Friday saw the first time Kaka, Benzema, and Ronaldo took the field together, versus Toronto FC. The 5-1 scoreline aside, I'm not shaking in my boots just yet. The entire team looks like it's having a really hard time figuring out where it's supposed to be, and who's supposed to score the goals. Many times they got caught standing standing two players within 5 feet of each other encircled by three defenders, forcing short passes in between until they lost the ball. Ronaldo doesn't seem to have that open space he enjoyed at Old Trafford, where he was free to make his outrageous forward runs. On the contrary, Raul doesn't look ready to run alongside Cristiano through the middle of the pitch and Benzema looks as if he doesn't know whether to step up to receive a pass to feet or to get the hell out of Cristiano's way. These things will surely come together for Los Blancos, but they definitely aren't close to Barca's comfort and fluidity on the pitch. For me, Benzema has been the biggest standout of the Real pre-season, as he's looked strong on the ball and consistently threatening anywhere in the vicinity of the 18 yard box with his thundering shot and ability to get close to goal.
All in all, Real's got a way to go, and I don't know if they're defense will ever get there.
Can't wait for the first classico in November.
Until then, keep Bleeding the Blaugrana.
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