Friday, May 18th, 2012
There is a lot of talk on both sides leading up to Real Madrid’s visit to Valencia’s Mestalla stadium this Saturday night. It ranges from the circumspect and cerebral, to the aggressive and arrogant.
Real Madrid is, according to Valencia coach Unai Emery, “mortal.” Emery continues that Levante, who Valencia beat in a rough derby two weeks ago, have shown as much in “collectively overcoming” Madrid’s individual talents earlier in the season. Valencian striker Roberto Soldado pushes the praise, on both sides, a bit further, saying that, “Madrid are dangerous…but Mestalla is even more.” Soldado, left off of the national selection, and product of Madrid’s cantera, has every reason to show his former club, and his country, what they’re missing. Madrid winger Jose Callejón, stepping in for the injured Kaká, shot back, “they always play well [at home]…it complicates our play, but everyone knows we are Madrid, and we go onto every field to win.”
Madrid will likely have to win, or draw, in order to stay atop La Liga, with Barcelona hosting a very beatable Zaragoza side two hours before kickoff in Valencia. They are without Fábio Coentrão, Ricardo Carvalho and Ángel Di María, as well as the aforementioned Brazilian midfielder, and will likely start Gonzalo Higuaín as striker in front of Mesut Özil, who played brilliantly during the international break for Germany. There is of course, the option to play two up front with Karim Benzema. Özil meanwhile, along with Xabi Alonso, have been, respectively, the keys to Madrid’s counterattack and out-and-out attack this year, and will be essential this game if Madrid is to break down Valencia’s rigid, physical back line, centred around the big, strong force of Adil Rami. Cristiano Ronaldo, of course, has been essentially to their finishing ability, and, though he is recovering from a nagging injury, will be a tall order for Rami.
In their win against Levante, Valencia embraced the physical resolve that Rami brings, without letting the game get away from them. Madrid’s counterattack is admittedly more powerful, but, as Emery pointed out, they can be taken out of a game with fast, physical play, particularly when their play-makers are denied the ball deep within their own area. This game welcomes back Valencia’s creative, deeper lying forward Jonas, who should help create more space for Soldado, at least more than he had against Levante, and giving Madrid’s centre backs more work than they normally get. Then there is Tino Costa, if given enough time with the ball, should be able to build on his strong performance against Levante, in which he scored and set up the second goal.
Madrid have tended to play better against stronger opposition this year, or rather, they have faltered against poor teams. It’s unlikely that they will be caught off guard by Valencia. Emery has shown against Barcelona that he can tactically go toe to toe with a more talented side, but Madrid poses a larger problem. Their strength lies in individual performance, as it were, playing off one another, which is largely unpredictable. In other words, the game will not be a chess match like the Barcelona one, but will be an endeavour on both sides to control the pace, the attack and the run of play. Given the words flying around this week, not only do the two sides want to take control of the game, it’s unlikely either will settle for a draw.
FACT: The last four times the two sides have met at Mestalla, there has been a total of 23 goals.
Maxwell Kuhl can be followed on Twitter here.
Tags: Cristiano Ronaldo, Emery, Higuaín, Mestalla, Mourinho, Rami, Real Madrid, Valencia
