Have Madrid Found Their New Hierro in Varane?

Tuesday night saw the Old Trafford crowd brimming with excitement and anticipation as The Red Devils took to the field against Real Madrid on the back of a 1-1 draw at the Spanish capital. Much of the focus was on the ai???battle of the two managers ai??? and on the returning crowd favourite Cristiano Ronaldo who lived up to his expectations with a good showing and scored his sideai??i??s vital second goal. The game though will be most remembered for the ai??? red card ai??i?? incident that reduced Sir Alexai??i??s side to 10 men allowing Los Blancos to grab the initiative which they did in some style. Nani it would seem was unjustly sent off for a raised foot challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa.

Sir Alex Ferguson is arguably the best manager in the business today and he stuck to his credentials with some spot on tactics to counter the attacking treat of Mourinhoai??i??s men. Danny Welbeck was preferred instead of the talismanic Wayne Rooney as a second striker alongside Dutchman Robin Van Persie. Though both Rooney and Welbeck have lightening pace in their arsenal, Welbeck brings in the aspect of a much better focal point for the attack with his physical play and his excellent heading abilities. Real Madrid have been known to be quite a suspect against set-pieces and long balls and a two man attack upfront could have caused concerns to the center back pairing of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane. Welbeck is also quite effective as a wideman which would allow Ryan Giggs to track back and help out his defense against the counter attacking threat of Ronaldo and Co. As it were, Ronaldo was largely subdued in first period by the combined attention of Carrick, Cleverley and Rafael with Giggs and Evra keeping Di Maria in their pockets. Sir Alexai??i??s quick counters were clearly effective with Welbeck and Van Persie making the Real backline work hard for their money.

19 year old Varane though was quite equal to the task. Standing 6ft 3in, Varane is credited for his excellent positioning, tactical ability and pace. Last year he made the headlines when the Real think-tank arranged to have Zinedine Zidane flown into Lens to ensure they had the signature of the young Frenchman in a A?9million deal. Thrown in against the might of Manchester City in the group stages, Varane displayed an excellent reading of the game and positioning against the English opponents in a 3-2 win for the Spanish side. He fortified his credentials further with a solid display against rivals FC Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey tie in which he was instrumental in keeping Los Blancos in the game with crucial interceptions and providing the equalizer. He has cemented his place in the hearts of Madridai??i??s faithful with strong performances in the league and in the return leg of Copa del Rey where he again thwarted attacks from Messi and Co and capped off his outstanding night with a goal.

Hence it was no surprise when young Varane was chosen to start ahead of the returning Pepe. Robin Van Persie was to endure a frustrating first period with the young French center-back matching and countering all that the Dutch goal machine had to throw at him. He was brilliant in reading the game and was never beaten by balls played into the box. Danny Welbeck on the other hand was having a relatively easy time against Sergio Ramos and did come close on couple of occasions.

With Unitedai??i??s defense rendering Ronaldo and Co. largely ineffective, The Red Devils started to increase the intensity of their own attacks and were rewarded in the 48th minute courtesy of a Sergio Ramos own goal. What happened next would probably go down into history books, as Nani saw red for a raised boot challenge on Arbeloa as both went for the ball. United down to 10 men, Mourinho was quick to introduce Luka Modric as an additional playmaker giving Madrid a 3-2-3-2 formation with Varane, Ramos and CoentrA?o at the back with Alonso and Khedira shielding them. Madridai??i??s twin strikes a few minutes later gave them a huge initiative and forced Manchester United to come out of their comfort zone. Varane was again at the heart of the defense as the men in white endured waves of attack from the home team. The Frenchman was at the helm on more than one occasion halting assaults and nipping build-ups in the bud.

A lot of acclaim for Madridai??i??s win and progression has been showered upon Mourinhoai??i??s timely introduction of Modric or the ex-Spurs manai??i??s influence on the game, but Varaneai??i??s performance isnai??i??t far behind. Naniai??i??s expulsion did change the tide of the game but the young Frenchmanai??i??s commanding display at the back gave much assurance and stability at the back and nullified Sir Alexai??i??s tactics.Ai??Not since the days of Fernando Hierro have Real Madrid had an assured display at the back. Hierro formed the heart and soul of Madridai??i??s back line at the turn of the millennium forming formidable partnershipai??i??s with Manuel SanchAi??s, Aitor Karanka and IvA?n Helguera spearheading Real Madrid to Champions League success in 1998, 2000 and 2002. Hierro was known for his strong leadership qualities at the back coupled with his tactical and technical ability and not to forget his penchant for scoring goals from set-pieces.

Raphael Varane has shown similar traits in his short career at the BernabAi??u so far and much can be expected from this talented young center-back.

Have Madrid Found Their New Hierro in Varane?

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