Re: Are Madrid the Real Deal?

by Valkyrja Fri Nov 21, 2014 12:04 pm

Former AC Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi has compared the current Real Madrid team to his Serie A side that conquered Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Sacchi guided Milan to back-to-back European titles in 1989 and 1990 with what is widely considered one of the finest club sides of the 20th century.

And the 68-year-old believes Carlo Ancelotti's current European champions play with a style reminiscent of the famous Rossoneri side featuring Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard.

"I love teams that own the ball and own the game and Madrid are the masters of it now. They remind me of the great Milan in some ways," Sacchi told AS.

"This Madrid team is a bit more technical than my Milan, but they don't have the ability to press their opponents right away when they lose the ball. They know how to play the ball, though, and play at a fantastic pace.

"Ancelotti has done a great job at Madrid. It is not easy to coach a team like Madrid.

"When you have a lot of great players, they all tend to think that others should do the running. There's a certain jealousy and you have to control that as a coach. There's a great team spirit at Madrid.

"Football should be about harmony and speed. This brings trouble for the opposition and excitement for the fans."

Ancelotti claimed the Copa del Rey and guided Madrid to their 10th European title in his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

by Onyx Fri Nov 21, 2014 3:38 pm

I'd love it if we actually had a proper pressing system where we won the ball within 5-6 seconds of losing it. We do tend to sit back a lot. Against Barca/Bayern/poor La Liga sides it might work, but against direct teams we might concede more chances. Like vs Dortmund last year for example. Other than that our possession is good and it's improved a lot this season, much more fluid.