Maybe Florentino Pérez might start to appreciate Gonzalo Higuaín now.

The man that Pérez wanted to offload since he returned for his second stint as Real president sits in the stands because he is recovering from surgery that repaired a herniated lumbar disc in his back, and José Mourinho has not developed a successful system to cope with this loss.  The natural deputy for Higuaín is Karim Benzema, the talented and young French international who came with his own expectations when Real splashed a cool €35 million in the summer of 2009, but he has failed to impress since arriving at the Bernabéu.

This injury was so severe for Higuaín that he was an unused substitute in Real’s most important match of the season to this point against FC Barcelona, and Barça drubbed los blancos 5-0.  Benzema, thrown unexpectedly into the Camp Nou cauldron because of Higuaín’s absence, predictably let the moment get to him and became largely ineffective against the Catalans.  To be fair, the whole squad had run out of any plausible ideas against Barça, but setting aside El Clásico, Benzema, in essence, was on trial for his future in Madrid from that match forward because Higuaín’s layoff from action extended from a week to a couple weeks to four months when the doctors recommended surgery.

Without looking deeply into the statistics, since Benzema became the starting striker against Barcelona prior to the Mallorca match on Sunday, he had scored six goals in eleven matches in all competitions.  Any top-notch striker strives for a goal ratio of one every two games, and Benzema surpassed that, but those six goals came in two matches: a hat-trick against Auxerre in the final match of the UEFA Champions League group stage, when Real already secured the top spot in the group; and a hat-trick against lowly Levante in the first leg of the Copa del Rey Round of 16, when Real ran rampant on the Valencians with an 8-0 thrashing.

Seven appearances in La Liga accrued zero goals, and in five of those matches, Mourinho substituted him.  The real indication, however, that Mourinho did not trust in Benzema came last round against Almería, when he was not named in the starting eleven, and Cristiano Ronaldo, an attacking midfielder, played as the lone striker up front with Ángel di María, Mesut Özil, and Kaká supporting Ronaldo.  In their next match in midweek against Atlético Madrid, with the tie still alive in the Copa del Rey, Mourinho opted again to place Ronaldo up front and leave Benzema on the bench.

Since Mourinho settled on his optimal starting eleven after the first few weeks of the season to gauge the situation himself with his new club, he hardly made any changes from week to week, so for Mourinho to experiment wildly with his lineup this far into the campaign showed signs of confusion and desperation within the technical staff about the current state of affairs.

Regardless of whatever happens with Real Madrid, calm or stormy, the rumors always fly around them during any January transfer window about whom they are going to sign, and with the Higuaín injury and the Benzema ineffectiveness, the names floated around.  Hugo Almeida, Emmanuel Adebayor, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Miroslav Klose, Didier Drogba, and now Roman Pavlyuchenko.  The players would never admit to this, but the dissent apparent among Mourinho, Pérez, and technical director Jorge Valdano concerning the striker question is indirectly affecting their play on the pitch, and with Barcelona routinely cruising to three, four, and five goal victories, any slip-up is magnified hundred-fold.

Despite the drama enveloping events at the Santiago Bernabéu, they have won every single match at home in all competitions this season, and after their 1-1 debacle at the Estadio Juegos Mediterráneos against Almería, Real needed the comfort of the Bernabéu to assuage their growing concerns.

Unfortunately, they hosted a Mallorca team that earned a share of the points at the Iberostar Stadium against Real in the opening round of the season, and Michael Laudrup’s team had no intention of bowing for their illustrious opponents.  In three matches as manager against the club with whom he used to play, two with Getafe and one with Mallorca, Real had only scored one goal in those three games, and in a famous 0-1 win for Getafe in February 2008, Ikechukwu Uche fired the lone goal immediately after the Real players were celebrating an Arjen Robben goal that was nullified by referee Arturo Daudén Ibáñez because he correctly ruled Raúl offside.  The win for Getafe spoiled Real Madrid perfect home record that season, and Laudrup’s Mallorca wanted to repeat the same feat on Sunday.

Laudrup has a different type of squad with Mallorca than he had with Getafe, and he cannot play the free-flowing, open type of football for long stretches like he did with Getafe.  Pablo Hernández, Ikechukwu Uche, and Manu worked and created seamlessly at Getafe to play as Laudrup wanted, and while Pierre Webó, Gonzalo Castro, Emilio Nsue, etc. are decent attacking players, they are not the type of players that will scare opposing defenses for more than a few occasions in a match.  What he does have at Mallorca is a pair of central defenders that will rival any duo in Spain, Iván Ramis and José Nunes, and a goalkeeper that continues to be underrated and under-appreciated among the Spanish scribes, Dudu Aouate.

Mallorca limited Real to a few scoring chances in their 0-0 draw in August, and when Real bossed the match in the second half and pinned all ten Mallorca players in their own half, Aouate made a multitude of outstanding saves, and Ramis and Nunes closed down and blocked several shots that would have menaced Aouate’s goal.

With Webó’s strike partner Víctor Casadesús out for eight to ten weeks with a thigh injury, both Jonathan de Guzman and Pep Lluís Martí on the sidelines with minor knee injuries, and right back Pau Cendrós suspended, Laudrup could have expected to defend for most of Sunday’s match, similar to the second half of the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

Mourinho tinkered with his lineup again, benching Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, and Mesut Özil in favor of Fernando Gago, Esteban Granero, and Karim Benzema respectively.  With a Copa del Rey semifinal on Wednesday against Sevilla, Mourinho might have looked to rest a few players against Mallorca, but with Real blundering and bumbling through their last few matches, Mourinho could have easily been sending a message to his squad that no spot is guaranteed.  Without Benzema in the starting eleven for the past two matches, Real struggled to score, so with little choice, Mourinho stuck Benzema back up front.

While los merengues huffed and puffed in the first half, Mallorca’s Emilio Nsue had the best scoring chance of the half in the 13th minute when he shot from the right side of the penalty area across the face of goal toward the left far post and past Iker Casillas, but the post was unkind for Mallorca, pinging the ball away from goal.  Nsue entered into acres of space down the right wing because Marcelo was out of position inside Mallorca’s final third, and Casillas made sure that Marcelo knew that when he confronted Marcelo immediately after Nsue banged the post, displaying the increasingly frayed nerves and tensions among the Real players.

Mourinho admitted to his mistakes when he made two halftime changes, sending in Xabi Alonso and Mesut Özil and taking out Fernando Gago and Kaká.  In his press conference after the match, he stated how the Copa del Rey was a priority and because of that, he made a few changes because, in his words, “We [the coaching staff] have noted the physical and emotional wear and tear of the team at the moment.”

When Webó’s left-footed, pirouette first-time volley forced a stellar save by Casillas early in the second half, and referee Eduardo Iturralde González correctly did not call a handball in the box on Nunes in the 58th minute, it would not have been a stretch to imagine that Michael Laudrup would have done it again to his old team.  In all of this uncertainty, the opening goal went to Real just after the hour mark, and Karim Benzema, of all people, gave Madrid the 1-0 lead.

The build-up play set up Benzema in the box, with Ronaldo setting up Granero, who then played a through ball for Benzema.  Benzema still had plenty of work to do, and after a stepover and a dribble to create a crucial yard of room and to get the ball on his left foot, he rifled it to the left far post and past Aouate for a vital goal not only for this match but for Real’s hope of stealing the La Liga title away from Barcelona.

For the final half-hour, Real pounded Aouate’s box.  Ronaldo had a header that struck the crossbar, he also had a free kick that whizzed by the right far post by the width of a ball, and Benzema had three different chances to seal the victory, none of which he capitalized, reverting back to the Benzema that the Real fans knew.  Mallorca almost had the last laugh in the third minute of stoppage time when Nsue and Webó perfected a two-man game down the right side of the penalty area, leading to a Webó shot that needed the outstretched legs of Casillas to prevent from Mallorca equalizing at the death.

1-0 fulltime, and Real somehow pulled three points out of the Bermellón fire.

Real Madrid cannot stay in this form for too much longer if they want to reclaim La Liga from Barcelona, and while their next eight matches in the league would not worry them too much, save for Espanyol at the Cornellà – El Prat and maybe their match at home against Real Sociedad, it only takes one really poor performance as they had against Almería to squander their chance in La Liga.  They cannot ride the suggestion that Barcelona will drop points even though their world-beating ways must end at some point, and despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s Pichichi-leading twenty-two goals, he is not the answer as the lone striker up top.

There is one full week left in the transfer window, and Real Madrid may well provide the extra striker that Mourinho always wanted since he arrived in Madrid in the summer, but if Jorge Valdano wins Florentino Pérez’s influence over Mourinho, Benzema will be the man to shoulder the responsibility up front.  Speaking about Benzema after the match on the club website, Valdano continued to reiterate his support for Benzema:

“Goals are essential to strikers.  A striker needs confidence and it comes with goals.  He [Benzema] had a good game and scored a goal that allowed us to take three points.  In the past, it was players like Higuaín who had to resolve similar situations as they were heavily scrutinized, and Higuaín has turned out to be a great striker for Real Madrid. We hope the same happens to Benzema.”

While Valdano would definitely back Benzema since he was instrumental in bringing him to the Bernabéu in the summer of 2009, Benzema’s situation is strikingly similar to Higuaín when the Argentinean made his €13 million move from River Plate to Real Madrid in January 2007.  After a hit-and-miss year and a half at the Bernabéu, he banged in the goals at the end of the 2007-08 season to give Real their 31st league title, and Higuaín has never looked back.

Benzema’s goal against Mallorca on Sunday, his first in La Liga since September against Espanyol, could be the watershed moment that he needs to raise his confidence and become the striker that Valdano and Pérez saw with Lyon and the French national team.  Unfortunately, this was also said about his hat-trick against Auxerre and his hat-trick against Levante.

Fueras de Juego

- Valencia and nine-man Málaga’s 4-3 thriller at the Mestalla further ingrained the opinions about each team.  For Valencia, their attack is much more effective when both Roberto Soldado and Aritz Aduriz pair up together, and Valencia’s shaky second-half defense will cost them important points that could determine if they earn a Champions League berth at the end of the season.  For Málaga, their numerous signings this January should keep them from the relegation fight because their attacking talent should carry them through, but their defense continues to leak goals, conceding forty-five, eleven more than the next worst defenses, Almería and Levante.

- Cani did not score another goal from the halfway line, but Villarreal worked hard for their 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad to regain third place from Valencia and maintain a two-point lead over their provincial rivals.  Marco Rubén has been more than a capable deputy for Nilmar, and the jack-of-all-trades midfield work of Borja Valero and Bruno Soriano have returned the Yellow Submarine back to its lofty perch of a top-three Spanish side.

- If Atlético Madrid’s limp performance in the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Real Madrid signaled trouble at the Vicente Calderón, their 1-0 defeat at El Molinón against relegation-fighting Sporting Gijón was outright impotent.  The absence of Sergio “Kun” Agüero and Atlético’s corresponding poor showings without him proves the point that he is more valuable to the Atleti at this moment than Diego Forlán, and whereas Marco Rubén has filled in admirably for Nilmar, Diego Costa has not provided that same spark deputizing for Agüero.  Atlético is starting to fall away from the top-five, seven points behind fifth-place Espanyol and ten points away from Valencia for the final Champions League spot, and Quique Sánchez Flores’ may face a sacking sooner than later.  Is that not the situation with every Atlético manager however?

Lionel Messi is without doubt one of the best players in the world if not the most talented at the moment. Messi has been in scintillating form the last couple of years having scored 38 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions in the 2008/09 season. He also had 18 assists in those 51 matches while he managed 23 goals in 31 La Liga matches.

Messi did even better in 2009/10 season scoring 47 goals and assisting on 14 others in 53 matches in all competitions. The Argentina star had a remarkably tally of 34 goals in 35 La Liga matches. In the current campaign, Messi has already scored 13 goals in just 10 matches and his stunning tally is only inferior to Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo who scored 14 goals so far in the Spanish league. However, Ronaldo played in two more games in the league and his total number of goals in all contests is inferior to that of Messi. The Argentina forward scored 23 goals in just 18 games this season compared to Ronaldo’s 18 goals in 19 matches.

There is not doubt all eyes will be on the dangerous duo and some have gone as far as billing the clash as a ‘Messi versus Ronaldo’ contest but this is quite inaccurate as the two stars will not be facing each other on the field due to their attacking nature. This means Messi will not be responsible for marking Ronaldo and vice versa. Both teams have other key players who can influence the match such as Xavi in case of Barca and Gonzalo Higuain for Real Madrid.

Prior to this highly anticipated match against Los Blancos, Messi scored a hat-trick against Almeria last weekend and followed up his heroics with a goal in the Champions League in mid-week in Athens against Panathinaikos. There is no doubt Messi has been an absolute magician for Barcelona in the last few season and his club record backs up the fact he is perhaps the best club player on the planet. Messi scored a hat-trick against Real Madrid in El Clasico in the 2006-07 season to prove he can shine on the big occasion as well.

Some have questioned his form for Argentina but he managed to score in the 4-1 win over the World Cup champions Spain in September. However, he went one better by scoring a late winner against Brazil on November 18 in a friendly in Qatar. This is Messi’s first win over the Selecao and for him to secure the win with a sublime finish can only do wonders to his confidence. This winner for Argentina could be the goal Messi has been missing not just to take his international career to the next level but also to continue his stunning and torrid scoring record with Barca.

The main question will be whether Messi will be able to score against Los Blancos in El Clasico to add to his impressive resume. (Please check http://www.laligatalk.com/messi-versus-ronaldo/1881 for a previous piece written on Messi & Ronaldo)

The Almería – Barcelona match had not concluded when Real Madrid took to the pitch, but a few minutes into their match with Sevilla, they knew that Barça slipped at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos and dropped two points with a 2-2 draw against Almería.  Expectations were that Real Madrid would not have the chance to grab at least a share of the lead away from the Blaugrana until the second Clásico meeting on April 11, but this unforeseen gift, wrapped in a bow by their archrivals to the northeast, laid at the doorstep of the Bernabéu for the Madridistas to open gleefully.

Unfortunately, Xabi Alonso put it into his own net in the 10th minute, and Ivica Dragutinovic scored an unlikely free kick that was meant to be crossed into a flood of players.  Iker Casillas and Xabi Alonso looked at each other with contempt as both expected one another to handle the harmless ball.  Xabi Alonso let the ball sail over his head, assuming that Casillas would catch it on the bounce.  Casillas anticipated Xabi Alonso to head the ball away to safety and therefore did not cover the left post.  The ball furtively sneaked into the bottom left corner of the net, and Sevilla held a 0-2 lead at the Santiago Bernabéu with 38+ minutes remaining.

A loss for Real Madrid against Sevilla, even in the capital city, would not have been a shocking revelation, and a defeat to the Andalusians would still have Los Blancos a mere three points behind Barcelona with thirteen matches left to overturn the deficit. Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini entertained zero options of settling, as he removed Álvaro Arbeloa and Lassana Diarra from the action in the 55th minute and sent in two creative midfielders, Rafael van der Vaart and Guti, to revitalize the incessant but stagnant attack.

Observing that Sevilla had only one shot on target in fifty-five minutes, the unlikely Dragutinovic goal, Pellegrini concluded that there was little need for a second defensive midfielder and a stay-at-home left back.  Real Madrid played intricate football in the middle of the pitch, used both flanks effectively, and dabbled in a more direct, long-ball approach up to that point, but Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop and his defensive line held firm without a breach of goal.  Los Nervionenses cared little that their two goals came courtesy of a Xabi Alonso own goal and miscommunication between Iker Casillas and Xabi Alonso on a Dragutinovic free kick.

Rafael van der Vaart and Guti certainly have the fecundity to create and exploit any gaps within the Sevilla defense, and each had differing problems with Pellegrini this season.  Van der Vaart was supposed to be gone in the previous summer transfer window.  He was not in Pellegrini’s blueprints to the point where Esteban Granero was given van der Vaart’s number 23 in the preseason.  Wesley Sneijder, exiled by Real Madrid and eventually sold to Inter Milan, more than suggested to van der Vaart that he should leave to join a club that wanted him.

Van der Vaart stubbornly stayed with Madrid, feeling as though he was good enough for the team and wanted to prove his Madrid doubters wrong.  While he has fought injuries throughout the season, van der Vaart showed himself to be the third attacking midfielder with Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká.

As for José María Gutiérrez Hernández, that man known as Guti, Guti is and will always be Guti.  Perpetually and chronically incorrigible, he has gotten under the skin of every Real Madrid manager since he first made it to the senior squad.  If anyone tugs on his gossamer robe, he lashes out and leaves no one in his wake.

For a character like that, he should have been booted out years ago, but he still roams the pitch at the Santiago Bernabéu because of his truly world-class vision and passing distribution.  The term “world-class” is bandied around quite frequently, but for Guti, the label fits.  If he did not possess this type of talent, there is no way manager after manager would have kept this turbulent truculent on their squads.

Manuel Pellegrini could have easily phased out both van der Vaart and Guti if he let his ego get the best of him, but when the bell rung, he employed the players best suited for the situation rather than use others just because they did not vex him.  What Madrid needed in the final half-hour against Sevilla were players that forced Sevilla’s defensive and midfield lines to lose their shape.

Sergio Ramos getting R-rated after heading in the equalizer.

Whereas the field tilted toward Andrés Palop’s goal in the first half, this Madrid torrent in the second half completely inundated everyone with a red tinge.  A 60th minute Cristiano Ronaldo strike that benefited from a wicked Marius Stankevicius deflection and a 64th minute Sergio Ramos header from a van der Vaart corner turned the match completely around in the ten minutes since the substitutes entered the match.  Guti struck the crossbar, and Gonzalo Higuaín hit the post and the crossbar on two separate shots in the ensuing ten minutes after the Ramos equalizer, but Pellegrini was not done with his tinkering.

In the 75th minute, he made the bold move of withdrawing the €65 million Kaká in favor of Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer Raúl, who has made very few appearances since losing his starting spot early in the season.  Kaká had a decent game, but van der Vaart and Guti accomplished more in twenty minutes than Kaká did in seventy-five.  Pellegrini, soft-spoken but strong in his convictions, knew the gravity of the situation and wanted no less than three points.

An ultra-offensive 4-1-3-2 formation proved to be too much for Sevilla, as Rafael van der Vaart outmuscled Stankevicius for a rebound from three yards out and converted his scoring chance after Palop understandably gave up a rebound from Higuaín’s header in the second minute of stoppage time.

The euphoria felt and created by the players sent the Madridistas into a higher state of consciousness as they witnessed the most electric thirty minutes of the La Liga season.  Pellegrini, always the levelheaded statesman, put this match into its proper perspective when he spoke with Spanish sports daily Marca:

“There are still 39 points to play for.  These are three important points.  We will only be happy when our final objectives are obtained.  Now we depend on ourselves.”

With all the emotion spent on conquering this two-goal deficit against Sevilla, Real Madrid will have little time to recover because they host Lyon on Wednesday in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League tie down a single goal.  Whether they maintain this surging momentum into that match remains to be seen, and for all the plaudits and accolades they received on Saturday, a deluge of harsh criticism will be levied upon them if they fail to defeat Lyon and advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

That discussion, however, is for another day.  Real Madrid and Barcelona are tied at the top of La Liga with thirteen matches remaining.  Barcelona has the edge because they defeated Real 1-0 in November, and as the famous Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once quipped:

If you are first, you are first.  If you are second, you are nothing.

Real Madrid would not want it any other way.

Fueras de Juego

- Athletic Bilbao’s resurgence this season is due to many factors, including a stellar home record and Fernando Llorente leading the line, but some credit has to go to Gaizka Toquero, the perfect wingman to Llorente’s hold-up play.  Once a lower division vagabond with such illustrious clubs as SD Lemona, Sestao River Club, and SD Eibar, he caught the eye of Bilbao, although he was not in manager Joaquín Caparrós’ plans when Toquero first arrived in Bilbao.  He scored both of Athletic’s goals in their routine 2-0 win over Real Valladolid on Sunday, including a clinical finish off the short-hop to give his team an insurmountable two-goal advantage.

- Felicitaciones to Xerez as they won their first match away from home in the top flight after defeating an in-form Málaga 2-4 in a match that featured two red cards, nine yellow cards and a penalty miss and a penalty make by Xerez winger Momo.  Xerez manager Néstor Gorosito had an impossible task of keeping Xerez afloat after he replaced José Ángel Ziganda in January, and while Xerez is still ten points adrift of safety, Gorosito has instilled confidence in a team that had none before he arrived.

- The weekly drama that is Atlético Madrid came up with another plot twist, as Ibrahima Baldé scored in stoppage time to give Los Colchoneros an undeserved 1-1 draw.  A poor match in terms of quality, Diego Forlán was livid when he was substituted with thirty minutes left, and Atleti seemed to release the guillotine on itself after José Antonio Reyes received a straight red card for flailing his arm at Eliseu Pereira, although what little contact Reyes made on Eliseu sent him into “unfathomable” pain.  Clearly frustrated by Zaragoza’s bounty on him, he decided to take the law into his own hands in a half-hearted attempt to send a message.  If Atlético manager Quique Sánchez Flores has not already been prescribed Thorazine, Zyprexa, or any other antipsychotic drug because he has to deal with this club on a daily basis, he needs them now.

Denial

Although Real Madrid needed five goals to overturn their Round of 32 tie with Alcorcón, a certain sense of denial was important in this particular situation so that they could believe that their task was not impossible.  Kaká stated, “For the pride and for the history of Real Madrid, we have to win this tie.”  Marcelo and Jerzy Dudek followed in this same vein, declaring, “… for our badge and our shirt, we will not fail.”

Through all these hopeful and defiant player statements about their second leg against Alcorcón, Ezequiel Garay showed their true depth of denial when he proclaimed that the Bernabéu will be the 12th man on Tuesday night.  Apparently, Garay relied upon a historically impatient set of supporters, whose lofty standards often lead more to boos and jeers than blind loyalty.

Anger

After the opening stanza of the game, where Real Madrid came out with guns blazing, reality began to settle in as their exertions led to zero goals on the scoreboard.  Real Madrid knew that Alcorcón would put ten men behind the ball, and Alcorcón knew they had to defend for their lives as Real sent out three strikers, Raúl, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Gonzalo Higuaín, as well as Kaká from behind to break the Alcorcón dam.  Alcorcón manager Juan Antonio Anquela admitted as much, saying, “If they want to crush us, they will crush us.  If Madrid is at its very best then it will be difficult to move on.  They are the clear favorites.  We hope we can win, but not in this leg.”

The Real Madrid players began to get frustrated, as Alcorcón canceled most of their attacking opportunities, and the demanding Madridistas were not shy in their disapproval.  There was no disputable red card to distract the supporters in the Santiago Bernabéu as there was in their La Liga clash with Getafe on Saturday.  The full venom of their anger went directly to the players, excoriating their every move as the minutes ticked toward their inevitable fate.  Whether the fans’ fury fixated on the players, management, ownership, or both, the rampant condemnation within the stadium was more than palpable, especially when Manuel Pellegrini substituted man of the match at the time Lassana Diarra in the second half.

Bargaining

As Real Madrid got closer and closer to breaking the stalemate, many believed that the first goal would open the floodgates.  If only Real could score early in the second half, Alcorcón would feel the pressure for the first time.  Many prayers by the Madridistas were sent to higher powers, asking for a minor miracle.  They will reform their lifestyles.  They will give up their vices.  They will change.  One goal is all they need to spur them on to a historic comeback.  Grant us this one wish.

As Real hit one, then two, then three posts/crossbars, the players and the fans ceased to bargain.  Rafael van der Vaart’s 81st minute goal only helped in ushering a sense of hopelessness.  There was no way Real could score three more times in nine minutes plus stoppage time.  The depression set in as Real Madrid won the second leg 1-0 but lost the tie 1-4 on aggregate.

Depression

After the match, Pepe remarked to Spanish sports daily, AS, “It’s a very sad night.  The attitude and spirit have been positive, but the win could not be.  The effort was there.”  Florentino Pérez, the proactive and ambitious president of Real Madrid, was muted in his assessment of the state of affairs, articulating, “It wouldn’t be a failure if we didn’t win a trophy.  We are in the middle of building a new project.  We’ll give it stability.”

For the players, depression after a loss is only short-lived because their next objectives come at a rapid pace, and they do not have to mull over a loss like this.  Unfortunately, for Real Madrid, there is an international break this coming weekend, which means they will not start avenging this loss until November 22, when they host Racing Santander at the Bernabéu.

Acceptance

As one would expect with professional footballers and managers, they should have the proper perspective after all the loss and heartbreak they have suffered in their careers.  “The players are with me, but it’s not easy overturning a four goal deficit because were playing against the score line, against the opponent, and against anxiety.  But we are a point behind Barcelona in La Liga and leading our group in the Champions League.  This will end well,” declared the levelheaded Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini, according to AS.

“The fault lies with all of the players, who are the ones who play the game. We had a very bad first leg. We lost 4-0, a very heavy losing margin. We have not lived up to what is required at Real Madrid. They worked hard to get through and they deserved it,” Raúl Albiol said to Marca.

Whether Pellegrini and Albiol truly meant these words or if they were hollow statements is irrelevant.  They have to assure both the Madrid media and the Real supporters that their Round of 32 collapse to Alcorcón was merely a blip on the radar and that they would grow stronger from these experiences.  Alcorcón justified their two-legged victory as more than a fluke.  Real Madrid does have bigger fish to fry.  As Pellegrini mentioned, they are second in La Liga by one point and tied with AC Milan at the top of Group C in the Champions League.  Real has not won the Copa del Rey since 1993, so while the manner of their exit was surprising, the exit itself was not.  Understandably, all is doom and gloom in the Real universe, but if Real Madrid wins either of the two competitions in which they are still entered, this Copa del Rey embarrassment will merely be a footnote in their history.

Oscar Ustari can only stare blankly as Gonzalo Higuaín beats him for a second time.

The fashionable district.  The working-class south.  The established.  The disrespected.  Commerce.  Industry.  A comparison between the two top Madrid clubs.  Getafe just wants to be in the conversation.  They are in the city too, they say.  Real Madrid does not disrespect them because they are not in Real’s radar.  With Atlético Madrid struggling to steer their campaign in the right direction, Getafe CF had a chance to be noticed in the capital against Real Madrid at the eminent and illustrious Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.

The recent difficulties for Real Madrid have been well documented.  Outclassed by Sevilla, beaten by AC Milan, mediocre against Sporting Gijón, and embarrassed by Alcorcón.  All told, one win, one draw, and three losses in the last five for Madrid.  It only took until the middle of October for the rumors to start about the future and viability of Manuel Pellegrini at the Bernabéu.  The last event that Pellegrini needed to happen was another slip-up at the hands of their unnoticed cousin from the southern part of the Madrid metropolitan area.

The first half hour of the match saw few chances between the two teams, and the funereal atmosphere within the Santiago Bernabéu did not help in spurring on Real Madrid.  What sparked both the Madridistas and the players occurred in the 28th minute, when Raúl Albiol unjustly received a straight red card.  Apparently, in the eyes of referee Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz, Albiol prevented Getafe striker Roberto Soldado from a direct goal-scoring opportunity.  Albiol did pull the shirt of Soldado somewhat, but they both went for the ball in the air, leading to inevitable contact.  At worst, Mateu Lahoz should have given a yellow card to Albiol, but this highly controversial call gave Getafe the one-man advantage and more hope that they could upset Real Madrid in their own stadium.

Pedro León’s subsequent free kick could not curl enough as it flew a couple yards wide of the right post, but Getafe neglected to use the extra man to their benefit.  Paradoxically, Real Madrid actually played better with more vim and vigor after the red card and constantly threatened the Getafe goal through halftime.  Kaká and Karim Benzema played a two-man game down the left wing in one attack, with Kaká laying a perfect pull-back from the byline to Benzema, but Benzema’s strongly struck shot stung goalkeeper Oscar Ustari’s hands as he parried it away from goal.  Even though it was a 0-0 score at halftime, Real Madrid seemed more likely to open the scoring, while Getafe played a more conservative game after Albiol’s dismissal.  The whistles rained down from the Madridistas, but they aimed their anger more at the referees as they headed into their dressing room for halftime.

When Gonzalo Higuaín broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute to give Real Madrid the 1-0 lead, the run of play dictated that Real deserved to be ahead.  From the left wing, Marcelo whipped in a cross to Higuaín, who split between two defenders in the air, and after chesting the ball down to create space, it was a simple finish as Ustari had no chance to prevent the inevitable.

Getafe only changed their tactics after Higuaín scored.  After the referee sent off Albiol, Getafe continued to tread water rather than go for the lead.  When the goal transpired, panic seized through Getafe manager Míchel and his team, and they decided to be more gung ho in attack.  This tactic backfired three minutes later, when Lassana Diarra created a turnover in midfield, and there were only two Getafe defenders in their own half.  A two versus two battle between Mario and Cata Díaz and Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín yielded predictable results.  With the defenders on their heels, Benzema slotted a through ball to Higuaín, who took two touches and side-footed his shot across goal and across Oscar Ustari into the back of the net.  2-0 to the home team and assured three points.

Fabio Celestini had a couple of long-distance efforts that forced Iker Casillas into some good saves, but the second goal took the wind out of Getafe’s sails as they played out the final half hour without any significant scoring chances.  In eighth place starting Round 9 of La Liga, Getafe looked to continue their good form against a reeling Real Madrid side.  In particular, Roberto Soldado, Miguel Torres, Dani Parejo, and Adrián González wanted to prove to their former parent club that they should not have given up on them.  All members of the Real Madrid cantera, they disappointed as they failed to appreciably affect and effect the game to their fullest extent.  Especially when Real Madrid was handicapped with one less man, they did not have the gusto that was required to defeat any Real Madrid side.

To their credit, Real Madrid arguably had their most impressive performance of the season.  It was not necessarily due to stellar football, but it was their resolve and grit to take control of a game when they went a man down and seemingly every call went against them.  The 60/40 ratio of possession in Getafe’s favor meant nothing when observing the game; Getafe was ponderous with the ball, while Real were decisive and efficient after the red card.  Real Madrid expected to win this game, and even when they went a man down, they were the slightest of favorites to come out with a result, but Getafe never tilted the scales in their favor when they had the chance, and for that, they should be utterly frustrated with themselves.

If Villarreal continues their poor run of form, El Madrigal will look similar to this on match nights.

After another underwhelming performance in a 0-2 loss to Real Madrid at El Madrigal on Wednesday evening, Villarreal currently sits in 18th place with only two points from four La Liga matches.  In their defense for their showing against Madrid, Villarreal played with one less man for 65+ minutes after Gonzalo Rodríguez received his second yellow card in the 35th minute.  In addition, they fought admirably and sometimes looked as though they were playing at even strength, but their legs eventually gave out, as each outfield player had to give that extra percentage in the absence of Gonzalo.  Zero wins, two draws, and two losses in La Liga along with a less than convincing 1-0 victory over Levski Sofia in the Europa League group stage has the Yellow Submarine sinking into unchartered waters.  Two factors that have led to this ominous start are the absence of Marcos Senna and the general lack of direction and focus of their play.

Marcos Senna is the anchor in front of the defensive line.  In tandem with Sebastián Eguren, they halt potential counter-attacks and anticipate the passing lanes before the back four has to be brought in for reinforcement.  Senna’s style is quite similar to Chelsea’s Michael Essien, where he controls the center of the pitch, plays from box to box, and scores from long range on occasion.  When Essien went down with injury and missed five months of the season, Chelsea lost their way and contributed to their third-place finish.  Chelsea lost only once when Essien came back to the squad in mid-February, and Marcos Senna has that similar effect for Villarreal.

In Senna’s absence, Bruno Soriano deputized in the center of midfield with Eguren, and while he is a capable midfielder, he does not have the presence or the ability that Senna possesses.  This was evident in Wednesday’s match against Real Madrid, where Guti and Kaká roamed around the final third and created many opportunities for their teammates.  For example, in the 23rd minute, Guti back-heeled a pass in the middle of the field to Kaká, who in turn sent a through ball toward Marcelo’s diagonal run in the box, and the resulting squared ball from Marcelo to Gonzalo Higuaín produced a wonderful attempt at goal.  Higuaín would scuff the shot high and wide, but any semblance of a decent hit would have been 0-1 to Real Madrid.  The sight of Marcos Senna warming up on the sidelines, as a potential substitute in the second half, is a good sign that Senna’s chronic leg and hamstring injuries may be healed sufficiently enough to appear in the first team, but until he makes that return, Villarreal will continue to sputter and be forced to grind out results.

In terms of their play as a whole, they lack a sense of identity and seem not to know what exactly they want to do on the ball.  When Manuel Pellegrini became the manager of Villarreal on July 1, 2004, Villarreal was an up and coming team that showed promise and inconsistency at the same time.  Pellegrini instilled a philosophy of passing football, using intricate one-two’s, passing triangles, and skillful runs from the fullbacks to generate goal-scoring opportunities.

With Ernesto Valverde, indecisive has been the overriding adjective to describe Villarreal on the pitch.  It very well could be that the team is still adjusting from the Pellegrini era to the Valverde era.  Pellegrini led them into the deep stages of the Champions League and high finishes in La Liga, and when a new manager comes along that has some decent success with Athletic Bilbao, Espanyol, and Olympiakos but does not have the cachet that, to them, would be worthy of Pellegrini’s successor, there could be a little friction inside the dressing room.

Valverde’s Villarreal has minor differences with Pellegrini’s Villarreal.  Valverde has his team play a slightly more physical game and tends to be more structured.  In a couple of matches, Villarreal experimented with a pseudo diamond formation that saw Eguren as the holding midfielder, Santi Cazorla and Cani on the wings, and Ariel Ibagaza as the playmaker behind the strikers.  Valverde continues to experiment with the team, and when he finds the right blend to fit his philosophy and creates the synergy necessary to compete for Champions League spots, Villarreal will be back to their winning ways and leave this mediocre start behind in the dust.