Spanish Inquisition: Can Real Madrid Pull Off An Epic Comeback Against Alcorcon?

The truest test of character is evidenced by the way in which one reacts to adversity. Where the weak lose their fighting spirit, shy away from pressure, and surrender to obstacles - be they tangible or intangible - standing before them, those with a reservoir of strength grit their teeth and fight back with even more determination, zeal, and a stronger will not to fail than before.

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This season, Madrid have responded to adversity in much the same fashion. Subjected to a humiliating 4-0 drubbing to Segunda B outfit Alcorcon in a match that could easily have finished with a far more embarrassing scoreline, criticism (and the instability that comes with it) surrounded the club. Fans were calling for a coaching change, the press was screaming bloody murder, and Florentino Perez’s €254 million project was very harshly criticised as nothing more than a marketing campaign.

But as has become wont from the Men in White over the past few years, they responded with results. Limited to ten men in the 27th minute of their match against Getafe, the Merengues went on to dominate Los Azulones, scoring two goals through Higuain whilst rarely being threatened by the southern Madrid side. In European competition, Los Blancos took control of AC Milan in the San Siro and, while the second half afforded the Italians more chances, the draw was widely considered an impressive point of improvement.

Finally, on Saturday evening against an Atletico Madrid who were in desperate need of a win against their bitter city rivals to boost their dismal season, the Galacticos were clinical through an hour of play, going up 3-0 before seeing Sergio Ramos sent off, which shifted the momentum of the match in Atleti’s favour. Nonetheless, a 3-2 win for Madrid in a highly valued match and one in which the scoreline did not reflect the dominance of the Spanish giants for most of the affair again showed the team's ability to pull together.

But the true test of mettle comes in an unlikely opponent on Tuesday as Real Madrid look to reverse their 4-0 deficit to AD Alcorcon in a bid to avoid an embarrassing elimination in the Copa del Rey and progress to the next round. Matches like this can define a season and Manuel Pellegrini’s side are in high spirits after finding their form in their last three outings. But is scoring at least four goals against the Segunda B minnows (and not conceding) a Mission: Impossible for Los Blancos?

A subtle reminder of what Madrid are up against

If you were to observe one trend with respect to Madrid’s rise in form, it is that the rotations in the squad, employed by Pellegrini since the beginning of the season, have stopped. For the first time all season, the Chilean coach has fielded three identical starting lineups to face Getafe, Milan, and Atletico, with the exception of Ezequiel Garay who filled in nicely for Raul Albiol after the Spaniard was shown a red card in the Getafe match.

As Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be sidelined with injury, the theory behind Pellegrini’s regular starting XI is that it employs the team’s best players, thus providing the best chance to win. In the Chilean’s estimation (and one with which a majority of Madridistas agree) the ideal starting lineup consists of Casillas in goal - obviously - a back line of Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Albiol, and Arbeloa playing as a left-back; a tireless defensive midfield with both the ability to win back possession, maintain it, and distribute in Xabi Alonso and Lassana Diarra; a Brazilian attacking midfield that provides pressure when the opposing team is in possession and brings invention and creativity to the attack in Marcelo and Kaka; and a dynamic striking partnership with excellent mobility and dangerous skill on the ball in Benzema and Higuain.

This first XI not only appears to be the best lineup Pellegrini can field in terms of technical ability, speed, and overall talent, but as these players gain more experience playing together in matches, they continue to improve further.  The problems arise when the gulf between the starting XI and the rest of the squad becomes pronounced as players come off the bench to fill in.

When the starting lineup is altered and players like Raul, Gago, Van Nistelrooy, Van der Vaart, and others take the pitch, the difference in the quality of Madrid’s play becomes far too stark.

Madrid play an open offensive system that requires pace, penetration, accuracy, and persistence from players. With players like Raul, Gago, Van Nistelrooy, Metzelder, and Guti in the squad, Madrid’s system stagnates, leaving Los Blancos without the defensive pressure needed to acquit the opposition of possession and limited in attack (most notably on the counterattack) as the substitutes simply cannot cover the same amount of ground on the pitch as the starters. Even a side consisting mostly of starters, but with a few changes (read: Raul, Van der Vaart, or Gago), the difference in the team’s fluidity is made clear.

Will El Capitan start from the bench yet again?

In Tuesday’s Copa match, Pellegrini will be forced into a trade-off. Should he field his regular starting XI for this elimination match, there is little doubt that Los Blancos will be able to put at least four goals past Alcorcon in the Santiago Bernabeu and turn the tie completely on its head.

But having played three consecutive high-octane matches, his starters will be beginning to feel the effects of fatigue and the Chilean coach will be risking irreplaceable components of his team (Kaka, Xabi, and Lass, to name a few) to injury should he refuse to make changes to his squad.  

On the other hand, with the deficiencies in play that come from sending Raul, Van der Vaart, Drenthe, Metzelder, and others into the fray, Pellegrini runs the risk of not only failing to score the required number of goals, but conceding as well.

And then there is the question of Guti. After allegedly telling his coach to ‘shove it up his @$$’ during the halftime break of the first leg Alcorcon match, Pellegrini has responded by dropping his second captain from the last three squad lists. Having successfully quashed the superegos of players like Juan Roman Riquelme, there is no doubt that Pellegrini has the 'cojones' to keep Guti out of his team altogether.

But perhaps 'El Ingeniero' is using this punishment to instil a newfound desire to compete in Guti, much in the same way Capello was able to use discipline to motivate David Beckham. Again, it all comes down to how a player deals with adversity.

Whether Madrid are able to overcome a four-goal deficit to beat Alcorcon without utilising their starting lineup is uncertain. But based on this team’s sense of determination over the past few years, drilled into them by Capello, there is little doubt that Madrid will be out for blood in Tuesday’s Bernabeu match, regardless of who is on the pitch.

Should they prevail, it could set the stage for them to take the next step toward becoming a squad that will compete for all three championships. Should they fail, while many Madridistas will dismiss it as ‘only the Copa del Rey anyway’ it could foretell a finish to the season that will only be able to be described as second best.

Cyrus C. Malek, Goal.com