Real Madrid Football Club failed to land any silver-ware
Now just close to signing a new contract with Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho has hinted that he will be in pursuit of building a team and not just a group of stars. He was in fact reported on saying that he vows on making Real Madrid the greatest team in the world.
After all said and done, Madrid however failed to win the last match of their campaign and if you cannot win a single match, it is not easy that one can sympathise with Madrid’s trophy less season. But it will be unfair if we talk about the last match of 2009-10 and generalise it to the entire season. Although it might sound a little odd but the campaign was one of glories and sheer moments of blunders. The fans saw an embarrassing exit from Copa del Rey, to a third division club, which was then followed by a great success in Champions League when Madrid finished top of their group. Retaining to their great start in Europe was important but Madrid’s exit in the first elimination round at the hand of Lyon for the sixth straight year was another turning point of the season.
Now fans, players and the manager were only left with the league title to forget their early exit from the Champions League and they were able to drag it to the last game, thanks to some of the beautiful and cherish able moments created by their star signing Christiana Ronaldo and goal scoring machine Higuain. If we look at it realistically, this one was also one of Madrid’s best seasons in the league. Madrid scored more than 100 goals, was twice on the top of the table and finished with just three points behind the league champions Barcelona, who were able to squeeze a consecutive league title. 96 points also broke the previous record of points in a season, though again, Barca broke the same record, just by a few more. Keep in mind that this was a brand new Madrid team with a plethora of newcomers going up against a veteran Barcelona team, who had won six trophies the previous year. The cup exits are tough to justify but the numbers do not lie, Madrid was a first-rate team.
Who should one blame then because it is evident that Madrid failed to land any silver-ware to Bernabeu? Let’s start with the players because after all they are the ones who actually have a practical chance to make a difference. Ronaldo had a successful season throughout the campaign but one thing stands out between him and the best player in the world i.e. he has yet again failed to score in the big matches. This was quite evident in the matches against Barcelona and also against Lyon. But nevertheless he proved his million dollars worth by scoring crucial goals throughout the season. Other than him, all new signings on a fair note were a big disappointment. Kaka, Benzema and even Xabi Alonso failed to win the hearts of critics and most importantly fans. But this was not the only reason why such a magnificent club was not able to win any title in the end.
If anything, in recent years Mourinho has taught the tacticians the fact that teams are not at all made with stars. It’s the sheer class of a club, its manager and quality of the competitive teams that now decide the success of a club. Barcelona’s extra-ordinary youth, Lyon’s hard work and desire to win led to the debacle of Madrid’s successful season. With such a marvellous bench and team spirit, even if Madrid spends a few million more, they wouldn’t have been able to defeat Barcelona. Only way to do so is to actually build up a team and not a mere bunch of stars. And this is what Mourinho has in mind, rightly and truly called best coach of his generation. The argument is also supported by the fact that the two teams Inter Millan and Bayern Munich who played the Champions League final rested on sheer class of two players Schnieder and Robben, who were dropped by Madrid after 2008-09 seasons.
With Mourinho coming to Bernabeu, one thing is sure; there is some quality football and hard fight coming to the fans next season.
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