Avid Real Madrid watcher and iSport writer, Karan Shah analyzes Real Madrid's current squad and talks about coach Manuel Pellegrini's head aches with choosing from a squad which is not just bloated but filled with super stars.
Now that Madrid have officially completed their massive signing spree and less than two weeks are left for La Liga to start, the coach, Manuel Pellegrini has a few REAL problems on hand: how to handle the egos of his Galacticos; what should be the final squad of 25 and lastly; what eleven to keep as his preferred starting line up.
We shall start with the Goalkeeper section, and there are no prizes for guessing that St. Iker will once again rule in the goal. Dudek certainly has no chance unless Casillas gets injured. Adan, the third choice keeper, would be more than happy if he even gets to feature for a quarter of an hour in any of the rare friendlies. These three are sure to be in the squad of 25 without doubt.
The Defence has become stronger with the arrivals of Albiol, Arbeloa and the selling of Heinze. Pepe, Metzelder, Marcelo, Torres, Ramos, Drenthe and Garay have already been with the squad since the past few seasons. MP would prefer to keep Pepe and Albiol in the centre with Arbeloa on the right and Ramos on the left. Metz has been assured that he is needed in the squad however Torres and Garay haven’t been so lucky. It’s likely that Torres may be loaned or sold with a Madrid trademark buy back clause to keep space for the others in the squad. Drenthe was terrible last season, however he has shown glimpses of brilliance and work ethic that has been appreciated by MP and it is unlikely that he will go.
The Midfield is absolutely packed with creativity with new signings Alonso, Kaka, Ronaldo and Granero! Oh, and Madrid already have Lass, M.Diarra, Gago, Guti, Sneijder, Robben and Sneijder. MP will have a big headache pleasing everyone and giving everyone an equal chance to play. The coach likes the 4-4-2 formation and the new signings are obviously going to get a preference. With Lass or Alonso starting as central defensive midfield; Kaka as an attacking mid and Ronaldo and Robben on the flanks any opposition defence would run scared.
However none of the preseason matches have seen this formation. Guti has been given a lot of playing time but he has failed to impress and it would be good to see him relegated to the bench or even sold. True, he has been a faithful servant since the last decade, but he is no longer the playmaker he was before. Sneijder has impressed the coach but not Florentino Perez and it’s likely that he will go to Inter this season to generate some cash after their multi million dollar spending.
Granero has been impressive with his buy back return to the club so he might see some playing time. It will be interesting to see if M.Diarra will stay as he was injured for more than half of last season. Gago should leave as he doesn’t really have the quality but its unlikely that will happen. Van Der Vaart has been told by the coach that he is not needed at Madrid, so he is likely to get transferred before the season starts.
Madrid have one of the most impressive forwards in their squad with Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Raul, Benzema and Higuain. Raul has been an icon and whether you like him or not he is going to stay, Period. Nistelrooy has been out of action since more than a year and he could see his place being taken by Benzema. Higuain was one of the most impressive players last season, but with Benzema and Raul already above him, it will take quite an impressive show to take his place back. Negredo has been sold to Sevilla with a two year buy back clause. Benzema and Higuain have been very promising in the preseason and their partnership will be the thing to look out for.
Overall, this Madrid squad is going to have a lot of quality and creativity. However an important factor that could decide their outcome this season would be their unity and how quickly they gel. One thing is for sure, its going to be a treat watching these players playing Galactic football.
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Srikanth
said:
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... granero will flop....like soldado did, like negredo did....not because he is horrible, but because they have better alternatives....Guti wont leave....after being a one club man, madrid wont sell him when he is 32! btw Guti was NEVER the player he "once was".....thats cuz he was always inconsistent and unpredictable.....and ramos on the left? did you mean right? |
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