CL Preview: Wisla Krakow - Real Madrid
The Champions League proper awaits the winners of the preliminary round meeting of Wisla Krakow and Real Madrid. The nine-time winners travel to Poland to effectively commence their new season.
So the new season is upon us. Real Madrid wait a little longer to get their domestic campaign underway, but a visit to Poland on an August Wednesday is no pre-season friendly. The big time is back for the galacticos, and while it may be difficult to inspire oneself after Euro 2004, Figo, Zidane, Raul, and Beckham must rouse themselves for the tricky hurdle of Wisla Krakow in the Champions League preliminaries.
Background:
Had our heroes performed with even a modicum of decency in their last ten league games of last season they would find themselves elsewhere, in the Champions League proper, with the possibility of a more sedate opening to the new season. But such was the horrendous run of form in late spring under scapegoated coach Carlos Queiroz that Real crashed to fourth in la Liga and into the preliminary draw. Let’s make one thing clear before we go on: Queiroz is a coach who failed to inspire at the Bernabeu, but he was not solely responsible for the chaos that turned the galacticos into goofballs. When Queiroz asked for defensive reinforcements, Florentino Perez blustered and spoke of Pavones and Zidanes - his legendarily inept "policy" of buying the best and fishing for the best youth to plug the remaining gaps. Apparently, a defender could not be a galactico. What about Roberto Carlos, you say? He’s paid far less than the famous five of Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Raul, and Beckham. Iker Casillas too, a bastion of Madrid pride exposed by a non-existent defence is remunerated on a lower scale to the glamour boys. Should Patrick Viera sign, he is likely to fall short of the advert superstars in the pay packet stakes, though Michael Owen might earn a few more euro if his rumoured move comes to pass. Anyway, less of the money. It’s not as if these lads aren’t earning obscene amounts as it is. The point simply illustrates Perez’s grasp of value. Glamour, glamour, and, oh yes, glamour.
New coach Jose Antonio Camacho is not known for his glamour. Famous in latter days for a fetching line in perspiration-stained shirts, it is to be hoped that somebody advises him on the benefits of white shirts or dinner jackets prior to embarking on any lofted hand signals. Having said that, old Camacho was a fearsome full-back in his day, dogged and reliable. A previous coaching stint at the Bernabeu saw the uncompromising old dog walk out after three weeks. It remains to be seen if he can earn the respect and/or fear of his megastar dressingroon.
Wisla are Polish champions (not that everyone else in this competition is, eh, Mr Perez?), and have started the new Ektraklasa impressively with a 5-1 win over Leczna and a 4-0 thrashing of Polonia Warsaw.
Probable Teams:
Wisla Krakow: Majdan; Baszczynski, Glowacki, Klos, Mijailovic; Cantoro, Kukielka, Zienczuk, Gorawski; Zurawski, Frankowski.
Real Madrid: Casillas; Salgado, Roberto Carlos, Pavón, Walter Samuel; Helguera, Beckham; Zidane, Figo, Raúl; Ronaldo.
Players To Watch:
Frankowski (Wisla Krakow) Scoring for fun at the moment, and could find some gaps against more rarefied opposition if his confidence is up to it.
Samuel (Real Madrid) The big money capture from AS Roma has the daunting task of shoring up the sieve-like Madrid defence. What’s worse, President Perez actually thinks the Argentinian will do it all on his own. If ever a man needed a good start it is Samuel, but you can bet he’s praying for thre arrival of Viera before the week is out...
Source: goal.com
