Hassan Chamas
Once upon a time, in an age where ruthless landlords traded “goods” under the flagship of a bigger fiefdom called “UEFA”, existed three kingdoms called Bayern Munich, Internazionale, and Real Madrid. The first, Bayern Munich, located in the vast land of Bavaria, Germany, was governed by a merciless, hard-headed “Kaiser”, who would watch his whole world burn just to hang on to his best knight, Sir Franck Ribery. The second, Internazionale, was situated in Italy, and was controlled by a mogul that had risen to conquer all of Italy some three years after disposing of all potential competitors. The third, Real Madrid, was guided by a certain king who had a weakness for knights in their shiny armors, and did everything in his power to come away with those knights’ allegiance.
Enough with the fairytales and back to the reality of this summer’s crazy transfer window. With the hourglass on the brink of ending before the closure of this year’s market, came the bitter transfer of Wesley Sneijder to Internazionale; and the similarly bitter, yet shocking transfer of his compatriot Arjen Robben to German giants Bayern Munich, moves that were not well received by Madridistas, who polls have shown to have objected both moves by more than 80%.
It was no secret that Real Madrid supremo Florentino Perez was looking to offload a few players before the start of the season, as the former businessman was hoping to recoup a fraction of the €254M he so willingly spent to take Real Madrid back to football heaven. Yet the outrageous dismissal the Dutch duo, who seemed as if they would live to see another day at the Bernabeu, only for them to be shown the door so hastily and brutally, raises eyebrows over how much their absence will cause the Merengues problems. And just how much will they be able to help their new clubs.
Birth-blacklisted
When pro-Madrid tabloid AS issued that famous edition of Real Madrid’s starting XI for next season this summer, not a member of the Dutch contingent was present amongst the chosen elite. Talks of a summer clear-out were heard everywhere in the corridors of the Santiago Bernabeu, with players such as Gabriel Heinze, Javier Saviola, Fabio Cannavaro and Jordi Codina all shown the door in order to make room for the decorative influx of Raul Albiol, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka. Eight new arriving faces, and other insignificant exits later, it seemed as if the only player needing to go was Liga flop Rafael van der Vaart, who worryingly, is still a Real Madrid player. However, much to the condescension of the Blancos faithful, two pillars of the previous two seasons, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben were swiftly told to pack up their bags in a negotiation period that did not exceed the 24-hour mark.
When Manuel Pellegrini assumed control of Real Madrid on 3rd June of this year, one could say that the player he was most eager to work with was Wesley Sneijder, and for a good reason: Two years ago in the second fixture of the season, Madrid demolished Pellegrini’s Villarreal 5-0, with Sneijder proving to be the man of the match on that occasion, courtesy of two goals and two assists. Fast forward and the situation remains the same: The Ajax youth-teamer played an important pre-season – despite the arrival of Kaka, Xabi Alonso and Esteban Granero in midfield – and it seemed as if he was nonetheless an important part of Madrid’s new direction, as Pellegrini described him as an “important” player for his project.
Bayern Munich 09/10 Home Internazionale 09/10 Away
Similarly, conscious of the battle for places in the middle of the park, Arjen Robben was one of the players who enjoyed a stellar pre-season, continuing the formidable run started under Juande Ramos in Real’s US tour and displaying a man of the match performance in the 5-0 thrashing of Borussia Dortmund. His performances on the flank could have inspired “El Ingeniero” to deploy him on the opposite side to Cristiano Ronaldo, where together they could cause real havoc, but that was not the case.
Taking into consideration the squad depth at Manuel Pellegrini’s disposal, it would be foolish to assume that no rotation policy will be present at Madrid. However, that is not to say that the coach does not picture a group of four midfielders that will see more playing time than others. But does this indicate that a specific posse will witness more than 40 games per season? That remains highly unlikely. So why so viciously kick-out two players that could yet play an integral part in the resurrection of Perez’s team this season?
The answer is all about money. When Sneijder landed at Malpensa airport, the Dutchman said that up until a day prior to his transfer, Manuel Pellegrini had assured him that he was still counted upon. 24 hours later and he was Inter Milan’s newest recruit. Similarly with Robben, who after a vintage display in America was labelled “non-transferable” by his coach, only to be shipped out so coldly to Bayern Munich. Madrid recoup some of the money they spent, and €40M in return for their Numbers 10 and 11 does not seem such a bad deal.
What Wesley Sneijder used to provide Real though is priceless. The Holland international was Madrid’s best dead-ball specialist alongside Ronaldo, and his ability to slot anywhere in the middle with ease made him a valuable Joker. As for Robben, few in the world share his electric pace, and after developing an aptitude for playing just as well on the right as the left – a la Messi – the holder of Madrid’s most beautiful goal of the previous season could have well formed a savory foursome with Ronaldo, Kaka, and Xabi Alonso.
No Madrid, no problem
Up north in Germany, new Munich signing Arjen Robben made sure he displayed just what his ex-employers were missing by coming on at half-time and scoring two goals in the weekend blockbuster against champions Wolfsburg, ending the match with a standing ovation from the Allianz Arena faithful, who were more than impressed with their new €25M recruit. Right about the same time that the new Bayern Number 10 kicked-off his Bundesliga career on a high, his old compatriots in Madrid were striving to come away with a 3-2 home result in La Liga’s opening fixture against Deportivo La Coruna, and at times, the Dutchman’s potential complementary presence with Cristiano Ronaldo on the wings would have seemed like a match made in heaven.
Here’s your trequartista
Sneijder too slotted home with ease at his new club. The former Madrid midfielder started the Milan derby against Inter, and even though he did not contribute with goals or assists in the 4-0 massacre of rivals Milan, his lightness on the pitch behind strikers Samuel Eto’o and Diego Milito looked like it may at times prove to be pivotal for the Beneamata, who have finally found a creative midfielder to dictate the play.
Madrid have a habit of letting go of some useful players, only to ask themselves later why. Just ask Claude Makelele or Robinho. Against Deportivo, Los Blancos barely escaped with three points, and at times, their dream season could have turned into a vicious nightmare had Miguel Angel Lotina’s boys made hay with their chances. That’s not to say that Real won’t improve, as they usually take time to put their shooting boots on, but that does not excuse the extra dimension that Robben and Sneijder might have added to Pellegrini’s squad, one that is still bound to change if counting Rafael van der Vaart’s probable last minute switch. Bayern were lucky enough to prize away a world-class winger for such a price. Inter on the other hand, pulled off a smart piece of business by luring Sneijder for just €15M. As for Madrid, they could well be left counting the cost of allowing the duo to depart the Bernabeu before the season is out.
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