Match Report: Atlético Madrid B 0-0 Real Madrid Castilla

The last two Castilla matches have conjured up no more than a paragraphs worth of content altogether. The games have been unspeakably dull, and this season has been terrible from start to finish. If anything was going to instil a pinch of excitement into the season, then surely it would be a mini-Madrid derby fixture. Both teams have something to play for. Atlético are within reach of a play-off place, and Castilla are falling closer towards that relegation zone. With the suspended Dani Gómez being forced to miss out, Cristo González was given the nod for the first time since returning from a small injury. The rest of the team was as so:

Spoilers - this fixture was as boring as every other Castilla game, if not more. If I was hoping for some talking points in regards to the actual game, then I was kidding myself. There were no goals, and minimal points of interest. Franchu and Óscar made being awake worthwhile for a few seconds, and the defence was solid as always - but this was a game where even Luca Zidane could ghost through it and come out with a clean sheet. The game finished how it started, 0-0.

Although the game made me want to scratch my eyes out, a couple of talking points did stand out:

The Current Situation

Although myself and many other Real Madrid followers will express the appropriate excitement and importance of Castilla graduates seeing success away from the club, Real Madrid are not that interested in players that will not make it with the first team. Over the last few years the club has put an enormous talent pool together, which if utilised correctly, could see them sustain their status at the top of world football for a long time to come. One explanation for the complete ignorance of Santiago Solari’s circus show, is that right now Castilla is simply not needed. The pool is full. If this was the case, then the club would be demonstrating a huge amount of neglect towards a fully functioning system, as there would still be ways of developing both players and coaches alike, allowing them to reach their full potential. Guti has been mentioned as a favourite for the first team managerial role in the near future, and promoting him up to Castilla this season would have given him the perfect platform to progress as a coach. It is unclear what Castilla’s purpose is as of this exact moment, and the result of that is very dull indeed. The sooner this “banter era” finishes, the better.

The Defence

This has certainly been said before, but the defence have been excellent all season, and will continue to be until the very end. Sadly, I don’t think any of them will make it at Real Madrid, but for those who will be flying the nest this summer - they should be aiming for the skies. Philipp Lienhart got a starting spot in the Bundesliga, alongside his National side on the back of an average season at best. These guys have had a great season, and should be aiming to follow in his footsteps. Castilla players land some surprising moves, and I hope to see plenty of that this summer.

Santiago Solari

The shame train left the station of embarrassment over a year ago now, and it is currently exploring previously unseen territory. Everything that can be said about Solari has been said - this exact sentence included. Every week we are constantly reminded how out of his depth he really is. A win today would have most likely put any relegation scares to bed, as well as gifted fans the bragging rights over a fierce rival. Yes Álvaro Fidalgo deserves more minutes because he is a good player and Solari never plays him, but we are 30 games into the season now. To choose this kind of game to bench Jaime Seoane is simply put - the idea of an out of his depth unthinkably off the scale disastrous excuse for a football manager. However, I have a really good feeling that these 8 remaining games are going to be his last. A really good feeling. If a club somehow doesn’t do any homework at all, and this guy somehow winds up in another job, then his new club will deserve the complete implosion that they will receive. This guy must have some compellingly audacious photos of Florentino.

As things stand - if Castilla continue to collect draws and losses for the remainder of the season (which is only 8 games now), then they will be sucked back into the relegation battle before the curtain is drawn. They are in a good position to avoid any late drama, but when Santiago Solari is in charge - literally everything that can potentially go wrong; becomes more than likely to. Man of the match went to Franchu, who was pretty lively throughout for Castilla, but the defence were notably solid as they consistently are these days. Castilla host another B team next week, that of Celta Vigo. Be sure to keep a stern eye out for that result.

MOTM: Franchu