Cristiano Ronaldo hits out at loss of Angel di Maria and Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid star claims he would have 'done things differently' during summer transfer window
- Cristiano Ronaldo claims he 'would have done things differently' had he been in charge of Real Madrid
- Madrid star hits out at loss of Angel di Maria and Xabi Alonso
- Ronaldo remains confident 'all will go well' under guidance Carlo Ancelotti
There was no transfer bombshell on deadline day at Real Madrid so Cristiano Ronaldo took it upon himself to send a few shockwaves through the club with a damning indictment of its transfer policy.
‘If I was in charge, maybe I would have done things differently’ he said at the Jarama racing circuit in Madrid on Monday fresh from a publicity shoot for watch makers Tag Heuer with Jenson Button.
What did he mean by ‘doing things differently’? Did he mean he would not have allowed Angel Di Maria – Real Madrid’s top assist provider last season to leave?
VIDEO Scroll down for Ronaldo: Falcao and Di Maria excellent players for United
Damning: Cristiano Ronaldo claims he would do things differently if he were in charge at Real Madrid
Did he mean he would not have sold the team’s hugely experienced midfield fulcrum Xabi Alonso to a direct Champions League rival in Bayern Munich before new man Toni Kroos was properly bedded-in?
Did he mean would not have bought a Manchester United reserve team striker in Javier Hernandez in the name of providing competition for Real Madrid’s only out and out centre-forward, Karim Benzema?
Did he mean he would not have left Benzema as the club’s only centre-forward by selling Alvaro Morata to Juventus?
Upset? Ronaldo has seen Madrid's top assist provider Angel di Maria leave for Manchester United
Did he mean he would have moved on Sami Khedira who only has a year left on his contract or Alvaro Arbeloa who has fallen out with captain Iker Casillas as well as out of both the Spain and Real Madrid team?
Or was he just referring to the failure to bring the prolific Radamel Falcao to the club on loan; an option subsequently taken up by Manchester United, after Madrid repeatedly turned down the offer.
Ronaldo was vague. He also added: 'I have a very clear opinions but I can’t always say what I think’. He had said enough.
Sign here, please: Di Maria signed for United in a £60million British record fee move
Real Madrid started the month of August so well. They had signed three of the best performers from the last World Cup in Kroos, James Rodriguez and Keylor Navas and won the European Super Cup against Sevilla fielding the most expensive team in history. What could possibly go wrong?
Watching them collapse against Real Sociedad at the weekend albeit without Ronaldo has sounded alarm bells however. It was not just the tactical chaos – that might be expected after so many comings and goings; it was more the attitude questioned by Iker Casillas in his post match interview.
He spoke about the weight of the Madrid crest on the shirts and how it needed to be respected with performances worthy of it.
Red: Madrid have also missed out on Radamel Falcao, who signed for United on Monday
For Ancelotti it’s a case of back to the drawing board. The team he built to win the club’s 10th European Cup has been ripped up. Two-thirds of the Alonso, Modric, Di Maria midfield is gone.
The Argentine was vital on the left of the middle three in the 4-3-3 system because he could protect the left-back (be it Marcelo or Fabio Coentrao) when their natural attacking tendencies left them exposed. Modric did the same on the right hand side because Carvajal, like Marcelo and Coentrao needs protecting.
On Sunday against Real Sociedad James was left shielding Carvajal and the result was freeway of opportunity down Madrid’s right-hand side that Sociedad made the most of in their four goal comeback.
VIDEO Game of two halves - Ancelotti
Bad start: Carlo Ancelotti's (right) side were beaten 4-2 by Real Sociedad on Sunday
Defensively the squad is untouched despite it not being too difficult to make a case for that group of four full-backs Marcelo, Arbeloa, Fabio Contrao and Carvajal needing to be freshened up.
The decision not to sign Falcao was explained away by an interest in protecting Benzema who has just been given a new deal and according to general wisdom at the club, ‘performs better when not in danger of losing his place’.
There was a feeling that Falcao would take his place and would also not dovetail so nicely with Bale and Ronaldo. It’s a decent argument – Benzema is happy to make those runs away from goal that open up space for Bale and Ronaldo that Falcao simply does not make.
Step back? The Champions League winners signed Javier Hernandez (above) on transfer deadline day
You're driving: Ronaldo was speaking at a TAG Heuer event where he appeared alongside Jenson Button
Falcao relies on crosses that Bale and Ronaldo tend not to make –both like to come inside and shoot off their stronger foot rather than go on the outside and offer an assist. All that being the case why then buy a player who also relies on a six-yard-box service?
Javier Hernandez is not quite Julien Faubert loaned to Madrid from West Ham in 2009 but he comes close in terms of strange unexpected signings.
He may well score goals coming off the bench against weaker La Liga opposition and Khedira may well find the motivation in his final year to do Di Maria’s midfield running. That would enable Ancelotti to sort out the expensive mess. An expensive mess is after preferable to a cheap mess.
But don’t expect the small fact that he won the Champions League just over 100 days ago to give him much of a grace period if he doesn’t get it right quickly. The pressure, after an at first impressive but ultimately questionable transfer window, is most definitely on.
Speed demon: Ronaldo believes United have done well to land Radamel Falcao
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