Teams

What Has Happened to Real Madrid Since Ronaldo Left?

April 4, 2019 By Greg 1 Comment

Real Madrid has won the last three Champions League titles and four of the last five. However, what should be a celebratory 2018/2019 season has turned into a nightmare. The champions of Europe have looked like a poor team, will not win La Liga and have already crashed out of the Champions League.

Many people attribute Real Madrid’s monumental collapse to the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo for Juventus last summer. Is it that simple or are there other factors to consider when assessing Madrid’s 2018/2019 campaign?

Plenty has happened at the Santiago Bernabeu since the club was crowned champions of Europe for the 13th time last May. We’ll touch on all the pieces of the jigsaw, of which Ronaldo is a big part, but the Portuguese maestro is not the full story. Still, it’s best to start with the Ronaldo factor.

Cristiano Ronaldo

For some reason, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez decided last summer was the time to sell Cristiano Ronaldo. There were a few reasons why this decision was taken, so let’s take a look:

Ronaldo was 33-years old, a past-your-peak age for most footballers
Juventus were willing to pay 100 million euros for the 33-year-old Ronaldo
Ronaldo himself had threatened to leave many times and was known to be angry Madrid did not back him in his tax case with Spanish authorities
It was Ronaldo’s decision

To be honest, some of those reasons are justified. Madrid made money on Ronaldo as they only paid Manchester United 94 million euros in 2009, while there was no obligation for the club to cover Ronaldo’s legal costs. It is also important to note the player has expressed he wanted to join Juventus for a new challenge.

However, the belief that Ronaldo was past his peak has blown up in Madrid’s face, simply because we are not talking about the peak of an ordinary player. Yes, Ronaldo is not as good as he was, but he remains one of the best players in the world and among the most prolific goal scorers. Even at 33-years-old, he guarantees between 30 and 40 goals each season.
More remarkable is the fact Perez believed Ronaldo did not need to be replaced. No direct replacement was purchased as the president obviously thought the Real Madrid squad was good enough to compete. What has happened since has allowed the football world to finally realize how much Ronaldo has carried this group of players, particularly in terms of attack.
In 26 Serie A games for Juventus this season, Ronaldo has scored 19 goals and assisted 8. If he was still in Madrid and replicated those numbers, he would have scored 38% of the club’s goals in La Liga this season and been involved in close to 50%. In fact, only one Real Madrid player has scored double figures this season, Karim Benzema with 13 goals.

The Squad

As mentioned, Ronaldo’s departure has also had a profound impact on Real Madrid’s squad. With the striker in the team, the squad looked balanced and could control games. Since Ronaldo left, the team lacks the danger man in attack who commands the attention of the defenders in uncomfortable areas of the pitch. The result has seen the midfield trio of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Casemiro struggle to transition the ball into attack.

An aging squad has not helped the situation. Madrid’s best defender remains Sergio Ramos, but he is now 32-years-old, while the club’s best midfielder, Luka Modric, is now 33. Benzema, who has never looked like a focal point in attack is now tasked with that role and is himself 31-years-old.
Then there are players who have regressed for various reasons. Isco has been frozen out and not had game time, while Asensio has looked short on confidence during the season. And of course, Gareth Bale has become something of a figure of hate for simply not delivering what most fans expected of him when he joined the club as the world’s most expensive player in 2013.

With Cristiano Ronaldo in the team, these cracks may have been papered over for another season, allowing Perez to work on bringing in new players for the 2019/2020 campaign. Interestingly, a transfer market blitz is still likely to happen, but now under a shadow of poor performances.

Missing the Manager

Ronaldo was not the only major influence to leave last summer. Zinedine Zidane also stepped down as manager of Real Madrid, leaving a huge gap at the club. The former Madrid and France player was hugely important to Madrid’s recent success, guiding them to three consecutive Champions League’s and a La Liga title.

While not showing tactical mastery on the pitch, Zidane has proved adept at organizing a squad and keeping Madrid’s tricky dressing room happy. His departure alongside Ronaldo removed the two most important on-field personalities from the club. After spending this season hiring and firing Julen Lopetegui and then ex-player Santiago Solari, Perez reasoned with Zidane and the former World Player of the Year returned to the club this month.

Zidane arrives back at the Bernabeu too late to salvage this season, but with him in charge and a likely explosive summer of transfer activity, perhaps Los Blancos can now move on from Ronaldo.

Do Football Teams really Have to Spend Hundreds of Millions to be at the Top?

March 12, 2019 By Greg Leave a Comment

Most football fans remember the Galactico era of Real Madrid, where the club pursued a bold strategy of purchasing the players considered the best in the world at the time no matter the cost. The Galactico era saw Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, David Beckham, and Roberto Carlos join Madrid, which yielded two La Liga titles and two Champions League victories.

Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain have largely followed the Galactico approach. Neither club was considered a giant a decade ago, until both were purchased by states (Abu Dhabi and Qatar respectively). With little winning history, both clubs were forced to spend big to buy the best players. Over the years, City and PSG bought (among others):

Man City: David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Carlos Tevez, Raheem Sterling.

PSG: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Thiago Silva, Marco Veratti, Angel Di Maria, Buffon.

Like Real Madrid, the “buy the best at all cost” strategy worked for City and PSG. Since receiving their riches, Man City won the Premier League 3 times (ending a 43-year gap) and the FA Cup. PSG have dominated French football since Qatar bought the club, winning five of the last six Ligue 1 titles and four Coupe de France’s.

But is this the only way to be at the top? do football clubs really have to spend hundreds of millions to get there? we think not!

Financial Fair Play (FFP)

It is worth noting that Financial Fair Play (FFP) has possibly ended the concept of the Galactico strategy. Under FFP rules, clubs are only able to spend money they generate in revenue. Yes, all clubs named above generate a lot of money, but are limited considering the world’s best players are now valued north of 120 million euros.

Build Around Homegrown

Some clubs have developed a strategy of promoting youth talents and building around them with important buys.

For example, Manchester United had the Class of 92, a group of players (Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, and David Beckham) that played for the club for years during its most successful period. Their manager Sir Alex Ferguson would spend big to supplement his young players with the likes of Roy Keane, Eric Cantona, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Barcelona followed a similar approach a decade later and crafted possibly the greatest team ever. La Masia youth products like Xavi, Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, and Cesc Fabregas were the star performers of a team that won 7 La Liga titles, 6 Copa del Rey’s, and 3 Champions League’s in the last 10 years. Like Manchester United, Barca supplemented these homegrown talents with excellent signings, such as David Villa, Zlatan Imbrahimovic, Luis Suarez, and Coutinho, Neymar, and others.

Identifying Undervalued Players

Around a decade ago, legendary Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson stopped buying players at the rate he previously had, arguing there was no value in the transfer market. Whether that was right or wrong (it was wrong, by the way), many clubs have built a transfer strategy on identifying players who are currently undervalued.

Whether this is a youngster who has not been hotly tipped but has quality or taking a chance on an established player who is waiting for the right environment to flourish. There are some fantastic examples of bargains who have gone on to become world class stars. Recently, N’Golo Kante has personified the idea of picking up a bargain and watching him flourish.

The Frenchman was largely considered a journeyman of the future when playing for French Ligue 2 side Caen. English club Leicester City bought Kante for £5.6 million without ever thinking he would help to define their greatest ever season. In his first season, Kante provided a consistent base in midfield that propelled Leicester to the Premier League title, widely considered one of sport’s all-time great achievements.

A season later he joined Chelsea for £32 million and performed the same role as the club won the Premier League, with Kante being named the league’s Player of the Year. It is worth noting that even the £32 million Chelsea paid is a bargain as Kante is considered the best defensive midfielder in the world and has since also bagged the 2018 World Cup with France.

Kante is just one example of a value-first transfer market strategy paying off.

Learn from Baseball – Billy Beane’s Success Story

Another interesting success story of undervalued players strategy comes from the world of American baseball. Billy Beane has been the general manager of Oakland Athletics for 18 seasons. In his years as a general manager he used research and analysis to find value in players that other teams did not see. He managed to turn the Athletics into one of the most successful and efficient teams in baseball. The movie Moneyball, starring Brad Pit, brought Billy Beane’s amazing success story to the big screen and made Beane and his system a legend in his life. His story is proof that the size of your budget doesn’t necessarily determine the quality of your team.

Is Arsenal a Better Team Without Legendary Manager Arsene Wenger?

March 7, 2019 By Greg Leave a Comment

Wagner. Is Arsenal a better team without him?

At the end of the 2017/2018 season, Arsene Wenger stepped down as the manager of Arsenal. The legendary tactician spent over two decades at the north London club, so when he left drastic changes were inevitable. Unai Emery stepped in to replace Wenger, so has the experienced Spanish coach improved Arsenal or is it business as usual at the Emirates Stadium?

The truth is actually more complicated than that black and white question.

After 23 years in the hot seat, Wenger was not just manager and coach to the first team, he was the man who ruled over Arsenal Football Club like a king rules over his kingdom, or as Polish goalkeeper said: “In the club he’s God. Nobody can rebel against him. The God is only one.” The Frenchman’s influence was so big, he even held a position on the board and made every decision regarding the on-pitch business, including which players should be bought and sold.

Simply by Wenger not being at the club anymore, Arsenal has become an organization that is structured differently. Emery is not in a position to make policy decisions for the business, and does not even have the final say on transfers.

Before assessing how Emery is putting his own stamp on Arsenal and changing the club, a brief history lesson is in order.

The Wenger Years

Despite his all-consuming power at Arsenal, the last decade of Wenger’s reign at the club was widely viewed as disappointing. Yes, a few FA Cups were won in his final years, but the club failed to challenge the Premier League over ten years and became largely content with simply qualifying for the Champions League.

For many clubs, that may be described as a clear success. However, Arsenal and indeed Wenger were competing against their own excellent record between 1996 and 2006. During his first decade at the club, Wenger secured three league titles, four FA Cups, and reached the final of the Champions League in 2006.

Wenger positioned himself as one of the best coaches in the world and his reputation was cemented within the halls of Arsenal. However, as the club transitioned from Highbury to the new Emirates Stadium, Wenger was forced to compete with one financial hand tied behind his back. Fans were willing to accept this situation for a short time, but over his final years, Wenger was criticized heavily for stubbornness in the transfer market, poor tactics, and a lack of ambition.
At the end of his tenure, Wenger was able to walk away on his own terms, but possibly with some of the love the fans previously offered lost.

Emery’s Reign

Unai Emery is a good coach, but it is perhaps fair to say he has never been placed in the top echelon of managers, where the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, and Jose Mourinho reside. Despite that, over the years, the former Sevilla and PSG boss has proved himself to be an adaptive and intelligent tactician.
Perhaps Emery’s best decision since joining Arsenal has been to not change the furniture too much. Yes, tactical changes have been made, but Emery has not rocked the boat and has instead let Arsenal just be Arsenal during the 2018/2019 season. It is arguably a dangerous game to play considering continued accusations of “same old Arsenal” by fans and analysts.

There is still a touch of vulnerability about the team. A feeling that they will falter when the going is at its toughest, and a feeling the team cannot really compete toe-to-toe with its rivals. Like the final years of Wenger’s reign, Emery’s Arsenal seem content to fight for Top Four in the Premier League and nothing more.

While fans had run out of patience with that approach under Wenger, Emery has a few things on his side. Firstly, he was not given any money to spend last summer, meaning he inherited Wenger’s team and has had to work with it. Sure, it’s a good squad with top players such as Aaron Ramsey, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Mesut Ozil.

Ozil highlights Emery’s issues with working with a squad that is not his. He does not fancy the classy German playmaker and has dropped him numerous times in recent months. This shows that without his own players it is hard to truly judge Emery or even call this team his Arsenal. Tactically he has made changes, especially in midfield, where there is more steel and bite, giving Arsenal a platform to get into games, but still it is clear a long-term project is needed.

It seems clear that Emery needs time, probably at least another two transfer windows, to be able to put his stamp on this team. With his own players, the Spaniard will be able to properly implement the tactics he wants to the level he wants. Whether the money or time is available remains to be seen, but until then it seems to be business as usual at Arsenal.