Rampant Real riding high after ‘Clasico’ triumph

Tuesday, 28 October 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Real Madrid’s decision to sell midfielders Xabi Alonso and Angel Di Maria left many scratching their heads and consecutive La Liga defeats as well as a reverse to Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup set alarm bells ringing at the Bernabeu.

Toni Kroos, who joined from Bayern Munich while Alonso went the other way, was seen as a poor substitute for the experienced Spain midfielder, while James Rodriguez, top scorer at the World Cup finals in Brazil with six goals, seemed to lack Di Maria’s intensity and eye for a killer pass. A couple of months later and the picture is an altogether different one. Real have come into the kind of form that propelled them to a record-extending 10th European title last season in coach Carlo Ancelotti’s first term in charge. Recent performances, including Saturday’s 3-1 win at home to Barcelona in the La Liga ‘Clasico’, suggest Ancelotti has successfully completed the integration of Kroos and Rodriguez into a side that is fearsome in attack and mean in defence.

Sevilla climb to La Liga summit, Atletico win

Reuters: Sevilla drew level on points with Barcelona at the top of La Liga when they snatched a 2-1 comeback victory at home to Villarreal, while champions Atletico Madrid won 1-0 in a bad-tempered clash at Getafe on Sunday. Villarreal thought they had secured the points at the Sanchez Pizjuan when Luciano Vietto clipped the ball superbly over home goalkeeper Beto in the 79th minute. However, with the home fans roaring encouragement Sevilla stormed back to equalise through Denis Suarez in the 88th and Carlos Bacca sealed the win with a penalty in added time, awarded when Giovani Dos Santos tripped Benoit Tremoulinas. Sevilla won the Europa League last season and have made their best-ever start to a La Liga campaign, although it remains to be seen whether they can sustain their form long enough to mount a genuine title challenge. Last season, Atletico were the first team apart from Real Madrid or Barca to win the league since Valencia in 2004 and Real, the European champions, look in especially ominous form. “We didn’t play our best football but the team put in the maximum effort,” Bacca told reporters. “They scored a goal, a good goal, but we never gave up,” added the Colombian. “Sevilla were very good even if perhaps we lacked a bit of efficiency with the final pass. We are second (on goal difference) but with our feet on the ground.” With nine matches played, Barcelona, beaten 3-1 at Real in Saturday’s ‘Clasico’, and Sevilla each have 22 points, with Real in third on 21. Atletico have 20 points in fifth after a close-range effort from striker Mario Mandzukic five minutes before halftime secured victory at Getafe. The club based in the Madrid suburbs lost defender Alexis to a straight red card after a clash with Mandzukic in the 58th minute, one of several unsavoury incidents during the game. Valencia also have 20 points in fourth, above Atletico on goal difference, after they celebrated their imminent takeover by Singapore billionaire Peter Lim with a 3-1 win at home to Elche on Saturday. In Sunday’s other games, Malaga thrashed visiting Rayo Vallecano 4-0 and Espanyol were held to a 0-0 draw at home to promoted Deportivo La Coruna.

Since they were beaten at home by Atletico in La Liga on 13 September, Real have scored 38 goals in nine outings in all competitions and conceded a mere six. Portuguese World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo is in the form of his life and has netted a jaw-dropping 16 goals in eight La Liga appearances, including the equaliser from the penalty spot on Saturday. The victory lifted Real to within a point of leaders Barca after nine matches and they are virtually assured of passage to the Champions League knockout round after winning their opening three group games. “We’re in very good form, I don’t know if I’ve found the perfect formula,” Ancelotti told a post-’Clasico’ news conference. “We’re also in good mental shape,” added the Italian. “We still have the same idea as last year. We’re trying to improve our play and everything is coming off well.” Biggest tests Barca, by contrast, are licking their wounds after their defensive frailty was again exposed on Saturday and they squandered a number of chances after Neymar had put them ahead in the fourth minute. Pepe was left unmarked to head in from a corner for Real’s second goal, while their third came after a mix-up between Andres Iniesta and Javier Mascherano. Ronaldo’s penalty was the first goal Barca had conceded in La Liga this season but, worryingly for new coach Luis Enrique, they have failed in both their biggest tests so far this term, also losing 3-2 at Paris St Germain in the Champions League. “The game clearly showed that there are opponents who are just as good as us, if not better, like today,” Luis Enrique told a news conference. “(In Paris) we deserved more and the team was good in general terms,” added the former Spain midfielder, who had stints at both Real and Barca. “It was a different story against Madrid as they deserved more. But we’ll pick ourselves up and at the end of the season we’ll see if we have deserved something.”