(Un)common sense

There are few certainties in life, even fewer in sports. One is that Fabio Capello's teams hardly ever allow any goals. Another is that my predictions are almost always wrong. Hopefully this lethal combination meant that most of you weren't in the least bit surprised by Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Barcelona.

It was a game that gave us a lot of talking points, but to fully appreciate what happened on Sunday at the Bernabeu all it takes is a good understanding of the importance of common (or is it uncommon?) sense. Capello has struggled mightily to mold this team in the image of his successful Juventus sides. Past history tells us that he will eventually turn Real into an ultra-defensive team full of veteran superstars that will find a way to win titles while never winning any beauty contests for impressive play.

Capello's work began this summer when new president Ramon Calderon hired him away from the disgraced Italian champs. Capello had some tough decisions to make when he arrived at the Bernabeu. However, he had carte blanche to do as he pleased. He quickly jettisoned the youth policy adopted by Real in 2005 (Robinho, Julio Baptista, Cicinho, Cassano & Diogo all came to Madrid last year) in favor of the old guard - in his first month, he had signed Cannavaro, Emerson, and Van Nistelrooy, three superstars all on the wrong side of 30. Such a preference for seasoned veterans served Capello well at Juve, but then again so did paying off the refs. Capello did bring in some youngsters in Reyes and Diarra, but he also made it clear that Baptista and Diogo were surplus to requirements, while Robinho would have to start on the bench. He promised that in 50 days, the demanding Bernabeu faithful would finally see his new-look Real side. On paper, it looked good, but then again so did the Real sides of the last three years and we all know how many trophies they won (here's a hint: one fewer than Espanyol). No one expected Capello's side to entertain, but for all the talk otherwise, everyone knows that if the team is winning titles, no one will be complaining. And heck, even wonderful squads like the present Barca team have to grind out countless results during the season - not every game can be a 5-2 romp with dozens of Ronaldinho highlights. So when the season began with a couple of low-scoring wins and draws, no one was too surprised, although the 0-3 thrashing at the hands of Lyon was cause for concern. Still, the team was gelling, right? Um, right?

Well, the 50 day mark came and went a few weeks ago. In fact, it was marked by one of the worst Madrid performances in recent memory; worse still, Real's 1-0 loss at Getafe came on the heels of a break for international play that saw only 3 of Real's players suit up for their respective national teams. With a squad chock-full of over-the-hill players, only Casillas, Sergio Ramos, and Cannavaro turned up for international duty. Raul, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Emerson, Van Nistelrooy and Beckham were all left out by their national teams. Robinho and Cassano would probably have been included for Brazil and Italy had they not been riding the pine at Real, and Reyes joined up with Spain but soon got hurt. So, while Barca's squad was all over the world playing for their national teams, Real had fewer players called up than their crosstown rivals Atletico. The message was clear: no one wanted them. But maybe the time spent at training in Madrid would help them come together as a unit? Not so fast. The loss at Getafe came on the heels of a 1-1 draw with their cross-town rivals Atletico in which Real was dominated for long stretches of the game and had all of their flaws cruelly exposed.

The problems start with Capello's lineup. After injuries to Salgado and his back-up Cicinho, the Italian opted to play Alvaro Mejia, a centerback who came up through the Real youth team, at right-back. Sergio Ramos is a natural right-back and starts there for Spain, but for some reason Real has insisted on making him a centerback. Huh? Why play a natural right-back in the center and a center-back at right-back? And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Aside from the keeper Casillas, only one player had logged more minutes this year than Emerson, undoubtedly Real's worst player so far. Capello's loyalty to the Brazilian symbolizes a larger problem: a preference for defensive workhorses over attackers. Check out the domino effect that Emerson's inclusion in the lineup causes: Guti, who has played superbly in a two-man center midfield pairing in the past and would surely be a nice complement to the more defensive Diarra, is pushed out to the left; this makes Raul play as a withdrawn forward, which relegates Robinho, Reyes or Cassano to the bench. So not only does it rob the team of one or more of its best attackers, but it makes the team's top playmaker play out of position. Just as happened in years past with Thomas Gravesen (offensive-mid-made-defensive-destroyer), so it goes this year with Ramos, Mejia, and Guti. Why a club with the financial resources of Real continues to try to make a square peg fit into a round hole I will never know. And Capello, unlike some of his predecessors, can't pin the blame on a previous coach. These are his guys. He could've signed William Gallas, a versatile defender. He could've brought in Lilian Thuram, a true centerback. He could've signed Ashley Cole, a natural left-back. Instead, there are still numerous indications that the current Real squad was constructed without enough attention paid to establishing a balance between the offensive firepower and defensive vulnerability. Not only did Capello take a pass on other defensive stars who changed teams this off-season and not only did he loan out the fit-again Jonathan Woodgate to Middlesborough, but he was so desperate to get rid of Ivan Helguera that he handed his #6 shirt to Diarra. But who was it that, wearing the #21 shirt, was called into duty to take the place of the suspended Ramos against Getafe? Yep, Helguera (he was the best defender on the night by the way). Alongside Helguera in the center of defense was Raul Bravo - a career-long left-back of course. Only Real would start a center-back at right back and a left-back at centerback and then cry "woe is me". Folks, you have more money than any club in the world - try spending it wisely. Because as the likes of Mejia, Helguera, and Bravo were trotting out onto the pitch, the camera panned to the most star-studded bench seen in years: Ronaldo, Raul, Cannavaro, and Robinho all being treated to one of the worst Merengue performance in years. So much for equilibrium.

Here's a quick solution: play guys where they're at their best. If you paid tens of millions to bring in Sergio Ramos because he was such a great right-back, well then you might want to play him there. If Ivan Helguera has been one of the club's most consistent defenders over recent years, you might not want to axe him from the squad before you've brought in a competent replacement. If Roberto Carlos is on the decline, you might want to bring in a left-back. If your best ball distributor operates best when he's in the center of the park, you might want to let Guti use his vision in the center of the pitch and not banish him to the wing. If your team is lacking speed and the element of surprise, then tricky attackers like Robinho and Reyes should always be preferred to slow, plodding wingers like Beckham (a starter against Getafe). None of these suggestions are innovative or earth-shattering or in any way unorthodox. They are simply the result of common sense. At a club with all of the resources in the world, it's ironic that the one thing in such short supply is such a basic trait.

After a tumultuous week following the Getafe debacle, Capello supposedly told his players that he would resign if they didn't believe in his system and his plan. No one could've blamed them if they'd taken him up on his offer, but with the disastrous reign of Vanderlei Luxemburgo so fresh in their minds, they thought better of it. Not only did that team meeting inspire the players to play harder and work as a unit, but it also spurred Capello to make some very important line-up changes. In last week's Champions League game against Steaua Bucharest, Capello moved Ramos to right-back, played Helguera at centerback, moved Guti to a more central playmaking spot, and inserted Robinho into the lineup to play on the wing opposite Raul (they swapped sides frequently). And wouldn't ya know it? 4-1 to Real!

On Sunday, Capello kept faith with the same starting 11. Your fearless predictor thought Barca would shake off the after-effects of their loss at Chelsea and bounce back versus Real, who would have a much harder time than they did in Romania. But no. In the rainy cauldron of the Bernabeu, 80,000 fans watched Real dominate Barca from the start. Raul, who is more fired-up than ever before and almost back to his old self, smashed in a header in just the second minute. Who gave him the assist? Real's new right-back, Sergio Ramos. A little over ten minutes later, Raul whacked another shot off the cross-bar after taking a beautiful feed from the left wing. After Valdes chopped down Van Nistelrooy in the box and ref Perez Burrull failed to call a penalty (shocking, I know - where's Medina Cantalejo when ya need him?), one couldn't help but get the feeling that maybe Real had let Barca off the hook by only having a one-goal lead to show for 20 minutes of virtual siege. When Leo Messi then started shredding the Real backline, at one point slicing between Cannavaro and Roberto Carlos to create a clear-cut chance for Gudjohnsen, Real's fears were being realized. Thank God Gudjohnsen is no Etoo. Minutes later it was Messi himself who blew a fantastic chance set up for him by la Liga's flavor of the month Andres Iniesta. In fact, it was the very presence of Iniesta alongside Xavi and Deco that was one of Saturday's big surprises. While Capello had finally figured out his lineup confusion, in the opposing dug-out Rijkaard had made a number of huge mistakes. He had deprived his team of a midfield destroyer, leaving out both Edmilson and Motta. Perhaps because of this lack of steel, Barca never seemed to get a grip on the game in midfield, as they were clearly outplayed by Guti, Diarra, and even Emerson (lucky though he was not to be sent off). At the back, Rijkaard played Sylvinho on the left over Van Bronckhorst, a huge mistake as the Brazilian was given a torrid time by Raul and Robinho. In the center of defense, Thuram was nowhere near as strong as Marquez. Even up front, Gudjohnsen squandered numerous chances that Saviola would likely have put away. Despite all signs of the season's first month suggesting otherwise, Capello outcoached Rijkaard.

Although the Blaugrana controlled the last 25 minutes of the first half and had Real Madrid on their heels, they couldn't grab the equalizer. In the second stanza, another early goal, this one from Van Nistelrooy off a feed from man-of-the-match Robinho, put the game out of reach. Barca threatened intermittently, but to be fair Real never looked to be in too much trouble. They can thank a backline that was simply superb. Roberto Carlos looked rejuvenated. Helguera and Cannavaro have already formed a fantastic partnership, making Real the best defensive team in la Liga. But it was the young boy on the right, Sergio Ramos, who stole the show. A few years ago, with Real at the peak of their galactico powers, los Blancos were shocked by an upstart Barca team mainly because of Barca's up-and-coming right-back who shut down Real's superstar winger. In that game, it was the young Carles Puyol who single-handedly nullified Luis Figo. On Sunday, Ramos did the same to Ronaldinho. It is now officially time for the Blaugrana to start seriously worrying about the burn-out that Ronaldinho is clearly suffering from. He has played far-too many big games over the past few years, games in which his team depended on him & him alone for victory, games with the high pressure and worldwide spotlight that can drain a player so so quickly. It was obvious at the World Cup that Ronaldinho was a shadow of himself. Despite showing signs, like in the game against Sevilla a few weeks ago, that he was getting his form back, Ronaldinho is just not himself. He needs a break, but with the young season just beginning, there is no end in sight. With Etoo out, Barca needs Ronaldinho more than ever, but he appears in no shape to help them. It's hardly time for panic at the Camp Nou, but maybe it is time to give Iniesta a more forward position and let 'Dinho recharge the old battery. And give Saviola a run-out at striker, too. Whatever, giving one world-class coach advice is enough for one day.

In last week's preview of these games, we remarked about what a difference a week makes in the soccer world. So true. Real now look like a genuine contender in la Liga and the Champions League, while Barca are reeling from back-to-back defeats that have given their Spanish rivals renewed confidence and jeopardized the Blaugrana's qualification for the next round of Europe's top competition. If only we'd seen it coming...