Life after Ronaldo

One issue with Hazard and Isco is that they occupy similar areas on the pitch, so I see both Nick and Bill's points. Hazard is definitely quicker, and I think overall would be a slight upgrade to Isco, but the three problems are- where will they play, will they be able to play together, and where are the goals going to come from.

The first problem I think is up in the air until we see what Lopetegui will roll out, the second one I believe is- yes, they can play together- depending slightly on the first issue, and the third [the goals] will have to come from an additional CF signing.

I know this is simply impossible to happen given how quiet and discreet he is, but I wish Zidane would come out of his silence and explain the reason(s) he decided to step down from the Madrid job two months after he publicly reassured everybody that he would like to continue on for "many years".

I'm saying this because I think he was fully aware of all the things that are unfolding right now and didn't like it one bit. I think he didn't want the club to let go of Ronaldo and wasn't generally okay with the transfer plans Florentino had in mind.

No self-respecting coach would agree to let go of a goal machine, especially when there's NO ONE as good as he is available.

Florentino has built an empire at Madrid and I'll forever be grateful to him for what he has done for Los Blancos. But right now, and given the fact that I'm almost certain he won't be able to bring Neymar or Mbappé, letting Ronaldo go without a proper replacement will cast a shadow over everything he has done up till now.

Sometimes I don't think it is as smoke and mirrors as you're assuming. I think Zidane leaving is a lot more straight forward than that. Zidane won all he could, it's an incredibly stressful job, he has his family to think about, and looking at the league form last season, I believe (and he said as much) that he would not be able to push this RM team any further than what he has already done. All of those things are right out there in the open, and very legitimate reasons for stepping away.

I believe those are the main reasons, however there probably were things behind the scenes that we will never know for sure. Ronaldo leaving I don't think is one of them, this happens ever summer so it's expected- this time is just a little more serious and advanced in negotiations. Transfers overall might have been another contributing factor behind the scenes and we will have a better idea if this might have been a factor by the end of the transfer window: if we spend a lot, we can assume that ZZ might have been against signings, if we maintain this minimal spending/ non-galactico transfer policy, we might be able to assume Zidane pushed for transfers and didn't get his way.

That's how I see it at least.

I think it is as you say Deez plus I don’t think Zidane had the stomach to rebuild, i.e. letting go of players he had coddled.

This whole Ronaldo thing though is simply Ronaldo and his agent Mendes. They are essentially trying to get Ronaldo the salary he wants, the statements from club we need you and support you or trying to force him to club that will give him what he wants. However if you have noticed there hasn’t been a word from club (also look at Modric said yesterday). Flo is basically saying, you have a contract, the exit price is 1 billion euros, and I too am upset. Unless I can get one of the three players we are interested in, perhaps with money we get from your release clause, we won’t release you. Perhaps an increase will be in order with an agreement for a more friendly and exit next summer. They are also asking Ronaldo to publically state he wants out!, which he will be reluctant to make as he actually needs Madrid as much or more so than club needs him. It basically comes down to two factors - Can club get Mbappe, Neymal, or Kane plus who will pay Ronaldo salary he wants plus the real exit price (certainly not the 100M being quoted) that club will demand.

Or Zidane felt that the rebuilding responsibility would fall on his shoulders...  and he wouldn't have enough say in terms of the players for rebuilding.

Big thing is this didn't have to be such a rebuild.  As much as Pogba gets criticized...  you had Pogba and Mbappe = transition, not rebuild.

Because Madrid and Flo went against ZZ's request for these 2 players, we're now left with an aging team, a lot of unseasoned/unproven players and the need to splash BIG.

Pogba for 100 mil and Mbappe for 180 mil are actually decent deals by today's standards btw.

So given all this, he walked away.  He had nothing to gain and everything to lose. He'll pick his next job fairly quickly. I'm worried that Chelsea are waiting for him and, if he does take it, it's goodbye Hazard as an option. If not Chelsea, the juventus job may become available with CR there ( at CR's request).

Flo went against those two requests for specific reasons, let's remember why we did not sign them please.

Pogba: Raiola was asking for an ungodly amount of money commission wise and had been specifically hired by United to bring back Pogba. Pogba's wages demands where also going to break our wage structure, which is what we are currently fighting with CR over.

Mbappe: after just one year at Monaco, even despite us agreeing to pay 150+ mil, his dad wanted assurance he would be a guaranteed starter + wages which again were going to break our wage structure.

The transfer fees were never a problem, it's the personal terms that were the issue. Perez has always been very clear that he would not shatter the wage structure of the team over a single signing. i dont see what's wrong with that. The past few years have been hugely successful and i believe we are still in a good position to rebuild regardless.

Zidane left because he did not want to go through the rebuild. He did his time, he won and he moved on. This theory about Madrid not wanting to give him control or what not, i dont buy it because we explored both the deals you mentioned, and even stopped recruiting a GK last winter because he did not want it.

ps: i forgot to mention that we also signed a lot of young players that Zidane completely mismanaged last season, just saying

zidane definitely had control, that kepa shut down was all zidane. zidane knew he'd have to rebuild and disappoint some in the procee, imo he just wasn't ready for that.

i think we'll go into the market which is why flo is entertaining the cristiano move, to get back some cash for that. i like cristiano but if he wants to leave he has done his time here and done it well. a scorer is needed, regardless of cristiano's decision

i'm not a fan of hazard, i've always considered willian a better footballer, also taking into account he is a set piece specialist. despite any decision with respect to hazard, i trust flo is smart to know there's a huge void in the goalscoring department that must be addressed

Those young players were ones that ZZ didn't want Nick... he had no input in those deals. So he didn't play them. The ones he did like, namely Vasquez, Asensio, Nacho, etc., he played plenty.

It's actually somewhat out in the the open so it's not just me talking: Our transfer policy this last summer and winter drove both ZZ and CR away. If you don't like to hear it, it's too bad. Doesn't make it less true.

The relationship between ZZ and Jose Angel Sanchez was cold at best and antagonistic at worst. There was a power struggle there.

The Kepa shut down was ZZ saying Navas is number 1.  Kepa felt he didn't have the blessing of ZZ and didn't want to risk his career...   he could easily have come.  He feared being benched, which is the kiss of death for a keeper moreso than a field player.  He's the one the pulled the plug, not Madrid.

That was the big issue tbh.  Established players will want the blessing of the manager prior to coming and so will foreign players.  There were very few instances of consensus on those (Kova being the only one really).  But Spanish youth players wanted to come regardless of having a relationship with the manager...  so Madrid didn't need consensus on those.  Problem was that ZZ didn't want them and literally never played them.  If ZZ had actually invested personal equity in bringing those players to Madrid, he would have at least given them a look.  Since he had no investment, he just put them in storage and let them rot for the most part.  It's not like management could say to him "why did you ask us for these players if you're never going to play them"...  he didn't ask for them.  And there was no way Flo could strong arm ZZ to play anyone...  ZZ would have resigned on the spot.

Madrid politics.  That's why we are where we are this summer. And in a way, that's why Madrid has a hard time with managers that are very strong and have their own brand.

Lopotegui is perfect. He's going to accept whatever management gives him.

Has this ever worked. The manager having no say. Smh

Ronaldo time is up. He has been a tremendous servant to the club.

He is aging and needs to give way to another generation of talent. It happened to Raul, Guti, Salgado who left. even Zidane who retired.

It not the end of madrid.

My concern is benzema seems likely to stay. Another season with benzema being the starting striker

Who is supposed to replace Ronaldo? Also, if Real Madrid plays possession oriented football our own fans will kill us at some point because of the lack of spectacle.

Well, supposedly it has happened. All the major media sources are saying the transfer is confirmed.

I'm curious how Perez responds, how the club comes back from this. If we don't have replacement already worked out, it could be trouble.

A front line of Isco-Benz-Bale is making my stomach hurt.

Fred Hermel is saying that Flo is obsessed with Neymar... but that PSG will likely want nothing to do with it.

Personally, I could see PSG sell Neymar if Mbappe shows out even more and France win the WC. Neymar is a royal pain in the ass and isn't very popular in France, believe it or not. Not all that professional either.

I'm not very comfortable making Neymar our centerpiece given his personality. It's a huge risk. CR was like that too... but he was a consummate professional to back it up. It also took some personal humbling until we finally started winning. Might have to go through the same thing with Neymar.

It's official

https://www.realmadrid.com/noticias/2018/07/comunicado-oficial-cristiano-ronaldo

if zidane leaving didnt make things clear. this did.

Truly, our golden age has ended.

Football comes in cycles, we just had arguably the best cycle in our history. It was always going to come to an end.

I just hope we sing Mbappe to kick start a new cycle sooner rather than later.

vanDEEZ wrote:Football comes in cycles, we just had arguably the best cycle in our history. It was always going to come to an end.

I just hope we sing Mbappe to kick start a new cycle sooner rather than later.

Mbappe is very damn fast but not so good in dribbling. I regard him more as a Bale replacement on the wings who can actually deliever regularly, not as a main man. Also, we'd have to de-Neymar him, he was disgusting in this WC when it comes to diving and sportsmanship.
This time around we could finaly have a properly balanced side with a killer number 9 so we need Mbappe + a striker.

completely wrong on Mbappe babs...  he didn't practice yesterday due to a bad back.  He played stiff in this game.  In fact, there was a worry that he wouldn't play the game today. You could tell he started to stiffen more and more as the game wore on.

He's an incredible dribbler typically.

sportsczy wrote:completely wrong on Mbappe babs...  he didn't practice yesterday due to a bad back.  He played stiff in this game.  In fact, there was a worry that he wouldn't play the game today. You could tell he started to stiffen more and more as the game wore on.

He's an incredible dribbler typically.

We'll see. I saw some youtube compilations of his, he was too reliant on his speed in almost any move but he is a supremly gifted footballer for sure. My problem is of a different kind. We need to replace goals which came from Ronaldo:
Last 4 seasons:
Ronaldo: 26 25 35 48
Benzema: 5 11 24 15
We became more and mroe reliant on Ronnie for goals. 48 goals were delieverred by him. I don't think Benzema is going to compensate them and even with those Ronaldo numbers we didn't win the league. Bale is injury prone so we need 2 goals scoring sources. A forward and a winger who can score.
I don't want Neymar anywhere near RMadrid. My choice would be Mbappe and Mane. Problem with Mane is, he isn't one of the Perez' merchandizing pretty boys

Mbappe was really weird last season at PSG. He is young so he is still very much learning how to play football, and he chose last season to mimic Neymar for a long stretch last season and that wasn't working so well.

I still feel like he would be more comfortable playing with a n9 at this point and use his pace and dribbling behind a main striker.

Seeing how good and how popular he is becoming it's hard to imagine PSG allowing him to leave

Honestly... and i hate to say it... Hazard is much much better than Isco when he's playing on top of his game. He's faster, stronger and possesses better vision to go along with the great skill.

sportsczy wrote:Honestly... and i hate to say it... Hazard is much much better than Isco when he's playing on top of his game. He's faster, stronger and possesses better vision to go along with the great skill.

He is a WC player but I would still keep Disco. The problems are in the goal scoring department.

Does anyone know the actual details on what would have to happen for Neymar, Mbappe, or even Kane to realistically be available this summer? Is there any actual leeway for them to push themselves out?

I assume Bale isn't leaving, if Hazard came then Isco would have same squad player role as always unless Casemiro gets benched.

Though I would much much much prefer Mbappe, I think it will be Neymar.

PSG are throwing bids at Coutinho for a reported 240m. My guess is that we are already in negotiation the phase with Neymar and PSG are lining up their next target Brazilian. With their FFP issues I doubt they would try to accommodate Neynmar Coutinho and Mbappe.

vanDEEZ wrote:Though I would much much much prefer Mbappe, I think it will be Neymar.

PSG are throwing bids at Coutinho for a reported 240m. My guess is that we are already in negotiation the phase with Neymar and PSG are lining up their next target Brazilian. With their FFP issues I doubt they would try to accommodate Neynmar Coutinho and Mbappe.

Duncan Castles said on his podcast yesterday that they want to sign him because he is Nerman bff and they want to keep him happy at PSG.

Which might open the door to selling Mbappe

PSG can't buy anyone without selling right now.