vs
I know we have the small matter of "7 minutes" still to play against Sociedad tomorrow afternoon, but we have a much bigger game coming up this weekend that needs to be the benchmark for our revival in the second half of the la liga calender.
Vanderlei Luxemburgo has opened a new era at Real Madrid by introducing twice-daily training sessions for the players following the winter break.
The squad will train in the morning as usual, have lunch together and then remain at the club's headquarters in Las Rozas on the outskirts of Madrid until they take part in an afternoon session.
Jose Antonio Camacho had asked for a similar plan to be introduced but his idea was refused by the club, so this is yet another indication that Perez is finally willing to be more flexible in the affairs of his new coach. Luxemburgo has also said he will have absolutely no hesitation of benching any galactico if they are underperforming, and this was a key issue he discussed with Florentino Perez before he put pen to paper on a new deal. :thmbup:
Ahead of the derby with Atletico, the team has been working hard in getting back in shape after a two-week break. The morning session of today was again dominated by physical tasks and aerobic work, some lasting up to 55 minutess in order to boost stamina and energy levels. Speed and agility was also a high priority on Luxemburgo's check list, with Raúl and Salgado proving to be a step above the rest. Ronaldo has clearly struggled in training this week, but Luxemburgo insisted no player will be exempt from his strict regime; "Ronaldo suffers a little more than the rest of the squad. He is going to have to work hard even though he might suffer. I know that Ronaldo doesn't like the physical aspects of training, but he has to do it. I mean, it's certain that Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos are my friends, I know them as they are my fellow Brazilians, but there will be no favourism shown to them. The processing throughout the squad will be equal."
When pressed about tactics this week, Lynx noted (that's my new knickname for him
); "Every technician should have a system of play and I have my own. Either 3-4-3, 5-4-1 or 4-4-2. For me what is important is that the players adapt to the tactics and they make maximum use of their incredible technical qualities."Team News:
Lynx is said to be favouring Beckham to play on the right, so we can expect to see Figo move out wide on the left. On one hand I believe Zidane and Figo are at their best when they play closer together, but on the other hand I don't think Zidane is really that effective in the middle unless we have a natural DM which we do not have.
Walter Samuel's yellow card against Sevilla was in-fact his fourth yellow card of the season, and according to la liga regulations he must sit out the next match once he reaches this limit. Salgado will also miss El derbi for the exact same reason. So we will be missing two of our best defenders in our attempt to stop one of the hottest strikers in Spain, which is a huge blow.
Atletico Madrid new boy Jesper Gronkjaer is set to make his debut. Atleti have also been boosted by the fact Fernando Torres returned to training this week, sharply recovering from the hairline fracture he suffered in his rib two weeks ago in a Primera Liga match with Real Betis.
TV:
Sky Sports 1
Sport TV
Taquilla 1
Real Madrid TV
Al Jazeera Sport
Time and Venue:
Sunday 9 January, 18:00 GMT, Vicente Calderon, Madrid.
Prediction:
The three points is the most important thing, but I am also looking for a great all-round performance and I am sure the players want to make a strong statement that they will not go down without a fight despite Barcelona enjoying such a huge gap at the top of the table. 0-2. God-willing!
:star: HALA MADRID! :star:
