Schalke 04 1-6 Real Madrid

I wrote:Leverkusen to beat Paris Saint Germain 3 day avatar bet

I wrote:Predicting victory for Leverkusen who have quite evolved since their CL thrashings from United.

PSG route predictions are overstated as despite my liking for them, they are not as good as presented.

I wrote:We shan't get carried away on what Real Madrid will do to Schalke. Real Madrid are an elite team the way they perform under Ancelotti yet Keller, since he decided to pick his head off the floor and screw it back onto his head has made a quiet resurgence with United.

How?
-Finally learning the limits of Julian Draxler and that he is not a playmaker or Reus/Hazard/ElShaarawy/ player who can take a game by itself creatively and carry an attack.

-That KPB is not a proper CAM and slotted in deep as a '6' (despite his positional erratics) has injected much energy into the midfield and provided the urgency it has needed.

-Shipping off the ever so useless Jermaine Jones and adding KPB in the pivot with Neustädter.

-Using Max Meyer more often, e.g their brightest U-21 talent.

-Huntelaar returning to provide the needed reference point. Finally benching useless Hildebrand and giving Fährmann when no one else will. Proving all on GL wrong who doubted him.

-Benedikt Höwedes, end of story.


Despite not exactly facing top end competition their 6 game unbeaten streak (and 4 wins within it) has unlocked a bout of flair and confidence within the core engine of their game to which can trouble Madrid, especially considering the lack of urgency and cover in their midfield.

Personally predicting an upset in Gelsenkirchen given how much Schalke have been underestimated in recent form as I cannot comment on what will happen in the return leg.

I wrote:Schalke to beat Real Madrid. If they lose or draw, you win.

1 week avatar bet.

Me:

Not many teams in the world can stop Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema.

Still scored more than Barca against Bayern.

What do you expect when Bayern keeps buying all the German talents from these teams.

lol, everybody has a bad streak once in awhile arq.

Bundesfodder

Either way its embarassing and i don't care who it is.

As i said Madrid don't even find facing relegation teams in La Liga that easy.

Same goes for PSG with Leverkusen.... there's clearly a mental and tactical issue here.

Doesn't matter how good Madrid are or anyone else for that matter, you don't lose 6-1 unless you have major deficiencies in regards to mental and tactical attitude.

VivaStPauli wrote:

VivaStPauli wrote:I don't believe in statistics with samples as small as they are in football. Madrid doesn't have a German club problem, they just happened, randomly, to meet German teams at their strongest for a few years.
There is no reason they shouldn't destroy Schalke.

Real 5 - 1 Schalke.

Awww come on, one goal!

I watched the match with a mate, and we agreed on one weird point:
Even though all 6 Real goals were deserved, Schalke, shockingly, did not play badly. Real wasn't dominating at will, rather, they were winning all the 50/50 duels, winning all the important tacklings and 2nd rebounds, and deservedly won, and deservedly by that score line.

But I put it forth that Schalke could've beaten many teams in today's condition.
I propose the theory that today's Schalke could've beaten teams like Milan, Zenit, ManU or the likes. They appeared vastly improved as compared to the group stage, imho.

Side note: Dear god, Draxler, why? Looked like a scrub next to Farfan and Meyer, making me eat all my words of praise... Arquitecto vindicated, yet again.

Better put that hype in more dimensional and intelligent talents like Goretzka and a very underrated Meyer. Draxler rides in the same clown car as Jens Keller to work.

Draxler and Meyer to join Buyern next season.

Not impressed with Draxler.

I dont care if hes unhappy playing wide or whatever, just play your butt off and show some respect to the game.

And to think they sacked both Stevens and Slomka in the past few years, oh, the woe!

Either way, the play from Farfan, Huntelaar, Meyer, Neustäder, Höwedes and Kolasinac really makes you hope, though. I actually liked much of what I saw from Schalke. Real were unplayable tonight ,and of course mistakes were made. But I did not actually see Schalke playing all that badly until they conceded that third goal, even from that they recovered a bit, until the fourth goal. Then their spirit was visibly broken, but they did play some slick football for large parts of that match. I liked them.

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:Doesn't matter how good Madrid are or anyone else for that matter, you don't lose 6-1 unless you have major deficiencies in regards to mental and tactical attitude.

Not everybody likes parking the bus. And for that courage, the fans sang till the last minute.

 you don't want him anymore?

Hapless_Hans wrote: you don't want him anymore?

I do but Bundesliga clubs and players prefer Buyern.

Highburied wrote:Not impressed with Draxler.

I dont care if hes unhappy playing wide or whatever, just play your butt off and show some respect to the game.

Draxler was not back at 100%, Keller said in an interview before the match, just like Höwedes.

Our curse
that 2011 and Uefa Cup final 1997
I hate them definitely, thanks Real.

VivaStPauli wrote:And to think they sacked both Stevens and Slomka in the past few years, oh, the woe!

Either way, the play from Farfan, Huntelaar, Meyer, Neustäder, Höwedes and Kolasinac really makes you hope, though. I actually liked much of what I saw from Schalke. Real were unplayable tonight ,and of course mistakes were made. But I did not actually see Schalke playing all that badly until they conceded that third goal, even from that they recovered a bit, until the fourth goal. Then their spirit was visibly broken, but they did play some slick football for large parts of that match. I liked them.

Sacking Slomka actually was justified as he just lost the board and came off some embarrassing results. Sacking Stevens was misguided considering what he is to Schalke.

Tonight? Well when you have your best CB in Höwedes as a right-back for injured Uchida, Felipe Santana (Klopp is a troll) as CB along with a decent Matip and Fuchs out, you defence is bound to suffer. Won't even chide Draxler as this is already what I expect of him at this stage. Their pivot also failed as KPB lacks tactical discipline deep and can't do much alone with Neustäder. Kolosinac and Meyer were their only bright players along with Huntelaar just for that goal.

Schalke are a GOOD team, yet Real Madrid under a Champions League DNA Ancelotti are just ruthless.

Highburied wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote: you don't want him anymore?

I do but Bundesliga clubs and players prefer Buyern.

  we'll see -

btw, take a look at the betting thread, if you'll be so kind.

I'm fairly amused that Maradona's instinct to play Di Maria at CM has now been turned into a huge success for both Sabella and Ancelotti, while at the time it was criticized endlessly (myself included).

Dat vision

Real Madrid will reach the final if they don't face Bayern before. I think this is the best Madrid team since 2000. There are many reasons I why I believe that.

The attacking play by the front 3 have clicked so well in recent months. Not just BBC but Jese as well. Those front 4 are the best attacking options in the world. They weren't good enough at the start of the season because of obvious lack of understanding and it was a new team with a new manger who was still experimenting as we saw him changing the team nearly on a weekly basis. Compare that to now, it's a different Madrid team.

They have climbed from 5 points behind to being 3 clear. Is it because of Barcelona and Atletico's demise? partially because Barcelona lost Neymar to injury and Messi to obesity and they stopped winning games with the goals and losing them due to conceding goals. Atletico were never going to keep up. This isn't undermining Madrid, but saying how they have come from being behind those 2 all seasons to being the best in Spain and 2nd best in Europe.

Coming back to the team, one of the best improvements Ancelotti has made is moving Di maria to CM, not using Isco anywhere and changing Modric into a completely different player. Their midfield is clicking. Di Maria's energy and Pressing is fantastic. Better than Khedira's ever was. Modric's tactical sense is really good. He knows exactly where to be when attacking or defending. He is always there to get a pass. He is what Barcelona lacks without Xavi.

In defence, they have like 10 clean sheets in last 14 I think? That's unlike Madrid. In the past Madrid had to concede a goal to score 4 in reply. Now they just score without conceding much.

I won't change my mind on this if Madrid lose to Olympiacos or something next round but it's there to see how with Ancelotti Madrid are really the team they wanted to be for all those years.

rwo power wrote:

Highburied wrote:Not impressed with Draxler.

I dont care if hes unhappy playing wide or whatever, just play your butt off and show some respect to the game.

Draxler was not back at 100%, Keller said in an interview before the match, just like Höwedes.

I dont understand something ...

You have the ball and you make a shit pass... how does that have anything to do with physical condition?

His decision making was lazy.

Schalke's worst home defeat in 60 years yet only a few give Real Madrid some credit.

Losing to Schalke at home last season will forever remain as the most disgraceful result in Arsenal's history. More than losing to Ipswich in the FA Cup Final or Fenerbache in the uefa final.