James is turning into a disaster at Real, which is a Real shame (pun intended) - but quite simply they didn't need him.

They bought him to make a signing for the sake of it.

He doesn't work in this system as it's not built around him. He did best for Colombia as they relied on him solely in Falcao's absence. At club level he wasn't as good at Monaco either because Falcao was the star till the injury. Only 9 goals in 30 appearances at Stade Louis II.

He sparkled at the world cup, and has faded in a system which doesn't suit him.

Meanwhile the team that is Atletico just keeps on coping. I briefly got seduced by their loss of players into believing MAYBE they couldn't sustain it, but Simeone is just that good. They are as strong as they were last season.

Well they did make some smart signings to counter the losses imo. But yeah, Simeone is the perfect example of how important a coach is to the team

And agreed on Real, James is a ghost at Real so far, their system is just completely unbalanced though, it's not just him that's struggling, even Ronaldo looked a bit flat footed today

9 in 30 isn't terrible for a midfielder really.

Indeed. Pity he's a striker.

They've strengthened an area which didn't need it, and neglected the spine. Letting Alonso go was beyond ridiculous, and the total lack of improvements in that woeful defence indicates the continuing obsession with getting the shiniest strikers and forwards and failing to make a real team of it.

They were on the right track last season, but they've gone backwards with the window they had.

PS by 'striker' I mean that's where he played for Colombia. And was electric. He's been getting played out of position everywhere else. I don't see him as a winger/AM at all.

Sorry, was talking about Atletico in that first paragraph, not Real, should have been more clear on that. I totally disagree with Real's entire transfer strategy

I know you were, my reply was to the second part hence mentioning Alonso, for example (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Real's transfer strategy has been a shambles. They've taken a work in progress which had epic potential and turned it into a grotesque caricature of what they think the fans wanted.

Let go two of their best players and totally imbalanced the team.

Absurd.

He played the #10 at Monaco and at the WC. Telo/Martinez played as the striker for Colombia. In fact I think both of them played against Brazil and James played wide left rather than the #10.

As for Madrid's transfer policy. They've still got one of the best squads in World football. Blaming Perez for them only winning 2 out of 5 games is laughable, but Carlo is seemingly immune to blame in these parts.

This post has been edited by kurtsimonw: Sep 14 2014, 06:38 AM

Having a flashy squad with top names doesn't translate to greatness on the pitch.

I don't see Carlo as being at fault here because he has his hands tied. He has to play the new signings (Kroos and James) that's not even an option, and by doing so he's lost the entire balance of the team. Carlo lost 2 of the most crucial elements of his squad this summer, just because they didn't sell enough shirts and he had no say in it, because if he did, I'm sure he wouldn't have allowed it to happen.

He's been forced to change formation to fit all the golacticos into the team and has to play with no clear defensively inclined player in midfield. All because of the transfer policy that Perez employs.

Di Maria's sale was Perez's doing, everyone knows that. But Carlo should have been more persistent with Xabi Alonso, or at least he should have asked for a direct replacement, otherwise he should play Khedira as anchor. Instead, he's opting for this very strange line-up, which completely lacks balance among other things. Even when he was at Milan and had the various Pirlo, Seedorf, Rui Costa, Kaká etc. he still always played a ball-winning mid, be it Rino, Ambro or Brocchi.

But going back to De Maria, he should have never been sold. Yes, there were conflicts between him and the club in regards to his demands, but a compromise should have been reached for the benefit of the team. Perez just went with the easy solution and sold him. Even Kroos, regardless of how talented he is, cannot be considered an adequate replacement because he lacks work rate and speed. Don't get me even started on James...

Transfer policy stinks though. I am with you on Carlo's previous not making the most of the resources he has, but at the same time they've gone top heavy on forwards and totally neglected the defence. It's like having the best bullets money can buy, but only a rusty knackered gun to put them in.

Really can't see Cristiano there for too much longer either now to be honest.

Hmm, you really think he'll go back to United? Can't imagine him in another EPL club tbh

I personally can't wait until he's 34/35 and we sign him (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I think given time Carlo can get Real playing better. I don't know that they will be as good as last year since they had fantastic balance last year but they will certainly be playing better than now in a months time. Really he should be sitting Kroos and James until they get more practice with the team. I'm sure Perez has demanded they start from the beginning. They are both good players but not direct replacements in style for Alonso and Di Maria. The team will have to adjust and play differently.