<div id="attachment_2243" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Oscar Ustari can only stare blankly as Gonzalo Higuaín beats him for a second time.</div>
The fashionable district.&nbsp; The working-class south.&nbsp; The established.&nbsp; The disrespected.&nbsp; Commerce.&nbsp; Industry.&nbsp; A comparison between the two top Madrid clubs.&nbsp; Getafe just wants to be in the conversation.&nbsp; They are in the city too, they say.&nbsp; Real Madrid does not disrespect them because they are not in Real’s radar.&nbsp; With Atlético Madrid struggling to steer their campaign in the right direction, Getafe CF had a chance to be noticed in the capital against Real Madrid at the eminent and illustrious Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
The recent difficulties for Real Madrid have been well documented.&nbsp; Outclassed by Sevilla, beaten by AC Milan, mediocre against Sporting Gijón, and embarrassed by Alcorcón.&nbsp; All told, one win, one draw, and three losses in the last five for Madrid. &nbsp;It only took until the middle of October for the rumors to start about the future and viability of Manuel Pellegrini at the Bernabéu.&nbsp; The last event that Pellegrini needed to happen was another slip-up at the hands of their unnoticed cousin from the southern part of the Madrid metropolitan area.
The first half hour of the match saw few chances between the two teams, and the funereal atmosphere within the Santiago Bernabéu did not help in spurring on Real Madrid.&nbsp; What sparked both the Madridistas and the players occurred in the 28th minute, when Raúl Albiol unjustly received a straight red card.&nbsp; Apparently, in the eyes of referee Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz, Albiol prevented Getafe striker Roberto Soldado from a direct goal-scoring opportunity.&nbsp; Albiol did pull the shirt of Soldado somewhat, but they both went for the ball in the air, leading to inevitable contact.&nbsp; At worst, Mateu Lahoz should have given a yellow card to Albiol, but this highly controversial call gave Getafe the one-man advantage and more hope that they could upset Real Madrid in their own stadium.
Pedro León’s subsequent free kick could not curl enough as it flew a couple yards wide of the right post, but Getafe neglected to use the extra man to their benefit.&nbsp; Paradoxically, Real Madrid actually played better with more vim and vigor after the red card and constantly threatened the Getafe goal through halftime.&nbsp; Kaká and Karim Benzema played a two-man game down the left wing in one attack, with Kaká laying a perfect pull-back from the byline to Benzema, but Benzema’s strongly struck shot stung goalkeeper Oscar Ustari’s hands as he parried it away from goal.&nbsp; Even though it was a 0-0 score at halftime, Real Madrid seemed more likely to open the scoring, while Getafe played a more conservative game after Albiol’s dismissal.&nbsp; The whistles rained down from the Madridistas, but they aimed their anger more at the referees as they headed into their dressing room for halftime.
When Gonzalo Higuaín broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute to give Real Madrid the 1-0 lead, the run of play dictated that Real deserved to be ahead.&nbsp; From the left wing, Marcelo whipped in a cross to Higuaín, who split between two defenders in the air, and after chesting the ball down to create space, it was a simple finish as Ustari had no chance to prevent the inevitable.
Getafe only changed their tactics after Higuaín scored.&nbsp; After the referee sent off Albiol, Getafe continued to tread water rather than go for the lead.&nbsp; When the goal transpired, panic seized through Getafe manager Míchel and his team, and they decided to be more gung ho in attack.&nbsp; This tactic backfired three minutes later, when Lassana Diarra created a turnover in midfield, and there were only two Getafe defenders in their own half.&nbsp; A two versus two battle between Mario and Cata Díaz and Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín yielded predictable results.&nbsp; With the defenders on their heels, Benzema slotted a through ball to Higuaín, who took two touches and side-footed his shot across goal and across Oscar Ustari into the back of the net.&nbsp; 2-0 to the home team and assured three points.
Fabio Celestini had a couple of long-distance efforts that forced Iker Casillas into some good saves, but the second goal took the wind out of Getafe’s sails as they played out the final half hour without any significant scoring chances.&nbsp; In eighth place starting Round 9 of La Liga, Getafe looked to continue their good form against a reeling Real Madrid side.&nbsp; In particular, Roberto Soldado, Miguel Torres, Dani Parejo, and Adrián González wanted to prove to their former parent club that they should not have given up on them.&nbsp; All members of the Real Madrid cantera, they disappointed as they failed to appreciably affect and effect the game to their fullest extent.&nbsp; Especially when Real Madrid was handicapped with one less man, they did not have the gusto that was required to defeat any Real Madrid side.
To their credit, Real Madrid arguably had their most impressive performance of the season.&nbsp; It was not necessarily due to stellar football, but it was their resolve and grit to take control of a game when they went a man down and seemingly every call went against them.&nbsp; The 60/40 ratio of possession in Getafe’s favor meant nothing when observing the game; Getafe was ponderous with the ball, while Real were decisive and efficient after the red card.&nbsp; Real Madrid expected to win this game, and even when they went a man down, they were the slightest of favorites to come out with a result, but Getafe never tilted the scales in their favor when they had the chance, and for that, they should be utterly frustrated with themselves.

Getafe Fails to Capitalize Against a Ten Man Real Madrid - World Soccer Talk

Getafe Fails to Capitalize Against a Ten Man Real Madrid

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>
Real Madrid 5-0 Xerez
1-0 Ronaldo, 1′
2-0 Ronaldo, 75′
3-0 Guti, 78′
4-0 Benzema, 82′
5-0 Van Nistelrooy, 89′
Real Madrid moved to the top of the table Sunday, ahead of Barcelona on goal differential, after a 5-0 rout of Xerez that was a more difficult affair than the final score might indicate. Cristiano Ronaldo netted a second straight brace for his new club and did all the meaningful scoring, giving Real the two-goal cushion upon which they built their late-game goal flurry. Yet even with all the talent in the world – quite literally – wearing white on the pitch, many questions remain for Madrid after a win that was less dominating than one would expect against a newly promoted side.
Despite (or perhaps because of) the quarter of a billion Euros splashed out this summer, Real took the better part of 90 minutes to finally click as a team. Last week I railed against their defensive miscues, but a similar charge can be leveled against their offense, which continues to rake in the goals despite playing a haphazard, individualistic style of football. After Ronaldo scored on a zinger in the first minute, Madrid appeared to go into hibernation for the next 70+ minutes, creating little more than moments of individual brilliance in the midst of mediocre play. Xerez just kept plugging away, little engine that could style, and their midfield did a commendable job of jamming up the works and preventing Madrid from ever finding a rhythm. With no Xabi Alonso to pull the strings in midfield, Real were left with Gago and Lass playing the double-pivot and little creativity flowing from the midfield.
As much was made clear when Pellegrini yanked Raul and Kaka in favor of Granero and Guti, leaving CR9 to partner Benzema as the two out-and-out strikers. All of a sudden the ball was moving more fluidly and play was built up from the midfield to create opportunities for the attacking players. Xerez clung to the one-goal deficit for a surprisingly long time, and the Andalucian side even had a number of chances to tie the game. Their failure to provide any quality service into the box was eventually their undoing, though, and with a quarter of an hour remaining Ronaldo skied in the box to head home Granero’s corner and secure the victory.
After that, the floodgates opened. Benzema whiffed at the ball, missing it completely about eight yards out, leaving it for Guti to clean up and smash past Xerez keeper Renan. The young Frenchman got his shortly thereafter when he drove up the lefthand side, juked the defender out of position just enough, and then blasted a left-footed shot into the net for 4-0 and his first regular season goal with Real Madrid. Even Ruud Van Nistelrooy got in on the act two minutes from time, scoring Real’s fifth on a slotted shot that nutmegged the keeper and rewarded the standing ovation he got from the fans on his introduction.
It was an amazing final fifteen minutes that displayed, in a brief flourish, all that these new-look Galacticos are capable of. But the other 75 minutes painted a more worrying picture, one of a team still struggling to find itself amidst all the new signings and suffering some growing pains in the process. Xerez didn’t possess enough threats to really test them defensively, but in the absence of defensive pressure their offense showed its own lack of fluency for much of the game. Unlike the team’s defensive troubles, though, I’m not exceedingly worried about these offensive hicc-ups. They will be worked out, and in much less time than it will take to get the back line in order. And until all those kinks are ironed out, there will always be a Cristiano or a Kaka or a Benzema etc. etc. to pull another rabbit out of the hat to save them. Today, there were five rabbits to be found, four of them in quick succession, in the dispatching of Xerez. A bit more consistency and a lot more fluency will go a long way toward calming the nerves of the fans who expressed their anxiety as the lack of a second goal weighed heavier and heavier in this one. The goals will quiet the critics for now, but for the sake of La Liga I hope they find their game sooner rather than later.

Another Impressive Scoreline Conceals Real's Frailties - World Soccer Talk

Another Impressive Scoreline Conceals Real's Frailties

<div id="attachment_1732" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Together for the moment</div>
The much-anticipated return of La Liga began with a scintillating match between the new galácticos of Real Madrid and the pesky Deportivo La Coruña, who always gives Madrid a run for their money, literally.&nbsp; Because of the continued suspension of Pepe and the tendinitis suffered by Sergio Ramos, the Real Madrid defense was not at full strength, and Ezequiel Garay and Álvaro Arbeloa started in their positions respectively.&nbsp; All of Madrid’s big signings started, and they began in a fluid 4-2-3-1 formation with Lass and Xabi Alonso in central midfield and in front of the back four, Cristiano Ronaldo on the right of the three, Raúl on the left, and Kaká roaming in the middle behind the striker Karim Benzema.
Early in the match, Madrid played tentatively as expected, trying to figure the best strategy to incorporate the strengths of the new players.&nbsp; They created a plethora of chances but did not construct the decisive pass to generate a genuine goal-scoring opportunity.&nbsp; Then the magic materialized that los madridistas expected since the formation of this second galáctico team.
In the 26th minute, on another attacking situation, Kaká’s vision and audacity came to fruition.&nbsp; Cutting inside towards the “D,” Kaká sensed the diagonal run of Karim Benzema and slotted a pass to him that traveled first between Pablo Álvarez’s legs, then between Juan Rodríguez’s legs to spot Karim Benzema.&nbsp; Benzema then fired his shot first time, split through goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubía’s legs, and hit the post; Raúl cleaned up the rebound, and it was 1-0 Real Madrid.&nbsp; It was debatable whether Benzema was onside when Kaká played his through ball to him, but nevertheless, that was why Florentino Pérez sought out these world-class players: for this kind of ingenuity and flair.
No sooner than four minutes later did Depor expose Real Madrid’s defense with a training ground free kick routine.&nbsp; Depor caught Madrid sleeping, and Riki headed home the equalizer.&nbsp; Madrid gave both Riki and Alberto Lopo an ample amount of space, and Riki ended up scoring, but to have two players so open from a relatively short free kick was inexcusable.
Real Madrid scored five minutes later on a penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo.&nbsp; Lass made another decisive pass into the box for Raúl, and Aranzubía felled Raúl whilst trying to take the ball off his foot.&nbsp; Ronaldo took the penalty with his famous stutter step and beat Aranzubía to retake the lead 2-1. &nbsp;Ronaldo then showed his panache a minute later when he did a series of step-overs, breezed by the defender, and crossed a beautiful ball to Raúl in the box.&nbsp; Unfortunately, for Real, Raúl’s shot went straight into Aranzubía’s stomach, but Ronaldo’s individual brilliance lit up the Bernabéu yet again.
The combination of Lass and Xabi Alonso controlled the midfield, akin to their rivals Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández at Barcelona, and they were able to keep possession and take possession back whenever Madrid lost the ball.&nbsp; These two hold the key to unlocking opposing defenses; if they dictate the middle of the park, the front line will be able to be free to set up their one-two’s and other intricate positions.
The Real Madrid defense was caught ball watching in the first minute of the second half.&nbsp; Andrés Guardado worked the left flank and crossed to Juan Carlos Valerón, where he had the ability to control the cross, take the shot, and score from the top of the penalty box.&nbsp; No one was close enough to Valerón, and even when Ezequiel Garay attempted to close down Valerón’s shot, it was only in vain as Valerón blasted his shot passed a frozen Iker Casillas.&nbsp; Garay and Raúl Albiol did not have the chemistry required for a central defensive pair, and that was the kind of situation where Madrid missed the calm and positioning of Pepe.
Real almost gave up a third goal in the 57th minute when Guardado again paced down the left wing and sent a heavenly ball to Valerón.&nbsp; Valerón sliced through the center of the defense again but inexplicably sent his shot wide of the post.&nbsp; Casillas had no chance, and from the six-yard box, it was harder to miss than to score, but somehow, Valerón managed to do so.&nbsp; Depor paid for their missed golden chance when Lass scored three minutes later from just outside the “D”.
The final was 3-2 in favor of Real Madrid, and each of the new players had their distinct moments of skill.&nbsp; Their defense needs major improvement, and maybe when Pepe and Sergio Ramos return, these defensive gaffes will not occur as often.&nbsp; The statistics suggest that Madrid dominated the match with 59% of the possession, twenty-eight shots with eleven on goal, and ten corner kicks to Depor’s three.&nbsp; When watching the match, there was always a feeling that Deportivo La Coruña could get a draw or even win.
Real is definitely still a work in progress, and it will take more than one match to develop the chemistry needed to gel as a unit.&nbsp; Offense was not the problem last year, and they will likely surpass the eighty-three goals they scored in the prior season; however, they cannot expect to outscore teams on every occasion.&nbsp; Benzema, Ronaldo, Kaká, Xabi Alonso, et al. will not be the problems.&nbsp; If the back line continues to leak goals as if it were the Exxon Valdez, Real Madrid will not win La Liga or any other competition this campaign.

ALL POSTS TAGGED "karim benzema" - Page 3

Atletico Madrid

Getafe Fails to Capitalize Against a Ten Man Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo

Another Impressive Scoreline Conceals Real's Frailties

Cristiano Ronaldo

First Impressions of Real Madrid and the Second Galacticos Era