Cristiano Ronaldo the Sexy Boy

Does Real Madrid 's CR9 Cristiano Ronaldo Make Much Difference

Real Madrid was the first to blink. After starting the Spanish season with five consecutive victories, in lock-step with rival Barcelona, los Merengues lost on Sunday to Sevilla, 2-1, in what Mark Elkington of Reuters called a “bristling” defeat.

“Manolo Jimenez’s side inflicted a first defeat on Real with a vibrant, attacking display that was reminiscent of their performances under Juande Ramos when they won back-to-back UEFA Cups,” writes Elkington.
Sevilla’s wings, Jesus Navas and Renato, did the most damage, scoring in each half, and showing that despite Real Madrid’s record spending on talent, it is vulnerable.
Sid Lowe, writing for the Guardian in Britain, described the match as “the season’s first really big clash.“But it was bigger than that,” he added. “It was as if it was Madrid and Barcelona versus the rest, as if Sevilla were playing for the whole league; as if the rest of Spain sent R2D2 to the Sánchez Pizjuán with a grainy hologram: Help us, Sevilla, you’re our only hope.”

Sevilla is now level with Madrid at 15 points but Real leads on goal differential. Still, the defeat stung for Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo missed the game because of a lingering ankle injury sustained midweek during the Champions League victory over Marseille, and pundits are citing that as the major reason Madrid lost. Also missing to injury: Lassana Diarra, Alvaro Arbeloa, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Fernando Gago, prompting ESPN’s Soccernet to note that, “Madrid certainly lacked cohesion.”

Ronaldo leads the team with nine goals this season, the most prolific new star in the Real Madrid constellation of “neo-galacticos.” Pundits and columnists questioned if Madrid, despite all the high-priced talent, can really compete without the Portuguese international’s scoring punch. The Spanish daily AS said that, if not for goalkeeper Iker Casillas, it would have been even worse.The game was Manuel Pellegrini’s first real test as Madrid coach, and he fell short in the eyes of AS headline writers.

“It was a great moment for them and they were the just winners,” Pellegrini said of Sevilla’s efforts, according to the Spanish news site, Marca.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is an important player, but we built a team to compensate for players who are unavailable,” said Pelligrini, who added that two serios errors by his team — not the absence of Renaldo — resulted in Sevilla’s two goals.““We were at fault for both goals. I believe the game was lost because of defensive errors,” the coach said. “I’m worried that they got two headers against us from players that are a lot shorter.”
There’s no denying Ronaldo’s impressive start to the new season. He’s clearly taken his task of leading Real Madrid to heart. How important is he to the team’s chances to regain its glory and catch Barcelona, in Spain and in Europe?