Managing Madrid

Álvaro Morata, via realmadrid.com

So this probably won't be as funny, intriguing, or as totally nonsensical as my last "Gabe Lezra's Top 10 Real madrid Transfer Rumors" piece, because, unfortunately, this one is based mainly on facts--and not some total nonsense I heard from my bartender last night.

The Good News: The very highly-regarded (and very sought after) canterano and striker (and don't forget the winner of the extremely prestigious "Raúl Gonzalez Blanco Award for Best Youth Team Player") for Real Madrid B, Álvaro Morata has signed an extension with los blancos through the 2015 season. This should ensure that Madrid won't let another top-notch talent like Juan Mata (who's currently on Valencia but, according to some sources, is being courted by Barcelona), slip through our fingers.

Morata is a tall, athletic young striker, capable of scoring with his head and his feet; because of this, Florentino and Mourinho (suggestions for a good nickname for those two anyone?) thought it necessary to lock him down. While he might not get an immediate shot at the big leagues, keeping him in the wings for a while makes sense: despite his enormous talent, he needs to develop and mature as a player, and isn't quite ready to start for los blancos. 


The Bad News: According to MARCA, Fabio Coentrao, Benfica's (and Portugal's) highly sought-after left back, is still stuck in a sort of limbo with Madrid: because Florentino hasn't reached an agreement to sell any of the current players on the market (Lass Diarra in particular), Madrid is experiencing a cash-flow problem. Coentrao is aggravated (as he should be) that his future hasn't been settled yet, and is looking to move the deal forward as quickly as possible; unfortunately, this has allowed other teams--namely Chelsea--to sneak in on the bidding.

Fabio Coentrao, via Marca.com

Never fear, though, because I'm pretty sure Fabio really wants to play for Mourinho (and vice versa), so this will eventually work itself out. Let's just hope it happens soon.

Also, on the sort-of-bad-news-but-maybe-good-in-the-long-run side of things, Neymar's club has decided that they will "not negotiate," and that he's "non-transferrable." Maybe this is a ploy to drive up his asking price... but it might not be, especially because his agent recently said that "it's unlikely Neymar will play in Europe this year."

Again, this might actually be a good thing. While Neymar is no doubt a world-class talent, I actually see a lot more Robinho than Ronaldo in him: he seems much more of a high-risk/high-reward type of player than, for example, el Kun.

But really, does Madrid need either of those players (Neymar or el Kun) at all?

Well, Madridistas, we here at Managing Madrid hope you are enjoying the summer!  As one of the off-years from the World Cup and Euros, 2011 leaves us with little to talk about except the rather slow transfer market, although we will try to get some content up.


In the meantime, our more cerebral readers will enjoy this in-depth analysis of Real Madrid's financial situation and our ability to meet the new Financial Fair Play (FFP) guidelines.  These new UEFA rules, if you haven't been paying attention, are designed to improve the financial situation of Europe's debt-ridden clubs and reduce their dependence on the largesse of owners.  Having come into effect on June 1st, the regulations state that from now until 2014, clubs may post an aggregate loss of €45m, which can be subsidized by owners only in the form of permanent investment in shares.  From 2014 to 2017, the total permitted loss will drop to €30m.  If clubs fail to meet these guidelines by 2013-2014, they will be banned from UEFA competitions such as the Champions League and Europa League, which are incredibly lucrative and prestigious, beginning in 2014-2015.  


The Swiss Rambler, an accountant with a keen interest in football economics, breaks down in exquisite detail Real Madrid's remarkably healthy financials and compares them to our rivals, discussing our ability to meet the FFP goals in the future.  Despite our enormous outlay on transfer fees over the last five seasons, given our record profits (only Arsenal made more in pre-tax profits and that was distorted by property sales from the land under their old stadium) we should have no problem adapting to the rules.


Real Madrid actually stands to benefit immensely from FFP, which the Swiss Rambler does not discuss, because we already spend within our means.  Our revenue is so immense that our spending, while outlandish in absolute terms, is relatively restrained.  Our wages are well within UEFA's guidelines and even their 50% recommendation as a percentage of revenue.  Other clubs, however, are not so fortunate financially.  Barcelona is operating at a heavy loss and will have to rein in transfer spending, while the nouveau riche or those looking to reinforce significantly - clubs such as Manchester City, Chelsea, or Málaga and Racing Santander closer to home in the first group, and Manchester United, Juventus, Liverpool and so on in the second - will have a very difficult time catching up to Real Madrid. 

The draw results are in, and los Merengues will play Tottenham Hotspur for a spot in the Champions League semifinals.  Real will play the first leg in the Bernabéu on 5 April before travelling to White Hart Lane a week later on 12 April.  The winner will play either Barcelona or Shakhtar in the semifinals, setting up the possibility of a mouthwatering two-legged Clásico next month, which would mean Madrid and Barcelona playing each other an astonishing four times in as many weeks: the potentially crucial Liga tie at the Bernabéu, the Copa del Rey final and the Champions league semifinal.

In my article before the draw, I ranked Tottenham 5th of out 7 in terms of our preferences for the quarterfinals, although I was perhaps being generous.  Certainly Real are heavily favoured by pundits and bookmakers alike to make short work of Spurs, whose rise to the upper echelons of European football has been commendable but are not thought to have the capability to beat a frankly unarguably superior Madrid side.  Madrid's roster is better in every position across the pitch, including on the dugout, where Mourinho has beaten Harry Redknapp all five times he has played his teams.  Mourinho has only lost to Spurs once, beating them seven times.

I do think Spurs are dangerous, but it's important to realize that their form in Europe has been somewhat illusory and overhyped due to the fact that the team have not traditionally been top European competitors.  In the group stages, Tottenham conceded four goals in just 35 minutes in the first half of the match against Inter at the San Siro.  Spurs did manage to come back to within one in the second half against an Inter defense in shambles with a superb hat trick from Gareth Bale, and won their home game against the Italians 3-1, but frankly Inter are a shadow of the side they were under Mourinho, particularly in defense.  In the absence of Samuel, and with the shocking drop in form of Maicon and Julio Cesar this season, they constantly look vulnerable at the back.  In their game against an equally suspect Bayern team, Inter made a series of horrendous defensive errors and were extremely lucky to pull through.

Similarly, the win against Milan is hardly as impressive as it was cracked up to be.  Milan battered Spurs throughout the two legs and were extremely unlucky to lose.  This is a fairly dire Milan team we are discussing here, it must be noted, certainly the worst this decade if not one of the worst ever, filled with aging players who should have been unable to cope with the pace of Spurs.  Real Madrid generally dominated Milan in the two games we played against them in the group stages.

It is also the case that part of the success of Tottenham against the likes of Inter was that they were an unknown quantity.  No one had any idea of the explosive pace of Bale and teams failed to set themselves up properly to deal with it.  Mourinho knows the current Tottenham side very well now, and he likely won't be making the same mistakes.  With Ramos playing a more disciplined, defensive role under Mourinho, the Spaniard will be assigned to mark Bale, cutting off the spaces to run into and preventing him from sprinting with the ball at his feet.

In the end, I think it would be a shock if Real failed to progress to the semis.  The key will be to put the tie to bed in the Bernabéu, where a good result would put immense pressure on Spurs going into the game at White Hart Lane.  Redknapp's men would be forced to push forward for a goal, playing into the hands of Mourinho.  Any goals generated on Madrid's legendary counterattacks would add to our lead as well as counting for the away goals rule.  Should Madrid fail to score at home or go to White Hart Lane with a score draw, things will be significantly less comfortable.  However, Madrid have a 100% record at home in all competitions this season, are one of only two unbeaten sides in the Champions League, and have scored 19 and conceded just 3 goals in the entire competition thus far (Spurs have scored 19 and conceded 11).

Having progressed to the last 8 for the first time since 2003-2004 (auspicious, given that Mourinho won his first Champions League with Porto that year), Real Madrid now awaits its fate in the draw.  Here are our preferences in order, with justifications:


1. Schalke
It is fairly clear that Schalke are the weakest team remaining in contention.  Given a relatively soft draw against Valencia in the octofinals, the German team put in a dominant performance to win the tie.  However, the team is in turmoil after the sacking of coach Felix Magath and sits in 10th place in the Bundesliga, only five points above the relegation zone.  Schalke should not, however, be underestimated in European competition.  Blancos legend Raúl is the top scorer in the history of European competition and cannot be ruled out, and Farfán and keeper Manuel Neuer are also classy players.  Still, most of the teams in the draw would be pleased to receive Schalke as an opponent in the next round.

2. Shakhtar
This was a difficult choice, as the Ukrainians can be extremely dangerous on their day.  Teams from Eastern Europe are often underestimated given the limited exposure audiences of most mainstream leagues have to their style of play.  Shakhtar have fantastic technique, are highly physically fit and organized, and defensively very disciplined.  They are a tough unit to break down, and showed their attacking verve by dismantling Roma in their octofinal as well as winning their group ahead of Arsenal.  However, defeating a Roma team in shambles that has decayed precipitously over the last few years is hardly the same as going toe to toe with Real Madrid.  In addition, an Arsenal side that is frankly rather mediocre in comparison to Madrid absolutely hammered Shakhtar in the Emirates, winning 5-1.  If Los Blancos can't make it past Shakhtar, they don't deserve to win the competition.

3. Inter Milan
This Inter side look very little like the disciplined, iron-willed team with impeccable defensive organization that Mourinho took to an unprecedented treble last season.  First of all, Leonardo is no José Mourinho, and the veteran tactician would look to exploit his rival's tactical naivete and inexperience in this tie.

Second, many of the key players from last term have experienced a sharp decline.  Eto'o is dangerous as always, but Sneijder has been experiencing a typical second-term slump, just as he did after his excellent debut season with Madrid.  Walter Samuel's season-ending injury destroyed the excellent defensive unit that Mourinho created, and without his presence Inter has relied on players like Ranocchia and the aging Materazzi; the former made several errors in the Bayern tie that showcase his inexperience, which Madrid's attackers would relish.  Chivu has looked unsteady, while Maicon's decline and humiliation by Gareth Bale has been well-noted in the press.  Zanetti is 37 already and Milito, so crucial for his side last term, has been out of form and is currently injured.  Julio César is a weak point, having made high-profile errors in a number of big games recently.

Still, the team have some dangerous players and a sense of self-belief that carried them through against the stuttering defense of Bayern Munich and will not lay down and allow Madrid to walk past them into the semis.

4. Manchester United
This was something of a tossup for me between United, Spurs and Chelsea for the next three spots, as each team has distinct advantages and weaknesses, and it is hard to see where each will be form-wise by the time the next tie comes around.  This United team is probably the worst I have ever seen in terms of quality, and although Ferguson has managed to keep them in the running in the Champions League and the league, they have been slipping as of late, losing games to both Chelsea and Liverpool and allowing Arsenal to encroach.  Their massive injury list, including both starting central defenders, Vidic and Ferdinand, has led the coach to play a number of stitched-together formations this season with varying success.  The once-impregnable United defense looks vulnerable, and indeed Marseille very nearly got past them in their octofinal.  If Marseilles had finished better (and United cannot expect the same leniency from Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Özil and company) they would be out of Europe.

If the United defense plays a high line, then the pace of di María and Ronaldo will look to get behind them, and the likes of Smalling and company are never going to be able to cope.  Özil is very good at dragging players out of position with his off-the-ball movement like Kuyt did in Liverpool's 3-1 win, where the Dutchman scored a hat-trick playing off of United's high line.  If United defend deep, as they did at Marseille, they leave too much space for Madrid's attackers on the flanks, and crosses into the box or delicate interplay and through passes will be the result if the inexperienced United backline fails to pressure Madrid's attacking players.

United are always dangerous, however, especially in a knock-out competition.  We should never count them out of it, and I would certainly prefer not to draw United.

5. Tottenham Hotspur
I put Spurs above United because I think they have the potential to be a real banana skin for a big team in the Champions League.  They have put in some quality performances in the group stage, notably against Inter, and managed to see off Milan in the octos.  They have some fantastic, experienced players as well as some rising stars (Van der Vaart, Bale, Gomes, Lennon, Corluka, Modric) and are well-organized, as shown by their mature 0-0 draw against Milan.

Spurs have a lot of pace on the counter and on the flanks, which can be dangerous.  A moment of defensive panic and a single mistake could see Spurs through in a quarterfinal.  However, I think they have not yet faced a side of real quality in Europe and that Madrid would see them off without too much trouble.

Milan and Inter are both shadows of the teams they once were, particularly the former.  Milan's defense is old and incredibly slow and they prefer to play three central midfielders, so they are vulnerable to pace on the flanks and counterattacks.  Madrid are one of the youngest and fittest sides in European football, and have dynamic wingers and fullbacks that should help to pin back the attacking runs of players like Bale, who will be forced to go up against di María and Ramos.  If Madrid play like they did against Lyon, who also prefer to counter down the flanks, playing cautiously and relatively deep to restrict space on the counter until going up and then sitting back and allowing their opponents to break themselves trying to get a goal, they will have little trouble with Spurs.

One must also remember that Spurs have looked very fragile at times in Europe, going 4-0 down to Inter in a matter of minutes in the group stages and only barely squeezing through in two legs against Milan, who Madrid relatively easily outplayed in their group.

6. Chelsea
I'm not sure if I'm giving Chelsea too much credit, given their domestic troubles recently, their decaying squad and the poor form of new signing Torres.  Chelsea have also had the easiest draw in the tournament, both in the group stage, which they breezed through without breaking a sweat, and in the octofinals, where they came up against a disappointing Copenhagen side, coasting through 2-0 at Stamford Bridge and only managing a weak 0-0 draw in Denmark.  It's tough to say based on these results how Chelsea will fare against top opposition in Europe, seeing as they haven't faced any.

However, Chelsea's squad is still the third strongest left in the competition, after the Spanish giants.  They have a strong, resilient defense with Cech, Alex, Ivanovic, Terry and Cole among others to choose from, a potent midfield with the likes of Essien, Lampard, Malouda and Ramires, and an evergreen attack with Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.  This is a strong side, even given their problems in midfield, indifferent form and tactical issues.  José Mourinho got the better of Ancelotti in Italy, though, as well as rather effortlessly eliminating Chelsea last season with Inter, so he might not have much trouble with his old side here.

7. Barcelona
What can we say?  Barcelona are a class above the other possible opposition.  With this being almost certainly the best Barcelona side of all time, and with La Liga so much stronger than the other European leagues, we would much rather wait until later in the competition to face our eternal rivals.  Lionel Messi feels the same way, according to an article.  Such a match-up would also feel anti-climactic so early in the tournament.

Barcelona have easily the best squad in the competition on paper, with the possible exception of ours.  However, they have shown significant cracks in their play recently, along with a number of high-profile injuries, and teams like Sevilla have shown that they can be beaten with the right tactics.  In the earlier Clásico at the Camp Nou, Madrid played naively with a high line that Barcelona strolled through again and again.  This time, Madrid should play deep and hit Barcelona on the counter while taking the game to them physically.  Barcelona play high up the pitch and risk counterattacks against their weak defense, especially in the air, as their players are short.  With Eric Abidal out for the season (and possibly the rest of his career) with his tragic cancer diagnosis, Barcelona's injury worries in defense become compounded.  Piqué and Puyol have been injured of late, forcing Abidal into the center of defense.  Now that he is out, Barcelona may have to play Mascherano or Busquets there, making them more susceptible to error and hampering the ability of Barcelona to build attacks from the back.

Mourinho showed that the right tactics can defeat Barcelona with Inter last year, and this Barcelona side is significantly deteriorating, although they are still outstanding.  Xavi's fitness is an issue, Pedro is out for a spell, Messi hasn't looked quite on form since his knock during the Sevilla game, and teams in the intervening period will look at Sevilla's success with being very physical, so I would expect to see a lot more hard tackling in the next few weeks and we will see how Barcelona deal with that.  Clearly this is the worst-case scenario for the draw, but given the class of Madrid and Barcelona it is likely we will meet them at some point in the competition if we progress, so we should not fear to meet them now, when they are in their worst, most congested and most unfit part of their season. 

Real Madrid put Lyon to the sword at the Bernabéu tonight, easing past the French team 3-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate.  Mourinho made two key tactical shifts from the first leg, playing the marauding Marcelo instead of the more conservative Arbeloa at left back and the mercurial Benzema instead of Adebayor to lead the line.

One of the reasons Madrid had trouble breaking down Lyon in the first leg was Mourinho's tactical miscue in playing Arbeloa instead of Marcelo.  No doubt the reasoning was that the Spaniard offers more defensive security than the marauding Brazilian, but two issues with this emerged.

First, playing a more defensive player on that flank meant Arbeloa didn't attack as much down the wing, both failing to pin the opposition fullback/winger by forcing them to come deep to defend and inviting pressure and attacks down that side, as more space was available in front of the deep-lying fullback.  Second, playing an inverted winger (that is, a wing player who starts on the opposite side from his natural foot, such as Arjen Robben, a left-footer who plays on the right, or Ronaldo, a right-footer who plays on the left) with a similarly 'inverted' fullback means that both players have the tendency to cut inside rather than running at defenses to put in the cross.  Thus, Ronaldo had no one on the overlap to provide an outlet for his passing and to draw defenders off of him and often found himself stymied by two or three defenders.

At the Bernabéu, Mourinho made no such mistake, and his choices paid off in the key role Marcelo played in the match.  The match started off relatively even, with Madrid having the lion's share of the possession but failing to make chances against a resolute Lyon side.  Lyon played a deep defensive line and looked to play on the counter, so Madrid's passing failed to draw out defenders, while the Merengues were unwilling to commit too many men forward as it might allow Lyon the chance to counterattack incisively.  As the first half went on, Real's dominance began to fade as Lyon created some decent chances from breaks down the wings, earning a few corners and putting some crosses into the box.  Spells of Lyon possession also led to some nervous defending from the Whites, leading to yellow cards for Carvalho, Marcelo and Pepe.

Madrid had to conjure up something special to break the deadlock.  In the 37th minute, Ronaldo and Marcelo exchanged passes on the edge of the box before the Brazilian dribbled through with a superb piece of individual skill before finishing handily past the excellent Lloris.

In the second half, Lyon pushed forward desperately, looking for a goal.  Puel brought on Gomis for Briand during the interval, bringing Lisandro Lopez across to the left to keep Ramos in check.  Madrid, however, were happy to sit back and frolic in the open spaces left behind by Lyon on the break.  In the 66th minute, Benzema displayed the predatory instinct that has helped him to a remarkable scoring streak in the last few games by taking advantage of confusion between Cris and Lovren on a longball to spring free and put the ball through the legs of the onrushing Lloris.  Ten minutes later, di Maria chipped a third over Lloris after a slick counter and a clever headed pass by Ozil.  Mourinho was happy to take the opportunity to bring off Ronaldo, di Maria and Benzema and bring on Lass, Granero and Adebayor to see the tie out.  A broken Lyon team made no attempt to score a consolation goal, happy to keep Madrid from turning the tie into a rout.

Madrid saw themselves past their bogie team in Lyon and their curse of the last 16, where the Whites have failed for the past six years.  Here are the last 8:

Real Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk
Chelsea
Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur
Internazionale
Barcelona
Schalke

We here at Managing Madrid often joke about wishing serious injury or death on Barcelona players.  Soccer is, however, just a game, and some things go beyond partisan rivalries.  Our thoughts are with Eric Abidal at the moment, who has been diagnosed with liver cancer and will have surgery this week to remove the tumor.  Solid organ tumors are incredibly serious and have low survival rates, but it seems like the Barcelona medical team caught the cancer early, which dramatically raises the chance of success with the surgery.  Hopefully Abidal will pull through, beat his cancer and return to his career.

We are also saddened by UEFA's cold-hearted refusal to allow Madrid and Lyon, Abidal's former club, to wear T-shirts in support of the stricken player.  No doubt the teams will find some way to show their support for Abidal.

Real Madrid put the onus on Barcelona to keep up their winning streak at Sevilla on Sunday with an assured 2-0 win against giant-killing Hércules.  Benzema scored goals on either side of halftime to secure three points for Los Blancos in a match that the Castellana side never looked like losing.  Madrid played the game at a fairly slow pace, no doubt in order to conserve energy for the crucial Lyon tie in in midweek.

Mourinho decided to rest a number of key players ahead of the Lyon match, including the Portuguese centerback duo Pepe and Carvalho as well as Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira, who made a return from injury as a substitute.  Top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo also missed the match through injury, although he is scheduled to play against Lyon.  Casillas started in goal, with Albiol and Sergio Ramos in central defense flanked by Arbeloa and Marcelo.  Lass, Granero, Özil and di María lined up in midfield behind the offensive pairing of Adebayor and the red hot Benzema.

Benzema came into the Hércules game with five goals in his last three games and did not disappoint in his dress rehearsal for the match against his hometown club with another brace.  Los Vikingos started strongly, dominating possession and pinning Hércules deep in their own half.  Hércules did manage to string together a good sequence of possession, however, resulting in a shot by Portillo and an easy save by Casillas.

Aside from a couple of good Granero efforts from free kicks, Madrid failed to create any clear-cut chances until the 24th minute, when the electric Özil slipped a beautiful pass to put Arbeloa through on the right and the Spaniard played a perfect square pass into the path of Benzema's clever run for the Frenchman to finish emphatically with a drilled shot.  Hércules responded well but failed to take advantage of their possession before the halftime whistle.

Just after the restart, Adebayor was unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet as di María's lobbed pass found the unmarked Togolese, whose shot cannoned off the crossbar with the keeper beaten.  Catalayud was then forced to make a good save to keep out Benzema's shot from a narrow angle after another good bit of play from the diminutive Argentine.

In the 56th minute, Benzema grabbed a second with a superb piece of individual skill, latching onto a great ball from di María setting him free on the left before cutting inside, beating a defender, touching the ball onto his stronger foot and then lashing a fine strike inside the far post.

After going 2-0 up, Mourinho made several changes, bringing in Khedira and Alonso for di María and Granero, perhaps with the idea of allowing the first-choice pair some minutes before the Champions League game in midweek.  Los Blancos peppered the Hércules goal with a series of chances, but Catalayud stood strong to keep the scoreline respectable, saving from an excellent Özil free kick as well as shots by Marcelo, Benzema and Adebayor.

With this victory, Mourinho's men find themselves four points behind Barcelona before the Catalan club's game in the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán against Sevilla.  Even if Sevilla manage to take full points off of Barça, Madrid would still need to beat the Catalans in the Bernabéu and hope that Barcelona draws or loses again in order to have a chance of winning the league.

Ronaldo, the Brazilian striker who scored 98 goals in 164 games for Madrid between 2002 and 2007, has retired from football.  He will be remembered as one of the greatest players in history, managing to overcome a series of severe knee injuries through his sheer and unparalleled talent.

Slate has a good piece up on his retirement, so I won't say too much more, but the article is worth reading.

Ronaldo won a series of club and national trophies, including two World Cups as well as two La Liga titles with Madrid, as well as a staggering number of individual honors including three FIFA World Player of the Year awards, two Ballon d'Or, a European Golden Boot and three Pichichis.  He is also the all-time top scorer at the World Cup, and was chosen in the France Football all-time starting XI.