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Martin Odegaard makes his much-anticipated debut
After all the hoopla surrounding the signing of the Norwegian prodigy Martin Odegaard, the 16-year old finally made his senior team debut when he came on for Ronaldo at the 58th minute, thereby becoming the youngest ever player in Real Madrid’s history.
Odegaard kept it simple. Neither a blistering start nor a damp squib. He made a few short passes, some assured touches and some incisive runs in the final third.
While most of the glare of spotlight was 600 miles away in Catalonia with Barcelona lifting their Liga title and Xavi making his final league appearance, Odegaard would take heart from the fact that he became the youngest representative ever for the Galacticos, in a game that ended in a meaningless yet thumping win.
Real must seriously look into their goalkeeper dilemma
While the Blancos continued to pump in goal after goal, their frailties at the back continued to trouble them, especially the inconsistency in between the posts.
Iker Casillas was yet again the party pooper for his own side when he surrendered 3 goals in a space of just 20 minutes, yet he made a great save close to the end, thereby highlighting the patchy form he's exhibited all season. Although some weight of the blame deservedly falls on the Madrid defence, the veteran could have done better for the first 2 goals which he conceded in rather limp fashion.
If reports are anything to go by, then David de Gea is on his way to the Spanish capital this summer and this might just spell the end for Casillas, who is no longer the bulwark he once used to be.
Real are in dire need of trophies to live up to their lofty standards and for that to happen, this change now seems very necessary.
Time for Ancelotti to say goodbye?
Speculation is increasing that manager Carlo Ancelotti is heading towards the exit door and that Napoli boss Rafael Benitez is making his way down to Madrid during the summer, as Real couldn't build on last season's success and thereby failed to win any major trophy this season.
Although the 63-year old Italian has expressed his pleasure at continuing for another season, his future hangs in limbo as he failed to guide his side to the heights of last season. Also, considering the highly impatient nature of president Fiorentino Perez, Ancelotti, sadly, may have just had his final game in the Madrid dugout yesterday.
He, however, has the backing of several senior members of the squad such as Ronaldo, Marcelo, and Karim Benzema and a decision on his future at Madrid will reportedly be made within a day or two.
