halamadrid2 wrote:With 23 players in our squad (soon to be 22 when a goalie leaves) I wonder who will be cut out of match squads especially the home ones where we are only allowed 18 players.

My picks are:

Arbeloa
Nacho
Isco
Khedira

Yeah I'm not happy with that at all....

Di Maria will likely leave by hook or by crook. Flo will pull an Ozil on the last day imo.

Khedira will get in ahead of Illarra most likely and Isco will obviously take Di Maria's place.

That seems to me as the better alternative squad wise.

imo Isco should be cover for the midfielder and James should play in the front 3, somewhere   

GK: Iker, Navas
RB: Carvajal, Arbeloa, Nacho
CB: Ramos, Varane, Pepe, Nacho
LB: Marcelo, Coentrao, Nacho
DM/DLP: Xabi, Illarra, Kroos, Khedira
CM: Modric, Di Maria, Kroos, Isco, Khedira
RW: Bale, James, Jese
LW: Cristiano, Jese, James, Bale
CF/F9/whatever: Benzema/James, James/Benzema, Jese, Cristiano

well, this might be the best squad ever   

how long is it gonna take before you all realize that benzema is the ONLY CF ON THE TEAM, and there is a need for a decent back up, CR FAILED AT CF AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY EVER get over it already and james grow up already

chad4401 wrote:how long is it gonna take before you all realize that benzema is the ONLY CF ON THE TEAM, and there is a need for a decent back up, CR FAILED AT CF AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY EVER get over it already and james grow up already

zeal posted a formation with a midfield diamond, james behind Cristiano and bale. it may work   

no it wont brah, name 1 time the team looked good without a true cf playing? scoring goals doesn't make you a CF or false 9, name 1 false 9 other than messi?

the team doen't even looked that good with a typical 9  i.e higs or morata, benzema is very necessary for the attack to work no amount of butthurt gonna change this fact again grow up.

I really don't think Benzema is that crucial. At least not the way you're painting it out to be.

Our attack isn't a lost puppy without Benzema. Is his absence noticeable? Yeah it is because he's an important player.

I remember earlier last season a lot of people wanted him benched due to his slow start and we criticized Carlo for not starting Benz up till the Clasico when Benz came on as a sub an absolutely tore it up and showed his class.

I love Benzema and used to be his biggest hater btw

gotta disagree bale and cr provide little towards build play and without benzema(cf), their not gonna make the proper runs, falcao and the like aren't the solution either, cause they wont help with the link up, so the attack will stagnate unless cr and bale play as true wingers and they won't its a fact, the only reason benzema doesn't seem important is down to hype, and carlo is smarter than that thankfully.

and again everybody goes on and on about benz slow start acting like the team was firing on all clinders and benz was the weak link that bs,the team was horrible too, he started scoring in November all the way to march, didn't see the media or fans praising him that much, cause they all wanted him to fail and still do now,  cause it him and that the truth, i bet if we won the cl with falcao instead, everybody would act like it because benz was gone, but since we won it with benz he still needs to prove something, wtf has falcao done in comparison that makes him soooooooooo great?

I'm not bringing Falcao into question because well he's not a Madrid player. I was just talking about Benzema and the level of importance you bestow upon him.

He is indeed vital for our attack and I'm glad he signed an extension because he's here to say. Yes the whole team was pretty bad in the beginning. And benz was made the scapegoat but like I said it wasn't till the first Clasico till he "stepped" up and he's been just fine every since. (Think it was November like you said)

Benzema isn't a useless pos anymore. He is obviously a big asset for us but having said that he is probably the most replaceable player we have in the starting XI.

My boner is so hard right now

Everyone is looking really sharp.

Still clinging to the Di Maria dream

Day after that is the first La Liga game, not sure how it'll work out.

C players like Nacho, Jose rod, Kroos, Llorente etc

lol wasnt jose rodreguez was loaned to deportivo, why is everyone still mentioning him.

Bale and Pepe are doubts for the Super Cup match, according to AS.

Damn :\

But Isco and Varane ffs

Some of the players might have been rotated anyway imo, so yeh this gives others a chance. As long as they're fit for the first league game.

Also apparently Casillas is expected start in the Super Cup, league and CL, according to Cope.

Navas will start against Fiorentina on Saturday.

Squad for Fiorentina:

Goalkeepers: Casillas, Keylor Navas and Pacheco.
Defenders: Varane, Pepe, Ramos, Coentrao, Marcelo Carvajal, Arbeloa and Nacho.
Midfielders: Khedira, Kroos, James Rodriguez, Xabi Alonso, Bale, Di Maria, Illarra, Medrán, and Lucas Vázquez Burgui.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema.

http://www.realmadrid.com/noticias/2014/08/los-23-convocados-para-el-partido-frente-a-la-fiorentina

Modric carrying Isco's baby.