Posts

Showing posts from March, 2014

Rumour: Is Cristiano Ronaldo on his way out of Real Madrid?

Image
Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid. A match made in heaven. But could it be heading for a messy divorce, and if so is there an English third party involved? Ronaldo has been at his imperious best this season, scoring 44 goals in all competitions. He won the Ballon D’Or, and was acclaimed by most as the best footballer on the planet. But rumours persist that all is not well at the Bernabeu. Ronaldo is used to being jeered by opposition fans, especially when at Camp Nou or San Mames. But a new phenomenon has started. CR7 now finds himself being booed by his own fans. During the 5-0 hammering of Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, significant sections of Las Blancos supporters booed their own man as he went on his trademark dribbles. A bemused Carlo Ancelotti said that the whistling and booing of Ronaldo was ‘incomprehensible’. What’s gone wrong? Some Real fans seem to  think that Ronaldo cares more  about himself than the team. Despite his own superb tally, they feel that the t...

Gareth Bale scores 2 as Real win against Rayo Vallecano 5-0

Image
Real Madrid ended a difficult week on a high after beating Rayo Vallecano 5-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu to keep themselves in the race for the La Liga title. Following earlier wins for Barcelona over Espanyol and Atletico de Madrid at Athletic Bilbao, three points were imperative for Carlo Ancelotti ’s men. And they duly responded to the setbacks against Los Cules and Sevilla by emphatically beating their local rivals with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo , Daniel Carvajal, Alvaro Morata and a brace for Gareth Bale . Rayo came into the game on the back of a five game unbeaten run that had seen them pull clear of the relegation zone. But against the nine-time European Cup winners they were no match for them from the off. The hosts created a number of early chances with Karim Benzema and Fabio Coentrao both going close. On the quarter hour mark, Cristiano Ronaldo showed them how it’s done. The Portugal captain latched onto a Gareth Bale pass and charged into the area to score...

Too much, too young? Why Madrid's struggling starlets aren't helping the cause

Image
Daniel Carvajal, Asier Illarramendi, Isco, Alvaro Morata, Isco and Raphael Varane have all flattered to deceive this term, while the one revelation - Jese - is now sidelined BY:- Bhagirath vagh/football expert  It's never easy being a young player at Real Madrid. This season, however, it looked as if coach Carlo Ancelotti would blend experience with youth in a two-tiered strategy aimed at both short-term success and long-term development. So far, however, it hasn't happened. Dani Carvajal, Asier Illarramendi and Isco were all brought in as summer signings and expected to make a big impact. All young and all Spanish, they were seen as men to lead a new Madrid brand alongside homegrown talents Alvaro Morata and Jese, plus last season's revelation Raphael Varane. But as the season reaches its climax with key dates in La Liga and the Champions League, plus the final of the Copa del Rey in the middle of next month, only one of those players has lived up to his potential: J...

Ronaldo & Bale v Messi & Neymar: Who delivered the knockout blow?

Image
Goal weighs up the Clasico battle between the two pairs of superstars in Barcelona's 4-3 victory over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Which duo came out on top? Goal  presents a boxing-style head-to-head battle between the  Clasico' s four biggest names: Lionel Messi and Neymar of Barcelona, and Real Madrid duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Sunday evening's Liga showdown at the Santiago Bernabeu, which finished 4-3 in favour of the  Blaugrana , saw four of the biggest names in world football face off. Who came out on top? Here's a explanation of how the players are scored: If there is little to separate the players in a round they will be scored 10-10. A narrow win in a round, where there are no goals in the match involving the quartet, will produce a 10-9. If Messi or Neymar score a goal in a round, and Ronaldo and Bale do not, the South American pair will win that round 10-8. If the  Blaugrana  duo score twice, and their  Blancos  counterpar...

Ronaldo interview after el clasico

Image
Cristiano Ronaldo was a key player in the clash with Barcelona and scored the Whites' third. The striker spoke about his feelings on the Clásico: “We are sad because we knew we deserved more, but the fight goes on. It is difficult because a lot of people did not want us to win and Barcelona would have been out of it. Maybe they don't want Real Madrid to win this Liga. I've been here for five years, so I know how a lot of things are and I hope to win it regardless of this. "It's a feeling of sadness after being 3-2 up and controlling the game. The referee made some unbelievable decisions, but you have to carry on. We were unlucky with everything that happened, but we are still ahead of them and the Liga goes on. We have only lost one game, it is all open and I think the team is fine". The referee “There were a lot of errors in one match. In a Real Madrid-Barcelona you have to have a referee who is up to the game. I don't want to look fo...

Real Madrid meet Dortmund, Bayern take on Manchester United - Champions League draw in full

Image
The titleholders have been paired with the English champions, Real Madrid take on last year's finalists Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona will meet Atletico, while PSG take on Chelsea Bayern Munich  will take on  Manchester United  in the standout tie of the Champions League quarter-finals. Pep Guardiola's men are keen to become the first club to successfully defend the title, but will have to deal with the champions of England first, with the first leg scheduled to take place at Old Trafford. Elsewhere,  Real Madrid  will be gunning for revenge against  Borussia Dortmund  after last year's elimination in the semi-finals, while Ligue 1 leaders  Paris Saint-Germain  meet the Premier League's table-toppers,  Chelsea , as the French outfit aim to improve on last year's run to the last eight. Finally,  Barcelona  have been paired with  Atletico Madrid , which will be a particularly interesting fixture given Diego Simeone's men...

Jesé Rodríguez medical report

Image
Carlo Ancelotti expressed his sadness for Jese Rodriguez after the Real Madrid star suffered a serious knee injury against Schalke on Tuesday. Ancelotti told Madrid's official website : I think it has been confirmed that Jesé has torn his cruciate ligament. He was unlucky. I think that the whole of Real Madrid has been unlucky. We are going to lose a very important player, a young man who has done very well this season and surprised everyone. That is football. Injuries come in a player's career and we will be close to him and support him and we'll be waiting for him next season. We hope to have him ready soon and we would like to send him our support. We are waiting for him and we wish him luck. He will certainly be an important player for Real Madrid after his injury. We are sad. We are very sorry about this, but these things happen in football. It could be an important time for him, to enjoy this time of difficulty and build his character. I had the same problem at...

Player Ratings: Real Madrid 3-1 Schalke (Agg 9-2)

Image
  REAL MADRID 3.19 0 0 Iker Casillas Came off his line quickly to deny Huntelaar one-on-one and made a great save with his legs to keep Draxler from scoring. 0 0 Raphaël Varane Oozed class throughout the match and displayed tremendous recovery pace at times to get back whenever Madrid were on the backfoot. 0 0 Sergio Ramos Went through the match with ease and only really stepped into gear whenever there was true danger at the back. 0 0 Fabio Coentrao Showed plenty of attacking ambition down the left-hand side but his his pace compared to Marcelo's is not as big a threat. 0 0 Nacho Fernández Made a few passes that went astray in the middle of the park but defensively did pretty well against Draxler. 0 0 Xabi Alonso Barely broke a sweat as he went about his business in the first half trying to dictate play for Real Mad...