Real Madrid News
Mourinho mulling over potential midfield role for Real Madrid star defender – report
Trent Alexander-Arnold has had a very rough summer on all fronts, and it is safe to say that he will feel he has a lot to prove once the new season commences.
For starters, the player was left out of England’s squad for the FIFA World Cup which came as an unbelievable development.
The blow on the international level was then compounded by Real Madrid’s decision to sign Denzel Dumfries – a direct competitor for the right-back spot after Dani Carvajal’s departure.
An interesting plan
Now, as reported by Cadena SER, Jose Mourinho has a unique idea to incorporate the Englishman into his dynamics which is far from what anyone would have expected.
The Portuguese manager reportedly sees Trent as a player who can play in midfield to control the proceedings of the game on need.
He sees the former Liverpool star as possessing the technicality and quality required to be a controller of the game and may well test him in that position soon.
The question that arises, however, is about the formation the manager plans to use at Real Madrid.
The standard 4-2-3-1 already has clear candidates in midfield in Aurelien Tchouameni, Bernardo Silva, Jude Bellingham and even Federico Valverde.
Adding Trent as a right midfielder will require one of them to be dropped or a change in formation.
Who is the preferred right-back?
As relayed earlier today, Real Madrid’s new signing Denzel Dumfries has impressed the new manager, so much so that he already appears to be ahead of Trent on the pecking order.
Word has it that it will be the new arrival who starts at right-back in Real Madrid’s opening league game. If true, the development will be colossal in determining Trent’s role in the team.
Having arrived as one of the best in the business just a year ago, the Englishman’s adaptation to the club has not been ideal.
Further, his profile may not be as defensively sound as Mourinho desires, and that could well be the reason for the midfield idea’s birth.
In any case, it will be interesting to see how the defender fares in a new position and role.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
