Pellegrini walking a tightrope at Real

Real Madrid suffered a 4-0 away defeat to Spanish lower league side Alcorcon. They were without Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka but the result was still very embarrassing.

It was a poor defeat considering Real still had international footballers in their ranks. Any Real Madrid side that visits a side so far down the footballing pyramid should easily have enough to win comfortably.

Under fire

Chilean boss Manuel Pellegrini has been heavily criticised and some of the Spanish press has even called for him to be dismissed. I don’t think the former Villarreal boss can win at Real. If he fails to win every game at Real he’s branded a failure and if he does win trophies at the club then it will be put down to the amount of money spent on the team.

Pellegrini has one of the most difficult jobs in the world due to the big expectations and millions spent in the summer. His only previous managerial experience in Spain was with Villarreal. He did a fantastic job at the Yellow Submarine but Real Madrid are one of the biggest clubs in the world and it’s a completely different challenge.

There are rumours in the Spanish press that Real have successors lined. Former Getafe boss Michael Laudrup recently turned down the chance to takeover at Real’s rivals Atletico. It now appears that he was advised not to take the post as he could get the chance to become Real boss in the near future. Another who has been linked with the post is Luiz Felipe Scolari, who is currently coaching in Uzbekistan with Bunyodkor.

Not first choice

It’s been well documented in the Spain that Pellegrini was not the Real’s first choice for the post. The first choice for the position was Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman was seen as the big name appointment they needed to go with the big name players on the pitch. However the Professor decided to stay at the Emirates Stadium and try and inspire another generation of young players in north London.

Another name that was in the pot was current Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian opted for London instead of Madrid and may be glad he opted for Stamford Bridge. Ancelotti would have been a good choice for the position. He is a good tactician and Real are crying out for some tactical nous.

Unbalanced team

Real Madrid may have bought big in the summer with the signings of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka but what they wasn’t considering was the balance of side. The side have far too many players in midfield who simply don’t track back. Ronaldo and Kaka are fantastic footballers but when it comes to playing the game they know only one way to go and that’s forward.

Real tried to balance the team up slightly with the signing of Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso. Again Alonso is a good passer of the ball with good vision and works hard but he is not a player that you would regard as a midfield enforcer needed to cover for the other wayward midfielders.

The two Diarra’s Mahamadou and Lassana are good defensive foils but both players have been sacrificed for the glamorous attacking players. If Real are going to win the La Liga title and challenge for the Champions League trophy then they need to address this Achilles heel.

Another problem for Real is the fact that Pellegrini is playing full-backs Marcelo and Sergio Ramos almost as wing-backs. Against the better teams these frailties will become more apparent. An example of this was Real’s 2-0 defeat at Sevilla. Marcelo is a decent player but it’s obvious that he just isn’t a left-back, not even in the Brazilian sense of the world.

No worries for Pellegrini

I don’t think Pellegrini will have to worry about Real’s problems for much longer as I think he will leave the club in the coming weeks. It’s a sad sign of the times that a coach gets such little time in a job, but that’s the sad reality of modern football and a football giant like Real Madrid.