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The really galling fact wasn't the scoreline. A 3-0 defeat at home is tough, and humiliation at the Bernab?u is rare.
But it was not unprecedented. Nor was the fact that the opposition's best player, Ronaldinho, was applauded off the pitch. This, too, was not without unprecedented (albeit extremely rare -- it last happened with a certain Diego Armando Maradona back in the early 1980s).
No, what really crushed Real Madrid's spirits following its defeat to Barcelona last Saturday was the state of the squad.
There was Ronaldo, substituted after perhaps his worst performance in a Real shirt. There was Ra?l, the inspirational (and much-criticized) captain, lying injured and facing four months out.And there was Vanderlei Luxemburgo, the embattled coach, looking as lost and fearful as a man who can't remember where he parked his car and suspects it may have been stolen.
This time, there could be no papering over of the cracks. This time, there could be no more platitudes from Florentino Perez, the man behind the now defunct Gal?ctico strategy. This time, something had to be done.
And, indeed, over the next few days, the Madrid press, a portion of which is very loyal to Perez and to this day acts as a kind of unofficial spokesperson, announced massive changes.
As early as this January, according to them, there would be three new faces at the Bernab?u. Brazilian wingback Cicinho, whose deal was actually completed in the summer, would add some width to the right flank, while his countryman Ricardinho would add some work rate and ball-winning skills to the middle of the park. Yet another Brazilian, Fenerbahce playmaker Alex, would bring creativity to the midfield.
In addition, they spoke of a striker who could fill in for the injured Ra?l during the second half of the season. Here, speculation was rife, but it included Fiorentina goal machine Luca Toni (highly unlikely) and Roma bad boy Antonio Cassano (rather more plausible).
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that these additions would be of Luxemburgo's choosing. Like a number of his other decisions, they rank somewhere between the questionable and the absurd. Take Cicinho. Having made it a point of pride to put together a team with no real wingers, Luxemburgo now wants to add another rightback to a squad which already includes Michel Salgado, one of the best in the world in that role.
The choice of Ricardinho is somewhat more understandable. Real has been trying to fill a gap in defensive midfield ever since Claude Makelele was let go. Ricardinho, however, would beg the question of what to do with Pablo Garcia and Thomas Gravesen, both of whom arrived less than a year ago.
Alex is a bizarre choice. One would have thought Real needs another attacking midfielder about as much as it needs another big ego. Despite his outstanding gifts, Real can already count on Zinedine Zidane, Julio Baptista and Robinho. Where would Alex fit in? Not to mention the fact that, frankly, creativity is something that is already plentiful at the Bernab?u.
In terms of strikers, Cassano looks to be another misfit. He, too, is outrageously gifted, but he is also something of a basket case who needs plenty of attention if he is ever to tap into his tremendous potential. Putting him under the bright lights of Real Madrid, with so much competition to boot, is perhaps not the best context for a volatile kid who is extremely difficult to handle.
Are these all Luxemburgo's choices? Possibly. The sense is that there is one other obvious change: a new manager. Indeed, there is already talk of former Lyon boss Paul Le Guen or possibly Juve coach Fabio Capello, who won a Liga title in his only season at Real in the 1990s.
Neither seems ideally suited to Real in terms of style, though both are quality coaches. One thing is sure however. If they do come, they would probably want to overhaul the playing squad for the umpteenth time, which means goodbye to a lot of Luxemburgo's crew. And that may not be a bad thing |
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Post time 20-11-2005 10:35 PM
nf:geram aku semlam x dpt gk game tuu...tv kat hostel aku rosak...siot jer semalam...:agr:
