It's been a long hard summer for Rafa.
In
Glen Johnson
Already proven himself to be a very effective attacking force and offers more than the steady
but unspectacular Alvaro Arbeloa. Seemed pricey when initially purchased but seems like a very good
transfer even after such a short spell, hopefully will get better and better.
Real Madrid secured a swashbuckling 5-2 away win against FC Zurich last night, with world record
signing Cristiano Ronaldo scoring two trademark freekicks. But their defensive frailties were again
evident, despite coach Manuel Pellegrini playing them down. Can this hastily assembled team of
superstars actually win the thing?
Here we go again. For those who want a quick summary you can find the PhysioRoom.com widget in
the middle column if you scroll down a bit. They aren't perfect but it's about as comprehensive a
resource as you can have in one place. One thing I don't know is if they follow the American
convention for the meanings of terms like "doubtful" (25% likely to play); "questionable" (50%
likely to play)
("How poorly Madrid are defending.")
Espanyol 0-3 Real Madrid
0-1 Granero, 39'
0-2 Guti, 77'
0-3 Ronaldo, 90'
This was a constant refrain from the Spanish language announcers and the theme of most of the
match, as the Merengues struggled to hold their nerve at the back, occasionally looking as porous
as SpongeBob Square Pants in defense.
