Managing Madrid - International Break UpdatesDominating European football since March 6th 1902https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50831/mm-fav.png2016-03-30T11:36:59+02:00http://www.managingmadrid.com/rss/stream/110691892016-03-30T11:36:59+02:002016-03-30T11:36:59+02:00International Break Update: Colombia 3 - 1 Ecuador
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<p>James and co. hand Ecuador their first loss in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying.</p> <p>James Rodriguez had a great game for his country, as he led his side to a 3-1 win over a very tough opponent in Ecuador. James took the game to his opponents from the start, and tortured the visitors with his vision, dribbling, and passing. In the first half especially, James had several good chances on goal, which he perhaps wasted. But he nevertheless made sure he accomplished some end-product with an assist in the 14th minute, that Carlos Bacca skillfully converted.</p>
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<p>Such a performance comes at a key time for James, with a starting spot on the line for the upcoming Clásico. This might give Zidane a selection headache when trying to decide who to start in midfield, but if you believe the likes of <i>Marca</i>, Zidane will hand the spot to Casemiro. This belief is given further credence when you realize that Zidane might be finally settling on a team that he feels gives the squad the balance he so desperately craves. Either way, an in-form James will be a useful asset when traveling to the Camp Nou, regardless of whether he starts the game or comes on from the bench.</p>
https://www.managingmadrid.com/2016/3/30/11329908/international-break-update-colombia-3-1-ecuadorOm Arvind2016-03-29T23:06:50+02:002016-03-29T23:06:50+02:00International Update: Kroos And Ronaldo Shine
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<p>Roundup: Ronaldo and Kroos score in today's friendlies</p> <p>FIFA's international break is a dreaded thing in these parts. Rational fear from the perspective of Madridistas always sets in, and the omnipresent reality of the FIFA virus nibbling away in relatively meaningless games ahead of El Clasico is terrifying.</p>
<p>Today though, the international round-up proves to be a pleasant day for Real Madrid fans.</p>
<p>In Portugal's home match vs Belgium, the visitors were outplayed, and Cristiano Ronaldo stood out above all. Ronaldo dropped deep to hold up the ball and create, just as much as he stayed high up the pitch to latch onto through balls and provide a presence as a target man. Before scoring a header in the first half, he nearly had two assists - gifts to his teammates who couldn't capitalize.</p>
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<p>Amid the onslaught against a disappointing Belgium side who failed to create much, Ronaldo couldn't help himself adding some borderline superfluous step-overs on a couple occasions.</p>
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<p lang="es" dir="ltr">Vintage Ronaldo <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PORBEL?src=hash">#PORBEL</a> <a href="https://t.co/yspbYy9dzo">pic.twitter.com/yspbYy9dzo</a></p>
— B24 (@bola24pt) <a href="https://twitter.com/bola24pt/status/714889966090907648">March 29, 2016</a>
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<p>Much to the relief of everyone, Ronaldo was substituted in the 60th minute for Ricardo Quaresma - passing on the captain's armband to Pepe before walking off the pitch.</p>
<p>A subdued Belgium side failed to torture Pepe in any way, and the Portuguese center back had a sound game for Portugal, dealing with crosses whipped in his direction comfortably.</p>
<p><b>Kroos keeps rolling</b></p>
<p>Parralel to Portugal's 2-1 victory, there were two other matches being played simultaneously which featured Real's players - Toni Kroos in Germany's match against Italy, and Raphael Varane in France's match against Russia.</p>
<p>Toni Kroos, for the first time in his career, scored in consecutive matches for Germany. His goal today was incisive - a surgically-placed one-time curler.</p>
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<br><br>It was very similar to his goal against Rayo Vallecano last year.</p>
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<p>Kroos' numbers with the national team in comparison with his numbers with Real Madrid are telling. He has scored four goals in 18 matches with Germany; while netting three goals in 88 matches with Real. He does have a license to roam forward under Löw.</p>
<p>Given that I'm just a mortal being, I was only able to watch Portugal's triumph - staying in touch with the other two friendlies through the Twitter-verse. I can't speak for how Varane played against Russia, but the good news is that he was substituted in the 48th minute - salvaged for a date in the Camp Nou.</p>
<p>At the time this article is published, Colombia - featuring a very active James Rodriguez - is leading Ecuador in a crucial World Cup qualifier. We'll keep you posted on that match.</p>
https://www.managingmadrid.com/2016/3/29/11326528/international-update-kroos-and-ronaldo-shineKiyan Sobhani2016-03-28T10:55:10+02:002016-03-28T10:55:10+02:00Spain Just Couldn't Crack A Tight Romanian Defense
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<figcaption>Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Spain can't crack the code of Romania's defense.</p> <p>The back-to-back European Champions kicked off against a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/teams/romania">Romania</a>n side that's bullet proof. Their current form is a 2-year unbeaten streak which includes going undefeated in the Euro 16 qualifiers. We'd have to go back 10 years to look at the last Spain-Romania match where Romania would edge out Spain 1-0. It should also be noted that Spain has <i>never</i> won in Romania.</p>
<p>Spain trotted out a 4-2-3-1 formation.</p>
<p><span>Iker Casillas</span> would start over <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/david-de-gea-transfer-rumours-news" class="sbn-auto-link">David De Gea</a> between the posts. Spain would get off to a somewhat flat start. Slow was the tempo of the first half, it was tight and defensive in nature. The first scoring chance was in the 10th minute by Pique with a header tipped over the bar. The next shot would come from Pedro a minute later that was on target, but blocked.</p>
<p>Spain would only manage 5 shots in the first half. Romania would have 12 shots at Casillas. Spain led in the possession department all game 69%/31%; while Romania owned shots on goal in the first and second halves with 19 and 9 respectively.</p>
<p>Spain seemed to come out with the idea to open up things in the second half and had pretty good chances to do so. Romania was all about making the field as small as possible which played into <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/teams/spain" class="sbn-auto-link">Spain's</a> short passing style. Romania had a few chances to put themselves in the lead, but it never really materialized. We were even treated to an Álvaro Morata sighting late. Spain would get 4 shots on goal in the second half.</p>
<p>I don't think Spain nor Romania were at any point giving way to one another. It was a very defensive clash, despite the game opening up a bit in the 2nd half. The score would end up 0-0. To put Romania's defense into perspective - they've only conceded 2 goals in the Euro qualifiers, and they continue their unbeaten run on the way to the Euro's in France.</p>
<h3><b>ISCO</b></h3>
<p>Isco would be subbed in at the start of the second half for Nolito.</p>
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<div>Here's Isco's touches.</div>
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<p>Isco stayed on the left wing for most of the half. He had a couple good runs and sequences. One of them resulted in a corner (<i>Spain looked sub-par on set pieces</i>), the other a thrown in. When Morata hit the pitch Isco fell back a bit more and became more of a deep lying play maker and swapped wings with Pedro. He didn't play bad, but he really didn't stand out all that much either.</p>
<h3><b>NACHO</b></h3>
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<p>Nacho was brought in at the 52nd minute for Gerard Pique. Pique most of the match was playing a bit more up the pitch than Bartra, and at times looked out of place. With the introduction of Nacho, I think that Spain's defense was able to close up a bit. All I can really say about Nacho is he comes in and does yeoman's work. He works hard and plays his position well for Spain. He'd be a starter in any other club, but I'm glad he's a Real Madrid player.</p>
https://www.managingmadrid.com/2016/3/28/11313190/international-break-update-romania-spainTimm Higgins2016-03-26T20:24:31+01:002016-03-26T20:24:31+01:00Int. Break Update: Croatia - Hungary (1-1)
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<figcaption>Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Modric and Kovacic have a quiet day in the office.</p> <h4>Luka Modric</h4>
<p class="MsoNormal">Modric took up the deep lying playmaker role for Croatia, looking to be the base of all his teams moves and the link from defense to midfield. This restricted Modric's involvement in the final third as he sat deep and just looked to spray passes around the pitch in a very Kroos-esque fashion. But this didn't restrict his movement across the width of the pitch, as he put in a shift in order to help create triangles all over the pitch and help his teammates beat the occasional Hungary press. Additionally, his ball control was also good as he dribbled his way out of trouble a couple times, but overall this was a rather subdued performance from Modric. You got the feeling he was trying to conserve his energy, as he really only made an impact in the final third from set-pieces (granted he played a deeper role, but DLP's still have to playing killer balls) and was average on defense. But in the end it was an all-round, if not spectacular performance, from Modric, and that will surely keep him and his manager happy for now.</p>
<h4>Mateo Kovacic</h4>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kovacic had a sporadic game, as he seemed to really only make an impact when he engaged in long-winding runs. This forced attempt to spark an admittedly drab game to life, was a welcome sight for sore eyes, but it was also risky at times. Kovacic ran himself into trouble on more than one occasion and also found little end-product at the end of most of his runs. However there were two examples in the first half that demonstrated his immense potential. One was on the 38th minute mark, where he burst into the box and nearly got a shot off, and the second was on the 40th minute mark, when he made a brilliant run from inside his own half and fed his winger, who should have done a better job of finishing his chance. This roaming playmaker role that Kovacic played in, allowed him to express himself, and is something Zidane should look into if he wants to get the best out of the Croatian. Aside from his dribbling though, Kovacic was average, making some clever passes here and there, but never really controlling the game. He was subbed off in the 75th minute presumably because of this.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>(Here is the </i><a href="http://www.skysports.com/football/competitions/internationals/fixtures">international break schedule</a><i>)</i></p>
https://www.managingmadrid.com/2016/3/26/11310172/international-break-update-croatia-hungary-1-1Om Arvind2016-03-26T12:28:17+01:002016-03-26T12:28:17+01:00International break Update: Holland 2-3 France
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<p>Varane played the whole game.</p> <p>Solid away win for France yesterday on their visit to the Netherlands. Varane - Deschamps' defensive leader - played the whole game as he usually does for Les Bleus. France built a 0-2 lead through two quick goals by Griezmann and Giroud, but Varane and the rest of the defensive line struggled against Memphis Depay, who assisted for the two goals that leveled things up during the second half.</p>
<p>Barely a minute after the Netherlands' equalizer Matuidi scored the game-winning goal with just three minutes left. France will need to improve a lot if they want to win the 2016 Euro Cup at home. It seems that Benzema will finally be allowed to play for his national team after the blackmail scandal that could've ruined France's chances of winning the title. He is arguably one of France's most important players and his presence would be crucial for Didier Deschamps' team.</p>
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https://www.managingmadrid.com/2016/3/26/11308998/international-break-update-holland-2-3-franceLucas Navarrete2016-03-26T03:39:21+01:002016-03-26T03:39:21+01:00International Break Update: Portugal - Bulgaria
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<p>Mixed performances from both Ronaldo and Pepe, as Portugal somehow lose.</p> <h4>
<span>Cristiano Ronaldo</span>:</h4>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ronaldo was given a free roaming role in Fernando Santos's side, as Portugal looked to make up for the lack of a designated striker. Surrounded by several creative midfielders, Ronaldo looked to get into the groove by connecting with his teammates and by trying to work chances on goal. But he initially struggled to get into a rhythm as he played some loose passes and missed a brilliant chance to score from close range on 9 minutes, as he skied a his shot over the bar. But after the 10 minute mark, Ronaldo began combining with his fullback Eliseu quite well and shot a brilliant free kick from 25 yards, which was somehow matched by an even better save. After half time, Portugal's dominance was even more profound than it had been in the first 45 minutes, as they enjoyed bouts of possession in Bulgaria's half for several minutes. But just like in the first half, the clever playmakers of Adrien Silva, Rafa, and Vieirinha, produced some good interplay, but were severely lacking a good final ball. Nevertheless, Ronaldo pummeled away, releasing shots on Stoyanov's goal from free kicks and from his own making. But in the crucial moment, CR7 choked, failing to convert a penalty and the rebound on 67 minutes. From then on, it seemed fated that Bulgaria would win, as Stoyanov's confidence was buoyed by his good save. Two minutes later, Ronaldo made a run into the box and stretched to nudge the ball home, but Stoyanov rushed off his line and deflected the ball away. Portugal experienced a lull from this period onwards to the 80th minute, as fruitless possession in front of Bulgaria's box failed to carve any goalscoring opportunities. But when Nani missed from point blank range around that time, Portugal's confidence renewed and they surged forward with greater incisiveness. Looking to have his final say, Ronaldo finally got on the end of a Portuguese corner and directed the ball skillfully off the ground and towards the top corner, but Stoyanov was not to be beaten, as he acrobatically clawed the ball away from his goal. Shaking his head as the final whistle blew, Cristiano will be wondering how in the world Portugal lost this game.</p>
<h4>Pepe:</h4>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pepe in contrast to Cristiano, enjoyed a solid opening to the game, cutting out the few attacks that Bulgaria were able to create in the first 15 minutes. But all that changed, when on 19 minutes, a Bulgarian player made a run to the left-hand side of the box and attempted a weak dribble past Pepe and Bruno Alves. Bruno Alves flopped badly at the ball, and Pepe somehow missed his tackle completely, swinging his leg wildly over the ball. Scarcely believing his luck, the Bulgarian attacker bundled past the Portuguese center backs and poked the ball past an utterly bewildered Anthony Lopes. It would've been comical had I not been supporting Portugal. But it was a credit to Pepe that that he picked himself up from that mistake and looked to personally make up for it. After a Ronaldo free kick that deflected off the wall around the 30 minute area, Pepe headed an effort from the resulting corner that looked destined for goal. But amazingly, Nani thought the header was for him, and made an amazing goal line clearance to save Bulgaria for conceding (I actually laughed at that one). But Pepe continued, spurred on further by this comic relief. On 37 minutes he made a crucial block on a cross that surely would've led to another goal, and snuffed out any Bulgarian danger for the rest of the match (save one, but we'll get there later). On 67 mintues, Pepe pranced over to the left-wing, and delivered an outside of the boot pass that was clearly blocked by a hand inside the box (mind you, this hand was flailing over the player's head; some people I tell you). Pumping his fist, Pepe's elation was short-lived, as Ronaldo decided to play mind games with the keeper instead of just doing what he's best at, which is smashing the ball into the bottom corner of the net. Like I said, there was lull from then on to the 80th minute and while Pepe had little to do as Portugal pushed and pushed, he did make sure that he gave Fernando Santos another heart attack, when he miscontrolled a ball that gave Bulgaria a prime chance to make it 2-0 (which was missed). Overall a weird game for Pepe, as he made two horrid mistakes but was actually quite good apart from that.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>(Here is the </i><a href="http://www.skysports.com/football/competitions/internationals/fixtures">international break schedule</a><i> again)</i></p>
https://www.managingmadrid.com/2016/3/26/11307132/international-break-update-portugal-bulgaria-0-1Om Arvind2016-03-25T00:08:18+01:002016-03-25T00:08:18+01:00International Break Update: Spain vs. Italy (1-1)
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<p>Sergio Ramos, Nacho, and Isco, all get minutes in a 1-1 draw with Italy.</p> <h4>
<span>Sergio Ramos</span>:</h4>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Decent defensive display in a god-awful kit by the <a href="https://www.managingmadrid.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Real Madrid</a> captain. Italy piled on the pressure throughout the match, allowing Ramos to block a couple of crosses into the box and cut out a couple attacks, but Ramos could’ve done more to get a handle on Pellé and Eder in the 1<sup>st</sup> half. On the offensive side of things, Ramos helped Spain try to retain possession and take control of the game and was charged with switching play and sparking attacks. Ramos completed 83% of his passes and completed 2 out of 4 long balls. The center back was substituted at half time.</p>
<h4>Nacho:</h4>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Nacho came on for his teammate Ramos and put in a more reserved display. Clearly sitting farther back than Ramos, Nacho allowed Pique to construct play and spark attacks, and instead positioned himself to stop counters. Italy rattled a fair amount of shots away in the second half, finally getting them a goal. Nacho wasn't at fault for it, as Pique had lost his man, but in the end there wasn’t much for Nacho to do, making it hard to take much from this performance. But the fact that he’s in this Spain side shows how much his quality is valued as a back-up.</p>
<h4>Isco:</h4>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Spain were struggling for attacking fluency the entire game, and it’s never a good thing when your center backs and goalkeeper (who together combined for 39 long balls) are the dominant constructor of play. Spain resorted to a very unimaginative route-one strategy, as they lumped 66 long balls all over the pitch, and were punished as they could not control the game. Isco was brought on in the 60<sup>th</sup> minute in an effort to add quality to Spain’s final balls, as Fabregas and Thiago had been poor, but the Real Madrid man was able to make little personal impact. He didn’t make a single offensive action and managed a poor 20 touches of the ball as a right central midfielder. However, he did work hard enough in the game, so it is hard to blame Isco for Spain’s woes in the final third. Problems with attacking fluency was a team-wide thing, and is something Del Bosque needs to address.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span>(All stats and charts taken from </span><a href="https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1035377/Live/International-Int-Friendly-2016-Italy-Spain">whoscored.com</a>)</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In case you are interested, here is the full <a href="http://www.skysports.com/football/competitions/internationals/fixtures">international break schedule</a>.</p>
https://www.managingmadrid.com/2016/3/25/11302012/international-break-update-spain-vs-italy-1-1Om Arvind