Ramos off pace as fading force in ageing Real side
SERGIO RAMOS continues to push the boundaries for Real Madrid even in the autumn of his career.
Ramos is the man opposing fans love to hate and generally for good reason. He is often depicted as a pantomime villain but the pantomime part is superfluous.
Parachuted straight back into the side by manager Zinedine Zidane, below, after missing the club’s last 10 games with a calf injury, Ramos responded in the only way he knows how. By being shown a card.
The first-half yellow he picked up for hurling opposing captain Cesar Azpilicueta to the ground as they played pinch and grab in the Chelsea penalty area was his 38th in the Champions League. No player has more.
There had been a warm smile for his fellow Spaniard as the pennants were exchanged in the centre circle before kick-off but that was the last sign of a relaxed Ramos as his ageing side were overrun by Chelsea.
If Zidane’s choice of Eden Hazard up front was a Hail Mary selection, that of Ramos at the back equally trusted to hope over evidence.
The 35-year-old has only played 20 club games this season because of injury. His contract runs out at the end of the season and he wants two more years at the Bernabeu.
Last night was the chance for him to show he is still worth it.
Instead he looked past it. He was not alone as an old goat in a Madrid team with an average age of 29.
They had found it hard to keep up with the whippersnappers during the first leg when Ramos was reduced to an animated extra in the stands, a masked cheerleader for his men.
And in the first half it was a similar story as they were hounded in possession and made to look ever so vulnerable with their patched-together defensive back three when Chelsea broke. Socks pulled up over knees, hair slicked back and held in place by a band, the bearded Ramos looked the part as ever but Timo Werner’s pace was a constant worry. He was beaten to the punch far too often.
WhenWerner ran at him early on, Ramos’s lunging block hinted at trouble ahead.
Casemiro came to his rescue in the 25th minute, covering up in the nick of time as the rapid German lurked behind.
He showed his ringcraft once to shut off Kai Havertz just before half-time but, with his side trailing, left the field arguing with his team-mates.
That is partly the point of Ramos. He demands the best of those around him. But last night Capitan Fantastico, after 16 seasons at Madrid, was a depleted presence in a fading vintage.