No. 28--Soccer: Real Madrid vs. Zaragoza—Spanish Soccer: Mistakes made by Both Teams

By Soccer Coach Albert M. Luongo

The game was played between Real Madrid and Real Zaragoza on January 6, 2008 with final score Real Madrid 2, Zaragoza 0. There were many tactical errors that in my opinion, should have been far less for teams in the Primera Liga

1. Goalkeeping. While Zaragoza had many shots on goal during the entire game, Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Castillas managed to stop each one of them. The same situation held true for Zaragoza’s goalkeeper Vallejo, but two balls got past him. Not being able to count on their defenders to screen shots on goal required both goalkeepers to be quite effective and at times flamboyant. However, with these great saves come risks. The risks come about when not mustering defenders to protect the goal--sooner or later the ball will go into the back of the net, even though this did not happen that day for Real Madrid. Near the end of the match, I must say however, that Real Madrid’s midfield players helped Castillas in the defense around the goal.

Other errors.
2. At least 4 kicked shots on goal in the first half were shots to the moon such as at the 36 minute mark by Zaragoza’s Celades and another at 39 minutes by another team member. For Real Madrid, Marcelo’s shots at 29 and 44 minutes were high over the goal. There were also others during this match.
3. The passes from both sides often were in error as the ball was intercepted quite frequently.
4. Many passes were long and in the air that contributed to the interceptions.
5. Dribbling into opponents directly and losing the ball is inexcusable.
6. Zaragoza seemed to slow down in the last half indicating that their stamina was less than desired for their players to be competitive.
7. The game became quite rough during the second half, while the referee overlooked some fouls quite often.

The goals for Real Madrid were scored by Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s header from a nice cross by Robinho at 65 minutes with no chance for the goalkeeper to save this shot. The other goal came from Robinho (by himself) at the 76th minute. His speed enabled him to dribble the ball unimpeded towards the goal while two of Zaragoza’s defenders gave chase.

Advice to young players and coaches
1. Goalkeepers must take command of their defense. They should call back players to defend the goal and instruct them where to play during attacks.
2. Shots on goal: One of the easiest things to do when attempting to score under pressure is to kick the ball very high over the goal. This error can be lessened if getting over the ball prior to the kick is practiced beforehand.
3. Care in passing should take place and not done in a panic. If necessary, turn around and shield the ball while looking for an open player. Passes should not be to players that are closely marked. This does not apply for crosses.
4. Passes should be on the ground whenever possible and to open players.
5. Shielding the ball instead of trying to dribble through defending opponents is preferred.
6. Endurance training is a must before and during soccer training.
7. Kicking-fouls and other violent fouls can cause ejection from the game thus reducing your team’s chances from winning. Make tackles directly to the ball and not to the legs.

All of the above information is the author's opinion. This article in no way is meant to degrade, discredit or defame any team or person. Its sole purpose is to improve the skills of young soccer players, coaches and the game itself.