No need to worry – Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t going to be out for long, or at all, despite picking up a bruise during the 5-o win over Almeria. Like anything that has to do with the most famous footballer in the world, even the slightest of injuries has to become one huge display of drama and tragedy. Meanwhile, not playing with Sami Khedira has had some pleasing affects so far.
It means more Xabi Alonso and Asier Illarramendi playing together, the preferred duo for Ancelotti in the middle of the field if he knows what’s good for him. It might not have the physical strength and stamina provided by Khedira, or his ability to play outside the position if necessary. However, in terms of pure talent and footballing intelligence, this is the way to go.
It was pleasing to Isco on the pitch and not Luka Modric, although against Almeria, with Ronaldo getting on the scoresheet after only three minutes, it probably doesn’t really matter. While incredible and amazing, one can’t help but wonder if Ronaldo’s recent rise once again up the pollsters charts when it comes to the best in the world has to do with Gareth Bale coming to grips with his new role on his new team.
Fact, more or less – it’s almost impossible to cover both of them at the same time. Physical phenoms, Bale and Ronaldo pose a huge problem to almost any team Real Madrid faces, as long as Ancelotti doesn’t mess up his tactics like he did against Barcelona. But you learn from mistakes, and next time, at the Santiago Bernabeu, hopefully with a margin that’s less than six points from the league leaders, he’ll get it right.
Real Madrid still have issues and problems. Even in 5-0 wins, you look at the very long period between the first goal (3rd minute) and Karim Benzema putting in the second (61st). It might sound a bit arrogant, but Real Madrid shouldn’t really be held scoreless for this long against Almeria, especially after scoring right off the bat. Not that Almeria really made life difficult for Diego Lopez during that time, except for one or two Suso efforts from long range, and yet a little bit more patience from Real Madrid instead of mindlessly shooting at goal from every chance they had without working on improving it didn’t really work out until the pressure was too much to handle.
Ronaldo might be given a rest in the Champions League, although his ego and hunger for goals (35 on his last 25 appearances) might force Ancelotti’s hand to use him again during the midweek. It’s never bad to be slightly cautious, even if it’s someone who rarely gets injured or shows any sign of pain that’s actually real and not the faking of an injury. The signs of worry on everyone’s faces when Ronaldo asked to leave the pitch after holding his knee on the ground showed that this team doesn’t realize what to do without him, and how the whole deck of cards will fall apart if something actually happens to him.