Without Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso in the starting lineup, Real Madrid look like a team without a whole lot of purpose and direction. They're locked in a scoreless draw with Sporting Gijon at halftime of their game, and deservedly so. The midfield pairing of Sami Khedira and Lassana Diarra, while intelligent and industrious, hasn't provided much in the way of creativity. Mesut Özil is a good player, but he doesn't look like he currently has the capability to be the creative force in a team of this quality. It's been a struggle for Madrid so far, but it would be a surprise to see them fail to score for 90 minutes.
Jose Mourinho is a master of making adjustments to his team in the middle of the match to get the most out of them, so don't be surprised to see either a halftime substitution or some kind of change in focus with the players already on the pitch. If Real Madrid don't look better to start the second half, it will be surprising.
Normally, I'd put a "not to take anything away from Gijon" qualifier in here somewhere, but they don't really deserve it. When Mallorca held Madrid to a 0-0 draw in the opening game of the season, it was mostly because of the way Michel Laudrup prepared his team. This game's scoreline is a result of poor play from Madrid more than it is great play from Gijon.
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