which Antiguoko get 40 percent (of the 5 percent). That's a lot of money for an amateur team outside of the professional circuit, but it enables them to employ well-qualified coaches and scouts. On the day that the Alonso brothers (Everton's Mikel Arteta is also a graduate of the club) walked out to oppose each other inside the Bernabéu's giddy walls, my own son was making his debut for Antiguoko for the Under 15s, in a 1-0 win against Hondarribia. So it's been a kind of poetic weekend. Excuse the indulgence. But I'll get back to this team. Some of the goings-on there provide an interesting insight into how professional clubs find their players.
Karim Benzema

Soccernet

Phil's grainovision camera reveals Karim Benzema's confusion at our man's "Spanglais".
Back at the hotel I watched the other team with 'Madrid' in its name, Atlético, draw 2-2 in the Mestalla. It was a fantastically messy game, end-to-end stuff, with a heart-stopping finish when Maxi deservedly equalised in extra-time for the mattress-makers. Atlético are still second to bottom, but they are playing some great football.

The problem for both Valencia and Atlético is that neither of them know how to defend. They both have midfields and forward lines of speedboat quality, but with defensive ships that leak water all over the place. The press was suggesting before the game that the losing manager would be collecting his cards at the end of the match, but any such events have been postponed for at least a week. Abel Resino, Atlético's manager, deserves to be given time to get things together, and Valencia would be unwise to sack Unai Emery, still considered to be one of Spain's great promises. But it was anarchic stuff - entertaining yet probably a nightmare for the watching presidents and investors.

Sevilla stuffed Athletic Bilbao 0-4 in San Mamés, and look to be the new candidates for the third horseman of this season's particular apocalypse, but let's wait a few more weeks yet. This coming week features the Champions League again, so next weekend's games may well be conditioned by what happens. Whatever takes place, keep an eye on Sevilla v Real Madrid next weekend. Should be a cracker.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=680462&sec=europe&root=europe&cc=5739

kryogen

kinaldo wrote: »

Eh, yes. I follow Madrid as a second team, I was in Madrid and at the Bernabéu last week against Xerez, and I read the Spanish press.

Ronaldo could easily have had even more goals had he taken the last two penalties that Kaká converted (both of which were won by Ronaldo, I think...)

wasnt having a go at you when i asked have you been watching, genuinely curious as i have been following him closely since he moved.

i know he could have more goals but like i said, they havent played a team who can defend yet!! and in fairness they wont play many teams in the leage who are known for their defending!!

i expect him to score bucket loads of goals this year, dont you?

kryogen

enjoyed that game tonight, first time madrid have faced a really decent team and they failed so all is well for anti madrid fans like me!

kinaldo

Well personally I'm still quite delighted with Madrid's start to the season, especially as they can only really improve. I didn't expect anything more than a point last night, and Sevilla were outstanding.

kryogen

kinaldo wrote: »

Well personally I'm still quite delighted with Madrid's start to the season, especially as they can only really improve. I didn't expect anything more than a point last night, and Sevilla were outstanding.

true, Sevilla were a class above last night alright and if they keep performing like that they should be in the mix come the end of the season

gimmick

Seems CR9 is out for about a month. Fingers crossed he gets a recurrence for the Clasico.

JPA

gimmick wrote: »

Seems CR9 is out for about a month. Fingers crossed he gets a recurrence for the Clasico.

Rushed back by Portugal it seems?

killwill

gimmick wrote: »

Seems CR9 is out for about a month. Fingers crossed he gets a recurrence for the Clasico.

Why? Would it not be best for two fully fit teams to play and see how it pans out? I would really enjoy seeing how he does.

gimmick

JPA wrote: »

Rushed back by Portugal it seems?

It would seem so.

killwill wrote: »

Why? Would it not be best for two fully fit teams to play and see how it pans out? I would really enjoy seeing how he does.

Why, because I want Barca to have as much an advantage as possible.

Mitch Connor

Real Madrid Team tonight vs Segunda División B side Alcarcon tonight.

DUDEK; ARBELOA, METZELDER, ALBIOL, DRENTHE; DIARRA, GUTI; GRANERO, VAN DER VAART; RAÚL Y BENZEMA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAHHHHHHHHAAAAAAA (cough)

4-0 down!

kinaldo

Real playing with 10 men against Getafe since Albiol was ridiculously harshly sent off in the first half.

Higuaín however has just come to there rescue again with two moments of magic, first with the left, second with the right.

Benzema disappointing again, though he did setup the second.

kinaldo

And the post denies him a hat-trick! What a goal that would have been! What a player!

kinaldo

Barca concede a 93rd minute OG at Osasuna and the gap at the top is cut to just a point. Pellegrini can breath again.

kinaldo

4 nil down from the first leg, Madrid to win 5-0 tonight...

gimmick

I think given the backlash from the last one, Real could do 7 or 8 nil.

Seems CR9 is being brought into the Portugal squad again despite his injury. I really hope he aggravates it and misses El Clasico in a few weeks

gimmick

Scratch that. He has been sent back to Madrid by the Portugal physios.

redout

gimmick wrote: »

Scratch that. He has been sent back to Madrid by the Portugal physios.

Aye the Portugal FA didnt believe Real and their claims so gave him their own MRI before they sent him back to Madrid.

mike65

Is Pelligrini now on a "one loss from the sack" conveyor belt?

gimmick

Pelligrini has been on a "one loss from the sack" conveyor belt for the last few weeks. Quation marks were raised about his ability after their loss to Sevilla, crazy as that sounds.

The fact he was 3rd/4th choice is not helping him either.

jaykay74

mike65 wrote: »

Is Pelligrini now on a "one loss from the sack" conveyor belt?

Probably but madness seeing as he one point off top spot and 8 wins from 10 in the league.

1 Barcelona 10 26
2 Real Madrid 10 25

redout

jaykay74 wrote: »

Probably but madness seeing as he one point off top spot and 8 wins from 10 in the league.

1 Barcelona 10 26
2 Real Madrid 10 25

But if you take into consideration that Barca are below par compared to the levels they themselves set last season and still ahead of Real it doesnt make happy reading.

kinaldo

redout wrote: »

But if you take into consideration that Barca are below par compared to the levels they themselves set last season and still ahead of Real it doesnt make happy reading.

I do think Barca will win the league, but I'm not convinced that they will consistently reach the heights of last season, formidable as they still are.

It would be bloody typical though if they go on to defend their CL in the Bernabéu.

leninbenjamin

redout wrote: »

But if you take into consideration that Barca are below par compared to the levels they themselves set last season and still ahead of Real it doesnt make happy reading.

But according to Eze Barca have one more point though than they did at this stage last season. So Real have the same amount of points as Treble winning Barca and he's under pressure?

jaykay74

I guess its not the lack of points thats the problem but the lack of champagne football maybe. Its a bit much to expect a lot of new players to click instantly. Hard to blame the coach for the lack of investment in a decent defence.

leninbenjamin

jaykay74 wrote: »

I guess its not the lack of points thats the problem but the lack of champagne football maybe. Its a bit much to expect a lot of new players to click instantly. Hard to blame the coach for the lack of investment in a decent defence.

So, same old madridistas then.

eZe^

My madridista mate reminded me of this goal the other day, absolutely f*cking world class. Not sure many people will have seen or remember this, watch it though, thing of absolute beauty;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW2_VyW5Ock

Pity it's Madrid though.

iregk

eZe^ wrote: »

My madridista mate reminded me of this goal the other day, absolutely f*cking world class. Not sure many people will have seen or remember this, watch it though, thing of absolute beauty;

We had a debate about what constituted "World Class" the other day. Ladies and Gentlemen, this as eZ motherf*ckin e says, is World Class

Slash/ED

Madrid Defender Sergio Ramos Is My Heir
Maldini believes Real Madrid's Ramos is best suited to become his heir...
Nov 16, 2009 2:21:35 PM

http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/italy/2009/11/16/1628216/ac-milan-legend-paolo-maldini-real-madrid-defender-sergio

AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini believes Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos can continue his legacy by becoming the world's best defender.

Maldini, who retired at the end of last season following a sparkling career, believes Ramos can take his place as he gives the Spaniard a ringing endorsement.

"My heir will be Sergio Ramos," Maldini told Marca.

"He is young and has everything to become my heir. He is quick, powerful and has technique. He is young and has plenty of time ahead of him."

The Italian's salutary parlance will be welcome at the Bernabeu, and he has also given Ramos some beneficial advice.

"He is part of a great club in Real Madrid. My advice to him will be to play in the middle of defence like I did. The secret is to train hard," concluded Maldini.

Salvatore Landolina, Goal.com

He just can't be serious!? Either that or it's a typo, because Ramos definitely could end up with Maldinis hair, he isn't far off it as it is, and if that's the case the article makes alot more sense...

redout

What a crock of sh*t..........

Ramos is woeful at times. Will never be considered world class.

Gullit, Gray and Hoddle all shot him down as overrated on Sky during the Milan game.

kinaldo

Phil Ball wrote:

If Ramos were English, he'd be the first name on Capello's team-sheet.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=699213&sec=worldcup2010&root=worldcup2010&cc=5739

I was going to start a thread on this based on the above statement, but I know that it would probably be pilloried here especially by the Madrid haters.

Phil Ball generally talks a lot of good sense, and though I don't always agree with him I think he's not far off the mark is his assessment of Ramos and the Spanish team in general.

redout

kinaldo wrote: »

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=699213&sec=worldcup2010&root=worldcup2010&cc=5739

I was going to start a thread on this based on the above statement, but I know that it would probably be pilloried here especially by the Madrid haters.

Phil Ball generally talks a lot of good sense, and though I don't always agree with him I think he's not far off the mark is his assessment of Ramos and the Spanish team in general.

Florentino Perez has himself been quoted as saying he was disappointed at how Sergio Ramos has progressed since he joined Real Madrid and wasnt happy about it. He said he had expected more of him.

CHD

Just proves the point I make alot that retired legends need to STFU. Platini, Pele, Cantona, Maradona etc etc.They were class players, not the cleverest people though.

Bounty Hunter

I think a lot of people forget just how young Ramos was when he was bought also i mean he is still only 23 now and yet some people have been calling him sh!t for years simply because he isnt the best player (RB) in the world already. He aint bad tbh, although i suppose for that money you do have certain expectations but he is still a good player.

makes me laugh how only now i notice you were quoting Phil Ball though, I thought it was Phil Babb and had a good auld laugh at that earlier

eZe^

redout wrote: »

Gullit, Gray and Hoddle all shot him down as overrated on Sky during the Milan game.

The same panel of professional analysts that didn't start acknowledging Xavi as a good midfielder until after he won his 2nd CL medal. That argument holds little water with me tbh.


Especially when I see the english media write sh*te like 'The Ballon D'or- 3 of the best players in the world, and Xavi' (That was for last year). What a bunch of clueless di*ks.

Slash/ED

The same panel who said the best goalkeepers in the world were Spains number two, a 39 year old and someone who hasn't been good since he got a kick in the head two years ago who all just happen to play in England. Jamie Redknapp finally said "yer man from Inter is alright too". No mention of Casillias of Buffon obviously...

kryogen

Slash/ED wrote: »

He just can't be serious!? Either that or it's a typo, because Ramos definitely could end up with Maldinis hair, he isn't far off it as it is, and if that's the case the article makes alot more sense...

Depends on how much faith you are going to put in Marca to report unbiased news! or do unbiased puff pieces about Madrid and their players!

Also, if it was reported on Goal.com, wouldnt really impress me either

iregk

redout wrote: »

Gullit, Gray and Hoddle all shot him down as overrated on Sky during the Milan game.

The same Ruud Gullit who said Eddie Newton was the best midfielder in the world.

The same Andy Gray who said Mathew Upson was the best defender England has produced since Bobby Moore.

The same Glenn Hoddle who said people in wheelchairs...

As Brendan O'Connor would say: "top notch analysis"

gimmick

CR9 back in full training with Real Madrid today according to SSN.

redout

eZe^ wrote: »

The same panel of professional analysts that didn't start acknowledging Xavi as a good midfielder until after he won his 2nd CL medal. That argument holds little water with me tbh.


Especially when I see the english media write sh*te like 'The Ballon D'or- 3 of the best players in the world, and Xavi' (That was for last year). What a bunch of clueless di*ks.

iregk wrote: »

The same Ruud Gullit who said Eddie Newton was the best midfielder in the world.

The same Andy Gray who said Mathew Upson was the best defender England has produced since Bobby Moore.

The same Glenn Hoddle who said people in wheelchairs...

As Brendan O'Connor would say: "top notch analysis"

In fairness I dont need these lads to tell me he is not world class I was just pointing out an observation made which happens to be correct. Its quite easy to make that judgement oneself if you actually watch Spanish football which I am guessing most of the people here dont. The usual watching maybe 4 games a season and coming to the conclusion Ramos is world class and in the world 11 thread having Casillias as the best in he world is laughable just the same as people not having Iniesta in a world 11! If people actually watched Barca last season apart from maybe the final, semi and clasico you all would have had Iniesta as the top player.

Anyone who actually watches Real Madrid could hand on heart tell you Iker is not the current best in the world. Last season was littered with numerous mistakes for the guy who even said himself was the most difficult time of his career. The start of last season all the way up to Xmas the guy couldnt catch a cold. Shot stopper there is no better but positional play and dealing with crosses are weaknesses in Casillias game. Last season I would have had both Lopez and Valdes easily above him. Even this season he has been guilty of bad judgement on several occasions aready. If people dont actually watch I really dont see how thy can make a proper judgement of Spanish players. Evidence abundant in the world 11 thread.

eZe^

You couldn't be more wrong about Casillas Redout, he made mistakes at the start of LAST season, but he has saved Madrid on a number of occasions this season, and possibly pulled off the greatest save I've ever seen too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI9S_jV9F3M

I'm waiting for someone to say that the finish wasn't good enough, but watch the clip again, 99/100 a forward scores that tap in because no keeper is able to pull off a save like that. Perotti thought it would be straight forward, he had an open goal, but somehow Iker managed to make it from the other side of the goal to get a touch on it. It may not be that impressive on the clip, but live it was amazing, Casillas was the reason Seville didn't win this game by 5 or 6.

And Iniesta isn't in people's world XI's because Fabregas is simply playing better than him at the moment, which is fair enough. I think Iniesta is the superior player in every department but goal scoring, but there's no denying that Fabregas is currently in a better vein of form.


P.S - You also have to take into account the defense that protects Casillas as opposed to Buffon/ Van Der Saar/ Cech. Casillas was THE MOST shot at keeper in the entire league a few seasons ago, and that was including the likes of cannon fodder teams such as Levante and Murcia. Real Madrid's back 4 is quite good, but they are much stronger at attacking than defending, Pepe, Canavarro (last season), Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, they are all very susceptible to defensive lapses. There is no way that Buffon has to be as alert as Casillas in your average game. Casillas is only inferior to Buffon when dominating his penalty area during crosses. (In my opinion anyway)

redout

eZe^ wrote: »

You couldn't be more wrong about Casillas Redout, he made mistakes at the start of LAST season, but he has saved Madrid on a number of occasions this season, and possibly pulled off the greatest save I've ever seen too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI9S_jV9F3M

I'm waiting for someone to say that the finish wasn't good enough, but watch the clip again, 99/100 a forward scores that tap in because no keeper is able to pull off a save like that. Perotti thought it would be straight forward, he had an open goal, but somehow Iker managed to make it from the other side of the goal to get a touch on it. It may not be that impressive on the clip, but live it was amazing, Casillas was the reason Seville didn't win this game by 5 or 6.

And Iniesta isn't in people's world XI's because Fabregas is simply playing better than him at the moment, which is fair enough. I think Iniesta is the superior player in every department but goal scoring, but there's no denying that Fabregas is currently in a better vein of form.


P.S - You also have to take into account the defense that protects Casillas as opposed to Buffon/ Van Der Saar/ Cech. Casillas was THE MOST shot at keeper in the entire league a few seasons ago, and that was including the likes of cannon fodder teams such as Levante and Murcia. Real Madrid's back 4 is quite good, but they are much stronger at attacking than defending, Pepe, Canavarro (last season), Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, they are all very susceptible to defensive lapses. There is no way that Buffon has to be as alert as Casillas in your average game. Casillas is only inferior to Buffon when dominating his penalty area during crosses. (In my opinion anyway)

Everyone entitled to their own brother but the point you make about Casillias and most shots isnt really being argued. I already said their is no better shot stopper but there is more to goalkeeping than shot stopping and Iker falls short as I said in positional play and crosses. The fact Real Madrid do not have a top class defence is nobodys fault but their own. I mean look at Marcelo for christ sake. The weakest link. The youtube video you just posted is a brilliant example of a game. Sevilla all game long attacked down the right as they knew Marcelo was the weak link and attack after attack they just danced past the guy. Everyone and their mother knows he is a major weak link yet inexplicably he still plays! As regards Iniesta and Fabregas this season their is no comparison but Iniesta was injured and not fully fit to start with and has really only been used sparingly by Pep who has brought him back slowly.