2009-10 Real Madrid Champions League Preview: Not A Dream But A Goal

Arguably, this could be considered the most exciting season in Real Madrid’s recent decades. The comeback this summer of president Florentino Perez has brought some of the best players in the footballing world with him.

For the first time in the history of football, one team has been able to sign a group of world class players in one summer. Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Karim Benzema, and Xabi Alonso provide this team with weapons which have been badly missed in previous years.

Barcelona’s wonderful season has forced Madrid into this, and with this roster, expectations in Madrid are high, but exigency is even higher.

With no doubt, one of the main goals for Real Madrid this season is the UEFA Champions League, whose final, moreover, will be hosted at Santiago Bernabeu, Real’s stadium. In the past, the greatest European competition was the tournament where Madrid built a huge part of its legend.

This was where big nights happened, where "90 minutes in the Bernabeu were molto longo’’. There was a time in which the relationship between the Real Madrid and the competition was excellent. Unfortunately, this tradition has dramatically changed in the previous five years.

Seven years have passed since Real’s last European title and in the last five the team have not been able to reach the final eight in the competition.

There is not only one reason to explain these upsets; nevertheless, there are a set of remarkable weaknesses which can explain the reasons for Madrid's inability to claim Europe's greatest prize. The first one is the lack of special players; those players who can change the direction of a game in a moment.

In this type of competition you need these players. The second one is the depth of talent on their bench, which has been poor in recent years. Definitely, there were no  outstanding talents coming off the bench, as well as a distinct lack of experience. Besides the likes of Raúl, Guti, Cannavaro, and Casillas, no one at Real Madrid was truly experienced in European competitions.

All these three former weaknesses are reasons to be cheerful coming into this season. Ronaldo, Kaká and even Alonso are special and experienced players; clutch guys. They have all won the competition in recent years and are able to step up in the defining moments.

Real’s starting lineup will unite seven former UEFA Champions League champions, as well as boasting money in the bank and also improving their bench. Even though the departures of Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben mean they are losing two quality players, the likes of  Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Gago, Esteban Granero and Christoph Metzelder give Manuel Pellegrini enough options.

These players'—formerly starters—new role in the team gives them depth and should be a factor if they are to be successful.

Being in a position of winning the Champions League is obligatory this year. There will be no excuse for underachievement. The first three teams in the path to the final will be AC Milan, Olympique de Marseille and Zurich FC.

Only the name and the jersey remain from arguably the greatest Milan side of recent years from the beginning of the decade. Time has run out for this team and this group of players.

They missed out on the UEFA Champions League last year and appear unlikely to win the competition this year. The Italians' hopes are dependent on Alexandre Pato, an ultra-talented though inexperienced player, who will not have enough on his own for them to be successful to succeed at the highest level.

They were embarrassed this weekend as they lost to arch-rivals Internazionale (0-4), in a game which showcased their decline; because of a roster of too old players and a bad transition from that team's glorious past to their current state. They could fight to compete, but pound by pound AC Milan are a couple of steps behind Real Madrid.

Olympique Marseille should be in the hunt for the second spot. They have solidified their position in the tournament over the last couple of years and this year, they represent perhaps the best team in French football.

Players such as Hatem Ben Arfa and Brandao provide the team with quality in the attacking quarter of the field. While Fernando Morientes and Gabriel Heinze will play against their former team.

Finally, FC Zurich will be the Cinderella in the group; a team which barely will be able to win a game.

This will be only the first stage. This group competition will set the team up for the real part of the tournament. Real’s challenge really begins in February.

Their hopes couldn’t be better; they have a great team capable of making  it to the final, hosting it and lifting up the trophy in the Madrid night sky. It is a beautiful dream at this moment, but don’t get me wrong. It is more than a wonderful dream; it’s a goal.