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They still managed to get through though, and are right beside Barca in La Liga, who by all accounts are playing really well at the moment. Except that unexpected loss to Malaga, were they didn't play badly. Malaga just defended superbly. Great showing by Schalke all the same.
they only got through because of the first leg result, when they were playing well. as for being right up there with barca, when they were doing well, they were 4-5 points ahead, now sitting 1 point behind.
just looking at their performances, they definitely aren't playing as they started off.
barca moved in the opposite direction. started off slow but improved a lot. suarez gelling, messi coming into form.
certainly will be a good classico, but if madrid plays like this, i expect another 5-0 hiding. messi, neymar and suarez dont miss easily.
Great match, Schalke deserved to win and to advance on Champions League, great fans as well, unlike Real Madrid supporters, leaving the match before the ending, are you kidding?
I would say not to get ahead of ourselves. Beating Bilbao at home has never been easy. The draw against an improving fresh Villareal is not a major shock. Losing to Shalke at home of all places is the only surprise for me, and I think it comes with the mental exhaustion after those tough matches. They've also been without Modric(essential) and Ramos.
Anyway, I praise Shalke for their win and heart to beat the richest club of the world, money doesn't always get you the W and audience does it?
Exactly, Bilbao have been fighting for Copas and Europa League titles in recent years, and just like any league, no game is a given or easy.
A mini-crisis it seems to be, more to do with attitudes than anything though. Heart to heart between players and coaches, returning key players + strong showing against Levante should steady the ship.
On topic; Really poor on the night. Defence completely off the boil from minute one. The midfield almost as worse, giving Schalke way too much room and respect.
Isco, although superb going forward, was dropping off by 10 yards at times giving Schalke too much time on the ball.
Bale and Benzema were effectively useless for the majority of the game, even before & after the latter's goal. Ronaldo was the only stand-out player from beginning to end. Casillas played bad, 1st 2 Schalke goals shouldn't have gone in, can't really fault him on the other 2 mind.
I've noticed Carlo has played similar tactics as Jose too. Won the 1st leg, play bench in 2nd leg. Arbeloa, Coentrao & Khedira have limited game time this year and none of them are starting XI quality for Madrid anymore. 3 defensive subs too, knowing full well Schalke was going all out for it. Why not Jese? Young, talented with pace about him. :/
Pepe is trash, has been for years, replacement needed this summer. Injuries have limited the team but this XI was why off sync. 3 of the 4 defenders need to be gone fast, Varane is the only decent 1 that started.
the absence of Ramos is another thing but doesn't really explain the ridiculous goals Casillas let in! 3 of the 4 goals are preventable but just look at his face right after the ball went in. he was already ready to blame the defenders. pathetic, if you ask me!
1st 2 preventable, other 2 he had no chance. Look at the space the Madrid players gave Schalke for the 3rd, you can see Casillas didn't see it until it practically passed him too. 4th was world class, no keeper would save that.
Out of the defensive side of the team; Arbeloa, Coentrao & Khedira aren't regulars, bench warmers all season and Pepe is trash. Have these 5 (Varane included) played any games together this year, not that I can think of. No communication, easy for Schalke to rip them up.
Madrid should be fine when; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo + Modric, Kroos are all fully fit.
Guys, I'm aware the article has no accompanying tags. For whatever reason I'm getting a server error while trying to add them. If a mod can fix this that would be great.
madrid are falling apart.
wtf is going on, they started so strong last year.
well played to Schalke. never give up spirit made it an entertaining game.
Great match, Schalke deserved to win and to advance on Champions League, great fans as well, unlike Real Madrid supporters, leaving the match before the ending, are you kidding?
I would say not to get ahead of ourselves. Beating Bilbao at home has never been easy. The draw against an improving fresh Villareal is not a major shock. Losing to Shalke at home of all places is the only surprise for me, and I think it comes with the mental exhaustion after those tough matches. They've also been without Modric(essential) and Ramos.
Anyway, I praise Shalke for their win and heart to beat the richest club of the world, money doesn't always get you the W and audience does it?
What the heck is happening to them?