Hassan Chamas

 

Whilst Barcelona spend time caressing their trophies – all three of them – their arch rivals Real Madrid are forced to reflect on a season of failure. Their La Liga campaign was surely one to forget as they were rocked by multiple injuries, presidential scandals, coach swapping, and forced to pay the price for botched summer planning. On 14th May, the godfather of the Galacticos era, Florentino Perez, put forward his candidacy for the presidential post, and with that, will start his second dynasty at the club. Perez will arrive with a wave of optimism, but he would do well to remember just why Real Madrid lost out this season….


1) Because Robinho left

Remember the little Brazilian kid who used to score goals, and suck on his thumb on every occasion last year, as Real Madrid steamrollered their way to another league title? Back during the first half of the season, Robinho was producing Ballon d’Or performances, and was a shoe-in for the trophy. However, injury and off-the-pitch problems diminished the calibre of his performances. Come summer, another chapter of the CR7 saga was about to unfold, and ‘Binho’ was tired of seeing Cristiano Ronaldo’s photo-shopped picture on the front cover of Marca. Truth be told, at no time did former president Ramon Calderon say that Robinho’s status at Madrid would be in jeopardy should the Portuguese land at the Bernabeu. But his potential arrival could only mean that Robinho would be relegated to supporting actor. That said; the former Santos wonderkid flirted with Chelsea for some time – they even printed his name on some shirts – before being prized away for €42.5M by the new Arab owners of Manchester City, making him the pillar of their Galacticos investment. Therefore, it goes without saying that Robinho’s creativity at Madrid was greatly missed, something they are starting to realise.


2) Because van der Vaart shouldn’t have come

Pro capital tabloids hailed van der Vaart’s arrival as the coming of Real Madrid’s new Zinedine Zidane. Snapped up for €13M, van der Vaart might as well be still plying his trade at Hamburg after seeing his La Liga career head downhill in spectacular fashion as the return from injury of Wesley Sneijder relegated the Oranje playmaker to the bench. His minuscule contribution made it clear that he was signed just because he looked good in an all-white kit. Former coach Bernd Schuster didn’t have much faith in him, Juande Ramos doesn’t see him as more than a backup, and all the signs say he won’t be best of friends with the new Madrid boss. Should the former Ajax star still be at the Bernabeu next season, as the rumours of the imminent arrival of Franck Ribery, Kaka and Cesc Fabregas along with the new regime, his situation is unlikely to improve. The personification of a disastrous summer plan for the ex-Spanish champions.


3) Because Ramon Calderon didn’t play his cards right

He might have been praised two years ago after his coach Fabio Capello guided the team to its first trophy after a four-year famine, but Ramon Calderon’s plans all soon crumbled like a set of dominos. The sacking of Fabio Capello should have never occurred in the first place, Kaka was never going to land, Bernd Schuster was greatly isolated and deprived of his most basic tools, Pedrag Mijatovic should be held guilty for some eyebrow-raising deals, and last but not least, Ramon Calderon embarrassed and humiliated Real Madrid in the now-famous assembly meeting rigging. True, he was forced to resign in the most pitiful manner, but the damage was done.

4) Because Bernd Schuster wasn’t given the proper tools

To win trophies, you need players. To get players, you need cash. While the latter may be present in large amounts at the Spanish club, little of it was actually used to recruit new faces for a team that prides itself on being the best club in the world. When the blonde German requested a winger to replace David Beckham – who has been gone for more than a year – he was told that Cristiano Ronaldo was coming. Ronaldo never showed, and adding salt to the wound, Robinho left too. When Schuster asked for an all-out striker to support the ever ageing and injured Ruud van Nistelrooy, he was told to rely on Saviola, not considering the fact that Saviola has been the worst signing Los Merengues made since Ramon Calderon assumed duty.


5) Because Fabio Cannavaro was past it

Seeing the Real Madrid defence this year reminds followers of the 2003/04 season, back when the “Zidanes y Pavones” strategy was at its peak. At times this season it seemed canteranos Alvaro Mejia and Francesco Pavon might have still been employed in the centre of defence, taking wild childish swings at the ball in an attempt to clear it out of the box. These Madrid youngsters might have long been barred from the Bernabeu, but World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro rarely did a good job in trying not to imitate Madrid’s former flops, let alone prove why he was crowned the best player in the world in 2006. True, he did enjoy a successful baptism under Juande Ramos, but Cannavaro’s defending was simply awful at times. The Italian displayed less than mediocre performances in Real Madrid’s biggest games of the season, against Barcelona and Valencia consecutively in the league, playing a big part in failing to build a sound back-line and as such, was punished – along with an innocent Casillas – by no less than 12 goals conceded in just three games. Madrid fans must be thanking God he is Juventus’ problem now.


6) Because Pepe lost it
 
Even now, people do not know what went through Pepe’s mind back in the game against Getafe, where he just lost his temper and unleashed a melee, hurling abuse in the process at Getafe players and officials alike. Since he’s been gone, Madrid have conceded close to an average of three goals per outing. Barcelona may just be the most powerful attacking force on the globe, but wouldn’t Pepe’s presence be a boost in the attempt to stop the triad of Henry, Eto’o and Messi? That’s not to say that Portuguese’s presence would greatly shift the balance of power, but Pepe has always been a commanding figure in the Madrid starting eleven. His presence was surely missed.


7) Because what’s Heinze doing at Real Madrid?

When €36M Arjen Robben was presented in August 2007, people were confused about the long-haired Argentine who was standing next to him. Gabriel Heinze had been moaning at Manchester United about blocking a move to rivals Liverpool, and suddenly, he opted for the next big thing. But what did he bring to Real Madrid, a team that had just bid farewell to Roberto Carlos, and welcomed the promising duo of Marcelo and Royston Drenthe? If there’s one thing that this juvenile pair couldn’t bring, and just happened to be in Heinze’s repertoire, its a defensive approach. Both players were molded a la Roberto Carlos, meaning that their attacking style of play hindered their defensive capacity. Heinze, on the other hand, puts on the table defensive aptitude, while in the meantime possessing the crossing ability of a four-year old. This season, the Argentine was often first choice left-back under both Schuster and Ramos, and unsurprisingly, he failed miserably during both stints. A promising defender years ago, the awful truth remains that the former Villarreal and Manchester United star is way too old for La Liga’s relentless rhythm. Perhaps a run in Serie A would do best.


8) Because of their rampant injuries

It’s always easy to blame injuries, but in all fairness to the capital outfit, they only had 21 out of a possible 25 man squad at their disposal. The eleventh-hour departure of Robinho left an attacking void, while Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mahmadou Diarra, and Ruben de La Red – remember him – all meant that the Merengues had counted their chickens too soon. “van Gol” might have played his last game in a white shirt, Mahmadou’s status in the team was quickly decided by “cousin” Lassana Diarra, while de La Red might have kicked his last ball ever. Soon after, Wesley Sneijder joined them, as well as Guti, etc…Arjen Robben could also be relied upon to keep his regular treatment room tabs running too.


9) Because they never moved on the “fringes”

At Real Madrid, you have gangs: You have the Spaniards, the Dutch Clan, the Argentines, and… the fringes, which constitute the minority that rarely participate in any matches, for that matter, getting paid to watch like all other season ticket-holders, except that this posse of players has a better view from the dugout. The individuals in question are Javi Garcia, Daniel Parejo, Jerzy Dudek, and Julien Faubert – yes! He’s at Real Madrid! – Christoph Metzelder, and other unknown henchmen, led by the king of Madrid rejects, Javier Saviola. With a hefty chunk of these players rarely experiencing the inside of a football stadium it’s no wonder that successive club coaches moan about the lack of capable back-ups. Please, let these poor people go!


10) Because Julien Faubert?!

When word was out in the winter “mercado” that Juande Ramos was in for a right-winger, rumours surfaced of supposed interest in Wigan Athletic’s Antonio Valencia, who would arrive a six-month stint, and could end up extending his Bernabeu stay should former boss Ramon Calderon refrain from acquiring the latest volume of the “Cristiano Ronaldo Goes to Real Madrid” saga. Instead, the club’s foolish choice centered around West Ham’s Julien Faubert, who Marca, naturally, went on to proclaim as the inheritor of Zinedine Zidane’s role in the French national team. Needless to say, Julien Faubert proved to be one of the previous champions’ biggest flops of the season: The Frenchman only managed to feature in just two league games, playing less than 28 minutes. A true talisman indeed.

All in all, these have been some of the reasons that summed up this season’s La Liga failure for Real Madrid. But whilst the men from the Bernabeu suffered, the season was still fantastic, with Barcelona delighting fans all over the globe.

 

South Korea 08/09 Home *50% off *    

South Korea 08/09 home shirt , <font color=

Related Articles: