Edu Albácar, Elche's left-back and captain, is still affected by the controversial penalty given in the previous day's game against Real Madrid: "Absolute daylight robbery. I just don't get how anyone can call that a penalty. I´m sure Muñiz slept peacefully", he quipped while talking on 'Deportes Cope'.
The player can't understand the referee's behaviour: "I went to speak to the referee as the team captain, but with the cockiness that he was showing, it was impossible to say anything to him."
All this strikes Albácar as suspicious: "You get the feeling that when Real Madrid can't beat you through its game, it beats you by other ways".
Putting the referee on ice, according to the player, is well justified: "Muñiz should have been disciplined some time ago".
To make things even clearer: "You realise that Real Madrid is given a lot. You see what happened in this match and it seems that this league smells bad. If there was no penalty, but it's given...well, what can you think? It's so obvious that there was no penalty. You're bound to get suspicious."
Just after the game had ended, and on hearing that Pepe had assured that it had indeed been a penalty, Albácar had no qualms in saying, "Pepe is blind".
Ancelotti also said in his pre-match press conference that coaches need to adapt to the players that they have. However, it does not look like he is doing a very good job of it.
In years gone by, one of Madrid's trademarks was a defensive line high up the pitch and a team which pressured its opponent in its own half. This year, the team has been spread out significantly. It has lost 20 metres, which causes big problems for its only two central midfielders. The formation is very similar to Pellegrini's 4-2-4, which allows the opposition to take control of the midfield in numbers with incredible ease. With the defensive line sitting back, the defenders are unable to help out when applying pressure or playing the ball out. They also fail to make interceptions, which allows for quick attacks to be put together – the breakneck counterattacks which are undoubtedly the team's best offensive weapon. This static side is slow and predictable.
That is why the worst thing about yesterday was the result. Not because it was unfair, which it was, but because the win cloaks the real problem deep down at Real Madrid: its style of play is nonexistent and it has jettisoned the most valuable of the good habits which it picked up under José Mourinho.
The player can't understand the referee's behaviour: "I went to speak to the referee as the team captain, but with the cockiness that he was showing, it was impossible to say anything to him."
All this strikes Albácar as suspicious: "You get the feeling that when Real Madrid can't beat you through its game, it beats you by other ways".
Putting the referee on ice, according to the player, is well justified: "Muñiz should have been disciplined some time ago".
To make things even clearer: "You realise that Real Madrid is given a lot. You see what happened in this match and it seems that this league smells bad. If there was no penalty, but it's given...well, what can you think? It's so obvious that there was no penalty. You're bound to get suspicious."
Just after the game had ended, and on hearing that Pepe had assured that it had indeed been a penalty, Albácar had no qualms in saying, "Pepe is blind".
The worst thing was the result
There will be no talk of referees today. We have already talked about that at length, it being on the front cover of our daily. No. We are going to talk about football or, to be more precise, the lack of it being played by Real Madrid. As Ancelotti has already put in Schuster-like terms, it will not win the derby at this rate.Ancelotti also said in his pre-match press conference that coaches need to adapt to the players that they have. However, it does not look like he is doing a very good job of it.
In years gone by, one of Madrid's trademarks was a defensive line high up the pitch and a team which pressured its opponent in its own half. This year, the team has been spread out significantly. It has lost 20 metres, which causes big problems for its only two central midfielders. The formation is very similar to Pellegrini's 4-2-4, which allows the opposition to take control of the midfield in numbers with incredible ease. With the defensive line sitting back, the defenders are unable to help out when applying pressure or playing the ball out. They also fail to make interceptions, which allows for quick attacks to be put together – the breakneck counterattacks which are undoubtedly the team's best offensive weapon. This static side is slow and predictable.
That is why the worst thing about yesterday was the result. Not because it was unfair, which it was, but because the win cloaks the real problem deep down at Real Madrid: its style of play is nonexistent and it has jettisoned the most valuable of the good habits which it picked up under José Mourinho.
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