EastStandBlue
Life President
- Joined
- May 29, 2005
- Messages
- 15,519
When Manuel Pellegrini took the reins at Real Madrid, blank cheque book in hand, I doubt very much he expected his only shot at silverware at this stage of the season would lie solely in a sprint to the finish with Barcelona...
Courtesy of Miralem Pjanic, that is exactly the situation. Lyon took a 1-0 lead to the Bernabeu, tasked with keeping out a Madrid side that boasted some of the world’s finest talent and they couldn’t have asked for a worse start. Cristiano Ronaldo took his Champions League tally for the season to seven, blasting through Hugo Lloris’ legs after just five minutes. Unfortunately for him, and unlike his former club Manchester United, that was as close they came to a quarter-final berth.
It could have been different; Gonzalo Higuain rounded Lloris not much later but could only fire his shot onto the post. Ronaldo’s fellow Galactico Kaka had a shot that clambered just past the post in the second half, but the Brazilian wasn’t much more than a passenger in the game and his contribution will rightfully be questioned. Karim Benzema felt the swift metal of Pellegrini’s axe for much less, and the truth is Kaka has not justified his inflated price tag.
Miralem Pjanic, of Bosnian heritage, decided the tie in the 75th minute, feeding from a Lisandro lay-off to lift the ball past Iker Cassilas giving Lyon a vital away goal. Madrid needed two goals but could not muster one, gifting Lyon several chances at the other end that were spurned by Lisandro and Delgado.
Pellegrini spent €260m in recruiting the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema to the Santiago Bernabeu and any observer, me included, expected a far greater return than what has come to pass. Out of the Copa Del Rey, reaching just the last 16 of the Champions League and facing a nail-biting finale to the La Liga season, locked on points with Barcelona and ahead only on goal difference.
If €260m can’t buy a single defender worth his stripes, then questions have to be asked of the transfer policy. Football is a game of balance, left to right, top to bottom, it’s the balanced teams of club football that succeed. Manchester United won the Champions League on the basis of a rock solid defence and counter-balanced the effervescent ability of Ronaldo and Rooney with the sheer determination of Tevez, Fletcher and Scholes. Barcelona succeeded on the basis of turning Thierry Henry into a wing-forward purely to maintain balance.
Make no mistake, Pellegrini is a wonderful coach. He transformed Villareal from also-rans into material worthy of European competition on a comparitable shoestring and is thoroughly deserving of his shot at the big time, but Los Galacticos will expect much, much more from this and to finish the campaign without a single trophy will, more than likely, see his contract terminated.
If this is what €260m buys you, then it’s no wonder so many clubs are on the precipice of financial meltdown.
Courtesy of Miralem Pjanic, that is exactly the situation. Lyon took a 1-0 lead to the Bernabeu, tasked with keeping out a Madrid side that boasted some of the world’s finest talent and they couldn’t have asked for a worse start. Cristiano Ronaldo took his Champions League tally for the season to seven, blasting through Hugo Lloris’ legs after just five minutes. Unfortunately for him, and unlike his former club Manchester United, that was as close they came to a quarter-final berth.
It could have been different; Gonzalo Higuain rounded Lloris not much later but could only fire his shot onto the post. Ronaldo’s fellow Galactico Kaka had a shot that clambered just past the post in the second half, but the Brazilian wasn’t much more than a passenger in the game and his contribution will rightfully be questioned. Karim Benzema felt the swift metal of Pellegrini’s axe for much less, and the truth is Kaka has not justified his inflated price tag.
Miralem Pjanic, of Bosnian heritage, decided the tie in the 75th minute, feeding from a Lisandro lay-off to lift the ball past Iker Cassilas giving Lyon a vital away goal. Madrid needed two goals but could not muster one, gifting Lyon several chances at the other end that were spurned by Lisandro and Delgado.
Pellegrini spent €260m in recruiting the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema to the Santiago Bernabeu and any observer, me included, expected a far greater return than what has come to pass. Out of the Copa Del Rey, reaching just the last 16 of the Champions League and facing a nail-biting finale to the La Liga season, locked on points with Barcelona and ahead only on goal difference.
If €260m can’t buy a single defender worth his stripes, then questions have to be asked of the transfer policy. Football is a game of balance, left to right, top to bottom, it’s the balanced teams of club football that succeed. Manchester United won the Champions League on the basis of a rock solid defence and counter-balanced the effervescent ability of Ronaldo and Rooney with the sheer determination of Tevez, Fletcher and Scholes. Barcelona succeeded on the basis of turning Thierry Henry into a wing-forward purely to maintain balance.
Make no mistake, Pellegrini is a wonderful coach. He transformed Villareal from also-rans into material worthy of European competition on a comparitable shoestring and is thoroughly deserving of his shot at the big time, but Los Galacticos will expect much, much more from this and to finish the campaign without a single trophy will, more than likely, see his contract terminated.
If this is what €260m buys you, then it’s no wonder so many clubs are on the precipice of financial meltdown.
