We Cry With You Casillas

He lived up to his title of San Casillas. The wings flapped out and the hands blessed by the gods of football blocked countless missiles fired from the ‘Reds’. However, with all his heart and might he could not stop the four goals that were shot passed him. It is a pity that our phenomenal keeper would have to walk out of Anfield the way that he did, with frustration and tears.

He was the only one who was at the height of this match, the only one who left everything on the field, and the only one who represented the badge with honor and dignity.  Every other player dressed in white has made a mockery of the Madridismo and what was displayed last night was unforgivable. An utterly atrocious performance and for the fifth  consecutive year the European dream is cut prematurely.  They left a poor and sorry image in Europe once again, but this defeat has to be one of the most degrading  defeats I have ever witnessed. One thing is to loose with our credibility in tact, but another is to not fight and be humiliated in such an outrageous manner. The only one that came out of Anfield with his credibility and the respect of the fans is Iker Casillas. He is one of the few players that truly feels the colors of this club and his tears are evidence of that. 

Grande Iker!!! Es el orgullo del Madridismo!!!

 

*The wound is still fresh but it must be said, Liverpool played stunning football and really did school Madrid on how a Champions League match is played. They were a flawless machine from head to toe that wanted it more from the first minute till the very last dying seconds. Hats off to Benitez and his boys.

One Foot Outside of the Champions League

It is apparent that Real Madrid still has not learned the lessons of the past and now is stuck in a very complicated situation. Maybe they believed their own hype and under appreciated their rival or the decima is not meant to be just yet. Whatever the case may be it now seems Madrid are doomed to be eaten alive at the sacred grounds of Anfield. A 0-0 result may not have been an ideal score but it would have been better than a 0-1 defeat which pretty much kills any chances of at least going through to the next round. First off it is quite obvious that the calamity of the Lass-Huntalaar signup confusion has played its role in Madrid’s performance. Huntalaar was key in the last two matches where Madrid had showed improvement in their game and against Liverpool it was apparent that his presence was sorely missed. With Huntalaar there was an assurance of goals but better yet he opened the spaces for Higuain and Raul to move through while he distracted the defense. Simply put Madrid were a more forward minded team with the tall Dutch boy. Too bad he had too watch the match from his couch. Then there is Juande’s mistake of taking off Marcelo, in a newly discovered position, had played a good first half. With the entrance of Guti Madrid loss attacking power up front. Guti one of those frustrating geniuses that when the light bulb clicks on are purely magic and splendor, however, that is only when he feels like turning the light bulb on and that’s where Guti’s problem lies. Therefore you never know what you are going to get with Don Guti. Another problem came with Juande’s lack of ambition or daringness. With the time and ideas running out Juande never dared to put in Sneijder or Van der Vaart, who either one of them could have offered a little something extra to the attack. Towards the end it was quite visible that there was a huge gap between the two strikers and those who are supposed to deliver creativity. There was a fracture which led to disorganization and lack of possession. We began to see sloppy passes and desperation leading to errors like the one Heinze committed in a very dangerous zone. Free kick and Benayoun’s goal. A goal from one of Liverpool’s shortest players; I find it hard to believe that at this stage such silly mistakes in defending could cause Madrid’s elimination once again.

Now to 'thrash' Liverpool at Anfield?

Benitez, the genius that he is set up a tactically defensive team, which for the most part was looking for a scoreless draw, and now ends up returning to Liverpool with a very satisfying result. Liverpool they never seize to amaze me and at the Bernabeau they proved why the Champions League always suits them to perfection. Although there are 90 minutes left to this game it certainly looks like the Reds have one foot set in the next round while Madrid can add another year of European failure. Madrid will have to grow a pair and leave their heart, blood, and tears at Anfield in order to win. However, even with all of that it may not be enough to bring down Liverpool. For the moment the road to Rome looks much further away and almost intangible.

So Let it be Liverpool

I have not been on here for so long (due to computer problems) and have missed out on such great events like the Juve-Milan clash or El Classico, but still I wanted to touch on a little certain something that I had not had a chance to write up on.

I wanted Manchester United but instead Santa delivers Liverpool. I wanted to face Ronaldo and Rooney but instead I have to settle with meeting Gerard and Torres. Santa Claus clearly overlooked my Christmas wish. It seems as though Madrid has no apparent luck like the other Spanish clubs, and has to face with the worst possible draw. If there is one team I did not want to face it definitely was the Reds. The very Spanish Liverpool brings fear and will be the biggest obstacle for Madrid in their search for their tenth cup. It does not look good for Madrid but don’t consider them dead in this match up. At the moment Liverpool look like the clear favorites but so much can happen from here till match day. Who knows maybe Santa will deliver a late present for the Merengues.

The Kid Can’t Go Home

What all atleti fans wanted was to see their boy come home even if it meant that he would not be playing in their red and white stripes. It was the homecoming that all colchoneros had been savoring as soon as the draw appeared between Liverpool and Atletico. It seemed as though everything was perfect for their native son to come back home where he is known as el Niño and not as the kid. However, it seems as though the stars are not aligned and want to push further back his return to the capital. First the sanction that UEFA placed on the Vicente Calderon stadium seemed to be the great wall that divided these two loves, but ultimately it was lifted. Both parties were happy but what seemed like fate the FIFA virus has made sure that Torres be absent on the Champions League clash. His injury will leave him out of both legs of the match between Liverpool and Atleti. As for now the kid cannot return to his playground, like a forbidden love, Torres and his Atleti are not to see each other just yet.

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