The Enigma by Mohamed Haniff
On Sunday the Bernabeu hosted for the first time in its history a match at noon; it was strange to see the Fondo Sur bathed in sunlight, but it was decidedly less intriguing to see Cristiano Ronaldo bag his fourth hat-trick of the campaign; moving his Liga tally for Madrid to an astonishing 79 goals in 75 games. However, as much as they enjoyed the goals, the Bernabeu faithful were possibly most interested to see the debut of former Bundesliga star Nuri Sahin. Since the young Turk joined from Borussia Dortmund he has spent an astonishing amount of time in the medical room, making many doubt his existence in the first place. On Sunday November 6th Nuri was greeted with a warm ovation from the often skeptical and tough to please Bernabeu crowd; the very same one who had dubbed Gonzalo Higuain as 'shite' nine minutes into his own debut. What makes Sahin special? Sahin does not exactly bring the goals or glamour of a Cristiano Ronaldo but in Madrid many view him as the secret weapon they can use to finally topple the mighty Barcelona. A quiet bargain at only 10 million euros, since his injury, Sahin has been elevated to a status that may prove to be a bit unreasonable by the time the first Clasico arrives. He has been wrapped in cotton by the whole staff of Real Madrid, who had him play in a secret match in order to test his fitness; reports emanated from that match which sent the impatient Bernabeu aficionados into a frenzy. The report leaked by an unknown member of the Madrid coaching staff stated that Sahin had been played in the 'Xabi' role and had completed the game with aplomb; linking up tremendously well with Bernabeu favourite and Nuri's own best friend, Mesut Ozil.
Sahin is a tremendously gifted midfielder blessed with all of the traits that many perceived to have been lacking in the Real Madrid midfield last season. Essentially, Nuri Sahin provides Real Madrid with an alternative exit strategy, something that is becoming increasingly important in modern day football. What exactly do I mean by exit strategy?
Well, it's something that Barcelona have an abundance of and something Brazil lacked in the last world cup - also something England have been lacking for quite a long time. Basically it describes the distribution of the ball from the backline through the midfield and up to the forwards. Barcelona is a squad riddled with ball players and as such, they have more than one person who can spot a pass which will ultimately open up the field for the other players. In Madrid for a long time Xabi has been the only man capable of doing so, with Ozil stranded further up the field; many times teams have exerted ludicrous amounts of pressure on Xabi, subsequently killing Madrid's exit strategy and as a result stifling their play. What Sahin brings to the table is another option for Madrid to play the ball to once they have it in the backline. The shift of Sergio Ramos to centreback also plays very well into this theory, as he is quite capable of spotting a pass. Adding Sahin to the ranks makes Madrid's play a bit more fluid and a bit more patient, which has often been the downfall of this squad in the tougher games. Sure, they have the power to batter teams in a matter of seconds, but do they have the ability to slow things down and look for the right pass when a team is parking the bus? Or to even regain control and dictate the game when a team like Barcelona is overrunning them?
Well, it's something that Barcelona have an abundance of and something Brazil lacked in the last world cup - also something England have been lacking for quite a long time. Basically it describes the distribution of the ball from the backline through the midfield and up to the forwards. Barcelona is a squad riddled with ball players and as such, they have more than one person who can spot a pass which will ultimately open up the field for the other players. In Madrid for a long time Xabi has been the only man capable of doing so, with Ozil stranded further up the field; many times teams have exerted ludicrous amounts of pressure on Xabi, subsequently killing Madrid's exit strategy and as a result stifling their play. What Sahin brings to the table is another option for Madrid to play the ball to once they have it in the backline. The shift of Sergio Ramos to centreback also plays very well into this theory, as he is quite capable of spotting a pass. Adding Sahin to the ranks makes Madrid's play a bit more fluid and a bit more patient, which has often been the downfall of this squad in the tougher games. Sure, they have the power to batter teams in a matter of seconds, but do they have the ability to slow things down and look for the right pass when a team is parking the bus? Or to even regain control and dictate the game when a team like Barcelona is overrunning them?
Nuri Sahin is gifted with a rare kind of ability to set the pace of a game; it has often been mooted that Alonso is gifted at setting the direction of the game but not necessarily the pace, which is an entirely different skill-set in itself. Nuri also has an eye for a killer pass plus the ability to seemingly make the right pass at the right moment in every situation he finds himself in. He also has the engine to move between both boxes for 90 minutes and is a decent dribbler with the ball at his feet, making him a highly mobile player; something which is not one of Xabi's strengths and has been missing from the Madrid midfield for quite some time. In the Turk, the Los Blancos faithful see a player who can be the perfect foil for Xabi or an ideal replacement when Alonso is given some much needed rest. However, Nuri still faces many challenges on his road to Bernabeu glory though he has been lofted to this position of saviour. His early injury was surely unjust as this not only robbed him of the opportunity to properly settle into the squad and the playing style but has given him the unnerving tag of Bernabeu hero. The one who is going to come in and fix all of the problems in the current squad, more importantly the one that is going to come in and be the final piece of the once scattered puzzle to finally dethrone Barcelona. Stronger men have come before him and failed in this quest, leaving as a broken shell of their former selves; until recently many would have placed Kaka in this category. Things may not go as peachy for Sahin as everyone would hope, and a question to ask is whether he would be able to recover if the fickle Bernabeu crowd brand him a waste of money should things unravel poorly, We will see. His positive and determined attitude during his spell on the sidelines indicates that he is a man of strong character; but the Bernabeu crowd has reduced a grown Drenthe to tears. For the moment he has the full support of all of his teammates who were congratulating him enthusiastically after the game, also the presence of best friend Ozil and former Bundesliga comrade Khedira, may make the difficult moments easier for young Sahin.
Another issue which he will have to face is simply breaking into the first team squad, Jose Mourinho generally likes to reward those who perform in his starting eleven and is also noted for erring on the side of caution. Thus with the team in blistering form, it is unclear whether or not Jose would be willing to change things around now. When Sahin was initially bought it was believed that the team would be shifting to a 4-3-3 but they have stuck by the 4-2-3-1 formation, even in the SuperCopa when playing the almighty Barcelona; and they have reaped positive results. So where does Sahin fit in the 4-2-3-1? He can be a replacement for Xabi, but many want to see the duo paired together; however there is the real possibility that Mourinho may see this as too defensively brittle.
The Portugese tactician has refused to play Granero with Xabi for this very reason, and he is often vindicated with the stability which Sami Khedira brings to the Real Madrid midfield intercepting countless balls. Will Sahin be able to fulfill these kinds of duties when asked to do so? In my personal opinion I believe that it is within Sahin to play where Khedira plays but in a different manner. He may not go bundling into players, but his anticipation and reading of the game could serve him well in this role. However against the tougher sides will this midfield be too weak?
The Portugese tactician has refused to play Granero with Xabi for this very reason, and he is often vindicated with the stability which Sami Khedira brings to the Real Madrid midfield intercepting countless balls. Will Sahin be able to fulfill these kinds of duties when asked to do so? In my personal opinion I believe that it is within Sahin to play where Khedira plays but in a different manner. He may not go bundling into players, but his anticipation and reading of the game could serve him well in this role. However against the tougher sides will this midfield be too weak?
Evidently, they are many questions surrounding the enigma of the grand Turk, but one should think that by the time the first Clasico rolls around in December, we may have a better idea on where Nuri Sahin stands in Jose Mourinho's plans. It may be that he is saved for a second half push and thus used sparingly until the new year, or he may be thrown into the fray right after the international break in a bid to get him into some kind of form for the first Super Clasico. At the moment Nuri Sahin remains a mystery within the realm of Spanish football, he has been touted as the saviour, the “crack” Madrid need in the midfield to overcome the Barcelona hurdle. Will the pressure be too much? Or will he fulfill the promising role that has made the fans fueled with angst and impatience? It really is only a matter of time before we all find out.
