Real Madrid News
Arda Guler suspension opens door for Real Madrid’s club-record signing to earn first start under Mourinho
Yan Diomande has spent more than a month at Real Madrid, but the club’s record signing is still waiting for his first start under Jose Mourinho.
The 19-year-old winger has featured in all four league matches since his arrival, yet his involvement has been limited to just 83 minutes.
In fact, he has not completed half an hour in a single game and has so far been restricted to short appearances from the bench.
According to AS, Real Madrid do not view Diomande’s slow introduction as a setback.
Rather, patience is the key word, with Mourinho deliberately taking his time while another player has unexpectedly strengthened his claim for regular football on the right.
Diomande waiting as Guler shines
Arda Guler has emerged as one of Real Madrid’s early-season successes, starting three of the four league games.
Brahim Diaz started the other, leaving Diomande competing for opportunities in an increasingly crowded position.
So far this season, Real Madrid’s club record signing has played 26 minutes against Espanyol, six against Real Sociedad, 25 against Malaga and 26 against Real Betis.
That leaves him with only 23% of Real Madrid’s available league minutes, and not a single appearance from the start.
Mourinho has repeatedly urged calm when discussing the teenager, insisting the transfer fee should not dictate his treatment.
“Relax, he has to take it step by step. He’s played all three games… umm … 20 minutes, 15, 30… he’s played all three games. He works well, very hard.
“I can’t focus on his transfer fee. I have to focus on the young player with great potential that he is, with a season of top-level football under his belt, in the Bundesliga and with Leipzig.
“Calm down. Because normally, when you talk about a number that big, you’re talking about someone who arrives and blows everyone up. That’s not the case,” said the manager.
Champions League could change everything
The situation becomes more interesting ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League opener against Inter.
This is because Guler and Bernardo Silva are suspended, removing two players who would ordinarily be ahead of Diomande in the pecking order.
Eduardo Camavinga is also unavailable, while Aurelien Tchouameni and Thiago Pitarch are still recovering, limiting Mourinho’s options; this means either Brahim or Diomande could be asked to operate on the right.
There is also the possibility of a tactical adjustment, including a double-right-back system, but Diomande now has a genuine opportunity to force himself into the manager’s plans.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder uses the international break as a ‘pre-season’ to regain fitness and rhythm
According to AS, Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has fully capitalised on the extended international break to regain his fitness and rhythm.
The French midfielder has been using the past two weeks to have the ‘pre-season’ he did not get during the summer with an injury.
There is still a third week to come, the one that is beginning now, and it will be the week when he gets the green light to complete his conditioning. But the signs have been excellent. In short, everything is going according to plan.
Tchouameni played in the derby against Atletico Madrid without being at his physical and sporting best. He was fully recovered from his injury, but lacked match rhythm.
After staying in Madrid during the international break, he has worked hard on what was missing. Now he is ready.
A key player for Mourinho
Tchouameni is a key player for the coaching staff, the player who is expected to provide stability to the team. He is important in the build-up and, above all, provides defensive strength.
That is inevitably a concern: Real Madrid have conceded nine goals in eight matches. The problem became bigger in the last two games as the Merengues let in two against Elche and two in the derby.
Tchouameni played in both the matches, but it was clear that he was short of training and needed more minutes.
And, France manager Zinedine Zidane decided to not call him up so that he can work on those things while staying back in Madrid.
A lot of hard work
These have been weeks of a heavy physical workload for Tchouameni with very few days off. While many of his teammates have been able to enjoy some time away, he has understood that these three weeks are about making up for lost time.
It is the specific preparation he could not do in the summer because of the injury he carried from the World Cup.
Inside Valdebebas, the message is that he has spent “hours and hours” working – many in the gym, many out on the pitch, combining sessions with his team-mates with individual, personalised work.
The focus has been on getting his physical condition back to where it needs to be.
Centre-back crisis
In the short term, the situation is serious. Villarreal are next for Real Madrid, and everything suggests that Tchouameni will start, possibly at centre-back.
Eder Militao is already working on the pitch but will not return until at least November. Dean Huijsen is suspended after being sent off in the derby, while Raul Asencio has just undergone surgery and will be out for at least three months.
And, Ibrahima Konate is being handled with caution after returning from the France camp with an injury.
Given the situation, Mourinho will have to choose between Tchouameni and a youth-team player such as Oscar Naasei, Joan Martínez or Mario Rivas to partner Antonio Rudiger.
That decision will come later. For now, Tchouameni is about making the most of the present. by going to Valdebebas, pushing himself, recovering his fitness, his confidence and his rhythm.
