Real Madrid News
Mourinho informs Real Madrid midfielder where exactly he stands in pecking order
Eduardo Camavinga faces a major challenge for his place at Real Madrid after Jose Mourinho reportedly made it clear where the French midfielder currently stands in the pecking order.
According to Carlos Carpio, as relayed by Defensa Central, Mourinho recently held a meeting with Camavinga and informed him that he is currently last among the club’s midfield options.
However, the Real Madrid manager also told the 23-year-old that he will have opportunities if he chooses to stay and proves himself through hard work.
Camavinga has been linked with an uncertain future at the Santiago Bernabeu, but the midfielder is not considering an exit. Instead, he wants to remain at Real Madrid and fight for his place under Mourinho.
Even so, this latest conversation appears to have made the situation clear: Camavinga is not currently a preferred starter, but the door has not been closed.
Mourinho informs Camavinga of his plans
Real Madrid’s midfield is packed with options, and competition for places is expected to be fierce under Mourinho.
According to Carpio, the Portuguese manager addressed Camavinga’s situation directly during a meeting with the player.
“He had a meeting with Camavinga and told him he’s starting last in the midfield lineup.
“I’m convinced he also told him that if he ultimately decides to stay, he’ll have his chances if he works hard and gives his all,” he stated.
Carpio then explained that Camavinga would still have the opportunity to compete if he accepted the challenge ahead of him.
“And if Camavinga accepts that challenge, as Asencio seems to have, he’ll have the same opportunities as everyone else,” he added.
Camavinga wants to stay and fight
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his role, Camavinga has no desire to leave Real Madrid.
The former Rennes midfielder wants to remain at the club and prove to Mourinho that he deserves to be part of his plans.
That determination could now be tested, particularly after being told that he currently starts at the bottom of the midfield hierarchy.
Even so, Mourinho’s decision to give him the full match against Deportivo suggests that the manager is still willing to assess him rather than simply pushing him towards the exit.
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
