Why did Real Madrids Galacticos fail so much?

[tentan]

When they bought Beckham the jigsaw was 'complete'. But for the next 3 years or so they won absolutely nothing when most of them were still in their prime.

-------------------Casillas--------------------------
Salgado-----Pavon-------Helguera-----Carlos
---------------Beckham------Guti--------------------
---------Figo---------------------------Zidane------
--------------Ronaldo-------Raul--------------------


Strange really, they should have done what the recent Madrid did and dominated football - winning 3 Champions league in a row.

 

[Tallis]

Mediocre backline / Unbalanced MF / Players past their prime (Raul, Figo and to some extent Ronaldo) / and strange transfer decisions - selling Makelele and playing Guti.

So I think signing Galacticos could have worked but he needed to bring them in when they were a little younger and have sufficiently strong supporting cast in Makelele and maybe even some proper centre backs.

 

[marktan]

It's like England with Lampard, Gerrard and Scholes, too many square pegs playing because of their names and not because of the team fit.

In that lineup you posted there's very little pace, Figo and Ronaldo were not the prime versions.

Compare that to Ronaldo - Benzema - Bale - loads of pace and lots of technical ability.
Of course having about as balanced a midfield you can get in Casemiro - Kroos - Modric behind them helped also.

 

[Dante]

Talent is not the only thing that matters. Workrate is crucial. And water-carriers can be vital.

 

[Sylar]

Didn't Perez sell makalele because he couldn't pass more than five yards or something
I remember that being a thing

Then he got rid of del Bosque cos he only... Only won the league. Then some bad hirings of managers. Think they missed out on vieria then got some weird signings like graveson

 

[The Urban Goose]

Because you can buy players but you can’t buy a team.

 

[FriedClams]

They failed because more than 50% of that team disliked defending. It was so easy to play one twos around them.

 

[ReSchmycling]

Ostensibly that backline was a direct product of Perez's Galactico policy of the time - 'Zidanes and Pavons', a team primarily comprising megastars and a supporting cast from the Real Madrid academy.

But the line-up in the original post might not be the best representation of the team during that era? The stats for their 2003-04 season (after Beckham was signed) suggest slightly more defensive solidity: Guti started less than half of the league games, while Raul Bravo started most of them and Cambiasso had 17 league appearances. The following year Walter Samuel was added at centre-back, although Cambiasso left and the other signings included Gravesen and Woodgate...

Looking back at it, I guess they were lucky they signed at least one galactico with Beckham's work-rate and defensive appetite!

 

[Bondi77]

A team of champions often does not guarantee a champion team!

 

[mu4c_20le]

Terrible team in fairness. Beckham Guti double pivot? Zidane on the wing? What was Perez thinking.

 

[Red the Bear]

Some say it was because makelele was ousted by perez but in all honesty I think it was doomed to fail from the start, his exit just made it worse.

These all star kind of things never work and I doubt they ever will(just like how most of the musical superbands are dogshite).

 

[TheLord]

The name is overrated. Some were better showmen than footballers, some were past their prime, and the team was very top heavy.

 

[Giggsy13]

Selling Claude Makelele to Chelsea was a major mistake.

 

[RedRonaldo]

Unbalance squad. They shouldn't sell Makalele.

 

[Withnail]

Terrible team in fairness. Beckham Guti double pivot? Zidane on the wing? What was Perez thinking.

Agree in the midfield but that was only Zidane's nominal position. He didn't play on the wing and had a free role. Although that didn't help their issues with defensive solidity.

 

[Shakesy]

What a fecking team Obviously a bit unbalanced, but wow.

The best teams of 15 years ago would walk over the best teams of today. Why is this?

 

[Vernon Philander]

Easy. No Modric

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Pooor team balance and no squad depth

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Selling Claude Makelele to Chelsea was a major mistake.

Rather not bothering to replace him properly was the major mistake.

 

[phelans shorts]

What a fecking team Obviously a bit unbalanced, but wow.

The best teams of 15 years ago would walk over the best teams of today. Why is this?

If that side at that stage in their careers replaced the current Madrid in the CL Final a few weeks ago, Liverpool would have had a much less embarrassing open top bus parade.

 

[The Siege]

The team defended as well as Amber Heard's lawyers.
They sold the one defensive player who literally kept the ship floating in Makelele, and somehow thought Guti could just take over and things would be fine. Had no idea what to do with Beckham for the longest time, and by the time the attacking players somewhat found sync, the party was over.

I think it was a great learning experience for Madrid, they've invested really well in midfield anchors and team balance since. So by the time the Ronaldo/Kaka Galacticos round happened, they'd buy a striker like Benzema who'd balance things out up front while they'd buy Xabi Alonso to handle things deeper. Khedira a year after that. Modric two years after that. Casemiro a year after that. Kroos a year after that.

 

[Lay]

Because they had no balance. The amount of times Iker was left one on one with the attacker because the defence was a shambles.

Pavon was terrible and cried on the pitch after another one of his terrible games. He was out of his depth and it was unfair on the kid.

Signing Beckham was a mistake. Let’s also remember the year they needed defenders they signed Robinho and Julio Baptista. They still had Raul, Ronaldo, Owen and I think Morientes.

The philosophy was that attack is all you need. Shambolic way to build a team.

They tried to rectify it by signing Thomas fecking Graveson. The fans cheered when he made his first tackle because they hadn’t seen anyone make a challenge in awhile

 

[Lay]

Also have a look at their managers during that run Makes our last 4 managers look like complete successes

 

[Hammondo]

What a fecking team Obviously a bit unbalanced, but wow.

The best teams of 15 years ago would walk over the best teams of today. Why is this?

I very much doubt it.

 

[Champ]

Not sure that is really such a great team,

The backline is mediocre at best, the midfield lacks steel, but the forward line is alarmingly good!!

 

[tomaldinho1]

Probably the worst balanced team comparatively for money spent I’ve seen. Also many of those names were past their best - Ronaldo, Raúl, most of the back line, Beckham was probably signed more for his brand given they really needed a CM.

 

[duffer]

The best teams of 15 years ago would walk over the best teams of today. Why is this?

They wouldn't.

Prime late 00's Barca perhaps but that's about it.

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

I remember that 03/04 season, they were doing very well under Quiroz, sitting top of the league and still in contention for CL & Copa del Rey.

But in Jan 2004, the team's performances declined and they lost in the QF in CL, lost the Copa final, and then went to drop points in the last 10 games in the league and finished 4th.

That team was full of stars in attack and midfield, but had a weak defense, especially in the centre, Hulguera was decent but not a top class CB (I think he was originally a DM and then was switched to CB) and Raul Bravo was one of the worst CBs I've seen play in Spain.



From 2004 until 2006, they were inconsistent, sometimes they would play fantastic games and sometimes they would be done in due to defensive calamities.

I also think it was wrong to sack Del Bosque, he was a great manager who was able to get the players to play as a cohesive team

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

Also have a look at their managers during that run Makes our last 4 managers look like complete successes

Yeah, they sacked a winning manager in Del Bosque and then replaced him with Quiroz, after that I think it was Luxembourgo or whatever his name is.

 

[Mastadon]

How could a team with Beckham-Guti in midfield win anything? Replace that with Vieira-Makelele and you would have a dominant team.

 

[RedStarUnited]

A then prime Ronaldinho was at Barcelona. Perfomance wise non of the galacticos could match him between 03-06.

 

[Laurencio]

Selling Claude Makelele to Chelsea was a major mistake.

This is the answer. It became far too top-heavy and lacked any solidity in the centre of the park after that.

 

[sillwuka]

Great names but not a great team.

 

[Gordon S]

Yeah, why they let Makelele go is a mystery. He was probably the most important player in that team.

Watching some of the most gifted attacking players at that time like Zidane Figo Guti try to defend and catch runners behind them was a brutal watch

 

[fps]

Beckham and Guti isn't much of a central midfield for defensive ability or controlling a game (at the levels of success we're discussing). Both could deliver killer passes but not necessarily control the tempo of a game, and Beckham wasn't a central midfielder, he fancied himself as one but he wasn't.

 

[fps]

What a fecking team Obviously a bit unbalanced, but wow.

The best teams of 15 years ago would walk over the best teams of today. Why is this?

They weren't walking over the best teams of their day, they'd get torn to pieces by the tactical sophistication and makeups of the current top teams.

 

[phelans shorts]

Beckham and Guti isn't much of a central midfield for defensive ability or controlling a game (at the levels of success we're discussing). Both could deliver killer passes but not necessarily control the tempo of a game, and Beckham wasn't a central midfielder, he fancied himself as one but he wasn't.

Beckham was ahead of his time in that sense. If he came through now he’d be a nailed on central midfielder.

 

[fps]

Beckham was ahead of his time in that sense. If he came through now he’d be a nailed on central midfielder.

I think he'd have to be, because crossing by non full-backs has been removed from the game to such an extent. I'm sure if put there young enough he could have been excellent.

 

[Shakesy]

If that side at that stage in their careers replaced the current Madrid in the CL Final a few weeks ago, Liverpool would have had a much less embarrassing open top bus parade.

I very much doubt it.

They wouldn't.

Prime late 00's Barca perhaps but that's about it.

They weren't walking over the best teams of their day, they'd get torn to pieces by the tactical sophistication and makeups of the current top teams.

I guess I'm wrong

 

[fps]

I guess I'm wrong

Ah mate, sorry if a bit harsh, I just feel it's a team I'd have put together on Champ Manager back in the day. Like when they pick the World XI and there's no defensive midfielder and three players who'd rather play left wing, you know? Great on paper. Ronaldo especially always scored goals, but he wasn't what he was. Zidane was 31 when Beckham arrived, he was regally receding at that point. I'd argue Beckham's best football was proved to be behind him as well, he was never quick but he lost that energy in his running from here on.