Real Madrid News
Real Madrid sensation may have broken the division’s historic record with mammoth strike vs Elche
Real Madrid put four goals past Elche last night to make it seven goals in two games and enter their best run of the season in that sense.
After all, they have looked dominant over the opposition after a long time, and it is clear that the team is slowly entering an ascendency phase in terms of their form.
Of the four goals scored on the night, Arda Guler was the one who scored the most stunning finish of them all as he struck the ball from Real Madrid’s half, over the goalkeeper, and into the back of the net in flabbergasting fashion.
A new record
As reported by Fran Martinez in a recent update, his calculations place Guler’s striker last night to be from a distance of 68.7 metres from the opposition goal – a number that puts to perspective how stunning his strike was.
He also relays that before Guler’s goal, the record for the distance scored from the furthest distance in the history of the Primera Division lies with Numancia’s Antonio against Sevilla.
It was back in November 2004 that the player scored against Sevilla from a distance of 67 metres and set that record. If Martinez’s calculations are right, Guler may well have broken the record in the division.
An official confirmation of the record can only be gained once La Liga officially confirm the distance of the strike.
Given that there is a staggering 1.7 metre difference between the previous record and Martinez’s calculation, it is likely that Guler’s strike was definitely from beyond the 67 meter mark, for an error of that magnitude would appear impossible.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho sticks to his Champions League tradition ahead of Real Madrid’s clash vs AS Roma
Real Madrid are set to take on AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday in Italy.
Having returned from the international break with a 1-0 win over Villarreal, Los Blancos will be eager to build on it and record their second win in Europe, after beating Inter Milan last month.
Mourinho continues his tradition
And, as reported by Diario AS, the Real Madrid squad trained at Valdebebas before travelling for their Champions League fixture, just as they did during Jose Mourinho’s first spell in charge between 2010 and 2013.
The approach breaks with the usual Champions League routine of training at the opposition’s stadium on the eve of a match.
Real Madrid had largely remained an exception to this trend. Mourinho was the first to change the club’s established procedure, but after his departure in 2013, the routine had returned.
Now, the club are going back to the approach he introduced. Following the training session, the squad will fly to Rome in the afternoon.
Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa followed the same approach
Xabi Alonso revived the practice last season in order to avoid giving direct access to his team’s preparations to the opposition. After Alonso’s dismissal, Alvaro Arbeloa continued the practice.
The team travel to the opposition’s stadium for the press conference, but otherwise complete their preparations at Valdebebas before flying out a few hours later.
Exceptions are made when the journey is too long to make the routine practical, as was the case with Almaty. Rome, however, is a relatively short trip, allowing Mourinho to maintain his preferred schedule.
Real Madrid’s flight is expected to depart at around 15:00, with the pre-match press conference scheduled for 18:00 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Four expected absentees
There were no new injury concerns, with Real Madrid set to travel without four players, all of whom were already expected to miss the match.
Eder Militao has returned to group training but still needs time to regain match fitness. Meanwhile, Raul Asencio remains unavailable after undergoing surgery for a fracture in his right tibia.
Ferland Mendy is also back training with his teammates but is expected to need slightly longer than Militao before returning to action. Rodrygo remains a long-term absentee.
