Post-Ronaldo Real Madrid: Can they compete?

Julen Lopetegui, manager of Real Madrid instructs his team during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Getafe CF at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on August 19, 2018 in Madrid, Spain.

(Aug. 18, 2018 - Source: Denis Doyle/Getty Images Europe) 

The 2018/19 season commenced less than a month ago and the departure of Real Madrid’s greatest ever goalscorer made the headlines. Not many expected the player to leave the club that he claims to love, but who could blame him if he was not feeling wanted anymore. The Portuguese star averaged at least 40 goals per season since 2009 when he moved to the club from Manchester United and has been the focal point of the club’s successes in the past decade. He picked up 5 Ballon D’Or (World’s Best Soccer Player) Awards in his career to date which is the same as fellow GOAT, Lionel Messi of Barcelona. Tinotenda Magiya writes how Real Madrid plans to cope with the loss of their greatest asset.

Gareth Bale seems to be the answer to many questions. The Welsh forward was brought to Madrid in a world record transfer from Tottenham Hotspur back in 2013. It is only when he arrived that the club managed to win the UEFA Champions League after 9 failed attempts. Bale was brought with the expectation to rival Ronaldo for the best player within the camp and ensure that healthy competition translated to trophies. It is fair to say that the Galactico signing has not quite lived up to those expectations as he suffered many injuries throughout his time in Spain. Instead of scoring those huge number of goals, Bale was turned into a provider for the Portuguese No.7 because the team was built around him. His goal scoring contribution was a bit limited which saw his pedigree fall from being one of the best players in the world to being an impact substitute under Zinedine Zidane’s tenure. Ronaldo’s departure means that the player is granted the freedom he always desired, and he has since scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist in just 3 appearances so far this term. If the Spanish giants put their faith in the Welsh wizard, they will surely get the best out of the player who has that fear factor that can only be found in the best attackers in world football.  

Benzema is another player whose style of play suffered for the good of Ronaldo. The striker also focused more on assisting Ronaldo than doing his primary job which is to put the ball into the net. Opta Stats reported in April that he assisted Ronaldo’s 23 goals in La Liga, more than any other player. No wonder Ronaldo did not object to Higuain’s departure because Benzema was unselfish and was always ready to feed him the ball in dangerous positions and allow him to shine. Now that Ronaldo is gone, the French striker is also looking like a more effective player ready to compete for the Golden Boot (highest goal scorer) award. He looks potent in front of goal and does not think twice when the ball falls at his feet. He has scored 4 goals already in La Liga and another in the UEFA Super Cup to make it 5 goals in 4 appearances. Real Madrid will need these goals if they are to compete against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for the domestic titles as well as to defend their European crown. There is more to come from the 30-year-old, and his style of play has been restored to default settings.

“They managed to achieve this over many generations even when they lost players like Di Stefano, the Brazilian Ronaldo, Raul, Casillas, and now Cristiano Ronaldo. They seem to always find a way to exist and dominate. They have, and always will. Be sure to hold your heart in your hands when your team is matched against Real Madrid”

— Tinotenda Magiya, FirstTouch Africa

Karim Benzema #9 of Real Madrid celebrates with Gareth Bale #11 after scoring a goal during the first half of the International Champions Cup match against Manchester United at Hard Rock Stadium on July 31, 2018 in Miami, Florida.

(July 31, 2018 - Source: Rob Foldy/Getty Images North America)

Real Madrid head coach, Lopetegui, is certain that his youthful talent will play an integral part in their quest for success during his tenure. He has since deposed the young Vinicius Jnr on the left of an attacking three for the La Liga opener before playing Marco Asensio and Isco Alarcon in the other two matches. The club has maintained a perfect record since the start of the competition and does not look like they miss Ronaldo. It is not the first time that the young players have delivered for Real Madrid. Even during Zidane’s time, Asensio shined against Barcelona in 2017 when they beat the Catalonians by 2 goals to nothing in the Spanish Super Cup. Gerard Pique of Barcelona was quoted as having said, “I feel inferior to Real Madrid for the first time,” and Ronaldo was not on the pitch on this night. There were signs that the club could live without the aging striker and the new coach has gone with that strategy. Dani Ceballos has also been used in midfield in place of the UEFA Best Player of the Year, Luka Modric who is turning 33 years in a few days. On other parts of the pitch, the club also acquired Mariano Diaz to provide competition for Benzema up front and Odriozola to compete with Dani Carvajal at right back. The club’s latest recruitment strategy could prove to be a masterstroke if they go on to win the La Liga trophy this season.

Besides, Courtois signature fits into the plan of making a competitive team post the Ronaldo era at Real Madrid. The club finished third behind Atletico Madrid and Barcelona conceding 44 goals in the process. This was twice as many goals that Atletico conceded and the club sought the expertise of the Belgian goalkeeper to prevent conceding so many goals. If the above-mentioned players maintain their current form and Courtois shields the goal-line like he knows how to, Real Madrid will definitely be a force to reckon this season and beyond.

In essence, Real Madrid does not look doomed now that they have lost a player who is arguably the greatest of all time. The status of the club does not allow it. Real Madrid has existed since 1902 and is the most decorated club in European soccer with 13 UEFA Champions League trophies. They managed to achieve this over many generations even when they lost players like Di Stefano, the Brazilian Ronaldo, Raul, Casillas, and now Cristiano Ronaldo. They seem to always find a way to exist and dominate. They have, and always will. Be sure to hold your heart in your hands when your team is matched against Real Madrid because they will have enough to deal with anyone they face.

Gareth Bale of Real Madrid celebrates with Marco Asensio after scoring his teams second goal during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Getafe CF at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on August 19, 2018 in Madrid, Spain.

(Aug. 18, 2018 - Source: Denis Doyle/Getty Images Europe) 

Real Madrid win 2-1 against Bayern Munich in the semifinals first leg

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane shocked the audience as he omitted Gareth Bale, Asensio and Benzema from his starting XI to face Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. It is not the first time that he has made these kind of changes but it had become quite predictable that he usually picked a pair of Vazquez and Asensio or Benzema with Bale but today he shacked things up a bit. Luka Modric retained his place even after a poor show in the quarterfinals against Juventus and he wanted to prove himself again.

The match kicked off and Bayern were unfortunate to lose Arjen Robben to injury in just the 5th minute of the match. He was replaced by Thiago and Bayern started to dominate Madrid in possession. It was not long before Jerome Boateng pulled a hamstring when he tried to reach for a ball that was also being contested by Marcelo. He left the pitch which disheartened the Bayern Munich fans before being replaced by Sule. It was sad to lose another first team player after the absence of Alaba, Coman, Neuer, and Robben who could not finish the game. However, this did not stop them from giving their best and they managed to score the opener in the 28th minute. Marcelo had gone on the attack which failed to produce the goal and Bayern Munich capitalized on his absence. The ball found its way to James Rodriguez who is on-loan from Real Madrid and he slid a defense-splitting pass to Joshua Kimmich. The youngster pushed the ball and looked like he was going to cross for either Lewandowski or Ribery on the far corner before taking a vicious shot that flew past Navas. The Real Madrid goalkeeper should have done better after being beaten on the near post and his weak attempt saw him touch the ball before going into the net.

The game was really end to end before Vazquez crossed the ball into the box for Ronaldo. The striker looked like he was going to repeat that overhead strike against Juventus but he probably saw that the ball was far behind him so he instead left the ball for his teammate Marcelo who connect the ball on the half-volley and it went straight to the bottom right corner. 1-1 at the Allianz Arena on the 44th minute was not what they were expecting and Bayern started to push on. They saw a couple of chances missed by Lewandowski and Muller before the referee blew for half-time. Asensio came on in the second half and he combined well with Vazquez on the break before being released to chip the ball over the on-rushing goalkeeper. Asensio made it 2-1 to Real Madrid and the Los Blancos go into the second leg at home with an away goal advantage.

Real Madrid through to the semis

Real Madrid went into the match with a 3-0 advantage inspired by Ronaldo’s brace in the first leg. That was then, Mandzukic came into the match and scored in the 2nd minute just as Salah did last night. Juventus were out for blood in the Bernabeu and were pushing for more. Real Madrid had their fair chances as well even though a couple of them were ruled offside and the rest were saved by Buffon. The Old Ladies seemed to have the perfect recipe for success as they score the second through Mandzukic again. Real Madrid clearly missed a force in Ramos at the back as the defence looked disorganized and failed to deal with their opponents’ play. Zidane made big calls at half time as he replaced Gareth Bale with Vazquez and removed Casemiro for Asensio. Still, Juventus had the upper hand. Navas was forced to make a save from Higuain’s effort from 20 yards after the player took a shot on the half-turn. The match was intense and saw more than 7 yellow cards being flashed by Michael Oliver who was officiating on the night. Douglas Costa then crossed the ball from the right and Navas looked to have saved the ball before it slipped through his hands and it bounced off Matuidi’s knee and into the net. 3-0 it was and Real Madrid were nervous. Zidane made his final call from the bench and replaced Modric with Kovacic in a match that looked to be heading for extra-time. Little did we know that a big decision would be made by Michael Oliver as he pointed to the spot when Vazquez looked to be pushed by Benatia in the box. The game paused for a while as Juventus players took 3 minutes of the time, protesting at the decision which resulted in a red card being flashed at Buffon. So much for the final bow for the player who is rumored to be retiring at the end of this season. Eventually, the big man had to step over it and finish Juventus off. Ronaldo’s penalty hit the back of the net in the top right corner and Szczęsny  (the backup goalkeeper) guessed right but he could not stop the effort. 3-1 it ended and Real Madrid are through to the semifinals. This goal makes it 10 for Ronaldo against Juventus which means that he is the highest goalscorer against a single team in the history of the UEFA Champions League. Lionel Messi is just behind with 9 goals against Arsenal. Do you think Real Madrid deserved to go through?

Ronaldo sinks Juventus in first leg

Cristiano Ronaldo was the star of the show as Real Madrid defeated Juventus 3-0 away from home. The Portuguese forward scored two goals and turned provider to Marcelo’s goal against 10 men Juventus. The defending champions are now looking more like a hungry team ready to defend their title after seeing some poor performances on the domestic front in the early parts of this season. They dispatched Paris Saint-Germain in the last round and have already put one foot into the semifinals with a convincing win on Tuesday night. As FirstTouch Football, we divided the match into 5 talking points.

1. Luka Modric’s performances – The Croatian midfielder did not have the best of games against the Old Ladies. He was at fault for many counter-attacks by Juventus because of his careless passes. It was not Modric’s night as the player looked tired until he was replaced on the 81st minute by Kovacic. Much respect should be given to Zidane for playing Isco in the match otherwise it would have been shambles in midfield had Modric not gotten an extra player to help him in midfield. His performance was typified by his last kick of the match when he missed a chance in acres of spaces from a Marco Asensio cross. We hope this does not mark the decline of an ageing player who has been crucial to Madrid’s dominance in Europe for the past 2 years.

2. Ramos to miss second leg – Real Madrid Captain Sergio Ramos picked up a yellow card in the match after fouling Paulo Dybala and was given a yellow card for the second time running which means that he will miss the second leg of the clash with suspension.

3. Ronaldo – a clinical finish in the 3rd minute gave an early lead to Madrid who were playing unconvincing football. He later on scored an overhead kick for his second which gave Madrid a two goal cushion. Do you, if ever, recall Ronaldo scoring a beauty like this one before?

4. Red card – Paulo Dybala picked up a second yellow card for a stupid foul on the 64th minute and was given his marching orders. This killed the morale of the team who were fighting even with two goals down. The red card gave advantage to Real Madrid who scored the third goal through Marcelo who finished off Ronaldo’s defense splitting pass.

5. End of match – a 3-0 result has all but confirmed Madrid’s qualification into the next round unless Juventus provide a miracle and win with a 4-goal advantage which is looking unlikely.

Unsettled Pogba wants to play with Neymar

Paul Pogba has shown that he is an individual that admires a lot of things in different players that play in his position. He looks at players like Iniesta, Yaya Toure, Kevin De Bruyne and Luka Modric for inspiration to improve his game. He also had time to mention a player who is also world class but does not play in his position or even for Manchester United. The unhappy player who has been benched by Mourinho in recent matches has admitted to being a big fan of Neymar and appreciates the fact that the player is always happy on the pitch. It is clear that the player is not enjoying his current form and situation which was also backed by his French national team coach Didier Deschamps. Pogba went on to say that he would like to play with Neymar someday. Could it be that the player is hinting at a move to Real Madrid where he could be a long-term replacement for Modric and be joined by Neymar if Florentino Perez bids the rumored €400 million? Surely, he is saying something when he is talking about playing with a player from another club.