Real Madrid is a club that never sleeps. It keeps improving. Even though we have Alvaro Arbeloa and Marcelo; we purchased Fabio Coentrao at a very hefty price tag! Do we need him? Or is it that he wanted out and preferred Real so we paid for him? It’s simple! We just can’t let that kind of talent get wasted. Although we had a classy Marcelo all over the year but still we brought nothing but competition for him. We had a pretty strong left side with Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo becoming nightmares for opposition. But now that we have purchased Coentrao, we have to keep him. This definitely bolsters our left defense but let’s analyze how our left flank is…
1. Marcelo: Left Wingback.
What changed him? Jose Mourinho. He goes where he pleases and he pleases where he goes. Jose is known for his charm and that is what makes him dig a world class player out of nobody. That’s the Mourinho Effect! He did this with Deco at Porto, Drogba at Chelsea, Diego Milito at Inter and the same with Marcelo at Real Madrid. What do these players have in common? They thought they were “something” but made into “someone” by Mourinho. If you had asked anyone in Madrid about Marcelo couple of years ago then you might be left unanswered but if you do it now then you might get a few hugs and a free beer. Even I didn’t believe the constant rise and rise of Marcelo. Earlier he was just a tattooed Brazilian who was waiting to be sold back but now he is rightfully reckoned as Roberto Carlos’ heir and he has earned it! 2010-11 could have been his last season here at Madrid; he knew this fact already but he had different plans. Mou said him one thing “If you only keep talking and not perform, then you look stupid! Choice is yours.” And this is what changed him and he became the best attacking left back in La Liga if not the world. A formidable partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo resulted in one of the most lethal counter-attacking units in the game today. He has one of the quickest feet when compared to fellow defenders. With Pepe he has a very good friendship which helps communicating him with defense and down the flanks with Cristiano in attack he becomes the master of ball distribution. He has a tendency to suppress the oncoming defenders by squeezing them to the flanks, leaving no space for them to move and he swift passes them to join the attack. He has amazing footwork and just about right mixture of speed and ball control needed for a wingback. His winning mentality and never give up attitude brews up a very flammable mixture of an attacker who has no visible weakness when at full potential. Marcelo is a great attacker but when it comes to defending he becomes our weakest. It’s not as bad as it might seem it’s just that he mistimed his tackles very often. He is competitive but not into all-action defending. If you closely look his sliding tackles then you would find them much better than of any traditional center back but the problem is only of timing with Marcelo. This would probably be eradicated with experience since he would be here for a long time. Marcelo is fully capable of playing of playing as a left winger because of his strength and stamina. He loves cutting in from the flanks and prefers lobbing the ball rather than shooting. All in all he is superb player on the left and we are really blessed we have such a talent.
2. Alvaro Arbeloa
Ahh… a canterano and a good one. He left us for the Merseyside but came back with a bang and now is one of the most featured player in the lineup. Alvaro is solid in defending as well as controlling the tempo at the back with his superior ball holding skills. He is good in tackles but sliding is not really his thing. He is an all-action figure at the back and sometimes rushes into opponent but he is not hot headed. He can run at pretty good speeds for a right back but obviously is beaten by the enemy wingers. He has excellent positioning and ball winning technique. He is not an aerial threat but his physique makes him a good defensive player. He has a tendency to lose concentration which makes him inconsistent but his defensive prowess cannot be neglected. Mou likes him because of his hard work, commitment and patience. There are very less side defenders who have the versatility as of Arbeloa. His preferred playing position is right back but due to Sergio Ramos occupying that place, Alvaro has to play at left side also.
3. Fabio Coentrao
Coentrao is new to Madrid but is already showing signs of feeling at home with his superb debut with LA Galaxy. He is known for perfect mixture of strength and physicality, speed and stamina, defense and offence. Fabio has established himself as one of the best defenders right now and he has more to give. He likes to go forward and easily dodges defenders in the way. Having swept the flanks in the Portuguese league, Fabio decided to try his hand in La Liga because it’s a lot better, lot more competitive. But that would have required math and Fabio didn’t had that amount of time. So he decided to make his way to the Madrid giants and he impressed them greatly. We paid ₨1,646.68 mills for the defender which made him one of the costliest defender ever.
He has a long way to go from here as now the season is waiting for us to win it, and it only gets tougher from here. Known for his extreme versatility Coentrao can play on either wing and even as a defensive midfielder. His partnership with Di Maria at Benfica was truly mayhem for the enemy. He wishes to continue that here. He has a lot of burden on his back with a huge amount of mullah and fierce competition waiting for him. Either he would be a great with us or would be next Drenthe! (Ohhh…I missed Drenthe in this article, he’s no talent!)
4. Cristiano Ronaldo: Attacking Winger
The Rockstar of Real Madrid! Spanish capital Madrid met Ronaldo with a warm welcome, which he warmly returned with red-hot goals. Critics were onto him, watching his every move with thousands of cameras. When he came to Liga, he had the burden of ₨5,785.65 mills on his shoulders but he put it off in just one season. Now he one of the most feared attackers in the world if not the most! And after a good first year and a smashing second season, he shut all of them in their sofas. He is a goal machine who specializes on skinning defenders. He is arguably the speediest attacker in the world today. He is the best free kick specialist today in the game. He also has a bag full of his turf-burning dribbling skills which are no match for anyone on the planet. He has all the poachers skills needed to make a perfect forward, hands down. I’m not exaggerating or having favoritism here, just look at videos on You Tube of defenders getting their asses waxed by Ronaldo. On the flanks there is no one who can match his competition. He is simply peerless when it comes to shooting from distance and what a shot he has! Unstoppable! Defenders sleep with one eye open after a game with him. Defender’s nightmare he has been as always, made LA Galaxy bite the dust every time he made the run on goal. Ronaldo looks fitter than ever and now he has only one thing in his head, Treble! People who think that his ego come in between from him being the best; they are dumb for me because that’s just smoke on water. We have not realized that what he could do if he continues playing for a decade like this! Cristiano Ronaldo puts Olympic long jumpers to piss in their pants after they see him jump over 6 feet! That’s enough height for a header to make it s way into the back of the net. And no one does it better than Ronaldo. He partner’s Marcelo on the wings and that makes for a deadly combination. They together are simply amazing down the flanks. He also has great tuning with Fabio Coentrao who plays with him at national level. All in all Cristiano Ronaldo puts in a show like no other. If there is Ronaldo is on the pitch it won’t be very hard to find him. Today he is probably the most complete player in the world, one who can play on wings, as a playmaker, as a center forward or even as a second striker. There is no stopping Ronaldo. He is the perfect offensive player. Period.
Well whatever the circumstances Real Madrid face, it has enough resources to tackle every situation. We have awesome defenders and a excellent attackers on the left flank. Superb quality has driven the passion for another successful journey for us and We will stand with Real till the end. Real Madrid certainly has the best squad that should be able to make them the champions this year. They certainly have the best left flank that is their main counter attacking threat. This flank is made of young offensive minded players who stop at nothing when they run. We have to keep faith in them as they are new and young. Whatever happens We shall support them and always remember that legends are not made in one day but once in a century!
About the author: Mysterious enthusiast and unconditional devotee of Real Madrid. Wishes not to reveal his true identity and keeps in the shadows. Always stands beside Real Madrid and would bleed white. Regularly argues about women right to play and hates racism. If you wish to talk please follow @MadridistaSpy on twitter.
Please feel free to give opinions and comments. They will surely be replied. Please take notice that this article is my first ever and is not copied. This is a genuine creation from the author and the views are his own and not of any website. Looking forward to hear from you all. Please follow me on twitter at @MadridistaSpy for more info. Thank You and Hala Madrid.
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