Three matches, two points, seventeenth position in the table. Villarreal planned all this out, apparently, in an attempt to make Madrid a little too comfortable heading into El Madrigal.
Or at least you might begin to think so by listening to the likes of Valverde, Llorente, Capdevila, and to an extent, Diego Lopez. All of them are predicting victory tomorrow.
I do not find myself among that crowd, especially with our injury woes. Valverde’s squad includes players that are questionable health-wise, so if we are unlucky (i.e., if Senna, Fuster, and/or Nilmar, are not actually ready to go despite being included in the 18), we could be VERY thin tomorrow.
Keepers: Diego López and Oliva.
Defenders: Javi Venta, Ángel, Marcano, Godin, Capdevila and Gonzalo.
Midfielders: Cazorla, Bruno, Pires, Senna, Cani and Eguren.
Forwards: Nilmar, Jonathan Pereira, Llorente and Rossi.
And, to make sure you don’t get your hopes up to high for the return of arguably our best player over the last few weeks, Ibagaza is out for the next six weeks.
I just don’t see tomorrow being a very fun match. Pellegrini knows this team, including its weaknesses. As of right now, I don’t think Valverde knows all of the team’s weaknesses. Despite an impressive summer, and the thrashing of the overmatched Breda squad, Villarreal have recently looked, figuratively and literally, that they are stuck in the mud.
Madrid comes in with an amazing cohesiveness, considering the players and egos they added over the summer. Although they are not playing perfect football, the mere fact that they are winning right now says a lot, considering the turnover at the club (and I don’t care who is on your team – if you don’t mesh well, you lose). I have to think a lot of that credit goes to Manuel Pellegrini, El Ingeniero.
To make your dreams sweet tonight, here is Pellegrini’s 18:
Keepers: Casillas and Dudek.
Defenders: Ramos, Marcelo, Drenthe, Albiol and Garay.
Midfielders: Gago, Diarra, Kaka, Lass, Guti, Van der Vaart and Granero.
Forwards: Raul, Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema and Higuain.
That is one hell of a scary lineup. If Pellegrini goes with the worst starting 11 of that bunch, they would still be very good. Notably, Van der Vaart made the lineup (although I would be shocked if he ended up on the pitch for anything but warmups). Players missing from the lineup include a fairly dazzling array: Alvaro Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso, Van Nistelrooy and Metzelder, due to injury, and Pepe, for having a temporary spell as a psychopath.
My guessed starting eleven for Villarreal:
Diego López
Ángel – Gonzal0 - Godin - Capdevila
Cazorla - Cani – Eguren – Pires
Llorente - Rossi
Looking back over this post, it is a fairly negative preview. My apologies. Hopefully I get to eat all these words tomorrow. The match is available in the States on GolTV at 2pm eastern. ENDAVANT!
Entries (RSS)
I will enjoy watching mid week Liga! Well at least I hope so, again I’m nervous that we could be absolutely annihilated, however this could be the kick start to our season!
I wonder if Pellegrini will get a Chile reception….apologies! I stole it from a preview, but it’s my kind of pun! :D
if there is any bright spot to the pre-match buildup it’s that Drenthe is listed as the fifth fullback for RM!
I think Valverde prefers Cazorla on the left and Pires on the right…
My Guess
Probable Starting Lineup:
4-4-2
López
Angel, Gonzalo, Godin, Capdevila
Pires, Cani, Eguren, Cazorla
Llorente/ Nilmar, Rossi
*
.
U/Pellergini last 4 games vs Real Madrid
=================================
Recap of 2 meetings from the 07/08 La Liga Season
Home on Sept 2, 2007
Villarreal 0 – R. Madrid 5 <—————————————–
0-1 Raúl @ 38"
0-2 Sneijder @ 47"
0-3 Van Nistelrooy @ 49"
0-4 Sneijder @ 72"
0-5 Guti @ 79"
Away on Jan 27, 2008
R. Madrid 3 – Villarreal 2
1-0 Robinho @ 8"
1-1 Rossi @ 15"
2-1 Robinho @ 52"
2-2 Capdevila @ 75"
3-2 Snejider @ 76"
Goles del Real Madrid 3-2 Villarreal
Recap of 2 meetins from the 08/09 La Liga Season
Away on Jan 4, 2009
R. Madrid 1 – Villarreal 0
1-0 Robben @ 31"
Highlights
Home on May 16, 2009
Villarreal 3 – R. Madrid 2
1-0 Pires @ 17"
1-1 Van der Vaart @ 46"
2-1 Cani @ 63"
2-2 Higuaín @ 68 "
3-2 Capdevila @ 90"
PELLEGRINI RESPON A LES CRÍTIQUES SOBRE EL JOC DEL REIAL MADRID
http://www.rtvv.es/video/video_informa.asp?id=22092009_pellegrini.flv
why does Drenthe stick out in my mind as an offensive player? He is known as a left winger/left back, so my previous comment now makes no sense.
ahh ere is every1 from the offside, well i’m from the Real blog, just wanted 2 read ur preview of the game, seems both teams ave injuries den not just us, shuld b a fun game tho!
i really, truly hope that pellegrini gets the reception that he deserves. roig had a lot to do with our success in making the primera, but pellegrini is the primary reason that this blog exists, for example. he turned us into arsenal, but thankfully without the pretentiousness that entails (and thank god he is not wenger).
then, of course, i hope we remind him of what he is missing. this game is tailored made for llorente to bag a brace.
Starting line ip for madrid:
4-2-3-1
CASILLAS;
RAMOS, ALBIOL, GARAY, MARCELO
LASS, GUTI
RONALDO; GRANERO,KAKÁ,
HIGUAÍN
P.S this site is alreay slowing downnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
4-4-2
LÓPEZ
ÁNGEL, GONZALO, GODÍN,, CAPDEVILA
CANI, SENNA, EGUREN, CAZORLA
LLORENTE, ROSSI
Time for the midfield to function….
This needs to best game from everyone……. to have any chance…it can be done………….
Let’s go….
Sorry marca had the worng line up..
Here is the correct one.
4-4-2
Lopez,
Angel, Gonzalo, Godin, Capdevila
Cani, Bruno, Eguren, Cazorla,
Nilamar, Rossi
This game better be worth it, my history essay currently sits unfinished.
0-1 real madrid……………..
how sad
Oh for gods sake
the radio guys called it a golazo. and said angel is overmatched; they think javi venta would have done a better job slowing down ronaldo. again rain, the pitch is very fast but this time it probably hurts us against such a fast counterattacking team.
Villarreal CM and defense did crap on the first goal
We’ve done ok since the goal
yes we done o.k since the goal..
cani crosses have been to the moon
nice passs by rossi to nilmar who is nearly goes through
big miss by real madrid…lol
sounds like we are recovering, but you know they can hit at any moment if you don’t take advantage of your possession. and right there sounds like higuain just missed a sitter.
our passing has to be better.
rossi blast goes for corner
lots of criticism of the officiating, specifically with regard to advantage not being played. sounds like santi is leading the charge and that bruno is struggling a bit; to be expected.
Rossi cross in the P.k area goes begging for someone to put in ….
RED CARD GONZALO @ 35″
Valverde has given up…..he sits down with disgust
35′ Gonzalo gets sent off for his second yellow card. The announcers are saying Real is not getting cards for the same fouls. Eguren may move back to central defense; this could get ugly fast.
Ref is favoring Real MAdrid……what crap…..
Rossi and cazorla are being fouled (same type of fouls) but no yellow cards.
I thought La Liga refs were fair…..YEA RIGHT !
What crap.
It’s Mejuto, has a bad reputation around Europe!
Actually Villarreal have played alright since giving up the first goal…..
not bad with 10 men..
0-1 @ HT
It’s Mejuto
HE SUCKS<<<<<<<<<<<<
Must be real madrid fan…
Senna and Pires warming up, sounds like. Good start for us in the second half; we are on the ball a good bit.
Rossi shoots, CASILLAS saves… gives up a recound but ….but no one is there to put the rebound in…..
rossi passes to cazorla…who is fouled in the p.k…area….but off course to call.
f.k for villarreal
wow…………..nilmar fouled …no call
angel saves a sure goal
@ 58″ Cazorla shoots…………..which goes wide..
Rossi fouled on edge./…….OF F course no call….
The ref is in pocket of Real Madrid
@ 63′ still 0-1
this is the best i have seen villarreal play this season…and w/10 men
@ 65 Pires in for Rossi…who had fairly good game but looked tired
higuain out, raul in. rossi out, pires in.
I guess velverde settleing for 0-1
p.s why does cazorla shoot so much these days?
@ 71″ Yellow card Bruno…..NOT IMPRESSED With Real Madrid team…..
P>k Real madrid …hand ball on angel.
SHALLL Villarrea A NEW COACH
0-2 KAKA – P>k (who hasn’t played that well)
It’s over…………………………………………………………….
0-2, 72′: kaka penalty given up by angel. radio announcers think it was involuntary, but i’m not surprised. that should do it, but a good fight by our team. hopefully this is something to build on.
WHAT A DIVE BY KAKA……..SHAME On Him
Once Rossi left …we lost that punch in attack…………
he , Cazorl, angel were combining well
Cazorla out for Jonuy@ 77″
Cani out for Marcano @ 77″
and it’s now all Real MAdrid…..
Valverde saving Cazorla for next game
santi comes off to a nice ovation. our best player in pretty much every game he has played so far this year. hope he’s ready for sunday in the riazor.
Nice suit and & tie by valverde…looking dapper
man real madrid gets call the calls
See y’all later….
Take care
Ciao ciao
Kqql
FT 0-2
If Villarreal play like this……there is hope.
.
I’ll have to watch this game on DVR over the next couple of days and post my thoughts. But my impression is that Nilmar is not in sync with the rest of the team. At this moment in time, we can’t afford to break him into the squad. Play him in the Europa League, I say. And our old finishing problems continue. Too many cards all around as well.
I just finished it a few minutes late after bailing on work early and watching the match on about a 30 minute delay. A couple of things going the other way, and it could have been altogether a different match.
Ronaldo’s first goal (if there were ever a player who I would wish a broken leg or two upon…) was skillful, but not half of what it was made to be by the GolTV announcers. He broke through some poor defense and had a nice shot into the corner. It is getting that I can’t sit down and watch a Real Madrid match on GolTv because it gets to be so disgusting with Hudson and Schoen trying to see who can lavish the most praise on the club. Really no objectivity at all there.
Gonzalo was unlucky with his second yellow, but stupid all at the same time. To think, with one yellow sitting on your shoulder already, that a blind bicycle to clear the ball with a player like Kaka sitting on the other shoulder is the best idea is simply foolish.
Once Gonzalo was out, I think we played pretty stellar, all things considered. Being down a man and controlling things as well as we did was excellent play. I was really surprised with Valverde’s decision to not bring Marcano in and leave Eguren out there in central defense (especially at the start of the second half) but it seemed to work.
Angel was excellent today for 97 percent of the match (the two percent obviously being his nonpresence in the first two minutes which allowed Ronaldo through untouched, and then his flying through the box with his hands raised like an overanxious schoolboy asking for a penalty). If you ignore his gaffes (which is pretty hard to do, admittedly, as they lead to the goals), he shut down Ronaldo and got in his head.
Our forwards – all of them – seem to be impotent. We simply are scared of the central defense of any team we are going up against. Perhaps it is our diminutive size, perhaps it is psychological, but there were really no moments in that match where it really felt like we should have scored.
Ernesto Valverde seems lost out there.
A couple of things I forgot.
Not sure about the Pires in for Rossi move. Rossi played with a lot of heart, and despite my comments about our forwards being impotent, he seemed the least so. Pires was fairly quiet throughout the rest of the match, except, perhaps, for setting up the closest we got to a goal. I would have rathered see him come in for Cani.
I think Bruno played really well today. He had a bigger presence in midfield than he has in a long time. Not exactly Senna personified, but Senna-like nonetheless.
Maddi ^
P.s I though rossi played descent,,,,,, I am very objective person………………………
and if watch game in Spanish instead of the stupid english goltv comentary ..
Deifference bettween Pellegrini and Velverde….he would have left Rossi in for 75″
and brought in llorente…………….
Team looked liked it might score….but once pires came in…………it all went quite.
I am sorry Valverde makes stupid subs…………………………………
RECAP -> Villarreal – Real Madrid
Villarreal
4-4-2
López
Angel, Gonzalo*, Godin, Capedvila
Cani (Marcano 76″), Eguren, Bruno, Cazorla (Jony 76″)
Nilmar, Rossi (Pires 65″)
Goals:
0-1 @ 2″ C. Ronaldo
0-2 @ 75″ Kaka (P.K)
Yellow Cards:
Real Madrid -> Guti 51″, Gago @ 59″, Lass @ 80″
Villarreal -> Gonzalo @ 13 & 34″, Bruno @ 70″, Angel 71″,
Red Card: Gonzalo @ 34″ (for his 2 Yellow cards)
.
Player rating
http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2009/09/23/1518426/player-ratings-villarreal-0-2-real-madrid
Marca Game Highlights
http://www.marca.com/marcador/futbol/2009_10/primera/jornada_4/vil_rma/http://www.marca.com/marcador/futbol/2009_10/primera/jornada_4/vil_rma/
Diego Lopez really isnt in form, time for Oliva and Escudero imo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlfO7hMBb4o
Watching La Liga would be so much more enjoyable if GolTV would get rid of Hudson. His witticisms are the focus when he announces, not the game. It’s a total distraction. His style and over-enthusiasm is better suited for a weekly league highlight show.
Otherwise, I agree that Villarreal’s performance was far from embarrassing but you’ve got to wonder when Valverde’s gonna get things turned in the right direction. On the plus side, we can only go up from here (hopefully).
It’s sad to watch Hudson when Real Madrid play….he’s a cheerleader for them.
What bias commentary…….what crap