Farewell (but not too well!) galácticos and erráticos; enter the new order
When I wrote, under a cloud of euphoria, about Real Madrid’s triumph in the 2006-7 La Liga, I warned against resting on their laurels (something that Los Merengues do like few other teams), and predicted that wholesale changes would be necessary if the club were to keep up with their rivals during the coming season.
Since that wonderful evening, Barcelona have added four excellent players (Eric Abidal, Gabi Milito Yaya Toure and Thierry Henry), prompting comparisons with the dream team of the early 90s (another Dutchman in charge, another frightening forward quartet, for Pep Guardiola read Iniesta or Xavi), and leading this last to remark that he felt that this was the strongest Barça squad to have ever existed.
Barça are not the only team to have added to their ranks; Villareal, Sevilla (expect their title challenge to be even stronger next season, so long as Alves is not sold..), Atlético Madrid, Valencia and Real Zaragoza have all added quality and numbers to the squads, with the signings of Juan Mata (one of the few veritable bright sparks in the Real Madrid Cantera) and Arizmendi significant for Valencia, whilst Zaragoza have made several notable coups, including Paredes, Oliveira, Ayala and Matuzalem. How does Real Madrid’s transfer activity compare to that of their adversaries?
On Wednesday I read the news that in my eyes ushered in a new era in the modern history of Real Madrid C.F. No, this has nothing to do with Golden Balls, Mr David Beckham, last of the galácticos (and, I might add, some years ago, last of the Mohicans). The crucial development of which I speak concerns an entirely different group; a group of players so patently out-of-place in the Real Madrid squad, such a gulf away from the famous galácticos, that I have baptised them the erráticos.
The news about which I am talking is the deal agreed between Real Madrid and Real Zaragoza taking Francisco Pavón to Zaragoza; Pavón joins fellow deadweight erráticos such as Raul Bravo, Alberto Mejía (a good player, I would concede, but never Real Madrid class), Pablo García and Diego López (again, I am forced to aver that López is a very good goalkeeper, but never good enough to challenge Iker Casillas), in leaving Los Vikingos for lesser clubs.
With the slag having been siphoned off and Real’s coffers being in excellent condition, it is incumbent upon Bernt Schuster to replace those who have been found wanting with talented and enthusiastic newcomers. However, the only really notable signings this summer have been Pepe, Metzelder and Saviola; the former two will be responsible for shoring up a defence that, although not terrible, often looked leaky (particularly after the sad departure of Helguera), whilst the latter will offer further attacking variety.
Good as these three may be, they are hardly on the same quality as the blaugrana additions, especially considering Metselder’s dodgy injury record. The collapse of the deal for Christian Chivu could certainly come back to haunt Schuster and Calderón, as the Romanian is certainly a player of the calibre necessary for such an important club.
Whilst rumours abound regarding Reyes, Robben and Drenthe (the Dutchmen being infinitely better players, in my opinion), and whilst Marca continue to fabricate to their heart’s delight (Iniesta to Real Madrid??), I continue to be worried by the lack of reliable transfer speculation surrounding the club.
Whom exactly can Real sign to improve their dwindling squad? A significant worry must be the midfield area, where Real have just four recognised professionals, along with the exciting youngster, Esteban Granero: Diarra, Emerson (who will see less playing time this coming season, if he does not depart for pastures new), Gago and Guti; it is also inescapably conspicuous that all four are central midfielders.
If we examine the current Real Madrid squad (listed below for consultation purposes), the following possible first team permutations emerge, with a huge amount of diversity available up front, where I feel that Robinho in particular is likely to come of age in the coming season. However, all of the possible selections reveal a massive imbalance in the side, particularly in terms of wide defenders and midfielders.
Casillas
Marcelo Cannavaro Pepe Cicinho
Ramos Diarra
Reyes Higuaín
Van Nistelrooy Robinho
………
Casillas
Marcelo Pepe/Cannavaro/Ramos Cicinho (attack)/Salgado (defense)
(select 2) (select 1)
Diarra Guti Gago
Raúl/Higuaín
Van Nistelrooy Robinho
I see only bit part roles for Cassano (if not sold), Emerson, Metzelder and Soldado.
Which players do you think Schuster ought to bring in to add verve and balance to the squad? How would you arrange the current players to get the best out of them personally and tactically?
My opinion is that at least two wide midfielders need to be signed, one for each side, as well as another right-sided midfielder. Real are well stocked at right-back, but another left full-back is a prerequisite; Marcelo, if not loaned out again, cannot be expected to perform at a consistently high level in his first full season at the club, especially given his age. Another creative presence in midfield is also a requirement, as Guti is now ageing, and tends to disappear from games. Up front, there seem to be a multitude of options, though the sale of Mata continues to be a mystery to me.
Finally, I wanted to do a bit of sermonizing.
Season after season I see Manchester United, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea use their worldwide scouting services to pick out the best of the young talent. However, not only do Real Madrid seem incapable of producing world class talent at the moment (Casillas is the last excellent player to come from the youth team, even if, like Utd, the lower leagues of Spanish football are full of ex-madridistas), a charge which cannot be levelled at Barcelona, but Real’s scouting service seem to have the blinkers on.
I cannot remember the last time Real signed a low-profile exciting youngster (a la Pekhart, Sahar, Fabregas, Mérida, Rossi etc.). Marcelo, Gago and Higuaín are the closest thing to scouted youngsters in the Real squad, except that Los Merengues shelled out over 6 million euros on the first, and over 20 million euros on the next two combined. What is the reason for this?
All comments welcome.
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Discussion - 23 Responses
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Real should only go for top talent,those easy to get too…
Van Der Vaart,Diego(closest u can get to Kaka),Farfan,Philip Lahm…
On top of that they should sign some veteran in defence whom the youngsters can learn from yet at the same time only for stop gap…etc Hyppia,Silvestre,Bob…
If they have so much money & are in need of top quality youngsters, then why the hell are they being stingy about Jose Antonio Reyes? They obviously need him & if they can’t get him then i can’t see where else they can get a quality winger on short notice. It’s not like they’ve skimped on finances before but when they can see the obvious talent they don’t go for it! Instead they haggle about money. I just get the feeling that the Real Madrid Board just want to get established players again & again in order to remain high profile & sell t-shirts. They’d buy the whole Barcelona squad if they could with all of its established stars!
I’m sick of this club & its inherent stupidity &/or outright lack of vision & they’re disgusting attempts to constantly poach or unsettle players from other teams in addition to their utter arrogance & utter contempt of other clubs when it comes to dealing with them.
As an Arsenal fan i’ve heard the rumours about Wenger being offered the manager’s job at this outfit in the future but i can’t see him coming to a club with such an utterly crap youth policy & emphasis on style rather than substance or results. (Unless he wants a significant pay-rise of course!)
God help Schuster!
Great article.real madrid if they do sign robben will have bought a quality young player .something they dont do very often.at chelsea robben was not given as much match time as he needs.i can actualy say chelsea ruined him last season by stickin him on the bench.robben,when fit can take apart any defence and if madrid do sign him and he manages to stay fit.madrid will have probably done some of their best business in a long time
Good article. Mr.Santiago Barnebeau would surely have been spinning in his grave for the past few years after seeing the board with all its flawed policies and ‘inherent stupidity’. And once they won the league after a tough campaign, they fire the manager who bought some order to the dressing room. Can Schuster keep that infamous dressing room quiet? Honestly i dont think so……….
———-Casillias
Ramos-Pepe-Cannavaro-Cicinho
———-Diarra-Gago
Reyes——————Robinho
———RVN-Raul
or(but then they´ve got to buy robben)
———-Casillias
Ramos-Pepe-Cannavaro-Cicinho
————Diarra(Gago)
Reyes——————robben
———–robinho
———RVN—-Raul
I don´t know real that well but i think that they have a verry strong 1st squad but not that great bench
Where to start.
1. We did not get Chivu because he was demanding too much money in wages and it was recently reveled that his agent was receiving money from Inter to secure the deal in their favor
2. When was the last time Manchester United or even Arsenal pumped a excellent player through their own youth ranks? Fabragas, Rooney, Ronaldo, Walcott, Mérida, and Rossi are all product of other teams youth systems.
You mentioned Pekhart, Sahar, Fabregas, Mérida, Rossi but disregard the likes of Robinho, Gago, Higuian, Marcelo, Ramos, Torres and Soldado who are all excellent young players.
The team is building a great foundation for the future with the likes of Diarra, Casillas, Robinho, Gago, Higuian, Marcelo, Ramos, Torres, Pepe, Granero, De la Red, Soldado, Saviola and Bueno, all being under 26 years.
Schuster proposed a diamond 4-4-2:
——————–Casillas——————
-Ramos—-Metz—-Pepe—–Torres-
———————Diarra——————-
—Robinho———————Robben–
———————-AM————————
——–Saviola———–RVN————-
As for Chivu - I don’t deny that his deal collapsed because of his wage demands. That doesn’t mean Real won’t suffer for their failure to sign such an excellent player. Where is the logic in your petulant response? Let me put what you said and what I said next to each other and you tell me whether they are mutually exclusive:
1. We did not get Chivu because he was demanding too much money in wages and it was recently reveled that his agent was receiving money from Inter to secure the deal in their favor.
2.The collapse of the deal for Christian Chivu could certainly come back to haunt Schuster and Calderón, as the Romanian is certainly a player of the calibre necessary for such an important club.
I’d be extremely surprised if Soldado is played regularly this season - Capello didn’t have enough confidence in him, and I just can’t see him forcing his way through. It’s a shame, because every time I have seen him play he has been good, if not world-beating.
You keep telling yourself that the squad is in good stead - why don’t you look at how thin it is across the midfield? Robben hasn’t even been signed yet, and is extremely injury prone. Why didn’t Real make a move for Babel, instead? Why not Van der Vaart? (though admittedly he, too, spends a fair amount of time in the treatment room). And why are they wasting time with protracted transfer sagas (Kaká, Robben, Fabregas) when they could be snapping up other excellent players (perhaps not as brilliant, but without the added baggage of rumours of illegal approaches, and the immense resources and efforts invested in pursuing almost-impossible signings).
You use Arsenal as an example, a club that does not have the financial capabilities to acquire established players. A club that pouches talents from other clubs. Tell me who the last player that came through Arsenal’s youth ranks was? A Player they developed on their own.
You come across as someone who is basically excited by big name signings, a football manager generation mindtype perhaps. Collecting a bunch of big name players does not guarantee results and trophies.
I’m personally excited the collection of young players that will form a great team.
—– The Team —-
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek, and Codina;
Defenders: Sergio Ramos, Cicinho, Salgado, Pepe, Metzelder, Cannavaro, Marcelo and Torres
Midfielders: Emerson, Diarra, De la Red, Granero, Guti, Balboa, Robinho, Gago, and Adrián
Forwards: Van Nistelrooy, Higuaín, Saviola, Soldado, Alberto Bueno, Baptista and the captain, Raúl González.
———–
According to Schuster, 3 more players will arrive, Reyes, Robben and Drenthe to strength the midfield.
Also, Torres proved himself last season and Babel is okay at best, not excellent or exciting but “okay” IMO.
you can also include that 19 year old Aregtinian star who was the leading goalscorer in the recently finished U20 WC.
Aguero I think his name is. A future star for them.
Unfortunately Ryan Aguero plays for Atletico Madrid.
The question is what happens to schuster and his dream team if they fail to play attractive football and win trophies? The president has already warned him. Next year at this time will schuster be still the man for Madrid?
Arsenal because they don’t have the financial resources to compete for big-name players. Double standards..
Hugo, well done mate i think it was a good article with some good responses to the comments. I don’t think people understand that if Arsenal were to rely on a ‘pure’ youth policy i.e. take players from around North London & develop them, they would get nowhere coz they would be competing with half a dozen other London clubs that play in the Premiership.
People miss the point that what Arsenal does very well is to take youth from anywhere & mould it into greatness.
Ahmed, this might be a starting parameter for ‘Who’s Youth Policy is better?’ if it hasn’t been mentioned already.
Real Madrid started this policy of ‘Los Galacticos’ which then became a by-word for over-priced & underperforming players. I’d like to calculate, in financial terms, the amount of money spent for players per number of trophies won by Real Madrid since they started the ‘Galacticos’ policy. That’s 2 La Liga trophies plus a CL trophy for about £150 million for all the major players at least. So that’s £50 million per trophy. Pretty expensive. Compare that with this gem - ‘the Arsenal defence that set a new record after going ten consecutive games without conceding a goal en route to the UEFA Champions League 2005-06 final against FC Barcelona, cost Arsenal less than £5m to assemble.’
Now, to be fair Real Madrid have an awesome marketing machine that makes up the cost deficit in ratio to the results. My point is, if Arsenal had such resources they would have done 10 times better than Madrid.
REDONDO,
you talk about the last player that arsenal brought through the youth system, justin hoyte. to be honest hoyte is just as good as torres. also, at least the arsenal players spend a good bit of time at arsenal before becoming finished articles, for example cesc and merida both joined arsenal at 15 (correct me if im wrong). what arsenal do is not wrong, but they could be seen as making a few mistakes. in arsenal’s team, hoyte is the only player that was in the arsenal youth system. however ashley cole was a product, as was david bentley(on fringes of england team), and steve sidwell who now plays for chelsea. Compared to real, arsenal dont have the money to spend on players who are nearly at their peak, so they pay little for future stars and groom them to arsenal’s style of play.
one of your better arguments, but still so much up real’s ass.
Chivu has an agent who is as close to being mafioso as possible. Good riddance.
I think we’re well-covered in defense, but Pepe seems overpriced. I highly doubt Metzelder will be reduced to a bit-part player, we’ll essentially have 3 center-halves, Pepe, Metzelder and Cannavaro. Cannavaro will be 34 years old and recently admitted he only expects to play about 2/3rd of the matches. Sergio Ramos can be called into the center when necessary but Metzelder will play quite often, I have no doubt.
We need to sign either Reyes or Robben, preferably both, because we’re lacking on the left side. Robinho and Higuain can both play on the right; in fact I think Robinho is better on the right than on the left, but due to circumstances has spent the last 2 seasons on the left side.
In the center of the pitch we have Gago, Guti, Granero, Diarra, de la Red, and Emerson. No one at the level of a Cesc or Kaka etc, except perhaps Guti on one of his infrequent good days, but a lot of potential there in Gago, Granero, Diarra and de la Red. I would prefer not to break the bank and to put the pressure and responsibility on them to step up.
Up front, Raul is dead weight, unless he miraculously re-finds his form of 4+ seasons ago. Highly unlikely. But with RVN, who is an absolutely incredible player, Soldado who will be a top class understudy, Saviola who I think could turn out to be the signing of the summer, and Robinho/Higuain to step in when necessary I think we’re also well covered there. I would also like to see Baptista brought back, he is an under-rated player who can be used in many types of circumstances.
In terms of backs I think we’re the strongest team in the world in terms of right backs with Sergio Ramos, Cicinho, Michel Salgado (who may leave) and Miguel Torres. The left back position could be a problem, with only Miguel Torres (who is naturally right-footed although played left back very well last season) and Marcelo possibilities there.
The current squad doesn’t have the names that Barcelona, or some other teams have, but I think it’s quite well-compensated and has a lot of quality. It also has a lot of untapped potential. It’s up to Schuster to make it work but if it does I don’t think it will be the cakewalk Barcelona fans expect it to be. They were talking the exact same way last year…
reyes didn’t go to madrid due to them being tight with there money. same as chivu. robben is a long shot and now they just got rejected by milan again for kaka. maybe there only hope is to make a quick large bid for ricardo quaresma?
[…] times – the quality of “reserve” players such as Metzelder comes in stark contrast to the Raúl Bravo, Pavón and Mejia era. Perhaps the lack of a first-team is in fact a strong point of the team – the squad is massively […]
[…] a berth at Real Madrid; players such as Guti and Raúl continue as vestiges of a past generation, whilst the new generation of stars has no room for such cantera flops as Raúl Bravo and Pavón. Promising youngsters like Granero, Mata, Soldado and Bueno have either departed the Madrid club or […]