Real Madrid News
Bundesliga defender lavishes praise on Real Madrid superstar: “So calm on the ball, so skilful”
Speaking in an interview with Alvaro de Grado, Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong has heaped praise on Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius has grown into a talismanic player for Real Madrid over the past couple of seasons. The Brazilian winger was key to the success that Los Blancos achieved last season and he has once again been one of their best players this term.
So far in 2022/23, Vinicius has racked up a highly impressive tally of 19 goals and 11 assists from 41 games across all competitions. With a fair few matches still left to be played this season, he looks set to surpass his goal tally from last campaign (22).
Naturally, Vinicius has gathered a lot of admirers, with Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong being one among them.
“I love watching Vinicius at Real Madrid: he’s so calm on the ball, so skilful, he never panics. He plays freely, I love it,” Frimpong stated.
“When Vinicius loses the ball, he tries again. In football, when you lose the ball, sometimes you don’t want to try it again. But that never affects Vinicius,” the former Celtic defender added.
Vinicius abilities on the ball have become a main weapon for Real Madrid and something that rivals have come to praise.
Earlier this month, Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo stated that there was no better player in 1v1 situations than Vinicius currently, as he said: “For me today, Vinicius is number one in one-on-one. He is a very good player, very unbalancing.”
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has also been vocal about the quality of his star forward, claiming that the Brazilian will be a part of the club’s history.
After a month into the new season, Aurelien Tchouameni is finally back in action for Real Madrid.
The Frenchman made his first appearance of the season for the Merengues last night against Inter Milan after recovering from the muscular injury that delayed his campaign.
His return to fitness had raised questions over where he would fit into Mourinho’s plans.
Tchouameni has been a regular in Real Madrid’s midfield for several seasons under different managers, but the end of last season was far less straightforward.
His confrontation with Federico Valverde, combined with speculation over his future at the club, created uncertainty about his position. His lack of a proper pre-season also appeared to put him behind other midfield options.
Bernardo Silva had established himself as an important figure, while Eduardo Camavinga was also ahead of Tchouameni in terms of match fitness.
With Real Madrid looking for greater creativity in midfield, there were questions over whether the Frenchman would still be a first-choice player.
Key for Mourinho
According to AS (h/t Bernabeu Digital), however, Mourinho has no such doubts. Tchouameni remains a key player for the Portuguese coach and is expected to be a starter.
Mourinho sees the French international as a midfielder without a direct replacement in the squad.
For Jose, Tchouameni provides something that none of the other midfielders in the squad do – a more defensive and positional presence, combining his tactical discipline with considerable physical strength.
His ability to shield the defence and provide balance could be particularly important for a Real Madrid side that want to defend aggressively and attack quickly in transition.
For that reason, his absence at the start of the campaign has not changed the manager’s view of his importance.
Mourinho faces a midfield selection problem
The challenge for Mourinho now is finding a way to fit all the pieces together.
If Tchouameni is guaranteed a starting position and Valverde is considered untouchable as captain, the obvious consequence is that Bernardo could find himself starting from the bench.
The summer arrival had been given an important role in helping Real Madrid control and distribute possession from deeper positions.
However, with Tchouameni and Valverde both occupying midfield places, Mourinho cannot accommodate everyone in the same lineup.
How the Portuguese coach manages that competition will be interesting to see in the coming weeks.
