Have James Rodriguez And Luiz Suarez Committed A Fatal Error In Judgement?

The latest acquisitions of Real Madrid and Barcelona are two world beaters and may also offer the clubs a luxury beyond Ronaldo and Messi. But is this the best move for the players’ interest?.

Letai??i??s just face it. Some are born more equal than others. Thereai??i??s no other logically comprehensible explanation for the nearly unfair supremacy that Real Madrid and Barcelona enjoy over the rest of the pack ai??i?? at least when it comes to acquiring the best of talents. Yes, the recent market trends are testimony to the emergence of several alternate powerhouses. Surely the Bayerns, the Chelseas, the Manchester Citys, and the PSGs are hardly immune to the wrath of the rest of the world. But the ridiculous audacity with which the two Spanish giants continue to reassure us that itai??i??s an unfair world and that Financial Fair Play is the biggest myth since Bermuda Triangle is getting a little too amusing for anybody’s liking now.

For every Ronaldo, thereai??i??s an Ibrahimovic. For every David Villa and Javier Mascherano, thereai??i??s a Mesut Ozil and a Sami Khedira. You buy Bale, we buy Neymar. You sign Suarez. Weai??i??ve got James. The transfer policies of the two clubs have been irrationally methodical for the past few seasons and this unreasonable obsession of corresponding the otherai??i??s splurge with an equally desperate show of opulence surely warrants the football worldai??i??s concern.

The most certain resultant events of these transfers that people find hard to reason with is the untimely departure of a large chunk of hugely talented players acquired by the clubs in a not so distant past. Not only do the two clubs fail to do justice to their potential while theyai??i??re there, the series of transfers often act as a roadblock in their development and potentially unsettles their progressive career. Nuri Sahin, Alexis Sanchez, Jose Callejon, Dmytro Chygrynskiy have all struggled to find their feet after their overwhelmingly exciting transfers and quite predictably, have found home elsewhere. Some of the more established football stars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Villa, Mesut Ozil and Barcelonaai??i??s ai???very ownai??i?? Cesc Fabregas too have failed to feature as exceptions to the trend.

Most recently, in their customary big name acquisitions, Real Madrid and Barcelona have secured the signatures of James Rodriguez and Luis Suarez respectively. Two highly talented South Americans you can put your money on to play for your life will add to the spice of a supremely intense rivalry that takes its footballing shape in the form of an El Clasico fixture. Needless to say, most footballers ai??i?? particularly those from the Latin America savour the dream of playing in a game of highest honour and relevance and their aspirations thus, to play for the two herculean Spanish clubs stand explained.

But the consequent events that these transfers bring along are nearly inevitable in the current scenario. Alexis Sanchezai??i??s departure to Arsenal was a compulsion to accommodate Suarez tactically as well as to fund a part of the humongous paycheque handed over to Liverpool. Not that Barcelona would care to admit, but itai??i??s no rocket science after all. Similarly, there are strong rumours of Angel Di Maria almost certainly being on his way out for James Rodriquez to fit in ai???seamlesslyai??i?? and after the fate of Mesut Ozil last season at the signing of Gareth Bale, Di Maria hardly looks safe ai??i?? this after an almost unanimous opinion of the Argentine being one of the best performers for Real Madrid last season and playing the best game of his life to secure the long nurtured dream called La Decima.

This rather avoidable incongruity is a result of the management at both clubs operating in a fairly isolated fashion from their coaching staff. While their transfer policies are seemingly driven by commercial foresight and an annoying tendency to maintain one-upmanship, they continue to hire a coach of supreme tactical pedigree. The Mourinhos, the Guardiolas and the Ancelottis operate with a certain degree of tactical finesse and may not be entirely agreeable with the idea of altering their tactics to make way for the managementai??i??s needlessly flamboyant aspirations. During Mourinhoai??i??s second season as Real Madrid manager, the club signed the highly rated Turkish midfielder Nuri Sahin from Borussia Dortmund for a bargain price. Mourinho however, was never willing to play around with his tactical shape of a double pivot midfield that was producing him the desired results. Sahin was thrown into the action from time to time but the manager failed to find a permanent role for him and the hype behind the transfer was not enough for him to improvise on his tactical plans.

Are Di Maria's days numbered at Real Madrid? — Are Di Maria’s days numbered at Real Madrid?

Carlo Ancelotti on the other hand, has been comparatively flexible with his strategies and that he somehow built a side that operated in a cross between a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-3 despite being a fan of a midfield diamond speaks very highly of his willingness to adjust. But even that wonai??i??t be sufficient to find a plan that guarantees James a starting position unless Real decide to ship Di Maria off. Jamesai??i?? preferred position is that of a No. 10 and possesses all the natural abilities to succeed in the role. His on-field intelligence is second to none, has demonstrated an admirable shooting range and much to a managerai??i??s liking, drops deep enough to help the midfield retain possession.

The twist in the tale however is, Real Madrid have also signed a certain Toni Kroos who boasts of each of these qualities and guess what, heai??i??s got even more business to do on the field. Itai??i??s beyond doubt that in a formation that fields a classical No. 10, James would be flanked by two outstandingly quick players; Ronaldo and Bale are pretty natural selections. That leaves Ancelotti with the only option to field a double pivot in the midfield and over there, Kroos might well be competing with Xabi Alonso, Khedira and Luca Modric. Not the most ideal scenario from the playerai??i??s perspective and hence there are reasons to believe the two new signings at Real Madrid ai??i?? Kroos and Rodriguez ai??i?? could potentially be battling for a spot in the attacking midfield.

FC Barcelona transfer news - Inter Milan transfer news - Alexis Sanchez — Barcelona wasted no time in shipping off Alexis

In comparison, things are fairly more balanced for Barcelona and Luis Suarez. The club has already cleared the way for him having sold Sanchez while Pedro shouldnai??i??t really be troubled with the prospect of fewer starts. Luis Enrique is most certainly expected to operate straight from the La Masia coaching manual directives and hence the deceptive looking 4-3-3 with Messi as a False 9 shouldnai??i??t change. Suarez is most likely to fit in to one of the two remaining positions in the attacking line but unlike in England, the gameai??i??s far more technical in Spain and that should demand much more out of him. Quick exchange of positions with Messi and Iniesta is a prerequisite for every wide forward at Barcelona, but needless to say, Suarez is more than capable of adjusting to a more demanding brand of football.

The concern might be on which side of Messi does he get to operate. During his final two ai??i?? and the most illustrious ai??i?? years at Liverpool, the Uruguayan exploded from the left flank, often creating more space for the central forwards and created chances with ridiculous ease. Suarez also prefers to close in the spaces from the left, cut in himself, drag the fullbacks along, force the defence to lose its shape and after that enigmatic run, pulls off a strike of thunderous power that leaves the world stunned. And that he has an enormously powerful right foot is a factor of immense importance. Whether he can pull off the same should he be asked to start from the other flank allowing Neymar to continue in a position that heai??i??s made his own, is a tough guess to make for now.

But most importantly, Suarez will no longer be playing for the team that plays for him. To put it as mildly as one could, this team plays for the best of Messi to come out and quite frankly, heai??i??s earned it. The very realization that he too is one of those several other attacking players and is but a component in the complex machinery that engineers a move for a supposedly superior player might be hard for Suarez to swallow. Heai??i??s not the most emotionally stable person in the world either. It shouldnai??i??t surprise anyone in the least if Suarez fails to feel ai???at homeai??i?? and becomes more vocal about it than the club would probably appreciate. The difference is, at Liverpool, he could easily walk away with one mistake too many since he was virtually indispensable whereas, thatai??i??d hardly be the case with the Catalans and patience is not something theyai??i??re famous for.

Both James and Suarez therefore have to make more adjustments ai??i?? both tactical and cultural ones ai??i?? than theyai??i??d have liked to imagine and the feeling of no longer being the attacking mainstay in the side is a hard one to sink in. Should they conquer this unfamiliarity of the setting, thereai??i??s no stopping them because theyai??i??re extraordinarily brilliant footballers in the most pronouncing sense of the word. But too many in recent past have had to make more adjustments than what theyai??i??d have preferred or have been deemed unfathomably surplus to make way for the next set of relentless purchases. And that doesnai??i??t bode too well for two players raring to go all guns blazing and take the world by storm.

Have James Rodriguez And Luiz Suarez Committed A Fatal Error In Judgement?

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