Excellent start for Zidane in a demanding match against Roma

UEFA Champions League: Round of 16: Roma 0-2 Real Madrid:

The Champions League is back. After four months without hearing the UCL anthem, without watching the UCL ball roll, after four months of endless dull Tuesday evenings, one of the best football competitions in the world flew through the most important cities of the European countries, getting inside the bodies of millions of fans. This Round of 16, brought face to face two historic teams, Roma and Real Madrid.

Real Madrid, surrounded by a recently created warm and positive atmosphere visited the Olympic Stadium in Zidane’s first European game as manager of the first team. Not only did the press put pressure on the game for the whites, (as it always happens with such influential clubs) but also the fans assumed Zidane’s need to pass this European test as a proof of its validity for the job and in order to consolidate himself in the club. However, anyone who only watched the first half of the match would be now thinking who would be Florentino’s next choice in his irrational list of new coaches.

Zidane, conditioned by Bale’s absence, decided to line up Modric, Isco, Kroos and James in the midfield. This gave a cause for many people to hope the distribution on the turf to be 4-4-2, especially those who once supported Ancelotti, yet for others came as no surprise the advanced position that occupied James, nearly acting as a winger and always far from the ball, once the game started. This was one of the main causes, I believe, that lead Madrid to generate a disappointing and non-continuous role during the first half. We could highlight some quick as lightning plays from Salah’s boots that allowed Varane to show off and demonstrate that he is one of the most in form central backs in Europe. Regarding the whites, Marcelo was the only one to take a chance and hit a lob from the corner on the box with the exterior of his left foot, that would have become goal of the season if it had gone on target.

After a boring first half (no attempts on target from none of the teams) Madrid seemed to have reacted. Despite the game continued stucked, some isolated chances from both teams and the increasing fatigue product of the intensity of the match kept the fans awake and hooked on the TV. In one of these Madrid’s actions, Cristiano succeeded in beating Szczesny’s goal around the 60th minute. The portuguese player got away from the defense in one of his typical sudden starts and was able to control a long pass, chop the ball towards the box, and put it inside the net with a violent shot. Real Madrid players gathered around Zidane in an example of unity and team-spirit, who surely breathed a sigh of relief and started to think about the substitutions he would make from now on.

Until the 82th minute the game continued unattractive and unchanged. In this moment James, who didn’t have such a good night as he did against Athletic, was sent out for Jesé to come in. The latter, contributed to the victory of the club with a sensational goal from outside the box, a crossed shot that licked the post and went in. By this time the whole of the Madrid supporters could feel at ease with their team and rise hope and expectation for the upcoming European appointments.

Determining such a complicated phase in the first leg is something that was unusual to see these recent years, let alone in Champions League. Is it too soon to say Madrid have entered a new “Zizou” era?

 

By Álvaro S.

A disappointing Roma sends Barça to knockout phase

UEFA Champions League: Group E: FC Barcelona 6-1 Roma:

It was a calm night in Camp Barça, after “El Clásico’s” storm had passed, the Champions League returned with some decisive matches to be played. One of the suitable candidates for winning the title, Barcelona, showed that the level of football they have been demonstrating on the field, is, and will be, challenging to keep up with. This is why the fans, especially of Madrid, who kept their eyes naïvely on the match hoping that Roma would get in the way of the new European bulldozer, surely switched the channel as soon as the first pair of goals were scored.

Despite the apparently accessible rival, Luis Enrique didn’t want to take any risk against the third qualified in the Serie A and went for a classic starting line up, trusting Piqué’s effectiveness, Neymar’s magic and Suárez’s incisiveness. The Catalonian team didn’t refuse to play tiki-taka, and imposed a low-voltage game in which Roma players would inevitably doze. By the time they wanted to wake up it was too late, they have had to pick up the ball from inside of the net twice. Some astonishing one-two actions first from Suárez and then from Messi left the defensive line stuck and allowed the leader of La Liga to make it 2-0 fifteen minutes after the game had started.

The Italian team didn’t show any willingness to respond to the continuous attacks striking, especially, from Neymar. Roma suffered from a lack of their usual playing elegance, that this time was only noticeable on their immaculate white shirt. However, a posh shirt isn’t enough to stop the MSN, nor was the disordered and inefficient pressure that they tried to apply. However, they did have their opportunities. Rudi’s team owned three consecutive fouls that, at least, enabled them to cross some balls through the box and show a timid intention of scoring; yet Suárez took advantage of a counter attack to score a perfectly executed volley, 3-0.

The 4th goal came when Piqué caught a rebound and was able to put it inside the net, who knows what would have happened if Munir had been around…The fifth came immediately after, that by the 60th minute, with Messi taking another rebound in a very similar action. The 5-0 didn’t lie about the situation that was taking place on the turf. However, that was not going to be it, the sixth goal came when Suárez feigned a penalty that was unnecessarily awarded by the referee. Neymar failed to score but Adriano was lucky to catch the ball before the keeper had time to stand up and scored.

Just before the final whistle, an unrecognisable Roma scored the honour goal thanks to Dzëko, who (helped by Bartra’s defensive mistake) headed the ball to make it 6-1. One more time, Barça demonstrated their ability to knock out big European rivals, leaving another dazzling as well as thought-provoking game in the supporters’ memories and in the history books.

Are we facing a new era of an unstoppable Barça or is it just an illusion product of the rival’s incompetence?

By Álvaro S.

Gunners give an example of courage and stay alive in the group

UEFA Champions League: Group F: Arsenal 2-0 Bayern Munich

Last night The Emirates hosted not only one of the most awaited matches in this Champions League Group qualification, but also the most meaningful and transcendental one of the season for Arsenal. Despite being the last-place competitor in the Group with no points at all, and under the pressure that a loss against Bayern meant their exit from the competition, the gunners preserved the faith that has characterised them throughout football history. Trying to spoil Arsenal’s fun stood Guardiola’s Bayern, mistakenly considered Europe’s fiercest beast for their world class players and for Guardiola’s legendary playing style.

However, Guardiola’s innocent proposal of owning the ball possession during the whole match regardless of the rival team, took his toll on the match as it has happened to him so many times in European competitions. The game started just as if it were a Bundesliga game; the Londoners shut down while the Bavarians obsessed with passing and keeping the ball possession as a system of defense. What is more, by the 20th minute the German team had completed 230 passes as opposed to Arsenal which had just completed 60.

For the moment the brightest sparks of the game appeared when the newcomer Douglas Costa switched the dribbling mode on; he juggled the entire Arsenal defense. However, around the 35th minute, Arsenal seemed to have woken up from the mesmerising “Guardiola effect” and started to play their cards. Direct plays straight from the defensive line kept coming looking for Walcott’s speed or Giroud’s head; it wouldn’t be a match for midfielders, and old Arsene knew it, which is why he would send on Oxlade-Chamberlain for Ramsey in the second half.

Goal attempts came for both teams, but a magnificent save from Neuer (which could probably break into the  Top 10 Best Saves Ever” ) didn’t allow the score to move, nor did an extraordinary blocking from Czech in a clear one on one against Lewandowski. It was a game of goalkeepers. Indeed, Neuer would be the main protagonist in the 75th minute but this time for committing an unforgivable error in a set piece that Giroud, newly arrived, ended heading inside the net. From this moment on, Bayern’s intense pressing in the wings wasn’t enough to threaten or even scare the gunners, which would lock themselves up while Guardiola desperately put all the stops so as to try and overturn the situation.

In one of these moves, Hector Bellerin, who I believe was the man of the match anticipated to a rival pass thanks to his supersonic speed and covered the whole field to get to the bottom line and cross it straight to Özil. It was a textbook counter attack. Arsenal fans prayed anxiously for the ball to get inside and clinch the match. Fortunately for them, Neuer was late in his surprising effort to get to the ball and the referee conceded the goal in the 90th minute.

One more time, history repeated itself, and owning the 70% of the ball possession, a team leaded by an old-fashioned and stale Guardiola suffered a bitter and resounding defeat in Europe.

By Álvaro S.

An undeserved hail of goals keeps Madrid optimistic in Champions League

UEFA Champions League: Group A: Real Madrid 4-0 Shakhtar Donetsk:

Everything was ready in the capital city of Spain to hold Real’s opener in the UEFA Champions League. The first UCL night is always special and the noisy 90,000 souls inside the stadium confirmed it. They knew that although the Spanish team’s start in La Liga has been striking, (with stats of 11 goals in 3 games and 0 goals conceded), Benitez’s squad still needs to step up the pace to reach its highest level. In front of them, humble Shakhtar visited Bernabeu hoping to avoid a downpour of goals from “los galacticos”.

Benitez seemed to have gone for a 4-4-2 formation, keeping Keylor in the starting lineup, behind Ramos and Varane, whose role inside the team is becoming increasingly significant. Marcelo and Carvajal were the wing-backs, and the Kroos, Modric and Isco that never let anyone down were working in the machine room. The ones in charge of digging deep in the Ukrainian team were the usual ones, for whom, we ought to highlight, the game wasn’t a bed of roses.

Nearly as soon as the ball started to roll, Keylor received a risky pass that could have ended in a tragedy for the whites if the keeper hadn’t saved it just before crossing the goal line. It would be one of the most demanding actions for him apart from a 90th minute save that prevented Madrid from conceding the first goal in the whole season.

Throughout the game, rarely did Shakhtar players threat the opposite goal, led by a too individualistic Taison and a Teixeira lacking ideas. Both teams wanted the ball possession but neither of them incisively enough to finish their plays.

After Bale’s injury had caused a sense of fear among the supporters and the medical staff, the game seemed to have got stuck. Were it not for Pyato’s present in the 31st minute that enabled Benzema to score, who knows when the slow, passive, too horizontal and depth-lacking Real Madrid plays would have ended inside the net. Half time allowed Benitez to breathe a sigh of relief and try to reconduct his team. In the second half, with Isco taking the reins and with an astonishing help from the referee by allowing 2 penalties and showing 1 red card to Taison, the match result met everyone’s expectations but didn’t reflect the players’ performance. At no time had Cristiano expected that apart from scoring both penalties he would hit the hat-trick to decide the game by the 80th minute, 4-0. Fortunately for Madrid, their good physical form during the last 10 minutes and some good moves from Isco and Benzema that nearly made it 6-0, made people forget a gray night in Bernabeu. Before thinking of the Eleventh UCL trophy, much work needs to be done for the whites to go on winning.

Maybe it’s necessary to follow the enemy’s advice: “take it game by game”.

By Álvaro S.