Real Madrid News
Misfiring Real Madrid winger not bothered by criticism: “People talk”
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Belgium’s FIFA World Cup 2022 encounter against Morocco, Red Devils’ captain and Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard claimed that he is not bothered by the criticism directed towards him.
Since moving to Real Madrid in 2019, the 31-year-old has been constantly plagued by injury problems and fitness issues, as a result of which he has never been able to hit the heights expected of him at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Hazard has struggled for game-time at Real Madrid this season, but continues to remain a permanent fixture in the Belgium lineup despite his poor form.
There have been question marks over his spot in Roberto Martinez’s side but the former Chelsea ace insists that he is not bothered by what people say and remains focused on delivering his best for the team.
“When I started in Belgium I didn’t do very well either. Criticism doesn’t bother me, people talk and it’s part of football. I focus on the pitch. There will always be criticism. What I do is I try to focus on what I do on the field to help my team and I will always give my all,” he said (h/t MARCA).
Talking about his fitness issues, Hazard insisted that it was all a thing of the past and now he needs to keep playing regularly to get back to his best levels.
“Injuries are part of the past. I just want to enjoy myself on the pitch. Two years ago it was a difficult period for me. Now I’m fine and I want to show that I’m a good player. The more I play often, the better I’ll be. That’s how it is,” he added.
The Belgium captain also spoke about his team’s chances of winning the World Cup, stating that they were much better positioned to do it four years ago.
However, he did add that the Red Devils can still go the distance as they have the best goalkeeper in Thibaut Courtois, and the best midfielder in Kevin De Bruyne.
“We had a better chance of winning four years ago. We still have enough quality to win the World Cup, like the best goalkeeper in the world, the best midfielder in the world, good forwards… a very complete group,” Hazard said.
“We have the mentality to win; if we believe we can win, we can do it. If I play well, it will be easier for us to win the World Cup; now it’s my turn to make the difference, score goals and enjoy.”
Hazard played for a little over an hour in Belgium’s opening game against Canada and failed to make much of an impact. He will be hoping to fare better when his team face Morocco tomorrow, before taking on Croatia in their final group match.
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
