Carlo Ancelotti had never used so many pages from his notebook. Not because he didn't like what he had written, but because it no longer served him any purpose.. In the summer, a Real Madrid was imagined with Courtois in goal and Militao as right center back, with Rüdiger and Alaba rotating on the left side of the center of defense. In just a few weeks, the blade ended up in the trash due to multiple breaks in the crusader.. Kepa arrived, Rüdiger became the leader of the defense and the white team remained at the top of their Champions group and at the top of the fight for the League. But now the challenge is even greater. The Madrid of the month of July no longer exists.

Throughout the first stretch of the season, the injuries of Vinicius (one month out), Ceballos, Arda Güler and Mendy had forced the Italian coach to move small pieces within the same idea. The rotation was very similar. Even the serious mishaps of Courtois and Militao did not cause drastic changes in the system. The notebook pages were useless, but the puzzle was relatively simple. Vinicius' injury gave Rodrygo more honors and the infinite possibilities offered by Tchouaméni, Kroos, Camavinga, Modric, Valverde and Bellingham in a chameleonic midfield kept the whites at the highest level. The puzzle now gives more headache.

Along with the long-term absences of Courtois and Militao, Ancelotti will be without Tchouaméni, Camavinga and Vinicius for many weeks. The former Monaco player, who suffered a broken toe, could return before Christmas, against Unión Berlin on December 12 or against Villarreal on the 17th.. His compatriot will have to wait longer after breaking the external lateral ligament in his knee and we will see if he can play in the Saudi Super Cup in January. The Brazilian, for his part, seems like he will not step on the grass until February due to a tear in his femoral biceps.

If Kroos is the '5', who plays Kroos?

There are three casualties that completely change the panorama of Madrid. Tchouaméni was the '5' of the team, the man who allowed Kroos to lean to the left when the ball was released. In his absence, Camavinga had replaced him at an extraordinary level, in that virtue that the Frenchman has of being able to play as '5', as an interior and even as a left back.. Without the two of them, Ancelotti only has the option of Kroos as a pivot, forcing him to use Modric more at the base of the play.. The Croatian, who has just played 180 minutes with his national team, has been entering and leaving an eleven in which he was not essential. The return of Ceballos, who could return against Cádiz, is more than necessary for the coaching staff. Neither Bellingham nor Valverde, indisputable, are that type of footballer.

The English and the Uruguayan will gain responsibility, even more so, without Vinicius. Madrid's new offensive plan will be born from his connection with Rodrygo and Joselu. Creating spaces for Vinicius is no longer an option. Camavinga's injury had made Ancelotti reflect on the need to return to the 4-3-3, with the Brazilian duo in attack along with Joselu and Valverde and Bellingham accompanying Kroos, but Vini's loss changes things and it seems that The idea in Valdebebas is to maintain the diamond and the two forwards, although with variations during the game.

Rodrygo will occupy the left sector, like Vinicius, starting from the 4-4-2, and Joselu will focus more on the center backs, leaving the right side to Carvajal and Valverde. Kroos, Modric, Bellingham and Ceballos will share the other three positions until Tchouaméni returns, almost at Christmas. And then there is Brahim, who should have minutes after his good performances, but whom Ancelotti has always placed in Bellingham's position, who continues to have shoulder problems.

All while changes are being experienced in Valdebebas. The plague of injuries has led to the departure of Niko Mihic, head of Madrid's medical services. The doubts regarding the recovery times of Arda Güler, who was included in a call-up but has not even made her debut, have been the last straw for the white team, where some were no longer happy with the recovery work that It was done during some rehabilitations.

Madrid now has seven games until the Christmas break, five in the League. Key moment.

All the expectation aroused by the arrival of Victor Wembanyama to the NBA, a hype like no other, contrasts strikingly with the process followed by his nemesis: a player almost as tall (2.16 meters), almost as young (21 years), with the same versatility and surprising movements and even (although it seems impossible) thinner. There is no one physically like Chet Holmgren, who barely weighs 90 kilos, the perfect Wemby antagonist and a promise of rivalry that has already begun. And, for now, the Thunder center has taken advantage in a race that can be sensed in the background.

They met for the first time officially a few days ago: the Frenchman could only score once defended by Holmgren and the Thunder beat the Spurs by 36 points. The statistics and feelings have turned the predictions for the rookie of the year upside down.. Because if Wemby seems to have hit a small wall of reality, Chet begins to sign performances that project his impact.

Holmgren, defending Sharpe, of the Blazers. Steve Dykes AP

In his first 14 games, Holmgren averaged 17 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, with astonishing accuracy levels: 61.95 on two-pointers, 90.7% on free throws and a sensational 46% on three-pointers. which measures the threat of another giant (2.16 meters with a 2.31 wingspan) capable of doing everything on the court. His fit into the Thunder, the revelation team, has been immediate, forming together with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams, one of the youngest and most thriving quartets in the entire league. Before facing Wembanyama, he had exploded with 36 points (impossible triple at the buzzer to force overtime included) against the Warriors, the highest score for a rookie in Thunder history.

“To be honest, he needs to be a little fatter,” Jokic had joked about him after making the post suffer in their confrontation.. But his performance definitively erases those suspicions of physical weakness that always haunted the boy from Minneapolis and that seemed to be confirmed when, after being chosen second in the 2022 draft – only behind Paolo Banchero – Chet suffered a spectacular injury to his foot. right (Lisfranc injury) trying to defend LeBron James in a summer party with several NBA stars. Holmgren missed last season entirely.

The penultimate NBA unicorn had shot to viral fame with a video in which, at the age of 17, he exposed Steph Curry on his own campus. First, with an unusual play in which he passed the ball behind his back and ended up smashing the rim and then with a block on the board against the Warriors star. Shortly after, in 2021, he was MVP of the 2019 World Cup, an event in which he was paired with Wembanyama for the first time: in the final the Frenchman shone individually (22 points), but the USA took the victory and the gold.

The following year, Holmgren, whose father (Dave) is 2.13 meters tall and played at the university level, played with Gonzaga and continued to show the progression that is now confirmed (14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks ). There he went to reunite with his friend Jalen Suggs (current Magic player), with whom he had trained at the Minnehaha Academy, a prestigious private center in Minnesota, although they could not reach the NCAA Final Four: they lost with Arkansas in the sweet 16.

Alejandro Hernández Hernández (Arrecife, 1982) read one day in a media outlet that his name was in a report related to the Negreira case. A case that has robbed the arbitrators of their fundamental characteristic, which is “honesty”. This talk was going to deal with the level of arbitration and its general situation, also about Negreira, of course, but the Canary Islander has been silent for “nine months” and wanted to clarify what he and the arbitration have experienced since the FC payments were uncovered Barcelona to the vice president of the referees.

It is a difficult time for refereeing, but the president of the CTA said that this year was good. We are going through the most difficult moment that the refereeing team has ever had to face and it is something beyond our responsibility. The responsibility belongs to someone who was part of this house and who has betrayed us just because he had a link with a club. From the point of view of decisions, I think that this season, beyond specific errors, I think it is being better than last. The previous one took its toll on us [the Negreira case] emotionally, mentally, because in the end it is not easy to be there calmly and find a cake that you didn't even know about and have to face social and media condemnation. What did you think when the Negreira case? The first feeling was that it was fake. Then you see that there was a link and you have to accept it, which is a reality. Logically, explanations must be given to the people on the street, but they must be given by those who have paid and those who have collected, because they are responsible, and they have to explain why.. We, who were alien to that situation, cannot give any explanation because we do not have one. Did Negreira have a hand in the promotions and relegations? The power he had is something that those who were there at that time have to answer, because it was not a question of are you going to go up because yes, there was a technical committee. The relationship with us was practically non-existent. He called the ascended and the descended simply to communicate that information. Victoriano Sánchez Arminio, may he rest in peace, was the first to be surprised and betrayed by this situation.

SERGIO GONZÁLEZ VALERO MUNDO In a car, it is mentioned that these payments achieved their objective with a group of arbitrators. Well, but there is no exact evidence, from what I understand it is an assumption that is made based on logic and that will determine it the Civil Guard. Speaking of the Civil Guard, one media outlet stated that there is a report that mentions him due to an exponential increase in his assets. All the assets he may have fit perfectly with what I have been able to earn in my profession and have been obtained legally.. I have refereed 12 years in the First Division and 5 years in the Second. There are three properties, the report lies because it attributes me one in Las Palmas that I don't know. I bought the first one when Negreira was no longer there in 2019 and I did it by mortgaging it by 80% and the other two later, one that costs 89,000 euros in a humble neighborhood of Arrecife (Lanzarote) and another also on the island, which is €230,000. Finally, a parking space in the house where I live. Those are the prices and that is the reality. Is that what has made you suffer the most? I have been wanting to talk for 9 months. That your family has to put up with certain comments or simply the doubt of the people you meet when you go to school to drop off your girls…. I have had bad times in refereeing because of my decisions, but it is part of my job. But of course, this issue is a social sentence and it is unfair. It is unfair that someone has prepared a report where there is absolutely nothing illegal. Judicially, this issue worries me zero, because I have nothing to hide and if the highest standard in history is me, I put my hand in the fire for all my colleagues.

SERGIO GONZÁLEZ VALERO MUNDO And his most difficult match, speaking of football. The Sevillian derbies are the most complicated, they are the most difficult because of the emotions that are experienced there. And a match that I remember. I remember those from the last few years that I have was able to debut in the Champions League. It's another story, when you're there and the lineup plays, then the anthem…. It makes you forget everything I just said. Where do you go when you want to escape from all this? Lanzarote, not Arrecife exactly, but Lanzarote. If we go back to Lanzarote, tell me about the interview in which you said you wanted to be a referee with 11 years. It runs in the family, my uncle and my father were referees. They gave me the bug, I started going to classes when I was 9 years old and when I was 11 years old I made my debut, almost 30 years ago now and the truth is that it was a great decision because from the moment you try the whistle and direct your first game, everything changes, that is, the vision that you have of football becomes another, with the eyes of a referee. In that interview he mentions that his favorite team was Barça. Let's not lose the context, it is normal for an 11-year-old child to tell you that he likes the team that is triumphing at that moment. We give too much thought to a child's words. 31 years have passed. Also, I feel bad that that photo gets dirty.. It's a magical moment. It is the photo that I like the most of all the ones I have of my profession because when I was 11 years old I had the courage to jump onto a field to referee a match.

SERGIO GONZÁLEZ VALERO MUNDO In the Barça-Madrid dichotomy there is the issue of videos, I even think that you have a list of errors. What do you think about the issue of the videos? We are in a country where freedom of expression prevails. We have to work with that pressure, no matter who makes the videos.. The ideal scenario is that all football agents dedicate themselves to talking about football and forget a little about the referees and I am not talking about a specific club. There are other clubs with which there has also been criticism. How does a referee carry that backpack? I have played 211 games in the First Division, 30 or so in the Copa del Rey…. We are talking about hundreds of decisions, thousands, and it is normal that in some there are errors and also that some are right and are perceived as errors.. When you have been in the First Division for 12 seasons, if we dedicate ourselves to remembering the mistakes of the past, it would also be good to remember the successes. There is a great feeling with the footballers and with the coaches, it is a relationship of mutual respect. Beyond specific moments of tension, the rest is a media issue and we have to learn to live with it. Does the VAR help them improve in their profession? Without a doubt, the percentage of problems it solves is infinitely higher than the actions that remain in limbo. The debate focuses a lot on the mistakes that we make and that we are going to continue making because in the end we are people sitting here. There are plays that will always generate noise, but it is a tool that helps football and that football insisted on existing.. Florentino Pérez expressed his doubts in the Madrid Assembly about the offside frame. Same with the semi-automatic system…It is much more reliable, that is the reality. Because it is a system with I don't know how many cameras in the stadium that track all the footballers who see at the moment of the pass where each footballer is, the body position… It would clearly improve the analysis of offsides. Obviously, in the manual work of analyzing the frames, the actions, the lines, there may be small errors because in the end we are people.

“We are happy”. It is the summary of the analysis of the first third of the season by the president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo, of the work of the referees. In the opinion of the president: “Last year we had a season that was not good. I maintain that in these days the level has been very good, I am not going to reconsider,” he responded angrily to a journalist who asked him if he thought he had been sufficiently critical of the performance of his work.

In the 70 minutes that Medina Cantalejo's appearance lasted along with Carlos Clos Gómez and Alberto Undiano Mallenco, the president of the CTA admitted that “there have been failures”, but that “they were happy with their work and the level of success” .

Medina Cantalejo has addressed the controversies surrounding refereeing such as 'penalties', handballs and red cards and has been supported by data to justify the improvement in the interpretation of these actions. “The criterion that no penalties are awarded has been strictly respected,” he said about the reduction in two penalties compared to last season, 46 compared to 44.

In reference to the hands, one more has been called than the previous year (13 in 2022/23 compared to 14 in 23/24), but Medina Cantalejo has admitted that there have been “two hands wrongly called and we have done so know”. Red cards have been reduced by 38%, from 21 to 13, and the president of the CTA attributed this to the reduction in the level of player entries.

The VAR has been, like almost every appearance, one of the most commented topics. Video refereeing has also reduced its interventions from 69 last season to 52 and Medina has congratulated the referees for having resorted less to the intervention of the VAR in decision-making as well as reiterated that the supposed 'scereta room' of the VAR in the Rozas is nothing more than a Backup in case a VAR referee “is unwell.”

Controversies

After an initial intervention by the president that lasted around 20 minutes, he moved on to questions from journalists regarding the controversies affecting the CTA.. Real Madrid and its videos prior to its matches about errors by the assigned referee has been the first topic that the president has discussed and he has admitted that “they do not like it nor do they think it is correct”. Nor has he shared the statements of the white president, Florentino Pérez, about changes in the arbitration structure and has responded that it is not “positive.”

He has also had to face, of course, the Negreira case, the one in which FCBarcelona admitted that it had made payments for 17 years to the vice president of the CTA. The current president has responded that “since the case came out the surprise was tremendous”. “What we want is for this to be resolved as soon as possible and whoever did it to pay. Whoever it is,” Cantalejo pointed out and asked the judge that “it was a bit risky” to collect suspicions without evidence.

Finally, he had to face a question about his applause for Rubiales in that assembly in which the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation decided not to resign. Without apologizing, he admitted that it was “a complicated moment” and that what he had to talk about with Rubiales, he did. He also revealed that as soon as the change of president in the RFEF was announced, he called him within five minutes and put his position at his disposal.

A couple of years ago, Iñigo Errejón was proud of the football shirt that a Más País photographer wore in the Congress of Deputies. “Our photographer today, in the best clothes. Pride,” the politician wrote on the old Twitter. It was not a shirt from Rayo Vallecano, nor from Atlético, much less from Real Madrid, Errejón's own team. It was a shirt from a Bundesliga 2 team: St. Pauli.

“St. Pauli is an island in modern football. A club where its fans are the axis and in which it is more important to defend values than to win,” Carles Viñas, author with Natxo Parra of the book 'St. .Pauli. Another football is possible (Capitan Swing, 2017)'. In the 80s, when the extreme right was sweeping the stands of half of Europe, the St. Pauli gained popularity around the world for its contrary ideology – “an anti-fascist, anti-racist and anti-homophobic club”, read its statutes – and since then it has been the favorite group of left-wing football fans..

Despite not entering the Bundesliga since 2011, each year its merchandising is the third best-selling in Germany behind those of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.. Despite not having played in Europe, the club has more than 400 “support groups” throughout the continent. Or had. Because these days he is experiencing an unexpected crisis with his own followers. It could be for signing a coach or a player, but it is not: it is for Israel.

Crossing of communications

It all started more than a month ago, on October 7. After the Hamas terrorist attack, the St. Pauli issued a statement condemning the events and expressed his solidarity with Hapoel Tel Aviv, an Israeli club with which he is twinned.. “We condemn the religious fundamentalism, human rights abuses and unspeakable brutality of the Hamas regime,” the letter read.. In it, the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu was also criticized, but the controversy had already been created.. Several international fan clubs showed on social networks their discontent with the sympathy of St.. Pauli to Israel and three days later, on October 10, 14 of them, including the Catalan, based in Barcelona, signed a response statement.

“The club has not taken a position in favor of the Palestinian civilians who have lived under a constant blockade for 14 years,” read the text of the 'international supporters', who declared themselves understanding with the directive because “Germany's relationship with Israel is delicate”, but at the same time they demanded “a change of opinion”. Those words ignited tempers in the offices of the St.. Pauli, where opinions from outside have not always been well received, especially from those who have approached the entity out of fashion.. And, in that tone, the club's supporters club coordination issued a third statement. “Some fan clubs have crossed the line,” he said.. “Minimizing and legitimizing Hamas terrorist attacks is not an opinion and is completely unacceptable,” he continued, and from that moment on divorce is a fact..

In recent days, many St.Pauli fan clubs, such as the Basque or Catalan ones, have announced their disappearance or, at the very least, the end of activities.. “If the club and its people justify this continued massacre [in relation to Gaza], we are forced by our values to stop belonging to it,” the Bilbao group proclaimed.. “After the statement from the coordination of clubs that accused us of legitimizing those murdered by Hamas, we have decided to suspend all activities,” added the one from Barcelona.. The board of St. Pauli is trying to mediate, he has promised a meeting with the international fan clubs at the end of the season, but today the distance seems insurmountable..

“It is a complicated issue because in Germany the conception of Israel is different, historical memory weighs a lot, there are also family roots…. All clubs have contradictions and fans must accept them, but in the case of St.. Pauli values are essential”, concludes Viñas who assumes that, after what happened, the external image of the St. Pauli will change forever. Perhaps in the future there will not be another left-wing politician who talks about “pride.”