I'm so so happy. Very2 happy. To all the real madrid fans out there, U all must be really happy. Thanks to Raul and Nistelrooy. We won...
Yeah!
Here's an article from goal.com...
Real Madrid’s Seven Steps To HeavenAfter fifty-eight days saying that he’ll need around fifty days to get things up and running well at the White House, Fabio Capello finally turned in a showing that all Madridistas can be proud of – a good win against a worthy opponent.
Looking at the match against Barcelona, it became apparent that it hasn’t just been a one-way street of players accepting the Coach’s directions. There were seven steps that have been taken this season that ensured that the Merengues could win over the Culés.
1)
A Recovered Raúl Raúl played exceptionally well against Barcelona and was rewarded for the upward trend he’s been earning through sheer hard work. Capello has placed him on the right instead of the more habitual left and he’s responding well, especially given the reduced space he’s been asked to take over.
In the Madrid derby against Atlético he’d been running around like a headless chicken, given too much ground to cover and looking stuck in the rut that had seen him slump during the entire year. Raúl also played so well against Barça because he was backed up by an alert Sérgio Ramos that meant the number 7 could focus efforts on attack.
This year’s current tally of five goals is the same as last year before he fell injured, and, although many assured that the player would never be the same after the lay-off, Raúl was the very image of determination against the champions and Luis Aragonés must surely call him up for the next round of Euro 2008 qualifiers.
2) Guti As A Reference
Fabio Capello had already announced that he’d find a way to fit Guti into his system way back in August. After apparently not finding that place, Guti has been turned to by the Coach and shown with each appearance that he’s reached footballing maturity and can handle the pressure without exploding.
Both Diarra and Emerson need a player with more ability to find a way through to the front line attackers that Madrid has in spades. Guti has accepted the challenge and now, although unlikely to erase memories of Zidane, is the key to unlocking the Merengue firepower.
3) A Faster Emerson
Emerson arrived at the Bernabéu with a certain jaded eye. Many didn’t want such an evident veteran, especially as he’d been ‘retired’ by new seleção Coach Dunga. Few saw a player with such a crude bureaucratic style making it at the White House.
This seemed to be proven true as he has shown a frustrating slowness and clumsiness that contrast with the rest of the skill displayed by the team. This led to many fouls and him missing out on the ball or not being able to do anything with it.
In the derby against Atlético he intervened well just 19 times, against Steaua it went up slightly to 21 times and against Barça the Brazilian reached 49 keen touches. This has benefited Madrid as previously he gave a sense of uncertainty that alarmed the rest of the team.
4) Helguera With Cannavaro
The decision to field Helguera has come as a surprise to many. The veteran centre-back / centre-half had been seen as having a foot out of the door, the new Coach apparently seeing him as a last resort.
Sergio Ramos playing in the middle had blocked his entrance into a first eleven where it seemed he’d have little chance of minutes. He came on in the ill-fated Getafe game and was one of the few to emerge unscathed from the acidic criticism of the team.
The same gambit worked in Bucharest and also against Barcelona. This gives a vital alternative to Cannavaro, whose many virtues don’t include being able to play the ball out with safety. It also leads to – or results from – the next step…
5) Sergio Ramos As Right Back
The right wing-back slot has always been seen as somewhat of a problem by a Capello who imported Panucci in his first outing to Spain a decade ago. Unsatisfied with both Salgado and Cicinho for different reasons, Capello hadn’t found his man.
Mejía didn’t work out against Getafe so the Italian tactician went for what many had been screaming from the start: Ramos as right wing-back. The results spoke for themselves: he scored a header and was colossal all match long.
Against Barça he was responsible for the cross that Raúl converted into the first
goal and was a tireless dynamo along the flank, completely sidelining Ronaldinho in a complete contrast to last year’s battle.
6) Robinho Reloaded
Capello had come down hard as a ton of bricks on the number 10 since he arrived. The insistent corrections to the Brazilian’s game were a feature of early training sessions and matches. A Spanish sports programme even notched up the verbal directing and found that Capello criticised Robinho four times more often than any other player.
Capello seemed to be putting Robinho in the same boat as Cicinho: lightweight Brazilian who thinks he’s great with the ball but is all flowery moves and no real punch. Now that Capello has had to turn to Robinho out of need, the ex-Santos star is proving what all the hype was about when he arrived in a blaze of glory and talk of the new Pelé.
He opens the pitch with his slippery moves, has the necessary speed that’s now linked to an increased stamina and build that can enable him to punch through defenses with more ease, he’s using the ‘pedaladas’ (stopovers) for a result – not just for show – and he knows how to protect the ball as well as cross it.
Robinho is also backed up by Roberto Carlos, something that allows the younger player to work with an established veteran backing him up. The Robinho assist to Van Nistelrooy in the second Merengue goal against Barcelona was one of the many reasons why so many fans are relieved that Robinho has finally made it into the first eleven.
7) A Unit
The players looked more of a unit than they had before. Not just in their improved mutual understanding, but also in the way that they reacted after the match: forming a ‘piña’ (a tight group) all together after winning.
This was a visual demonstration that, after fifty-something days, Capello finally has a group rather than a series of expensive individuals. If Real Madrid can continue walking these seven steps it seems that an end to the past three years of hell will finally be nigh.
Marc Pau
