La Liga - 2014/15

NoLogo said:
Hmm I felt Kroos was their second best player on the pitch tonight after Ronaldo. Benz and Bale were completely lost tonight and James only came a bit better into the game towards the end of the game.
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Kroos' passing and on the ball play was decent but he doesn't offer defensive protection or legs for the role he's required to play in this team. Still adapting to the deepest in midfield role. Not sure if he'll be able too that much either.

Tbf, they bought him without any plan really and now making him adapt.
 
Vato said:
He's in some deep shit since we've sold Di Maria. If we don't start playing betterhe'll be the first one to go.
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Just can't understand why you bought James, thus letting Di Maria go.
Same with selling Xabi. 2 very important players and now your team is all over the place..



Luka must play deeper since he doesnt have Xabi as a cover, his contribution is limited, Kroos is still finding himself but this team needs a player like Xabi, Kroos and Luka isnt going to work..
Also Luka isnt taking FKs and corners anymore..
I can see Madrid selling Luka in a year or 2 out of nothing...

Jamse isnt anything special, maybe he'll prove me wrong but they should have kept Di maria.Not complaining though since we have him now. :D
 
So, time for Ancelotti sack watch thread?
 
Snow said:
3rd La Liga game in a row live on the same channel. With two channels I could have watched live football for 10 hours straight today. Not too bad. Just a shame that Alfreð is still injured.
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All in a day's work. Can't miss that Mayweather fight later.
 
Real Madrid just destroy a good, working team. Perez is a tool. Won't be long before Ronaldo is on his bike aswell. I'd be so annoyed if I was a Real Madrid fan.
 
TooBias said:
You seen the Assistant Manager? Touchline presence won't be an issue.
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OMG.. Just saw him. No wonder they still won :lol:

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FromTheBench said:
Kroos' passing and on the ball play was decent but he doesn't offer defensive protection or legs for the role he's required to play in this team. Still adapting to the deepest in midfield role. Not sure if he'll be able too that much either.

Tbf, they bought him without any plan really and now making him adapt.
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True but I mean everyone knew that he wouldn't be the type of player you want to take over Alonso's role. He is no where near as strong defensively. Best used as the more attacking partner in a double pivot the same as Modric really. So you have two players who can defend but are better going forward and no defensive specialist.

Add to this that there are 4 attackers in front of that that all don't really cherish defensive work and you end up with a very imbalanced team.
 
NoLogo said:
True but I mean everyone knew that he wouldn't be the type of player you want to take over Alonso's role. He is no where near as strong defensively. Best used as the more attacking partner in a double pivot the same as Modric really. So you have two players who can defend but are better going forward and no defensive specialist.

Add to this that there are 4 attackers in front of that that all don't really cherish defensive work and you end up with a very imbalanced team.
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Same problem with Croatia in the world cup.Rakitić and Luka as CMs, both can defend but are better going forward, esp. Rakitić. You have 2 players who are ok in defending but not very good but with all the defending you're limiting their creativeness and attacking play.
 
Mali_Zeus said:
Just can't understand why you bought James, thus letting Di Maria go.
Same with selling Xabi. 2 very important players and now your team is all over the place..



Luka must play deeper since he doesnt have Xabi as a cover, his contribution is limited, Kroos is still finding himself but this team needs a player like Xabi, Kroos and Luka isnt going to work..
Also Luka isnt taking FKs and corners anymore..
I can see Madrid selling Luka in a year or 2 out of nothing...

Jamse isnt anything special, maybe he'll prove me wrong but they should have kept Di maria.Not complaining though since we have him now. :D
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To be honest the same was said last year with Ozil but it seems like this time it'll end in absolute disaster indeed.

Selling Ronaldo and Modric would be the icing on the cake, please let's not do this just yet. :lol:
 
Mali_Zeus said:
SInce they dont have a problem selling their best players maybe Ronaldo will come to us. :D

Man can hope..
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Well I'm just going to quote my on theory here. :D

NoLogo said:
Maybe after realizing that Perez has now sold the two best chance creators at the club in two years in a row he wants to fill that role himself in hopes that Perez will sell him to us at the end of the season. :devil:
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That was in response to Ronaldo obviously playing more for the team than ever.
 
Vato said:
To be honest the same was said last year with Ozil but it seems like this time it'll end in absolute disaster indeed.

Selling Ronaldo and Modric would be the icing on the cake, please let's not do this just yet. :lol:
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I think the main difference there was that Ancelotti was actually the one who wasn't too keen of Özil staying but with the Di Maria and Alnonso sell it smells of Perez selling players that Ancelotti would have loved to keep.
 
NoLogo said:
Hmm I felt Kroos was their second best player on the pitch tonight after Ronaldo. Benz and Bale were completely lost tonight and James only came a bit better into the game towards the end of the game.
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They are wasting Kroos IMO. He is not box to box and just using him as a passer is no good. He is capable of being involve much more in the box. Being a CM in a 3 man MF is his perfect role.
 
Bob Loblaw said:
You should check out the European super cup thread, everyone declaring this (I think exactly the same starting team) side as unbeatable.
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Against Sevilla? I don't know any Madrid fans who thought that would be a good team for the season - at that stage Alonso was suspended and Di Maria wasn't ready to play, so they thought it was an interesting gamble. There was a lot of curiosity about seeing James and Kroos make their debuts but very few people arguing it was a team.

I don't know about on here because United were playing that night so I only skim read the thread afterwards. I don't remember it getting many votes of confidence as a team though.
 
Koke with yet another assist against Real Madrid by the way, that's his 6th in 13 games against them.

Meanwhile, Orellana continues his excellent form, Celta 1-0 La Real! Great cross from Krohn-Dehli as well.
 
Could easily have been a 3-1 embarrassment to Real when Turan (?) had that chance towards the end.

Don't understand how will midfield trio of Modric - Kroos - Rodriguez work. Either one of them has to be benched in favour of a more defensive minded midfielder. Kroos and Modric are too similar and Rodriguez felt unnecessary when you already have that two players in the team. The attack was utterly blunt despite them having the lions share of possession and they ended up resorting to Moyes-style crosses.
 
Real Sociedad are so damn shit. Which means the scoreline will end 4-2 in favor to them.
 
jojojo said:
Against Sevilla? I don't know any Madrid fans who thought that would be a good team for the season - at that stage Alonso was suspended and Di Maria wasn't ready to play, so they thought it was an interesting gamble. There was a lot of curiosity about seeing James and Kroos make their debuts but very few people arguing it was a team.

I don't know about on here because United were playing that night so I only skim read the thread afterwards. I don't remember it getting many votes of confidence as a team though.
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Yeah the game against Sevilla, and yeah I meant on here rather than actual Madrid fans (can't remember what Vato, Raul etc. said themselves). The amount of people declaring that line-up as unstoppable was incredible given it's apparent lack of balance.

I still think it's premature to write them off, Ancelotti recovered well last season from a similar issue by changing the formation so he could do it again. Tough ask though, and it's stupid that he's even being forced to change a winning formula.
 
If Alonso was in there instead of Kroos they probably wouldn't have conceded the second goal. Alonso would've just fouled Griezmann if he couldn't get the ball but Kroos just doesn't have that mindset you need from a holding midfielder. It really is bizarre that Madrid are making the same mistakes again. Di Maria and Makelele are two very different players but Zidane's line from 2004 still rings true here - Di Maria was the engine of the team last year and Kroos is the layer of gold paint in more ways than one.

Ancelotti to be sacked in March I reckon.
 
Brwned said:
If Alonso was in there instead of Kroos they probably wouldn't have conceded the second goal. Alonso would've just fouled Griezmann if he couldn't get the ball but Kroos just doesn't have that mindset you need from a holding midfielder. It really is bizarre that Madrid are making the same mistakes again. Di Maria and Makelele are two very different players but Zidane's line from 2004 still rings true here - Di Maria was the engine of the team last year and Kroos is the layer of gold paint in more ways than one.

Ancelotti to be sacked in March I reckon.
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Or they could, y'know, trust the players they actually still have... He might've been dealt a shit hand with Pérez's summer shopping spree, but why he doesn't use Illarra is a mystery to me.

Larrivey scores in comical fashion, 2-0 Celta. Nolito and Orellana, among the top players in La Liga since the 2nd half of last season, continue to impress. Celta are looking good again, didn't expect that at all after Lucho left.
 
They have no protection for their back line, they git rid of Alonso and Di Maria who were two of they roost important players. James was a needless signing and so was Kroos, Ancelotti has to start using Illaramendi. Kroos for all his technique is needless when you have modric. Di Maria was key to that team defensively and offensively. They won't win anything this year.
 
Skorenzy said:
Or they could, y'know, trust the players they actually still have... He might've been dealt a shit hand with Pérez's summer shopping spree, but why he doesn't use Illarra is a mystery to me.

Larrivey scores in comical fashion, 2-0 Celta. Nolito and Orellana, among the top players in La Liga since the 2nd half of last season, continue to impress. Celta are looking good again, didn't expect that at all after Lucho left.
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I don't think I've seen Illaramendi play well for Madrid yet. He may well be the long-term Alonso replacement but he's not ready for that yet, IMO. Not convinced he can cope with pressure of playing for Madrid.
 
Brwned said:
I don't think I've seen Illaramendi play well for Madrid yet. He may well be the long-term Alonso replacement but he's not ready for that yet, IMO. Not convinced he can cope with pressure of playing for Madrid.
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Tend to agree with this (and it's worth pointing out that Illarra is what, 24? He's not the youngster he's made out to be). I think Skorenzy is right that Carlo isn't blameless though - he could just be toeing the line but yet again after the game tonight he said the system is fine when it's clearly not.
 
Brwned said:
I don't think I've seen Illaramendi play well for Madrid yet. He may well be the long-term Alonso replacement but he's not ready for that yet, IMO. Not convinced he can cope with pressure of playing for Madrid.
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While that's probably an accurate assessment, it's also fast becoming irrelevant because at this rate he won't ever have a future at RM anyway. Away games to the likes of Sevilla, Granada or this Celta side is where they will need him this season IMO, unless Ancelotti can find an alternative to balance his team.
 
2-1, La Real pull one back. Useless lump Agirretxe suddenly not so useless.. in fact quite incredible instincts to get there, he wasn't on the DF's shoulder but just 100% determined in that run. This game could end in any scoreline, that's how volatile they look this season.
 
"El Pirata" Granero with a ridiculously curling shot against the base of the post, what a goal that would've been...
 
crappycraperson said:
They are wasting Kroos IMO. He is not box to box and just using him as a passer is no good. He is capable of being involve much more in the box. Being a CM in a 3 man MF is his perfect role.
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real plays with a two men midfield again and Kroos is the perfect player for a three men midfield. He needs a destroyer/dm next to him to function in this kind of lineup.
If i´d be ancelotti I would try to let bale or isco play in front of modric+Kroos. Both could work. If thats not working they need a new dm.....
 
2-2 in injury time, great interplay and a good cross leads to an og. Poor Jonny!

FT.

That means Celta move up to 3rd on 5pts, behind Atléti 2nd on 7pts and Barça 1st the only ones with a 100% record (9pts) -- also the only side that haven't conceded so far.

RM are in 12th on 3pts, with only 1 win in 3 games. Their worst start to a season in 9 years. Let this sink in: Eibar, the team with one of the smallest budgets of all Primera ánd even the majority of Segunda sides, are 11th having played a game less.
 
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NoLogo said:
I sometimes wonder what goes on in Perez office?

Perez: "So Carlo who are the three most important players of your squad you think?"
Ancelotti: "Well Alonso because he shields the defense, Di Maria because he drives forward our attacking game and Ronaldo because he is our best finisher."
Perez: "Bummer."
Ancelotti: "Huh? What do you mean by that?"
Perez: "Oh nothing" *cough* "I sold Di Maira and Alonso" *cough*
Ancelotti: "What? That sounded like you just said..."
Perez: "On to the next question, what's your favorite whine Carlo?"
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Wouldn't be much different than the summer Quieroz wanted to keep Makelele (sold), keep Morientes (loaned) and get a new defender after Hierro left (which he never did).
 
Amir said:
Wouldn't be much different than the summer Quieroz wanted to keep Makelele (sold), keep Morientes (loaned) and get a new defender after Hierro left (which he never did).
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Getting rid of makelele not only did huge damage to them it also made Chelsea almost unbeatable in the pl. Real are a a joke of a club at times
 
Randall Flagg said:
Getting rid of makelele not only did huge damage to them it also made Chelsea almost unbeatable in the pl. Real are a a joke of a club at times
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While makelele was a big loss, I would consider del bosques sacking to have had a bigger impact and to have been a bigger mistake. As long as we have a top manager like carlo I still think we will have a chance although I highly doubt this year will be as successful as last year. Selling di maria and letting Alonso go was just downright stupid. Last year the team was unbalanced at the start of the year and Ancelotti turned it around and maybe he will again this year but I doubt it will work out as well as last year. There is too any variables in football and also a large portion of luck and time cannot be wasted trying to find a formation that suits the team best during the season, it should have been discovered and worked on during pre-season and a lot of ground has been lost already due to this. Damn perez :mad:.
 
Marca just after Tiago scored with a header:

Of Atleti's last 14 goals in La Liga, 11 have been headers and nine of these have come from set pieces.

Tony Pulis has nothing on this Atlético side.
 
I can't bring myself to have a go at Atletico's less than aesthetic style when competing with teams with 10x the budget. I caught some of their more run of the mill games last season where they were favourites and they were able to play some decent stuff.
 
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