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Malaga midfielder and former team mate of Isco, Juanmi, has hit out at his friend’s treatment at the La Liga giants after he was dropped to the bench.

Isco had put in some sparkling performances this campaign while covering the absences of a host of stars, including James Rodriguez, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale. But with Carlo Ancelotti able to pick his favoured starting 11 once more, Isco has found himself on the subs bench in recent games.

The midfielder, who joined from Malaga in the summer of 2013 found his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu tough going – a combination of being unfamiliar with Ancelotti’s 4-3-3 tactics and perhaps weighed down by the huge price tag the club had shelled out for him.

But this season, he had looked much more comfortable and has become a favourite among Madridistas. Despite being linked with a move away to get regular first team football, Isco says he is happy at Los Blancos and no intention of leaving.

Ahead of the game on Saturday evening, Juanmi was asked about his former room mate’s situation.

And he said: “Isco has things very clear. He’s shown what a footballer he is and he’s going to have his place in the side. If it was up to me, I would never leave Isco on the bench! Not even on the PlayStation.”

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Real Madrid - Malaga - La Liga 36

Real Madrid take on Malaga this evening in an important game if Los Blancos are to maintain their title push.

Should Barcelona slip up at home to fourth-place Valencia, Carlo Ancelotti’s men could regain the lead at the top of the table, which is why, despite having one eye on the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Atletico de Madrid on Wednesday, the Italian will play his strongest team possible.

He could be without the services of Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, who are both carrying knocks from Tuesday’s encounter with Diego Simeone’s side. That could mean a return to the starting line up for Isco against his old club. Javier Hernandez, who grabbed a goal last weekend for Real, could come into the side to replace the France forward too.

The visitors come into the game on a four-game winless run. They have not won in the league at the Santiago Bernabeu in their previous 13 attempts, drawing just two of those. The Andalucian side will be without Welington, who is suspended having picked up his 10th yellow card of the campaign last weekend against Atletico.

Probable starting line-ups:
Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo; Modric, Kroos, Isco; Ronaldo, Hernandez, Bale
Malaga: Kameni; Rosales, Sanchez, Miguel Torres, Boka; Darder, Recio; Samuel, Amrabat, Castillejo; Juanmi

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Porto boss Julen Lopetegui will be considered for the Real Madrid job should Carlo Ancelotti leave at the end of the season, reports have claimed.

Madrid-based daily AS claim the Lopetegui has impressed the Real hierarchy with his management style and the type of football his teams plays. And Florentino will have noted the impressive 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie this week.

For now, Ancelotti is due to remain in charge next season, although when pressed on plans for the new campaign, neither the Italian nor Perez have been particularly convincing about the future.

It is believed that much depends on the outcome of Real’s adventures in La Liga and Champions League this year. Should they fail to win either of those competitions, Ancelotti would find it a struggle to keep his job.

Lopetegui is already known to Real having coached the Real Madrid Castilla team in 2008-09, and he also has experience of managing the Spain youth teams at various age levels.

If Ancelotti were to leave after two years in charge, there would be much competition in the race to fill his shoes. Zinedine ZIdane is thought by many to be being groomed for the top job, while Jurgen Klopp has entered the frame after announcing he will leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season.

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A report on Spanish television station La Sexta has claimed Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has agreed to join Real Madrid.

Journalist Josep Pedrerol said the former Atletico de Madrid man wants to return to the Spanish capital and replace Iker Casillas as the number one at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 24-year-old has been one of the star performers at Old Trafford under Loius Van Gaal this season, but much speculation has been in the press for many months. The shot stopper’s girlfriend also added fuel to the fire by criticising Manchester in an interview, saying she was only there because de Gea played for the Red Devils.

Pederol said: “David De Gea has said yes to Madrid. The Manchester United goalkeeper wants to wear the white of Real Madrid from next season. The club considered many options for the goalkeeping situation but have decided on De Gea. And he is clear, he wants to be the Real Madrid goalkeeper.”

De Gea, who has broken into the Spanish squad in recent months, has been shortlisted for the PFA Player and Young Player of the Year award after some outstanding displays that have lifted United back into contention in the league as they look set to return to the Champions League next season.

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The Collins Column

Many Real Madrid fans may have sat up to take notice at the news this week that Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp will leave the German side at the end of the season after seven largely successful years.

The 44-year-old is one of the most highly-rated managers in world football at the moment, and his decision to leave the 2013 Champions League finalists will prompt Europe’s bigger clubs to decide whether to stick with their current bosses or make a move for the German.

On the surface, none of Europe’s giants will be looking for a new manager in the summer. Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal are all highly unlikely to get rid of their current managers. That leaves Manchester City as the only other leading club in the Premier League – Klopp’s preferred destination – as a possibility in England. Manuel Pellegrini is walking on very thin ice, but Klopp has stated in the past that he doesn’t agree with the big-spending philosophy at the club, and the CItizens have gone on record saying they have ‘no interest’ in him.

As well as it being a hugely controversial move, a switch to Bayern Munich is unlikely to happen as the Bavarians are happy with the work being done by Pep Guardiola. And a move to Italy or France seems unlikely for Klopp.

One other major European league remains then. La Liga. Luis Enrique has guided his team to 20 win in the past 22 games and has Barcelona back to their best form after a slow start to the campaign by their standards. Diego Simeone has just signed a new deal with Atletico until 2020.

Just Real Madrid remain then in Europe’s elite. Could Klopp be Bernabeu bound?

Less than 12 months after guiding the club to La Decima, rumours have surfaced about Carlo Ancelotti’s future. He won four trophies in the first 14 months of his reign, and earlier this season oversaw a 22-game winning run. But the team’s poor form since the turn of the year in which they were eliminated from the Copa del Rey, let go of their lead in La Liga, and were comfortably beaten by Atletico and Barcelona in the league have prompted doubts about the Italian’s future with Los Blancos.

When asked about plans for next season, neither Ancelotti or president Florentino Perez have been convincing that the former AC Milan, PSG and Chelsea boss will be in the dugout. The Real job is notoriously tough – the eight managers prior to Jose Mourinho all lasted less than 18 months – and with criticism growing in the media, and a fickle fanbase, Ancelotti may decide enough is enough.

Madrid seemingly had in place a smooth transition though for Ancelotti’s eventually departure. Zinedine Zidane would step up.

The Frenchman, a favourite of Perez, was parachuted into the assistant role last season to work alongside Ancelotti. And with Real Madrid Castilla having been relegated from Segunda B to the Tercera, Perez gave him the relatively straightforward task of getting Madrid’s reserve team promoted at the first time of asking. He even risked the wrath of the authorities as Zidane didn’t hold the correct coaching badges, according to the Spanish FA.

But a slow start to the campaign and a poor run recently have left the side eight points adrift of the league leaders and down in fifth place. It’s not been the most convincing start to a managerial reign for the former mercurial attacking midfielder.

Should the club fail to win the Champions League or La Liga, Ancelotti’s position will come under even great scrutiny. That, combined with Zidane’s inauspicious start to managerial life, could make Perez asses his options. And turn his attention to Klopp…

 

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Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid

Carlo Ancelotti says he will field his strongest team possible against Malaga despite the second leg of the Champions League quarter final looming large.

Los Blancos are still in the hunt for La Liga and could return to the top of the table if results go their way tomorrow afternoon.

And the Italian said with the team relying on Barcelona to slip up, his must keep fielding his strongest teams as they attempt to win every game between now and the end of the campaign.

Speaking to reporters on Friday morning, Ancelotti said: “We rely on Barcelona. We have to think that Malaga played well against Atletico and won at Camp Nou.

“It’s normal if this Saturday the team thinks about Wednesday [when Atletico visit Santiago Bernabeu]. It’s more difficult to prepare for the game on Saturday than the one on Wednesday. I won’t rotate. The team will be the best possible one.”

When asked whether a changed in formation had brought about the poor run of results between January and March, Ancelotti responded saying it was probably down to tiredness, as the team was playing every three days for a long time with no real break.

He stated: “The 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 debate doesn’t bother me. The fact is the system is only the placement of players on the field. We never have four defenders when we attack, we only have two. The two full-backs are much further forward. That means we don’t attack with 4-3-3 but with 2-5-3. You see the system in the defensive phase.

“I believe we came to the end of the year in very good shape. We won the Club World Cup and we had 22 straight wins. After the holidays, in January, we didn’t have a lot of games after we were knocked out of the Copa del Rey. This team is used to play every three days and that caused problems.”

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Gareth Bale has once again been the target of abuse from a small number of Real Madrid ‘fans’, who waited for him to emerge from the training ground after Tuesday’s Champions League stalemate to yell abuse at him.

Los Blancos drew 0-0 at the Vicente Calderon in the first leg of their quarter-final tie and Bale was guilty of missing a one-on-one early one. He wasn’t the only one to miss a chance to give the holders a first-leg lead though, as Carlo Ancelotti’s men forced home goalkeeper Jan Oblak into making six saves in the first half alone.

But the feckless fans, jumping on the bandwagon created by the contradictory press in the Spanish capital, decided it was best to single out Bale for his performance. As he left Valdebebas, the ‘supporters’, who presumably celebrated wildly when Bale scored the winner in the Copa del Rey final and scored the second goal in the Champions League final, shouted at him telling him to run more.

It is the second time in the past month that the Welshman has been the target of abuse from his own fans. Following the side’s defeat to Barcelona in the Clasico in March, two ‘supporters’ waiting at the training ground and hurled insults at the forward, and even kicked his car at one point.

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Real Madrid are seriously considering launching a bid for Lazio’s midfielder Lucas Biglia, Italian website Calciomercato has claimed.

The Argentina international was first linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu last summer, when the player’s agent Enzo Montepaone revealed he was in talks with Los Blancos.

However, Los Merengues never made an official offer and Biglia stayed in Rome. He has kept improving his game this season, making 28 appearances and scoring four goals.

With Sami Khedira set to leave Madrid this summer and Los Blancos also considering Asier Illarramendi’s exit, Carlo Ancelotti might in need of a holding midfielder for next season.

Lucas Silva arrived in January to reinforce that position, but he needs time to adapt to European football and might even leave on loan next season.

Thus, Casemiro, who is now on loan at Porto but will return on the summer, could be the only holding midfielder in the squad and Ancelotti would need at least one more.

Biglia would be a perfect fit, since he’s got great experience and would adapt to a secondary role. The 29-year-old has always shown his admiration for Real Madrid and would be very interested in joining the European champions.

In his interest is really strong, Florentino Perez will have to move fast because Paris Saint-Germain are also pursuing Biglia’s signing.

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Real Madrid legend Emilio Butragueno has the team should ave beaten Atletico de Madrid on Tuesday night and hopes they do not live to regret their wastefulness in front of goal.

The city rivals drew 0-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter final tie at the Vicente Calderon, extending Real’s winless run against Los Colchoneros to seven games. But the holders of the trophy had the better of the chances on the night, but found the home goalkeeper, Jan Oblak, in superb form to deny them any vital away goals.

Speaking to Madrid-based sports daily, AS, Butragueno, who has had various roles at the club down the years including player and sporting director, said he hopes the player’s can be more ruthless in the return leg next week.

He stated: “We had a brilliant first half. But we did not obtain the result we wanted because Oblak was great. The second half was more even and creating chances took it out of us. We have wasted a good opportunity because we weren’t able to cash in on our first 45 minutes.

“We came with the idea to score and to win but now we’re playing in our stadium and the support of our fans is fundemental. We’re at home and we have to win. We are the champions and we want to defend our title.”

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Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima is still though of as one of the best players ever to grace the beautiful game. He won the FIFA World Player of the Year three times and the Ballon d’Or twice – an award he tipped Cristiano Ronaldo to win this year. He also became a Real Madrid legend during his stint at the club between 2002-2007 where he won a slew of honours.

However, as we all know, unfortunately he succumbed to a string of knee injuries and eventually retired in 2011 playing his final game for Brazilian side Corinthians. Upon retirement, it was unclear what would be the next move for the Brazilian ace.

He had many flirtations with coaching and coming out of retirement – most recently a rumour circulated about Ronaldo playing again in the United States for Lauderdale Strikers as reported by the Independent. Although it is now reported that the 38-year-old will not play for the second division side, he is now a part owner of the team.

It’s clear that Ronaldo is definitely keeping himself active, albeit it for his portly appearance. Another story that recently hit the news is his forays into professional poker, a sport that Ronaldo has never been shy of hiding his affection for.

In January 2015, Ronaldo featured in the Caribbean Adventure Main Event in the Bahamas, which featured some of the world’s best poker players from across the world. The televised event had a 1st prize of $1.4 million.

Ronaldo has been a long advocate of playing in charity events where he’s played alongside Barcelona defender Gerard Pique and tennis great Rafael Nadal as well as many other sports stars. But his inroads into the professional ranks have been lauded by his peers. In the aforementioned Caribbean event, Ronaldo ended up finishing in 26th place in a field consisting of over 800 players. When you break down the numbers, it means that he managed to finish in the top 4% – an impressing feat for an amateur player.

Spanish golfer, Sergio Garcia featured in last year’s Caribbean tournament, however Ronaldo outperformed him finishing 26 places higher than him this year. And Ronaldo couldn’t hide his joy of finishing so impressively, as he told The Daily Mail: “I’m really excited, it’s the same emotion I used to have at the soccer fields playing at the highest level.”

Seeing retired, or even active sports stars from different disciplines succeed in poker isn’t by any stretch of the imagination new. Due to poker and casino gaming being readily available online nowadays, many people are able to live out their dreams online and practice honing their skills for “more personal competitive competition.” Online casino portals saw their inception when Cryptologic brought the far-reaching InterCasino online which changed the face of online gaming forever.

Now ex-pros like Ronaldo, Giazka Mendieta, Teddy Sheringham and Tony Cascarino all ply their trade on the world poker circuit making a modest living because of the basis that online poker gave them to develop their skillset.

With a hectic schedule of television commitments, his new alligance with Lauderdale Strikers and his many ambassadorial roles, its unsure how often Ronaldo will feature in the poker season. However, after recent polished performances it’ll be interesting to see how far he can go in the sport after pretty much accomplishing everything in the world of football.

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