Injuries to the refs don't count.
What’s Real Madrid’s secret?
- Thread starter SAred
- Start date
Committing perhaps double the number of fouls would be 'way more', but eight more is not way more.
No need for the hyperbole, nor to say that you were 'righting some wrong' (whatever that may mean) by your CB scoring.
Courtois, Alaba Militao were totally out for the season with injuries
Excuses. For me there are 3 secrets to Real Madrid's success especially in the ucl:
1. A well run club with very high standards. If we were run like them, all our players (baring youngsters like Mainoo and Garnacho) and our current manager would be shown the door before you can spell their name. I can tell you NON of them get into the first 11 at any of the top clubs including Ferguson's United sides but we are happy with mediocrity. Still, even with this mediocrity, we should be top 4 but instead we are vert fortunate to be even 8th as per the expected points table; that is on the manager; simply not good enough.
2. Prestige: Probably the most prestigious club to play for in the world followed by Barcelona. Any player they want, they get. This enables them to sign some big players as well as emerging talents before anyone else. The Prestige comes from their history.
3. Luck: There is a special connection between them and the champions league that has no other logical explanation. For most other clubs to win it, they'd have to actually be the best team in Europe but not Real Madrid. I've seen them get outplayed so many times yet still win the competition.
Until ETH is fired and players culled there is and has been acceptance of it.
Fans own the club and players understand the weight of the shirt.
Everything that Madrid does it to win the next champions league, and while marketing and stadium renovations and so on is important for the club growth, they are all means to that end.
Everything that Madrid does it to win the next champions league, and while marketing and stadium renovations and so on is important for the club growth, they are all means to that end.
agreed with you 100%. Absolutely baffling that people can come up with all kind of excuses.
They had very good financial backing, strong fan support in a major city, and a dominant run of international trophy success at exactly the best time to cement themselves as the most glamorous club in Europe: the first years of what became the long running model for European club football competition. The creation of the European Cup was a huge success that quickly became a prestigious tournament for most of Europe. Add in being one of the most culturally appealing European countries for South American players and being able to use that to quickly establish a tradition of being a preferred destination for their superstars and best prospects.
The various strict foreign player restrictions of the '70s and 80s coinciding with a period of relatively weaker domestic talent for part of that then played a big part in a long run without EC success, but they were always the club in the best place to exploit football becoming big business commercially. It's not much of a surprise that it wasn't long after Bosman ruling that they once again started piling up the CL's, though their perception during the '90s and big part of the '00s did show how fickle perception can be of constantly changing managers after a bad spell...if it goes great, you're well-run with uncompromisingly high standards; if it fails, you're a dysfunctional money-bags meme club that won't allow anyone to build something coherent.
The various strict foreign player restrictions of the '70s and 80s coinciding with a period of relatively weaker domestic talent for part of that then played a big part in a long run without EC success, but they were always the club in the best place to exploit football becoming big business commercially. It's not much of a surprise that it wasn't long after Bosman ruling that they once again started piling up the CL's, though their perception during the '90s and big part of the '00s did show how fickle perception can be of constantly changing managers after a bad spell...if it goes great, you're well-run with uncompromisingly high standards; if it fails, you're a dysfunctional money-bags meme club that won't allow anyone to build something coherent.
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Best midfielders in the world (modric, kroos, bellingham. for future: tchouameni, camavinga etc) + most promising strikers of Brazilian football (vini jr, rodrygo, endrick).
Some identified and bought at a very young age.
Some end up not working out at Real Madrid (Odegard) or nowhere (Renier)
Their scouting network is great, but it has criteria in recent years (European midfielders + Brazilian strikers).
There's also a bit of luck involved. Like Neuer's mistake on Wednesday.
Some identified and bought at a very young age.
Some end up not working out at Real Madrid (Odegard) or nowhere (Renier)
Their scouting network is great, but it has criteria in recent years (European midfielders + Brazilian strikers).
There's also a bit of luck involved. Like Neuer's mistake on Wednesday.
Blood of a hen,
Eyes of a crocodile,
Testicles of a newt.
Eyes of a crocodile,
Testicles of a newt.
I think RM got very lucky in assembling a group of players that lasted longer than usual: CR7, Benzema, Modric, Kroos, Carvajal, Ramos, all had very long careers. This allowed the club to weather a poor rebuild that went nowhere. Players like Ceballos, Kovacic, Hernandez, Odriozola, Vallejo, Jovic who were meant to transition the team and completely flopped.
They were also very lucky that 1) Zidane bizarrely returned after having quit a few months before and 2) Ancelotti accepted to come back even though he was unfairly fired.
They were also very lucky that 1) Zidane bizarrely returned after having quit a few months before and 2) Ancelotti accepted to come back even though he was unfairly fired.
Opponents give them too much respect when they play at the Bernabeu. They're not good. They could be easily pressed and beaten.
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I'd disagree but "culling" players rarely works.
It's true though.
I'm not a PL fan but it's just a fact that when you have a league that is this strong and competitive, the strength of the clubs doesn't necessarily translate to Europe. When Serie A was at its peak in the 90s and early 00s their clubs only won a few CL titles. In 00/01 and 01/02 there were no Italian clubs in the CL quarterfinals even though Serie A was the best league in the world at the time. That's because they simply burned out competing against each other in the league and CL was of second rate importance to them.
It's the same thing with PL now. Top PL clubs actually place more emphasis on winning the PL than winning the CL, as PL is the tougher competition to win and a bigger achievement from sporting perspective.
If we actually want the CL to reflect who the best club in Europe, we need to make it a league and have the CL clubs not play in their domestic leagues they year they qualify in it. Then we'd see who the best club in Europe really is. In its current format, the CL does not reflect actual quality and it's a lottery, where some clubs like Real Madrid can afford to buy more lottery tickets so to speak.
Serie A was at its peak in the late 80s and 90s, by the late 90s early 00s it had regressed and been overtaken by Spain. During its peak years(89-98) Serie A teams made the final 9 times - and the one time they didn't make the final, Milan lost in the semifinal to OM. That was the old format, with only 1(sometimes 2) teams taking part
Also, check out the UEFA Cup over that stretch
That's how nearly every successful sport entity work. You either go for promising talent or extremely established ones and you move them quickly if you have doubts. The key to their success is that they give themselves more chances.
I wish they could give underperforming players year after year hoping that they come good for one season
My point being we’re in this position because we have been to slow to pull the trigger on under performing players and managers for too long. We need to be more ruthless going forwards and move people on when they are clearly no good enough, under performing for too long or constantly injured. I could go back over the last 10 years and our squad has been filled with these players.
I'd agree with that. I think the club knows that they're shite at recruitment so they're terrified of losing anyone as it'd force them back onto the market. Of course that means we're stuck with wasters like Martial
And also write off entire seasons for managers that are clearly failing at their job
- They don't mind breaking the bank for players that are obviously going to be world class/close to it. Mbappe being the latest example even if their squad is already good
- They tend to choose managers that will gain respect from the players
- They're quick to judge the manager. None of these "we need to give him more time", if you fail badly or cause an embarrassment, you're out and you don't deserve Real Madrid
- They sell aging players that still have decent value if the player wants it rather than begging for him to stay. Young replacements are always lined up and they're often top quality
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The secret ingredient is crime.
We're a financially well run Superclub, operating like a Superclub, with an extra helping of luck along the way and an unmatched mythology and sense of exceptionalism which permeated through the dressing room of one of the 2 or 3 greatest squads ever assembled, and stuck around long enough - in the form of the old guard - to affect the newer generation of superstars. The result is a team with a winning mentality and culture that may be frankly unprecedented at this level in team sports - certainly in men's football.
That's the secret in a nutshell
That's the secret in a nutshell
Further nuance to the "stuck around long enough point": Real seems to be a club where expensive signings (maybe except some absolute superstars) still have to prove their worth. The young core team Real now have is more or less the second attempt to rebuild after the Kroos/Modric/Ronaldo/Ramos/Benzema generation. The first attempt consisted mostly of players who didn't cut it, so the old guard just kept playing. They only go once they are replaced by a player who proved to be stronger, not before.
I feel like other clubs often seem to directly replace players and run into problems if the new signing isn't performing better.
Wow! the female ref ….what a stunner, drop dead gorgeous!
She looks like Cole Palmer.
Obviously they have quality all over the pitch, but to me it seems that they really prioritize top class in midfield and aren't afraid of having "too many" world class midfielders. Kroos, Modric, Valverde, Camavinga, Tchouameni, Ceballos, (Bellingham) is absurd depth, and if you can dominate the centre of the pitch you always have a good chance of winning the game. A privilege of being a "final level" of club football of sorts is that their players rarely want to move to another club, leading to the club being able to have good control over when to offload players. The squad always feels matured even if the manager is switched out, giving new signings very good conditions to blend into the squad.
You have all given a lot of good and different reasons. Demand, luck, being historically at the right time, aura, etc.
I am a madridista but above all I am a Florentinista. We are going to miss him a lot.
Talking about legends, he is at the top table with Bernabéu, Cristiano and Di Stefano.
Even if he leaves the succession in place and the club well oiled, there will obviously be difficult years or decades ahead.
I am a madridista but above all I am a Florentinista. We are going to miss him a lot.
Talking about legends, he is at the top table with Bernabéu, Cristiano and Di Stefano.
Even if he leaves the succession in place and the club well oiled, there will obviously be difficult years or decades ahead.
Oh yeah. I used to hate him with a passion but at this point he's won me over 
I still dislike him, but not as president of Real Madrid
Flo, Bernabeu and Di Stefano are the holy trinity for Madrid. Cristiano is up there but I just can't quite put him at the same level anymore
I still dislike him, but not as president of Real MadridFlo, Bernabeu and Di Stefano are the holy trinity for Madrid. Cristiano is up there but I just can't quite put him at the same level anymore
I'm watching their celebrations at Cibeles. Christ, that's one of the reasons any footballer would love to play for them, simply to have a chance to participate in that. We never do such thing in England...
That's what happened in the semi final return leg, when Camavinga and Modric changed the game when they entered the pitch.
This is the first time in recent memory that Real Madrid have such depth in central midfield, mind.
A question for Madrid fans or anyone who has watched closely.
Which season or specific games can Toni Kroos be seen at his absolute peak ?
Which season or specific games can Toni Kroos be seen at his absolute peak ?
I've finally figured out their secret
It's 10% luck
20% skill
15% concentrated power of will
5% pleasure
50% pain
It's 10% luck
20% skill
15% concentrated power of will
5% pleasure
50% pain
2014 to 2017