Short answer is No.

And here is why.

First, it is undeniable that losing Pepe, whom I rate as one of the best center backs in the world, is a big blow not only to Real Madrid but also to his national team. However, losing him doesn’t mean that Real must look in the market for a replacement because that’s, although a normal reaction, couldn’t be beneficial to the club and especially its defenders.

Looking at the current first team squad, we have three pure center-backs in Albiol, Metzelder and Garay which means a replacement for Pepe is not extremely needed — but still, depending on three center-backs for a team like Madrid who competes for La Liga and Champions League simultaneously is pretty crazy.

To begin with, Albiol is burnt out and the effects are going to show very soon. He has been over used by Pellegrini and was rarely rested, which means and as happened with Kaka, he could get injured soon.

Additionally, Metzelder whom as of writing this is fit — doesn’t usually stay healthy for the whole season. It would be weird If he didn’t pick up an injury so yet again counting on him is not the best thing you want to do.

This leaves us only with one healthy and young man to have faith in; Garay. The young Argentine defender was signed two seasons ago but he spent a whole season on loan with Santander and moved to the Spanish capital this summer. He has only started and played in a few games but showed a lot of promise and potential.

Can he replace Pepe?

I say yes.

He is in no way as solid as Pepe, but with Ramos, Arbeloa and Albiol, he can do a good job. A good defense is not about good individuals, it is about a group of players who communicate properly and work together. For me, I’d prefer to have four Castilla defenders who understand and communicate with each other very well than a backline consisted of Alves, Terry, Cannavaro and Lahm who just don’t click as a unit.

So now that we have agreed on Garay as the man to replace Pepe, don’t we need another one to replace him, just in case and God forbids, he gets injured or Albiol and Metzelder get sidelined as well?

Yes, but don’t look elsewhere and here is why.

There is always a lot of pressure on Real Madrid. Perez’ next move at the moment should logically be splashing £20m or something on a center-back but this is what I don’t want him to do. Instead, I want him to look inside — and for once and all, ignore AS and Marca.

Have some faith in your people.

The Castilla is full of players who are hungry to have a shot at playing for the first team. They have the talent, yet they lack the experience.

This is probably the only difference between Barcelona and Real Madrid when it comes to youth players. Barcelona have more faith in their youngsters than Real Madrid do and it has worked very well for them so far.

Promoting a Castilla defender to the first team is not a horrible idea. If you buy a replacement, he will go through the same experience a Castilla player would go through — and I actually think a Castilla defender would gel and adapt faster.

The bottom line is, Real need to show some faith in their players whether first team or Castilla players. Splashing money for another defender is not always the right thing to do, and you never know — there might be a hidden talent in your youth ranks that is ready to shine.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

AC Milan v Real Madrid
Tuesday 03 November 2009, San Siro
UEFA Champions League
Kick-Off: 19:45 UK (20:45 CET)

Real Madrid face the daunting task of taking on AC Milan at the San Siro tonight as they try to get their Champions League campaign back on track sans Cristiano Ronaldo.

Having watched the last game at the Bernabeu and how Real Madrid failed to hold on and beat a relatively old, but collectively-strong AC Milan, I thought I’d share with you my thoughts on the return fixture and how Los Blancos can win it. There are four (4) key areas where Real Madrid will need to improve – have a read and discuss (after the jump).

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1. Bench Raul, think objectively, be fair, and start with Higuain upfront

It doesn’t matter if Raul is the captain or Perez’ girlfriend, If he isn’t performing well (which is the case now), he needs to be benched. The rubbish talk of Raul being the leader who instructs and helps others on the field is just plain useless.

Start Gonzalo Higuain instead. Not because he scored two goals against Getafe, but because he has some characteristics (which Raul doesn’t have) that can exhaust Milan’s Nesta and his friends. Pace and powerful shooting are just two. Dribbling? Yes sir, he got that. The only unique thing about Raul though, is his experience and good-positioning, but for this game, Higuain is the right man.

I know you might be asking, who should be playing with Higuain in attack? That depends on how Pellegrini wants to play, but I would add Van Nistelrooy If I wanted a great finisher and someone with experience.

Benzema is a good option too, but he is under-performing. Still, I would prefer him over Raul. No, I don’t hate Raul, it is just that Benzema can do well against Milan, the captain can’t. Period.

2. A strong and EFFECTIVE midfield is the key

Alonso, Lass and Kaka. Who else do you need? That looks like FIFA 10, but for Pellegrini, it is real. The problem though is apart from Lass, Kaka and Alonso haven’t been that great, at least they haven’t been Alonso and Kaka yet. Just their shadows.

Kaka knows Milan well. OK, that’s rubbish. He needs to use what he knows on the pitch. It is undeniable that Kaka is a great player, but he needs to step up his game and this is a good chance to improve. He loves spaces, but I doubt he will get many if Milan play their game, which bring us to the next point.

3. Play your game and force Milan to adapt to it

I think Barca is more than a night club, but I do like them because they do their own thing, play their game and FORCE you to adapt to it. They are just really good at that, and that’s why they usually win.

Real needs to control the tempo of the game. Alonso has to do it. Lass will be there to help out, but it will mainly depend on Alonso. When Real plays with style, dominate and force Milan to react to it, it will be very easy for Los Blancos to win.

They sort of managed to dominate in the first half of the first leg, but they lacked effectiveness in front of goal. But with Higuain or Van Nistelrooy upfront, scoring goals shouldn’t be a hurdle If you can assist them.

4. Communication and proper organization at the back is essential

Here is the other difficult part (in addition to playing with style and dominating). Since we sold Cannavaro, we have been missing a leader in the back. Pepe isn’t one. And Ramos needs who leads him. I can only think of Casillas, but we need a defender who shouts as loud as he can, who can awake Marcelo and Ramos from their day dreams, and who can organize and lead his teammates.

There is no quick and perfect solution at the moment, but Pellegrini needs to address this issue to his defenders. We’ve conceded off set-pieces, counter-attacks and even corners in a silly way. Sevilla scored two silly goals, Pato got away with a sneaky one and who knows If we don’t figure it out tomorrow night how Pato will get way with another one.

We need to be organized and awake all the time. We also need to be strong. Ramos on the right, Pepe and Albiol in the center is fine, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable seeing Marcelo or Drenthe on the left. I would prefer to play Arbeloa out of his position and put him there. Pellegrini experimented with him against Getafe and the former Liverpool man did a good job. What do we have to lose anyway?

From Soccerlens.com - Football News