Real Madrid News
Ancelotti set to drop French midfielder in favour of Toni Kroos vs Atletico Madrid
While Real Madrid are set to miss club captain Karim Benzema for the all-important derby clash against Atletico Madrid, their midfield looks pretty much sorted, with Diario AS (via Madrid Xtra) claiming that Carlo Ancelotti is mostly like to prefer the trio of Toni Kroos, Aurelien Tchouameni and Luka Modric.
As it turns out, the record European and La Liga champions do not really have major injury concerns apart from Benzema and Lucas Vazquez. This potentially means there are chances that the fans will see a similar attacking trio as they did against Leipzig in a 2-0 win.
In that regard, the aforementioned outlet also claims that Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Federico Valverde will occupy the front three spots.
In defence, with Vazquez missing, Dani Carvajal is likely to retain his place while a certain Eder Militao is expected to return as well. The Brazil international picked up an injury against Celtic in the UEFA Champions League, forcing him to miss his side’s next two games.
Like Militao, Benzema, too, had injured himself against Celtic while Vazquez, 31, was injured against Mallorca. The two players continued to train inside the facility while the rest of the squad did their drills on the field.
As far as Real’s midfield options are concerned, Eduardo Camavinga, who is a strong contender to win the Golden Boy 2022 award, is expected to lose his place. The 19-year-old was given the nod against RB Leipzig as Ancelotti decided to rest Toni Kroos.
As it turns out, the former Rennes midfielder didn’t do enough to convince the manager as he was subbed off minutes after the hour mark.
So, for now, the only change in the midfield during the Madrid derby from the Leipzig win is expected to be the inclusion of Kroos in place of Camavinga, while Tchouameni and Modric will continue to keep their places.
Real Madrid are looking towards a heavy splurge in the coming summer transfer window. After all, they do not even have another option given the sheer number of player departures already finalized.
Los Blancos have lost the services of Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz, and Eden Hazard over the past week. While three of the four players predominantly featured on the bench, their presence in the squad gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side much-needed depth and a cushion of sorts.
The forward unit is, thus, the most prioritized department ahead of the transfer window. However, pieces are beginning to fall apart on other fronts and could potentially put the club in a difficult situation.
According to reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, Juventus are eyeing Lucas Vazquez and hope to sign him in the coming month. Contacts between the two parties have begun and the transfer fee discussed appears to be around the €6 million to €8 million ballpark given that he has just one year left on his contract.
The player, for his part, is willing to sign for the Italian giants given his relative lack of minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu. At 31 years of age, he understandably does not want to play a second-fiddle role.
Vasquez played part in 23 of Real Madrid’s 38 La Liga games last season, starting only on 12 occasions. Even in his few appearances, he averaged a mere 50 minutes per game.
The veteran completed the season with four goals and an assist to his name. Further, he averaged five defensive actions and a key pass in every game and feels hard done by his limited role.
Vazquez’s departure would place the club in a tricky situation as it would leave Real Madrid with only Dani Carvajal as a natural right-back option. Nacho Fernandez could, in theory, serve as the backup but a new signing for the position cannot be ruled out.
Abhisekh De
September 18, 2022 at 3:37 pm
রুদিগারের মতো বড়ো চেহারার ডিফেন্ডার খেলানো উছিৎ in my opinion. Let Eder be sit in the bench for derby.