Ramos is Real deal

Critics of Juande are missing the point

Last updated: 11th February 2009  

Ramos is Real deal

Higuain: on target again

Creative midfielders like Guti are injured, Wesley Sneijder is out of form and not being very professional, and Rafael Van Der Vaart is out of position

Guillem Balague
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Despite a run of seven wins in seven games in La Liga, Juande Ramos is coming under fire for the way he is setting up his Real Madrid side.

Pundits and fans feel that the former Tottenham boss's approach is far too defensive, evidenced by a run of 1-0 victories, the latest against Racing Santander on Sunday secured by Gonzalo Higuain, but Revista de La Liga claim the criticism is unfair.

Ramos came into the job with the team in turmoil following the end of Bernd Schuster's reign but patience has quickly evaporated amongst the club's support despite the way he has made the team tougher to beat and has got them winning matches.

And both Guillem Balague and Graham Hunter stressed that the Real manager's approach is sensible, considering the unbalanced resources with which he has been presented.

"It seems no matter what he does, he is criticised for being defensive, for making this Real Madrid side play like a small team," Balague told Revista.

"So Juande Ramos said what he usually says -'Yes, we should play better, yes, our football is not too fluid.'

"But if you talk privately to his staff, they say this is Real Madrid now, it cannot be any other way.

"Creative midfielders like Guti are injured, Wesley Sneijder is out of form and not being very professional, and Rafael Van Der Vaart is not playing in his position.

"So they have had to cut the team into two, with six defending and four attacking, and playing like that you don't control the game.

"But generally having those players, like Pepe and Cannavaro on one side, and Higuain, Robben and Raul on the other, you are going to win games 1-0 or 2-0 and this is what they are doing."

Unbalanced

Real face Liverpool in the last-16 of the Champions League in a fortnight, and Ramos has been dedicating much of his time to preparing for that crucial match.

But although the side are in form, Hunter claimed that he should not alter his mindset against Rafael Benitez's dangerous team, and that if the Bernabeu giants' upward curve continues, they could be in with a shout of winning the Champions League for a tenth time.

"I think Juande Ramos has come in there with relatively unbalanced resources. Not no resources, because there are outstanding footballers, yet not enough of the right types in each positions," said Hunter.

"Yet he's made them a winning side, and even if he doesn't put Barcelona under pressure, the side that's under threat is Liverpool. They're more difficult to beat and they're creating chances.

"So maybe all it will take is reinventing Huntelaar and getting a few more goals from Raul and they could become a team that's winning 2-0 or 3-0, and then in a cup competition like the Champions League you never know."

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