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La Liga Focus - Higuain outshines los Galaticos
Saturday 12 December 2009
In the aftermath of Real Madrid’s 4-2 win over Almería at the weekend, Cristiano Ronaldo again stole the headlines.
Amid all the talk of Galácticos, it was Gonzalo Higuaín who came to the rescue of the stuttering Madrid- a role the Argentine is becoming increasingly accustomed to. His goals, eight in sixteen matches, have been invaluable. Aside from his sublime performance at the weekend, he scored the only goals in close encounters with both Getafe and Racing Santander earlier in the season. He has repeatedly been Madrid’s star performer, rewarding Manuel Pellegrini’s faith with exceptional form and attitude.
In a way, he has spoilt the party. The starring role in the Galácticos II script was most certainly saved for one of the high-profile summer arrivals. Instead, it is Higuaín who has taken centre stage, his influence and popularity at the club increasing with every goal. During Madrid’s win over Almería, he was seen remonstrating with Ronaldo after Karim Benzema scored the rebound from the winger’s missed penalty. After the match, he said: “I saw Cristiano was not celebrating Karim's goal. It was a great comeback in the middle of a crazy game and we all should be celebrating.”
The emergence of Higuaín has been set against a backdrop of decline elsewhere in the attacking line. Most notably, Karim Benzema’s failure to impress has rung the loudest of alarm bells at the Bernabéu. It was foolish to expect overnight success from such a young player, but in comparison to Ronaldo, Kaká and Xabi Alonso, the £30m Frenchman looks decidedly unsettled. Pellegrini looked to instill confidence in the striker this week, claiming he had adjusted well to his new surroundings, but it will be seen as little more than rhetoric.
Club captain Raúl has faded into obscurity since the dawn of the new Galáctico era. Madrid’s first son has not started a match since the goalless draw with Sporting Gijón six weeks ago, and has fallen increasingly out of favour. Of course, Madrid’s all-time leading appearance maker is ignored at one’s peril, and the 32 year-old has still scored five times in 12 matches this season. While the stock of Higuaín and Benzema will only rise, the old stalwart must know that his best days are most certainly behind him and that his role at his beloved Madrid is becoming increasingly uncertain.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has also found himself on the fringes of Madrid’s starting XI. The Dutchman missed the majority of last season due to a knee injury and has since failed in regaining the place which was once his own. He returned in the 5-0 demolition of Xerez on September 20, scoring a late goal and setting up another, but again fell victim to injury and spent another six weeks on the sidelines with a thigh problem. His future has recently become the focus of great speculation, with Roma, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and even Birmingham apparent suitors, but at 33, it is unlikely that he will look for a move away from the Bernabéu.
Many will look at Madrid’s striker situation with nonchalance. After all, they still boast the services of Benzema, Raúl, Higuaín and van Nistelrooy alongside a midfield featuring some of the greatest players of their generation. But it can be seen as almost a certainty that, if Benzema continues to struggle, the next player Florentino Pérez targets will be a front man. Who could fill the void at the tip of Real’s attacking line? Some of Europe’s biggest names are linked with Los Blancos daily, such is their financial prowess. In truth, there are merely a handful of players with the quality to be successful at the biggest club in the world.
Within Spain, much of the talk surrounds David Villa. The league’s leading goalscorer has expressed his desire to stay at Valencia, but the club’s unending, off-field woes have ensured that even the staunchest of optimists believe that Villa will have left the Mestalla by the end of this season. With the success of Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Barcelona, Madrid now front the queue for the Spaniard’s signature. Sergio Agüero’s future also looks increasingly uncertain at struggling neighbours Atlético, and the Argentine will be looking to secure Champions League football if Los Indios continue to toil.
Madrid have also been linked with Sevilla hitman, Luís Fabiano. The Brazilian has scored eight league goals so far during this campaign, including three in the last two matches, and has become a regular fixture in the Brazilian national team. But while Sevilla will worry about their ability to retain their prized asset in the future, there are more pressing issues. Fabiano, having scored his side’s only goal against Valladolid on Saturday, limped off after sustaining an ankle injury.
News then broke on Tuesday he would be out of action until January. This is a major blow to Sevilla, who, having drawn their last two matches, relinquished third place to Valencia at the weekend. Their form in the Champions League has been exemplary, but the injury to their star striker has come at the worse possible juncture. They will face both Atlético and Barcelona in the next month, and they are in real danger of falling off the pace at a crucial time in the campaign.
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