Sir Alex Ferguson warns of problems with Real Madrid building a star-studded cast

It is a peculiar summer when four of the world’s most illustrious clubs, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Boca Juniors and Manchester United, can contest a pre-season tournament and the sponsor, Audi, can be accused of failing to attract the kind of glamour that supposedly only Real Madrid can bring.
This may be the same Real Madrid who have consistently bombed in the Champions League over the past five seasons, but their activity in the transfer market this summer has been extraordinary.
They broke the world transfer record first by signing Kaká from Milan for £59 million, then Cristiano Ronaldo from United for £80 million, followed by deals to take Raúl Albiol from Valencia, Karim Benzema from Lyons and, they firmly expect, Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa from Liverpool. By the time the transfer window closes on August 31, their spending will have gone far beyond £200 million.
Sir Alex Ferguson has frequently aimed barbs at Real in recent years, famously remarking that he “wouldn’t sell a virus to that mob”. However, having given Ronaldo’s transfer his blessing, the United manager seemed to be offering constructive advice to the Spanish club over a transfer policy that has appeared to carry all the hallmarks of Florentino Pérez’s previous galácticos regime, which was characterised by style and attacking flair but, ultimately, a distinct lack of substance.
Asked whether Real’s spending makes them favourites to win the Champions League, Ferguson said: “There’s a very good example of a team in the 1950s, Sunderland, who spent so much money it was known as the Bank of England club. They didn’t win anything and in the end they got themselves relegated.
“I’m not saying Real Madrid will get relegated, but it’s difficult and they will have plenty of problems with balance. I wouldn’t want to be Manuel Pellegrini [the coach] picking his first team with all those individuals. I told Ronaldo he will end up playing centre half because they don’t have one.”
Real conceded 52 goals in La Liga last season — only five fewer than Recreativo Huelva, who finished bottom of the table — but they have at least added Albiol, the Spain centre half, to their defensive options and are close to completing a deal to sign Arbeloa for £3.5 million.
Luring Alonso would give them some much-needed poise in front of the defence, but Leonardo and Louis van Gaal share Ferguson’s doubts about the way Pérez has gone about trying to build another team of galácticos.
Van Gaal, the new Bayern coach, said: “My philosophy is that you have to make a team. You cannot just go out and buy one. I hope the trainer of Real Madrid can make a team out of so many individuals, but I don’t know if he can. Sometimes you can, but it is very, very hard.”
Leonardo, who has replaced Carlo Ancelotti at Milan, said: “It won’t be easy for Madrid and they have not succeeded in the past. They had their experiment with the galácticos and in the end they didn’t win anything.”
“You can buy good talent and create possibilities for yourself, but it is not easy to construct a squad and manage players like Kaká, Ronaldo and Benzema. You need more than just money to build a team. You need spirit and we will have to see if Madrid have [it].”
As for Ferguson’s team, Luis Antonio Valencia, the Ecuador winger, will have his first run-out in a United shirt against Boca tonight, having missed the four-match tour to Asia because of complications with his visa.
Ferguson has high hopes for Valencia, a £16 million acquisition from Wigan Athletic, but Owen Hargreaves remains months away from a return to fitness, having stayed in Canada to continue his rehabilitation from knee surgery rather than join up with his team-mates in Munich, where he spent several years playing for Bayern.
Source:The times