Roque Santa Cruz's brace helped Manuel Pellegrini get the better of José Mourinho, who left Iker Casillas on the bench. Barcelona will take a 16-point lead into 2013
It's not only about the defeat. It's about leaving Iker Casillas on
the bench, it's about finishing the match with Sergio Ramos up front,
it's about wasting the dying minutes of the game hanging useless balls
into the box when it was plain to see that Madrid were far better with
the ball on the deck. That's all down to Mourinho. It's got nothing to
do with bad luck, with refereeing errors or with the poor state of the
playing surface. All issues, but minor issues. Yesterday, Mourinho not
only suffered a defeat on the pitch; he suffered a symbolic defeat. The
coach who struck down all around him with results now sees himself
crushed under the weight of damning figures. After 17 games, the
champions are 16 points off Barcelona and seven behind Atlético. Only
two ahead of Pellgrini's Málaga. All those numbers and statistics that
Mourinho loved as his collection of medals grew - well, I'm guessing he
doesn't like them quite so much right now, as he drones on about the
effort his players put in or their bad luck with Málaga's
counter-attacks. Excuses, excuses. Nobody's to blame. Happy Christmas to
one and all.
On last night's evidence, it certainly isn't all Casillas' fault. A man used to seeing his extravagant changes of personnel come up trumps (Callejón played at full-back again) and obsessed with exhibitions of his own power, Mourinho realised a long-held dream of dropping the captain of Real Madrid and Spain. But the only keeper Casillas fails to match up to is his in-form self. Yes, he's playing badly; but badly only in comparison to what we are used to seeing. Because there's nobody to touch him; Adán didn't do much wrong, but Madrid missed those miraculous saves that Iker has made his trademark.
Pellegrini came back to haunt Real as Málaga, at times a little sluggish in the first half, blew the visitors away in the second. Their first goal, a sweet strike from Isco, came from their first shot on goal. Yet what was most surprising was that Málaga beat Madrid at their own game: quick breaks into open space, end to end stuff, whirlwind football. Against such a backdrop, Martín Demichelis was a key figure for the home side, anticipating and blocking, dousing Madrid's firepower time after time. Only a bad bounce and a misplaced pass by Ignacio Camacho escaped his control.
Suddenly, the defending champions were being given a taste of their own medicine as Málaga found another dimension, circulating the ball swiftly from the defence to Joaquín, Javier Saviola or Isco. Just look at their second goal: an electric break from the back, finished off by Roque Santa Cruz, that bore all the hallmarks of Madrid in their pomp.
The Paraguayan added another after a back-heel by Joaquín. Karim Benzema's goal then gave Madrid hope, but it was too little too late. The belief has gone, as has the title. All that's left is a vain, erratic individual sitting on the bench.
Source : AS
On last night's evidence, it certainly isn't all Casillas' fault. A man used to seeing his extravagant changes of personnel come up trumps (Callejón played at full-back again) and obsessed with exhibitions of his own power, Mourinho realised a long-held dream of dropping the captain of Real Madrid and Spain. But the only keeper Casillas fails to match up to is his in-form self. Yes, he's playing badly; but badly only in comparison to what we are used to seeing. Because there's nobody to touch him; Adán didn't do much wrong, but Madrid missed those miraculous saves that Iker has made his trademark.
Pellegrini came back to haunt Real as Málaga, at times a little sluggish in the first half, blew the visitors away in the second. Their first goal, a sweet strike from Isco, came from their first shot on goal. Yet what was most surprising was that Málaga beat Madrid at their own game: quick breaks into open space, end to end stuff, whirlwind football. Against such a backdrop, Martín Demichelis was a key figure for the home side, anticipating and blocking, dousing Madrid's firepower time after time. Only a bad bounce and a misplaced pass by Ignacio Camacho escaped his control.
Suddenly, the defending champions were being given a taste of their own medicine as Málaga found another dimension, circulating the ball swiftly from the defence to Joaquín, Javier Saviola or Isco. Just look at their second goal: an electric break from the back, finished off by Roque Santa Cruz, that bore all the hallmarks of Madrid in their pomp.
The Paraguayan added another after a back-heel by Joaquín. Karim Benzema's goal then gave Madrid hope, but it was too little too late. The belief has gone, as has the title. All that's left is a vain, erratic individual sitting on the bench.
Source : AS
