For 32 straight games Real Madrid looked invisible. But after losing to Barcelona a few games ago, Carlo Ancelotti's side is looking really mediocre at best. What is wrong with this team and which is the real Real Madrid?
It is rather fascinating to consider that Madrid's season got off to a rough start, until the team lost against Barcelona back in October. The team had a record of seven wins, one draw and one loss leading up to that game and ended that game with two losses and some ground to make up on its big rivals. But then Ancelotti's side went 32 games unbeaten until they lost against Barcelona. And since then the team has a record of three wins and two losses for a total of three losses in their last six games. With the team's latest loss against Borussia Dortmund, Madrid became the last remaining team to finally lose a game in the Champions League; prior to the 2-0 embarrassment at Dortmund, Los Blancos had not lost in the tournament.
Prior to the match many were pointing to the fact that without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo the team had not lost a game and had been a huge scoring threat. But that run also ended on Tuesday as the Merengues' forward line looked weak throughout. Angel Di Maria missed a penalty early in the game that would have put the contest to rest while Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale also looked out of sorts throughout the game. It was clear that Ronaldo's incisive finishing was missing from the game and his appearance would probably have the contest away sooner than the final whistle. However, this was a gamble that Carlo Ancelotti took and it paid off. He could have brought in Ronaldo and risked injuring him more or he could have risked keeping him on the bench and hoping the rest of his stars got the job done. He picked the latter and it worked.
However, not all of his tactics had similar success. In the midfield Asier Illarramendi looked overwhelmed by Dortmund's pace; same went for Xabi Alonso who looked rattled throughout the match and was lucky not to be kicked out of the game when he committed a second foul.
The backend was a disaster as centerbacks Sergio Ramos and Pepe continually looked clumsy. Pepe made a woeful header pass to goalie Iker Casillas that was intercepted by Marco Reus and led to the opening goal. While Pepe played well in the first round, it was clear that he outdid himself in that game. Raphael Varane should have gotten the call to start the game, especially after proving his formidable game.
So what next for Los Blancos? Real Madrid still has a chance to claim La Decima, but on current form they are far from the favorites they were a few weeks ago. Chelsea may not have gotten through its two knockout rounds with tremendous style, but they have found a way to win the big games when they matter most. Should Jose Mourinho's current club face his former team in the semifinal, it would be hard to pick against Chelsea considering their recent play.
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