Real Madrid News
Didier Deschamps admits Real Madrid star insisted on NT call-up: ‘He wanted to be there’
Real Madrid only recently regained the services of Kylian Mbappe as the Frenchman made his return from injury against Manchester City.
The star forward is thus expected to play a part in the upcoming Madrid derby, after which Real Madrid will break for the international hiatus.
Coming back after almost a month-long setback, many expected Mbappe to take the international break off to improve his fitness and get some much-needed rest.
The French national team, however, have included him in their squad and he will thus have to travel and participate. Moreover, Los Blancos are not going to negotiate with Les Bleus for any form of concession.
France manager speaks
French national team manager Didier Deschamps spoke to the media ahead of the upcoming international break and commented on the squad he has picked for the final hiatus before the World Cup.
As part of the same, he was asked about his decision to call up Mbappe given the star attacker’s recent struggles with injuries and how any relapse could endanger his chances of making it to the World Cup.
“Why did I call Kylian Mbappe? We have respected the protocol and everything has gone as planned,” he began, stating that he was well within his rights.
Elaborating on the same, Deschamps admitted that it was Mbappe himself who had asked to be part of the team for the upcoming break, and that there was thus no element of force from his side.
“I’ve talked to him regularly. It’s not true that he was forced to come to do marketing, he wanted to be there for these games.”
Needless to say, however, the French NT will be cautious in using him given how any injury to him will be detrimental to their own chances at the upcoming World Cup.
Source: beIN Sports
Real Madrid News
Mourinho sticks to his Champions League tradition ahead of Real Madrid’s clash vs AS Roma
Real Madrid are set to take on AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday in Italy.
Having returned from the international break with a 1-0 win over Villarreal, Los Blancos will be eager to build on it and record their second win in Europe, after beating Inter Milan last month.
Mourinho continues his tradition
And, as reported by Diario AS, the Real Madrid squad trained at Valdebebas before travelling for their Champions League fixture, just as they did during Jose Mourinho’s first spell in charge between 2010 and 2013.
The approach breaks with the usual Champions League routine of training at the opposition’s stadium on the eve of a match.
Real Madrid had largely remained an exception to this trend. Mourinho was the first to change the club’s established procedure, but after his departure in 2013, the routine had returned.
Now, the club are going back to the approach he introduced. Following the training session, the squad will fly to Rome in the afternoon.
Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa followed the same approach
Xabi Alonso revived the practice last season in order to avoid giving direct access to his team’s preparations to the opposition. After Alonso’s dismissal, Alvaro Arbeloa continued the practice.
The team travel to the opposition’s stadium for the press conference, but otherwise complete their preparations at Valdebebas before flying out a few hours later.
Exceptions are made when the journey is too long to make the routine practical, as was the case with Almaty. Rome, however, is a relatively short trip, allowing Mourinho to maintain his preferred schedule.
Real Madrid’s flight is expected to depart at around 15:00, with the pre-match press conference scheduled for 18:00 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Four expected absentees
There were no new injury concerns, with Real Madrid set to travel without four players, all of whom were already expected to miss the match.
Eder Militao has returned to group training but still needs time to regain match fitness. Meanwhile, Raul Asencio remains unavailable after undergoing surgery for a fracture in his right tibia.
Ferland Mendy is also back training with his teammates but is expected to need slightly longer than Militao before returning to action. Rodrygo remains a long-term absentee.
