Real's (Potentially) Real Problem

There will be few unhappy Madrileños to be found following Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw against Champions League group rivals AC Milan Wednesday night at the San Siro. The result, which ensured Los Merengues’ progression to the knockout stages of European football’s elite tournament for the eighth straight year, surely induced a feeling of both comfort and relief among its supporters, no matter how mundane or tedious some believe the preliminary round has become. Like Chelsea and Bayern Munich, who also punched their tickets to the knockout rounds this week, Real Madrid are headed to the last sixteen of the Champions League once again, and that’s all that matters.

However, though Real boast an unbeaten record in all competitions this season, sit atop La Liga and Group D of the UCL, and have the ability to terrorize opposing defenses and goalkeepers seemingly at the flip of a switch, Wednesday night’s clash at the Giuseppe Meazza suggested that Europe’s most successful club still has a lot of work to do if they hope to conquer the continent by season’s end.

Take for example Filippo Inzaghi’s first goal that evened the score at one in the 68th minute. A lofted pass intended for Zlatan Ibrahimović turned into a botched clearance by Pepe that freed the Swede down the left wing and enabled him to deliver a cross into the box—muffed uncharacteristically by Iker Casillas—that the evergreen Inzaghi duly headed into the back of the net.

But it wasn’t just the Portuguese defender’s slipup that assisted in Milan’s equalizer. In fact, it was only one of a handful of defensive miscues by the Madrid backline, though Real’s starting right center back will bear the brunt of the blame for his farcical flop. But even footballers are fallible beings, so Pepe can be excused this time for his unfortunate gaffe.

There is, however, no kind of justification whatsoever for the remaining two culprits, Casillas notwithstanding. Right back Sergio Ramos was nowhere to be found on the flank after Ibrahimović disposed of Pepe, and then could be seen trailing after the Swedish international before he delivered his cross. And left back Marcelo could be seen falling behind Inzaghi in similar fashion before the 37-year-old forward notched his first goal of the evening.

But so what? That’s just one goal. A one-time thing on this night. Or so Real supporters may have thought.

Inzaghi struck again just ten minutes later to become Europe’s most prolific scorer in history (fittingly tied now with Real legend Raúl) with 70 goals on the continent, and exposed even more flaws in Real’s defensive foundation. To be fair, the Italian may have been offside when he received the oncoming chip over Marcelo’s head, but does that excuse the Brazilian left back for ball-watching? Inzaghi received the floating orb with aplomb, and then deftly put it past Casillas for the second time, with Ricardo Carvalho half-a-step behind him. Milan 2 Real 1.

We know the rest of the story. Manager José Mourinho’s ingenuity ultimately prevailed when he brought on out of favor striker Karim Benzema for Gonzalo Higuaín, and then new boy Pedro León. Moments into stoppage time the former fed the latter with an exquisite pass that the former Getafe star put through Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati’s wickets and all lapses were suddenly forgotten. The Special One then celebrated lavishly, as only he knows how, running jubilantly down the sideline to laud his goal-scorer as his club made certain they would be playing European football come February.

But for Real Madrid, at least in recent years, European football in February has proven to be the club’s Kryptonite. For the last six years, Los Blancos have failed to advance beyond the last sixteen, and haven’t made the semifinals since the current format began in 2003. Yes, they have the best player in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo, and yes, they have one of the best supporting cast of attackers in Higuaín, Ángel di María, and Mesut Özil, and yes, they have Mourinho. So yes, this season might be different.

Yet, all of that, no matter how daunting and powerful collectively it may be still might not be enough to paper over the cracks of what remains a faulty and sometimes too offensive-minded back four.

At Inter, Mourinho molded his backline into an impregnable barrier that the manager, club, and its fans owe for their capturing of Champions League glory last May. This season at Real, his objective will be to recreate that impenetrable defense, but with inferior talent. Sergio Ramos is no Maicon, just as Pepe is no Lúcio. And Javier Zanetti’s defensive prowess makes Marcelo’s look U-12-esque. And as the competition grows stiffer, Real will be unable to rely as heavily as they have on their explosive attacking game, and more to the point, they will have to defend against better clubs. It will all depend on the draw, of course, but just think if Real were to be pegged against Tottenham, for instance. If Gareth Bale can make Maicon look silly, just imagine what he’d be able to do against Ramos.

We must remember that the 2-2 draw against Milan was only one game, and that may not be enough to raise concern for future fixtures. However, if Real fails to progress past the first round of the knockout stages once again, we may find that Wednesday night’s clash was a subtle preview of things to come for Mourinho’s men in white. Again, the design is there for the world’s greatest manager, it’s just whether or not the architect has the proper materials at his disposal.