Guillem Balague critical of Real Madrid 'culture' and squad 'imbalance'
Tuesday 15 December 2015 07:19, UK
In his weekly column, Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Guillem Balague answers your questions on Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Pep Guardiola.
It was a disappointing weekend for Real as they slipped five points behind Barca and Atletico following a 1-0 defeat to Villarreal.
Balague gives his thoughts on the situation at the Bernabeu and whether the Club World Cup will have an impact on Barca's season.
Guillem answers your questions…
Rafa Benitez seems to take one step forward, two steps back. Surely he won't be at the Bernabeu next season? (@jireland94)
GUILLEM SAYS: You can certainly blame it on the coach, it's the easiest thing to do, but I would add some other things to think about.
Firstly, the squad is unbalanced because of the business model of the club, so there are not enough midfielders for instance. Also, they are in a very negative dynamic as some of the players are unhappy that Carlo Ancelotti has gone and also unhappy with their current role in the team.
Some of the players felt it was an easier life with the previous coach and I haven't seen 90 minutes of the right attitude from Real Madrid all season. They had a very good first half against Sevilla then they lost, they had a very good second half against Villarreal but lost, which suggests the relationship with the manager is not great; but who is to blame?
The club decided that after one year of Ancelotti winning nothing it would be good to bring in a coach that will give the team enough collective answers and tactical work so the individuals will shine, but this is a squad full of individuals that are not as willing to work on the collective as you would see at Barcelona and Atletico.
To add to that, the president, instead of providing stability, gives the opposite, as his behaviour in the Copa del Rey affair showed.
They have been rejected by every appeal department apart from one, which is the highest sports appeal committee, but still they continue to blame everybody else for what is happening. The whole culture of the club is a mess. To blame the coach is the easiest thing to do, but I think you need to look at the club at the moment.
What really hurt Real Madrid fans at the weekend was that Barcelona drew against Deportivo the day before. Unless a balance is found on and off the pitch this is going to be a bad season and I don't see how that balance can happen when the main star is not allowing it all to grow and the front three don't have the same feelings as the front three of Barca.
They have similar qualities but unless they work for each it is not going to happen. To do that they maybe have to accept there is one superstar, but the problem is that Cristiano Ronaldo is not at his peak.
He has scored 21 goals in 21 games, but not in the big games. That makes everybody look at him and say: "He is not the one winning important games, I can do that." Then the imbalance is created and it is very difficult to sort that out.
It is easier to get rid of the coach than the big stars. They have a strategy in place to seriously consider getting ridding of Cristiano and Karim Benzema. It doesn't mean they will, but they are considering it.
What were your thoughts on Barca's performance? Do you think the Club World Cup could be a distraction for them? (@barcaboy)
GUILLEM SAYS: In the draw with Deportivo they showed the only weakness of the team which is the lack of control in games sometimes if they are not fully concentrated.
It is a team made to take advantage of the front three, to get the ball to them and for them to win games, which means they put less emphasis on other things like collective answers to defence or control. They are still one of the top teams in Europe but this is their only weakness. And what a great season Deportivo is having by the way.
As for the Club World Cup, it is growing in importance for Spanish clubs. In the past it was almost like a holiday but now they realise it adds to your CV and is an important competition.
It's not as important as it is for the South American teams but Barca still want to win. It's not a distraction, it's a good competition to be part of it.
There was a slight worry against Depor as Lionel Messi seemed to be controlling his energy or he was scared of an injury, which suggests he is not 100% fit. Luis Enrique says he is, but in the game he had some moments of resting actively so I wonder if he didn't want to get injured before this competition, which shows how important it is to him.
Can you see Atletico taking Barca all the way in the title race? How do Atletico keep doing it; what's their budget like in comparison to Barca and Real? (@GigoPico)
GUILLEM SAYS: They have a third of the budget of Real and Barcelona, but they can go all the way.
They have done it an interesting way. They have tried to change to a more possession-based game, then realised they have to go back to their essence, and now they have the best defence in Europe and still a lot of qualities up front.
They are even trying without a striker as Jackson Martinez is injured and hasn't been at his best and neither has Fernando Torres, so they are trying Luciano Vietto, who is not a true No 9.
But the one saving the day for them is Antoine Griezmann. I think he could be considered at the end of 2016 as one of the top five or six players in Europe, he is showing that by adding goals to his assists and influence.
Any update on Pep to Man Utd? I've head they're stepping up their pursuit after going out of the Champions League. (@RedDevilsss)
GUILLEM SAYS: No matter what people publish, nobody knows what he is going to do, but my understanding is that City think that if he comes to the Premier League he will go there. So we will see about that.
