Schalke needs a new manager, and former player Raul is leading the way to be the next boss of the German side. The Spaniard spent a pair of seasons in Germany with Schalke after his record-breaking stint with Real Madrid. He was in the squad the last time Schalke won a major trophy. Now, though, he is the favorite to coach Schalke in what has become the darkest time in the storied club’s history.



Last week, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/schalke-sacks-13th-manager-in-5-years-after-demoralizing-defeat/">Schalke sacked head coach Karel Geraerts</a>. Despite picking up a win in the side’s first 2. Bundesliga match of the season, Schalke has amassed a mere one point in the five games since then. As a result, Schalke is in the relegation zone after six games, and dropping into the 3. Liga is a legitimate prospect. Jakob Fimpel is overseeing the team on an interim basis, but Schalke wants to bring Raul in on a permanent job.



Raul is one of the future candidates to be the head coach of Real Madrid. With the side currently under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti, Raul has served as the head coach of the Real Madrid reserves since 2019. Raul has had success with Real Madrid Castilla. The reserve team narrowly missed out on promotion to the second tier of Spanish soccer. He has played down talk of becoming the next Real Madrid manager in the past, but there is reason for <a href="https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/trainer-suche-bei-s04-gut-fuer-schalke-raul-will-weg-aus-spanien-66f412816c08f722d31c73f9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">him to want to leav</a>e.



Schalke executives flew to Spain this week, but <a href="https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/es-ist-wirklich-wahr-fc-schalke-04-beschaeftigt-sich-mit-trainer-raul-66f29e79e8245318f768737c" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BILD</a> is reporting that had nothing to do with meeting with Raul, at least according to the club. However, the club is starting to prepare plans for the future.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240928_WST_532078_Raul-Real-Madrid-Castilla-1200x675_bff442d3.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-532098" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Raul-Real-Madrid-Castilla-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Raul-Real-Madrid-Castilla-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Raul-Real-Madrid-Castilla-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Raul-Real-Madrid-Castilla-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Raul-Real-Madrid-Castilla.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<h2>Raul tops Schalke list of coaches, but others remain available</h2>



Schalke is not the only team that wants to bring Raul to Germany as a coach. Hoffenheim is a popular name that is in the mix for Raul. Current coach Pellegrino Matarazzo is on the hot seat after a sluggish start to the season. The American has guided the side to just one win in Hoffenheim’s first four games in the German top flight. Despite helping Hoffenheim to European qualification last season, the club may be looking to make an early change.



In that case, Raul would have to decide between his former club and the club that is currently in the Bundesliga. Hoffenheim, at least in the immediate sense, is the better job. Yet, Schalke is indisputably one of the biggest clubs in Germany. Raul could be the one to guide the team back to success and Bundesliga relevance.




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Should that not happen, Schalke has already lined up backup options. One of those is current interim manager Jakob Fimpel. Depending on how well Fimpel does in his first game as head coach against Prussia Munster, the club may stick with him for the coming season. Another option is the current head coach at Alemannia Aachen, Heiner Backhaus. Backhaus is a Schalke supporter, and he is in the second season with Alemannia Aachen. He led the side back to the 3. Liga after promotion in 2023/24.



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PHOTOS: IMAGO

Spanish legend Raul tipped to lead Schalke from dark days

Schalke is in need of a new manager, and former player Raul is leading the way to be the next boss of the German side.

<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Raul-signs-for-New-York-Cosmos.jpg"></a><div><figure class="image"><a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Raul-signs-for-New-York-Cosmos.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-119558" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20141022_WST_119535_Raul-signs-for-New-York-Cosmos-600x387.webp&amp;width=600&amp;height=387" alt="FBL-ESP-QAT-REALMADRID-ALSADD-FRIENDLY" width="600" height="387" srcset="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/10/Raul-signs-for-New-York-Cosmos-600x387.jpg 600w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/10/Raul-signs-for-New-York-Cosmos-150x96.jpg 150w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/10/Raul-signs-for-New-York-Cosmos-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/10/Raul-signs-for-New-York-Cosmos.jpg 764w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a></figure></div>
Pele. Franz Beckenbauer. Giorgio Chinaglia. Carlos Alberto. Shep Messing. Legendary players who helped the New York Cosmos version one fill up New Jersey’s Giants Stadium in the 1970s. By the early 80s,&nbsp;<a href="http:\/\/graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Cosmos-t_CA0/mag-17Cosmos-t_CA0-articleLarge-v2.jpg">Mick Jagger</a>&nbsp;and Henry Kissinger stopped popping in for post-match champagne and the most famous soccer club in American history folded.
Could signing an international legend make the new Cosmos shine again?
The resurrected Cosmos 2.0 plays in the second-tier NASL and far from New York’s bright lights at&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/bigapplebeautifulgame.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/20131020_160119.jpg">suburban Nassau County’s Hofstra University</a>. Powered by Marcos Senna, one of the key stars of Spain’s Euro 2008 winning squad, the new Cosmos won the&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-L1EINKTFM">2013 NASL Soccer Bowl championship</a>&nbsp;in just their first season of existence.
Their crowds, aside from their debut match,&nbsp;<a href="http:\/\/www.empireofsoccer.com/attendance-becoming-concern-27414/">have been between 3,000 and 6,000.</a>&nbsp;Decent, but nothing spectacular. Hofstra University’s stadium is a&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.7200263,-73.6732967&amp;z=12&amp;geocode=FfTNbQIdlPKW-yn5tzQUrlnCiTELxignjABkPg;FShObQIdA_6c-ykTWmzMo33CiTHzwEKIMku0-w&amp;saddr=Penn+Station,+New+York,+NY&amp;daddr=Hofstra+University,+1000+Fulton+Ave,+Hempstead,+NY+11550&amp;dirflg=r&amp;output=classic&amp;dg=opt">two mile walk</a>&nbsp;from the nearest Long Island Rail Road station, which makes it almost impossible for New York City’s soccer-loving citizens to get there without a car.&nbsp;<a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_with_most_households_without_a_car">NYC ranks lowest,&nbsp;by far</a>, in car ownership among American cities. The Cosmos have ambitious plans to build their own stadium next to the legendary Belmont Park horse track. Located on the Queens-Nassau border it would still be far from the young soccer fanatics in Manhattan and Brooklyn, who fill up the pubs every Saturday and Sunday morning but at least Belmont has its own LIRR station.
Stadium aside, the Cosmos can look no further than two rivers away where signing&nbsp;<a href="http:\/\/www.newyorkredbulls.com/video/2014/05/06/100-games-44-goals-new-york-red-bulls-captain-thierry-henry">Thierry Henry</a>&nbsp;brought the Red Bulls to new heights of recognition and success.
Enter Raúl. According to&nbsp;<a href="http:\/\/www.espnfc.com/north-american-soccer-league/story/2099139/new-york-cosmos-agree-to-terms-with-raulsource-says">various sources</a>, the Cosmos have signed the greatest goalscorer in <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2014/10/21/carlo-ancelotti-has-real-madrid-hitting-their-stride-heading-into-two-big-matches/">Real Madrid’s</a> glittering history. During his time Real won La Liga six times and the Champions League thrice. He retired from international football as Spain’s all-time leading goalscorer. And like Henry, he’s a&nbsp;<a href="http:\/\/www.footballdeluxe.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/A-left-foot.-A-kiss-on-his-wedding-ring-when-he-scores-a-goal.-An-immortal-number-7-flocked-on-a-pristine-white-jersey.-He-is-Raul.-football.jpg">charming</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http:\/\/wedontknowfootball.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/footballsfittest36/#jp-carousel-4851">handsome</a>&nbsp;man. Looks-wise he’s like an Iberian mix of&nbsp;<a href="http:\/\/static.tvgcdn.net/MediaBin/Content/101018/News/Todays_News_Our_Take/1_mon/101018Jason-Lee1.jpg">Jason Lee</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http:\/\/i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01754/coog1_1754818c.jpg">Steve Coogan</a>.
While he’s 37 years old, the Cosmos will benefit greatly by having a player of his caliber who can thrill the crowd by filling up his boots with goals. Even if Raúl’s presence isn’t enough to convince more fans to make the trek out to central Nassau, he’s sure to attract more eyes to SNY, the local cable channel that broadcasts the club’s matches.
With NYCFC set to finally deliver soccer within the city limits next spring, the Cosmos will be desperate to stay relevant. That begins first with winning, but championships alone won’t be enough so long as they’re in the second tier. The club must honor its name and pedigree by signing more players like Raúl.
What do you think? Would icons, albeit ageing ones, like Raúl make you more likely to watch an NASL match featuring the Cosmos?

Signing Ex-Real Madrid Legend Raul Would Be A Major Coup For New York Cosmos  - World Soccer Talk

Signing Ex-Real Madrid Legend Raul Would Be A Major Coup For New York Cosmos

<div style="width: 470px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Felix Magath Is The Man To Lead Schalke To Success This Season Despite An Awful Start.</div>
Schalke ended a five-match losing streak on Wednesday evening after they pulled off a last-minute win away to Freiburg. Few could see, after so many disappointing defeats, how Magath’s side would be able to pick themselves up with morale seemingly in the dumps throughout the squad. Despite that, Felix Magath’s side grabbed their first win of the season and will now have their eyes on a push towards the Bundesliga summit. While it’s unlikely, Schalke have an x-factor that makes them a real dark-horse for the Bundesliga title this season. That x-factor is Felix Magath.
In the 2008-2009 season, Magath was head coach at VfL Wolfsburg, a side who had never before won the Bundesliga. Magath changed that. In the most unlikely way, Felix Magath led Wolfsburg to their very first Bundesliga title which is definitely an achievement that will make Magath a massive part of history with Die Wolfe.
The year after, in the 2009-2010 season, Magath took charge of Schalke and took the side who finished in 8th place in the 2008-2009 season, to second, and narrowly missing out on the Bundesliga crown despite their best efforts. A back-line that only conceded 31 goals, the lowest tally in the league which was only matched by eventual champions Bayern Munich, is what Magath relied on to bring success to his side. The defense consisted of Rafinha, Bordon, Heiko Westermann, and Christian Pander. Behind them, was and continues to be Manuel Neuer, Germany’s number one goalkeeper.
In the summer of 2010, top European sides tabled large offers for Magath’s defensive stalwarts. Rafinha was sold to Genoa for 12 million pounds, Bordon released, Heiko Westermann was sold to Bundesliga rivals Hamburg for a reported 7 million pounds, and top-scorer Kevin Kuranyi was sold to Dinamo Moscow for a fee of around 8 million pounds. Magath allowed the transfers because of the amount of money he received for those players, and believed in his own ability to find adequate replacements for those players. Magath brought Christoph Metzelder, Nicolas Plestan, Atsuto Uchida and Hans Sarpei in to replace his defensive players, as well as promoting youngster Benedikt Howedes to the first-team more permanently. In attack, Magath splashed the cash on three high-profile stars, which include Spanish legend Raul, Holland’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, and Spanish midfielder Juan Manuel Jurado.
Unfortunately, Magath’s new signings have not settled in as quickly as first hoped, and Schalke slumped to five defeats in a row in all competitions. The particular concern has been in defense, where Benedikt Howedes and Christoph Metzelder have been an absolute shambles, and at right-back Christoph Moritz has been shocking. Fans of the Bundesliga had been shocked at Schalke’s defensive instability, because of Magath’s reliance on his defense in previous seasons.
Magath has received the nickname ‘Saddam,’ after Saddam Hussein, for his discipline and intensity on the training field. Unfortunately, those techniques haven’t seemed to make a great deal of difference recently. Schalke have already conceded ten goals in their first give Bundesliga games, which is not a record they will be proud of.
Finally, though, Magath and Schalke nipped an unlikely win away at Freiburg, and that win may give his side a renewed belief and confidence that could boost them to further success. With Magath at the helm, and with so many creative, attacking players in the side, Schalke could really put themselves into Champions League contention. As long as Magath can sort out that defense. But, if anyone can, Magath can.
This Saturday, Schalke host a Gladbach side that have conceded 13 goals in their last three matches, and an emphatic win could really start a run of confidence for Magath’s side. Gladbach are unlikely to threaten Manuel Neuer at the back for Schalke very frequently, so Schalke should be able to play a possession game that will put less pressure on their rickety back-line.
Here’s to Felix Magath and his legacy as one of the Bundesliga’s top football managers. Hopefully he can turn around what has been a woeful Schalke side and whip them back into the side we all remember from last season, who narrowly missed out on Bundesliga honours.

Magath Looks Up As Schalke Slump Comes To An End - World Soccer Talk

Magath Looks Up As Schalke Slump Comes To An End

<div id="attachment_8132" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>At 32, Raúl González is Real Madrid&apos;s all-time leader in appearances, goals. (Photo: Mauro González/Flickr)</div>
Real Madrid star forward Raúl has an offer to join Red Bull New York, according to <a href="http:\/\/www.marca.com/2010/02/11/futbol/equipos/real_madrid/1265877017.html">reports in Madrid</a>.
Those reports claim the former talisman for Los Blancos has an received a salary offer from the Major League Soccer team that is comparable to his current compensation from Real Madrid.
The 32-year-old forward has spent his entire career at the Santiago Bernabeu, but after the summer acquisitions of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to augment the emergence of Gonzalo Higuaín, the Real Madrid captain has received few first team opportunities. Madrid’s last two matches, however, Raúl has started, after being out of the starting XI &nbsp;each of the preceding nine.
As noted in Marca’s report, Raúl has historically refused to close the door on a move to Major League Soccer, saying before a Champions League match last season “as experience, I could go to play a year in the United States.”
Raúl’s agent, in the same Marca article, says the forward “has offers to play in the United States and Qatar.”
Raúl’s current contract runs through the end of the 2010-11 season and has a clause which could automatically extend the deal by one year should the forward make 30 appearances.
The contract reportedly pays&nbsp;Raúl an annual salary of €6.3 million, or about $8.7 million. A comparable salary could make the Spaniard the highest paid player in the history of Major League Soccer, out-earning David Beckham’s current $6.5 million salary with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Diario Marca, otherwise known as just Marca or La Marca, is a Madrid-based daily sports newspaper considered by many to be a mouth-piece for Real Madrid. Thus, there is extra significance to today’s Raúl post, which closes “If (Raúl wants to move before 2011), Real Madrid would not stand in the way.”
This year, Raúl has three goals in nineteen league appearances, eight of which were starts. Last season, Raúl scored 24 goals in 45 all competition appearances, helping Real Madrid to a second place finish in the Spanish Primera.
Earlier this season, Raúl set the record for Spanish league appearances for Real Madrid, appearing in his 524th league match on September 23. He has since run his appearance record to 536 matches.
In all, Raúl has made 729 appearances for Real Madrid since coming over from the Atlético Madrid youth system and making his debut with Los Blancos in 1994. He has a club-record 321 all competition goals and has been a part of six La Liga champions, three times winning the UEFA Champions League.
Raúl has been named UEFA Club Forward of the Year three times and has won two Pichichi as Spain’s leading scorer.
For Spain, Raúl has been capped 102 times and is the country’s all-time leading scorer with 44 goals.

Report: Raúl, Real Madrid's All-Time Leading Scorer, Has Offer to Join Red Bull - World Soccer Talk

Report: Raúl, Real Madrid's All-Time Leading Scorer, Has Offer to Join Red Bull

<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><figure class="image"></figure></div>It is mouth-watering just to imagine a match featuring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso and Karim Benzema taking on an opposing team which includes Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Xavi Hernandez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to name just a few.
The dream of many football fanatics has come true following a spending frenzy by Los Blancos which included the record signing of Portuguese Ronaldo from Manchester United. The club obviously made other big name signings and also fortified its defense with the hope of challenging the Catalan club for honours both in Spain and Europe.
Barca did not hold back and retaliated by capturing Inter’s Ibrahimovic though that came at a steep price. Inter received star striker Samuel Eto’o in return in addition to&nbsp;a hefty payment for the Nerazzurri. The proud Catalan club still has plenty of weapons upfront besides the famous names mentioned above. Andres Iniesta has become an integral cog in the team’s free-flowing approach and often contributes with decisive balls from midfield while young striker Bojan Krkic is beginning to emerge as a threat. Krkic’s playing time will still be limited with the presence of Henry and Ibrahimovic yet he is sure to get regular cameo appearances under Coach Josep Guardiola’s stewardship.
Barca’s strengths are not limited to the frightening forward lineup or the midfield’s flair and solidity but also the defense’s compactness under the leadership of Carles Puyol. While Xavi and Iniesta supply the attackers with the ammunition to score goals, the energetic Yaya Toure supports the defense and covers the space left by the midfielders roaming forward. Captain Puyol marshals the defense and has found an able deputy in&nbsp;the form of Gerard Pique.
As for Los Galacticos, Kaka and Ronaldo pull the strings from midfield and move forward to support Captain Raul and French striker Karim Benzema. Behind them former Liverpool star Alonso ensures the team ticks like a well-oiled machine while Mahamadou Diarra recovers plenty of balls, breaks up opposition moves and offers cover for the defense. Iker Casillas remains a trustworthy goalkeeper between the posts and often performs incredible saves while Raul Albiol and Alvaro Arbeloa were brought in to strengthen the defensive line.
Real Madrid&nbsp;was not able to lure French International and Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery leaving club President Florentino Perez visibly disappointed. While Barcelona appears to be more of a solid, free-flowing and united team, Los Blancos have yet to mesh together and are still reliant on individual talents and flashes of brilliance from stars such as Kaka.
So the question for La Liga and all football fans is probably best summed up in this question: Would you pick a cohesive yet very talented team like Barca or will you bet on Real Madrid winning titles through the contributions of the individual superstars? It is Barca’s impressive talent working for the collective&nbsp;good&nbsp;in a face-off with&nbsp;Real’s awfully talented superstars who are still relying on their skills to gel into a successful team.
Both Kaka and Ronaldo achieved success with their previous clubs but they have not played together prior to this season and Los Blancos have not won in Europe for a long time. On the other hand, Barca have won a historic treble last season and probably have the best player in the world at the moment in the shape of Leo Messi.

Would You Pick Real Madrid Or Barcelona? - World Soccer Talk

Would You Pick Real Madrid Or Barcelona?

<div id="attachment_1529" style="width: 311px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a rel="attachment wp-att-1529" href="http:\/\/www.laligatalk.com/real-madrid-vs-juventus-3-things-to-look-for/1523/cristiano_ronaldo/"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a>The Fist Pump...a sign of things to come?</div>
I should clarify, 3 Things to Look&nbsp;&nbsp;For-&nbsp;From a&nbsp;Madrid Perspective. This is a Spanish soccer website after all.
Although the preseason is young, several trends have emerged in Real Madrid’s performences and it will be interesting to see if they continue when Real take on the Old Lady of Italian Football, Juventus(Kick-off: Friday, July 31 2009, 20:30 CET).
Here are the&nbsp;3 to keep your eye on:
1. Pepe( Will Diego Run rampant?)
The biggest knock against the first group of Galacticos was their defense. The likes of Figo, Ronaldo, Zidane, Beckham, and a moderately in form Raul couldn’t make up for the fact that they didn’t have a defense or&nbsp;a strong defensive midfielder to do the dirty work (a la Mascherano). Poor Helguera was consistently shifted in and out of position to cover up Real Madrid’s huge defensive&nbsp;gaps from 2004-2006, until the club hit an al time low with signing of Thomas Graveson! Yes, you read that right, Real’s defense&nbsp;was so pitiful&nbsp;that Graveson was seen as a savior.
Perez has attempted to show his maturation from the first Galactico era with the signings of Albiol and Arbeloa. However, Pepe will play against Juventus and he will probably start during the season. Regardless of what others <a href="http:\/\/www.goal.com/en-us/news/88/spain/2009/07/28/1409643/player-ratings-real-madrid-4-2-liga-de-quito">say</a>, Pepe has looked shakey this preseason. He has been ridiculously lax when defending and is constantly forced to clean up his own mess. Something that might fool others into thinking that he has been defeming well, but I’m a more astute observer than that. On one &nbsp;particular instance in Madrid’s last game, Salgado tackled a Liga De Quito player from behind and the ball rolled into the box, Pepe hesitated as he moved forward and the attacker was able to regain the ball. Pepe eventually dispossesed the forward after the striker stumbeled. Had Madrid been playing against a&nbsp;truly&nbsp;quality side, Pepe would have been punished for his mistakes(Emphasis on the plural). Imagine Pepe hesitating against Deigo in the box? Take a look at the <a href="http:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVU8s0j3Dso">goal</a> that Diego scored the other day…exactly(This column would have been up an hour earlier had&nbsp;I not spent an hour marveling at Diego and&nbsp;replaying that&nbsp;clip over and over again)
2. Ronaldo’s Reactions
(Before I go on, it must be said that I can’t stand Ronaldo. I hate his antics, I feel he is too selfish, and I don’t understand what position he plays. He used to play as a winger, but then he turned into some sort of winger/striker half breed. Wayne Rooney spent more time on the wing than Ronaldo did in his final two seasons. I wish I could seperate that part of myself and report objectively, but I can’t. So I compensate with full disclosure of my bias. Ok enough of this tangent)
I sincerly believe that Ronaldo was bored at United, and that his disnterest paved the way for his exit. Ronaldo would score forty yard screamers and react nonchalantly, he felt no pressure. But on Wednesday, after scoring&nbsp;a preseason penalty, a Tiger Woodsesque fist pump followed. Ronaldo was so nervous when he was first presented to the Madrid faithful, he bobbled the ball while juggling.
You can chalk up&nbsp;Ronaldo’s nerves to it being early in the season. But it is clear that Ronaldo feels the need to justify his transfer fee, as do the rest of the Galacticos. And when the pressure mounts is it really far fetched to think that each one of them will feel the need to take the game into their own hands? These pressures could lay the foundations for team that becomes easily flustered especially when they go down early.
3. Every Madrid Player on the Pitch
Meaning, who is and who is not on the pitch. Pellegrini has a huge squad at his disposal-with more on the way. Clearly,&nbsp;he won’t use all 35 players during the season. With the start of the season approaching expect the rotation to tighten. Pellegrini has to figure out who will work best together, how to incorporate Raul(No matter who is there, Raul’s got to play. I feel like that is negotiated into each new coaches contract), and what to do with the left over pieces. Pellegrini even gave Guti a run last game. The formation that Pellegrini puts out against Juventus could reveal who has impressed him the most, and who will most likely be staying at the club past August.
Three games into the season is too early to judge a squad. Three games into the PREseason for a team missing one of its key components(Kaka), two new signings(Albiol, Arbeloa) with another major&nbsp;arrival possibly on the way(Alonso) is usually not even grounds for a remark. However, the Real Madrid vs. Juventus Peace Cup Semifinal represents the most interesting&nbsp; and important match of the Madrid’s preseaon. It is against a&nbsp;quality side(This is becoming increasingly difficult to say about Italian teams. Oh and no disrespect to Tornto FC, who Madird play on August 7th. Ok, ok full disrespect, in terms of world football, you guys stink), it is a match of some importance(loser goes home), and&nbsp;Giorgio Chiellini has been talking <a href="http:\/\/www.goal.com/en-india/news/139/italy/2009/07/30/1412740/juventus-defender-giorgio-chiellini-warns-cristiano-ronaldo">smack</a>. Ok, I’m getting ahead of myself, at the end of the day it is an insubstantial&nbsp;offseason match between two sides who haven’t been training for longer than 4 weeks. But at the&nbsp;very least it will allow us to take a break from the transfer market and concentrate on what we all love most for&nbsp;a minimum of&nbsp;two hours, football.

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