Football staff picks

Time to Justify their Massive Wages

Wednesday, 10 March 2010 - Andrew Dentinger

Real Madrid will attempt to repeat their comeback heroics from the weekend, as they host the French powerhouse Lyon on Wednesday. Lyon confidently enter the second leg after securing a slight advantage in the tie with a one goal home victory. The French side enjoyed the better play in last month’s encounter and were unlucky not to add another tally. Yet, despite only converting one of their eighteen shots, Lyon maintained a clean sheet and the performance of keeper Hugo Lloris was pleasing to any Lyon supporter.  

Madrid, notoriously poor in the Champions League in recent years, exhibited a fitting lackluster display in the first leg. Judging from that performance, their collection of superstars look vastly overpriced but most importantly out of sync. Chilean manager Manuel Pellegrini now must combat the burden of pressure, for he knows if Madrid fail to conjure a victory, he faces certain acute criticism.  

The Spanish giants enter the game high in morale, atop La Liga. After 52 minutes of play on Saturday, they trailed Sevilla by two, but were able to muster a 3-2 victory on the strength of Rafael Van dar Vaart’s memorable extra time winner. Madrid have won seven of their last eight matches, the only loss attributed to Lyon. 

Lyon endured much criticism after a pedestrian performance at the weekend. They were held to a scoreless draw against Boulogne, a team fighting out the French relegation battle. Despite this unwanted result, their recent domestic form has been stellar, with six wins and two draws from their last eight.  

In Europe, Lyon have played well and finished second in the highly competitive Group E. They have won five of their seven matches, with impressive triumphs over Liverpool, Fiorentina and of course Madrid.  

For Real Madrid, winning the Champions League is in high demand around the Bernabeu, especially considering that their loathsome rivals Barcelona currently hold the title. Madrid amassed thirteen points in group play, denying AC Milan of a top seed and eliminating Marseille. 

The second generation Galacticos will be without midfield ace Xavi Alonso and preferred left-back Marcelo, both of whom are obliged to serve suspensions. While the lost of Alonso would hurt almost any side, Madrid should cope with their plethora of offensive talent. Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored Madrid opening goal on the weekend, has six goals in four European games this year. He will be supported by the masterful Brazilian Kaka, who looks to provide service to Gonzalo Higuain, a lethal striker who will be motivated by the incentive of a spot on Argentina’s competitive world cup roster.  

Former Lyon man Karim Benzema will be the subject of a late fitness test and most likely will be on the bench if he plays. Dutch holding midfield Roy Drenthe is a doubt, while defensively, the loss of Marcelo means Spaniard Alvaro Arbeloa will probably start.  

Lyon manager Claude Puel also has injuries concerns. Brazilian Michel Bastos will miss out on the match with a strained muscle. And although top scorer Lisando Lopez nurses a foot injury, he is expected to grit it out. The same policy applies with left back Aly Cissokho, whose ankle is not a hundred percent. 

Worse than these concerns, Puel must determine Lyon’s tactics. Lyon either will have to risk conceding their lead for the crucial away goal or expect to complete the monumental task of holding Madrid scoreless for 180 minutes.  

If Lyon does score, Madrid must score three times to advance, while a one nil Madrid victory sends the game to extra time. 

The superstars of Real Madrid were bought ideally for this situation and it is time for them to justify their massive wages. Lyon recognizes this and will be hoping to frustrate Madrid by adhering to a firm defensive organization in the first half. 

Yet as the game goes on, Madrid will evoke the fighting spirit shown in the weekend and their quality should prevail.  

After a five year hiatus, Madrid should book a spot in the quarterfinals. Real Madrid 2 Lyon 0