Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Mark Lawrenson: Madrid Just Not The Real Deal Anymore


First thing's first - a prediction. There is no way Real Madrid can be as poor tonight as they were in the Bernabeu.

But here's another prediction - they still won't have enough to stop Liverpool progressing to another Champions League quarter-final at Anfield tonight.

Often in Europe you play a team and by the time the second leg comes round the same opponents are unrecognisable.

And after the awful performance they put in at their own place, Real are going to have be that way to stand any chance of overturning the one-goal deficit Liverpool hold.

Let's face it, if they'd played like that for three weeks at the Bernabeu, we'd still be waiting for them to score.

I can only see them improving for the second leg, so Liverpool will have to make sure they respond with an away goal of their own. That will obviously be the key to seeing out the tie.

But I honestly believe that this current Real Madrid are Real Madrid in name only - and not the European superpower that it suggests.

Back in the days of Zidane, Ronaldo and Figo, you'd back them all day long to get the away goals they need.

One good spell was all it used to take and they could score two or three goals to kill you off in an instant.

The current Madrid side just can't live up to that and their recent Champions League record proves it.

In fact, if Liverpool, driven on by the great backing they always get at Anfield on these nights, can get in amongst them and swarm them in midfield, I can't see a way back.

I can only see them caving in.

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