El Clasico: What should Real Madrid do?

 A must win game for Real Madrid and that too would be against Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu, where they are yet to beat the Catalans since 2014......

It would be one of those days when the tension would kill you each minute as soon as the day commences. You would not be able to concentrate a hundred percent on anything until the match starts at night. As soon as the match would start, the nerves would start to calm down, but deep down you would not be able to settle until you see your favourite team leaves the stadium with a winning note.

For the fans of Real Madrid and Barcelona, an El Clasico day is not just a football match, but more than that. For a while, the unrest and crisis situations of world and day life would be forgotten – Real Madrid and Barcelona would help to heal the pains and miseries of football fans all over the worldwide and that is why we love to say that football is the game of the people!

In the last decade, Barcelona had the edge over Real Madrid in the battle of El Clasico. On April 10, 2010, Real faced Barca for the first time in the last decade. Lionel Messi and Pedro gifted Santiago Bernabeu sadness, while in the following year on November 29, at Camp Nou, Real were thrashed by the Catalans. And before the decade started, the pain of 6-2 drubbing at Bernabeu on May 2, 2009, still haunted the Los Blancos throughout the decade. Real Madrid did have many unforgettable memories in the last decade, but in the El Clasico, Messi and co had the edge most of the time.

Tough challenge

Things were looking very comfortable for Real Madrid with the club on a 20-match unbeaten run and winning the Supercopa de Espana.  After smooth-sailing for a few months, the boys of Zinedine Zidane have discovered themselves in that position where they were found wanting since Ronaldo left in the eventful summer of 2018. The recent defeat against Manchester City in the Champions League in just five minutes have added more miseries to the previous ones – defensive fragility and the lack of a goal scorer have been creating a headache for Zidane.

On Sunday, it would be Barcelona’s time to travel to Santiago Bernabeu. With the progression of time, many things have changed. Bernabeu would not witness the rivalry between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and right now, Bernabeu is not the fort of Los Blancos anymore.

Zidane does not have a safety net!

Zidane witnessed injuries ravage his squad and results have slipped of late, with Barcelona, despite their ongoing off-pitch crisis, sitting back at the top of the table. With 13 games remaining and Barcelona leading Real Madrid by 2 points, El Clasico at the Bernabeu could be pivotal in deciding the most compelling La Liga title race for years – Zidane knows very well that anything other than a victory would be a potentially damaging one.

Lack of goal scorers

Of late, Real Madrid’s biggest problem has been scoring goals. So far, Karim Benzema has been their potential goal scorer with others lending a helping hand at times if not regularly. Obviously, not in every match, Sergio Ramos or Casemiro would not score. Scoring goals is always the responsibility of the players upfront.

At the start of the season, Benzema had been brilliant - scored13 goals in the first 16 league games, masking the team's overall deficiencies inside the penalty area. But later on, Benzema could score only one league goal since Christmas - an important one, winning last month's local derby against Atletico Madrid - and none of the team's other forwards have been productive - excluding penalties no other Real player has scored more than three league goals. Sergio Ramos is the team's second-highest scorer with 5, but 3 of those came from the spot.

Moreover, the singings of players like Luka Jovic and Eden Hazard proved less productive. As a matter of fact, less productive signings and Real Madrid are not synonymous. But in the last two seasons, this has been the reality.

A strong backline

Without a doubt, Real Madrid’s backline has been more or less impressive than last season. The presence of Casemiro gives them the extra edge. Even though in the last couple of matches, during transitions, their defence looked vulnerable under counterattack, still they could be relied upon. The best thing would be to play Ferland Mendy instead of Marcelo. Marcelo’s experience has a huge value, but his over-attacking intent more often left spaces for the opposition to exploit.

Real Madrid can no longer trust Dani Carvajal. In the last 3 matches now – all of which Carvajal has started in and played the full 90 minutes – Real Madrid has not won. Someone with pace can easily outclass him –Raheem Sterling did it the other day. Barcelona does have players to undermine him.

Then, Carvajal struggled when marking Gabriel Jesus and could not keep hold of the ball with Pep’s side pressing relentlessly in the first half.

It would be better if they start with Eder Militao, Ramos, Raphael Varane and Mendy.

Militao is a much better defender than Carvajal and can feature as a right-back as well.

Meanwhile, yet another challenge waiting for Thibaut Courtois to prove his worth.

After a rough start, he has delivered better.

The frontline must act

The key to success in high-voltage matches such as El Clasico, the best way to take the upper hand is by having an electrifying start and which can be achieved only by scoring goals as early as possible – because this would allow the opposition to attack and leaves, which could be exploited smartly by the midfield.

Yet, again, Benzema needs to rediscover his lost mojo and he would need the support of others. In the match against City, Vinicius Junior played a crucial role upfront to create opportunities. It would be ideal to play him full 90 minutes as he strikes the right chord behind a striker. Also, he has the ability to dominate the flanks and outweighs the opposition wing-backs. Maybe he has not yet mastered the ability to score goals regularly, but that would come sooner – The El Clasico might be his match to relish.

Midfield – pass the ball fast and maintain compactness

In one of the most important matches of this season, Zidane decided to bench Toni Kroos, who has been the leader at the center of the park for more than five years now. Until City's arrival at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the No.8 hadn't missed any Champions League game other than the rest he was afforded at Club Brugge, and he hadn't missed a match of such importance since March 2018.

Back then, Kroos was left out against Paris Saint-Germain with Casemiro and Mateo Kovacic forming the axis in the middle, while Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez held down the flanks.

It was a decision that very few people understood, while Zidane said, it was a ‘technical decision’. Also, his decision to exclude the in-form Rodrygo Goes more than once in the last six matchday squads remains quite surprising.

Zidane is experimenting with his rotation policies, but this plan seems rigid and what Real Madrid would require is flexibility and in the midfield, he would need it the most.

The presence of Kroos in midfield is a must because he sets the tempo and dictates the term from the center of the park. His presence has proven essential to Madrid; his 5 goals have come from him being closer to the box. He had 21 shots so far this term, which he's only managed in 2016/17 previously in a season that saw Los Blancos emerge as Spanish and European champions.

Zidane might go with a diamond-shaped midfield with Isco playing at the top just behind the two forwards, and just behind him the combination of Kroos, Casemiro, and Fede Valverde would prove productive enough – their cocktail of compactness and smart-but-fast-passing would be the need of the day.

But whether Kroos would feature or not still remains a mystery and all of a sudden a lot of speculations are going on.

Zidane must end it!

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 29/04/2020 El Clasico: What should Real Madrid do?   

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Faisal Caesar

Manchester City conquers Santiago Bernabeu

Since the Champions League draw for knockout stages came out, the clash between Real Madrid and Manchester City was dubbed as the most mouthwatering prospect. Two of the most high-profile coaches of modern times would face yet again in a venue, where they battled hard during their playing days. Both the coaches and their teams have been facing a rough time recently with City facing a tougher time than Real – the UEFA ban has jolted the unit, but not broken time. At the end of the match, one could say, adversity motivated City to deliver the best.

Santiago Bernabeu is not the fort of Real Madrid anymore like the past, but still, the carnival atmosphere was evident and the expectations among the fans were sky-high. None wishes to see Real Madrid fail against Pep Guardiola. But Pep has conquered Bernabeu before and he knows how to bounce back and he has the players to do it for him.

Zinedine Zidane brought on Vinicius Junior to partner with Karim Benzema up front with Isco playing behind them. Fede Valverde was joined by Luka Modric and Casemiro in the midfield. Even though the first-half could be regarded as a quiet one, but Real Madrid played some brilliant football. Zidane’s tactical move with a 4-3-1-2 formation was doing very well.

Real checked Kevin De Bruyne and limiting his passing chances. He could hardly breathe and City struggled to gain momentum. But still, City found the way through – as the time progressed, Pep’s men were proving to be the better side than Zidane and at one point, Real Madrid were found wanting.

Madrid attempted three shots in the opening 45 minutes against City, their lowest total in a game at home this season in all competitions.

City lost Aymeric Laporte in the first-half and were again forced to draft in Fernandinho at the back. Guardiola came with a gameplan where he did not have Fernandinho. Instead, Fernandinho rose to the occasion, as did his team-mates, particularly De Bruyne, Jesus and Riyad Mahrez, who worked tirelessly in a forward line operating without a recognized No 9.

But Real took over.

Vinicius was brilliant. His pace and skill were very welcoming – a no-look-pass at one point in the first-half charmed the crowd. He assisted wonderfully on Isco’s goal and was able to work his way around Kyle Walker to win the ball and get the pass off to Isco from in tight.

Everything was going according to plan for Real Madrid. But things started to fell apart for the Los Blancos after Vinicius was subbed off. The game shifted as Zidane moved more towards a 4-4-2 formation with Gareth Bale on for the young Brazilian.  

In the last 15 minutes, Real played some of the worst football of the season.

It began with Gabriel Jesus off a wonderful cross from De Bruyne. Claims of a push were made by Real Madrid, but it clear that Ramos just fell over trying to win the air battle; it was a correct non-call. Then just minutes later came the De Bruyne’s crucial penalty. It was a terrible decision from Carvajal to attempt that tackle in the box on Raheem Sterling, he didn’t make contact with any of the ball.

With the match under jeopardy, Sergio Ramos received a red card when he chopped down Gabriel Jesus who was clear on goal. It was his fourth red card in the Champions League and ties with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edgar Davids for the most. Ramos would miss the crucial away league at Etihad Stadium – a big blow for Zidane.

A night to forget for Real Madrid, but City left the Spanish shores after conquering one of the most aristocratic venues in world football.

Without a doubt, City were the better side in the second-half with more shots on goal than Real Madrid. Pep’s decision to start with Jesus paid rich dividends.  Jesus made more ball recoveries than any other City players: completed 20 of his 21 passes and had a huge impact in the final third when chances fell his way.

Then there was that dynamic midfielder Kevin de Bruyne: Undoubtedly, he is the best midfielder in the world right now. Despite being checked in the first-half, he sneaked a way through to make an impact in the game. He assisted the first goal where Jesus jumped over Ramos to equalize and then scored the winner from the penalty spot.  Last season he was overshadowed by injuries, but this season, he is all set to claim himself as the best in the world alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

In the end, Pep’s tactical master class should be credited: Guardiola started without the likes of Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho and Raheem Sterling and opted for an unusual shape to his team, but City looked comfortable throughout the match – more control over the ball and enough attacking intent than the home side. Guardiola has become the manager with the most wins against Real Madrid in all competitions in the 21st century (10), surpassing Ernesto Valverde and Diego Simeone (9).

Again, Guardiola has become the manager with the most wins in Champions League knockout stages (28), surpassing Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti (27).

Manchester City are the third English side to conquer Bernabeu after Arsenal in 2006 and Liverpool in 2009.

All is well at Manchester, but the mood is gloomy at Bernabeu.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 27/02/2020 Manchester City conquer Santiago Bernabeu  

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Faisal Caesar 

Lyon stun Juventus

Juventus – a club with a great history and every year they remain one of the favourites to lift the trophy of the UEFA Champions League. And when the best player in the world of this era – Cristiano Ronaldo – joined them last summer, the Juve fans started to dream big. With someone like Cristiano around, one can expect to conquer Europe and beyond. So, obviously, against Lyon at the Groupama Stadium, Cristiano and co would start as the favourites and earn an important away victory before the game at Turin.

But football is a strange game. While Pep Guardiola and co shocked Real Madrid at home, Lyon stunned Juventus to take the upper hand. Lucas Tousart scored the only goal as Lyon secured a slender 1-0 win over Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash.

As a matter of fact, Juventus were very poor throughout the match. They moved the ball slowly and allowed the opposition to win the ball back advance forward. This slow passing opened the opportunity for the opening goal. The aggression was lacking big time, while defensively Juve lacked the cutting edge.

Cristiano Ronaldo was unsurprisingly Juve's biggest threat throughout, the Portuguese superstar clipping narrowly wide in the opening period, while Paulo Dybala had a goal ruled out for offside three minutes from time.

But nothing could take away the spirited display from Lyon. The under-fire Lyon boss Rudi Garcia’s boys did a great job in securing the lead until the final whistle. It was a robust defensive display where the backline and midfield of Lyon played a vital role.

One of the midfielders who impressed for Lyon was a young Brazilian named Bruno Guimaraes. In comparison to his teammates, Bruno completed most passes, most tackles, most interceptions, second-most touches, second-most dribbles, second-best pass completion and third-most ball recoveries.

His performance just in his second match for Lyon and that too in the Champions League earned huge praise from the Lyon Sporting director Jininho who said, “Bruno is a player who has been thoroughly educated. That is rare in Brazil, but we came across a team that trains its players well”.

“He is a player with great humility, who always wants to learn. We see that he has the ability to see situations before they arise”.

“He really is a very, very good player. He has all the qualities to become a great, great player. Today, national team members were here. I think he will be called for Brazil's first team soon”.

But the result is shocking for Juventus. The defeat marked the very first time that Lyon have beaten Juventus in European competition having lost three of their previous four such encounters and managing just a single draw. In fact, not since November 2009 had Juve lost against French opposition in the Champions League, with the last such setback coming in a 2-0 defeat against Bordeaux in the group stages. It is also the first time the French outfit have come out on the winning side in a Champions League knockout tie since February 2012, when they prevailed 1-0 over APOEL Nicosia.

Again, Juve failed to test the opposition goalkeeper for the first time in over five years not since October 2014, against Diego Simeone’s  Atletico Madrid, had the club gone an entire Champions League game without a shot on target. Then, Juventus have conceded in seven consecutive away games in all competitions, their longest such run without a clean sheet in a single season since May 2010, when they were scored upon for 18 straight matches – the backline does not look good as well.

Sarri and Juventus have a lot to ponder before the clash against Lyon at Turin.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 27/02/2020 Lyon stun Juventus 

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Faisal Caesar 

Barcelona fail against brilliant Napoli

Without a doubt, Barcelona were the overwhelming favourites against Napoli. Neither Napoli had a Lionel Messi in their side nor do they have superstars like Antoine Griezmann, Sergio Busquets or young talents like Ansu Fati. They only had the grit and spirit of Diego Maradona, who was and still is the God of Naples. And until the final whistle, Napoli kept the fighting spirit going and one could feel the presence of Maradona at Stadio San Paolo. Gattuso’s Napoli has stopped the mighty Barcelona in the knockout stage of Champions league, which is surely a great feat.

Even though Napoli enjoys more of the possession (53.35%) than their opponents in the Italian Serie A, but in the match against Barcelona, Gattuso decided to focus more on compactness – defend hard, block the channels and counterattack with speed whenever Barcelona’s backline weakens.

They applied a 4-4-2 formation for Barcelona’s 3-5-2, who started building from the back. Gattuso concentrated on the mid-pitch-block and kept the passing lanes so narrow that Quique Setien's men could enjoy their possession-based football, but could hardly penetrate as the number of shots on goal remained unnoticed.

The narrowness in the center of the park forced Barcelona’s possession to become lethargic, devoid of movement and creativity upfront. The possession-based football of Barcelona might have triggered nostalgia among the fans, but without proper penetration, such so-called beautiful football are of no use.

In the meantime, a festive atmosphere showed up at Naples  -  Junior Firpo gave a silly ball away at the back and Piotr Zielinski picked out Mertens on the edge of the penalty area, where he took a touch and whipped a sumptuous finish past Marc-Andre ter Stegen to put the hosts ahead.

 Napoli doubled their advantage before the interval, but Kostas Manolas flashed a close-range effort past the post – tiki-taka or whatever they say had no answer but could learn what penetration is all about.

Setien was forced to change his plans in the second-half after an unproductive first outing.

Barca started with both full-backs pushing forward for the first time and quicker passing around the box, which made them more inventive and dangerous. After 10 minutes they equalized with a masterful pass from Busquets to find Nelson Semedo who gave  Griezmann a tap-in, and they equalized.

Napoli decided to advance on the counter and they did it more often to put chills down the spine of Barcelona backline. Marc-André ter Stegen made two unbelievable saves to stop Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon.

Barcelona pressed hard in the remaining 20 minutes, but in the final few, Napoli tested them again. They survived but the red card of Arturo Vidal was a telling blow to their plans – Vidal was sent off for a hard foul then a stupid head-butt on Mario Rui, and Barca had to play the final few minutes with just 10 men.

Vidal is the first Barcelona player to be sent off in the Champions League in the knockout stages since April 2011, when Jose Manuel Pinto was dismissed against Real Madrid.

It was a night where Lionel Messi failed to create the spark which he did a few days back against Eibar. In another big game at the Champions League, Messi failed to cut a satisfactory figure. He was a lonely figure most of the times and even though he moved to create chances, Napoli’s defence was so alert and solid that it was tough for Messi to breach. It is never easy to breach the Napoli wall, but someone called Cristiano Ronaldo did it several times though.   

 The game ended 1-1. Since winning their first-ever game in the Champions League knockout stages (3-1 vs Chelsea in 2011-12), Napoli have failed to win any of their last four games outside of the group stage – One draw and three defeats, with three of those coming against Spanish opponents.  Meanwhile, Barcelona have only won one of their previous nine away games in the Champions League knockout stages –three draws and five defeats, with that lone victory coming against Manchester United in April 2019.

It was a hard-fought battle where Gattuso’s men would relish the moral victory. If they can maintain such solidity at Camp Nou, it won’t be tough for them to conquer Barcelona. 

Note: The article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 226/02/2020 Barcelona fail against brilliant Napoli  

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Faisal Caesar