EYE ON LA LIGA : Why Real Madrid might not win anything this season

When the transfer market closed, Real Madrid had spent over 254 million dollars, they signed whomsoever they could get including Ronaldo for 94 million dollars, Kaka 67m, Benzema 35m, Xabi Alonso 34m. But does all of this translate into trophies? Can success actually be bought? There were questions about how the new Galacticos would fare in comparison to the original lot, and the jury is still on. Some people even mocked Newcastle United that Cristiano Ronaldo transfer fee from Manchester United was enough to buy Mike Ashley’s then troubled club. Ronaldo’s move came at a time when Ashley had put Newcastle on the market following their relegation from the Premier League. A lot was said about the new Galactico era and how the combination of Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema, Raul, Alonso and the rest were going to turn tables on opponents, but more especially Barcelona but until they win something, which I don’t think will be this season, they won’t escape the microscope. The number one reason why Real will not win any trophy this season will be the pressure that comes with wanting to win without letting the squad settle. So many coaches have faced the axe at Madrid just because they took too long to get the results the club management want them to get, and now with Fiorentino Perez back at the helm, the situation will only get worse. You can only feel for poor Pellegrini, who left his comfort at Villarreal for the poisoned chalice at the Bernabeu. Real sacked their most successful manager in Vicente Del Bosque after he had just won a Champions League! Since Del Bosque’s sacking six years ago, the club has gone through eight coaches, Pellegrini is the ninth. The men who have had their reputations raised and then tarnished include former Carlos Queiroz, Jose Antonio Camacho, Mariano Garcia Remon, Vanderlei Luxembergo, Juan Ramon Lopez Caro, Fabio Capello, Bernd Schuster, Juande Ramos and now Manuel Pellegrini. That record says everything about the impatience of the Madrid management and probably little understanding of the game of football itself. Almost all these coaches got off to good starts and I guess only if they were allowed to settle, they could have done well in the long run. After sacking Ramos, they wished to prise Arsene Wenger from his comfort zone at the Emirates Stadium and the high lights of London but had to settle for Pellegrini. And the Chilean is under enormous pressure to deliver considering the money spent and quality of reinforcements. It will not surprise anyone who understands the beautiful game if Pellegrini gets the boot just after one season, let alone before the end of the season. I really see that happening. Another reason is the players they let go rather than the ones they signed. Imagine the Real squad of last season and how they managed to come so close to Barcelona despite the latter having a perfect season. A squad with a certain Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneider (both of whom despite being injury prone, they definitely were as talented midfielders as you can find in the game today). Klass Jan Huntelaar was bought for 20 million Euros not too long ago with much hype to replace his compatriot Ruud van Nistelrooy but they did not let him settle too. He was offloaded to Milan. So they offloaded the players who formed an integral part of their squad last season and completely revamped the team. In football terms, that almost never work in the short run and I’m sure Madrid want trophies now. After buying Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema, it was little unbelievable they went ahead and brought in someone like Albiol from Valencia to plug the holes at the back. He is talented no doubt about that but he is not Maldini, Terry, Ferdinand, or Puyol. Nor will he be anytime soon. Poor defence will cost Real trophies until they learn the fact that a team is actually built from the back and not the other way round. This season was always going to be for reconstructing. Players like Ronaldo came along with their ego of being the best player. There is always going to be conflict of interest among these big buys. Benzema is already sulking! Both Ronaldo and Kaka are yet to stamp their authority on the team yet Barcelona look like running away with the league. The increased pressure to contest with their archrivals (Barcelona) for trophies will only make matters worse for the Spanish capital side, who are already five points behind Barca in the league title race and you don’t see how they (Madrid) will negotiate their way to the final of the Champions League whose final will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu. So if I were a Real Madrid fan. I wouldn’t be surprised if the nine-time European champions couldn’t win anything major this season. I hope Newcastle United win the Coca Cola Championship so that their fans can have a field day mocking Ronaldo and Co. for not winning anything with all their monies! nku78@yahoo.com