JacobSteinberg: Work done. Home. Barcelona game on tv. Shaking my head at a side containing Messi, Villa, Xavi, Iniesta... Great Messi pass for first.
about 4 hours, 16 minutes agoReal Madrid CF striker Sergio Canales will miss Wednesday's final UEFA Champions League group encounter against AJ Auxerre with a left ankle sprain.
The 19-year-old – who has made seven appearances for Los Merengues since his summer move from Real Racing Club – will be out of action for a month after picking up the knock during a training session. However, Madrid will top Group G regardless of their result in midweek.
Meanwhile, Madrid's medical department continue to express concern over striker Gonzalo Higuaín who has been sidelined with a herniated disc since 20 November. The club will be seeking a second opinion from specialists before deciding whether to operate on the Argentinian international.
Wolfsburg forward Edin Dzeko will not be joining Real Madrid in January as the Spanish giants are baulking at his €40 million transfer fee.
According to German newspaper Bild, the powerful Bosnian was rumoured to be on Real's radar during the January transfer market following the potential loss of striker Gonzalo Higuain for up to two months due to injury.
However, with the German outfit demanding nothing less than €40 million, Real are refusing to stump up the cash to snag the forward to the Spanish capital.
The nine-time European champions will instead look to alternate targets such as Athletic Bilbao's lanky frontman Fernando Llorente from Athletic Bilbao or Werder Bremen's Hugo Almeida.
However, reports have emanated that Real will only have a €25m transfer warchest, which means they could even miss out on Llorente, who has a release clause of €36m.
The future of Dzeko however, looks likely to be in Turin with Italian media speculating that a deal with Juventus is imminent.
The win came just five days after los Blancos' 5-0 Clasico defeat to Milan at Camp Nou and Valdano believes that this victory shows the players' characters.
"Tonight's result was especially important," said Valdano on Saturday, according to Madrid's official website. "We received a harsh blow on Monday and failing to win tonight could have hurt our aspirations to win the title.
"Victory came late, but it came nonetheless and it could have been even greater. We wish to thank the crowd for the support it always gives us and the team for their efforts against a great side that complicated things for us."
Analysing Madrid's performance against los Che, Valdano explained, "We were somewhat rusty in the first half, but we improved after half-time. We had several chances on goal, but our game flowed better after our first strike.
"We could have even scored more goals. The coach has many options to cover for Higuain's absence. We had the attacking midefielder of the German national team on the pitch tonight, as well as Portugal's best player and one of Argentina's best forwards.
"The team had great potential in attack. Benzema came on in the second half and goals came soon after, so his work tonight was also very important."
Valdano is also confident that striker Gonzalo Higuain can recover from his injury before long and enthused, "We believe Higuain can recover with conservative recovery methods. We have to see the schedule through trying to avoid the player from having surgery.
"He started to have this problem not so long ago, so we shouldn't be hasty. If surgery is necessary, then we will look for the best specialist to treat him."
AP
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (right) pushes Pep Guardiola after the Barcelona coach held on to the ball in this week's Clasico
The hosts dominated the game for large parts against Unai Emery's side, who had David Albelda's sent off in the second-half.
Neither team dominated the match in the first minutes with most of the action commencing in midfield.
Valencia were the first to seriously threaten to open the scoring in the 12th minute and it was ex-Real Madrid player Juan Mata who saw a dangerous shot parried by Iker Casillas, and moments later another ex-Blanco Roberto Soldado failed to power a volley past the goalkeeper under no pressure at all.
Mourinho's side slowly started to settle into the game and were begining to grow in confidence. Sami Khedira was at the centre of the action in the 33th minute as he burst into the penalty area, but was denied by Vicente Guaita in a one-on-one situation.
Just before half-time Cristiano Ronaldo saw a header rebound off the left post, following a wonderful cross by Mesut Oezil, for what proved to be the last moment of interest for the first period.
Substitute Karim Benzema missed a glorious chance to break the deadlock around the hour mark after released by Ronaldo as time was ticking away for Los Blancos.
David Albelda was controversially sent off for a second yellow card after he allegedly handled the ball in the centre of the pitch, which left Valencia chasing the game even further.
Real Madrid eventually got the goal they deserved in the 73rd minute and it was Ronaldo who delivered the blow as the Portuguese ace finished coolly from the left side of the box, following a pass by Oezil.
Five minutes later, however, Soldado could have drawn the game level, but put his finish wide of the right post. Los Blancos were defending valiantly, but were always waiting to hit the outnumbered Valencia on the break and so it happened. Ronaldo delivered the killing blow with a wonderful individual goal to ease the pressure on Real Madrid.
Jose Mourinho's men managed to hold on to their lead and deservedly recorded a 2-0 win.
Following tonight's result Real Madrid are second in the standing with 35 points, while Valencia are fifth with 25. Los Blancos' next league game is a visit to Real Zaragoza on the 12th December, while Valencia host Osasuna on the same day.
MADRID — Barcelona shrugged off a hastily-arranged five-hour train and coach journey to clinch a 3-0 win at Osasuna on Saturday to stay top of the Spanish first division, two points clear of Real Madrid who beat 10-man Valencia 2-0.
Lionel Messi scored a second-half brace with his 14th and 15th league goals of the season after creating the 25th minute opener for Pedro Rodriguez as Barcelona built on Monday's 5-0 Clasico drubbing of Real by notching their eighth consecutive league win.
Real bounced back from that mauling, their first defeat under Jose Mourinho, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his 15th and 16th goals of the season on 72 and 86 minutes as Madrid made it a perfect seven home wins in the league.
Valencia had their moments but midfielder David Albelda was sent off after 64 minutes for a second booking and Ronaldo made them pay.
Barcelona were buoyant after their Real rout five days ago but saw their Osasuna preparations turn into a nightmare when the Spanish Football Federation reversed their initial decision to postpone the match to Sunday after an air traffic controllers strike, which had paralysed the country, prevented Barca from flying.
That forced the Catalan giants to undertake a five-hour overland journey that saw kick-off delayed by 50 minutes.
"We don't mind travelling. Last season we did 14 hours on a coach to play a Champions League match because UEFA said they wouldn't postpone the match. However, the Spanish federation told us that if our flight didn't go they would postpone the (Osasuna) match," said Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.
"To play against Osasuna, a team that were unbeaten in 12 games, we wanted to compete as best as we could and coming in on one day was not the best way to do that."
Guardiola fielded the same starting XI that crushed Real 5-0 in Monday night's Clasico and the visitors turned in a polished display despite the difficult circumstances.
With 25 minutes gone the goal arrived with Messi feeding a pin-point pass to World Cup winner Pedro who arrived on cue to dispatch a fine finish into the corner.
Barcelona were not as slick in the second half but got the second goal they wanted on 64 minutes when Villa fed Messi who sprinted away from his marker before sliding in a neat finish.
Eight minutes from time Messi was fouled in the penalty area and the Argentine picked himself up to convert the spot-kick for his 15th goal of the season.
Ronaldo stays one goal ahead of Messi in the goalscoring charts after scoring both goals in the victory over Valencia.
Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain was out injured and Mourinho opted for Ronaldo, who shrugged off an ankle injury, as a lone striker leaving French forward Karim Benzema on the substitutes bench.
Ronaldo hit the post on the stroke of half-time and went close in the second half but got his reward on 72 minutes slotting in the opener with Valencia reeling from the dismissal of Albelda eight minutes earlier for a second booking.
Portuguese star Ronaldo scored a super second with several step overs and a thumping drive into the corner on 86 minutes to wrap up the game.
In other matches, Atletico Madrid's poor form continued with a 2-0 loss at Levante.
It was a third successive loss for Atletico, the Europa League holders, following 3-2 home defeats by Espanyol and Greek side Aris Salonika and the club now lie in seventh place.
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
barcelona and valencia fans u all seee tonight the match and see real madrid 4-0 win ahhahahahah,
REAL MADRID WILL WIN THE MATCH TONIGHT WITH 4 GOALS GOALS GOALS
Come on Real Madrid come on and the best football player in the world is ready to play Cristiano RonaldOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
hat trick from the best player CR7
1 Karim Benzema
Real Madrid is the bestttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
Manchester City will have to dig deep if they want to land long-standing transfer target Edin Dzeko.
The prolific Bosnian hitman has become one of Europe's most sought-after strikers in recent seasons, with Real Madrid also thought to be in the hunt.
10 things you need to know about Edin Dzeko, plus watch him scoring goals for fun
However Bundesliga side Wolfsburg maintain their star asset will not leave cheaply.
Sporting director Dieter Hoeness said: "The price is not a secret - Dzeko is €40m. There are many teams interested in Dzeko.
"We have not received any call from Madrid. I myself met [Real Madrid president] Florentino Perez and [director general] Jorge Valdano when I went to the Bernabeu to see Real Madrid-AC Milan and it was never mentioned.
"We do not comment on speculation."
MADRID, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid midfielder Sergio Canales will be out of action for at least a month with an ankle injury.
The official club website has confirmed that 19-year-old suffered a twisted left ankle in Thursday's training session and tests have confirmed that he will be sidelined for the rest of the month.
If that is the case, it probably means that Canales will not play for Real Madrid again this season. The midfielder cost around seven million dollars from Racing Santander last summer, but has only made three first team appearances.
The fact that he has not played five times in domestic competition means that he can play for another Primera Liga club this campaign and Madrid will look to loan him to another side to allow him to gain first team experience.
Canales' former club Racing Santander is likely to be his destination. Racing coach Miguel Angel Portugal has already said that he would like Canales and the fact that Madrid would have to pay Racing compensation should they loan him elsewhere means the youngster will almost certainly spend the second half of the season there.
Manchester United: Patrice Evra Transfer To Real Madrid - Latest Update (Image via Wikipedia)
Management team at Manchester United are worried that Patrice Evra is ready to leave the club.
The player is allegedly very interested in a move to Real Madrid.
Reports this morning suggest that any deal will not happen in January, but Sir Alex Ferguson is already looking for a replacement for the Frenchman in the Summer.
Jose Mourinho has reportedly set his eyes on Evra, after Ashley Cole's move fell through at the end of last season. And following a 5-0 defeat to Barcelona on Monday he is more keen than ever on bringing top quality defenders to the Bernabeu.
Benfica's Fabio Coentrao is said to be the player, which the United boss sees as an ideal replacement for the left back.
The media in Portugal are speculating that a deal between the two clubs is already done and that United will pay up to £20 Million to allow the player to arrive at Old Trafford.
The Argentina ace missed los Blancos' Clasico drubbing by Barcelona last week because of a back injury, and the same problem will also prevent him for featuring for los Merengues when they face Valencia at the Bernabeu on Saturday evening. However, the goal-getter wants to avoid going under the knife it at all possible.
"[I will] try to make the best decision soon," he explained to the daily publication. "It's difficult."
The club's medical staff reportedly feel that Higuain should go under the knife as soon as possible because it would minimise the damage to the player and the side's campaign. Indeed, even coach Jose Mourinho wants a resolution to the issue swiftly, and Higuain's reported desire to go back to Argentina to clear the problem will not sit well with the Portuguese.
Enrich Caceres is the surgeon set to operate on the striker, and he is said to be the best back specialist in Spain, having recently dealt with Villarreal's Santi Cazorla. In the past he has also served Thierry Henry and Yaya Toure, amongst others.
BERLIN — Real Madrid target Edin Dzeko fired a second-half penalty over the bar on Saturday as Steve McClaren's Wolfsburg were held to a goalless draw at home by Werder Bremen.
The striker is believed to be a Real target to replace the injured Gonzalo Higuain in the winter transfer window with German daily Bild claiming Madrid are ready to table 25 million euros (33.5 million US dollars) for the Bosnian.
But the 24-year-old, who has scored nine league goals this season, fired his penalty over the bar on 77 minutes just minutes after Bremen captain Torsten Frings had also missed a spot-kick with Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio making the save.
The result leaves Bremen 10th and Wolfsburg 13th after they suffered their fourth-straight league draw.
"We are incredibly disappointed," said McClaren, the first Englishman to coach in the Bundesliga and the ex-England coach.
"The first half was good, we controlled the game and played some good football.
"We are all in the same boat, but the season is not over yet. Now we must try to win our last two games before the winter break."
With Bundesliga leaders Dortmund playing Nuremberg on Sunday, and defending champions Bayern Munich taking on struggling Schalke 04 in Gelsenkirchen later Saturday, second-placed Mainz blew their chance to close the gap at the top.
They suffered their fourth league defeat in their last six games when they were beaten 2-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt.
The league's top scorer Theofanis Gekas netted a penalty in the 84th minute, his 13th of the season.
Hanover are third after they won 2-1 at bottom side Borussia Moenchengladbach, who were reduced to 10 men after Argentina's Raul Bobadilla was sent off at the end of the first-half for kicking an opponent.
Ivory Coast striker Didier Ya Konan scored his seventh goal of the season in the 74th minute to seal the win for Hanover.
A bizarre goal by Freiburg's Papiss Cisse after just three minutes sealed his side's 1-0 win over Hamburg.
The Senegal striker scored his 11th goal of the season when he fired past Hamburg goalkeeper Frank Rost, only to see his shot hit both posts before he finally stabbed the ball home.
The result leaves Freiburg fifth in the table while Hamburg are ninth and coach Armin Veh is in increasing danger of losing his job after his fifth defeat in seven games.
VfB Stuttgart were held to a 1-1 draw by 10 man Hoffenheim.
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to face off apart from el Classico
Everyone knows that Lionel Messi is one of the best players in the world and there was simply no competition for him in the Spanish La Liga; however, now there is a player who can easily challenge him not only in terms of goal scoring but also in terms of assists.
After the former Inter Milan tactician joined Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga, Ronaldo has managed to hit extraordinary form. Despite the fact that Ronaldo scored a lot of goals last season as well, he was simply not in the league to become world player of the year; however, Lionel Messi still managed to help his side by scoring a little less than 50 goals and took them forward to a four trophy haul. Ronaldo on the other hand had a few injuries and that is the reason why his first season with Real Madrid went without winning any trophies. Everyone blamed their manager and even though Palegrini managed to win the highest number of points in the history of Real Madrid, he couldn't really help the win the La Liga or any other trophy.
With Mourinho in charge, Real Madrid were to face Barcelona in another "el Clasico" encounter in the Nou Camp. The match was expected to be a "classic" like always but it was the Spanish coach Josep Guaridola who managed to shine during the game and with the help of his extraordinary squad and his home ground and 99000 fans, Guardiola helped his side win the game 5-0. The Los Blancos were simply stunned by Barcelona and despite the fact Lionel Messi was not on the score card, he still managed to help his side while staying on the midfield as Xavi Hernandez took his place up front in the "striking" position.
There is definitely not a single doubt that whenever Lionel Messi plays against Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese striker loses the touch that he always has and that is why Messi is often considered to be better than Ronaldo. While playing against Manchester United in Rome, the Argentinean maestro managed to score the second goal for his side to help them win the UEFA Champions League final while Cristiano Ronaldo was not on the score card. Later, with Ronaldo being a part of Real Madrid , Barcelona defeated the Los Blancos all the three times they were in a match together and it was Lionel Messi who found himself on the score board last season as the Catalan giants travelled to Santiago Bernabeu, the home ground of Madrid.
Lionel Messi and the Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo are going to be a part of another big match but this time it is not going to be at club level but at international level. Portugal and Argentina are going to be facing each other on February 9th 2011. Both the sides are going to be playing in England as Emirates Stadium is the place where both the sides are going to collide.
Both the sides haven't faced each other since 1972 and back then Portuguese were the ones who managed to defeat the South American side 3-1 in Brazil. The Argentinean football association is trying to line up a lot of Argentinean friendly games and soon the South American side is going to face Portugal, United States and Costa Rica while being away from home.
Now is the real time to see who is better as everyone knows that Lionel Messi is not the same without Xavi Hernandez despite the fact that he managed to score against Brazil after an outstanding solo run. Is it going to be the same with Portugal? We can only wait to find out.
Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to make Real Madrid's home clash with Valencia on Saturday, after pulling out of Spain/Portugal's bid presentation for the 2018 World Cup finals to focus on recovery from a bruised right ankle.
Gonzalo Higuain's back injury means French striker Karim Benzema will get another chance to improve on his one league goal so far this season.
Spain duo Raul Albiol and Alvaro Arbeloa will probably step in for suspended defenders Sergio Ramos and Ricardo Carvalho.
Real's 5-0 'Clasico' defeat in Barcelona on Monday has not done Valencia any favours, veteran midfielder David Albelda said on Friday.
"It will be worse for us." he told sports daily AS. "Seeing their record at the Bernabeu (Real have won every game) it's difficult to find a match where they have scored less than three goals."
Sergio Canales is also unavailable for selection as Real announced that the midfielder would be out for up to four weeks after twisting his left ankle.
Valencia will probably have to use third-choice goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, with Cesar and Miguel Angel Moya struggling with injuries.
Barcelona's game against Osasuna has been postponed until 17:00 UK time on Sunday due to an air traffic controllers' strike. That gives Lionel Messi an extra 24 hours to recover from a bruised left ankle sustained in training on Thursday. Osasuna are unbeaten at home this season.
Sevilla lost their third game in a row when they went down 4-2 at Paris St-Germain in the Europa League and they will need to improve at the back on Sunday against third-placed Villarreal, who are unbeaten at El Madrigal.
"We have made mistakes in three consecutive games now, but we have quality in the side. Everyone was happy with the defence a few weeks ago and they remain good players," striker Frederic Kanoute said.
Atletico Madrid travel to promoted Levante on Saturday looking for a lift after consecutive home defeats, the most recent to Aris Salonika that left them on the brink of elimination from the Europa League.
"We have a great squad and we are capable of turning this round. All we need to do is win on Saturday," winger Jose Antonio Reyes told reporters. "We aren't doing well bit it isn't all bad either."
Promoted Real Sociedad are relishing the visit of near neighbours Athletic Bilbao on Sunday and the first Basque derby in four years has already sold out their 32,000 seat Anoeta stadium.
"It's the best game of the year," La Real striker Joseba Llorente said. "We're in good form. We'll go for them and will be snapping at their heels. We have to run and run and run."
La Liga's bottom two meet when Real Zaragoza visit Almeria on Sunday. Zaragoza's new coach Javier Aguirre takes on Almeria's new boss Jose Luis Oltra in a battle between a side without an away win, and hosts who have yet to win at home.
Follow live text commentary on these matches this weekend: Osasuna-Barcelona + Real Madrid-Valencia + Villarreal-Sevilla + Sociedad- Athletic Bilbao
The Brazilian international joined Los Blancos from Milan in a deal worth £56million last summer, but he endured an indifferent debut campaign in Spain.
Kaka was hoping for better luck under new coach Jose Mourinho this term, but he has been out of action since before the start of the season having undergone surgery on a knee problem.
And despite Marca claiming the playmaker would not be fit until the New Year, Real insist the 28-year-old is set to resume training and could be back in action later this month.
This would be a huge boost for the Bernabeu club, who are reeling from the 5-0 hammering they received at the hands of archrivals Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Monday.
Get all the latest news on your club. Visit 360 Football, the best football news aggregator on the web!
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho remains keen on Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.
Mourinho is frustrated with his attacking options and has told Real chiefs only Drogba could solve their dilemma, says AS.
The former Chelsea boss knows it's likely to be only a pipedream, with both Drogba and Roman Abramovich keen to see their association continue at Stamford Bridge.
But Real will make an enquiry this month about doing business in January for the 32 year-old.
Click here for the best Chelsea coverage on the 'net. All your Blues news and gossip in one spot. >
According to reports Real Madrid are interested in Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea FC target Edin Dzeko.
The Wolfsburg striker has been courted by the Premier League's big guns for around 18 months.
It seems the Bosnian is ready to leave the Bundesliga, but the Daily Mail claims Real are hoping to move in and steal a march on their English rivals.
Speculation in Spain claims Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has earmarked the prolific forward after watching his side's humiliating midweek loss to arch-rivals Barcelona.
Sunderland's former Barcelona star Bolo Zenden admits he enjoyed the El Clasico.
Zenden, who made 73 appearances for the Catalan club between 1998 and 2001, was impressed with the 5-0 hammering doled out by a Barca side including former team-mates Xavi and Carles Puyol.
"It was a real Clasico," he told safc.com. "They are always fantastic games to watch, and although Barca are capable of results like that I don't think anyone would have expected it.
"Even [Barcelona coach] Guardiola said before the game that he couldn't predict the score but it wouldn't be 5-0. But it ended up like that and they kept possession so well. You could count the amount of times they gave the ball away on one hand.
"It was a great match to watch as a fan of football itself and it was a pleasure for me as an ex-Barca player not only because of the result, but because of how they play the game."
Breaking News: Real Madrid's Ricardo Kaka ready to start training
Reports have confirmed that Real Madrid superstar Ricardo Kaka is set to return to training. Real Madrid's medical staff and Kaka's personal doctor have declared him fit for training.
The Brazilian playmaker has been out of action since August. He underwent a knee surgery following some nagging injuries that had spoiled his 1st season with the Los Blancos.
Earlier, a Spanish newspaper had reported that Kaka will return to action in January but now Madrid feel that he could be back in the 1st team even before the end of December.
Kaka was signed for 56 million pounds from AC Milan so a lot was expected of him. Unfortunately, his first year with the club was frustrating as injuries kept on bothering the 28-year-old. Alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka was expected to bring back the golden days for Madrid but his 1st season was a disappointment as Los Blancos didn't win any silverware.
Kaka's place in the Madrid starting line up is by no means a certainty any longer. Mesut Ozil has been playing in his position and has been quite impressive till now. But still, many pundits think that Kaka's absence was highly felt in the recent humiliating 5-0 loss to bitter rivals, Barcelona. He has always been considered a man for the bigger occasion as proved by his accolades of FIFA World Player of the Year and European Player of the Year in 2007.
Kaka and his fans will be hoping that he can regain his high standards after his comeback. Madrid manager, Jose Mourinho has openly expressed admiration for the talented attacking midfielder. Kaka will be looking to regain his spot in the side.
After a frustrating time on the sidelines, Kaka is ready to set the football world alight again. His talent is undoubted and if he can remain fit, he can help Madrid win plenty of trophies.
The El Clasico played between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Monday gained a lot of importance in the football circles around the globe. Apart from the match, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo played against each other in a bid to be recognised as the best player in the world. Although, one match cannot decide which player is better than the other, but Cristiano Ronaldo totally failed in every respect in the match.
Lionel Messi did not score for Barcelona, although he had a great record against the archrivals as he had scored seven goals against Madrid. He had a moment of brilliance in the first half, when he placed a chip over the head of Madrid goalie Iker Casillas, but was denied by the post. For the most part, Messi played a pivotal role in the midfield, as he seldom tried to make his way past the defenders. Nevertheless, it was a great performance by the Argentinean in the midfield and he played a great supporting role for his team.
At one point, it seemed that the match is getting on the nerves of Messi. The Argentinean cut his way across the Madrid's defence, but rather than playing an open David Villa, Messi tried himself and missed. It was very unlike Messi, who is known for his great support for the team. However, before people could change their minds about the world-class youngster, Messi provided two incredible assists to David Villa, which were proficiently converted into goals. In the end, Messi played a real important part in the victory against Madrid, without getting himself on the score-sheets.
As Lionel Messi enjoyed the game against Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo could not do the same. Ronaldo was the first player on the pitch who was fouled, which pretty much set the tone for the match. Soon, Ronaldo became desperate as he could not find spaces in Barcelona's half.
There were a few notable incidents in the match that involved both these players. In the second half, Lionel Messi was looking for a free-kick, when he thought that he was fouled by Ricardo Carvalho. However, the referee gave the decision against Messi's wish, while the Argentinean stood up to move on with the game. At this point, everyone thought that Messi was hit on the face by Carvalho, with his elbow. The youngster fell to the ground, but it was found to be a little exaggerated by the referee who showed no hesitation in brandishing a yellow card to Messi.
Similarly, Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in an incident, which was nothing short of a loss of temper from the Portuguese forward. Ronaldo was trying to get the ball for a throw-in, but Pep Guardiola was holding the ball and rather than giving it to the forward, the Barcelona manager dropped it to the ground. At that point, Ronaldo gave a little push on the shoulder of the manager. This started a brawl between the players, as the Barcelona players gathered in order to defend the dignity of their manager. In the end, Ronaldo was punished with a yellow card for his misdemeanour. However, apart from this yellow card, Ronaldo lost the last iota of respect that was left in the hearts of Catalans for the Portuguese forward.
Although such incidents might not be rare in football, but a player of Ronaldo's repute should have shown some integrity. In the end, Lionel Messi was the only player who gained from the match, as Ronaldo did not only lose the match but he lost his dignity as well. Pep Guardiola turned out to be the bigger man in the incident as he did not even bother to mention the incident in the post-match press conference.
Having enjoyed a flying start to the season, Real Madrid suddenly find themselves with plenty of headaches going into this weekend's testing home encounter with Valencia at the Bernabeu.
Less than a week ago Madrid held a one-point lead at the top of the Primera Division standings, were unbeaten in any competition under Jose Mourinho and boasted the tightest defence and joint-best attack in La Liga.
However, all of those records were sent tumbling on Monday night as Madrid suffered a morale-denting 5-0 mauling at the hands of arch rivals Barcelona.
That is not the sum of Madrid's problems, though, as they are definitely without suspended defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Sergio Ramos for the visit of fifth-placed Valencia, and could also be without top scorers Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain.
Ronaldo, the leading marksman in the division with 14 goals, is battling an ankle injury while Higuain (seven goals), who missed the Camp Nou thrashing, is struggling with a back problem which Madrid are seeking a second opinion over. If the specialist agrees with the club's assessment that surgery is required, then the Argentina international is likely to be absent for around two months.
Full-back Ramos, whose dismissal at Camp Nou was his second red card in a week having been sent off against Ajax in the Champions League as well, has urged his side to look forward and not dwell on the Barca loss.
"We have to recover from the defeat and not lament it anymore because that would be a mistake,'' he said. "On Saturday we have an important game against a team that is having a very good season. Football always gives you the chance for revenge, but now we have to think about Valencia and continue to do things well.
"We are missing players for the match, but this is a great squad. Every player is important and contributes something to the team.''
The good news for Madrid is the fact they are at home, where they have won their last 12 matches in all competitions. Also, coach Mourinho has not lost a home league match in over eight years for his various clubs.
New pacesetters Barca, who moved two points clear of Madrid after recording their seventh successive league win, are away to Osasuna this weekend.
Pep Guardiola's reigning champions have now scored 24 goals in their last five league games, and playmaker Xavi admits the win over Madrid was great for confidence.
"It was a big blow for Madrid, now we have to see if they can recover. For us, it had the opposite effect. It was a huge boost for morale,'' he said.
Aside from the fixtures involving the top two, Saturday's other match sees Atletico Madrid travel to promoted Levante looking to bounce back from their potentially costly Europa League defeat at home to Aris Thessaloniki last night.
The pick of Sunday's matches pits third-placed Villarreal against stuttering Sevilla, while Primera Division surprise packages Espanyol will look to continue one of only two remaining 100% home records - the other being Real Madrid - when they take on 17th-placed Sporting Gijon. Espanyol, who are fourth, have won all six league matches at their Cornella-El Prat stadium so far this season.
Elsewhere, two recently-installed coaches meet at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos when Jose Luis Oltra's Almeria host Javier Aguirre's Real Zaragoza.
Bottom-placed Zaragoza have picked up one point in Aguirre's first two games while second-bottom Almeria were beaten 2-1 at Valencia in Oltra`s debut last weekend.
Third-bottom Malaga, who replaced Jesualdo Ferreira with Manuel Pellegrini a month ago, are at home to Racing Santander, former Getafe coach Michael Laudrup takes his high-flying Real Mallorca to his old side, and Athletic Bilbao make the short trip to Real Sociedad.
In Monday night's match Deportivo La Coruna are at home to promoted Hercules.
Real went into the Clasico unbeaten and a point ahead of Barcelona, however, the champions gave a football lesson to their bitter rivals and Mourinho's first defeat in charge of Real is the biggest of his glittering career.
"It wasn't the biggest humiliation of my career but yes, it was the biggest defeat of my career because I have never lost 5-0," said Mourinho.
"However, the league isn't over and it will be a title race right until the end of the season and will be up there."
Mourinho has been uncharacteristically quiet in the press this week following the painful defeat and has to prepare for another tough match at home to fifth-placed Valencia.
Madrid had the best defence in the league prior to the Barcelona mauling and Mourinho will be desperate to tighten up again at the back although the Portuguese is hindered by the loss of defenders Sergio Ramos and Ricardo Carvalho through suspension.
Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain has slipped a disc in his back and may be out for up to two months with surgery and top-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo is a doubt with an ankle injury.
Valencia are eight points behind Real and goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez, who started the 2002 Champions League final for Real ahead of Iker Casillas, believes his old team are a wounded animal ready to bite back.
"Real know how to pick themselves up from painful defeat and I am sure they will be really psyched up for Saturday's match," said Cesar.
Barcelona have made their best league start in their history with 34 points from a possible 39 and the Real rout - which made it 13 goals in their last two league matches - moved them two points clear of their rivals at the top of the Spanish first division.
"Losing a match where they (Real) had such high expectations is a big setback for them and a moral boost for us," said Barcelona midfielder Xavi. "The 6-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu was perfect but this tops that."
It was a fifth consecutive Clasico win for Barcelona and their coach Pep Guardiola who maintained his 100 percent record in the fixture and now wants his side to push on and continue their flawless away record with a win over Osasuna on Saturday.
Barcelona dropped points in Pamplona last season with a 1-1 draw at Osasuna and Guardiola will not want a slip-up against mid-table opponents having put themselves in the title box seat with their emphatic Clasico win.
"We have to be on top of Leo (Messi), Xavi and (Andres) Iniesta and not let them breathe," said Osasuna striker Walter Pandiani. "Madrid let them breathe and allowed them to play."
In other matches, third-placed Villarreal, five points behind Real, host an out-of-sorts Sevilla at El Madrigal on Sunday.
Villarreal are unbeaten at home with five wins and a draw while Sevilla languish down in eighth after back to back league losses.
Espanyol occupy fourth, two points behind Villarreal, after a sensational start to the season and aim to extend their perfect home run against struggling Sporting Gijon on Sunday.
Espanyol have taken a maximum 18 points at their Cornella-El Prat stadium and come up against a Sporting side that haven't won in the league since mid-October and lie fourth from bottom.
The bottom two teams in the table, Real Zaragoza and Almeria, come face to face on Sunday in a vital relegation six-pointer.
Both sides have new managers waiting for their first wins in charge with Zaragoza boss Javier Aguirre taking one point from six while Almeria coach Jose Luis Oltra tasted a 2-1 defeat at Valencia on his debut last week.
Zaragoza prop up the standings with eight points with low-scoring Almeria, who have the worst attack in the league, a point ahead.
Post a comment