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Real Madrid vs Inter Milan: Van Der Vaart vs Sneijder
The Dutch Boys
Since it is the transfer season, as expected I have been obsessed about the possible recruitments that Real Madrid would make this season since Perez is around, you can be sure that at least ONE galactico will be signed every season. The players I have chosen today for my VS series belong to the dutch clan. Van Der Vaart who plays for Real Madrid and Sneijder who used to play for Real Madrid and sensationally is being linked to Real Madrid again as he tries to follow his mentor (Jose Mourinho) back to the Bernabeu.
Both are extremely talented players and have been an integral part of Netherland National team since they stepped onto the scene. Real Madrid got Van Der Vaart on the cheap by signing him for 13 million euros from Hamburg 2 years ago and Sneijder was bought for around 40 million euros the previous year but was sold last year which I related to in my previous post as a big mistake as he was just starting to develop into a world class midfielder which he showed by being an instrumental figure in Inter Milan’s success both in the league and the Champions League.
Wesley Sneijder
Age: 25
Height: 5 ft 7 in
Preferred foot: Right but can play exceptionally well with the left too
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Strengths:
- short passing
- long passing
- lobs
- long shots
- accuracy
- vision
- creativity
- Power
- Ball control
- Free kicks
- Corners
- Discipline
- a true TEAM player
Weaknesses:
- Strength
- Header
- Little defender beating tricks
Notes:
Sneijder is a player who has evolved a lot in the past 4 or 5 years. When he was at Ajax he was much more selfish then he is right now though I think he is now even more of a team first me later kind of player than he was at Real Madrid. May be Mourinho was got to do something with that. At Ajax Sneijder used to showcase he array of skills to the full, he used to take on defenders, he used to run a lot and used to take shots at the target whenever he got the opportunity. He put some leash on this while he was playing at Real Madrid where he started to pass a bit as well along with shooting skills.
But at Inter Milan it was completely changed. Now he rarely takes shots at goal and always tries to set up a teammate who may be at a better position to score a goal rather than trying for glory himself. Sneijder is a midfield General though on the shorter side, he does not get muscled around on the field but is not a Samuel Eto,o by any stretch of imagination.
He can play with both feet, passing at will to anyone with either foot. His long shots, I think is his specialty though at Ajax it looked like long shots would be his specialty because of the power and accuracy he had in his boots, when he came to Real Madrid a lot people compared his power to Roberto Carlos’s shots and we all know that no one hits the ball as hard as Roberto Carlos but I tell you, Sneijder is not far behind in that respect either.
Sneijder likes to play just behind the striker where he has the freedom to unleash his creativity with his passing and his nice little one two’s in the midfield to open up tight defenses. To play at a position that Sneijder plays in, one must have a extremely good first touch and above average ball control. Sneijder showed that he had both in this year’s Champions League against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge where the pitch always seems to be filled with sand with no continuity at all.
Players always find it difficult to control the ball there (funny, Chelsea always have their home ground turf in its worst condition only in Champions League matches not their league ones). Anyway, it was just sad to see Sneijder leave Real Madrid at the end of last season and for such a cheap price while players like Guti and Raul (though a Real Madrid legend) stayed at the club only to warm the bench. Sneijder scores goals and creates them in vast amounts. His vision for spotting a teammate in an advanced position is exceptional, just a pity Real Madrid allowed him to leave.
Van Der Vaart
Another Dutch midfield masterclass
Age: 27
Height: 5 ft 10 in
Preffered foot: Left
Position: Central midfeilder (attacking)
Strengths:
- touch
- long shots
- accuracy
- passing
- lobs
- creativity
- dribbling
- ball control
- vision
Weaknesses:
- right foot is a bit of a liability
- Strength
- Header
- Work ethic
- Speed
Notes:
Van Der Vaart, a year senior his compatriot Wesley Sneijder, is also a midifield wizard. Like Sneijder, his ability of taking long shots is incredible however unlike Sneijder, he is not good with is OTHER FOOT. Van der Vaart wasted a lot of his early years in Hamburg though he could have moved to a bigger club much much earlier but I am just glad he did finally move and that too to Real Madrid.
At Real Madrid he has largely been used as a subtitute which is a shame but quite normal at Real Madrid. Crazy stuff happens at this club. Even though he has always performed well whenever he has played, Real Madrid has shown no confidence in him so far. Yes, he was a little inconsistent in the beginning of his career at Real Madrid but to have him labelled as a fringe player and to have Guti sign a lifetime contract at Real Madrid is just absurd. Van Der Vaart’s range of passing is comparable to Guti’s and Van Der Vaart has an additional advantage of having great striker power. His work ethic (though not up to the mark) is far better than Guti’s, who for most of the game is walking as if he has run a marathon.
Van der Vaart has been one of the best signings of Real Madrid in the past few season if we compare the amount of talent we got to the amount of money we payed. Even after scoring crucial goals in the last few games for Real Madrid which actually got Real Madrid to a position where Real Madrid were really being hot on the heels of Barcelona, he remains a fringe player. Again, its just a pity that he is likely to leave Real Madrid as he is reported to have held talks with Liverpool but since Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League next season, Van Der Vaart is unlikely to go there. He has stated that he is a huge Manchester United supporter and would like to join former European Champions if any opportunity presents itself.
Conclusion:
Both players are extremely gifted and big match performers but I would go with Wesley Sneijder as a better player since he has more options while he is on the ball. He is a more consistent performer than Van Der Vaart. Sneijder is always trying to involve himself in the game even when he is having a bad day while Van Der Vaart can be awful on his bad day.
Who do you think is better? Should Real Madrid have kept them both or was it right to let Sneijder leave on the cheap to Inter Milan where within a space of months he has turned into one of the top attacking midfield players in European football?
HALA MADRID!!!
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