Real Madrid News
Eden Hazard has requested Real Madrid coaches for a change in position – report
Eden Hazard’s move to Real Madrid has not quite gone to plan for either party. The Belgian was one of the best players in the world in 2019 when he arrived to the Spanish capital, but has been a victim of recurring injuries and health issues since.
To put things into context, Hazard has played just 48 games in La Liga over the last three season, registering four goals and six assists. Vinicius Jr’s increasing importance in the team – on the left-wing no less – makes matters worse for him.
Hazard has recovered from his latest injury and is completely ready for the 2022/23 season. He has, however, requested Carlo Ancelotti and the Madrid coaches to change his position, according to a Sport1 report, as relayed by Defensa Central.
The former Chelsea man made his name playing on the left wing, but has asked to be deployed centrally next season as a midfielder, second striker, or a no. 10. The coaches will analyse this during pre-season.
The reasons for this can be speculated to be three-fold.
One, and the most obvious one, is the competition on the wings at Madrid. The left-wing is Vinicius’ to lose now, while Rodrygo and Marco Asensio fight it out on the other side. Not to mention, Hazard is not particularly comfortable on the right-wing.
Secondly, at 31, after several career-threatening injuries, Hazard has lost quite a bit of pace. While his dribbling may still be astute, modern teams requite wingers to have the frightening speed to lead counter attacks.
Finally, Ancelotti needs to take special care of Karim Benzema next season. The Frenchman participated in four competitions during 2021/22, and with the national team during breaks, scoring a bucket-load of goals.
However, next season could be one of the most taxing one for players as they attempt to juggle club football with the World Cup.
Playing Hazard centrally, possibly as a false 9, means Benzema may get the much-needed rest he needs. With the Belgian up front, the team may lost a physical presence in the box, but his technical prowess means the flow of the attack will not be halted.
Either way, Hazard is not particularly unfamiliar with central roles. He was often deployed as a false nine by Antonio Conte, and he has also spent a fair bit of time as an attacking midfielder.
If he can stray away from his injurious recent past, there is little denying that Hazard still has what it takes to revive his glorious career.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho talks Carlos Espi, Diomande, Guler, Tchouameni, Atletico Madrid after Elche 2-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid found another way to win, but Jose Mourinho was hardly celebrating the manner of it.
Carlos Espi’s injury-time strike completed a 3-2 comeback against Elche, rescuing Madrid after they had surrendered control of a game that appeared to be in their hands.
For Mourinho, the result was welcome, but the performance raised a familiar concern.
“When everything seems easy and you let things slide, it’s dangerous. Then the team reacts and wins, but it’s not pleasant.
“The other good thing is that nobody gets bored with these matches. They’re fun,” he began saying.
Mourinho knows what is going wrong
The Portuguese coach was particularly frustrated by another drop in intensity after the interval.
Real Madrid had opportunities to put the game beyond Elche before allowing their advantage to disappear. Mourinho believes that pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It seems obvious to me. It’s easy to understand. These are games that are all but over, where we have chances to seal the deal but don’t. After failing to do so, we go from having it easy to losing control.
“If we play poorly from the first minute to the 90th, the concern is huge.
“If we have periods where we’re at our best and others where we’re not proactive, just waiting, lacking intensity… Of course it’s a concern. But we won.”
The win keeps Madrid moving, but Mourinho’s concern is less about the points than the way his team is repeatedly making matches unnecessarily complicated.
Carlos Espi again provided the decisive moment from the bench, although Mourinho knows breaking into the starting XI will be difficult with Mbappé ahead of him.
“He’s a guy who works hard and is very motivated,” Mourinho said.
He then added, “He’s up against a player who’s in a league of his own (Mbappe), and we’re well aware of that.”
Madrid derby comes at a delicate moment
Next up is Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho’s attention is already turning towards the derby.
Rather than focusing on the opposition, he remains concerned about his own side’s ability to manage matches.
“The only explanation I can find is that we can’t keep going like this. We misjudged the opportunities we had, and once they score a goal, everything changes,” explained the Real Madrid coach.
Meanwhile, there were positives to take from individual performances, as Mourinho praised Yan Diomande’s development after another energetic outing.
“He’s improving. Physically, you can tell he has more minutes under his belt. He has a great work ethic and intelligence—he’s done a great job.”
Mourinho refuses to call Guler indispensable
Arda Guler’s importance was also questioned after another fantastic performance, but Mourinho rejected the idea that any player is beyond replacement.
“No, no one is indispensable. We were losing control when I made the substitutions; Vini did a great job on defence, but he was very tired.
“And Arda, who was playing in the number 10 position, was also losing intensity.
“I brought in a fresh Jude and Brahim when we were down 0-2, but I could sense we were losing control. That’s how it goes for us. And then, we brought in the heavy artillery and turned it around.”
Mourinho was also pleased with Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde during Madrid’s strongest spells.
“When the team was playing well, he and Valverde were playing well. They broke through the pressure easily, with skill.
“But the game had two phases—or rather three: one until it was 0–2, another until it was 2–2, and another until the end. They did a good job,” he concluded.
Source: AS
