Real need to show some fight
2005-12-20 07:42
George Dearnaley
I recently watched a match on television between Real Madrid and Osasuna, an unassuming team made up of rejects and misfits from the Pamplona region of Spain.
Osasuna have been in the top three in the league since the start of the season, up there with Barcelona and the 'Los Galacticos' of Madrid.
The match was poorly refereed but not in anyone's favour.
Both teams could have had penalties if the ref had been a bit more efficient, but overall, neither team did enough to deserve all three points.
It finished 1-1 with a young substitute, Soldado, coming on in the last 15 and getting a goal five minutes from time for Madrid. The shock truth for the thousands of Madrid fans at the Bernabeu stadium, was that Osasuna had a man sent off after only 30 minutes.
Most expensive team in the world
They played a man short, away from home, against possibly the most expensive team in the world, for an hour, and also went 1-0 up through former Aston Villa striker Savo Milosovic.
What stood out for me was the complete lack of effort from Madrid.
Apart from war-horse Michel Salgado and David Beckham down the right flank, there wasn't even sweat on the brows of Ronaldo, Robinho and Baptiste - a trio of Brazilian superstars.
The coach stood most of the match with hands on hips looking up at the stars, while his earthly stars huffed and puffed around the field.
It was only after bringing on the most expensive footballer, Zinedine Zidane, for the last 20-odd minutes that the energy levels lifted throughout the team. Their defence has more holes than a giant piece of Swiss cheese that has been used as a dartboard.
Poor old Casillas in goal - he has to play behind that lot every week.
No wonder he looks like having a panic attack everytime the ball comes near him. Roberto Carlos, once legendary, is now pedestrian and is being exposed weekly by no-name players.
They rely on their own reputations
It seems to me that the majority of the team rely on their own reputations in conjunction with the reputation of the club to get results.
They have lost the work ethic that makes talented players world-class.
Barcelona on the other hand suffer no similarities.
Ronaldinho, the best player on the planet, matches his ability with supreme effort and work rate. The rest of his team follow his lead. That is why they deserve to get to the final of the Champions League.
I think it is a real pity that they face Chelsea in the last 16 as both teams deserve to get further in the tournament.
Arsenal have Real Madrid and after their recent performance, Arsenal will feel confident, although their defeat at home against Chelsea will probably be a jolt to the system.
It was their third league loss in a row, the first hat-trick of Premiership defeats since 1994. But Arsenal's loss can't be blamed on lack of effort or work, they lost to a team that is firing on all cylinders and that has no noticeable weaknesses.
Real Madrid on the other hand, have a major weakness, and that is the attitude of most of the players. Their coach should drop a few of the big names, and give some youngsters a chance.
At least they will compete and make the most of their opportunity.
George represented Bafana Bafana in the early 1990s and is a Manchester United fanatic. He has a football book collection and reads Kick Off religiously.
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