Manchester United is flying high...celebrating O'Shea's goal against Stoke
Why did I leave United?
Cristiano had wowed the fickle crowds of the Bernabeu with his tricks, flicks, and goals. Last week he broke the Real Madrid record for scoring in the first four games of the season...no other player in RM history had done that. They were singing his praises...he will surely win the Trofeo Pichichi (for the most goals scored in La Liga)...cantar cantar cantar...until yesterday.
RM were winning an otherwise boring match with Tenerife, promoted this year and considered minnows of La Liga. But the score was not indicative of the match at all. RM won 3-0, but Tenerife retained possession 57% of the time to RM's 43. As usual, the RM defense looked more like Swiss cheese than the properly-aged Manchego that a Primera Division side should have. Tenerife had many chances to score, and if their strikers would have finished or had better luck, then the score would have been very different.
At halftime, Kaka entered the match and scored a wonderfully-hit goal that the Tenerife keeper couldn't handle. Benzema, the spotty striker purchased from Lyon this summer, knocked in two more. One was a bungle by a Tenerife defender, but the other was a solid hit.
But that RM defense.........!Ay Dios!!! As I watched the match, I couldn't help but replace the jerseys of Tenerife with a more-proven side, such as Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, Juventus. When I did that, all of a sudden the score seemed vastly different. Their strikers don't miss the chances that Tenerife had. Their defenses do not let minnows walk through them and score. If RM expect to have any success on the world stage, then their defense will have to improve leaps and bounds. The minnows they have played so far have outplayed them, albeit unlucky to break the bag.
So...it was the 79th minute. My eyes could not believe what I was seeing. Cristiano was exiting the pitch in favor of Diarra. Why? Who knows what goes through the mind of Pellegrini. Did he think that Cristiano was tired? Impossible!! Cristiano always played 90 minutes in Manchester, in a faster, more physical league. Unbelievably...one player who played the entire match was Raul. Raul (or Baul as Madridistas mockingly call him) did nothing the entire match and did nothing after Cristiano left. Why not substitue him instead? (I have to add that one comment on marca.com called Raul "Tutanbaul"...in reference to the mummy! haha)
This is where the story gets interesting. As Cristiano exited the pitch, he did not shake the outstretched hand of his manager, Pellegrini. Nor did he even look his way. When Cristiano neared the banquillo (bench), he angrily kicked a ball that was in his way. If not for the hands of Dudek, the backup keeper for Madrid, the ball would have careened on to the pitch.
After the "match," Pellegrini addressed the press and said, "El enfado de Cristiano no tiene importancia." The anger of Cristiano has no importance. Hmmmmmm.
Curious to know what the fickle fans of the farce that is Madrid thought, I turned to Marca.com and AS.com, the two leading sports journals in Spain. Whoooaaaaaaaaaa!
Here are a few choice selections...(I translated from Spanish for you...no extra charge):
This is incredible. A player shows no respect for the trainer and then five minutes later this "tio" says it has no importance? I had thought that Florentino (Perez) had learned from his past errors, but I see he is committing the same mistakes. SMALL PUPPET PELLEGRINI! As always, you will be eliminated in the same month as the rest (alluding to the fact that Madrid has had 11 managers in 10 years), and fighting for the league and nothing else.
Pellegrini has the dreams of many...to have individuals like Kaka, Cristiano, and Benzema to compensate for the bad play of Real. Without them Real has nothing!
Pellegrini is not a trainer for this Madrid!!!! Rotations for what? Ronaldo is a machine who doesn't need to pause!!! With these rotations, Real plays very bad.
CR is not the only transgressor. For me the Trofeo Pichichi goes against the essence of football as a team sport. To win this trophy, the most egotistical (and I am not giving names) take every penalty, take every freekick, do not pass to those who are best located, etc. In time there should be an award for the most assists for goals. Then the Xavis, Kakas, and Iniestas would be recognized for their support to the spectacle. The golden boot should be an award for the most complete, including number of goals. (This person is alluding to the fact that Cristiano is in line for the award because he has the most goals in La Liga right now...but is accusing him of not passing to his teammates...which is ridiculous. His teammates can't keep up with him...that's why he doesn't pass to them!)and lastly...
Do you know what makes me laugh? That the season has barely begun and already CR has given Pellegrini bad faces! jaja Everyone remembers what happened against City last year, but in reality there were few bad faces from CR during 6 years with United, while he has already given 6 to Pellegrini and the season has only started. He only gave about 6 total during his 6 years with United and do you know why? Because Ferguson is the leader at United, Pellegrini is only the coach, Ferguson is not only the coach but the sports director, the technician and the president in gest. Ferguson's nickname is "the gaffer" and he has earned it. Pellegrini only "thinks" he is in charge. And everyone knows you don't pay 94 million for a player to sit on the bench. If Madrid isn't careful, Cristiano won't want to play anymore!!
I will respond to the last comment. I think Cristiano has succeeded despite his teammates not because of them. When he stated the other day that he would not change his style of play to be in Spain, I think that must have ruffled the feathers of their "manager." But if Pellegrini continues to have Cristiano warm the bench, when he has scored the most goals of any Blanco, it will be HIM that gets the boot...like the litany before him!
Not acknowledging his "manager"
No comments:
Post a Comment