Schuster’s Madrid must win with style as influentials Fàbregas and Robben are pursued

Bernd Schuster has crossed Madrid for a major promotion, but his time at the top is likely to be fleeting unless he satisfies two major criteria: to win La Liga or the Champions League, and play anti-Capello football.

The nauseating sight of Real Madrid president and chief propagandist Ramón Calderón pompously announcing the arrival of yet another coach is typical procedure at the Bernabéu circus. Real’s high player and coach turnover, political wrangles and notorious touting for other club’s top players have undoubtedly helped to boost their global profile, but they are far removed from the concept of gentleman’s association football and the most marketable club in football now behave like a multinational corporation rather than a team run for supporters’ enjoyment.

It has been proven that persevering with one coach brings greater success than applying a hire-and-fire policy, but Real appear to have learned little from the last few years. Vicente Del Bosque was sacked despite winning the league in 2003 and subsequently an embarrassingly lean period followed as ‘los blancos’ failed to lift a trophy for three consecutive seasons. Unknowns such as Vanderlei Luxemburgo and Jose Antonio Camacho came and went making no impact, so when Juventus were relegated as part of Italy’s match-fixing scandal and Fabio Capello became available in summer 2006, Real jumped at the chance to sign a big managerial name. Ultimately, though the football was largely uninspiring, Capello again succeeded in bringing silverware to the capital in a memorable culmination to the season. Yet as in Del Bosque’s case, it wasn’t enough to save his job, the Italian going 11 days later and again surviving just one season as he did in 1996/7.

Schuster, who played at the club for two years in a glittering career, is next through the revolving doors following a fantastic campaign with Getafe, who will play Uefa Cup football next season after reaching the Copa del Rey final. It is not a high-profile name – these are left for the playing staff – but Madrid fans have been enthused by Getafe’s brand of attacking football and Schuster’s accomplishments with a small budget at an unfashionable club. The German is a disciplinarian who is expected to quell the many egos and assert his authority early on to ensure the often disruptive players are united and well prepared to fight on two fronts, at home and on the continent. He desires the kind of consistency Capello didn’t have, a facet which will be crucial to Real’s chances of picking up the mandatory silverware.

I believe Fàbregas is one of the few players in his position that can carry a team on his back
- Bernd Schuster

“I know where I am and what I need to do. From the first day I became a coach, I wanted to one day triumph in a big club. Real Madrid is a big club,” commented the former West Germany midfielder. Some have questioned whether the club is in fact too big for a man who has excelled when there have been few expectations but Schuster is, as ever, brash, “This is a big step for me but I feel comfortable with it.”

The latest coach has immediately alerted the hungry press pack with praise for Cesc Fàbregas, whose future is in serious doubt at Arsenal, “I like Fàbregas, he plays in the same position as I did in my playing days. I believe he is one of the few players in his position that can carry a team on his back, and when I say teams, I mean quality teams.”

Real have turned their attention to the exciting Catalan midfielder after being warned off the world’s best player, Kaká – who remains a long-term target – and Thierry Henry’s departure to Barcelona, along with Arsène Wenger’s refusal to sign a new deal, has raised questions in Fàbregas’s mind as to the long-term prospects of his current club. Predrag Mijatovic, the sporting director, is expected to enquire about the 20-year-old as José Antonio Reyes’s future comes under discussion. While Reyes is almost certain to leave – Atlético Madrid are the leading candidates – it is unlikely Arsenal will listen to offers for Fàbregas after granting Henry his wish, though should his mentor Wenger depart in 2008, keeping hold of him would become increasingly difficult.

A more probable acquisition is Chelsea’s Arjen Robben. The Dutch winger has resigned himself to the exit door at Stamford Bridge after Florent Malouda arrived from Lyons, and Real would be favourites to beat Bayern Munich for the £12m-rated 23-year-old having originally expressed an interest over a year ago. Schuster will have little say in who the club purchase in the transfer market as is common practice in Spain, with Mijatovic charged with the job of uncovering and bringing in new faces.

It is Schuster, however, who will be accountable for the team’s results. The three-year contract he has been awarded doesn’t count for much in the bustling Spanish capital, and failure to be in close contention for the league in early 2008 could see the end of his tenure without a season being registered. Capello was close to losing his job last February on the back of a Champions League exit to Bayern, though he eventually stayed amid rumours that Real didn’t wish to pay the large amount of compensation that would be due if he was sacked before the end of his first season. Real’s vast ambition may be misguided but Schuster is in no position to argue.

Even trophies may not be sufficient to ensure a second season, but if he can incorporate the spirit and dynamism of his Getafe side with pragmatic purchases while quashing the bigger personalities and instigating a winning approach, Schuster could very well emulate or even exceed Capello. Coaching a Madrid side that plays with style and wins silverware via its football elegance appears an unfeasible mission, but Calderon is not to be denied, “We have faith that he will build a team that reaches excellence in the way it plays. Our aim is not just to win titles but to have a team that we are all proud of.” The struggle for perfection, to be at the vanguard of world football is an ongoing mission, and Schuster is the next man to take up the mantle, along with the few assurances that come with Real Madrid football club.

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