Real Madrid 5 - 1 Ecija
Real Madrid won in style and David Beckham scored a goal (with his left foot!) you can't ask for better than that! Manager Fabio Capello said earlier in the week that he believed Becks was back to his very best and David Beckham backed those words up 100% with another great performance! Following his excellent contributions against Celta and Steaua Bucaresti. Match details here.
The official match report and photos are now online here. Also check the Real Madrid.com front page for the video of David Beckham with Ollie Cartwright the brave little boy who received the Pride of Britain Child of Courage award. If you haven't already seen it, check it out. It is free video not a locked members only one.
I'll start adding the match photos now! It is great to see Becks looking so happy it was clear he really enjoyed the game and also the comraderie with his friends Ronaldo and RVN who also had a successful night!
posted by rpm at 2:22 PM
5 Comments:
I don't think that Beckham had lost his form at the beginning of the season. Apart from the Lyon game (in which the whole team played crap and Beckham was far from the worst player), he performed quite well when he started in the first two games of this season. Capello's comment on Beckham's psychological difficulties was just his latest excuse to bench him (after his previous excuse of that ridiculous rotation system has become a joke). This is an unrefutable reason as we seldom see Beckham play in the last 2-3 months. However, why did Capello say that Beckham is now regaining his form? It's simply because he knew that he had to give Beckham more playing time, or even to start him in some lesser games in view of the tight schedule after the start of Copa del Rey in late October. Hence, people will have more opportunity to see Beckham's game, and also better chance to judge his form.
7:03 PM
Agreed, I don't think Becks was playing badly either in fact he played very well against Steaua Bucaresti in the CL but still didn't start against Celta and when he did start against Celta he was the danger man! Still, I am glad to hear Capello say anything positive about Becks at all, because ultimately he decides how much game time Becks will get and in what matches.
I do think Becks has to have been affected by the last few months anybody human would be - I don't think it should be over-stated but it has to have been hard to contend with so many disappointments and heart breaks.
I think the real problem for Becks has not been form as such but the formation Capello prefers, I mean Diarra and Emerson start no matter what it seems because Capello is wedded to having a defensive pivot in midfield. The competition for the midfield spots with Capello regularly playing Raul on the left has been massive. A player with good form might still not be able to start under Capello's game plan and so I don't think Becks has been off form but I do think it has been a tough competition to be a starter, to be fair - although I am biased towards Becks! - Reyes was playing well too. I think under these circumstances Becks needed to be at 110% and everything else that has happened might have affacted that. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that I think Capello is right. I have become pretty cynical where quotes from Capello and Calderon are concerned but I am happy to hear Capello speak well of him, because for the foreseeable future Becks is a Real Madrid player and the relationship with the Manager matters as Cassano will tell you.
Whatever happens in the longer term, David Beckham will be happiest at the moment if he can get some decent game time under Capello. What ever excuses Capello wants to make for not playing him are not that important IF he starts to give Becks a fairer deal from now on. Maybe I haven't really covered these comments very well on the site. Thanks for your comment you make a good point and I will try to write something on this and include your points in the next day or so. - Anna
7:51 PM
Thanks. I just tried to express my thinkings regarding the current situation after seeing Capello's attitude towards Beckham in the last few months and am really glad to know that someone share the same thoughts.
Nevertheless, you are more optimistic than me. After witnessing Capello's blatant favouritism, I have the feeling that Beckham is fighting a losing battle. I read from internet news that Ronaldo had questioned Capello's criteria for getting into the starting line-up of the team recently. "Good performance" is surely not an important factor as some of the players just remain in the starting line-up regardless of how they play. With Capello's insistence to use 2 holding midfielders, there are just 4 attacking places left in the team. Of these 4 attacking places, actually 3 of them are already fixed (I think everyone knows who are occupying them). Hence, Beckham has to compete with Robinho, Reyes, Ronaldo and Cassanno for the only "changeable" attacking place in the team. Capello has said that in view of the characteristics of the 3 "fixed" starters, he prefers to have someone with good pace in the team. It's quite clear that Beckham does not belong to this type. Hence, I have the feeling that unless something happened to any of the 3 "fixed" starters (please forgive me for having some wicked wishes), Beckham's situation will not be improved!
2:05 AM
I hear you - and I agree the situation is tough because of Capello's tactics and favoritism, although sometimes when he takes Diarra off for example and Becks comes on the team looks better going forward. Capello is very very committed to the transfers he bought in over the Summer, that's for sure. I think Becks is well aware of the situation - certainly the Barca game made it all painfully clear. The contract remains unsigned, that is not accidental. I don't think Becks will be signing it anytime soon. It will be interesting to see after the last 3 games if he starts tomorrow. If he doesn't start then I don't know what it will take for him to get a start? He has played very well. I think if Becks doesn't start against Osasuna - he will know that playing his way back in is not an option and then he will act accordingly.
8:17 AM
I went to Madrid to Meet David Beckham with my little boy, Ollie Cartwright, he was just so lovely. We were told that he would not meet me and that he would only have five minutes to spare to meet Ollie but none of that turned out to be the case he was very happy to chat to met and spent over half an hour with Ollie, He had clearly done his homework on Ollie and he was absolutly amazing the way he was at ease with Ollie and made Ollie feel at ease. He made Ollie's year and had even invited us to go back and meet him again only this time the whole family. What a absolutly lovely man who is clearly a big family man too. Best of luck to him in whatever direction his career takes him. Oh he smelt and looked gorgeous!!
1:30 PM
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