Real Madrid continued their
striking form by demolishing Osasuna 7 – 1. Sunday’s match kicked off at high noon to appeal to Asian
primetime television viewers. The
atmosphere at the Bernabéu was
more family like this time around and they were treated to a show.
Madrid put on a training session
against their beleaguered opposition who were reduced to 10 men in the 54th
minute. Cristiano Ronaldo, a recent Balón de Oro winner, scored three
goals, marking his 12th hat trick
since joining the Spanish giants. It was one-way traffic in the second
half. Casillas was a mere
spectator for most of the match, making him the highest paid
unemployed person on Madrid’s payroll. Meanwhile, French international Karim Benzema
scored the final two goals of the game to cement their authority over their
Catalan rivals Barcelona.
Madrid now sits at the top of the table with a five-point
lead over a struggling Barcelona which is the
largest lead since Pep Guardiola took the top job in 2008. Why is Madrid tearing apart all that come their way? Is it because they have the most
prolific goal scorer of the modern age in Ronaldo?
The mastermind Jose Mourinho has shifted Sergio Ramos to the center back position. This maneuver
has allowed Madrid to defend higher up the pitch while putting more pressure on
the opposition.
Ramos has
excellent ball control and great speed giving the team more attacking options. Additionally, he is now closer to the other mastermind
on the pitch: Xabi Alonso who is an
indispensable orchestrator of the midfield and
is capable of reading the game like a
coach. When building a line-up,
you start with Xabi because he is the brain of
the midfield and one of the best, most well
rounded players of any team in Europe.
Ronaldo may be the star of the show, but Xabi is the man behind the
scenes making it work.
By: Chris Robinson
Edited: Matt Tobin
Edited: Matt Tobin
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