La Liga 2011/12 first half review: Real Madrid

After one year at Real Madrid with one trophy (Copa Del Rey 2010-11) for Jose Mourinho, La Liga 2011-12 was the most anticipated league in the world because of two world football giants, viz. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid C.F . We have reached the halfway stage of the season as most teams have played 19 matches with Real Madrid leading the league by a difference of 5 points.

The first half of the season has gone according to plan for Los Blancos, except for a loss against Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu(1-3) and over Levante (1-0). Real Madrid has 16 wins , 1 draw and 2 losses in this season so far with an excellent goal scoring record for Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuain and Karim Benzema. Jose Mourinho has been able to take out the best from this very talented team so far this season.

Below is the review of 1st half of Real Madrid’s 2011-12 La Liga season -

• Defense – Pepe, Ricardo Carvalho, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Coentrao have maintained a high line of defense so far this season which has been a problem for teams at various points during the year. Though Marcelo has managed to score some marvelous individual strikes, overall the Madrid defense has looked vulnerable against top quality attacks. The best part of their defense has been Iker Casillas. He has been a true leader for the team, leading from the front. He has produced some wonderful saves this season at crucial times for the team. Raul Albiol and R. Varane have looked impressive in patches but collectively, the Real Madrid defense has looked vulnerable. Factually speaking, they have given away 18 goals this season in 19 matches which comes down to an average of 1 goal/match, whereas title rivals Barcelona have given away just 12 goals from 19 matches. A Strong defense has been the main reason for success for teams like Barcelona and Manchester United in recent years and Madrid will need to improve in the 2nd half of the season in order to secure their 1st La Liga title since the 2007-08 season. Rating – 6 /10

• Midfield – Midfield performance so far this season has been outstanding. Xabi Alonso, Ozil, Di Maria, Granero, Altintop and Diarra have all been excellent so far this season. Xabi Alonso has been the holding point of the team and his performance has been excellent . Di Maria (playing on left wing) has been the star so far. His touch, passing, shooting ability and speed makes him a player to look out for. Mesut Ozil has had a mixed season with some brilliant and some average games but his partnership with Di Maria has been excellent. The only problem for Jose so far has been the partnership of Kaka and Ozil. Thses two have not been able to perform well together. But overall the midfield looks nice for Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho will hope that his midfield can provide his attackers with the killer pass more often in 2nd half of season. Rating – 7.5/10

• Attack - The attacking unit makes Real Madrid one of the best clubs in the world at present. The deadly combo of Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuain and Benzema have been scoring goals for fun this season. The speed, ability and stamina which these three possess has left defenders all over the world mesmerized. Credit should go to Jose Mourinho for using all three in the way he has done so far this season. Making Ronaldo play on the wing has given Real Madrid the extra space in the attacking third which was lacking in them in recent years. Benzema and Higuain have been lethal in their finish. Although Real Madrid have let the opposition score against them on many occasions, their attacking unit has given them that extra cushion which they need the most. Rising star Jose Callejon has looked impressive and Mourinho will expect a lot out of him in the next half of season. Rating – 9/10

Overall the first half of 2011-12 season has been good for Real Madrid and if they carry on performing the way they are doing at this point, the La Liga title will be heading to the Santiago Bernabeu from Camp Nou.