The idealists believe that the past is past and one shouldn’t be living in it, no matter how haunting or beautiful it is. Memories can always hold a place, but lingering too long within those chambers while losing focus on the present is never a logical thing to do.
But logic never really held the paragon position of human behaviour.
Human beings are driven by emotions, which is why most of the decisions made in this world have that for its roots. If Vicente del Bosque forwent emotional bureaucracy when naming his Spain squad for the 2014 World Cup and the usual starting XIs in Euro 2016, Spain might have avoided the embarrassment that they had to face in those aforementioned tournaments.
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Which brings us to the case in point: the liability that Sergio Ramos is right now.
Sergio Ramos: the liable hero
Ask anyone as to who has been the most impactful defender of this decade and most would have the Spaniard’s name on their list. And they would be right in doing so.
No defender has scored in two separate Champions League final, except for Sergio Ramos. The first of them came in the dying minutes of the 2014 final, literally gifting the trophy to the Blancos as Simeone’s men were so spent after 90 minutes of savagery that it was impossible for them to continue beyond normal playing time.
The same man, then, went on to score against the same team in the game of the same magnitude in the 2016 final, carving his name in eternal history. Sergio Ramos became a hero; a title-winning defender, the only one of its kind. An asset for any team to have.
Or is it?
Since the new season’s inauguration, Sergio Ramos has given away four penalties for club and country. He might have scored three goals so far this season, but the lack of defensive stability means that he is at his worst point as a professional footballer.
It is not only the conceded penalties that is the problem, but his lack of intelligence and subsequent care is apparent for all to see. Ramos has never been someone who rode on the logical horse to shield his goalkeeper.
Pointless recklessness costing Ramos
Indeed, if anything, the former Sevilla star is an impulsive defender who relies on the rush of blood to get things done. This overzealous nature might have created problems in the past, but, in most cases, he channeled it towards the right direction to make up for the mere moments of madness.
Right now, however, he is just—in plain and simple terms—reckless. One doesn’t have to fixate his eyes towards him to notice that he gets dragged out of his zone quite easily. The haste and impatience that he exudes on the pitch don't justify the captain’s armband that he wears for both Spain and Real Madrid.
Late challenges have always been a part of his resume, but the lack of forte in holding his zone is a troubling sight for Madridistas and Spain fans alike.
Disconcerting indispensability
However, what’s more disconcerting is his indispensable status within the squads that he plays in. He is the captain for both La Roja and Los Blancos, which makes it almost impossible to drop him. If logic prevailed instead of emotions, then Zinedine Zidane would drop him in favour of a more stable pairing.
But, in Spain, dropping a captain comes at a huge cost—just ask Jose Mourinho.
However, unlike Mourinho, Zidane is a club legend and oozes a lot of reverence from the players—such is the fragrance of his aura. If anyone has the ‘cojones’ to make the right decision—something that benefits the club—it is the French legend.
And he has to do it quick or else be stuck like Manchester United are with Wayne Rooney, whose presence on the pitch might lift the spirits but holds back the performance of the team.
After being booed by the Spain fans for conceding a late penalty against Italy, Ramos blasted them by claiming that they don’t know how to treat an idol.
“The difference between Spain and Italy is that when Buffon, who is an idol, makes an error he is applauded,” the Real Madrid star said. “In Spain, you are booed.
“Those criticising me now should enjoy themselves, because I’m going to shut them up in the end.”
However, what he fails to see through the veneer of his ignorance is that Buffon has never been as careless and wild as him. Indeed, the Italy captain makes errors as rarely as Lionel Messi pays taxes. Hence, Ramos’ analogy doesn’t really make sense.
Finally, it is not like dropping him would be the final straw as he could use this to fire himself up and channel the wrath in the proper direction to force a comeback to the starting XI. Sometimes, such blows to the ego is what a player needs to get back in touch.
With four draws in four consecutive games, Zidane finds himself in a spot of bother. The worst part is that the greatest cause for his miseries is his captain himself, and the World Cup-winning midfielder must either bring him back to the groove or drop him altogether.
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